Before Thanksgiving gets too far away, here’s a shout-out to Lucia Palmieri.
The native Westporter cooks meals every year for the holiday — and then gives them away.
This year, it was 10 whole turkeys. (She does 4 at a time, in her ovens.) Then she makes bone broth.
Lucia Palmierii reflects on her Thanksgiving turkeys. She cooks 4 at a time.
This month, she organized a “Santa Run.” A fire truck (and Santa) will come to her house. She’ll supply a fire and hot chocolate; she’ll lead some carols.
In return, guests bring a wrapped gift — and donate $25 to the Fire Department.
Lucia does it all despite a demanding international concert touring schedule. She’s a very talented opera singer. She’s sung at Carnegie Hall, at the US Open, and on ESPN, Bravo, ABC and NBC.
She specializes in Italian and Latin songs — and Italian cooking. (Liza Minnelli, Jon Bon Jovi, Kenneth Cole and the late Marvin Hamlisch have raved about her food.)
Lucia Palmieri, on stage.
Lucia always thinks of others. She does her good deeds quietly, and spectacularly. Thanks, and congratulations: You’re this week’s well-deserved Unsung Hero. (Hat tip: Kathy Calise)
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com, with details.)
(You can be a hero too! Please click here to support “06880.” Thank you!)
Posted onDecember 7, 2022|Comments Off on Staples Student Directors Star At Young Filmmakers’ Forum
Staples High School pulses with exciting, challenging classes.
But there are many chances to learn outside the classroom too.
Staples Independent Learning Experience is one path. Students spend a semester or full year working independently or collaboratively, on a project they’re passionate about.
They’re supported by an Independent Learning Experiences teacher, and a faculty mentor.
Last school year, 6 students directed and produced films. On December 20 (6:30 p.m.), the Westport Library will host their international premieres. Afterward, media studies teacher/advisor Lauren Bullock will moderate a talkback, with the filmmakers.
Staples students have access to sophisticated video equipment and editing software.
The films at the Westport Young Filmmakers’ Forum include:
Chucknea’s Biopic (Filmmaker: Jacob Friedman)
An ex-criminal-turned-interdimensional defense officer investigates a lead on a former crime partner, only to discover a more sinister plot for revenge that implicates the security of all dimensions.
Plus One Filmmakers: Leah Chapman, Tate Mullineaux) Co-dependency and instability challenge 2 teens, as they try to deal with everyday life.
Sincerely, Nadia Filmmaker: Elen Macaluso) Struggling with mental health issues, a high school girl reflects on her life.
Edges of Love (Filmmaker: Ben Seideman) A couple preys on unsuspecting victims in a twisted game of betrayal, manipulation and psychosis.
Crucible (Filmmaker: Jack Rein) A timid youngster suffering from domestic violence is transformed into a confident vigilante, as his family collapses onto him.
If you’re thinking of amateur attempts made with cheap equipment held by shaky hands — think again.
This is 2022. These high school kids have been taught well.
They’ve learned a lot on their own, too.
See their last high school films on the Westport Library’s big screen.
You will probably see their work in years to come.
On a much larger one.
(“06880” covers all the arts, and all the ages. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Staples Student Directors Star At Young Filmmakers’ Forum
The Planning & Zoning Commission continued its discussion of the Hamlet at Saugatuck proposal last night.
P&Z members and proponents of the plan — which includes hotel, retail, residential and waterfront space near the train station — spoke about height, floor area ratios and requirements for public open space.
Votes on text and map amendments — necessary for the project to move forward — may be taken at the next P&Z meeting (Monday, December 12).
The last time we checked in with Vivek Kanthan, he had qualified to represent the US in the 2022 ROK Superfinal World Karting Championship in Italy.
He did win. But now the 13-year-old Westporter is a world champion.
Vivek Kanthan: world karting champion.
The venue was South Garda Karting Track in Lonato, Italy. Ninety racers from 25 countries qualified through their own national competitions.
The event is raced over 4 days. Competitors are eliminated, until only 36 drivers remain for the Superfinal world title.
Vivek won all 4 elimination heats, with a perfect score. He was the first American ever to do so.
In a very tactical, skillful and tense Superfinal, he executed a switchback passing maneuver on the last lap, to win by 0.077 seconds. Racers from Australia and Romania were 2nd and 34d, respectively.
Next year, Vivek moves up a race category. He will continue to compete in Europe against the world’s best kart racers. To follow his Instagram, click here.
Westport Book Shop’s December artist exhibitor is Westporter Jarvis Wilcox. Seven oil paintings featuring nature, landscapes and still life are on display in the Jesup Green used book store. A reception is set for December 10 (5 to 7 p.m.).
Wilcox painted in upstate New York for a decade, then in the Hamptons for 25 years. He now lives here, and is a member of the Artists Collective of Westport, and Silvermine Guild.
All artwork on display is available for purchase. To see more of his work, click here.
Steve Davis returns to VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 on Thursday (December 8), for Jazz at the Post. He brings some great collaborators too.
Davis — one of the most widely recorded trombonists today — will feature selections from his latest CD, “Correlations,” and his Grammy Award-winning original compositions.
He’ll be joined by saxophonist/”Jazz Rabbi” Greg Wall, pianist Rick Germanson, bassist Jason Clotter and drummer Jason Tiemann.
Shows are 7:30 and 8:45 p.m. There is a $15 cover. Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
Take a culinary tour of Italy — without leaving Westport.
Chef Robert L. Gorman leads the first in a series of Wakeman Town Farm dinners on January 6 (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.).
In Tim’s Kitchen, guests will experience many flavors of Italy. Chef Robert starts with imported salami and cheeses; moves on to tagliatelle Bolognese and a variation on bistecca Fiorentina with gremolata and harvest-roasted vegetables, ending with classic tiramisu. He’ll discuss the background of each course, too.
Click here for tickets ($150 each) and more information.
And finally … today is the 53rd anniversary of Altamont.
On this day in 1969, a free Rolling Stones concert turned violent. 18-year-old Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death by Hells Angels security guards. There were 3 other deaths; scores of injuries; many stolen vehicles, and lots of property damage.
Less than 4 months after Woodstock, Rolling Stone magazine called it “rock and roll’s all-time worst day.”
The Ralphola Taylor Center is a Bridgeport community organization serving low- income children.
They earn points for good behavior during after-school activities, and doing their homework. At the Holiday Store each year, the youngsters redeem their points to buy holidays presents for their families.
It’s a fantastic motivator for good behavior. The children feel proud and empowered to provide joy to their loved ones — which in turn reinforces their good behavior.
There are 2 Westport stores where shoppers can buy items that Ralphola Taylor Center children then “purchase” for their families: Savvy + Grace (146 Main Street) and Awesome Toys (Compo Shopping Center).
You can also order from the stores online. Click here for Savvy + Grace; click here for Awesome Toys.
Savvy + Grace — and Awesome Toys — both help kids and families. Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
Speaking of giving: Barbara Tirola was among the many Westporters who dropped off toys this weekend, at the Westport Police Department and Police Athletic League drive for underprivileged children in Fairfield County.
Barbara Tirola and friends.
It’s on next weekend too. Officers will accept new, unopened and unwrapped toys — plus cash donations — in the ASF Sports & Outdoors parking lot (1560 Post Road East) Saturday and Sunday, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Toy collection boxes are also available all week at:
“Jay Myself” (Saturday, December 10) is an intimate, behind-the-scenes documentary on the fascinating life of photographer and artist Jay Maisel, directed by noted Westport photographer Stephen Wilkes.
The film documents the sale of Maisel’s 35,000-square foot, 100-year-old landmark building in Manhattan (“The Bank”), showing a man grappling with time, life, change and the end of a New York era. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Wilkes.
“The Art of Making It” (Sunday, December 11) examines the lives of 17 compelling young artists navigating emerging careers in the contemporary art world. Who gets seen? Who gets left behind? The screening will be followed by a conversation with the producer, director and featured film artist.
Each event runs from 3 to 6 p.m. Tickets include cocktails and light bites. Click here to purchase, and for more information.
And finally … on this day in 1848,President James K. Polk told Congress that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California. The Gold Rush was on!
(“06880” is not looking for pots of gold. However, contributions of any amount are always welcome. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
This year — which despite economic headwinds, was a good one for many Westporters — as we buy presents for loved ones, friends, and people whose good graces we need to keep, we should also think about helping others.
Give what you can.
(Of course, helping them can also ease our own tax burdens a few months from now.)
But who to give to?
Far be it for “06880” to say. So here is a list — off the top of my head — of some worthy local organizations. Each one has a clickable link 🙂
I know I’ve missed some. Rather than bite my head off (very un-Christmas-y), please mention them in the “Comments” section. I’ll add them to this list.
And please: Keep your suggestions local (southern Fairfield County). There are way too many very worthy national and international groups to include. Thank you!
06880: This blog — now a non-profit — sponsors community-wide events. Projects include the Holiday Stroll, an educational seminar at the library, and a soon-to-be announced Westport/Marigny/Ukraine school project. “06880” also publishes this daily blog, to help create community.
Disabilities
Catch a Lift: Westport supports veterans through fitness programs Circle of Friends: Teens work with children with disabilities
CLASP: Group homes and opportunities Club 203: Provides fun, engaging activities for adults with disabilities MyTEAM Triumph: Road race support for children, adults and veterans STAR Lighting the Way: Support for all ages Sweet P Bakery: Provides jobs for adults with learning disabilities; supplies The Porch at Christie’s with delicious baked goods
Triangle Community Center: Providing programs and resources for the LGBTQ+ community Westport Pride: Our town’s own LGBTQ+ organization — sponsors of the June festival, and much more
Literacy
Mercy Learning Center: Life skills training for low-income women Read to Grow: Promoting children’s literacy from birth, supporting parents as babies’ first teachers Westport Book Sales: Providing employment for people with disabilities — and offering books, while providing funds for the Westport Library Westport Library: They do it all!
AWARE: “Assisting Women through Action, Resources and Education” Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County: Empowering women by providing professional clothes and other support LiveGirl: Leadership development and mentoring for females, grades 5 through college Malta House: Shelter and programs for young pregnant women and their babies
Posted onDecember 4, 2022|Comments Off on Roundup: James Montgomery, Teens’ Songwriting Workshop, Shrimp Farming …
The “Blue Sunday” concert series at the Westport Library will end with a bang.
World famous blues rocker James Montgomery joins Mark Naftalin’s all-star lineup next week (December 11, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.).
The house band includes Blues Hall of Fame guitarist/singer/songwriter Paul Gabriel, lowdown bassman Paul Opalach, swingin’ drummer Nick Longo and the host: Westport’s own Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mark Naftalin on keyboards.
The show is (amazingly) free, but registration is highly recommended. Last month’s show was completely sold out. Click here to register.
Verso Studios has partnered with the Song Arts Academy, with an 8-week songwriting program for 15 middle and high school students.
The program runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays, beginning January 30.
It’s free (!), thanks to the support of Fred Reynolds and family. (A refundable $25 registration fee reserves a spot.) .
The workshop offers young songwriters a chance to record songs written in the workshop at Verso Studios.
The program is led by Billy Seidman, a Westport native and veteran New York songwriter, guitarist and producer. He’s worked with Jimi Hendrix, and top pop producers like Jimmy “The Senator” Douglass, (Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams) and Steve Jordan (John Mayer, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton).
Each week, students will learn new craft and perspective tools, then write an original song using them.
John Brawley grew up on Saugatuck Shores. He became a marine biologist, living (and fishing) on Cape Cod for many years.
He now owns Sweet Sound — Vermont’s first shrimp aquaculture outfit. He harvests 100 pounds of Pacific white-leg shrimp each week from indoor, aboveground recirculating saltwater pools.
Brawley was featured in Friday’s Washington Post piece on how the Green Mountain State has pivoted from dairy farms to other types of agriculture. Click here for the full story. (Hat tip: Scott Smith)
But it did not deter the weekly Compo Beach runners. Neither it, nor the wind whipping off the water, deterred them from their jaunt down Soundview Avenue.
The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society is spotlighting the Silvermine Art Colony.
Several of those artists lived in Westport between 1908 and 1922: Karl Anderson, George Hand Wright, George Wright Picknell, Ernest Funt and Edmund Marion Ashe. They met frequently, and critiqued each other’s work.
The 2 exhibits feature over 120 pieces of Silvermine artists’ work, including several of those Westporters. One of the standout pieces is Frank Townsend Hutchen’s “Compo Beach Sunset,” from around 1925.
Tanks. trees, elephants, chrystanthemums, yaks — our “06880” artists cover the world this week.
Remember: This is your feature. All readers are invited to contribute. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and (yes) needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world!
“Garden of Hope/Slava Ukraini” — oil on canvas (Norm Siegel)
“Spaces.” Photographer Peter Barlow says of this Compo Beach image: “Instead of seeing a tree, try observing all the different shapes defined by the branches. Every shape is unique.”
Untitled (Kathleen Burke)
Photographer Celia Campbell-Mohn asks: “Pothole on Sherwood path, or art?”
“Jazzman” – Tom Doran
“Last Chrysanthemums” (Werner Liepolt)
“Burger with ‘The Works'” (Lawrence Weisman)
Untitled (Martin Ripchick)
“A Yakety Yak” Artist Steve Stein says: “They live at extreme high altitudes in Tibet, India and China. They come both as domesticated or wild hairy bovines that produce milk used to make cheese and butter. But they don’t yakety yak — they only grunt”
“The Queen Needs Her Rest” — taken in Tanzania. (Mike Hibbard)
Posted onDecember 3, 2022|Comments Off on Roundup: Holiday Stroll Is On Tonight; World Cup Is On Today, 10 am @ The Library ….
Important note: Today’s Holiday Stroll is on — rain or shine!
Over 40 stores and restaurants — plus Santa, face painters, a balloon artist, Staples and Greens Farms Academy singers and other carolers — look forward to seeing you this evening, from 5 to 7 p.m. on Main Street, Church Lane, the Post Road and across the river. The main tent will be outside Cold Fusion.
Dress warmly. Wear reindeer — I mean, rain gear — if needed. Ho ho ho! See you there.
And for more information — including all the participating stores and restaurants — click here.
If you can’t be in Qatar this morning (10 a.m. kickoff, our time) cheering the American team on in its World Cup round of 16 match against the Netherlands, go to the next best place.
The Westport Library.
Today’s broadcast begins a series of matches, live on the 18-foot screen. The Trefz Forum will also host the quarterfinals next Friday (December 9), 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.), and the semifinals on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 13 and 14 (2 p.m.).
The games will be very exciting. The players will be larger than life. But — hey, this is still a library — fans should bring a mobile device to download the Sennheiser app, and headphones or earbuds to listen.
Christian Pulisic’s pulsating goal powered the US past Iran on Tuesday. The win vaulted the Americans into the knockout round. (Photo/Odd Andersen for AFP)
Also at the Westport Library: the final evening of the Short Cuts Film Festival.
Five narrative films will be screened on Thursday (December 8, 7 p.m.).
“Pragma” is a British rom-com. “Hallelujah” is a reminder that “trouble won’t last always.” “Lilith & Eve” is a feminist reimagining of Lilith, Adam’s first wife. “Life Remembered” is a hybrid live-action and virtual reality short depiction of a cowboy who leads a double life.”F^cK ‘Em R!GHT B@cK” follows a queer aspiring rapper who accidentally eats an edible. A talk back follows the final film.
Click here for more information on the films, and to purchase tickets ($25, including refreshments).
One of Westport’s favorite toy drives begins today.
The Westport Police Department and Police Athletic League will again collect gifts for underprivileged children in Fairfield County.
Officers will accept new, unopened and unwrapped toys — plus cash donations — in the ASF Sports & Outdoors parking lot (1560 Post Road East), this weekend and next, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The Westport Garden Club has made its annual deliveries of wreaths to non-profit and service organizations around town.
Each year the club organizes a workshop for members. They bring cuttings and natural embellishments from their gardens, making special bows for unique designs.
Among the recipients: Homes with Hope, the Gillespie Center, Wakeman Town Farm, the Westport Museum for History & Culture, the Senior Center, Westport Parks & Recreation Department, the Aspetuck Health District, and Earthplace.
Westport Garden Club wreaths are on sale today at the Westport Museum’s Holly Days Market.
Westport Garden Club members, ready to deliver their holiday wreaths.
Our Local Town Crier has just published its annual Holiday Gift Guide. There are plenty of good ideas and links, plus a comprehensive list of December events. Click here to see.
After 3 riveting performances of “The Laramie Project” last month, the Unitarian Church’s UU Players offer an encore.
They’ll repeat the powerful drama about the Wyoming community’s reaction to the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard next Saturday (December 10, 7 p.m., Unitarian Church of Westport). There’s a talkback with the director and cast right after the show.
It’s a benefit for Triangle Community Center, Fairfield County’s center for LGBTQ programming and resources.
Click here for tickets ($20 suggested donation; pay what you can) and livestream information.
“Laramie Project” talkback, at the Unitarian Church. (Hat tip and photo/Jill Johnson Mann)
Sandy Rothenberg notes that the Bayberry Lane bridge — which up until recently announced a completion date of November 30, 2022 — now has nothing listed.
The Westport Pod of B.I.G. Connecticut — a global women’s empowerment community — hosts a holiday cocktail networking event at the Westport Woman’s Club (December 15, 5:30 p.m.). Local women-owned businesses will be featured.
The public is invited. Tickets are $30, and include wine and appetizers. For more information, email bigconnecticutregion@gmail.com.
The Westport Astronomical Society’s free online science lecture series welcomes Dr. Brett Denevi, of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and deputy principal investigator for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera.
She’ll talk about “the moon up close and personal,” including unprecedented mapping of its surface.
The virtual event is December 20 (8 p.m.). Click here for the livestream.
Several trees came down, all over town. Jo Shields reports says that one, on North Avenue south of Charcoal Hill, took down power lines.
A Fire Department truck waited an hour and a half for Eversource crews to arrive. (She was told they were working on Newtown Turnpike lines.)
Power lines down on North Avenue. (Photo/Jo Shields)
Traffic was diverted, but turning around was not easy on the northern curve. It was especially tough for an 18-wheeler hauling vintage cars. It had to back down North Avenue for a third of a mile. Meanwhile, cars tried to get around it — despite the closed road ahead.
Jo directed traffic by Coleytown Elementary School, helping the truck make it down the road.
An 18-wheeler backed carefully down North Avenue, until it reached Easton Road (shown here). (Photo/Jo Shields)
But the Westport Library’s 2023 VersoFest will have a strong Rolling Stones presence. Record producer Steve Lillywhite — whose credits include not only “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band ever,” but also U2, the Dave Matthew Band, Phish, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, the Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Morrissey, the Pogues, Guster, the Killers and more — has just been signed as a headliner.
Last spring’s inaugural VersoFest was a smash. The 2nd annual music and media conference and festival will draw even more media creators, artists and fans to the Trefz Forum, and meeting rooms throughout the Library.
Lillywhite’s April 1 appearance will include a conversation with Chris Frantz, the Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer, and a Sturges Highway resident.
Lillywhite began as a staff producer with Island Records. With great success in pioneering recording ethos and technique (and popular sales), Lillywhite was made a Commander of the Order of The British Empire for his contributions to music in 2012.
VersoFest is set for March 30-April 2. Many more artists and contributors will be announced soon.
The Westport Police have released arrest reports for the November 24-30 period.
Four people were detained in custody. One was charged with possession of child pornography; one with failure to appear; one with both operating a motor vehicle under suspension and failure to keep plates readable, and a fourth with operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol, operating a motor vehicle under suspension, operating an unregistered vehicle, and improper stopping or turning.
The following citations were issued:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 8
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 6
Misuse of plates: 4
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 3
Stop sign violation: 3
Insurance fails to meet minimum requirements: 2
Speeding: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to obey traffic control signal: 1
Violation of any traffic commission regulation 1
Driving with an out-of-state license after 30 days: 1.
Historical plaques from the Westport Museum for History & Culture honor the heritage of over 470 local homes.
The latest is for the longest known continuously operating store.
Old Mill Grocery & Deli has served the neighborhood (and beyond) since 1919, when it was built by Harry F. Sherwood. He hired Sylvester and Florence Young to operate it; in 1927, they bought from him.
In 1929, the Youngs sold ½ interest in the store to Kenneth Montgomery. Both families operated the market until 1937, when the Youngs sold their half interest to Mabel Montgomery.
She died in 1960; he son Kenneth ran the store until his death in 1985. The next year, it was transferred to Old Mill Associates. Several owners followed, and the name changed to Elvira’s and then Joey’s by the Shore. The current owner — as of last year — is Soundview Empowerment Alliance (SEA) Inc.
Bob Weingarten (far right), house historian and plaque coordinator at the Westport Museum for History & Culture, presents the sign to founding members of the non-profit that rescued and preserved the community market. From left: Chris Tait, Tom Febbraio, Jim Hood, Emil Zobl, Ian Warburg. In front: Koda.
Sure, it’s just the first day of December. But we’ll be hard pressed to find decorations any day the rest of this month that top these, at 134 Birch Hill Road in Weston:
Westport will be well represented at “Layers Revealed” — the new exhibit at Norwalk Art Space.
Photographer Jerri Graham and artist Melissa Newman are in the show, which explores “all of life’s intricacies and complexities.”
“Slowly, the layers of our lives are revealed and once they are, we fully come through,” Graham says. Through “each frame of the camera,” she aims to highlight “a fraction of a second of a life that will be lived for a time unknown. Within these fractionated layers, we find our lives and ourselves.”
“Layers Revealed” encourages viewers to explore the many cycles and layers of humanity, nature, beauty, creation and decay.
At the opening reception December 15 (6 to 8 p.m, 455 West Avenue, Norwalk), Graham will take portrait photos at a pop-up space.
She’ll also host 3 portrait photo sessions (December 18, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m.; January 8 (10 a.m. to noon) and January 15 (noon to 2:30 p.m.). Book sessions at 203-252-2840; donations are accepted. Students ages 13 to 18 who are interested in helping Graham (and learning about lighting, composition and more) can apply here.
On January 15 (3 p.m.), Graham will give a talk. On January 28 (11 a.m.), Newman — who is also a vocalist — will join guitarist Tony
Lombardozzi for a jazz brunch performance at The Norwalk Art Space.
Also nearby: The Mark Twain Library Art Show celebrates its 50th — that is, golden — anniversary with an event about gold.
“Gleam, Gossip & Gold: Love and Loss in American Art” is the title of the December 8 (7:30 p.m., in-person and Zoom) presentation. Westport art Dr. Robin Jaffee Frank will discuss the “untold dramas behind American art objects that were crafted in the precious metal.”
Frank is the former chief curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, and senior associate curator of American paintings and sculpture at the Yale University Art Gallery. Her Ph.D. in the history of art is from Yale.
Another Westport connection with the Mark Twain Art Show (December 3-11): Artist (and former teacher) Werner Liepolt has had a piece (“Dune Restoration #4) juried in.
It was originally shown in the “06880” online art gallery.
And finally … Christine McVie — Fleeetwood Mac’s noted singer/songwriter/ keyboardist — died yesterday. She was 79, and had been in ill health. Click here for a full obituary.
(Say you love “06880” with a donation! Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The recent “06880” story about 233 Hillspoint Road [the former Positano restaurant, now being rebuilt as a private home] led me down the Google rabbit hole, to a wonderful surprise.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, my family and I had a Positano reunion at the former Chef Joseph’s son and daughter’s recently opened West Village restaurant, Ferdi.
The hospitality and food is instantly, wonderfully, familiar, while also sparkling with the imprint of the next generation of Chef Fernando and Manager Aida.
My sister and her husband were with us, visiting from Ohio. They married on the beach outside Positano 21 years ago, and had their wedding party at the restaurant. (Its first, I think.)
My adult children, who also were at this dinner with my husband and me, grew up talking to young Fernando and Aida during our countless meals at Positano.
The evening was meaningful for all of us — and we have “06880” to thank for getting the ball rolling.
Aaron and Brett Fortunoff are Bedford Middle School students, with big hearts and great goals. They write:
“In the spirit of giving and being thankful, we can’t forget about those who are less fortunate and fail to receive a proper daily breakfast — the most important meal of the day.
“So we teamed up with a non-profit called Cereal4All that helps provide cereals to local food pantries. We hope ‘06880’ readers can help us with this important cause.
“For local readers, we will be by both entrances of Stop & Shop this weekend (December 3 and 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). We will then deliver the collected cereal to food pantries in Fairfield County.
“There will also be a collection box at Temple Israel in Westport, from December 2 to 16.
“For readers are not local, we created an Amazon wish list you can donate to. Also, you can Venmo our mother, Laurie. She will buy cereal with the money raised: @lauriefortunoff. You can also click here and donate directly to the charity. The donation is tax deductible.
The stars are aligned. This is your chance to order a 2023 Westport Astronomical Society calendar.
It’s filled with daily astronomical data from Phil Harrington, and illustrated with astro-photography from talented WAS members.
The calendar is $15 for members, $20 for non-members ($5 shipping for 1-2; $10 for 3-5). It’s available at any upcoming event (click here for the calendar), or by email (alex@was-ct.org; include quantity and shipping address; you’ll be invoiced via PayPal).
And finally … Keith Levene — a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd. — died earlier this month in England. He was 65, and suffered from liver cancer. Click here for a full obituary.
(Don’t be a punk. Please support “06880.” Click here to help. Thank you!)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
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