How do you show the sights of Westport to holiday visitors? By horse-drawn wagon — straight from East Haddam — of course! This was the scene at Burying Hill Beach today. Safe travels! (Photo/Ed Simek)
More than 260 empty chairs — each with a “Kidnapped” flyer and balloon — served as a stark reminder yesterday of the hostages from Israel still held by Hamas.
The chairs — juxtaposed against a brilliant blue sky at Compo Beach — were organized by Westporters Sharon Suchotliff, Inda Sade and Lynn Ravinovici Park, with the help of the Staples Jewish Culture Club.
(Photo/Mia Bomback)
Jonathan Alloy reports:
“Seeing the little kid chairs with posters of kidnapped babies and children was breathtaking and infuriating. It’s time to bring the hostages home. ‘Never Again’ is now.”
(Photo/Dylan Chatterjee)
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Rabbi Zach Plesent of Temple Israel were among the speakers. Israeli music played, and Westport Police provided security.
From left, at yesterday’s rally: Sharon Suchotliff, Samuel Alloy, Jonathan Alloy.
Today’s “Westport … What’s Happening” podcast is quite timely. 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Deputy Police Chieif Ryan Paulsson discuss measures taken to protect Westporters during the difficult times in the aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel.
Click below to listen. The podcast is produced by the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston.
Westport’s sister city relationship with Lyman, Ukraine — our newest sister city — began with a conversation with friends in Marigny-le-Lozon, France, our oldest sister city.
At a Zoom ceremony dedicating a room in their town hall in honor of Charlotte MacLear, the Staples High School French teacher who pioneered the 2 towns’ relationship in the aftermath of World War II, Marigny officials said, “Why don’t we help rebuild a Ukrainian town, the same way Westport helped us for so long?”
Last holiday season, Westport raised $252,000 for Lyman. We added another $50,000 this past summer.
Now Marigny is paying it forward. Starting months ago, they collected funds and bought gifts for every child still in Lyman: about 700.
This week, they’re shipping them east. Delivery has been assured by Ukraine Aid International — the non-profit, boots-on-the-ground group founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer.
What goes around, comes around. Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! щасливого Різдва!
NOTE: Donations to Lyman are always welcome. Click here; then click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.)
For decades, all the leaves were gone by Thanksgiving.
Preparing gifts for Lyman, Ukraine, in Marigny-le-Lozon, France.
Westport Tilt Parenting is a support group for parents of neurodivergent children.
They’ve partnered with the Westport Library to host Debbie Reber. The educator, author and advocate for understanding and embracing neurodivergent youngsters will speak at the Library next Tuesday (November 28, 7 p.m.).
Her topic: “Understanding and Embracing Differently Wired Kids.”
Westport Tilt Parenting says that at least 1 in 5 youths are in some way neurodivergent (ADHD, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, gifted, sensory issues, anxiety and more).
However, they are often misunderstood. Current support strategies may be misguided; their strengths and gifts can be overlooked.
All parents of neurodiverse and neurotypical children are invited, as are teachers, administrators and interested others. Click here for more information. To learn more about Westport Tilt Parenting, email alexandre.acupuncture@gmail.com.
“A walking friend and I just learned that all the bathrooms at Compo are closed. Even the one at Ned Dimes Marina is locked.
“With all the active people who love walking around Compo, can’t we find the extra money to keep at least one set of restrooms open all year?
“A mother at the playground is not going to want her kids going inside that germ-infested port-o-potty, nor are senior citizens who have difficulty getting into and safely out of it.
“People need real restrooms, and ones that are open until at least 8 p.m. so we can workout outside after work
“Can we get this situation turned back to the way it always was, with restrooms open all year, or at least keep the new handicap accessible restrooms open and pay a cleaning company to maintain them?”
I asked Parks & Recreation Department director Jen Fava about this. She said:
“While I understand the comments from your reader, the bathrooms were not designed for year-round use. The pipes would freeze and burst if left open, which is why they get blown out each winter.
“The only ones that had heat were at the marina. But we have had consistent vandalism, and have therefore closed them in the winter over the past few years.
“We provide porta-johns, so there are facilities available.”
The bathrooms at Compo’s South Beach — and others by the pavilion, playground and marina — are closed until spring. (Photo/Miggs Burroughs)
Six members of the Representative Town Meeting received a standing ovation, at Tuesday’s meeting.
The members — who either did not run for re-elected, or were not returned to office — are from left, in the photo below: Harris Falk, Brien Buckman, Stephen Shackleford, Jamie Bairaktaris, Liz Milwe and Lori Church.
They received thanks, and proclamations, from RTM moderator Jeff Wieser.
Three local women have organized a “Bring Them Home!” event, drawing attention to the plight of hostages held by Hamas.
Set for this Sunday (November 19, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) near the Compo Beach playground, the aim is to set up seats for each of the missing men, women and children. The visual image would represent the plight of the 240 hostages.
Supporters can drop off chairs, or stay at the beach.
Speakers include Rabbi Zach Plesent of Temple Israel and Carin Savel, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County.
Restoration of the stormwater detention pond at Wakeman Town Farm has completed its first phase.
Located on the farm’s north side, the rehabilitation protects nearby Deadman Brook and other downstream waterways from the pond’s storm water runoff, excess nutrient impurities and mitigate urban pollutants.
Phase I included site surveying, debris clearing, mowing, water testing, pond and flora mapping, planting cover crop, and installing a fence with gate between the Farm and the pond.
Westport’s LandTech donated time and expertise, for a bathymetric survey of the pond and its surrounding property. LandTech also teamed up with Staples High School senior interns for water quality testing.
The 1-acre wooded pond was built in the 1990s by the town. Over time, the pond fell victim to invasive vegetation and sediment accumulation.
A grant from Patagonia was instrumental in the project’s success.
Two Westport favorites — the Dartmouth College Brovertones and Staples High School Orphenians deliver delightful, melodic holiday cheer on December 4 (7 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church).
Admission is free, though goodwill donations are accepted to support the church’s concert series.
Staples High School Class of 2021 graduate/current Brovertone senior (and musical director) Sam Laskin is happy to return to his home town for the show.
The group has many connections to Westport, from former members who grew up here (or lived here now), to singing impromptu at a wedding proposal near the Compo Beach house where they stayed on a previous tour.
The group also took a photo on the Compo jetty that was used on an album, “Bro Ties.”
This is the 3rd straight year Sam and the Brovertones will sing here. They were at Christ & Holy Trinity Church in 2021, and at a private MoCA party last year. They also performed at Staples for the choral groups, and described how great an extracurricular experience a cappella has been for all of them.
Staples’ Orphenians, meanwhile, need no introduction. The holidays are their busiest time of the year, and they’ll be in fine form under new director Lauren Pine.
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James Comey may have left Westport — and Bridgewater Associates, which brought him to town — for the equally shark-like waters of the FBI.
But he hasn’t forgotten his former home town.
The New York Post reports that his second murder mystery novel, set for publication in May, is about a “make-believe hedge fund called Saugatuck Associates, billed as the world’s largest.”
The teaser from Mysterious Press reads: “A red canoe sits abandoned on Seymour Rock, right where the Saugatuck River hits the Long Island Sound. The elegantly dressed corpse of a woman lies inside….”
The Post adds:
The book is called “Westport,” a posh Connecticut town which, it turns out, is not only where the headquarters of the fictional Saugatuck hedge fund lies, but also that of Bridgewater Associates, the giant hedge fund founded by billionaire Ray Dalio.
And while the protagonist of Comey’s book is a woman, she previously worked as a federal prosecutor before becoming general counsel at Saugatuck – just like Comey did before he became general counsel at Bridgewater.
To read more in the Post about Comey and Bridgewater — where he was “feared,” according to a new book, “The Fund,” by Rob Copeland — click here.
The Weston History & Culture Center concludes its World War II lecture series with author Jeffrey DeWitt.
He’ll discuss his book “Connecticut Military Heroes of Pearl Harbor” on — appropriately — December 7 (1 p.m.), followed by a Q-and-A and book signing.
Guided tours of the Coley House, which represents life on the home front during World War II, will be available after the lecture.
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Westporters Mia Khamish (a Duke University sophomore) and her sister Izzy Khamish (a Staples High School junior) both won gold medals at the 2023 Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston last month.
Both are coxswains, and products of Connecticut Boat Club.
The Duke 4+ crew’s winning time of 17:46 was 15 seconds ahead of silver medalist Radcliffe.
The next day, Izzy led her youth women’s 4+ to first place, in 19:12.
Mia (left) and Izzy Khamish, with Connecticut Boat Club head coach Liz Trond.
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Staples High School Class of 2002 graduate Andrew Aster died unexpectedly on Sunday, in his native city of Dallas. He was 39.
At Staples Andrew was a wrestler, cheerleader, and track and field athlete (pole vault, 110m and 300 m hurdles).
He graduated from Lafayette College in 2006, with a BA in history (focusing on medieval European and French studies). He was president of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and participated on the track team.
He then worked with Club Med, rising from a GO (Gentils Organisateur) to sports and entertainment manager in Mexico, Israel, France and the Dominican Republic. He was fluent in French, Spanish and Hebrew.
After returning to Dallas, where his family had relocated, he was employed in sales and management in retail and technology, and began a new, exciting opportunity in October.
Andrew is survived by his mother Paula; father Charles (step-mother Ellen); twin brother Jason; sister Raye; step-siblings Kristen, Jessica and Cara, and many loving friends and relatives.
in lieu of flowers the family requests that donations in Andrew’s name be made to a local youth sports organization of your choice, honoring Andrew’s commitment to sports and youth development.
To share a story, photos and condolences with the Aster family, email remembering.andrew.aster@gmail.com. To read Andrew’s full obituary, click here.
Andrew Aster
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Lucy Ambrosino does not have to go far to find “Westport … Naturally” beauty. This is the scene, in the back yard of her Crescent Road home:
26-28 Beachside Avenue — Harvey Weinstein’s property, next to Burying Hill Beach, and the one adjacent to it — is on the market for $17,900,000. The 2 lots on 5.65 acres include 454 feet of waterfront, and a beach.
Longtime Westporter and open space advocate Scott Smith writes:
If the good citizens of Westport can over the years pony up funds to purchase Longshore Club Park, Winslow Park, Baron’s South, Allen’s Clam House and other unique properties around town, why wouldn’t we consider acquiring the 5-plus acre parcel on Beachside Avenue adjacent to Burying Hill Beach?
26-28 Beachside Avenue is to the left of Burying Hill Beach. (Photo copyright GMLS IDX)
While it’s great to see investment in the restored jetty, as a municipal property Burying Hill is still woefully neglected and in serious need of further climate-mitigation repair.
The roadway and parking area are increasingly under water at high tides.
And let’s face it: Despite its spectacular location, with limited facilities, an awkward layout and poor access, Burying Hill is underwhelming as a recreational venue.
Buying the adjoining land at 26-28 Beachside Avenue would allow for the entrance roadway to be moved away from New Creek, and create an opportunity to reimagine the park as a public greenspace along a scenic tidal estuary with unparalleled bluff-side views of Long Island Sound. That is what Burying Hill Beach was meant to be.
The Burying Hill Beach entrance often floods at high tide. (Photo/Ed Simek)
Yes, there’s sticker shock.
But as Donald Trump has been schooling us, real estate appraisals are very much in the eye of the beholder, and lienholder. I, for one, would have a hard time shelling out any amount of money to build a home on ground despoiled by Harvey Weinstein.
At the very least, from an ecological/conservation standpoint, it makes great sense to preserve the New Creek watershed from further development. I would hope there are conservation easements or other tax benefits to explore to that end.
Look what happened when the town failed to prevent the blue monster at Old Mill Beach.
So, come on, Westport: Make an offer!
(To see the full real estate listing, click here.)
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