But — like many Westport parents — he finds it hard keeping up with the flood of emails, texts, notifications and more about his children’s activities.
The schools do an admirable job of communicating, he says. But there’s a lot.
“On the bottom of page 6” of one of dozens of emails, he says, “there’s a form to sign so your kid can go on a rollercoaster the next day. If you don’t see it, and don’t sign it, he’s crushed.”
Raul Milani
That’s a hypothetical. These 2 examples — involving his 12-year-old twins — are true.
Once, Raul forgot to pick up a child at a tennis lesson. A different time, he did not send a lunch for an activity. Another family fed his kid.
“This is just not working,” Raul thought.
So he decided to find a way.
Raul is not some random parent. The Romanian native earned a scholarship to study technology and robotics in the US.
He’s been an entrepreneur ever since. He’s had “some successes, some hard lessons,” he notes. “A lot of learning, not just earning.”
Raul and his family: With Voonza, their lives are much more organized.
Those experiences stood him in good stead when he started Voonza.com. The site does many things to make a parent’s — both parents’ — lives easier. For example:
It reads school emails; pulls out dates, forms and deadlines, then puts them on one family calendar both parents can see.
If you snap a photo of a flyer, or just say “soccer moved to Thursdays.” Voonza recognizes or records it, and adds it in.
Did you schedule 2 pickups at different spots, at nearly the same time? Voonza lets you know it won’t work.
It sends reminders about invoices due — tutors, camps, everything else — along with expiration alerts.
It even reminds you to “leave now” (a gentle reminder to not leave your child stranded at a tennis lesson).
Voonza shows you your week at a glance …
Voonza looks further ahead than you might. It notices your kid’s birthday is 6 weeks away. It asks about your plans, then can generate a few party ideas at nearby venues — including costs, and how many youngsters could attend.
Ask Voonza a question — “What does Theo need for school this week?” “What activities are we paying for this month?” “Is there a swim class nearby for a 7-year-old” — and it will answer.
There’s very little typing (“no one has time anymore,” Raul notes). It scrapes information from your phone, email and other accounts, and responds to voice prompts.
… and daily reminders too.
Ovviously, Voonza utilizes AI. So did Raul, as he created the site. “It made the development really fast,” he notes. “This wouldn’t have happened without it.”
He rolled out the site this spring. Users provide feedback. Raul is quick to respond. Someone asked whether it can manage pet care.
Now it does.
The first 3 months are free. Then it’s $9.99 a month. Users can cancel any time.
(And what about the name? Raul wanted one that did not sound like another calendar app, and whose .com was not taken. Plus, it sounds like “zooming out the door,” which describes every school morning.)
Last year, Earth Animal’s customers, neighbors and community partners raised $100,834.64 for their 19th annual Mitten Project.
The 6-figure funds addressed a major issue: food insecurity in the region.
This year’s goal is even more audacious: $115,000.
There are many ways to help.
Pumpkins for Good: From now through October 31, buy a pumpkin at Earth Animal. All proceeds benefit Connecticut Foodshare. Pumpkins come courtesy of Izzo’s Garden Center.
Pies for Good:From October 14 through November 19, order pies donated by Wakeman Town Farm ($25), plus Lindsay’s Handmade Ice Cream ($10/pint). Pickup is November 23, 4 to 7 p.m. at Earth Animal.
$5 Mitten Pin-up Fundraiser:Ongoing at Earth Animal.
Wreaths for Good & Santa: On December 5 (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.), stop in buy a holiday wreath, to support Connecticut Foodshare. Wreaths are courtesy of Izzo’s Garden Center. Santa will be on hand too!
Holiday Gifts that Give Back:Proceeds from shopping help too.
Shop & Give Community Events: From November 1 through December 24, local businesses choose a day to donate a portion of sales to The Mitten Project.
There’s a lot going on tomorrow in Westport: Westoberfest. Slice of Saugatuck. Earthplace’s Fall Festival. The Westport Country Playhouse Gala.
But you should make time on Saturday too, between noon and 4 p.m., to check out Compass’ new office. The hosts are KMS Team and Origin Point.
This is not just any space. They’ve moved into the iconic downtown building at the Post Road East/Church Lane merge most recently occupied by Patagonia. For decades before that, it was Westport Bank & Trust.
They’ve done a spectacular redesign. And they’ve saved the historic WPA murals that originally hung throughout the interior.
Enjoy season refreshments. And if you can, bring a non-perishable item for the Homes with Hope food pantry.
Family Fun Day(Saturday, October 10, 10 a.m. to noon): Free morning of music, movement, artmaking and gallery adventures for the whole family. Sing and dance with Jackie Jacobs, then get creative with artist and illustrator Erwin Ong. Click here to register, and for more information.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Recess Camp(Monday, October 12, 9 a.m. to noon; $75): On their day off from school, children ages 5–10 can make art, explore the galleries, and connect with creativity, nature, and storytelling.Click here to register, and for more information.
Flash media stick and tabulator testing by the registrars of voters has been postponed from October 7. The new date is October 14 (10 a.m., Town Hall room 212D). The public is invited to observe until testing is complete.
Questions about anything voting related? Contact the registrars: Deborah Greenberg (Democrat), dgreenberg@westportct.gov (203-341-1116); Maria Louise Signore (Republican) msignore@westportct.gov (203-341-1117).
Westport resident Hedda Goldman died Sunday at home. She was 92.
She was a proud graduate of Bronx High School of Science and Clark University.
Hedda is survived by her daughters Melissa Goldman of New York City, and Amy Goldman of Novato, California; her son and daughter-in-law David Goldman and Margo Freedman of Santa Monica, Californi); grandchildren Morgan Chapman, Andrew Goldman and Alexa Goldman, and her great-granddaughter Willow Riley.
(We don’t need fields of gold. Just a check, PayPal or Zelle of whatever you think “06880” is worth — and whatever you can afford. Please click here. And thanks for thinking of us!)
It’s late September. Can “Nutcracker” season be far behind?
Tchaikovsky’s ballet is a staple of dance companies across America. Young girls (and a few young boys) spend weeks rehearsing their roles as mice, bunnies, horses and snowflakes.
Often though, the main roles — like Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara – are danced by professionals.
Those roles are demanding and complex — perhaps beyond the capabilities of a local child.
But when Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet’s “Nutcracker” takes the Westport Country Playhouse stage on December 5 (1 and 6 p.m.), every role will be danced by a student.
Alissa Zimon portrays Clara. The Greens Farms Elementary School 5th grader will perform on her hometown stage.
Alissa Zimon will dance as Clara. (Photo/Mark Smith)
It’s a fine moment for NMYB (and their milestone 10th “Nutcracker”).
The company may not be as well known as the larger ballet academies in the area.
But they’re making a mark, And it starts with the culture that artistic director Adam Holms has created.
There is a genuine sense that — even in the pressure-filled world of dance — everyone belongs, everyone contributes, and everyone is celebrated.
He’s a local boy, from Fairfield. Walking to Tomlinson Middle School, he’d pass Joe Vilane’s studio, and wonder what went on inside. At 15 years old — just a few years after he started dancing — he left Fairfield High to dance professionally, with the Joffrey Ballet.
At Butler University — where he studied ballet pedagogy – Holms realized he also loved history. He taught middle school for 4 years in Decatur, Indiana, gaining confidence that he could handle just about any situation with young people.
After earning a master’s at New York University Holms opened a one-room studio on Norwalk’s Main Street. “It was ‘Little House on the Prairie,'” he recalls. “All the grades were mixed together.
Now, in a bigger space on the same street, NMYB is thriving.
Quietly.
Getting ready to rehearse. (Photo/Mark Smith)
Fifteen percent of his 100 or so students are male, Holms notes with pride. They come from different towns and backgrounds — and different levels of experience — but he welcomes them all, whoever and whatever they are.
Holms understands the allure of professionals in “The Nutcracker.” “They increase ticket sales, and give kids someone to look to,” he says.
Yet that’s not the way he rolls.
“I want to showcase you,” the artistic director says. “Most kids here won’t go on to be professional dancers. I want them to wear tiaras and tutus for every role, and hear the applause.”
He’s an unlikely role model himself. “I have a beard and tattoos,” he says. (One is of “The Nutcracker.”)
“But I’ll dancers how to skip, partner and wear pointe shoes. Once people buy into that, they love it.” Training includes ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary, acro and pas de deux.
Adam Holms (Photo/Mark Smith)
While remaining local, students get global exposure and meaningful artistic opportunities. Norwalk Metropolitan has twice been named an Outstanding School by Youth America Grand Prix.
NMYB welcomes students from 4 years old through high school graduates. Most are between 9 and 13.
“That’s the most magical time,” Holms says. “In the beginning, ballet is rough. There’s a lot of repetition and muscle memory. But once they start soaring, it’s so exciting.
“There is no fast route to ballet. You have to be committed for a decade. But every time I see them doing what major ballet companies do, it’s incredible.”
Holms’ studio is a “parent-free zone.” There’s no watching through windows.
:I want kids to feel that this is their house — their safe area,” the director says. “I want them to learn to be autonomous, through ballet.”
Adam Holms, with members of his Ensemble Etoile. (Photos/Andrea Carson)
“Nutcracker” is not the only production. There’s a mid-winter contemporary showcase, and a full-length dance (this year it’s “Don Quixote” — also at the Playhouse.)
The historic theater costs more to rent than a school auditorium. But it’s important, Holms says, for young dancers to have dressing rooms, stage lights, a stage manager — and learn to respect it all.
Annabelle Gorski and Isaac Bailey are NMYB alums who have danced principal roles in “The Nutcracker.” (Annabelle had a great offer from the Kansas City Ballet, but chose to return to her home studio.)
Now Alissa Zimon will follow them. She has been encouraged not only by her ballet school mentors and fellow dancers, but by GFS educators Stacy Fowle, Suzanne Propp and Angela Belta.
From now through December 5, it’s “crunch time,” Holms says. The dancers are rehearsing regularly, for every role from mice, bunnies, horses and snowflakes, to Sugar Plum Fairy and Clara.
And — except for the staff of 6 — there will not be a professional in sight.
(For more information on Norwalk Metropolitan Youth Ballet, click here.)
(“06880” regularly features news of the arts, and of young people — and, like today, their intersection. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Two weeks ago, residents chronicled “A Day in the Life of Westport.”
It was an ordinary Sunday: September 6. (Timing is everything. The following Sunday saw 7 inches of rain devastate the town.)
Westporters of all kinds — old and young, professional photographers and amateurs, newcomers and old-timers — rose to the challenge.
Using smartphones, actual cameras with expensive lenses, and everything in between, you snapped images. And sent them in.
The final count was 510 submissions. They came from all over town, and showed the wide variety of activities on a late-summer Sunday.
Compo Beach. Soccer. A sandbar party at Old Mil. A car wash. The YMCA. Church. Longshore. The skate park. Saugatuck. Downtown.
All those, and more, are now immortalized in “A Day in the Life of Westport.”
Here are a couple of dozen. Click here to see all 510. (NOTE: We could have used all 510. But that would break WordPress.)
Next steps for the project — a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation and “06880” — include the possibility of a book with every photo, and other items.
In the meantime: Enjoy these selections. We live in quite a town!
Tunnel of Love (Miggs Burroughs)
Greens Farms Church (Emily Jennings)
Last Days of Summer (Lisa Gold)
Staples Soccer Car Wash (Lisa Bautista)
Challenger Baseball Winners (Beth Cody)
Low Tide Gymnastics (Danielle Harrison)
Aqua Fitness at the YMCA (Patty Kondub)
Jumping in the Water (Sophie Montagnon)
Life at Glendarcy House: Around the Kitchen Island (Tamika Thompson)
Outdoor Lunch at Old Mill Grocery & Deli (Pam Docters)
Last Swim of Summer (Debbie McGinley)
Soccer and Squishies (Maria Mulvehill)
A Sandbar Party at Old Mill Beach (Totney Benson)
Oslo Enjoying Saugatuck Island Beach (Gail Coykendall)
Cribari Bridge (Alison Wachstein)
Old Mill Sandbar Beach Party (James Delorey)
So Many Books, So Little Time (Lisa Tantillo)
Longshore Golf Course Clouds (Marion Pietrowski)
Kids Walking Across the Bridge (Gregory Lessans)
Leaping From Lifeguard Chair (Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
At this year’s Soundview Stroll, Westport Cub Scout Pack 39 asked strollers: “What do you love about Westport?”
If a stroller took a moment to talk with a Cub Scout or Scouter, we asked them to help us discover the places that make Westport special.
We brought them over to a huge map, from the town’s Engineering Department. It includes every road, street, property lot, park, school and geographic feature in town.
Offering 6 different colored markers, we asked people to share: Green for your favorite place to explore nature. Blue for your favorite place to play. Yellow for your favorite place to eat. Purple for a favorite place to walk, bike, or hike. Orange for a place to have fun with your friends. And draw a red heart over “a place that makes you proud of Westport.”
Cub Scouts and strollers at the Soundview Stroll, with their map.
Soundview Strollers of all ages took a moment to orient themselves on the map. In this age of Waze and GPS navigation, we learned that there are many young Westporters who have never looked at a paper map of their town.
Then there were directionally gifted people who thrilled at their fluency with maps, and the chance to help the lost find their way to their favorite places.
Our map came alive with color – dots and red hearts. Runners and bicyclists drew long purple lines for their regular routes. Students drew hearts over their pre-schools and elementary schools, and orange and blue dots over the playgrounds where they play and have fun with their friends.
The Cub Scout map.
Dots for “favorite place” to eat were hungrily drawn for Old Mill Grocery, Bartaco, Casa Me and the Black Duck (one of the most fun spots to find on the map – tracing the Saugatuck River until you’re just under “Interstate 95”).
Longshore, Old Mill Beach (with dots and hearts going all the way out to the sandbar!), Sherwood Island State Park and Burying Hill Beach – Westporters love to get outside.
Intrepid explorers put green dots on the Caryl & Edna Haskins Preserve and the Children’s Natural Playground at Schine Preserve – a couple of Westport’s hidden gems (great places to explore nature).
On our map, Compo Beach is chaotic with color. Multiple blue dots – favorite place to play – were turned into a smiley face by one clever contributor. Red hearts are all over the place (“A place that makes you proud of Westport”).
The Westport Rotary Club’s lobster — aka Rick Benson — chose Compo Beach as his favorite spot, presumably for LobsterFest. The annual event — a favorite of many residents — takes place Saturday.
Our Soundview Stroll map station was really a bit of intelligence gathering. What lights up people’s faces?
Kids love thinking about the places they play, explore nature, and have fun with their friends. Parents loved seeing the places their kids chose, and how they talked about them. The whole exercise was really about starting a conversation.
Tomorrow (Friday, September 18) is “Scouting Day in Westport.” Cub Scouts Pack 39 invites all boys and girls from kindergarten to 5th grade (along with parents and siblings) to join us at Compo’s South Beach (the far end), starting at 5 p.m.
Meet new friends, make s’mores, enjoy a campfire, hunt for crabs.
And, if we’re lucky take in a well-earned sunset!
We’ll try to answer any questions you have about Scouting in Westport. But we want to hear about what you’ve discovered too.
Cub Scout Pack 39 makes s’mores at Compo, last year.
We’ll have our giant town map and our markers. Let’s share what we love about Westport, and the wider world.
Cub Scouts explore nature, play, eat, walk, bike, hike, and have fun with friends. We hope you’ll join us.
(Westport Cub Scout Pack 39 is celebrating its 75th year of Scouting. We welcome all boys and girls, kindergarten through 5th grade. To learn more, click here.
(“06880” regularly covers youth activities in Westport — and all the places mentioned here. If you share our love for this town — and this blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
It’s easy to get caught up in negative Westport noise: Too much traffic! Not enough parking! We need a dogport! No, we don’t need a dogport!
It’s easy — but why?
It’s so much better — and healthier and more fun — to count our blessings.
If we can’t do it ourselves, Paula can help.
She is 11 years old, and lives in Germany. Her godparents live in Westport. Paula visited them this summer. She had such a great time — in so many ways — she decided to write about it for “06880.”
So sit down. Relax. Read Paula’s thoughtful, insightful words.
Then realize: An 11-year-old German girl nailed it.
So the next time you’re consumed with anger, outrage or any other negative emotion, about traffic or parking or a dogport – look at Westport through Paula’s eyes.
She sure opens ours.
One of my favorite things this summer was going for walks on Soundview Drive with dogs named Teo, Lola and Bobo. Walking all 3 of them (with help!) at the same time was a little bit chaotic, but it was also one of the best parts of my whole trip.
The view is beautiful, and I loved looking out at the water while the dogs pulled me in 3 different directions. But it allowed me to met a lot of Westport people.
Paula walks down Soundview Drive, after the rain.
I also got to swim in the ocean, which is something I do not get to do very often in Germany. The water was a little cold at first, but once I got used to it, it was so much fun. I jumped over the waves and floated on my back and looked up at the sky.
Paula, doing one thing that every Westport kid does.
This summer I made friends with 3 girls almost the same age who live close by. It is good to have friends my own age around. I hope we can stay in touch and play together again next time I come back.
Something really special happened this summer: the local Westport police made me an honorary Junior Officer! They gave me a little badge, and I felt so proud. The officers were so kind and let me ask them all kinds of questions about their job. I will keep my Junior Officer badge as a memory of my summer in Westport.
Paula and Westport Police Officer Brian Quick.
I went to golf camp for a few days, and even though I am not the best golfer yet, it was really fun to learn. My swing definitely needs some more practice, but the counselors were patient and nice, and I got a little better every single day.
The birds right on Soundview were very cool to watch. Catching fish right out of the water is really special, and I loved watching them fly around and fight for the oysters. I had never seen anything like it before, and it made me appreciate how much wildlife there is around Westport.
Checking out the tidal gates at Sherwood Pond. I thought it was fascinating to see how the water moves in and out and how the gates work. It felt like a fun little science lesson mixed with an outdoor adventure.
One of the most magical evenings of the summer was when we drove our camper right up next to Compo Beach. We climbed up into the roof tent and ate pizza while watching the most amazing sunset over the water. The sky turned all these incredible colors, and it felt like the perfect way to end a day in Westport.
Camping at Compo.
Westport also has some amazing restaurants, and I got to try a lot of them this summer. I ate at Casa Me, and the food there was so good. I also went to the Lobster Shack, and it turned out to be delicious too. I also loved going to Little Barn, and Romanacci (and OMG) where we had pizza and it became my favorite spot. Of course, the bagels from PopUp Bagels were amazing to have on Sunday mornings. It made it easier being away from the amazing pretzels we have back at home.
Paula, a bagel and a schmear.
Even though all of these adventures were amazing, my favorite part of the summer was spending time with my godparents. We talked, we played card games, we laughed, we cooked together, and they made me feel so at home even though I live so far away.
My godparents also have 3 children, who are all in their 20s now, so they are much older than me, but that never stopped us from having so much fun together. They always joined in and played with me too, and it never felt like there was any age difference at all.
Every time I visit, it feels like coming back to a whole second family, and that is such a special feeling. They all took me on these adventures and made every single day feel special. I already look forward to coming back and seeing everyone again.
I had a chance to meet so many friendly people who were always kind, curious and welcoming to me in Westport, thank you for an unforgettable summer.
I already cannot wait to come back next year!
Until then, auf Wiedersehen, and see you soon!
Paula
(Hat tip: Sunil Hirani)
See you soon! (All photos/Georg Scholz)
(If it happens in Westport — or it involves anyone in town — you’ll read about it on “06880.” We rely on reader support to do it all. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
In a scene repeated all over town (and the country) (and every August), the kids at the Vani Court bus stop got ready for another (hopefully great) year.
(Photo/Susan Garment)
We look forward to a similar photo in June. Let’s see how they grow!
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For nearly 40 years, the Hole in the Wall Gang — founded by our longtime neighbor Paul Newman — has provided “pure camp magic” to children with serious illnesses. They have fun, they laugh, and form great friendships.
All free of charge.
Jordan Glick — the son-in-law of Westporter Jamie Klein — has spent many summers as a camp volunteer. His wife — the Klein’s daughter Stevie Klein-Glick — recently joined him.
This year, both families are collecting and donating items from the Hole in the Wall Gang’s “wish list” (click here to see). Several are running low in the General, Sports & Rec and Workshop categories.
Items can be dropped off on the covered front porch at 20 Manitou Road, now through September 4.
“Michael Borders: Connecticut Industry” — the newest piece of MoCA\CT’s larger “Looking for History” exhibition — features a monumental mural of 8 5 foot-by-10-foot painted panels. Together, they offers a sweeping visual account of Connecticut’s 8 counties.
Created over more than 2 decades and informed by years of research, the mural traces the state’s history, from Indigenous presence and colonial settlement to industrial expansion, technological invention, and contemporary community life.
Borders incorporates local figures, regional industries, landscapes, tools, machinery, and symbols of labor into his vivid, detailed composition.
In advance of Rosh Hashanah (September 11), The Blondinit is preparing a catering menu of Israeli-inspired cooking.
Options include entrees like pistachio-crusted black sea bass, salmon, chicken and chicken shawarma, schnitzel and brisket), plus appetizers, salads and sides.
To order, click here (then scroll all the way down), call 203-557-3277, or email catering@theblondinit.com.
Weston’s Farmers Market returns to Lachat Town Farm this Friday (August 28, 4 to 8 p.m.). There are 25 vendors — and live music, Canyon (4:30 to 5:30) and Bar Car (6 to 8). Click here for more information.
Of course, the Westport Farmers’ Market continues tomorrow (Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Imperial Avenue parking lot). Click here for more information.
Youngsters in grades 6 to 12 who enjoy camping, hiking, outdoor adventures and hands-on life skills: Scouting may be for you.
They and their families can learn more about Troop 36 next Monday (August 31, 7 p.m., Saugatuck Congregational Church).
Founded in 1949, Troop 36 is Westport’s only Scouting America Family Troop, welcoming both girls and boys. They usually meet once a week, with at least 1 weekend outing a month (camping, city tour, merit badge courses). They participate in several community service projects throughout the year.
On Monday night, “Get Up With It” — the 10-member jazz ensemble co-founded by Greens Farms Academy graduate Charlie Hall — wowed a large Levitt Pavilion Crowd with a dazzling tapestry of Miles Davis works.
After the show, members of the group — now in its 3rd decade — said this was their first time on a stage large enough that they could all see each other while playing.
It was also their first outdoor performance as this collective. The setting created a new dynamic for the artists — and the audience.
And finally …. the New York Times reported this sad news well:
Dolly Parton, a rhinestone-studded, rags-to-riches daughter of Appalachia who for six decades ruled country music — and much of pop culture — with an outsize personality and down-home wit that enshrined her as one of America’s most cherished originals, died on Tuesday in Nashville. She was 80.
From her hardscrabble beginnings to glittering stardom, Ms. Parton’s life was the stuff of make-believe. With her voluptuous figure, sparkly stage costumes and blond bouffant wigs, she was likened by the writer Chet Flippo to the Big Rock Candy Mountain, the Depression-era symbol of abundance. Her songs spoke to millions, confronting privation and loss even as they radiated possibility and hope.
She was, quintessentially, a uniter of people. In 2019, The New York Timesran a story with the headline “Is There Anything We Can All Agree On? Yes: Dolly Parton.”
Inducted into both the country music and rock ’n’ roll halls of fame, Ms. Parton was the top-ranking female singer on country radio from 1967 to 1993, and had a total of 25 No. 1 country singles.
And enjoy this great 1991 collaboration between Dolly and Weston’s own José Feliciano.
(Dolly Parton worked a lot longer than 9 to 5. So does “06880.” If you enjoy our 24/7/365 coverage of all things Westport, please click here to support our work. PS: We will always love you!)
Less than 2 weeks remain before “A Day in the Life of Westport.”
On Sunday, September 6, every Westporter is invited to help create a one-of-a-kind portrait of the town. We’ll do it by taking a photograph that captures one real moment from our day.
Whether it’s a sunrise at Compo Beach, breakfast with family, volunteering at a community event, opening a business downtown, walking the dog, cheering from the sidelines or enjoying a quiet moment at home, every image will become part of a collective portrait of Westport.
“A Day in the Life of Westport” is a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.”
As part of Westport’s America 250 celebration, the project will document the town in its everyday rhythms, creating a lasting record of who we are as a community in this semiquincentennial year.
Inspired by the classic Life magazine photo essays documenting “A Day in the Life of America,” the project invites residents of every age to photograph one moment on Sunday, September 6, then submit it online with a brief caption describing what the image means to them.
Photos must be taken on Sunday, September 6, and submitted by midnight that evening at dayinthelife2026.artcall.org. The submission website will accept photographs only on the day of the event.
Each participant may submit up to 3 shots, each accompanied by a brief caption describing the moment.
The “Meet the Parents” star was in Norwalk for a well-publicized promo of his recently launched Stiller’s Soda. Entry into the meet-and-greet line required the purchase of a 12-can case ($15, plus tax).
The event drew an enormous crowd. There were reports of fans (presumably of Stiller, not the soda) flying in from Texas.
Gabe Escobar was there too. I didn’t know who he is, but plenty of other people do. AI described him as a “musical theater graduate, and digital content creator with millions of followers across TikTok and Instagram. He is well-known for his solo travel vlogs, comedy sketches, Broadway content, and for sparking the viral ‘girlfriend effect’ fashion trend.”
I also didn’t know what “the viral ‘girlfriend effect’ fashion trend” is, but whatever. (Click here, if you must know.)
Back to Stew’s. Gabe’s encounter with “the worlds [sic] largest grocery store” — (he “didn’t know it was a superlative,” he notes) offers an intriguing perspective on it, as well as on Ben Stiller, suburbia, and the world of influencers in general.
Lyman — Westport’s sister city, in an especially besieged area of Ukraine — was featured in Friday’s New York Times.
The story begins:
Stay, or try to escape? Nina Ivanova, 77, felt the odds of survival were 50/50 either way, and she had nothing left to lose.
Russian forces were just over a mile away, battering her city, Lyman, in eastern Ukraine, with glide bombs and drones. Her husband was dead after a long illness, and her home was destroyed. She was hiding in a basement with her two daughters.
Lyman was burning, but civilian and military evacuation teams no longer entered the city, given the danger. The only way out was on foot — nine miles under drone-filled skies.
When Ms. Ivanova saw a body eaten by dogs in Lyman, it helped push her to her limit, she said. She and her daughters would take their chances on the road, as countless Ukrainians have done before them all along the front line.
“We got up and left,” she said.
Click here for the full story. To donate to Lyman through Ukraine Aid International, click here. 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.) (Hat tip: Howard Matson)
Damage after a Russian attack on Lyman in 2024. (Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)
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Yacht Rock — a live tribute to classic ’70s and ’80s music like Steely Dan and Christopher Cross — returns to VFW Post 399 this Saturday (August 29; doors open at 6 p.m.; show at 7:30).
Tickets are $15 in advance (click here), $20 (cash) at the door.
Also at the VFW: The next Veterans Benefits Luncheon (Thursday, August 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), VFW Post 399).
It’s open to all veterans as part of an ongoing effort to check in on all veterans’ welfare, and connect them with the benefits and support they earned.
Representatives will answer questions, and provide information on services and assistance available to veterans.
RSVPs are encouraged (but not required). Email vfw399ct@gmail.com, and include the number of attendees, or call (203) 227-6796.
PS: If you’re not a veteran, but know one: Please pass the word!
VFW veterans’ benefits luncheon.
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Last night’s Levitt Pavilion Andy Frasco/Kitchen Dwellers/Magoo show — a finale to the three band tour — included Frasco doing a crowd-surfing hora hybrid.
Tonight (Monday, 7 p.m.), the outdoor amphitheater becomes a jazz club. Greens Farms Academy graduate Charlie Hall celebrates Miles Davis’ centennial with his “Get Up With It” ensemble project. Tickets are available here, and at the box office.
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We’ve featured lots of creatures in our “Westport … Naturally” series.
This may be the first sting ray, though.
Michael Friedland spotted it last week at Old Mill Beach.
And finally … Janie Bradford Hobbs died in Los Angeles, following an extended illness. She was 87.
Though nowhere near as well known as fellow Motown songwriters like Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson and others — perhaps because she was a woman? — she wrote several important hits for the label. Among them:
(Hat tip: Michael Taylor)
(Just like Barrett Strong, money is what we want. We’re not as direct as he is — okay, maybe we are — but we remind you again that “06880” is reader-supported. Please click here. And thank you!)
This story ran 2 years ago, as the new school year began. Several readers asked to see it again. It’s just as timely — and timeless — today. Have a great year!
Forget January 1. Pshaw, Rosh Hashanah. Tomorrow — at least for Westport parents and students — is the real start of the new year.
It’s the first day of school.
Whether you’re a kindergartner heading off on your own, a Staples senior already counting the days to graduation, or a mom or dad feeling pride, trepidation and the warp-speed passage of time — or anyone else, who has ever gone to school — this story is for you.
Summer vacation ends with a thud tomorrow. Each year it’s the same: One day a kid’s free as a bird; the next he’s trapped, chained to the rhythm of the school calendar for 10 long months.
Greens Farms Elementary School
Some youngsters love this time of year; they’re eager to greet old friends, and meet new ones. Or they can’t wait for the smell of newly waxed floors, the security of assigned seats, the praise they know will be lavished on them day after day.
Others abhor it. The thought of entering a strange building filled with strange faces, or trying to be part of a group of peers who won’t accept them, or sitting for hours at a time, doing work they can’t stand, is excruciating — even physically sickening.
Around this time each year, I think about the entire school experience. I wonder which kindergartner will hate school for the rest of the year because his teacher makes a face the morning he throws up in front of everyone, and which will love school because an aide congratulates her the afternoon she almost puts on her coat all by herself.
Which 1st grader will invent any excuse not to go to gym because he can’t throw a ball, and which will get through the school day only because he knows gym is coming soon?
Saugatuck Elementary School
Which 4th grader will walk meekly into class each morning with just one ambition — to get through the day without anyone noticing how ugly, or stupid, or poorly dressed she is — and which will look back on 4th grade as a turning point in her life because a guidance counselor took the time to talk to her, to show her how to comb her hair better, to make her feel good about herself?
Which 5th grader will have a teacher who does nothing when she catches him cheating on a test — too much effort to raise such a touchy issue — and which will have a teacher who scares him so much when he’s caught that he vows to never cheat in school again?
Which 6th grader will enter middle school intent on making a name for himself as the best fighter in his class, and which with the aim of never getting a grade lower than an A? Which 6th grader’s ambition will change, and which will remain the same?
Bedford Middle School
Which 9th grader will temper his fledgling interest in current events with the feeling “it’s not cool; no one else in class cares,” and which will visit the New York Times website every day because her class is working on “this really neat project”?
Which 10th grader will hate English because all she does is read stupid books assigned by the stupid teacher from some stupid list, and which will go to Barnes & Noble on his own for the first time because his teacher suggests there are more books by the same author he might enjoy?
Which 12th grader will have the brains to apply to 3 Ivy League schools, but lack the common courtesy to thank a teacher who wrote glowing recommendation to all of them? And which will slip a note in a teacher’s box the morning of graduation that says, “Thanks. I’m really glad I had you this year”?
Staples High School
It’s easy to wrap our school years in nostalgic gauze, or try to stuff the bad memories down our mental garbage disposals.
We also tend not to think in concrete terms about what goes on inside school walls every day. Learning, we assume, happens. Kids read, write, use laptops, draw, eat and see their friends.
We seldom realize how much of an impact this institution we call “school” has on our kids.
Or how much it has had on us.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. We cover Westport schools — students, teachers, activities, you name it — 24/7/365. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
Westport schools reopen on Tuesday. (No, you’re not imagining things. Yeah, it’s pretty early.)
So even though the fireworks were, like, 3 days ago, students may have forgotten some basic rules of the road.
And (ahem) parents too.
The Westport Police Department has already begun targeting traffic violators in school zones, with their annual “Back to School” enforcement and education campaign.
They’ll keep doing it. Officers will watch for distracted drivers and speeding in school zones. They’ll also monitor bus stops and routes, citing people who disregard school bus signals.
This bus driver makes sure no one passes illegally. (Photo/Bob Weingarten)
Police suggest commuters allow extra time. School buses will be on the roads, making (very) frequent stops. There will be children walking and on bikes too (including those powered by more than feet).
The WPD offers these specific tips:
Drivers
Watch out for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood.
Be alert! Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Slow down, and prepare to stop.
Red flashing lights and extended stop arms mean that children are getting on or Motorists on both sides of the roadway muststop, and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before starting to drive. (“06880: adds: Violators face big fines. Deservedly so.)
No matter who — or what — is crossing, STOP when you see the school bus’ flashing lights! (Photo/Paul Delano)
Children
Get to the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
Stand at least 6 feet from the curb, and line up away from the street.
If you must cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to at least 10 feet ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure the bus driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver.
Getting off the bus, be sure that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with straps are not caught in the handrails or doors.
Never walk behind the bus.
Walk at least 6 feet away from the side of the bus.
If you drop something near the bus, tell the driver, since he or she may not clearly see you.
Listen to crossing guards!
To students and drivers alike: Slow down!
A few extra seconds of patience can make the difference between a safe arrival and a tragedy.
Kings Highway scene will be repeated at every Westport school. (Photo/Nicola Sharian)
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