Eleish Van Breems celebrates books, design and “The Rooms with a View Class of 2026” on Monday (6 p.m.). The public is invited.
The authors of 4 new design books will be on hand, to sign books: Cathy Kincaid (“Memorable Rooms”), Douglas Wright (“From Hand to Home”), Isabel Molster (“Beyond Color”) and Patrick Sutton (“Tailored Interiors”).
Got design books to donate? Bring them in!
A portion of the evening’s book sales will be donated to Rooms with a View.
And finally … in honor of the happy (and lucky) couple married last night (item above):
(Stay dry! Stay safe! And if you get a chance, take a minute to click here to support “06880.” It will help us continue our coverage of this storm — and everything else we do, 24/7/365. Thank you!)
For decades, the Inn at Longshore was a highly sought after wedding venue.
The ballroom, the lawn out back reaching to the Sound, the chance for the bridal party to stay in a charming New England inn — it was all there.
The Inn was also a popular choice for corporate events, fundraising galas, family celebrations — an all-purpose property.
Yet there was always something a bit off.
You couldn’t quite put your finger on it. But now that the Inn at Longshore has reopened — following a year-long renovation — you can see that relatively small changes are a very big deal.
Newly renovated Inn at K
The waterfront location is a major draw. But standing inside the ballroom before, you wouldn’t know it was there.
A stage — with curtains behind it — blocked it.
Now the stage is off to the side. Walking into the ballroom, the first thing you see is a view all the way out to the water.
Designers even moved a beam near the entrance ramp (now steps). Most people won’t notice that difference. But it is dramatic.
The stage is gone. Now the view is all the way through, to the back. The ballroom holds 400 people for receptions, 300 for banquets. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Out in back, a broad new deck (with portable bars) invites attendees to flow between indoors and out. It’s a common amenity at country clubs — but missing from the Inn at Longshore for forever.
Weddings now take place on the lawn directly behind — not off to the side, near the tennis courts. The bride walks out from the ballroom, across the deck and down a few steps, making a dramatic entrance.
The splendor of an outdoor wedding.
The first wedding at the new Inn was held September 11. In the middle of my tour with Michael Ryan, managing partner of Longshore Hospitality group — the Delamar-affiliated group that has a 30-year lease with the town of Westport — the grateful mother of that bride stopped by with gifts for the staff. The wedding, she said, was “a dream” — even beyond her expectations.
Another wedding was held on Sunday, September 13. That morning, 7 inches of rain devastated Westport. The wedding was delayed by an hour, to 3 p.m. But it was held outside
The ballroom, deck and lawn (plus improved landscaping) are the most visible changes. (And some things have changed only slightly. The façade retains its traditional look. the porte-cochère was scaled back from its original size, and the stately tree at the entrance is still there.)
Rear view of The Inn at Longshore (center). Longshore Sailing School is on the right. (Drone photo/John Videler for Videler Photography)
But guests who stay on the Inn’s 2nd and 3rd floors will notice many differences too. (On weekends, they’re usually wedding parties. Weekday guests include business executives, travelers — and former Westporters, who want to relive the Inn experience when they return to their home town.)
The 11 rooms and 3 suites have been completely redesigned. Each is unique; all match include modern amenities, but with an old-time inn feel. Every 3rd floor room is dormered.
Room numbers were hand painted. And guests don’t have swipe cards — they’re given actual brass keys.
The Compo Suite
The “Lewis Suite” includes framed photos from the Inn’s long-ago start, as Frederick E. Lewis’ private mansion.
The bride’s suite — used by her party on the day of the wedding — was specially decorated by Serena & Lily.
The third floor honeymoon suite is named for Jay Gatsby. It has a particularly striking view — appropriate, because when F. Scott Fitzgerald rented a home on Compo Road South, it is believed his vista of the Lewis estate all the way to the Sound inspired some of his images in “The Great Gatsby.”
Sunlight glittering off the water fills every room facing the Sound. (The bathroom in one offers a particularly killer view.)
Room with a view. (All photos/Longshore Hospitality Group, unless otherwise noted)
All new state-of-the-art mechanicals ensure smooth operation.
All told, Longshore Hospitality spent $8 million more in capital improvements than they had committed to the town.
The Inn at Longshore is almost completely booked for weddings, through 2027. Bookings for 2028 will begin in November.
La Plage was closed during the renovation. Diners may not see many changes. But the kitchen is completely revamped, easing food prep for both the restaurant and ballroom catering.
Few towns own an inn and restaurant — let alone an entire country club.
For more than 60 years — ever since the town of Westport bought Longshore (paying $1.9 million, for the entire 169 acres) — officials have tried to make the Inn even more special than it is.
Finally, they’ve done it.
Enjoy a fundraiser in the new ballroom. Stay in a very cool room. Have a meal at La Plage.
And — starting soon — book your 2028 wedding there.
(“06880” regularly covers Longshore, town restaurants, local businesses — 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!)
Westport Parks & Recreation Commission chair David Floyd has lived here for over 30 years.
A football, basketball and track athlete at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, and a University of Maryland graduate, he helps oversee so many local amenities: our beaches, Longshore, athletic fields, parks, and much more.
The other day, David came to the Westport Library, for an “06880” podcast chat. Click here or below, for an inside look at some of the most special places and programs in town.
One of the most overlooked (so far) local environmental stories involves erosion and related issues at Westport’s beaches.
The “sandbar” (natural, not food) at Compo Beach, and the continuing disappearance of Burying Hill, are 2 noticeable impacts.
On October 1 (6:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), RACE Coastal Engineering will present their second Comprehensive Beach Resilience Planning Studies forum.
It covers existing site conditions, potential beach profiles, and anticipated regulatory requirements, among others.
The topic has not been on many residents’ minds. It should be.
Very little actual beach remains at Burying Hill. (Photo/Ed Simek)
In related news, the Parks & Recreation Commission’s September 16 meeting (7:30 p.m., Zoom) includes a couple of interesting items:
Parks Master Plan update
New parks maintenance facility.
Commissioners will also accept a gift to install dugouts at the Greens Farms Elementary School softball field, dedicated to Nat Brogadir.
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Westport firefighters honored 9/11 yesterday, with their annual memorial service at headquarters. This year’s 25th anniversary carried special meaning.
(Photo/Westport Fire Department)
Then came a visit to the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
Three firefighters climbed aboard a Stairmaster, and completed 110 stories.
That’s the number of floors their New York City colleagues attempted to climb in rescue attempts that awful morning, 25 years ago yesterday.
343 FDNY members lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
Westport firefighters, at the YMCA. The TV on the right shows the New York City 9/11 memorial service. (Photo/Christina Scherwin)
Back at headquarters, Westport firefighters were treated to a nice lunch, by Julie and James Whamond.
The meal was accompanied by a note, thanking the WFD for all they do for our town, and for stepping up for Julie’s family 25 years ago. Her husband, Jonathan Uman, was killed in the World Trade Center attack.
Firefighters, with lunch. (Photo/Westport Fire Department)
Also honoring 9/11: this man, spotted by Debra Carson on the Post Road yesterday.
She doesn’t know more about his mission .But we appreciate his journey, and admire his determination.
(Photo/Debra Carson)
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School is back in session.
Parties are in full swing.
And Compo Beach neighbors are not pleased.
For the past 2 weekends, they report, “hundreds” of students — primarily freshmen — have gathered at night on the beach along the Soundview Drive exit road.
Residents report noise and drinking. Police arrive.
One part of the large scene.
Eventually the party ends. “But the seawall and beach are trashed,” one homeowner says.
This morning, Parks & Recreation Department crews cleaned up the mess.
The Harmonetiks Project is a non-profit fostering recovery and resilient leadership for veterans and first responders.
It brings community wellness and veteran support together, as public classes and treatments help fund free care for veterans. The project teaches practical self-care skills through programs including Harmonetiks Easy Breath, acupuncture, tai chi, yoga and more.
Owner Mike Williams is an Army veteran and former combat medic.
Harmonetiks opened a training center at 420 Post Road West last month. A grand opening is set for today (Saturday, 12 noon). The public is invited. Click here for more information.
Harmonetiks Project
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Westporters are enjoying the town’s newest outdoor art.
“Circle of Peace” — a bronze sculpture outside the upper entrance to the Westport Library — is a playful work that invites passersby to stop and smile.
It will be officially dedicated on Monday (September 14, 5 p.m.). The public is invited.
Youngsters enjoying “Circle of Peace.” (Photo/Jamie Walsh)
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Speaking of the Library: An extra-special author talk takes places October 2 (7 p.m.). Ocean Vuong discussed his new bestseller, “The Emperor of Gladness.” Oprah Winfrey picked it for her Book Club.
Born in Saigon and raised in a working-class Hartford household, he set his latest storyin the fictional town of East Gladness, Connecticut.
The theme is survival. The book tackles the daily weight of caregiving, poverty, addiction, family by choice, and the strange relief that comes when another human being truly notices you when you feel invisible.
Vuong has spoken about Buddhism, the reality of suffering, and how he might have ended up as a monk if writing had not found him first. He’ll be joined on stage by poet, memoirist, and Yale Review editor Meghan O’Rourke.
Speaking (as before) of art: MoCA\CT celebrated the opening of “Michael Borders: Connecticut Industry” with a public reception Thursday night.
On view through November 15, the exhibition includes 8 monumental painted panels by the Connecticut artist. Individually and collectively, the offer a vivid portrait of our state’s history, industries, landscapes and communities.
Great actors are a Westport Country Playhouse tradition.
But what does it take to get stage — there, or anywhere else?
On Sunday, September 20, Andrew Keenan-Bolger — the original Crutchie in “Newsies” on Broadway — offers 2 master classes for students.
“Building Characters from the Inside Out” gives participants a chance to explore character development through monologue work, script analysis and imaginative storytelling.
The middle school class is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The high school session follows, from 2 to 4.
Summer is over. But the Levitt Pavilion keeps rockin’.
A new free show has been added to the calendar. King Stingray brings their unique “Yolŋu surf rock” sound — a blend of ancient Australian indigenous melodies with surf, indie and funk influences — to Westport on September 23 (7:30 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
Avid state park-goer Chris Swan offers this update on work at Sherwood Island:
“Late Thursday afternoon, the contractor finished rough grading a large area on the north side of the newly paved West Beach parking lot.
“I’m guessing they’ll hydro-seed. That will hold this soil from eroding while grass germinates, returning this to an overflow parking lot like what was there pre-project.
“The contractor also painted some lines, and a few remaining crosswalks. Likely some odds and ends remain, but it looks like the paving project is finally approaching the finish line.
“We’ll see how long it takes to tear down and then replace the pavilion roof. I’m not holding my breath on that one.”
Sherwood Island State Park (Photo/Chris Swan)
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Our new header — visible on laptop and desktop versions of “06880” — is a great shot of a Saugatuck Rowing Club crew. Thanks to photographer Bruce McFadden.
(You may not win every video game. But when you read “06880,” everyone is a winner. And if you like pushing buttons, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Word on the street — Main Street, that is — is that PopUp bagels will move into the space recently vacated by Cold Fusion. An early 2027 opening is planned.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for the business Adam Goldberg began on a whim during COVID.
PopUp Bagels has exploded, with locations nationwide and awards from — it doesn’t get better than this — Brooklyn BagelFest.
We were sorry to see a great gelato place melt away. But when this bagel shop pops up — permanently — it will be the toast of the town.
Adam Goldberg, with his Brooklyn Bagelfest award.
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Organizers rolled the dice for Sunday’s “A Day in the Life of Westport” project.
Would people want to participate? Would they actually upload photos? Would there be a good range and variety of images?
They needn’t have worried. 545 photos were submitted, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. (Actually, the first one came in at 6:13 a.m. — so that’s an average of about 1 every 2 minutes.)
They showed everything: Westport people, places, pets, kids, activities, sports — you name it. Photographers were out there morning, afternoon, and late at night. Thanks to all who participated.
“A Day in the Life” was a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.” We’ll share the photos soon, in a variety of ways.
Meanwhile, here’s one that wasn’t submitted. But it epitomizes the day.
James Delorey says, “My family and many friends spent much of Sunday at Old Mill Beach.
“We went to the sandbar party at low tide, walking to some of the far out ‘islands,’ making sand castles, exploring the jetty, finding clams and crabs, and devouring pizza from Old Mill Grocery. What a day!
“A recurring conversation was how lucky and grateful we are to live in this beautiful town. Then, just before 5 p.m., people started calling out to alert everyone on the beach: a rainbow!
“In this photo, a dad quickly gathers 3 boys for a quick photo. You never know how long a miracle like that will last!”
Looking for some way to participate in “4 Days of Service” — the town-wide initiative from today through Friday that recognizes the courage and sacrifices of so many after 9/11, through service, compassion and generosity?
Paint the town yellow!
Seven years ago, Debra Kandrak had an idea: Every autumn, Westporters should plant daffodils.
Every spring, they bloom.
And — thanks to Debra, and so many volunteer gardeners — every year our town looks more and more beautiful.
This year, Debra is adding a twist: black-eyed Susans. That will keep the yellow theme going from spring to late fall.
“Like daffodils, once you plant black eyed Susans they continue to grow forever with very little effort,” Debra says. “They’ll be here for decades to come.”
Westporters have planted daffodils everywhere: in front yards, on the sides of streets, traffic islands … you name it. Anywhere you can think of: Paint the town even more yellow!
The Schneerson Center for Jewish Life says: “We’ve been blowing the Shofar, a simple hollowed out ram’s horn, for thousands of years in celebration of Rosh Hashana.
“The Shofar is not just a sound. It is a cry. A prayer. A soul-awakening, personal, meditative and rousing experience. Hearing the sound of the Shofar is the main commandment associated with celebrating the Holiday.”
They blow the Shofar this Sunday (September 13, 5 p.m., Riverside Park). The public is invited.
After nearly 4 years, Hummingbird Healing Center is closing.
Lisa Pak — owner of the 2nd floor Main Street “transformation through sound” spot — writes: “As we approach our final days at the Hummingbird Healing Center, I wanted to express how serving this incredible community over the past four years has truly been the privilege and honor of a lifetime.
While this chapter is coming to a close, my healing work as a sound practitioner is gratefully expanding. I will be offering private and corporate sound healing sessions in the area and will keep you all posted.”
They’re open through Sunday (September 13). Lisa hopes to clear out all tables, chairs, shelving, sound healing instruments, meditation cushions, decorations — even plants. (Hat tip: Sal Liccione)
Lisa Pak, with her great river view.
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Hard to believe that the Class of 2006 — the first to graduate from the “new building” — is gearing up for their 20th reunion.
The time-sure-flies event is October 3 (8 to 11 p.m.), at Little Barn. Or, as they remember it, Swanky Frank’s and Woody’s.
And finally … on this date in 1966, “Star Trek” debuted on NBC.
(Space may be the final frontier. But “06880” is your hyper-local blog. Like the starship Enterprise, we take you to unexpected places every day. Please click here to support our journey. Thank you!)
There’s a lot of hoopla whenever a time capsule is buried.
Then time marches on. People forget about it.
The promised unearthing date passes unnoticed, for good reason: Everyone who would remember is dead, has no reason to remember (or can’t remember anything).
The Saugatuck Congregational Church’s bicentennial time capsule beat the odds. On Saturday — 50 years after interment, and just 2 months past the promised date of July 4, 2026 — it saw the light of day.
Church officials praised “the persistence, skill, heavy equipment, and remarkably good humor” of the AJ Penna & Son company. As the photo below shows, this was not a simple dig.
Even finding the time capsule was tough. The location left behind by the well-meaning folks who buried it was more of a *suggestion* than an actual map.
Penna employees Scott, Sal, Felix, Wilbert, Ed and Jeremy spent more than 5 hours searching for the capsule, then getting it out of the ground.
The AJ Penna heroes.
So what’s inside?
The big reveal takes place at Town Hall on October 10.
Saugatuck Church officials say, “After 50 years underground, we figure it can wait one more month!” (Hat tip: Lisa Tantillo)
For a late summer day in the middle of a holiday weekend, there sure was a lot going on in town yesterday.
From midnight until 11:59 p.m., a couple of hundred residents took photos for the special “A Day in the Life of Westport” project.
They shot everything: family life, sports, home, the beach … you name it.
Homes with Hope used the occasion to gather several dozen volunteers and friends, for a giant shoot.
Rotarians, town and state officials, staff members — all gathered outside the Gillespie Center and Hoskins Place men’s and women’s shelters, in the heart of downtown.
The result: a great snapshot of all the men and women who make this town — and this important organization — special.
Honoring Homes with Hope, on “A Day in the Life of Westport” (Photo/John Videler for VidelerPhotography)
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A couple of hours later, dozens of Westporters honored Velma Heller, on her 90th birthday.
They came from all over town, representing all of the longtime Westporter’s many town activities. Velma served on the Representative Town Meeting — and as its moderator — following a 31-year career with the Westport Public Schools, as reading specialist, Greens Farms Elementary School and Continuing Education principal, Bedford Middle School vice principal, and town-wide director of curriculum.
Now in her 10th decade, she remains active in — among other things — the League of Women Voters.
Velma has seen it all. Not much surprises her.
But she was surprised to learn that a tree has been planted, in her name and that of her late husband, fellow civic volunteer Gar Heller. It will grow and grace Grace Salmon Park, just a few steps from Velma’s home off Imperial Avenue.
Happy 90th, Velma, from your friends at “06880” — the blog, and the town!
Velma Heller: 90 years young! (Photo/Priscilla Long)
Westport’s “4 Days of Service” — a townwide initiative to honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11 through volunteerism, generosity, and acts of kindness — begin tomorrow (Tuesday).
There are countless ways to get involved (click here for a full story). One of the most far-reaching is a food drive sponsored by the Representative Town Meeting.
Called “Julie’s Give Where You Live 9/11 Food Drive” — and named after former RTM member Julie Whamond — it benefits Homes with Hope’s food pantry.
Donations can be dropped off in the Town Hall lobby from tomorrow through Friday (8 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
The most-needed items are canned black and pinto beans, pasta sauce, oatmeal, soup, ramen, canned corn and peas, jelly, mac ‘n’ cheese, and personal care items like deodorant, soap and everyday hygiene essentials.
Gift cards from Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop and Walmart are welcome too.
To donate through Homes with Hope’s Amazon Wish List — with items delivered directly to the food pantry — click here.
File this one under “There Must Be a Back Story, But We Don’t Know What It Is”:
(Photo/Susan Kowalsky)
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The Westport Winners — Westport’s Challenger Little League baseball program for youngsters with disabilities — kicked off their fall season yesterday, in perfect weather.
Loads of players were joined by many buddies. And local baseball legend Kevin Morton delivered Riko’s pizza to the field — all donated!
Westport Book promises an action-packed September.
A new program has just launched: “Saturday Story Time for Kids.” Every week at 11 a.m., families are invited for reading fun.
The “Read a Book a Month Challenge” is for youngsters and adults. Everyone who buys a book at the store each month from now through June is invited to a year-end celebration.
An exhibit and book sale featuring the work of noted artist George Hand Wright is set for September 16 (6 to 7:30 p.m.).
And the Short Story Club meets September 23 (6 p.m.). Commemorating Labor Day, they’ll discuss 3 stories about people and their jobs:
“Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street” by Herman Melville
“The Passenger” by Marisa Silver
“Gray Noise” by Charles Swift
Registration is required. Call 203-349-5141, or email RSVP@westportbooksaleventures.org
And an after-hours music special features guitarist Warren Bloom (September 25, 6 to 8 p.m.).
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CLASP’s annual benefit is always a great time.
Band Central always entertains, with songs from the 1980s and ’90s.
This year, they’re adding a dance floor.
On October 15 (pre-party 6:30 p.m.; main event 7) hosts its fundraiser at Fairfield Theater Company. Ryebird and Saigon Snack Bar return with light bites.
Tickets are just $48 (all fees included). 100% of the proceeds benefit CLASP Homes. The non-profit provides care, support and services to adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Click here for tickets, and more information.
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: danwoog@gmail.com. Thanks!)
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