Every day in Westport is special. Every day is unique.
But when each is over, we move on to the next.
September 6 will be a day we’ll never forget.
On that Sunday, 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.
Collectively, the photographs will become a real-time portrait of Westport, preserving both extraordinary moments and ordinary ones that define daily life.
Miggs Burroughs, a founding member of the Artists Collective, says, “Every individual photograph tells a story. Together, hundreds — perhaps thousands — of photographs become something entirely different: a portrait of Westport itself. The finished mosaic will reveal not only the beauty of our town, but the connections that make us a community.”
Early September will still be warm enough for a sunrise swim … (Photo/Jimmy Izzo)
LWV secretary James Delorey notes, “Westport has always been a community that shows up. Whether it’s volunteering, voting, supporting neighbors or celebrating together, people here take part. ‘A Day in the Life of Westport’ is another opportunity for everyone to help tell the story of this remarkable town.”
League member Andrea Moore adds, “Westport’s story is written by our whole community. ‘A Day in the Life’ invites everyone to share a special moment or a favorite scene from their day. Each photograph captures a part of who we are today, and creates a record that future generations will be able to look back on.”
Participants are encouraged to photograph every aspect of community life, including all generations, neighborhoods, occupations, traditions, celebrations, acts of service, family life, recreation, arts, faith, work, and the countless moments that make Westport unique.
,,, and photographers can also capture random kids having moments of fun. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Organizers hope the final collection reflects the full diversity of the community, and the many different ways people experience the same day.
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.
Submitted photographs will become part of an online community archive and digital image library (and featured on “06880”).
Organizers also plan to create a large photographic mosaic incorporating every submission, with selected images potentially featured in a public exhibition, commemorative book, and other America 250 legacy projects celebrating Westport’s history and community spirit.
(“06880” is proud to partner with Westport organizations on this project — and to be your hyper-local blog. We rely on reader support. Please click here to help. Thanks for all you do for us!)
Generations of Westport families knew Amy Lamb as a creative and caring Green’s Farms Nursery School teacher.
Many others knew her for Color Factory — an after-school and summer camp program — or as an aerobics instructor and Staples High cheerleading coach.
All of that followed her original career, working in book design for Random House and as a freelancer. During 34 years in Westport she also found time to raise 3 sons — Brandon, Trevor and Matt — with her late husband Greg.
Amy Lamb
Amy lives in Florida now. She has 7 grandchildren. But she’s embarked on a new act — one that ties together her loves of art, teaching and family.
For years, Amy thought about writing a children’s book. She had a vision for it — a curious mouse named Cooper — but considered herself an “art person,” not an author.
It took 20 years to turn her idea into reality. “Life got in the way,” she says. “And I was never sure where Cooper was going.”
Eventually Amy drew the entire book, with acrylics. She added the text later.
Cooper is “small, brave and adventurous,” Amy explains. He’s someone “kids can relate to.”
The book is called “Uh Oh Cooper.” “Kids say ‘uh oh’ a lot,” Amy notes. She expects they’ll say “uh oh” as they try to figure out Cooper’s next adventure.
There are several blank pages at the end, for young readers to draw whatever they think Cooper does next. “That’s the teacher in me,” Amy says.
The process was exhilarating. “I feel like Grandma Moses,” she says. “I think, ‘I really did this!'”
Despite her publishing background, Amy realizes the world has changed. Self-publishing is the way to go. She’s done it all — drawing, writing, uploading, producing, marketing — herself.
“I’ve been surrounded by books all my life,” Amy says.
“My grandfather was a book binder. My dad was in the paper business. He’d be proud of me.” (Her father’s cousin was Ben Shahn, so there’s art in her family too.)
Cooper seems to be clicking with young readers. Amy is getting emails, texts — even old-fashioned letters — including ideas of what Cooper will do next.
What will Cooper do next?
“It’s been fun connecting with children again,” the first-time author says. “And it’s fun that they’re thinking about new adventures. Cooper is much more than just a cute little mouse.”
The book has also stirred something in Amy. She wants to paint every day. And it’s helped her connect with many people from her past, including friends from high school, college, and her 3-plus decades in Westport.
“They all adore Cooper,” she says. “And they want more.”
Uh oh, Cooper.
You’re not done yet!
(Every Westporter has a story — and “06880” tells them all. If you enjoy this, or anything else about our hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Discussion of lights on Wakeman and PJ Romano Fields continues at Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (July 20, 6 p.m., Zoom).
The clock re-set after Parks & Recreation Department director Erik Barbieri resubmitted the application, after questions and comments during previous P&Z meetings.
The registrars of voters begin memory card and tabulator testing on Tuesday (July 21, 9:30 a.m., Town Hall Room 212D).
The public is welcome to observe, through the testing is complete.
Meanwhile, there’s an “enrollment session” on Friday, July 24 (5 to 7 p.m., Town Hall, Room 107) to register voters before the August 11 primary elections.
Voters can also enroll any time at the registrar of voters’ office any time during normal business hours.
A tabulator (foreground) at the Westport Library polling place. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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Singer-songwriter MT Jones brings his soulful vibe to the Levitt Pavilion this Sunday (7 p.m.; free).
Before his appearance, he chatted with Weston Today’s Jaclyn Jeffrey. They spoke about his hit album “Joy,” his journey from young musician to session player, then on to a solo career writing original songs, his creative process, and the legendary robust Liverpool music scene.
The curtain rose last night on legendary detective Hercule Poirot, as he investigates “Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” The show runs through August 1, at Westport Country Playhouse.
A free Symposium is set for this Sunday (July 19), following the 3 p.m. performance.
“Christie at 100…Still Going Strong” will discuss why her mysteries continue to sell 4 million copies a year. Guest speakers include author and co-founder of the Connecticut Chapter of Sisters in Crime Elise Hart Kipness, and mystery writer and CrimeConn festival founder Chris Knopf.
Kelle Ruden — leader of The Usual Suspects, a long-running mystery book discussion group at rhe Westport Library — will moderate.
Anthony Cochrane as Hercule Poirot in “Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.” (Photo/Mark Smith)
Speaking of theater: There are 2 Westport connections to “Rosie,” the “riveting” new musical with a one-night-only presentation at Greenwich House Theater (August 4, 7 p.m.).
The music and lyrics for the show — about the girl in the bandana behind the iconic World War II poster, as she reconciles her feminism with the diverse and complex world — were written by 2013 Staples High School graduate Jake Landau.
Fellow Staples alum Lauren Weinberger is the developmental producer.
Growing up here, our lives are shaped by our families, friends, neighborhoods, schools and activities.
But with the passage of time, many of us look back at our young years with fondness. The tough days disappear. We remember the good times.
Raymond Marra has a different perspective.
Raymond Marra
His parents moved here in 1965, when he was in 4th grade. They were drawn by the “schools, opportunity, and exposure to people who might elevate rather than limit us.”
All that was true, Marra says. At the same time, he felt out of place in this “affluent, competitive” town.
He struggled in school. He did not play sports. Friendships were “shallow and fleeting.”
Much of his childhood was shaped by “relentless bullying, intimidation, humiliation, and quiet self-doubt.” He did not know who he was, and could not imagine what he would become.
But the Staples Class of 1974 graduate was shaped too by a “fiercely independent mother” and a “brilliant, exacting father.” They instilled in him “resilience, discipline and an unspoken expectation to rise.”
Six decades later, he has tried to explain all those thoughts, feelings, contradictions and concerns. He’s written “Finding My Way in Westport: A Memoir of Discipline, Rebellion, and Resistance.”
It’s an exploration of how “what seemed an idyllic suburban town on the surface became the place where (he) first learned about pressure, expectations, resilience and independence.”
Marra began writing stories of his youth — challenging, funny, important, mundane, from Kings Highway Elementary, Bedford Junior High and Staples — on his iPhone, as a way to leave a legacy for his daughter. His parents, he says, had many stories, but never wrote them down.
After a while, he realized he had enough for a book. He’s not an author — he’s spent 40 years selling security systems to corporations — but the vignettes formed 40 chapters.
They range far and wide. He writes about his mother, a realtor who “went on strike” for a long while, checking out emotionally from her family. (She also had the “guts and balls” to approach Paul Newman at Silver’s. And, Marra says, she eventually “came back” from what seems to be depression.)
Readers who know Marra have said they are surprised to read some details of his childhood, but now understand where he gets his drive.
People who do not know him — particularly young people — may relate, he says, to someone who gets knocked down, but stands up for himself.
Bedford Junior High School (now Saugatuck Elementary) was not an easy place for an unsure 7th through 9th grader.
After that turbulent youth, Marra returned to the area.
Why?
“I love Westport,” he says simply. (Marra lives in Weston, but is here almost every day.)
Seeing a place like Mitchells (where his father bought suits) and the Washing Well (where he went 60 years ago with his father and brother) helps ground him.
“My memories are great, despite all the troubles,” Marra says. “This is a great community. It has so much to offer.
“I’m just a regular guy. My parents scraped together enough to buy a home, because they wanted to raise 2 boys here.”
Now, Raymond Marra is telling that story.
It’s not everyone’s Westport. But it’s his. And we can all learn from it.
(Everyone has a story. And “06880” tells them all. If you enjoy features like this — or anything else on your hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Posted onJuly 14, 2026|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Crispin Cioe
You may not know the name Crispin Cioe.
But you sure know his music. “Love Shack,” “Hot Hot Hot,” “Living in America” == he played on them. And much more.
Crispin is a saxophonist, songwriter, producer/arranger, and co-founder the Uptown Horns.
He has toured and recorded with the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Ray Charles, the B-52s, Robert Plant, Solomon Burke, Joe Cocker, Debbie Harry, Aretha Franklin — to name a few.
Crispin continues to perform live and on TV with friends like Darlene Love and Steven Van Zandt. The other day, we chatted on our local stage — the Westport Library — about his life in music, his ties to Westport, and lots more.
Most recently, the business — founded right here in Westport during COVID by Adam Goldberg, as a lark — was the subject of a long, reverential story in New York magazine.
Calling PopUp Bagels “a burgeoning nationwide phenomenon,” the piece notes that no other chain
has blasted off with the velocity of PopUp, which now includes more than 40 shops (and counting), from New York to South Florida to Nashville, with franchise agreements signed for 300 more.
This spring, the business sold a stake to investment firm Tiger Global Management — following earlier money from the growth-equity fund Stripes and a roster of celebrity investors that includes the former NFL star J.J. Watt and the actor Paul Rudd — at a valuation of $300 million.
“My number-one goal,” Goldberg (said) recently, “is to get the best bagel possible everywhere in the world, starting with America.”
The story warns though of the dangers ahead, as PopUp bagels grows far beyond its origins.
Goldberg, who ran a flood mitigation business, came up with the idea during the pandemic, when he baked sourdough in the morning and drank wine in the afternoon.
Before long, the magazine says, “he hired a friend’s son and other teenagers to show up and bake at 4 in the morning — high-schoolers in pajamas or still dressed from the night before, drawn by loud music and a party atmosphere.
“The crew would knock out over a thousand bagels on a Saturday, sold from Goldberg’s kitchen window by the dozen with two cream cheeses.”
A concerned reader emailed “06880.” The osprey nest at Fresh Market was empty, he thought.
We contacted Carolyn Doan, Westport’s osprey expert. She headed to the parking lot, and reports:
“There was a lot of activity today! Both raptors were in the nest, relaxing in the sun. A few moments later they were visited by a third osprey, vying for the attention of the female. It was quickly chased away by the male after 2 low flying swoops.
“The couple then engaged in mating attempts, and relaxed some more in the sun. Mother Nature never disappoints.”
A special free tennis festival — with everything from lessons, contests and a book signing — is set for tomorrow at Longshore (Saturday, 12 to 4 p.m.).
The afternoon includes instruction for adults and youngsters; fast-serve and hitting prizes, adult and junior point play (sign up: 203-520-9815), and a raffle.
Former professional player Sophie Amiach — who was a commentator at the recent Roland-Garros French Open — will present her new book “Tennis Smart & Simple: For Players and Coaches of All Levels and Ages.”
That accomplishment by Lawrence — who is better known for his more-than-legendary 58-year career as Staples High School’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track coach — was the hook for a story in the Hartford Courant. It was reposted by Yahoo Sports (click here to read).
“I like doing it,” Lawrence — now 80 years old — says, about the road race series that has attracted everyone from a Boston Marathon winner to 88-year-old Westporter Norma Minkowitz, the world record holder in the mile (9:56) in her 85-89-year-old age group.
“I love the sport. I think it’s a good way for me to contribute. I like being around it. For the most part, it keeps me young – although I’m losing that battle.” (Hat tip: Richard Fogel)
Laddie Lawrence in 2019, when the Board of Education voted unanimously to name the Staples track in his honor. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
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Speaking still of sports: Wednesday’s Roundup gave an incorrect date for the upcoming polo exhibition at the Fairfield County Hunt Club
The correct date is Saturday, July 25. Gates open at 11 a.m.
In addition to matches, there are vendors, food and drinks. For more information, email HuntClubPolo@gmail.com.
The Script in Hand play-reading series is one Westport Country Playhouse’s most popular offerings. Men and women regularly pack the historic theater, for inexpensive but compelling evenings of intriguing works.
Now there’s a junior version.
A staged reading of “Peter Pan” — the timeless tale of imagination, bravery, and the wonder of never growing up — is set for the Lucille Lortel White Barn on Saturday, July 18 (2 p.m.).
The cast include young actors from local middle and high schools: Alice DiMenna, Audrey Cook, Jayden Santos, Bridget Brennan, Cathy O’Toole, Colin Chudd, Gemma Wiener, Jack Fibiger, Jasper Leven, Joey Vazquez, Lua Gaspar, Maël Chevrier and Ryan Duffy.
Amy Schneider spotted a small group doing some of research yesterday, at Compo’s South Beach.
She learned they were from the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, taking measurements and readings of sport fish and seaweed. They do it 3 times a year, from Greenwich to Stonington.
DEEP biologists, on Compo’s South Beach.
The scientists showed Amy a variety of fish like windowpane flounder, which they scooped up from shore in big nets.
They taught her how to determine the sex of a horseshoe crab (hint: check their legs), and showed her pipefish, hermit crabs and a tiny pufferfish (DEEP’s first on this trip). It was too tiny to photograph, but the biologist let her see it puffer when he reduced the water in his hand.
Amy says, “I had no idea about the variety of marine life we encounter when we dip our toes in the water. I’m grateful they allowed me to ask questions and take photos.”
Speaking of water: A main break yesterday on Bermuda Road was more than just an inconvenience (low water pressure; no or discolored water) to neighbors on Saugatuck Shores.
Sheri Gordon reports: “Aquarion said around 6 p.m. that it would take another 6-8 hours to restore service.
“It’s a big deal if you live here, because it’s really the only way in or out. We can in a pinch take Marsh Road, but it’s not supposed to be a through road. It is not paved, and floods regularly.”
Bermuda Road water main break. (Photo/Sheri Gordon)
And finally …Bonnie Tyler, the Welsh singer who had a #1 hit with “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” died Wednesday in Portugal. She was 75, and had undergone emergency intestinal surgery. Click here for a full obituary.
(From bagels and crépes, to polo ponies and flounder, “06880” covers all of Westport. And we do it 24/7/365. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Posted onJune 22, 2026|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Rabbi Yehuda Kantor
Rabbi Yehuda Kantor is the spiritual head of Chabad of Westport.
Located in the former Three Bears Inn on Newtown Turnpike at Wilton Road, Chabad blends traditional values with modern technique. It offers a home to hundreds of families, and programming for all ages.
The other day, I chatted with Rabbi Kantor about all things Chabad — and much more. Click here or below, to watch and listen.
Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Rabbi Yehuda Kantor
It’s been 50 years since Martha Moxley was murdered.
The crime transfixed the nation. The 15-year-old was bludgeoned and stabbed with a golf club the night before Halloween in her back yard, in Greenwich’s Belle Haven section.
She was last seen alive with Thomas and Michael Skakel — nephews of Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy. They were the prime suspects.
Michael — who was 15 at the time of the murder — was convicted 27 years later, and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison. He was granted a new trial 11 years later, on the grounds of inadequate counsel, and released.
In 2020 — 45 years to the day after the crime — the state of Connecticut announced he would not be retried. Too many witnesses had died.
Many people believed — long before Michael Skakel’s first trial — that he was guilty. So did Andrew Goldman.
Andrew Goldman
But a few years ago, when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the Westporter — a writer for the Wall Street Journal, New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Wired and more — to ghostwrite a book about his cousins’ involvement in the case, he agreed to meet some of those involved.
Michael Skakel was eager. He let Goldman pore through the entire case file: 50 boxes of police reports, evidence and more.
Eventually, Goldman came to doubt that Michael was the killer.
RFK Jr. — then an environmental lawyer, several years away from becoming President Trump’s Health & Human Services secretary — believed, on word from a tipster, that the murderers were 2 teenagers from New York. One was sexually obsessed with Martha.
Robert F. Kenney Jr.’s name is on the book. But Andrew Goldman was the ghostwriter.
But his involvement with the case did not end there.
By that time, Goldman believed Michael Skakel was miles away when Moxley was clubbed to death. And he wanted to counteract 2 influential books — Dominick Dunne’s fictional-but-close-resemblance 1993 “A Season in Purgatory,” and Mark Fuhrman’s 1998 “Murder in Greenwich” — that convinced many of Skakel’s guilt.
The result — after extensive research and numerous interviews, including Michael and Thomas Skakel — was a 12-part NBC News Studios podcast. It premiered late last year.
“Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder” spent several weeks as Apple’s #1 podcast series.
“I spent the better part of a decade immersed in the case,” Goldman says. “It was a story people thought they knew, but didn’t.
“I documented how and why the state of Connecticut tried and convicted a man with virtually no evidence against him. The whole case was built on a foundation of lies. In my 30 years in journalism, no case has ever gripped me like this story.”
It still grips him. Certain elements were not included in the podcast, at NBC’s insistence. Since it aired, more tips have come in.
Martha Moxley
So at 7 p.m. on June 24, Goldman presents a special show at the Westport Library.
The “live podcast” event will include accompaniment by 2 New York musicians, and a song by Jack Donahue — a former assistant to Dunne, who has a unique connection to the case.
The evening includes a panel discussion with friends of Martha Moxley, and people who worked on the case.
“It will be quite unlike anything Westport has ever seen,” Goldman promises.
The potential audience is vast: people who have long been fascinated by the Martha Moxley story; those who listened to the podcast, but want more, and “true crime” aficionados.
And people who (like me) remember the case when it first happened, have not thought about it in years, but are now — with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the headlines, and a Westport author who worked with him convinced of the truth — ready for a deep, deep dive.
(For more information on the June 24 multimedia Westport Library event, click here.)
(“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” If you appreciate this hyper-local blog, and our wide-ranging stories about people, news, trends and more, please click here to support us. Thanks!)
Michael Skakel, in a screenshot from Andrew Goldman’s podcast.
Posted onJune 9, 2026|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Rick Redniss
Rick Redniss is principal planner and former president of Redniss & Mead.
A design firm that works throughout Fairfield County, they’ve been involved in residential, commercial, retail, industrial, educational, religious, government and cultural projects, as well as waterfront, parks and open space.
Their imprint on Westport is substantial. The other day, Rick and I chatted on the Library stage. Our conversation focused on our town — including the affordable housing efforts that Rick is passionate about.
Click here or below, to learn all about a design firm’s impact on a town.
Posted onMay 27, 2026|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Lonnie Quinn
Some of our podcasts are serious.
Some are thought-provoking.
This one is just plain fun.
Lonnie Quinn is the lead weather anchor on WCBS-TV in New York. He appears on the “CBS Evening News,” among other gigs. He was an actor on “All My Children” and “Santa Barbara.”
Lonnie is also a Westport resident, seen most recently on the same Westport Library stage where I interviewed him for our “06880” podcast.
It was a spirited half hour, for sure. Lonnie’s energy is off the charts.
So is his expertise.
I learned a lot — about weather, his life and career, and much more.
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