Couch Potato Salad was created right here in Westport. And with its clever premise, compelling graphics and daily addictive/social/creative buzz, it could be the next thing to break the internet.
Just click on CouchPotatoSaladGame.com. You’ll see an image. The correct answer will describe it using 2 common phrases, linked by a shared middle word.
For example:
It’s “Shrimp Cocktail Party.”
Try this:
Of course, it’s “Smart Cookie Monster.”
The game is the brainchild of Zack Gross. The 2001 Staples High School graduate moved back to Westport last year, with his wife and 2 young children.
He enlisted current Staples senior Joshua Jordan to turn the idea into a web-based reality.
(Full disclosure: I got the 2 together. I coached Zack in soccer back in the day. And Josh developed the very successful “06880” app last summer. Zack calls Josh “the smartest 18-year-old on the planet.” That’s low-balling it.)
In about 2 months, Josh created the website. Zack made the graphics. And last week, they soft-launched Couch Potato Salad (get it?) on the world.
Zack Gross
The game’s genesis dates back more than a decade. Zack and Lauren McCabe — also a Westport resident — hashed out the idea on a couples’ trip. They played occasionally, using words only, over the years.
But Zack always thought the game would work well as a visual puzzle.
“The best phrase couplets are amusing because they create a silly image in your mind,” the University of Pennsylvania and New York University School of Law graduate says.
“Crab Walk of Shame” works because you imagine a hungover crab stumbling home on the beach. But he had no way of generating the hundreds of images he needed for the game.
Then came Artificial Intelligence.
Now — with the right prompt — he can create endless images. AI generates “The Wicked Witch of the West Wing” or “Drunk with Power Rangers” at a tiny fraction of the time — and cost — it would take an illustrator.
“The images are amazing,” Zack says. “Embarrassingly, I have several hanging in my house masquerading as ‘art.'”
Try this beauty:
Of course, it’s “Elephant in the Room for Improvement.”
Even with AI, of course, capturing the right image is not easy.
“You can’t just type ‘Bachelor Pad Thai’ and get a workable puzzle,” he notes.
He first figures out the necessary visual elements and style, then explains it to the program.
From there, it’s a lot of trial and error.
For the “Couch Potato Salad” image — on the website’s home page — Zack generated over 100 options. A professional illustrator revised it further.
What’s especially cool, Zack says, is that the game was created, tested and developed entirely by Westporters.
Josh Jordan
After developing it with McCabe, he sent it to high school classmates Will Downey, Mike Carey, Jordan Schur, Everett Boyle and Jim Wolf (some of whom, like Zack, have returned here to live).
Josh — the Staples senior — took care of all the back end tech work. As with the “06880” app, he worked quickly, efficiently, creatively and very professionally.
Now Zack and Josh — 23 years younger, and a soon-to-be fellow Staples grad — have shared Couch Potato Salad with the rest of the world.
What a great Brain Food Chain!
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Is Staples High School the Jeep capital of the world?
Dave Briggs wanted to find out.
The well-known Westporter — a national broadcaster with CNN, NBC Sports, Fox News and Turner Sports; marketing executive with Cann Social Tonic, the micro-dosed THC and CBD drink; Westport Library board member and, later this month, Fashionably Westport MC — took a tour of the school’s parking areas, including Bedford Middle School where juniors park.
Of 133 cars, he counted 33 Jeeps. That’s almost exactly 25% — 1 in 4.
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On the exact (to the day) 100th anniversary of their founding, the Westport Rotary Club celebrated with a gala dinner last night, at the Inn at Longshore.
Rotarians from near and far, town officials and friends honored the club’s long and storied history, from the early days (largely, but not always, strait-laced), to the easing of membership rules and the admission of women, to the current strong and generous nature of the club.
(Everyone received a book by Ron Henkoff chronicling Westport Rotary’s first 100 years, too. Click here for details.)
Videos and slides showed the enormous, multi-million dollar impact Westport Rotary has had on Westport, and the world.
As the next 100 years begin, the Westport Rotary Club prepares for its centennial gift: lead sponsor of the renovation of the Compo Beach playground.
Congratulations to all who made last night (and the reason for the celebration) possible. Special shout-outs go to longtime Rotary organizer and advocate Rick Benson, and last night’s MC, former president Jeff Wieser. Well done, all!
Twenty Westport Rotary Club presidents — representing exactly 1/5 of the club’s 100-year history — gathered for a photo at last night’s celebration. The oldest living former president (1968), George Damman, sent video greetings from Florida.
MC (and former president) Jeff Wieser models 100-year glasses. (Photos/John Videler for Videler Photography)
The Long Lots School Building Committee posted this update yesterday:
The deadline for submission of Request for Proposals/Quotes qualification statements from interested construction managers and architects was February 22.
The committee met on March 5 to discuss the submissions. They agreed on which respondents would be invited to submit proposals and be interviewed by the LLSBC.
Each of the selected firms will be contacted this week. The interview process is expected to be completed over the next 2 weeks. The goal is to select a construction manager and architect by the end of the month.
The design phase can then begin.
The Long Lots School Building Committee is moving forward to select a construction manager and architect for the project.
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On Wednesday, Ukraine Aid International — the non-profit founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, which organizes and delivers aid to residents and first responders — hosted a roundtable for officials and volunteers in Fairfield County towns that have sister city relationships with that war-torn nation.
Westport — whose sister city, Lyman, was UAI’s first such project — was well represented. Police Chief Foti Koskinas described his trip there last year, and emphasized the importance of his ongoing relationships with his counterparts in the Donetsk region.
Just hours earlier, he said, he had been texting with the Lyman police chief. The Ukrainian chief — who says often that Westport’s support inspires everyone in his town — proudly wears with a Westport Police Department patch.
Lyman police chief, with the Westport Police logo.
But the star of the event, held at the Ukrainian-American Club in Southport, was 4-month-old Archie Wauchope.
The son of Staples High School graduate Clyde Wauchope and his wife Katya, UAI’s director of development, he wore a bib that said — in Cyrillic letters — “Slava Ukraini! Slava Archie!”
In other words: “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to Archie!”
Archie Wauchope, his bib and his parents.
To learn more about Ukraine Aid International, and donate to Westport’s sister city Lyman, click here.
As the Norwalk Transit District — which oversees the Westport Transit District — “re-envisions” bus service here, they invite Westport residents to a meeting March 12 (7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium).
The charrette-session format will include remarks from Transit District officials, then a chance for attendees to give feedback on improvements they’d like to see.
The unique Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce Saturday night entertainment — dinner at one of 12 downtown restaurants, then a dance party with 8-piece funk and soul band West End Blend at the Westport Library — followed by post-concert happy hour pricing for drinks at any of the 12 participating restaurants (Arezzo, Basso, Capuli, Casa Me, Don Memo, Emmy Squared, Goji, Il Pastaficio, Mexicue, Nômade, Spotted Horse and Walrus Alley.
Tickets ($87) include the concert, dinner, tax and tip (drinks are not included). Tickets for the concert only are $35. Click here to buy, and for more information.
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Aargh!
There was another confusing date in yesterday’s item about beach emblem sales. Here is the re-corrected info. “06880” apologizes for the confusion:
Beach parking emblems go on sale online, and in the Westport Parks & Recreation Department office, at 9 a.m. next Monday (March 11) for Westport and Weston residents. The number of sales to Westport and Weston residents is not limited, and they are not required until May 1.
Sales of emblems to people not living in Westport or Westonbegin online, and in the Parks & Rec office, at 9 a.m. next Wednesday (March 13). A limit of 450 will be sold.
If you have purchased emblems or registered for Parks & Rec programs in prior seasons, you already have an online account established. Click here to log into your account. Then choose memberships; in the search box, type “Resident.” This brings all Westport resident vehicle packages to the top page. Weston residents should type “Weston” in search box.
After verification (Parks & Rec may request a copy of your current registration, or updated proof of residency), online purchases will be mailed to you. It may take 14-21 days.
Longtime Westport resident Phyllis Markoff died Tuesday. From 1982-88, she served proudly as president of Temple Israel.
She is survived by her children John (Laurie), Cathy (Jim Bessent), Janet and Nancy (Jeffrey Burt); grandchildren Alisa (Andy), Bill (Anita), Briana, Lily, Jack (Hanna Wallace), Kane (Lana Holley) and Blaze, and great-grandchildren Aaron, Alec, Sophia, Lydia, Isabella and Axel. She was predeceased by her husband Del.
The family will hold a private memorial service next month.
Today is International Women’s Day. In its honor, Westport-based non-profit Nest Egg Foundation is sponsoring a free online chat about women’s health and reproductive care (including in vitro fertilization).
The event begins at 3 p.m. today (March 8). Click here for the Zoom link.
And finally … in honor of the inaugural boxing exhibition taking place next month at the Westport Country Playhouse (story above):
(“06880” is your one-stop spot for news about beach stickers, buses, boxing, and much much more. Please click here to support this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
It’s not the oldest established permanent floating crap game in New York.
But Tom Hunter’s club is both permanent and floating (and in Westport). So what if it’s bridge, and not craps?
Instead of betting on the roll of dice, bridge players work in pairs. The card game demands concentration, teamwork, a competitive spirit and, Hunter says, “the ability to count to 13.”
It has a bit of a fusty image. Hunter — a 1971 Staples High School graduate — learned it from his grandmother. (My grandmother taught bridge, too.)
His current game — really, games; he runs 2 a week — attracts mostly people of a certain, though a few younger folks play. (Mostly, he says, that demographic is more into video games.)
But for bridge enthusiasts, there’s nothing like it.
Tom Hunter
“There are game people and puzzle people,” Hunter explains. “Bridge is a game, and each hand is a puzzle.
“It’s like an onion. When you peel back one layer, you always find another one.”
Hunter played bridge (“very badly”) in college. The game took a back seat while he worked on Wall Street. (“Trading took care of the adrenaline rush,” he says.)
About 11 years ago, living in the city, former Staples classmate and longtime friend Jon Diamond asked him to play at the Manhattan Bridge Club. He met a woman who was serious about the game. They’ve been together ever since.
After semi-retiring and moving back here, Hunter looked for a game. Around that time, a man who had run a bridge club in Norwalk closed it down.
Hunter filled the niche. With Rick Berman and Mark Rubenstein, they started their own club, at the Saugatuck Congregational Church. It’s called Come Play Bridge of Westport.
Since 2015 he’s rented space in churches, synagogues and community centers. Right now there are 2 games a week: Friday and Saturday, at 12:30 p.m., back at the Saugatuck Church.
He is in charge of 40 duplicate bridge players. He organizes who sits where, where the boards go and more.
His job, he says, is to make the games “fun and fair.”
COVID took a toll on the bridge club. Before the pandemic, his 4 weekly games included 3,000 tables a year. Now, they’re down to 1,000. They range from avid players to newcomers. (Hunter gives lessons to intermediate players.)
For 3 hours, Hunter says, Come Play Bridge of Westport members see friends. They stimulate their minds. Studies show that playing bridge wards off dementia.
Take that, craps!
(For more information on Come Play Bridge of Westport, text Tom Hunter: 973-232-6030. Hat tip: Toni Simonetti)
(This is the first “06880” story on bridge. But if it happens in Westport, we’ll eventually write about it. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
In the wake of last month’s allegations of racist behavior by students at Bedford Middle and Staples High School, over 30 Westporters signed a letter sent yesterday to the Board of Education, and Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice. It says:
Based on the call for participatory policymaking during the town hall meeting on February 27 of the Westport BOE Policy meeting, we have short-, medium- and long-term proposals to address the increasing prevalence of antisemitism, racism, and overall protected class harassment.
Short-term policies to be approved by the BOE and implemented immediately:
Block students who violate the protective class harassment governance from sports and leadership positions during their suspension period. Remove VI. Procedures Governing Suspension 13: “unless the responsible administrator or the administrator’s designee specifically authorizes a student to enter school property for a specified purpose or to participate in a particular school-sponsored activity” and specify that students will not be able to participate in sports, orchestra, Staples Players, or leadership-related activities during suspension.
Modify VI. Procedures Governing Suspension 9 and 10. Notice of suspension specific for protective class harassment shall be recorded in the student’s cumulative educational record and not be shortened for students with first-time suspension. In both cases, the suspension notice should remain in the educational record until the student completes a bias training specific to the offense (i.e., ADL training, NFHS bias training) and submits a teacher-reviewed 250-word reflective essay for middle school and 1,000 words for high school.)
A group of parents urges that students who violate harassment policies should complete bias training through a group like ADL.
Medium-term policies to be implemented before the next academic year:
Review the middle school and high school social studies curriculum to make sure it equips students with an understanding of biases and how they can avoid harming others with their behavior.
Make community service/volunteering, preferably outside of Westport, and bias training mandatory for ALL students.
Review the mission and vision of the school district to ensure that kindness, good character, and civic-mindedness are part of our school’s culture.
Support and empower school diversity initiatives that increase cross-cultural and identity understanding.
Report protected class harassment indicators such as relapsing rates, number of suspensions, number of reported cases, etc., on a quarterly basis.
Long-term policies to be implemented in the next five years within the context of the restorative justice procedures that will become law in CT next year in lieu of expulsions for “non-safety related offenses” that prevent the district from adopting a zero-tolerance policy:
Assign up to 180 hours of specifically outlined community service and a reflective 1,000-word essay as a restorative sanction within the context of a restorative circle to middle and high school students who violate the code of conduct’s policies on protected class harassment. The student should have a note in their file about their violation and be blocked from student leadership positions and sports until the completion of this requirement. Completing community hours should be a requirement to shorten the suspension period of first-time-suspended students and remove a notice of suspension from the cumulative educational record (180 assigned hours.)
The current code of conduct has two salient loopholes that enable the concerning behavior (VI. Procedures Governing Suspension 9. And 10.) We find it’s of utmost urgency to address the gaps in these rules to deter protected class harassment and keep children who are being victimized safe. Notices of suspension should not be expunged from the cumulative record by just graduating high school.
This policy overlooks an opportunity to educate children about the consequences of their actions and how they can make amends for the harm caused by their behavior. We are also advocating for the suspension of individuals from leadership positions including athletics until they complete their required bias training/service hours.
Parents also say that students suspended for harassment should not be allowed in leadership positions — including athletics — until they complete bias training/service hours.
One of the Westport parents backing this proposal emphasizes the importance of this policy: “As a former member of my University’s judicial board where I held a judicial role for 4 years, we found that over 80% of primary perpetrators of civil rights infractions and sexual assaults on campus were members of a sports team or fraternity. These peer-led and often pressured organizations have been seen to insulate young adults enabling behaviors such as these infractions and often protect them from being held accountable. Suspension from these activities would have a tremendous impact on behavior.”
In order to help students avoid disciplinary action in the first place and promote a culture of belonging and respect, the Westport School District should require community service/volunteer hours and bias training for ALL students.
Recent research suggests that schools offering a variety of diversity education activities, such as diversity clubs, lessons, or special events, are associated with lower rates of bias-based bullying among students. Specifically, attending schools with more diversity education opportunities was linked to reduced odds of bullying related to race, ethnicity, or national origin among boys of color, bullying related to sexual orientation among gay, bisexual, and questioning boys, and bullying related to disability among boys with physical health problems.
These results indicate that diversity education may help protect vulnerable students from specific types of bias-based bullying and promote health equity. Therefore, implementing diversity education as a fundamental part of anti-bullying efforts and policy is recommended.
Anne Van Goethem’s research indicates that community service positively influences adolescents’ behavior and attitudes towards school, self, others, and society. She found that intensive service experiences enhance learning outcomes, especially when accompanied by frequent reflection. The impact of community service on adolescents is influenced by the amount of service performed; adolescents derive greater benefits from community service when they engage in it more frequently.
There is no apparent threshold where the benefits plateau or become negative, and the positive effects of community service can extend up to 180 hours of participation. Whether the service was mandatory or voluntary doesn’t impact the overall positive effects. Community service hours would be a restorative sanction within the context of a harm repair circle, where students “are guided to understand the harm their actions caused, take steps to repair the harm, and make a plan to avoid making the same mistakes in the future.”
The community service hours should ideally be in communities outside of Westport. Some hours could be integrated with the activities of the school. For instance, a California school district offers community service hours to students who participate in Black History Month events.
We believe in the potential of these policies to address the increasing cases of racism, antisemitism, and overall protected class harassment within the district. It expands on the restorative practices efforts while giving victims a sense of justice, keeping victims safe, and educating students so they graduate from the Westport School System, being kind members of society. Please let us know if you have any questions about the impact measurement of our proposed policy.
The letter writers specifically requested that the 2 “short term” policy items above be placed on the Board of Ed agenda for the next meeting.
It’s a sure sign of summer: Beach parking emblems go on sale online, and in the Westport Parks & Recreation Department office, at 9 a.m. next Monday (March 11) for Westport and Weston residents. The number of sales to Westport and Weston residents is not limited, and they are not required until May 1.
Sales of emblems to people not living in Westport or Westonbegin online, and in the Parks & Rec office, at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13. A limit of 450 will be sold.
If you have purchased emblems or registered for Parks & Rec programs in prior seasons, you already have an online account established. Click here to log into your account. Then choose memberships; in the search box, type “Resident.” This brings all Westport resident vehicle packages to the top page. Weston residents should type “Weston” in search box.
After verification (Parks & Rec may request a copy of your current registration, or updated proof of residency), online purchases will be mailed to you. It may take 14-21 days.
Construction will begin soon on Summit Saugatuck’s 157-unit housing complex, on Hiawatha Lane Extension.
But residents of the neighborhood got a bit of relief recently, when plans for a 5-story, 42-unit affordable housing development nearby were withdrawn.
Cathy Walsh, applicant for the project and former Planning and Zoning Commission chair, withdrew the application last month, CT Insider reports.
However, the reprieve may be temporary. She said that she and Faustina Zucaro — owner of the property — will resubmit it later. Further details on the withdrawal or new submission were not available. Click here for the full story.
Plans for this 5-story, 42-unit housing complex have been withdrawn.
Many readers have asked about funeral services for Leonard Everett Fisher. The noted illustrator, longtime Westport volunteer and World War II veteran died last weekend, at 99.
His family says there will be no immediate service. However, they look forward to a public celebration of his life life close to or on his 100th birthday in June.
“06880” will provide details when they are finalized.
Leonard Everett Fisher (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
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Connecticut’s presidential primary election is April 2.
But with the state finally embracing early voting, Westporters have 4 options besides that date to vote.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The only polling place is Town Hall. Do not go to your regular poll location!
Town Hall is open for early voting on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, March 26-30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (though not Good Friday, March 29), and on April 2 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For information regarding the primary, including how to vote by absentee ballot, click here.
WestportMoms’ 3rd annual Easter Egg Hunt is so big, there will be 2 of them.
The Saturday, March 23 event at Long Lots Elementary School (11:45 a.m. for ages 2-5; 12:30 p.m., kids 6+) includes art projects, cookie decorating, prizes, face painting, food trucks, games and more.
Bring the whole family, tell your friends, and come have fun with us!
Tickets are $20 per family. Click here to purchase.
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In 2005 I wrote and published “Staples High School: 120 Years of A+ Education.”
1,000 copies of the 390-page history of the school were printed. All sold, but a second printing was not financially viable.
From time to time, they show up on eBay. They usually cost about $75. (The original was $20.)
But the other day, proud 1992 Staples grad Evan Stein spotted a copy with an eye-popping price: $288.99.
“It must be autographed,” he said.
I’m not sure how the seller came up with that figure. But it’s perfect for anyone who would never pay $289 for a history of a high school.
The cheap edition of my Staples history book is in the upper left corner on eBay. The deluxe one is at the right.
FUN STAPLES HISTORY FACTOIDS:
The first graduating class was just 6 students. All were girls.
Wilbur Cross — future Yale professor, Connecticut governor and parkway namesake — was the second principal of Staples High School.
In the 1930s, Staples sponsored 2 rifle teams: one for boys, one for girls.
In 1954, Staples was the first Connecticut school to offer an Advanced Placement (AP) class.
In the 1970s, Staples was a national Ultimate Frisbee leader.
In 2001, senior Mariangela won both the Siemens Westinghouse Science and Technology Competition and the Intel Science Talent Search. Each carried a $100,000 scholarship prize.
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Speaking of Staples: The high school has announced the names of its 20 high honors graduates, in the Class of 2024.
They are the seniors whose academic grade point average is in the top 4% of the class.
The high honors students will be celebrated this spring, at a special dinner at the school. They are:
Front row, from left: Connor Ng, Ellen Ou, Kaitlyn Seo, Kathryn Asiel, Defne Merih, Gabriela de Brito, Leigh Foran, Emerson Briggs, Neva Mermagen, Mabel Propper. Back row: Peter Loranger, Darren Weng, Gabriel Weng, Dyan Fiore, Courtlyn Crombie, Elizabeth Turner, Jeremy Rosenkranz, Eitan Eiger, Jameson Russell, Andrew Berkowitz.
Williams College is going to the NCAA D-III men’s basketball round of 16.
And they’re headed to Greensboro, North Carolina thanks to a Greens Farms Academy graduate.
Cole Prowitt-Smith finished a driving, double-clutch layup with less than 1 second to go last weekend, leading the Ephs to a dramatic 79-77 win at #5 Oswego State. It capped a 27-point night for the 6-4 senior. (His father, Scott Smith, writes frequently for “06880” on environmental issues.)
Williams faces Christopher Newport University on Friday.
Westport is proud of its rainbow crosswalk, on Jesup Road at Taylor Place.
Now, to make the area even more colorful, Westport Pride — the town’s LGBTQ organization — has joined the Parks & Recreation Department’s Adopt-a-Spot program.
Partnering with Tuliptree Site Design, a gay-owned, Norwalk-based design firm, Westport Pride is installing a pollinator pathway garden along the 100-foot Jesup Road median.
The garden will include native wildflowers, adding both color and a a habitat for native species downtown. Flowers will include daffodils, lupine, coneflower, primrose, coreopsis, spiked gayfeather, cornflower, daisies, poppy, phlox, butterfly milkweed and yarrow. The design will also incorporate spring bulbs
Planting was completed on Monday.
Tuliptree design director Michael Mushak and Westport Pride chair Brian McGunagle, at the rainbow crosswalk and pollinator pathway.
If you haven’t been to an Artists Collective of Westport pop-up gallery, you’re missing great shows.
The next one is March 13-17 (1 to 5 p.m., Westport Country Playhouse Sheffer Barn).
The opening reception — always packed and buzzing — is March 12 (6 to 8 p.m.). Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mark Naftalin will entertain on piano.
An artists’ talk is set for March 17 (4 p.m.).
Participating artists include Trace Burroughs, Linn Cassetta, Beatrice delPerugia, Charles Douthat, Cecilia Moy Fradet, Ronnie Gold, Ning Jia, David Stephen Johnson, Maj Kalfus, Karen Kalkstein, Robert Meyer and Jen Williams.
“Footloose The Musical” dances onto the Coleytown Middle School stage next month Tickets for the Coleytown Company show go on sale Friday.
The show — a stage and screen favorite for its celebration of youth, forgiveness and the power of music — is set for Friday, April 5 (7 p.m.), Saturday, April 6 (1 p.m. and 7 p.m.), and Sunday, April 7 (1 p.m.).
And finally … Today in 1836, a 13-day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops ended when 187 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo were killed. The fort was captured.
(“06880” is your hyper-local, reader-supported blog. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. Thank you!)
Rob Fraboni, Dick Kalt, Crispin Cioe, Miggs Burroughs, Johnny Montagnese, Michael Friedman, Rusty Ford, Jonathan Moorehead and Dick Wingate are all local residents.
And each one has a wealth of stories about the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll.
They’ll tell those tales — about what went on on stage, and off — this Wednesday (March 6, 7 p.m.) at Friedman’s pop-up gallery, 31 Church Lane.
(He’s the photographer who found a trove of images — lost for 50 years — and turned them into a book.)
There will be wine, beer, snacks — and tons of stories about Dylan, The Band, Springsteen, Joplin, The Beach Boys, The Stones, and many more.
In all the excitement over the Staples High School boys basketball and girls ice hockey teams, let’s not forget the Staples Fencing Club.
Senior Max Piterbarg won 1st place in his division, and 4 teammates medaled at the Connecticut State Individual Fencing Championship on Saturday in North Haven.
Piterbarg, Peter Loranger and Eric Wilson will compete in the state men’s foil team champions for the third consecutive year, next weekend in Clinton.
Westporter Delphine de Vore — the volunteer coach — leads the co-ed club team. It began 3 years ago. Fencers of all skill levels are welcome; no prior experience or equipment required.
From left: Olivia Zhou, 5th place women’s foil; Eva Slossberg, 5th, women’s epee; Tisha Darmawan, women’s epee; Eric Wilson, 7th, men’s foil; Vasco Peixoto, men’s saber; Max Piterbarg, 1st, men’s foil; Peter Loranger, 3rd, men’s foil; Aidan Goldberg, men’s Foil; Coach Delphine de Vore. Not pictured: Robert Stanton, men’s epee.
Speaking of sports: The Staples boys basketball team welcomed youth players to the gym yesterday, for a day of fun.
Future Wreckers watched the varsity practice, before Thursday night’s state tournament opening game; participated in a shooting clinic, and heard about what’s ahead when they’re ready for the big time.
Staples basketball players and coaches — and the next generation.
The Battle of Iwo Jima lasted from February 19 to March 26, 1945.
This Saturday (March 9, 1 p.m.), VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 salutes that decisive Pacific victory by hosting Iwo Jima Association of America Lt. Col. Art Sifuentes, USMC (retired).
Organizers invite the community to come together to honor the brave Marines and Navy men who fought, and displayed extraordinary valor and resilience, on that island.
A small trash pick-up is set for next Sunday (March 10, 11 a.m.) at Sipperley’s Hill Road (connecting Ford Road and Weston Road). It’s sponsored by VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399, and Sons of the American Legion.
Volunteers can park on the road and gather garbage, from top to bottom. Bring your own trash bags, dress warmly, and wear gloves and boots.
Questions? Email Andrew Colabella: acolabellartm4@gmail.com.
On February 3, New York Times crossword editor entertained a packed Westport Library crowd with his usual wit, puzzles and games, at the 25th annual Crossword Contest.
The next day, he had a stroke.
Yesterday, Will shared a health update at the end of NPR’s Sunday Puzzle. He usually hosts the show.
He said he is recovering, and will be back soon.
Will’s many fans around the world — and especially here in Westport — wish him a speedy recovery.
Will Shortz, interviewing contest champion Glenn Ryan last month. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Westport resident and longtime Westport Emergency Services volunteer Stewart Reifler died peacefully last Wednesday. He was 69.
The Poughkeepsie native attended McGill University, and graduated from Bard College with a degree in literature. He then graduated magna cum laude from New York Law School, where he received the Law Review Award for Outstanding Editorial Contribution.
Steward became a partner in the law firm of Vedder Price, heading the firm’s executive compensation practice group in its New York office. He edited several editions of the Compensation Committee Handbook.
Stewart was active in many area non-profits. Most recently, he was an active duty EMT with Westport Volunteer EMS, and a member of its board of directors as treasurer.
He was named EMT of the Year in 2 consecutive years. He co-authoring WVEMS’ bylaws and policies, ran their annual fundraiser, and was a regular on the Wednesday morning ambulance crew.
Before becoming an EMT, Stewart was a trustee of the Westport Library. He also served as commodore, treasurer, and member of the Board of Governors of the Minuteman Yacht Club. He enjoyed spending time at the Ned Dimes Marina, and on Long Island Sound with friends.
Outside of Westport he was a board member of the American Friends of the Franco-American Institute, serving as secretary and treasurer.
His passion for skydiving began in college. After a 25-year break, he picked it back up later in life. He completed over 300 solo jumps.
He also enjoyed summer trips to Tanglewood. His most recent hobby was target shooting, with pistols and rifles. He became an expert in gun safety.
He is survived by his son Jonathan Reifler (Kara Popowich), 2 grandchildren, and his sisters and their spouses, Ellen Reifler (Mark Messenger) and Sylvia Reifler (Chris Christensen). He is also survived by his former wife, Sheryl Vos.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Westport Volunteer EMS. To read more about the importance of WVEMS, and their need for funds, click here.
And finally … if you thought today’s featured song would reference Michael Friedman’s upcoming pop-up rock tales event (story above) — specifically, Levon Helm — you’re right!
(Sure, this morning’s lead story was our annual put-out-our-tin-cup request for contributions. Hope you don’t mind this gentle reminder. Please click here to donate. Thank you!)
The Super Bowl drive led by Westport Sunrise Rotary and the Westport Police Department at Stop & Shop brought in 600 bags of groceries, and nearly $1,200 in donations.
The food will last for several months at Homes with Hope’s pantry.
Homes with Hope CEO Helen McAlinden thanks all who participated, on behalf of the many recipients.
Presenting a symbolic check at the recent Sunrise Rotary meeting (from left): Liz Wong, Sunrise Rotary president; Officer Craig Bergamo, Westport Police; Rob Hauck, Sunrise Rotary; Helen McAlinden, Homes with Hope CEO; Paris Looney, Homes with Hope vice president; Officer Scott Thompson, Westport Police.
As the FCIAC (league) finalist Staples High boys basketball team prepares for the first round of the state tournament this week, they invite Westporters to the school gym today (Sunday, March 3).
From 9:45 to 11:30 this morning, the Wreckers’ practice is open to the public.
From 4 to 5:15 p.m., shooting coach Dave Hopla will offer one of his legendary clinics.
From 5:15 to 6 p.m., Staples coaches and booster club representatives will discuss the team’s program. Future Wreckers will have a chance to play games, and shoot with current varsity stars.
The cost is $50 per family (Venmo: @staplesboysbasketball). Youth players receive a Staples basketball March Madness t-shirt.
Meanwhile, the team’s silent auction continues through 8 p.m. tonight. Click here to bid on sports and Broadway tickets, Staples “fan experiences” and more.
Proceeds help fund program improvements, including a shooting machine, strength and conditioning program, game jerseys, etc.
Diners at Jeera Thai got an extra treat the other day.
Joining them at the popular downtown restaurant were members of Lyyra. The 6-woman ensemble pushes the boundaries of treble choral, jazz. pop and folk music, as they redefine the entire genre of treble music.
They’ll perform at Christ & Holy Trinity Church on April 21 (5 p.m.; click here for tickets), and the Westport Library April 23 (7 p.m.; click here for tickets). The Library performance is a partnership with local high schools, and feature a mass choir with all students singing alongside Lyyra, and plus a solo set for Lyyra.
Meanwhile, click here for a video of Lyyra entertaining the surprised, but grateful, diners at Jeera Thai.
And finally … on this date in 1923, Time magazine published its first issue.
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Ron Berler is a 1967 Staples High School graduate, and a longtime magazine and newspaper writer.
He played Westport Little League baseball, then was cut during tryouts at Long Lots Junior High and Staples.
He writes frequently about the sport. Some years ago, he wrote a piece for Sports Illustrated on Mose Solomon, the “Rabbi of Swat.” The other day, he posted it here, on Medium.com.
With the approach of both the baseball season and Passover, Ron has written this for “06880”:
Last July — a month after graduating — Staples High School’s Hiro Wyatt was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 3rd round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft.
The pitcher — who finished his Wrecker season 8-0, with an 0.51 ERA, 107 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 54 2/3 innings — was named Connecticut High School Coaches Association Player of the Year.
If he reaches the major leagues, he’ll be the second Westport native to do so. The first was Hezekiah Allen, in ’84.
1884, that is.
You might say Allen was a prodigy. He reached the big leagues at 21, the same age the Yankees’ Derek Jeter did. A sinewy 5-11, 160-pound catcher, Allen played just 1 game for the 1884 Philadelphia Quakers (now the Phillies), batting 3 times and smacking 2 singles, for a career average of .667.
The Philadelphia Quakers in 1884. Hezekiah Allen is probably not in this photo.
One might wonder: Given that his team would finish the season 39-73, with 1 tie, why wouldn’t manager Harry Wright offer him a second opportunity?
There’s good reason to believe Wright was just plain scared. Allen committed 3 passed balls in his 5 innings on the field, the equivalent of a rabbi dropping 3 matzoh balls in his lap before finishing his soup.
And yet honor him we must. To this day, Allen remains (as far as can be determined) our town’s sole, home-grown major leaguer. You can visit his grave in Willowbrook Cemetery.
And with the coming of the baseball season, it is time to pay tribute to a couple of the sport’s other very minor contributors. I’m thinking, for example, of Larry Yount, the older brother of Hall of Fame Milwaukee Brewers shortstop/ outfielder Robin Yount. Larry was a pitcher for the Houston Astros.
Well, not exactly. Near the end of the 1971 season, he was promoted to the big club. On September 15, with the team trailing the Atlanta Braves 4-1 in the 9th inning, Astros manager Harry “The Hat” Walker signaled for Larry to take the mound. It was the moment Larry had prepared for all his life.
He took the ball from Walker and threw several warmup pitches. Then suddenly, he stopped. His elbow, which had caused him minor pain while throwing in the bullpen, had suddenly grown worse. He called for the trainer and was removed from the game without having thrown a pitch.
And that was it for him. Though his arm soon healed, he never got another chance in the majors. Larry is quite possibly the only player to take the field in his one big league game and never actually play.
Mose Solomon
Which brings us, this Passover season, to Mose Solomon, who in September 1923 jumped from the low, low minors to the New York Giants.
Though the Giants were in first place at the time and would go on to win the National League pennant (they lost to the Yankees in the World Series, 4 games to 2 – the Yankees’ first championship), few fans were trekking to the Polo Grounds to see them play.
John McGraw, the Giants’ manager, blamed Babe Ruth, who would lead the majors that year with 41 home runs and further burnish his nickname, the Sultan of Swat.
Yet that season, Ruth was not the home run leader of all professional baseball. That title belonged to Solomon, a first baseman/right fielder for the Hutchinson (Kansas) Wheat Shockers of the financially unstable Southwestern League, who walloped 49 homers in 1923 against teams like the Salina Millers and the Coffeyville Refiners.
McGraw brought the slugger, who was Jewish, to New York and introduced him to the press, and to the city, as the Rabbi of Swat.
Great nickname. A name that promises the stuff of legend. And for the last month of the season, New York, which was 20 percent Jewish, went wild. As the newsboys from the Roaring ’20s would hawk, read all about it!
So as the 2024 baseball season nears, let’s not forget 20th-century players like Mose Solomon.
Or 19th-century ones like Hezekiah Allen.
Play ball!
(“06880” is the only place you’ll read about Hezekiah Allen. Looking back is part of our mission. So is looking forward. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Happy 94th birthday to a Westport icon: Joanne Woodward.
Over 60 years on stage and television she won an Academy Award, 3 Primetime Emmys, and 3 Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She is one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the oldest living Best Actress Oscar-winner.
Just as importantly, she — and her husband, Paul Newman — contributed mightily to the civic life of Westport.
Whether helping save the Westport Country Playhouse or dishing up popcorn at the Westport Historical Society, Joanne Woodward made our town a better place.
Among the items at the next Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (Monday, March 4, 7 p.m.; Zoom, and Optimum channel 79 and Frontier channel 6020): a request from First Selectwoman Jen Tooker to temporarily amend the lease at 655 Post Road East (the Linxweiler house, between McDonald’s and Fresh Market) to allow Gillespie Center clients to be housed and supported there temporarily, during renovation of the downtown homeless shelter.
Click here for the full agenda, and additional materials.
Linxweiler House, on Post Road East.
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Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service president Mike Burns gave an in-depth, eye-opening look at the most recent Y’s Women meeting.
Many members were surprised to learn that the 45-year-old non-profit relies entirely on donations. The 75 EMS volunteers — who respond in 7 minutes or less to everything from strokes, seizures and births to accidents on I-95 and the Merritt Parkway (and even incidents on Metro-North) pay for all their own supplies: heart monitors, gurneys ($70,000 each), and ambulances.
WVEMS’ 3 ambulances are 10 years old. The first of 2 new ones will arrive next year — at a cost of $450,000.
All donations are welcome (83% are less than $100); click here.
WVEMS president Mike Burns, at the Y’s Women meeting. (Photo/Jilda Manikas)
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Westport resident Tom Kretsch spent his career as a teacher in the Norwalk schools.
And for almost 40 years he’s been involved with that city’s partnership with Nagarote, Nicaragua. They’ve created and run a community development project that provides opportunities for young people and families to improve their economic and educational lives.
A benefit cabaret — “Spring Into Song” — is set for Sunday, March 24 (5:30 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club).
Attendees can bring food and drink to share at small tables before the music begins. Nine great vocalists — including Westporters Michelle Pauker, Bill Hall and Emily Hall Stevens, and Charlotte Roth of Weston — are donating their talents. They’ll sing tunes from Broadway shows, original music and other covers.
For more information and tickets ($50), email kretscht@yahoo.com.
Michelle Pauker (Photo/Brynn Owen)
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Trumpeter Andy Gravish plays the music of Hank Mobley and Lee Morgan — 2 iconic musicians of the “hard bop school” — at this Thursday’s Jazz at the Post (February 29; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; $20 music cover charge, $15 for veterans and students).
Gravish performs at top international jazz festival, and has been the featured soloist with the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band, Paquito D’Rivera and many others.
Joining Gravish are pianist Michael Cochrane, bassist Essiet Essiet, drummer Steve Johns, and saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
It’s been 15 years since the Staples High School Class of 1974 had a reunion.
Now they’re ready for their 50th. And members of adjacent classes — with friends among the ’74 graduates — are invited too.
It’s the weekend of October 18-20. There’s a Friday night social at the VFW, a Saturday night main event with dinner and dancing (and the class’ Mark Santella as DJ) at the Westport Woman’s Club, then Sunday at the Compo Beach Ned Dimes Marina.
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