I-95 (aka the Connecticut Turnpike or Thruway — though definitely not the “John Davis Lodge Turnpike”) has been part of Westport for so long that its path through here, largely paralleling the railroad tracks, seems foreordained.
Of course, it was not.
In 1951 — when planning for the highway was underway — 2 different routes were proposed.
One was very similar to what was ultimately decided — though it appears a second, or alternate, exit was included, at the Compo Road South/Greens Farms Road/ Bridge street intersection. (Greens Farms Road was further south then than it is now.)
But a northern highway was also considered.
Two proposed routes, from the October 18, 1951 Westporter-Herald. Click on or hover over to enlarge.
It would veer off just after the Norwalk border. It would rip through Treadwell Avenue and Kings Highway South, cross over Post Road West (with an exit by Birchwood Country Club), then head east at Riverside Avenue (another possible exit).
The “expressway” would continue just south of Post Road East (known at the time as State Street East), obliterating residences in its path through Hillandale Road, then just south of Greens Farms Elementary School (another potential exit), and on eastward through Maple Avenue South.
At the Fairfield line, the highway would continue at what is now its current location.
Legend has it that the more southern route was chosen because the governor — a Westport resident — lived on Easton Road, closer to the northern path.
The Staples High School boys soccer team, coached by Albie Loeffler, earned its 5th consecutive state title (a Connecticut record).
Jimmy Manning headed in a beautiful cross from Kenny Murphy in sudden-death overtime to defeat #1-ranked Manchester. The upstaters had a perfect record going into the state final.
Staples finished 13-1-5.
(Every day, “06880” covers the Westport of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Please click here to help support our work. Thank you!)
When Ethan Walmark was 18 months old, he was placed on the autism spectrum. He began receiving services, like speech and occupational therapy.
At 3 years old, his Stepping Stones teacher told his parents: “Take away Ethan’s music. When he listens to it, he goes into his own world. You want him to be in our world.”
They were stunned. Allison Ziering Walmark’s father was a professional musician. When she was pregnant with Ethan, she and her husband Michael sang to him every night.
“From the day he was born, even though he was always happy, whenever he heard music, you could almost see a magical transformation,” Allison recalls.
“He became one with the music. At Music Together classes, we got a sense he was trying to figure out the melodies and rhythms.”
She and Michael thought it would be cruel to take away something he loved so much, and showed so much talent for.
They not only ignored the advice — they added the amount of music in his life.
Young Ethan Walmark.
“Music is the universal language,” Allison says. “It brought him immeasurable happiness.”
Ethan began music therapy with the Connecticut School of Music, plus private piano and keyboard lessons.
The next year, Bobbi Burns — another Stepping Stones teacher– excitedly called Allison.
Bobbi said that when she played Little Richard’s “Itsy Bitsy Spiker,” Ethan sang the melody — then chimed in on the harmony too.
“That’s never happened before!” the teacher said. “He’s something special!”
At Kings Highway Elementary School, Ethan learned the upright bass. He performed in musicals, and sang with the chorus.
But that’s just part of Ethan’s story.
When he was 6 years old, a YouTube video of you playing “Piano Man” went viral.
He performed live on the “Today Show.”
He became one of only 14 people worldwide — and the youngest — to receive a “Genius of Autism” award. Then he won it again.
He helped Yoko Ono flip the switch to light the Empire State Building blue for World Autism Awareness Day.
Meeting Ethan before a concert, John Mayer said, “Hey, I know you! You’re the internet sensation!”
Ethan’s performance of “Eminence Front” rocked a Who show.
He appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” and CBS’s “Early Show.” He sang the national anthem in front of 25,000 fans at Red Bull Arena.
As a 12-year-old Coleytown Middle School student, Ethan followed Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Billy Joel and Elton John at the 1st-ever Autism Awareness Gala Fundraiser at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
He brought down the house. He performed 4 songs, closing with “You are the Sunshine of My Life.” Ethan dedicated it to his sister Eliza, who was in the audience.
When CMS was remote during COVID, he taught himself to play guitar. (He can really shred.)
He joined School of Rock. He formed a band — and great friendships — with other musicians there.
Ethan Walmark, on the keytar.
The Walmarks looked forward to Staples High School, where Ethan could join the outstanding music program.
It did not disappoint. Now, as a senior, Ethan has truly found his niche. He has been embraced by the Music Department staff and students.
He is a member of the Tri-M National Music Honor Society. From freshman year on, he has sung with the elite Orphenians group. He’s a Choralaire, a charter member of the A Cappella Club, and pianist for the Jazz Ensemble.
Ethan Walmark (center) with (from left) Rohan Wadhwani, Curtis Sullivan, Max Ardrey and Ben Herrera. They performed Billy Joel’s “The Longest Time” at last spring’s Staples Pops Concert.
Ethan was selected for the Connecticut Music Educators Association All-State Treble Chorus, and is a 2-time CMEA Western Region Mixed Choir honoree.
He’s won 5 straight School of Rock All-Star competitions, as a keyboardist and vocalist. He plays in 3 bands, all over the tri-state area.
You can see Ethan in one of them — Strictly Business — tomorrow (Saturday). They play from 7 to 11 p.m. at 314 Beer Garden, in South Norwalk.
And in the classroom, Ethan is a consistent Honor Roll student.
Ethan Walmark shreds it.
Ethan has auditioned at several top contemporary music colleges.
“Ethan’s story should inspire — and be a lesson for — any parent with a child, whether neuro-divergent or neuro-typical,” Allison says.
“Advocate for your child. Do what your gut tells you. Advice is nice. But only you know your child.”
(To see a collection of Ethan Walmark’s music videos, click here.)
(“06880” often highlights outstanding young Westporters. If you enjoy these stories, please support our work. Just click here — and thank you!)
The Westport Police Department’s latest donation of excess used equipment — including communication devices, and much-needed hats — has been delivered to their counterparts in our sister city of Lyman, Ukraine.
It is much needed, as the war grinds on and heads into a second winter.
NOTE: Donations to Lyman are always welcome. Click here; then click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.)
Lyman police officer, with a Westport Police walkie-talkie — and hat.
The town of Westport has hired a human resources director.
Candice Holley’s appointment is effective immediately.
She has over 20 years’ experience in human capital and human resources implementation, with a strong background in talent acquisition, recruitment and retention.
Most recently, Holley served as an independent HR consultant. Previous positions include vice president, people and operations, for the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, and global director, human resources, with Barnes Group.
She graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in social and behavioral Sciences. She also attended the University of Mississippi to earn a degree in Psychology, and the University of Cincinnati for political science.
Candice Holley
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One of Westport’s favorite holiday toy drives — the Westport Police Department’s, in partnership with the Police Benevolent Association and Police Athletic League — is open for donations.
Toys will be provided to children in need throughout Fairfield County, and at area hospitals.
Officers will accept new, unopened and unwrapped toys — and cash donations — in the ASF Sports & Outdoors parking lot (1560 Post Road East), between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., on the next 2 weekends (Saturday and Sunday, December 2-3 and 9-10).
There will also be toy collection boxes at:
• Westport Police Department, 50 Jesup Road
• ASF Sports & Outdoors Store, 1560 Post Road East
• Awesome Toys & Gifts, 429 Post Road East
• The Toy Post , 180 Post Road East
Questions? Contact Craig Bergamo by phone at (203) 341-6000, or
email (cbergamo@westportct.gov).
More than a dozen teams — each including Staples students, and at least one Westport Police Department officer — battled last night, in the high school fieldhouse.
A portion of the large group of students and cops. (Photo/Dan Woog)
It was all in good fun. The annual “Dodge-a-Cop” event was a way for teenagers and cops to meet and bond — and for the Westport Youth Commission to raise funds for the Homes with Hope and Westport Woman’s Club food pantries.
Kevin Godburn, longtime Youth Commission member through the Department of Human Services (2nd from left) with (from left) members Jake Shufro, Cabry Lueker (president) and Anaam Olasewere (secretary, Dodge-a-Cop manager). (Photo/Dan Woog)
Gault Energy and Mitchells co-sponsored the evening, which included prizes, pizza and drinks.
And plenty of good, clean, cops-and-kids competition.
The winning Dodge-a-Cop team included Corporal (and Westport PAL president) Craig Bergamo (right). (Photo/Cabry Lueker)
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Club 203 — Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities — celebrates the holidays next week.
The party is set for MoCA, next Monday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. It’s a “hoedown,” so Western-themed attire is suggested.
There’s square dancing, a Western photo area, food and giveaways. Parents are invited to stay and celebrate too.
Click here for reservations, and more information. Questions? Email club203ct@gmail.com
Westporter Rosie Jon — who paints with her toes better than nearly anyone can using hands — celebrates 10 years as an artist with her first-ever exhibition.
It’s set for the gallery at Green’s Farm’s Church, from December 1 to January 12.
Opening night begins at 6 p.m., and includes a chance to watch Rosie create her beautiful art, and a Q-and-A.
The Westport Library welcomed Norm Siegel last night.
The noted local artist discussed his new exhibit, “Visual Curiosities.” It’s on view through January 8.
Norm Siegel (far right) with (from left) admirers Nina Bentley, Miggs Burroughs and Lynn Untermeyer Miller, last night at the Westport Library. (Photo/Carole Erger-Fass)
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” subject is getting ready for winter, at Winslow Park?
And finally … on this date more than 80 years apart, 2 key entertainment events happened.
In 1877, Thomas Edison announced his invention of the phonograph: a machine that can record and play sound.
In 1959, disc jockey Alan Freed, who popularized the term “rock and roll,” was fired from New York’s WABC radio over allegations he had participated in a payola scandal.
(Art, music, kids, Town Hall — it’s all here in the Roundup, just like every day. But all this stuff takes time and effort. “06880” relies on reader support. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
Posted onNovember 20, 2023|Comments Off on Candlelight Concert Tickets Available December 1
For 83 years, the Candlelight Concert has been the Staples High School music department’s gift to the town.
With its “Sing We Noel” processional, “Hallelujah Chorus” finale, and wondrous performances by the choirs, orchestras and bands, Candlelight is timeless.
But there is always something new, too.
This year, it’s the world premiere of a specially commissioned piece.
“I Found the Light” is a collaborative creation by a pair of Class of 2000 graduates: composer Jake Landau and poet Emily Garber. Afterward, it will be shared worldwide.
That premiere — and the rest of the much-anticipated concert, including Vaughan Williams’ “Greensleeves Fantasia,” “Ose Shalom” by John Leavitt, and Leroy Anderson’s classic “A Christmas Festival” — is Friday, December 15 (8 p.m.) and Saturday, December 16 (3 and 8 p.m.).
Tickets will be available to the public at 9 a.m. on Friday, December 1 (online at www.staplesmusic.org. There is a maximum of 4 tickets per order.
There is no charge for Candlelight tickets. However, donations to support the music program are graciously accepted.
Veteran Candlelight-goers know: Tickets sell out fast. Mark your calendar now for 9 a.m., December 1.
This year’s Candlelight poster was designed by Staples art and music student Shivali Kanthan.
Comments Off on Candlelight Concert Tickets Available December 1
More importantly, she offered insights and strategies to lower the toxic temperature.
Wallace walks the talk. The high-achieving mother of 3 teenagers who lives on New York’s Upper East Side, and a Harvard graduate (more on that later), she knows first-hand the daily pressures that young people face.
She knows how adults — wittingly and unwittingly — reinforce those pressures.
And she knows Westport. She sees communities like ours all over the country.
Wallace’s appearances were a joint effort of the Westport Public Schools and Westport Together. Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice and several Board of Education members joined the morning and evening audiences, where Staples High school counselor Deb Slocum moderated the discussions.
Among a litany of specific examples and key points, Wallace offered a few main thoughts: Share your values with your kids; build your life around it. Show them people they know who you believe live successful lives, and define that explicitly. Don’t neglect your own relationships and connections either; they matter.
And for kids, “mattering” — the belief that they matter to their friends, their family, their school and community — is the ultimate key to “success,” whichever ways one defines those terms.
A full house packed the Westport Library’s Trefz Forum to hear Jennifer Wallace (right).
Wallace’s audiences nodded knowingly at many points of her presentations. “At least once a day,” she said, “you should greet your children the way your dog greets you.”
That means “not asking ‘how did your math test go?’ or saying ‘get ready, we have to leave soon for your next activity,'” Wallace said.
“They already know that you care about those things. They need to know that you care about them — that they matter to you. They don’t need to feel ‘I’m only as good as my schedule.”
And, she added, “The difference between a 91 and a 99 is a life.”
Wallace said there is nothing wrong with setting high standards and goals. Many high achievers thrive in those environments. The danger comes from making love and acceptance conditional on those achievements only.
Veteran Staples school counselor Deb Slocum (left) moderated the discussion with Jennifer Wallace.
Success comes in ways far beyond acceptance to highly selective colleges, for example. She had harsh words for the US News & World Report rankings, for everything from their subjectivity and secrecy to the effect they have on students, parents, high schools and colleges.
Wallace offered evidence from her research that the rank, prestige, size or type (private or public) of a college has a “negligible effect” on success in life. (Those factors are more important for students of color, and first-generation college students, she noted.)
What does count is whether students feel valued on campus by professors and peers, and through activities.
“It’s not where you go to college, but how you go,” she said. “Invest in the child, not the logo.”
Of course, she went to Harvard. She had strong words for what it does well and poorly, and downplayed the importance of that school in her eventual success.
Wallace said her family does not talk about college at home. And her children have not attended Harvard reunions with her and her husband.
A major source of tension and worry, in many Westport families.
Wallace does not blame parents for the intensity with which they’re raising their kids. A litany of factors fuels parental fears that their children will not have the same opportunities they did.
But the reality, she said, is that students at high-achieving schools are 2 to 6 times more likely than others to suffer from anxiety and depression, and 2 to 3 times more likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol.
A parent’s job, she continued, is to “build a life your kids won’t need drugs or alcohol to escape from.”
Parents want to offer their children “a life vest in a sea of uncertainty,” Wallace said. Too often though, that life vest “is leaded. It’s drowning too many kids.”
Wallace’s parting words resounded with her audiences. “Think about your child in 20 or 30 years. What is the story you want them to tell about their childhood? And what was your role in that story?”
The Westport Public Schools and Westport Together will continue the community conversation that Wallace began. Interested high school and middle school parents are invited to meet on Wednesday, November 29; elementary school parents on Wednesday, December 6. Both sessions are from 9 to 10 a.m., in the Staples High School library.
(“06880” is your source for local journalism. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The search for a missing Staples High School freshman is over.
And the news is good.
Thanks to shared information by law enforcement, and social media platforms, the Westport Police Department tracked Max Yeater to a New York City library near Grand Central Station.
Detectives reunited the 15-year-old with his family at 5 p.m. today.
Westport Police thank the public, their law enforcement partners and the media for helping bring Max back to Westport.
Max Yeater, from a photo distributed yesterday after his disappearance.
The family and friends of Max Yeater — the missing Staples High School freshman — ask “06880” readers to share this flyer on social media with friends in New York City and Vermont.
You can forward this post, or click here to save the poster as an image.
The friend says that the phone call to one of Max’s friends was brief — only 2 words — and that the friend believed it came from Max. Then the line went dead. The call was from a LinkNYC kiosk.
There has not been full confirmation that Max is in Manhattan. Westport Police continue their search, and he is still considered missing.
The Staples High School field hockey team lost 3-2 in overtime to Darien during the regular season. The Blue Wave shut out the Wreckers 3-0 in the FCIAC championship earlier this month.
But Staples won the game that really counted: the state class “L” (large schools) championship.
The #2-seeded Wreckers prevailed 3-1 over their #1-ranked archrivals yesterday, at Wethersfield High School.
Darien led 1-0 in the second quarter, but Sofia Fidalgo-Schioppa equalized 4;40 before, the half, on Staples’ first shot of the game.
Soon after intermission, freshman Leah Larit knocked in a rebound off a penalty corner, giving the Wreckers the lead. Storey Ahl added an insurance goal in the final quarter.
Goalie Paige Knesich and her defense secured the win.
it was the 5th Connecticut crown for coach Ian Tapsall’s girls, but the first since their 4 consecutive titles from 2016-19.
Congratulations to all. You kept your eye on the prize — and now its yours.
State champion Staples High School field hockey team.
Now everyone living, shopping or dining in Saugatuck — or driving through it — knows it for sure.
The William F. Cribari Bridge lights were lit last night. They’re a gift to the town — and visitors — from Al’s Angels. The non-profit provides holiday meals and gifts to children (and their families) battling cancer, rare blood diseases, natural disasters and severe financial hardship. (Click here to give back to Al’s Angels.)
The lights are traditionally lit the day after Thanksgiving. This year, they came on a few days early,
Al’s Angels founder Al DiGuido says, “we believe that our world needs a beacon of hope and love right now (as always). We are called to be a light in the world!”
The Cribari Bridge lights are on! (Photo/Patti Brill)
And with it, spectacular amounts of food and consumer waste.
Sustainable Westport can help. Westport’s non-profit environmental advisory group says:
“This holiday season, we encourage you to consider small changes that will help you minimize your impact on the environment.
“It is estimated that 305 million pounds of Thanksgiving food is thrown out each year. Click here for our tips on how to ‘rethink the feast,’ and minimize the food waste you produce at Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings.
“Speaking of gatherings, if you are hosting this season, click here for our sustainable hospitality guide for recommendations on how to make your party less wasteful and more eco-friendly.”
With so much to celebrate and so much pressure to “make magic,” Sustainable Westport knows it can be hard to commit to change.
To encourage residents to reduce food waste and participate in the Westport Zero Food Waste Challenge, they are giving away an Alabama Sawyer countertop compost bin (retail value $195) to one Instagram or Facebook follower.
To enter, follow Sustainable Westport on Instagram and/or Facebook, like the post shown below, like the “Compost Bin Giveaway” post, and tag a Westporter who you think should follow them. The deadline is this Tuesday (November 21).
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The Flying Fingers Jug Band bring season 1 of “First Folk Sunday” to a rousing close.
They group — featuring washboard, string bass, jug, dobro, fiddle, kazoo, mouth harp and stove pipe — are booked for December 3 (12:30 to 2:30 p.m., VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399).
Former Westonite David Barron joins them, on banjo and mandolin.
Suzanne Sheridan, First Folk Sunday’s lead singer, recently saw the Flying Fingers perform, and recruited them for her series.
Click here for tickets. The music cover charge is $10. A special holiday brunch buffet and cash bar are available for an additional cost. Questions? Call 203-984-7562.
Johanna Keyser Rossi spotted today’s “Westport … Naturally” subject — a kingfisher — at Grace Salmon Park. She was surprised he has not yet headed south for the winter.
And finally … on this date in 1493, Christopher Columbus landed on an island he spotted the previous day. He named it San Juan Bautista. It is now called Puerto Rico,
(From Saugatuck to Bridgeport — and beyond — “06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Missing Staples High School freshman Maxwell Yeater has been heard from.
Yesterday, Westport Police conducted an exhaustive search of Newman’s Preserve Trail yesterday, looking for the 15-year-old.
They searched trails on foot, utilized area K-9s, and called in drone operators to search by air, but could not locate him
During the investigation, police were contacted by a friend of Maxwell, who said he had received a call from him. The friend provided the phone number from where the call was placed.
Police discovered that the phone number was associated with Wi-Fi calling kiosks in New York City.
Detective Bureau members continue to work on the case. They ask anyone with information on the whereabouts of Maxwell to contact the Westport Police Department, at 203-341-6000.
They are also reaching out directly to Maxwell, and ask him to contact his family or law enforcement.
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Both audiences heard Wallace — a journalist, and author of the best-seller “
