The Northern Lights shone over Westport this evening.
Countless residents took photos of the very rare phenomenon.
And nearly every one sent them to “06880.”
We can’t post them all –but thank you, and sorry!
Here is a sampling of Westport’s Northern Lights sky:
(Photo/Ted Horowitz)
(Photo/Meredith Holod)
(Photo/Maxx Crowley)
(Photo/Jay Petrow)
(Photo/Doris Ghitelman)
(Photo/Kelly Merton)
Three members of the Westport Fire Department, and one from the Westport Police Department, have deployed to western North Carolina to assist with relief efforts after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
The group includes Deputy Fire Chief Matt Cohen, Firefighters Patrick Dailey and Michael Durette, and Police Officer Gregory Gunter.
The 4 will provide critical communication and data restoration support to the hard-hit area.
The Westport team will use a mobile command unit equipped with cutting-edge communication and coordination technology. Field-Comm 1 functions as an on-site command center, offering satellite communication, radio interoperability, and internet access.
Ready to deploy (from left): Fire Chief Nick Marsan, 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore, Firefighter Michael Durette, Police Officer Gregory Gunter, Firefighter Patrick Dailey, Deputy Fire Chief Matt Cohen, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker.
The unit also has onboard power and climate control systems, ensuring continuous operation in all conditions.
“This vehicle allows our team to operate independently and maintain essential communication links between local responders, state agencies and federal resources,” says Fire Chief Nick Marsan. “Field-Comm 1 is a critical asset in managing large-scale incidents, making sure that communities get the help they need quickly and efficiently.”
All costs associated with the deployment of personnel, equipment and resources will be fully reimbursed toWestport through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, in collaboration with the State of North Carolina.
“Westport is proud to answer the call to help our neighbors in North Carolina during this challenging time,” says First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker.
“Our highly skilled first responders are well-equipped to provide vital assistance in restoring essential communication infrastructure.”
Tonight’s rainbow over Church Lane … (Photo/Rachel Halperin)
… and the Fairfield County Hunt Club … (Photo/Dave Briggs)
… and a double rainbow, across the Saugatuck River from Riverside Avenue … (Photo/Tom Feeley)
… and the Compo Beach jetty … (Photo/Jim Hood)
… and looking at Old Mill Beach, from Compo (Photo/Jon Katz)
The warnings grew sterner as the morning wore on:
First “rain.” Then “heavy rain.” Then “Flash floods.” And the blaring alert: “Possible life-threatening flooding.”
It wasn’t that bad — mostly. Other parts of Connecticut got whacked worse, including a bridge collapse on Route 34 in Monroe.
But there was some intense flooding around town, particularly around the Saugatuck River in the northern sections. The photos below were shared on social media.
NOTE: The rain has eased, but the flooding may not be over. The next high tide is 11:05 p.m. — and it’s a full moon.
Geralyn Rella Brieg has lived here since 1998. She said this was the worst flooding in her yard since 2007.
Jack Whittle wrote: “The Saugatuck is high at Lees Pond. Those are swans enjoying my lower yard, next to my Adirondack chairs. The pond has an overspill dam. It must be roaring down there.”
Anandi Subramanian Wimmer posted this image, of the west branch of the Saugatuck River.
Deadman Brook, downtown (Photo/Sal Liccione)
As of yesterday, the 2 pedestrians struck by a car Wednesday evening on Imperial Avenue are still in Norwalk Hospital.
The 33-year old Easton man is improving, and in stable condition. The 29-year- old Fairfield woman remains in critical condition.
The driver was released from the hospital, and is cooperating with police. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Spray paint marks part of the police investigation into Wednesday’s accident. Two pedestrians were struck on Imperial Avenue, near Post Road East. (Screenshot courtesy of News 12).
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If it’s mid-August, it’s time to be alert for LobsterFest tickets.
Very alert. The Westport Rotary Club’s 13th annual fundraiser always sells out in just a couple of days.
So make a note: LobsterFest sales begin at noon on August 15, at westportrotary.org.
The event is Saturday, September 21 (3 to 7 p.m.). As usual, it’s more than just lobster.
There’s steak, a raw bar, children’s meals, ice cream, free drinks, music, and kids’ entertainment.
Plus, of course, a community-wide vibe. Everyone smiles, all afternoon long.
All net proceeds go to charitable causes. Last year, the club gave $275,000 to local non-profits, and several international development projects.
Get your bibs on! (Photo/Dan Woog)
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“06880” was flooded (ho ho) with photos of yesterday’s Compo Beach surf yesterday — the remnants of Hurricane Debby.
These 3 say it all:
(Photo/Sunil Hirani)
(Photo/JD Dworkow)
Owenoke house, as seen from Compo’s South Beach (Photo/Nathan Greenbaum)
Today’s forecast is for plenty of sunshine, with a high around 85. Winds will die down too.
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The Levitt Pavilion is one of a handful of dates on Ollabelle’s 20th anniversary tour. An extra cache of free tickets has just been released for tonight’s show (Saturday, August 10, 7:30 p.m.).
The early American gospel/folk/mountain music band was just at the Kennedy Center (see video below) and Caramoor. Click here for free tickets.
Tomorrow, the Levitt welcomes back the Grammy Award-winning American Patchwork Quartet.
They’re known for American folk songs infused with jazz, country twang, West African hypnotics and East Asian ornamentation.
Click here for free tickets.
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Year 1 was great. Year 2 was even better. Now, Club203 gets ready for the best one yet.
Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities kicks off fall on September 4 (6:30 p.m., Sherwood Island State Park pavilion) with a Hawaiian-themed evening. There’s music by DJ Rob, dancing, and tropical treats.
Then comes Halloween bingo (October 16), Turkey bowling at Nutmeg Bowl (November 21), a holiday party at the VFW (December 11), a new year’s specail at the Westport Academy of Dance (January 3), Valentine’s Day mini-golf (February 4), karaoke at the Westport Library (March 18), “Spring Into Fitness” at the Westport Weston Family Y (April 26), a springtime gathering at Earthplace (May 14), and a June celebration at Compo Beach.
For just $100, members can attend all 10 events (and get a Club203 magnet). Non-members pay $20 per event.
Click here to become a member. Click here for the Club203 website.
Club203’s Thanksgiving party.
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B3 — the non-profit that engages middle schoolers in local community service, and offers nearby and international projects to high school students — is hosting a pair of informational open houses.
They’re August 22 and September 11, 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the BC office (66 Fort Point Street, Norwalk).
This year’s high school trips are to Costa Rica, over February, March and April breaks.
Click here to RSVP. Questions? Email b3news@buildersbeyondborders.org.
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In 1986, Bette Davis spent a month at the Weston home of writers John and Elizabeth Fuller.
The actress and a young Chris Fuller had a putting contest. She won, but graciously autographed a kiddy putter for him.
She was the first person ever to give him a golf lesson.
Plenty of pros followed. Chris was hooked (though his drives were true).
His dream was to play on the PGA Tour — despite living with bipolar disorder.
A gifted performer as well, he developed a one-man show. “Cheese Fries & Chili Dips” details the difficulties of competing in tournaments while his mind raced out of control with sudden mood swings. He tells his tale with insights, clarity, and plenty of humor.
The show is at the Westport Country Playhouse Sheffer Barn on August 22 and 23 (7:30 p.m.). Fittingly, it’s a benefit for the International Mental Health Foundation.
All tickets are $25. The include a pre-show party (6:30 p.m.) with music, complimentary margaritas and nachos, and tips from Golf Performance Center pros. Click here to purchase, and for more information.
Oh, yeah: Fuller will give a copy of his book (“Goodnight, Golf!”) to an audience participant, after an onstage putting contest during the show.
And guess which putter they’ll use?!
Chris Fuller’s Bette Davis-autographed putter.
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Speaking of sports: Play pickleball. Help make it, and tennis, greener. Win $150.
That’s what’s on tap next Saturday (August 17, noon to 2 p.m., Intensity Racquet Club, 490 Westport Avenue, Norwalk).
Serve2Sustain is running a pickleball tournament. The cost is $20 per person. There’s a maximum of 32 teams (64 players); each team is guaranteed 3 games. Click here to register.
All proceeds go to Serve2Sustain. They’ll add tennis ball and pickleball recycling bins to public courts in Westport. Additional donations to Serve2Sustain can be made here, by Venmo (@serve2sustain), or in cash the day of the event.
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Ever wish you could do something good for kids?
Make-A-Wish Connecticut — the non-profit that brightens the lives of children with critical illnesses — has asked some of the area’s best chefs to create a great evening.
“Taste of Wishes” (September 26, Aitoro Appliance, 401 Westport Avenue, Norwalk) includes fantastic food appetizers, main dishes and desserts, prepared and served by local celebrity chefs. And their “wish kid sous chefs.”
The lineup includes Jes Bengtson (Terrain Garden Café), Matt Storch (Match restaurant, Match Burger Lobster), Adam Goldberg (Pop-up Bagels), a featured chef from The Whelk, Robin Selden (Marcia Selden Catering), Dan Kardos (Café Melba), and John Nealon (Crust Issues).
It’s a very tasty event, plus a chance to meet youngsters and families who have been impacted by Make-A-Wish.
Early bird pricing is available until August 22. Click here for tickets, and more information.
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Startup Westport — the public/private tech and innovation networking group — starts the fall with a pair of intriguing events
“Sustainable Success: B Corps & Impact Driven Investing” (September 24) focuses on how the world’s best companies lead by example to help foster a socially conscious approach to business. Click here to register, and for more information.
On November 25, Startup Westport celebrate recent Staples High School graduates who have created game-changing technologies and startup businesses that are altering the competitive landscape.
A panel will be led by 2014 alum Molly O’Shea, a leading ventures capitalist and reporter. Registration will open next month.
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The Westport Book Shop’s featured August artist is Rachel Waldman.
Her anime-inspired drawings will be on display all month, at the Jesup Road store.
A reception is set for Tuesday, August 20 (6 to 7:30 p.m.). The public is invited.
Rachel Waldman, with her work.
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What do yellow finches and baseball players have in common?
Both love sunflower seeds.
But only the bird gets its photo in “Westport … Naturally” while eating them.
(Photo/Wendy Levy)
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And finally … Bette Davis was a great neighbor, for many years.
Chris Fuller remembers her golf lesson (story above). And some of us remember this 1981 hit:
Bette Davis said that when the song came out, suddenly her grandson looked up to her.
After it won Grammy Awards for Song and Record of the Year (don’t ask me the difference), singer Kim Carnes gave gold and platinum records to Bette Davis. She hung them proudly on the wall of her Crooked Mile Road home.
(It’s a summer weekend, but “06880” is — as always — on the job. If you appreciate our work, please click here to support us with a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Yesterday’s lightning, at Winslow Park (Photo/Patricia McMahon)
Recent “06880” Roundups have noted the proliferation of utility wires in Westport. They keep coming — and they never come down.
A related issue: “double poles” (and, occasionally, “triple poles”). These occur when a pole is hit by a car, damaged during a storm, or a larger pole is needed to replace the original one (often due to too many telecom wires already attached to the undersized existing pole.
This could also result from a road widening project like the current one on Post Road East. It can take years for all existing utility wires, and equipment like transformers, to be shifted to the new pole.
The other day, a retired utility executive was doing errands in Westport. In just one part of Westport, he counted approximately 30 double poles.
His route was less than 7 miles. There are more than 147 miles of town and state roads — and around the same number of private roads.
Extrapolating the number he saw, the utility executive estimates there could be 500 or so double (and triple) poles in Westport.
That’s a lot of unused, obsolete — and ugly — wood.
Double poles at Post Road West and Riverside Avenue … (Photo/Ken Warren)
and Compo Road South, near Post Road East … (Photo/Mark Mathias)
… and a “push brace” on Saugatuck Avenue.
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Yesterday started out as a great summer beach day.
By late afternoon — just as we should have been getting ready for Saturday evening South Beach cookouts, or picnic dinners on the sand — storm clouds rolled in.
Nearly everyone scattered.
Along Soundview Drive, only one group remained.
Their umbrella added a bit of color, to an otherwise gray scene.
(Photo/Sunil Hirani)
The wind cracked this tree, on Kettle Creek Road in Weston:
(Photo/Wendy Schaefer)
Eversource reported nearly 1,000 power outages, at the peak. Over 200 customers were still without power this morning.
Today’s forecast is for cloudy skies this morning, with thunderstorms possible this afternoon. They may include gusty winds and small hail. The high temperature is expected to be 83.
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Though the weather was better earlier, not everyone found the going easy.
This was the scene, off Cedar Point Yacht Club:
(Photo/Rob Jackson)
Photographer Rob Jackson empathized with the sailor’s plight. “I have been there too,” he noted.
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It’s the dog days of summer, but MoCA CT is not doggin’ it.
Among the events this month:
There are several art workshop offerings throughout August too.
For details on all of the events, click here.
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The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport hosts an “almost-annual” tag sale, to benefit both the church and its outreach programs (Beardsley Elementary School, Mercy Learning Center, the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, and others.
The event is this Saturday (August 10, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; early birds, 8 a.m. with a $20 fee).
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“Pareidolia” occurs when people see images in inanimate objects — for example, faces in rock formations, or animals in grilled cheese.
I had never heard the term. I learned it from alert “06880” reader Chris Corgel, who sends this example:
(Photo/Chris Corgel)
What do I see? A great photo for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature!
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And finally … on this day in 1901, Louis Armstrong was born. For 69 years, he shared this wonderful world with us.
(What a wonderful world this is! And what a wonderful “06880” community — in real life, and online. Thanks for being part of it. PS: Extra thanks for clicking here, and supporting our blog!)
Posted in Beach, Categories, religion, Weather
Tagged Compo Beach, MoCA CT, Sailboat, Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport, utility poles
Tonight’s rainbow, over the Saugatuck River (Photo/Michael Mossman)
… and one beach shot … (Photo/Sunil Hirani)
… and another (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
Bonus Pics of the Day: Lightning on Yankee Hill Road … (Photo/Meredith Holod)
… and Compo Beach by the Schlaet’s Point jetty ,,, (Photo/Sunil Hirani)
… and South Beach (Photo/Eric Bosch)
Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day, Weather
Tagged Compo Beach rainbow, Lightning, Saugatuck River rainbow
When storm clouds rolled in last night, several “06880” photographers had the same idea.
They offer 4 views, of the same sight. Each is different, special — and another reminder of the beauty and wonder that surrounds us every day.
Compo Beach (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
Compo Beach (Photo/Joel Treisman)
Old Mill Beach (Photo/Matt Murray)
Old Mill Beach (Photo/Mary Sikorski)
Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day, Weather
Tagged Compo Beach South Beach, Old Mill Beach, Storm clouds
When disaster strikes — a hurricane, say, or a toxic chemical spill on I-95 — the question isn’t “Who you gonna call?”
It should be: “Who’s gonna call you?”
The answer is simple: Nixle.
The town-wide notification system can mean the difference between losing your car to a flood, or moving it to higher ground. Or driving into downed wires, or avoiding the area completely. Or dozens of other dangerous scenarios, which — thanks to modern technology — Westport’s emergency services personnel and first responders can now warn us about.
Nixle is nimble. Notifications can be sent in any form residents want to receive them: text, email or phone. They can be sent to every resident in town, or only an affected neighborhood or group.
They can even be scheduled by time. We can get an alert first thing in the morning — but it won’t unduly alarm us at 3 a.m.
When disaster strikes — as it did during Hurricane Isaias, here on Prospect Road near Hillandale — Nixle can warn of road closures.
Nixle is an opt-in system. (To sign up, text 06880 to 888777, or click here.)
It’s used by Westport’s emergency management team, and the Police Department.
The other day, emergency management director Nick Marsan and Police Captain Dave Wolf described the system.
It can be used for a variety of situations, including drinking water contamination, utility outages, evacuation notices, unexpected road closures, missing persons, fires, flash flood and tornado warnings, bomb threats, chemical spills and gas leaks.
It is used sparingly, Marsan and Wolf stress, in public safety and emergency situations. In other words: Nixle will notify users about a flash flood. It will not be used every time rain is coming.
(Big storms, yes. A Nixle message might say “65 mph winds are expected. Stay off roads, and prepare for long-term power outages.”)
A Nixle text alert …
Officials want to ensure that when residents get a Nixle alert, they understand it’s serious.
That’s why Nixle is not used for heavy traffic (an all-too-common occurrence). If, however, traffic lights are inoperable, or detours are in place, an alert could be sent.
(So how can you find out about “normal” traffic issues? Sign up for Police and Fire Department’s social media: Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.)
Officials realize that residents get information in a variety of ways: texts, calls, emails.
Some older residents prefer old-fashioned phone calls. Nixle sends those too (and leaves a message, if the call is not answered).
Text messages are brief, and to the point: “Long Lots Road is closed between Turkey Hill and Hyde Lane, due to a car fire.” Emails and phone messages can be longer.
Only a few people in each department have authority to issue a Nixle alert. That prevents over-use of the system.
“Unless a meteor is coming, we have a few minutes to plan our message,” Marsan says.
Typically there is a quick discussion before an alert is issued, to ensure that the proper message goes out, to the right audience.
Not every resident needs to know, for example, to move to higher ground during a storm surge. But those living near the shore do. Any Nixle message can be sent to the entire town, or any segment of it.
(If you’re signed up, you’ll get an alert even if you’re not physically here. That’s helpful, if you need to tell a nanny or neighbor the news.)
… and the dashboard. It shows that 2 flood alerts were sent to over 6,000 text recipients, more than 3,000 email users, and over 100 phone lines.
Human Services Department Elaine Daignault also uses Nixle. She maintains a list of residents who may be particularly vulnerable during emergencies. She can offer information, and ask if they need food or other resources.
Many people on Daignault’s list — including those with vision issues — prefer the phone to emails or texts. Nixle allows her to communicate easily, by recorded voice.
Marsan and Wolf point to unexpected uses of the system. One morning, heavy — and unexpected — ice caused several accidents. A Nixle message went out: “Extreme ice conditions throughout Westport.” Residents were urged to take care when walking outside, getting in and out of cars, and driving.
It’s also been used — successfully — to find residents reported as missing.
“We’ve never regretted sending out a message,” Wolf says. Over time, though officials have refined exactly what they say, and how they say it.
Nixle has not yet been used in Westport for an active shooter, or a hazardous chemical release after a rail accident. Hopefully, it never will be.
But if either event — or any other unforeseen incident — happens, Nixle will let us know.
We just have to sign up for it.
(To enroll in Nixle, text 06880 to 888777, or click here. You’ll also have an option to enroll in a database for notification by state officials.)
When Saugatuck Shores floods, Nixle sends targeted messages to the neighborhood. (Photo/Michele Sorensen)
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. If you rely on us for news and information, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Posted in Police, technology, Weather, Westport life
Tagged Captain Dave Wolf, Fire Chief Nick Marsan, Nixle, Westport emergency management team
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