Posted onJanuary 2, 2026|Comments Off on Roundup: Balducci’s Charlotte, Compo’s Polar Plunge, Club 203’s Party …
As Balducci’s prepares to close, it’s already said goodbye to Charlotte.
Yesterday, some of her many friends also said goodbye.
The longtime, much-loved cashier — now 94 years old, whose tenure goes to back half a century to its Hay Day days — received a surprise retirement gift: over $3,100.
Charlotte (with flowers), and grateful customers. Dan Frank is in the center.
Dan says, “Charlotte and I had a wonderful trip. It was filled with a lot of emotion from friends and especially co-workers, who are sad to see Balducci’s coming to an end.
“Charlotte put a smile on everyone’s faces. It warmed my heart to see how happy everyone was to see her. She is blown away by all the love she’s received from all of you.”
Among their many other activities, the Senior Center offers an intriguing meeting this month.
On January 12, Westport Police Detective Erin Shaw will chat informally about scams, police matters and ID theft, and address members’ questions and concerns.
Meetings are by appointment only. Call 203-341-5099 to reserve a spot.
Detective Erin Shaw
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Club203 is not wasting any time kicking off the new year.
The first social event of Westport’s organization for adults with disabilities is Tuesday (January 6, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Westport Country Playhouse barn).
It’s an interactive experience with Sensei Palardy, including face painting and mask making with friends from MoCA\CT. Calise’s Deli caters, so the food will be great.
Two-time Tony Award winner Judith Ivey highlights the next Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand play reading.
“The Pancake Club” — a new comedy directed by Playhouse artistic director Mark Shanahan — is set for January 12 (7 p.m.).
Ivey plays Brenda, a waitress at a small-town diner where a group of senior men regularly meet. As Brenda struggles with the sudden death of her oldest friend, members squabble over the eulogy, the widow refuses to grieve, a mysterious stranger threatens the town’s equilibrium, and Brenda’s only daughter teeters on the brink of a meltdown. Brenda wonders: Does anybody ever truly grow up?
The Historic District Commission meets January 13 (7 p.m., Zoom).
The agenda includes a vote on the partial demolition, renovation and addition to the main home, and demolition of a detached garage, with a new garage constructed, at 296 Main Street.
The HDC will also vote on whether to oppose demolition permits, and require the full 180-day delay, for these properties:
19 Turkey Hill Road North
11 Dogwood Lane
10 Mary jane Lane
10 Twin Falls Lane
5 Over Rock Lane
17 Adams Farm Road
9 Berkeley Road.
They will vote too on whether to rescind adoption of the motion to oppose the issuance of a demolition permit for 11 Beachside Commons, which was adopted December 9.
Up | Next Teens — the county-wide teen volunteer organization founded by Addison Moore, when the recently elected Representative Town Meeting member was a Staples High School student (just a few years ago) — partnered with Big Y to host a holiday food drive.
They collected a few hundred pounds of food, pantry staples, and essential items like diapers, laundry detergent, dish soap and personal care products, for Homes with Hope’s Gillespie Center.
Peter “PJ” Boehm Jr. died Saturday at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport.
He graduated in May from the University of Miami Herbert Business School, with a double major in finance and economics. He was a 2021 graduate of Fairfield Ludlowe High School.
His obituary describes PJ as “fun-loving, generous, deeply kind and endlessly curious. With confidence and authenticity, he treated everyone with warmth and humility. His boundless energy infected his wide circle of friends.”
He loved boating with his father Peter, traveling with his mother Mary Kate, and his yellow lab Bella.
PJ is also survived by grandmother, Marilyn Klemish; uncles William Klemish Jr. (Lori), John Klemish (partner Dani Fernandez) and Michael Klemish (Sue), and aunts Christine Walker (John), JoAnnBoehm, and Jacquelyn Steedle.
Friends may call Friday (January 2, 4 to 7 p.m., Harding Funeral Home). A funeral Mass will be held on Saturday (January 3, 11 a.m.).
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Connecticut Humane Society.
PJ Boehm
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image shows Booler’s Point, in the fog.
I’ve lived in Westport my whole life, and never heard of “Booler’s Point.”
According to photographer Michael Tomashefsky — who found it on Google Maps — that’s the spit of land jutting into the Saugatuck River, between Grace Salmon Park and the Levitt Pavilion.
Here’s what it looks like, in Monday’s fog. And if anyone knows who Booler was, click “Comments” below.
And finally … Diana Ross rings in 2026 tonight, at Times Square. Other performers include Ciara, LE SSERAFIM, Little Big Town and Maren Morris.
Beginning in 1929 though, and continuing for half a century, Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians’ “Auld Lang Syne” was the way millions of Americans — live, and first listening to radio, then watching on TV — celebrated New Year’s Eve.
The intro to Lombardo’s 1947 Decca Records version is still played in Times Square, immediately following the ball drop.
So — for auld lang syne’s (time gone by) sake — we present:
(Happy New Year! Whatever your plans, you’ve still got a few hours to donate to “06880” — and take a tax deduction for 2025 too. Please click here. And then celebrate!)
Posted onDecember 30, 2025|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Robin Moyer Chung
This is Robin Moyer Chung’s second time on our “06880” podcast.
I interviewed her a couple of years ago, as editor of Westport Lifestyle magazine.
Now she’s back — as “06880”‘s culture correspondent.
The other day, we chatted on the Westport Library stage about all things cultural. The Westport Country Playhouse, Mo\CA, Staples Players — you name it, Robin knows it.
We talked too about our reputation as an “arts town.” Is it still true? Where do all the new arrivals fit in? What’s ahead?
Click here or below, for our very cultured conversation.
Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Robin Moyer Chung
With 2025 now almost finished
365 days diminished
Some goals achieved; some (sadly) dashed
Some bills came due; some checks were cashed
We’re older now by near a year
And closer to our end, I fear
Our thoughts turn this morning to “auld lang syne”
A phrase I’m sure that once was fine
Though what it means I have no clue
So let’s move on, and give our due
To folks in town who merit praise
(And probably too, a nice fat raise).
We say congrats to our selectmen
Led most ably by Christie (Kevin)
With help from Wistreich and O’Day
All chosen the electoral way
“Selectmen,” though, sounds anachronistic
It doesn’t take a seer or mystic
To divine that all of them ain’t male
But let’s not gnash our teeth, or wail
We only need to change one word
And presto: Hail, our new Select Board!
Sure, the year brings challenges new
Along with the ones old, tried and true
Like what to do with the bridge Cribari
A span that has been used to carry
Cars and light trucks — no eighteen-wheelers
Though now state pooh-bahs put out feelers
To build a replacement — wider, higher
An idea some locals fear is dire
The process may drag on for years
Cue agita, angst, frustration, fears.
And though the Hamlet plan is dead
Another may rise there soon, instead
Affordable housing? An 8-30g?
More retail? More restaurants? We wait to see
What some developer has up his sleeve
With a vision, a dream, in which to believe
For a sliver, a slice of old Saugatuck
Let’s hope we don’t say, “What the f—?”
To all board chairs: Goldstein and Dobin,
Lebowitz, Ezzes et al, we’re hopin’
That instead of blather, bitching, moaning
And meetings filled with speakers droning
That we all act like family: sisters and brothers
(And adults like adults: fathers and mothers)
Show civil discourse, speak with respect
Despite ideas we must reject
Let’s not be filled with bombast and bile
Come on, you guys! At least, try to smile!
To schools superintendent Tom Scarice
We wish you a year filled with peace
May classes proceed without buzzing phones
And hordes of kids busting teaches’ stones
With their pleas, “pretty please, are Air Pods fine?
I’ll be quiet, I promise. I won’t ever whine.”
Let’s shout to the rafters our thanks for the wonders
Of all our spectacular, great first responders
Police, EMS, and (for sure) firefighters
Whatever the need, they pull all-nighters
We hope too that Christmas was merry
For new parks director, Eric Barbieri
He’s taken over with insight and smarts
Its programs, its staff – all its many parts
He’s learned about every Rec cranny and nook
And – hosannas will ring! – he will give Hook’d the hook.
We cannot forget all our organizations
And volunteers who, with hard work and patience
Keep us warm and inspired, healthy and fed
Offering food pantries, hot meals, a bed
At the top of the list is the great Homes with Hope
But so many others groups help us to cope
Like VFW Post 3-Nine-Nine
Where everyone’s welcome to drink and to dine
And American Legion – that’s Post 63
Plus of course their great female auxiliary.
ABC gives young scholars A (Much) Better Chance
The Woman’s Club offers plenty of grants
Westport Pride (for the LGBTQ-plus crowd)
Westport10, for Black men, active and proud
Start-up Westport, our entrepreneurs’ hub
And for disabled adults, there’s the 203 Club
Town Farm, Farmers’ Market and (forget not) Earthplace
Fill the very important green-eco- town space
Along with Sustainable Westport, we add
If we’ve forgotten some others – well sorry, our bad.
The Playhouse has been here for (it’s true!) 90 years
Its shows and productions still draw (mostly) cheers
Huzzahs too to the Levitt, our favorite pavilion
For all those free evenings – Bravo! Thanks a million
A few yards away, ‘cross a shared parking lot
Stands a building that helps make Westport so hot
Our library is books, sure, but also much more
It’s concerts, it’s artwork, it’s programs galore
You can meet there and make things, and even record
Your own podcast or music – you’ll never be bored.
Let’s raise now our glasses, and toast all our teachers
Rabbis and imams, pastors and preachers
Custodians, paras, bus drivers and cooks
Tutors and tweeters (but not DC crooks)
Mommies and daddies and day care magicians
Dentists and vets and our favorite physicians
The heroes who gave us our “great generation”
And today’s servicemembers: our grand veneration
Young people and teens: the hope for tomorrow
Though today we pass on a world brimming with sorrow.
We’re nearing the end of this holiday poem
Hailing the wonders that make our town “home”
So let’s cram in as many more as we can
Of all of these others, we are a huge fan:
Downtown merchants, like Savvy + Grace
Old Mill Grocery & Deli – we must save that place!
All of our realtors (like KMS Team)
The YMCA – livin’ the dream
Restaurants galore, like Pook’s Jeera Thai
The great Dylan Curran – we all love that guy.
And hey – thanks a lot to Westport’s other news source
The Journal (we check it daily, of course).
Now finally, a hat tip to all of our readers
Some just moved here; some are town leaders
Some comment often; most, never at all
Some email us daily; some text or call
Some suggest stories; some like to complain
Some think our town’s sunny; some just see the rain
But all are important; you’re the reason we post
Without you, this blog would soon be just toast
So to all of you out in the “06880” sphere
Here’s wishing you all a spectacular year
May two-thousand-and-two-six be a small bit of heaven
And let’s pray we all make it to year ‘27.
Posted onDecember 24, 2025|Comments Off on Ana Gasteyer’s “Sugar & Booze”
“06880” culture correspondent Robin Moyer Chung reports:
Ana Gasteyer rocked the Westport Country Playhouse Monday night.
Her show “Sugar & Booze” — based on her holiday album of the same name — is touted as “an uproarious homage to Christmas albums of old” by Billboard.
The comedian, musician and actor — best known for her iconic send-ups of Martha Steward and Celine Dion on “Saturday Night Live” — interspersed comedy (“Hello Westport! … Did I pronounce that correctly?”) and songs she pointedly assures the audience are “seasonal secular songs with Santa.”
She did it hot on the heels of the “SNL: The Anniversary Special” (in which she revisited her famous characters), and the 20th anniversary of “Wicked” (in which she played Elphaba on Broadway).
As a treat, she threw into the song mix her restrained and passionate rendition of “Defying Gravity.”
Ana Gasteyer (Photo/Shervin Lainez)
It was an exuberant performance tempered by deadpan comic delivery, her red sequin shirt sparkling in the footlights like a holiday ornament, accompanied by 8 band members and her violin.
A fun bit: Halfway through the show the bandleader wandered into the audience with a bag of “white elephant” gifts (things Ana had ostensibly dragged out of her closet and couldn’t wait to get rid of).
To 3 excited winners — judged by the ridiculousness of their holiday attire — he gifted useless things like a green sparkly fringe sweater.
Like chocolate chips in the larger cookie of the Westport Country Playhouse season (Martha Stewart reference — get it?), these one-night shows mixed into larger ones offer glimpses of stunning, sometimes legendary talent. They include Mandy Patinkin who performed earlier this month
The show was, as her bare-breasted kitchen vixen once said, “a good thing.”
When Westport Country Playhouse raises its curtain each December on “A Sherlock Carol,” homecoming fills the air.
The family-friendly holiday mash-up, blending Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, was born in the uncertain days of the pandemic. The Playhouse performed an online reading.
The play has gone on to successful runs in New York, and sold-out houses in London. This season alone, “A Sherlock Carol” will be performed at nearly 30 theaters worldwide. Productions stretch from Boston, Virginia and Philadelphia to Dallas, Ottawa, the UK and Australia.
James Taylor Odom as Sherlock Holmes.
Yet Westport remains the show’s creative home.
Now in its third holiday season at the Playhouse, the production is once again guided by its writer and original director, Mark Shanahan, in his role as Westport’s artistic director.
He is joined by members of the original New York company. James Taylor Odom steps into the title role of Sherlock Holmes.
“It is so gratifying to do it again at Westport with this company of artists, many of whom have been with it from the start,” says Shanahan.
“A Sherlock Carol” imagines a grown-up Tiny Tim seeking help from the world’s greatest detective, unfolding as a Christmas Eve mystery set in the years after “A Christmas Carol.”
Shanahan describes a feeling of “inviting friends from different social circles to the same dinner party, and hoping like heck they’d get along.”
From left: Alexandra Kopko, Joe Delafield, James Taylor Odom, Byron St. Cyr, Anissa Felix, Dan Domingues. (Photos/Carol Rosegg)
When the play reached the stage in 2021, its themes of resurrection, renewal and second chances resonated deeply with audiences emerging from a period of uncertainty.
Off-Broadway, “A Sherlock Carol” quickly found its footing. It was a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and was nominated for Best New Play by the Off Broadway Alliance.
Its creative team and cast of Broadway veterans included several Tony nominees and winners. Many helped shape the Westport production. When London followed, British critics echoed their New York counterparts’ enthusiasm.
Despite its global reach, the show continues to feel rooted in Westport. Each holiday season many of the original cast and designers return to the Playhouse. The production feels like a reunion.
Writer/director Mark Shanahan chats with Westport Country Playhouse theater-goers, after opening night. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
Joe Delafield (Dr. Watson and Mrs. Dilber), says that while the company loved performing the play in New York, “it seems like a perfect fit at Westport. We all love coming back together and refining it each year.”
For James Taylor Odom as Sherlock, joining the Westport production this year brings the journey full circle.
“When I first saw ‘A Sherlock Carol’ in New York, I knew somehow I’d be part of it one day,” he says.
“Now here I am, working with Mark and this phenomenal cast at the Westport Country Playhouse. Getting to play one of my favorite characters on this stage with so many people I love is a dream.”
From an online pandemic reading to stages across North America, the UK and Australia, “A Sherlock Carol” has become a new holiday tradition.
And each December, as Holmes and Scrooge once again find themselves side by side, they return home — to Westport Country Playhouse, where it all began.
(If it’s happening in Westport, you’ll read about it on “06880.” And if you read about it on our hyper-local blog, we hope you’ll click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Basso — the tapas-and-more restaurant that moved to Westport from Norwalk in the middle of the pandemic — is closing.
An email sent yesterday from the Jesup Road spot that replaced Matsu Sushi says: “After nearly 19 wonderful years of serving our community, it is with mixed emotions that we announce the closing of Basso on Thursday, December 18.
“This decision was not made lightly; we have truly cherished every moment shared with you, our loyal guests and friends.
“We want to express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support, kindness, and the many memories we’ve created together. It has been an honor to be part of your lives—celebrating milestones, hosting your special occasions, and sharing countless meals and conversations.
“As we prepare to close this chapter, we warmly invite you to visit us one last time to reminisce and enjoy your favorite dishes. Thank you for being such an essential part of our story. You will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
I’ve long held a special place in my heart for Basso. The food has been delicious and creative; the hospitality is warm and genuine; the vibe has been great for the town.
Thank you, Renato, Ela, and all who made Basso a favorite destination.
Along with tapas, Basso featured pizzas, from its great wood-fired oven (rear).
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One (restaurant) door closes, and another opens: Westport will soon have another fast-casual, create-your-own-bowl-or-salad dining spot.
Naya arrives Wednesday (December 17), in the Gold’s half of Compo Shopping Center.
The offerings are similar to Sweetgreen, Just Salad, and the very similarly named Cava (click here for the menu). Naya, though, positions itself as “Middle Eastern.”
They’ve got more than a dozen locations in New York City and Long Island. This will be Naya’s second restaurant in Connecticut, after Darien — and its northernmost and easternmost site.
Sticking with today’s food theme, there’s news from Pop-Up Bagels.
Like Basso, they popped up in Westport during the pandemic. In just a few years, Adam Goldberg turned his COVID hobby into a full-blown, award-winning business.
Outlets sprouted in Fairfield, Greenwich and Newtown. Then came New York — a bold (and winning) move — followed by Massachusetts, North Carolina, Florida and California.
The latest Pop-up Bagels is in Portland, Maine. Chip Stephens — a 1973 Staples High School graduate and former Planning & Zoning commissioner, now chief enforcement officer for two Maine towns — spotted this on yesterday’s news:
They’re not stopping now. The next Pop-Up Bagels is planned for Wailea-Makena, Hawaii.
Which means they may need to rethink their motto: “Not famous, but known.”
From coast to coast — and beyond — everyone is learning about (and loving) Pop-Up Bagels.
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Also on the move — though this one is up, not out: a house on Danbury Avenue, near Soundview Drive.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
Like many in the oft-flooded neighborhood, it is being raised to become FEMA-compliant.
Which is a lot better than being razed, to become bigger, taller and broader.
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The first snowfall of the season was perfect: overnight, not overpowering, light and lovely.
Westport celebrated National Wreaths Across America Day yesterday.
VFW Post 399 quartermaster Phil Delgado, Post 399 Auxiliary vice commander Patty Kondub, Joan Polayes, and Scout Troops 39 and 139 honored veterans with a tribute at Assumption Church’s Greens Farms Cemetery.
Post 399 members and volunteers lay remembrance wreaths on over 400 graves. Each wreath symbolized the community’s gratitude, respect and commitment to never forget those who served.
Scouts participating in National Wreaths Across America day (from left): Blake Schuler Ashley Charise, Preston DeRosa, Austin Charise, Will Bernard, Will Manes, Sam Pollack and Alec Mraz. Not pictured: Jacob Luna and Ian Curran.
“A Sherlock Carol” — the family-friendly holiday show written and directed by Mark Shanahan, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director, opened last night for its third annual run there. Click here for tickets, and more information.
The cast of “A Sherlock Carol” takes their bows …
… and writer/director Mark Shanahan is thanked by audience members, after the show. (Photos/Dave Matlow)
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Hanukkah begins tonight, at sundown.
Steve Stein welcomed some early visitors yesterday:
More times than not, I’ve had good interactions with Optimum’s customer service.
Yesterday was one of those “not” times.
The (very) short version: I called the “retention” department to ask for a lower rate. I’ve been a customer since 1993 — I was one of the first dozen or so in Westport to sign up for a cable modem — and this is a ritual I now go through every few months.
The first question — after giving the same information twice, to a bot and a human — was “if we get disconnected, what’s the best callback number?”
(I’ve always found it odd that a company that provides phone service worries about disconnected calls, but whatever.)
I provided my cell number. She read it back to me. On we went.
She spent 15 minutes (supposedly) researching the best retention option. I’m sure she was juggling 3 or 4 other calls at the same time.
Then we got disconnected.
I expected a call back.
It never came.
I finally called again. This time, the customer service representative may have asked again for a callback number. I could not tell though, because whatever language he was speaking, it was not English.
Finally — a full 1 hour and 12 minutes after I began — I got a (middling) retention offer. I’m saving about $30 a month, and will have to go through the same dance again next year.
Was it worth it? I bill my writing clients $200 an hour, so 12 months to save $360 is a bit of a savings.
Weighing in the agita factor, though … probably not.
PS: If anyone at Cablevision is reading this and wants to contact me — well, someone there has my number.
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Years ago, the group below would spend weekday mornings teaching, writing lesson plans, meeting with students, and dealing with administrators and parents.
These days, they do none of that.
And every so often, these ROMEOs — Retired Old Men Eating Out, all of whom spend decades in the Westport schools — get together for breakfast at the Monroe Diner.
How many can you name? Answers below the photo.
From left: Jim Wheeler, Al Jolley, Jim Honeycutt, Bruce McFadden, Toby Watson, Steve Rexford, Bob Selverstone, Werner Liepolt, Ed Bludnicki, Pete Van Hagen, Stan Rhodes.
Yesterday’ Roundup story on the Eartha Kitt/”Santa Baby” composer connection left out one key detail: That it happened at WEST, the Post Road East store owned by the singer’s daughter, Kitt Shapiro.
Here it is again. Hopefully it makes more sense this time:
More than 70 years after its release, “Santa Baby” remains one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.
Eartha Kitt sang it in 1953. She later moved to Weston, where she died of colon cancer on — coincidentally — Christmas Day, in 2008.
Her daughter Kitt Shapiro now owns WEST, a very popular women’s shop, on Post Road East.
An older woman came into the store on Thursday. Her name was Joan Javits — and she co-wrote “Santa Baby,” all those years ago. (She’s 97 years old — though she sure doesn’t look it!)
Kitt Shapiro and Joan Javits, at WEST.
It may not be the Christmas miracle of 2,000 years ago.
But it’s still pretty amazing.
PS: Among the lyrics Eartha Kitt sang were:
Come and trim my Christmas tree
With some decorations bought at Tiffany’s.
I wonder if after leaving WEST, Joan Javits crossed the street and walked a few yards west.
To buy some decorations at — you know the rest.
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Nancy Vener was up early yesterday. She photographed the fiery sunrise over Burritt Cove, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature:
And finally … to all the customer service agents at Optimum (story above):
(Your favorite restaurant may be closing. Your internet service provider may drop your call. But “06880” will always be here for you — so long as you click here to support our work. Thanks!)
Posted onDecember 12, 2025|Comments Off on Roundup: Donation Drop-offs, Swim Club Tryouts, Sherwood Island Solstice …
Westport Country Playhouse is getting in the holiday spirit.
And not just just with it’s production of “A Sherlock Carol.”
The family-friendly show is certainly an attraction.
But there’s more. Three important groups — the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Norwalk Toys for Tots, and Westport Homes with Hope food pantry– are recipients of donations that can be dropped off during “A Sherlock Carol”‘s December 13-21 run.
There will be collection boxes in the Playhouse lobby whenever the box office is open (Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.), and during performances.
“The bond we share with The Hole in the Wall Camp remains especially close to our hearts,” says Playhouse artistic director Mark Shananan.
“It would make Camp founder Paul Newman and our own former artistic director Joanne Woodward very proud to see the relationship between our organizations still going strong.“
In fact, Shanahan’s involvement with the camp helped inspire “A Sherlock Carol.”
It’s the story of a grown-up Tiny Tim turning his personal experiences into a lifelong commitment to helping others — “just like so many people at Camp do,” Shanahan says.
Meanwhile, Norwalk Toys for Tots seeks new, unwrapped toys and books for children in need — including books in Spanish and Haitian Creole — for ages newborn to 18. Donations benefit local agencies and families in Norwalk, Fairfield and Westport. Click here for more information.
Westport’s Homes with Hope — dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Fairfield County — needs items for its food pantry: pancake mix, cooking oil, condiments, laundry detergent (small containers), feminine care products, canned fruit, cold cereal, salt and pepper, jelly, cleaning wipes, and gift certificates to Walmart and Stop & Shop. Click here for more information.
To learn more about “A Sherlock Carol” — including ticket purchases — click here.
All 2nd through 8th grade boys and girls are invited to try out for the Westport Swim Club.
It’s a great program — big on fun, friends and fundamentals — that helps get youngsters ready for the Staples High School program, either next year or a few years down the line. The winter session starts January 7.
Tryouts are December 15 (5:15 to 6:30 p.m.), January 5 (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.), January 10 (4 to 5 p.m.) and January 11 (9:45 to 10:30 a.m.). Click here to sign up.
Sure, it’s cold. Crowds have thinned considerably at Sherwood Island State Park.
But there’s still plenty to do. And plenty of room to do it in.
The Winter Solstice is 10:03 a.m. on December 21. Starting at 10, Friends of Sherwood Island will meet at the main pavilion for winter seed sowing in milk jugs.
After collecting seeds of native flowers in the dunes, members will help attendees cut a milk jug, drill holes in the bottom, fill it with special potting soil, and add seeds and water.
Then bring it home to leave outside until spring. (Jugs brought indoors will not germinate. Seeds need the winter cold.)
There’s hot chocolate, snacks and a “special visitor.” It’s free (but no pets). Bring empty, washed milk jugs (maximum 3 per family).
Then, on January 1, Friends of Sherwood Island invite everyone to start the new year with a breezy walk along the beach. Children and dogs on short leashes are welcome. Meet in front of the Nature Center at 11 a.m.; follow signs to the East Beach area.
And finally … in honor of Westport Swim Club’s next season (story above):
(We’re not exactly drowning, here at “06880” central. But we do rely on reader’s support, to help us publish our hyper-local blog. Please click here to contribute. Every little bit helps. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: Donation Drop-offs, Swim Club Tryouts, Sherwood Island Solstice …
Final preparations are underway for this Saturday’s Westport Downtown Association/”06880″ Holiday Stroll.
Among the attractions: Savvy + Grace is sponsoring an Airstream photo booth, and a “Letters to Santa” station. All supplies for letters will be provided. And (if there’s a return address) Santa will personally answer all letters.
The Holiday Stroll (Saturday, December 6, 4 to 7 p.m.) also includes caroling with the Staples Orphenians, selfies with Santa and Westport’s favorite piglet, face painting, a DJ, giveaways from restaurants and retailers, and 6 dozen store specials.
Here are the latest signups (new since Monday):
Brooks Brothers: 30% off nearly everything
Earthplace: 10% off Winter Solstice Campfire on December 21 (register here on Saturday)
La Source: Enter to win a $500 gift card, with every purchase of $100 or more
Il Pastaficio: Focaccia di recco, Italian hot chocolate, salame di cioccolata; gift card for 10% off purchases of fresh pasta boxes and sauces
Scout & Molly’s: Free gift with $200 purchase
American Colors by Henry Lehr: 20% off Hampton Wash and American Colors clothing
Everything But Water: Fit sessions; $25 off $150+ with Beach Club signup
Johnny Was: 40% off sale; gift with purchase; free gift wrapping.
This year, they are bringing two exciting experiences: an Airstream Photo Booth and a Letters to Santa station with all supplies provided.
“A Sherlock Carol” — the family-friendly production based on both Sherlock Holmes and “A Christmas Carol” — returns to the Westport Country Playhouse for a third great year.
There are 8 performances, from December 13 through 21.
The New York Times “Critics’ Pick” is written and directed by Mark Shanahan, Playhouse artistic director. The Westport production is one of 30 “Sherlock Carol”s happening around the world, including Australia, Canada, England and the US.
Meanwhile, over 35 vendors will pack the Senior Center December 12 (1:30 to 4:30 p.m.), for a holiday craft and gift sale.
In addition to a wide array of special items, including wood-turned pieces, pottery, fused-glass art, glass ornaments, beaded gemstone jewelry, clocks, silver jewelry, handcrafted necklaces, earrings, potholders, art and painted glass, origami, painted shells, birdhouse ornaments, holiday centerpieces, wreaths, decoupage shells, watercolor gifts, children’s books, mystery novels, painted baby shoes, quilted art, home décor, baby blankets, knits, scarves, Pearl’s famous salad dressing, holiday cards, tableware, specialty ceramic painted tiles (and much more!), there’s free gift wrapping — and cookies baked by the National Charity League.
The Longshore golf course closes for the winter this Sunday (December 7).
Parks & Recreation director Erik Barbieri says, “We are pleased to have been able to extend the 2025 season this far into December. On behalf of head pro Jon Janik, golf course superintendent Sean Charles and the entire staff, we wish all our loyal golfers a happy and healthy new year. We look forward to seeing you in the spring.”
But golfers can still swing. Two Westport businesses — The Clubhouse and Sticks — offer simulators for practice.
Two great choral groups — the Dartmouth Brovertones and Staples Orphenians — bring holiday music and more to Saugatuck Congregational Church this Sunday (December 7, 7 p.m.).
The free program includes classic pop songs, along with Christmas favorites.
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