To everyone who enjoys Lawrence Weisman’s weekly sketches: This week, the longtime Westporter throws us a curveball.
Click through our online art gallery, and you’ll see.
You’ll also see — as you do each week — nearly a dozen other pieces of art, all contributed by fellow “06880” readers.
No matter how young (or old) you are; what style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Please email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“John V” — pencil on paper (William Fellah)
“The Cool & Calm Fog — Penobscot Bay, Maine” — photograph (Bonnie Scott Connolly)
Untitled — Saugatuck River, from Kawa Ni porch (Dana Kuyper)
Untitled (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)
“Flowers at the Beach” — digital oil painting Ken Runkel — Available for purchase; click here)
“She Gets it Done” (Tom Doran — Available for purchase; click here)
“Sparky” — watercolor (Eric Bosch)
“Salsa at the Levitt” (Judith Katz)
“A Rare Discovery Tree” — pencil and watercolor (Steve Stein)
“I’m the Got You Got. Get Over It!” (Mike Hibbard)
Untitled — woodcarving (Steven Kulla)
Lawremce Weisman writes: “I recently discovered drawings done by my paternal grandmother between 1926 and 1932, very much in the style of the times. Although I knew her well and spent almost every afternoon with her after school, I never knew she had this talent. I think by the time I knew her, in the mid-1940s, she had given up drawing. She died in 1957.”
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Beginning in 2017, Bob Weingarten has regularly surveyed the Post Road commercial scene.
He drives the length of US 1 — from Norwalk to Southport — and counts “For Rent” and “For Sale” signs.
In 2017, the number of units available — single offices, showrooms and entire buildings — was 50. As of August 1, 2025, it is 59 units.
That number — 59 — is exactly the average number of available units, from 2017-25.
Since the last count, in December 2023 — when 4 bank properties were available — 2 have been reused. One is the Saatva mattress store (Saatra), next to Walgreens. The other — the former Bank of America next to Starbucks — is under renovation as a Montessori school.
Repurposed space: from bank to upscale mattress store.
There are several major vacancies. They include the former Christian Siriano space, the Bond Veterinary space next to the downtown Starbucks, and the 2 largest: Patagonia and Carvana (previously Dragone Classic Motorcars.
New construction continues, in areas like the foot of Long Lots Road near Pizza Lyfe. Some — but not all — of that commercial space has been rented.
There’s a selectperson’s race in the fall. One issue: a state Department of Transportation plan to replace the bridge over the Saugatuck River.
That’s this year’s scenario. But history repeats itself. The same events played out 40 years ago, in 1985.
This summer, Longtime Westporter (and Bridge Street resident) Werner Liepolt discovered a 4-decade-old t-shirt during a closet cleanout. He writes:
In the summer of 1985, crowds of Westporters wearing “Preserve the Bridge/Save a Neighborhood” t-shirts attended DOT meetings, protested on the bridge, and called for Westport’s candidates for first selectperson to protect a neighborhood and its residents from the irreparable harm threatened by a plan to replace the bridge and allow tractor trailer traffic an unobstructed route through residential Saugatuck.
Vintage 1985 t-shirt, designed by Bill Bell.
Republican candidate Bill Seiden and his Democratic opponent Marty Hauhuth both weighed in.
On August 9, 1985, the Norwalk Hour reported: “First Selectman Bill Seiden asked [CTDOT] to restore and repair the bridge rather than enlarge it which would allow tractor trailers to traverse the state route. He said that the public in general have justifiable fears that a bridge built for such a loading [10 tons & up] will encourage the use of 18-wheelers through our residential streets.
“Preserve The Bridge/Save A Neighborhood” supporters: Top row (left to right): Former 1st Selectwoman Jacqueline Heneage, Andy Ackemann, Marty Hauhuth, Sylvia Kamerow. Front: Bobbi Liepolt, Jordan Liepolt, Lorna Christopherson. (Westport News photo, courtesy of Woody Klein’s “Westport, Connecticut: The Story of a New England Town’s Rise to Prominence”)
His opponent, Hauhuth, acknowledging the neighborhood’s history. said: “The Saugatuck community has already almost been destroyed by one monstrous highway [I-95] and we cannot accept any bridge that would again create such monstrous approaches and desecration of homes.”
Hauhuth was dedicated, and more convincing. The “Preserve The Bridge/Save a Neighborhood” group endorsed her, and helped her defeat the incumbent, Seiden.
In the ensuing decades:
CTDOT restored the bridge.
Westporters ensured its National Register status, as the oldest operable pin-connected swing bridge in America.
Our state representatives blessed it with the name of beloved local traffic policeman, William F. Cribari.
Route 136, from the bridge up Compo Road South, is now a designated State Scenic Highway, thanks to John Suggs, Helen Garten, Wendy Crowther and Morley Boyd.
The Westport Historic Commission worked successfully with the State Historic Preservation Commission to designate the Bridge Street neighborhood — including the Cribari Bridge — as a National Register District.
Forty years later 35 more home owners reside in The Saugatuck (formerly Saugatuck Elementary School), Westport’s first cooperative affordable housing project. It opened in 1988.
And now there are 8 more families in newly built homes on the street leading to the bridge. More kids wait for school buses, bike, walking dogs, and wave to boats passing through the open bridge.
The open Cribari Bridge. (Photo/Whitmal Cooper)
In “Westport, Connecticut: The Story of a New England Town’s Rise to Prominence,” author Woody Klein reported Hauhuth’s sense of satisfaction with her service as first selectperson, stopped in traffic, waiting for the bridge to close:
A group of people gathered and it was delightful. There were people waving from a sailboat in the water. It was a wonderful, marvelous, small town summer scene. As Bob and I were watching somebody behind us said, “The town did the right thing in keeping this bridge. It’s wonderful.” That made me feel as good as anything I did as first selectman.
The Westporters wearing the t-shirts felt pretty wonderful too. We look back on the work that just needed a shirt to get started, and it makes us feel as good as anything we did.
However, not only did we find the preserved shirt, we found the silk screen used to print it.
Will a 2025 edition be needed for the coming election and CTDOT hearings?
(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
StoryFest — a Westport Library signature event — returns in October, bigger and better than ever.
It’s expanding to a full week of author talks, panel discussions and more.
And it’s just signed its biggest name ever for a closing act.
Shonda Rhimes — the award-winning producer, Westport resident and huge Library fan — takes the stage on Monday, October 20 (7 p.m.).
Closing out the 8th annual StoryFest, she’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of her best-selling memoir, “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.”
With special guests, Rhimes will share the new moments that shaped her life over the past 10 years, plus the fears she conquered and the unexpected joy of embracing life with an open mind.
“This book is the same as before, but it also is not,” said Rhimes. “It is brand new. It has changed. Transformed. Evolved. Grown. Just like me.”
Tickets are $30, and include a signed copy of the 10th-anniversary edition of “Year of Yes.” The price is the same for 1 or 2 seats, and one copy of the book.
StoryFest 2025 runs October 13-20. The largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast, it is a celebration of the story in all its forms and storytellers from across all media. It draws scores of authors and hundreds of readers, writers and fans.
“06880” kicked off our selectpersons’ Instagram Live series yesterday, with Don O’Day and Andrea Moore as guests.
Dave Briggs and I asked the Republican-endorsed candidates about a wide range of topics: Saugatuck development, the Cribari Bridge, the Community Gardens, education, traffic, and much more. Viewers added questions too.
We’ll sit down with the other candidates soon. In the meantime, click here or below to see our conversation with O’Day and Moore.
Democratic selectperson candidates Kevin Christie and Amy Wistreich invite all interested residents to a “Coffee and Conversation” event next Thursday (August 21, 9 to 10:30 a.m., Westport Library McCall room, 2nd floor).
In 1985, Hall & Oates did not play a concert in Westport.
Their “appearance” at the Inn at Longshore — part of our town’s 150th birthday celebration — was a memorable hoax. (Read that fascinating back story here.)
But — a mere 40 years later — John Oates will play in Westport.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has just been added to the Levitt Pavilion’s calendar. He and his Good Road Band are set for next Friday (August 22, 7 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
The Atlantic’s September cover story, “This Is What the End of the Liberal World Order Looks Like” — staff writer Anne Applebaum’s reports from war-torn Sudan — is accompanied by stunning photographs from Pulitzer Prize winner (and 1991 Staples High School graduate) Lynsey Addario.
Applebaum says that Sudan’s suffering offers “a stark preview of what will follow the collapse of the liberal world order and the retreat of U.S. leadership: not a more just world, but a descent into nihilistic violence.” (Hat tip: Rosalie Wolf)
The Atlantic’s September issue features this cover photo by Lynsey Addario.
On Tuesday, the Historic District Commission accepted those designations for these bridges, on town-owned land:
Evergreen Avenue, over Deadman Brook
Jesup Road, over Deadman Brook
Myrtle Avenue, over Deadman Brook.
Greens Farms Road, over Muddy Brook
Cross Highway, over Muddy Brook
Long Lots Road, over Muddy Brook.
The proposal now goes to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), for final approval.
Greens Farms Road bridge, over Muddy Brook (Photo/Wendy Crowther)
=================================================
Popcorn … that staple of movie theaters and baseball stadiums — comes to the Westport Country Playhouse on Monday (August 18, 7 p.m.).
The first event is — appropriately — a movie night. And — appropriately too — the film is “The Sting,” starring Paul Newman. He had a decades-long association with the Playhouse.
(He also owned the restaurant next door, The Dressing Room. It did not sell popcorn.)
The Playhouse’s “gourmet popcorn” comes from Prospector Popcorn in Ridgefield. It’s been handmade for 10 years and sold at the Prospector Theater, supportng the company’s mission to create jobs for people with disabilities.
Prepackaged bags will be available at all Playhouse events for $8 each. They may be brought into the theater itself.
Coming soon, to a Playhouse near you. (Photo/Andrea Quiles)
================================================
Speaking of food: Basso opened in January 2021 — an inopportune time, in the winter and the midst of a pandemic.
But it quickly became one of Westport’s favorites.
Now, Basso celebrates its 18th birthday.
That’s right. The restaurant started in Norwalk, and spent 14 popular years there.
The party begins Friday, August 22 (7:30 p.m.), with live music from Manny Montañez & Friends. Chef Renato Donzelli takes a break from the kitchen, to join on congas. Click here for reservations.
Basso will be filled — as it often is — on August 22.
=================================================
VFW Post 399 reaches out to veterans in many ways.
Next up: a Veterans Benefits Luncheon on Thursday (August 21, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
It’s free, and open to all veterans as part of an ongoing effort to check in on all veterans’ welfare, and connect them with the benefits and support they earned.
Representatives will answer questions, and provide information on services and assistance available to veterans.
RSVPs are encouraged (but not required). Email vfw399ct@gmail.com, and include the number of attendees, or call (203) 227-6796.
PS: If you’re not a veteran, but know one: Please pass the word!
All veterans are invited to the VFW’s free August 21 luncheon.
When I got this photo from ever-alert “06880” reader Jack Backiel, I figured it was a clever AI or Photoshop reference to some residents’ habits of “forgetting” to pick up after their dogs:
Nope. (Noope.)
Turns out to be a business district in Amsterdam.
Damn!
================================================
Dozens of Staples High School football players gathered at Paul Lane Field yesterday for the 6th annual Murph Challenge.
It was a culmination of their summer fundraising, for both the football program and the Catch a Lift Fund (the non-profit that helps post-9/11 combat-injured veterans regain mental and physical health).
The event began with Catch a Lift veteran Andy Smith talking to the players about sacrifice, resilience and commitment.
Then the athletes took on the Murph Challenge. It includesd a mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another mile run.
The 2025 season begins next month.
Andy Smith (far right) addresses the Staples football team.
Longtime Westport resident, entrepreneur and business owner Thomas Roth died on Sunday. He was 80, and had been diagnosed with cancer a month earlier.
The New York native — by then a fabric manufacturer — met his wife Theresa in 1983, at a fabric trade show. His obituary calls their marriage “rich in conversation, travel, and a loving circle of adoring friends and family.”
He loved her children as his own. He doted on his grandchildren, and traveled around the country to watch their sports games, concerts and lays.
His obituary adds, “he had a deep appreciation for beautiful objects and surroundings. His eye for design was unmatched. He skillfully blended new and vintage pieces to elevate any space.”
Tom was an avid boater. He often quoted “Wind in the Willows”: “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
Tom is survived by . His wife of 42 years, Theresa; their children Michael Chaney (Christine) and Anne Delorier (Chris); grandchildren Jack, Ryan and Colin Chaney, and Mason, Miles and Ellie Delorier; brothers Edwin (Joan) and Barry (Anneli), and his “chosen brother” Peter Arest, and nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family is holding a private remembrance. Donations in Tom’s name can be made to the Glioblastoma Foundation.
Tom Roth
================================================
Jonathan Rosenoer sends along today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, of Long Island Sound.
He adds, “I’m not sure how to caption this. It may reflect low air quality. But it’s pretty, all the same.”
And finally … in honor of popcorn coming to the Westport Country Playhouse (story above):
Every day, our Roundup offers news, views — and entertainment options. If “06880” helps you learn more about Westport, and have fun in the process, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
Weston resident Bill Dedman is a Pulitzer- and Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist, and author of the bestselling biography ‘Empty Mansions.” He writes:
Have you or your visitors been confused by the new exit numbers on the Merritt Parkway? Have you noticed the haphazard way that the small “OLD EXIT” number signs vary in placement, from one exit to the next?
As you drive north from the New York line, the first sign for Greenwich at the new Exit 3 (3 miles from the state line), has no smaller sign saying “OLD EXIT 28.”
Exit 4 does have the “OLD EXIT” number on its first sign.
Exit 5 does not.
And so it goes, with “OLD EXIT” markers for a little more than half the first signs for exits between the New York line and Westport.
Exit 42 — er, 21 — does have an “Old Exit” sign 1/2 mile away.
Confusing drivers further, many of the exits have no “OLD EXIT” number at the most important new exit sign: the one where you have to make a go-or-no-go decision to move into the turn lane to make the exit. (Perhaps astonishing other drivers by first putting on your turn signal.)
Yet nearly all the exits do have an “OLD EXIT” number placed right after it’s too late the make the turn — after the exit lane has already split completely from the parkway.
But that sign is often not visible. It’s blocked by the back of the “WRONG WAY” sign placed right next to it, to warn wrong-way drivers.
This sign comes after drivers have already had to make a decision. (Photos/Adrian Mueller)
Most GPS systems have caught up to the new exit numbers. Other systems have not.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation publicized an email address for questions and comments about the new signs: DOT.TrafficEngineering@ct.gov.
So I asked, why not put the small “OLD EXIT” numbers on every new sign? And why do some exits have the “OLD EXIT” on the first sign, when others do not?
I received a kind reply from Tyler Clark, a transportation engineer. He copied senior engineer James Massini and supervising engineer Barry Schilling.
Clark said drivers want fewer signs.
“For the ‘OLD EXIT’ signs, it has been our practice to put one sign at an advance guide sign (1/2 mile or 1 mile type sign) and one sign at the gore (sign at the location where the ramp has split from the mainline),” Clark wrote.
“From our experience, less tends to be more. We have received more complaints about having too many signs, than not enough.”
The “gore” he refers to is an old word for the point at the crotch between the two legs of road and exit ramp. In other words: too late.
The DOT did not say why the signs vary from exit to exit as to whether the first sign has an “OLD EXIT” number.
Nor why the most important sign — the one at the point where drivers have to make a decision — usually does not have that “OLD EXIT” number.
Nor why the only sign that always has the “OLD EXIT” number is the one when it’s already too late to make the turn.
As Westport’s selectperson’s race ramps up, “06880” is there.
This afternoon (4 p.m.), Dan Woog and TV journalist Dave Briggs take their InstagramLive camera into the political arena. We’ll chat with Republican-endorsed candidates Don O’Day and Andrea Moore. It’s the first in a series we’ll do, with all those running.
Find us @06880danwoog at 4 today. We’ll take your questions, and listen to your comments.
===============================================
Westport Rotary Club LobsterFest tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday), at 10 a.m.
Rotary officials sent an incorrect link, which was posted yesterday. Here’s how to get tickets tomorrow morning, starting at 10: Click here, then follow the prompts.
Yesterday morning, alert “06880” reader Mark Mathias spotted 4 of them.
(Photo/Mark Mathias)
Mark has no idea where they came from. Perhaps, he says, they’re friends of the stuffed animal at Trader Joe’s. (It’s “hidden” in the store. If a child finds it and brings it to the front, he or she is rewarded with candy or a sticker.)
There are many mysteries in Westport. (Including at Winslow — for example, the oddly symmetrical, strangely placed slightly creepy hill near the entrance.)
If you’ve got any info — or even a theory — about these stuffed animals, click “Comments” below.
On Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, Westport resident Stew Leonard Jr. threw out the first pitch, against the Minnesota Twins. It was a perfect strike.
The supermarket mogul wore a custom jersey, courtesy of the Yanks, emblazoned with #38 and “Stewie.”
It honored his toddler son, Stew Leonard III, who drowned in 1989. Stewie would have been 38 this year.
Stew was selected for the honor of throwing out the first pitch by Yankees sponsor Mike’s Amazing, in recognition of his quick action in saving a choking crew member at the WPIX Channel 11 studio on August 1.
Mayor Adams declared yesterday “Stew Leonard Day” in New York, in honor of his heroics. Click here or below for the Instagram. (Hat tip: Susan Farley)
Speaking of sports: Staples High School football is just beginning its new season. They’ve got a new coach, Matty Jacowleff.
But some things don’t change. This afternoon, the program hosts its 6th annual Murph Challenge.
It’s a culmination of their summer fundraising, for both the football program and the Catch a Lift Fund (the non-profit that helps post-9/11 combat-injured veterans regain mental and physical health).
The event begins at 4:30 p.m., with Catch a Lift veteran Andy Smith talking to the players about sacrifice, resilience and commitment.
Then the athletes take on the Murph Challenge. It includes a mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 squats, and another mile run. (With a modified version for linemen!)
Everyone is invited to Paul Lane Field, to listen to Smith’s talk, and watch the Wreckers take on the Murph. Donations are welcome by Venmo: @Staples-Gridiron.
================================================
Westport Police made 11 custodial arrests, in the 2 weeks between July 30 and August 12.
Five New York City males, ages 31, 18, 18, 17 and 15, were charged with forgery, and conspiracy to commit forgery, after attempting to pass counterfeit bills at local businesses. The 31-year-old was also charged with risk of injury to a minor.
A 38-year-old Milford man was charged with larceny, criminal attempt and conspiracy to commit larceny, and failure to appear, after officers responded at 3:44 a.m. to a report from a homeowner that someone had entered and searched her unlocked vehicle, parked in her driveway. A nearby resident reported that items had been stolen from his unlocked vehicle too. An officer observed a suspicious vehicle parked in the middle of the road on an adjacent street. The operator fled, but at the same time another man was seen walking toward the vehicle. He admitted to entering the unlocked vehicles. He was unable to post a $10,000 bond. The second suspect’s identity is still under investigation.
A 28-year-old Bridgeport woman was charged with larceny, after complaints from 3 residents regarding missing jewelry from their homes. An investigation revealed that all 3 employed the same cleaning service. An employee of the service was pawning the jewelry. She was unable to post a $250,000 bond.
A 25-year-old Old Greenwich woman was charged with larceny, after shoplifting $14,651 worth of goods at Michells. She was released on a $10,000 bond.
A 41-year-old Stamford man was charge with larceny, after a report that jewelry valued at $10,000 was missing from a home. The suspect worked for a company that provided service at the victim’s home. He was released on a $25,000 bond.
A 43-year-old Westport man was charged with criminal possession of a firearm. He was ineligible to possess the Taurus .357 magnum handgun. He was unable to post a $100,000 bond.
A 59-year-old Stratford man was charged with failure to appear. He was released on a $10,000 bond.
WEstport Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 17 citations
Driving while texting: 12
Failure to obey stop sign: 12
Speeding: 4
Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 4
Distracted driving: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehcile: 3
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 3
Texting while driving (2nd offense): 2
Failure to obey state traffic commission regulations: 2
Possession of a vicious/barking dog: 1
Permitting a dog to roam: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to grant right of way: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Failure to drive right: 1
Improper stop: 1
Failure to insure a motor vehicle: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Failure to carry driver’s license: 1
A citation was issued for a vicious/barking dog. This is not it.
The Planning & Zoning Commission meets in executive session at 4 p.m. today, at the law office f Berchem Moses.
There is one agenda item: “Discussion of pending litigation, Roan Development Ventures LLC v. Planning and Zoning Commission of the Town of Westport, for property at 601, 606, and 609 Riverside Ave, 91 and 96 Franklin St, 2 and 16 Railroad Place (The Hamlet at Saugatuck).”
It is the first of many such discussions, following the filing of a lawsuit against the P&Z by the developer, following denial of its proposed Saugatuck project.
Speaking of public hearings: The Planning & Zoning Department says that scammers have contacted residents regarding zoning and/or public hearing applications.
The bad guys falsely claim that a “public hearing fee” must be paid directly to them before an application can proceed.
The town of Westport will never request payment fees through phone calls, texts, emails or payment apps like Venmo, Zelle or CashApp.
All official fees are paid directly to the town through established, secure payment methods.
Scammers may use official-sounding titles, fake letterheads, or spoofed phone numbers to appear legitimate.
If you receive a suspicious request:
Do not provide personal or financial information.
Do not send payment.
Contact the P&Z Department immediately (203 341-1030) to verify the legitimacy of any request.
Report the incident to the Westport Police Department: 203- 341-6000.
The other day, “06880” published a photo of parking signs downtown.
They showed new 2-hour limits (down from 3) on several streets. (Parking lots are not affected.)
The signs said the limits were in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. — even though the new regulation does not start until 8 .m.
In fact the erroneous signs had already been changed, by the town Highway Department.
They were clearly way ahead of “06880.”
==============================================
Speaking of downtown: The public is invited to his year’s free Japanese Fall Festival (Saturday, September 6, 1-4 p.m., Jesup Geen).
The family-friendly festival is sponsored by the Japan Society of Fairfield County. It features taiko drum performances, brief plays of Japanese folk tales, martial arts demonstrations, and traditional dancing.
We’ve reported on the success of the Fairfield Little League team — regional champs, now competing in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvan — several times, because pitcher Ben Herbst is the son of a Staples grad, nephew of another, and grandson of Mickey and Candace Herbst.
But there are other reasons to root for our neighbors, too.
Jennifer (Zeoli) Curley is a 1996 Staples graduate. Her son Colin is on the team — and her husband Tom is one of the coaches.
Britt (Horton) Dunlap is a 1999 Staples grad. Her son Boden is on the squad too.
Fairfield won their first game in Williamsport last night. They play tomorrow night (Friday, 7 p.m.) against Hawaii. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Here’s hoping they go at least as far as the 2013 Westport team — World Series finalists! (Hat tip: Chuck Haberstroh)
Boden Dunlap, Ben Herbst and Colin Curley are all in this photo.
=================================================
Pam Docters describes today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature photo: “Gorgeous contrast of the blue sky and the white hydrangeas on Saugatuck Shores!”
And finally … you may have predicted this, from the Police Reports (above):
(Winslow Park, Staples football, Westport police — a few of the things that make our town special, all together in one Roundup. If you enjoy features like this, please click here to support us. Thanks!)
That was followed by food trucks. Pizza, hot dogs, tacos, gyros — all (and much more) now comes to you.
But those are small potatoes compared with the newest service: a mobile sauna.
Yep.
You can summon a sauna right to your beach (or corporate event, or party).
The newest addition to your beach party.
And — while you’re at it — you can make it a real Finnish experience, adding a cold plunge.
Plus a shower.
Kiin Sauna may be the hottest (and coolest) new business idea of the year.
Ginger Richardson, with her mobile sauna.
Kiin Sauna is the brainchild of Ginger Richardson. A Canadian native who moved to Texas, she and her husband came to Westport in 2010 for his New York job.
That was “before everything got fancy,” she says. They lived here — loving the nature and this “adorable town” — and in Weston for 11 years. After their divorce, she moved to Fairfield.
By profession, Ginger was an interior designer. She also worked at Local to Market (the former Main Street store across from Cold Fusion), and helps the Westport Farmers’ Market with sponsorships.
But she was always interested in wellness. In 2017 she earned certification as a health coach.
All along, she was a sauna-goer. She was a faithful visitor to an infrared one (now closed) near Jesup Green; then she bought one for her home.
Three years ago, a friend invited her to a cold plunge at Fairfield’s Jennings Beach. She was hooked.
She organized a group to jump in the water all winter long, followed by a sauna at her home.
She began coaching cold plunging. She helped people “tap into their breathing, and find inner strength.”
Native American, Scandinavian and Japanese cultures all understand the benefits of contrast therapy, Ginger says. Coincidentally, she learned that she has Finnish heritage. (Also coincidentally, her son’s name is Finn.)
All the stars aligned.
A mobile sauna (and cold plunge) is a way for people to “do something good for themselves, outside in nature.” Dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine flood a user’s nervous sytem. they feel alert, but also calm.
Kiin Sauna’s cold plunge tub.
A year and a half ago, she bought a sauna tent. It was a start — but flimsy.
Ginger wanted more. She learned of a woman in Maine with a mobile sauna business.
“I was 52 years old. I sold my house, and invested in myself,” Ginger says.
She found a contractor, and designed her own mobile sauna.
Now she’s upgraded to a full mobile unit. It comes complete with a wood-burning stove, solar battery-powered LED lighting and sound system, and shower with a hose hookup. A compressor chills the water in the inflatable cold plunge tub.
Ginger designed the mobile sauna herself. It is a way, she says, to create a beautiful space, one that travels to other beautiful spaces.
Kiin Sauna rolled out — literally, hitched on a trailer to her Toyota 4Runner — 6 weeks ago.
She did a private birthday party at Compo Beach. Guests cold plunged, took a sauna, then watched the sunset. It was “magical,” Ginger says.
Her first big public unveiling was last weekend, at Nod Hill Brewery in Ridgefield. Ginger offered several 1-hour sessions. The sauna seats 7.
When the last group was done, Ginger joined them in the beer garden for dinner.
“It was a pinch-me moment,” she says. “Everyone chatted about their lives, in a casual, joyful way.”
For her and her clients, Kiin Sauna offers a safe space for a healthy activity, and a chance to share human connections.
Fairfield officials have already approved a permit for Southport Beach. She’ll offer regular hours there, after Labor Day.
Meanwhile, Ginger is lining up private events all over the area. Along with her mobile sauna and cold plunge tub, she can arrange for food trucks, yoga sound baths, massages and more.
(“06880″often covers new businesses — the more interesting, the better — and established ones too. If you enjoy stories like these, plesae click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
“For the ‘OLD EXIT’ signs, it has been our practice to put one sign at an advance guide sign (1/2 mile or 1 mile type sign) and one sign at the gore (sign at the location where the ramp has split from the mainline),” Clark wrote.
