Friday’s nor’easter has moved out to sea.
Power is back on. Roads are cleared.
But for this homeowner on Cross Highway, near North Avenue, recovery will take a bit longer.
Meanwhile, tides are still running much higher than normal. This was the scene earlier this afternoon, at the Black Duck.
(Photo/Ward French)
Posted in Environment, Restaurants, Saugatuck, Weather
I guess everyone knew who William “Doc” Skerlick was but me.
Betsy P. Kahn’s photo challenge last week showed a sign honoring the guy. I’d never heard of him — or seen the sign.
But tons of alert “06880” readers knew it hangs at the Saugatuck Trout Management Area on Ford Road. And most of those readers knew who Doc was too.
Michael Calise, David Sampson, Fred Cantor, Jill Turner Odice, Jonathan McClure, Peter Hirst, Mark Saboslai, Bill Blaufuss and Jeff Lea nailed it. Many added interesting details. (Click here for the photo and all responses.)
The best background info came from Peter Hirst (who got it from Dick Alley’s blog). Here is everything you need to know about Doc:
Doc fished both fresh and salt water, kept a daily journal on each and every trip and kept and froze many of his fish. He would fish trout from the beginning of every season until Memorial Day and then switch to another species. He had a goal of a designated number of snapper blues every late summer and early fall, and would end up cooking them for one or more of the many organizations he belonged to. Doc belonged to the Westport Striped Bass Club, Westport Fish & Game, Newtown Fish & Game, Trout Unlimited and many more and seldom missed a meeting. He would drive up to Hartford on any conservation issue.
Doc loved Country music and played a mean harmonica. He traveled to many music festivals and was popular among other attendee’s.
Doc was most of all a teacher. He loved teaching kids how to fish, especially those who ventured into the fly-fishing area which eventually bore his name. He tied flies and made lures and had displays of many of his creations which he was happy to show and talk about wherever anyone made a request.
For even more on Doc, click here.
This week’s challenge has nothing to do with fly fishing. But if you know where in Westport you’d see it, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Larry Untermeyer)
Posted in People, Photo Challenge, Places, Sports
Tagged Dick Alley, William "Doc" Skerlick Trout Management Area
Zenabi is a Westport company. Their headquarters are in the old Town Hall — the stone building next to Restoration Hardware that’s also home to Jesup Hall and Rothbard + Larder restaurants.
I’m not quite sure what Zenabi does. A spokesperson says it’s a “new pioneering tech and artificial intelligence company that helps Fortune 500 companies find signals in their data that drive growth and value.”
Their website says that Fortune 500 companies trust them to “help understand and grow individual relationships.” They also “enable companies to scale their ability to personalize interactions and offers.”
A screenshot from the Zenabi website.
But wait! There’s more!
“Built on cutting edge technology,” Zenabi can “harness powerful science to extract signals and deploy real-time solutions.”
And on and on.
I am sure Zenabi — which is a modern-day company name meaning “????” — is very good at whatever it does. Whatever that is.
But while they’re finding signals, personalizing interactions and deploying real-time solutions, they also want to connect with the local community.
So mark your calendars for Thursday, March 8 (7 p.m., Christ & Holy Trinity Church).
Zenabi will host “Brains & Bands,” which a press release helpfully subtitles “A night to remember in Westport … an event unlike any other.” The release describes this as “some of the most brilliant minds in technology, business and music come together for an epic evening of inspiration and innovation…this self-proclaimed team of ‘Pirates’ and ‘Black Ops’ of the artificial intelligence world” — I guess that’s something else Zenabi is or does — “have the set the stage for titans of industry to share their paths to success with the local community.”
(“Black Ops” might be the right term. A web search for principals brings up a page with names like Michael Flynn and John Doe — and Latin “lorem ipsum dolor” filler in place of bios for all of them.)
The website goes on to describe the event as “documenting an autobiography of what makes an impact.” That sounds — um, something.
Brains & Bands’ “righteous speakers” — the press release’s words, not mine — include:
Well!
The press release says “these speakers will get candid about building a billion-dollar business, running the world’s largest Shark-Tagging research operation, and performing next to legendary bands like Kiss, Alice in Chains and Iggy Pop.”
One of these guys is apparently Vin Dombroski.
The CEO and founder of Zenabi — who, for some reason, is not named — says in the press release, “We’re merging the left and right brain at this event. I want people to know the most important thing you can do is take action in life. All you need is an idea and to carve your own path. We promise you’ll walk away with inspiration, ideas and having a good time.”
The event is free, and open to the public. Zenabi will collect donations there for Phoebe’s Phriends, which raises money for pediatric cancer research.
(There are 2 tiers beyond free — with all proceeds donated to charity. A $500 VIP pass offers “hours of influencer sessions, access to investors and mentors, access to B&B networking, join after parties + SWAG, access to future brains and bands media content movies and more.” A $1,500 Founders pass provides more than that, including “on-stage access.”)
To reserve tickets — free or paid — click here, or contact ellen@zenabidata.com. For more information, click here.
And if you’ve got a story on how Zenabi helped your company scale your ability to personalize interactions and offers, click “Comments” below.
Posted in Local business, Restaurants, technology
Tagged Brains & Bands, Vin Domroski, Zenabi
Two views of Grace K. Salmon Park, on Imperial Avenue. And no, most of that water is not supposed to be there.
(Photos/Patricia McMahon)
TEAM Westport’s essay contest is one of the most intriguing events of the year.
This year’s prompt is particularly interesting and challenging:
Recently, several professional athletes have “taken a knee” during the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to bring attention to — and to protest — ongoing bias and discriminatory practices in American society in general, and by law enforcement officers in particular.
In reaction, some people have called these athletes “unpatriotic.” In 1,000 words or fewer, describe your understanding of what it means to be a patriot, what kinds of behavior you think would be unpatriotic, and what forms of protest against discriminatory laws, customs, or patterns of behavior you would consider legitimate.
Organizers want as many students as possible to participate. Because of bad weather and other events at Staples High School, TEAM Westport has extended the deadline for submissions. It’s now 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13.
The contest — co-sponsored with the Westport Library — is open to students in grades 9 through 12 who attend Staples High School or another school in Westport, or who live in Westport and attend school elsewhere.
Applications are available here. The deadline is March 13. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the library on April 2. Based on the volume and caliber of entries received, judges may award up to 3 prizes. First prize is $1,000; 2nd prize is $750, 3rd is $500.
Comments Off on TEAM Westport Essay Contest Deadline Extended
Posted in Organizations, Sports, Staples HS, Teenagers
Tagged taking a knee, TEAM Westport
Nationally, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre galvanized groups to act.
Locally, last week’s near-tragedy at Staples High School sparked quick action too.
WestportMoms — the great parents’ resources organization — is sponsoring “Make It Stop,” a gun violence protection forum. It’s this Tuesday (March 6, 10 a.m., Unitarian Church, 10 Lyons Plains Road).
Experts from CT Against Gun Violence, Moms Demand Action and Sandy Hook Promise join Westport chief of police Foti Koskinas. Melissa Kane will moderate.
The event will be livestreamed; just follow “WestportMoms” on Facebook or Instagram. A dial-in number for people who cannot attend will also be available, via those platforms.
The event is free, and open to the public. To get a sense of the numbers though, attendees are asked to email info@westportmoms.com.
In addition, superintendent of schools Colleen Palmer has announced that the Westport school district will host an informational session on school safety and security. It’s set for Wednesday, March 14 (7 p.m., Bedford Middle School auditorium).
An overview will be followed by a question-and-answer session. First responder representatives will be there too.
Yesterday’s mega-storm brought this monster tree down on Canal Street.
(Photo/Larry Untermeyer)
Westporters had to find an alternate route to two of the most important spots in town: Crossroads Ace Hardware, and Coffee An’.
Posted in Local business, Restaurants, Weather
More than a dozen years ago, Lisa Addario and her husband/screenwriting partner Joe Syracuse had an idea. Saddam Hussein was in hiding. What if the Iraqi president showed up in suburbia?
The script became a Hollywood favorite. It made the “black list”: top executives’ favorite un-produced scripts.
For more than a decade, it remained unmade.
Meanwhile, Lisa — a 1986 Staples graduate — and Joe had plenty of success. They wrote “Parental Guidance,” starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler; “Surf’s Up,” an animated penguin film, and “Amateur Night,” based on Joe’s real-life adventures driving hookers around Los Angeles, while Lisa was pregnant with their daughter.
Joe Syracuse and Lisa Addario.
A financier who loved “Amateur Night” wondered what happened to that Hussein script (at that point, called “Coup d’état”). When he heard “nothing,” he agreed to raise funds for it.
Which took another couple of years.
Finally, shooting was about to begin. But Anthony Hopkins’ schedule no longer worked. When he pulled out, so did a major financial backer.
Michael Caine replaced Hopkins. Then — at the very last minute — Maisie Williams dropped out too.
At last, the cast — including Katie Holmes and Odeya Rush — was ready. They and the crew assembled in Savannah.
It was a “brutal, grueling” shoot, Lisa says. But, she notes, “most indie movies have a back story.”
The Hollywood Reporter called it “fiercely funny social satire,” adding:
There’s not much humor to be found in contemporary world affairs. Clearly what’s needed is a pointed satire highlighting the inherent absurdity governing global politics today, and “Coup d’Etat” may just fit the bill.
At last, the film — now called “Dear Dictator” — is ready for release. It will play in 10 cities, beginning Friday, March 16. The New York venue is the IFC Center (323 Sixth Avenue, at West Third Street).
Lisa says the long wait was well worth it. “Nothing ever turns out the way you expected,” she says. “But I think we have a great movie.”
She and Joe are now shopping “Scissor Happy.” It’s her take on growing up in the 1980s, with 3 sisters and a gay hairdresser father.
“People love that script too!” she says happily.
Hopefully, audiences won’t have to wait until 2030 to see it.
(Besides its theatrical release, “Dear Dictator” will be available for purchase on cable VOD, iTunes and Amazon beginning March 16.)
Posted in Arts, Entertainment, People, Staples HS
Tagged "Amateur Night" film, "Dear Dictator", "Parental Guidance, Joe Syracuse, Lisa Addario
Recent Main Street scene: 9:45 a.m. (Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)
Kellie Iannacone is a 2017 Staples High School graduate, now a 1st-year student at the Villanova University School of Business. She writes:
I was walking into a review session with my English professor when I got the text. It was from my younger brother, a sophomore at Staples.
His message read: “I’m freaking out”
Since leaving Westport to attend Villanova as freshman this fall, text conversations between my brother and I normally consist of a meme back and forth, or him looking for advice on what classes to take as a rising junior.
So when I received his message on Tuesday, I knew something was wrong.
Before I even had time to respond, a screen shot of superintendent Palmer’s message to parents surfaced in my hometown group chat. I put 2 and 2 together, and was horrified.
I alerted my teacher. She was extremely understanding, letting me use my phone throughout the session and even offering to reschedule if I could not focus.
During the next few hours I felt a fear I had never experienced before. It’s like watching your worst nightmare play out in real life, and feeling that your heart may beat out of your chest. I could not rest easy until I heard from my brother he had made it through the front door of our house.
Kellie and Zachary Iannacone.
As I write this on my train ride to Westport for spring break, I know I could have been coming home to a completely different outcome. Rather than returning to a full household, I know I could have returned to my household minus one, my neighborhood minus one, my town minus one (or even worse, multiple people).
From hundreds of miles away, I told my brother I didn’t want him to go to school Wednesday morning. From hundreds of miles away I felt the pain, heartache and fear that my hometown was enduring. From hundreds of miles away I felt the need to run home, and shelter my brother and community from any future possible
As a first year college student, my biggest worries should be trying to combat the freshman 15 and walking into the showers only to find they are all full. My biggest worry should not be that when I go back to school a a little over a week from now that my brother, my friends, and my former educators will possibly be taken from me before I return to Westport again. My biggest fear should not be that when I go back to Villanova I could face the same threats.
I want kindergartners to be able to play on the playground without fear a shooter will enter school grounds. I want middle schoolers to enjoy the new array of options in the cafeterias without fear that an intruder will come after them. I want high schoolers to get excited about going to college and finding themselves, not fearing that they may not even make it there.
Many people refer to us as living in the “Westport bubble.” That means we live in some form of perfected alternative reality, compared to the rest of the world. With the incidents last Tuesday, I believe that we are no different than the rest of the world.
Mass school shootings and gun violence are issues beyond our personal control. We are told “if you see something, say something,” but I think we can all agree we’ve seen enough.
I cannot stress more the need to pop this bubble, and let our voices be heard.
Posted in Education, Staples HS, Teenagers
Tagged Kellie Iannacone, Staples High School lockdown, Villanova University
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