Filling in the Blanks does important work. The Norwalk non-profit provides fresh, nutritious meals to more than 10,000 food-insecure children on weekends, in Fairfield, Westchester and Putnam Counties.
Shonda Rhimes does important work too. So it’s fitting that the famed producer, screenwriter, director and author — and Westport resident — will receive the organization’s Philanthropist of the Year award, at their 6th Annual Plates with Purpose Gala, (September 27, Serafresca at the IC, Stamford).
Rhimes has dedicated resources to addressing food insecurity, through her Fresh Food on the Move mobile pantry.
Registration is open for Wakeman Town Farm’s many great fall kids’ programs.
They include “Little Farmer Parent & Me” (ages 0-3); “Curious Sprouts” (ages 3-5, with caregiver); “Fantastic Farmhands” (ages 6-10); “Green Teen Club” (ages 11-14), and an inclusive neurodiverse farmer program (ages 3-11+).
And the Westport Woman’s Club hopes that when you do, you donate new or gently used clothes and acccessories, for their annual sale (October 24-26). All proceeds benefit local charities, and families in need.
Donations can be dropped off at the club (44 Imperial Avenue), weekdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and 2 and 4 p.m
Longtime Westporter Nancy Greenspan Wilson is a local coordinator with Interexchange Au Pair USA, a non-profit agency.
Her job is to support young women and men as they live with American host families, help care for children, and share their language, customs, and culture.
She also helps them feel welcomed in our community. One way is through an annual Exchange Day. Local families, businesses and organizations open their doors to au pairs.
This year’s Exchange Day kayaking event (Sunday, August 17, 3 p.m., Sea Kayak), brings together au pairs, and anyone else who would like to participate. Pizza at Riko’s follows.
RSVP by August 14. Double and single kayaks and paddleboards available at discounted rates. Pizza is also discounted. Email nwilson@lc.interexchange.org, or call 203-286-3495. For information about hosting an au pair, click here.
Au pairs and friends at Sea Kayak.
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The Long Lots School Building Committee meets tonight at 6 p.m. (Town Hall Room 201/201A).
They’ll hear a project update, and review interior and exterior building design elements. Public comment is allowed.
Planning continues tonight for Long Lots Elementary School.
Staples High School Class of 2011 graduate Shannon Moss is a producer on the film “East of Wall.” The film is about a horse trainer wrestling with financial issues and unresolved grief, while hosting a group of wayward teenagers on her ranch.
It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it won the Audience Award. It premiered in New York at the Tribeca Festival earlier this summer.
“East of Wall” will show at the Avon Theater in Stamford from August 15-21, then nationwide.
Congratulations to the Fairfield Nationals Little League team.
Our friends to the east defeated Smithtown/St. James, New York 12-1. The huge win sends them to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
A key player — Ben Herbst — is the son of 1992 Staples High School graduate David Herbst, the nephew of Westport phys. ed. teacher Jon Herbst (SHS ’96), and grandson of longtime Westporters Mickey and Candace Herbst.
Ben Herbst (center) celebrates with his Fairfield teammates.
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We get a lot of “Westport … Naturally” photos of individual animals.
We seldom get one like this, where they’re together.
Ray Broady spotted the Hieronymus Bosch-like scene in his Cross Highway back yard, near North Avenue.
And finally … in honor of our “Westport … Naturally” photo (above), here’s a 1970s song by our own 1966 Staples grads, Rob Carlson and Jon Gailmor. Why their record label failed to make it a #1 song shows all that was wrong with the record industry.
(“06880” is the only place in the world now to hear Carlson & Gailmor — and learn all you need to know about Westport. If you enjoy our hyper-local blog, please click here to support us. Thanks!)
If you know Molly Healey, you know she knows good food.
The Weston High School and Johnson & Wales graduate worked at Blue Hill, then did “cool, high-capacity catering” in the Bay Area for companies like Facebook and Salesforce.
Now you can enjoy her home-cooked meals, soups, salads and more — made with love, and without additives — without (literally) lifting more than a finger.
Molly Healey
Molly’s latest venture is Hemma Kitchen. Named for a Swedish word suggesting a comfortable feeling of home, it’s a once-a-week meal delivery service. All ordering is done online.
Meals come in compostable containers. It’s a healthful boon for overworked parents, singles who don’t care to cook, and older folks who have done their share of cooking already.
Each delivery can last a week. But Hemma’s food is so delicious, it may be gone before then.
Mediterranean lamb meatballs, and more.
Molly has identified a sweet spot between dining out (fun, time-consuming, expensive) and paying a personal chef to come cook (intrusive, expensive).
Her food is delivered pre-cooked (with re-heating instructions, if needed).
The a la carte menu changes weekly, so diners don’t get bored. (Or kids — their lunches are a big part of her service.) All meals are covered, including breakfast. (Baked goods are a specialty.)
Hemma Kitchen’s kids’ lunches.
The menu goes live at 9 a.m. every Thursday. It stays online through noon on Sunday.
Molly works in a commercial kitchen on Saugatuck Avenue (formerly Cabbages & Kings). Her equipment is new — as fresh as her food.
Deliveries are made (anywhere in Fairfield County) on Tuesday afternoons, between 4 and 6. If you’re not home, Molly suggests leaving a cooler outside.
“People really like the ease of this,” Molly says. “They know the food is not boring. And they can tell it’s all made from scratch.”
“It’s insane how good her food is,” one customer tells “06880.”
Favorite items include chicken tortilla soup, salmon burgers, roasted veggie and turkey burgers, and carrot muffins.
Vegan salad: Gotham greens, carrot “bacon,” marinated beets and chickpeas, quinoa crunch, and coconut ranch.
Looking ahead, Molly will be at the Fairfield International Food Fest on Labor Day weekend, and hopes to sell at Weston’s Lachat Town Farm too.
But you don’t have to go anywhere for a meal (or meals) from Hemma Kitchen.
PS: Here’s a special offer for “06880” readers: Use the code HELLOHEMMA for 20% off your first order!
(“06880” reports often on Westport’s diverse culinary scene. If you enjoy this coverage — or anything else on our hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Addison Moore is the youngest guest we’ve ever had on our “06880” podcast.
He’s also one of the most interesting.
A 2023 Staples High School graduate, and a rising senior at Lafayette College, Addison started one of Fairfield County’s largest youth community service groups.
He is living proof that young people today do care about much more than themselves (and their phones).
Now Addison is taking his activism one step further. He’s planning a run for the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) — the youngest candidate ever.
The other day, Addison stopped by the Westport Library, to chat about his love for this town, his service to it, and his future here. Click below to hear his well-spoken, passionate insights.
As of today, there may be only competitive races in 4 of the 9 Representative Town Meeting districts.
Here’s the breakdown. (NOTE: Each district elects 4 members. The RTM is non-partisan.)
District 1: Incumbents: Andrew Bloom, Matthew Mandell, Kristin Mott Purcell, Chris Tait. Petitioning: Gail Coykendall.
District 2: Incumbents: Jay Keenan, Melissa Levy, Louis Mall, Mike Perry. Petitions not yet returned: Harris Falk, Jenna Petok.
District 3: Incumbents: Ross Burkhardt, Jimmy Izzo, Pamela Troy-Kopack. Incumbent not running: Don O’Day.
District 4: Incumbents: Andrew Colabella, Clarence Hayes, Jeff Wieser. Petitions not yet returned: Victoria Wylie, Charles Lucas, Cara Zimon. Incumbent not running: Noah Hammond.
District 5: Incumbents: Peter Gold, Karen Kramer, Dick Lowenstein, Claudia Shaum.
District 6: Incumbents: Candace Banks, Seth Braunstein, Alma Sarelli. Incumbent not running: David Rosenwaks.
District 7: Incumbents Brandi Briggs, Jack Klinge, Ellen Lautenberg. Petition not yet returned: Joseph Carson. Incumbent not running: Lauren Karpf.
District 8: Incumbents: Wendy Goldwyn Batteau, Rachel Steel Cohn. Incumbents not running: Ari Benmosche, Julie Whamond.
District 9: Incumbents: Jennifer Johnson, Nancy Kail, Sal Liccione, Kristin Schneeman. Petition not yet returned: Addison Moore.
To qualify for the November 4 ballot, candidates must collecct at least 25 signatures from registered voters in their district. Completed petitions must be returned to the town clerk by September 9.
For more information about the petition process or other election questions, contact Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton: 203-341-1105; jdunkerton@westportct.gov.
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Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, August 12) for this year’s Westport Library “Booked for the Evening” fundraiser, with Sara Jessica Parker.
The Emmy Award-winning actor, producer, publisher and businesswoman will be honored September 10.
And — because she wants readers to check out the space, and meet “rock star” office manager Lindy Steinorth — she invites people to email Lindy (westportct@officeevolution.com), or call her (203-635-8770).
Just mention “06880,” for a free trial. PS: Tell Lindy she rocks!
Office Evolution manager Lindy Steinorth (left) and Westport owner Laura Kaufman.
Calling all pickleball players. And fans of Tom Lowrie. And everyone else who wants to celebrate.
On August 23 (3 to 5:30 p.m.), the pickleball courts at Compo Beach will be dedicated in honor of Lowrie.
The 97-year-old is “the father of Westport pickleball” (and much more).
Theree will be an exhibition with professional, nationally ranked players (and prizes). And the Y’s Men’s Hoot Owls will provide musical entertainment.
Bring your own beach chair and refreshments. Watch the pros. Honor Tom. And then play afterward, on the Tom Lowrie Courts.
Aaron Judge, and furry Gus and Penny, are teaming up with Westport Animal Shelter Advocates and Earth Animal, to help homeless dogs in around Connecticut.
Each “Judge” dog toy is $29.99. All proceeds to go to WASA.
This year alone, the non-profit has covered almost $11,000 worth of emergency care for animals abandoned in Westport. Additional funds have been spent elsewhere in the state.
The Wood Brothers brought their progressive Americana sound to the Levitt Pavilion last night, as the 51st season of great outdoor entertainment continued.
Former Westport teacher Lois Green died peacefully at her North Carolina home on May 18. She was 95.
The Adelphi University (BA) and Fairfield University (MA) graduate and her family were longtime residents of Westport, apart from a stay in Sydney, Australia between 1970 and 1977.
Lois taught special education and reading in the Westport Public Schools, ranging from kindergarten to high school.
She served as a Westport Education Association representative, and volunteered with the League of Women Voters.
After retirement she continued her advocacy as a court appointed guardian ad litem, representing foster children with special education needs in the courts and school systems. Lois supported many human rights, social justice and environmental causes.
Lois had a passion for learning as well as teaching. She was an inaugural member of a philosophy class at the University of North Carolina that brought college-age students and older community members together to share perspectives. She attended classes until a few weeks before her final illness.
She and her late husband Paul were world travelers, by car, ship, foot and plane.
Lois is survived by her children Julie Altschuler (Scott), Mark (Michele Karel), and Jonathan (Christiane Auston); grandchildren Rena Behar (David Gabriel), David Behar, Michael Green (Andrea Hinojosa Nieto), Lizzie Green, Sarah Green and Owen Auston-Babcock, nephews, and her lifelong dearest friend, Arlene Wang.
Lois Green
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In these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, there’s nothing more soothing than today’s Saugatuck River “Westport … Naturally” scene.
And finally … in honor of the Aaron Judge dog toy promotion (story above):
(We won’t judge you if you don’t support “06880.” But on the other hand: If you’re reading this, and enjoying us, and learning about our town, why don’t you? Please click here — and thank you!)
Anna Mahon was a Division I athlete at the University of Vermont. She threw the hammer 160 feet in practice.
If her coach was watching though, she dropped to 140 feet.
In meets, she managed only 120.
Before her junior year, Anna addressed her performance anxiety with the help of a sports psychologist.
She went on to compete in the 2004 Olympics, in Athens.
Two decades later, that athletic background — and her understanding of how human beings act, learn and grow — stands Dr. Mahon in good stead.
Dr. Anna Mahon
The former psychology and English major — and Olympian — is Westport’s new assistant superintendent of schools for teaching and learning. She replaces Dr. Anthony Buono, who retired.
Mahon is a versatile athlete. In addition to track (hurdles, long jump, shot put), she was a 4-year swimmer at Stamford High. At UVM, a coach saw her potential as a hammer thrower.
But what she calls “significant performance anxiety” dogged her — and not just on the field. “I was not a good test taker. I got nervous with assessments,” she says.
She sought out noted sports psychologist Dr. Alan Goldberg. Her confidence — and distances — surged. She missed qualifying for the 1996 Olympics (where women’s hammer throw was an exhibition sport) by one spot.
She then followed several family members into teaching, and earned a master’s in education at Boston University.
She was hired as a Darien High School English teacher. But she missed competing, so she also trained for up to 25 hours a week with the Southern Connecticut State University coach.
She continued to work on the mental aspect of her sport. As she grew as a teacher, she used her own personal growth to help students through their own stresses.
Mahon and her husband Sean — a former high jumper on SCSU’s national championship team — bought a home in Orange.
The commute was tough. He was beginning his caeer as a physical education and health teacher at Amity Regional High, just 4 miles away (he is now the department chair), so she began teaching there too.
John Brady — a former administrator in Westport — took over as suprintendent for Amity Regional School District #5.
“He also brought the Westport concept of the 3 A’s — academics, arts and athletics — to the district,” Mahon notes. “He had a very strong vision of excellence.”
His support of her travel for her sport ws important as well, she says. From 2004 to 2012 she coached men’s and women’s throwers at Yale University. Her athletes set national and school records.
Mahon was named associate principal in 2010, and principal in 2015. Another superintendent during that time was former Westport administrator Chip Dumais.
Mahon — who had earned a doctorate — had no intention of leaving Amity. But an assistant superintendent position opened up in Brookfield. The opportunity to work in a variety of areas — curriculum, human resources, special education and more — was appealing.
Which brings her to her next exciting professional challenge: Westport.
“Anthony (Buono) left this office in tip-top shape,” Mahon says. “The curriculum documents are all online. I’m here to support that work.”
And take it to the next level. She looks forward to working on Westport’s AI initiative.
Westport is “a state and national leader” in examing the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning, she says. Six groups are working on various elements, under superintendent Thomas Scarice’s direction.
“We’re examining everything, from vision and ethics to the impact on students and teachers,” Mahon adds.
She is excited too by the work CJ Shamas, Ashley Moran and others are doing in the area of growth mindset for continuous development. Their work can be scaled out to the entire district.
“My experience at the highest level of competitive sports has instilled in me a profound understanding of discipline, resilience and perseverance,” she says.
Those qualities “are eseental for fostering a growth mindset within our school community.”
Mahon believes that those and many other past experiences align with the Westport Public Schools’ “clear vision of good leadership.”
Since she began on July 1, she has met with principals, program leaders and coordinators. She’s met elementary school families too, as they check in at libraries for summer reading.
“It’s nice to start in July. But now I’m ready for school to start,” Mahon says.
Dr. Anna Mahon, in her Town Hall office. Her daughter’s swim posters are on the wall. (Photo/Dan Woog)
It will be an active fall. But Mahon has always been on the go.
Last year, her family went to Paris for the Olympics They were in the Stade de France — the same venue where in 2003 she placed 7th at the World Championship. (She finished in the mid-20s, out of 50, at the Olympics the following year.)
Mahon no longer competes. But she’s an avid spectator for her daughter Grace, a University of New Hampshire swimmer, and football-playing son Lance. After a post-grad year at Choate Rosemary Hall, he’ll play at the State University of New York-Stony Brook.
They (and their 2 dogs) enjoy getting away to their second home in Vermont, for skiing and snowmobiling.
From those sports to her younger years, as a swimmer and hammer thrower, Dr. Anna Mahon has been an individual sport athlete.
But a colleague who has worked with her since July 1 uses a team sport analogy to describe her impact on the Westport Public Schools.
He calls her “a grand slam.”
(“06880” frequently covers the education beat: schools, achievements, trends, staff and students. If you enjoy these stories, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Disaster was averted this afternoon off Compo Beach.
But not before dozens of police and pleasure boats searched Long Island Sound, and hundreds of beachgoers watched with worry.
The drama began when an abandoned kayak was spotted a couple of hundred yards offshore.
The Westport Police leaped into action. So did those from other jurisdictions. Fire Department trucks raced to the scene.
Chris Tait — the District 1 Representative Town Meeting member, on his boat in the water — saw Westport Police pull a kayak out of the water. He heard them radio an appeal to all boaters in the area, to be on the lookout for anyone who might have been in the kayak.
Westport Police boat, searching Long Island Sound off Compo Beach. (Hat tip and photo/Jim Hood)
Chris called his daughter Emmah — a Staples High School graduate, and rising sophomore at Colorado State University — who was in another boat. He told her what was happening.
“Oh yeah,” she said. “I picked him up!”
Emmah told Chris that earlier in the afternoon, she had seen a man hanging on to a kayak, waving in distress.
He was not wearing a life preserver, and appeared exhausted.
She helped him into her boat. He said he had been in the water for about 45 minutes.
They tried to get his kayak into Emmah’s craft, but could not.
So the man — a Westport resident in his 40s — sat next to Emmah’s dog, as she brought him back to Ned Dimes Marina, where his car was parked.
Apparently, he told no one that his kayak was still floating in the Sound. He got in his car and drove home.
But at the same time — as Emmah pulled into her slip — a police boat sped out of the marina. A boater had just called in a report of an upside-down kayak.
Chris quickly texted a photo of the kayak — which had been distributed earlier, by Westport Police — to Emmah.
Kayak, in police vessel.
She confirmed that it was the abandoned kayak.
Chris informed the police. All units returned to shore.
Congratulations and thanks to all the boaters — police and private — who responded.
And of course to Emmah and Chris Tait, for their alert and crucial help too.
That door was the subject of last week’s Photo Challenge. Tom Green, Diane Bosch, Cathy Malkin, Amy Schneider, Andrew Colabella and Jonathan McClure all nailed it.
With a variety of descriptions of the house.
Meanwhile: Hooray! It’s “wine o’clock.”
If you know where in Westport you’d see this sign, click “Comments” below.
We’ll drink to that.
(Photo/Kira Ganga Kieffer)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
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Mahon and her husband Sean — a former high jumper on SCSU’s national championship team — bought a home in Orange.
Westport is “a state and national leader” in examing the impact of artificial intelligence on teaching and learning, she says. Six groups are working on various elements, under superintendent Thomas Scarice’s direction.
