Today’s Great Duck Race drew hundreds of spectators — and a couple of thousand ducks — to Jesup Green.
The annual Sunrise Rotary Club fundraiser had everything: no clear favorite, a close finish, and $10,000 in prizes.
All it lacked was a way for anyone to figure out which duck was theirs.
They’re off!
A packed start …
… but then the fastest ducks take the lead …
… and there’s a photo finish …
… while the many losers lag behind. (Screenshot photos/Mark Mathias video)
If you couldn’t find something to do in Westport today, you just weren’t trying.
Downtown pulsed with the energy of thousands of Westporters and visitors, of all ages.
The Sunrise Rotary Club sponsored their annual Great Duck Race and Family Faire, on Jesup Green.
The race offered a chance to win a $5,000 grand prize, among others. The fair offered games for kids, vendors for adults, and food for all.
Meanwhile, the 60th annual jUNe Day offered dozens of United Nations families a chance to enjoy a Westport experience, at Longshore, Compo Beach, Wakeman Town Farm, Earthplace and more.
The day began on Jesup Green — at the start of the Family Faire — with welcomes from dignitaries (including Westporter Aye-Aye Thant, daughter of former UN Secretary General U Thant), food, and a chance to mix and mingle.
Getting away from the UN, for a day in an American suburb.
A few steps away on Main Street and nearby, the Westport Downtown Association’s Sidewalk Sale offered bargains from merchants — some of whose stores are not downtown — along with (hey, why not?) haircuts right there on the street.
The Sidewalk Sale continues today (Saturday) until 5 p.m. It’s on again tomorrow (Sunday), from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Plenty of shoppers outside Vineyard Vines.
There’s always something happening in Westport. Today, there just happened to be a bit more than usual.
Little girl, big duck.
Felicia Catale offers a sidewalk service.
Sunrise Rotarians are feeling ducky.
You’ve heard of touch-a-truck events. At the Family Faire, kids could touch — and get into — a Westport cop car.
The United Nations soccer team, before heading off to play. (All photos/Dan Woog)
Miggs Burroughs created today’s jUNe Day globe. “06880”‘s Dan Woog supports it. (Photo/Miggs Burroughs)
Posted in Downtown
Tagged Great Duck Race, Jesup Green, jUNe Day, Sidewalk Sales, Sunrise Rotary Club, Westport Downtown Association
The Levitt Pavilion lawn was packed last night for the Tom Petty Project, a tribute band.
The waiting was the hardest part.
(Photo/Sean Bernand for Levitt Pavilion)
(Photo/Jerry Kuyper)
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Meanwhile, a few yards away, Mystic Bowie thrilled a full house with his “Talking Dreads” concert. It was (we think) the world’s largest reggae dance party ever, at a library.
Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth were there. Other Tom Tom Club members paid a visit to the dressing room.
Just another night of great, diverse, high energy and very cool music in Westport.
Mystic Bowie (Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)
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Speaking of entertainment: When “The Phantom of the Opera” returns to New York next month — as “Masquerade,” an immersive experience — the cast will include Tony Award winner Diane Paulus.
And a face very familiar to Westporters.
Staples High School Class of 2013 graduate Clay Singer will be on stage too.
Two years after closing — as the longest-running show in Broadway history — the new “Phantom” will allow audiences to “experience the music of the night more intimately than ever before … from the highest rooftop to the subterranean lair deep below the Opera Populaire.”
Tickets go on sale Monday (June 30).
Clay Singer
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Westport’s Department of Human Services wants to make sure that everyone knows there are plenty of, well, “human services” available, in a variety of areas.
They include:
Connecticut Renter’s Rebate Program: Residents must have lived in Connecticut for at least 1 year, be 65 or older or receiving Social Security Disability Income, and had a 2024 income of $45,200 or less (single) or $55,100 or less (married). Click here for details.
Free summer food bags, for children who receive free or reduced lunch. Click here for details.
Career Coach Bus: Monday, June 30, across from the Gillespie Center (2 sessions: 10 a.m.-noon; 1-3 p.m.). Hands-on workshop introduces the fundaments of AI for a job search, including crafting a resume to preparing for interviews with confidence.
Positive Directions Support Groups:
For information about these and other Positive Directions programs, click here.
For more information about the Department of Human Services, click here.
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A few spots remain for Wakeman Town Farm’s 4 summer programs.
Children ages 4 to 14 will work in gardens and with live animals, and participate in a variety of projects. The camps are:
Click here for details and registration.
Youngsters at Wakeman Town Farm’s Little Farmers summer camp.
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Over 80 members and guests of the Westport Rotary Club attended last night’s “Pass the Gavel” clambake and ceremony at the Ned Dimes Marina.
In the photo below, new president Peter Helt accepts the Rotary Gavel from outgoing president Goldie James.
(Photo/Dave Matlow)
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Sure, today is the Great Duck Race. (The Fun Faire runs from now through 2 p.m., at Jesup Green; the actual race is at 1 p.m. Click here for details.)
But yesterday morning, Janine Scotti spotted this great (okay, just okay) goose race, a few yards away in the Saugatuck River.
It’s today’s very appropriate “Westport … Naturally” feature photo.
(Photo/Janine Scotti)
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And finally … what else?
(The Duck Race is one the great things about Westport. So is “06880.” We hope you enjoy both — and support us. For your hyper-local blog, please click here. We thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: Tom Petty, Mystic Bowie, Phantom Of The Opera …
Posted in Children, Entertainment, Environment, Library, Staples HS
Tagged Clay Singer, Department of Human Services, Levitt Pavilion, Mystic Bowie, Positive Directions, Wakeman Town Farm, Westport Rotary Club
Summer’s here!
If you didn’t know it … just take a look at some of this week’s submissions to our online art gallery.
As always, this feature is open to all. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone can contribute.
And as always, no matter 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.
“It’s a Beach Day” (Cohl Katz)
“Balloons in a Field” — digital painting (Ken Runkel — Available for purchase; click here)
“Azalea in the Rain” (Karen Weingarten)
Untitled (Tom Doran — Available for purchase; click here)
“Richie’s Sand Trap Blast” (Eric Bosch)
Untitled (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)
Amy Schneider had stone coasters made from these photos she took of Westport scenes.
“Scene at the Shore” — pencil and watercolor (Steve Stein)
“‘Ready for us to explode in beauty and kindness? Here we come!’ (Sri Lanka)” (Mike Hibbard)
“Light and Shadow” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Comments Off on Online Art Gallery #272
Posted in Arts
Tagged Amy Schneider, Duane Cohen, Eric Bosch, Karen Weingarten, Ken Runkel, Lawrence Weisman, Mike Hibbard, Steve Stein, tom Doran
The Haberstroh family has long set the gold standard for civic involvement in Westport.
Charlie and his wife Patty were involved in a long list of activities, from politics (Board of Finance, RTM, Board of Selectmen, Parks & Recreation Commission) and sports (you name it), to social welfare (Department of Human Services).
Their children continue the tradition, without missing a beat.
Patty Haberstroh
When Patty — a beloved and long-time Human Services family coordinator — was diagnosed with ALS, the Haberstrohs added their prodigious energy to education, advocacy and fundraising around the debilitating and deadly disease.
They started the Pepper Challenge — which raised over $1 million. They convinced Major League Baseball to initiate an annual Lou Gehrig Day.
Tom Haberstroh created Hoops4ALS. The movement has united baskeetball players, coaches and fans around the country.
Two years after Patty’s death, they’ve added a new venture: golf.
On June 17th, brothers Chuck and Steve — a former Staples High School All-State golfer — played 100 holes in Hartford, to raise funds to fight ALS.
No big deal? That was 100 holes in one day.
The group of 24 — including ESPN NFL analyst and Westport resident Dan Orlovsky — teed off at 5 a.m. They finished nearly 16 hours later, at 8:45 p.m.
Dan Orlovsky, midway through the long but rewarding day.
They did it all in pouring rain — all day long.
That was challenging, Chuck says. But, he notes, “it was nothing compared to what our mom dealt with battling ALS.”
The long, emotional day brought in over $450,000.
Funds go to 3 charities. ALS TDI is laser-focused on finding cures and treatment for the disease. Team Gleason is a leader in developing and sharing technology for people living with ALS.
Experience Camps — based here in Westport – is a national program offering year-round programs for children whose parents or caregivers have died.
Chuck and Steve Haberstroh, with a sign honoring their mother at Keney Park.
“We ain’t stopping!” promises Chuck.
In fact, he adds, contributions are still coming in. To donate to the Haberstrohs’ (and Orlovsky’s) team, click here.
Posted in Sports
Tagged ALS, Charlie Haberstroh, Chuck Haberstroh, Dan Orlovsky, Patty Habestr, Tom Haberstroh
Compo Beach flags (Photo/Scott Smith)
What’s next for Saugatuck?
Will the Hamlet — the retail/residential/event space/marina complex — be built there? Or will a massive 8-30g housing complex rise instead?
No one knows yet. But a great deal of attention has been paid, by town officials and residents, to the corner of Riverside Avenue and Railroad Place.
That’s an important spot — at the train station, near the railroad underpass — with a storied past.
Back in the 1890, it housed Westport’s post office (far right in the photo below), and a few stores.
(Photo courtesy of Christopher Maroc)
The post office today is Steam Coffee Bar. More stores — and restaurants — are nearby.
Unlike today, parking did not seem to be an issue.
(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!)
There will be no referendum on Long Lots Elementary School.
Toni Simonetti had 14 days to collect 2,015 signatures — 10% of all eligible voters in the most recent election. She hoped to slash the proposed $103,190,124 expenditure for a new school to $90 million.
Yesterday was the petition deadline. Only 71 signatures were turned in. The drive was 1,944 signatures short.
Planning will proceed for a new Long Lots, without a referendum.
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Good news!
The most recent bacteria tests for Compo and Burying Hill came back negative yesterday. The beaches have reopened.
Whew!
Everyone back in the water! (Photo/Rowene Weems)
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Tickets are selling well for Wednesday’s fireworks show at Compo Beach — aka Westport’s Best Party of the Year. Only a small number remain.
A few residents have asked about this year’s price increase, the first in several years.
Westport PAL — the longtime co-sponsor, and beneficiary of the fundraiser — explains that costs have risen dramatically for everything: the barge, insurance, and the fireworks themselves.
Melissa and Doug Bernstein generously underwrite part of the costs, as they’ve done for years. Without their help, PAL would net only about $2,000.
Proceeds helps fund PAL programs that serve programs that serve thousands of youngsters each year, plus the Longshore skating rink and college scholarships. Click here to learn more about PAL.
Tickets (cash or check) are available at the Parks & Recreation Commission office at Longshore (near the golf course first tee) during office hours, and any time at the Westport police station on Jesup Road.
Westport’s greatest party returns July 2. (Photo/Elissa Moses)
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Our second “06880” Instagram Live yesterday was certainly lively.
Dave Briggs and Dan Woog explored the “Don’t Kill the Old Mill” campaign, in support of Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
And we did it from the communal table, inside the very popular Hillspoint Road spot.
We were joined by several OMG notables, including owner Graziano Ricco of Romanacci’s; Jim Hood and Ian Warburg of the non-profit Soundview Empowerment Alliance, owner of the 106-year-old building, Matthew Mandell of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, and Chris Tait, an Old Mill neighbor and staunch supporter.
They explained what OMG means to the neighborhood. We took questions from viewers too.
Click here to see the converation. or click below. Too bad you can’t taste the meal we had.
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There is still time to take the Parks & Recreation Department’s master plan survey.
It’s a great opportunity to offer your opinion on the current state, and future needs, of our town’s beaches, parks, athletic fields and more.
Click here to take the survey. It closes next month.
How are things at Compo Beach? And every other Parks & Rec facility in town? Take the master plan survey to weigh in.
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The Levitt Pavilion offers 2 free shows, and 1 other, this weekend.
The Tom Petty Project kicks things off tonight (Friday, 7:30 p.m.). All free tickets have been claimed, but returned tickets will be redistributed at the box office before the show.
A few tickets are still available, at various prices, for tomorrow’s Disco Biscuits cconcert (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.).
Artemis takes the stage Sunday (7 p.m.), for a free show.
Click here for tickets, and more information.
Disco Biscuits
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The “Weston Connections Art Exhibit” at the Weston Public Library opens next month. Over 55 artists will be represented.
A reception, with the artists, is set for July 9 (6 p.m.).
Two drawing/painting classes are scheduled for July: the 12th for adults, the 26th for children. Click here for more details, and to sign up.
Weston Public Library
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Edwin A. Audley — a former Westport Police captain, and founder of the Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service — died last month in Winter Haven, Florida. He was 87.
The Westport native graduated from Staples High School in 1955. He served in the Army from 1955 to 1958, then joined the Army Reserves as a senior aircraft mechanic until 1962.
Ed joined the Westport Police Department in 1961. He was promoted to sergeant, lieutenant, inspector, then captain in 1990. He retired in 1993.
Ed founded the WVEMS in 1979. He became an Emergency Medical Technician instructor in 1987.
In Florida, Ed was president of the Winter Haven Rose Society.
He is survived by his wife Elizabeth; brother Harry Audley (Pat), daughters Kimberly, Susan Palmer (Mark) and Victoria; 4 grandchildren, 5 great- grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on July 12 (Assumption Church, 10 a.m.).
Click here to leave online condolences. Donations can be made to the Edwin Audley Scholarship Fund, c/o Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Services, 50 Jesup Rd. Westport, CT 06880.
Ed Audley
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Former Westporter Priscilla Boyle died last Friday, surrounded by her family. She was 96.
She graduated from Lesley College, then taught kindergarten in Watertown, Massachusetts for 9 years before marrying Charles Boyle in 1958. They moved to Westport in 1963, and raised 3 children here.
Priscilla was involved with tennis, the Weston Field Club and bridge.
She was an active member of Assumption Church for over 6 decades. She shared her faith through Eucharistic Ministry, prayer groups, book clubs and as a catechism teacher, with a special dedication to preparing children for their First Communion.
Later, Priscilla became a welcoming presence at the Westport YMCA as a receptionist.
Priscilla was predeceased by her husband and her siblings Mary Alice Connolly, James W. Scanlan, Anne T. “Nancy” Batal and Francis V. Scanlan. al.
She is survived by her children Charles “Chip,” Susan Improta (Paul), and Elizabeth Boyle; grandsons Kenneth and Philip Improta, sister-in-law Alice Scanlan, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Priscilla’s life will be held at Assumption Church on July 15 (11 a.m.). In lieu of flowers, donations in Priscilla’s memory may be made to Smile Train.
Priscilla Boyle
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June is ending the way it began: with plenty of colors.
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” yellow-and-green scene is from Whitney Street.
But it could be many other places in town too.
(Photo/Richard Fogel)
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And finally … Mick Ralphs — the Mott the Hoople and Bad Company guitarist/ songwriter — died. He was 81, and had bedridden after suffering a stroke in 2016. Click here for a full obituary.
(You’re in good company if you support “06880” with a tax-deductible contribute. Please click here. And thank you!)
Like many people fleeing New York during the pandemic, Jake Rosenblum expected to return soon.
He and his girlfriend Lauren came here to live with her parents. They figured a couple of weeks.
They’re now married. And still here.
But they left so quickly, Rosenblum did not even bring his “generic” CVS skincare products.
He started using his girlfriend’s. They were better than anything he’d ever tried.
Why, Rosenblum wondered, had they never been marketed to men?
Jake Rosenblum
He knows a thing or two about promotion. A former classical music agent who is now an executive at Live X, the Tucson native explored the world of men’s skincare.
He realized there were 2 types of products: “bottom shelf” like the ones he’d been using, or “overly masculine, with macho branding.”
Nothing was aimed at men who wanted great skincare, without heavy scents, demanding routines, or over-the-top promotions and promises.
Rosenblum assembled a team of experts. Over 2 years, they worked to perfect a line of products — called Dividends — that men would like.
And a marketing strategy that speaks to them.
They got help from StartUp Westport. The town’s public/private partnership for innovators and entrepreneurs offered networking and ideas. Ted Schachter — chair of the direct and interactive marketing program at the Fashion Institute of Technology, and a founder of StartUp Westport’s mentor-to-business program — was particularly helpful,
“It was nice to get perspectives from someone not in the skincare business too,” Rosenblum syas.
Dividends’ soft launch — including cleanser, moisturizer, retinol and sunscreen — sold out last month. It’s now been rolled out, to men on the wait list.
A full launch is set for July.
Dividends’ product line. (Photo/Handover Agency)
As for Westport: Rosenblum and his wife love it.
They’ve found a great group of friends. They’re near the railroad pedestrian bridge over the river, so they can walk to Saugatuck. There is plenty to do here, for them and their toddler (another is on the way).
Though there may be a future in other wellness products, Dividends remains a side gig. Live X is his day job.
Besides his foray into men’s skincare, there is one more unintended consequence of COVID: Rosenblum works from home.
Just a few steps from the bathroom, where Dividends products provide the routines and results Rosenblum believes millions of men want, and deserve.
(To learn more about Dividends, click here.)
(“06880” often shines a light on interesting residents, businesses and organizations — and, like today, the intersection of all 3. Please click here to support stories like this. Thank you!)
Posted in Local business, Organizations
Tagged Jake Rosenblum, Startup Westport, Ted Schachter
Enjoying the new Compo Beach playground (Photo/Larry Silver)
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