You don’t need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, Bob Dylan astutely noted.
I’ll add: You don’t need to be a congregant to know that last week’s Photo Challenge showed the weather vane atop Saugatuck Church. (Click here for the photo.)
The white building set behind a broad green lawn is one of Westport’s most recognizable landmarks. (Never mind that it wasn’t always there; in 1950, it moved diagonally from its previous site where — among other events — meetings led to Westport’s official founding in 1835.)
Anyone driving by (and stopped at the Myrtle Avenue light) has time to gaze at the church — and its weather vane.
Morley Boyd, Diane Bosch, Seth Schachter, Robert Mitchell and Andrew Colabella all knew exactly where.
And — in a rarity for our Photo Challenge — there were no wrong guesses.
Will there be any this week? If you know where in Westport you’d see this sight, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)
(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!)
Posted onMay 25, 2025|Comments Off on It’s Memorial Day! Send Your Parade Photos!
The Memorial Day parade — one of Westport’s favorite events — returns tomorrow.
If you’ve been here a while, you know it’s Westport at its small-town best. If you’ve just arrived from Manhattan or Brooklyn: You may not know it, but this is one of the reasons you moved here.
(NOTE: It steps off Monday at 9 a.m., from Saugatuck Elementary School. Be sure to stick around at 10:30, for the ceremony at Veterans Green, opposite Town Hall. And bring the kids!)
Everyone has a favorite spot to watch from: the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. A Post Road sidewalk. The stone walls in front of Myrtle Avenue homes.
Everyone has a favorite band, float or marcher to photograph too.
But why share them only with a few hundred dear pals, casual acquaintances and random how’d-they-get-on-my-list Facebook “friends”?
Tomorrow, let all of Westport see “your” Memorial Day parade. Send a few (not all!) of your photos to “06880” (email: 06880blog@gmail.com). Deadline: noon. Please include brief identification, if needed, and of course your own name.
I’ll post some (not all!) in the afternoon.
And be creative! We want special photos, for our special parade.
(Photo/Molly Alger)
(Photo/Charlie Scott)
(Photo/Diane Yormark)
Comments Off on It’s Memorial Day! Send Your Parade Photos!
The last time we checked in with Ben Casparius, he had just earned himself a World Series ring.
It was a storybook finish for the 2017 Staples High School graduate. In just 2 months, he moved from the minor leagues to an important role in the Los Angeles’ drive to the championship.
What’s next for the pitcher? Perhaps League Rookie of the Year.
At least, that’s what the (somewhat biased) TrueBlueLA.com website thinks.
They say: “The season is only about 1/3 complete, so there’s plenty of time remaining. But in terms of NL Rookie of the Year, Ben Casparius has pitched himself firmly into the discussion.”
The reliever threw 3 scoreless innings Friday against the New York Mets, striking out 6 of the 10 batters he faced.
Three days earlier he got the final out of the 8th inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks, protecting a 1-run edge with the bases loaded.
TrueBlueLA notes: “Stephen Nelson on the Dodgers radio broadcast said something to the effect of any National League Rookie of the Year poll that doesn’t include Casparius is invalid. He’s right.”
Casparius has a 2.94 ERA, with 38 strikeouts and only 6 walks.
Thanks to our sister city of Lyman — a town now just 7 miles from the Russian front — residents and town officials have felt connected to the entire war-torn nation.
Ken Bernhard and Larry Weisman’s relationship goes back even further.
Nearly a decade ago, Bernhard — an attorney, former state representative, and civic volunteer for many causes — taught a class in Ukraine on US constitutional law.
Over the years, he and fellow Westport attorney Lawrence Weisman continued to work with Professor Dmitry Kamensky via Zoom. They spoke to his Ukrainian law students about the American legal system, and the current state of affairs here.
Professor Kamensky has been in the US since April. He’s lectured at several universities, and visited the US Military Academy at West Point.
On Friday, he met a small group of Westporters at Weisman’s home.
Professor Kamensky spoke candidly about the war’s effects on his country, his university and students, and his own wife and young children. It was a first-hand look at a life that includes nightly attacks, daily uncertain, and people who — despite all the devastation — strive to lead as normal lives as they can.
Afteward, he wrote to those met, “I am incredibly grateful for all the support, empathy and kindness that you share with the people of Ukraine. Even more so, with the people in Lyman and other eastern Ukrainian towns, which now face the war carnage daily.
“Thank you all for being with us on this incredibly hard path to freedom and European future. Your dedication, your involvement, your encouragement have no borders. I felt it with my heart today and this is something I will share with my people upon my return home soon.”
A reminder about Westport’s sister city of Lyman: Our connection began through Ukraine Aid International, the boots-on-the-ground non-profit founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer.
They’re supporting 2 camps this summer in the Carpathian Mountains. It’s a chance for Lyman’s displaced children to reconnect with their former schoolmates.
The 10-day July session for 40 youngsters is fully funded. UAI is raising $10,000 for the August camp.All donations are welcome here. (Under “Designation,” select “Westport” from the dropdown menu.)
Let’s do, this Westport!
Professor Dmitry Kamensky (right), with Westporers on Friday.
Plenty of Westporters are attending college reunions this month.
But Tom Lowrie may be the only one going to his 75th.
The longtime Westporter — who stepped down earlier this month as our town’s pickleball ambassador — attended that landmark event yesterday, at Princeton University.
Not only that: With his daughter Anne, he took part in the school’s “P-rade.”
Tom was joined by 5 others, from the Princeton Class of 1950.
They hope to see each other again, at the 80th reunion.
Sixty protesters lined the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge yesterday, in another Saturday protest against President Trump and his administration.
Ages ranged from 26 to 92. One Tesla driver gave the crowd the finger, but other cars honked in support.
Canine protestor on the Ruth Steinkruas Cohen Bridge. (Photo/Pam Docters)
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A couple of miles away, the first beach weekend was a bit chilly. Early in the morning — before families arrived for the Parks & Recreation Department “Kickoff to Summer” and dedication of the new Compo Beach playground — a lone swimmer got ready to take the plunge.
“Pig Party” — Jo Ann Miller’s new book — has just been published.
Carl Addison Swanson provides background: “In 1962, the men of the University of Texas voted famed singer-student Janis Joplin as the ‘ugliest man on campus.’ While the university and Janis were not pleased, the news of the pig party spread fast. Soon, such parties were being held at schools across the country.
Lifelonng Westport resident Malcolm Watson, Jr. died unexpectedly on Sunday. He was 76.
He graduated from Staples High School in 1967, and worked for Nash Engineering in South Norwalk. He served in the Navy in Vietnam during the war, and marched every Memorial Day in the Westport parade.
He owned Nielsen’s Wood Arts, a furniture refinishing business where he performed meticulous antique furniture restoration.
An avid swimmer and sailor, he was a member of the “High Tide Club,” swimming at Burying Hill Beach nearly year round.
He was a member of the Norwalk River Rowing Club, and served as a mentor for generations of younger rowers. He competed as a rower and coxswain all over the East Coast, including the famed Head of the Charles race in Boston.
He is survived by wife Roseann, daughter Amanda (Nathan), son Malcolm III,grandchildren Conrad and Rosie, brother Elmer Sniffen (Patricia), sister Nancy Sniffen, and sister-in-law Kathleen Carusone
A memorial service will be held on June 11, (11 a.m., Burying Hill Beach). In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to an organization of your choice.
And finally … in honor of Tom Lowrie’s 75th reunion (story above):
(If Ben Casparius becomes Rookie of the Year, you heard it first here. You hear a LOT of things here first, right? If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Two of Westport’s most popular spots — downtown and Compo Beach — were where the action was yesterday.
Between the 52nd annual Fine Arts Festival and the 2nd-ever Kickoff to Summer, there was something for everyone. First, the Fest:
Watercolors, oil paintings, woodworking, sculptures, photos — all those mediums and more are on display this weekend, on Main and Elm Streets, and nearby Church Lane.
In its half century, the Westport Downtown Association event has become one of the top shows in the nation. This year, it drew 165 artists. Over 40 are first-timers here. Seven are from Westport.
Popular local photographer John Videler is a first-time Fine Arts Festival exhibitor. He’s selling scenes of Westport, and much more.
The Fine Arts Festival includes family activities like face painting, crafts, games, and dancing and photo ops.
Crafts for kids.
It’s a real festival, with wine and beer for adults, food vendors, and music. The show continues today (Sunday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) More information is available here.
The School of Rock rocks.
Here come (2 of) the judges: Miggs Burroughs and Sandy Pelletier.
Staples High School students show their work.
Dylan Curran and Captain Jillian Cabana keep everyone safe.
Westport photographer Nancy Breakstone, at her traditional spot near Anthropologie.
Music on the Main and Elm Streets corner. (All photos/Dan Woog)
The first arrivals: The view from Brooks Corner. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
Best in Show award winner: Kathryn Maher. She’s in Booth 18. (Photo/Brian Spurr)
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At the same time, dozens of families flocked to Compo Beach. “06880” intern Katherine Phelps reports:
Westport officially opened its brand-new, fully inclusive Compo Beach playground this week, in a very appropriate way: with children’s laughter.
The new play space’s inauguration was part of a day-long celebration sponsored by the Parks & Recreation Department, complete with bouncy houses, food trucks and games.
The new playground replaces the popular structure first built in 1989, then refurbished in 2006.
It has been reimagined with inclusivity, safety and community spirit in mind. It features modern equipment designed for children of all abilities, including sensory elements, accessible play zones, and “mommy-and-me” swings that promote connection and bonding.
2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore noted the intergenerational nature of the project as “a coordination of a lot of different groups.
“It wasn’t just the town. It was such a great community project. I worked on this 18 years ago, the last time it was rebuilt. Now it’s incredible to see a new generation of young Westporters volunteering.”
From classic swings and towering play structures to a pretend ice cream truck that kids could not get enough of, the new Compo playground is designed for everyone.
Courtney Kornblum, at the opening with her young daughter, was excited about the new playground.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” Kornblum said. “There’s a lot more for younger ages now. The mommy-and-me swings and the drums — it really brings people together. You look around, and everyone’s smiling.”
Beyond the equipment itself, the event was a celebration of the teamwork that went into the renovation. Volunteers of all ages participated in the build. Former 1st Selectman Jim Marpe, who was involved in the previous playground updates, was also part of this renovation.
“This playground has a lot of history for me,” he said. “I helped out when it was first built, and again in 2006. Last year, the Westport Rotary Club decided to make a major donation to the reconstruction. It was the perfect fit.”
Marpe noted that when he took his grandchildren to the previous structure, he felt as though something was just slightly off.
“I can’t wait to bring them now,” Marpe said. “There is just so much to do, and something for everyone. We wanted it to be as accessible as possible for every child to enjoy.”
Kids began enjoying it the moment the celebration ended.
And they will keep doing so until the next rebuild, a couple of decades from now.
After the playground celebration, kids headed over to the Kickoff to Summer, near the basketball courts.
Lifeguards (from left) Olivia Kuliga, Molly Whittle and Ella Harrington keep a close (and smiling) watch.
(All photos/Katherine Phelps)
Volunteers and kids say “cheese!” (Photo/David Klee)
All Westporters are invited to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, in a townwide vigil following the murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in Washington this week.
The gathering is set for Jesup Green this Tuesday (May 27, 6:30 p.m.).
The Planning & Zoning Commission continues its discussion of the Hamlet at Saugatuck project on June 2 (6 p.m.; live streamed on www.westportct.gov ; also on Optimum Channel 79 and Zoom link, with meeting ID 849 2904 0375 and passcode 521369).
The Representative Town Meeting’s first review of the Long Lots Elementary School building project — with updated plans, elevations, financial information and timing requirements for the upcoming funding and appropriation — takes place at their June 3 session (7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium).
The RTM Finance Committee then meets June 10 (7:30 p.m., Town Hall room 201) to discuss a request to appropriate $98.8 million for construction of the new Long Lots School.
And on June 11 (7 p.m., Town Hall Room 201), the RTM Environment Committee follows up on an earlier discussion regarding a possible ordinance banning new artificial turf athletic fields.
It may not feel like it — but this weekend marks the official opening of town beaches.
Also — just in time for beach openings — Save the Sound has released its 2024 grades of 200 Long Island Sound beaches, including Connecticut, and Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Water quality is graded in 4 categories, based on pollutants found in dry and wet periods.
The report is released every 2 years. Three in Westport dropped from both 2020 and 2022.
During that period, Compo Beach declined from A, to B+, and now B-.
Burying Hill dropped from 2 consecutive A+s, to the current C+.
Sherwood Island remains at B+, after ratings of A+ and B+.
Meanwhile, everything — including lifeguard chairs — is in place for Westport’s Memorial Day weekend beach openings.
(Photo/Totney Benson)
Now all we need are people.
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A state-of-the-art, first-of-its-kind gelato and sorbet machine is enjoying a “soft” launch at the Westport Library.
The Solato machine is like a Keurig coffee maker (but cooler). Choose your pod — 2 are featured each day — and watch as a Library Café worker slides it into the machine.
A minute later: There’s your gelato or sorbet, made specially for you.
Gelato flavors include banana maple, vanilla bean, coffee, salted caramel and dark chocolate, and mango and strawberry sorbet, plus frozen yogurt. All are locally sourced, and free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
Keurig cups are criticized as wasteful, because they’re single use. The Solato pods double as the serving dish. And each is served with a wooden — not plastic — spoon.
The Solato machine was donated by Lisa Weitzman and Howard Edelstein.
Gelato, on demand. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The Westport Country Playhouse is more than a venue for plays.
It’s a concert hall. A site for script readings. And — this summer — it’s a movei theater.
Five classic films from the 1950s through ’70s will be screened:
“Roman Holiday” (June 18, 7 p.m.)
“Singin’ in the Rain” (July 14, 7 p.m.)
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (August 6, 6 p.m.)
Ruben said a woman came in with her family of 5. She had paid $160 for each — $800 total.
Like every passport applicant, she still had to pay the $35 USPS fee, and the $130 filing fee, for each. But she could have prepared all the information herself, at the USPS website.
Beware! And while you’re at it: continue to hand all your mail to the post office clerks. You still can’t trust the drop box: Thieves still are fishing for checks there.
A flower garden in memory of Cathy Talmadge — a founder and longtime friend of Wakeman Town Farm — will be dedicated across the street from there on June 28 (1:30 p.m.).
The longtime Representative Town Meeting member, civic volunteer and environmental advocate died in January 2023.
First selectwoman Jen Tooker and Westport poet laureate Donna Disch will speak. Friends are invited to share memories. RSVP: nancyp311@gmail.com
Cathy Talmadge, at Wakeman Town Farm.
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Joe Lamp’l — aka “Joe Gardener” — presents “Digging Deeper: Ecological Gardening for Beauty and Biodiversity” on June 23 (7 p.m., Westport Library).
The final event of Sustainable Westport’s “Your Yard, Our Climate” initiative, it will help residents transform outdoor spaces into eco-friendly havens. Topics include soil health, reducing lawn size, minimizing chemical use, and the significance of native versus invasive plants.
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Chabad of Westport’s first-ever Community Golf Outing (June 30, Great River Golf Club, Milford) is notable for 2 reasons.
The entire community is welcome.
And IDF soldiers will be special guests, offering “an opportunity to show support and solidarity with Israel.”
Golfers (and non-golfing guests) will enjoy on-course snacks and refreshments; lunch; a cocktail/dinner reception; raffles and giveaweays, and a $25,000 hole-in-one prize.
Westport music teacher Jenny Ong invites the town to the annual Children’s Piano Spring Concert June 1 (elementary 9:15 a.m., advanced 10:45 a.m., Faust Harrison Pianos, Fairfield).
The event, showing young pianists from Westport and nearby, raises funds for the Connecticut chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association. RSVP: jennyong.music@gmail.com.
Part of Jenny Ong’s recital.
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo follows up on the lifeguard image above.
Compo Beach looks empty now. But it won’t be for long — or for the next few months.
And finally … in honor of Paul Newman’s “return” to the Westport Country Playhouse (story above):
(It’s a holiday weekend. But “06880” never rests. We’re here for you, 24/7/365. If you appreciate our coverage of all things Westport, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Posted onMay 24, 2025|Comments Off on Online Art Gallery #267
It’s a record!
Over 20 artists are featured in today’s online art gallery. What a great way to kick off Westport’s Fine Arts Festival. As every artist must know, it runs today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday), from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Main Street, Elm Street and Church Lane.
See you there — after, of course, you check out the works here.
And don’t forget: “06880” readers are always welcome to submit art. 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.
This feature is open to all. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone can contribute.
Please email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“Magnolia Tree Bloom in the Fog” (Bonnie Connolly)
“Sunshine Blooms” (Dorrie Barlow Thomas)
“Hope Garden” — Westport Senior Center (Laurie Sorensen)
“Black-Eyed Susan — Coming Soon to Your Lawn or Garden” (Peter Barlow)
Untitled (Joan Micale — Available for purchase; click here)
“Bernie the Service Dog” (Missy Greenberg)
“Standing Tall and Gnarly” (Patricia McMahon — Available for purchase; click here)
Mike Hibbard says, “Crown of sharp needles locked around the slave’s head until blood flows. Any disobedience and master hits the metal crown harder to drive the needles deeper. Slavery is still rampant in our world!”
Untitled — wall sculpture; calla lily wrapped in fall leaf, resin, mounted on found cored circular scrap metal (Maureen Estony — Available for purchase; click here)
“Smooch” — abstract digital image, produced in Midjourney and Photoshop (Ken Runkel — Available for purchase; click here)
Untitled (Duane Cohen — Available for purchase; click here)
“Virgin Gorda” — 3 paintings, oil on panel, each 12 x 16 (Werner Liepolt — Available for purchase; click here)
“Ghost of Drowned Keeper Frederick Jordan at Penfield Reef Light in Fairfield, CT Still Helps in Rescuing Mariners” — original oil on canvas, 11 x 14 (L. Miceli — Available for purchase; click here)
“Above the Mown Patch” — watercolor, 15 x 22 (Kathleen Burke; Available for purchase — click here)
Untitled (Karen Schlansky — Available for purchase; click here)
“Standing Proud” — oil and cold wax on cradled board, 24 x 30 (Helen Rolfe Ham — Available for purchase, $695 plus shipping; click here)
“Under the Sea” — painted horseshoe crab shells, mounted on wood (Eric Bosch)
“Mishegas, Bedlam and All Sorts of Chaos” — India ink and watercolor (Aerin Lichtman, 13 years old)
“Ready for a Memorable Memorial Day at Compo” (Steve Stein)
“Strawberry” (Lawrence Weisman)
“Alyssa’s Mom” — digital (Mary Treschitta — Commissions upon request; click here)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Many Westporters have weighed in on the Hamlet at Saugatuck — the retail/residential/hotel/marina complex proposed for the area near the railroad station and river.
We have not heard a lot from Saugatuck business owners and employees, however. “06880” intern Katherine Phelps reports:
The ROAN Ventures project could have a dramatic impact on our town’s original commercial center. Some restaurateurs and workers believe it will benefit them; others fear it will destroy all they have worked for.
Patrick Camaro, general manager of The Bridge at Saugatuck, is optimistic.
“It’s good for the area, it’s good for us, it’s good for business,” he says.
The Bridge at Saugatuck opened last fall.
Others fear the project could do more harm than good.
Paul Nessel, owner and butcher at Saugatuck Provisions, supports thoughtful development, but is skeptical about the project’s impact on local infrastructure.
“Traffic is already at a standstill coming through Saugatuck for several hours pretty much every day,” he says.
“If anything is wrong on 95 or the side roads, we’re really shut down. It hurts my business, and makes it hard for people to get through.”
Parking and congestion are longstanding challenges in Saugatuck — issues critics say The Hamlet may worsen. Nonetheless, proponents argue that the developer is equipped to address them.
“ROAN can help figure out the traffic situation because they can hire engineers,” Camaro said.
Charles Street traffic, at Railroad Place.
At the May 19 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, Fiona Flynn of SLR — representing the traffic planning side — noted that the state approval for traffic volume had already been cleared.
Byron Alonso, an employee at Kneads, is passionate about the Hamlet development, specifically the long-term vision of the plan.
“I think it’s important to have better construction and the best future in Westport,” he says.
“So many people say it’s not good because we lose the natural elements and there will be traffic. But I agree with improving the future of Westport.”
Still, numerous concerns persist — particularly, for restaurant owners, about traffic.
Congestion along Charles Street and Riverside Avenue is a longstanding issue that could be worsened by new development.
Bill Rizzuto, founder and owner of the restaurant that bears his name, adds, “Saugatuck already suffers from a significant parking shortage, especially in the evenings.
“Despite this, we continue to add capacity without adequately addressing infrastructure — particularly parking.” This impacts residents as well as visitors.
Rizzuto’s’ parking lot is larger than most in the area.
When Rizzuto opened his restaurant in 2009 he struggled to secure a variance, because even his large lot did not meet required parking ratios.
In the 15 years since, Rizzuto says, while traffic is more dense, parking issues seem to have become less of an official priority.
Rizzuto notes that issues like those are crucial.
“If we want mixed-use developments in Saugatuck to thrive, we must put parking and access at the forefront of planning discussions,” the restaurant owner says.
“Ignoring these fundamentals risks undermining the long-term success of any project before it even begins.”
The debate over The Hamlet at Saugatuck — including its potential effects on parking, traffic and the impact on restaurants and businesses beyond its boundaries — continues next month.
The Flood & Erosion Control Board considers its wetlands application June 4 June 4 (7 p.m., Zoom; meeting ID 864 1571 7675; passcode 407757). The Planning & Zoning Commission is expected to again address the Hamlet at its June 9 meeting.
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