Posted onDecember 16, 2024|Comments Off on Shonda Rhimes, Trey Ellis Headline MLK Day Celebration
Westport takes Martin Luther King Day seriously.
Past speakers have included National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Ibram X. Kendi, Pulitzer Prize winner James Forman Jr., and authors Heather McGhee and Layla Saad
Last year’s guest –former MLK speechwriter and advisor Dr. Clarence B. Jones — helped write the iconic“I Have a Dream” speech.
This year’s event will carry on that important tradition.
Shonda Rhimes headlines the 19th annual celebration, on Sunday, January 19 (3 p.m., Westport Library).
The award-winning producer will be interviewed by novelist, playwright and filmmaker Trey Ellis.
Making the day extra special is that both Rhimes and Ellis are Westport residents.
Registration for their conversation opens this Friday (December 20, 10 a.m.), on on the library website.
The event also will be livestreamed. There is no fee for either the in-person or livestream option.
Shonda Rhimes is the CEO of Shondaland, the pioneering storytelling company; creator, head writer and executive producer of the hit shows “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Scandal” and “Inventing Anna,” and the producer of “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Bridgerton” and more.
Shonda Rhimes
The MLK celebration is a partnership between the Library, TEAM Westport, the Westport Country Playhouse, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association.
“We are honored to welcome Shonda Rhimes as this year’s guest of honor for our Martin Luther King Jr. celebration,” says Bill Harmer, the Library’s executive director.
“Her groundbreaking storytelling, advocacy for inclusivity, and creative vision embody the values Dr. King stood for and continue to inspire our community today.”
“Shonda Rhimes recently said, ‘You have to see it to be it,’” adds TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey.
“More than any other storyteller on the planet, she has helped people see and aspire to embrace a world beyond the perennial shackles of bias, custom, and class — a world that is the sweet spot of Martin Luther King’s vision.”
Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn of TCS, The Community Synagogue, and chair of the Westport/Weston Clergy Association says,“As religious leaders living in challenging times for our community, we often turn to the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr. He said, ‘The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges.’
“We are proud to be a part of keeping MLK’s legacy alive, and blessed that Shonda Rhimes will be helping us do just that this year.”
Rhimes was the Library’s honoree at its 2022 Booked for the Evening celebration, and she returned to the Library’s Trefz Forum earlier this year to screen her documentary, “Black Barbie.”
Rhimes’ received numerous honors include a Golden Globe, Peabody Award, and lifetime achievement awards from the Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild, and Producers Guild, plus several NAACP Image Awards.
In 2017 she was inducted into the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. That same year, she left traditional TV for Netflix, where Shondaland now produces exclusive content.
Ellis is an American Book Award-winning novelist, 2-time Emmy- and Peabody-winning filmmaker, NAACP Image Award-winning playwright and essayist, and professor of professional practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts.
He also served as executive producer of “King in the Wilderness,” the 2018 Emmy Award-winning HBO documentary on the last 3 days of Dr. King’s life.
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Their primary focus is attending to the needs of impounded dogs at Westport Animal Control. WASA provides funds for vet care, exercise and training.
They perform home and reference checks, to ensure the canines are placed safely in loving homes.
WASA runs a small fostering network for homeless dogs from other Connecticut animal control facilities, or that come from Fairfield County residents and must be rehomed.
WASA also assists pet owners who struggle financially to provide vet care and adequate nutrition for their pets.
Whether you’re a dog owner, dog lover, or stay far from Winslow Park and off-season Compo Beach, WASA’s year-end video is well worth watching.
It was produced by Staples High School Class of 2021 graduate Brandon Malin. He began volunteering with WASA at age 7, and has been a great fantastic friend to them (and their dogs) ever since.
Brandon is also an exceptionally talented photographer and videographer.
WASA notes: “We ‘stay in business’ because of the support we receive from Westport residents, businesses, and town departments. We are not subsidized by the town of Westport.”
Click here to support WASA. Click below to see Brandon’s great WASA ’24 video.
Attention, Staples Orphenians alumni — and everyone else who loves our high school’s elite a cappella group!
An “Orphs Alumni” Christmas caroling event is set for downtown Westport, this Friday (December 20, 3 to 4 p.m.).
Singers will meet at the Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church parking lot.
Orphs: Bring your voices. You’ll have a great time.
Downtown shoppers: Bring your ears. You’re in for a treat.
In 1980, George Weigle led these Orphenians on a downtown Christmastime caroling stroll. Will some alumni from this group — now 60 years old — be back on Main Street on Friday?
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Speaking of the Staples Music Department: With musicians and audience members still on a high after this weekend’s Candlelight Concert (and everyone else kicking themselves for not getting tickets), here’s one more look at the 84th annual gift to the town.
Kevin Mazzarella is in his first year as band director at the high school. But it’s clear from the photo below — as he leads the symphonic band, symphonic orchestra and choral ensembles (including dozens of alumni) in Saturday’s rousing “Hallelujah Chorus” finale — that he’s as excited by Candlelight as everyone else from the past 8 decades.
Speaking of strange sights: Our “06880” tagline is “Where Westport meets the world.”
But we never expected to see this sight, from deep in the heart of Texas (Plano):
Ellen Wentworth’s cousin spotted it, and sent it to her.
Yee haw!
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With its winter semester near, Westport Library’s Verso University has announced 8 new courses. They are:
Poet of Wonder: Robert Frost (January 8, 15, 22; 10:30 a.m. to noon). Explore Frost’s work with Westport poet laureate Donna Disch in a 3-part seminar. Delve into all that is “lovely, dark and deep.” Each session will focus on a different selection.
Suspicious Papers: A Vintage Ephemera Collage Workshop Series (January 8, 15, 22; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Artist and ephemera dealer Alesia DiFederico explores mixed media collage using authentic bits of history, inks, paints, and imagination. Creating art is for everyone; the joy is in the do
Exploring Wines of Italy (January: 9, 16, 23, 30; 3 to 4 p.m.). Sommelier Barbie Messa leads a wine tasting class that dives deeply into Italy’s rich traditions.
Storytelling for TV and Film (January 9, 16, and 23; 6 to 7:30 p.m.). Scriptwriter Gigi Rios New helps explore the fundamentals of storytelling for the small and big screens, plus script formatting techniques.
Leadership Literacy (February 5, 12, 19, 26; 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.). Harvard leadership scholar Barbara Kellerman focuses on studying literature about concepts of power, authority and influence.
Tarot 101: A Journey to Self-Discovery (February 5, 12, 19, 26; 2 to 3 p.m.). Author, astrologer, and tarot expert Maria Sofia Marmanides teaches the 78 cards of tarot.
Write, Craft, Create: A Wellness Practice in Making Handmade Cards
(March: 5, 12, 19; 1 to 2 p.m.). Instructor Kerstin Rao, the Westport artist behind Vivid Cottage, provides a safe space for participants to tap into their feelings and craft earnest messages.
Introduction to Ikebana (March: 13, 20 & 27; 10 a.m. to noon). Sogetsu Ikebana is a modern form of the ancient art of Japanese flower arranging, using living materials. Shizue Pleasanton teaches the aesthetic discipline and traditional principles of the form.
For information on Verso University courses, including registration, click here.
And finally … in honor of the newest addition to the police station tower (story above):
(When we figure out Westport drone mystery, you’ll read about it first on “06880” — just like you do so often, on so many topics. If you enjoy our coverage, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
For many Westporters, the debate on immigration — no matter how important they believe it to be — is abstract.
A wall in Mexico, the fate of Dreamers, mass deportations — none of that directly touches our own personal lives.
For hundreds of men and women who work in Westport, however, the issue could not be more real.
They are immigrants. Some are documented; others are not. Some have married Americans, and feel secure. Others have only a tenuous hold here, or none at all.
Every one, though, works extremely hard.
Some have 2, even 3, jobs. They take the bus from Norwalk, Bridgeport or Stamford to Westport. They find rides. If they have to, they walk.
The Coastal Link bus is a primary source of transportation for many Westport workers.
They are hidden here, in plain sight. They work as landscapers, in restaurants, as housekeepers, in service jobs.
They often earn the minimum wage, or a bit over. Some get tips. None have benefits.
They live better than they did in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil. But they send big chunks of their pay back home.
Some of it helps relatives live better lives there. Some goes to pay “coyotes,” who charge $15,000 to $20,000 to bring immigrants to America.
(Funds that family members provide to home country relatives are slowly paid back to the lender. Almost always, all the money is returned.)
The immigrants here are paying it forward. Someone once — 10 or 15 years ago, 2 or 5 years ago, last month — gave them money so they could pay a coyote too.
These men and women don’t talk much about their lives. For one thing, they’re working too hard. For another, they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.
But earlier this month, an “06880” reader spoke to a number of Central and South American immigrants about their lives.
After crossing the border — no easy task — they find their way, often by bus, to Fairfield County. They join relatives and friends, recreating the community they knew back home.
Crossing the border is no easy task.
The earlier arrivals acclimate them to their new country. They tell them, for example, how to get fake documents in Queens.
The older immigrants help the newer ones find work. WhatsApp is an active source of referrals too.
There is plenty of work available — jobs most Americans don’t want, or can’t do.
Contractors, builders and landscapers always need employees. The men who take those jobs have learned skills back home. Those who don’t have them are taught by those who do. Many make $15 to $20 an hour. They have no benefits.
Most employers know, or assume, that their new hires are undocumented. If they check papers at all, it is not closely.
Workers at one Westport business make $1 or $2 above minimum wage. They share tips, too. They can earn up to $150 or $200 a day. But there are no benefits. And because their work is weather dependent, there are days when they are not paid at all.
A large group of Brazilian women work as house cleaners. They are paid about $650 a week, in cash. They have no benefits, but they don’t have to pay for transportation. The owner picks them up, and drives them to jobs.
Undocumented immigrants find work in lawn care, construction, house cleaning, and local businesses.
Many are fearful of what will happen when Donald Trump becomes president. They remember, for example, an ICE raid on a Norwalk store during his first administration.
Some don’t think anything bad will happen. They say he has already been in office, and did not follow through on some drastic promises. And, they say, they won’t be deported, because there would be no one left to do their jobs.
Immigrants who are criminals should be deported, they agree. Most do not think that non-criminals will be targeted.
An immigrant from El Salvador is a strong Trump supporter. A legal resident through his marriage to an American woman, he would like to see mass deportations. When workers are scarce, he says, he can make more money.
Their news sources include Telemundo and Univision, plus immigration resource volunteers at meeting places, like churches.
Work, church, work, family and community gatherings, work — those are the lives of the hundreds of undocumented immigrants who do the jobs we need here in Westport.
We don’t really see the men and women who perform that work. Nor do we often think about them, including why they do it, and the sacrifices they make.
We certainly don’t wonder who among them is here legally, and who is not.
But those thoughts are part of their lives here, every single day.
And they have been, ever since they arrived, uncertain but eager, in this land of such great opportunity, promise and hope.
In Westport, there is no bigger proponent than Savvy + Grace.
The gifts/souvenirs/cool one-of-a-kind Main Street shop, underneath Nômade and next to Brandy Melville, epitomizes the uniqueness and importance of patronizing our neighbors’ stores.
(And true to its roots, its trove of Westport-themed items is unmatched anywhere.)
Last week’s Photo Challenge showed the cute “Thank You for Shopping Local” sign outside owner Annette Norton’s shop. (Click here to see.)
The message has clearly gotten through. A dozen readers — Kristin Schneeman, Lee Bollert, Seth Schachter, Molly Alger, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Andrew Colabella, Dave Eason, Li-Er Fradella, Sal Luccione, Micheal Simso, Amy Schneider and Wendy Schaefer — quickly nailed the answer.
There are 9 shopping days until Christmas. You know the assignment.
Today’s Photo Challenge is a bit unusual. But Lynn Untermeyer Miller snapped this image somewhere in town. If you know where, click “Comments” below.
(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 onDecember 15, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: YMCA’s Bedford Fund $$, Veterans’ Wreaths, South Korea’s “Feliz Navidad” …
When Ruth Bedford died in 2014, at 99, the last surviving grandchild of Westport Weston Family YMCA founder Edward T. Bedford left the organization a giant — and unexpected — $40 million bequest.
Part of the money funded the new Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund. Grants go to groups in Fairfield County that support a wide range of educational programs that empower children and young adults.
On Monday, the Y honored 33 non-profits, with checks totaling $315,000.
Recipients include:
A Better Chance of Westport
Achievement First Bridgeport
Adam J Lewis Academy
Bridgeport Youth Caribe
Cardinal Shehan Center
Carver Foundation
CCC YMCA – Bridgeport
Covenant School of Bridgeport
CT Institute for Refugees and Immigrants
Family & Children’s Agency
Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras
Hall Neighborhood House
Homes with Hope
Horizons at Sacred Heart/Notre Dame
Horizons Greens Farms Academy
Housatonic Community College Foundation
Kids Empowered By Your Support
Klein Memorial
Lifebridge Community Services
McGivney Community Center
Mercy Learning Center
Neighborhood Studios of Fairfield County
New Beginnings
Norwalk Community College
Norwalk Housing Foundation
Project Morry
Shepard’s Mentors
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities
Staples Tuition Grants
Under One Roof
Urban Impact of Black Rock
Wakeman Boys and Girls Club
The scholars of A Better Chance of Westport are among the recipients of this year’s Westport Y Bedford Family Social Responsibility Fund.
100 volunteers — members of VFW Post 399, American Legion Post 63 and their Auxiliaries; Sons of American Legion, Scouts from Troops 39 and 139, and Westporters who just wanted to help — gathered yesterday at Assumption Cemetery on Greens Farms Road.
As part of the national Wreaths Across America program, they laid wreaths on the graves of dozens of servicemembers. Each time, they thanked that veteran for their service.
More wreaths will be placed at veterans’ graves, at other cemeteries in town.
Volunteers, at yesterday’s Wreaths Across America event.
In America this holiday season, “Feliz Navidad” is everywhere. We’ve loved the jangly, catchy song by our Weston neighbor for over 50 years.
Now it’s all over South Korea now too.
In rallies calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal, protesters have danced to a song with its melody. Like “Feliz,” the verse is repeated often: “Impeachment is the answer.”
The New York Times says: “Mr. Feliciano did not comment directly on the latest adaptation. Susan Feliciano, his wife, said in a statement that the lyrics have been repurposed often and that it was gratifying to see the melody endure.” (Hat tip: Amy Katz)
The Westport Library’s 3 new art exhibits are on display, from now through February 4.
The Sheffer Gallery brings the idea of transcendence to life with Claudia Mengel’s “Alchemy of Light,”paintings inspired by the mysticism at the heart of alchemy’s expression in the Middle Ages.
An opening reception celebrates Mengel’s work on December 18 (6 p.m.). A conversation between Mengel and Artists Collective of Westport co-founder Miggs Burroughs follows at 7.
In the South Gallery, Jason Pritchard’s “Westport Skies” is a love letter to his New England home. Paintings like “Compo Beach” and “Riverside Park” invite viewers to connect to their own experiences.
Pritchard will showcase his exhibit, along with fellow artist Christine Timmons, at their shared reception (January 9, 6 p.m.), followed by an artist conversation with Pritchard, Timmons and Burroughs at 7.
Timmons’ “Journeys in Collage“, in the Jesup Gallery, offers mixed media collage composed of papers, vintage buttons, dead leaves, wire, and ticket stubs on wood panels.
But the 400+-person organization has plenty of other activites.
Willie Salmond reports on his regulat tennis game. Three members of the foursome are 99, 91 and 89 years old. Willie is the baby, at 79.
“Arguing about the score, line calls, etc.. plus coffee and banter after the games keeps us going!” he says.
Roger Federer: You’ve got something to look forward to!
378 years young. From left: Willie Salmond (79 years old), Keith Brooks (99), Neil Coleman (89), Peter Kolbrenner (91).
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Okay, it’s not exactly growing in the wilds of Westport.
But the poinsettias at this weekend’s Candlelight Concert were gorgeous.
And they were “natural” at some point, hopefully in a local greenhouse.
That’s good enough to qualify for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
Enjoy!
(Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
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And finally …Antonín Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 9” premiered in a public afternoon rehearsal at Carnegie Hall. Neil Armstrong took a recording along during the first moon landing, in 1969.
(From Westport to South Korea, “06880” is where Westport meets the world. Please click here to support our globe-spanning work. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: YMCA’s Bedford Fund $$, Veterans’ Wreaths, South Korea’s “Feliz Navidad” …
This weekend’s Candlelight Concert was traditional, rousing, haunting, majestic, brassy and inspiring.
It always is.
Arriving for the show.
For 84 years, the Staples High School Music Department has offered this gift to the town.
A variety of choirs, orchestras and bands perform. Their selections are well-known and obscure. They are classical and contemporary; American, European and African.
It takes a tremendous amount of practice, preparation and care, by hundreds of talented musicians, their committed and caring teachers, and many others who work hard behind the scenes.
Volunteers festoon the lobby with festive touches.
From the unique “Sing We Noel” processional to the alumni-filled “Hallelujah Chorus,” the Candlelight Concert is Westport’s way of celebrating the season.
Not everyone could get tickets to the 3 shows. But today, thanks to Lynn Untermeyer Miller’s brilliant photography, we all can bask in its glow.
As she has for decades, Alice Addicks greets concert-goers.
Lauren Pine rehearses her choir an hour before showtime.
The audience settles in.
“Sing We Noel” processional.
Orchestra director Jeri Brima.
Ludovit Pauliny takes a bow, after soloing on “Danse Bacchanale.”
One part of the lighter “Wreck the Halls” …
… and another.
From left: Band director Kevin Mazzarella (in his Candlelight debut), orchestra directors Carrie Mascaro and Jen Brima, and assistant band director Caitlin Serpliss acknowledge applause.
New York Times chief theater critic Jesse Green gave a rave review to “Cult of Love,” the new show that opened Thursday at the Helen Hayes Theater.
He likes the “rip-roaring home-for-the-holidays dramedy” for its plot, direction, music and more.
He also praises playwright Leslye Headland. This is the 1999 Staples High School graduate’s Broadway debut. But she’s earned kudos before, as a playwright, screenwriter and director (“Bachelorette,” “Sleeping With Other People,” “Russian Doll,” “The Acolyte”).
“Cult of Love” is Headland’s final work in a series called “Seven Deadly Plays.” Inspired by the 7 deadly sins, this one is about pride. It was first staged in Los Angeles in 2018.
The play focuses on 4 adult children of one family and their partners, coming home for a contentious holiday gathering.
Green writes: “Though ‘Cult of Love,’ like many unhappy family reunion plays, draws big buckets of humor from the toxic brew of religion and repression, those buckets also draw blood.
“Headland knows just how to get there, suggesting deep familiarity with the territory. But she also has a gift for complication and construction, as was already evident in “Bachelorette,” her Bridezillas Gone Wild breakthrough play of 2010…. Loading pattern on pattern — a holiday-season design don’t for most — is for her an opportunity to dizzy us down to hell.”
Click here for the full Times review. Click here for more information about “Cult of Love.” (Hat tip: Tommy Greenwald)
The Board of Education’s Policy Committee meets Wednesday (December 18, 9 a.m., Town Hall Room 307), with a wide-ranging agenda.
They’ll discuss the first reading of possible revisions to graduation requirements; admission to the Westport Public Schools at or before age 5 and assignment to grade levels; and student attendance, truancy and chronic absenteeism.
The committee will also discuss health concerns “such as lice,” and a possible new civility policy.
meanwhile, the Long Lots School Building Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed to Wednesday (December 18, 6 p.m., Town Hall Room 307/309. The agenda has not yet been posted.
Speaking of schools: All month long, Kings Highway Elementary School students have collected gifts for their annual Holiday Bear drive.
Each year, the Connecticut Education Foundation’s Holiday Bear provides gifts for children whose families face financial or other hardships.
The KHS Caring Council helped package 25 Holiday Bear bags.
Meanwhile, yesterday the school helped raise funds for Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
Students also wore pajamas as part of a statewide spirit day.
It’s been an eventful month for Kings Highway!
A few of Kings Highway’s many holiday bags.
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John McKinney is the newest member of the Connecticut Mirror’s board of directors.
The Mirror is state’s non-profit, non-partisan, digital source for public policy, government and politcal news.
McKinney — a descendant of Westport’s famed Bedford family — is also a trustee of the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
The former State Senate minority leader and a Republican candidate for governor, he was appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to the Liquor Control Commission in 2021.
McKinney serves on the advisory board of Operation Hope, a homeless shelter in Fairfield. He and his family help provide housing and care for people with AIDS through the Stewart B. McKinney Foundation. It is named for his father, the longtime US Congressman from Westport’s district.
And finally … on this date in 1819, Alabama became the 22nd US state.
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