Just Added To The Holiday Stroll …

Posted on November 25, 2024 | 2 comments

The “06880”/Westport Downtown Association Holiday Stroll gets more creative — and exciting — every day.

If you loved Staples Players’ “Elf”: come meet Buddy the Elf, Santa Claus, and other actors from that great show — all in costume.

And much more, just added:

  • “Piglet reindeer”
  • DJ (with a holiday dancy party)
  • “Human Snow Globe”: great for group photos for holiday cards
  • Ornament-making
  • The first 150 families can pick up a “passport” at the Main Street/Elm Street parking lot. After visiting 5 merchants, bring it back for an “Elf Yourself” gift bag.

Mark your calendar now for Saturday, December 7 (5 to 7 p.m.)!

All the favorite attractions return, including Santa, face painting, s’mores, a photo booth, and holiday music from Staples High School’s elite Orphenians.

Holiday face painting, at the December 7 Holiday Stroll.

There are extra vendors and booths too, for merchants and organizations without permanent downtown locations.

Don’t forget to bring a toy or two, for the Westport Police Department’s Toys for Tots collection box. Plus a letter to Santa, to drop in his very own mailbox.

Over 70 retailers, restaurants and others have signed on, with gifts, giveaways, discounts and more.

The town-wide event (Saturday, December 7, 5 to 7 p.m.) includes participation from merchants on Post Road West and Saugatuck. Some offer specials all day, all weekend — even through January 2. (Merchants and restaurants: If you haven’t signed up yet, click here.)

They include:

Advanced Dog Behavior Solutions: $150 off Puppy Dog Training program (mention “Holiday Stroll”; through December 20

Alina’s Cakes & Cookies: Complimentary hot chocolate

Animal Muse Communication & Rehabilitation: Complimentary animal Reiki session, with a VIP animal communication session (all day)

Arezzo: Half-priced appetizers; 1 complimentary glass of wine per person

AROGYA Holistic Healing: Complimentary hot tea

Basso: Complimentary house cocktail or sangria, with purchase of entree (5 p.m. until closing)

Bella Bridesmaids: Champagne bar; $50 off $500 or more (all day)

Bloom Salon: Complimentary hair tinsel; refreshments; 10% off future service

Bobbles & Lace: Wine; $10 off future purchases (all day)

Bridgewater Chocolates: All purchases entered into a $50 gift card raffle

Candle Caboodle: Buy 1 candle, get dessert candle mini for free (while supplies last)

Castle Wine & Spirits: Free tote bag with purchase; get 5% off applicable wines when used in the future (all day)

Staples Orphenians sing carols. (Photo/Jerri Graham)

Catherine H: Chance to win with every purchase (through December 24)

Chait Fine Art Gallery & Photography: 30% off prints and $100 head shots; complimentary holiday refreshments (4 to 7 p.m.)

Clarendon Fine Art: Complimentary coffee table art book with purchase (through December 24)

Cobs Bread: Buy 6 scones, get a free cranberry & sea salt French bageutte (through December 11)

Cold Fusion Gelato: Free wrapped chocolates

Core Burn Pilates: 1 free 30-minute session, or 1 free group class, plus 10% off any regular-priced package; sign up during Stroll for free grip socks (all day)

Cove Collective: 15% off, and festive treat (all day)

Crafty Kids Westport: Arts and crafts station

Diana Blau: Free bear ornament crafts for kids

Don Memo: Complimentary horchata

Strolling along Main Street. (Photo/Dan Woog)

Earthplace: Free t-shirt with new membership (all day)

Eleven11 Biz: 11% off

Faherty: Auburn Permanent Jewelry pop-up

Fred Accessories: Complimentary holiday treats (5 to 6 p.m.)

Glowbar: $10 off facials for non-members (through December 31)

Head to Tail Books: 15% off online purchases with code “Stroll” (through December 20)

Homes with Hope: Complimentary hot chocolate

Hummingbird Healing Center: Hot chocolate and tea, plus free 10-minute session

A small part of the large crowd. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

Huntington Learning Center:  Enter to win holiday basket; $100 off academic evalutation

Jenny Kayne: Hot chocolate; 15% off

Jeweled Coquette: TBD

Joe’s Pizza: Free garlic knots (3 per person)

Johnny Was: $50 off purchase of $300 or more

Santa and friend. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

Kerri Rosenthal: 20% off

Le Beaute Artistry: 10-20% off voucher cards

LEVENthal Bakery: Free cooke samples; raffle tickets to win custom cookie, with purchase

Lux Bond & Green: Traveling jewelry cases and holiday treats

Madewell: TBD promo; gift with purchase; hot chocolate

Mexicue: Holiday margaritas $10

Middlemarch: Join mailing list; be entered to win $50 gift card (all day)

Myr’s Designs: Free red cashmere scarf with $100 purchase (all day)

Naturino Kids Shoes: 20% off single item (all day)

NEST Agency: Complimentary OGGI ice cream cart (3 to 7 p.m.)

Office Evolution: All the Starbucks you can drink; free private office until December 31 with signed 6- or 12-month new office agreement beginning January 1; brokers excluded (all day)

Nômade: Free s’mores and holiday chocolate calendar

Everyone loves s’mores! (Photo/Dan Woog)

Old Mill Shell Company: Hot chocolate

Party Harty: 15% off all Westport clothing (Saturday and Sunday)

Pizza Lyfe: Complimentary dessert

Rhone: Complimentary Grace Farms tea

Rowan: 15% off non-piercing jewelry (excludes diamonds); enter to win gift card (all day)

Savvy + Grace: Gift, with purchase of $50 or more

Scout & Molly’s: 20% off single item; snacks and drinks (all day)

Sculpt by Sara: Fitness bands, raffle, hot drinks, 15% of packages, 1/2 off class for new customers

Serena & Lily: Snacks and drinks; enter to win $500 gift card

Serendipity Lab: Discounts on rooms and meetings (through December 31)

Sorelle Gallery: Holiday poinsettia cocktails and treats; 20% off all in-store and online artwork (all day)

Lovin’ the Stroll. (Photo/Jerri Graham)

Shoe-Inn: Up to 75% winter sale (all day)

South Moon Under: 30% off select holiday styles and gifts (all day)

Southern Tide: Free gift with $150 or more; wine totes (all day)

Spash of Pink: Free Lilly Pulitzer printed mug with $100 purchase; printed plush blanket with $300 purchase (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)

Spice: Holiday cocktail napkins with purchase of $75 or more

Squeeze Massage: 25% off gift cards (through January 2; use code GIFT25)

Staples MOSS (Make Our Schools Safe) Club: Bake sale

Stephen Kempson London: Free hot chocolate; hostin women-founded businesses (all day)

Strands for Support: Buy 2 pieces of jewelry; get 1 pair of earrings free

Studio Cafe: 50% off holiday lattes and peppermint mocha lattes (all day)

Sundance: Save up to 20% with SMS sign-up; season cocktails and light bites

The Bridge at Saugatuck: Complimentary hot chocolate and churros; buy $200 worth of figt cards, get a complimentary $25 gift card for yourself

The Clubhouse: Putting competition; enter giveaway for the Ultimate Clubhouse Experience

Free garlic knots at Joe’s Pizza: one of the many participating restaurants. (Photo/Dan Woog) 

The Sugar Wagon: Candy; 10% off for party commitments

The Toy Post: Small gift for each child who comes to the store

Theory: Via Carota cocktail tasting (1-4 p.m.); gift with purchase (all day)

Unsubscribed: Special promotion

Vince: 15% off signup for SMS; complimentary champagne (all day)

Vuori: Free gift with purchase of over $250 (all day)

Walrus Alley: Happy hour specials, including traditional Gluhwein

WEST Boutique: Gift with purchase

West Out East: 15% off all accessories (all weekend)

Westport Book Shop: Coupon for shoppers

Westport Country Playhouse: Use code Stroll25 for 25% discount for 2 play packages (through Sunday)

Yozo Studio: Select from list of fonts, colors and quantities for special pricing; email hello@yozostudio.com; now through the Stroll

 

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Posted in Categories

Roundup: Thanksgiving, WTF Tree Lighting, 159 Main …

Posted on November 25, 2024 | 2 comments

A reminder: For Thanksgiving, “06880” wants to share some of the things you — our readers — are thankful for.

Please email 06880blog@gmail.com today. Let us know what you’re thankful for this year. (NOTE: Do not post your thanks in the Comments section; just email them to us.)

Big or small; concrete or abstract; individually or as a family; here in town or anywhere else — we want to hear from you. And please let us know whether we can use your name, or if you prefer anonymity.

We’ll post your thankful responses — with our thanks — soon.

A 1941 Saturday Evening Post cover, by Westport artist Stevan Dohanos — 83 years ago.

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A relatively new, but very fun tradition, continues: The Wakeman Town Farm holiday tree lighting takes place December 6 (4:30 p.m.).

The family event includes cookies, treats and hot chocolate courtesy of The Porch and Sweet P Bakery, and a bonfire.

The tree will be lit by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Bill Constantino, a Wakeman family member.

The tree lighting is also a chance to give back. WTF will collect “pre-loved” Legos, as a part of Sustainable Westport’s project.

There”s a collection too of unwrapped toys for the annual Al’s Angels drive. And members of Staples’ AWARE organization are raising money for women and teens in need, through a bake sale.

Tree lighting at Wakeman Town Farm.

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It’s one of the busiest times of the year.

But 159 Main — the successor to Rye Ridge Deli, which took over from Oscar’s — posted a note on its door saying, “We are closing for a few days to carry out necessary upgrades.

“It is our priority to continue to serve you in the best possible way during this time. We will be reachable through our platforms.”

A QR code brought up a form to submit an email address. A phone number was also listed, but a call to it went unanswered.

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Eric Bosch writes: “If you walk along the cement sidewalk toward the canons on Compo’s South Beach, you can now see the remnants of a very old groin/jetty coming up out of the sand.

“These are easily seen at Burying Hill Beach, where there are 3 or 4 rows of them (they stick 4-8 inches above the sand there). Beach groins help deposit sands onto the beach, preventing erosion.

“The one in this photo clearly did its job for years, as it was completely covered up until recently. My guess is that the 8.8-foot exceptionally high tides that we just experienced with the full moon exposed this when the waters receded.”

Newly exposed groin/jetty at Compo Beach. (Photo/Eric Bosch)

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Another new appearance: this rock, painted recently on Easton Road between Coleytown Road and North Avenue.

(Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)

If you know the back story, click “Comments” below. If you dont: It will remain just another Westport mystery.

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Westporter Joanie Gottlieb builds, redesigns and customizes dollhouses.

 

Joanie Gottlieb with her farmhouse dollhouse … 

… and the interior. 

And similar structures.

Right now, she’s working on a commission from a Manhattan client. He wanted a townhouse — not a dollhouse — complete with a rooftop bar and lounge, oirginal paintings, and a music room with a keyboard, guitar, amps and drums.

The music room, in Joanie Gottlieb’s “townhouse.”

Each one takes 2 months to complete. For more information, email joaniegottlieb52@gmail.com. (Hat tip: Toni Simonetti)

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Longtime Westport resident Mary Becker died last Wednesday, at home. She was 95.

The New York City native attended Sarah Lawrence College. She met her future husband Lester at a resort hotel in the Catskills. They married in 1951, and moved to Westport in 1963.

After raising 2 children, Mary turned her passion for global travel into a career. She spent many years as a travel agent.

Mary was an avid and skilled knitter, creating works and gifts that were treasured by family and friends. She also had a deep love for her garden, and for music, theatre and reading. She also doted on a long line of dogs and cats, the last of which, Archie, stayed curled up on her bed through her final days.

Mary was deeply involved in her children’s lives. She was well known and loved by the many classmates and friends who came through their home over the years, and she maintained close relationships with many throughout her life.

She is survived by her husband of almost 73 years; daughter Ann Moore of New York City; son Michael (Christine) of Los Angeles; sister Eve Lubin of Los Angeles and grandson Ellis Becker of Madison, Wisconsin.

Her family says, “Mary’s life was marked by courage and compassion, and in both life and death, she faced each moment with grace and supreme bravery. Her infectious energy, positivity and joy were an inspiration to all who knew her.”

A gathering for family and friends will be held at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mary’s honor to either rhe Westport Country Playhouse or the Pet Animal Welfare Society.


Mary Becker

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As birds fly south for the winter, we see empty nests all around town.

Wasps don’t migrate. But they too leave empty nests.

Johanna Keyser Rossi spotted this one — today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — at the YMCA.

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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And finally … “Alice’s Restaurant” — Arlo Guthrie’s meandering, absurd — and pretty much true — song about littering, the police and the military draft has been a Thanksgiving staple since its release in 1967.

That’s because the events happened — the true ones, anyone — at a Thanksgiving dinner attended by (among others) Guthrie, a student at the Stockbridge School (and son of Woody), where Alice Brock was a librarian.

Alice — who also owned a restaurant (called not Alice’s, but the Back Room (along with a deconsecrated church) — died last Thursday, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

Fittingly, it was a week before Thanksgiving. She was 83, and suffered from chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. Click here for a full obituary.

(You can get anything you want on “06880.” Well, so long as there’s a Westport hook. Except for our song of the day. That’s random. You can also click here to support this hyper-local blog. We thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Beach, Children, Obituaries, Restaurants

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Our Sister City Holiday Gift: Send Lyman’s Kids To Camp!

Posted on November 25, 2024 | 2 comments

Two years ago, after Russia invaded Ukraine, Westporters opened their hearts — and wallets — to help our new sister city of Lyman.

We raised over $250,000, in less than a month. Thanks to Ukraine Aid International — the boots-on-the-ground, get-stuff-done non-profit created by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer — our friends in the war-torn nation received (literally) tons of desperately needed goods.

UAI delivered communication equipment, police and trash vehicles, bulletproof vests for utility workers, and portable heaters. Funds from “06880” readers also paid for repairs to hundreds of apartments, plus meals, children’s gifts and more.

Christmas in Lyman 2022, with a bit of help from Westport.

Last year, Westport raised over $60,000, for 2 wood pellet machines. Each provided heat, all winter long, to 1,000 Lyman residents.

As our sister city prepares for a third winter of war, it’s time once again for Westporters to help.

This year, it’s all about the kids.

Hundreds of Lyman youngsters have been evacuated from the eastern town, which endures regular shelling from Russian forces.

Those children’s lives — uprooted, uncertain, perilous — are unimaginable to us.

But there is one bright spot: a camp called Karabin.

Photos for this story show children from Siversk, Ukraine at the Karabin camp. It’s Weston’s sister city — and our neighbors have already sponsorsed 4 camps for Siversk’s kids.

Located in the western Carpathian Mountains, it’s a place where Lyman’s children — now spread all across the country — can reunite with their friends and teachers.

For 10 days at a time, in winter and summer, they hike, play sports, do crafts and art therapy, enjoy music, watch movies, and have game nights.

Play time at Karabin … 

They also take classes, and study. Through Starlink, they can talk to their parents online.

… and study time …

Two chefs prepare breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a tea time and nightly snack.

… and meal time.

It’s a tiny bit of normalcy, for boys and girls whose lives have been brutally upended.

It costs about $280 to send one child to Karabin, for 10 days.

How about it, Westport? Can we raise $56,000, to ensure that 200 kids in our sister city enjoy a respite from the terrors of the past nearly 3 years? 

Just click here. Under “Designation,” choose “Westport-Lyman sister city” from the dropdown menu. You can also choose a monthly or one-time donation. If you use the mail or Venmo option, please make a note: “For Westport-Lyman.”

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker knows the importance of this fund drive.

She says, “Our sister city relationship with Lyman is 2 years old, and the conflict is nearing 3 years.

“Investing in infrastructure has been our focus, as the leaders of Lyman (the mayor and police chief, who we communicate with regularly) have identified that as the priority.

“However, I now feel it is time to pivot and focus on the kids. The stark reality of war has altered life for everyone, and especially for the children of Lyman.”

Though Westport and Lyman have been sister cities for less than 3 years, our town’s tradition of helping war-ravaged children at holiday time dates back nearly 8 decades.

For many years after World War II, we sent Christmas gifts to youngsters in our first sister city, Marigny-le-Lozon.

Those children are now in their 80s. They’ve never forgotten our town’s generosity. Now, Marigny is helping Lyman too. This year and last, they’ve sent hundreds of gifts to our shared sister city.

Our $56,000 goal should be easily reachable. It’s about $2 for every Westport resident.

Let’s all get involved. Talk to your kids. Ask them if they’re willing to forgo one gift this season, and donate the money to someone their age in Lyman.

It takes a village to help a village. Thank you, Westport, for making this a memorable winter for the boys and girls who have fled the only village they knew. They now have a chance to get together, see their friends, and — for the first time in a long while — smile.

Please click here. Under “Designation,” choose “Westport-Lyman sister city” from the dropdown menu. If you use the mail or Venmo option, please note that it is for “Westport-Lyman.”

Relaxing in Karabin’s hot tub. A bit of normalcy, in a war-torn land.

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Posted in Children, Politics, Teenagers

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Pic Of The Day #2777

Posted on November 24, 2024 | 3 comments

It’s late November — but not too late for these Compo Beach swimmers (Photo/Mary Sikorski)

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Photo Challenge #517

Posted on November 24, 2024 | 11 comments

For decades, the sculpture of a bird has been affixed high atop the building that now includes Brandy Melville.

It was there when the tenants included Jewels by Jason, and a salon. It may even have been there when it was the original Ice Cream Parlor.

Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Andrew Colabella, Fred Cantor and Jill Odice all recognized it. (Click here to see.)

For everyone else: The next time you’re downtown, near Savvy + Grace and Nômade, look up. You’ll see one more bit of old Westport, hidden in plain sight.

This week’s Photo Challenge may also be one of those spots you often pass by, but seldom see.

If you know where in Westport you’d see this whimsical view, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

(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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Posted in Downtown, Photo Challenge

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Roundup: Elf, Art, SLOBs …

Posted on November 24, 2024 | 5 comments

“Elf: The Musical” ended its 2-week run last night, at the Staples auditorium.

Staples Players’ fall show has taken its place as one of the most fun, energetic and spectacular shows in the troupe’s 66-year history.

Sold-out audiences loved the singing, dancing — and especially, its message of joy. Many attendees got in the spirit of the show themselves:

(Photo/Dan Woog)

From left: Blake Raho, Seamus Brannigan and Chloe Carson. (Photo/Dan Woog)

Buddy (Seamus Brannigan) and the elves. (Photo/Susan Garment)

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Clarendon Fine Art on Main Street was filled Friday night, at a reception for Craig Alan.

His work includes dozens, sometimes hundreds, of intricately painted exquisite figures. Here’s one example. (Hat tip: Stephanie Mastocciolo)

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Also Friday night: Staples Service League of Boys‘ (SLOBs) biggest basketball fundraiser ever.

More than 240 SLOBs, students and parents formed 38 3-v-3 teams, to raise over $5,100 for Staples Tuition Grants.

SLOBS president Cole Siegner, fundraising chair Zach Gillman and the executive board planned the event, and selected the charity to support.

They also voted to create a SLOBs named award with Tuition Grants, in honor of their friend and fellow Stapleite Max Harper. To contribute, click here; then select “SHS SLOBs Named Award” from the dropdown menu.

Contratulations to the winners: seniors James Pretty, RJ Kickham and Ben Cukier.

Runners-up were Austin Heyer, Cole Landgraf, Nate Maurillo and James Moneyhun. Two teams won sportsmanship awards: Jack Schwartz, Jackson Tracey, Max Saperstein and Andre Albanese, and Grant Bozeman, Ryan Marens, Charles Nivaud and Michael Roberts.

A small portion of the large SLOBs crowd.

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Westporters are used to seeing one deer, nearly everywhere in town. Sometimes there are 2 or 3.

But 6?!

Richard Fogel spotted these half-dozen the other day off Whitney Street, and snapped this shot for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Richard Fogel)

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And finally … Donald “Duck” Dunn was born on this day, in 1941. A bass guitarist/record producer/session musician/songwriter, he is best known for his work with Stax Records artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and others.

Dnn is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Booker T. & the MGs. He died in 2012, at 70.

(Hold on! Are you coming with a tax-deductible donation, to support “06880,” your hyper-local blog? If so, please click here. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Local business, Sports, Staples HS

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What Kind Of A Town …

Posted on November 24, 2024 | 14 comments

What kind of a town do you want to live in?

Sustainable Westport asked several dozen residents, of all ages.

They said they want to live in a place that:

  • Protects the natural environment
  • Provides green space for all
  • Enhances renewable energy
  • Promotes composting
  • Teaches kids how to garden
  • Embraces bike riding
  • Focuses on sustainability
  • Eliminates single-use plastics
  • Works toward its net-zero commitment
  • Supports farmers
  • Honors trees
  • Cares about the future.

Is that too much to ask?

Those answers — part of a video shot against a backdrop of water — form the heart of the environmental organization’s Community Giving Challenge.

The goal is to inspire 250 residents to invest “invest in the town we all want to live in,” and make the vision expressed by our neighbors in the video a reality.

“Every single Westporter has a role to play in shaping Westport’s future,” Sustainable Westport says.

“Your gift, no matter the amount, will power our mission to inspire, support and connect residents, organizations, and the town of Westport in making both small changes and big commitments toward a healthier, more sustainable future.”

The fund drive kicks off December 1. But you can “seed” it now. Click here to give.

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Posted in Environment

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Pic Of The Day #2776

Posted on November 23, 2024 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2776

Just another November day at the beach (Photo/Andrew Franco)

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Roundup: Downtown Survey (Again), Ice Cream Downtown (New) …

Posted on November 23, 2024 | 10 comments

The Downtown Plan Implementation Committee has released the results of its most recent study.

What do 1,955 respondents, plus attendees at focus groups and a townwide charette say>

Surprise!*

Most want Jesup Green to be untouched, for parking or any other use. Some people would even like the open space expanded, toward the river.

The Imperial Avenue parking lot, while used for the Westport Farmers’ Market, Westport Woman’s Club, Levitt Pavilion and Westport Library, is not utilized for downtown shopping and dining.

Presented with 3 sites for a downtown parking deck, nearly 50% favored the Baldwin lot on Elm Street.

For details on those results, and other questions like parking limits, click here.

*Not really.

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Speaking of downtown: With Japanese, Israeli and French cuisine — plus Spotted Horse, Emmy Squared and Mrs. London’s — Church Lane is already a food mecca.

Soon, there will be an ice cream place too.

Van Leeuwen will open in the space previously home to Franny’s Farmacy.

It’s the 4th location in Connecticut for the chain, which features ice cream (including vegan), chocolate chip cookies, cookie sandwiches, sundaes and milkshakes.

The other sites are New Canaan, Darien and Greenwich.

Van Leeuwen also operates shops in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Colorado, Texas and California.

(Photo/Sal Liccione)

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Westport River Gallery is filled with fine American, European and Asian art.

There are many different price points.

Nothing there sells for $6.2 million, however. To pay that amount for art, you need to go to Sotheyby’s, and be a Hong Kong crypto entrepreneur willing to pony up for a duct-taped banana.

But wait!

What was that, duct-taped yesterday to a utility pole, outside the Riverside Avenue gallery?

Looks like anyone could have had it for free.

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The Representative Town Meeting Environment and Health & Human Services Committees meet together on Monday (November 25, 7:30 p.m., Zoom).

They’ll continue their discussion about “concerns related to a potential artificial turf field being added to Long Lots School property, during the new school construction.”

The athletic fields at Long Lots Elementary School are now all grass. 

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Speaking of the environment: Next year marks the 95th anniversary of the Greens Farms Garden Club.

Members got a jump on the celebration Tuesday. The warm, sunny morning was perfect for palnting daffodils, at Machamux Park on Greens Farms Road.

The name comes from the Mohawk and Wallup Native Americans who settled in the area. They called the area overlooking Long Island Sound “Machaux” (“the beautiful land”).

In the mid-1600’s, colonists arrived. The 5 “Bankside Farmers” bought land along the shore from the Wallups.

It named Greens Farms in honor of John Green, one of the Bankside Farmers. A large memorial rock in the park will be surrounded by daffodils and grape hyacinths next spring — the Greens Farms Garden Club’s contribution to this “beautiful land.”

Second Selectwoman Andrea Moore and Westport parks superintendent Michael West helped prepare the garden bed for the volunteers.

In a few months, we’ll all enjoy their work.

Greens Farms Garden Club members, at Machamux Park.

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Och and oy!

That was the title of last night’s sold-out Westport Country Playhouse show.

Actor Alan Cumming (“Cabaret,” “The Good Wife”) and American journalist and singer Ari Shapiro (NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Pink Martini) joined forces for an evening of entertainment. 

The event’s title paid homage to Cumming’s Scottish and Shapiro’s Jewish roots. It was a night of thought-provoking conversations, slightly bawdy musical numbers and personal storytelling.

Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro: Och and oy! (Photo/Susan Garment)

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Duck!

It’s today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo:

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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And finally … Vic Flick, the delightfully named guitarist whose “driving riff in the theme for the James Bond movies captured the spy’s suave confidence and tacit danger,” says the New York Times, died November 14 in Los Angeles. He was 87. and suffered from Alzheimer’s.

Click here for a full obituary.

(New businesses, art, gardening, sports, schools — it’s all here, just like it is every day, in our “06880” Roundup. If you rely us on for news you can use, please click here to support our work. Thanks!)

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Posted in Arts, Downtown, Entertainment, Environment, Local business, Local politics, Sports, Westport Country Playhouse

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Online Art Gallery #241

Posted on November 23, 2024 | Comments Off on Online Art Gallery #241

I don’t think there’s ever been an “06880” online art gallery without at least one nautical-themed work, and one with flowers This week is no exception — and the submissions ae gorgeous.

Along with, of course, our usual assortment of themes, from all over Westport and the world.

But 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.

Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions. Everyone is invited to contribute.

Email a jpeg to 06880blog@gmail.com. And remember: Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.

Untitled — Japanese brush painting, with a touch of collage (Maj Kalfus)

“Roses From Trader Joe’s” (Kathleen Burke)

“Tiger Lily Blossom” (Peter Barlow)

“Still Full of Life” — photograph (Jerry Kuyper)

“A November Moment, Sherwood Mill Pond” (Tom Kretsch)

“High Tide and Green Grass” (Fred Cantor)

“Branch Manager” — digital illustration created by Ken Runkel for his Surrealism portfolio. Applications used include Midjourney, Lightroom and Photoshop.

Untitled (Tom Doran)

“Hold That Tiger” (Martin Ripchick)

Photographer Mike Hibbard says, “within a month of birth the baby is brought to a temple for blessing, and placed in front of the statue of Buddha. Offerings of flowers, candles and incense are made, and the monk blesses this Nepalese child, announcing her name.”

“The Great Blue Heron” (Steve Stein)

Untitled (Lawrence Weisman)

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