Governor Ned Lamont advises Connecticut residents — especially the most vulnerable — to take precautions ahead of extreme temperatures that will remain through Wednesday.
Temperatures during the day will rise into the 90s. The heat index will be between 95 and 100 degrees.
Overnight temperatures are expected to be very uncomfortable, with lows only falling to the 70s.
One way to cool down.
Cooling centers are open throughout Connecticut. Call 211, or click here. 211ct.org.”
Here are the Westport cooling centers:
Senior Center: Weekdays only, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Emergency Management director Nick Marsan offers these tips:
Stay cool: Keep your body temperature cool to avoid heat-related illness
Stay in air-conditioned buildings as much as possible. If you must be outdoors, try to limit your outdoor activity to the morning and evening.
Find an air-conditioned shelter. Do not rely on a fan as your primary cooling device.
Avoid direct sunlight.
Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.
Take cool showers or baths.
Pets that cannot be brought indoors should be provided ready access to water and shade to keep them cool.
Stay Hydrated: Because your body loses fluids through sweat, you can become dehydrated during times of extreme heat
Drink more water than usual.
Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink more fluids.
Drink two to four cups of water every hour while working or exercising outside.
Avoid alcohol or liquids containing high amounts of sugar.
Although anyone can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others:
Infants and young children are sensitive to the effects of high temperatures and rely on others to regulate their environments and provide adequate liquids.
People 65 years of age or older may not compensate for heat stress efficiently and are less likely to sense and respond to change in temperature.
People who are overweight may be prone to heat sickness because of their tendency to retain more body heat.
People who overexert during work or exercise may become dehydrated and susceptible to heat sickness.
People who are physically ill, especially those with heart disease or high blood pressure, or who take certain medications, such as for depression, insomnia, or poor circulation, may be affected by extreme heat.
The 11th annual “06880” blog party is Thursday, July 25. From 6 p.m. until dark, everyone in our community — online and real — is invited to Compo’s South Beach.
It’s a very casual, very fun, bring-your-own-food-and-drink event. Meet old friends; make new ones; watch the sun set, and enjoy a summer evening with people drawn together by this hyper-local blog. See you there!
Three days later — on Sunday, July 28— we’re back at Compo, for the 1st-ever Soundview Stroll.
Co-sponsored by “06880” and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, this event builds on the fun and community spirit we all feel at the fireworks, when the beach exit road is closed.
Thanks to the cooperation of Parks & Rec and the Westport Police, the street will be shut again. Enjoy live music; kids’ activities like face painting and balloon-making; a photo booth; food trucks — and plenty of room for walking, biking, rollerblading, and the best street scene east of Venice, California.
It runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Mark your calendars for the “06880” blog party, and the Soundview Stroll. See you at both!
Human youngsters can snuggle with baby goats at Wakeman Town Farm in small-group, half-hour sessions. Click here for tickets, and more information.
But that’s not the only “kids” activities at WTF.
A cooking camp — covering the basics, and promising fun — runs July 29 through August 1 (12:30 to 3 p.m.). Click here for registration, and more details.
“Little Farmers: Parent & Me” hands-on experiences for 0-3-year-olds are planned for July 29, 30 and 31 (2 to 3 p.m.). Click here to register, and learn more.
Everyone is invited to the July 13 Family Fun Day (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.). The event includes games, music, food, crafts and more. Click here for tickets, and a full schedule.
And of course, the Wakeman Town Farm farm stand is open every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It’s your spot for organic produce, microgreens, honey, flower, and rotating local artisanal products including organic coffee, bread, pastries, extra virgin olive oils, gourmet balsamic vinegars and salsas.
To break through the clutter though, a podcaster needs an angle.
Maxwell Valencia and Henry Morrison have theirs: “careers for kids.”
If you think that’s not exactly unique, consider this: They are kids themselves.
The friends are rising 8th graders at Coleytown Middle School. They’re a few years away from careers, but they’ve gotten a head start by asking adults in a variety of jobs to talk about what they do, what they like about it, and how they got where they are.
This being Westport, they’ve lined up some interesting folks to talk about careers.
They’ve chatted with Congressman Jim Himes and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, along with an aerospace engineer, financial advisor, Westport police lieutenant and fire marshal, and the New York Knicks’ high performance coach.
None of the men or women talk down to the youngsters. They answer in depth, and seem to enjoy talking about their work.
(I particularly enjoyed hearing Himes say that he prefers calling himself a “representative,” as opposed to a “congressman.”)
The website is aimed at middle and elementary school students. But it’s available at nearly every podcast outlet — and on this website.
So — no matter how old you are, or what your job is — you can hear it too.
Maxwell Valencia and Henry Morrison interview 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, in her office.
=================================================
Interior designer Jared Frank is a 2002 graduate of Staples High School, and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Based now in California, his clients include musician Reggie Watts, actor Matthew Gubler and filmmaker Jon Watts.
The other day, the Los Angeles Times featured his $150,000 renovation of a home in Van Nuys. It includes an 18-foot, custom-built couch (Frank is also a furniture designer). Click here to read the full story.
Dwell Magazine featured the same project. Click here to see.
And finally … on this date in 1947, reports were broadcast that a UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Reports of the incident — and a purported cover-up by the US government — persist today.(
(“06880” — your hyper-local blog — relies on support from readers like you. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
Clayton Chalfant has done a lot in his 100 years of life.
The Westport native joined the Army in January, 1943, and headed to basic training at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. He was just 18.
Heavy machine gunner Clayton Chalfant.
Assigned to an anti-aircraft Battalion, his unit landed on Omaha Beach less than 3 weeks after D-Day. A heavy machine gunner on a half-track mobile unit, he helped liberate several towns in northern France — including St. Lô, the “capital of ruins.”
Chalfant then served in battle campaigns in Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe — including the infamous Battle of the Bulge.
After the war he helped establish Westport’s sister city relationship with Marigny, a Normandy town he had traveled through. The association continues today, nearly 80 years later.
Chalfant and Mary, his wife of 76 years, have lived together in Westport all that time. They have 5 children, 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
But until yesterday, Clayton Chalfant had not been a Knight in the National Order of France’s Legion of Honor.
That recognition was bestowed, in an emotional ceremony. A large crowd — including officials from Westport and France, and Chalfant’s family from across the US — gathered, for the presentation by the New York consul general of France.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker called Chalfant “a soldier, and a gentleman.” She asked attendees to reflect on two things: “what true sacrifice is all about,” and the long friendship between the United States and France.
After the presentation of colors, and rousing renditions of “La Marseillaise” and “The Start-Spangled Banner,” Consul General Cedric Fouriscot spoke.
“You fought thousands of miles away from your country, to help liberate ours,” he told Chalfant.
“You are a leading symbol of the alliance between France and America. It goes back more than 250 years, to our support of the Revolutionary War.”
French Consul General Cedric Fouriscot, thanking Clayton Chalfant. 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker looks on.
As the consul general pinned the medal on Chalfant, the crowd rose in a standing ovation.
The honoree then stepped to the podium.
Clayton Chalfant: Knight in the National Order of France’s Legion of Honor.
In a firm voice he said, “I was just one little American, among so many great men.” He acknowledged the sacrifice of so many, and thanked the French officials who had traveled to Westport for the ceremony.
One — Lieutenant Colonel Patrick du Tertre of the French Airborne — made an emotional, impromptu speech.
He described his tears when he learned that President Kennedy had been killed.
He had grown up idolizing Americans, he said. They were the ones who liberated his grandfather, a leader of the French Resistance who was tortured by Nazis.
It was Americans too who gave his father — a sheep farmer — the gift of a tractor.
Today, du Tertre said, the US is still part of his life. He lives in Bethel, with his American wife and 2 “Franco-American” children.
Chalfant’s daughter Kate Carroll noted that her father accepted the French honor “on behalf of every soldier he fought alongside.”
His grandson Jonathan Van Sant concluded with a reading of the poem “It is the Soldier,” by Charles Province, that has become a Westport Memorial Day tradition.
In 2004, Clayton Chalfant was grand marshal of that parade.
Two decades later, he earned another honor, from another nation.
“06880” proudly joins our French friends in saying: “Thank you for your service.”
(To read more about Clayton Chalfant’s life, click here.)
Clayton Chalfant, his great-granddaughter Cecilia and daughter Kate Carroll.
French war veterans at Town Hall (from left): Patrick du Tertre, Alain Dupuis, Henri du Valle. (All photos/Dan Woog)
How many places can there be in Westport for a tepee made from a tree and branches?
Plenty.
Readers’ guesses for last week’s Photo Challenge were all over the, um, park. The most popular were Winslow, the Wadsworth Arboretum, Earthplace and the Leonard Schine Preserve.
Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.
The correct answer was: the Mahackeno Outdoor Center, at the Westport Weston Family YMCA. Only Johanna Keyser Rossi and Russell Gontar knew the (apparently somewhat secret) spot.
Click here to see Susan Garment’s photo. And then realize how cool it is that so many other wooded spots could also qualify.
This week’s Photo Challenge is below. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments.”
(Photo/Dan Woog)
(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!)
Club 203’s social activities are on summer vacation.
But 2 partners offer activities, for members of Westport’s group for adults with disabilities.
MoCA CT plans 2 “Summer Art” sessions. Attendees can spend relaxing evenings, learning about art and self-expression. They’re tomorrow (July 8) and August 5 (6 p.m.). Click here to register, and for more information.
In addition, Deirdre Flores — the Teen SLP, who offered her services at an April event — will provide classes on employment, technology and social skills (July 9, 10 and 11). Click here for details.
Club 203’s 2024-25 calendar will be announced soon on Instagram. Follow them: @club203_ct.
===============================================
“06880” can’t resist a great rainbow photo.
And even though this was taken a few days ago at Wakeman Fields, it’s worth posting.
Photographer Frank Sisson says: “A double rainbow! And thanks to the topography of Wakeman, it was visible from the 2 starting points, to the 2 pots of gold. Moments like this make you stop and appreciate the grandeur of Mother Nature.”
Totney Benson offers today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, and these thoughts:
“I was glad to see this pair on the beach near Schlaet’s Point.
“I have seen so few this year that I was worried. Last year there were dozens, and many nests. But I also saw their path down the sand in more detail than ever before, with tiny claw marks evident.”
(Photo/Totney Benson)
=================================================
And finally … yesterday, “06880” saluted the anniversary of the first meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Today, it’s Sir Ringo Starr’s 84th birthday.
(Act naturally — and now, Please click here to support “06880,” with a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
A realtor tells a client, “I found the perfect house for you.”
(Beat)
“It’s on Pan Handle Lane!”
Of course, despite its down-at-the-heels name, the little street off Red Coat Road is just as desirable as most other Westport addresses.
In fact, on the market right now: a Pan Handle Lane home for $4.975 million.
6 Pan Handle Lane: 5 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, 7,435 square feet, on 2.51 acres.
But the unfortunate address highlights an interesting aspect of Westport life: our street names.
Where did “Pan Handle Lane” come from? Did no one say, “That might not be the best idea?”
For that matter, what about Red Coat Road? Those guys are the reason we fought an entire war of independence. And we reward them with a street?!
(To be fair, Blue Coat Lane lies a couple of miles away.)
Nearly 250 years after the Revolutionary War, Westport remembers Red Coats and Blue Coats.
One man who thinks a lot about Westport names is Alex Drexler. A 5-year resident, he still finds new names to wonder about.
What he knows, he passes on to his 2 children.
As they drive around town, they talk about the Sherwoods. Passing Minute Man Hill, he tells them about, well, the redcoats and bluecoats.
But he wants to learn more, about Westport history, and its street names.
Of course, they’re often intertwined.
For example, families in what was then colonial Fairfield divided land into narrow strips, from just north of the “Boston Post Road” all the way to Redding.
Every so often, “highways” crossed them.
You see where this is going, right?
Today, we know 2 of those streets as “Long Lots Road” and “Cross Highway.”
The oldest home in Westport is on Long Lots Road, near Fairfield.
Alex is not the only one who wants to know more about the origins of Westport’s street names.
Many other “06880” readers do too.
Who hasn’t wondered about Fermily Lane, Fresenius Road or Smicap Lane? Rumpenmile Avenue? Wynfromere Lane?
We know a bit about families like Gault, Lehn, Meeker and Parsell, all of whom have roads named in their honor. But we can always learn more about why they’re located where they are.
Who was Wright, Sturges, Bulkley, Gonczy, Hyde and the man who had a circle named for him, Dr. Gillette?
How about all those first-name street names: Barbara, Donald, Elaine, Jackie, James, Jennie, Loretta, Marc, Mary Jane, Scot Alan, Sue and Victoria?
It makes sense, given the Native Americans who lived here first, to have Pequot Trail and Arrowhead Lane. But Apache Trail and Hiawatha Lane? That tribe, and that leader, lived nowhere near here.
Hiawatha was a chief of the Onondaga tribe. He helped establish the Iroquois (Five Nations) Confederacy. They were primarily in what is now New York State, Ontario and Quebec — not Fairfield County.
So here is today’s question: What do you know about the names of Westport’s roads, streets, lanes, avenues, drives, circles and terraces?
We want histories, and back stories. Click “Comments” below, and/or email 06880blog@gmail.com. We’ll compile your submissions into an upcoming piece.
Here’s one, to start things off: Roosevelt and Quentin Roads — which connect to each other, and are accessible at different points off Compo Beach Road — were both named after Theodore Roosevelt’s youngest son. Quentin Roosevelt was killed in his airplane over Normandy on Bastille Day, during World War I.
And — according to Woody Klein’s history of Westport — Teddy Roosevelt himself spent summers in Westport, as a boy.
Theodore Roosevelt and his son Quentin.
(Where else but “06880” can you learn such interesting, important and random stuff about our past — and our present? If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support us. Thank you!)
Siding was delivered yesterday to 233 Hillspoint Road. That’s the house at the foot of Compo Hill — the site of the former Positano restaurant — that has been swathed in Tyvek since approximately the Ford administration.
No word on when the next phase of construction will be completed. But for neighbors — and the thousands of people who pass by daily — it can’t come soon enough.
The quirky cottage at 246 Hillspoint Road bears a demolition notice.
The hydrangeas are (thankfully) next door. Let’s hope they frame whatever (big) house replaces this one as beautifully as they do, in today’s “Westport … Naturally” image.
And finally … on this date in 1957, a school pal invited 15-year old Paul McCartney to listed to 16-year-old John Lennon’s skiffle group, the Quarrymen, play at a Liverpool church event. Soon after, Lennon invited McCartney to join the band.
The world was never the same.
Though they shared writing credits on dozens of songs, most were written primarily by one or the other. Among the songs they both contributed equally to:
(It’s a holiday weekend. But “06880” never takes a day off. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
We have some colorful submissions. But, surprisingly, nothing directly Independence Day-related.
Of course, it’s a big, wide art world out there.
No matter what color (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 it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
