Roundup: Remarkable Theater, Arezzo, Earthplace …

Posted on June 13, 2024 | Comments Off on Roundup: Remarkable Theater, Arezzo, Earthplace …

The curtain may rise again for the Remarkable Theater.

Yesterday, the Board of Selectwomen unanimously approved a request for a permit to show movies in the Imperial Avenue lot this summer.

The dates would be Mondays (when the nearby Levitt Pavilion is dark) and Wednesdays (when the Levitt’s Children’s Series — which ends earlier than other shows is scheduled). Movies cannot be seen on the large outdoor screen until the sun goes down.

The Remarkable Theater debuted during the COVID year of 2020. It was an instant hit, providing entertainment, opportunities for non-profit groups to partner on fundraisers, and employment for people with disabilities.

After successful seasons in 2021 and ’22, scheduling difficulties prevented the Remarkable Theater from operating last year.

Theater officials hope to confirm their opening — and announce their schedule — soon.

Paul and Melissa Levy, at the Remarkable Theater.

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Winfield Street Deli closed Monday.

It won’t stay shuttered for long.

Arezzo — the Italian restaurant around the corner, on Riverside Avenue — will take over the Post Road West space.

The new spot will be separate from the restaurant. They’ll add a few items to what had been the coffee shop/deli menu.

They hope to open in 2-3 weeks.

 

Coming soon to this spot: Arezzo.

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A who’s who of Westporters received Rotary Club honors on Tuesday.

Each also received an honorary Paul Harris Award — the highest Rotary recognition.

Westport Public Protection Awards went to Firefighter Paul Spennato, Corporal David Scinto and Volunteer EMS President Michael Burns (who also received a Community Service Award).

Westport Community Service Awards were given to Ken Bernhard, attorney, civic leader and community volunteer; Susan Pfister, former director of the Westport Senior Center; Gately Ross and Johanna Martell, co-directors of Sustainable Westport; Honorable Lisa Wexler, probate judge, and Pete Wolgast, civic leader and community volunteer.

Corporal David Scinto receives his award from Rotary member Lyla Steenbergen. Police Chief Foti Koskinas looks on. 

Pete Wolgast (right), with longtime Rotarian and former 1st Selectman Jim Marpe. (Photos/Dave Matlow)

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Earthplace heats up this summer.

Programs and events include:

  • “Organic Vegetable Gardening” (June 25, 1 p.m.; $5 members, $10 non-members)
  • “Invasive Plant Removal” (June 27, July 22, August 21; 10 a.m.; free)
  • “Build-a-Bouquet” (various dates, June 30-September 22; $20 members, $25 non-members)
  • Nature Yoga (June 15, June 22, 10 a.m.; $15 in advance, $20 at the door)
  • Themed Family Campfire (June 21, 6:30 p.m.; $30 per member family, $40 non-members)
  • Craft & Sip: Natural Dyeing (21+; June 13, 6 p.m.; $30 members, $40 non-members).
  • 2nd annual Moth Ball (July 12, 8 to 11 p.m.; $10 adults; under 21, free). Moth experts discuss moth ecology, and identify moth species. Dress up in a moth costume. Crafts and refreshments included).

For registration and more information, click here, or email v.swain@earthplace.org.

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For over 9 decades, the Westport Country Playhouse has been making musicals.

Next month, “They Made It a Musical!” comes to the historic stage.

A concert celebrating Broadway’s greatest musicals is set for July 18, 19 and 20 (8 p.m.), with a July 20 matinee (3 p.m.).

Broadway veterans and a live band offer songs and stories showcasing the origins of “Oklahoma!” (whose origins include the Playhouse), “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Titanic,” “Hamilton” and many more.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

Westporter Bambi Linn played Dream Laurey in “Oklahoma!” on Broadway.

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Two new art installations open soon, in all 3 Westport Library gallery spaces.

The Artist Collective of Westport’s “Piece By Piece” and “Word: Visual VS Verbal Art Show” will fill all 3 of the Library’s gallery spaces.

For “Piece by Piece,” 48 artists from the Collective each created an individual piece — part of a larger painting — replicating it in their own style. None know what the final painting will look like until it’s revealed at the opening reception (June 20, 6:30 to 8 p.m.).

The reveal will be a fun way to see how each artist interpreted the 12″ x 12″ section they were given.

The Collective’s “Visual VS Verbal Art Show ” will also open that evening, with art on many of Library walls and the large Trefz Forum screen.

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A year ago, Staples High School graduate Jake Thaw previewed his upcoming University of Michigan football season, at a special meeting of the Michigan Alumni Association of Fairfield County

The Wolverines went on to win the national championship.

After appearing in that game, Thaw — a punt returner and wide receiver — has transferred to Delaware.

But once again, local alums can hear the football forecast from someone who knows.

Lys Goldman — a 2021 Staples grad, and rising senior at UM, will speak at Pizza Lyfe on July 7 (2 p.m.).

Lis is a senior sports editor and senior layout editor for The Michigan Daily. She covers UM football, ice hockey, women’s basketball and other sports.

Lys also designs most sports print pages — including the national championship cover.

Next month’s event is free — and open to all. No Michigan connection is needed. Click here to register.

Lys Goldman

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Staples High School Class of 1976 graduate Tim Garvin is now president and CEO of United Way of Central Massachusetts.

In preparation for their 104th annual Community  Celebration, they decorated their offices with vintage posters, artifacts and awards.

One poster from the 1950s caught his eye.

Looking closely, he realized it was more than just intriguing: The artis was Stevan Dohanos.

The Westport illustrator — a longtime cover artist for the Saturday Evening Post, US stam designed and founding member of Famous Artists School — created this work:

“I am that his work and Westport heritage are on display in our United Way offices in Worcester,” Tim says.

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There’s a reception for Dorothy Robertshaw — the Westport Book Shop featured artist of the month — tonight (Thursday, 6 to 7:30 p.m.) at the Jesup Road store.

Inspired by nature, she creates richly textured, exuberantly colorful waterscapes and landscapes she sees in her mind’s eye. She works in oil, acrylic, encaustic wax, pastel, wood, glass and mixed media.

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Rushing to or from a train, it’s easy to overlook the gorgeous gardens at the Westport station.

But that would be a shame.

So now — assuming you’re not running to or at the station — relax, and enjoy  today’s “Westport … Naturally” image:

(Photo/Patti Brill)

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And finally … on this day in 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that the police must inform suspects of their 5th Amendment rights before questioning them.

(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. We rely on readers like you for support. Please click here to help us bring you all that we do. Thank you!)

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2-Way Traffic, Parker Harding Park, And More: Planning A New Downtown

Posted on June 13, 2024 | 18 comments

For over a year, Westporters have hotly contested the future of Parker Harding Plaza.

A plan to add more greenery to the riverside parking lot behind Main Street — while making it ADA-compliant and safer for emergency vehicles, causing the loss of 40-plus spaces — has enraged some merchants and shoppers.

Reaction to the plan — which also called for a reconfiguration of the Taylor lot across the Post Road near Jesup Green, and the possible addition of more parking at the Imperial Avenue lot — has led to renewed interest in a parking deck over the existing Baldwin lot, on Elm Street.

Those ideas are considered a radical rethinking of downtown.

But to Jeff Speck, they’re just baby steps.

Jeff Speck

The nationally renowned urban planner — whose books include “Walkable City: How Downtown Saves America, One Step at a Time” — has some ideas on how Westport can really transform itself.

Our town can be much more walkable and bikeable, he says.

And it all starts by looking at downtown in an entirely new way.

Speck spoke earlier this month at Bedford Middle School, sponsored by Sustainable Westport. He was competing with several other events — including Doris Kearns Goodwin at the Library, and Startup Westport at Longshore — but a crowd of nearly 200 listened intently.

Drawn in part by the idea of walkability and bikeability, they seemed intrigued by concepts like a 2-line bike lane from downtown to the beach, via Imperial Avenue, Bridge Street and Compo Road South.

Speck noted that parking, vehicle size, speed limits, the environment, the number of lanes and the width of roads impact walkability and safety.

But that was just an appetizer. The entrée was Speck’s red-meat version of a very different Main Street and environs.

His vision of Parker Harding is “a waterfront worthy of Westport.” It places a “second Main Street,” with parallel parking, between the shops and the water.

The rest of the space is reserved for playgrounds, plazas and other amenities.

Jeff Speck sketched out this plan for Parker Harding. The Saugatuck River is at bottom; the redesigned parking lot would include playgrounds, trees and other amenities. 

It is based on a larger plan of centralizing downtown parking in a structure — multi-story, but hidden from view by apartments — on the Baldwin lot.

“Changing all your lightbulbs to energy savers saves as much energy in a year as moving to a walkable neighborhood saves in a week,” he says, citing “location efficiency” as a major factor in reducing a town’s carbon footprint. 

On-street parking would be priced “properly,” which Speck says would allow merchants to “truly thrive.”

In his “Walkable City” book, Speck argues that a downtown becomes a “much more vital place” once merchants “are willing to learn (from best practices nationally) that parking right in front of one’s destination is a second-class solution.”

It is inferior, Speck argues, “to what happens in the best shopping districts, where people walk a short distance from centralized parking to their destinations, creating street life.”

Jeff Speck’s presentation included this aerial view of downtown Westport. The Baldwin parking lot and environs are outlined in red.

Pricing parking “properly” will also reduce the tremendous amount of “hunting-for-parking circulation,” which Speck says slows and frustrates downtown traffic.

He also advocates 2-way traffic on all of Main Street. (It was in effect from the advent of automobiles, through he 1970s.)

Two-way traffic “improves safety, street life, traffic circulation, access to shops, and revenues to merchants,” Speck says. (Click here for a story on 2-way traffic.)

Two-way Main Street traffic, in the 1970s. (Photo/Steve Baldwin)

Speck has one other suggestion: Remove the Athleta building, to create more of a path from Main Street to Parker Harding, and the river.

“A significant gap in that 925-foot long block is needed for its economic and social success,” Speck says. “It’s best located at the bottom of Elm Street.”

But how willing is a property owner to tear down a structure?

“If the owner of the Athleta building owns the adjacent properties, or a significant amount downtown, they will benefit financially from a plan that removes some or all of that building (or another one nearby), and then places doors and windows on the corridor created by its removal,” Speck says.

“The whole downtown will be more successful when that gigantic block no longer forms an interminable Great Wall of China between Main Street and the waterfront.

CGR — the owner, part of Empire State Realty — does own adjacent Main Street property.

Westporters have “grown accustomed to a tawdry waterfront that makes folks from out of town scratch their heads and wonder ‘but … how?'” he notes.

“It is so out of keeping with the upscale, attractive image that the town wishes to portray, and not worthy of your collective status and history.

“The plan to repave it is also unsustainable, barely reducing the amount of impervious area.”

Jeff Speck’s vision for Westport is big, bold — and bound to be controversial.

Exactly like Parker Harding Plaza was, when it was first announced 7 decades ago.

(Hat tip: Rob Feakins)

Click below to watch Jeff Speck’s full presentation.

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The morning after the presentation, a group of local officials including 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and members of the Downtown Plan Implementation Committee met with Speck and Sustainable Westport to discuss some of his ideas.

Speck reiterated the importance of a comprehensive master plan that addresses parking policy and strategy, alongside riverfront redesign and other development efforts.

Following Speck’s visit, Sustainable Westport urges residents to continue the conversation by contributing to the vision of a walkable Westport. The organization says.

They urge residents to share their opinions by email with the RTM (RTM-DL@Westportct.gov), Planning and Zoning Commission (PandZ@Westportct.gov), and Tooker (JTooker@Westportct.gov); selectwoman@westportct.gov).

To address traffic and safety issues, click here or email the head of the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Task Force, Tom Kiely (Tkiely@westportct.gov).

To share ideas about downtown redevelopment, click here for the DPIC feedback form.

(“06880” covers the Westport waterfront — and riverfront, and downtown, and everything else in town. We also provide a forum for discussion about it all. Please click here to support our work!)

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Pic Of The Day #2612

Posted on June 12, 2024 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2612

Compo Cove, from Hillspoint Road (Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)

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Unsung Hero #338

Posted on June 12, 2024 | 24 comments

Longtime local historian Bob Weingarten writes:

Peter Jennings is an 11th-generation Westporter. His family settled in this area around 1650.

For the past 23 years Peter has quietly maintained Jennings Trail, Westport’s network of roadside historic markers.

And he’s done it at his own cost.

Jennings Trail is named in honor of Peter’s cousin, beloved educator and well- known authority on Westport history, Bessie Jennings.

Originally conceived in 1974 as part of Westport’s plans to celebrate the Bicentennial, the Trail was initiated by the Westport Historical Society in collaboration with the Westport Young Woman’s League.

One of the plaques on Jennings Trail marks the Elmstead Lane home where Bessie Jennings was born, and died.

23 markers were installed at historic locations throughout Westport. They are made of bronze, mounted on stone plinths, and contain brief narrative descriptions that describe the significance of each site. Jennings Trail is now under the stewardship of the Westport Historic District Commission.

As it has been nearly 50 years since the markers were first installed, maintenance is necessary. On a recent weekend, Peter was spotted at Machamux Park off Greens Farms Road – site of our community’s very first meeting house.

Peter Jennings, rebuilding the Machamux marker base …

He carefully rebuilt the masonry base and reinstalled the bronze marker for the park’s Jennings Trail marker.

… and reinstalling the marker …

Meanwhile Peter, together with a small group of other local historians, is currently planning the first major expansion of Jennings Trail since the Bicentennial.

The group knows that a number of Westport’s most historic sites remain hidden in plain sight. Initially, 4 new markers will be installed. Each has a fascinating story to tell.

In the meantime: Thank you, Peter, for keeping Westport’s past alive.

(Unsung Hero is a weekly “06880” feature. To nominate a hero, email 06880blog@gmail.com. To support our work, please click here. Thank you!)

… and inspecting a site for a new marker. (Photos/Bob Weingarten)

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Roundup: MoCA CT, BOE, VFW …

Posted on June 12, 2024 | 10 comments

What’s in a name?

Not Westport. At least, not MoCA Westport anymore.

The gallery/performing arts center — whose official name was the Museum of Contemporary Art Westport — is now MoCA CT.

MoCA’s entrance is on Newtown Turnpike in Westport. But the bulk of the property — which includes Martha Stewart’s former TV studio, and was once a ball bearing factory — is in Norwalk.

MoCA explains the name change:

While our roots are in Westport, our impact and reach extend across the entire state of Connecticut.

The new name, MoCA CT, better represents our commitment to serving and engaging with communities throughout Connecticut. The name MoCA CT emphasizes our dedication to inclusivity and accessibility. It signals that we welcome artists, visitors, and participants from all corners of the state, fostering a sense of belonging and community.

Our mission is to celebrate contemporary art and foster a creative, engaging environment for all.

The new name aligns more closely with this mission by removing geographic limitations and highlighting our statewide aspirations.

MoCA was previously known as the Westport Arts Center. Its name was changed in 2019, when it moved to its present location from Riverside Avenue.

As of yesterday, a new logo had not been posted on the website (which is still mocawestport.org).

The name change was first reported by Westport Journal.

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Tomorrow’s Board of Education meeting (Thursday, June 13, 7 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria) begins with a recognition of 15 retiring staff members: Susan Bambach, Peter Barcello, Anitha Bolar, Barbara Burns, Catherine Carlson, Karen DeFelice-During, David DuBois, Denise Emmerthal, Agustin Feliciano, Joyce Horne, Ann Neary Adalberto Orozco Jr., Jane Sandri, Bruce Smith, Mary Sue Welch.

The 2 Staples students on the Board — Calum Madigan and Anya Nair — will also be recognized, along with PTA co-presidents.

After a brief reception, agenda items include a teacher evaluation plan, and a second reading of Board polices on assignment of students to classes, ages of attendance and graduation requirements.

Staples High School English teacher Ann Neary is one of 15 retiring staff members.

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The Levitt Pavilion’s popular Wednesday Children’s Series launches tonight (June 12, 7 p.m.).

Grammy winners Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats headline the family-friendly show. They promise “an elegantly silly time, loaded with bilingual and swingin’ sounds of jazz and beyond.”

Click here to reserve free tickets. Click here for more information on the Levitt Pavilion’s 50-plus free shows — and ticket sales for others.

Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats

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Flag Day is this Friday (June 14). It celebrates the day in 1777 when our nation officially adopted its 13-stars, 13-stripes banner.

Carl Addison Swanson says, “on all such occasions, flags line Pleasant Valley Lane in honor of patriotism. It is a regular flag fest. And it is a fine time, in our divided country, that we remember we are all Americans.”

 

(Photo/Tom Cook)

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Speaking of patriotism: VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399’s 31st annual golf tournament, held Monday at Longshore, was a huge success.

Thanks to 96 golfers, plus friends, sponsors, auxiliaries and volunteers, it will help the organization and American Legion Post 63 offer support veterans throughout Fairfield County — and give them a welcoming place to gather.

VFW Post 399 (465 Riverside Avenue) is open to the public. and serves the community in many ways.

They host a weekly Jazz Night every Thursday; conduct monthly Red Cross Blood Drives (47 consecutive months so far), and organize open houses and ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

The VFW partners with community institutions like PAL, the Fire Department, Westport Weston Family Y, Senior Center and Chamber of Commerce. They are also involved in youth activities in schools, Scouts, boating and sports teams.

For more information about Westport’s VFW Post 399/American Legion Post 63 and their community initiatives, click here.

Patty Kondub, VFW/American Auxiliary, is flanked by Honda of Westport sponsor representatives Evan Perkins and Steve Perkins.

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Jeff Mitchell writes:

“To his students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Fordham University, Manhattanville College, Fairfield University, and the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, and patients at his clinical and forensic psychology practice in Westport, he was known as Dr. Norman Klein.

“To the thousands of Westporters he coached in the mid-1990s and then umpired behind the plate at Kowalsky Field, he was simply ‘Norm!’”

On Monday, young and old honored Norm for his nearly 30 years of service to Westport Little League.

Extolling Norm’s “flair for the dramatic, and his youthful exuberance,” longtime umpire-in-chief Brian Kurtz noted, “Your work was always your play. Which is the way it should be.”

Westport Baseball president Jeff Brill added, “His spirited and emphatic umpire calls on Saturday mornings of Majors games were hallmarks of better spring weather and Little League baseball fun. He will be sorely missed.”

In his bellowing umpire voice Norm said, “I am forever grateful, and just know:  I loved every single inning.”

Westport Little League will permanently honor Norm with a plaque on the backstop at Kowalsky Field.

Norm Klein (right) and Little Leaguers, at Kowalsky Field.

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The Hillspoint Road sidewalk project is making good progress.

Yesterday, workers were busy in front of Old Mill Grocery & Deli.

Unfortunately, if they wanted a cold brew after work, they had to go elsewhere.

Though the Planning & Zoning Commission voted 5-2 earlier this month to amend zoning regulations, to allow retail food establishments with seating inside for up to 10 people to serve alcoholic beverages, OMG’s application is not yet finalized.

(Photo/Richard Fogel)

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For a couple of weeks, Westporters brought new and slightly used shoes to Town Hall and the Senior Center.

This week, town officials helped Souls4Soles organizers Ken Bernhard and Ted Freedman transport 35 boxes — filled with 450 pairs — to the UPS store for delivery to Tennessee.

This is the 5th time the town has rallied to provide footwear for people around the world who need them.

From left: Officer Greg Gunther, Ken Bernhard, Detective James Baker, Ted Freedman, Sgt. Sean Kelley and Sgt. Sharon Russo, with Soles4Soles boxes.

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“Art in Bloom” — the Westport Public Art Collections‘ first fundraiser in 5 years — was a rousing success the other day.

The volunteer organization — which collects, curates and distributes artwork for schools and municipal buildings — sold 30 paintings. The $16,000 raised will go a long way to ensuring that the arts are alive and well, all around town.

“Dream Town” by Lisa Daugherty was one of WestPAC’s auctioned items.

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Another successful event: The “Evening of Mental Fitness,” sponsored by Rhone. 125 guests gathered at the Westport Woman’s Club to raise awareness and funds for Positive Directions’ prevention and counseling programs.

The non-profit collected nearly $30,000 through tickets, donations, a silent auction and 10% of Rhone’s Westport sales over the weekend.

At the mental health fundraiser (from left): Vanessa Wilson of Positive Directions, Zac Clark of Release Recovery, Kate Sweeney and Nate Checketts of Rhone, Staples High School boys basketball coach Dave Goldshore, and Westport 1st selectwoman Jen Tooker.

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“This was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me” has just been released as an audiobook, on all digital platforms.

There are 2 local angles. It was written by Westporter Lucy Antek Johnson, with her late father Samuel Antek. He was NBC Symphony’s first violinist.

And it was produced at the Westport Library’s Verso Studios. Johnson and actor David Garrison did all the narration, while Verso director Travis Bell handled the music editing.

Excerpts from the famed conductor’s original NBC Symphony performances replace the iconic photos, in the hardcover edition.

For example, when Toscanini bellows “Brahms!” at the first rehearsal, listeners hear the opening of his First Symphony.

The release is particularly noteworthy now. June is Audibook Appreciation Month.

To order, and for more information, click here.

Arturo Toscanini (left) and Samuel Antek. 

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J. McLaughlin — the clothing store diagonally across from the Westport Country Playhouse, in Compo Acres Shopping Center — is helping its neighbor.

On Friday, June 21, 15% of all sales will benefit the WCP. To see new arrivals, click here.

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Among the “Westport … Naturally” marvels at Sherwood Island State Park: this flowering (and fleeting) dogwood:

(Photo/Pam Docters)

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And finally … in honor of Norm Klein, and his 3 decades of Little League service (story above):

(Another day, another well-rounded Roundup. If you enjoy this daily “06880” feature, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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“Teens & Tweens”: Positive Body Image, One Workout At A Time

Posted on June 12, 2024 | 4 comments

“Teens & Tweens” provides an “06880” voice for Westport youth. Today, rising junior Madeline Johnson writes about body image:

Growing up, like most girls, I played with Barbie dolls. However, along with sparking my imagination, this playtime activity also made me self conscious about my body.

I did not look like a Barbie. My body also did not look like the models in Vogue or on Instagram. 

This led me to believe that the way the models looked was the only standard of beauty. 

Madeline Johnson (nearest the ball), playing rec soccer at age 4.

I didn’t realize that Barbie’s unrealistic proportions were impossible to obtain, and I began comparing myself to these superficial images. As a generation, us girls have adopted a body and beauty standard from the images showcased in the media. 

As a multi-sport athlete, I train year-round by weightlifting in order to keep my body healthy, and in shape to perform at a high level.

With that, my physique is not slim like the models that I see, but rather strong. I have soccer thighs, which I work hard for and am proud of. It’s taken me a long time to understand that about myself, and the images I see of women in the media have not helped me.

Madeline Johnson with her club soccer team, CFC.

It was only when I saw other athletes I looked up to, like more senior girls on Staples varsity soccer and lacrosse, my coaches, and the female athletes in all sports who proudly represent their countries with their strong and powerful bodies, that I started to appreciate my own.

Because most of the images I see in the media do not represent me, I still have to work hard to find positive images to aspire to.

Madeline Johnson, on the Staples lacrosse team.

If I could communicate one message about Barbie and negative body image, I’d stress the need for self-acceptance. Even though Mattel has created diversity within the Barbie products they are selling, and the media has become slightly more diverse, there is still a long way to go before women feel represented and accepted in society. 

Young girls and women of all ages are beautiful just as they are. As a society we must work to abolish, or at least expand the existing beauty standard.

In the meantime, I’ll be at the gym. 

(“Teens & Tweens” is an open forum for Westport youth. You can write about anything: good or bad, happy or sad, your passions and dreams, your thoughts about your life and community. You can use your name, or be anonymous. You can also submit artwork, videos or other media. If interested, email 06880blog@gmail.com.)

 

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Pics Of The Day #2611

Posted on June 11, 2024 | 1 comment

At Compo Beach … (Photo/Talia Varsano)

… (Photo/Mary Sikorski)

… a new season begins (Photo/Rowene Weems Photography)

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Roundup: WPD Leaf Blower, Shonda Rhimes, Winfield Street Deli …

Posted on June 11, 2024 | 15 comments

When the Representative Town Meeting banned gas-powered leaf blowers between May 15 and October 15, they exempted town departments.

But the Westport Police decided not to break the general law.

They use a fully electric blower, in and around the train stations (which the WPD oversees).

“It completely meets our needs,” says Chief Foti Koskinas. “Our use is intermittent. The battery life allows us to complete a job.

“It’s quiet. And it doesn’t interfere with the busy train station, with people waiting for trains, with restaurants close by.”

Police Department employee Jose Rodriguez, with his electric leaf blower.

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Coming attraction: Shonda Rhimes — and her film “Black Barbie” — at the Westport Library.

The award-winning producer, Shondaland visionary and Westport resident brings her latest project to the Trefz Forum next Monday (June 17), for a special screening.

The documentary will be shown at 6 p.m. A Q-and-A with Rhimes follows.

“Black Barbie” debuts on Netflix on Juneteenth. It tells the story of the 3 Black women at Mattel who were determined to create a doll that looked like them, and the impact that had on the Barbie brand.

The film explores the history of Black dolls, their impact on civil rights and Black entrepreneurship, and the significant role of imaginative play in shaping children’s identity. It includes celebrity and fan reflections on the impact of the doll.

All tickets have been distributed. Click here to join the waitlist.

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Winfield Street Italian Deli has closed.

The Post Road West coffee-and-more spot — just over the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge, for decades earlier the site of Art’s Deli — opened several years ago.

Owner Breno Donatti tells “06880”: “Thank you to the incredible community in Westport. We hope to be back in the future. We will dearly miss our regulars. We will focus on the other stores in Stamford, New York City and Croton for now.”

The Manhattan locations are on 86th and 72nd Streets.

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Underwear doesn’t weigh a lot.

Just imagine 125 pounds of it. That’s well over 1,020 pairs

They — along with dozens of bras, men’s t-shirts and socks — were donated by generous Westporters in less than 2 hours Saturday.

Marcy Sansolo headed up the collection, at the Imperial Avenue parking lot. Lisa Marriott, and many others, lent their hands.

Two days later — yesterday — all those much-needed items were delivered to the Open Doors Shelter in Norwalk.

Missed out on Saturday? Want to donate or volunteer? Opoen Doors can always use help. Click here for details.

Lisa Marriott (left) and an Open Doors volunteer, with some of yesterday’s donations.

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Father’s Day is Sunday. Time to dunk dad!

The day before — Saturday, June 15 (4 to 6 p.m.), Pivot Ministries celebrates “Cool Dads Day” at Green’s Farms Church.

There’s a tank, to dunk your dad (or for him to do the honors on his kids). Plus basketball and cornhole challenges, and burgers and dogs. The Pivot Men’s Choir will sing.

The event is free, and the public is invited. Donations are welcome, to benefit Pivot Ministries. They’ve been returning addicted men to their families in Bridgeport, for 54 years.

Supporting them is a slam dunk.

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Westport students have won 6 Access Awareness Awards.

The annual contest — sponsored by the Area 9 Cable Council and Altice — recognizes student productions broadcast on Altice’s educational access Channel 78 during the school year.

The winners are:

  • “KHS Buddy Bench” (1st place, Elementary School PSA). Brayden Levy, Shane Warshaw, Alexander Wilson and Jude Hix’s instructor was Tara Doyle, technology teacher at Kings Highway.
  • “Women’s History Month: Community Highlight” (1st place, Elementary School General Interest Story). KHS students Harper Bell and Madeline Olsen were also taught by Doyle.
  • “Stress” (2nd place, High School PSA). Jack Schwartz, Allison Cancro, Pranav Pothukuchi and Sanchit were supported by Nicole Moeller, co-librarian at Staples High School.
  • “On the Wreckord: Inklings: World Language Week” (2nd place, High School School News Story. Mary Elizabeth Fulco teaches Advanced Journalism, the course that produces Inklings.
  • “Cheetah Vision Special: Women’s History Community Highlight” (2nd place, Elementary School General Interest Story). Jack Bell and Sable Shurman, KHS students, were also taught by Doyle.
  • “Inklings On the Wreckord” (3rd place, High School News Show).

Congratulations to all the young media stars, and their teachers.

Jack Schwartz, with his Eddy.

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Westport’s own Melissa Newman headlines this week’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, June 13; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner from 7; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $20 music cover, $15 for veterans and students).

The popular vocalist is joined by guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, bassist Phil Bowler and drummer Bobby Leonard.

Reservations are strongly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.

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It’s been a long process for Evergreen Parkway.

Earlier this year, they got new sewer lines.

Today — after all that digging — the road was paved.

Once again, everything on the street is “flush.”

Almost done! (Photo/Mark Mathias)

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In today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature, this guy seems to have a question about the chicken wings.

Or maybe he had an issue at the pump.

(Photo/Janine Scotti)

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And finally … Jacques Cousteau was born on this date, in 1910. The French biologist and author co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) — also called the Aqua-Lung — which he used to make some of the first underwater documentary films.

He died in 1997, age 89.

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Staples Graduation: Gallery #3

Posted on June 11, 2024 | 2 comments

One final salute, to the 426 graduates of Staples High School’s Class of 2024!

(For previous photo galleries of last night’s ceremony, click here and here.)

(All photos/George Maddaloni)

 

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Staples Graduation: Gallery #2

Posted on June 11, 2024 | 2 comments

They weathered mold — which closed Coleytown Middle School, and sent those students into classrooms (and trailers and stairwells) at Bedford.

Then came COVID, which made their introduction to Staples a strange hybrid experience (with a shout-out to shortened Wednesdays).

But the Class of 2024 persevered through it all. Yesterday, at the high school’s 137th commencement ceremony, 426 of them celebrated the end of one phase of their lives.

And all they had to weather was a bit of a breeze.

“06880” photographer George Maddaloni captured the joyful faces of some of those graduates. For a previous gallery of photos, click here.

(All photos/George Maddaloni)

 

 

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