Roundup: 600 Bags Of Groceries, A Day With Staples Hoops …

Posted on March 3, 2024 | 4 comments

The Super Bowl drive led by Westport Sunrise Rotary and the Westport Police Department at Stop & Shop  brought in 600 bags of groceries, and nearly $1,200 in donations.

The food will last for several months at Homes with Hope’s pantry.

Homes with Hope CEO Helen McAlinden thanks all who participated, on behalf of the many recipients.

Presenting a symbolic check at the recent Sunrise Rotary meeting (from left): Liz Wong, Sunrise Rotary president; Officer Craig Bergamo, Westport Police; Rob Hauck, Sunrise Rotary; Helen McAlinden, Homes with Hope CEO; Paris Looney, Homes with Hope vice president; Officer Scott Thompson, Westport Police.

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As the FCIAC (league) finalist Staples High boys basketball team prepares for the first round of the state tournament this week, they invite Westporters to the school gym today (Sunday, March 3).

From 9:45 to 11:30 this morning, the Wreckers’ practice is open to the public.

From 4 to 5:15 p.m., shooting coach Dave Hopla will offer one of his legendary clinics.

From 5:15 to 6 p.m., Staples coaches and booster club representatives will discuss the team’s program. Future Wreckers will have a chance to play games, and shoot with current varsity stars.

The cost is $50 per family (Venmo: @staplesboysbasketball). Youth players receive a Staples basketball March Madness t-shirt.

Meanwhile, the team’s silent auction continues through 8 p.m. tonight. Click here to bid on sports and Broadway tickets, Staples “fan experiences” and more.

Proceeds help fund program improvements, including a shooting machine, strength and conditioning program, game jerseys, etc.

Staples boys basketball team.

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Speaking of sports: Congratulations to the Staples girls hockey team.

The co-op squad (with Westhill and Stamford) upset #1 seed/defending champion Darien 2-0, in the state tournament semifinal yesterday.

They’ll face the New Canaan-East Catholic winner in the final at Quinnipiac University, this Wednesday (March 6, 7 p.m.).

The Staples-Westhill-Stamford co-op team celebrates their quarterfinal win.

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A small crowd honored the late Bill Vornkahl yesterday at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399, at a heartfelt ceremony.

A Citation of Service was issued from the Connecticut General Assembly, Selectwomen’s office, and Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz.

Bill Vornkahl’s ceremony yesterday, at the VFW. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)

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Diners at Jeera Thai got an extra treat the other day.

Joining them at the popular downtown restaurant were members of Lyyra. The 6-woman ensemble pushes the boundaries of treble choral, jazz. pop and folk music, as they redefine the entire genre of treble music.

They’ll perform at Christ & Holy Trinity Church on April 21 (5 p.m.; click here for tickets), and the Westport Library April 23 (7 p.m.; click here for tickets). The Library performance is a partnership with local high schools, and feature a mass choir with all students singing alongside Lyyra, and plus a solo set for Lyyra.

Meanwhile, click here for a video of Lyyra entertaining the surprised, but grateful, diners at Jeera Thai.

Screenshot of Lyyra, at Jeera Thai. 

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Earthplace’s spring calendar is full of activities, for all ages.

Elementary school-age offerings include Animal Hall Adventures, Nature Art Club, Li’l Naturalists, and April Vacation Day Camp.

Middle and high schoolers can participate in Junior Staff and Teen Volunteer Club.

Adults can enjoy Environmental Learning Series, Bees and Blossoms ID, Tea Time Book Club, and Craft & Sip.

Family activities include Themed Campfires, Group Canoe Paddles, Nature Journaling and Woodland Egg Hunt.

Click here for details.

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Club 203 — Westport’s social club for adults with disabilities — never misses a holiday.

Up next: St. Patrick’s Day.

They’ll celebrate a wee bit early: March 13 (6:30 to 8 p.m., VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399).

The event includes “green-themed fun,” food and festivities — including a chance to learn Irish dancing with the Lenihan Dance Troupe.

Attendees are encouraged to wear green. Parents and guardians are welcome to stay at the VFW (cash bar available).

For more information, click here.

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Seen on Facebook: A man who placed a takeout order at Pink Sumo was told it was “under the Patagonia building.”

“May I have clearer instructions?” he asked.

Most people responded with reasonable directions: just past Spotted Horse on the left side of the one-way part of Church Lane.

But a couple of folks couldn’t help themselves.

“The basement level of Westport Bank & Trust,” one said.

“Directly across from the old YMCA,” another added.

What a bunch of comedians!

Does this help? (Photo/Betsy P. Kahn)

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Dogs and tennis balls go together like hot dogs and mustard.

Vuori — the downtown clothing store — knows that.

They put out a tennis ball-filled box at Winslow Park, near the drinking fountain.

Mark Mathias’ dog Loki was one of many who enjoyed a free sample.

(Photo/Mark Mathias)

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It was bath time the other day, at the Library Riverwalk (and now as our daily “Westport … Naturally” feature).

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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And finally … on this date in 1923, Time magazine published its first issue.

(If you’ve never supported “06880” — but enjoy our 24/7/365 coverage of all things Westport — now might be the “time.” Please click here, to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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Hezekiah Allen, Larry Yount, And The Rabbi Of Swat

Posted on March 3, 2024 | 12 comments

Ron Berler is a 1967 Staples High School graduate, and a longtime magazine and newspaper writer.

He played Westport Little League baseball, then was cut during tryouts at Long Lots Junior High and Staples.

He writes frequently about the sport. Some years ago, he wrote a piece for Sports Illustrated on Mose Solomon, the “Rabbi of Swat.” The other day, he posted it here, on Medium.com.

With the approach of both the baseball season and Passover, Ron has written this for “06880”:

Last July — a month after graduating — Staples High School’s Hiro Wyatt was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 3rd round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft.

The pitcher — who finished his Wrecker season 8-0, with an 0.51 ERA, 107 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 54 2/3 innings — was named Connecticut High School Coaches Association Player of the Year.

If he reaches the major leagues, he’ll be the second Westport native to do so. The first was Hezekiah Allen, in ’84.

1884, that is.

You might say Allen was a prodigy. He reached the big leagues at 21, the same age the Yankees’ Derek Jeter did. A sinewy 5-11, 160-pound catcher, Allen played just 1 game for the 1884 Philadelphia Quakers (now the Phillies), batting 3 times and smacking 2 singles, for a career average of .667.

The Philadelphia Quakers in 1884. Hezekiah Allen is probably not in this photo.

One might wonder: Given that his team would finish the season 39-73, with 1 tie, why wouldn’t manager Harry Wright offer him a second opportunity?

There’s good reason to believe Wright was just plain scared. Allen committed 3 passed balls in his 5 innings on the field, the equivalent of a rabbi dropping 3 matzoh balls in his lap before finishing his soup.

And yet honor him we must. To this day, Allen remains (as far as can be determined) our town’s sole, home-grown major leaguer. You can visit his grave in Willowbrook Cemetery.

And with the coming of the baseball season, it is time to pay tribute to a couple of the sport’s other very minor contributors. I’m thinking, for example, of Larry Yount, the older brother of Hall of Fame Milwaukee Brewers shortstop/ outfielder Robin Yount. Larry was a pitcher for the Houston Astros.

Well, not exactly. Near the end of the 1971 season, he was promoted to the big club. On September 15, with the team trailing the Atlanta Braves 4-1 in the 9th inning, Astros manager Harry “The Hat” Walker signaled for Larry to take the mound. It was the moment Larry had prepared for all his life.

He took the ball from Walker and threw several warmup pitches. Then suddenly, he stopped. His elbow, which had caused him minor pain while throwing in the bullpen, had suddenly grown worse. He called for the trainer and was removed from the game without having thrown a pitch.

And that was it for him. Though his arm soon healed, he never got another chance in the majors. Larry is quite possibly the only player to take the field in his one big league game and never actually play.

Mose Solomon

Which brings us, this Passover season, to Mose Solomon, who in September 1923 jumped from the low, low minors to the New York Giants.

Though the Giants were in first place at the time and would go on to win the National League pennant (they lost to the Yankees in the World Series, 4 games to 2 – the Yankees’ first championship), few fans were trekking to the Polo Grounds to see them play.

John McGraw, the Giants’ manager, blamed Babe Ruth, who would lead the majors that year with 41 home runs and further burnish his nickname, the Sultan of Swat.

Yet that season, Ruth was not the home run leader of all professional baseball. That title belonged to Solomon, a first baseman/right fielder for the Hutchinson (Kansas) Wheat Shockers of the financially unstable Southwestern League, who walloped 49 homers in 1923 against teams like the Salina Millers and the Coffeyville Refiners.

McGraw brought the slugger, who was Jewish, to New York and introduced him to the press, and to the city, as the Rabbi of Swat.

Great nickname. A name that promises the stuff of legend. And for the last month of the season, New York, which was 20 percent Jewish, went wild. As the newsboys from the Roaring ’20s would hawk, read all about it!

So as the 2024 baseball season nears, let’s not forget 20th-century players like Mose Solomon.

Or 19th-century ones like Hezekiah Allen. 

Play ball!

(“06880” is the only place you’ll read about Hezekiah Allen. Looking back is part of our mission. So is looking forward. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Pic Of The Day #2510

Posted on March 2, 2024 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2510

Deadman Brook enters the Saugatuck River (Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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Roundup: Oscars, Emmys, Capital Costs …

Posted on March 2, 2024 | 3 comments

If it’s March, the Oscars are coming soon. (They’re March 10 — a week from tomorrow).

This year, there’s a 20% chance the winner for Best Picture will have a Westport connection. And those 2 contenders have their own close connection.

“Oppenheimer” was released by Universal Pictures. Its president, Peter Cramer, is a Staples High School Class of 1985 graduate, where he starred in soccer and track. He graduated 4 years later from Harvard University.

During his 17 years at Universal, Cramer helped the studio to record-breaking results globally, including overseeing the highest-grossing film in Universal’s history: “Jurassic World.”

“Killers of the Flower Moon” — another Oscar contender — was written by David Grann. He is a friend and former classmate of Cramer’s since childhood, and would have graduated from Staples with him had he not gone to private school.

Grann graduated from Connecticut College, and is a longtime New Yorker writer. His most recent book, “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” debuted at #1 on the New York Times best-seller list.

David Grann (left) and Peter Cramer

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And speaking of movie honors: 1981 Staples grad Jeanie Bacharach won her 2nd Emmy this year.

A casting director and producer, she was honored for Outstanding Casting in “The Bear.” Congratulations, Jeanie — sorry to be late with this! (Hat tip: Suzanne Propp)

Jeanie Bacharach, with her award.

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Kudos too to the Staples girls ice hockey team.

The co-op squad (with Westhill and Stamford Highs) won their state tournament quarterfinal match Wednesday night against Mercy Northwest Catholic — 3-2, in double overtime.

That vaults them into the state semis, for the first time in their history. They face archrival Darien tonight (Saturday) at 5:30 p.m. at the Shelton Rinks.

The girls lost only 4 games during the regular season — and were the only team in the state to beat Darien. The Blue Wave got revenge in the FCIAC (league) semifinal, eliminating SWS in overtime.

Coach John Fay’s squad is led by senior defenseman and captain Maya Sherman.

Darien is seeded 1st in the state tournament. The Wreckers are 4th. Go get ’em!

The Staples-Westhill-Stamford team celebrates their state tournament quarterfinal victory.

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Several big capital spending projects loom in Westport.

What are the rationales, goals and processes?

Town Hall and Westport Public Schools leaders share insights on March 26 (7 p.m., Westport Library) in a community conversation.

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice will present their capital spending strategies and rationales. A panel of experts will discuss possible funding strategies, capital planning best practices, and the approval process for achieving capital spending goals. An audience Q-and-A session will follow.

The event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Westport, and the Westport Library’s Common Ground initiative.

Longshore is one of several large capital projects planned for the future.

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Get in the swim at the Westport Library!

“Below Surface” — the award-winning short documentary that explores the extraordinary power of community through the Westport Weston Family YMCA’s Aqua-fit program — will be screened this Monday (March 4, 6:30 p.m.).

The film is inspiring, powerful, and filled with our Westport friends and neighbors. It follows gifted, compassionate instructor Patty Kondub as she molds her multi-cultural, multi-generational exercise class into a true community.

She — and they — use exercise and friendship as an antidote for grief, stress and physical illness.

The screening will be followed by a panel moderated by Robert Altbaum, recently retired internal medicine physician. Panelists include Dr. Linda P. Fried, dean of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health; Maria Allen, president of the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging; Moishi Moses, vice president of volunteerisms for the AARP Foundation, and Patty Kondub herself.

Area organizations that support healthy longevity will have information available, including the Senior Center, AARP, YMCA and Westport Department of Human Services.

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300,000 American servicemembers have died since the US left Vietnam in 1973, due to exposure to deadly chemicals.

“Agent Orange: A Short Sickening Saga of War” — Carl Addison Swanson’s startling and true tale of the devastating effects of that herbicide — has passed the 500,000 sale mark.

The book is free to veterans through the Veterans Administration, and on sale at Amazon.

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As work continues on 44 Compo Cove — the often-photographed-and-painted 1917 house that’s the first one on the right over the Sherwood Mill Pond walkway — its interior has been gutted.

You can see right through now, to Long Island Sound.

But much of the exterior remains. Its bones are still strong.

(Photo/Matt Murray)

It’s withstood over 100 years of hurricanes and nor’easters.

Fingers crossed, the new/old home will be there for at least the next century.

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Aspetuck Land Trust’s next “Lunch & Learn” seminar is “Native Trees, Shrubs and Perennials: Choosing Layers for Biodiversity.”

Anna Fialkoff. a Connecticut College arboretum horticulturist, will show how to
group trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants together for maximum impact and beauty, in a variety of situations and growing conditions.

Click here to register, and for more information.

Biodiversity on display.

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Samuel Bell — who built over 200 “Bell Colonial” homes in Westport and Weston — died February 21 at his Boca Raton, Florida home. He was 94.

The Norwalk native spent his career as a residential and commercial builder/developer and entrepreneur in Fairfield County and Florida. He was active in his many business interests until shortly before his death.

He enjoyed boating, fishing, hunting and gardening. Sam and his fishing yacht “VII Bells” were fixtures at Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club for almost half a century.

He was proud of his Italian-American heritage and enjoyed family get-togethers and reunions with his large extended family, along with the authentic Italian foods of his childhood memories. Sam was a devout parishioner at Assumption Church for many decades.

Sam is survived by his children Nicholas (Laurie Bloom) of Weston, Pamela of Villa Park, California, Melinda Bell Dietrich of Delray Beach, Florida, and Samuel F. Bell, Jr. (Melanie) of Weston; 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife Sylvia and son Jeffrey.

The family will receive friends on April 5 (4 to 8 p.m., Harding Funeral Home). A funeral is set for April 6 (10 a.m., Assumption Church), with a Mass of Christian burial.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or a favorite charity.

Samuel Bell

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Eagles are always impressive subjects for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.

But this one is even cooler.

Photographer Johanna Keyser Rossi writes: “It’s amazing how the eagle can rotate his head and look behind himself.

“He was not facing my direction. This is the back of him. Then he turned his head.”

(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)

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And finally … on this day in 1498, Vasco da Gama’s fleet visited the island of Mozambique.

(“06880” is where Westport meets the world. Even Mozambique. Please click here to support our hyper-local, yet globe-trotting, work. Thank you!)

 

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Online Art Gallery #203

Posted on March 2, 2024 | 2 comments

Jude Siegel welcomes March, in a novel way (new for our online art gallery, anyway): with a beautiful calendar.

Other submissions this week look ahead to spring, in a variety of ways.

But no matter what your theme, or medium — and whether you’re a first-timer or oldtimer: We welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, 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.

“Flickers” — watercolor (Jude Siegel)

“Floral Fantasia” (Ken Runkel)

“Green Nature” (Karen Weingarten)

“Palm Tree Trunk” (Tom Doran)

“Step Into Spring” (Ellen Wentworth)

“Not Barbie, But Still a Perennial Favorite” — pencil on paper (Roseann Spengler)

Photographer Andy Millard writes: “In Grand Canyon National Park, this section of rock conglomerate is in the bed of the wash at 220 Mile Canyon. The orange and white striped pebble resembles Nemo the clownfish from the movie ‘Finding Nemo.'”

“Salad Daze.” Photographer Judith Marks-White says: “I whipped up a salad and took a photo. Looks like the head of a sleeping dog by way of a mushroom. An accidental optical illusion.”

“30 Types of Cherries?” Artist Steve Stein writes: “Cherries have a pit (stone) center. Not to be confused with look alike berries: acerola, rambutan, currants or cotoneaster parneyi.”

“Beautiful Faces” (Mike Hibbard)

“Enter!” (Peter Barlow)

“Morning Toilette” (Lawrence Weisman)

(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)

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Real Estate Stats: New Neighbors May Be Oldtimers

Posted on March 2, 2024 | Comments Off on Real Estate Stats: New Neighbors May Be Oldtimers

These post-COVID days, I often ask newcomers to Westport where they came from: “Manhattan or Brooklyn?”

Most times, I’m right. It’s like the RTM passed an ordinance, limiting homebuyers to those 2 boroughs.

But a large slice of the real estate pie belongs to people who already live here.

I don’t ask them where they’re coming from, because they’re already here. They’ve just moved from one part of town to another.

Our friends at KMS Team at Compass say that last year, 61% of Westport homes were sold to buyers from Connecticut. And many of them were already Westporters.

The most expensive home on the Westport market right now is this 4-bedroom, 5 1/2-bathroom, 8,246-square foot house on 1.35 acres, at 279 Saugatuck Avenue. It’s listed at $12,500,000.

Their reasons vary.

Buyers on Hazelnut Road, for example, wanted more space than their previous home here. Trading up for a pool and room to entertain was important; proximity to schools was a bonus.

New homeowners on Hillspoint Road already lived in the neighborhood. They bought a house they had always admired, when it hit the market.

Sometimes, it’s time for something new. New construction on Maple Avenue North appealed to one clinet.

Others make the jump from renting to buying, as beach residents did with property on nearby Bradley Street.

A growing family wanted a bigger home, but did not want to leave Greens Farms Elementary School. They bought a new home on Center Street.

Empty nesters — no longer needing to live near a school, but with grown children and grandchildren who liked the “vacation” feel of the water — downsized to Saugatuck Shores.

One family wanted to move close to Compo Beach. They explored building a home there, then bought on Soundview Drive when they discovered how expensive new construction would be.

Some downsizers hoping to shed the responsibility of a home, but remain in town, buy condos — new construction like The Mill or Bankside House, or ones that have been in Westport for years, like Harvest Commons, Regents Park or Lansdowne.

Bankside House (lower left) on Wilton Road appeals to Westporters looking to sell their home, move into a condo, and be close to downtown.  

So my question to newcomers — “Did you come from Manhattan or Brooklyn” — may still be valid.

But for all those “invisible” new homeowners — those who were already Westporters, of 3 or perhaps 30 years — the right one might be: “So why did you move 2 miles away?”

FUN FACT: Last year, 199 Westport homebuyers (61%) came from Connecticut, and 74 more (23%) from New York.

There were 8 buyers from Texas, 6 from overseas and 5 each from Massachusetts and California (2% each). Another 4 buyers came from Florida and New Jersey (1% each). The remaining 22 buyers (7%) came from other states.

(“06880” covers the Westport real estate market regularly. If you like those stories — or anything else on our hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Pic Of The Day #2509

Posted on March 1, 2024 | 2 comments

Sunset through Compo’s South Beach tree. (Photo/Nancy Lally)

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Friday Flashback #388

Posted on March 1, 2024 | 8 comments

I’ve written before about the move of Saugatuck Congregational Church.

The building where Westport was founded — in 1835, a group of residents sat in its pews, to create a new town from parts of Norwalk, Weston and Fairfield — seems to sit on a perfect New England site: behind a broad lawn, a few yards from the middle of downtown.

But its original location was across the street, and up a hill — where the Shell gas station is now, next to the Fairfield County Bank building I have never seen anyone go into or come out of.

(The new site had previously been only the church parsonage. That house, and 8 acres of land, had been a gift from Morris K. Jesup in 1884.)

In the early dawn of August 28, 1950 the Post Road (then called State Street) was blocked. 500 men, women and children gathered for a service of prayer and thanksgiving.

V-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y — at 60 feet per hour — the 200-ton church was moved down a 19-foot incline on 55 logs, which revolved under runners. “This is more fun than a cocktail party!” one “Westport matron” told Life magazine.

Life Magazine chronicled the church move in its September 11, 1950 issue.

Photos of the event now hang proudly in the church.

(They also line the front hall of the Westport Woman’s Club, where — a couple of weeks after the church trek — the 2nd, less famous Sunday school building was cut in half. The 2 sections made their own journey west, and were joined together to form what is now Bedford Hall, at the WWC clubhouse on Imperial Avenue. Frederick Bedford paid half the cost of the $20,000 purchase, moving and renovation price.)

Life Magazine ran photos of Bedford Hall being moved from the Post Road to Imperial Avenue.

As I said, I’ve written about both moves before.

But a couple of days ago, I saw — for the first time — a film of the church move.

James Orr posted a YouTube video to Facebook. Silently — but in color (!) — we see the preparation work, the move, a service on the new lawn, even a shot of the new church months later, blanketed in snow.

It’s a fascinating look back, at a memorable but seldom-seen moment in Westport history.

And if anyone can identify any of the dignitaries (or young kids) seen in the video, click “Comments” below.

(Friday Flashback is a weekly “06880” feature. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our hyper-local blog — please support us with a tax-deductible donation. Just click here. And thank you!)

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Roundup: Glendinning Place, Staples Basketball, Diverse Entrepreneurs …

Posted on March 1, 2024 | 9 comments

The plan to build 8 single-family homes, and 2 multi-family “affordable” dwellings for people with special needs, at Glendinning Place off Weston Road is on the Planning & Zoning Commission agenda for Monday (March 4, 7 p.m.; Zoom, and Optimum channel 79 and Frontier channel 6020).

Becky Ruthven — who lives nearby — opposes the plan. She writes:

“In 1966, the Planning & Zoning Commission added a clear and unambiguous  codicil to a Special Permit approval for the construction of an office building for Glendinning Co. Inc. on land located in a Design Development District Zone.

“According to the codicil, ‘The permit herein granted pertains specifically and solely to the proposed use as described and shown by Glendinning Co. Inc and for no other purpose now or at any other time.” [Emphasis added.]”

The proposal before the P&Z on Monday would waive that condition of the special permit.

The homes proposed for homes at Glendinning Place are shown in green.

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The Staples boys basketball team fell agonizingly short last, in the quest for their first FCIAC (league) championship in 61 years.

They fell 70-67 to Trumbull in overtime, in front of a full house at Wilton High School. It was the first league title for the Eagles in a long time too: 41 years.

The #4-seeded Wreckers led for much of the contest. But #2 Trumbull hung around, and caught up to force OT.

The Westporters’ hopes were hurt when junior Adam Udell — who had one of his best games ever in a Staples uniform, with 20 points — fouled out 52 seconds into extra time.

Sophomore Mason Tobias — the 2nd-highest scorer — and Caleb Smith also picked up their 5th fouls. A last-second steal averted a possible tying 3-pointer at the end of the game.

After a decades-long drought, the Wreckers reached the FCIAC championship after a rousing semifinal defeat of #1-ranked Ridgefield.

It was the second straight title appearance for second-year coach Dave Goldshore.

Staples — which graduates only 3 seniors — now pivots to the state tournament. Division I play begins next Thursday (March 7). The #12 Wreckers travel to Manchester, for a 6:30 p.m. game at #5 East Catholic.

Adam Udell in action. (Photo/David G. Whitham for Ruden Report)

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Ten diverse entrepreneurs told their stories last night, in a lively, informative session at the Westport Library.

Representing industries from banking and real estate to retail, healthcare, and BlackLight software (“the Google for Black-owned businesses), they discussed the challenges — and joys — of their careers.

Jay Norris, co-founder of Westport 10 (a networking and social group for Black men and their families) noted in his introduction that the town has dealt recently with issues of racism — and his own family has witnessed it too.

However, he said, he believed “more people have love” than hate in their hearts. The event — on the final day of Black History Month — and the array of panelists (nearly all from Westport) offered a welcome opportunity for education and sharing information.

Startup Westport (the public/private tech entrepreneur partnership) and Westport 10 co-sponsored the event.

It included a video on the importance of diverse entrepreneurship by Dale Mauldin, co-executive director of A Better Chance of Westport.

NBC host Craig Melvin — a Westport resident — and Norris moderated the panels.

Craig Melvin (far right) moderates a panel with (from left) Craig Livingston (managing partner, Exact Capital), Adam Moore (co-founder and CEO, Wheelhouse Center for Health and Wellbeing), Ilka Gregory (senior advisor, First Ventures), Eric Freeman (co-partner and managing partner, Grandview Ventures) and Wesly Arbuthnott (owner, 29 Markle Court restaurant).

Jay Norris (far right) moderates a panel with (from left) Pamela Moss (co-founder and CTO of BlackLight), Kitt Shapiro (owner of WEST), Michele Peterson (chief marketing officer of BlackLight), Ted Parker and Paige Parker (co-presidents of Vibrant Health Solutions). (Photos/Dan Woog)

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Gallo Express — the takeout and delivery-only store offering salads, pasta,  panini and full meals on Post Road East, at the foot of Long Lots Road — has closed. They were in business barely a year.

But it won’t be empty long.

WestportMoms and Megan Rutstein report that Lyfe Café will open in April.

The owners already run Pizza Lyfe, the popular restaurant on the Post Road a few yards away (formerly Bertucci’s/Tanglewoods/Clam Box, for you oldtimers).

The menu will include egg and cheese on brioche buns, a coffee and iced coffee bar, plus pasta dishes.

Pizza Lyfe — and, on the far right, the building where the new Lyfe Café will be.

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Working at his Bridgebrook Marina on the Saugatuck River, Robbie Guimond sees a lot.

Lately, he’s watched construction of a dock and sea wall along the eastern shore.

Yesterday, he took this photo of a commercial barge passing through the William F. Cribari swing bridge:

(Photo/Robbie Guimond)

It does not happen every day, Robbie notes. But, he says, it shows the need for a bridge that opens easily.

“Notice the steel ‘spuds’ pilings lying on the deck” he adds. “These hold the rig in position when lowered.

“It was low tide. They need low tide and ‘spuds down,’ plus the smallest (lowest) push/tug boat to just barely clear the railroad bridge. Unfortunately the saga is not reliable enough to ask for a opening.

“They’ve been caught between bridges before. Not a great place for a 110×60 rig to be caught at the mercy of Metro-North and rapid currents.”

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Regular hours resume at Westport’s Yard Waste site (180 Bayberry Lane) on Monday (March 4). Weekday hours are 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.; Saturdays, 7 to 11:45 a.m.

Yard waste at 180 Bayberry Lane.

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The deadline is near for TEAM Westport’s High School Essay Contest.

The topic is hate speech. All students in 9th-12th grade in a Westport school — or who attend school elsewhere — are invited to respond to a prompt asking how diverse opinions can be safely and respectfully shared.

There are 3 prizes: $1,000, $750 and $500.

Click here for details, including the full prompt and how to submit essays.

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Armenia is a fascinating country.

The former Soviet republic, tucked in the Caucasus between Asia and Europe, was the world’s first Christian nation. Many ancient religious sites remain.

If you don’t know much about Armenia — or you do, and want to know more — check out “Armenia, My Home.” It airs nationally on PBS this month (Connecticut Public Television, March 3, 4:30 p.m; WNET Channel 13, March 20, 8 p.m. and March 24, 4:30 p.m.; check other stations for other times).

Director Andrew Goldberg lives in Westport. He has worked for virtually every major TV news organization — ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and Fox — and this is his 16th PBS documentary.

His topics have included the US Army, immigration, the Holocaust, antisemitism and LGBTQ issues.

But ever since he took a college course on the country, Armenia has been close to his heart.

Goldberg interviewed a number of Armenians in the area, including 1986 Staples graduate Christina Maranci. She is now a professor of Armenian studies at Harvard University.

(He did not interview the world’s most famous Armenians: the Kardashians.)

“Armenia, My Home” will appeal to anyone interested in history, travel, religion or geography, Goldberg says.

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“Heavenly Days in the Palouse” — a photography exhibition by noted Westport photographer Tom Kretsch — opens with a reception Mach 22 (5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Green’s Farms Congregational Church). The show runs through April 26.

The Palouse is a fascinating region of southeastern Washington and northern Idaho, filled with mounds formed over millions of years by wind erosion.

Once home to Native American tribes, the landscape evolved from grasslands to fertile farmland for wheat, legumes and canola.

The green, brown and yellow hills create surreal beauty. And Tom Kretsch has captured it all.

A photo from the Palouse, by Tom Kretsch.

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Staples High School Class of 1993 graduate Ken Coulson knows the asset management world well.

Now it’s part of the plot points in his debut novel, “The Arsonist.”

Much of the story takes place in “Riverwatch” — a fictionalized Westport. Coulson calls it “a corporate thriller and classic David and Goliath story, set against the backdrop of the collision between Wall Street and the climate crisis.
Are there any chances left for a man who helped stoke the flames of a global financial meltdown and then reaped the rewards?”

Coulson had a fast-paced, over-the-top career with Wall Street’s biggest banks before an epiphany during the financial crisis set him on a path of sustainability and music.

He has written and released over 100 songs, many in support of climate action. He founded the sustainability think tank Future Bright, and writes on Medium on mindfulness and the art of here and now. For more information, click here.

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As the weather warms, more Westporters will be walking outdoors. Some of them will do it before or at sunrise, or at or after sunset.

A reader asks that I remind everyone to wear light clothes. It seems like a no-brainer, but anyone who drives in Westport knows that not every walker has that it’s-not-just-about-me brain.

The reader also would like to see folks walk facing traffic. It’s easier for drivers to see them — and vice versa.

Two simple requests. From her lips to …

Which of these people is most likely to be hit?

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Bedford Acting Group provided the wrong information yesterday for show times of the upcoming “Lion King.”

Correct times are 7 p.m. on March 15 and 16, and 2 p.m. on March 16 and 17.  Click here for tickets, cast lists and more information.

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo, from Canal Street, is the latest in our efforts to push spring along:

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

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And finally … it’s finally March 1.

The month traditionally comes in like a lion. So …

(We’re not “lion” when we say “06880” relies on reader support. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)

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Jay Cimbak’s Westport Career, Frame By Frame

Posted on March 1, 2024 | 6 comments

Jay Cimbak has framed a 1634 ink rendering self-portrait by Rembrandt.

He’s also framed blood-stained cloth from Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, and blood-stained leather from President Kennedy’s limousine; the American flag that Admiral Byrd carried to Antarctica; Marilyn Monroe’s bras and stocking; Jerry Garcia’s briefcase, and artwork by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Chagall, Calder, Currier and Ives, Miro, Christo and Escher — among many others.

A vintage Christmas card by the Bush family, framed by Jay Cimbak. George W. and Jeb Bush were little boys.

Chances are, Jay has framed something for you too.

He’s been in Westport for nearly 40 years. He established the framing department at Max’s Art Supplies, and was responsible for 80% of the store’s revenue from 1994 to 2014.

He has worked for local clients like Ann Chernow, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, the first selectman, Westport Library and Westport Police Department.

And he’s the exclusive framer for the Westport Public Art Collections.

Jay Cimbak framed this black light Phish poster using a deep frame with black suede mats, and LED black light strips behind the top floating mat. The light strips are controlled by remote control.

These days, Jay plies his trade at Rockwell Art & Framing. He is the manager of the Westport location. (There are 2 others, in Wilton and New Canaan.)

If you want to see a master at work — or you need a shadow box for your art, poster, historic artifact or anything else — the Post Road shop is the place to go.

The Sacred Hart University illustration major’s love of framing began while working at Koenig Art Emporium in the Trumbull Mall.

He joined Max’s — the downtown gathering spot for artists — in 1985. After nearly a decade, with sales of supplies falling, owner Shirley Mellor asked him to run a frame shop.

She sent him to Janow Wholesale Frames in West Hartford to brush up on his skills, and order what was needed.

Max’s quickly became one of Westport’s premier frame shops. Jay ran the business side of the department too.

The beloved staff at Max’s Art Supplies, in 2014 (from left): Nina Royce, owner Shirley Mellor, Jay Cimbak, Rita Englebardt. (Photo/Ned Gerrard)

Framing seems basic. But it is — well, an art.

“A good framer not only needs knowledge of the materials used, and their capabilities,” Jay says.

“He also has to correctly handle, store, mount, size and finish a frame, with the correct hanging hardware.”

Jay Cimbak

A framer must also know how each type of artwork can be properly and archivally frame, for both the safety of the art and its aesthetics.

He should also know where the art will be displayed.

Rockwell is a perfect fit for Jay. After 39 years in town, he feels a deep connection to Westport — its artists, and all other residents.

Working with WestPAC, he sees and works on art from men and women he knew, admired and misses.

“I treat every customer as a friend,” he says.

“I enjoy their stories of how and why they acquired their art. And I treat every piece as if it were my own.”

(For many examples of Jay Cimbak’s work, click here for his Instagram page.)

(“06880” covers the Westport art and business scenes — and much more. If you appreciate our work, please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here — and thank you!)

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