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!)
Posted onMarch 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!)
Comments Off on Real Estate Stats: New Neighbors May Be Oldtimers
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!)
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.
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)
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)
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.
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.”
=================================================
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.
=================================================
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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?
=================================================
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.
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!)
In a decision that was widely anticipated, the Westport Country Playhouse has named Mark Shanahan as artistic director, and Beth Huisking as managing director.
They have served as incoming artistic director and acting managing director, respectively. Today’s announcement makes their new posts official.
Shanahan will continue to curate the Playhouse’s Script in Hand play reading series. He is also the creator and curator of Westport Country Playhouse Radio Theater, in partnership with WSHU Public Radio, and served as writer/director of the Playhouse radio adaptation of “A Merry Little Christmas Carol.”
He is the writer/director of “A Sherlock Carol,” which was produced for the Playhouse’s 2023 holiday season, and has played annually in London and New York.
As an actor, Shanahan appeared at the Playhouse in several shows and numerous Script In Hand readings, as well as on and off Broadway. He is a graduate of Brown University, and earned a master’s degree at Fordham University.
Mark Shanahan and Beth Huisking (Photo/Mark Smith)
Huisking joined the Playhouse in 2005 as marketing associate. She has experience there as associate director of marketing and general manager.
“We are thrilled to have Mark and Beth at the helm,” says Athena T. Adamson, Playhouse board of trustees chair.
“They both have a deep knowledge of and respect for this treasured theater, while still keeping an enthusiasm for the future and all that the Playhouse can become. The board is grateful to have such strong leadership as the Playhouse moves forward with its plan to become a year-round center for the performing arts while continuing with its proud tradition of producing world-class plays.”
Shanahan says, “As we usher in a new chapter for the Playhouse, I’m excited to work alongside our incredible, devoted staff and board members and contribute to the ongoing legacy of this cherished theatre.
“In recent months we’ve felt a groundswell of support from the audience we serve. I look forward to building on that trust and enthusiasm as we program more innovative, year-round events and plan a new season of outstanding productions beginning in the fall.”
The 93-year-old Westport Country Playhouse
(“06880” covers the Playhouse — and the entire local entertainment scene. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
As pressure mounts on young athletes to be more competitive than ever, Sebastian Little says: Enough!
The leadership coach — who works with clients in MLB, the NBA and NHL, and is in his 3rd year as Yale University football’s performance coach — will speak on a Westport Public Schools and Westport Together panel called “For the Love of the Game: How Parents Can Promote Successful Athletes on and Off the Field.”
The session — for parents and coaches — will offer insights and strategies into “balancing competition with compassion and growth with enjoyment.”
The event is on Tuesday, March 5 (7 p.m., Bedford Middle School auditorium). Click here to register.
Speaking of sports: The Staples boys basketball team is in the FCIAC (league) final for the 2nd time in 2 years tonight.
The #4-seed Wreckers — fresh off Tuesday’s huge upset over #1 Ridgefield — are playing for the championship for the 2nd straight year. Tip-off is 7 p.m. at Wilton High, against Trumbull.
Staples fell to Danbury in last year’s title match (and then went on a great run, to the state Division II final).
But it’s been a while since the Westporters last won the FCIAC crown. 61 years, in fact. Their first — and only — league championship came in 1963.
Charlie Scott — Staples’ talented senior video producer/WWPT-FM announcer — has created another superb pump-up video. Click below to see:
Last night’s winds knocked out power in a few areas of Westport and Weston.
Trees and wires were down at 15 Partrick Road, 119 Hillandale Road and 30 Prospect Road.
Outages affected the Greens Farms and Wilton Road neighborhoods.
At 8:30 a.m., 78 Westport customers (0.61%) were without power. There were 105 outages (2.66%) in Weston. The total number statewide was 3,399 (0.26%).
Wires down at South Morningside Drive and Hillandale Road. At 8:30 a.m., crews were on the scene. (Photo/Bob Weingarten)
Dara Horn forcefully addressed the recent rise of antisemitism last night, at Chabad of Westport.
Dara Horn — author of “People Love Dead Jews” — headlined the event, part of Chabad’s Critical Conversations series. Nearly 200 people attended.
“People ask: Are Jews a race, a religion, or a nationality? she said.
“Jews existed before these structures existed. What is clear is Jewish civilization is indigenous to the land of Israel. It’s not a political statement. It’s fact.
“People want to erase Jewish culture, but instead that is exactly what needs to be explained and taught to ensure its survival.”
Dara Horn, at Chabad of Westport. (Photo and hat tip/Matthew Mandell)
Her fans know here as Jean Louisa Kelly. Her Westport neighbors and friends call her Jean Pitaro.
Whatever name she goes by, Jean is featured at the Westport Country Playhouse’s first Mic in Hand of 2024. She takes the stage April 4 (7 p.m.).
Jean’s stage and screen credits include the original Broadway cast of “Into the Woods,: and the movies “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” “Uncle Buck” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Her uplifting show will be a journey through her life in and out of show business, with songs from “Gypsy,” “The Fantasticks,” “Next to Normal” and “Company.”
All tickets are $40. Click here to purchase, and learn more. Proceeds benefit education programming at the Playhouse.
Also new at the Playhouse: the first Barnstormer event.
It’s “Ann Talman: Elizabeth Taylor and the Shadow of Her Smile” (April 21, 7 p.m.).
Broadway veteran Talman portrayed Taylor’s daughter on Broadway in “The Little Foxes,” beginning a lifelong friendship.
This show is an evening of story and song about Ann and Elizabeth’s bond.
All tickets are $20. Click here to purchase, and learn more.
Called “Jewels of Westport,” they visit the hidden — or at least lesser-known — gems of our town.
On Tuesday they toured Westport Public Art Collections’ Town Hall display.
Overall, WestPAC’s collection includes over 2,000 artistic treasures. Many are in schools, where they are enjoyed by students and staff, yet often unseen by the public.
But how many of us walk by all the art on the Town Hall walls, without giving it a second glance?
The Y’s Women Town Hall tour was led by WestPAC co-president Anne Boberski. It was “eye-opening,” for sure.
Anne Boberski leads the Y’s Women Westport Permanent Art Collections tour in Town Hall.
Westport Police made 6 custodial arrests between February 21 and 28.
One — reported earlier — was for larceny, in connection with the theft of 5 Israel flag yard signs in December.
One was for larceny, illegal use of a credit card, identity theft, criminal impersonation and forgery, following a February 7 complaint that a mailed check was stolen, altered from $830 to $18,300 and deposited.
A woman was arrested for criminal attempt at larceny, identity theft and forgery, after a complaint in April 2022 that a check had been stolen from a US Postal Service box on Myrtle Avenue, altered from $250 to $4,300, and attempted to be cashed.
Another woman was arrested for criminal attempt at larceny, larceny and identity theft, following a complaint in January that a check had been stolen, altered and cashed.
A man was arrested after he and a juvenile shoplifted $492 worth of groceries from Stop & Shop. They were found with the bags at the HomeGoods bus stop. The man was charged with larceny, criminal impersonation and failure to appear. The juvenile was issued a summons and released.
One woman was arrested for failure to appear.
Police also issued these citations:
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 5 citations
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 3
Traveling unreasonably fast: 2
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
Kicking + Screening is a film festival dedicated solely to soccer. (Now do you get the clever name?)
It returns next month for its 15th year in New York. But it’s very much a Westport production.
Current Westport resident Rachel Markus co-founded Kicking + Screening in 2009, with former professional player Greg Lalas.
Always an avid fan (and a ruthless striker), Rachel studied film at New York University. She has worked in the film industry for over 2 decades.
The other local connection: This year’s festival will be held at Football Cafe, the Lower East Side “soccer cultural center” founded by Kyle Martino.
He’s the 1999 Staples graduate — and former Gatorade National High School Player of the Year, MLS Rookie of the Year, US men’s national team player and NBC Sports Premier League broadcaster. Kyle is now a soccer analyst with Warner Brothers Discovery Sports.
The 2024 festival lineup — 11 features and shorts, plus panels, special guests and more from March 14 to 16 — includes Eric Cantona’s Manchester United biography, “The United Way.” Click here for more information, and tickets.
Norwalk Hospital — once independent, now part of Nuvance Health — may soon become part of a larger group.
Nuvance — owner of 4 Connecticut hospitals, and 3 in New York — plans to merge with Northwell Health. They are New York State’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with more than 81,000 employees.
Together, the companies will own 28 hospitals, and more than 1,000 other care sites.
In 2019, Ruth Sherman was an “06880” Unsung Hero of the Week.
At 79 years old, she had just returned from a 100-mile spiritual trek in Spain.
We hailed her for her civic work — teaching exercise and fitness at the Westport Weston Family Y, Senior Center and Arthritis Foundation family aquatics program.
We noted that every day for 50 years — in all kinds of weather — Ruth walked from Hillspoint Road to the top of Compo Hill.
She’s now in her mid-80s. And she’s still walking.
Tammy Barry spotted her yesterday. The weather was meh, but there was Ruth, getting in her (many) steps.
Tammy writes: “Ruth walks in rainy, snowy, and sunny weather. What a beautiful woman, on the inside and out!
“She is an inspiration and role model for us all. She told me she wakes up every day and never has a complaint— it’s not allowed. Keep on moving and grooving. Ruth!”
Tammy sent a great photo too.
So — apropos of nothing, and everything — here’s another “06880” to the indefatigable, wonderful Ruth Sherman!
And finally … do you know how hard it is to find a leap year song?!
I’ve spent my February 29 searching the internet. This will have to do.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. We cover news, events, businesses, restaurants, sports, trends, history and more — and we do it 24/7/365. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
After 3 years in business, Stephen Kempson was hitting his stride.
The London-born tailor on Post Road West, just over the bridge, had a steady and grateful clientele for bespoke suits, jackets, pants and shirts, plus shoes, ties, cufflinks, ready-to-wear items off the rack, and wardrobe consultation.
Then came COVID.
Kempson closed for 9 weeks. His 2 tailors kept busy by making masks. Fingers that once measured, cut and sewed fabrics to show men at their best now created products that covered their faces.
In June, people began venturing out. But no one headed back to the office. Through August, Kempson had no new orders.
It took another year before customers returned. Still, Kempson figured it would be 2025 before he was where he wanted to be.
Since New Year’s though, business has been roaring.
Both January and February orders tripled what he’d done in those months in 2023.
Suits are back in style.
Stephen Kempson, with the inside fabric of a suit jacket.
When the pandemic first eased, and people began going back to offices a couple of days a week, they had to give up their work-from-home sweat pants and t-shirts.
They did not make the leap to jackets and ties immediately, though. Kempson added items like knitted cotton shirts — not woven — that provided the comfort men had gotten used to.
Now though, many offices are open most of the week. Suits are considered suitable for those days. “It’s about getting back in the business mindset,” Kempson says.
Companies are re-instituting dress codes. “They don’t want you looking like you just walked out of the gym, or off the golf course,” he notes.
Last week, 3 of Kempton’s customers bought more than 3 suits each.
The influx of new Westporters — many in their 30s and 40s — “want to wear nice sport coats,” he says. “They’re really taking care of their wardrobes.”
Formal weddings are back too. Grooms are looking for custom-made tuxedos and suits that will stand out — not flashily, but in a way that shows off their unique personalities.
A Stephen Kempson wedding tux was featured in Tatler magazine. (All photos/Dan Woog)
He made another tux for a man celebrating his 40th birthday with a party at Autostrada. Functions like those were put on hold during COVID, and for months after.
Kempson does not think most customers will ever again spend 5 days a week in the office.
But they are there 3 or 4 days. They want to look — and feel — good when they’re there.
Some things never go out of fashion.
(“06880” covers the Westport business world. And fashion. And much more. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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.
