Fran Hoyte had the perfect spot for a Pilates studio.
Her space on the lower level of Bridge Square offered a peaceful view of the Saugatuck River. It was comfortable, inviting, and — with no advertising or social media, just word of mouth — clients flocked to Saugatuck Studios.
There was just one problem: floods.
The space was inundated by storms like Sandy and irene. Sometimes, it was swamped by high tides.
After 15 years, Fran has found a location guaranteed not to flood.
And it’s just as funky as her previous spot.
Sound Pilates has relocated to 21 Jesup Road. They’re on the 2nd and 3rd floors above the Westport Book Shop. The 200-year-old building — most recently Pause + Purpose wellness center; before that an architect’s office, and earlier a home — offers sweeping (and soothing) views of Jesup Green and the Saugatuck River.
“This is so quiet. But it’s still downtown,” Fran says. “It really feels like home for us.”
Fran has also added a physical therapist. Dr. Victoria Chiappetta has trained with Fran, developing an appreciation for traditional Pilates, alignment, and intelligent movement.
Fran now offers small group classes, in addition to individual sessions. She also teaches Pilates instructors — including many now working throughout Fairfield County.
“We’re not about working until you feel pain,” Fran says of her and Victoria’s partnership. “This is always about joyful movement.”
Werner Liepolt — a longtime Westporter whose home is near the Cribari Bridge — is closely watching state Department of Transportation decisions involving the 145-year-old span.
Congress did not extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits. But a Connecticut state subsidy program will replace some or all of the federal tax credits that lapsed on January 1, depending on enrollee eligibility for Access Health CT insurance plans.
Congressman Jim Himes’ office can help with questions: (203) 333-6600.
This story has become a Martin Luther King Day tradition on “06880.” At this point in our nation’s history, today — more than ever — we should think about the history of our nation before Dr. King was born.
And where we are, nearly 6 decades after his death.
Today is Martin Luther King Day. Westporters will celebrate with a day off from school or work. Some will sleep in; others will shop, or go for a walk. Few will give any thought to Martin Luther King.
Twice, though, his life intersected this town in important ways.
The first was Friday night, May 22, 1964. King had been invited to speak at Temple Israel by synagogue member Jerry Kaiser.
King arrived in the afternoon. Kaiser and his wife Roslyn sat on their porch that afternoon, and talked with King and 2 of his aides. She was impressed with his “sincerity, warmth, intelligence and genuine concern for those about him — our children, for instance. He seemed very young to bear such a burden of leadership.”
Martin Luther King, with Sarah and Tema Kaiser at their home on Brooklawn Drive, before his Temple Israel appearance. Their brother Michael had a cold, and was not allowed near Dr. King.
King’s sermon — to a packed audience — was titled “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution.” He analogized his America to the time of Rip Van Winkle — who also “slept through a revolution. The greatest liability of history is that people fail to see a revolution taking place in our world today. We must support the social movement of the Negro.”
Westport artist Roe Halper presented King with 3 woodcarvings, representing the civil rights struggle. He hung them proudly in the front hallway of his Atlanta home.
Artist Roe Halper (left) presents Coretta Scott King with civil rights-themed wood carvings.
Within a month Temple Israel’s rabbi, Byron Rubenstein, traveled south to take place in a nonviolent march. He was arrested — along with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
In jail, the rabbi said, “I came to know the greatness of Dr. King. I never heard a word of hate or bitterness from that man, only worship of faith, joy and determination.”
King touched Westport again less than 4 years later. On April 5, 1968 — the day after the civil rights leader’s assassination in Memphis — 600 Staples students gathered for a lunchtime vigil in the courtyard. Nearby, the flag flew at half-staff.
A small portion of the large crowd listens to Fermino Spencer.
Vice principal Fermino Spencer addressed the crowd. Movingly, he spoke about his own experience as an African American. Hearing the words “my people” made a deep impression on the almost all-white audience. For many, it was the 1st time they had heard a black perspective on white America.
No one knew what lay ahead for their country. But student Jim Sadler spoke for many when he said: “I’m really frightened. Something is going to happen.”
Dr. Martin Luther King
Something did — and it was good. A few hundred students soon met in the cafeteria. Urged by a minister and several anti-poverty workers to help bridge the chasm between Westport and nearby cities, Staples teachers and students vowed to create a camp.
Within 2 months, it was a reality. That summer 120 elementary and junior high youngsters from Westport, Weston, Norwalk and Bridgeport participated in the Intercommunity Camp. Led by over 100 Staples students and many teachers, they enjoyed swimming, gymnastics, dance, sports, field trips, overnight camping, creative writing, filmmaking, photography, art and reading.
It wasn’t easy — some in Westport opposed bringing underprivileged children to their town — but for over a decade the Intercommunity Camp flourished.
Eventually, enthusiasm for and interest in the camp waned. Fewer Staples students and staff members wanted to devote their summer to such a project. The number of Westporters willing to donate their pools dwindled. Today the Intercommunity Camp is a long-forgotten memory.
Sort of like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Even on his birthday.
Martin Luther King Day bonus feature:In the late 1950s, Westporter Tracy Sugarman took his son Dickie, and Dickie’s friend Miggs Burroughs, to a picnic in Stamford.
Rev. Martin Luther King was there, at the invitation of the host: Jackie Robinson.
Sugarman — a noted illustrator – was also a civil rights activist.
Miggs — a junior high student — took the Minox “spy” camera he’d bought earlier that summer.
He still has those photos. Here are the 2 pioneering Black Americans: Martin Luther King and Jackie Robinson.
Hardware stores are often the heart of their community.
They’re places to go for supplies of all kinds, sure — for the inside and outside of homes, lawncare and more.
But they’re also places to get advice, chat with knowledgeable owners and staff, and feel — well, at home.
Westport is lucky to have had several that were much more than just “stores.”
Welch’s and Hartmann’s on Main Street were legendary. The Izzos’ Crossroads Ace Hardware next to Coffee An’ (now The Grapevine liquor store) took their place, and served Westport for decades.
The second, nail-shaped “T” in its logo was the subject of last week’s Photo Challenge (click here to see).
I thought many readers would confuse it with the Tesla “T.” But you’re too sharp for that.
Nineteen got the right answer. Not one fell for the Musk trap (which sounds like something Westport Hardware should stock).
A couple of comments included shout-outs to Bear (who is actually a dog, and — when he’s not roaming the store — sits quietly behind the counter).
One reader noted that Westport Hardware shares a strip mall with the unrelated Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys.
Congratulations to Bill Downey, Brian Taylor, Sal Liccione, Arthur Hayes, Andrew Colabella, Gabby Velez, Jonathan Alloy, Wendy Schaefer, Seth Schachter, Lisa Hayes, Jerry Kuyper, John McKinney, Seth Braunstein, Jeff Loechner, Clark Thiemann, Peter Dennigan Sinnott, Beth Berkowitz, Colleen Williams and Dede McDowell.
You all “nailed” last week’s Photo Challenge.
Will this week’s be as easy? If you know where in Westport you would see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Seth Braunstein)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
“If you’re a homeowner, the first termite you see is not the first termite that showed up.”
With that analogy, Jelani Cobb wove together 2 strands of his talk — America’s history of slavery and civil rights, and today’s threats to our democracy — yesterday.
The 20th annual Westport Weston Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Westport Library drew a full crowd. Cobb — a noted New Yorker writer, scholar, and dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism — was joined in conversation by novelist, playwright, filmmaker (and Westport resident) Trey Ellis.
Jelani Cobb (left) and Trey Ellis.
Asked by Ellis what King would think of the United States today, Cobb said, “It would be very familiar to him.”
Anti-democratic forces, he added, are “congenital problems that don’t go away by ignoring them.”
“My father had a 3rd grade education. I have a Ph.D.,” Cobb said. He vowed never to forget the democratic rights that enabled his achievement — and to “not tolerate intrusions on them.”
Recalling King’s famous quote — “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” — Cobb noted the “fine print”: “We have to get out and bend it.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke briefly. Referring to recent events, he said, “the totalitarian tactics used to silence non-violent protests are not America. It’s the America Martin Luther King protested against.”
The conversation was bookended by Varrick Nelson Jr. The young Stratford singer wowed the audience with stirring gospel-inflected renditions of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “A Change is Gonna Come.”
The audience included over 40 students from the Walter Luckett Foundation. The Bridgeport non-profit provides educational and recreational opportunities for young people. The Westport Library is a longtime partner.
The annual MLK celebration is a collaboration between the Library, TEAM Westport, Westport Country Playhouse, Westport Museum for History & Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association.
Gabriel Sherman has built a career writing about some of the most powerful people in the world.
His first book, “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” told the story of how Roger Ailes built Fox News.
Sherman wrote the screenplay for “The Apprentice,” the biopic about Donald Trump’s relationship with Roy Cohn.
His latest project: “Bonfire of the Murdochs: How the Epic Fight to Control the Last Great Media Dynasty Broke a Family — and the World.”
Sherman was educated through grade 10 in Westport schools. He’s written for New York and Vanity Fair, and been a regular contributor to NBC News and MSNBC.
Sherman will be interviewed by Tina Brown at the 92nd Street Y in New York on February 5 (8 p.m.). Click here for tickets.
This month, Big Y supermarket is donating $1 to ABC — the non-profit that provides educational opportunities to academically gifted and highly motivated young men of color — for every reusable bag purchased for $2.50.
It’s a no-brainer. Buy more than one. You can never have enough bags!
On Wednesday David Guggenheim — screenwriter, producer and showrunner of Netflix’s “Designated Survivor” (and creator and writer of “Safe House,” “The Union” and “The Christmas Chronicles”) — visited Theater Camp 4 Kids Broadway Academy‘s students and interns.
He provided the young actors and writers with a “behind the camera” look at the reality of the film and TV industry, and inspired them to pursue their dreams.
Guggenheim shared insights about the creative process, including how to turn an idea into a script, and the reality of getting it produced. He also described the complex moving parts of a successful film or TV show, from how to make rainy scenes look real, to shooting on back lots and locations, and which actors he would love to work with in the future.
Youngsters came prepared with plenty of questions, which Guggenheim answered with warmth and charm.
Theater Camp 4 Kids is registering now for the winter/spring semester, and June Summer Day Camp. For information, email curleylaura@hotmail.com.
David Guggenheim (rear, center) with Theater Camp 4 Kids students. (Photo/Emily Jennings)
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Westporters using the Delta Sky Lounge at La Guardia Airport can see a bit of home.
Artist Nina Bentley’s work “He Looked Good on Paper” is on display, in Terminal C.
And finally … English author A.A. Milne was born on this date, in 1882. He died in 1956.
(“06880” is your 24/7/365 hyper-local blog. How do we do it? With support from readers like you. To make a tax-deductible contribution, please click here. Thank you!)
In 2025, Westport Police recorded 57 stolen vehicles.
That’s more than one a week.
And that’s only part of the story. It does not include attempted thefts.
“06880” learned of 3 in the past week. One woman was surprised in her garage, as she was unloading groceries; the masked person ran away.
The same woman was followed again, a few days later. Again, he did not follow through.
In the third case, a man entered an unlocked vehicle in a parking lot. He did not realize a teenager sat in the back. The boy yelled; the attempted thief skedaddled.
Not a photo of the attempted parking lot theft. But it’s close.
The number of thefts — and attempts, like pulling on car and garage doors — has skyrocketed since COVID, says Westport Police Lieutenant Anthony Prezioso.
Despite those numbers, he says, “don’t try to take things into your own hands.” Losing a car is less dangerous than risking a confrontation.
Instead, Prezioso advises, “lock your car in your driveway. Better yet, pull it into your garage, and close the garage door behind you. Take your key fob with you.”
(He notes that on many vehicles, side mirrors folded out indicates a key is inside.)
Also: Stay with your vehicle when you pump gas. And don’t leave the car running, when you run in for snacks. Lock it, and take the key!
Car thieves can quickly jump into an unattended vehicle.
If you think you’re being followed, don’t go home. Call 911 — and/or drive to the police station.
While thieves targe no specific make or model — they are more “crimes of random opportunity” — most stolen cars are “high-end.” Plenty, of many types, are available in Westport.
Prezioso also advises, “Be the best witness you can.” Try to get good descriptions of the thieves, and of any cars lurking nearby — with their license plates, if possible.
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