In a town filled with interesting people, Dave Briggs still stands out.
He’s a longtime national broadcaster with CNN, NBC Sports, Fox News and Turner Sports. He still does media work, but has branched out into business – with Cann Social Tonic, a drink micro-dosed with THC and CBD. He’s fully immersed in town activities, as (among other things) a Westport Library board member and Fashionably Westport MC.
Our wide-ranging chat last week at the Library ranged from national politics and the media to kids (he has 3), his varied career, and — notably — his passion for all things Westport.
As the Compo Beach playground renovation project kicks into high gear, young artists have a chance to help.
And win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Students in kindergarten through 5th grade who live in Westport or Weston can enter the playground’s logo contest. The winning entry will be used on the website, social media, t-shirts and signage, through the September build,
Despite yesterday’s rain and cold, Westport’s first Run For Their Lives event drew 20 people (and 3 dogs).
Organizer Melinda Wasserman made signs, provided red beanies, and pinned “115” (the number of days Israeli hostages have been in captivity) on participants’ backs, as though they were running a marathon (which to them it seems like).
Jennifer Wolff provided coffee and Munchkins.
The group walked from Winslow Park to town, then across the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge and back.
Many drivers honked in support. At a stop light, a woman played a melodic rendition of “Hatikva” (the Israeli national anthem) from her car window.
“We’ll do it again and again, until we don’t have to,” Wolff says. To join the WhatsApp phone chain for upcoming events, click here.
Participants in yesterday’s “Run for Their Lives” event.
The Boston Globe has run a long story on Lynda Bluestein’s fight to die on her own terms — in Vermont, because Connecticut has no medical aid in dying legislation.
For several months, a reporter and photographer followed the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport member’s battles against ovarian cancer, and in the Green Mountain State courts.
The Globe story also documents her final project: a wind phone project, through which families and friends can “speak” to loved ones who have died.
It is a nuanced, moving account of Lynda’s final days, accompanied by poignant photos. Click here to read (paywall).
On the morning of Lynda Bluestein’s death, her husband Paul told her how much he loved her. They waited for the rest of their family to arrive, so she could say goodbye and take medication to end her life. (Photo/Jessica Rinaldi for Boston Globe)
MoCA Westport celebrates its “Sixties Mod” exhibit with a Community
Conversations. Curators Kathleen Bennewitz and Ive Covaci, of the Westport Public Art Collections committee, will be at the museum on February 8 (6:30 p.m.).
Pre-registration is required, with a suggested donation of $10 for
non-members.
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Last month, “06880” noted that “The Wiz” is being revived on Broadway — with 2 Westport connections.
The original script was by Bill Brown, a longtime resident. And the revival is co-produced by 1994 Staples High School graduate Ari Edelson.
Now another Staples alum is involved. Benjamin Zawacki has built Wayne Brady’s costumes for the show. He is a professional draper, whose love of the arts was nurtured at Staples.
Performances begin March 29. Click here for more information. (Hat tip: John Dodig)
The 16th annual Darwin Day Dinner returns to The Inn at Longshore on February 10 (6 p.m.).
The event — for people “interested in learning about evolutionary biology and how science impacts society” (and who love a party) — includes a very un-party-like presentation, on “Carbon Dioxide Removal and Understanding Earth’s Natural Systems for Regulating Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere,” by Dr. Matthew Eisaman, professor at Yale’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture.
It is, organizers say, the “best science party this side of the Kuiper Belt.”
And finally … on this day in 1886, Karl Benz patented the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.
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Forced to spend all day, every day together, many spouses skedaddled. The reasons varied, but the results were the same. Tons of single Westporters have joined those who were already divorced, or never married.
The good news: What they look for in a new mate is not what they previously sought.
“I used to always hear, ‘They’re just looking for my money or status,'” Jill Dunn says.
“These days, people don’t care about superficial qualities. Coming out of COVID they want true compatibility, a connection on a deeper level. They want love. There’s much less checking the boxes of income or height.”
Jill Dunn
Dunn should know. The founder and “lead matchmaker” at Jillin’ It, she’s seen the Fairfield County dating scene evolve in the 8 years since starting the personalized, online-and-in-person service.
Plus, she’s been there herself.
Newly divorced in 2016, Dunn found it hard meeting single men outside of New York.
Leveraging her background as an event planner, she organized speed dating and mixers, in Norwalk and surrounding areas.
The business evolved into full-service matchmaking. Today her clients range “from 28 to 88,” she says, though most are men and women in their 30s and 40s. She works with LGBTQ as well as heterosexual clients.
She does not take her work lightly.
“I understand the raw, empty space crated when you’re single,” says Dunn. “That’s especially true with people who are divorced or widowed, whose space was once occupied.”
Many new singles have “forgotten how to date” — just as Dunn had when she found herself single, in her early 30s, with 2 young children.
She helps her clients figure out who they are, and what they’re looking for. She’s a coach and a sounding board.
She solicits feedback after a date — from her client, and the client’s date — about what went well, and what did not, to help fine-tune subsequent searches.
“It’s an intimate, beautiful process,” Dunn says. Often, it last for 3 to 5 months. Then “they fly the nest. They don’t need me anymore.”
The first match is the most important. It’s always the same: “between the client and the matchmaker.” Dunn will not work with anyone she does not feel a trusted connection with. (“I’ll only date a 6-2 billionaire with a goatee” is a non-starter.”)
Once that trust is established, Jillin’ It is all in. She offers both private, personalized matchmaking and small group meetings.
“For me, it’s quality matches over quantity,” Dunn says. “I’d rather send a client on 2 dates in 6 months, than be a service that promises one date a week. You could do that yourself, standing in a CVS aisle.”
Working with a matchmaker is like hiring a personal trainer, she notes. “You open yourself up, because you want to grow. And the benefits are not just the hour in the gym or the dates you go on, but the new mindset you’re in.”
This time of year — between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day — is the busiest for matchmakers, Dunn says.
And the hardest for singles.
The world is filled with Valentine’s Day images.
“People don’t want to go through the holidays alone. They’re surrounded by so many images of love and partnership.”
The good news is that “as you’re looking for someone, they’re looking for you.”
Still, she says, “you have to put yourself out there.” It doesn’t have to be with a matchmaker: “Just go to events in the community.”
But — in a town filled with post-COVID divorced people, and those who have never been married — she sure can help.
(For more information on Jillin’ It, click here, or email hello@jillinit.com.)
(Speaking of singles: You can support this hyper-local blog with singles, hundreds, credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, even Zelle. Please click here to learn how to donate to “0688o.” Thank you!)
William “Bill” Frederick Vornkahl III died Friday. He was 93.
Born in Norwalk on August 14, 1930 to William F. Vornkahl, Jr. and Alice Gerrish and a lifelong Westporter, Bill remembered playing his trombone along the Post Road to celebrate the Allies’ victory in Japan in August 1945.
In 1948 he graduated from Staples High School. He worked as a bank teller before joining the Army and serving as a high-speed radio operator in the 1st Cavalry Division, 13th Signal Corps from 1952–54.
Bill spent 14 months on Hokkaido, Japan. He wrote letters to Linnea, his future wife, who he met on a blind date just prior to his overseas service.
Bill Vornkahl at last year’ Memorial Day parade ceremony. It was the 54th, and final one, he organized. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
After returning to Westport Bill married Linnea on May 15, 1954, and returned to work at Westport Bank & Trust. He retired as a branch manager in 1987. Bill spent the next 30+ years, until spring 2020, driving people to and from airports.
Bill spent countless hours serving Westport and the veteran community. He was a member of American Legion Post 63 and VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 for over 60 years.
He was a member/treasurer of Westport’s War Monument Committee from 1996–99, and of Westport’s Representative Town Meeting.
He was a Little League coach for both baseball and softball, and a volunteer on the sideline crew for the Staples High School football team for over 20 years.
Bill was secretary/treasurer of the Greens Farms Volunteer Fire Company since 1950, vice president/treasurer of Saugatuck Hose Company #4 since 1999, and president of Westport Volunteer Fire Company from 1973–93.
Bill was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame in 2013.
Bill Vornkahl, at the 2022 Memorial Day parade. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
In Westport, Bill is best known for being chair of the Westport Memorial Day Parade since 1970. Westporters who attend the parade remember him walking, then riding, at the end of the parade, in addition to hosting the post-parade ceremony.
Bill also ran the Westport Italian Festival Parade.
Bill and Linnea attended parades and went to national parks across the country. Highlights included the Rose Parade in California and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Bill visited all 50 states and drove in 49 of them, missing only Alaska.
He was an avid sports fan, particularly of the New York Giants, Rangers and Mets. Bill also enjoyed car racing, and took his family to the Danbury Fair Race Arena many Saturday nights.
Bill is survived by his children William Vornkahl IV (Diane), Susan Meineke (Richard), Ed Vornkahl, and Diane Malone (Joe), and grandchildren Allison, Kelly, Billy, Jennifer, Karalyn, Brian and Jamie. They will remember summers at Compo Beach, hamburgers on the grill, Super Bowl score prediction cakes, carving the Thanksgiving turkey, cats named Inky, and countless other memories.
Bill was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Mary Linnea Vornkahl, sister Margaret Troll, and brother George Robert Vornkahl.
Calling hours are Thursday, February 1 (4-8 p.m., Harding Funeral Home). Funeral services will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 41 Easton Road, on Friday, February 2 (11 a.m). Interment will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Bill Vornkahl talks with a veteran, at the 2018 Memorial Day parade. (Photo/Kat Soren)
Two weeks ago, our Photo Challenge bamboozled nearly every reader. Most thought it showed an American flag flying atop the former Patagonia (and even more former Westport Bank & Trust) building, where the Post Road and Church Lane converge.
But this past Sunday, those erroneous answers were correct. Our most recent Photo Challenge featured the alarm box from the old bank. It’s still there, on the back side, near what is now Pink Sumo restaurant. (Click here to see.)
Fred Cantor, Morley Boyd, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Andrew Colabella and Jack Backiel all answered correctly.
Here is this week’s Photo Challenge. Click “Comments” below if you know where in Westport you would see Fran Decker’s memorial plaque.
(Photo/Jay Dirnberger)
HINT: It’s not Patagonia/Westport Bank & Trust.
(If you enjoy this regular Sunday feature — or anything else on “06880” — please support our work, with a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
Posted onJanuary 28, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: Library Lobster Rolls, Artemis, “Walk On” …
Craig Geraghty promised “the best crab cakes and lobster rolls you’ve ever eaten … in a library” last night.
He did not disappoint.
The chef/caterer (Block Island Seafood Co.)/cooking demonstrator/comedian entertained a large crowd at the Westport Library.
Making food onstage (and shown behind him on the large, vivid screen), mixing it with patter about his Queens youth and recent move to this area — then offering up the 2 great dishes, prepared backstage by his (largely family) crew and served by Library staff members — he proved once again that when it comes to creative, informative programming, the Westport Library cooks up something new, every day of the year. (Hat tip: Stephanie Berghoff)
Just over 3 years ago, rising Fairfield Ludlowe High School junior Jake Panus was killed in a DUI crash on Block Island, Rhode Island. The football and lacrosse player was on vacation with his girlfriend and her family.
To help survive the tragedy, his father Stephen has written a book, “Walk On.” A portion of sales will benefit the Jake Panus Walk On Scholarship. Six college grants have already been awarded.
Local book signings and author talks include the Reef Shack (257 Reef Road, Fairfield; April 27, noon), Greenfield Congregational Church (April 30, 7 p.m.) and Pequot Library (May 23, 6 p.m.).
Arrtemis has lost its space on Post Road West. It will close at the end of January.
Much of the jewelry is 30% off.
Owner Deb Kondub thanks her “awesome” customers for their support over the past 12 years, and invites everyone to stop in. She hopes to relocate to a new space. (Hat tip: Dick Lowenstein)
Staples High School Class of 1970 graduate — and member of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s backup band — Harry Eisenberg died recently at his Black Rock home, with his wife Lori at his side. He was 71, and had been diagnosed with cancer.
His family says: “Harry was a special soul, an accomplished musician, a sharp dressed man, well-traveled, loved his grandchildren, fine dining, and cruising the backroads of Fairfield finding different routes.
“He was an avid New York Yankees fan, and Jeff Beck and Pat Martino were his idols. He loved working on his classic Mercedes cars, finishing the New York Times Saturday crossword puzzles, playing tennis, viewing ‘Jeopardy’ with Lori, and watching ‘We the People News’ on Rumble.
“He absolutely loved reading, always learning. Harry was self-educated in business, computer technology, auto mechanics, electricity, government/politics, history and music among other things. One of his favorite pastimes was feasting and enjoying the friendship at his favorite restaurant, Joseph’s Steak House in Bridgeport.”
At the age of 12, Harry wanted to be a rock star. He caddied at the Fairfield Country Club, which enabled him to pay for his musical interests. He played drums and guitar and started a band, The Water Boys. He sat in with many local bands, including Smoke.
In 1970-71, Harry landed a great opportunity to play with Elephant’s Memory, the back-up band for John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band.
In the 80’s, while playing softball in local leagues and bartending, Harry worked as a studio jazz guitarist and learned the music industry. Working with Sidney Bernstein, he found, promoted and produced new talent like Special EFX and Matt Simone.
While guitar was his passion, Harry left the industry to establish a business, Mazewerks, where he developed the Expo Manager software. He later sold the rights.
Living in Westport, Harry worked for Aperture as an application consultant engineer, and enjoyed traveling with his wife. After moving to Black Rock, he served as an assistant registrar for the city of Bridgeport.
In addition to his wife he is survived by his step-daughter Lana Starr, grandchildren Gizelle and Ellis, cousins Bill, Laurence, and Nancy Plotkin, Tatyana Stepanova, the Saya family, his dear friends Danny Saat, Victor Mendez and Joseph Vukusic, and many others.
Harry was predeceased by his brothers Robert and Daniel, uncle Nathaniel Plotkin, cousin Judith Shine and his saluki RA.
A private celebration of life will be held later.
Harry Eisenberg
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There was plenty of wildlife near Sherwood Mill Pond last week.
RB Benson reports a fox eating a goose, a coyote, and these guys tryin to blend in while meandering down Meadow Lane.
And finally … Herbert Coward died last week, in an automobile accident in North Carolina. He was 85.
You may not know his name. But he played the role of “Toothless Man” in “Deliverance,” the 1972 film with Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty that — more than 50 years after its release — continues to captivate (and scare the hell out of) anyone who saw it.
Toothless Man’s famous line — “He got a real purty mouth, ain’t he?” — was just one unforgettable scene. So was this scene, with an equally memorable character:
(Today’s weather may keep you indoors. No problem! You can pass the time by supporting “06880.” Just click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: Library Lobster Rolls, Artemis, “Walk On” …
William F. Vornkahl III died Friday. He was 93 years old.
Westporters knew — and loved — him as “Bill.”
His other nickname was “Mr. Memorial Day.” For 54 years — ever since 1970 — he organized, orchestrated and led Westport’s annual parade.
It was an enormous undertaking. The moving parts — the marchers, the floats, the route, the ceremony on Veterans Green — were many, and daunting.
But it was a labor of love.
Bill Vornkahl was many things: a Korean War veteran, member of the Westport Veterans Council, volunteer firefighter, Little League coach, member of Staples High School football’s sideline crew.
He was a proud veteran, and an equally proud Westporter. He will be deeply and lovingly missed.
Bill Vornkahl, at last year’s Memorial Day parade. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
Visitation is set for this Thursday (February 1, 4 to 8 p.m., Harding Funeral Home). Bill’s funeral is Friday (February 2, 11 a.m., St. Paul Church, Easton Road).
In 2018, “06880” honored Bill Vornkahl as our Unsung Hero. Here is that story:
On Monday, Westport celebrates Memorial Day.
We do it with one of the town’s most popular and beloved events of the year: a fun, wonderful and wide-ranging parade, followed by a solemn yet uplifting ceremony across from Town Hall.
It’s a huge undertaking. Hundreds of town employees and volunteers pitch in to make it all work. It seems effortless, but it’s anything but.
None of it would happen, though, without the leadership of Bill Vornkahl.
This will be the Westporter’s 49th year at the helm. When he started in 1970, the parade may have included Spanish-American War veterans. Today there are only a few who served in World War II.
Vornhkahl — now 88 years old — is a Korean War vet. He spent 14 months on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, working as a high-speed radio operator in the 1st Cavalry Division.
In 2013, he was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Hall of Fame.
Bill Vornkahl
Vornkahl has been a member of the Westport Veterans Council even longer than he’s run the parade: 57 years.
From 1996 to ’99 he was treasurer of Westport’s War Monument Committee, helping place memorials to various wars on Veterans Green.
He joined the Greens Farms Volunteer Fire Company in 1950. He’s served as secretary/treasurer of both that company and Saugatuck Hose Company #4, and as president of the Westport Volunteer Fire Company from 1973 to ’93.
He coached Little League for more than 20 years, and for over a decade was part of the Staples High School football sideline crew.
Vornkahl has dedicated his life to Westport. Of all he’s done, the Memorial Day parade is his special passion. He makes sure it all happens flawlessly.
In 2015, Bill Vornkahl and 3 Girl Scout Daisies recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Of course, the one thing he can’t control is the weather. The last 2 years, predictions of rain have canceled the parade, and moved the ceremonies indoors.
You may have seen him inside Town Hall, introducing the color guard, bands and speakers.
This Monday, we all hope he’ll be outdoors on Veterans Green, doing the same.
He’ll be busy — as he has been every Memorial Day since 1970. So now is the best time to thank him for all he does.
Veterans usually don’t like honors. But Bill Vornkahl is a true Unsung Hero.
In 2020, COVID canceled Westport’s Memorial Day parade.
But our town did not forget its veterans — or Bill Vornkahl. “06880” That day, “06880” reported:
This might have been a lonely Memorial Day for Bill Vornkahl.
As “06880” reported this morning, the 90-year-old Korean War veteran recently lost his wife of 65 years.
And this year — for the first time in the 50 years he has organized Westport’s annual parade and tribute to fallen service members — the entire event was canceled, due to COVID.
But his family arranged a socially distanced cookout in the driveway of his Cross Highway home.
And in mid-morning — just like every year at Town Hall — Vornkahl heard “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Taps.”
Nick Rossi sings the national anthem.
The national anthem was sung stirringly by Nick Rossi. The 2019 Staples High School graduate — now a student at Boston College — is a veteran of Veteran’s Green. He played and sang at last year’s ceremony.
The mournful brass notes were sounded by Sam Atlas. The 2018 Staples grad is a trumpet major at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she plays in the orchestra, wind ensemble and chamber groups.
Sam Atlas plays “Taps.”
It was a fitting tribute for the man who is Westport’s “Mr. Memorial Day.” And he responded as any soldier would:
It was a Bill Vornkahl tradition to close every Memorial Day ceremony with “It Is The Soldier,” a poem by Charles H. Province. “06880” is honored to post this, in honor of “Mr. Memorial Day,” Bill Vornkahl.
It is the soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of press.
It is the soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
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