Posted onJuly 13, 2023|Comments Off on Roundup: Community Gardens Bounty, “06880” Party, Pink Aid Golf …
It’s one of the joys of summer here: eating veggies picked — literally — straight from the garden.
This Saturday, Westport Community Gardens celebrates 20 years by hosting a giveaway garden pop-up stand.
On July 15 (10 a.m. to noon; Hyde Lane just south of Long Lots Elementary School), gardeners share their bounty — vegetables, herbs and flowers — from the summer harvest.
You can also take a tour of all 120 plots (plus the pergola, community tables, bocce court and adjacent Long Lots Preserve).
To learn more about the Westport Community Gardens, click here.
Bounty from the Westport Community Gardens.
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The annual “06880″ party is just a week away.
And if you’re reading this: You’re invited.
Next Thursday (July 20, 6 p.m.) is the day and time. The far end of Compo’s South Beach — away from the cannons, near the boat and kayak launch — is the place. (Still confused? See the aerial view below.)
The blue arrow marks the “06880” party spot.
Every member of the “06880″ (as in, this website) community is invited. We welcome frequent commenters and lurkers. Folks who have lived here all their lives, and those who moved here yesterday. People who want the Cribari bridge to stay the same, those who want a new one, and everyone in between. (Don’t worry: The party is a politics-free zone.)
The tagline for “06880″ is “Where Westport meets the world.” Next Thursday, that world comes to Compo.
Please bring your own food, beverages, beach chairs and blankets. (If you bring extras to share with others, we won’t say no). Then mix, mingle and enjoy the evening with the “06880″ crowd.
There’s no charge. It’s a “fun-raiser,” not a fundraiser.
A “blog party” — the “06880” version of a block party.
See you next Thursday!
(PS: Because “06880” is now a non-profit, Westport Parks & Rec allows a limited number of out-of-towners without beach stickers. Please email 06880blog@gmail.com to be put on the list. First come, first served!)
The “Play4PinkAid” fundraiser — with your choice of golf, tennis, pickleball, canasta or mah jongg — is set for Wilton’s Rolling Hills Country Club (Monday, July 24).
But there are plenty of Westport connections.
Jarret Prussin and Brian Falik are running the event. Jarret’s wife Courtney is Pink Aid’s co-president.
And of course, many Westporters have long been involved with the non-profit, which offers compassionate support and emergency financial assistance to patients in treatment for breast cancer, supporting families during a critical time.
“Play4PinkAid” is a day-long event, with lunch, dinner and drinks. Susan Hess, founder of women’s golf wear brand Golftini will share her personal connection to breast cancer, and how she is paying it forward.
A few foursomes as well as several tennis and pickle spots remain. Click here to register, and for more information.
The players on Westport’s 12u Little League team were just 2 years old when our town’s boys made it all the way to the World Series national championship game.
Now they’re embarking on their own road to Williamsport.
Westport takes on Fairfield National — their fiercest rivals — in Connecticut’s District 2 championship contest this Friday (July 14, 5:30 p.m., Unity Park, Trumbull).
There’s nothing better than a summer baseball game like this. Play ball!
Jack Klinge is a true friend of the Senior Center.
Last night at the Ned Dimes Marina, the Friends of the Westport Center for Senior Activities honored and thanked him for more than 20 years of service.
The retired executive — and current RTM member, and Westport Public Schools substitute teacher — is stepping down as president. He’ll remain (thankfully and happily) a Friends board member.
Jack Klinge, flanked by Sue Pfister and Wendy Petty, the former and current Senior Center directors, respectively. (Photo and hat tip/Diane Bosch)
Otis & the Hurricanes storm onto the Weston History & Culture Center’s lawn.
Their Sunday, July 23 show (5 p.m.) is part of the 8th annual “Music at the Barn” series. Attendees can bring a picnic dinner, beverages and lawn chair.
Otis & the Hurricanes play American roots rock, influenced by Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Little Feat, Alan Toussaint, Delbert McClinton abd Chuck Berry.
Otis Cross has opened for and played with James Montgomery, Mark Naftalin, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter and Buckwheat Zydeco.
Also on-site: a kids’ crafting table, lawn games, and the Daniel E. Offutt, III Sculpture Garden.
Tickets ($15 members, $20 non-members, children under 12 free) are available at the show or online.
And finally … you don’t have to be a Mensa member to have guessed who today’s featured artists are:
(From actual turtles to The Turtles, you can read about it all on “06880.” If you appreciate our coverage, please consider a donation. Just click here — and thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: Community Gardens Bounty, “06880” Party, Pink Aid Golf …
For 8 years, Mimi Duvall-Sajda’s daughters have been obsessed with Curious Jane.
And why not? The summer camp empowers girls ages 6 to 12 with creative projects in design, engineering and science.
It’s hands-on, inventive, and very high energy. Since 2009, over 10,000 girls have enjoyed the experience.
When Mimi and her family moved to Westport last August from New York, one of the hardest things to leave was Curious Jane. Her older girl had always dreamed of being a Counselor in Training.
Mimi — a professional designer with a Pratt graduate degree — wanted to make sure her daughters stayed tactile, and immersed in creative thinking. “Anything that gets them away from digital technology is a major win,” she says.
Curious Jane does that — while also cultivating friendships, sisterhood, and good old-fashioned camp memories.
Fun at Curious Jane …
So Mimi decided to bring Curious Jane to Westport.
There is a week-long session: August 14-18 in the Westport Country Playhouse barn, for girls in kindergarten through 6th grade.
Topics include Kitchen Chemistry, Spa Science, Magic & Mystery, and Ooey Gooey Science.
There are also CIT Studios, for 7th-through 9th graders.
Samantha Razook — who also has a Pratt graduate degree, and who launched Curious Jane when her own children were young — is excited to bring the camp to Westport.
“I would have loved Curious Jane when I was a girl,” she says.
… and curious concentration.
Since creating the camp, Samantha has branched out, adding after-school classes, workshops, projects books and a quarterly magazine. She calls it all “open-source DIY.”
Mimi knows there are many girls here who would love the science, engineering and design elements of Curious Jane.
She’s witnessed the “joy and enthusiasm” infused by their days in the studio.
Now she’s thrilled to have found the perfect vibe, at the Playhouse barn/studio.
Let the creative juices flow!
(For more information about Westport’s Curious Jane camp, click here.)
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. Please click here to support us with a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
And two villages — Westport and Lyman, Ukraine — are indebted to an amazing villager, Connie Belta.
These days, Connie splits her time between Fairfield and Florida. But she was a longtime Westporter. For decades, she and her family ran the legendary Belta’s Farm (and farm stand) on Bayberry Lane.
Though not Ukrainian, she’s also a longtime member of Southport’s Ukrainian-American Club.
She was away last winter, when Westport adopted Lyman as a sister city, and raised over $250,000 to help pay for building materials, generators, communications equipment, police and garbage trucks, bulletproof vests, meals and more.
So this spring, she offered to organize a thank-you party for all those who helped.
And to raise even more money.
Connie Belta, at LymanAID. (Photo/Dan Woog)
“LymanAID” — last Sunday’s town-wide event — was special. There were free drinks, food, music and kids’ activities. Senator Richard Blumenthal, Congressman Jim Himes and area selectmen offered heartfelt speeches.
And there was an array of creative ways to donate to Lyman. The money is more important than ever. Just 24 hours earlier, a Russian attack left 8 residents killed, and 11 injured. All were civilians.
It took a ton of volunteers to make LymanAID a reality. Connie recruited and inspired them all. Then, she put them to work.
The day included a giant raffle, a book pull, treasure hunt, sales of art and wheatgrass, and much, much more.
Oh, yeah: Connie underwrote it all.
Her brothers and their families, the Ukrainian-American Club, Ukraine Aide International, Mark Yurkiw, Steve Taranko, Sam Rossoni and so many others contributed to LymanAID’s remarkable success.
But Connie Belta was the heart and soul of it all. Everyone else followed her vision, and stood on her shoulders.
Congratulations, Connie, for being this week’s Unsung Hero. The entire villages of Westport and Lyman thank you!
(LymanAID is over. But donations through Ukrainian Aid International are still welcome. Click here to help. Under “Designation,” click the dropdown menu and select “Westport — Lyman Sister City.”)
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email nominations: 06880blog@gmail.com.)
At 9:48 p.m. last night, police began receiving calls reporting shots fired in the area of Saugatuck Avenue and Franklin Street.
Patrol units immediately responded. Witnesses reported a white vehicle traveling north on Franklin, north on Saugatuck, and turning west on Sunrise Road. Multiple shots were fired as it turned up Sunrise.
Officers established a perimeter, and Sunrise Road was closed to through traffic between Indian Hill Road and Saugatuck Avenue.
Westport Police ask anyone who lives in the area to review surveillance cameras and report suspicious activity that they may have captured to the Westport Detective Bureau (203-341-6080) or Detective John Lauria (dlauria@westportct.gov).
Spotted yesterday outside 233 Hillspoint Road — the notorious, controversial half-finished home construction eyesore on the site of the former Positano restaurant: a truck carrying explosives and other materials for blasting bedrock.
Alas. It turns out they are doing work elsewhere in the area.
Hey, a boy can dream …
233 Hillspoint Road. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
In other 233 Hillspoint news, Westport Journal reports that the Blight Prevention Board is fining the owners $100 a day. They have not complied with orders to place windows where they were approved, and cover the blue wrap with siding.
The Blight Board meets again tomorrow (Thursday, July 13, 7 p.m.) to discuss the half-finished home. Click here for the Zoom link.
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Railroad parking fees may soon go up.
The Representative Town Meeting Transit Committee meets July 20 to consider asking the full RTM approve an increase for both daily parking (from $5 a day to $7), a yearly permit for 1 car (from $325 to $415), and a yearly permit for 2 cars (fro m$450 to $515).
Those are slightly higher than the fees passed by the Board of Selectwomen in April.
The increased fees — predicted to raise approximately $83,100 a year — would be used to improve and increase transit services in Westport.
Daily and yearly railroad parking fees will rise, if the RTM approves its Transit Committee’s proposals. Lots have not been this full since the pandemic began.
Speaking of transit: Last night, the RTM appointed Karina Betfarhad as a second director of the Westport Transit District.
A 14-year Westport resident, she has a degree in civil engineering from San Jose State University. She also completed all core engineering classes there for a master’s in civil engineering, specializing in transportation and structural engineering. and a background in construction management.
She worked as a civil engineer for 3 construction companies, and for San Jose’s Streets and Traffic Department.
But yesterday, the Westport Rotary Club heard from Team Woofgang & Co.
Aimee Turner — executive director of the Fairfield-based non-profit — described how they make and sell dog treats, to fund vocational and social opportunities for young people with disabilities.
Team members are involved in manufacturing and retail, depending on their abilities.
Team Woofgang has a store at 1300 Post Road, Fairfield. Treats are also available online.
Team Woofgang was a Westport Rotary Club grant recipient of funds from last year’s LobsterFest.
Every year, thousands of residents enjoy Westport’s best street party: the stroll up and down Soundview Drive, during the (pre)-4th of July fireworks.
With the road closed to vehicles, it’s a festive, relaxing time. Friends chat; neighbors meet. Music plays; kids romp. It’s a true community event.
And every year, the day after, I suggest closing Soundview to vehicles on more than just the Fireworks Day.
Why not, I wonder, do it on a couple of Sundays every summer? We could enjoy bands, buskers, jugglers, face painting, food … all without cars.
In 2022, this marching band strutted on Soundview.
Every year: crickets.
Except this one. Maya Hirani — who moved to Soundview last year, and lives smack in the middle of the beach exit road — listened to my idea.
She liked it.
And she wondered whether others do too.
So Maya created a survey. It’s quick, but comprehensive.
The goal is to gauge public support for closing Soundview Avenue for one or more days in the summer.
All Westporters are encouraged to take the (anonymous) survey. One question asks where you live. Residents of the beach area are especially encouraged to respond.
Click here for the survey. See you (perhaps) at Soundview!
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, 2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore and former 1st Selectman Jim Marpe strolled down Soundview Drive last year. (Photos/Dan Woog)
Staples High School has a new — and official — MLB prospect.
Hiro Wyatt — the superbly named Staples High School baseball hero who graduated last month, after helping the Wreckers comethisclose to the state championship — was drafted this afternoon by the Kansas City Royals.
The right-handed pitcher was chosen in the 3rd round. He was the 75th pick overall.
According to CT Insider’s GameTimeCT, Wyatt will join a Kansas City affiliate once he signs his contract. He had been committed to the University of Southern California.
This past spring, Wyatt went 8-0. He struck out 107 batters and walked only 11, in 54.2 innings pitched.
He allowed 4 earned runs all season, with a 0.51 ERA and a 0.677 WHIP. He also hit .367 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.
He was named GameTimeCT MVP, Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year and CHSCA Player of the Year. He holds Staples records for strikeouts per 9 innings (17.64), most strikeouts in a game (18), scoreless innings streak (42.1) and single-season strikeouts (107).
Wyatt is the 4th Staples baseball player drafted in the past decade. He follows Chad Knight (2019, 31st round, New York Yankees), Ben Casparius (2017, 5th round, Los Angeles Dodgers) and David Speer (2014, 27th round, Cleveland Indians).
In 1976, the St. Louis Cardinals selected Mike Calise in the 24th round. (Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)
Roe Halper has been a professional artist in Westport for 63 years.
Her work has evolved from social commentary (her woodcuts hung in Martin Luther King’s home) to dance, then nature, and finally abstraction in many forms.
She has worked in woodcarving, pen and ink, and clay. Now she concentrates on acrylic painting.
Roe’s current exhibition, “Circles and Rectangles,” is on view at One River Gallery (next to Shearwater Coffee) through July 30.
On Saturday, July 22 (1 to 2:30 p.m.), she’ll give a class for “older students,” using circles and rectangles.
It’s not her first time as an instructor. For the past 25 years, Roe has taught art to talented high school students, in her studio.
What’s the connection between the Volkswagen emissions cheating settlement, and Weston?
Plenty.
In this week’s “What’s Next in Weston” podcast, 1st Selectwoman Sam Nestor describes how money from that case will help her town build new infrastructure.
Spoiler alert: It will support the use of electric vehicles, and reduce harmful emissions.
The podcast is produced by the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston. Click below to see:
Last night at the Westport Library, the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston presented a talk on “Humanity Through Technology.”
Sam Gustman — associate dean and chief technology officer at the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation and USC Libraries — discussed the ground-breaking ways in which Holocaust victims have been recorded for posterity.
Long after they are gone, people will be able to “interview” them, learning their stories.
The Shoah Foundation’s technology, on view at the Westport Library. (Photo/Bruce Borner)
Speaking of technology: What’s the future of astrophotography?
Richard S. Wright Jr. — contributing editor for Sky & Telescope magazine — shines a light on the subject July 18 (8 p.m., virtual; click here for the Zoom link; click here for the YouTube link).
He’s the next guest lecturer at the Westport Astronomical Society’s free online science series.
Viewers will have a chance to ask questions at the end. Click here for (much more) information.
Richard S. Wright Jr.
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Westport has many notable advertising, marketing and PR people.
Yesterday, one of them became an official “notable leader.”
Michael Gordon was one of 75 men and women in the tri-state area, cited by Crain’s.
His writeup says:
As chief executive of the public relations firm Group Gordon, Michael Gordon oversees client work spanning the corporate, social impact, and crisis practices. He also participates in media engagements and webinars regarding industry trends, such as the influence of artificial intelligence on public relations.
Gordon has led key social impact launches, such as the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s restroom finder app. He serves on councils to support undergraduate financial aid and first-generation college students at the University of Pennsylvania, and has been honored by Connecticut’s Anti-Defamation League for his leadership. Gordon has served on the board of the Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition.
Westporters know him for him as a former Board of Education chair. Congratulations, Michael!
Michael Gordon
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“Dial M for Murder” opens tonight at the Westport Country Playhouse.
Audience members will enjoy the show — and the garden outside. It’s in full bloom, as today’s “Westport … Naturally” image by Molly Alger shows.
And finally … Peter Nero died Thursday in Florida. He was 89.
The New York Times said the pianist “soared to popularity in the 1960s with a swinging hybrid of classics and jazz and kept the beat for nearly six decades with albums, club and television dates, and segues into conducting pops orchestras.”
(If you read about Hiro Wyatt — or any other interesting Westporter — on “06880,” you too can be a “hero.” Just click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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