The rains have moved on. The heat is nowhere as bad as Phoenix, Houston or Greece.
Which means: We’re on for our 10th annual “06880” blog party!
We’re all set for 6 p.m. at South Beach — the alcohol-is-fine-except-no-glass-bottles end, furthest from the cannons.
This is a bring-your-own-food-and-beverages event. If you’ve got something extra to share, feel free!
Bring a beach chair. And we can always use folding tables.
“06880” provides the rest: a chance to meet commenters and lurkers. Each year we welcome old-timers, newcomers, politicians and normal human beings. It’s a chance to talk, laugh and trade stories about this wild, wacky and only slightly dysfunctional town we share and love.
See you tonight!
We’ll be just to the left of this jetty (near the boat and kayak launch). Without the car, though, (Photo/Linda Gramatky Smith)
Back in the middle of the pandemic — remember those days? — the Levitt Pavilion pivoted like many entertainment venues.
“Pods” — circles drawn on the grass — kept small groups socially distanced from each other. Pre-registration was required. Attendance was capped.
COVID is now in our rear view mirror. Social distancing has gone the way of washing our food and keeping it outside for 48 hours before eating.
But Westport’s premier summertime showcase still requires registration — even for free events. And many shows “sell out.”
Why?
“The free-ticket model was one we adopted for some shows even before the pandemic,” say Freda and Carleigh Welsh, the Levitt executive director, and marketing and development director respectively.
Enjoying the Levitt Pavilion lawn. (Photo/Jim Honeycutt)
“Most importantly, it allows us to safely limit capacity. Shows frequently attract capacity crowds — not all, but many — and if, say, we were to attract 2,000 people for the free Calexico show but had to turn away almost half of them, it would not be ideal from any perspective.
“Free ticket distribution has become an integral part of crowd management, as well as providing effective communication with attendees for updates (showtime changes, weather, etc.).”
Other benefits, the Welshes say, include helping people make plans in advance so they can count on attending popular shows with friends.
The Welshes note that tickets are sometimes returned, prior to a show. They are given to the box office and/or a wait list.
“Spontaneity is still in season,” the Welshes add.
“On any given evening, people can still come. If there is space on the lawn, they can check in at the box office.”
(Photo/JC Martin)
ENCORE: The Levitt Pavilion presents over 50 free shows each summer. Information (and free tickets) are available at www.levittpavilion.com. The box office opens 2 hours before showtime.
And the Levitt has just announced 3 new free ticket shows: Julie Williams on July 28, Karina Rykman August 11, and Bailen September 14. Get ’em while they last!
(Over 50 Levitt Pavilion shows are free. “06880” is free too. But — like the Levitt — we rely on residents’ support. Please click here to donate to your hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
But Bob Weingarten thinks the officers who direct it are heroes.
He writes:
The entire Westport police force should be recognized as unsung heroes. Mostly unseen, they drive through our neighborhoods, provide accident assistance, and protect us day and night, among too many other tasks too lengthy to list.
But I propose we recognize 2 individuals many of us drive by and see almost daily, who control and enhance traffic movement at 2 locations.
They may not be the only traffic agents who handle these 2 intersections. But they were on duty last week, so I took photographs to recognize and thank them.
Gerald Waldron and Aleta Franklin, at work. (Photos/Bob Weingarten)
I found the first agent who controls the lights and traffic flow at the intersection of Post Road West, and Wilton Road and Riverside Avenues (Route 1 & 33) around noon. Gerald Waldron works in rain, cold and (especially in the last few days) extreme heat.
The other agent, Aleta Franklin, provides traffic control especially during the afternoon rush hour at the Cribari Bridge in Saugatuck, when Westporters arrive back at the train station after work. There is also lots of traffic in both directions from Riverside Avenue.
Interestingly, the William F. Cribari Bridge was named for a previous traffic agent.
Westport Police Lieutenant Jillian Cabana notes, “those are difficult posts even without the unforgiving temperatures we had last week “
So please join me in thanking all the officers of the Westport Police Department, and complementing these 2 specific traffic agents for assisting in the control and flow of traffic at these important intersections.
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com)
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It may not be the biggest controversy in Westport, but it is the most visible.
On this week’s “Westport … What’s Happening” podcast, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and anti-blight officer Steve Smith discuss the history — and latest action — involving 233 Hillspoint Road: aka the blue eyesore at the old Positano restaurant near Old Mill Beach.
It’s quite a saga. Click below to listen to the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston production.
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For decades, 58 Saugatuck Avenue has been an object of intrigue.
The tiny brick storefront has housed, at various times, a barbershop, florist, catering kitchen and (perhaps) a pre-Prohibition liquor store.
58 Saugatuck Avenue before …
It’s been vacant for years though, ever since the previous tenant — a pop-up art gallery — closed.
Recently, it’s gotten a nice (and much-needed) makeover.
(Photos/JD Dworkow)
What’s going in?
The use of the building is up to the owner. Current zoning allows almost any retail use, from another catering kitchen or gallery to a law office, or an artist’s or interior designer’s studio.
One fairly big drawback: There is absolutely no parking.
The building has been on the market for months. It’s in a residentially zoned lot (with a 2-family home, also recently renovated) behind.
A zoning permit was recently issued for the storefront, authorizing its continued (non-conforming) retail use. (Hat tip: Gloria Gouveia)
When it comes to pet health food, Earth Animal is the GOAT.
So it’s no coincidence that the Post Road all-natural shop is sponsoring Wakeman Town Farm’s summer goat program.
Earth Animal provides the goats with food, bedding, animal care, veterinary needs, pen maintenance and more to keep them healthy and happy.
The sponsorship also includes “goat classes.”
WTF’s goat husbandry program includes 30-minute private feeding and socialization sessions. Its “Bottle-Feed the Kids” class offers a goat-feeding experience, along with cuddling and playing.
Earth Animal funded the recent construction of a new animal barn at Wakeman Town Farm, adding an additional animal shelter, feed storage and veterinary care space.
Merritt and Abbey Goldstein, co-owners of Earth Animal, are not kidding around.
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The world changed forever on September 11, 2001.
On September 11, 2023, servicemembers who were injured in post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will benefit from a special event.
Catch a Lift — the national non-profit that provides combat-injured veterans with nutrition, fitness, emotional wellness and community help, to heal emotionally, physically and spiritually — returns for a 9th year in Fairfield County.
The Patterson Club event includes pickleball, golf, dinner, and an inspiring program. Click here for more information on tickets, sponsorships and donations.
Senator Richard Blumenthal recently recognized the Westport Library, Verso Studios, and their compilation album Verso Records, Volume One, in the Congressional Record.
“This record is the product of collaboration among local artists and is the first of its kind issued by a public library,” Blumenthal said. “This endeavor is an example of Westport at its best — the vision and vibrancy of the community and its commitment to artistic achievement, powering culture throughout the State of Connecticut.”
Blumenthal added that the Library has enriched the community as a leading innovator for decades, noting the MakerSpace, Library of Things, Seed Library, Cafe and Store, and prized artwork collection.
“These resources make The Westport Library one of the best libraries in all of America — a ‘noisy library,’ as its supporters say, and a true jewel of the community.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal, at the Westport Library.
In 2012, the Suzanne Sheridan Band performed and recorded a concert of Leonard Cohen’s music at Voices Café.
Since then, Sheridan’s band has continued the tradition in many venues. On August 6 (12:30 p.m.), Sheridan (vocals, guitar), Bob Cooper (keyboard) and Joe Meo (woodwinds) will add the VFW to the list.
There’s a $10 cover. Brunch and a Bloody Mary bar (plus mimosas) are available for an extra charge.
Lyn McCarthy, development director of Caroline House, spoke yesterday to the Westport Rotary Club.
Bridgeport-based Caroline House — a regular recipient of Rotary grants — provides food, clothing, English language and life skills education to immigrant women.
Lyn McCarthy of Caroline House at the Westport Rotary Club. (Photo/Ellin Curley)
They’re a “premium men’s wellness brand that creates best in class performance-driven apparel engineered for an active lifestyle.”
They use their platform and products to address complex issues men face. Rhone raises awareness around the mental health crisis, provides men with tools and resources to navigate relationships — and sells a line of versatile clothes along the way.
Next month, Rhone comes to Westport.
They’ll open at 7 Main Street, the former Loft/Lou & Grey location. It will be their flagship Connecticut store, one of about a dozen nationwide. They also sell at all Equinox locations, plus Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Dillard’s, and more than 350 gyms and specialty shops.
Nate Checketts
But Rhone is clearly a Connecticut company. Co-founder and CEO Nate Checketts was a football star at New Canaan High School (Class of 2001).
“You meet the best people in this state,” he says. “They’re in high-profile jobs, but they’re also very involved in their communities. And then on the side, they do triathlons.”
He’s a huge Westport fan too. He knows the town well, from the days when he mother took him and his 5 siblings shopping on Main Street, and to the water.
Checketts — whose father Dave was a CEO or owner of the Utah Jazz; New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty, and Madison Square Garden, among others — went the “traditional Fairfield County route” of finance and consulting.
But at Brigham Young University he picked up the entrepreneurial bug. He was involved in an early online food ordering platform.
A stint at National Football League headquarters convinced him he was “not a corporate guy.” But it was a great place to learn how a successful corporation works. “I kept my eyes open all the time,” Checketts says.
His mother’s Christmas gift of Lululemon sweatpants to the extended family sparked a discussion with his brother-in-law. “Should guys be wearing this brand?” they wondered.
For a year, they talked on train rides to New York about creating a “best in class brand that men would be proud to wear.”
Rhone shirt and shorts.
At the same time Checketts was concerned with some of the messages about masculinity that his young sons were absorbing from society. He wanted to find a way to show them that “men can do good things in life without an overly machismo sense of self,” he says.
“There can be a balance: kindness, acceptance, and also physical pursuits, and taking care of their body and mind.”
Though men are more apt to commit suicide than women, they are less likely to seek therapy for mental health issues. Checketts has friends who have struggled; he recently lost a friend to suicide.
So — along with the shirts, hoodies, jackets, vests, pants, shorts, boxers, belts, shoes, socks, hats, bags and wallets Rhone sells — they offer signature programs like “Mind & Muscle.” They’re 25-minute workouts, followed by group therapy.
That’s just one of the ways Checketts says Rhone will be involved in the Westport community. And the town has already reached out to him.
Celebrity trainer Eric Johnson invited Checketts to a session. Television personality Dave Briggs asked how he could help.
The CEO is excited to open in Westport. So is the corporate staff, at Rhone’s Stamford headquarters.
Interior of an already-open Rhone store.
Meanwhile, about that name …
“The Rhône River starts at a Swiss glacier, and runs through France,” Checketts explains.
“I lived there for a few years. I loved the region. It was part of the Roman Empire, on the trade route. Van Gogh painted it.
“The Rhône River is all about aesthetics and function. Just like our clothes look great, and are also deeply functional.”
(“06880” is your source for local businesses — and the stories behind them. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Recent beach closures (for swimming only) due to high bacteria counts after heavy rains have residents wondering: How do I know if they’re open?
Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department follows a directive from the Aspetuck Health District to close when rainfall reaches an inch or more within a 24-hour period. The Health District tests the water.
(Parks & Rec notes that the problem has been exacerbated recently by heavy flooding in northern New England. That’s meant a large amount of debris and other pollutants is entering Long Island Sound, from the Connecticut River.
For updated information, Parks & Rec maintains a cancellation line for all activities: 203-341-5074. You can also check the Parks & Rec page on the town website (click here).
“We want to thank all of our customers who helped,” Maria says. “We cannot get over the generosity of everyone! Mason has a long road ahead, and this will help them very much. God bless.”
Every day, town officials help make Westport a better place to live, work and play.
Now we can nominate them for an award.
The 8th annual Connecticut Conference of Municipalities’ Excellence Awards will recognize “innovative projects and individuals that have significantly improved the quality of life for citizens, established partnerships, and built community support.” Anyone can submit a nomination.
Towns and cities are recognized in 3 population categories. There’s also an award for “Innovation in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
There are 2 individual honors too. One is for lifetime achievement; the other, for innovation.
For more information, including how to nominate, click here.
The deadline is August 25. For a list of last year’s winners, click here. (Hat tip: Dick Lowenstein)
But the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force is already hard at work. They’re collecting supplies for residents of 2 safe houses.
They need:
New (unused) backpacks
Notebooks
Pens, pencils, highlighters, crayons
New lunchboxes
Graphing calculators
Gift cards (Staples, Target, Walmart, Amazon, etc.).
Donations can be left from now through July 23 in collection bins at the Westport police station lobby (50 Jesup Road), and at ASF Sports & Outdoors (1560 Post Road East).
The Y’s Men of Westport and Weston (and guests) headed to a familiar (to them) spot yesterday: Flushing Meadows, site of the 1964-65 World’s Fair.
As the group passed landmarks like the Unisphere, Hall of Science and pavilions (GM, GE, Bell System and others), they shared memories of experiences there.
The latest in a series of historical walking tours was led by member Warren Jahn.
Y’s Men (and guests) on tour. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)
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Bunny Franco and her son Jimmy have been Westporters for 60 years.
What better place to pose Sunday than this classic spot?
PS: Jimmy is sporting Westport’s iconic 150th-anniversary t-shirt, from 1985. He’s already been here for 23 years.
Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission gave a generally positive reception last night to requests for text changes and a General Development Plan for 1608-1622 Post Road East — the current site of Redi-Cut Carpet and Pane e Bene restaurant, among others — to permit a family golf entertainment facility, landscaping, and 10 townhouses. Two would be below market rates. (Click here for more details.)
Current tenants at the proposed Clubhouse site.
Commissioners asked tough questions, for 2 hours. Approximately 50 attendees joined the Zoom meeting, which had been rescheduled from the previous week after a technical glitch.
The public’s primary concerns involved sound from an outdoor dining roof deck, traffic, and the environmental condition of the site. After a nearby mini-golf course and driving range closed, the area was used as an informal dump.
Both sides seemed open to next steps for project approval. Among them: further discussions, walk-throughs with neighbors, and third party environmental testing.
Most commissioners seemed excited by the possibility of adding a new concept to the town’s entertainment options. Several asked for more time to review the application.
Vice chair Paul Lebowitz noted that granting approval might protect the site from being targeted for a larger 8-30g development.
P&Z chair Danielle Dobin called the concept “a great use. It’s exactly the kind of thing we’re trying to encourage to have more of in the town of Westport. I love the concept.”
Dobin acknowledged neighbors’ concerns over potential noise from a roof deck.
Planning and Zoning Department director said that applicants Tim and Emily Zobl — she’s a 2012 Staples High School graduate and former University of Michigan field hockey player, now co-founder and president of a firm that invests in hospitality, food services, technology and multi-media publishing; he has an events planning background, and is a local realtor — are “kind of a who’s who of Westport….I think these are people you can trust. I think these are people who are going to follow through.”
The hearing continues next Monday (July 24, 7 p.m., Zoom).
Tim and Emily Zobl.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Should Soundview Drive be closed to vehicles more than once each summer?
An overwhelming number of Westporters say: Yes!
“06880” asked that question last week. The survey was sparked by the cool, leisurely, festival-like vibe that happens every year just before the fireworks. The cars and motorcycles are gone; instead, Westporters of all ages stroll, chat, meet and mingle.
So, we wondered, why not do it regularly (or semi-regularly)? And add music, perhaps a juggler or face painter or caricature artist, and maybe food trucks?
252 readers responded. 85.7% were in favor of closing the beach “for certain designated Saturdays or Sundays.” 14.3% were opposed.
Answers came from all over town. The survey did not differentiate between readers who lived near the beach — and would be most affected — and those who did not.
Those who answered “yes” were asked. “How often?”
“Occasionally (3-4 times a summer) led with 36.7%, followed by “A few (1-2 times),” 24.5%; “Every weekend in summer” (20%); “A lot (5-8)” at 12.7%, and “Not in favor” (6.1%).
Readers who were opposed to the idea were asked “why not?” They could write in their own reason.
The most frequent answer (25%) was “too much disruption and traffic.” Three respondents each said “Don’t like food trucks” and “Don’t like music on the beach.”
Other reasons (1 each) included:
They never signed up for this — it’s a private street
It’s a public road
Very dangerous and inconvenient for residents; harebrained idea
In favor, but need to be considerate of residents
Disturbance of relative peace and quiet of a lovely weekend
Too much disruption and traffic for the other street
Not enough spots in beach parking lot
More out-of-town people would use the beach
Speeders would now choose Bradley Street
Possible costs to the town (police?)
Opens the door to commercialism; would ruin the peace of the beach.
The most popular name suggested (63.5%) was “Soundview Summer.”
With so many people in favor — but with very valid opposition — the next steps are:
Devising a plan to propose to town officials and area residents
Addressing concerns raised.
If you’re interested in being part of this group, please email 06880blog@gmail.com.
Party on!
Peacefully, of course.
The view from a Soundview Drive home, on fireworks day. Odds are without pyrotechnics, crowds would be smaller. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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Both sides seemed open to next steps for project approval. Among them: further discussions, walk-throughs with neighbors, and third party environmental testing.
