Roundup: Tree Lightings, World Cup, Staples Football …

Posted on November 29, 2022 | 1 comment

‘Tis the season to be … tree-lighting.

Twin ceremonies take place this week.

The “official” town event is Thursday (December 1, 5 p.m., Town Hall). The evergreen by Myrtle Avenue will glow, and Staples High School’s Orphenians will sing.

The next night (Friday, December 2, 4:30 p.m.), it’s Wakeman Town Farm’s turn. This one features treats from The Porch, hot chocolate from The Granola Bar, a bonfire and local musicians.

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker does the honors at both. She’ll be joined at WTF by Wakeman family member Bill Constantino.

The Christmas tree at Town Hall, following a lighting ceremony.

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The huge Trefz Forum screen at the Westport Library is not just for author talks and music concerts.

Today (Tuesday) at 2 p.m., they’ll show the equally huge US-Iran World Cup first round match.

How huge? If we win, we advance to the round of 16. If we tie or lose, we’re out.

You don’t need to be a soccer fan to enjoy this one. Everyone is welcome.

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Are you a fan of the other football, but didn’t get a chance to see the Staples High School football team’s dramatic 39-38 win over archrival Greenwich on Thanksgiving Day?

Click below, for a very cool highlight video. It was produced and edited by senior Daniel Burgin, with video shot by junior Charlie Scott.

https://vimeo.com/775846094

The win vaulted the Wreckers into tonight’s state “LL” quarterfinal playoff game against Fairfield Prep (6:30 p.m., Staples’ Paul Lane Field). It’s the blue-and-whites’ first post-season appearance in 7 years.

Can’t make that one either? Click here for the livestream.

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“Fine jewelry” and “rescue animals” may never have appeared in the same sentence.

Thanks to JL Rocks, they do now.

The high-end Post Road East retailer partnered with designer Peggy Reiner, for a new collection of whimsical animal-inspired pieces. Proceeds benefit PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Society) in Norwalk and 4LittlePaws rescue in Southport.

“It’s a great gift that gives back to pets in need,” says JL Rocks founder/owner Jamie Camche. “Animals have given us so much. We want to give back to them.”

The collection features 3 diamond-studded designs: petite 14K gold pawprint earrings, 14K gold chains with diamond pave dog bone, and paw charms. It’s  available at JL Rocks’ Westport and Greenwich stores, and online.

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“Pepsi, Where’s My Jet?” debuted on Netflix this month. The docuseries is about the Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc. court case — you know, the one where the college kid thought he found a loophole in a Pepsi promotion, and sued them to win a fighter plane. Reviews were good.

The “06880” connection: 2007 Staples High School graduate Nick Boak is an executive producer.

Spoiler alert: The guy never got his jet. (Hat tip: Mark Mathias)

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Face painter alert!

We need a face painter for this weekend’s Holiday Stroll (Saturday, December 3, 5 to 7 p.m., Main Street and environs).

If you (or your daughter or son) are available to help with this great kids’ activity, please email 06880blog@gmail.com.

For more details on the Holiday Stroll — co-sponsored by “06880” and the Westport Downtown Association — including the nearly 40 participating retailers and restaurants — click here.

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The weekend weather report is good. But Bedford Middle School will be “Frozen.”

On December 2, 3 and 4, Bedford Acting Group takes the stage in “Frozen Jr.”

The 7th and 8th grade actors were toddlers when the movie hit theaters in 2013 (!),  Yet they know its characters and songs well. At last, they can perform it.

The curtain rises Friday (7 p.m.), Saturday (3 and 7 p.m.) and Sunday (3 p.m.). Click here for the few remaining tickets.

The Bedford Acting Group cast and crew of “Frozen Jr.”

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What has the Greens Farms Garden Club been up to?

Every year they design and maintain the Atrium Garden at Earthplace in Westport, and the Victorian Cottage on Fairfield’s Town Green.

They provide horticultural therapy events at STAR in Norwalk, and make flower arrangements for the Pequot Library Art Show.

The Greens Farms Garden Club also manages 3 “Growing for Good” gardens:  Prospect Garden and Wakeman Town Farm in Westport, and St. Timothy’s Church Garden in Fairfield.

They were planted and cared for throughout spring, summer and fall, with over 180 buckets of fresh organic produce harvested and donated to help with food insecurity at Mercy Learning Center and St. John’s Family Center in Bridgeport.

A highlight of the year came at the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut 93rd annual awards luncheon. Wynn Herrmann — a 30-year veteran — was recognized for Civic Development. Dina Schmidt and Jude earned Certificates of Merit for the club’s monthly newsletters and website, respectively.

For more information about the Greens Farms Garden Club, including events and membership, click here.

Greens Farms Garden Club members (seated, from left): Chris Supernaw, Wynn Herrmann, Judy Reynolds, Ann Watkins. Standing: Kate Carroll, president Kathy Mitchell, Carol Shear, Jude Smith, vice president Maybette Waldron.

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Fewer than 5% of rainbows occur in the morning (according to Google). And the ones that do are most often seen in summer (ditto).

But yesterday — driving to work on the Merritt Parkway — this is what Larry Bartimer saw:

(Photo/Larry Bartimer)

We could probably blame the same culprit as everything else. (No, not Joe Biden — climate change.)

Nah. Just chill, and enjoy this very rare late November scene.

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Melissa Newman headlines a cool evening of hot jazz this Thursday, at VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399.

Westport’s own vocal star is joined for Jazz at the Post by guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, bassist Phil Bowler and drummer Bobby Leonard,

There are 2 shows: 7:30 and 8:45 p.m. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.

Melissa Newman

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“A Charlie Brown Christmas” — Vince Guaraldi’s timeless, feel-good music — gets the jazz treatment on Saturday (December 3).

The Heather Pierson Trio comes to the Westport Unitarian Church’s Voices Café at 4 p.m., for an in-person and livestreamed holiday concert.

Show-goers can bring snacks and beverages. Groups of 4 or more can reserve tables. For more information and tickets, click here.

Voices Café and its artists are committed to social justice. A portion of the proceeds benefit the battle against food insecurity, through Mercy Learning Center.

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It’s late November. But the leaves on a few trees are still hanging on.

Fred Cantor photographed one of them at Old Mill Beach. Its a vivid reminder of the “Westport … Naturally” beauty that surrounds us everywhere we look.

(Photo/Fred Cantor)

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And finally … in honor of today’s crucial World Cup clash between the US and Iran (story above), here is the greatest pump-up soccer song ever. Crank the volume up to Spinal Tap 11, and enjoy!

(Wave that flag for “06880”! Please click here to  support our work.)

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[OPINION] Regional Transit Districts: A Move In The Right Direction

Posted on November 29, 2022 | 7 comments

The Westport Transit District is a vital, inexpensive and environmentally sound part of local life.

It provides on-demand, group ride, door-to-door service between homes and offices, and the town’s 2 train stations, plus door-to-door transportation for seniors and citizens with disabilities.

It’s also underutilized, underpublicized and — despite being a minuscule part of the town budget — a frequent target of financial watchdogs every spring.

Wheels2U.

 

Recently, Connecticut legislators formed a task force to study the consolidation of local and regional transit districts.

Last night, the Representative Town Meeting’s Transit Committee discussed possible implications for Westport, and — more broadly — transportation priorities for Westport.

Emil Frankel grew up in Fairfield, spent 30 years in Weston (including 2 on the Board of Selectmen), and lived briefly in Westport. He served as state Transportation Commissioner under Governor Lowell Weicker, and again as interim commissioner under Governor Jodi Rell.

Frankel and his wife Kathryn now live in Washington. He served there at the US Department of Transportation, under president George W. Bush.

Frankel sent this letter to RTM Transit Committee members, before last night’s meeting:

I hope that you will not consider it inappropriate or intrusive for me to express  my views about a matter which the Westport RTM is currently considering, that is, the future of the Westport Transit District.

Emil Frankel

During my tenure as Connecticut Transportation Commissioner under Governor Weicker in the early 1990s and again, when I served for a few months under Governor Rell, as interim transportation commissioner, I have consistently taken the position that there are far too many transit districts in the state and that they should be consolidated  and merged.

Indeed, during my time as interim commissioner, Peter Stangl, a native of  Connecticut and the former head of Metro-North Railroad and of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, who was working with me, and I specifically recommended to Governor Rell that she propose that  Connecticut follow the model of NJ Transit and merge all of the state’s 20 or so transit  districts into a single Connecticut Transit.

More recently, as a member of Governor Malloy’s Transportation Finance Panel, I joined my colleagues in recommending the consolidation of transit districts (as well as of the State’s 11 or 13 Metropolitan Planning Organizations).

The transit districts are an accident of history: As private bus companies failed and went bankrupt in the 1950s and 1960s, local governments (and in the case of what is now Connecticut Transit, the state) took over these services.

The result today is a multiplicity of too many, too small, and under-resourced  providers of bus transit services. It is wasteful of taxpayer money and, in most cases, leads to fragmented, disconnected, and inadequate bus services for those who depend on transit systems for the quality of their lives and for their ability to work.

Obviously, you are not considering such a statewide consolidation of bus  services at the Westport RTM, but any incremental step that moves in that direction, such as the termination of the Westport Transit District and/or its merger or consolidation into a larger and more efficient transit system should, in my opinion, be adopted by the RTM.

Such action would be a significant step toward more effective and financially responsible bus transit services for the town of Westport, for the region, and  for the state.

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Posted in Local politics, Transportation

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Pic Of The Day #2051

Posted on November 28, 2022 | 1 comment

Owenoke sunset (Photo/Lawrence Zlatkin)

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“06880” Podcast: Vasili Tziolis

Posted on November 28, 2022 | 4 comments

“06880: The Podcast” has featured plenty of powerful Westporters.

Sure, the 1st selectwoman, superintendent of schools and police chief are important. But without Vasili Tziolis, Westport might grind to a halt.

He’s the general manager of the Sherwood Diner. Actually, just say “the diner” — everyone knows what you mean.

And everyone — town workers, lawyers, Staples students, families with young kids, retirees — goes there. Often.

(You can even go during hurricanes and blizzards. No matter what, they’re open.)

What makes the diner go? What’s its back story? How did it survive COVID? What’s ahead? And does the menu ever change?

The other day, Vasili sat down with me at the Westport Library, for an “06880” podcast. He served up quite an interview. Click below to listen.

(“06880: The Podcast” is one more feature from your hyper-local blog. Please click here to support our work.)

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Posted in Media, Restaurants

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Roundup: Positano, Crossword Contest, Hidden Gem …

Posted on November 28, 2022 | 13 comments

A reader writes:

The recent “06880” story about 233 Hillspoint Road [the former Positano restaurant, now being rebuilt as a private home] led me down the Google rabbit hole, to a wonderful surprise.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my family and I had a Positano reunion at the former Chef Joseph’s son and daughter’s recently opened West Village restaurant, Ferdi.

The hospitality and food is instantly, wonderfully, familiar, while also sparkling with the imprint of the next generation of Chef Fernando and Manager Aida.

My sister and her husband were with us, visiting from Ohio. They married on the beach outside Positano 21 years ago, and had their wedding party at the restaurant. (Its first, I think.)

My adult children, who also were at this dinner with my husband and me, grew up talking to young Fernando and Aida during our countless meals at Positano.

The evening was meaningful for all of us — and we have “06880” to thank for getting the ball rolling.

Positano lives on — as Ferdi, in New York.

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What are you doing at 9 a.m. this Thursday (December 1)?

If you’re a fan of both Staples High School’s Candlelight Concert and the Westport Library’s Crossword Puzzle Contest, you’ll have to prioritize.

Tickets for both popular events go on sale — at the exact same moment. And they go quickly for both.

Click here for the December 16-17 holiday production.

Click here for the February 4 word games event.

And good luck to all!

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Aaron and Brett Fortunoff are Bedford Middle School students, with big hearts and great goals. They write:

“In the spirit of giving and being thankful, we can’t forget about those who are less fortunate and fail to receive a proper daily breakfast — the most important meal of the day.

“So we teamed up with a non-profit called Cereal4All that helps provide cereals to local food pantries. We hope ‘06880’ readers can help us with this important cause.

“For local readers, we will be by both entrances of Stop & Shop this weekend (December 3 and 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.). We will then deliver the collected cereal to food pantries in Fairfield County.

“There will also be a collection box at Temple Israel in Westport, from December 2 to 16.

“For readers are not local, we created an Amazon wish list you can donate to.  Also, you can Venmo our mother, Laurie. She will buy cereal with the money raised: @lauriefortunoff. You can also click here and donate directly to the charity. The donation is tax deductible.

Aaron and Brett Fortunoff

 

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The Hidden Gem — the combination hair salon/crystal shop on Maple Avenue South, just south of the Exxon station — has closed.

A “for sale” sign sits on the property, the former site of Juljen, Bill’s and Mario & Mike’s.

The asking price is $2 million. Click here for details. (Hat tip: Chris Grimm)

6 Maple Avenue South, with a previous tenant.

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The stars are aligned. This is your chance to order a 2023 Westport Astronomical Society calendar.

It’s filled with daily astronomical data from Phil Harrington, and illustrated with astro-photography from talented WAS members.

The calendar is $15 for members, $20 for non-members ($5 shipping for 1-2; $10 for 3-5). It’s available at any upcoming event (click here for the calendar), or by email (alex@was-ct.org; include quantity and shipping address; you’ll be invoiced via PayPal).

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No matter what the season, there’s beauty at Compo Beach.

Today’s timeless “Westport … Naturally” photo comes from Lauri Weiser.

(Photo/Lauri Weiser)

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And finally … Keith Levene — a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd. — died earlier this month in England. He was 65, and suffered from liver cancer. Click here for a full obituary.

(Don’t be a punk. Please support “06880.” Click here to help. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Library, Local business, Real estate, Restaurants, Staples HS, Teenagers

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PIc Of The Day #2050

Posted on November 27, 2022 | 2 comments

View from Covlee Drive, Saugautck Shores (Photo/DInkin Fotografix)

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Photo Challenge #413

Posted on November 27, 2022 | 19 comments

Westport’s history is filled with famous names.

Samuel Burr Sherwood shares 2 of them. He is little remembered today. But a bronze plaque — honoring his service in the Connecticut Assembly and House of Representatives — hangs in the Westport Library stairwell, between the lower and main levels.

Once upon a time, more people knew Samuel Burr Sherwood — enough, anyway, to put a plaque for him. It — and a similar one for Ebenezer Jesup (great name!) — hung in the original library, on Post Road East.

When the new building was constructed in 1986, they were moved there.

Observant library-going plaque readers Morley Boyd, Seth Schachter, Dick Lowenstein and Lois Himes all correctly identified that stairwell location, for last week’s Photo Challenge. (Click here to see.)

Today’s Photo Challenge may seem a bit unnecessary, given the season. But it’s up year round, and Les Dinkin sent it in just a few days ago.

If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)

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Roundup: Little Barn, Kelli O’Hara, Alan Fiore …

Posted on November 27, 2022 | 3 comments

On Friday night, Little Barn was the place to be for Hibachi Dinner.

The popular Post Road restaurant’s menu has not changed. Hibachi Dinner is the name of an equally popular band, featuring 3 Brannigan brothers — Terry, Eamon and Seamus — plus Maddy Cerito, and special guest Dylan Curran.

The place was packed. Some of the most energetic fans were members of Staples Players. A week after their great “Guys and Dolls” show closed, they were there to support Seamus, a cast member.

Friday’s Little Barn crowd.

The high school band Dulcit (Grant Hill, Freddie Aldridge, Liam Donaldson and Jake Weissman) opened for Hibachi Dinner. Last night, it was Strictly Business. (That’s the name of another local band that played.)

High school audiences don’t buy drinks at the bar. But Little Barn owner Scott Beck doesn’t mind. He’s happy to provide a venue for them, and their friends.

Kudos to him and his staff. And of course, to Hibachi Dinner, Dolcit and Strictly Business, we say: Rock on!

Hibachi Dinner (from left): Seamus Brannigan, Maddy Cerito, Terry Brannigan, Eamon Brannigan, Dylan Curran.

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Speaking of entertainment: Our neighbor Kelli O’Hara opened at the Metropolitan Opera last week as Laura Brown in the new American opera “The Hours.”

Her costars include legendary star Renee Fleming and multi-Grammy winner Joyce DiDonato.

This is Kelli’s 3rd Met appearance. She starred previously in “The Merry Widow” and “Cosi Fan Tutte.”

Brava!

Kelli O’Hara acknowledges a standing ovation, after her Metropolitan Opera debut. Joining in: Renee Fleming (white dress) and Joyce DiDonato (red dress). (Hat tip and photo: Nancy Diamond)

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Alan Fiore has done it again.

The 2021 Staples High School graduate and current Berklee College of Music student has just released his new single, “A Matter of Time.”

It’s part of an EP, with several previous songs.

It’s just “a matter of time” before Alan hits the big big big time. You heard of him first on “06880.”

Click here to listen, on your favorite streaming platform.

Alan Fiore

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Remarkable Theater closed for the season last month, with some blockbuster Halloween films.

A month later, here’s the scene at the Imperial Avenue parking lot:

(Photo/Amy Schneider)

No worries. There’s plenty of time before the 4th season begins next spring.

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Before this holiday weekend gets too far in the rear view window, here’s one more turkey-themed “Westport … Naturally” image:

(Photo/Rusty Ford)

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And finally … Irene Cara, the Academy and Oscar- Award-winning singer most famous for her title songs from the films “Flashdance” and “Fame,” has died. She was 63. Click here for a full obituary.

(“06880” is your place for all kinds of entertainment news. Please click here to help keep it coming. Thank you!)

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Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Restaurants, Staples HS

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Resnicks Spin For Cancer Research

Posted on November 27, 2022 | 1 comment

Like many others, COVID drove Zach and Jen Resnick from New York City to Westport.

Like many others too they fell in love with the town, and looked for ways to get involved.

Their way: combining a long-time passion with their new community.

More than a decade ago, a New York neighbor ran a Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center research lab. He told them about Cycle for Survival, a fundraiser for rare cancer research.

Brain, pancreatic, ovarian, stomach, all pediatric cancers and many others make up more than 50% of cancer cases. But because they are classified as “rare,” they receive only a small share of federal funds

Since 2007, Cycle for Survival has raised over $312 million for Sloan Kettering. People like the Resnicks are invaluable.

They started in 2012 on their neighbor’s team. They soon formed their own. To date, their team has raised a whopping $587,000.

Cycle events are “fun and upbeat, and leave you excited for the next one,” Zach  says. “They’re like a dance party, only on a spin bike.”

Jen and Zach Resnick.

Many new Westport friends donated to the Resnicks’ 2021 spring ride, in New York. To make the event more accessible (and fun), the couple decided to bring Cycle for Survival here.

The Equinox fitness chain co-sponsors the Cycles. Earlier this month, the Resnicks hosted an event at the Southport location.

It included an hour-long spin, and speeches from doctors and patient families.

Forty Westport neighbors and friends took part. They’ve already raised $37,000. More pledges come in every day. (To add yours, click here.)

Participants at the Equinox Spin for Survival.

“We were blown away by the participation and excitement,” Zach says. “We can’t wait to grow the effort in Westport.”

The goal is for each spinner to bring a friend or two. Here’s betting the local  spins will blow the Resnicks’ $587,000 New York total out of the water.

And help doctors come even closer to curing all-too-rare cancers forever.

(To learn more about the Resnicks’ Cycle for Survival efforts — including the next spring event in New York — email zresnick@gmail.com or jenwresnick@gmail.com)

(“06880” keeps our community informed of events like this, and residents like the Resnicks. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog.)

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Pic Of The Day #2049

Posted on November 26, 2022 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #2049

Train station sunset (Photo/Susan Thomsen)

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