Alert “06880” reader — and 1970 Staples High School graduate Scott Brodie — writes:
These days, if you glance at the back of your flat-panel TV or computer monitor you may see a label like this:
It is a reference to the time decades ago, when TV sets were mysterious boxes filled with dozens of warm, glowing vacuum tubes. Here’s an RCA console model from 1958:
Here’s the back view:
When the tubes burned out (inevitably on a Sunday afternoon just before the start of the football game), my dad and I would gingerly remove the back cover, carefully avoiding touching the main picture tube (allegedly a serious shock hazard), and remove the various tubes within reach.
We would take them to Calise’s — the only store open on the Post Road — where it still stands. They stocked a remarkably complete assortment of groceries, but on these Sunday afternoons we headed to the self-service “tube tester,” similar to this:
One by one, the meter would declare if the tube was defective or performing as intended. Once we found the defective tube we summoned the cashier. He opened the locked cabinet at the bottom of the kiosk. With luck we would find a suitable replacement tube, or its equivalent, and buy it.
At home we would install the new tube, replace all the others (hopefully) in the right places, and — if the TV gods favored us — enjoy the rest of the game.
Why did this matter on a Sunday? The NFL forbade broadcasting home games in a team’s market area, to ensure ticket sales. But Dad had invested in the biggest TV antenna he could find. He mounted it on our chimney with a rotor, so it could be aimed at the New Haven TV station just outside the blackout region, and pull in a (barely) serviceable TV signal:
It’s a different world today — both for TVs, and the NFL.
Restaurant Week returns! In fact, it’s “Restaurant 2 Weeks.”
The popular Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event begins tomorrow (Sunday, September 25). It runs through October 9. Part of an “Eat Local” campaign, it follows the successful Slice of Saugatuck Festival.
This year, 21 restaurants all over town offer prix fixe meals, in a wide range of cuisines and prices. Each eatery sets their own prices and hours.
Here are the participating restaurants. “L” means lunch; “D” is for dinner; “B” for brunch. Click a link where applicable for menus (some are pending — click here for the most up-to-date information).
The hour-long CNN “Champions for Change” special — hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and featuring Westport’s own Police Chief Foti Koskinas — airs tomorrow (Saturday, September 24, 8 p.m.).
“06880” previously gave an incorrect date of Sunday. Tune in tomorrow! (Hat tip: Alisyn Camerota)
Screenshot from CNN: Alisyn Camerota and Chief Foti Koskinas.
A GoFundMe page has been set up, to help with the education of the children of Mark Blake, the popular and long-serving Westport and Weston Emergency Medical Service supervisor and volunteer, who died Tuesday of complications from COVID. Click here to donate.
As the school year begins, Organic Krush reminds teachers that they get a 10% discount — year round. Founder Michelle Walrath — a former teacher — is proud to honor educators “invaluable service.”
She also adds a plug for their new spiced pumpkin smoothie and pumpkin donuts. “Off the charts!” she says.
“The Wonderful World of Mushrooms” comes to Wakeman Town Farm on October 24 (7 p.m.).
The free lecture is a deep dive, with experts from Essential Earth Farm.
WTF says: “During a billion years of evolution, fungi have become masters of survival. They are primary decomposers that keep our forests alive. They play an integral role in decomposition.”
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the intricate relationship between fungi, soil, and environmental and human health. Click here to register.
Robin Frank writes: “In anticipation of Halloween, let’s remember the dead by investigating art’s historic role in celebrating and memorializing loss.
“Join me for a free lecture called “Hauntings: Death and Desire in American Art” (October 6, 7 p.m., at Museum for History & Culture). Artists of all generations have made the absent present through haunting imagery, ranging from the seductive to the spectral, from portraits to seemingly haunted domestic spaces immortalizing intimate and moving stories.”
Click here for more information, and registration.
Sorelle Gallery’s next exhibition — “Cosmic Botany” — features artist Roger Mudre.
His work is inspired by patterns of nature, and the circle as the perfect form. Titling each painting after plants, he draws upon “microscopic worlds, cellular growth, auras, the cosmos, and places unseen, only imagined.”
The exhibit runs October 1 through 23. An opening reception and artist meet-and-greet is set for October 1 (4:30 to 6:30 p.m.). Click here for more information.
Mark Blake’s family has released this obituary. The very popular 30- year Westport and Weston Emergency Medical Services volunteer died Tuesday.
Stratford resident Mark Blake died peacefully Tuesday with his family by his side, after a valiant battle with COVID. He was 61 years old.
The Boston native was an EMS Supervisor on the Westport Emergency Medical Service. After first serving as a volunteer, he was employed there for more than 30 years. His greatest sense of accomplishment was doing what he loved: assisting others when they needed it most.
He was honored to be a Life Member of the Weston Volunteer Fire Department and Emergency Medical Service. He served the WVFD as vice president and lieutenant. He was also chair of the WVFD Benevolent Committee, Public Relations Committee, and Explorer Post, among others.
Mark established the Child Passenger Safety Program in Weston, and the Fairfield County Chapter of Safe Kids. A child passenger safety instructor, one of his greatest joys was working with parents and families to teach them how to safely transport their children.
Mark Blake
Mark received numerous awards including Firefighter of the Year, the President and Chief Award, and was recognized for Outstanding Service at the Blue Mass by the Diocese of Bridgeport and the Knights of Columbus.
Mark also was a board member and president of the Southwest EMS Council, and vice president of the Southwest Regional Communications Center.
Mark was a mentor to members of his Fire and EMS families. His family and friends have found comfort in the stories and tributes shared by so many individuals whom Mark aided and inspired over the years.
Mark was very proud of his work during the L’Ambiance Plaza building collapse in 1987, and his involvement with the Red Cross, supporting its response to the 9/11 attacks. Mark instilled his love of, and dedication to, community service in so many others, most significantly his brother and sons who carry on his legacy.
Mark was a wicked Boston sports fan. Going to the Boston championship Duck Boat parades and Red Sox games at Fenway with his brother and sons were among his most cherished memories. A member of the Norwalk Police Emerald Society, Mark took every opportunity to celebrate and share his Irish heritage.
Mark and his family express their gratitude to his angels at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Gaylord Healthcare, who cared for him from their heart. They helped him find the silver lining during his battle, and made his journey more bearable. He always expressed his appreciation to them.
Mark is survived by his wife Eileen; children Ryan (16) and Liam (13); mother Mary Blake; brother Terry Blake (Tracy Dayton) and their children Jillian and Jackson; in-laws Mike and Alexine Henzy, Tim (Kerry), Bill (Wendy), and Catherine (Ryan Eastwood), and their children, and many aunts, uncles and cousins whom he loved dearly.
Visitation will be at the Harding Funeral Home in Westport (Monday, September 26, 4 to 8 p.m.).
A Mass will be held on Tuesday, September 27 (2 p.m., St. Matthew Church, Norwalk). Burial will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery in Westport.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark’s memory may be made to St. Joseph High School in Trumbull, where his family has established the Mark A. Blake scholarship to be awarded to a student interested in pursuing a career as a first responder. Donations in Mark’s memory may also be made to the Weston Volunteer Fire Department. The Mass of Christian Burial will be livestreamed here.
(A GoFundMe page has been set up, to help with the education of Mark’s children. Click here to donate.)
Zoom launched in 2012. But it took another 8 years — and a global pandemic — for most people to understand that you don’t need to be in the same room (or even on the same continent) to attend a meeting.
It did not take that long for Mark Motyl’s idea to take off. But it was no instant success either.
Mark Motyl
The longtime Westporter had 2 previous careers — he traded bonds and built spec houses — before starting Vivid-Tek. The company builds customized furniture — credenzas, benches, dressers — that hides the components of a large home theater screen. It emerges when needed with the push of a 6-button Apple remote; when not in use, it retracts back into invisibility.
It was a brilliant, elegant solution to the problem of an enormous black rectangle that would otherwise dominate a living room or bedroom wall.
“We help architects and interior designers deliver on the nice spaces they promise to clients,” Motyl says. “You can hide this TV right underneath really nice artwork, or a big window.”
A credenza opens up into a wide-screen TV.
But in the first year after opening a Post Road showroom in the Greens Farms Spirit Shop/Fortuna’s plaza, sales were slow.
Motyl thought he had” reinvented entertainment.” Instead: crickets.
Now though, he sells a unit a week. Two Bridgeport cabinet workshops are humming. He’s ready to put Westport on the entrepreneurial map.
Part \of the reason is enhanced marketing. But word of mouth is important too. It just took a while for that word to spread.
In February, Julia Marino’s family and friends gathered in the showroom to watch her silver-winning snowboard performance at the Beijing Olympics.
The word is out now about Vanish Media Systems. Motyl changed the name (suggested by a Staples High School intern) when he realized “Vivid-Tek” was hard to explain. The hyphen and odd spelling of “tech” did not help.
Word of mouth means that Vanish units are located in clusters. There’s one in Manhattan; others in areas like Hilton Head, South Carolina and Center Harbor, New Hampshire. Systems are already installed in 8 states.
One cluster is right here, in Motyl and Vanish Systems’ hometown. An installation in a Beachside Avenue room redesigned by Roger Ferris + Partners, transforms the space from one with water views to a high-quality screening room — then back again.
A room with water views on Beachside Avenue becomes a screening center.
There’s more ahead. Motyl also worked with architect Ronni Molinari and technologist Gioel Molinari to create a walnut system on casters, with a 110-inch screen, for Autostrada, the couple’s very cool event space next to Fire Department headquarters,
Motyl is collaborating too with Staples High to develop a mobile unit. In the future: a fleet of installation vans, for the tri-state area.
One area of Vanish Media Systems has not yet taken off: the showroom.
“Very few people stop in,” Motyl acknowledges. But with comfortable seats and plenty of snacks, it’s a welcoming space — and available for private events, like inviting friends for a movie, or watching the World Cup.
“There’s zero sales pressure” when anyone comes, Motyl says. Call ahead, though: 203-246-2011.
Sam Seideman (2nd from left) invited a group to watch his appearance with Gordon Ramsay, in the Vanish Media showroom. The unit vanishes into the seat below.
“I’m not an industry professional,” Motyl notes. “But innovation often comes from outsiders.”
And although he’s not an industry professional, he plays one — very successfully — on TV.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog, filled with stories about Westporters doing interesting and innovative things. Please click here to support our work.)
The other day, Police Chief Foti Koskinas took CNN’s Alisyn Camerota for a spin.
The footage wound up yesterday on the network’s “Champions for Change” segment.
Foti was cited for his innovative community involvement, including helping the department handle demonstrations calmly and respectfully. He spoke candidly about the state of American policing, noting that he would take a knee with George Floyd protesters in solidarity, prayer and against police brutality — but not against police or the flag.
TEAM Westport chair Harold Bailey praised Foti’s ability to listen. “There was some change in his position” during discussions after the Michael Brown incident, Bailey said — “and change in ours as well.”
The piece will be rebroadcast this Sunday (September 25, 8 p.m.), as part of a CNN special hour-long “Champions of Change.”
Click here to see the segment. Spoiler alert: I’m on camera for a few quick seconds. And I provide the voice-over intro, conclusion and other thoughts.
It was an honor to be included.
Screenshot from CNN: Alisyn Camerota and Chief Foti Koskinas.
This morning, Westport said goodbye to summer with a quick thunderstorm. Andrew Colabella captured this dramatic lightning strike over Cockenoe Island:
The Westport Police Department and Emergency Medical Services mourn the death of Mark Blake. The popular and generous EMS crew chief died Tuesday.
He was hired in May of 1990, and had a long, rewarding career serving Westport. He was a representative for the Southwest EMS Council for over 10 years, and was most recently its president.
Blake was a certified child safety seat instructor, and organized many car safety seat clinics throughout Fairfield County.
Blake also volunteered with Weston’s fire department and emergency medical services, for over 39 years. He was the department’s vice president, and earned the rank of lieutenant.
Westport Police and EMS say: “Those who knew Crew Chief Blake quickly realized that his passion was to help any way he could. Whether organizing a safety clinic, treating a sick patient or helping at the scene of a fire in Weston, he was there. His dedication and passion will most certainly be missed.
Deputy Chief Sam Arciola oversees Westport EMS. He says: “Mark was an incredibly dedicated public servant as well as a widely respected EMT. He never hesitated to put the needs of others above his own.”
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker adds, “I was saddened to hear of the passing of Crew Chief Blake. On behalf of the town, I want to extend my condolences to his friends and family as well as express how appreciative the town is for all his years helping our community.”
One more police item: Local departments were recognized recently, in a ceremony at Beth Israel Chabad in Norwalk.
Westport was represented by Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Weston by Police Chief Ed Henion. The event included plaques of appreciation, music and brunch.
Among the officials at the Beth Israel Chabad ceremony: Rabbi Yehoshua Hecht (far left), Weston Police Chief Ed Henion (4th from left), Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas (5th from left) and Westport 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (6th from left).
The state of Connecticut will help fund replacement sidewalks near Greens Farms Elementary School, and renovations at the Weston Police Department.
The sidewalk project includes $250,000 from the state, and $100,000 in town funds. The police building includes $500,000 in state funds, and $264,926 from Weston.
State grants come from the Small Town Economic Assistance Program.
A sidewalk replacement project is coming soon to Greens Farms Elementary School.
Up Next Teens is a Staples High School student-founded and run organization. They’ve just launched a new project: #FeedFairfield County.
The goal is to raise $25,000. That would supply meals for nearly 10,000 hungry residents.
They asked Wakeman Town Farm for help. The result is a great partnership.
On October 6 (6 p.m.), WTF hosts an intimate chef’s dinner. Marcia Selden caters; Greens Farms Spirits supplies the wine and bubbly — and UpNext Teens will serve.
They’ll also speak to guests about their goals and projects. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Massimo Tabacco — the former owner of Bar Lupa, and other restaurants — has a new venture.
He’s partnered with lifelong Westporter Matthew Balk to open Il Pellicano, at 1460 Post Road in Fairfield.
The Italian restaurant features classic and contemporary dishes, including small plates, steaks, fish and piadina (an unleavened thin bread with delicious fillings).
There’s an extensive cocktail menu too, with experienced mixologists.
Il Pellicano opens tomorrow (Friday, September 23). A roof patio has just been approved, and will be ready soon. Click here for more information.
The Westport Library’s Verso Studios are leading-edge.
So they’re a perfect spot for a new education initiative. The Fairfield County-based LiveGirl non-profit will co-host a 9-week Leadership Lab for high school girls there. Sessions start October 3, and run each Monday through December 14.
Founded in 2014, LiveGirl’s mission is to “prepare the next generation of diverse, brave female leaders with the skills, community, and connections so that all girls may thrive and make a positive impact on the world. LiveGirl’s vision is to contribute to a world free from both gender and racial inequality.”
Utilizing state-of-the-art Verso Studios media facilities, the LiveGirl Leadership Lab will focus on creative arts empowerment, multimedia expression and training. Participants will develop storytelling skills through creative channels like video, music and podcast production.
Longtime Westporter and former Planning & Zoning Commission member Michael Stashower died yesterday. He was 96 years old.
The Cleveland native attended Hobart College as part of the US Navy’s V-12 Officer Training program, then received BA degree and MBA degrees from Cornell University.
After retiring from a long and successful career in corporate finance, Michael continued used his expertise as an overseas volunteer with the International Executive Service Corps, and to help with New York City’s 2012 Olympic bid.
In more than 50 years in Westport, he was actively involved in the community. He was elected twice to the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission. He was a past president of the UJA/Federation of Westport-Wilton-Norwalk, treasurer of Temple Israel, and served on the board of directors of the Council of Jewish Federations and the Jewish Home for the Elderly.
He loved sailing, tennis, and playing clarinet with the Westport Community Band.
Michael is survived by Gloria, his wife of nearly 72 years; their Susan (Paul Milbauer), Debby Missal (Michael) and Jon (Allison), and grandsons Jordan, Scott and Matthew.
A service is set for tomorrow (Friday, September 23, 10 a.m., Temple Israel). Shiva will be observed tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. at 321 Lansdowne.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests consideration of a donation to Temple Israel of Westport.
Staples High School Class of 2010 graduate Keith Gelman moved back to Westport with his wife, in June.
The other evening he saw this barred owl, in his front yard. Classmate Stuart Schmerzler snapped this stunning “Westport … Naturally” photo. Follow @schmerzlertakesphotos on Instagram, for more great shots.
Flora Levin is a Westport plastic surgeon. She just returned from Guatemala, where she volunteered with the International Esperanza Project, a medical aid organization. Her 9th-grade daughter went too, working alongside surgeons and nurses, in the hospital.
“It was an incredible experience,” Flora says. She writes:
I got involved with this medical/surgical mission through the wife of a friend/ and colleague.
I wanted to go for years, but COVID happened. This was the first opportunity to go since 2019.
I worked at a hospital run by nuns in Patzun, about 2 hours outside Guatemala City. It is truly a 3rd world place, where you feel that you are going back 2 centuries.
Dr. Flora Levin’s daughter, with a young Guatemalan patient.
There are no modern amenities. People cook on open fires, sleep 5 in one bed, and work in the fields after completing primary education. There is no preventative medicine, or what we consider routine care. Most families have 7-10 children.
When we first arrived, the most incredible sight was children and adults waiting in long lines outside the hospital, from 6 in the morning, to be seen. They waited patiently for hours, appreciative when their turn came, even if it was 8 hours later.
I was there with 3 other oculoplastic surgeons, one from Dallas and one from Paraguay. There were also 2 fellows (in training to be oculoplastic surgeons). There were 2 general surgeons, 1 pediatric surgeon and 1 pediatric ophthalmologist, in addition to an anesthesiologist, nurses and volunteers. My 14-year-old daughter Miri came as a volunteer.
Dr. Flora Levin (4th from left), and her team.
We worked for 5 days. On the first day we evaluated patients and scheduled them for surgery. The rest of the days we operated.
The conditions were not optimal: fewer operating rooms than surgeons, leaving procedures that did not require general anesthesia to be done in a regular room without ideal surgical lighting or air conditioning, limited supplies, and old equipment. Despite those challenges we did 55 oculoplastic procedures in both kids and adults and, with other specialties, operated on 123 patients.
Most people who came on this mission had never met before. It was incredible to see how everyone came together, putting personal needs (and egos) aside for a common goal. We shared all meals, late hours at the hospital, and left Guatemala as close friends. Without that camaraderie, kindness and humor, the challenging situation would have been impossible.
My daughter Miri worked tirelessly alongside the adults. She helped in the pre-operative area, playing with the kids waiting for surgery. She helped the nurses, got to watch hernia and gallbladder surgeries, and got to scrub in with me on a case and watch me operate. That was incredibly special.
Dr. Flora Levin and her daughter, at work.
It was an incredible week, Being able to help so many people and touch so many lives is a feeling that cannot be put into words. I plan to return next year, hopefully with supplies that I know will be valuable to provide even better care to those that need it.
I also have a new appreciation for all the modern-day amenities we take for granted!
(For more information on The International Esperanza Project, click here.)
(“06880” is “Where Westport meets the world.” To support stories like this, please click here.)
Alert — and grateful — “06880” reader Randi Nazem writes:
At a time of so many late school bus pick-ups and drop-offs, and shortages and rotations of bus drivers (every day a different one on some buses), I want to shine a light on the driver of bus #39 at Coleytown Elementary School.
Mohammad is the most amazing driver we have had in the 5 years I’ve lived here. He was our driver last year and we thought he was stellar then. But this year, in just 3 short weeks, he has blown us all away with his timeliness, his compassion for the children and their safety, and the smile he brings to the bus stop every morning and afternoon.
Mohammad waves goodbye …
Bus 39 hit the driver jackpot, and we couldn’t be happier! He never leaves the stop without checking if all the regulars are on the bus. He drops off and won’t leave the youngest children alone if there is not a parent waiting.
He waits for us if we are running late, and most of all he has full control of a packed bus of children who are always seated and well behaved.
… and poses with some of his bus 39 children.
Let’s give a shout out to the driver of Bus #39: a hard worker who comes who shows up every day for our children!
Your Blue Ribbon Drive/Bayberry Lane/Cross Highway crew recognizes you, and all the great things you have done to get our children to CES on time and safely.
You can’t put a price on that!
Congratulations and thank you, Mohammad. You are our Unsung Hero of the week. To nominate an Unsung Hero, email 06880blog@gmail.com.
(“06880” is entirely reader-supported. To contribute, please click here.)
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
Screenshot from CNN: Alisyn Camerota and Chief Foti Koskinas.
Mark Blake
Ehud Barak, at Temple Israel. (Photo/JC Martin)
(Photo/Peter Gold)
A haunting image.
Art by Roger Mudre
(Photo/Ken Yormark)
