In 1908 the successful businessman (his money came from selling railroad supplies) provided the funds for what is now the Westport Library. Located on the corner of the Post Road (then called State Street) and Main Street, its original name was the Morris K. Jesup Memorial Library. (The “K” stood for Ketchum, another noted Westport name.)
He died just 4 months before its dedication, after donating both the land and $5,000 for construction.
Among his other accomplishments, Morris Jesup grew an amazing mustache.
The Library was not Jesup’s only gift. He was a major benefactor of the American Museum of Natural History. He also commissioned a 5-year anthropological expedition to Alaska and Siberia.
Which is why today the northernmost piece of Greenland is named … Cape Morris Jesup.
Cape Morris Jesup on May 16, 1900.
Native Westporter Jeff Van Gelder has been following an on-line Yale University course, taught by noted American history professor David Blight.
He recently mentioned George Washington Carver, in passing. Van Gelder clicked on Wikipedia, to learn more about the agricultural scientist and inventor.
Carver designed a mobile classroom to take education out to farmers. He called it a “Jesup wagon” after the New York financier and philanthropist Morris Ketchum Jesup, who provided funding to support the program.
That led him further down the internet rabbit hole, to this:
(Booker T.) Washington directed his faculty to “take their teaching into the community.” Carver responded by designing a “movable school” that students built. The wagon was named for Morris K. Jesup, a New York financier who gave Washington the money to equip and operate the “movable school.”
The first movable school was a horse-drawn vehicle called a Jesup Agricultural Wagon. Later it was a mechanized truck, still called a Jesup Wagon, that carried agricultural exhibits to county fairs and community gatherings.
By 1930, the “Booker T. Washington Agricultural School on Wheels” carried a nurse, a home demonstration agent, an agricultural agent, and an architect to share the latest techniques with rural people. Later, community services were expanded, and educational films and lectures were circulated in local churches and schools. The “movable school” was the cornerstone of Tuskegee’s extension services and epitomized the Institute’s doctrines of self-sufficiency and self-improvement.
A “Jesup wagon.” (Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration)
“06880”‘s tagline is “Where Westport meets the world.” Including today — amazingly — both the northernmost piece of land in Greenland, and George Washington Carver.
Posted onSeptember 2, 2022|Comments Off on Roundup: Harvest Fest, Deer Plants, CraftWestport …
The Wakeman Town Farm Harvest Fest fundraiser is September 10.
The online auction — a key part of the event — opens September 6.
But you can preview all the items now.
They include destination travel, private dinners at WTF, kids’ cooking parties, sunset cruises, and great sporting events.
All proceeds — and those from the live auction at Harvest Fest — help fund youth programs, adult classes, scholarships, the farm stand, family events and more.
CraftWestport — the monster pre-holiday show with over 175 vendors selling handmade fashions, accessories, jewelry, home décor and furniture, plus photography, ceramics, glass, metal, wood, mixed media and other artworks — returns to the Staples High School fieldhouse November 5 and 6.
Also on sale: gourmet specialties like bourbon-barrel aged maple syrup, hand-painted chocolates, teas and honey, cheese spreads and curds, baked goods, skincare products, soaps and candles.
It’s the first time in 3 years for the popular Westport Young Woman’s League show, following 2 COVID cancellations.
Net proceeds from Connecticut’s largest indoor fine crafts festival go to charitable agencies in lower Fairfield County.
In his lifetime in Westport — as a youngster, a Staples High School Class of 1979 student, and now an author and homeowner — Tom Greenwald has seen a lot.
Right now, green lawns have him seeing red. Tom writes:
Green usually means good. But this summer, it means bad.
Setting aside my leaf-blower obsession for a minute (though I’m sure that will be back in full bloom in the fall), my newest fixation is lawns.
(Who would have thought I would become all about yardwork? Certainly not me, and most certainly not my wife.)
Anyone who’s conscious knows that there is a drought on. A pretty big, pretty bad one.
Yet there as still gorgeous green lawns all over Westport. When I see sprinklers sprinkling (which is often), it makes me a little mad.
Green lawn during a brown drought. (Photo/Tom Greenwald)
I get it: Everyone wants a nice property. And most people who live in Westport have made it here because they’re not used to settling for less than what they want. But the time has come to allow our lawns to look a little bad, for the greater good.
I also get that the rules are murky, and not everyone knows them. (In case you don’t, here they are.
But if you do know them, and you’re ignoring them — well, that’s just not cool.
So come on, fellow Westporters: Embrace the brown.
Let’s let whatever water is out there be used for things like cooking, showers and hydration for humans and animals.
By next spring you’ll be showing off your gorgeous lawns. This stretch will be a dry, distant memory.
But for now: No more Lawns Of Shame in our town!
Tom Greenwald enjoys his (brown) lawn.
(“06880” covers the drought — and everything else going on in Westport. Please click here to support your local blog.)
Many Westporters loved Serena Williams big US Open win last night over Anett Kontaveit, the world’s 2nd-ranked player.
There were a couple of local connections — and we don’t mean any fans lucky enough to be in the stands.
Westport-based Birdseye Sports is a large independent production company. Specializing in game-day broadcasting and video productions, they provide camera crews to major networks. ESPN, for example, subcontracts them for the US Open.
Ryan Smith — a 1997 Staples High School graduate, and director of the Bedford Middle School Acting Group — has worked the Open for Birdseye for the past 4 years.
He’s seen a lot. But last night was special. He was behind the camera for Williams’ match.
Ryan Smith, at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I still kick myself from time to time, for how lucky I am,” he says.
He did not get home until 2:30 this morning. But he got up early, to head back to Queens. He’ll be behind the camera tonight — again covering Williams. She and her sister play doubles, in what their fans hope will not be their final match together. (Hat tip: Kerry Long)
Speaking of the beach: “06880” has run stories recently about beach days of old. Rocks instead of sand at Compo; sand instead of rocks at Longshore; demolished bathhouses, no houses along the shore — different days, for sure.
Suzanne Sherman Propp owns an interesting piece of art. It combines several elements of old beach-y Westport — some real, some imagined — in a fanciful way:
Created by Suzanne Urban, in part from a 1906 postcard, it shows bathers at Old Mill Beach; nearby homes (that probably were not there then), and — in the background — the old Longshore lighthouse.
Urban is a 1971 Staples High School graduate. After studying art at Marymount College, she worked as an illustrator.
For steady income she became a secretary at Greens Farms Elementary School, from the early 2000s to 2014. Former Stapleites Propp and Carey Leonard also worked there.
Urban moved with her husband to Windsor. They live in one of the oldest houses (1664), in what residents claim is Connecticut’s oldest town settlement (1633).
Urban has found a niche selling “contemporary folk art” — including holiday-themed work — online.
Her Halloween witches, ghosts and pumpkin-heads and cute. But only a true Wesetporter — like me, Suzanne Sherman Propp, and any “06880” reader — can appreciate the Old Mill Beach of Suzanne Urban’s imagination.
It’s not too late to sign up for Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Technician training.
There’s an orientation tonight. Classes begin next Tuesday (September 6). Most are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with some Saturdays as well.
The course covers information needed for state certification tests, a prerequisite for joining WVEMS. Click here for more information.
Meanwhile, mark your calendar for September 9 (7 p.m.). DNR — the grimly named, highly entertaining and very professional rock band made up mostly of doctors — plays a free show at the Levitt Pavilion, in honor of Westport Volunteer EMS.
WVEMS personnel will be there, answering questions about donations or joining the ranks.
Standing by, at a Levitt Pavilion concert (though not one headlined by DNR).
Speaking of the Levitt: Though summer is over (at least, for those with kids in school), outdoor entertainment is not.
In addition to the Orebolo show September 7, featuring Rich Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach and Jeff Arevalo — members of the popular Connecticut rock group Goose — The Levitt just added a special free-ticket show at 1:30 p.m. September 17.
It stars ElephantProof. The band includes Ben Atkind — a founding member of Goose.
ElephantProof is “a euphonic snapshot of the unique sonic energy born at the house parties your best friends still talk about to this day. Refined by disciplined training and years of performance experience, Ben Atkind (drums), Sean Cronin (guitar), Chris Enright (keys) and Shon Gordon (bass) are reconnected, traipsing along the rigid confines of genre using erudite tonal expression.”
I’m not sure what that means, but I’m sure it will be a cool show! Click here for more details, and tickets.
Another piece of Pavilion news: Karina Rykman, whose band plays tomorrow (Friday, September 2), has another gig after the Levitt. She’ll fill in on bass during next week’s Late Night with Seth Meyers Show.
PS: The Levitt has added a “child 12-and-under free ticket” to the BYO-lawn chair section of the Robert Cray show on September 10 (8 p.m.). Click here for details and tickets.
Tonight’s (Thursday, 6 to 7 p.m.) MoCA “Cocktails & Conversations” event features the curators of the current “Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse exhibition.”
Attendees will peek behind the scenes, learning more about the works and the artists. Cocktails and drinks are available for purchase.
“Cocktails & Conversations” is free, but advance registration is requested (click here). The exhibition runs through October 2.
Curators of the MoCA exhibit, and speakers at tonight’s event (from left): Maria Gabriela Di Giammarco, Melanie Prapopoulos (founder and director of the CAMP Gallery), Mario Andres Rodriguez), in front of a work by Shelly McCoy. (Photos/Leslie LaSala)
Cars with decorations like this can be seen all over town:
(Photo/JD Dworkow)
It’s a long-standing Staples High School tradition: Senior girls (and only the girls) boast about their 12th-grade status on the opening day of school.
And you’ll be seeing these for quite a while. Another part of the tradition is to leave the writing on for a long, long time.
Sure, there’s a drought. But there are still lots of gorgeous colors out there. Lauri Weiser captured this, for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature:
Leaf blowers: Westporters love ’em when they make our lawns look neat.
We hate ’em when they make our neighbors’ lawns look neat.
They’re an efficient way for lawn crews to work. But they are very environmentally unfriendly.
All those ideas have been debated before, nationally and locally.
Westport’s Representative Town Meeting had a first reading of a proposed leaf ordinance — not the first one ever proposed here — earlier. Another reading (now that revisions have been made) is set for the September 6 meeting.
Among the draft’s key proposals:
Electric-powered leaf blowers would be permitted all year.
Gas-powered leaf blowers would be permitted only from March 15 through April 30, and October 15 through December 31.
No leaf blowers of any type could be used before 8 a.m., after 5 p.m. or on any state or federal holiday.
Exceptions could be made for storm clean-up operations.
The ordinance would also not apply to leaf blowers on town-owned property, or publicly or privately owned golf courses.
The Conservation Department would be in charge of enforcement. After warnings, they could assess fines of $100 for the first violation, and $249 for each subsequent violation.
Following Tuesday’s reading at the RTM meeting, it will go back to committee. A vote could be taken in October. If passed it would become effective on March 15, 2023.
(Other items on Tuesday’s RTM agenda include an appropriation of $237,000 for drainage on the Longshore golf course greens; an appropriation of $313,500.00 for a traffic study of the “Cross Highway School Zone” between North Avenue and Bayberry Lane, and the establishment of a Long Lots Elementary School renovation building committee.)
(Like fallen leaves, “06880” covers all of Westport. Please click here to help support your local blog)
And not just any blues — these are Mark Naftalin’s. This is big-time.
On Sunday, September 18 (3 to 5 p.m.), the Westport Library presents Mark Naftalin’s Blue Sunday. It’s the first in a monthly series of concerts, all produced and hosted by musician/producer/radio host Mark Naftalin.
The kickoff event features guitarists Chance Browne (The Twinkies, Hi and Lois artist), Chris “Otis” Cross (Otis and the Hurricanes) and Paul Gabriel (Blue In The Face, Paul Gabriel Blues Band, Connecticut Blues Society Lifetime Achievement Award); harmonicists Manny Foglio (Manny and the Mojomatics) and Mark Zaretsky (Cobalt Rhythm Kings); bassists David Anastasia (Mojomatics, Walter Lewis Blues Trio, The Zero Boys); percussionists Matt Moadel (Portal) and Barry Urich (Blue In The Face, Jose Feliciano); accordionist-pianist-vocalist Smokin’ Joe Najmy (Otis and the Hurricanes, Mill River Band); sax master Crispin Cioe (Albert Collins, James Cotton, Uptown Horns, Cracked Ice); washboard wizard Washboard Slim (Washboard Slim & The Blue Lights) — and Naftalin himself on piano.
Former Paul Butterfield Blues Band organist, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Mark Naftalin.
He played keyboard with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The path-breaking interracial Butterfield Band opened doors for blues masters like B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Naftalin later recorded and/or performed with Michael Bloomfield, James Cotton, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Percy Mayfield, Carla Thomas, Irma Thomas, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thornton, Big Joe Turner and many others.
In 2015 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Mark Naftalin (3rd from left) with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Living and working in the Bay Area, Naftalin produced over 1,300 blues radio broadcasts on 3 FM stations, and over 30 blues festivals. His Blue Sunday at the Westport Library is a nod to those years.
In 2002, he and his wife Ellen moved to her hometown: Westport. The Mark Naftalin Show is now in its 7th year on WPKN (89.5 FM).
Blue Sunday capitalizes on the success of the Library’s Verso Studios music and media festival VersoFest, and the adventurous Chris Frantz Presents Emerging Musicians series.
If you haven’t been to the Levitt Pavilion this year, or over the past few years*, then you don’t know Joey Bairaktaris.
But everyone else does.
He’s the Levitt’s site supervisor.
That’s his job title, anyway. He’s really much more than that.
Joey — a 2016 Staples High School graduate — is the public face of the pavilion. He’s everywhere, at every show.
Joey Baraiktaris (Photo/Susan Leone)
He makes sure guests are happy, gently enforcing rules for a few for the enjoyment of all. He makes sure the performers have what they need.
He answers questions. He solves problems before they occur. He empties trash cans (and picks up whatever stray garbage the rest of us leave behind).
And he does it all with a wonderful, winning smile.
Susan Leone nominated Joey as an “Unsung Hero.” She asked him about his job. He told her he came to Westport in 8th grade from Redding. Switching schools at mid-year was not easy. But it made him work hard to keep busy, and not think about how tough things had been.
Joey started at the Levitt 7 years ago, after working at Compo Beach and the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
He went to Johnson & Wales University, majoring in criminal justice and psychology. In the summer he’d work for Westport Parks & Rec during the day, then the Levitt every night.
He’s also working for the New England Patriots, doing security, and is in the process of applying to police departments. “All my work and schooling go together, with being around people,” Joey notes.
He says: “The best part about working at the Levitt is the people I meet. I get to interact and talk with people from all over. Everyone has endless stories and knowledge from their lives and careers. Face to face talking is lost these days with technology, so it’s great to get to actually talk to people.”
Keeping a crowd like this — and performers — happy and safe is not easy. Joey Bairaktaris does it well. (Photo/JC Martin)
He’s not kidding about his ability to talk to people. When the Peterson Brothers band came from Austin, Texas, they gave him their contact info, so he could stay with them there.
“There’s kindness everywhere,” Joey says. “It just takes all of us to bring it out.”
Joey spreads credit around. “The Levitt Pavilion is an extraordinary venue, but it wouldn’t be possible without everyone who is behind the magic. I’m a small seasonal part. The base of the Levitt is the board members and the Welshes. They make everything happen, with 365 days a year planning, organizing and so much more.”
He downplays his own role. “There’s not really anything special about me. I’m just a Westporter who loves to keep busy, try new things, and meet new people. Everyone has been so amazing. You can’t find a place like this anywhere. The community really does come first here.”
Joey Bairaktaris is — very deservedly — this week’s Unsung Hero. And he is — every week — Mr. Levitt Pavilion.
*And why not? It’s the best free entertainment in town!
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com)
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