The door to the small clubhouse at Compo Beach’s Ned Dimes Marina is easy to recognize.
Robert Mitchell, Elaine Marino, Nicola Sharian, Jonathan Prager, Ron Holtz, Mary Stewart, Michael Szeto, Andrew Colabella, Linda Amos, Richard Hyman and Joelle Malec all knew that the white door with blue trim was the subject of last week’s Photo Challenge. (Click here to see.)
But here’s something not everyone knows: That clubhouse is available to rent, for private functions.
And it’s cheap: just $275 for Westport residents, community organizations and companies.
Even better: Civic groups and non-profits get one free rental per year. Click here for details.
This week’s Photo Challenge may be tougher. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
HINT: It is not a new way of reserving an (un-reservable) table at Compo’s South Beach, not far from the Ned Dimes Marina.
Online registration for fall Westport Parks & Recreation Department programs begins at 9 a.m. on Wednesday (September 7).
Among the events: traditional favorites like tennis clinics, Sports Squirts, IST football, Wakeman Town Farm and Skyhawks Sports Academy, and new ones: Future Wreckers’ basketball clinics, Next Generation skateboard clinics, Overtime Athletics Heads Up dodgeball and Kaboom Kickball.
Click here to search for programs (adult and youth). Click here to make sure your online account and family information is up to date. Click here to register.
Having trouble accessing your online account, or need an address change? Do not create another profile; call 203-341-5152 or email recreation@westportct.gov for help.
A resident of Pequot Trail, off Sylvan Road North, writes:
“A house on our street has the greenest lawn in town, because they water it twice a day. Many neighbors have reported the house to Aquarion and the town, and placed notes in the mailbox. Yet the sprinklers keep running:=
“We’re curious about what happens in this situation, when someone blatantly ignores repeated notices about water usage/restrictions.”
But its website says that residents “should” follow the twice-weekly (not twice-daily) schedule.
And its FAQ page answers a question about penalties for “violating the two-day mandatory irrigation schedule” this way:
Our main commitment is to educate the public about how they can use water more efficiently and sustainably; however, we can penalize violators, including shutting off their water, if their failure to follow the schedule impairs public resources.
Sounds as if “can” has not yet translated to “will.”
Perhaps the next step is to print this story out, and put it in the green lawn owner’s mailbox.
And then send a copy to Aquarion.
PS: This was the scene this morning, with several sprinklers going. Sunday is a legal watering day for house numbers ending in even numbers, or homes without numbers. The Pequot Trail home has an odd number:
Fran Taylor graduated from Staples High School in 1971. She’s lived for years in her native Kentucky, and loves it. But she remembers Westport fondly too. Fran writes:
“I love the Ned Dimes Marina photos on ‘06880.’ They bring back many memories of hanging out there regularly with a variety of friends.
“Imagine my surprise when I finally identified the name (Maritime Sunburst Lichen) of the yellow lichen creeping on to my back porch in Lexington — a thousand miles from any ‘maritime’ setting.
Maritime sunburst lichen, in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo/Fran Taylor)
“It looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it before. Cue Ned Dimes Marina — and just like that, so many memories came flooding back.
“Thanks to 06880 for keeping those precious memories, which trigger sights, sounds, smells and emotions, alive a half century later.”
And thank you, Fran. Please come visit whenever you can!
The curtain rose officially last night for “4000 Miles.” The Westport Country Playhouse production stars Staples High School Class of 2013 graduate Clay Singer, and Fairfield resident Mia Dillon. The thought-provoking, rollercoaster-of-emotions show runs through September 4.
Last night’s curtain call, wit Clay Singer and Mia Dillon. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
Jim White has lived or worked in Westport for 18 years.
His sister Kate White has no connection here, beyond knowing how much he loves this town.
But when Kate — a best-selling author, and former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan — was writing her 16th suspense novel, The Second Husband, she set it in Westport
Jim had a great time helping his sister with background research. Among the local spots mentioned: Terrain, Spotted Horse and the Whelk.
Surprise! Those are some of Jim’s favorite restaurants too.
“It’s an excellent read,” Jim praises. And, he adds proudly, “Not only is she an amazing writer and editor, but she recently gave the commencement address at Union College — where she received an honorary doctorate of letters.
“She was in the first class of women accepted at Union, and was part of their celebration of 50 years of being co-ed. She has been a great inspiration to me, and I am sure many others.”
Jim hopes to get Kate here for a book signing or discussion. In the meantime, click here to order.
Hayden S. Cabral died suddenly but peacefully in his sleep on Thursday. He was 21 years old.
Hayden is survived by his father Kevin Cabral, his mother Dawn Loecher, step-mother Laura Cabral, brothers Logan and Payton, sisters Lianna and Hailey, aunt and godmother Susan Cabral-Hiltz, uncle Harry Hiltz, uncle and godfather Scott Loecher, grand-uncle Carlo and aunt Marcy Cabral, cousins and many great friends.
He was predeceased by his grandparents Joseph and Betty Cabral, and Janet and Robert Loecher.
Friends will be received at the Harding Funeral Home tomorrow (Monday, August 29, 4 to 8 p.m.) A Funeral Mass will be held at Assumption Church on Tuesday (August 30, 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Willowbrook Cemetery.
Hayden Cabral
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature features a beautiful blue heron. Amy Schneider sighted it on the Saugatuck River, near the Levitt Pavilion.
And finally … today is the 67th anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till. In 1955, the Black 14-yer-old was abducted, tortured and murdered in Mississippi. His brutal death — and the decision by his mother to have an open casket, and a public funeral — helped galvanize the civil rights movement.
(“06880” is supported solely by readers. Please click here to contribute.)
Tickets are going fast LobsterFest — the September 17 lobster/steak/ drinks/music/kids’ activities blowout at Compo Beach.
In fact, by the time this is posted it may already be sold out.
But you can still go. Just sign up to volunteer!
It takes many hands to put on the massive fundraiser. (Which raises massive funds. This year’s goal is $200,000, to help dozens of charitable projects in Fairfield County and around the world.)
Besides all those hard-working Rotarians, folks of all ages are needed to greet the 1,500 guests, crack lobsters, prep other food, cook, pour beer and wine, carry trays for seniors, sell raffle tickets, etc. etc., etc. haul trash
And of course, help set up and clean up.
LobsterFest volunteers
It’s a true community-wide event. And besides giving much-needed aid, volunteers can enjoy it too. They get a burger or hot dog, a drink ticket, a cool t-shirt — and share in the camaraderie of a fun, truly feel-good day.
The Rotary Club has thought of everything, to make LobsterFest sizzle. The mid-September date ensures that the lobsters have finished shedding their old shells, so they’re especially big.
Texas Roadhouse returns to cook the steaks, to perfection. There are several great beer vendors, and non-alcoholic drinks.
The Rotary Club takes sustainability seriously. Lobster shells are recycled (after de-banding); bottles are recyclable, and there’s plenty of composting.
There are more tents than ever, and — for those worried about COVID — a drive-thru option, to pick up your surf-and-turf.
The band HRMB will play its popular classic rock. Youngsters will love Daisy Mae and Mr. Bumbles — noted entertainers on the kids’ circuit.
Chowing down at last year’s LobsterFest.
But, Rotary officials emphasize: It can’t happen without volunteer help.
Many hands make light work.
And 3,000 lobsters broil.
(LobsterFest is Saturday, September 17, from 3 to 7 p.m. Click here to volunteer. Click here for tickets, if available. There are still spots for sponsors, too. Email ganderson24@optonline.net for more information.)
*Besides the June 30th fireworks.
(Like LobsterFest, “06880” relies on community support. Please click here to help.)
While “06880” readers were debating the (un)safety of the Post Road crosswalk by Design Within Reach yesterday, this happened a few yards away, on Bay Street:
(Photo via Facebook/Claudia Besen)
Incredibly, no one was hurt.
But inquiring minds want to know:
How on earth did that car get there?
What was the driver doing, besides paying attention to the road?
Will anyone ever use that crosswalk — or the sidewalk on Bay Street — again?
Every Friday, a local realtor emails me a list of homes for sale.
Yesterday’s included several eye-popping asking prices: $8,795,000 (2 Owenoke Park), $6,985,000 (6 Clifford Lane), $5,500,000 (3 Kensington Place) and $4,995,000 (4 Ferry Lane East).
But what really grabbed my attention were these:
$3,999,999 (37 Bermuda Road)
$3,999,000 (13 Caccamo Lane)
$3,999,000 (4 Authors Way)
$3,999,000 (121 Imperial Avenue)
I understand why McDonald’s sells its spicy deluxe crispy chicken sandwich for $6.96: You think you’re paying $6, not $7.
But if you’re smart enough to be able to afford a home like those above, are you really stupid enough to think you’re paying $3 million, not $4 million?
Anyway: Hurry! At these prices, they won’t be on the market long.
This house at 37 Bermuda Road can be yours for just $3,999,999. (Photo courtesy of Zillow)
Since graduating from Staples High School in 1991 Lynsey Addario has earned international renown as a photojournalist. She documents war zones, countries in crises, refugees, and — a special focus — the plight of women and girls.
On September 8 (6 to 8 p.m., SVA Chelsea Gallery), New York’s School of Visual Arts will honor Addario with its 32nd annual Masters Series Award. The next day, she’ll give an artist talk, with Times director of photography Kathy Ryan.
A retrospective (September 2 through October 29, SVA Chelsea Gallery) looks at her career — including her long work with the New York Times, and her 2 best-selling books. Click here and also click here for details. (Hat tip: Kathie Motes Bennewitz)
Lynsey Addario was pregnant while photographing a child dying from malnutrition in Mogadishu, in August 2011. (Photo/New York Times)
Rock-harpist Erin Hill‘s “The Music of Kate Bush: Night Scented Harp” is a full band show, with cool video projections.
Hill’s Celtic album reached #1 on the Billboard World Music Chart. She has performed with Moby, Sinéad O’Connor, Enya, a-ha, Randy Newman, Jewel, Josh Groban …
… and Cyndi Lauper. Who, of course, will also come to the Levitt, on September 30.
(Erin Hill performs at 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 28. Click here for more information.)
After winning 2 state championships as a Staples High School soccer player, he helped propel Duke University to its 1st-ever national title — in any sport — in 1986.
The founder of FocalSport, an international sports and entertainment agency, Noonan has worked in high positions with US Soccer, MLS, the New York Mets, Gatorade, the Professional Bull Riders tour, and the World Surf League. He recently served as CEO of Hearts of Oaks, Ghana’s biggest soccer club.
His new gig: commissioner of the Canadian Premier Soccer League.
With its women’s team as reigning Olympic champs, its men’s team set to begin play in the World Cup this November, and Canada joining the US and Mexico as World Cup hosts in 2026, soccer in Canada is now on the world stage.
Noonan’s new position also makes him CEO of Canada Soccer Business. He will be based in Toronto. (Click here for the full Toronto Sun story.)
Mark Noonan: commissioner of the Canadian Premier League.
Chip Young — a 3-sport athlete in Staples High School’s Class of 1968, and a soccer All-American at Brown University — died Thursday in Rhode Island. He was 72.
The former soccer, basketball and baseball Wrecker legend was known for many things: journalism, environmental activism, rabble-rousing, and a larger-than-life personality.
A lifelong Ocean Stater after Brown, he served as head of public relations for Save the (Narragansett) Bay, and as a senior fellow for communications at the University of Rhode Island Coastal Institute.
He spent over 40 years as a columnist — one-half of the “Phillipe & Jorge’s Cool, Cool World” duo — for the Providence Phoenix and Motif Magazine. Motif said: “Chip’s commentary, often incendiary, generally wry and barbed, helped shape RI’s cultural and political landscape….he was a wise source of advice and support, a greatly valued contributor and a friend.”
Chip played semi-pro soccer in New England after graduation, and served as public relations director of the American Soccer League. He had also been sports editor of the Providence Eagle, controller of Bear Wear Company of Providence, a member of the Professional Soccer Reporters Association, and New England correspondent for Soccer America magazine.
Chip’s stellar athletic career may never have happened, though. Born with a hole the size of a half-dollar in his heart, he had open heart surgery in 1959. He was 9 years old — one of the first children to undergo the procedure.
“Without the operation,” he said, “I would not have been able to even participate in gym class by my teens, and probably wouldn’t have lived past my 20s.”
Posted onAugust 27, 2022|Comments Off on Online Art Gallery #125
There’s no way to categorize this week’s grab-bag of art submissions.
But that’s what’s so much fun.
This is your gallery. All readers are invited to contribute to it. Age, level of experience, subject matter — there are no restrictions.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and (yes) needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to 06880blog@gmail.com. Share your work with the world!
“Eye” (Karen Weingarten)
“balalaika Player” — acrylic on Masonite (Peter Barlow)
For more than 10 years he has patiently preserved 93 Cross Highway. The home — visible to all, on a main road — was built in 1764 by the spectacularly named Eliphalet Sturges. From 1908 through the 1950s, it was owned by noted artist George Hand Wright.
Ed Gerber’s historic home.
Gerber grew up in New Haven and Fairfield, but spent many happy days at #93, after it was inherited by Frank Boylan — Wright’s nephew, and Gerber’s godfather.
For 40 years, Gerber lived in Washington. But as he retired from the FDIC, the Cross Highway property came on the market. He knew if he did not act, it could be Westport’s next teardown.
He bought it. Then he went to work. Walls and ceilings were painted and plastered. Maple floors were refinished. The bathrooms and kitchen were remodeled. The house — with its massive stone fabrication, handsome hearth and wonderful Wright-era furniture — has been lovingly restored.
Ed Gerber stands proudly in his refurbished living room.
With its historic landmark status, it’s a permanent part of our heritage — and an important element of our streetscape.
Now Gerber — a former member of Westport’s Historic District Commission and past vice president of the Westport Historical Society — has turned his attention to a different type of preservation: urban homes.
Ed Gerber
In his other roles, on Preservation Connecticut and a trustee of Historic New England, he’s seen what happens when homeowners get help preserving old structures.
They keep historical connections alive in a handsome way, of course. But they also provide hope and inspiration to entire city neighborhoods.
So, with a very generous $250,000 gift, he established the Edward F. Gerber Urban Preservation Fund. It will be administered by Historic New England.
Homeowners in Connecticut’s 10 most urban locations — Bridgeport, Harford, Manchester, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury and West Haven — are eligible for $10,000 grants. They will pay for preservation-related costs like a new roof or architectural drawings.
Property owners receiving grants will also receive support and guidance from Historic New England experts in architectural history and historic preservation, ensuring that projects enhance the historic significance of a home and will stand the test of time
It’s a win-win-win — for homeowners, their neighborhoods, and tradesmen skilled in preservation work (which Historic New England can link applicants with).
The handsome Bryant House, in Bridgeport.
Gerber hopes to see a variety of applicants, living in Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian, Colonial Revival, triple-decker, Cape Cod and Mid-Century Modern residences.
His restored Cross Highway saltbox is miles away — geographically — from urban preservation sites. But the idea — preserving streetscapes, anchoring a neighborhood — is the same everywhere.
Thanks to Ed Gerber, urban homeowners now get the chance to preserve history too.
(To learn more about the Edward F. Gerber Urban Preservation Fund — including how to apply for a grant, or donate — click here, or contact Carissa Demore: cdemore@historicnewengland.org;; 720-244-1422.)
(“06880” is a great source of information on history, real estate, and much more. Please click here to support this blog.)
“06880” has published some quite interesting back-in-the-day Compo Beach photos.
But this one is truly remarkable.
Click on or hover over to enlarge.
Posted first to social media by Paul Ehrismann, this 1912 photo shows:
One set of bathhouses, before more were added. (They were torn down in the 1960s).
The 2-story pavilion behind it. As noted last month, there was dining on the top floor. When the structure was damaged in a storm, the roof was salvaged. It now covers the open-air pavilion between the playground and volleyball courts.
A long ramp leading down to the water. It was needed, because …
… the beach itself was filled with rocks and grass. Rocks remained through the 1950s.
The seawall along Soundview Drive was much higher than today. More than a century of storms has added several feet to the beach.
As for Soundview itself, this scene predates the construction of most beach houses. They were built — sometime after 1912 — as summer cottages. Winterization came later. Still, for many years, they were modest homes. Today — well, you check on Zillow.
(Compo Beach has changed. “06880” has not. We’ve always been reader-supported. Please click here to help.)
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!)
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