Roundup: Senior Records, Family Day, “The Scream” …

Posted on May 19, 2022 | 1 comment

We all know how great Westport is.

This morning (Thursday) at 11:30 a.m., everyone in the tri-state area will find out too.

Well, everyone watching “New York Live,” anyway.

The WNBC Channel 4 show features our town. The long (for TV) segment includes scenes of Compo Beach, Longshore, downtown and much more, plus interviews with 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, La Plage executive chef Frederic Kieffer, and Savvy + Grace owner Annette Norton.

Of course, “New York Live” is not live. It’s clear from the not-quite-spring foliage that the segment was taped a couple of weeks ago. That’s show biz!

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The other day, “06880” reported that Westport artist Norma Minkowitz shattered 3 US records at the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale.

Now she’s demolished a fourth.

On Tuesday, Norma ran the 1500 meters in 8:35 — a full 2 1/2 minutes faster than the prior record in her 85-89-year-old age group. It won the 80-84 division too! (Hat tip: Jeff Mitchell)

In 2016– age 79 — Norma Minkowitz led a pack of much younger runners.

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Lynsey Addario continues to provide graphic — and important — images of the war in Ukraine to the world.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photojournalist — a 1991 Staples High School graduate — contribute a series of images to yesterday’s story, headlined “In Ukraine, Gruesome Injuries and Not Enough Doctors to Treat Them.”

Click here to understand the toll the fighting has taken. It is not easy to see. But it would be worse to look away.

The boots of a slain soldier named Ihor (right), next to tennis shoes belonging to another soldier, killed a day earlier. They were placed outside a hospital, for soldiers who might need them. (Photo/Lynsey Addario)

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It took 4 months. But author Heather McGhee finally delivered her Martin Luther King Day address last night.

The author of “The Sum of US: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together” spoke at the Westport Library. The town’s 16th annual event — sponsored by the Westport/Weston Interfaith Council and Clergy, Westport Country Playhouse and TEAM Westport — had been postponed by COVID.

The program included songs from the Bridgeport Boys Choir, and a dance by the Regional Center for the Arts.

Heather McGhee, at the Westport Library. (Photo/David Vita)

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Lucia Wang is editor of Staples High School’s STEM Journal.

But her writing is earning notice far beyond Westport. The junior just earned an honorable mention in the New York Times’ global STEM writing contest.

Out of 3,564 entries, judges chose 8 winners, 16 runners-up and 33 honorable mentions. Click here for the full story.

Her essay was titled “Crumbling Paintings, Swelling Crystals and Menacing Monsoons: Climate Change’s Erasure of Humanity’s Oldest Art.”

But Lucia does not spend all her time studying climate change, and writing. She’s also a member of the Wreckers’ varsity tennis team. They finished 15-1 this year, and compete in the FCIAC semifinals at 4 this afternoon at Staples.

Congratulations, Lucia!

Lucia Wang

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On Monday (May 23, 7 p.m.), the Planning & Zoning Commission will review a lease between the town and the Westport Police Athletic League (PAL) for the PJ clubhouse at PJ Romano Field behind Saugatuck Elementary School, plus the lawns, driveway and walkways around it. Click here to see all application materials.

PAL has leased the building from the Board of Education for over 50 years. The lease expired last November. On March 21, the BOE relinquished control back to the town, effective July 1. The proposed lease is 20 years.

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Everyone, of all ages, is invited to MoCA Westport’s Family  Day (June 18, noon to 2 p.m.).

The theme is “inclusion and kindness.” Among the attractions: Piglet, the deaf and blind pink puppy who has inspired a global movement for acceptance, inclusion, empathy and kindness. Westport’s own Melissa Shapiro share his story and talk about her new children’s book, Piglet Comes Home.

Norwalk artist 5iveFingaz will create a mural of Piglet in real time. Visitors can view “Spark,” a showcase of K-12 Westport Public School student art curated by Staples High School students.

Other highlights include a sensory art activity led by MoCA Westport instructors, live music by local favorite Dustin Lowman, an ice cream truck, a meet and greet with dogs from Westport Animal Shelter Advocates, and homemade dog treat giveaways from Earth Animal.

Click here for tickets.

In other Piglet news, Melissa Shapiro’s new children’s picture book, “Piglet Comes Home: How a Deaf Blind Pink Puppy Found His Family,” will be published June 7.

It’s beautifully illustrated, and will be a favorite with parents, children’s librarians — and of course young readers — everywhere. Click here to order, and for more information.

Piglet, with his new book.

 

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The next Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand play reading is “The Scream: A Musical Comedy Fantasy.” The June 13 (7 p.m) live performance will also be livestreamed, from June 16-19. Script in Hand readings offer intimate storytelling, as professional actors bring words to life without sets or costumes.

Click here for more information, and tickets.

“The Scream: A Musical Comedy Fantasy” is based on Edvard Much’s famous painting.

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Former Staples High baseball player George Goldstein is the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Pitcher of the Year. He’s only the second relief pitcher in history to win the honor, and just the second Middlebury College pitcher to do so.

With the season still continuing, Goldstein holds several Middlebury baseball records, including career saves and career appearances. He is second in best season and career ERA, and saves in a season.

George Goldstein pitches in the snow earlier this season. (Photo/David Goldstein)

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A hummingbird has flitted around Paul Delano’s house recently, collecting spider webs for its nest. He captured this great shot — perfect for “Westport … Naturally.”

(Photo/Paul Delano)

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And finally … in honor of the next Script in Hand play reading at the Westport Country Playhouse (story above):

                                                                  

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COVID Causes Mammogram Delays, Concerns

Posted on May 19, 2022 | 5 comments

COVID caused so many hardships: business failures, social isolation, interrupted educations.

But there are many other unintended consequences, much more collateral damage. Like women who postponed mammograms, then never rescheduled them.

Dr. Evan Wasserman sees that trend. The Norwalk radiologist and longtime Westporter is alarmed. Mammograms are literally a matter of life and death.

Radiology attracted Dr. Wasserman during his clinical rotations because it combined his loves for anatomy and pathology. Radiologists work with a range of specialists – pediatricians, neurosurgeons, OB/GYNs, ENTs and more – to figure out exactly what is wrong with a wide variety of patients.

Dr. Evan Wasserman

After 20 years, Dr. Wasserman is still excited by the field. Each day he helps diagnose everything from sports injuries to cancers.

Technology evolves; advances include digital and 3D mammography, and breast MRI. Breast cancer is one disease that has gone from a virtual death sentence, to one that can be managed and treated well.

But it must be detected early.

For much of his career, most women had yearly exams. Then the pandemic struck. Fears grew about close contact with people and machines. Many facilities stopped offering them.

Testing is back. But some women have not returned. They’ve missed a year or two, and — out of continued fear of COVID, a broken habit, or whatever — they no longer came for annual screening.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Dr. Wasserman says. “If breast cancer is found early, we can do a lot. If you wait 2 or 3 years …”

This winter Mary Himes — the wife of Congressman Jim Himes — announced she had stage 2A breast cancer. She had delayed her annual mammogram, due to COVID concerns.

But there’s another reason some patients have not returned: confusion over his group’s practice.

Alan Richman got Dr. Wasserman to Norwalk Radiology & Mammography Center more than 2 decades ago.

It was a small practice. Like many similar ones, it was run and owned by the doctors. Founders included Alan Richman, Tina Richman, James Bauman, Alan Levine and Richard Lisi. All lived in Westport or Weston.

Now, private practices like his — and entire hospitals — have been swallowed up by corporations. Hartford HealthCare and Yale New Haven Health System are big in this area. So is Nuvance Health, which bought Norwalk Hospital several years ago.

The economies of scale are clear for hospitals. For private practices, an advantage is that doctors no longer worry about the business of medicine. Payroll, HR, billing — it’s all off-loaded.

The downside is that they have less autonomy to run their practice exactly as they’d like. Mammograms, for example, are more efficient if they’re scheduled consecutively. It’s more time-consuming to talk to each patient individually after each one. But that’s also more soothing for the patients.

“A lot of women think of a mammogram as stressful,” Dr. Wasserman says. “The anxiety can be worse in a setting that lacks personal patient attention. We try to make patients as comfortable as possible.”

Norwalk Radiology & Mammography had a long relationship with Norwalk Hospital. But when their contract came up for its most recent renewal, the hospital went instead with a Danbury group. Nuvance is affiliated with Danbury Hospital too.

“They’re a good group,” Dr. Wasserman notes. But — because Nuvance kept the Norwalk Radiology & Mammography name for Norwalk Hospital — patients were confused.

Dr. Wasserman and his colleagues had wanted to keep their brand. So they renamed themselves Norwalk Radiology Consultants. Their goal was to provide “boutique” mammography services (covered by insurance), with personal attention.

Women scheduling exams through Norwalk Hospital did not always know that the doctors who had taken care of them for years now had a (slightly) different name.

“When they realize, they want to stay with us,” Dr. Wasserman says. “That’s very rewarding.”

What’s even more rewarding, though, is when women go back to scheduling yearly mammograms. Dr. Wasserman is trying to get the word out to everyone — no matter where they go, or who they see.

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Pic Of The Day #1857

Posted on May 18, 2022 | Comments Off on Pic Of The Day #1857

Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club (Photo/Donna O’Donnell)

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Unsung Heroes #239

Posted on May 18, 2022 | 7 comments

The ink is still drying on the contract. Supply chain issues are delaying some equipment. The operator has not yet been finalized.

But the Old Mill Grocery lives!

For a couple of years, the future of the market/deli/community center on Hillspoint Road by Old Mill Beach was in doubt. The small, century-old wooden building could have been sold to developers, who were hungry to tear it down and replace it with a (very) high-priced home.

But Hal and Betsy Kravitz — owners of Joey’s by the Shore, the most recent iteration of what was previously Elvira’s, Kenny’s and (originally) the Old Mill Grocery — were willing to listen to the community.

Hal and Betsy Kravitz, after buying Elvira’s.

They worked with Jim Hood, Ian Warburg, Chris Tait and Emily Ashken Zobl — Westporters with long ties to the area — to save the deli.

Tom Febbraio — the Fairfield restaurateur who grew up around the corner — helped get a mortgage from Fairfield County Bank.

From left: Ian Warburg, Jim Hood and Emily Ashken Zobl helped organize the project. When this photo was taken, Chris Tait was out in the street soliciting donations.

A few folks pitched in big bucks. Scores of residents (and former residents) added whatever they could.

When mortgage negotiations took (surprise!) longer than expected, Hal and Betsy extended their deadline.

Now Old Mill Grocery and Deli — OMG! — lives. It will open this summer, probably with a soft launch.

Employees will include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Bill and Andrea Pecoriello — owners of Sweet P Bakery and The Porch @ Christie’s, which helped pioneer that hiring model locally — are important supporters.

After nearly a century, the original name will be back.

It’s a win-win-win, feel good story.

So Jim, Ian, Chris, Emily, Tom, Bill and Andrea are all this week’s Unsung Heroes. And if you contributed any funds to the cause — $10,000 or $10 — you join them as honorees.

In a town and world “starved” for good news, this takes the cake.

(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email 06880blog@gmail.com)

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Roundup: Mystic Market, Spencer Platt, James Madison …

Posted on May 18, 2022 | 1 comment

Mystic Market — the successor to the Arrow, Jasmine and Blu Parrot restaurants  — is “regretfully” closing its Saugatuck location on May 27.

“The rent is 3 times what we pay for our other properties. And lease for the second term is even more,” says David Griswold. He’s senior vice president of The Coastal Gourmet Group, which owns 3 similar properties in eastern Connecticut.

The company is searching for a new location. A property in Wilton did not work out, because it was not zoned for a food establishment.

Mystic Market opened in the winter of 2019 on Charles Street, near I-95 Exit 17 and the Westport train station. It offers a variety of sandwiches, prepared foods, pastries, coffee and more.

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Two weeks ago, Spencer Platt won a Pulitzer Prize for Photography.

Next Wednesday (May 25, 7 p.m., Westport Library), the Staples High School graduate returns to town. He’ll talk about his career, his most recent award (for coverage of the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol), and how and where it all began.

Platt has covered conflicts and news stories in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. In 2006 he won World Press Photo of the Year honors for an image taken during fighting in Lebanon. In 2021 he was a Pulitzer finalist for coverage of the COVID epidemic.

Spencer lives in Brooklyn with his wife — fellow Staples grad Erica Sashin — and daughter,

To register for a seat in the Trefz Forum, click here. For a livestream link, click here.

Spencer Platt at work, in 2006.

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Social studies teachers Drew Coyne and Suzanne Kammerman are 2 of Staples High School’s most celebrated educators.

Her “We the People” team competes regularly at the national level. She has won awards from American Lawyer and Civics First. He is a Connecticut Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year and University of Chicago Outstanding Educator.

But you don’t have to be a teenager to learn from them.

On June 8 (7 p.m., Westport Library), adults can enjoy the same “Community Case Discussion” they’re known for. Coyne and Kammerman will moderate a discussion on the role of the federal government in relation to the states — from the perspective of a delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention. (Think: James Madison.)

But you can’t just stroll into class. Participants must click here to register, and receive case study materials from the Library.

The good news: There are no grades.

James Madison

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David McCormick — former CEO of Westport-based Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund — remained locked in a tight race this morning for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania senator.

With more than 90% of the vote counted, just 2,000 votes separated him from his closest challenger, Dr. Mehmet Oz. McCormick had 31.3% of the vote; the celebrity doctor had 31.1.%. Thousands of mail-in ballots remained to be counted.

McCormick joined Bridgewater in 2009 as president. He was named co-CEO in 2017, and sole CEO 2 years later. He resigned in 2021 to run for retiring senator Pat Toomey’s seat, in his native state.

David McCormick

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“A Taste of Westport” — the bring-your-appetite-all-you-can-eat-and-drink fundraiser for CLASP Homes — has announced the restaurants and vendors for the June 15 event (6 p.m., Inn at Longshore).

The mouth-watering list includes:

  • Artisan
  • BE Chocolat
  • Black Bear Wines & Spirits
  • Boathouse Restaurant at Saugatuck Rowing Club
  • Cylinder Vodka
  • Evarito’s
  • Gabriele’s Italian Steakhouse
  • Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wine
  • La Plage
  • Lindsay’s Handmade
  • Little Dumpling House
  • Little Pub
  • Mrs. London’s Artisan Bakery
  • NewSylum Brewing Company
  • Nordic Fish
  • Post Oak Barbecue Company
  • Rive Bistro
  • Rizzuto’s
  • Romanacci
  • The Spread
  • SoNo 1420
  • Tablao
  • Tarantion
  • Walrus Alley.

Click here for tickets and more information.

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Calling all teenagers!

The “Teens of MoCA” organization invites all of their peers to a free Spring Arts Festival this Sunday (May 22, 4 to 7 p.m., MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike).

There’s a food truck (of course), live music by teen bands, and products for sale from local teen-run art businesses. Follow @teensatMoCAWestport to learn more.

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Shopping for nice things may seem to have little connection with human trafficking.

But Westporters Michelle Pollack, Sandra Rose, Becca Zipkin and Alex Cohen have just launched a new organization: Concierge with Conscience.

The inaugural event is June 3 (10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.), in Westport. Brand partners include The Westside, Ever After, Freedom Moses, Metta10, LeSuperCool and more. 15% of all proceeds go to Partnership to End Human Trafficking.There’s a raffle too, with 100% of the proceeds going to PEHT.

Click here for more details (including complimentary piercing, with the purchase of an earring). RSVP at info@conciergewithconscience.com. Shoppers will receive an email, with information about the location.

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Lauri Weiser sent today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo with this simple note: “Mother Nature is amazing.” She’s absolutely right!

(Photo/Lauri Weiser)

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And finally … the great opera singer Ezio Pinza was born today in 1892. He died in 1957 — after (among other notable achievements) more than 750 performances of 50 operas, during 22 seasons at the Metropolitan Opera.

Plus this:

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5-Year Affordable Housing Plan Draft Released

Posted on May 18, 2022 | 2 comments

The Planning & Zoning Commission has released the draft of the town’s 5-year Affordable Housing Plan. It was posted to the town website last night.

There is now a 35-day review period. It will include a Zoom community conversation, for feedback. The date and time has not yet been set.

The draft begins with a “Community Value Statement”:

To encourage the pro-active development and preservation of affordable (and below market rate) housing, including the development of affordable housing designed specifically to attract new families to Westport. The thoughtful creation of affordable housing is critical to ensuring a diverse community of residents in Westport.

With proper planning, new affordable development can be encouraged while preserving Westport’s charming small town feel, historic resources, green spaces and the suburban lifestyle that attracts residents to want to live in this community and raise their families here.

The issue of insufficient affordable housing is not unique to Westport and is not easily addressed in a community with such high land values, but this does not absolve us of the responsibility to create solutions.

Maximum monthly housing costs for “affordable units.” There are different requirements for different types of housing.

Then comes an “Executive Summary”:

Connecticut has become a very expensive place to live. Over the last decades, the costs of land, housing development, home building, and rent have risen faster than incomes. The town of Westport, like many Fairfield County communities that provide a suburban alternative to living in New York City, is zoned predominantly for single family homes.

For many years, the development of multifamily rentals and condominiums, accessory apartments and accessory dwelling units in Westport was limited. Multifamily units that were developed were often deed restricted for seniors
making it challenging for any families unable to afford a single family home to live in Westport.

Westport’s zoning regulations have changed and are continuing to change in order to foster the development of more affordable housing and provide opportunities for all demographic cohorts to live in Westport. Over the next several years, a significant number of new affordable units will be created in Westport based upon approvals and projects in the pipeline.

Accessory dwelling units have now been legalized. This is at 350 Greens Farms Road.

Action items to continue this momentum over the next 5 years include:

• Creating a new affordable community designed specifically for families, spearheaded by local elected officials with the assistance of the Department of Housing, on +/- 2 acres of state-owned land located in Greens Farms adjacent to public transit, grocery stores, retail and within walking distance of one of the State’s highest ranked elementary schools. Feasibility study funds have already been allocated by the Town using federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds.

• The formation of a town-funded Affordable Housing Trust Fund to direct resources towards future development of affordable housing.

• The immediate development of location specific plans for town-owned land to meaningfully expand and/or renovate existing rental housing/structures to create affordable housing, and to potentially partner with nonprofits engaged in this work. Potential properties include existing cottages at Longshore Park (260 Compo Road South), Linxweiler House (655 Post Road East), Adams Academy (15 Morningside Drive North), existing housing at Baron’s South (60 Compo
Road South) and the vacant lot adjacent to The Saugatuck (0 Bridge Street). Significant consideration should be given to the creation of pocket neighborhoods (small cottage/small home commons clusters).

A “model pocket neighborhood/cottage commons” design, courtesy of Ross Chapin AIA.

• Allocation of the approximately $1,700,000 in the town’s Real Property Fund to acquire land for future development of affordable housing.

• The deed restriction of existing town-owned rental properties so that they are affordable and remain affordable to renters.

• The elimination of zoning barriers to foster additional projects pursuant to Westport’s Inclusionary Housing Zone overlay by expanding the overlay zone and revising the regulations.

• The adoption of a new zoning district at Powell Place to ensure that existing deeply affordable housing (40% State Median Income or less) can be more intensively redeveloped with flexible parking requirements reflecting the availability of public lots nearby.

• Explore the process by which public funds can be used to “buy down” market rate units in approved/existing buildings to become affordable or more affordable, perhaps via the new Affordable Housing Trust Fund or existing Real Property Fund or both.

Westport’s progress toward achieving state-mandated 10% “affordable” 8-30g housing. Only units built after 1990 count toward the total.

• Explore opportunities to allow greater density in residential districts with a meaningful affordability component via the adoption of zoning code changes to permit historically contextual pocket neighborhoods with a shared commons when an antique home is preserved.

• The development of 225 multifamily units, including 70 affordable units as a result of the Westport Planning & Zoning Commission’s affirmative choice to settle several long-running lawsuits. Nineteen 3-bedroom units will be included because of the specific demand of the Westport Planning & Zoning Commission to address the needs of families seeking housing in Westport.

Not all affordable housing is in large buildings. 260-264 Riverside Avenue includes 9 units; 2 qualify as “affordable.”

• Focusing the commission & staff efforts on constantly reviewing new technology to create sustainable and inexpensive new construction via modular construction and prefab tiny/cottage home building. Advances in housing construction should be leveraged for development opportunities on town owned land and in order to incentivize developers to create aesthetically appropriate cottage communities around existing antique homes to ensure such homes are preserved.

The remainder of the 47-page report includes sections on “The Importance of Planning,” “Affordable Housing Basics,” “Existing Affordable Housing in Westport,” “Housing Needs Assessment,” Westport’s Current and Projected Population Profile,” “Current Strategies for Fostering Affordable and Below Market Rate Housing,” and “Implementation: The 5-Year Plan.” 

Click here for the full report. 

Two large affordable housing neighborhoods are Sasco Creek and Hidden Brook. A newer building, at the foot Long Lots Road, includes affordable units.

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Pic Of The Day #1856

Posted on May 17, 2022 | 1 comment

Saugatuck River, from Grace Salmon Park (Photo/Karen Jacobs)

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Roundup: Buffalo, EMS, Flower Moon …

Posted on May 17, 2022 | 1 comment

First Selectman Jen Tooker says:

“The scene in Buffalo this past weekend was horrifying, and I send my deepest condolences to all those affected.

“Along with help from TEAM Westport, our law enforcement colleagues, our houses of worship and our extensive non-profit organizations, we continue to strive to ensure that this community is a place where residents, business owners and visitors feel safe, supported, and have a sense of belonging.

“This important work is ongoing, and there is still progress to be made. As first selectwoman, I want to personally re-state my commitment to these efforts in Westport. Thank you for your support on this journey.”

Nine of the 10 victims of the mass execution in Buffalo.

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This is Emergency Medical Services Week.

It’s long overdue.

Westport EMS deputy director Marc Hartog knows this has been an exceptionally tough couple of years.

“The EMTs and paramedics of Westport EMS continue to rise to the challenge every day, and play a crucial role in maintaining the health of our community.” he says.

“Relieving pain and suffering, caring for sick and injured patients, saving lives is just part of the experience of responding to the public’s calls for help. EMS providers, whether paid or volunteer, take on many crucial roles every day: healthcare professional; emergency manager; social worker; crisis counselor; consoler; caregiver.”.

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker adds “EMS Week is a chance for our town to recognize the service and sacrifice exhibited by our EMS personnel over the past year, and to express our gratitude for all they continue to do, day in and day out, for our community.”

1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker with an EMS Week proclamation. (From left): Police Chief Foti Koskinas, EMS crew chiefs Larry Kleinman and Rick Baumblatt, EMS deputy director Marc Hartog, EMS crew chief Eric Hebert, Deputy Police Chief/EMS director Sam Arciola.

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Sunday’s Super Flower Blood Moon/lunar eclipse was very cool.

It was also not easy to photograph.

Many Westporters tried. You sent your shots to “06880.” Thank you!

We did not have a Best Images contest. But if we did, the winner would be Nancy Lally.

Check them out below. You’ll be over the moon.

(Photos/Nancy Lally)

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Nearly everyone who owns a convertible loves to show it off.

Here’s your chance to impress the entire town.

Organizers of the Memorial Day parade need a few open-tops for the May 30 event. They’re used to transport dignitaries, like veterans (including the grand marshal).

If you’ve got a convertible to lend, contact Deborah Detmer at the Parks & Recreation office: 203-341-5091; ddetmer@westportct.gov.

It doesn’t get more classic than this. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)

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After 2 online-only years, 2022’s “Booked for the Evening” with TV producer/ screenwriter/ author/CEO Shona Rhimes will be the most financially successful in the event’s 20 year history.

And anyone, anywhere can add to the fundraising.

Tickets for the virtual livestream (June 1, 8 p.m.). are still available. Click here to purchase, and for more information.

Shonda Rhimes

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By day, it’s the Farmers’ Market. At night, it’s the Remarkable Theater.

On May 27, the Imperial Avenue parking lot — home to both — hosts a special film showing.

“Biggest Little Farm” — the award-winning 2018 documentary about the 8-year quest of a couple to trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland (and a dream) — is set for May 27. Sustainable Westport co-sponsors the event.

Tickets to this family-friendly event are $25 per vehicle. Tailgating (with food from the Market the day before?) starts at 6 p.m. The screening is at 8. Bees Knees — a popular WFM vendor — will selling their signature frozen pops.

For more information and tickets, click here.

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The next Artists Collective of Westport pop-up show is May 26-29 (2 to 6 p.m. each day; the Westport Country Playhouse barn). There’s an opening reception May 25 (6 to 8 p.m.), and artists’ talks on Sunday, May 29 (4 p.m.).

Participating artists include some very familiar names: Peg Benison, Louise Cadoux, Jeanine Esposito, Jane Fleischner, Rebecca Fuchs, Holly Hawthorne, Katya Lebrija, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Steve Parton, Nancy Reinker, Debbie Smith, Cindy Wagner and Lee Walther.

To learn more about this great Collective, click below.

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The other day, Connecticut Public Radio aired an interesting story headlined “How Medical Aid in Dying May Change the Way We Live.”

one of the guests is Lynda Bluestein. A longtime member and former board chair of Westport’s Unitarian Church, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Now she’s working hard to get “medical Aid in dying” legislation passed in the state.

Westport’s State Senator Will Haskell and State Representative Jonathan Steinberg were very public supporters of a recent bill attempting — for the 16th time — to get Connecticut legislation passed. Once again, the bill did not make it out of the Judiciary Committee.

Click here for more details, and to listen.

Lynda Shannon Bluestein (Photo courtesy of The CT Mirror)

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Saturday’s fundraiser for AWARE — the great, generous non-profit (Assisting Women with Actions, Resources and Education) — was postponed a day by rain.

Attendees had a wonderful time. And if you’re not “aware” of how much they do for women and children in the area, click here.

Enjoying the AWARE event (from left): Erica Davis, Amy Saperstein, Allegra Gatti Zemel, Michele Glassman, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Mafe Cala, Stephanie Tobin.

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Andy Gundell has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award, in Original Composition and Arrangement. It is for music from a Black Lives Matter program that streamed online in February 2021 from the Unitarian Church in Westport. Gundell is a 13-time Emmy winner already.

The program — “Revealing History–How We Got Here, Why It Matters” — was produced by the church’s Women’s Group. It is a powerful multi-media tribute to the BLM movement, and the history of racial injustice in America. Click here for a link.

Andy Gundell

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo shows birds of a feather flocking together, at Compo Beach near the kayak launch.

It won’t be long before they’re joined — at least, not far from the rocks — by crowds of humans, flocking together too.

(Photo/JD Dworkow)

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And finally … if you’re on the fence about lending your convertible for the Memorial Day parade (see story above), this might inspire you:

 

 

 

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“06880” Podcast: Tom Scarice

Posted on May 17, 2022 | 3 comments

In less than 2 years, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice has made a name as one of Westport’s most trusted leaders.

He’s also one of the most popular guests on “06880: The Podcast.”

The reasons for both are clear: He is a clear communicator. He speaks with clarity, and does not duck difficult issues. He has a vision, and — though he knows not everyone will agree with all, or even some, of it — he wants the town to hear it.

This week, Superintendent Scarice returns to the Westport Library’s Verso Studios. I asked about 2 main topics: the physical state of our school facilities, and the importance of connection and belonging among all who spend their days in those buildings.

Click below for another fascinating conversation with our town’s top educator.

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Staples Boys Are SLOBs

Posted on May 17, 2022 | 7 comments

If you drove around Westport last weekend, you may have noticed an unusual number of high school boys weeding, planting, mulching, painting, cleaning and picking up garbage.

What a bunch of SLOBs.

That’s the great acronym for Staples’ Service League Of Boys. One of the most popular clubs at the high school, it’s a way for boys — and their parents — to join together in community service.

From Friday to Sunday — during the group’s annual Service Weekend — SLOBs and their parents (with a few grandparents) contributed 425 hours of work to our town. It was a welcome return to in-person service, after 2 years of COVID-curtailed inaction.

Yard work at A Better Chance of Westport’s Glendarcy House …

Projects included:

  • Cleanup of the Staples High School campus
  • Cleanup of the Leonard Schine Natural Playground
  • Participation in the USPS Food Drive (helping at Person to Person in Norwalk and the Westport Women’s Club, which received pantry goods)
  • Cleanup at Smith Richardson Preserve
  • Planting and mulching at A Better Chance of Westport’s Glendarcy House
  • Cleanup and planting at Open Doors Shelter in Norwalk
  • Packing 300 snack bags for students at Curiale School in Bridgeport
  • Volunteering at the Westport Tree Board, Wakeman Town Farm, Green Village Initiative and Westport Dog Festival
  • Volunteering at Experience Camps’ Day of Champions and AWARE fundraisers.

… and working on the USPS food drive in Norwalk …

With 275 members, SLOBs is the largest student club at Staples. It’s run by an executive board of 11 boys, and their mothers.

Throughout the year, the group partners with over 50 local non-profits and organizations. Whatever they need, SLOBs provides.

A few examples: Monthly collections of canned goods for food pantries, supplies for animal shelters, and sports equipment for underfunded programs. Since September they’ve volunteered at over 70 community events, in Westport and neighboring towns. That’s over 3,800 hours of service.

… and packing snack bags for food-insecure children …

Money from an annual fundraiser — a 3-v-3 basketball tournament for students — helps pay for things like snack bags for kids facing food insecurity, and the Service Weekend projects.

But their year isn’t over. SLOBs will be out in the community throughout the spring, helping at the Levitt Pavilion, Remarkable Theater, the Fine Arts Festival and Wakeman Town Farm, and providing lunches for clients at the Gillespie Center.

,,, and cleaning up all over town …

Congratulations and thanks to all who participated — and executive board members Jason Bass and Jaden Mueller and their moms, Pam and Merri. Presidents this year are Ben Berkley and his mother Andrea.

Our SLOBs are pretty neat!

… and taking a break at the Leonard Schine Natural Playground.

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