There are big ones, like Saugatuck Shores, Greens Farms and Coleytown.
There are smaller neighborhoods too: Old Hill for example, or the recent real estate designation of “Hunt Club.”
But other neighborhood names have disappeared. Who ever heard of “Evergreen Heights”?
Yet there it is, clearly marked on a 1923 map found by Tom Cook.
Evergreen Heights was the area around Gorham Avenue, Washington Avenue, and of course Evergreen Parkway. The lots — presumably ready to build on — were owned by Leonard Gault and Edward Bradley.
But what was “Grant Avenue,” off Washington? It looked like a big road. What happened to it?
Turns out, it’s still there — sort of.
It’s now just “Grant Lane,” a tiny street. I’ve lived in Westport all my life — right now, pretty much around the corner from there — and I’ve never heard of it.
(Photo/Tom Cook)
If you know anything about Evergreen Heights, or Grant Lane — like was it named for Ulysses S., or someone else? — click “Comments” below.
The Baldwin Parking Lot — the large, often unwieldy, pieced-together area off Elm Street between Brooks Corner and Christ & Holy Trinity Church — will soon get an upgrade.
A reconstruction project begins Monday, weather permitting.
Initial phases include reclamation of the existing deteriorated asphalt surface, installation of new drainage pipes; regrading to reduce frequent flooding, plus installation of LED lighting, electric vehicle chargers, security cameras and blue-light emergency stations.
Parking stalls will be realigned to conform to P&Z regulations, improving circulation and maneuverability.
Public Works director Peter Ratkiewich said that while the project will likely continue through the month of June, and lot closures will be necessary, the contractor will coordinate with town officials and the Westport Downtown Association to minimize disruptions.
This is the first of several downtown lots to be reconstructed and reconfigured. Still ahead: Taylor Lot (near Jesup Green), Imperial Avenue, and the biggest, baddest of them all: Harder Parking.
Yesterday’s “06880” Roundup noted that as of May 1, stickers will be required for all cars entering Westport beaches. It included a link to the Parks & Rec website, for easy online ordering.
Easy, that is, if you’re on a desktop or laptop.
Paul Lenihan could not order using his smartphone. Eventually he headed to the Parks & Rec office in Longshore, where they told him the link does not work on mobile devices.
Yesterday’s early morning fire at Townhouse for Dogs destroyed a 2nd-floor apartment. Cassidy Gleacher’s mother, stepfather and little brother were awakened by a smoke alarm, but their exit was blocked by flames.
They jumped from a window, with only the clothes on their backs. The family lost all their belongings, their home and their pets.
Cassidy has set up a GoFundMe page, to get them back on their feet. Click here to help.
Yesterday morning’s fire at the Townhouse for Dogs destroyed a 2nd-floor apartment. (Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
Tree warden Ben Skykas planted a new red maple at Grace Salmon Park on Wednesday.
The species is native to North America, can grow over 100 feet, may live over 200 years, and hosts a spectrum of wildlife, from caterpillars and squirrels to a wide array of birds. It’s also a valuable climate change-deterring shade tree and carbon converter.
For more Arbor Day-related activities, click here and scroll down. (Hat tip: Dave Lowrie)
The NAACP’s Million Jobs Campaign helps people leaving prison make a fresh start — and reduces recidivism.
This Sunday (April 24, 11 a.m.), Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s Racial Justice Working Group invites everyone interested for coffee, donuts, and a conversation with Connecticut State Conference NAACP and national board member Scot Esdaile.
He’ll talk about the program, which focuses on jobs in hospitals and healthcare. It will launch in Fairfield County this fall.
Questions? Email fkgarden13@gmail.com. (Hat tip: Jeff Wieser)
Like many stop signs, the one by Elvira’s/Joey’s by the Shore at the foot of Compo Hill is treated more like a suggestion than a command.
In just 30 minutes the other, standing at the corner with the team that’s raising funds to save the near-century old market/deli, I watched at least a dozen drivers blow blithely through.
Here’s hoping this new addition helps. Fingers crossed, at this very popular — and dangerous — crossing.
As the pandemic eases, will people return to movie theaters?
AMC is betting yes. Bow Tie seems to think no.
Just a few years after spending millions of dollars on new seats and food options, Bow Tie Cinemas sold 5 Connecticut theaters to AMC Entertainment. Included in the deal: the 6-plex just over the line in Norwalk.
The news owners are so excited, they list themselves as the “coming attraction.” (Hat tip: Mark Mathias)
Last night at MoCA Westport, Monte A. Melnick, the band’s former tour manager, shared stories of touring with them.
The event was part of the museum’s “Cocktails and Conversation series, which presents free programming related to exhibitions on Thursday evenings. The current exhibit is “Punk is Coming.”
Talking Heads co-founders Chris Frantz and wife Tina Weymouth were part of the crowd.
Next Thursday (April 28, 6 p.m.), MoCA features Richard Hell, a founder of several important early CBGB punk bands, including Television and the Heartbreakers, and whose Richard Hell & the Voidoids’ 1977 album “Blank Generation” influenced many other punk groups. The event is free, but advance registration is requested (mocawestport.org).
Last night at MoCA (from left): Monte A. Melnick, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Ruth Mannes (MoCA executive director) and Liz Leggett (MoCA director of exhibitions)(Photo/Cynthia Dempster)
John Weiss, a Westport resident from 1979 to 2015, died peacefully at his Southport home on Tuesday. He was 88.
Born in Manhattan, he graduated from the Horace Mann School in 1951 and earned a BA from Cornell University 4 years later. Following college, he served as a communications officer in the Navy for several years, stationed in the Pacific.
John then joined Bache & Company. He was a floor broker and general partner. The firm became Prudential Securities, from which John retired as a senior vice president.
In retirement, John served the Y’s Men as membership chair for several years, and arranged annual meetings and picnics. He pursued his interests in sailing, tennis, photography, travel, theater, current events and music. He played clarinet in the Westport Community Band for many years.
John is survived by his wife Sheila; sons Graham and John Jr.; stepsons James (Polly) Bienen and Jonathan (Tracy) Bienen; grandchildren Chantal (Jay) Crompton, Hunter Weiss, Cheyenne Weiss, Carl Jason Tondo; and Owen Bienen; great-granddaughters Lola and Millie Crompton, and brother Georgia (Jack) Morris.
Contributions in John’s memory may be made online to support Dr. Richard Frank’s pancreatic cancer research. Gifts also may be mailed to the Norwalk Hospital Foundation, 34 Maple Street, Norwalk, CT 06856
A memorial service is set for Monday (April 25, noon, Temple Israel).
This is Claudia Sherwood Servidio’s first spring in town.
Our new neighbor is discovering how beautiful this season is. And she’s sharing her discoveries with us all, with today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
Whether you’ve just arrived, or this is your 100th spring here: Enjoy!
And if it is, Westport youngsters will have been in on the ground floor.
The backboard-and-ball sport was invented by a Fairfield family. The Hallidays — dad Jim, mom Kathleen and 20somethings Nick, Kevin and Zack — have always tried to come up with new ideas. Usually they’re too tech-based, or grand, to work. Jim and his sons all have fulltime jobs; these would just be side gigs.
The Halliday family.
But while Nick — a former soccer player at Bentley University — was commuting to an internship, he listed to Guy Raz’s “How I Built This” podcast. He started thinking about all the backyard games he and his brothers invented when they were kids.
The Hallidays sketched out Nick’s idea on paper. They bought some plywood at Home Depot. They had a prototype, and started playing.
It was during COVID. Everyone had time; all the sons’ soccer, lacrosse and baseball-playing friends were home. They spent weeks refining the game, and defining its rules.
The pandemic was a tough time to launch a new sport, Jim admits. But the game benefitted from it.
Being in business with his sons has been a joy, Jim says. He sees “a whole different side” of them.
Each brings a different skill set to the business. One works for an investment firm; another is a web developer. The third is in marketing.
One of the first hunnyball customers was Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department. They bought 2 sets, for camps this summer.
Camps — day and sleepaway — may be a great market. Jem Sollinger — the owner of Maine’s Camp Laurel, whose winter office is in Westport — advised Jim to go to the American Camp Association conference in Atlantic City.
Hunnyball set.
Hunnyball was received well there for 2 reasons, Jim says. Many camps are family owned; those owners liked the Hallidays’ family story.
And, he notes, camps are always looking for something new to excite campers. Hunnyball fills that bill.
That’s not idle talk, or marketing puffery. Jim says that on a recent college spring break trip that usually ends with a spikeball tournament, almost half of the group opted for hunnyball.
School phys. ed. teachers like it too. Spikeball can be difficult for young kids, who have small hands. Catching and throwing — the basis of hunnyball — is easier.
You may not have heard of hunnyball yet. But for all the right reasons — including Westport Parks & Rec’s introduction of it this coming summer — your youngsters (or their college friends) may soon be playing it.
If so, remember where you heard it first.
OVERTIME: Why is it called “hunnyball”?
Pickleball was named after the inventors’ family dog. Hunny is the Hallidays’ dog. So naturally …
And because Hunny is a rescue, they’re donating a portion of each set to animal rescue organizations.
(To learn more, click here for hunnyball.com, or email jim@hunnyball.com.)
Westport Fire Chief Michael Kronick reports that approximately 50 dogs and cats were saved by firefighters and police officers at the Town House for Dogs fire early this morning.
They were moved to another part of the kennel not affected by the fire. They are safe, and being cared for by the staff of Town House for Dogs.
The scene today at Town House for Dogs.
However, 2 dogs died in the 2nd-floor apartment that was involved in the fire.
Town House clients who need information about their pets should call owners Mel and Sandy Goldman at 203-227-3276.
Fire Marshal Nathaniel Gibbons notes, “Residents were saved by an alarm system that had recently been upgraded during their annual fire inspection. This drives home the importance of having working smoke alarms in your homes or business.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Westport fire marshal’s office.
A firefighter, battling today’s early morning blaze at the Town House for Dogs. (Photos courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
Just before midnight, Westport firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the Townhouse for Dogs building on the Post Road, between Little Barn and Maserati.
There was heavy fire on the 2nd floor apartment of the building, Fairfield and Norwalk Fire Departments provided mutual aid.
Westport firefighters and police officers rescued and removed approximately 50 dogs and cats from the pet boarding facility.
The 3 occupants of the 2-floor apartment were awakened by smoke detectors. With their exit blocked by fire, they jumped from a window. They were treated by Westport EMS, and did not require hospitalization.
The fire is under investigation by the Westport fire marshal’s office. The WFD reminds residents that working smoke detectors save lives.
Norwalk and Wilton Fire Departments provided station coverage during the incident.
Last night’s fire at the Townhouse for Dogs. (Photo courtesy of Westport Fire Department)
Beachgoers, take note: On May 1, parking emblems (aka “stickers”) will be required to drive into town beaches.
Click here to begin the purchase process online. If you bought an emblem or registered for Parks & Recreation programs previously, choose “Memberships”; in the search box, type “vehicle,” and follow the prompts. It may take 7-10 days to receive your sticker in the mail.
Walk-in purchases are available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist — and 1991 Staples High School graduate — is once again documenting important front-line stories.
Yesterday, her photos from Avdiivka illustrated the brutal lives of those who live in the Donbas, the eastern territory in Russian forces’ crosshairs, as they begin a new and violent assault.
“God bless her, Tyler” — Hicks, her fellow Times award-winning photographer and Staples grad — “and everyone reaching out providing aid to Ukraine,” Lynsey’s mother Camille says.
“Please let it end.”
Like other residents of Avdiivka, Ukraine, Matviy, 12, sought shelter in a basement. The village has come under increasing artillery fire as Russia shifts its offensive to Ukraine’s east. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
A reminder about Arbor Day (April 29), and related events:
This Saturday (April 23, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Jesup Green, free): The Tree Board and Westport Book Shop celebrate Earth Day with a fun event to promote reading for all ages, with attention also on the value of trees. Interactive family-friendly activities involving reading and early learning; educational materials and a native tree sapling giveaway, courtesy of Bartlett Tree Company.
Friday April 29 (Arbor Day, 3 to 4 p.m., Town Hall, free): The Tree Board hosts their annual native sapling giveaway, plus brochures and advice from professional associations on tree-related topics, from site selection to proper maintenance. Native saplings for giveaway are donated by Bartlett Tree.
Saturday, April 30 (3 to 4 p.m., Earthplace): The Tree Board hosts a live discussion and free information session with a tree professional on the basics of tree planting and maintenance, including selection, mulching, pruning, pest management and more. Native tree saplings, courtesy of Bartlett, will be available while they last.
As part of Arbor Day, Earthplace also hosts a “Toast To The Trees” family event 4 to 6 p.m.), with kids’ activities and s’mores, handmade pizza, beverages for adults and kids, plus a “tree walk” tour. Click here to purchase tickets.
Also, the Tree Board and Westport Library have created a “StoryWalk” at the Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum (2 Woodside Lane). The featured book is “Be a Tree!” For more information, click here.
The District 8 “traffic meeting” — arranged by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, with Public Works, Planning & Zoning and Public Safety Department representatives — is set for tonight (April 21, 7 p.m., Town Hall). This is also the middle of our public schools’ spring break.
Residents who can’t attend tonight are invited to an alternate session on Tuesday (same location and time).
RTM District 8 includes Coleytown. Traffic issues include cars waiting on North Avenue, near Coleytown Elementary and Middle Schools. (Photo/David Gottlieb)
For a decade, the non-profit (the acronym stands for Assisting Women through Action, Resources and Education) has partnered with non-profits like Mercy Learning Center, Female Soldiers: Forgotten Heroes, Malta House, Caroline House and Cancer Couch.
For a year, AWARE members learn about that particular organization, and its clients. Through hands-on activities and dinners, they offer support and guidance. Through fundraising, they offer financial help.
This year’s partner is the Women’s Mentoring Network. The Stamford-based group offers education and job training, and assistance in areas like financial literacy and computers.
This year’s fundraiser is May 14 (6 to 8 p.m.). “Tapas @ Twilight” includes food, beverages and an auction. Click here or email info@awarect.org for more information.
Unfortunately, we got this too late to post yesterday (4/20). Still, here goes:
The American Marketing Association Southern Connecticut chapter’s first hybrid event — “CannaCurious? Marketing, Regulations and Social Equity” (May 19, networking at 6 p.m., program at 7, Earthplace and Zoom) — focuses on the booming cannabis sector.
Industry leaders from state and federal regulatory, marketing, social equity and investment advisory groups will share best practices, tips and guidelines for the quickly changing landscape.
Who would put a port-a-potty in the marsh, at the extreme end of Sherwood Island State Park?
(Photo/Art Schoeller)
No one. Well, no one except Mother Nature.
Greens Farms Association president Art Schoeller sent this photo, and an explanation: Monday’s storm floated the portable toilet from the Burying Hill parking lot — where it’s being used for the jetty reconstruction project — across the channel to Sherwood Island.
Westport Country Playhouse has branched out into podcasting.
“Stories from the Playhouse” — a new series — launched this week on Spotify and Libsyn classic feed, and on the Playhouse website.
Hosted by Playhouse assistant artistic director Liam Lonegan, the podcast hopes to inspire artists, audiences and community members. The monthly series will feature guests from throughout the theater world, sharing their stories.
The first episode is “Redefining Normal,” with guest Marcos Santana, director and choreographer of “Next to Normal.” The show runs through Sunday, April 24. Santana tells his story, from growing up in Puerto Rico to performing on Broadway, and sheds light on bringing the pop/rock musical to the Playhouse stage.
Linda Colletta is launching a new “Westport Studio Concept Space,” open through September.
Her goal with the 33 Elm Street spot is to “make the art studio experience more accessible to the public, enhance education about abstract art, and invite artists and art enthusiasts to connect with the artist in person.”
An opening reception is set for April 29 (6 to 9 p.m.).
Westport college admissions counselor Amy Chatterjee offers a free webinar on the admissions process, and the importance – or not – of the SATs and ACTs.
It’s set for Thursday, April 28 (7 p.m.). Click here to register.
If this happened in the summer, “06880” would be inundated with photos.
But it’s still April (and I think every Westport family is away this week, during school vacation).
That’s why Jeanine Esposito is the only person to have sent “06880” a photo of salps.
One salp …
She and her husband Frederic Chiu saw “thousands” at Compo Beach Tuesday night.
The gelatinous, barrel-shaped balls are washing up on beaches all over the East Coast. Only as big as a marble, and often called “jellyfish eggs,” they’re not related to jellyfish at all. They have no stingers, and are harmless.
They pump water through their bodies, and filter out the phytoplankton that is their food. But when that is unavailable, they wash up on shores.
Jenaine sent a link to an article. It explains all you ever wanted to know about salps.
I can’t remember what my sisters and I did with my mother’s wheelchair, after she died. Or any of the other medical gear, like the walker, cane and bathtub seat she used in the final months of her life.
I do know we did not donate it to Wheel It Forward. We did not know about that fantastic non-profit then.
Too many people still don’t.
That’s a shame. The average piece of “durable medical equipment” — those items mentioned above, along with hospital beds, knee scooters, toilet rests, crutches and more — is used for only 4 months.
Sometimes it’s donated to an organization, along with everything else in a cleaned-out home.
Sometimes it’s stuffed in a closet. Sometimes it’s discarded.
Someone else could always use it.
Elliot Sloyer is on a mission to connect that equipment with people who need it. Retired now after co-founding and managing 2 hedge funds and an internet start-up — plus writing 2 children’s books, and biking across the US with son, he’s one of Wheel It Forward’s 100 volunteers.
The Stamford-based group had its genesis when Sloyer chaperoned an 8th grade trip to Israel, and visited Yad Sarah. Run by 6,000 people, it’s a “lending library” of durable medical equipment for all Israelis: rich and poor, young and old, Jewish, Muslim and Christian.
When someone needs something, they get it by the end of the day. When they’re done, they return it. What could be simpler?
Elliot Sloyer
Sloyer loved the idea. But back in the US, he found nothing similar here. Some groups were trying to collect and lend “DME,” but it was haphazard at best. Others — like the Westport Woman’s Club — had to curtail their programs, due to insurance and liability concerns.
He used his entrepreneurial background to start Wheel It Forward. It’s become one of the most important — yet still little-known — organizations in Fairfield County.
“This changes lives immediately,” Sloyer says. With a wheelchair or walker, people become mobile. Their quality of life improves instantly.
That’s not the only benefit. Sloyer notes the relief felt by people who desperately need, but can’t afford, medical equipment. (Medicare does not pay for shower safety items, for example. But a $50 seat can prevent someone from falling — and incurring costs for an ambulance ride, surgery, rehab and everything else.)
“The return on investment is huge,” he notes.
And Wheel It Forward is green. Durable medical equipment stays out of landfill. Not to mention saving all the mining, packaging and shipping that goes along with manufacturing more items.
The group’s “lending library” of DME is open to everyone. But unlike a library of books — where 30% of the inventory is often out — 70% of Wheel It Forward’s 2,500-item inventory is usually in use.
Some of that use comes thanks to the Westport Senior Center. Director Sue Pfister and her staff make frequent referrals.
She’s made just as many calls to them for people with items they (or their relatives) no longer need. Wheel It Forward does pickup and delivery, on request.
Wheel It Forward thrives because it’s needed, because people volunteer, and through financial contributions. To learn more — including how to borrow or donate equipment, volunteer or give funds — click here.
With a few days off from Little League practice, 10-year-old Beckett O’Malley wanted to work on his hitting.
So last Saturday, his dad Ian looked for a batting cage. He found The Clubhouse in Fairfield.
The door was open. But owner Mike Porzio said, “I’m sorry. We’re closed for the Easter holiday. I’m just here teaching a couple of students.” Ian thought they were high school or college age.
Mike saw the disappointment on Beckett’s face. He quickly changed his mind, and said they could use an area next to where he was teaching — for free.
That was a super-kind gesture, Ian says.
Beckett O’Malley and Mike Porzio.
But there was more.
Mike stopped what he was doing, and began teaching Beckett the mechanics of hitting, in a way the boy easily understood.
Mike is the real deal. The Norwalk native pitched for 3 MLB seasons with the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox.
Within minutes, Ian says, his son’s swing was “night and day.” Mike went back to teaching the 2 older athletes.
But there was still more.
With only a net separating the areas, Mike kept an eye on Beckett. He continued offering tips, and words of encouragement.
“Mike was a total game changer,” Ian says.
Literally and figuratively.
Congratulations to Mike Porzio, our “06880” Unsung Hero of the Week. If you know of a worthy candidate, email 06880blog@gmail.com,
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