The town of Westport honored Julia Marino tonight.
Hundreds of residents of all ages — including a huge number of awestruck young kids, plus former soccer teammates and her parents’ postal carrier — thronged the Westport Library to get autographs from, pose for pictures with, and hear the snowboard slopestyle Olympic silver medalist.
An added bonus: a chance to lift that actual medal themselves.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and State Representative Jonathan Steinberg read proclamations. ESPN Emmy-winner (and fellow Westporter) Jeremy Schaap led an intriguing Q-and-A session. It was announced that a lenticular image of Julia, by artist Miggs Burroughs, will hang at the train station, welcoming all to Westport.
And Library director Bill Harmer invited everyone back for a watch party — in 2026, when we all hope Julia will compete in the Milano Cortina Olympics.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker is often in the center of photos. Today she and her daughter happily flanked Julia Marino.
Scores of parents took photos of their children, and Julia Marino.
(From left): 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, Julia Marino and friends enjoy a video of Julia’s Olympic accomplishments, on the Library’s high-tech, high-res screen.
Julia Marino, at the start of her silver medal run, on the Library’s big screen.
ESPN host Jeremy Schaap chats with fellow Westporter Julia Marino.
A small portion of the large crowd gives Julia Marino a standing ovation.
Julia’s actual Olympic medal. It’s heavy! (All photos/Dan Woog)
“The show must go on” is a cliché. But Saugatuck Elementary School has managed to make lemonade out of lemons.
When COVID struck, they kept their upcoming show — “The Little Mermaid” — afloat. They turned clips into a video, and showed it on the big Remarkable Theater screen.
That was such a hit, they did a fully recorded show — “Charlie Brown” — over Zoom last year. Again, it delighted many Remarkable movie-goers.
After two years, the youngsters are back on the SES stage.
Saugatuck Theater Club is producing “Shrek The Musical JR.” The theme — “what makes us special makes us strong” — is timely, considering recent events like the sudden focus on Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia.
Fiona (Ayla Ciano-Buckley, 5th grade, and understudies (from left) Sofia Amron (3rd grade) and Ella O’Brien (4th).
This being Westport, the Saugatuck El kids have a special coach/mentor: Broadway star Kelli O’Hara. She’s helping director Katie Bloom — along with the usual staff members and parent volunteers, who have waited 2 years for the chance.
The curtain rises Friday, April 8 (7 p.m). Performances follow the next day (Saturday, April 9) at 1 and 6:30 p.m. Click here for tickets.
Mila Carbino (3rd grade), one of the 3 pigs protesting Lord Farquad’s discrimination against the nonconformists of Duloc.
If you drove on I-95 or the Merritt Parkway yesterday, you noticed electronic signs warning against distracted driving: “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”
They’re part of a state Department of Transportation campaign for April — it’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The Westport Police have joined the effort too.
Connecticut law prohibits the use of any hand-held electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers 16 or 17 years of age are prohibited from using a cell phone or mobile device any time, even a hands-free one.
Drivers who are ticketed pay $200 for the first offense, $375 for the next, and $625 for the third and subsequent offenses.
If you never saw “The Breakfast Club”: You missed a classic.
If you missed Triple Threat Academy’s staged workshop production of it at Toquet Hall: You missed another classic.
But you’re in luck! Excerpts have just been posted on YouTube.
The performance grew out of TripleThreat’s Zoom production, directed by founder and “Fame” star Cynthia Gibb during the pandemic.
The cast brought such energy and power to their Zoom sessions that Gibb vowed to bring it to the stage as soon as it was safe.
Despite only 10 hours of rehearsal, the show earned a standing ovation. Triple Threat plans more productions like it. Their spring session begins April 12, with acting and improv classes for youth, teens and adults at Toquet Hall.
Click here for details. As for video below: Hey, it’s “The Breakfast Club.” Beware of f-bombs.
It looked that way, from from the commercial real estate listing:
Turns out it’s the small rooms that are being rented by Pinnacle Fitness — perhaps to a physical therapist, chiropractor or similar tenant. Yuri’s Gym has closed.
Sounds like a great opportunity. Especially for a health professional who likes hamburgers. (Hat tip: Steven Goldstein)
Aspetuck Land Trust’s popular “Lunch & Learn” series returns this Friday (April 8, noon to 1:15 p.m., Zoom).
“Invasives to Natives: A Backyard Restoration” features super-gardener Pam Roman. She’ll talk about her COVID-time project that transformed her garden — and also healed her heart and soul. Click here to register.
Fortunately, NASA has a deflection plan. Just as fortuitously, the Westport Astronomical Society’s next online lecture is with Dr. Nancy Chabot. She’s the planetary chief scientist at Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory. She’ll talk about DART — the “Double Asteroid Redirection Test” defense mission.Here’s one more: an asteroid smashing into earth.
The event is April 19 (8 p.m.). Click here for the Zoom link. Click here for the YouTube livestream.
It should be fascinating. If nothing has happened to the world in the meantime.
Former Westporter Barbara Webster died in February at her Oklahoma City home, from complications of dementia. She was 85.
She retired in 2016 after a storied career as a teacher, counselor, professional dancer, choreographer and arts administrator. Her last appointments were as a career counselor at Bunnell High School in Stratford, and executive director of the Connecticut Dance School in Fairfield.
Webster taught dance and fitness for decades through the Westport adult education and summer school programs, and in studios across Fairfield County (including with former Broadway star Bambi Lynn).
She helped choreograph productions and enhanced costumes for Staples Players and at Coleytown Junior High School in the 1970s and ’80s, including shows like “Oklahoma!”, “My Fair Lady,” “Carousel” and “Dromio, Dromio!.” She served as a substitute teacher and guidance counselor too.
She performed with the Dancers of Faith and with Heritage Productions throughout the tri-state region, and presented her original work at the Unitarian Church in Westport. She held additional arts administration roles at the Levitt Pavilion, executive director of the Stamford Community Arts Council, and director of ARTSPACE in New Haven.
An accomplished seamstress and costume designer, Webster was one of 12 needlewomen working on Westport’s Bicentennial Quilt. She also created an original ornament for the Westport Heritage Christmas Tree.
In 1977 Webster co-founded Giftbags, Ltd. She helped develop a customized line of reusable felt bags and puppets for gifts, wine and treats that were featured at the Metropolitan Opera, and local boutiques. Later, she co-created puppets for sale at Blue Man Group performances.A native of New Jersey, Webster graduated first in her class from Barringer High School (Newark) in 1953 and received her BA degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University, in 1957. She earned a Master of Education degree from Rutgers in 1965.
Webster was predeceased by her husband Russell and brother, Dr. Edward C. Sheppard. Survivors include her children Russell Todd Webster of Anchorage, and Catherine Sheppard Webster of Oklahoma City, and grandchildren Haven Barnett, Teddy Webster, and Meredith and Thayer Dycus.
A memorial service will be held August 7 (2 p.m., Unitarian Church in Westport).
The family has requested that contributions in her memory be sent to a scholarship established in her name at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Barbara Webster
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Many “06880” readers sent photos of yesterday’s gorgeous rainbow over Compo Beach. Jeanine Esposito’s made the cut as today’s “Westport … Naturally” image.
This is our 104th online art gallery. That means it’s our 2nd anniversary. (Okay, I missed 2 weeks: once during Hurricane Isaias, once when I was in Kansas City. So sue me.)
Thanks to all who have submitted works. Some artists have contributed 1 or 2 pieces; others, dozens.
All show off the wealth of talent in this town, and by former Westporters. What began as a way to express emotions during the start of the pandemic has morphed into something much broader, with a wide variety of themes and mediums.
Here’s to the next 2 years!
As always, we appreciate everyone’s submissions. This gallery is open to all readers. Whatever your age and level of experience — professional or amateur, young or old. In every medium. On every topic.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to dwoog@optonline.net. Share your work with the world!
“Enlightenment” (Holly Tashian)
“African Night” — acrylic paint on canvas (Jared Buckman, age 15, Greens Farms Academy)
“We Beat North Carolina!” (Stephen Stein)
Untitled earthenware (Diane Yormark)
Judith Marks-White says: “I sliced a red delicious apple, and a heart emerged. I hope it a-peels to you,:
Wheels 2 Me, Wheels 2 U, Wheels 2 Us Transportation to the station by bus There and back in a jiffy In wheels super spiffy Convenience that’s a plus with no fuss
Jonathan Prager is not Ogden Nash. He’s not Dr. Seuss.
But — thanks to the limerick above — he’s the winner of the Westport Transit District’s limerick contest.
The goal was to increase awareness of Wheels2U — the on-demand, group ride, door-to train-platform shuttle service. Winners earn gift certificates to the restaurant of their choice.
Wheels2U
WTD director Peter Gold was “completely overwhelmed with the quantity and quality of the entries.” Over 75 limericks vied for honors. Other winners are:
Second Prizes—Dorian Barth and Paul Delano
The station is not very far. I wish I could just leave the car, and be picked up at home from an app on my phone. Well, you can! Wheels2U — there you are!
In some places they commute in their trucks. Here in Westport we travel deluxe. Wheels2U comes right swift, With a door to door lift. And sets you back a measly two bucks!
Third Prizes—Marc Frankel, Alan Zipkin, Nicole Goldstein and Scott Weiner
There once was a Westport commuter, With a gym bag and laptop computer, Sick of walking up hills, He tried the bus for two bills, And said, “This is warmer than taking my scooter.”
If you need to go down to the station, Going to work or on a vacation. Are you driving? What for? You can go door-to-door When you’re part of the Wheels2U nation.
A new family with only one car A commute that is suddenly far Wheels2U saves the day Just a phone tap away A swift ride to and from where you are.
Want a green way to get to the train? Costly parking and taxis a pain? Choose Wheels2U Westport For a $2 escort From your home to the platform. (Insane!)
Honorable Mentions—Jonathan Prager, Emily Fair Weber, Dan Kail, Rich Hochman and Jeff Wieser
No car to park, or drive home in the dark Or navigate through the rain like an ark Much less pollution A commuting solution Wheels 2 U door to door service hits the mark.
A Westporter owned a fine Subaru And left home each day with a toodle-oo But when she parked at the train She had to wade through the rain Why didn’t she call Wheels 2U?
Folks without a car Can’t get very far. By funding Wheels2U Giving rides will do. Good neighbors are who we are.
There’s a little blue bus in our town, That gets you to your train by the Sound, It’s cheap to ride, And comfy inside, The greenest way to go I’ve found!
Taking a bus can never grow old. It’s a great way to stay out of the cold. So change your commute; The bus is a beaut. And if there’s a problem, then call Peter Gold!
Anyone who has seen “Cool Hand Luke” — the classic 1967 film starring Westport’s own Paul Newman — remembers the scene in which he and his fellow chain gang members watch a very busty young woman seductively wash a car:
The cast included George Kennedy, Dennis Hopper and Wayne Rogers. No one can name the gorgeous woman, who did not even have a speaking role.
She was Joy Harmon.
And 10 years before Newman made “Cool Hand Luke,” she was a student at Staples High School.
Her 1956 yearbook writeup hinted at things to come:
Born in Flushing, New York, the impressively endowed Patty Jo Harmon was discovered as a guest on “You Bet Your Life” (1950) by Groucho Marx and later was invited to work with him on “Tell It to Groucho” (1961). The TV exposure parlayed into roles in such obscure films as “Village of the Giants” (1965) and more famous fare like “Cool Hand Luke” (1967), but she was used mostly for eye candy.
With only a handful of television appearances to her name, she made a bigger career as a pin-up girl during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but she ultimately retired from acting to get married and start a family. Baking has always been a favorite pastime and she since started Aunt Joy’s Cakes. She first started sharing her treats while working at Disney Studios and runs a wholesale bakery based in Burbank, California.
Her Wikipedia page adds:
She guest-starred on several 1960s TV series, including “Gidget,” “Batman” and “The Monkees.” She appeared in a cameo role as blonde Ardice in the Jack Lemmon comedy “Under the Yum Yum Tree” in 1963. She had a role as Tony Dow’s girlfriend in the 1965–66 television soap opera “Never Too Young.”
Westporters recall 1950s Staples graduates like Mariette Hartley and Christopher Lloyd, who went on to movie and TV fame. We claim Michael Douglas too, even though he was shipped off to boarding school after Bedford Junior High.
We never remember Joy Harmon.
Though — as Paul Newman and the other men working on the chain gang quickly realized — it’s hard to forget her. (Hat tip: Alan Neigher)
A bigger crowd will honor Olympic medalist Julia Marino tomorrow than was on hand when she actually won it.
Spectators were not allowed on the Chinese mountain where the Westport native snagged her snowboard slopestyle silver. Her parents, sister and friends watched from half a world away, on Vivid-Tek’s big screen.
They — and many more fans — will fill the Trefz Forum tomorrow, for the town’s celebration.
But if you haven’t already registered, don’t try getting in. All the (free) tickets were gone in a few hours.
You can still see it, though. The 7 p.m. event will be livestreamed. Click here for the link.
Hey — if watching Julia win an Olympic medal on a screen was good enough for her family, doing the same for her celebration should be okay for you.
Julia Marino, on the Olympic podium. Tomorrow she’ll stand on the Library stage.
Fashionably Westport — the Downtown Association’s great benefit for Project Return, the Homes with Hope program for homeless women — kicked off last night with a runway event at the Westport Library.
Fashionably Westport continues today (Friday, April 1) with activities and promotions at downtown and Playhouse Square retailers and salons
Participating merchants include Middlemarch, WEST, Noya Jewelry Design, FRED, Marine Layer, Splash of Pink, Southern Tide, Cotelac, Barbour, Stephen Kempson London, Express Edit, Winged Monkey, Fleet Feet, The Plumed Serpent, Bobbles & Lace, Brochu Walker, 7 For All Mankind, Splendid, Scout and Molly’s, Great Stuff, Pure Salon and Artistex.
Looking fashionable last night at the Library (from left): Homes with Hope CEO Helen McAlinden, RTM member Sal Liccione, frequent food drive volunteer Anna Rycenga, Police Chief Foti Koskinas, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Westport Downtown Association president Maxx Crowley.
Some of Westport’s most historic, unique — and breathtaking — homes are for sale.
And they’re all next to each other, on one of Westport’s most historic and unique sites: Compo Mill Cove.
#44 — a 1917 bungalow — is the gray house, most visible (and most painted and photographed) from Old Mill Beach. The oldest one on the Cove, with original framing and fireplace intact, it’s accessible via a footpath and teak boardwalk, just beyond 2 wooden bridges.
Incredibly, it never floods. Even Superstorm Sandy did no damage. The price was recently reduced to $3.295 million.
Fun at 44 Compo Mill Cove.
Also on the market: #42 (the cottage rebuilt in 2006 by Michael Greenberg), and #48 Compo Mill Cove. Like #44, they’re owned by Robin Tauck, and feature natural plantings. Together, they’re on hundreds of feet of private beachfront.
42 Compo Mill Cove, aka “The Pirate Shack.”
There’s an open house for all 3 Sunday (April 3, 1 to 3 p.m.). Park in the Old Mill lot, and walk over the bridges.
PS: Though not owned by Robin, #46 is far sale too. That means all of the Cove point is for sale.
Buy one of these spectacular homes.
Or all 4!
44 Compo Mill Cove is the gray house on the right side of this photo. Other homes nearby are also for sale.
Pause + Purpose — the new mindfulness studio, across from the Library on Jesup Road — calls its sessions “Pause for a Cause.”
From tomorrow through Monday (April 2-4), that cause is Ukraine. All proceeds from meditations hosted by the studio staff will go to World Central Kitchen, to help feed the Ukrainian people.
Some “Westport … Naturally” photos can sit for a while before I use them.
Not this one.
Soon, the branches will fill out. In a couple of weeks — fingers crossed — this image of Owenoke Park, looking toward Compo Beach, will seem very dated.
Town officials have already discussed a variety of uses for Westport’s $8.4 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds: the jetty at Burying Hill Beach, aid to non-profit organizations, and plans for low-density affordable housing.
Next up: traffic mitigation.
Specifically: roundabouts.
A new traffic pattern — circular, around a central island — has long been proposed for the Weston Road/Main Street/Easton Road cluster*** near Merritt Parkway Exit 42.
The very confusing — and dangerous — Main Street/Weston Road/Easton Road intersection.
Soon, the Board of Selectwomen and Public Works Department will request money to make that a reality.
As well as 5 other notoriously bad intersections in town.
Roundabouts will be proposed for:
The notorious “worst in the state” Post Road/Riverside Avenue/Wilton Road mess
Riverside Avenue and Bridge Street, at the foot of the Cribari Bridge
The Compo Shopping Center (“CVS”)/Compo Acres (“Trader Joe’s”) misaligned entrances/exits on the Post Road
The nearly-as-bad Compo Acres exit onto South Compo Road, at the west end of the plaza
The North Avenue/Cross Highway 4-way stop, midway between 4 Westport schools.
A roundabout in the Post Road would prevent cars from entering the wrong way.
“We understand that while the Merritt Parkway project is fairly straightforward, with plans already designed, the others are more complex,” the Board of Selectwomen say in a prepared statement.
“In fact, all of the others will involve taking some land by eminent domain. The Wilton Road and Cribari Bridge projects, for example, may necessitate the removal of some already existing buildings.
“While eminent domain is not necessarily the easiest path to pursue, we believe that ultimately these improvements will benefit all Westporters. We pledge to work with any affected businesses to find new locations, and to do so in a way that lessens any adverse impact on them.”
The statement adds, “While we know some of these designs will be tight, we are confident that our professionals can make them work.”
The proposal goes next to the Planning & Zoning Commission, then the RTM. Click here to see drawings of all 6 roundabouts.
Due to space constraints, Westport’s roundabout islands would not be as large as this example.
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