Quietly — but very popularly — the Westport Library’s StoryFest has become the largest literary festival in Connecticut.
This year’s event — the 4th annual — runs from October 28 through November 2. There is something for every age.
And every type of reader.
Michael Lewis
The kickoff (October 28, 7 p.m.) features a virtual conversation with politics and Wall Street writer Michael Lewis. His 16th book, The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, follows a biochemist, public health worker and federal government employee as they confront the pandemic, and realize the federal government’s response is woefully inadequate.
Lewis will be interviewed by award-winning journalist Lisa Belkin. She spent 30 years at the New York Times, as national correspondent and medical reporter. To register, click here. https://westportlibrary.org/event/michael-lewis/
The next night (Friday, October 29, 7 p.m.), Mallory O’Meara launches her new book Girly Drinks!
It tells the history of the female distillers, drinkers and brewers who have played a vital role in the creation and consumption of alcohol. Drinking is not just (and has never been) about. men. To register for the virtual presentation — including a recipe for a signature drink by SoNo 1420 — click here.
On the day before Halloween (Saturday, October 30, 10 a.m.), young readers will read Pink or Treat with Victoria Kann (and enjoy a Pinkalicious parade. Costumes are encouraged. Click here to register.
Saturday programming continues at 1 p.m. with a virtual panel discussion of When Things Get Dark: A Shirley Jackson Anthology. It’s a collection of new short stories inspired by, and in tribute to, the famed author (and former Westport resident).
Panelists include Stephen Graham Jones, Seanan McGuire, John Langan, and Paul Tremblay. Click here to register.
The final event on October 30 (7 p.m.) is an an All Hallow’s Eve in-person celebration with 2 of horror fiction’s biggest stars: authors Stephen Graham Jones (My Heart is a Chainsaw; The Only GoodIndians) and Grady Hendrix (Final Girls Support Group). Click here to register.
Mitch Albom
StoryFest emds pm Tuesday, November 2 (7:30 p.m.) with a special in-person event. Bestselling author Mitch Albom launches his newest book: The Stranger in the Lifeboat. It’s a fresh take on themes that have defined his work. Click here to register.
Worried about traffic? Want more bike lanes? How can we balance growth with greenery? Interested in Westport’s goal of Net Zero by 2050, energy, transportation, waste, water and conservation issues?
Sustainable Westport and Earthplace are sponsoring a pair of “environmental debates,” prior to next month’s election. Candidates for the Planning & Zoning Commission will meet this Monday (October 18, 6:30 p.m.). Those running for Board of Selectmen will meet on Thursday, October 21 (7 p.m.).
Both events are virtual. Click here for links, and more details. The debates will be recorded, and posted on the Sustainable Westport website for viewing later.
Sunday is International Observe the Moon Night. The worldwide public event encourages observation and appreciation of (yes) the moon.
The Westport Astronomical Society invites everyone to the observatory on Bayberry Lane this Sunday (8 p.m. — only if skies are clear). It’s a chance to see the moon as you’ve never seen it before. All you have to do is look up.
Chris Frantz knows music. The Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club artist — and Fairfield resident also knows the importance of introducing new musicians to new audiences.
He’s partnering with the Westport Library on a new series. The inaugural “Chris Frantz Presents Emerging Musicians” concert (December 4) features New York’s Lulu Lewis, and New Haven’s The Problem with Kids Today. Both specialize in punk rock.
This is another music collaboration and production by Verso Studios at the Westport Library and the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce. The series will feature up-and-coming regional, national and international talent, hand-picked by Frantz..
Vice President Larry Kleinman won the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He logged vastly more than the 4,000 volunteer hours required for the honor. Kleinman also received Crew Chief of the Year.
Jenna Baumblatt and Ryan Blake were named Youth Corps Members of the Year. EMT of the Year went to Yves Cantin, an ex-president who stays involved.
Volunteer of the Year is Andrew O’Brien.
Volunteer Service Award winners include James Bairaktaris, Jenna Baumblatt,. Ella Bayazit, Ryan Blake, Michael Burns, Yves Cantin, Andrew Dinitz, Carol Dixon, Danielle Faul, Leah Foodman, Daniel Guetta, Dorothy Harris, Deanna Hartog, Jonathan Huzil, Mary Inagami, Vignesh Kareddy. Larry Kleinman, Eliza Lang, Christopher Moore, Annika Morgan, Christopher Muschett, Andrew O’Brien, Lynette Pineda, April Rademacher, Stewart Reifler, Morgan Rizy, Joshua Rosen, Alice Sardarian, Kathleen Smith, Ian Speers, Swati Sriram, Nancy Surace, Audrone Tarnok and Ekaterina Taylor-Yeremeeva.
Honorees (clockwise, from upper left):Yves Cantin, Jenna Baumblatt, Larry Kleinman, Ryan Blake.
The Westport Garden Club installed Ginger Donaher as its 52nd president yesterday. She’s new — but her family is very familiar.
Ginger’s mother, Nancy Gault — yes, of those Gaults — served as president from 1991 to ’93. Ginger’s aunt, Judy Sterling, held the position from 1983 to ’85.
Ginger’s grandmother, Georgiana Gault, was not president. But she was an active Garden Club member from the 1950s until her death in 1994.
Kelly Pollard — Ginger’s’ cousin, and Judy’s daughter — is the club’s current hospitality chair. And — who knows? — perhaps a future president herself.
Westport Garden Club president Ginger Donaher (center) is flanked by (from left) Kelly Pollard and Judy Sterling. (Photo/Topsy Siderowf)
Westporter and animal Reiki volunteer Cathy Malkin is featured in this month’s Connecticut Humane Society spotlight.
She describes herself as “an animal muse who is able to translate animals’ thoughts, feelings and viewpoints so they can be better understood.” For the full Q-and-A, click here.
Despite the recent deaths of 3 of the their most active, engaged members — and the COVID cancellation of the traditional Great Duck Race and Wine Tasting fundraisers — Westport’s Sunrise Rotary Club pushes forward with its mission to give talent, time and money to community and social causes.
Sunrise Rotary’s International Service Committee got approval last week for 2 new projects: sustainable agriculture to benefit Syrian refugees in Jordan, and battling malnutrition through improved food security in Guatemala. Members are also excited about participating in the upcoming Bridgeport schools’ Read Aloud Day.
For more information on Westport Sunrise Rotary, click here.
Up Next Teens is a Staples High School organization that fights food insecurity in Fairfield County.
They’re sponsoring tomorrow’s Remarkable Theater showing of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Ticket purchasers have the option of contributing $25 to their fundraiser. Click here for tickets. Enjoy the show — and help a great cause.
And finally … on this day in 1878, the Edison Electric Light Company began operation. By 1890 it merged with several other Edison companies, and became the Edison General Electric Company. Today we know it as GE.
From time to time, our Friday Flashback visits Fountain Square. That’s the Post Road/Main Street intersection. Early in the 20th century — dominated by a large fountain (aka horse trough) — it’s where townspeople gathered to conduct business, socialize, and water their horses.
It was also known as “Hotel Square.” Prior to construction of the YMCA in 1923, the Westport Hotel stood on the corner.
Last weekend, Gitta Selva went to a flea market in New Milford. She bought a plate that depicts Hotel Square. The seller found it while cleaning out her mother’s house in Westport.
The inscription says it was reproduced from an original mural by Westport artist Robert Lambdin (1886-1981). It shows a street scene from 1875-1880, including the Westport Hotel.
There was plenty of action: well-dressed people bustling around a horse-drawn trolley, a horse drinking at the trough, others nearby at the hotel.
Lambdin’s mural hung in the Westport Bank & Trust building. Today it’s Patagonia — a few yards away from the scene shown on the plate.
The hotel is at the current site of Anthropologie. The trough is on Main Street. The white house behind it is where Patagonia is now. It looks quite a bit like the house that was converted a few years ago into the Spotted Horse restaurant.
If so, was that house moved later to its present site? Did Lambdin take artistic liberty with what he drew?
Click “Comments” below if you know. And if you are 100 years old and remember “Fountain Square,” we’d love to hear more!
A group of neighbors on the road, off Saugatuck Avenue near I-95 Exit 17, has filed suit in Bridgeport Superior Court.
The plaintiffs ask the court for a “temporary and permanent injunction enjoining the Defendant from constructing greater than a one-family house on any of the lots owned by the Defendant in the Subdivision in violation of the One-Family House Restriction.”
The neighbors claim that a covenant on the property restricts all development on land owned by the defendant — Summit Saugatuck — to one-family houses only.
The plaintiffs also cite health and safety concerns related to increased traffic, along with runoff and flood issues.
The redevelopment plan for Hiawatha Lane. Click to enlarge.
Jacqueline Heneage — Westport’s 1st female 1st selectman — died October 3. She was 96 years old.
A former president of the League of Women Voters, her election over incumbent John Kemish in 1973 marked the first time a Democrat had won the top spot since 1948. She was 3 more times, serving until 1981.
Jackie Heneage, 1979
As noted in Woody Klein’s history of Westport, she hired a grantswoman who obtained nearly $2 million. It was used to convert Bedford Elementary School into Town Hall, and for open space acquisition, a youth center (now the Gillespie Center), elderly housing, the Police Department and beautification projects.
Heneage extended long-term projects like flood control, and sewers and road improvements. She believed the town had enough commercial zoning, and pushed for reduced building sites, increased setbacks and the elimination of Design Development Districts.
Westport’s school population declined sharply during her tenure. In addition to the Bedford Elementary School conversion, Hillspoint Elementary School became a childcare center; Greens Farms Elementary became the Westport Arts Center, and Saugatuck Elementary on Bridge Street became elderly housing.
Heneage also oversaw the construction of the transfer station on the Sherwood Island Connector, extension of sewers on Post Road East and in many residential areas, and the move of fire station headquarters from Church Lane to its current Post Road location.
Jackie Heneage in 2002 with Ted Diamond. He served as her 2nd selectman.
She entered into long negotiations with Baron Walter Langer von Langendorff, who owned 32 acres of land on the Post Road East/Compo Road North corner. In 1979 the RTM voted to appropriate $3,48 million for the purchase, but postponed giving her condemnation authority if the baron refused to sell. After her administration, the land became Winslow Park.
Heneage also oversaw Westport’s participation in the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. Over that July 4th weekend, Main Street between the Post Road and Elm Street turned from 2-way traffic to a 1-way street.
But Jackie Heneage was more than a groundbreaking first selectwoman. Her daughter Audrey sends along this remembrance.
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Our mother, Jackie Heneage was a dynamo. During our childhood she worked part-time, volunteered in many civic organizations, played tennis and still found time to put a hot meal on the table every night (despite not being a domestic
goddess)!
Saturday mornings we woke up to Broadway tunes or classical music blasting in the living room and our list of chores. It was always: clean your room and another space, plus mow one side of the lawn in summer. But after that we were
free to do whatever with whoever until dinner.
Summertimes we were shipped off to Beach School or Longshore every day for swim lessons and general tanning. This regimentation may have felt onerous to us, but it allowed my mom to continue being herself and not drown in family life.
There was no guilt on her part and no lasting damage to us kids. In fact, the structure was just what we needed.
Winter vacations meant a visit to our grandparents in Hanover, New Hampshire where she taught us all how to ski on her old equipment on the golf course behind her house, which had a rope tow in winter. She threw us into all the activities she had loved as a child. We were always outside riding bikes, skating, swatting at tennis balls. While only one of us became an athlete (Cynthia). the exposure was not a waste. She supported Cynthia in every sport she wanted to try — swimming, figure skating, skiing, gymnastics. She became proficient at all of them, although Mom finally told her she had to focus on one because she didn’t have time to drive her to the various practices.
Our mother planned fantastic trips and outings for our family. After Cynthia brought home several books on the national parks, she planned a 1-month trip out west. In summer 1966 we visited 7 different national parks and Mexico.
Jackie Heneage (seated) with her daughters.
The ’60s were the time of her increasing involvement in the Westport League of Women Voters, eventually becoming its president. The League’s study of town government prepared her for her first political campaign for a seat on the Zoning
Board of Appeals, and her later successful campaign for First Selectman.
As first selectman she was busy at work all day, and at town meetings every night. She took speechwriting very seriously and labored over each one, reading them aloud for our feedback.
On weekends, the police chief called her to report various disturbances around the town, many which her youngest daughter had attended (but never as a troublemaker)!
Her 8 years in office coincided with her parents needing increasing care in New Hampshire. Every holiday she and our father Peter traveled to give the caregivers their time off, never taking the holiday for themselves.
Jackie Heneage, reading the Westport News.
She retired from First Selectman in 1981 and went on to further corporate and government jobs. In 1983 she became a grandmother and doted on her grandchildren.
After her retirement in 1992 she and Peter delighted in taking them on excursions and extended trips, in between their own travels. She continued to play her favorite sport, tennis, until she was 80 years old. She was eventually blessed with 5 great-grandchildren she loved to see.
Peter and Jackie moved to Sedona, Arizona in 2018. Always active, Jackie made a friend who took her to meetings of the Sedona League of Women Voters and out to lunch. Jackie maintained her sense of humor and upbeat attitude to the end, becoming a favorite at Sedona Winds Assisted Living. But when she reached the age of 96, the age of Peter at his death, she decided it was time to check up on him, and off she went. We will miss her dearly
When Kerry Liles registered her daughter Molly for kindergarten at Greens Farms Elementary, Marguerite Rossi encouraged signing up for Girl Scouts too. Remembering her own great 7 years as a Scout in Long Island, Kerry figured, Why not?
As she did, Marguerite said, “You’re on the wrong side of the table. We need volunteers!”
Thirteen years later, Molly is still a Girl Scout. Kerry is still the leader. And though other activities, moves away from Westport — and life — have whittled the numbers down from 21 to 7, that group is still very active. They’re very tight. And the tale of Troop 50048 is very, very cool.
An early Girl Scout cookies sale. Kerry Liles stands in back.
Those first years with Brownies were “like herding kittens,” Kerry recalls. The girls planted daffodils at GFS, did crafts, and — most importantly — became friends.
As they graduated to full Girl Scouts, their horizons widened. Their activities broadened.
“Anything you can think of, my girls have done,” Kerry says proudly. That includes volunteering at Homes for the Brave, Senior Center and Gillespie Center; helping clean up Long Island Sound; collecting items for women in need; sunrise hikes; weeks at Camp Jewell, and learning first aid and CPR.
Back in the day, at Camp Jewell.
One of the best connections has been with Norwalk’s Open Doors shelter. From 6th through 10th grade the girls hosted Halloween parties, brought holiday gifts, helped out on special occasions, and created bonds with young kids.
When COVID struck and indoor activities became impossible, the troop headed to Smith Richardson Preserve. In cold, windy weather they weeded, cut vines, mended fences — and grew even tighter.
During the pandemic, activities like these provided important outlets for energy, and a way to stay together. One day, they arrived at the preserve to find their tools had been stolen. They sat for an hour, just talking.
“It’s a very diverse group,” Kerry notes. “But they really take care of each other.”
They take special care of Olivia Ross. She’s in a wheelchair and non-verbal. But from a young age, the Scouts learned sign language to communicate. They’ve literally carried her up a mountain. They admire her, and she loves them.
Olivia’s mother Victoria says that Girl Scouts “opened up a world to her, with no judgments. No mountain would go unclimbed for Olivia.”
She calls Kerry “an extraordinary leader and friend.”
The troop’s relationship with the Open Door Shelter is long-lasting and strong. In this photo from last winter’s party Kerry Liles is in the back, 5th from left.
Kerry downplays her role in the troop’s longevity and success. But, parent Stacie Curran says, “she has created a sisterhood with these gals. They may not be best pals at school, but when they get together Kerry has guided them in building great bonds through different life experiences. They’ll carry those bonds through life.
“Kerry has taught them kindness, care, toughness, watching out for each other, doing for others, being there for those in need, and life skills — it’s endless!”
Boy Scouts get plenty of publicity. Girl Scouts — not so much.
They have a reputation that they’re “all about crafts,” Kerry admits. “But I’m rugged. We do a lot more than crafts. And I’m all about volunteering too.”
Working last spring at Smith Richardson.
With all the options available to teenagers today, Girl Scouts may seem like a throwback. Molly’s friends sometimes can’t believe she’s still a Scout.
“I like the people,” she says simply. “And we have a lot of fun.”
In June, Molly and her six Girl Scout troopmates — Olivia Ross, Olivia Pace, Carly Curren, Zoe Kaye, Theresa Vandis and Sofia Palumbo — will graduate. They can remain individual “ambassadors,” but that will be the end of their active Scouting careers.
Until, Kerry notes, they have kindergartners of their own. At which point — just like she did 13 years ago — they may sign up to be Girl Scout leaders too.
One of the earliest casualties of COVID was Chez 180.
The patisserie at 180 Post Road East had been open just a couple of weeks in March 2019. It earned rave reviews, but could not weather the sudden, total town shutdown.
Now — 19 months later — a new tenant is moving in. According to a sign on the door, it’s De Tapas: a “Spanish gastropub.” Details to follow soon.
That when the Westport Police Department joins the state Department of Transportation’s “distracted driving enforcement campaign.”
They note that sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph — the average speed on the Post Road, sometimes, ahem — that’s like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.
And did you know that driving while texting is 6 times more dangerous than intoxicated driving?
If you don’t care about that, consider this: Tickets for distracted driving are $200 for the first offense, $375 for the second, and $625 for all subsequent violations.
Bob Cooper reports vandalism at the Riverwalk downtown. He noticed a bench that was missing, except for one leg. The other leg, as well as its engraved seat, were in the water.
Fortunately, he says, the bench look reparable. It’s made from 3 piece, and each appears intact.
He also spotted engraved bricks that had been thrown into the brush:
Yesterday’s Roundup note about the upcoming webinar on the impact of family violence on children (October 18, 7 p.m.) was missing a link. Click here to register.
The event is sponsored by the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force, Westport Human Services Department and Westport Library
How about shopping, cocktails and supporting breast cancer research?
Savvy + Grace’s fundraiser offers all that. The date is Thursday, October 28; the time is 5 to 7 p.m. (146 Main Street). Funds raised for the Cancer Couch Foundation will be matched 100%.
The former 2nd selectman and Board of Finance chair has been named to the Algemeiner’s list of “Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life 2021.”
His writeup calls the co-owner of the Morton Williams supermarket chain a “social media activist on behalf of Israel. When ice cream manufacturers Ben & Jerry’s announced in July that its products would no longer be sold to Jewish communities in the West Bank, Kaner went on the counteroffensive, securing agreement from the Morton Williams Board to reduce the Ben & Jerry’s products it sells in its 16 stores in New York and New Jersey by 70 percent.”
A Staples High School Inklings editor, and editor of the literary journal Soundings, was quoted at length in a Guardian story about the school surveillance tool Gaggle. The reporter found her through an Inklings editorial she wrote last year. Click here for the eye-opening Guardian article.
The outdoor fall fun celebration (with ’70s singalong) at the Unitarian Church in Westport, scheduled for this Saturday, has been moved to Sunday (October 17, 12 to 3 p.m.) due to predicted rain.
The event includes a musical mural, cake carousel, rock painting and bobbing for apples. For COVID safety, bring your own food.
The VFW is collecting new hats, scarves, mittens, gloves and socks, for men women and children.
There will be a drop-off box in the lobby (or patio, if closed) at their building (465 Riverside Avenue), from October 23 through November 20. They ask for onlythose items listed above.
Westporter Jim O’Donoghue died Sunday. He was 83 years old.
The Dublin native captained the rugby team at University College Cork. He earned a bachelor’ degree in electrical engineering there, and also met his wife Margaret.
Working for Quigley steel refractories, Jim travelled extensively, and brought his 3 daughters mementos from all over the world. The company was bought by Pfizer, and the family moved to Westport in 1984.
Jim ran regularly, golfed and rowed. He loved fishing, especially on Waterville Lake. He was a historian, a great conversationalist and a gripping storyteller. Dinner was punctuated with discussions on politics, as well as anecdotes about travel.
Jim wrote several books, including children’s stories, and read avidly. He was a fan of Russian classics and spy novels.
Jim is survived by Margaret, his wife of 58 years; daughters Elina (Dan), Sharon (Jack) and Lisa (Ilair); brother Neil; sister Anne, and grandchildren Ryan, Ciara, Maija and Sophie.
A viewing and farewell is set for Harding Funeral Home in Westport this Sunday (October 17, 3 to 6 pm). Mass will be held at St Luke Church also in Westport on October 18 (11 a.m.) The service will be live streamed (click here).
And finally … Paddy Moloney died Monday in Dublin, at 83.
The New York Times called him “the playful but disciplined frontman and bagpiper of the Chieftains, a band that was at the forefront of the worldwide revival of traditional Irish music played with traditional instruments.”
They won 6 Grammys, and collaborated with everyone from Van Morrison, Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney to Luciano Pavarotti. Click here for the full obituary.
The Westport Inn has always been a weird part of Westport.
Built as a motel in the early 1960s to serve travelers on nearby I-95, it morphed into a slightly more upscale place — though hardly an “inn” — in recent years.
It was a place for guests to go when we didn’t want them in our homes, and where high school reunion-goers stayed. But there we never thought about the ballroom for banquets. We did not patronize its succession of restaurants, which opened and closed in dizzying fashion. It was in Westport, but it was never really of it.
If a longtime Westporter has his way, all that may change.
Jim Randel has practiced law here for 40 years. He’s also president of Rand Real Estate Services, which invests in underutilized properties in Connecticut and Florida.
His initial venture was the abandoned Factory Store by the East Norwalk train station. He turned it into the Factory Outlet Center, the first such urban development in the US. Rand real estate has done 40 or so projects since.
The 117-room Westport Inn is one of those properties.
Its most recent owner was Bridgewater. When Randel asked the hedge fund’s facilities manager if they’d sell, the answer was yes. The deal closed last November.
He’s now the lead partner in WI Associates. The other investors are also Westport residents. They were not sure what they’d do with the 3.8-acre property. But it’s a great location, and they knew they could be both creative and constructive with it.
After conversations with hospitality and housing experts, and neighbors, they had an idea. It’s not yet complete. But the outline is intriguing.
Working with the Greenwich Hospitality Group — owners of the Delamar hotels in Southport and Greenwich, and operators now of the Inn at Longshore and La Plage restaurant — they plan to take down the original, front building.
The 42 rooms in the rear building — built 25 or so years ago — would be upgraded. The ballroom would become a restaurant and conference areas. There would be outdoor seating and gardens. But 1 1/2 acres behind — a dedicated conservation area — would not be touched.
In addition, 16 to 18 units would be built, nearest the Willows Pediatric building. They would be unlike anything in Fairfield County: “condo-tels,” or condos with access to all hotel services, including concierge, housekeeping, room service, security, and the pool and fitness center.
At 1,700 to 1,900 square feet, Randel says they would appeal to empty nesters, Florida snowbirds, and people their older parents living nearby, among others.
To help meet Connecticut’s 8-30g housing regulation, the developers are targeting 20% of the condo units as “affordable.” They’ll do that by building 3 or 4 of them off-site. They’re looking at several potential options.
All of this is subject to zoning approval.
It’s also not a slam dunk economically. As Randel notes, COVID has rocked the hotel industry. But, he says, “if we provide quality hospitality, housing and a restaurant — at prices comparable to the Delamar, which has been successful even during the pandemic — we are very optimistic.”
The next step, says engineer Rick Redniss, is filing a text change application with Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission, and conversations with neighbors.
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On the day before Halloween (Saturday, October 30, 10 a.m.), young readers will read Pink or Treat with Victoria Kann (and enjoy a Pinkalicious parade. Costumes are encouraged. Click here to register.
