Gunnar Eklund is a senior at Staples High School. He is president of the debate team. He is also an executive board member of BridgeBuilders, helping organize discussions with the Y’s Men of Westport that foster civic dialogue. Last year he was on the school’s “We the People” team, which placed 8th in the nation.
Recently, Gunnar worked on Addison Moore’s successful campaign for the Representative Town Meeting (RTM). He has spent his summers as a Camp Mahackeno counselor, and a legal intern. Passionate about public service, he plans to study political science in college, focusing on medical ethics.
This morning, Gunnar represented Westport’s youth at the town’s annual Veterans Day ceremony in Town Hall. In a powerful, insightful speech, Gunnar said:
Thank you for being here today as we come together to honor the veterans of our community. We are here to commemorate the men and women who have served, and who continue to serve, our country with courage, sacrifice, and heart.
My name is Gunnar Eklund, and I’m a 12th grade student at Staples High School. Today I’m honored to share my perspective, speaking on behalf of my generation as we celebrate the veterans among us.
Gunnar Eklund delivers today’s Veterans Day address.
As students, we grow up learning about wars and battles. In social studies classes we typically discuss dates, history and outcomes: which nation won, which country lost, and what changed.
The common trend is a focus on the military at the macro level. But Veterans Day asks us to look closer, beyond the maps, timelines and textbooks, in order to recognize the individuals who lived those events.
Every single veteran has a story alongside their service. Before we dive into those stories, however, it’s important to pause and think about what service truly means. For my generation, one that has grown up without the draft, service is something we’re still learning to understand.
Gunnar Eklund (center), with veterans and participants in today’s ceremony. The Westport Community band played the national anthem and “Taps”; 1st selectwoman Jen Tooker spoke, and a memorial wreath was laid by VFW and American Legion auxiliaries.
Service, at its core, is about commitment and honor. When a person joins the military they take an oath. They commit to live and act beyond themselves for the common good of their country, their community, and their family.
The oath is far more than codified words. It’s a promise to uphold values like honor, integrity and duty, even in the face of danger or death.
Service is also a mindset. It’s the willingness to act for something larger than your own comfort. And while many of us may never wear a uniform, the virtue behind the commitment, and mindset of service is something we can all aspire to in our own lives.
To understand what service truly looks like, it helps to hear the stories of those who have lived it. In my family and community, there exist remarkable examples of courage and sacrifice that help bring the idea of service to life.
In my own family, my great0grandfather served under General Patton’s army, which went into France and Belgium, and participated in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.
Years later my grandfather, Edward Slavin, joined the military during Vietnam, becoming at one point the youngest American drill sergeant, at age 17.
His leadership and dedication left a lasting mark. Over the years he received letters of gratitude from those he had helped, with people writing to tell him that his guidance and courage had saved their lives.
Howard Munce — a World War II Marine platoon sergeant at Guadalcanal, and noted Westport artist — painted this. David Meth has a signed original.
Of the anecdotes my family has shared with me, my favorite remains the story of Perry Watson, a friend of my great-grandfather.
In World War II he was a part of the flash-and-sound unit, locating enemy artillery by performing advanced calculations with sound and light. On one mission, his commander asked him to swim across a river while carrying wires in his mouth to complete a critical measurement.
It was the middle of winter, and the area was under enemy fire. Watson, an honorable man, volunteered for and accomplished the task. But the sounds of bombs detonating above him deafened him for life.
This magazine cover by Westport artist Stevan Dohanos honors residents serving in World War II. It stood at our original Town Hall (now Massi Co). Those servicemembers are now memorialized on a plaque in Veterans Green, across from the current Town Hall.
Stories like these remind us of the incredible cost of service. Behind every medal and every uniform, there are human lives marked by sacrifice and loss. Millions of men and women have given their lives in defense of this country. Their sacrifices are staggering, but rarely do we pause to appreciate them.
In a time as divisive as today, fewer people seem proud to be American.
Patriotism can feel complicated, even controversial. Veterans Day reminds us that pride in this country does not mean agreement with every policy. It’s about honoring the values, liberty and sacrifices that make this nation possible in the first place.
The generations that came before us, including the so-called Greatest Generation, did not serve for applause or personal gain. They served because it was the right thing to do. They understood that safety is not guaranteed. And above all, they honorably faced unimaginable pain and sacrifice without any expectations of reward.
Veterans at last year’s ceremony. (Photo copyright Ted Horowitz)
Today, as we honor our veterans, let us remember that their courage, sacrifice and unwavering commitment reminds us of what it means to live beyond ourselves.
If we can carry even a fraction of that dedication in our daily lives, then their legacy lives on.
We must not forget these individuals, and we should all work to preserve their stories. Let us stand with gratitude and resolve as we honor the humanity behind every uniform.
If you like “Shark Tank,” you’ll love Westport Start-up’s first-ever Pitch Competition.
Five finalists — out of 77 applicants — will compete for $25,000 in non-dilutive funding November 20 (6 p.m., Westport Library).
The judges — all Westport-based venture capitalists — will evaluate live pitches from early-stage companies that have spent month refining their businesses, through mentorship and coaching, including Start-up Westport, the local public/private partnership of innovators and entrepreneurs.
Those finalists are:
Chroma Shield– Medical device technology
Mirabelle Medical– Women’s breast health technology
But the biggest indication that the seasons are changing is the move of the Westport Farmers’ Market from outdoors on Imperial, to its winter indoor location at Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center (7 Sylvan Lane).
The first date is November 20. Every Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the greenhouses will be filled with fresh, locally sourced produce and prepared foods.
Also on tap: kids’ activities, music, food trucks, and holiday pop-ups.
New this year: Once-a-month Saturday markets, beginning December 6.
In response to community feedback, WFM is also excited to expand the market with the addition of once-per-month Saturday markets (December 6th, January 3, February 7, March 7).
A pre-Thanksgiving market is set for Tuesday, November 25 (the WFM is closed on that holiday). Featured items include fresh produce, meats, desserts, flowers, pet food and more.
How do young Westporters learn the importance of Veterans Day?
By doing what the Cub Scouts of Pack 39 did on Sunday.
Working with Phil Delgado and Patty Kondub of Westport VFW Post 399, 4th grade Webelos Scouts visited Christ & Holy Trinity Cemetery on Kings Highway North. Very carefully, they placed flags at veterans’ graves.
Those flags provide a vivid, patriotic background today, as we honor all the men and women who served.
Yesterday’s “recanvass” of 3 Representative Town Meeting (RTM) election results — those decided by 20 votes or less — did not change any results.
It did cut Kristin Schneeman’s winning margin for the 4th and final District 9 seat from 3 votes to 2, over Sal Liccione. Both are incumbents.
When it was over, the loser congratulated and embraced the winner. As John Suggs — who was there at Town Hall — notes, “a real class act on Sal’s part!”
Kristin Schneeman and Sal Liccione. (Photo/John Suggs)
Sustainable Westport takes their mission seriously.
And means much more than just composting, recycling and electric vehicles.
This weekend, the non-profit teams up with the Senior Center and Westport woman’s Club to collect lightly used durable medical equipment, to support Wheel It Forward.
Crutches, canes, wheelchairs, walkers, knee scooters, shower tub seats, toilet risers, new commodes and unopened disposable items can be dropped off at the Woman’s Club (44 Imperial Avenue), on Saturday, November 15 (8 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, November 16 (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
=================================================
A new documentary about World War II journalist Sigrid Schultz — a longtime Westport resident — is nearing completion.
“Eyes on Evil” chronicles Schultz’s remarkable career covering the rise and fall of Nazi Germany — from the liberated exuberance of Weimar Berlin to Hitler’s ascent and the devastating aftermath.
It includes the years during the war when Schultz returned to the US and settled in Westport, after being injured in a British bombing raid on Berlin. She launched a nationwide lecture tour to warn Americans about the growing threat of Hitler’s regime.
In 1945 she was among a small group of reporters to cover the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp.
The film is directed by Vanessa Johnston, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and former Reuters producer based in Washington. She made several trips to Westport, including an interview with historian John Suggs.
Congratulations to the Westport Police Department, and Officer Dominque Carr.
The WPD recently earned a Gold Traffic Safety Award from AAA Northeast. Only 12 police departments in the state received the honor, presented to communities that have implement programs and projects that have an active safety committee, and for efforts in education, engineering and enforcement, along with other statistical measures of success
Carr — a member of the WPD traffic enforcement division — was recognized for his efforts as a “traffic safety leader.”
From left: Officer Dominque Carr, Captain Eric Woods, Lieutenant Sereniti Dobson.
=================================================
“The A Chronicles 10-Minute Play Festival” — “bold, funny and fearless short dramas” by 9 playwrights, selected from over 350 submissions — runs for 2 performances on November 19 (2 and 7 p.m., at MoCA\CT).
The A Chronicles stages live theatrical events around reproductive rights—”amplifying voices, disrupting narratives to fuel real conversations.”
But an albino squirrel — like today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature (spotted across the border in Weston — that’s one in 100,000, says photographer Andy Berliner.
(Photo/Andy Berliner)
=================================================
And finally … to all the men and women who have served our country, so bravely and so well, for so long:
We celebrate November 11 because — 107 years ago today — World War I ended. The armistice took effect at 11 a.m., on 11/11.
Twelve years later — on November 11, 1930 — we dedicated our doughboy statue.
That was 5 years after the town voted to erect a monument to soldiers in “The Great War.”
The commission was offered to Laura Gardin Fraser. Yet her design — showing a bronze relief figure of Victory — did not meet the committee’s approval.
Three years later the Veterans of Foreign War and American Legion raised $10,000. They commissioned J. Clinton Shepherd, an illustrator, sculptor — and pilot — to memorialize a soldier from “the war to end all wars.”
The doughboy statue. (Photo/Amy Schneider)
Six months after Westport’s first-ever Memorial Day parade, the Doughboy was dedicated. But it was not at Veterans Green, across from what is now Town Hall (and was then Bedford Elementary School).
The original site was the grassy median on on the Post Road 2 miles east — across from what is now Pizza Lyfe and One River art school, near the foot of Long Lots Road.
A crowd of 3,000 turned out for the dedication of the 20-ton statue. Governor John H. Trumbull was there, along with hundreds of veterans, and 7 bands. Children pulled ropes to unveil the statue.
Dedication of the Doughboy statue in 1930. This view is looking east.
The doughboy was moved to its present location — one deemed more fitting and dignified than a Post Road median — in 1986. A formal re-dedication ceremony was held on Memorial Day 1988.
Think of all that today when you head up the hill to Town Hall, across from Veterans Green.
As happens every year, there will be a short but important ceremony. The Westport Community Band plays, at 10:30 a.m.
At the appropriate hour of 11 a.m., speakers will honor all veterans, of all wars.
Veterans Day ceremony, 2024. (Photo copyright Ted Horowitz)
Most will be veterans themselves. One will be Staples High School senior Gunnar Eklund.
All will honor the past, and look to the future.
As you leave, look at the doughboy statue across the way. Think of all the sacrifices that have been made since doughboys fought over 100 years ago, in “the war to end all wars.”
Then head over to VFW Post 399, on Riverside Avenue. They’re hosting a lunch for veterans — and everyone else in town, who wants to salute them.
You know all those daffodils that make Westport look so beautiful every spring?
They didn’t just fall from the sky.
They weren’t even planted randomly.
They’re part of a years-long project. Debra Kandrak — the energetic visionary behind it — says: “Once again fall is upon us. Before the weather gets too cold, we need to plant daffodils all around town for our traditional community-wide event called ‘Paint the Town Yellow!’
“I started this years ago to remember loved ones who have passed on, including our fur babies.
“It has been well received over the years. Residents, businesses and local community groups participate, and for that I say thank you. So let’s keep the tradition going and plant more!”
Daffodils have already been planted in many areas, like traffic islands, the Minute Man Monument, Compo Beach, and (of course) Willowbrook Cemetery.
More can be planted just about anywhere. A great place is the edge of your property, by a road,
This is a great time of year. And there’s only a few months until spring.
Daffodils on Riverside Avenue. (Photo/Debra Kandrak)
Speaking of how good Westport looks: The outdoor sculptures just keep coming.
“Queen of Hearts” — the newest addition — will be dedicated on Wednesday (3 p.m.), at the Senior Center.
Artist Carole Eisner will share the inspiration behind her work — one of hundreds of sculptures and paintings showcased in parks, museums and gardens throughout the Northeast.
Suzanne Sheridan will sing a song she wrote specially for the occasion.
The Westport Arts Advisory Committee is — as always — behind the outdoor art project, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Center for Senior Activities.
“Queen of Hearts” by Carole Eisner, at the Senior Center.
Quietly but consistently, the Westport Library’s Common Ground Initiative has been offering programs that enhance positive, respectful and constructive conversations on challenging and/or controversial issues.
Up next this Thursday: a “Community Conversation on Understanding Jewish Identity, Antisemitism, and Allyship” (November 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m.).
Project Shema — a training and support organization — will lead a presentation and Q-and-A that provides historical and modern realities of antisemitism, emphasizing its evolving expression in contemporary culture and politics.
The evening will provide “an accessible but powerful introduction to the historical and modern realities of antisemitism, with an emphasis on its evolving expression in contemporary culture and politics. By creating space for collective reflection and inquiry, the evening aims to foster a shared vocabulary and a common starting point for deeper community dialogue.”
The goal is to promote a better understanding of the effects and impacts of antisemitism, to strengthen allyship for and within the Jewish community, to gain a greater appreciation of different lived experiences, and to increase awareness, promote empathy, and encourage dialogue.
“Allyship” is a key element of the Common Ground event. Everyone is welcome, including Westport residents of all faiths, families, clergy members, and anyone who wants to learn more about antisemitism in an open and welcoming environment.
SNAP benefit reductions during the government shutdown have caused long lines at local food pantries.
Quickly, AWARE (Assisting Women through Action, Resources & Education) high school students took action.
AWARE clubs in Fairfield County — including Staples and Weston — organized a food drive.
They collected kid-friendly snacks, pasta, peanut butter and other pantry staples. Volunteers then gathered for a joint packing event to assemble bags for families served by Homes with Hope.
The Staples High School swim and dive team sophomore made waves last week, breaking a 26-year-old diving record at the CIAC Class “LL” (extra large schools) state championship.
She scored 456.50 points on the 1-meter, 11-dive event, surpassing the previous record of 452.75 set in 1999 by Corey Pagnotta. Her performance earned All-LL State and All-America honors.
Teammates Mikaela Snow and Avery Nissenson also qualified for the LL meet.
Mogelof’s record came under new Staples swim and dive coach Grace Slama. Next up for her: This week’s state open championship.
To learn more about Staples’ girls (fall) and boys (winter) swim and dive teams, email head coach Mike Anderson: swimmike@usa.net.
Congratulations too to Staples cross country runner Sarah Bogdan. The Wreckers’ first runner since 2016 to qualify for the New England Championship, she ran a great race and finished 6th, at Vermont’s Thetford Academy. Click here, then scroll down for a video.
Sarah Bogdan, at the New England Championships. (Photo courtesy of MySportsResults.com)
Speaking still of sports: It’s a big week for 2 Staples teams.
Both field hockey and boys soccer compete in the state tournament semifinals tomorrow.
Coach Ian Tapsall’s field hockey girls — seeded #1 in the state “L” tourney — take on #4 Fairfield Ludlowe Tuesday, 4 p.m. at Brien McMahon High School.
Coach Liam Witham’s soccer boys — #4 in the “LL” competition — meet #9 Hall-West Hartford at Newtown on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
This afternoon at the Fairfield Library (Monday, 4 p.m.), Ukraine Aid International founders and team members offer “Stories of Connection: Connecticut the Donetsk Region, Building Bridges of Hope Together.”
Our state, and the Donetsk oblast in Ukraine, have built powerful partnerships. Behind it is UAI — created by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, backed by many local residents.
Despite the existence of a fence, it can be confusing to know where dogs are allowed on leash, or off leash, at Compo Beach — and where they are not allowed at all.
Fortunately, the Parks & Recreation Department has posted a clear, aerial map showing the 3 different areas:
Unfortunately, it hangs too high for dogs to see it.
But at least they can read the sign.
(Photos/DinkinESH Fotografix)
=================================================
Speaking of Compo: A few yards away, this was the scene on a basketball court:
(Photo/Tammy Barry)
Some people must have time on their hands.
Way too much time.
As anyone who has ever tried to move one of those benches knows: They’re heavy!
===============================================
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image shows a Cooper’s hawk, on Diane Lowman’s deck.
She did not have to snap her photo quickly. The bird sat on the railing — posing — for nearly 30 minutes. “What a treat!” Diane says.
And finally … when you saw the name of the sculpture being dedicated at the Senior Center this week (item near the top of this Roundup), you had to know this song was coming:
(Arts, sports, the beach … it’s your usual mix of Westport stories, in the Roundup. If you enjoy this daily feature — and who doesn’t? — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The vast majority of Staples High School’s Class of 2025 graduates — 93.4% — headed to 4-year colleges.
Another 2.0% are in 2-year colleges. 1.4% took a gap year; 0.6% went to a college prep school; 1.0% are employed; 0.7% are engaged in career education, transition or other higher education; 0.4% entered the military. Just 0.4% were undecided, or had no reported plans.
The 5 most popular colleges for Class of 2025 graduates were the University of Connecticut (21 students, including Storrs and branches), Tulane University (11) and the Universities of Maryland, Michigan and Vermont (10 each).
Nearly 1 in 3 intended to study business or economics.
Those are some of the many takeaways from a 26-page report, presented Thursday to the Board of Education by director of school counseling William Plunkett. He was assisted by Sandra Zeigler, Staples’ college and career center coordinator,
The Class of 2025 graduated 6 months ago. Where are they now? (Photo/Ryan Allen)
While Westport-centric, the report noted national trends toward “increased pressures on colleges and scrutiny over holistic review practices, a growing emphasis on career readiness and fit to major, shifting values around higher education, the proliferation of AI, and further changes to standardized testing policies.”
Of the 93.4% enrolled in 4-year colleges, students applied to 369 different institutions — from nearby Fairfield University, to faraway Western Australia University. This fall, they enrolled in 153 of them.
June grads applied to an average of 8.12 colleges each. The overall acceptance rate of 61.5% was, the report says — Staples’ highest in over a decade.
Plunkett’s report says that “while national acceptance rates at the most selective colleges remain low, Staples students continue, by and large, to be accepted at rates at or above the national average.”
While the school counseling department encourages students to “broaden their thinking around fit and selectivity,” over half of “highly regarded colleges with favorable acceptance rates for students” appear in the best-selling book “Dream School.”
The report adds, “we remain mindful of the intense pressure many of our students and families face within the context of an ever-evolving, complex landscape of college admissions and highly competitive school and community.”
Other statistics:
The colleges with the most applications: UConn (140), Indiana (83), Penn State (73), Wisconsin (66) and Colorado (62).
54% of ’25 grads are attending private schools; 43% are at public institutions. 3% study internationally.
The mean composite ACT score was 29.1. The SAT mean total was 1239. The mean Advanced Placement score as 4.3, with 97% scoring 3 (out of 5) or higher.
A total of 607 students — 84% of all those enrolled in AP courses — took the AP exam.
Staples is among the top 10 schools in the state for participation in University of Connecticut Early College Experience courses.
54% of seniors completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). 28% applied for local or community scholarships.
Intended areas of study include business and economics (32%), social sciences (20%), STEM (16%), undecided (15%), health and life sciences (10%), and humanities and the arts (7%).
The top 5 individual majors are business, undecided, psychology, communications and political science.
14% of students in the Class of ’25 said they intended to play an intercollegiate sport. 6% said they applied to a visual or performing arts program.
43% of students submitted test scores to all college. 26% submitted to some colleges. 31% did not submit test scores to any college.
The report also included quotes from graduates, about the college process. Students said:
Try not to get caught up in competing with other people when applying to schools. It adds so much stress and at the end of the day the decision is only meant to satisfy yourself.
Work on college applications a little at a time and don’t get overwhelmed with trying to make it “perfect,” just make sure it sounds like you.
Self-care! Take a bath, listen to music, do things that make you happy in between moments of hard work and stress.
Just try to remember your grades and test scores don’t define who you are and at the end of the day everything turns out good for you as long as you show up and put your best work in with effort.
Plan ahead, get started over the summer, and set boundaries about when you talk about plans, be willing to tell people you don’t want to discuss them at this time.
(“06880” regularly covers education in Westport — at all levels, and from all angles. If you enjoy stories like this, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Compo Road South is one of Westport’s most traveled streets.
Drivers slow down as they approach the stop sign at Soundview Drive, before South Compo turns into Hillspoint Road.
Coming the other direction, they still drive slowly. (Hopefully.)
Still, only 5 readers (Dan Vener, Andrew Colabella, Matt Murray, Seth Schachter and Sal Liccione)recognized last week’s Photo Challenge — John Maloney’s image of a rounded, orange-ish door, set among a lattice fence — as #324.
Click here to see. And check it out the next time you’re near the beach.
Here is this week’s Photo Challenge. If you know where in Westport you’d see this probably-outlived-its-usefulness scene, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Dan Woog)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Earlier this year, an abandoned tiger-striped cat set up residence in a Westport resident’s garage.
Town animal control officer Peter Reid reached out to long-time Westport Animal Shelter Advocates volunteer Sandy Young to assist with trapping.
WASA is the volunteer group for Westport Animal Control. The cat was trapped, and set up in Young’s home as a foster.
While recuperating, it gave birth to 5 kittens. She’s been a loving and protective mother, but now it is time for the 2-month-old young ones to find homes.
It is hard to get good images of kittens for social media. But Staples High School Photography Club student Andrea Jaramillo and advisor Stacey Phelan organized a photo shoot.
Reid and WASA president Julie Loparo got the okay to use the Westport Police Department classroom. Club members Hazel Rossi, Elizabeth Stauder and Beatrice Schwabe joined Jaramillo and Phelan, to calm the babies and capture their best sides.
Next month’s Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand show is very timely.
“What the Constitution Means to Me” takes center stage December 1 (7 p.m.).
At age 15, playwright Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by competing in Constitutional debate competitions across the country. In this play that is “hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human,” she revisits her teenage self to explore how the document has shaped her family, her future — and our nation.
Ned Martin’s “Common Core” has been reduced from $13,100 to $5,000.
=================================================
Speaking of the holidays: The biggest toy drive in town returns next month.
The Westport Police Department, Police Athletic League and Westport Police Benevolent Association will once again collect new, unopened and unwrapped toys for all ages and genders — along with cash donations — in the ASF Sports parking lot.
The dates are Saturdays and Sundays, December 6-7 and 13-14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
From December 1 on, there will be collection boxes at ASF, Westport Police headquarters on Jesup Road, Awesome Toys and Gifts, and the Toy Post.
Mark the dates. And start shopping!
Westport Police, PAL — and Yogi Bear — collected toys for underprivileged youngsters last year, at ASF. (Photo/Cat Malkin)
The Saugatuck Rowing Club celebrated the 25th anniversary of its boathouse yesterday.
Owner Howard Winklevoss; his sons Cameron and Tyler, who began their Harvard and Olympic careers there, and founder James Mangan were among the many current and former rowers and coaches who joined in the festivities.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker offered her congratulations too, for SRC’s success in putting Westport on the “national and international” rowing map.
From left: Howard Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, James Mangan, Cameron Winklevoss. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Also last night: Over 400 people packed the Westport Library to celebrate 60 years of the Grateful Dead. The Spadtastics — a Darien tribute band who themselves have been playing together for 40 years — starred in the Trefz Forum.
The modified Supper & Soul concert-only show was sponsored by the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce and the Library. Three restaurants offered Dead- inspired drinks, with Basso creating the “Grapefruit Dead” gin-based concoction.
The Spadtastics, on stage. (Photo/Matthew Mandell)
The Westport Project — the new fully sustainable home going up at 16 Westport Avenue — has just added a 9th episode to its video documentary series.
The shows — starring builder Chris O’Dell of the O’Dell Group design/build firm, and designer/actor Eva Amurri — have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
The latest episode — featuring the appliances planned for the new home — should be of interest to all Aitoro fans. Who doesn’t love the Norwalk appliance store, known for its huge selections, customer service, and community service?
Speaking of the environment: Aspetuck Land Trust’s “Lunch & Learn” webinars are always intriguing. And educational.
The next one is “Mini-Forest Revolution: Rewilding our Communities for Climate Resilience” (November 20, 12 noon).
Mini-forests support hundreds of species, are many degrees cooler than its surroundings, soak up stormwater, take up spaces no bigger than a tennis court, and become maintenance free within a few years.
A new artist has been added to George Barrett and Brian Keane‘s show at the Westport Library next Sunday (November 16, 2 p.m.).
Sarah Gross is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter. She has performed with Zach Bryan, and won Jimmy Fallon’s “Battle of the Instant Songwriters.”
Barrett — the 1973 Staples High School graduate (and former Orphenian) who grew up here in a home filled with classical, folk, rock, blues and jazz; whose influences include Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, the Beatles, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Sting and Norah Jones, and whose new album, “Rearrange Things,” is released this month — will be joined by Grammy-winning musician/composer/producer (and Staples ’71 grad) Brian Keane, plus other guests.
Before the show, Barrett and Keane will chat about their unique life journeys and unexpected reunion. The conversation will be hosted by “06880”‘s Dan Woog, who has known both for over 50 years.
Congratulations to Lina Elwood. The Westport resident and Hopkins School sophomore is a winner in the Music Teachers National Association Piano Competition. She’ll move on to compete in the next round: the Eastern Division. Those winners move on to the national finals.
Lina has won top prizes at numerous state, regional and international competitions. She has also played with the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra and Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.
Long-time Westport resident Edith Zwick Evans (formerly Edith Shufro) died on March 22 in Hamden. She was 99.
Edie was born into a Jewish family in Vienna in 1925. Her family fractured when the Nazis annexed Austria in 1938. Her mother and a sister died in Treblinka.
A year after the arrival of the Nazis, Edie escaped Austria on a Kindertransport train to the Netherlands. She was taken to England and lived there until 1943, when she sailed to the US in the midst of the war.
Edie earned a bachelor’s degree at Antioch College, and a master’s in social work at Columbia University. A friend from Antioch introduced her to Arnold Shufro, a textile salesman in New York City.
They married and moved from Manhattan to Westport after their first 2 children were born. They raised three children on Crestwood Road.
Edie regularly attended French club luncheons with Westport friends and studied sculpture at the Silvermine Arts Center in New Canaan with Stanley Bleifeld, of the National Academy of Design. I
n the mid-1970s Edie returned to part-time social worker at High Meadows School in Hamden.
Eventually she and Arnold divorced, and Edie married Robert Evans. The couple became innkeepers at the Sedgwick Inn and restaurant in Berlin, New York.
After Bob died, Edie lived in Williamstown, Massachusetts, then spent her final decade at the Whitney Center in Hamden.
Edie is survived by her daughters Cathy and Carol Shufro. Her son Mark died of a chronic illness in 2022. Her grandchild Sarah Shufro Mandelkern died as a child. Edie’s survivors include daughter-in-law Lisa Kerpen Shufro, 6 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
And finally … today is the birthday of Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. The beautiful woman with the beautiful voice — who was born in 1936, and died in 2009 at 72, from leukemia — had many Westport connections.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
