For years, Staples High School seniors have had a non-school-sanctioned Homecoming tradition: a motorcade from Compo Beach to the football game. Students pile into and on top of cars and trucks, hanging out and waving wildly as drivers honk.
There was no Homecoming this year, due to COVID. Seniors resurrected the tradition for today’s boys lacrosse game against Trumbull High School.
A girl reportedly fell out of the back of a truck en route to the school, near the Post Road and North Compo, and was taken to a hospital. There is no word yet on the extent of her injuries.
Do you know a person, business or organizations in Connecticut dedicated to environmental protection and sustainability?
Connecticut’s water utility wants to honor them, with an Aquarion Environmental Champion Award.
Winners will join previous honorees, including Sikorsky, Bigelow Tea, Pratt & Whitney, the Trust for Public Land and Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition.
Winners in the Adult, Non-Profit Organization, Large Business, Small Business, and Communications categories can select an environmental non-profit to receive a $2,500 grant. The winner of the Student category (grades 9-12) will receive a $1,000 award.
Postponed United Methodist Church’s annual giant tag sale for 2 years in a row.
Spurred many Westporters to clean their closets, cupboards and bathrooms.
Decreased donations to non-profits that provide items to clients.
On Saturday, May 15 and Monday, May 17 (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.), there’s a solution to all 3. That’s when you can drop off items at the church (49 Weston Road).
Here’s what’s needed:
Gently used items: baby clothes, children’s clothes (ages 4-10), youth clothing for teenagers (desperately sought!), men’s and women’s suits, pajamas, jackets, t-shirts, dress shirts, shoes of all sizes and designs (dress, sneakers, sandals, etc.), socks, dishware, cups, glasses of all sorts, suitcases, traveling bags.
New items:hair products (shampoo, conditioner), skincare products, deodorant, toothpaste, floss, sunscreen, nail clippers, razors, soaps, lip balm, moisturizer, lotion, hairbrushes, shower gel, shaving cream, mouthwash, wet wipes, diapers, canned foods, Jersey Mike’s gift cards worth $10 and $20 (for homeless youth).
Items should be sorted (gently used, new), packed into large plastic garbage bags, and labeled clearly (for example, “Children’s Clothing” in one bag, “Shoes” in another).
They’ll be distributed to Person to Person, Bridgeport Rescue Mission, Summerfield United Methodist Church, and agencies working with the Greater Bridgeport Council of Churches.
Questions: email ganderson24@optonline.net or kbrumit@optonline.net.
United Methodist Church, 49 Weston Road. (Photo/Dan Woog)
People with disabilities face many challenges. So do their siblings.
Abilis — the non-profit that helps hundreds of special needs families — holds a “Sibshops” workshop on May 19 (5 to 6:30 p.m., Zoom). It’s open to area children ages 10 to 14 whose brother or sister has a disability.
Sibshops are “high-spirited, fun workshops that combine recreation, discussion and information.” They provide safe spaces for siblings to share thoughts and feelings, while meeting others in similar circumstances and learning about the services their brother or sister receives. Click here to register. Questions? Email schulte@abilis.us.
Art has helped many people through the past (very difficult) year.
A new virtual exhibit — “The Healing Power of Art” — shows viewers exactly how that happens.
It features works from 18 artists, including Westporters Rebecca Fuchs, Dorothy Robertshaw and Lisa Stretton.
Art can be purchased directly through the website, at various prices. Click here for the virtual show; click here for a video on how to navigate through it.
Lauren Weisberger’s novel The Devil Wears Prada, offered a devastating view of fashion publishing. Her 6 books have sold over 13 million copies.
Her newest — Where the Grass is Green and the Girls are Pretty — goes on sale May 18. The night before (May 17, 7 p.m., Zoom), she’ll chat virtually with Westporter Jennifer Blankfein about her latest book, and the women — a TV anchor with everything, and her stay-at-home supermom sister — in it.
The conversation is sponsored by the Westport Library. Click here to register.
Friends of Sherwood Island’s annual general meeting will “bee” very special.
A presentation titled “Pollinator Pathways & The Green Corridor:
Improving Biodiversity on Protected Land in Our Own Yards” is set for May 23 (4 p.m.).
Click here for more information. Questions? Email lizannlwv@gmail.com or call 203-451-5755.
And finally … happy 70th birthday to Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member, producer and right-across-the-Fairfield-line neighbor Chris Frantz.
Enjoy this week’s art gallery. If you’re an artist of any kind, you can help us present our next one.
Each week we present a new gallery of “06880” reader/artist works. Some of you are professionals; most are amateurs. Experience does not matter. We want all your art!
Student submissions are especially welcome. So are artists who have not submitted previously.
Email dwoog@optonline.net, to share your work with the world.
Today Is National Dog Mom’s Day. These are Amy Schneider’s 2 cockapoo “sons”: 3-year-old Ripley, and 9-week-old Bosco. (Amy Schneider)
Untitled — at Parker Harding Plaza (Susan Iseman)
“A Gift of Spring” — oil on canvas (Ellin Spadone)
“Car Wash Splash” (Karen Weingarten)
“They Don’t Build ‘Em Like This Anymore (Lawrence Weisman)
“Gig in the Garden” (Brian Whelan)
“View From the Family Room This Glorious Spring Day” (June Whittaker)
Posted onMay 8, 2021|Comments Off on Winfield Coffee Cruises The Coast
Winfield Street Coffee is a fixture on Post Road West. There are other shops in Stamford and Croton, New York; a delivery service in Wilton, and 4 more set to open this summer in Rye and Manhattan.
But that’s just part of the plan. Owner Breno Donatti wants to expand Winfield’s horizons even more — along with his charitable mission of helping people in need.
A truck — coffee-colored, with “Espresso Yo’self” painted on the back — will soon hit the streets.
Almost ready to hit the road.
Serving coffee, espresso (natch), nitro on tap, bagel sandwiches and pastries, the mobile unit will introduce the brand into new neighborhoods — and states.
It will also expand Winfield’s Giving Back program. Instead of delivering pre-made meals to shelters, they’ll be made fresh, to order. The goal is audacious: 21,000 meals, in 2021.
Breno’s family is in Naples, Florida. There’s a lot of requests for New York bagels and (good) coffee in southwest Florida. So the truck will spend June at Park Shore Plaza. Then it will cruise up the East Coast.
Where exactly?
Breno wants to know. If you’re a landlord and want the truck in your parking lot — or if you’d like it to come to your neighborhood — email bdonatti@winfieldcoffee.com.
The Staples High School auditorium has been dark for 14 months.
But later this month, Staples Players will be back on stage.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Saturday, May 8) for a unique show. “Words Words Words … And Music” is a feel-good, very funny journey through 5 short plays by award-winning (and witty) playwright David Ives, plus 2 mini-musicals and a smattering of songs and monologues.
The curtain goes up May 20 and 21 (7:30 p.m.), and 22 (2 p.m., 7:30 p.m.). Socially distant seating is available tomorrow (click here). NOTE: Cultural starvation and fewer seats may create a toilet paper-in-2020 situation.
Just bring a container (no larger than a kitchen trash can) to the mattress and box spring recycling event at Earthplace tomorrow (Saturday, May 8, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.). Boy Scouts will fill it!
Sustainable Westport is thanking Westport for making the food scrap recycling program such a success. Started less than a year ago, residents now divert 10 tons of food scraps a month. (That’s in addition to me compost piles.)
That’s great. But the goal is to double participation in the Zero Food Waste Challenge in the next 6 months. For options, and guidance, click here. For more information on tomorrow’s event, email ZeroWaste@SustainableWestport.org or call 203-293-6320.
Speaking of Earthplace: This year, their annual fundraiser has been turned into a special “Cocktails & Clams To Go” have-your-own-picnic event.
100 boxes of Copps Island oysters or clams (your choice) are on sale (along with a shucking knife, cocktail sauce and mixer, Harbor Watch car magnet, and raffle entry.
Each basket purchased allows Harbor Watch to continue its fight against pollution in local waterways. Click here for more information, and to purchase your shellfish.
Ever since she opened Le Rouge Aartisan Chocolates, Aarti Khosla has helped people and organizations in need in Westport, Bridgeport and throughout Fairfield County.
Now she’s helping people in her native land.
As COVID causes havoc in India, Aarti is helping raise funds to mobilize oxygen concentrators and other equipment. “No amount is too small to make a difference,” Aarti says. She is working with Vibha, a non-profit whose tagline is “Save lives. Save India.” Click here for details, and to contribute.
She is also donating 20% of all sales from Mother’s Day and Teacher Appreciation Week to Vibha. So this is the perfect time for some fantastic chocolate — and to help an important cause.
Tickets for individual Westport Country Playhouse virtual performances are now on sale.
This season’s online offerings include a comedy (“Tiny House,” June 29-July 18), a Script in Hand (“The Savannah Disputation,” June 14-20), a classic (“Man of La Mancha 2018,” August 23-September 5), and a gripping drama (“Doubt: A Parable,” November 2-21).
Virtual tickets start at just $20. Click here for more information, and to order. Questions? Call 203-227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org.
Staples junior Katie Davitt has found a way to combine her passions for art and advocacy. She draws pet portraits for families — and donates 100% of the proceeds to causes she cares deeply about, like racial justice (Equal Justice Initiative), animal welfare (Connecticut Humane Society) and combating climate change (Environmental Defense Fund).
So far, she has raised and given away over $1,500.
Katie says, “the pandemic has given me an opportunity to look inward and realize what is truly important to me: family, friends, pursuing my passions. At the same time it’s opened my eyes to injustices in the world. I feel like I am doing my small part in making a difference.”
Katie is busy with schoolwork. But anyone interested in pet portraits this summer should send a photo of the pet, its name and your background color preference to kateedavitt@gmail.com. She charges $65 for a printed portrait in a 9”x11” black frame with a white matte, $45 for a digital file.
“Ten days ago, I urged the community to ask the RTM to support public transit in Westport by restoring funds cut from the Westport Transit District’s budget for the Wheels2U Westport shuttles.
“The response was overwhelming. Over 100 letters were sent to the RTM from individuals and organizations in favor of restoring the funding. The RTM heard your voice, and voted 32-to-1 to restore the budget and keep Westport’s Wheels2U shuttle running and growing!
“Wheels2U Westport was launched in October 2020 to support Westport residents and businesses. It provides a convenient and environmentally-friendly way for Westport residents and reverse commuters to travel between the train stations and their homes, employers and downtown. Wheels2U is now an integral part of Westport.
“We cannot thank you enough! A diverse group of residents, commuters and key Westport organizations came together to share your stories, explain the shuttle’s benefits, and lend your voice to restoring the budget.
“There are exciting things planned for Wheels2U Westport in the next year. We look forward to keeping everyone up to date about our growth and new initiatives.”
Westport’s wonderful spring continues. Judith Katz spotted these tulips on Myrtle Avenue, across from Sconset Square. Just a few of the many colorful flowers that make our town so beautiful.
And finally … in Vienna today in 1824, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was first performed. It’s considered the composer’s greatest work — and one of the finest musical achievements of all time. Groundbreaking in its use of voices, it is also one of the most performed symphonies in the world.
Of course, Beethoven never heard his masterpiece. When he began composing the 9th Symphony in 1822, he was already deaf.
Comments Off on Roundup: Staples Players, Mattress Recycling, Pet Photos …
It was the correct public health decision — but it comes at a cost to the Police Athletic League.
The fireworks display is their major fundraising event, and it has now been canceled for the second consecutive year. In addition, the PAL suffered a serious loss from this winter’s revenue at the Longshore skating rink, which they also sponsor.
Westport PAL suffered a severe hit from COVID this year. (Photo/Michael Wisner)
The funding gap for these events is about $165,000.
The PAL is a wonderful institution. It provides youth programs in a wide variety of sports and outdoor pastimes. It particularly tries to support families that, for whatever reason, cannot afford these important activities.
In order to keep the momentum of this fabulous organization rolling, I encourage all Westporters to join me in sending whatever amount you feel comfortable. Click here to donate online, or send a check to the Police Athletic League: 50 Jesup Road, Westport, CT 06880.
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