Like many Westporters, Rowene Weems enjoys walking downtown, and in her Old Hill neighborhood, during these beautiful spring days.
A professional photographer, she was intrigued by the bright faces and smiles on so many workers.
Most of us notice these men and women who help make our town work — but we don’t really see them. Rowene captures them for us, with beauty and grace.
(All photos/Rowene Weems Photography)
Inn at Longshore and 18th hole (Drone photo/John Videler for videler.com)
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Posted in Longshore, Pic of the Day
Brian Fullenbaum is a Staples High School junior — and a SLOB. He writes:
The Staples Service League of Boys (aka SLOBs) is a philanthropic organization that develops leadership in students through community service. It is the largest club at Staples.
Throughout the year, members perform multiple service activities, such as collecting donations, performing yard cleanups, and assisting at charitable events.
Every event is a great opportunity to help out. Each one builds up to SLOBs’ biggest day of the year: Service Sunday.
This year’s event takes place tomorrow (Sunday, May 2). All club members participate in multiple service projects, with their parents.
Weeding, mulching and planting at A Better Chance of Westport’s Glendarcy House, in 2018.
Service Sunday was canceled last year due to COVID, but this year we are back in
action. All events will be held outside, so SLOBs can safely help the community.
When I participated in Service Sunday 2 years ago as a freshman, I joined a group that packed pencil cases for a school in need. We set up efficient assembly lines around long tables, so everyone could participate. It felt great to help, and do so alongside friends.
On May 2, SLOBs will participate at Wakeman Town Farm, the Gillespie Center, ABC House, Quest for Peace, Earthplace, The Wilbur Cross School, Sherwood Island State Park, Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve, and the Lillian Wadsworth Arboretum.
So this Sunday, if you see a bunch of teenagers and adults planting, pruning, moving rocks and doing other work around Westport, just remember: We’re SLOBs.
SLOBs in action, at Wakeman Town Farm.
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Since going public earlier this year about her lifelong battle with existential anguish and depression, Melissa Bernstein has shined an important light on mental health.
Her book Lifelines, and digital support community of the same name, has raised awareness even further.
Now, throughout May — which is Mental Health Awareness Month — LifeLines is hosting free activities and workshops. There’s a different one each day.
The goal is to help people “dive inward and discover their true selves,” LifeLines says. They range from “Breaking Up With Your Inner Circle” to “Tracing Your Triggers.” Click here for the full schedule.
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Plans have been announced for Staples High School’s graduation. It will be … outdoors.
“Pomp and Circumstance” will ring out at the football stadium, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 17 (rain date: June 18). All seniors will be together, and will be allotted 2 guests each. The ceremony will be livestreamed, for family and friends who cannot attend.
This is the first time the football stadium has been used for graduation in 27 years. The previous 26 events were held in the fieldhouse. Last year’s graduation was a “drive-by,” with each graduate having a special moment in front of the school.
Staples High School graduates gather outside the fieldhouse in 2018, before the ceremony. This year they’ll march instead to the right, onto the football field.
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This past year has been a tough one for everyone. Moms — as they so often do — have borne much of the brunt of the pandemic.
So Dream Spa & Salon wants this Mother’s Day to be extra special.
They’re giving away 3 prizes to “superhero” moms: a “wakeup call” ($375 value), “dream essentials” ($180), and “dream feet pedi” ($65).
To win a “dreamy” gift for your mom (or spouse), follow @dreamspasalon on Instagram. All the details are there.
Winners will be announced (of course) on Mother’s Day. Which — as you certainly better know — is Sunday, May 9.
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The Westport Domestic Violence Task Force just completed a very successful collection for baby items, for 2 area safe houses and local clients.
Westporters donated 4 strollers, 7 car seats, 3 booster seats, multiple car seat bases, 5 cases of formula, over a dozen cases of diapers, countless packages of wipes, baby washes, new baby clothing, 18 bottles, and over $500 in cash.
The Task Force thanks the entire community, and the men and women of the Westport Police Department, who helped collect and transport the donations.
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How strong were yesterday’s winds?
This was the scene this morning at Compo Beach. Let’s hope no one was inside at the time.
(Photo/Les Dinkin)
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Jazz returns to MoCA Westport in a big way.
Talent from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Spotlight kicks off Friday, May 14 (7 p.m.), with pianist/composer Isaiah J. Thompson. The young artist leads his jazz quartet in what MoCA promises will be a “powerful, mind-blowing performance.”
On May 28, The Alexa Tarantino Quartet debuts music from their new album “Firefly.” Their performance last summer sold out.
A third Lincoln Center artist will perform later this summer, followed by the Samara Joy Ensemble on August 20.
Tickets are available in a variety of formats, including individual concert tickets, a 4-concert Jazz Package, or a Season Pass with all 13 Music at MoCA concerts. Click here to purchase, and for more information.
Isaiah Thompson
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As Westport opens up, the May issue of Westport Magazine examines “the good life.”
Stories include personal reflections on Christopher Plummer; Dave Briggs on Lou Gehrig Day; Center Stage producer Andrew Wilk; super-organizer Meredith Triscott; home design shops; creating the perfect patio, and the advantages of private aviation.
Westport Magazine is available at Barnes & Noble, Balducci’s, Whole Foods and CVS.
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And finally … it’s the 1st of May, so …
Amy Schneider leads this week’s art gallery, with a May Day submission.
That sets the tone for much of the rest of the work. It’s been a beautiful season, and “06880” artists capture it beautifully.
Each week — no matter what the weather — we feature whatever suits your mood. 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.
“Happy May Day” (Amy Schneider)
“When Do I Get My Shot?” (Ellin Spadone)
“Gig in the Garden” (Brian Whelan)
“Spray of Flowers” (Lucy Johnson)
“The Door to the Other Side” — Hillandale Road (Karen Weingarten)
Untitled (Lawrence Weisman)
“The Lightness of Being, Wakeman Place” (Tom Kretsch)
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Posted in Arts
Tagged Amy Schneider, Ellin Spadone, Karen Weingarten, Lawrence Weisman, Lucy Johnson, Tom Kretsch
The death of Michael Collins this week brought new appreciation for the “third man” of Apollo 11. The Air Force colonel who piloted the spacecraft Columbia 60 miles high while fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon was remembered for his unique role, his grace and kindness, and the eloquence with which he described his singular mission.
News of Collins’ death brought warm memories for Richard Wiese.
The Weston resident — whose Westport-based “Born to Explore” television programs have won many Emmy and other awards — served 2 stints as president of the Explorers Club. Since 1904 the New York organization has promoted scientific exploration of land, sea, air and space. Club members have been first to the North Pole, South Pole, the summit of Mount Everest, the deepest point in the ocean, and (you guessed it) the surface of the moon.
In 2019, Wiese wanted the Explorers Club to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 in a memorable way. Armstrong died in 2012, but he assembled 8 astronauts from various Apollo missions, and several shuttle astronauts, including Katherine Sullivan — the first woman to walk in space.
The night before the big event with 1,500 guests, Wiese hosted a small dinner for those explorers and a few family members. He knew a few of them, but had never met Collins.
From left: Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9), Ann Passer (former Explorer Club vice president), Michael Collins, Richard Wiese, Fred Haise (Apollo 13). (Photo/Felix Kunze)
The Columbia commander, a widower, brought 2 daughters. (Kate Collins is an actress best known for “All My Children.”)
“They all talked shop,” Wiese recalls. “Being a fly on the wall was sensational.”
After dinner they headed to the Explorers Club headquarters, for a new members’ reception. It was held in the newly renovated “Apollo Room.”
“When those 8 Apollo astronauts walked in, the seas parted,” Wiese says. “In the pantheon of explorers, they were it.”
Dedication of the Apollo room at Explorers Club headquarters. Michael Collins is 2nd from right; Richard Wiese is to the left.
He recalls Collins as “easy-going, gentle, a beautiful soul.” He told Wiese, “Everyone always says I was the lonely guy up there in space. I was fine. I wasn’t worried about myself. I just worried that if something happened to them, I’d have to return alone.”
“Five hundred years from now, when the 20th century is long gone, people will still remember the first time we left earth to walk on a celestial body,” Wiese says. “Michael Collins was a huge part of that.”
After he returned, Wiese adds, “He had a wonderful life. It was definitely well lived.”
8 Apollo astronauts gathered for an Explorers Club discussion.
As for Wiese: He’s traveled the world, exploring the land and sea. The Brown University graduate has cross country skied to the North Pole and lived with pygmies in Uganda and aboriginals in Australia; he even helped discover 202 forms of new life in the 1st microbial survey of Central Park. When he was 11 years old, Wiese climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro with his father.
Yet even before that, he dreamed of space.
In 1969, a week before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon — and Michael Collins flew above it — Wiese turned 10 years old. He had just gotten a telescope.
“I looked at the moon, hoping to see them on it,” he remembers. “I never, ever imagined that one day I’d be able to meet men who went there.”
Astronauts met with the children and grandchildren of Explorers Club members. Michael Collins is nearest to them. The last of the 12 men to have walked on the moon returned to earth decades before these youngsters were born.
Posted in History
Tagged "Born to Explore", Apollo 11, Explorers Club, Michael Collins, Richard Wiese
Ned Dimes Marina (Photo/Les Dinkin)
Happy Arbor Day!
To celebrate, Westport’s Tree Board announces our town’s newest honor: The Arbor Day Foundation has named us a “2020 Tree City USA.”
The award (which we share with 3,600 other communities) recognizes that we make “planting and care of trees a priority.”
Former Tree Board chair Dick Fincher, tree warden Bruce Lindsay and assistant town attorney Eileen Lavigne Flug helped obtain certification.
Proving that we really are a Tree City USA, this year’s Arbor Day celebration includes tree plantings at the police station on Jesup Road, and Greens Farms fire station.
Planting a tree at the Greens Farms fire station …
The new trees celebrate first responders who worked diligently during the pandemic.
The Tree Board will be active in coming months. They’ll sponsor educational events, and a celebration of oak trees, which reduce runoff, flooding, noise and pollution. Oaks also host over 400 types of caterpillars that birds need for food.
(For more information on the Tree Board, click here.)
… and police headquarters.
Posted in Environment, Police
Tagged Arbor Day, Greens Farms fire station, trees, Westport Police headquarters
1st Selcctman Jim Marpe says:
The Centers for Disease Control has published public health recommendations for fully vaccinated individuals. Included in the guidance is that fully vaccinated individuals may forgo the use of a mask when outdoors, or in the company of other fully vaccinated individuals. Among other provisions, the use of a mask, and social distancing is still required when in a crowded outdoor setting indoors with others who are not vaccinated. The full guidance can be found here.
Per Governor Lamont, effective tomorrow (May 1), all restaurants will be allowed to remain open until midnight. Beverage-only service outdoors is permitted, and the 8-person limit on outdoor dining will be lifted.
As of May 1, vehicle parking emblems will be required on all vehicles to enter Compo, Soundview and Old Mill beach parking lots, and May 29 for Burying Hill Beach. All vehicle parking emblem purchases must be made online at www.westportrecreation.com. Daily parking for non-residents will be allowed this summer at Compo Beach and Burying Hill Beach. Visit www.westportrecreation.com for daily parking rates.
Compo Beach will be more crowded soon. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
Effective Wednesday, May 19, all remaining state gathering restrictions will be lifted, except that masks will continue to be required in all indoor public settings where social distancing is not possible. We encourage those who are fully vaccinated to follow the CDC guidance for mask wearing and social distancing in crowded outdoor settings.
Plans continue for holding the Memorial Day parade on Monday, May 31. Organizers will ask parade participants and observers to create a socially distanced and safe parade by taking into consideration the current conditions and advice from the CDC. We look forward to this wonderful Westport tradition that honors veterans and service members. We encourage all who attend to wear a mask in crowded areas and to social distance.
We continue to urge everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated as soon as possible. For the latest updates on COVID-19, visit the Westport Weston Health District website.
PURA Final Decision
On Wednesday, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority released its final decision on its investigation into electric distribution companies’ preparation for, and response to, Tropical Storm Isaias. PURA concluded that:
Eversource did not satisfy the performance standards for managing its municipal liaison program, executing its Make Safe responsibilities, communicating critical information to its customers, or meeting its obligation to secure adequate resources in a timely manner.
As a result, PURA will consider fines and penalties against Eversource, and will require a reduction in ratemaking return on equity for Eversource.
I provided lengthy testimony related to PURA’s investigation on behalf of the many residents who reached out to Town Hall for support and assistance after Isaias. I am pleased that PURA heard the evidence, and is taking significant action to ensure customers receive better service from utility providers during emergency situations. For more information on the Town of Westport’s response and follow up on Storm Isaias, click here.
Posted in Categories
For the 2nd summer in a row, nearly every Westport restaurant will offer outdoor dining.
Viva Zapata has done it for decades.
Viva’s (as it’s universally known) has not changed much over the years. Here’s a view from the 1970s.
The menu is not much different either.
As for the prices … well, consider what your Westport home cost back in 1969, when this menu was popular, and Viva’s was in its first location. That was Post Road East (State Street), at the entrance to what is now Playhouse Square.
(Photos courtesy of Sam O’Mahony)
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