It took only a few seconds for the responses to last week’s Photo Challenge — the “Free Composted Straw/Manure” pile at Wakeman Town Farm — to pour in. (Click here to see.)
Lou Weinberg, India van Voorhees, Shawn Liberty, Andrew Colabella, Rob Hauck, Seth Schachter, Jen Dumonceau, Arthur Hayes, Cat Malkin and Micheal Simso all answered quickly, and correctly.
Today’s Photo Challenge is less natural than a compost heap. Whether it’s easier or tougher — let’s see.
If you know where in Westport you’d find this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Nancy Breakstone)
(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!)
Bratwurst, sausages, pretzels, pizza, beer and other beverages — plus live music, and a fantastic view of the river — was on tap yesterday, at The Bridge at Saugatuck.
The riverside restaurant celebrated its first anniversary with an Oktoberfest celebration that drew hundreds of Westporters, of all ages.
Here’s to many more!
The Bridge at Saugatuck is the wurst. And the best!
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One more Oktoberfest scene — at another restaurant — from a typical fall Saturday afternoon in Westport:
(Photo/Ferdinand Jahnel)
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Today (Sunday) is the date for the Levitt Pavilion’s rescheduled Mihali festival.
The Twiddle co-founder returns to Westport with his “reggae, roots rock and riverside vibes” — and full band.
He’s joined by progressive funk powerhouse Night Zero. The event begins with local high octane jam rock band Residual Groove making their Levitt debut.
Just across the river from the Levitt, there’s always something interesting at Michael Chait’s studio.
Next up at the 11 Riverside Avenue 2nd floor space: Explore how graphic design shapes American culture, and learn how to incorporate creativity into your journaling (October 15, 6:30 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
Michael Chait
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Totney Benson spotted this guy supervising part of the Sherwood Mill Pond tidal gate renovation project.
(Photo/Totney Benson)
“I hope it’s not a harbinger of how long it will take to complete,” she says.
The recent “Shank it & Serve it For Shea fundraiser, at Birchwood Country Club. raised $80,00.
Combined with last year’s event — plus 3 “Shake it For Shea” galas — the total amount raised for research to find better treatments, and ultimately a cure, for Long QT Syndrome is over $1.4 million.
In Long QT, the heart’s electrical system takes longer than usual to recharge between beats. Patients like Shea Greenfield are at risk of fainting, seizures, cardiac arrest and sudden death.
Congratulations to Shea’s parents, Mark and Kira, for their unstinting efforts on behalf of Long QT Syndrome sufferers, and their families, everywhere.
Westport resident Marcia Marshall died peacefully on September 24. She was 86.
The Bridgeport native graduated from Southern Connecticut State College.
Marcia was a retired customer service representative from People’s Bank. She was a ballet dancer in her youth, and appreciated music, dance and theater throughout her life.
She was a voracious reader, and loved crossword puzzles and spending time with family and friends.
She was predeceased by her husband Thomas Marshall. She is survived by their daughters Marykate Marshall, Anne Eszlari (Edward) and Susan Marshall, and grandchildren Jessica and Thomas Gladu; Jeffrey, Shannon and Eric Eszlari; and Nicholas and Christopher Dostilio; great-grandchildren Isabella, Aidan and Liam, and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral is set for September 30 (10 a.m., Assumption Church) for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery on Greens Farms Road, The family will receive friends in the Harding Funeral Home on September 29 from 4-7 p.m. Condolences may be left online at http://www.hardingfuneral.com. Contribution in memory of Marcia in lieu flowers may be made to Westport Volunteer EMS.
Marcia Marshall
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Richard Fogel spotted — and captured — today’s “Westport … Naturally” image, in the Hillspoint area.
And finally … Robert “Rabbit” Jaramillo died last month in Colorado, of congestive heart failure. He was 78.
His band, Cannibal & the Headhunters, were one-hit wonders with “Land of 1,000 Dances.” They performed with the Temptations, Righteous Brothers, Marvin Gaye and the Rolling Stones. The Beatles asked them to be an opening act for their second US tour.
But they never had another hit. Jaramillo became a railroad signal maintainer, and sang gospel in his Pentecostal church. Click here for his fascinating obituary.
(“06880” is not a one-hit wonder. We’re here every day — 24/7/365 — and we have been, since 2009. If you enjoy this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Longtime Westporter — and even longer outdoor enthusiast — Scott Smith has a knack for seeing what most of us miss, all around us right here in our home town.
From time to time, Scott shares his observations with “06880.” Today he writes:
My regular walks along Hillspoint Road, between Sherwood Mill Pond and Compo Beach, always get more interesting this time of year. I see splats of the big fat lime-green fruit that falls along the bend in the road.
The funky roadkill is from the Osage orange (Maclura pomifera), a tree native to the Red River Valley of southern Arkansas, southern Oklahoma and northeast Texas. Known for its thorny branches, grapefruit-size fruits and decay-resistant wood, it was widely planted as a living fence by homesteaders, a practice that allowed its spread across much of the country.
Before the invention of barbed wire in the 1880s, thousands of miles of hedge were constructed by planting Osage orange trees closely together in a line. “Horse-high, bull-strong, and pig-tight,” is how the sodbusters described it.
They also gave it a lot of names: monkey ball, mock orange, horse apple, hedge apple, hedge ball, pap, monkey brains, and yellow-wood, our Wiki friends tell us.
Hillspoint Road hedge apple …
After barbed wire made such hedge fences obsolete, the trees found use as a source of rot-resistant fence posts and an effective windbreak. I figure that is how 2 of the trees found their way a long time ago to Compo Cove.
The fruit is inedible to humans. But I’ve read that squirrels will tear them open to get to the seeds and pulp inside, and other foraging animals will consume the seeds.
My son and I brought some home over the years. The overstuffed deer and squirrels in our yard never touch them.
I’m more intrigued by the theory that this strange fruit is a leftover from the Ice Age, when megafauna like 10-foot-tall ground sloths, mammoths and mastodons roamed the land.
The Osage orange, the thinking goes, developed super-sized fruit for these prehistoric beasts, which then dispersed the partially digested seeds they ate.
… and tree …
With the extinction of the great mammals by Pleistocene hunters, the Osage orange became an “anachronism”—a species whose adaptations no longer have a co-evolved partner in the modern ecosystem.
I suppose you could also argue that this relic of a tree also had a role in its own demise. Its branches were prized by the Osage Native Americans for the construction of strong yet limber bows (another name for the tree is “Bodark,” an altered version of “bois d’arc” or “bow wood,” coined by early French explorers).
I imagine the Osage were not the first indigenous people to weaponize this stout wood.
In any event, I thank the homeowner — and Westport’s Public Works Department — for putting up with the seasonal mess all these years.
And I applaud these plucky survivors for finding such a scenic and lasting home here in Westport.
(You learn something new every day from “06880” — at least, we hope you do. If you enjoy stories like this — or anything else we post — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
… and a quished monkey ball. (All photos/Scott Smith)
Nearly 200 people filled the Senior Center yesterday, for the first all-Select Board-candidate event of the campaign season.
The “Meet the Candidates” session — co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and “06880” — was a chance to talk personalities, not policy.
Moderator Dan Woog asked the 1st selectman hopefuls about their leadership styles, growth experiences, and how they hoped to be judged by residents.
One question — about experiences that have shaped their lives — drew very personal stories.
Republican Don O’Day spoke about saving his father from a house fire, at age 18. Independent David Rosenwaks described being served pork and sausage at a school in Richmond, Virginia and — though he kept kosher — being told to clear his plate. Democrat Kevin Christie related his move from a tiny Vermont town to one in upstate New York, for broader exposure to the world.
Moderator Dan Woog (far right) with (from left) 1st selectman candidates David Rosenwaks, Don O’Day and Kevin Christie.
Second selectwoman candidates Andrea Moore (Republican) and Amy Wistreich (Democrat) also fielded questions about their experiences, and views of their roles.
2nd Selectwoman candidates (from left) Andrea Moore and Amy Wistriech. (Photos/Joan Gillman)
There will be many more opportunities for Westporters to assess the candidates, for a variety of offices. Among them:
Fall Brunch & Design a Sign: Meet Your RTM Candidates: October 4, 10 a.m. to noon Westport Library. The event includes coffee, donuts, snacks, and art activities to keep kids occupied. Co-sponsored by League of Women Voters Westport and “06880.”
Selectmen Candidates: Focus on Sustainability(October 6, 6:30 p.m., Christ & Holy Trinity Church). Co-sponsored by Sustainable Westport and Earthplace.
Selectmen Candidates (October 14, 7 p.m., Toquet Hall); Sponsored by Westport Youth Commission. Special event for students; adults invited too.
A Conversation with Board of Finance Candidates: October 15, 2 p.m., Senior Center. Co-sponsored by League of Women Voters Westport and “06880.”
First Selectman Candidates Debate: October 16, 6:30 p.m., Greens Farms Academy. Sponsored by Westport Journal. Registration required; click here.
Select Board Candidates Debate: October 21, 12 p.m., Westport Library. Sponsored by Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
A Seat at the Selectman’s Table: October 21, 6 p.m., Westport Library. Sponsored by Westport Library Common Ground Initiative. Registration required; click here.
A Conversation with Board of Education Candidates: October 22, 7 p.m., Toquet Hall. Co-sponsored by League of Women Voters Westport and “06880.”
A Conversation with Planning & Zoning Commission Candidates: October 23; 7 p.m. Senior Center. Co-sponsored by League of Women Voters Westport and “06880.”
Candidates Debates: Board of Education, Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Assessment Appeals, Board of Finance: October 27, 6:30 p.m., Westport Library. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters Westport.
Candidates Debate: 1st Selectman and Planning & Zoning Commission: October 28, 6:30 p.m., Westport Library. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters Westport.
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Speaking of politics: Bike Westport invites all 76 candidates — from 1st selectman and boards through the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) — to a “Walk & Talk” along one of the town’s most important corridors: downtown to Saugatuck.
All other interested Westporters are invited too.
The October 12 event begins at 9 a.m. at the Westport Library. They’ll ride or amble over the bridge, down Riverside Avenue, and end at Kneads Bakery for refreshments.
The walk/ride “will highlight the opportunities and challenges of making Westport safer and more connected for everyone — whether walking to school, biking to the train, or moving between downtown and our neighborhoods,” says Bike Westport founder and executive director Markus Marty.
“This is a chance to see firsthand how walkability and bikeability impact daily life in Westport, and to connect with community members who care deeply about the town’s future.
The Saugatuck Congregational Church — white, steepled, set far back on a massive lawn, a few steps from downtown — looks straight out of a Hallmark New England movie.
It was in those pews, in 1835, that a group of men hammered out the details that created the town of Westport from parts of Norwalk, Weston and Fairfield.
But it did not happen exactly there.
From its founding in 1822 through August 28, 1950, the 200-ton Saugatuck Church was located diagonally across the street, where the Shell station is now.
That year — in a day-long move so impressive it was documented by Life magazine — the church was rolled across State Street to its present site.
At 11 a.m. this November 1 — 75 years and 2 months after the move — the Saugatuck Church celebrates that momentous occasion. The event includes a (much smaller) re-enactment of the move, food trucks, a bounce house, lawn games, a screening of footage from the move, and a few words from Rev. Steven Savides.
The entire town is invited. A special welcome is extended to anyone who was actually there, 3/4 of a century ago.
Two people have already been found: Miggs Burroughs and Jack Mitchell.
If you were there that day in 1950, email Jberkowsky1@gmail.com to give a head’s-up. Or just come by.
That church isn’t going anywhere, any time soon.
Life magazine featured the move in its September 11, 1950 issue.
Speaking of religion: The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport invites the community to hear 2 experts on personal organization and auctioneering share advice on how to think about offloading our possessions — especially as life’s changes dictate new demands on space and ways of living.
The “Reduce/Reuse/Recycle” event — at UU Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road — is this Monday (September 29, 7 p.m.).
The session will address how we think about our treasured possessions: when do we pass them along, and what’s the best way to do it? How much is our stuff worth, in money and sentimental attachment? How do we handle an estate we’ve inherited, work through a move or downsize?
Questions? Email beth@uuwestport.org, or call 203-227-7205, ext. 10.
The Westport Fire Department has been awarded a federal grant of $94,952. FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant program is a highly competitive initiative that helps fire departments across the US strengthen their emergency response capabilities.
The award will fund swiftwater rescue technician training for Westport firefighters. It includes hands-on, scenario-based instruction in moving water environments, to perform rescues during floods, coastal incidents and other water emergencies.
Westport firefighters during a 2021 swift water exercise.
“Rollin’ On the River” is both a song, and the title of the next First Folk Sunday (October 5, 12:30 p.m., Saugatuck Rowing Club).
The “celebration of water-themed music” features First Folk creator Suzanne Sheridan (singing “Sailing,” among other tunes). She’ll be joined by Bob Cooper on keyboards, Tim DeHuff on guitar and Matt Livigni on bass.
The Rowing Club is a great spot for the monthly concerts, with music, food and drink by the water. The upcoming “river” theme adds to the enjoyment.
Click here for tickets ($20). For more information, call 203-984-7562.
Suzanne Sheridan
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Our “Westport … Naturally” feature has focused on spotted lanternflies beore.
Today’s image shows swarms at the Compo Beach lockers:
(Photo/Ed Paul)
There were hundreds more.
Here’s a nature lesson. The good news: A “hard frost” will kill the adults, and any remaining nymphs.
The bad news: The insect spends the winter as hardy egg masses. They survive freezing temperatures.
Hand-painted horseshoe crabs — mounted on a wood frame — are among the intriguing highlights of this week’s online art gallery.
They’re a first for this feature.
But as always: No matter how young (or old) you are; what style or subject you choose — and whether you’re a first-timer or old-timer — we welcome your submissions. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, mixed media, digital, lithographs, collages, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage, needlepoint — we want whatever you’ve got.
Please email a JPG to 06880blog@gmail.com. And please include the medium you’re working in — art lovers want to know.
“Sketch of a Sculpture at the Met Museum of Art” (Bill Fellah — Available for purchase; click here)
Untitled — Fence near Old Mill — oil on aluminum impasto (Dorothy Robertshaw; Available for purchase; click here)
“Wilted” (Karen Weingarten)
“It’s Our Diversity that Makes Us Stronger” — Eric Bosch collected these dead horseshoe crab shells, washed ashore at Compo Beach. All 20 were hand painted, and mounted on a 29″ x 29″ painted wood frame. (Available for purchase; click here).
Untitled (Duane Cohen; Available for purchase; click here)
“Surfer” (Michael Chait)
“Levon” (Patricia McMahon; Available for purchase; click here)
“Sneezy Yum” (Tom Doran; Available for purchase; click here)
Auditioning for the Beautiful Bird Burlesques Feather-fan Frolic (Mike Hibbard)
“The Day of Atonement — Off to Shul for Yom Kippur” — watercolor (Steve Stein)
“Parisian Gentleman” (Lawrence Weisman)
(Entrance is free to our online art gallery. But please consider a donation! Just click here — and thank you!)
Just a decade ago, Fairfield’s restaurants were eating Westport’s lunch.
Our neighbor to the east still has a great, diverse dining scene.
But diners far and wide are eating ours up, too.
In fact, there are way too many Westport restaurants to cram into one week.
So the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce’s annual Restaurant Week will be two.
Zucca Gastrobar is last alphabetically. But it’s first on many diners’ lists.
It begins tomorrow (Sunday, September 28), and runs through Sunday, October 12. (So, to be technical, it actually spans 2 months)..
The 2025 event features nearly 20 venues, offering a variety of prix fixe meals to suit any interest and pocketbook. They range from one end of Westport, and Saugatuck, all the way to an honorary spot in Southport.
Take that, Fairfield! This is the scene at The Blondinit.
Some restaurants offer just lunch, others just dinner. Most serve both.
According to James Gray, who sent the 1937 postcard (above), it may have been located at what is now the Westport Housing Authority’s Hidden Brook and Sasco Creek Village.
Those townhouses replaced what for decades was a trailer park.
Deri’s Tourist Camp looks a lot like Mathewson’s Tourist Cabins:
They may have pre-dated Deri’s. And their location has been described variously as the former trailer park, and just west of that, where the Delamar is now.
We doubt any “06880” readers are alive who actually stayed at Deri’s or Mathewson’s.
But if you remember them at all, click “Comments” below.
(Friday Flashback is one of “06880”‘s many regular features. If you enjoy this — or anything else on our website — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
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!)
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