Unsung Heroes #162

Posted on October 14, 2020 | 4 comments

It seemed like an audacious plan: In the midst of a pandemic, create a drive-in movie.

The challenges were many: Find a suitable location. Find a screen. Find a movie. Find an audience.

As much as everyone in Westport was itching to get out of lockdown in June, the concept was — well, different. Most folks under the age of 40 or 50 had never been to a drive-in. Would they leave the comfort of their couch to see something they could easily stream — for a lot less money — on Netflix?

Neighbors worried about the noise. They were mollified when they learned the sound is delivered through car radios.

Yet as they (sort of) said in “Field of Dreams,” “If you build it, they will come.”

Come they did. From opening night, Westporters flocked to the Remarkable Theater. Families with kids, teenagers with friends, empty nesters who may have started their families at a drive-in — all enjoyed a wide range of films.

Comedies, dramas, action, classics — all packed the Imperial Avenue parking lot, all summer long. It was an inspired choice for a site: big, accessible, and not far from the long-ago 4 theaters downtown.

… at an old-fashioned drive-in.

The Remarkable Theater did something else besides entertain and enliven Westport. It provided jobs for a number of teenagers and adults with disabilities.

They set up, directed traffic and cleaned up. They enjoyed themselves as much as the filmgoers. Which is really saying something.

The Remarkable Theater’s season ends this month. Before the final (hopefully, just for this year) curtain closes, let’s honor the remarkable Remarkable Theater crew who made this happen.

To the board of directions (president Marina Derman, vice president and secretary Stacie Curran, vice president and creative director Doug Tirola, vice presidents Joanna Borner and Jonathan Steinberg, plus Marjorie Jacobson, Diane Kwong-Shah. Jeffrey Peterson and Yvette Waldman), along with technology manager Sharuna Mahesh: thank you!

You are our Unsung Heroes of the Week. If not the entire summer and fall.

 

4 Comments

Posted in Categories

Roundup: Hybrid Schools, Hugh Jackman, Irrigation Ban, More

Posted on October 14, 2020 | 1 comment

The current hybrid model — 2 days in person, 3 out for middle and high schoolers; morning and afternoon sessions for elementary-age youngsters — will continue at least through December.

Superintendent of schools Tom Scarice announced that decision last night, at a Board of Education meeting. It was driven by an uptick in coronavirus cases — a trend expected to rise this fall.

Public sentiment is divided. But Scarice called this “the prudent” and “correct” approach, based on current infection numbers, future models, the ability of educators to adapt to both in-person and distance learning, and input on how the hybrid model has worked so far.

Sure, it rained earlier this week. But Aquarion has announced a mandatory irrigation ban in southwest Fairfield County. The area — including Westport — has hit its 3rd “drought trigger” this fall.

Effective immediately, the ban includes automatic irrigation systems and hose end sprinklers. (Hand-held watering, soaker hose and drip irrigation continue to be permitted for new plantings.)

The ban will help ensure “an adequate water supply for everyday needs, and give reservoirs time to recover for the spring,” the water company says.

Click here for water conservation tips.

————————————

 Last Friday, Hugh Jackman stopped by the Remarkable Theater.

Okay, the Australian actor was not actually at the Imperial Avenue parking lot.

But he did send a special message, introducing a screening of “The Greatest Showman” (and it had nothing to do with the music, by Staples High School graduate Justin Paul).

A video message from the movie’s creator and screenwriter Jenny Bicks also greeted the audience. The screening was in support of Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities.

Next up: “Playhouse at the Drive-in,” this Saturday night.

The Milken Institute Global Conference is in the midst of 8 days of inspiring talks and panels. This year’s topics are (of course) the global pandemic, and social injustice.

And (of course) it’s virtual. Over 4,000 of the world’s leading thinkers have tuned in.

There’s a solid Westport presence at the prestigious, 22nd annual event.

RTM member Kristin Schneeman is a director at FasterCures, part of the Milken Institute. Théo Feldman is an associate director, innovative finance there.

Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio was featured in a conversation, while the hedge fund’s CEO David McCormick spoke on a panel called “Leadership: Moving Beyond Conventional Thinking.

Feldman adds: “During last year’s Global Conference in Beverly Hills, I met a fellow Westporter: Russell Sherman. We realized his sister — Suzanne Sherman Propp — taught my daughter at Greens Farms Elementary School. And his niece did a play with my other daughter.”

As the weather turns cool, a pair of local religious institutions are sponsoring a coat drive for Person to Person.

Clothing should be bagged, and sorted by gender and age (adult or youth). Donations can be dropped off in a blue bin labeled “Coat Donations” on the side elevator entrance at Saugatuck Church, or The Conservative Synagogue.

Donation pick-ups are available too. Email alexandrawalsh9@gmail.com for arrangements.

Speaking of help: last week’s Longshore Ladies 9 Hole Golf Association annual fundraiser brought in plenty of groceries for the Westport Woman’s Club food closet. The event also raised over $1,170, which will go to gift cards for food insecure Westporters.

Donations for the Longshore golf food drive.

And finally … in honor of Hugh Jackman’s Westport “appearance” (and Justin Paul’s music):

 

1 Comment

Posted in Education, Entertainment, Environment, Organizations, religion, Staples HS

Tagged , , , , , ,

Downtown Murals Disappear

Posted on October 14, 2020 | 3 comments

Animals are not the only thing disappearing at an alarming rate.

Downtown murals are vanishing too.

Then again, that’s the plan.

This week, the Artists Collective of Westport introduced an intriguing public art project.

“Vanishing Species/Vanishing Murals” showcases temporary works by Westporters Susan Fehlinger, Jana Ireijo, Day Moore and Dale Najarian.

Each piece — displayed on exterior walls inside Bedford Square, next to Jeera Thai, below Amy Simon Fine Art and in front of Anthropologie — will depict a different endangered species.

Downtown locations for vanishing murals.

The art is created using non-permanent materials like charcoal forged in the heat of destructive wildfires, supplemented by non-toxic chalk.

Exposed to the elements, each mural will disappear — echoing what’s happening to many beautiful creatures across our planet.

Jana Ireijo’s koala disappears.

“The process of aging, fading and degradation speaks to the attention span of our fast-paced world, and offers its own lesson on the ephemeralness of art and life itself,” the Collective says.

As the image fades, and the stains and seams of the wall reappear, viewers are prompted to think about how change is constant, and life is fleeting and fragile.

The future cannot be pushed away. Time continues to unfold at its own pace.

It is incumbent on us, as world citizens, to see and appreciate our world more fully, in real time, so that we can act in ways that honor and respect our world and our future.

The murals are being created this week. They’ll take a few months to decay. Watch for them, now and all winter long.

(The Artists Collective of Westport thanks the Westport Downtown Merchants Association, David Waldman and Roger Leifer for their help with this project.)

3 Comments

Posted in Arts, Downtown, Environment, Local business

Tagged , , , , ,

Pic Of The Day #1275

Posted on October 13, 2020 | 2 comments

Pearl at Longshore (Photo/Patricia McMahon)

2 Comments

Posted in Longshore, Pic of the Day, Restaurants

Tagged

Roundup: Candidates’ Debate, BLM, More

Posted on October 13, 2020 | Comments Off on Roundup: Candidates’ Debate, BLM, More

The 2nd presidential debate has been canceled.

Today (Tuesday, October 13, 12 noon, Zoom), the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce and Westport Library fill the gap. They’ll sponsor a virtual one with our area’s State Senate candidates: Will Haskell and Kim Healy (26th District), and Tony Hwang and Michelle McCabe (28th District),

Initial questions will come from the Chamber board. Viewers can use Zoom’s chat feature to ask their own questions.

To register to watch this debate — or the video of last week’s State House candidates debate — click here and follow the links.

This Saturday’s international march for women’s rights builds on a similar march in January 2017.

A group of women, men and children from the Unitarian Church in Westport heads to Stamford to support that gathering. Click here to register.

The Church is also sponsoring a “virtual opportunity” (Saturday, October 17, 4 p.m.) for anyone concerned about being in a large group during the pandemic.

They also seek pictures, videos and written comments, on the theme of “why I would march if I could.” Email events@uuwestport.org. Put “Women’s March” in the subject line.

And finally … today is International Skeptics Day. Yeah, right!

Comments Off on Roundup: Candidates’ Debate, BLM, More

Posted in Local politics, Organizations, Politics, religion

Tagged , ,

Brian Keane: “Driving While Black”

Posted on October 13, 2020 | 6 comments

Driving While Black — a 2-hour documentary — premieres nationally on PBS tonight (Tuesday, October 13, 9 p.m. EDT).

The film explores the history of race-based restrictions on mobility in the US, including slavery, segregation, the very real dangers of traveling in many parts of the country, the construction of highways through politically powerless black neighborhoods, and the current dangers of “driving while black.”

The Ric Burns project was fast-tracked after the deaths of George Floyd and Jacob Blake this summer.

https://vimeo.com/user37094368/review/447854802/8a255e1270

Working at that furious pace was Brian Keane. The 1971 Staples High School graduate scored the music.

Keane — an Emmy-winning composer with 20 nominations — has worked on most of Burns’ films. He’s also adept with music from many cultures, having scored the only Academy Award-winning Chinese documentary ever (“The Blood of Yingzhou District”).

Keane is noted too for his work with Turkish music and Omar Faruk Tekbilek (he sold out Carnegie Hall in 2018, and similar venues worldwide). He also scored Grammy-winning Irish music with the Chieftains, and produced Linda Ronstadt singing Mexican tunes.

Just as important for Driving While Black, Keane scored the music to Henry Hampton’s films.

He was America’s first major Black documentarian. his 1980’s multi-part television show “Eyes on the Prize” is a classic.

In the 1980s and early ’90s, there were few minorities in television production. Hampton used his fame to hire top documentary professionals — mostly white — to mentor inexperienced Black men and women who wanted to learn the craft.

Keane was one of those mentors.

Brian Keane

Though the Driving While Black budget was small — and the turnaround time quick — Keane was eager to participate. The chance to influence millions of viewers, the timing and the subject’s importance all resonated.

Most of the musicians working with him were Black, and old friends. Singer Janice Dempsey told him, “music has no color.” As he worked, and talked, he realized that — without exception — his Black friends and the film’s musical collaborators have been affected by institutional racism.

Because of the rich history of black music in America — gospel, blues, jazz,  R&B, hip hop — and because many of his musician friends had been out of work due to COVID, Keane decided to use PBS’ limited  budget to hire great musicians.

He forwent his usual fee, opting to make “a soundtrack that would raise awareness further, but would also be compelling musically.”

The main theme took a 1947 Alan Lomax recording of Black prisoners singing while working in a chain gang. Keane set it to African and hip hop beats, scoring it with modern urban jazz elements, a viola de gamba to connect to colonial times, sound design, and tension atmospheres.

He says, “It gets across the point the film tries to convey: Racism has been part of America throughout its history, and still very much is today too.”

It includes Blues Hall of Famer Joe Louis Walker, jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut, Grammy-winning trumpeter Randy Brecker, gospel artist Ada Dyer, and emerging socially conscious artists like Kyla Imani and Jermaine Love Songz.

Marion Meadows performs too. His cousin was shot 27 times and killed by police last year. The video of the incident was lost.

But this would not be an “06880” story without more local connections. Former resident play on the soundtrack too: Dan Barrett (cello) and Murali Coryell (electric guitar).

(Click here to download Brian Keane’s “Driving While Black” soundtrack.)

6 Comments

Posted in Arts, Entertainment, History, People, Staples HS

Tagged , ,

Pics Of The Day #1274

Posted on October 12, 2020 | 1 comment

More dogs at Compo Beach

(Photos/J.C. Martin)

1 Comment

Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day

Tagged

Roundup: Signs, Art Sale, More

Posted on October 12, 2020 | 14 comments

A reader writes:

“Our ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign was stolen from our front yard. We paid for it; it was up for weeks, and we live on a side street.

“I am stunned, having grown up in this town. We disagreed, we debated, but we didn’t do warfare with political signs.

“The sign was on our property. How is this not an invasion of my property? How is it not the bullying or pummeling in the name of what you don’t like or believe?

“Black lives matter. They still matter, even when you steal signs.”

Speaking of political signs: An Old Hill resident offers this warning to a possible thief:

(Photo/Frank Rosen)

The Artists Collective of Westport sponsors an outdoor trunk show of “affordable art” this Saturday (October 17, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Westport Playhouse parking lot).

Artists will display their works from in and around their cars. All COVID restrictions will be followed. But, the Collective says, “we can’t mask our excitement!”

Lindsey Blaivas spotted this house on Long Lots Road. “Instead of hauling away this magnificent tree that fell during one of our many storms, they landscaped around it,” she writes.

“It is a piece of art — and a tribute to the magical gifts that nature sometimes leaves us.”

(Photo/Lindsey Blaivas)

Like many venues, Longshore has been hit hard by the coronavirus.

Yesterday, however, Bruce McFadden spotted a ceremony taking place. It was not big — and there seemed to be plenty of space between guests and tables. Still, it was a nice reminder of a bit of normalcy.

(Photo/Bruce McFadden)

And finally … on Columbus Day, let’s honor the people who knew this land long before the Europeans “discovered” it. Songwriter/saxophonist Jim Pepper adapted “Witchi Tai To” from an ancient chant he learned from his Native American grandfather. It is still the only song in the history of Billboard’s pop chart to feature a Native American chant.

14 Comments

Posted in Arts, Environment, Longshore, Organizations, Politics

Tagged ,

Spencer Brockman Races To The Top

Posted on October 12, 2020 | 3 comments

It’s been a tough time for Spencer Brockman.

Last fall his father Michael Brockman — a longtime Westport, road test editor at Motor Trend Magazine, former 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans pro racer, film actor, stuntman, and owner of Mazda of Milford — died. He was 74.

Then came COVID. For Spencer — a 2018 Staples High School graduate, and like his dad, a professional driver who could no longer race — that added to his sadness.

Spencer Brockman

But the racing world has gradually opened up. And Spencer has had an exceptional year.

First he was invited to join the Bryan Herta Autsports IMSA team, where he found success.

On Friday — after years of being inches from victory — Spencer and his Formula Atlantic achieved his goal.

He took 1st place at the 57th SCCA National Championships in Wisconsin — an exceptionally difficult race. Last year, he placed 3rd.

He dedicated the win to his father. Click here for a full report. (Hat tip: Ian Warburg)

3 Comments

Posted in People, Sports, Staples HS

Tagged ,

Staples Players Plan 3 Special Shows. Global Audience Invited!

Posted on October 12, 2020 | 4 comments

In the 1930s, American families gathered around the radio. They listened to live dramas, musicals and comedies, complete with sound effects.

This fall — decades later — families can gather together to enjoy 3 Sunday plays, courtesy of Staples Players.

They’ll be broadcast — free! — on WWPT-FM.

It’s a novel, creative way for the high school drama troupe to put on a show in the midst of a pandemic.

And — because this is 2020 — the professional-quality entertainment can be enjoyed by Players’ relatives, alumni and many fans all around the globe. You can listen on any internet-connected device, via the school radio station’s livestream.

The shows span genres: a musical (“The Wizard of Oz”), a beloved novel (“Pride and Prejudice”) and a classic (“It’s a Wonderful Life”). The dates are October 25, November 8 and November 22, respectively. Airtime is 6 p.m.

Though Players were initially disappointed not to mount their traditional fall mainstage musical, they’ve embraced the radio shows eagerly. Over 50 students are in at least one show. Many are in 2; a few are in all 3.

The live action will be broadcast from the Black Box theater, with actors separated by Plexiglas booths. Sound effects — like the tornado in “Oz,” doors opening and feet creaking — are courtesy of the tech crew, seated next door in Staples’ TV and radio studio.

There’s live music too: Don Rickenback’s piano.

No radio show is complete without ads, of course. With no auditorium audience, Players lost an important fundraising opportunity. But local businesses — including major sponsors Gault, Melissa & Doug, Mitchells and Steve Madden Shoes — will air old-time radio ads.

(There’s still time to buy ads. Players will custom-write a jingle — and sing it. Email playersadsales2020@gmail.com.)

Most rehearsals have been by Zoom, though some have been in person (socially distanced, of course). Good weather has allowed plenty of room outdoors.

Staples Players director David Roth (right) leads an outdoor rehearsal for the upcoming radio plays. (Photo/Kerry Long)

Players directors David Roth and Kerry Long have made this special project a community event. Each Sunday show will have a food tie-in.

The “Wizard of Oz” menu is curated by Little Barn. Menu choices includes Wicked Witch Wings, Tin Man Tacos, Munchkin Burger (for kids) and emerald City Cocktails.

For “Pride and Prejudice,” Gruel Brittania offers Pemerley’s Prime Rib dinner complete with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and sticky toffee pudding, while “It’s a Wonderful Life”‘s classic meal comes from Dunville’s: George’s Yankee Pot Roast, Zuzu’s Scallops and Mary Hatch’s Stuffed Sole. Ordering details will be available soon.

Meanwhile, Cold Fusion — the locally owned gelato and sorbet company — is celebrating the 3 shows with limited edition special flavors.

“Somewhere Over the Rain-dough” is available for order (before Thursday, October 15!) to enjoy with “The Wizard of Oz.” “Bennet Bananas” is the perfect pairing for “Pride and Prejudice,” while “George Bailey’s Irish Cream” is on tap for “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Click here to order.

The directors are as excited about the radio plays as the actors and tech crew. “Rehearsals have been a lot of fun,” Roth says. “Each show has a different style. There’s a lot of creative energy.

“Of course they’d love to be onstage. But they love this opportunity. They appreciate all the efforts everyone is making for them. They can’t wait to perform these plays.”

(The 3 radio shows can be heard on WWPT, 90.3 FM. For the livestream, click on www.wwptfm.org.)

ENCORE: Though there’s no dancing on radio, Players are keeping their skills sharp. Choreographer Rachel MacIsaac leads dance classes 4 times a week, on the school tennis courts.

Rachel MacIsaac leads an outdoor dance class.

There are no costumes on radio either. But Players’ costume crew is doing designs for every play, just as if they were onstage.

Players runs tech workshops 2 to 3 times a week too. Students get special instruction in skills and tools.

Some of the Foley equipment used for sound effects. (Photo/Brandon Malin)

4 Comments

Posted in Arts, Entertainment, Media, Staples HS, Teenagers

Tagged , , , , ,