Mexicue served its last chips, fajitas and margaritas this week.
The 2-old-restaurant — in the space previously occupied by Bobby Q’s and, before that, Onion Alley — struggled to fill the large dining room and patio.
Mexicue’s 2 New York locations (Midtown and NoMad), and the one in Stamford, remain open.
Empty tables at Mexicue.
The closing follows the apparent shutdown of 159 Main (the successor to Rye Ridge Deli and, before that, Oscar’s). A sign on the door said, “We are closing for a few days to carry out necessary upgrades.” But the interior has been dark, with no work being done.
A reminder: For Thanksgiving, “06880” wants to share some of the things you — our readers — are thankful for.
Please email 06880blog@gmail.com today. Let us know what you’re thankful for this year. (NOTE: Do not post your thanks in the Comments section; just email them to us.)
Big or small; concrete or abstract; individually or as a family; here in town or anywhere else — we want to hear from you. And please let us know whether we can use your name, or if you prefer anonymity.
We’ll post your thankful responses — with our thanks — soon.
A 1941 Saturday Evening Post cover, by Westport artist Stevan Dohanos — 83 years ago.
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A relatively new, but very fun tradition, continues: The Wakeman Town Farm holiday tree lighting takes place December 6 (4:30 p.m.).
The family event includes cookies, treats and hot chocolate courtesy of The Porch and Sweet P Bakery, and a bonfire.
The tree will be lit by 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Bill Constantino, a Wakeman family member.
The tree lighting is also a chance to give back. WTF will collect “pre-loved” Legos, as a part of Sustainable Westport’s project.
There”s a collection too of unwrapped toys for the annual Al’s Angels drive. And members of Staples’ AWARE organization are raising money for women and teens in need, through a bake sale.
But 159 Main — the successor to Rye Ridge Deli, which took over from Oscar’s — posted a note on its door saying, “We are closing for a few days to carry out necessary upgrades.
“It is our priority to continue to serve you in the best possible way during this time. We will be reachable through our platforms.”
A QR code brought up a form to submit an email address. A phone number was also listed, but a call to it went unanswered.
Eric Bosch writes: “If you walk along the cement sidewalk toward the canons on Compo’s South Beach, you can now see the remnants of a very old groin/jetty coming up out of the sand.
“These are easily seen at Burying Hill Beach, where there are 3 or 4 rows of them (they stick 4-8 inches above the sand there). Beach groins help deposit sands onto the beach, preventing erosion.
“The one in this photo clearly did its job for years, as it was completely covered up until recently. My guess is that the 8.8-foot exceptionally high tides that we just experienced with the full moon exposed this when the waters receded.”
Newly exposed groin/jetty at Compo Beach. (Photo/Eric Bosch)
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Another new appearance: this rock, painted recently on Easton Road between Coleytown Road and North Avenue.
(Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)
If you know the back story, click “Comments” below. If you dont: It will remain just another Westport mystery.
Westporter Joanie Gottlieb builds, redesigns and customizes dollhouses.
Joanie Gottlieb with her farmhouse dollhouse …
… and the interior.
And similar structures.
Right now, she’s working on a commission from a Manhattan client. He wanted a townhouse — not a dollhouse — complete with a rooftop bar and lounge, oirginal paintings, and a music room with a keyboard, guitar, amps and drums.
The music room, in Joanie Gottlieb’s “townhouse.”
Each one takes 2 months to complete. For more information, email joaniegottlieb52@gmail.com. (Hat tip: Toni Simonetti)
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Longtime Westport resident Mary Becker died last Wednesday, at home. She was 95.
The New York City native attended Sarah Lawrence College. She met her future husband Lester at a resort hotel in the Catskills. They married in 1951, and moved to Westport in 1963.
After raising 2 children, Mary turned her passion for global travel into a career. She spent many years as a travel agent.
Mary was an avid and skilled knitter, creating works and gifts that were treasured by family and friends. She also had a deep love for her garden, and for music, theatre and reading. She also doted on a long line of dogs and cats, the last of which, Archie, stayed curled up on her bed through her final days.
Mary was deeply involved in her children’s lives. She was well known and loved by the many classmates and friends who came through their home over the years, and she maintained close relationships with many throughout her life.
She is survived by her husband of almost 73 years; daughter Ann Moore of New York City; son Michael (Christine) of Los Angeles; sister Eve Lubin of Los Angeles and grandson Ellis Becker of Madison, Wisconsin.
Her family says, “Mary’s life was marked by courage and compassion, and in both life and death, she faced each moment with grace and supreme bravery. Her infectious energy, positivity and joy were an inspiration to all who knew her.”
A gathering for family and friends will be held at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mary’s honor to either rhe Westport Country Playhouse or the Pet Animal Welfare Society.
Mary Becker
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As birds fly south for the winter, we see empty nests all around town.
Wasps don’t migrate. But they too leave empty nests.
Johanna Keyser Rossi spotted this one — today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — at the YMCA.
And finally … “Alice’s Restaurant” — Arlo Guthrie’s meandering, absurd — and pretty much true — song about littering, the police and the military draft has been a Thanksgiving staple since its release in 1967.
That’s because the events happened — the true ones, anyone — at a Thanksgiving dinner attended by (among others) Guthrie, a student at the Stockbridge School (and son of Woody), where Alice Brock was a librarian.
Alice — who also owned a restaurant (called not Alice’s, but the Back Room (along with a deconsecrated church) — died last Thursday, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.
Fittingly, it was a week before Thanksgiving. She was 83, and suffered from chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. Click here for a full obituary.
(You can get anything you want on “06880.” Well, so long as there’s a Westport hook. Except for our song of the day. That’s random. You can also click here to support this hyper-local blog. We thank you!)
Yesterday, “06880” reported that Rye Ridge Deli was closing. A new place called 15 9 Main would take over.
In fact, Rye Ridge’s Westport location was sold to new owners in February. They have operated since, with a 4-month agreement to use the Rye Ridge name.
That’s ended. It is now officially 159 Main. It is open as usual.
Meanwhile, Rye Ridge’s 2 other locations — in Stamford and Rye Brook, New York — remain open under that name.
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However, there is definitely a vacancy in Compo Acres Shopping Center.
Row House — whose 25 erg (rowing) machines once hummed with activity, with people of all ages seeking a strong workout — has closed its doors.
Row House began in New York’s Columbus Circle in 2014. The Westport location opened 5 years later.
With the closing of Westport, the nearest location is Stamford.
Did you miss Staples High School’s 137th graduation ceremony this month?
Were you there, but want to relive it?
Jim Honeycutt — who retired after many years as a teacher, including director of the media lab — has posted the entire event online.
NOTE: Sharp-eared viewers will note that the “Pomp and Circumstance” processional music in the video is not the same as was played that day.
Staples now uses a recording, which is blocked by YouTube. Honeycutt substituted music played by the Staples band, back when they performed at fieldhouse graduations.
Yesterday morning, 25 people from Saugatuck Congregational Church left for this year’s high school youth group mission trip. They’ll help Vermont residents recover from last year’s floods that devastated the state.
20 youth and 5 leaders will work on farms, assemble furniture, clean up areas in need, and meet people affected by the disaster.
The Saugatuck Church youth group is open to all students entering, in, or just graduated from high school. Attendance at Saugatuck Church or Staples High is not required.
Heading north: Saugatuck Church youth group. (Photo/Mark Mathias)
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Since his birth, Wakeman Town Farm has fostered an orphaned baby goat.
“Stuart Little” has now found a home. Time Out Foundation of Lakeville — a horse rescue/sanctuary that runs a free therapeutic program for children — adopted him.
Stuart Little and friend.
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Speaking of animals: After 4 years of hibernation, Sunny the Duck is back on Jesup Green.
The much-larger-than-life waterfowl advertises the Sunrise Rotary Club’s annual Great Race.
It’s this Saturday (June 29), at Jesup Green.
The fun begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with activities like Nerdy Derby, pin making, face painting, bubble machines, duck pond giveaway and more (plus food trucks!).
The duck race starts at 1 p.m. Thousands of plastic ducks are dropped from a giant front loader, down a 160-foot long sluice course on Jesup Green.
Each duck has a number, matching a $20 raffle ticket. The first 10 ducks across the finish line win money for their ticket holders. First place gets $5,000, second place $1,000, while the next 8 earn $500 awards.
All the fun is for a great cause. Sunrise Rotary donates the proceeds to local and international charities.
Tickets can be purchased online at westportsunriserotary.org, or from any Westport Sunrise Rotarian at any time — including the morning of the event.
Wendy Krueger — daughter of Ralph Krueger, for whom Little Ralphie is named — checks out her father’s namesake with Bruce Paul, Sunrise Rotary’s Great Duck Race chair.
The 2013 Staples High School, 2017 University of Virginia graduate, and holder of many Connecticut and collegiate running records, finished third in the semi-final heat of the 1500 meters at the Olympic trials yesterday, at the University of Oregon. He ran a season-best 3:34.40.
That qualifies him for tomorrow’s (Monday) finals (8:47 p.m. EDT; NBC and Peacock) — and a spot on the US track team that will compete at the Olympics next month in Paris.
Also yesterday, another Westport athlete fell just short of her Olympic goals.
Annam Olasewere competed in the 50 and 100 meter freestyle trials in Indianapolis, and reached the semifinal of the former.
She’s got a fantastic future. A rising senior at Staples, who competes year-round for Chelsea Piers Athletic Club, she’s already committed to Stanford University for the 2025-26 school year.
Next stop: the 2028 Olympics, just down the California coast, in Los Angeles.
Compo Beach residents are used to drivers speeding down Bradley Street, and blowing past the stop sign at Danbury Avenue.
But they were stunned today as a car driven by a teenage boy, with another teen as his passenger, raced along Compo Road South, roared onto Bradley without stopping, then passed several vehicles in the other lane on its way to the beach.
Without stopping at Danbury Avenue, it turned left onto Compo Beach Road, slammed against a car driving past, drove off and continued into the beach.
The car that was hit …
The young driver was apprehended quickly. No one seemed injured.
But if anyone had been walking or biking on Bradley or Compo Beach Road, it could have been much, much worse.
Speaking of the beach, here’s a new trend: Cars parking on the Hillspoint Road bridge over I-95.
Of the 6 cars in this photo, 4 are from out of state.
At first, it seems odd.
But apparently it’s the new way to avoid paying the daily out-of-town rate at Compo.
Signs warn that vehicles parked on Hillspoint between Schlaet’s Point and Old Mill, and at Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve, must have beach stickers.
There are no such signs this far north.
So folks park on the bridge, and hoof it to the beach.
On the one hand, it’s great that Compo is so attractive to out-of-towners.
And they should probably be applauded for creativity.
On the other hand …
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And speaking of dangerous behaviors (see above), Rob Jackson writes:
“I live in Saugatuck Shores, and drive to and from downtown on Route 136.
“With the onset of warmer weather, the electric scooter parade begins. There are some adults, but the majority are young teenagers.
“There is no bike lane, so these kids ride in the narrow strip between the traffic and the grass. It’s terrifying to see these young people, sans helmets, at times with headphones or earbuds, speeding along at 15-20 mph with cars, trucks, etc. blowing past a foot or two away. (The 35 mph speed limit seems to be only a suggestion)
“No helmets is downright lunacy. But the small diameter tires on these scooters (as opposed to a much larger bicycle tire) are an invitation for the first small rock to send the riding flying, possibly into a passing vehicle.
“I invite any parent to come watch their child navigate this roadway on their electric scooter. This isn’t Compo Beach or Saugatuck Island. It is a disaster in the making.”
The Westport Weston Family YMCA marked its 100th annual meeting last week with a number of awards.
Honorees included Diane Dubovy Benke (Lee J. Edelstein Volunteer of the Year0; Robin Tauck (Legacy & Impact Award), and Kate Murray and Andrew Berkowitz (Youths of he Year).
Employee Recognition Awards went to James Leask, maintenance technician (Above & Beyond); Victoria Walters, lifeguard and swim instructor (Commitment to Mission); Alejandro Flores, maintenance technician (Relationship Champion), and Tina Turechek, digital marking manager (Rookie of the Year).
Robin Tauck (right) with Westport Y CEO Anjali McCormick.
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The Westport Library will be buzzing this afternoon.
The Hive — Frederic Chiu and Jeanine Esposito’s new community-building project — brings an intriguing music-making event to the Trefz Forum stage (today, Sunday, 2 p.m.).
It’s called a “LID Session.” The acronym stands for “Lay It Down.”
Chiu — a world-renowned pianist, who lived for many years in Westport — has always been fascinated by the way pianos connects people of diverse ages, backgrounds and experiences.
He has invited local people to take a chance, and “Lay It Down” for an audience of fellow community members. The 6 who will perform range in age from 12 to 94.
“The playing doesn’t have to be perfect, and the audience doesn’t need to know how to play,” Chiu says.
“The shared experience creates connection for everyone.
Chiu will kick things by playing a short piece. Six guest pianists then take their turn on the Library’s special Yamaha Disklavier, which captures the performance for posterity.
To close, Chiu will lead a community conversation. (For more information, click here.)
A good crowd headed to the Westport Observatory yesterday, for the start of ARRL Field Day.
The Westport Astronomical Society hosted the local meeting of a nationwide ham radio event.
Attendees young and old heard from ham operators, and got on the air themselves.
ARRL Field Day continues today (Sunday) through 8 p.m. at the observatory on 182 Bayberry Lane. For more information, click here.
Coleytown Middle School student Dylan Rosen learns about ham radio yesterday from Larry Reed (AB1JC), at the Westport Observatory. Dylan contacted a ham operator in Iowa — and the hams in Westport stopped to applaud. PS: Check out Dylan’s shirt!
And finally … on this date in 1713, French residents of Acadia were given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia.
They did not pledge their allegiance. The result: a vibrant Cajun culture in Louisiana.
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