For weeks after the Twin Towers fell, we felt a welter of emotions: Sorrow. Rage. Numbness. Uncertainty.
Westporters wanted to help, in any way they could. Some volunteered at Ground Zero. Some tended to victims’ families. A few joined the military.
Alexis Liistro, in Staples’ Class of 2002 yearbook.
Alexis Liistro was a senior at Staples High School. Her younger sister Samantha was a freshman. Alexis took her out of school.
After they finally got hold of their parents, the sisters headed to Compo Beach.
Across Long Island Sound, they saw the destruction unfolding. Smoke filled the horizon.
A quarter century later, Alexis remembers how peaceful the water was.
“We were standing on this pristine, familiar beach where everything felt strangely safe and still, while not very far away something almost incomprehensibly horrific was happening,” she says.
“I looked across the Sound, and tried to reconcile those two realities. How could the water be so calm and beautiful, when there was so much horror just beyond it?”
A calm day at Compo Beach (Photo/Justin Reed)
That fall, in her Graphic Design class, that memory became the foundation for a piece.
A friend had an older photograph of the New York skyline, and gave it to Alexis. She was learning Photoshop, and experimented with the image.
She removed the World Trade Center from the skyline — but left the towers visible, in the Hudson River’s reflection.
That became the message: “Gone … but never forgotten.”
Alexis Liistro’s image.
“The towers are physically absent from the city, but they remain in the water,” Alexis explains.
“At the time I was thinking about the people our community had lost, including parents of kids I knew, and about the idea that someone’s physical absence does not erase their presence from our lives. The reflection became a way of representing memory.”
Alexis’s piece became part of 2 fundraisers: one by the Staples High Art Club, the other by the Key Club. Both raised money to help families affected by the attacks.
Twenty-five years later, Alexis says, “the image affects me differently. At 17, I was trying to make sense of something that I didn’t have the life experience or vocabulary to fully comprehend.
“I wasn’t trying to make some grand statement about history. I was trying to express what I had actually felt standing beside my little sister at Compo Beach that day: the surreal coexistence of extraordinary beauty and unimaginable horror, separated only by a stretch of peaceful water.
Alexis Liistro, today.
Looking at it now, she says, “I think that is why the reflection still feels meaningful to me. Twenty-five years have passed. The skyline changed. We grew up. Families learned how to continue living with people missing from them. An entire generation has been born that has no memory of September 11 at all.
“But the reflection is still there.
In a way she could not have understood when she created it, Alexis says, “that may be what remembering actually is. The world continues above the surface, but what was lost remains reflected beneath it.”
Alexis now lives and practices intellectual property law in San Francisco.
But — like 9/11 itself — her image of the New York City skyline, and the gone-but-not-forgotten Twin Towers, lives on.
One of the most overlooked (so far) local environmental stories involves erosion and related issues at Westport’s beaches.
The “sandbar” (natural, not food) at Compo Beach, and the continuing disappearance of Burying Hill, are 2 noticeable impacts.
On October 1 (6:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), RACE Coastal Engineering will present their second Comprehensive Beach Resilience Planning Studies forum.
It covers existing site conditions, potential beach profiles, and anticipated regulatory requirements, among others.
The topic has not been on many residents’ minds. It should be.
Very little actual beach remains at Burying Hill. (Photo/Ed Simek)
In related news, the Parks & Recreation Commission’s September 16 meeting (7:30 p.m., Zoom) includes a couple of interesting items:
Parks Master Plan update
New parks maintenance facility.
Commissioners will also accept a gift to install dugouts at the Greens Farms Elementary School softball field, dedicated to Nat Brogadir.
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Westport firefighters honored 9/11 yesterday, with their annual memorial service at headquarters. This year’s 25th anniversary carried special meaning.
(Photo/Westport Fire Department)
Then came a visit to the Westport Weston Family YMCA.
Three firefighters climbed aboard a Stairmaster, and completed 110 stories.
That’s the number of floors their New York City colleagues attempted to climb in rescue attempts that awful morning, 25 years ago yesterday.
343 FDNY members lost their lives on September 11, 2001.
Westport firefighters, at the YMCA. The TV on the right shows the New York City 9/11 memorial service. (Photo/Christina Scherwin)
Back at headquarters, Westport firefighters were treated to a nice lunch, by Julie and James Whamond.
The meal was accompanied by a note, thanking the WFD for all they do for our town, and for stepping up for Julie’s family 25 years ago. Her husband, Jonathan Uman, was killed in the World Trade Center attack.
Firefighters, with lunch. (Photo/Westport Fire Department)
Also honoring 9/11: this man, spotted by Debra Carson on the Post Road yesterday.
She doesn’t know more about his mission .But we appreciate his journey, and admire his determination.
(Photo/Debra Carson)
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School is back in session.
Parties are in full swing.
And Compo Beach neighbors are not pleased.
For the past 2 weekends, they report, “hundreds” of students — primarily freshmen — have gathered at night on the beach along the Soundview Drive exit road.
Residents report noise and drinking. Police arrive.
One part of the large scene.
Eventually the party ends. “But the seawall and beach are trashed,” one homeowner says.
This morning, Parks & Recreation Department crews cleaned up the mess.
The Harmonetiks Project is a non-profit fostering recovery and resilient leadership for veterans and first responders.
It brings community wellness and veteran support together, as public classes and treatments help fund free care for veterans. The project teaches practical self-care skills through programs including Harmonetiks Easy Breath, acupuncture, tai chi, yoga and more.
Owner Mike Williams is an Army veteran and former combat medic.
Harmonetiks opened a training center at 420 Post Road West last month. A grand opening is set for today (Saturday, 12 noon). The public is invited. Click here for more information.
Harmonetiks Project
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Westporters are enjoying the town’s newest outdoor art.
“Circle of Peace” — a bronze sculpture outside the upper entrance to the Westport Library — is a playful work that invites passersby to stop and smile.
It will be officially dedicated on Monday (September 14, 5 p.m.). The public is invited.
Youngsters enjoying “Circle of Peace.” (Photo/Jamie Walsh)
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Speaking of the Library: An extra-special author talk takes places October 2 (7 p.m.). Ocean Vuong discussed his new bestseller, “The Emperor of Gladness.” Oprah Winfrey picked it for her Book Club.
Born in Saigon and raised in a working-class Hartford household, he set his latest storyin the fictional town of East Gladness, Connecticut.
The theme is survival. The book tackles the daily weight of caregiving, poverty, addiction, family by choice, and the strange relief that comes when another human being truly notices you when you feel invisible.
Vuong has spoken about Buddhism, the reality of suffering, and how he might have ended up as a monk if writing had not found him first. He’ll be joined on stage by poet, memoirist, and Yale Review editor Meghan O’Rourke.
Speaking (as before) of art: MoCA\CT celebrated the opening of “Michael Borders: Connecticut Industry” with a public reception Thursday night.
On view through November 15, the exhibition includes 8 monumental painted panels by the Connecticut artist. Individually and collectively, the offer a vivid portrait of our state’s history, industries, landscapes and communities.
Great actors are a Westport Country Playhouse tradition.
But what does it take to get stage — there, or anywhere else?
On Sunday, September 20, Andrew Keenan-Bolger — the original Crutchie in “Newsies” on Broadway — offers 2 master classes for students.
“Building Characters from the Inside Out” gives participants a chance to explore character development through monologue work, script analysis and imaginative storytelling.
The middle school class is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The high school session follows, from 2 to 4.
Summer is over. But the Levitt Pavilion keeps rockin’.
A new free show has been added to the calendar. King Stingray brings their unique “Yolŋu surf rock” sound — a blend of ancient Australian indigenous melodies with surf, indie and funk influences — to Westport on September 23 (7:30 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
Avid state park-goer Chris Swan offers this update on work at Sherwood Island:
“Late Thursday afternoon, the contractor finished rough grading a large area on the north side of the newly paved West Beach parking lot.
“I’m guessing they’ll hydro-seed. That will hold this soil from eroding while grass germinates, returning this to an overflow parking lot like what was there pre-project.
“The contractor also painted some lines, and a few remaining crosswalks. Likely some odds and ends remain, but it looks like the paving project is finally approaching the finish line.
“We’ll see how long it takes to tear down and then replace the pavilion roof. I’m not holding my breath on that one.”
Sherwood Island State Park (Photo/Chris Swan)
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Our new header — visible on laptop and desktop versions of “06880” — is a great shot of a Saugatuck Rowing Club crew. Thanks to photographer Bruce McFadden.
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No matter what else goes on today — September 11, 2026 — the shadow of September 11, 2001 hangs over us all.
That horrible day changed our lives forever. We know it now — and we sensed it then.
Here’s what I wrote 3 days later — September 14, 2001 — in my Westport News “Woog’s World” column.
It was a bit past noon on Tuesday, the Tuesday that will change all of our lives forever.
Fifty miles from Westport smoke billowed from what, just hours before, was the World Trade Center.
A number of Westporters once worked there. The twin towers were never particularly beautiful, but in their own way they were majestic. Whether driving past them on the New Jersey Turnpike, flying near them coming in to the airport, or taking out-of-town friends or relatives to the top, we took a certain amount of pride in them.
We’re Westporters, but in a way we’re also New Yorkers. The World Trade Center symbolized that, though we live in suburban Connecticut, we all feel in some way connected to the most exciting, glamorous, powerful city in the world.
And now that same city was under attack. From the largest McMansion to the most modest Westport home, men and women frantically tried to make contact with spouses, relatives and friends who work in downtown Manhattan.
The iconic 9/11 photo was taken by Westport’s Spencer Platt. He lived near the Twin Towers on that awful morning.
At Staples High School, teenagers who grew up thinking the worst thing that can happen is wearing the wrong shirt or shoes, were engaged in a similar quest.
Many of their fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers work in New York. Many others knew loved ones who were flying that morning, or in Washington, or somewhere else that might possibly become the next city under siege.
Meanwhile, on Whitney Street, a pretty young woman dressed in her best late-summer clothes rode a bicycle down the road.
It was, after all, a beautiful day. Along the East Coast there was not a cloud n the sky — not, that is, unless you count the clouds filled with flames, dust and debris erupting from the collapse of the World Trade Center.
It was a perfect day to ride a bicycle, unless of course you were terrified you had lost a loved one, were glued to a television set wherever you could find one, or were so overwhelmed by grief and rage and fright and confusion because you had no idea what was next for America that riding a bicycle was absolutely the furthest thing from your mind.
On the other hand, perhaps riding a bicycle was exactly the right reaction. Perhaps doing something so innocent, so routine, so life-affirming, was just was some of us should have been doing.
If tragedy teaches us anything, it is that human beings react to stress in a variety of ways. Who is to say that riding a bicycle is not the perfect way to tell Osama bin Laden, or whoever turns out to be responsible for these dastardly deeds, that America’s spirit will not be broken?
But I could not have ridden a bicycle down the road on Tuesday. I sat, transfixed, devouring the television coverage of events that, in their own way, may turn out to be as transforming for this world as Pearl Harbor was nearly 60 years earlier.
I could not bear to watch what I was seeing, but neither could I tear myself away. Each time I saw the gaping holes in those two towers, every time I saw those enormous symbols of strength and power and (even in these economically shaky times) American prosperity crumble in upon themselves like a silly disaster movie, the scene was more surreal than the previous time.
Life will be equally surreal for all of us for a long time to come.
I wondered, as I watched the video shots of the jet planes slam into the World Trade Center over and over and over again, what must have been going through each passenger’s mind.
Like many Westporters, I fly often. Like most I grumble about the delays and crowded planes, but like them too I feel a secret, unspoken thrill every time the sky is clear, the air is blue and the scenery terrific. Tuesday was that kind of day.
For the rest of my life, I suspect, flying will never be the same. And the increased security we will face at every airport, on each plane, is only part of what I fear.
So much remains to be sorted out. We will hear, in the days to come, of Westporters who have lost family members and friends in the World Trade Center. We will hear too of those who have lost their jobs when their companies collapsed, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the terrorism.
Sherwood Island State Park is the site of Connecticut’s official 9/11 Memorial. (Photo/David Squires)
We will drive along the New Jersey Turnpike, or stand on a particular street in Manhattan, perhaps even take out-of-town guests to gaze at the landmark we will come to call “the place the twin towers used to be.”
Our casual grocery store and soccer sideline conversations will be filled with stories: who was where when the terror first hit, and what happened in the hours after.
Our newspapers and airwaves will be clogged with experts trying to explain — though that will never be possible — what it all means for us, in the short term and long term, as individuals and a society.
Our world has already changed, in ways that will take years, if not decades, to understand. We are nowhere close to comprehending the meaning of all this.
The world will go on, of course. Our planet will continue to spin; men and women will continue to commute to New York, and pretty women in Westport will continue to ride bicycles down Whitney Street.
At the same time, sadly, none of that will ever be the same.
Among the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11, 161 were from Connecticut.
Two lived in Westport: Jonathan Uman and Bradley Vadas. Brothers Keith and Scott Coleman grew up here. All worked at the World Trade Center.
They were sons, fathers and brothers. They had much of their lives still ahead of them.
Today, we remember all those killed that day. Twenty-five years later, we still grieve.
Keith Hagel is a 1963 graduate of Staples High School.
He lived and worked throughout Fairfield County, before retiring as a newspaper editor and moving to Maine. An earlier version of this piece appeared in the Bangor Daily News in 2023.
The morning sky on September 11, 2001 near New York City was spectacularly clear and beautiful, so different from the normal clouds and smog that even jaded, sleepy commuters like me on the train from suburban Connecticut to NYC took notice.
We were near the New York state line when the news broke. I remember one man saying, “Someone has declared war on the United States.” Another, on a cell, started yelling at his mother to turn off “The Price is Right” and watch the news.” Takes all kinds.
The train made an unscheduled stop, and a frantic young man boarded. His girlfriend worked in one of the World Trade Center buildings that had been hit, and of course he could not reach her. I hope I never again have to see such anguish on a person’s face.
I thought about a woman I had chatted with on a subway the day before. I think she had said she was on her way to start a new job at the WTC. As she said goodbye getting off, her hip brushed mine, perhaps accidentally. I noticed, but felt I’d probably never see her again. Now, I wondered if anyone else would, either.
As we neared the 125th Street station, we could see the Twin Towers afire across the river. An hour later, I would have been in the bowels of one of the other WTC buildings, connecting to my editing job at Dow Jones Newswires in Jersey City.
The unthinkable happened, on September 11, 2001.
125th Street was as far as train riders were going on September 11. If the World Trade Center had been targeted, Grand Central Station, in midtown Manhattan, certainly also might be.
To my surprise, I eventually got a dial tone on a pay phone (25 years later, extinct in New York) and called my newsroom office. No answer; the 16-floor building had been evacuated. Not that I could have have gotten there. All subway and bus service in Manhattan had been shut down.
My supervisor did eventually make it in. He had been walking to work from near the WTC when he saw the first plane hit. Any sane and/or terrified person would have run like hell in the opposite direction. He did, but a good newsperson to his core, he first called in the story.
I took a turned-around train back to Fairfield County. Little talk, no tickets collected. As I got off an hour later, grim-faced police were on the platform, probably watching for injured or traumatized people needing medical help. The next day, we would learn of the cars that sat empty in railroad parking lots, their drivers never to return.
(Photo copyright Ted Horowitz)
I drove my clunker car to my wife’s house. We recently had separated but, as parents, remained connected. Her first words to me were, “I never thought I’d be so glad to see that piece of (junk) here again.”
Her phone rang, and I answered. My college daughter in Michigan. She had been hurt by her parents’ split and was quite angry with me, with some justification.
A brief pause, then, “What are you doing here?”
I told her she should have listened to the message I had left her from the train, using a cell I had borrowed from a stranger.
As the 25th anniversary of her husband Adam J. Lewis’ death in the Twin Towers nears, Patty Lewis could spend her time looking backward.
Instead, she focuses on the future.
And the future of Adam J. Lewis Academy is bright indeed.
Its preschool opened with 12 children in 2013, in a revitalized Bridgeport property. The school was the brainchild and passion project of Patty and Westporter Julie Mombello. Both were longtime friends, and educators at Greens Farms Academy.
Patty Lewis (left) and Julie Mombello
Each child it served would honor the memory of Patty’s husband, Adam. In his too-short life, the Bronx native never forgot how his own world had been transformed by an educational opportunity at the Dalton School.
Over the next 5 years, the preschool grew to its capacity of 18 children. It was a model for what early childhood education can be: engaging students in an innovative, enriched, nurturing environment, and bridging an achievement gap that already existed at such a young age.
The first class at Adam J. Lewis Preschool
In 2018 the school relocated to an expanded downtown Bridgeport campus, and welcomed its first kindergarten class.
Every year after, Adam J. Lewis Academy added one grade. This fall, it reached its goal. It is now a full pre-k through 8th grade independent school, with nearly 200 students.
It is a shining success story, in a city that has not had enough of them. And — with the help of many Westporters — Patty and Julie’s school continues to change lives, one child at a time, every day of the year.
It’s a testament too that — after one of the most horrific days in American history — something good and wonderful can grow and flourish.
This year’s inaugural 8th grade includes 12 students. Four have been at the school since pre-kindergarten.
Three of this year’s 8th graders, hard at work.
Julie and Patty are excited for all 12. Part of the school year will be dedicated to placing them in appropriate high schools: Hopkins, Greens Farms Academy, Lauralton Hall, Notre Dame, Kolbe Cathedral and the like.
AJLA’s dedicated staff helps prepare students for those entrance exams. A mandatory summer program for 8th graders — part of the camp the school runs for all students — includes essay writing, interviewing skills and financial aid forms
Adam J. Lewis Academy has no theater, gym or athletic field. But they’ve partnered with organizations like Wakeman Boys & Girls Club, SquashBridge and Music Theater of Connecticut, to offer the extracurriculars that round out students’ experiences.
Adam J. Lewis Academy students and staff.
Though their growth plan — pre-K to grade 8 — is complete, Patty and Julie are not resting. Their work is not done.
They’re already looking ahead. Their goal, they say, is to continue changing young children’s lives “for the next 25, 50 and 100 years.”
A capital campaign — “Secure the Future” — has begun. The goal is $25 million.
Adam J. Lewis Academy is completely self-funded. The $5 million annual budget includes no public money.
No family pays full tuition, which covers only 8% of the total cost. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods — the investment firm where Adam worked on the 89th floor in the South Tower — has been a longtime generous donor.
Adam J. Lewis Academy 7th graders.
This year’s fundraising gala is set for September 19 (6 p.m., The Point at Norwalk Cove). As they do every year, students and teachers will show their walk, and talk about AJLA and their lives.
Those conversations are always insightful and inspiring. This year, the first class of 8th graders will make an extra special impression on guests. (Click here for tickets, and more information.)
On Sunday, Adam J. Lewis was in the national spotlight, thanks to CBS News. Caroline Lewis — one of Adam and Patty’s 4 children, who works there — pitched the story to producers.
She did not tell them her connection, until after they agreed it was a piece worth telling. (Click here to see.)
“The story of 9/11 is not done,” Caroline says in the piece. “A new chapter is being written.”
Adam J. Lewis pre-K students.
No child at the academy named for her father knew him. But his legacy is strong and alive.
Every fall, students participate in the national 9/11 Giving Day. Whether singing “America the Beautiful” at a memorial service, or — this year — packing meals for local shelters, the boys and girls at Adam J. Lewis Academy give back as much as they get.
On the 25th anniversary of a day that changed America forever, Patty Lewis says, “We’ve changed the narrative from horror and tragedy, to a sense of coming together. This is a reminder of who we as a country can be.”
In sustaining objections to Old Mill Grocery & Deli’s use of their 107-year-old property on Hillspoint Road last February, Superior Court Judge Dale Radcliffe said that allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages and outdoor dining in residential zones was “an impermissible expansion of the existing nonconforming uses.”
However, according to attorneys for OMG’s owner, the Soundview Empowerment Alliance, his ruling implied that a different regulation could pass legal muster.
While lawyers pursue an appeal of the Superior Court ruling, they have asked the P&Z to consider a new text amendment.
On September 14 (6 p.m., Zoom), commissioners will hear a proposal from Eric Bernheim to create a new “Food and Beverage Planned Development District, for lots used as grocery stores, delicatessens and Retail Food Establishments; Restaurants and Cafes and taverns.”
This would allow the P&Z to create floating zones for outdoor eating and the sale of alcohol in “pocket zones.” It would apply to establishments like OMG, Gruel Britannia and the Country Store on Wilton Road.
As the 25th anniversary of 9/11 nears, Christ & Holy Trinity Church invites the community to a screening of an important documentary.
Filmed over 5 years, years, “The Trees: Growing a Forest at Ground Zero” shows life returning to Ground Zero. It includes the story of the Survivor Tree, a damaged callery Pear that was the last living thing to come out of the wreckage, and is now an enduring symbol of resiliency for New York City.
The showing (Sunday, September 13, 11 a.m.) will be followed by a conversation with the producer and director, Westporter Scott Elliot.
A new Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand play reading series begins September 14 (7 p.m.). It could not be more timely.
“The Next Best Thing” is a comedy about the battle between an outspoken, inappropriate grandmother and the “kinder, gentler” AI android duplicate her family builds to replace her when she dies. This play asks the question even ChatGPT can’t answer: Should we embrace what’s difficult about the people we love — or remember only the Next Best Thing?
Looking for a fun afternoon, with competition, food, camaraderie — and a chance to help support a new initiative?
A Better Chance of Westport’s inaugural Cornhole Tournament is set for Saturday, October 3 (11:30 to 3 p.m., Longshore’s Evan Harding Point).
Proceeds will help launch ABC’s College Scholarship Fund. It’s a way to expand their commitment to the scholars they sponsor and support during their time at Staples High School, as they move on to the next chapter of their educational journeys.
There are many ways to help Homes with Hope. And not all of them take place at the men’s and women’s shelters, or the food pantry.
On Saturday, September 26 (8 to 11 a.m., 19 Church Lane), residents are invited to volunteer to pack essential care items. It’s a great family activity — and an excellent way to meet like-minded, caring people.
Click here to register. The event is sponsored by the Westport Downtown Association, FLB Law, David Adam Realty and Willo.
But Long Island Sound is still warm. So was yesterday’s weather.
A good-sized crowd took advantage of both, enjoying the late-summer holiday weekend.
(Photo/Pam Kesselman)
(Photo/Ed Simek)
The sun will be out this afternoon, and tomorrow. A high of 71 is predicted for today. Tomorrow it will warm up to 78.
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Hollywood Nights brought great energy — and great Bob Seger tunes — to the Levitt Pavilion last night.
Summer vibes continue this coming week with 3 free shows: ever-popular DNR (the almost all-doctor rock band; Thursday, September 10, 7:30 p.m.), in their annual tribute to EMS and first responders; the equally popular Sweet Remains (Saturday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.) and the Brian López Electric Trio (Sunday, September 13, 7 p.m.).
Channeling Bob Seger at the Levitt. (Photo copyright DinkinESH Fotografix)
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Former Westport resident William Luedke IV died August 20. He was 74.
After growing up in Schenectady, New York and Danville, illinoise, Will’s family moved here in 1968. He spent 7 summers as a Compo Beach lifeguard, rising to director of beaches in 1975. Compo was always one of his favorite places.
Will graduated from Williams College in 1974 cum laude, with honors in history. At Vanderbilt University School of Law, he was a member of the Law Review. He met Carolyn, his wife of 47 years, there.
Will joined Bracewell & Patterson in Houston, and helped build their financial institutions practice. For many years they were one of the nation’s most active firms in back mergers and acquisitions.
He was also a trustee at Wayland Academy, his alma mater. He also served on the board and executive committee of the Independent School Chairperson’s Association.
Retirement in 2019 offered Will more time for his vast book collection. He also loved to cook, run (he was Bracewell’s race winner for 8 years), play golf, grow herbs, collect art and play guitar.
Will is survived by his wife Carolyn; daughter, Hannah (Siddharth), brother Fred Fritz of Dallas; sister Ann Luedke Lobdell of Stonington, Connecticut; and 3 nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held October 1 (11 a.m.First Presbyterian Church, Houston).
In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Will’s memory to Wayland Academy, (Attn: Advancement Office, 101 N University Ave., Beaver Dam, WI 53916).
Will Luedke
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Nature takes many forms, as our “Westport … Naturally” photo feature often shows.
Sunil Hirani spotted this colorful arrangement on Soundview Drive:
(Some things are worth waiting for. But supporting “06880” is not one of them. We rely on readers to keep us going. Please click here to help. And, um, we hope you’ll do it today. Thank you!)
A reminder: Tomorrow (Sunday) is our special “Day in the Life of Westport” day.
Residents of all ages are invited to take up to 3 photos of any kind, illustrating life in Westport. They can be taken anywhere in town, at any time from midnight to 11:59 p.m.
Suggestions include neighborhoods, work, traditions, celebrations, acts of service, family life, recreation, arts, faith — whatever happens on a Westport Sunday.
Submitted photos will become part of an online community archive and digital image library (and featured on “06880”).
Organizers also plan to create a large photographic mosaic incorporating every submission, with selected images potentially featured in a public exhibition and/or commemorative book.
Photos must be taken tomorrow only, then submitted by midnight to dayinthelife2026.artcall.org. The submission website will accept photographs only on the day of the event.
“A Day in the Life of Westport” is a collaboration between the Artists Collective of Westport, the League of Women Voters Westport, the David T. Langrock Foundation, and “06880.”
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Homes with Hope is an avid supporter of “A Day in the Life of Westport.” And to show how many people are involved, they will pose for a photo at 2 p.m. tomorrow, outside the Gillespie Center men’s shelter.
They’ve invited members of the Westport Rotary and Sunrise Rotary Clubs. All volunteers — those who prepare and serve meals, those who donate to the food pantry, etc. — are welcome to join in the photo. Town officials will be there too.
It’s a great way to demonstrate the town’s support for Homes with Hope.
And to be part of the historic “Day in the Life of Westport” too.
Gillespie Center and Hoskins Place will be filled with Homes with Hope staffers and volunteers tomorrow.
Last month, Paulie Veneto began pushing an airline beverage cart in Boston.
The retiree — who was working on September 11, 2001 — is honoring the memory of his colleagues who were killed that day by pushing the cart 210 miles, to Ground Zero in New York.
This is the 5th tribute walk for “Paulie’s Push,” to raise awareness of their heroism in the face of unimaginable danger.
Once again yesterday, the Westport Fire Department offered a welcome pit stop for lunch and hospitality, at their Post Road East headquarters.
Yesterday, his route took him through Westport. He stopped briefly at fire headquarters on the Post Road.
After a brief ceremony, and a meeting with firefighters, he was back on his trek.
At Eno Lane on Saugatuck Avenue, resident Mike Sharpe brought neighbors together to show support and appreciation — and have the honor of helping push the cart.
Carolyn King reports, “It has become a meaningful tradition, and a beautiful reminder of the importance of coming together.”
Paulie will reach in New York by Friday.
Paulie Veneto (white shirt), his cart, and Westport firefighters and officials.
Paulie Veneto and 1st Selectman Kevin Christie push carts down Riverside Avenue.
Hers was at the dump across the Saugatuck River. With the Taylor parking lot dump closed by court order (neighbors complained — that was a thing 70 years ago too), and nowhere to put the quickly growing town’s garbage, the Westport Woman’s Club agreed to allow limited dumping on landfill next to their Imperial Avenue clubhouse, where a new parking lot was being built.
In response to negative public opinion, sportscaster and Westport resident Win Elliot organized an October 1957 event. Vanderbilt presided; there was a grand piano, and a sterling silver tea set.
Elliot said, “At a well-run dump you can hold a tea or a formal ball. There is absolutely no smell.”
A year later, that dump was filled to the height specified in the agreement. The town moved its dump to a site off Saugatuck Avenue.
The Imperial Avenue parking lot has had many uses since: for commuters, as the site of the Remarkable Theater, the Westport Farmers’ Market, and of course the Westport Woman’s Club’s signature event, the Yankee Doodle Fair.
A hat tip to longtime WWC official Dorothy Curran, for setting the record straight.
And not dumping on us for the error.
Imperial Avenue parking lot — and former dump — built on landfill adjacent to the Westport Woman’s Club (white building, center right).
Yesterday’s Westport Sunrise Rotary meeting went to the dogs.
Brute — a Belgian Malinois, and member of the Westport Police Department K-9 corps — was the star of the morning meeting.
He graciously let his handler, Corporal James Loomer, do the talking.
Loomer joined the WPD in 2010. With Brute wagging his tail encouragingly, Loomer discussed his background in K-9 operations, patrol, and narcotics and explosives detection.
Corporal James Loomer, and Brute. (Photo/Katie Augustyn)
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Michal Amzallag has spent her career in banking law, financial crimes and commercial negotiation.
Then she had kids. And she realized no one was teaching them about money. “Understanding money at 8 instead of 28 is the biggest head start anyone gets, and almost nobody does,” she says.
So she is building the courses she kept looking for.
“Compound Kids” is 8 weeks of hands-on money skills, for youngsters age 8 to 13.
They use real money — part of the registration fee — and real activities. There are no worksheets or lectures; just hands-on activities.
There will be 2 courses this winter, at the Westport Library, divided by age (8-10, and 11-13). Click here for more information.
Michal Amzallag
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Speaking of money: We normally would not mention an upcoming meeting of the Pension Investment Committee and 401(k) and Defined Contribution Plan Investment Committee.
They do important work, sure. But it’s not the headline-grabbing, dog park-, athletic field lights- and Saugatuck redevelopment-type work of, say, the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Still, one agenda item from their next session caught our eye: “Aristotle Discussion.”
We got very excited. Would the Pension Investment Committee and 401(k) and the Defined Contribution Committee actually sit around discussing the Greek philosopher’s thoughts on formal logic and syllogisms?
Nope.
Turns out Aristotle is a family of mutual funds.
We learn something new every day.
Or, as a famous Greek philosopher once said, “All men by nature desire to know.”
Aristotle, the mutual funds guy.
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Speaking of meetings: The Blight Prevention Board meets September 10 (7 p.m.; Zoom).
Mihali made a triumphant return to the Levitt Pavilion last night. Their 11th show at the outdoor theater may have been their best yet.
Tonight (Saturday, 7 p.m.), Hollywood Nights brings their acclaimed Bob Seger Experience to Westport. Click here for tickets.
Summer vibes continue this coming week with 3 free shows: ever-popular DNR (the almost all-doctor rock band; Thursday, September 10, 7:30 p.m.), in their annual tribute to EMS and first responders; the equally popular Sweet Remains (Saturday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.) and the Brian López Electric Trio (Sunday, September 13, 7 p.m.).
Westport’s “4 Days of Service” — a townwide initiative to honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11 through volunteerism, generosity, and acts of kindness — begin Tuesday (September 8).
There are countless ways to get involved (click here for a full story). Homes with Hope — one of the many organization participating — offers 4 specific ideas.
Volunteer: Opportunities includes the community kitchen, food pantry, After-School Academic Program, Carol Randel Mentoring Program, and more. Click here for details.
Donate to the food pantry: An Amazon Wish List (click here) makes it easy to support the pantry at the Gillespie Center, without leaving home. Browse most-needed items; donations ship directly to Homes with Hope.
Speaking of 9/11: MoCA\CT has designated next Friday a “Day for Reflection.”
From noon to 5 p.m., community members are invited to spend time in a setting for art, contemplation and remembrance.
Visitors are invited to explore, at no charge, “Looking for History.” The museum’s current exhibition examines the people, places and stories that shape our understanding of the past.
On this solemn anniversary, MoCA says, “take time to pause, reflect and remember through our 6-acre grounds, surrounded by sculpture, mature trees, gardens and open space.” The museum is located at 19 Newtown Turnpike.
After news reports of up to 100 ICE detentions in Danbury, Stamford and Bridgeport, Don Bergmann emailed 1st Selectman Kevin Christie, Police Chief Dave Farrell and superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice.
He asked, “Has ICE come to Westport, or do you expect ICE to show up? Please address the issue of ICE at school bus stops or any other locations. … Groups in town should be ready to mobilize.”
Scarice replied, Here is the spot on our website with some basic info for parents. Additionally, we have an internal protocol for principals to guide them in the unlikely event ICE shows up at a school.”
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News of Gloria Steinem’s death yesterday caused many Westporters to reflect on the life of the pioneering women’s rights activist, and her impact on the world.
For Natalie Caine — who moved here last year after the deadly California wildfires – that impact was very personal.
Caine says, “Throughout my life I have created and facilitated women’s support groups, brought women together, and advocated for women’s voices to be heard in the room. Gloria was one of the women who showed me that this work mattered.
“I was fortunate to have had 4 meaningful one-on-one conversations with Gloria over the years. What I remember most is how present she was. She listened deeply. She was curious, warm, and completely congruent with who she is.
“One conversation has stayed with me. I told Gloria that my daughter was having difficulty finding a job. Gloria responded, ‘If your daughter can’t find the job she really wants, tell her to start the job.’
“Such a simple sentence. Such a powerful way of thinking.
“Don’t wait for permission. Begin. Create. Use your voice.
“That idea has stayed with me — not just as advice for my daughter, but as a way of moving through the world.”
Natalie sent a photo of herself with Gloria. It represents “one of the moments when I was lucky enough to sit across from a woman whose work has influenced generations.”
Gloria Steinem and Natalie Caine.
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Labor Day weekend at the Levitt Pavilion includes 2 groups with local musicians, making their Levitt debuts supporting Mihali.
Tonight (Friday, 5:30 p.m.; click here for tickets) Eliot Thompson helps kick off Mihali’s 11th throwdown by the Saugatuck.
The 19 year old singer-songwriter grew up in Weston. He spent this summer as part of the Levitt’s stellar season associate team.
Thompson goes to Berklee College of Music. Over the years he has pursued classical piano, musical theater, film composition and jazz drumming.
His most recent of 7 singles is “Blue-gray Eyes.” His first album is “To Want Something.” Thompson has 24,500 followers on Instagram.
Reggae rock band Mr. Mota will also make their inaugural appearance on the Levitt stage. Guitarist Will Rosen attended Staples High School, while drummer Jake Young is from Weston. Mr. Mota formed at the University of Colorado.
Tomorrow (Saturday, 7 p.m.), Hollywood Nights brings their acclaimed Bob Seger Experience to Westport. Click here for tickets.
Summer vibes continue next week with 3 free shows: ever-popular DNR (the almost all-doctor rock band; Thursday, September 10, 7:30 p.m.); the equally popular Sweet Remains (Saturday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.) and the Brian López Electric Trio (Sunday, September 13, 7 p.m.).
Circle of Friends — the community organization dedicated to empowering high school students — is launching a new way to do just that.
The Solomon Leadership Program welcomes high school juniors and seniors. In addition to learning important life lessons, participants will earn 3 college credits.
The Solomon Program offers leadership training, community engagement and mentorship to teens. Skills include decision-making, values-driven leadership and public speaking.
To learn more and apply to the Westport chapter, click here or contact Faige Chein: westport@solomonprogram.org; 203-293-8837.
And finally … of course, following up on the item above:
(“06880” is “where Westport meets the world.” Today’s Roundup features several examples. If you appreciate our 24/7/365 work making connections, please click here to support us. Thanks!)
For the 5th year in a row, retired United Airlines flight attendant Paul Veneto is pushing an airline service cart several hundred miles on foot.
His journey honors the “first first responders” — flight attendants and crew members — on the 4 planes hijacked on September 11, 2001.
He began at the Boston Public Garden 9/11 Memorial on August 15. He’ll end at Ground Zero, for the 25th anniversary commemoration there.
Paul — with his “Paulie’s Push” — plans to be in Westport on Friday (September 4), on the Post Road. He’ll stop at Westport Fire Department headquarters, for a brief ceremony.
Paul Veneto (right), his cart and a supporter, along the route.
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Speaking of 9/11: Hundreds of motorcyclists took part in yesterday’s CT United motorcycle ride.
The event — paying tribute to the victims and first responders of 9/11 — is the largest fundraiser for both fire and law enforcement in the state. It began at Sherwood Island State Park, then roared its way on I-95 to Exit 17, up Riverside Avenue and Wilton Road to Wilton, then on through 7 towns before ending in Bridgeport.
A bomb threat briefly interrupted preparations at Sherwood Island. Plenty of safety officials, from a variety of agencies, were already on hand, and determined there was no danger.
This was the view from Westport Emergency Medical Services ambulance 603 — named “Joy” — before the ride began.
(Photo/Jonathan Alloy)
The riders included Westporters Rhona Lieberson, and granddaughter Carly Curran ride.
Family members and residents of 136 Riverside Avenue cheered them on. They got a big wave too from Westport Corporal Craig Bergamo, who helped out with the event.
Carly Curran and Rhona Lieberson. (Photo/Stacie Curran)
Motorcycle riders (left): From the I-95 Hales Road overpass (Photo/Loretta Hallock)
Speaking still of 9/11: For more than a decade, Westport has had a special relationship with Catch A Lift Fund. The national non-profit provides gym memberships and home gym equipment to help wounded post-9/11 service members heal physically and mentally, through physical fitness.
Westporters have donated funds, welcomed veterans, and joined in workouts at venues like the police station, VFW, beach and Birchwood Country Club. The vets give plenty back in return — as inspiration, and serving as “angels” for children, teens and adults with disabilities through myTeamTriumph.
The 25th anniversary of 9/11 — and 250th birthday of the United States — is a great time for Westporters to continue supporting Catch a Lift.
On September 9 (6:30 p.m., Inn at Longshore), a special fundraiser will benefit the noon-profit.
Three will be 3 weeks in length; the others will be shorter runs. They are:
“Ken Ludwig’s Pride and Prejudice Part 2: Napoleon at Pemberley” (world premiere; October 20-November 7)
“A Sherlock Carol” (written and directed by Shanahan, returning for a 4th season: December 12-20)
“Murder For Two” (musical comedy mystery; March 4-7)
“The Pancake Club” (world premiere; a Script in Hand selection, now staged by popular demand; April 20-May 8)
“The Goldsmith” (another Script in Hand selection; May 19-22)
“The Legend of Georgia McBride” (July 13-31).
For more information on the 2026-27 season, click here.
PS: Subscribers save up to 20% off single ticket prices, get priority seating, and enjoy other perks. Click here for details.
Another option: Flex Passes. They can be purchased now, and redeemed closer to performance time for the best available seats. The $50 per Flex Pass price can save up to $30 a ticket,
Historic seats, on sale tomorrow. (Photo/Robert Benson)
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The weather was wonderful yesterday, for the final Sunday Compo Beach service of the summer.
The Untied Methodist Church of Westport & Weston hosted. Bridgeport’s Pivot Ministries sang stirringly — as they always do.
(Photo/Karen Como)
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Also yesterday: Despite cloudy skies, Westport’s “other” beach — Burying Hill — was packed.
It’s a lot smaller than Compo, or even Old Mill.
Lifeguards are already off duty for the season.
But the quickly eroding spot just east of crowded Sherwood Island State Park attracts a loyal following.
And no other Westport beach has such a great view from a nearby hill.
And … yesterday’s New York Times included an insightful piece by Roger Rosenblatt on the wonders of growing old. Among them:
The wonder of still learning how to do new things. The wonder of writing this sentence. The alchemy of language. The scope and sweep of the imagination. The wonder of the mysteries of the weather. Of wind. Of sound. Of prayer, of faith. Of art. Of gifted people. Emily Dickinson, Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Vermeer, Bach, Monk. These things have always brought me joy. Now I have the time to question how they do that. That I have no answers only makes these joys more wondrous.
Rosenblatt concludes with a memory from 1946:
At the age of 6, I was on vacation with my parents in Westport, Conn. The day of our arrival, I went off for a walk by myself. I was always doing that, to my parents’ dismay. And I came upon a large beautiful house with a sun room with glass walls so that I could see a Steinway concert grand in the middle of the floor.
The door was open. I went in and started playing, eventually looking up to see a princess-like woman standing beside the piano and smiling. We chatted. She took me back to the rented house. My mother was appalled, and she apologized for my bold behavior. No need, said the woman. It was a pleasure to see how innocent and unafraid I was. “Yes,” said my mother. “That’s how he is. He thinks the world is a room with a piano in it waiting to be played.”
In fact, it is.
The piece is titled “The World Is a Room With a Piano Waiting to Be Played.”
Where was that piano? We’ll leave that as one of life’s wonders. (Hat tip: Tommy Greenwald)
Illustration for Roger Rosenblatt’s essay. (Ruo-Jia Liang, for the New York Times)
Meanwhile, while you were enjoying the Sunday morning service — or relaxing with coffee and the Times — a group of Westport friends were swimming from Cockenoe to Compo.
Hey, why not?!
Every Sunday for many summers, the group — including several Staples High School Class of 2003 graduates — has swum in Long Island Sound.
Traditionally, on the last August Sunday, they end with a swim from the beach to the island (or, like yesterday, the reverse).
The sun was out. The water was calm and warm.
And when the swimmers arrived on the Compo shore, a mile from where they began, family and friends were there to greet them.
From right to left: Cory Straus, Evan Rutchik, Andrew Zimmerman, Alex Klein (Staples ‘03), Jordan Lert (Staples ‘03), Zach Bilchik, Josh Shapiro (‘03), David Schneidman, Adam Gilbert.
The first car wash of the Staples sports season is this coming Sunday.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 6, at 1720 Post Road East (just before Stop & Shop, heading toward Southport), the boys soccer team will be cleaning and scrubbing.
Funds go to the program. With athletes from all 3 teams — varsity, JV and freshmen — and parents participating, your vehicle will get plenty of attention.
The suggested donation is $20. Of course, you can give more! And to donate to the program without getting your car washed, click here.
Last fall, the Westport Police trusted this car to the Staples soccer team.
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We get lots of deer photos, for our daily “Westport … Naturally” feature.
But this may be the first showing 2 bucks, with their handsome racks.
They’re used to fight rival males, attract mates, and mark territory during the breeding season.
Today’s CT United motorcycle ride — honoring the victims and first responders of 9/11 — roars up Riverside Avenue today. The ride began at Sherwood Island State Park, and continued through 7 towns to Bridgeport. (Photo/Marion Pietrowski)
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