If you drove around Westport last weekend, you may have noticed an unusual number of high school boys weeding, planting, mulching, painting, cleaning and picking up garbage.
What a bunch of SLOBs.
That’s the great acronym for Staples’ Service League Of Boys. One of the most popular clubs at the high school, it’s a way for boys — and their parents — to join together in community service.
From Friday to Sunday — during the group’s annual Service Weekend — SLOBs and their parents contributed hundreds of hours of work to our town, at 20 different venues and events.
Service Weekend began Friday afternoon. Members packed supplies to donate to the Wilbur Cross School.
It also marked the beginning of SLOBs’ relationship with the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston, and Jim Marpe’s philanthropy team.
SLOBs and Y’s men, working together.
The weekend tended Sunday evening, with a clean-up of the town’s soccer fields.
Other highlights included:
Spring maintenance at Wakeman Town Farm
Clean-Up Westport, with Andrew Colabella and the Westport Police union
Trout Unlimited
Blau Gardens clean-up
Quest for Peace
Person to Person
Compo Beach clean-up
Westport baseball fields and tennis courts
Community Fun Day at Saugatuck Elementary School
Minute Man 5K
Westport Downtown Association’s spring cleaning
Spring cleaning and mulching at A Better Chance of Westport’s Glendarcy House (thanks to a generous donation from Gault Energy)
SLOBs, at ABC’s Glendarcy House.
Staples students have busy schedules. They play sports and music; they’re in Players and clubs. They have tons of homework. Advanced Placement tests are looming. Fortnite beckons.
But there they were this past weekend: proudly wearing their SLOBs shirts, hard at work, making our town look better and contributing to our sense of community.
(You can follow Staples’ Service League of Boys’ Instagram: @shsslobs.)
Saugatuck Elementary School Fun Day.
Athletic fields cleanup.
Minute Man 5K.
With the Westport Downtown Association.
(“06880” appreciates all that our teenagers do for Westport. We also appreciate all the readers who support this hyper-local blog. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
The 22-year-old program — which brings academically gifted and highly motivated young men of color to Westport, where they live together and attend Staples High School — is one of our town’s shining jewels.
The 2023-24 ABC scholars.
The Dream Event is a chance not only to raise much-needed funds, but to celebrate ABC’s scholars, their families, and the community volunteers who make the program run, as host parents, drivers, tutors and more.
As always, Saturday’s event at the Westport Library was a powerful demonstration of the impact A Better Chance has on these wonderfully dynamic, creative and brilliant young men.
It is an equally powerful demonstration of what Westport gains from them.
The speeches by president Eric Freeman, encee Jay Norris, host parents and others were ringing endorsements of ABC.
A Better Chance of Westport president Eric Freeman introduces emcee Jay Norris (photo on the large screen).
But the words from the scholars themselves were especially noteworthy.
2016 Staples alum Christopher Morales described his path in the world since graduating from Cornell University.
Christopher Morales
Staples senior Nile Jean spoke with insight, warmth and humor about his journey from an ambivalent 9th grader to a soon-t0-be-graduate, who made the rocky adjustment, then thrived, in a very different town and school.
Nile Jean
Nile’s mother’s Nedra Stewart’s loving, passionate words brought the crowd to tears. From an early age, she wanted the program for her son (“I stalked ABC,” she said). Her pride in him was evident.
Nile Jean’s mother, Nedra Stewart. (All photos/Jerri Graham Photography)
And the large crowd was proud that she had entrusted her son to ABC, and to our community.
We will watch him soar, as so many other ABC alumni have done. We are a better community for having them in our midst.
(To learn more about A Better Chance of Westport — including how to volunteer and offer support — click here.)
The other day, “06880” noted the pavement-grading activity to the right of the northbound entrance at I-95 Exit 18.
The property near the Sherwood Island Connector is a “reuse stockpile area.” It is a hub for storing dirt and gravel salvaged from the Norwalk WALK railroad bridge site, allowing the contractor to minimize waste and disposal.
Alert and environmentally conscious reader Scott Smith adds: “It’s amazing that the town can spend 10 years or more debating new parking downtown or elsewhere, but the state can throw down a couple of acres of asphalt just like that.”
He is also amazed by “how much land in Westport is heavily used by the state Department of Transptoration and Metro-North, from the takeover of the commuter parking lot further down the Connector to all the action at exit 17.
“It looks like we’ll be a construction zone for years more.”
“Reuse stockpile area” at I-95 Exit 18 northbound. (Photo/Scott Smith)
Westport’s newest outdoor sculpture will be dedicated May 4 (4 p.m.).
The public is invited to Pasacreta Park (opposite Saugatuck Elementary School) for a ceremony honoring artist Niki Ketchman, and “Passage.”
The work by the longtime Westport resident is a joint initiative with the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, Parks & Recreation Department and Commission, Department of Public Works and the Westport Permanent Art Collections.
“Passage” is on loan for 5 years.
Artist Niki Ketchman (umbrella) supervises the installation of “Passage.”
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May is Mental Health Month.
TAP Strength invites men — and the people who love them — to a holistic discussion of treatment options.
“Let’s Talk About Men’s Mental Health” (May 15, 6 to 7 p.m., 180 Post Road East) features Jennifer Boyd PA and TAP Strength owner Dr. EJ Zebro.
A $25 donation to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Health is suggested.
The Staples Jazz Ensemble headlines “A Night of Jazz.” The May 13 (7 p.m., Westport Library) event features music by Benny Carter, Frank Foster, Dizy Gillespie, Rick Hirsch and Thad Jones — with a world premiere by Dr. Kyle Saulnier.
The free event is part of the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston’s monthly jazz series.
Dizzy Gillespie comes to the Westport Library May 13. Well, the Staples High School Jazz Ensemble will play his music, anyway.
Sorelle Gallery’s new floral exhibition is “Awakening.” The opening reception is May 11 (3 to 5 p.m.).
Attendees can explore floral artwork by Kay Flierl, Christine Averill-Green, Linda Bigness, Juniper Briggs, Kelly Rossetti and others; watch a frosting piping demo, and taste cake samples by Harborview Cakes; see a bouquet-building demo and shop flower arrangements by New Petal Flower Market, and enjoy light refreshments (including a specialty floral cocktail).
A percentage of proceeds from partnering organizations and artwork sales will be donated to Earthplace. Click here for more details on the exhibition.
“Awakening,” at Sorelle Gallery.
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Carl Addison Swanson’s latest “Husk McCormick” series novel — “Sex Trafficking” — is now available on Kindle.
Longtime Westporter and Staples High School graduate Swanson is the best-selling author of 58 novels.
This one focuses on a modern horror: young women who are kidnapped and placed in “modern slavery” for prostitution and other acts.
Swanson’s protagonist Hush McCormick rushes to rescue a Marine buddy’s daughter, who falls victim to a cartel.
Speaking of books: The next Westport Book Shop’s Short Story Book Club meeting is May 23 (6 to 7:30 p.m.).
Attendees will discuss 2 selections from Tim O’Brien’s 1990 “The Things They Carried,” his part fiction, part memoir collection of stories about the Vietnam War.
The selections are “On The Rainy River” and “Speaking of Courage.”
Registration is required, by phone (203-349-5141) or email (bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org.)
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What could be more natural than a full moon?
Lauren Rothstein captured this once-a-month shot for “Westport … Naturally” a few days ago, at Saugatuck Shores’ Covlee Beach. (Hat tip: Patti Brill)
And finally … the upcoming Staples Jazz Ensemble’s concert (story above) brings to mind the great Dizzy Gillespie:
(“06880” kicks off another week of Roundups — and much more. If you enjoy our work, please support us with a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here. Thank you!)
Westport college students are on both sides of the protests roiling campuses nationwide.
One made it into the Washington Post.
Reporting from the University of Texas, where Governor Greg Abbott is sending in troops, the paper quoted students who called his actions politically opportunistic.
However, the Post said: “Not every student found the response unsettling.
“Lily Caplan, 19, a sophomore journalism major from Westport, Conn., joined fellow members of Longhorn Students for Israel at a counter-protest next to the pro-Palestinian gathering Thursday, waving Israeli flags and chanting ‘Bring them home now’ — a reference to Jewish hostages in Gaza.
“‘Yesterday we saw a totally different response than other universities around the country and me, as a Jewish student, I was so grateful for that. Don’t mess with Texas,’ she said, echoing a state slogan as she stood in a circle with other counter-protesters.
“Caplan said she was reassured by support from Abbott and university president Jay Hartzell.
Click here for the full Washington Post story. (Hat tip: Douglass Davidoff)
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Husbands and kids’ alert: Mother’s Day is May 12.
Westport Marketplace has the holiday covered. Brunch spots, spas, chocolates, other gifts and more are all in a handy list. Click here to see — then act!
Officer Joe Saponare of Westport Animal Control wants Westporters to know: “All wildlife animals — especially coyotes — will be out more now, both day and night, searching for food because of their newborn babies.”
He suggests taking dogs out on leashes. Owners of little dogs should be especially vigilant.
Soccer fans around the US know Robbie Mustoe as a keen-eyed commentator on NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage. Soccer fans around the world know that he’s a former English professional player.
Westporters know him as our neighbor — and a golfer.
He may not have scored the winning goal at Wembley. But on Monday he did the next best thing: He got a hole-in-one.
Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what he posted on X:
It happened. It finally fcking happened. After roughly 40 years of playing golf, I got a HOLE IN ONE. Joy. Deep joy. Whiskey and champagne followed. Longshore Golf Club Westport CT, Hole number 2. Witnessed by my wife Caroline and my son Elliot. April 22nd 2024. A great day. pic.twitter.com/922iAdbngB
Tonight is A Better Chance of Westport’s annual Dream Event (Saturday, 6:30 p.m., Westport Library).
If you’re going, you know it will be an inspirational evening. But those not there can still take part in a great online auction.
Broadway and Yankees tickets, golf, Arabian horse lessons and more are up for bid. Just click here, then click “Not attending” and follow the prompts.
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ABC’s Dream Event is just one of many galas this spring. All are important, for excellent causes.
But the Westport Weston Family YMCA is hosting an “Extra Special Spring Bash” on May 4 (6 to 8:30 p.m.).
The evening is tailored to students ages 12-18 with disabilities.
The Y promises fun and excitement, with food, a photo booth, gift bags and a DJ.
Students will be partnered with a student volunteer buddies who spend the evening with them. Parents can stay in a separate room where they can mingle, and enjoy refreshments.
Jesse Terry and Sam Robbins share the bill next Saturday (May 4, 8 p.m.), at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport’s Voices Café.
Terry — a full-time touring artist for well over a decade, and Wilton native — has been called “a gentle soul with a formidable songwriting talent and a clear artistic vision.”
Sam Robbins is based in Nashville. He brings a modern, upbeat edge as a storytelling troubadour.
The concert supports local social justice programs. Click here for tickets, and more information.
That’s not Sam Robbins’ only upcoming Westport appearance.
Carolyn Miller runs Westport-based Meals for Music. The non-profit provides free meals to touring musicians.
Their first fundraiser is May 8 (7:45 p.m.) at Fairfield Theatre Company. Damn Tall Building — and Robbins — provide the entertainment. (And presumably will eat well.)
Speaking of entertainment: Nearly 300 musicians have signed a letter, urging US senators to help fix the broken concert ticketing system.
Three of the them — more than 1% of all of signees — have Westport connections. Nile Rodgers lives here. And Billie Eilish and Finneas’ father, Patrick O’Connell, is a 1975 Staples High School graduate.
They’re in good company. Other signers include Duran Duran, Fall Out Boy, Graham Nash, Green Day, Cyndi Lauper, Indigo Girls, Jason Mraz, Siaand Lorde. (Hat tip: Mark Mathias)
Finneas has some Westport roots.
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Johanna Keyser Rossi loves Burying Hill Beach.
The other day, she noticed that artificial flowers placed along the fence at the top of the hill had been removed.
She thought they were a tribute or memorial to someone, and was sad to see them gone.
Yesterday, to her delight, someone — the same person perhaps, or someone else — had replaced them.
Beautifully.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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Sometimes the Fresh Market osprey leaves its nest to fish.
Sometimes it just wants a change of pace, from its platform in a busy parking lot.
Hilary Ellis spotted today’s “Westport … Naturally” scene on Spicer Road.
Age of Reason — Westport’s oldest toy store — will soon sell its last puzzle, game and science set.
The Post Road West shop closes soon. Owner Nina Berger cited “personal and business reasons” for the decision. Age of Reason celebrated its 40th anniversary in October.
All items are 30% off. The final day is April 30, or earlier if all the inventory is sold.
Age of Reason was my go-to toy store, for many reasons. It’s locally owned; it’s filled with educational, expand-kids’-minds items, not mindless junk; and Nina and her staff always knew exactly the right gift for my nephews, nieces and friends’ newborn babies — no matter how vague my descriptions of them.
Thanks, Nina, for your 40 years of brightening Westporters’ (and their children’s) minds. Best wishes with whatever comes next. (Hat tip: Jonathan Hack)
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CNN anchor, author and Westport resident Alisyn Camerota launches her new memoir, “Combat Love,” at the Westport Library tonight (Wednesday, March 27, 7 p.m.).
She’ll chat with memoirist (and fellow Westporter) Gabi Coatsworth about her story of growing up longing for stability and attachment, as the foundation of her family crumbled.
“Combat Love” chronicles Camerota’s youth in the 1980s, her relationship with a punk rock band, and her misadventures at clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, coupled with the sex, drugs, and punk rock of 1980s New Jersey.
Tonight is the first of two appearances for Camerota at the Library. The two-time Emmy Award winner returns Saturday, April 6, for VersoFest 2024. She’ll lead a conversation with Doors drummer John Densmore about his book, The Doors Unhinged: Jim Morrison’s Legacy Goes on Trial.
Connecticut’s first-ever early voting began yesterday, for the state’s Democratic and Republican presidential primaries.
129 Westporters — 105 Democrats and 24 Republicans — made history as Westport’s earliest voters. They included 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker.
All Westporters vote at Town Hall. The usual polling places are not open, as schools are in session.
Early voting continues today and tomorrow, March 27-28 (Town Hall Room 201) and Saturday, March 30 (Town Hall auditorium). Polls are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on those days.
Election Day is Tuesday, April 2 (6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Town Hall auditorium).
Republican and Democratic election officials yesterday, at Town Hall. (Photo/Deborah Greenberg)
It’s impossible to get to every worthwhile Westport fundraiser. And the spring calendar is chock full of them.
But if there’s one you really shouldn’t miss, it’s the Dream Event, for A Better Chance of Westport. For over 20 years, ABC has provided educational opportunities — and a home — to academically gifted, highly motivated young men of color.
It’s a great cause — just like so many others. Our town is filled with wonderful non-profits, doing good in a wide array of ways.
What sets the Dream Event apart are the speeches. Current scholars, and those who have graduated from the program, speak movingly, eloquently and inspirationally about their journeys.
They describe the difficulties of moving to a town like Westport, and a school like Staples; the ups and downs of their 4 years in the program, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
It’s a heartfelt look into America — and an uplifting look into the future.
(Of course, there’s also light bites, cocktails, entertainment, and live and silent auctions.)
This year’s A Better Chance of Westport is April 27 (6:30 p.m., Westport Library).
For decades, Jon Gailmor has entertained, educated and inspired Vermont kids with his unique songwriting workshops.
Now the 1966 Staples High School graduate is coming home, to do it here.
Old School Music Productions presents Gailmor — an official “Extraordinary Vermont” (per the governor) and longtime recording artist — at the Weston History & Culture Center.
The April 6 event includes songwriting sessions for 2nd-5th graders (10 to 11:30 a.m.) and 6th-8th graders (1 to 2:30 p.m.). Students work with Gailmor to find a topic, develop a theme, then create the lyrics, rhythm and melody. The cost is $40 per student. Click here to register.
At 4:30 p.m., the youngsters will perform the songs they wrote, for family, friends and everyone else who enjoys creativity and fun. Gailmor will also perform popular and original tunes. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children.
Gailmor received the Mayor’s Peace Prize in Burlington, and was awarded a Silver Citation by the Vermont Arts Council. He sang as Vermont’s representative at the 25th anniversary of the Kennedy Center in Washington, and in 1996 carried the Olympic Torch through Brattleboro, on its way to Atlanta. To learn more about the legendary Jon Gailmor, click here.
Speaking of kids: They’re fascinated by police cars, ambulances, cranes, dump trucks, buses, big rigs and fire trucks.
On May 4 (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Imperial Avenue parking lot), they’ll get a chance to climb all over — and take photos of — all of them, and more cool vehicles.
The Westport Weston Co-op Nursery School’s 17th annual Touch-a-Truck fundraiser includes other family friendly activities too: magicians, crafts, face painting, food trucks and live music.
Admission is $35 per family. Click here for tickets. Proceeds help fund scholarships, supplies and equipment, and special programs.
Looking for a volunteer opportunity? Love Wakeman Town Farm?
Our local sustainability center invites you to a “casual volunteer coffee” on April 8 (10 to 11 a.m.).
Interested in helping with cooking classes? Have a knack for researching and writing grants? Enjoy fundraising or contacting sponsors? How about face painting, working the entry door, or otherwise helping at an event?
Learn about how you can help — without a huge time commitment.
And if you don’t know much about WTF: It’s your chance to learn.
Opportunities galore, at Wakeman Town Farm.
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Jonathan Alloy offers today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo from Kings Highway North, noting: “It may not feel like it from the weather, but spring has sprung.”
And finally … we say goodbye to Age of Reason, with this song from The Toys:
(Business, books, birds — all that and more, today and every day, in your hyper-local blog. Please support our work; just click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Posted onFebruary 26, 2024|Comments Off on Eric Freeman: Role Model Steps Up As “A Better Chance” President
We all know the saying: “If you want something done, ask a busy person.”
Eric Freeman is a busy man. A partner in a real estate investment firm, he travels frequently. He and his wife are raising young sons, and — as a former viola player — he sits on the board of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra.
But when he was asked several years ago to head up A Better Chance of Westport’s mentor program, he jumped at the chance.
He had enjoyed several informal meetings with the scholars at Glendarcy House, the local home for the national program that provides educational opportunities to academically-gifted and highly motivated young men of color.
A Better Chance of Westport mentors and scholars met at a fire pit last fall.
As a person of color himself, he understood the need for the ABC scholars to see people who looked like them, understood them, and were at the same time part of the Westport community that the scholars are now part of too.
When he got the chance to head up ABC’s mentorship program, he agreed. He organized chats around his fire pit, lunch meetings, outings and email conversations.
“They’ve got great resources,” he says of Westport’s embrace of A Better Chance. “This was one more outlet. I wanted to make sure it was meaningful.”
Eric Freeman
Role models come “in many shapes and sizes,” Freeman emphasizes. The scholars “have many. But it’s important for them to see people with similar backgrounds, so they don’t feel alone.”
When the program’s interim president stepped down, no one else immediately stepped up. Despite his busy work and travel schedule, and commitments to his own family. Freeman volunteered.
“This is a worthy cause. I’m proud to be part of it,” he says simply.
His term began last month.
“The directors to a phenomenal job,” Freeman says, of Dale Mauldin and Daniele Dickerson, who live at Glendarcy House. “They create an environment conducive to learning, and growing as young men.”
Freeman’s job is to “provide resources for the success and longevity of the organization.” That includes a long-range financial plan, and a marketing effort so that more Westporters know about A Better Chance of Westport.
“This town has abundant resources,” he notes. “People have worked hard in their careers. There is a certain privilege of living here, too. I hope we can get to them with our message.”
Eric Freeman and his wife Raquel.
Another long-range plan: an ABC House for young women, to augment the one that currently can support 8 young men.
As Freeman prepares for the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year — the “Dream Event” on April 27 at the Westport Library — he has a simple message to Westporters.
“Please support us. These young men are phenomenal. Think about it: You’re a 14-year-old in New York or New Jersey or somewhere else, and suddenly you come to Westport to live with strangers. It takes a lot to do that.
The 2023-24 A Better Chance of Westport scholars.
“So please support us, financially or with your time, or both. We’re always looking for host families, drivers, and people who can inspire our young men. We need everyone.”
(To learn more about A Better Chance of Westport, click here. To learn more about the April 27 Dream Event, and purchase tickets, click here.)
Comments Off on Eric Freeman: Role Model Steps Up As “A Better Chance” President
Posted onJanuary 18, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: De Tapas, Warming Centers, Trash Pickup …
De Tapas is closing.
The Spanish gastrobar on the Post Road next to Design Within Reach will serve its last meal on Sunday, January 28.
Owner Carlos Pia opened right after COVID, 2 winters ago. The restaurant was a leap of faith, after a career in corporate America. Click here for his compelling back story.
Then go say goodbye, and thank him for enhancing our dining scene.
Westport residents facing hardships due to the cold weather should contact Human Services for assistance: 203-341-1050 weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Just in time for the new year: Westport’s trash pickups begin again.
Representative Town Meeting member Andrew Colabella has organized the first 2024 session for Winslow Park. It’s this Sunday (January 21, 11 a.m.).
Volunteers will pick up garbage, and remove hazards from the walking paths. All are welcome. Dress warmly and appropriately!
A little snow should not deter Sunday’s trash pickup at Winslow Park.
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Westport Police made 3 custodial arrests between January 10 and 17.
A woman was arrested for larceny and identity theft, after a complaint that 9 checks had been stolen and fraudulently deposited into a bank account.
A man was arrested for identity theft and forgery, plus criminal attempts to commit larceny, identity theft and forgery, after a check for $249.65 was stolen, altered and deposited in the amount of $17,262.37.
A man was arrested for violation of a protective order and assault on an elderly victim, following a domestic disturbance.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 11 citations
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 6
Speeding: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 3
For over a month last fall, an exhibition by 2 Westport artists enthralled visitors to the United Nations lobby.
Miggs Burroughs’ “Signs of Compassion” — 30 lenticular photos, showing local residents using sign language to recite Emily Dickinson’s poem of the same name, and Mark Yurkiw’s accompanying Braille “prayer wheel” mantra, based on those he saw in Bhutan (including a wheelchair-accessible element) — were displayed on a 102-foot curved wall.
On Tuesday, the two men described their accomplishment — the first-ever UN exhibit not sponsored by a member nation — at the Westport Rotary Club’s weekly lunch.
Their next project: sending the exhibit to venues around the world.
Mark Yurkiw and Miggs Burroughs, at the Rotary Club meeting. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
Speaking of art: Longtime Staples High School teacher and mixed media artist Camille Eskell is featured in a new exhibit — (Re) Work it!: Women Artists on Women’s Labor,” at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury.
The show explores the many types of labor that women are often expected to manage – caring for their family, participating in the labor force, negotiating beauty standards, handling emotional labor and more.
A reception for the 30 artists is set for January 21 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The show runs through May 19. For more information, click here. To learn more about Eskell, click here.
Four of the 6 new members of the Westport Country Playhouse board of trustees are from Westport or Weston
Dave Altman is a principal for Bernstein Private Wealth Management.
Ben Frimmer is a theater arts educator with over 30 years’ experience, and the director of Coleytown Company. He produced the Playhouse fundraiser “An Evening with Justin Paul & Friends with Kelli O’Hara & James Naughton,” and will produce and direct “Voices for Volunteers of Fairfield County” on January 24.
Anne Keefe has served the Playhouse in many capacities since 1973, including associate and co-artistic director with Joanne Woodward. She initiated and curated the Script In Hand series. Formerly she stage managed at Long Wharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, and on Broadway, and served previously on the Playhouse board.
Jonathan Levy is a Westport native, and an attorney who built a venture capital business.
Speaking of the Playhouse: Nearly everyone knows the name Vince Lombardi. The Super Bowl trophy is named for the legendary football coach.
Now you can learn the story behind that name.
The Broadway play — based on the book “When Pride Still Mattered,” by David Maraniss — kicks off the Westport Country Playhouse’s Script in Hand series on February 5 (7 p.m.).
Click here for more information, and to purchase tickets ($30).
Following up on October’s Westport Library presentation on helping families and communities prepare for emergencies, Voices Center for Resilience offers a free webinar.
“The Ripple Effect of Trauma” (January 23, 7 p.m.) explores how children experience tragedy, including building resilience.
This year — which despite economic headwinds, was a good one for many Westporters — as we buy presents for loved ones, friends, and people whose good graces we need to keep, we should also think about helping others.
Give what you can.
(Of course, helping them can also ease our own tax burdens next spring. This is still a great country!)
But who to give to?
Far be it for “06880” to say. So here is a list of some worthy local organizations. Each one has a clickable link 🙂
I know I’ve missed some. Rather than bite my head off (too un-Christmas-y), please mention them in the “Comments” section. I’ll add them to this list.
And please: Keep your suggestions local (southern Fairfield County). There are way too many very worthy national and international groups to include. Thank you!
06880: This blog — now a non-profit — sponsors community-wide events. Projects include the Holiday Stroll, the Lyman Ukraine sister city project, and collaborations with the Westport Library. “06880” also publishes this daily blog, to help create community.
Disabilities
Catch a Lift: Westport supports veterans through fitness programs Circle of Friends: Teens work with children with disabilities
CLASP: Group homes and opportunities Club 203: Provides fun, engaging activities for adults with disabilities MyTEAM Triumph: Road race support for children, adults and veterans New Canaan Mounted Troop: Youth development and therapeutic equestrian center serving children and adults with disabilities, and giving horses a second chance STAR Lighting the Way: Support for all ages Sweet P Bakery: Provides jobs for adults with learning disabilities; supplies The Porch at Christie’s with delicious baked goods
PROUD Academy: New school for LGBTQ+ students and allies, proving a safe, affirming learning community Triangle Community Center: Providing programs and resources for the LGBTQ+ community Westport Pride: Our town’s own LGBTQ+ organization — sponsors of the June festival, and much more
Literacy
Mercy Learning Center: Life skills training for low-income women Read to Grow: Promoting children’s literacy from birth, supporting parents as babies’ first teachers Westport Book Sales: Providing employment for people with disabilities — and offering books, while providing funds for the Westport Library Westport Library: They do it all!
Ukraine Aid International: Founded by Westporters Brian and Marshall Mayer, UAI ensures that donations go directly to Westport’s sister city of Lyman, Ukraine. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.)
Women and girls
AWARE: “Assisting Women through Action, Resources and Education” Dress for Success Mid-Fairfield County: Empowering women by providing professional clothes and other support LiveGirl: Leadership development and mentoring for females, grades 5 through college Malta House: Shelter and programs for young pregnant women and their babies
There’s no such thing as a free lunch — at least, if you’re eating in or taking out downtown.
Downtown parking though, has always been free — for 1 or 2 hours.
During the pandemic, enforcement of parking limits was suspended.
Tickets may soon return — but only after those parking limits are extended.
The second agenda item on Wednesday’s Board of Selectwomen meeting (August 16, 9 a.m., Town Hall auditorium) reads:
Acting in its capacity as the Local Traffic Authority, to re-establish the enforcement of timed parking limits previously suspended by the Board of Selectmen at its public meeting of June 10, 2020, and further, to establish uniform parking limits and times of enforcement throughout the town-managed and owned downtown parking lots known as Parker Harding Plaza, Sigrid Shultz Plaza, Baldwin, Bay Street, Jesup Road, and Taylor, and the Town roadways known as Main Street, Church Lane, Bay Street, and Taylor Place, by changing FROM the currently posted “1- and 2- hour parking” limits TO “3-hour parking” limits and enforcement times TO “8:00 AM to 6:00 PM.” And further, to request permission from the CT DOT to change the current parking term limits posted on Post Road East FROM “1- and 2-hour parking” TO “3-hour parking.”
Click here for the livestream of the Board of Selectwomen session, or watch on Optimum Channel 79. Comments may be sent to selectwoman@westportct.gov prior to the meeting.
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The 3rd agenda item for Wednesday’s Board of Selectwomen’s meeting is also of interest: a request from the Remarkable Theater to use the Imperial Avenue parking lot from August 28 through November 3 for a 4th season of drive-in movies.
From 2020 through ’22, the Remarkable’s season began in the spring.
Jacqui O’Brien was one of several readers who sent photos of a strange object seen over Westport skies last night.
Susan Leone was the first to identify them as SpaceX Starlink satellites.
They were launched yesterday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It was the 9th flight for the first stage booster supporting the mission.
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As first noted on “06880” over a year ago — but denied vociferously by Organic Krush — Sweetgreens is indeed moving in to Compo Shopping Center.
Organic Krush has already moved out.
No date has been announced for opening. But the fast-casual salad-based chain — which emphasizes healthy eating and sustainability, and has 158 outlets in 13 states — already has Westporters excited.
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The recent food drive for Homes with Hope’s Gillespie Center and food pantry — which included a special, fill-my-shopping-cart trip by a mother and 2 children — was celebrated yesterday, at the Sunrise Rotary Club’s weekly meeting.
The sponsors — including also the Westport Rotary Club, Westport Police Department and Saugatuck Rowing Club — presented a check for $1,105.62 to Homes with Hope.
Those cash donations were in addition to the hundreds of bags of groceries that were dropped off, as shoppers entered and exited the store.
From left: Liz Wong, Sunrise Rotary president; Rob Hauck, Rotary member; Helen McAlinden, Homes with Hope president; Paris Looney, HWH vice president, and Sunrise Rotary members Bruce Paul and Bruce Fritz. (Photo/James Wong)
The link provided yesterday by Wakeman Town Farm for their September 9 Harvest Fest fundraiser was incorrect. Click here for tickets, and more information.
But all can agree: the Smart Shots Pickleball Social is great.
The September 30 event (6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Milford Indoor Tennis) is a fundraiser for A Better Chance of Westport.
Level-designated courts will ensure exciting matches. Vendors will offer pickleball services and products. A raffle includes special prizes. The Porch @ Christie’s is providing food (available for pre-purchase).
The event is sponsored by ATP (Alan & Tina Pickleball). Click here to register. Questions? Call 203-984-1949.
And finally … anyone who saw the 2012 Oscar-winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” knows that Rodriguez’s story is astonishing.
The Detroit musician wrote and sang haunting protest songs. But he never found an audience, and settled into a life as a laborer and office worker.
He was “discovered” in Australia however — and then, even more so, in South Africa during apartheid. According to the New York Times:
“To many of us South Africans, he was the soundtrack to our lives,” Stephen Segerman, owner of a Cape Town record store, said in the documentary.
“In the mid-’70s, if you walked into a random white, liberal, middle-class household that had a turntable and a pile of pop records, and if you flipped through the records, you would always see ‘Abbey Road’ by the Beatles, you’d always see ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon and Garfunkel, and you would always see ‘Cold Fact’ by Rodriguez. To us, it was one of the most famous records of all time. The message it had was ‘Be anti-establishment.’”
Astonishingly, Rodriguez did not know he had fervent fans in South Africa. Equally astonishingly, South Africans thought he was dead. One rumor was a drug overdose; another, that he had killed himself onstage.
In 1998, he was discovered — alive, and living in obscurity in Detroit. He was invited to South Africa, and played concerts at sold-out venues.
He was “discovered” again more than a dozen years later, with the release of “Searching for Sugar Man” — a film about his strange but vibrant life.
Rodriguez — whose full name was Sixto Diaz Rodriguez — died Tuesday, in Detroit. He was 81.
Click here for a full obituary. Click below to hear Rodriguez.
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Robin Tauck and the Westport Weston Family YMCA are teaming up again.
The former trustee, benefactor of the Robin Tauck Wellness Center and longtime executive with her family’s international travel company celebrates the Y’s 100-year anniversary with a $100,000 matching challenge.
From now through June 30, Robin will match every dollar donated at $500 and above. Funds will go toward new programs for seniors, adults, and youth that improve health outcomes.
They include fitness and well-being for arthritis, Parkinson’s, cancer management and other diseases, and special strength and conditioning program for youths.
Funds will also benefit the Y’s financial assistance program, serving under-resourced families and those in need.
Donors who contribute $1,000 or more will enjoy a special summer event.
Fore more details and to participate in the matching grant challenge, click here.
A pre-Mothers Day pop-up shopping event This Friday (May 12, 12-4 p.m., Yoga45, 201 Main Street) benefits A Better Chance of Westport.
A portion of sales will go to the local organization, which for 20 years has offered educational opportunities to academically gifted young men of color.
It’s a great way to shop local, at a women-owned store, for Mom — and for a great cause!
Among many other things, Verso Studios and the Westport Library are becoming a film hub for movie buffs throughout the area.
On May 19 (7 p.m., the Lundberg Family Foundation Masters Film Series launches, to tie it all together.
The first event is the Connecticut premiere of the documentary “Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille.” Area residents Chris Frantz and Crispin Cioe are featured in the film.
A Q&A after the showing with the filmmakers, including the filmmakers; Frantz and Cioe, and DeVille’s niece.
The Lundberg Family Foundation Masters Film Series will showcase films and filmmakers. It bridges independent production and established innovation. Special screenings coupled with master classes will “educate and inspire on modes of production and storytelling craft, as well as technical, philosophical, and historical aspects.”
Master classes on June 14 and 21 will focus on techniques to convert a film concept into a compelling documentary story.
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Brown University 1968 Bernicestine McLeod Bailey adds another degree later this month. The IT leader and longtime advocate for inclusion of alumni of color will receive an honorary degree — doctor of humane letters — at the commencement ceremony.
Following her career as an IBM systems engineer, she established McLeod Associates, a pioneering minority-owned IT consulting firm.
McLeod Bailey is a founding member of TEAM Westport, and former board member of the Westport Library and Fairfield County’s Community Foundation.
At Brown, she is a longtime member of the Pembroke Center Advisory Council and served as founding chair of its Archives Committee with a focus on elevating gender history. She has established funds to support undergraduate diversity and initiatives highlighting Black history at the university.
McLeod Bailey served as a Brown trustee from 2001 to 2007, and is an honorary lifetime member of the President’s Advisory Council on Diversity. She also received the Brown Bear Award, the Brown Alumni Association’s highest volunteer honor.
McLeod Bailey and her husband, Brown alumnus Harold Bailey Jr., are the parents of Brown alumni Aisha (Class of 1999) and Harold III (Class of 2003).
Andrew Colabella — RTM member and all-things-Westport booster — planted 100 bulbs.
Another 400 are coming this fall, he promises.
Andrew Colabella, with a bulb at the Minute Man monument. (Photo/Jimmy Izzo)
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Former Westporter Kristin Erickson died April 25 in New Fairfield. She was 62.
She studied at Northfield Mount Hermon, Denison and Southern Connecticut State Universities, and a earned a master’s degree in social work from Fordham University.
As a hospice social worker, Kristin had “a remarkable capacity to show up for people and their families in very dark moments.” She was passionate about death with dignity, access to mental health resources, and caring for senior dogs and dogs with high needs. She was recently certified as a death doula.
Kristin and her former husband Dan Carpenter raised 3 children in Fairfield. They were her pride and joy. Her family says, “she was a creative, goofy, and above all, deeply loving mother. She also filled roles as a cool aunt, second mom to her kid’s friends, and dedicated dog mom.”
Kristin spent the past years between West Palm Beach and New Fairfield with her partner Ken Green and his dogs. She spent a lot of time with her mom, Sue, as well. Kristin had recently become certified as a death doula and had continued to hold space for people at the end of their lives.
Kristin is survived by her parents, Susan and George Erickson; children Nell, Guthrie and Aria Carpenter; siblings Jon and Martha Erickson and their partners Jayne and Bones; nieces Riley, Mullein, Romy, and Faye, and many lifelong friends.
n lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Compassion & Choices, a non-profit Kristin was passionate about.
Kristin Erickson
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There’s always something different to see from Grace Salmon Park.
Patricia McMahon framed this “Westport … Naturally shot beautifully, as spring comes to the popular Saugatuck River spot:
(Photo/Patricia McMahon)
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And finally … in honor of Bernicestine McLeod Bailey’s honorary degree from Brown (story above), here is the world’s greatest college fight song.
Sorry, Michigan and Notre Dame. But this one’s clearly the best.
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Posted onApril 4, 2023|Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Dale Mauldin And Daniele Dickerson, ABC Executive Directors
On Saturday, hundreds of friends and supporters enjoyed the 20th annual A Better Chance of Westport Dream Event.
Among the highlights: heartfelt speeches by 3 alums, on the impact the program — which brings young men of color from underserved communities to Staples High School — has had on them.
Earlier in the day, nearly a dozen grads from the past 20 years returned to Glendarcy House, where the current scholars live. They met with the teens, and executive directors Dale Mauldin and Daniele Dickerson.
Dale and Daniele have taken ABC to a new level. Serving in multi-faceted roles — “house parents,” mentors, role models, confidantes and friends — they help the ABC scholars adapt to life in an unfamiliar town, and a challenging high school.
They (and their young daughter Sage) have created a safe, loving environment. The other day, Dale and Daniele joined me at the Westport Library, for a very interesting and insightful podcast.
They talked about the journey that brought them to Westport (spoiler alert: Daniele was part of the Ridgefield ABC program in high school); the challenges of “parenting” a house full of teenage boys, and the importance of A Better Chance — not just to the scholars, but to the town of Westport.
Click below, for an engaging and informative half hour.
Comments Off on “06880” Podcast: Dale Mauldin And Daniele Dickerson, ABC Executive Directors
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