Seth Schachter’s industrial-looking photo stumped all but one reader last week.
There are not many steel girders visible in Westport. Good guesses included the train station elevator shaft and tracks, Urban Outfitters, and construction at the Bankside condos and Main Street.
Only Andrew Colabella recognized the beams as part of Anthropologie. They’re remnants of the old YMCA, which stood on that downtown site from 1923 until the early 2010s. Click here to see.
You have to get up very early to fool Andrew. Will he (or you) get this week’s Photo Challenge?
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
Are you registered to vote?Click here to check your current status. If your are voting by Absentee Ballot, this tool will also tell you if we’ve received your Absentee Ballot.
And finally … on this day in 1894 Buffalo Bill Cody, 15 Native American members of his traveling show, and Annie Oakley were filmed by Thomas Edison in his New Jersey studio.
Some Photo Challenges can be answered by anyone who has once lived in Westport. They’re permanent parts of our landscape.
Others are solvable only by those who live here now. But those bits of town will still be around for a while.
Last week’s Challenge could only be known by the latter grouop. If you haven’t seen it though, you better not wait too long.
Amy Schneider’s photo showed a beautiful butterfly. It’s hidden in plain sight — the alley behind Anthropologie, in Bedford Square — but it won’t be there forever. (Click here to see.)
The colorful charcoal work by Susan Fehlinger is part of an outdoor art project called “Vanishing Species/Vanishing Murals.” Sponsored by the Artists’ Collective of Westport, it’s one of 4 pieces that — exposed to the elements — will disappear.
Which is exactly what’s happening to so many creatures around the globe.
“The process of aging, fading and degradation speaks to the attention span of our fast-paced world, and offers its own lesson on the ephemeralness of art and life itself,” the Collective says.
Rindy Higgins, Nancy Axthelm, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Michael Calise and Jeanne Esposito all knew exactly where to spot the lovely butterfly.
For now, at least.
This week’s Photo Challenge is a lot more permanent. And a lot less friendly.
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
Posted onDecember 23, 2020|Comments Off on And The Holiday Window Decorating Contest Winners Are …
Only a few people can watch NFL games in person. You haven’t been to a concert in longer than it takes to conceive and deliver a baby.
But anyone could have gone around town, checked out holiday window decorations, and voted for their favorites.
In fact, many people did.
Yesterday, the Westport Downtown Merchants Association and Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce announced the winners of the annual contest. This year for the first time, it encompassed the entire town.
And the winners are…:
Mom and Pop Shop:The Plumed Serpent Bridal
Plumed Serpent Bridal
National chain: Anthropologie
Anthropologie
Restaurant/Deli:Joe’s Pizza
Joe’s Pizza
Non-retail:Artistex Salon & Spa
Artistex Spa & Salon
And the grand prize — for the window with the most total votes:The Plumed Serpent Bridal.
They win dinner for 4 at Don Memo.
Click here for a list of all participating venues. Voting in closed — but you can still enjoy them!
Comments Off on And The Holiday Window Decorating Contest Winners Are …
In a first for Staples High School sports — and perhaps for any team anywhere in the country — the boys soccer team broadcast last night’s match at Norwalk on a drive-in movie screen.
With a limited number of spectators allowed due to COVID at most schools — and Norwalk banning even parents — the Wreckers have livestreamed all their games this year.
GKess Films of Cheshire provide high-def quality video. WWPT-FM students provide play-by-play; alumni athletes, former coaches and other soccer aficionados add color commentary.
Cars filled with parents, siblings, younger players and random soccer fans headed to the Remarkable Theater Imperial Avenue parking lot for tailgating, and the game. They honked their horns and flashed their lights when Haydn Siroka and Alan Fiore scored early goals, and when Sebi Montoulieu saved a penalty kick.
Staples won 2-1 — their 3rd consecutive victory — and perhaps a new tradition was born.
A scene from the big screen at the Remarkable Theater. (Photo/Neil Brickley)
Good news from the Westport Library!
Starting Monday, November 9, they’ll expand hours, institute cart-side pick-up, and will offer access to the media studios, Maker Space and Children’s Department (by appointment).
New hours are Monday through Friday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The Library will remain closed on Sunday.
Patrons can browse for materials in the Library, place them on hold remotely, or do so by calling 203-291-4807. Items placed on hold can be picked up in the tent outside the building at any time during operating hours. This replaces the current curbside pick-up arrangement.
Delivery services will continue for residents who are homebound or in a high-risk category that prevents them from visiting the Library.
The Library is also adding printing services to its 3 Express computers. and will reintroduce loans from in-state Libraries.
Shopping in the Library store will continue in person or virtually by appointment. Click here to schedule.
The Library will continue to limit the number of people in the building to 100 at any time.
Tony Award-winning actor and noted director James Naughton is also a noted animal advocate. He writes:
Having lived in Weston for 43 years, and been raised in Connecticut, I count myself very lucky to have shared this wonderful, woodsy environment with nature’s creatures.
Just in the last 6 months while sequestered, we were entertained daily by a couple of foxes raising their 5 little kits in our yard, then a family of groundhogs and a raccoon family. Owls hoot in the woods , hawks circle overhead, and we watch out for fawns crossing the roads.
When some of these animals aren’t so lucky — hey are orphaned or encounter an automobile they (and we) are lucky to have a place to take them right here.
Dara and Peter Reid created Wildlife in Crisis, and have been its stewards for over 30 years.
Normally, they take in 5,000 animals a year. This year they’ve taken in an unusually large number of creatures–and they need our help.
They’re a 501C3, and depend on charitable contributions. Click here, and watch a 10-minute video of them releasing back into the wild some of the animals they’ve raised or rehabilitated.
It’s inspiring, and a delight to show to your children and grandchildren. Then please: Make a donation.
Jim Naughton with a baby possum.
Speaking of famous Weston residents: This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time. The other day, singer-songwriter Jose Feliciano popped into a Norwalk TV studio to talk with Telemundo about the jazzy, jangly classic.
Click here to see. The interview is in Spanish. But if you don’t speak it: no hay problema.
The song — and Jose’s exubertant personality — are universal.
Want $10,000?
Saturday (October 31) is the deadline to apply for a Westport Young Woman’s League Super Grant.
They’re awarded to local organizations working in areas like food insecurity, education, and health and wellness.
Despite the impact of COVID on fundraising, the WYWL continues to support our community. For a grant application, click here. To learn more, click here.
Halloween is not yet here.
But Christmas is, at Anthropologie downtown.
Can spring be far behind?
(Photo/Amy Schneider)
And finally … thanks to Jose Feliciano and Anthropologie, “06880” officially kicks off the holiday season:
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
