It was quite a weekend in Westport.
Saturday afternoon featured the Slice of Saugatuck. That evening, Wakeman Town Farm hosted its annual HarvestFest.
The fun continued last night. The Tedeschi Trucks Band brought their 12-piece (including 2 drummers) rock/soul/blues/jazz/country powerhouse to town, for one of the most memorable galas in the riverside amphitheater’s 5-decade history.
The sold-out crowd called TTB back for an exciting encore. The Levitt rocked loud and long.
(Photo/Susan Garment)
(Photo/Susan Garment)
(Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)
The show was preceded by a party, hosted jointly by the new Massi Co restaurant and its next door neighbor, Walrus Alley.
It too was packed.
(Photo/Dan Woog)
Internationally known photographer Larry Silver and his wife Gloria (not pictured) were among the guests. (Photo/DinkinESH Fotografix)
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This weekend also marked the opening day of Challenger Baseball.
It was even more special than most. Beth Cody was honored for both her 70th birthday, and her 25 years of devotion and service to Westport Little League.
She’s served as league commissioner, executive secretary, and the force and founder of Westport Winners Challenger Baseball Division, for boys and girls age 5-18 with physical or intellectual challenges.
Longtime Westport Little League volunteers Jeff Mitchell and Jeff White presented Beth with awards.
Beth Cody’s award.
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Westport’s first selectman race is drawing plenty of attention among voters.
Our town’s teenagers are interested too.
Though most are not yet 18 — and thus ineligible to vote — they have a stake in what goes on here. They care about its present, and its future.
On October 14 (7 p.m., Toquet Hall), the Westport Youth Commission hosts a special student-focused conversation with the 3 hopefuls.
Don O’Day, David Rosenwaks and Kevin Christie will answer questions about leadership, experience and issues.
Moderators are Youth Commission co-president and Staples High School senior Jake Shufro, YC member and Greens Farms Academy junior Jack Thompson, and “06880” executive editor (and long-ago Youth Commission member) Dan Woog.
Teen audience members are invited to ask questions too.
Shufro and Thompson encourage students and parents to attend. “This is a non-partisan event, intended to educate the community and promote informed voting for all eligible voters,” they say.
Westport’s League of Women Voters is providing guidance to the organizers.
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Historical markers are filled with fascinating information.
They’re also easy to overlook.
In Westport, some residents – old-timers and newcomers — love the markers on Jennings Trail.
Others have no idea they even exist.
Jennings Trail is named in honor of Bessie Jennings. Her family settled in this area around 1650.
A beloved educator and noted authority on Westport’s past, she originated and led tours of local historic sites, for decades of elementary school students.
Conceived in 1974 as part of Westport’s plans to celebrate the Bicentennial, the Trail was initiated by the Westport Historical Society in collaboration with the Westport Young Woman’s League.
23 markers were installed at historic locations throughout Westport. They are made of bronze, mounted on stone plinths, and contain brief narrative descriptions that describe the significance of each site. Jennings Trail is now under the stewardship of the Westport Historic District Commission.
Bessie’s cousin, 11th-generation Westporter Peter Jennings, has maintained the Trail for a quarter century. (At his own cost.)
The other day, Seth Schachter spotted this sign at the top of Burying Hill Beach:
(Photo/Seth Schachter)
Want to know more about Burying Hill — including how it got its name?
Maybe check out Jennings Trail.
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Speaking of signs: What’s wrong with this one?
(Photo/Celia Campbell-Mohn)
If you think it’s that “Your partner in perfect” makes no grammatical sense, you’re only part right.
Look closely. Of all the words to misspell, the one that’s wrong is “perfect.”
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It happens once every 3 centuries: Trinity Episcopal Church turns 300 years old.
The Southport congregation — which includes many Westport worshipers — celebrates its tricentennial on September 20 (9 p.m.), with a “Son et Lumière” sound and light show.
All are welcome to the free gathering; no church affiliation is required.
Trinity has survived all 3 Biblical elements: fire, wind, and water.
It was burned to the ground during the Revolutionary War, struck by a tornado in 1862, and flooded during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Each time, it rose again.
The “Son et Lumière” is a dramatic 40-minute account of Trinity’s 300-year history, using actors’ voices, sound and light effects. It will take place outside, in front of the church, as darkness falls.
Trinity Episcopal Church, Southport.
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Builders Beyond Borders is starting its 34th year, of “building a better world.”
The non-profit provides local volunteer opportunities for 7th and 8th graders, and ones in Latin America for high school students.
B3 also offers leadership programs.
An open house for prospective volunteers is set for this Thursday (September 18, 5:30 to 7 p.m., 66 Fort Point Street, Norwalk).
To learn more about B3, click here for their website. Click here for a video.
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Oliver Vynerib is still in high school.
But the Staples senior recently won the Green Building Award for Achievement in Sustainable Design and Construction.
Oliver founded HomeCycle CT. It connects residents and builders with nonprofits to deconstruct homes and donate usable materials — reducing landfill waste, supporting affordable material access, and creating community benefits like job training opportunities.
Oliver Vynerib and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker (front), with family and officials at Town Hall.
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Despite temperatures in the low 80s, there was too much going on in town for most people to visit Compo Beach.
This was the scene Saturday: one tent. No one under it.
And a lonely toy car that looks a lot bigger than it really is.
(Photo/Christine Nigro)
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Here’s another intriguing photo from the weekend.
(Photo/Tricia Summers)
Tricia Summers was on a friend’s deck tonight last night, overlooking the Saugatuck River while awaiting the Tedeschi Trucks concert at the Levitt Pavilion.
She spotted a paddleboarder with his dog, about to go under the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge.
We assume they both made it safely.
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Our “Westport … Naturally” feature often highlights the beauty — trees, flowers, water, birds and other living creatures — that surrounds us, nearly everywhere.
Usually. But not always.
Today’s image shows normally picturesque Deadman Brook, near the Library and Levitt Pavilion.
Looking less than wonderful right now.
(Photo/Amy Schneider)
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And finally … Cannonball Adderley was born on this date in 1928. The jazz saxophonist died in 1975, 4 weeks after suffering a stroke. He was 46 years old.
(Mercy me! You don’t support “06880” — but you read and enjoy it every day? Mercy! But hey: All you have to do is click here to donate to your hyper-local blog. Thank you. Mercy!)
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