Tag Archives: Barry Kresch

Roundup: Saugatuck Caroling, Westport Lifestyle, Jersey Boys …

A wonderful tradition returned to Saugatuck yesterday evening.

The Saugatuck Caroling Crawl came back, after a 2-year COVID-induced absence.

Six Staples Orphenians moved from one restaurant to the next, singing holiday songs and making spirits bright. They hit 14 spots in all.

(Photo/Matthew Mandell)

Carolers began their rounds at the Boathouse. They headed to Parker Mansion, Kawa Ni, The Whelk, Tutti’s and the Black Duck, before making their way to Railroad Place to sing at Tarantino, Harvest, Romanacci and Allium.

They finished by entertaining diners at Match Lobster Burger, Rizzuto’s, Viva Zapata and Dunville’s.

Grateful thanks to Orphs Sophia Betit, Zoe Schwartz, James Dobin-Smith, Alyssa Lee, Deneil Betfarhad and Ethan Tober — and the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.

Missed it? Click below for a “taste” at Match Burger Lobster.

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Christian Siriano’s new store, The Collective West, was the site of Thursday’s Westport Lifestyle party. The magazine honored all 2022 Readers’ Choice winners.

With catering by Marcia Selden and The Home Cook, music by Drew Angus and decorations from Blossom + Stem — plus Santa Claus — it was a great way to show off the noted designer’s recently opened place.

Enjoying Westport Lifestyle’s party: Sholeh Janati (abstract artist) and 
Courtney Davis Schlesinger (comedian). (Photo./John Videler for Videler Photography)

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The curtain rose yesterday on “Jersey Boys” at the White Plains Performing Arts Center next month.

Staples High School Class of 2015 graduate Jack Baylis is part of the cast. He’s not a 4 Season — but he does sing a great number in French.

The show runs through January 8. Click here for tickets, and more information.

Jack Baylis, at the White Plains Performing Arts Center. (Photo/Cara Baylis)

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Yesterday’s Roundup piece about the local connections on “In With the Old” — the Discovery+ series highlighting transformations of abandoned structures — mentioned Westonites Brian and Megan Austin Philpott, and former Westport Planning and Zoning Commission member Al Gratrix.

But there’s much more detail

Brian Philpott is a project manager for The O’Dell Group. The local construction firm put together a team of 20 people to frame that addition in one day.

He’s just one of 4 project managers with Staples ties. Owner Chris O’Dell, Lukas Van Zanten and Chuck Hilman graduated from high school — and so did Philpott’s wife.

PS: The celebration at the end of that day was catered by Matt Storch — another Staples High grad, and the owner of Match Burger Lobster and Match restaurants.

From left: Chris O’Dell, Lukas Van Zanten, Brian Philpott, Chuck Hilman.

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Congratulations to Barry Kresch.

The Westport resident and EV Club of Connecticut president will be honored by the Connecticut Southwestern Area Clean Cities Coalition as EV Evangelist of the Year.

He has spoken on several panels, for example discussing a financial analysis he did for the Westport Police about electric vehicles. Click here for a blog post he wrote on the department’s Tesla.

The celebration is Tuesday (December 13, 11 a.m., Fodor Farmhouse, Norwalk).

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Winter arrives on December 21.

This guy — the subject of today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature — is getting ready. He’s no fool.

(Photo/Marisa Lambert)

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And finally … in honor of Jack Baylis’s “Jersey Boys” show (story above):

(‘Tis the season to support “06880.” Please click here to help — and thank you!)

 

 

 

Electric Car Club Charges Ahead

Westporters own 266 electric vehicles. That’s the 3rd highest number in Connecticut. Greenwich leads, with 511.

But — at 1% of our total registered vehicles — we do rank first in the largest number of EVs per capita. That’s 3.5 times the statewide average.

Those are a few of the interesting facts to come from the Connecticut EV Club. That’s the new name for the Westport Electric Car Club. As EV popularity rises — there are 35% more plug-in vehicles in the state than a year ago — the local organization is growing too.

Robin Tauck (center) lent selectmen Jim Marpe and Avi Kaner (left) her 2 electric vehicles at an Electric Car rally. Kaner liked driving it so much, he bought this Tesla P85D model. On the right is former Westport Electric Car Club president Leo Cirino.

Bruce Becker is taking over from founder and longtime president Leo Cirino.

Other changes include partnerships with groups like the Acadia Center and Lime Rock Historic Festival, plus conversations with state transportation and energy officials.

One upcoming initiative: lobbying legislators to change the law prohibiting Tesla from selling directly to customers. (Connecticut allows cars to be purchased only through independent dealerships. Tesla sells direct from the manufacturer.)

State residents have reserved over 3,000 Model 3s — Tesla’s highly anticipated $35,000 vehicle. Club officer Barry Kresch estimates that 250 to 300 of those are in Westport.

So — despite the club’s name change —  our town will continue to have an outsize influence on statewide EV policy and affairs. “This is an environmental-thinking place,” Kresch says. “Its leaders are very green-conscious.”

And, he says, with 20 or so public charging stations — including both train stations, the library and Staples High School — Westport’s commitment to electric vehicles remains strong.

(For more information on the Connecticut EV Club click here.)

Electric vehicles lined up by the Staples charging stations (from left): Chevy Bolt, Tesla S, VW, Tesla X, Nissan Leaf.