Tag Archives: Blight Prevention Board

Roundup: Sandwiches, Clams, Cocktails …

With over 1,000 votes cast, the winners of the Great Westport Sandwich Contestare …

Best Chicken Sandwich: Garelick & Herbs

Best Steak Sandwich: Nômade

Best Combo Sandwich: A & S Fine Foods

Best Vegetarian Sandwich: Nômade

Best Club Sandwich: The Clubhouse

Best Pressed Sandwich: The Granola Bar

Best Breakfast Sandwich: The Granola Bar

Best Wrap Sandwich: Kabab & Hummus House

Best Fish/Seafood Sandwich: Rizzuto’s

Best NY Deli Sandwich: Gold’s Delicatessen

Honorable mentions go to Calise’s Market and Outpost Pizza in the Best Chicken category.

The contest was organized by the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, with sponsorship from the law firm Bercham Moses.

The winners (clockwise from top left): The Clubhouse, The Granola Bar, Kabab & Hummus House, A & S Fine Foods, Gold’s Delicatessen, Nômade, Rizzuto’s, Garelick & Herbs.

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Earthplace celebrates 2 milestones soon: the 40th anniversary of Harbor Watch, and the 15th anniversary of “Cocktails & Clams.”

The fundraiser is set for June 6 (5 to 7 p.m.), at Copps Island Oysters, Norwalk.

The location is fitting. Proceeds will help modernize the water quality lab at Harbor Watch, Earthplace’s Long Island Sound program. They’ll also provide hands-on training for student interns, and will support ongoing water monitoring.

Guests will enjoy an unlimited, super-fresh raw bar, hors d’oeuvres, an open bar, plus a live band and silent auction.

Click here for tickets, and more information. For details on sponsorships, email l.connell@earthplace.org.

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

The Westport Senior Center kicks it off on May 1 (1 p.m.), with a special event  featuring Melissa Bernstein.

The co-founder of Melissa & Doug Toys will chat with “06880” founder Dan Woog about her personal journey through anxiety and depression.

She’ll discuss the tools and insights that helped guide her back into the light, and what she has discovered about finding purpose and meaning along the way.

Melissa is the author of “Lifelines” and “The Heart of Entrepreneurship: Crafting Your Authentic Recipe for Success.” She also curated a collection of stress-relief tools inspired by her own life experiences, available at Lifelines.com.

The event is open to Senior Center members, and anyone 60 or older.

Melissa Bernstein

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Among the agenda items for today’s Board of Selectpersons agenda (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Town Hall auditorium): acceptance of $20,000 from Sustainable Westport, for the purchase and installation of 2 ADA-compliant water filling stations.

They’ll replace the current fountains at Compo Beach and Winslow Park

A plaque on the Winslow Park water filling station will honor the memory of Sherry Jagerson. The longtime environmental activist died in 2024.

Sherry Jagerson

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The Blight Prevention Board meets tomorrow (Thursday, 7 p.m., Zoom).

They’ll continue their discussion of 20 Center Street, and address 3 new properties:

  • 5 Hiawatha Lane
  • 7 Hiawatha Lane
  • 20 Meeker Road.

20 Center Street

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Just in time for the golf season, several dozen new carts were delivered yesterday to Longshore.

They come with GPS, to help golfers determine distance to the pin and course topography.

A less interesting feature: speed control.

New golf carts, at Longshore. (Photo/Ed Simek)

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Plenty of middle school students dream of acting on TV and in movies.

Most have no clue how to get a chance.

On April 2 (2 to 4 p.m.), the Westport Country Playhouse offers a masterclass on the subject.

Actor Liz Fye will lead students, as they work on scenes, and learn to adjust to notes.

The class is $100, and limited to 12 youngsters in grades 6-8. Click here for more information, and registration. Questions? Email Maggie Meath mmeath@westportplayhouse.org

Liz Fye

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Westport resident Carole Williams died Sunday, surrounded by her family. She was 86.

A longtime customer service manager at Pepperidge Farm, she was known for her dedication and care. After retiring she worked for the town of Westport, at the Fire and Building Departments.

She was an avid traveler, and also enjoyed both playing tennis and shopping.

She is survived by her daughter Kim Thibodeau, grandson Michael Thibodeau, sister Phyllis Denke, brother Samuel (Sandy) Anastasia Jr. .

A Requiem Mass will be held at Assumption Church on Friday (April 10, 10 a.m.). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude’s or the American Cancer Society.

Carole Williams

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Longtime Westporter Dick Alley sends along today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo: Schlaet’s Point, at low tide in early spring.

(Photo/Dick Alley)

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And finally … in honor of Earthplace’s “Clams & Cocktails” fundraiser, benefiting Harbor Watch — harborside, at Copps Island Oysters (story above):

(From the environment and entertainment to the Senior Center and beach, if it’s happening in Westport you’ll read about it on “06880.” We rely on readers’ support; please click here to help. Thank you!) 

Roundup: Westport Mom’s Fun Festival, Ruth Barrett’s Lawsuit, Oliver Vynerib’s Deconstruction …

Over 1,000 Westporters will flock to Greens Farms Elementary School this Sunday.

Westport Moms’ 5th annual Family Fun Fall Festival (October 5, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) is one of the highlights of the year for kids (and parents).

Activities include a ninja wall, pottery making, pumpkin decorating, face painting, a bounce house, games, basketball clinics, chess matches, hair tinsel, and more.

Oh, yeah: a DJ, Mad Science show, character photo ops, and pizza and tacos food trucks too.

Click here for tickets, and more information. Overflow parking is on the street, and the Big Y shopping center.

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Here’s an update in the saga of Ruth S. Barrett.

In 2020, the Westport resident wrote a buzzy article for The Atlantic about the extreme measures taken by parents in their quest to mold their children into recruitable niche-sport athletes.

The lengthy piece appeared to be well-researched. A New York Times columnist called it “excellent,” and insightful in its depiction of high-end athletic recruiting as an accelerant of inequality in college admissions.

But 2 weeks later The Atlantic retracted the article. A scathing Editor’s Note accused Barrett of serious journalistic crimes, adding it could not “attest to the veracity” of her portrayal.

The Atlantic revoked Barrett’s rights to her own work, dissolved her contract, and blocked a Hollywood agency from acquiring the right to produce a spinoff TV series based on her article (entitled “The Mad, Mad World of Niche Sports Among Ivy League-Obsessed Parents).”

Barrett responded by filing a lawsuit. She claimed her article was accurate, and that Atlantic editors had breached her contract and slandered her with provably false accusations.

In September of 2024, federal judge Loren Alikhan appeared to side with Barrett. In a 38-page ruling, she rejected The Atlantic’s motion to dismiss Barrett’s case, and ruled that the majority of her defamation claims would stand.”

The judge also ruled that Barrett was a private figure — meaning she would not have to prove at trial that The Atlantic harbored “actual malice” against her, but merely that it published defamatory falsehoods that torched her reputation.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that The Atlantic had “quietly settled” with Barrett. The paper said that the magazine agreed to pay her over $1 million — and issued a series of corrections and “clarifications” to its online Editor’s Note.

Ruth S. Barrett

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Staples High School senior Oliver Vynerib — who recently received a Westport Green Building Award for exemplifying sustainable practices by supporting deconstruction on Westport properties at 5 Sycamore Drive and 159 Easton Road — will give a presentation about “deconstruction” to builders and residents looking to learn more.

The event is October 8 (4 p.m., 180 Saugatuck Avenue). Click here to RSVP, or for more information. 

Oliver founded HomeCycle CT in 2023. Its mission is to connect residents and builders with nonprofits to deconstruct homes — that is, dismantle buildings otherwise scheduled for demolition, then donating the building components to reduce landfill waste.

HomeCycle is a bridge between builders, donors and nonprofits, and provides guidance on donations and the tax deduction process. Salvageable items from home remodels are also eligible for donation. To learn more, email olivervynerib@gmail.com or call 203-919-0202.

Oliver Vynerib receives his Green Building Award from 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker. Town officials look on. 

To learn more about what you can do to make your home more sustainable, click here.  To learn more about the Green Building Award, click here. or email cvornkahl@westportct.gov.

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Speaking about homes, but in a different vein: The Blight Prevention Board meets October 9 (7 p.m.; Zoom).

The agenda includes these properties under old business:

  • 1 Charcoal Hill Road
  • 6 Clifford Lane
  • 38 Old Hill Road

and these under new business:

  • 20 Center Street
  • 7 Bedford Drive
  • 36 Hiawatha Lane.

20 Center Street (Google Street View, 2023)

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Melissa Newman — a longtime Westporter, and favorite of Jazz at the Post as long as it’s been around — returns tomorrow (Thursday, October 2), to the weekly VFW show.

The vocalist is joined by Tony Lombardozzi (guitar), Phil Bowler (bass) and Bobby Leonard (drums).

Shows are 7:30 and 8:45 p.m., with dinner service at 7. Click here for tickets and more information.

Melissa Newman

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A race? A chat? Or just a “Westport … Naturally” photo waiting for a clever caption from “06880” readers?

You be the judge.

(Photo/Nikki Gorman)

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And finally …. today is the International Day of Older Persons. Enjoy!

(If Willie Nelson can still perform at 92, you can click this link to make a tax-deductible contribution to “06880.” It’s a lot easier than what Willie does — though he’s more impressive. Thank you!)