The other day, James Corden and Harry Styles set out on the streets of Brooklyn. They were searching apartments for a location to shoot a music video Styles’ new album. They had just 3 hours to do it.
Luckily, they found Hadley Ward, Isabel Perry and Caroline McKenchnie. All are 2015 Staples High School grads, living together. (Katie Settos — another roommate — was away.)
The British duo sure found the right people. The apartment was decorated with photos of both Styles and Corden, to their delight (and the young women’s slight embarrassment).
It’s a great video — even without the Westport connection. With it, this becomes an instant classic.
The great vibe from yesterday’s Memorial Day parade still lingers.
The winners of the float contest are feeling particularly good. Congratulations to:
Best Youth Organization Float: Suzuki Music School
Best Community Organization Float: Westport Old Fire Truck
Most Colorful Float: VFW Auxiliary #399
Special Pep Award: Junior Colonial Fife & Drum Corps.
And the winner for Best Overall Float is …
… I can’t believe there’s even any suspense …
… the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston.
Their float honored Mary Pickersgill, Francis Scott Key and the national anthem.
I’ll have to check the records, but I think the Y’s Men have won Best Overall Float every year since Francis Scott Key was hanging out at Fort McHenry.
The Y’s Men’s float. You can’t see it in the photo, but there was “smoke,” reminiscent of the 1814 battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem. (photo/Dan Woog)
Not to raise a big stink, but an “06880” reader sent this photo:
The reader sent a note, too: “I would like to acknowledge the anonymous donor/s who selflessly, when no one was looking, left the precious doggie gift, wrapped by the side of Valley Road.”
Another photo — not suitable for a public blog — was left “unwrapped” at the end of the reader’s driveway.
“But really,” the reader adds, “you shouldn’t have.”
The reader added this suggestion: a database of each dog’s DNA, included as part of the dog license. “The mere existence of such a database would immediately put an end to this behavior,” the reader says.
Carl Addison Swanson’s latest book, “Ipso Facto” — another in his Ian Fletcher legal thriller series — has just been published.
There’s another Westport angle, besides the author being a Staples High School graduate: It’s based on a notorious murder case here, from the 1960s.
The Amazon listing says: “When a hedge fund billionaire is murdered in a tony suburb of Connecticut, the handyman Black is the first to be arrested. Blue blood attorney Ian Fletcher to the rescue?”
Swanson has written over 50 books. In addition to the Fletcher novels, they include the Hush McCormick series, Tug Christian thrillers, Scooter mysteries and Justin Carmichael nostalgic memoirs. Click here for his website.
And finally … I first heard of Ronnie Hawkins when I saw “The Last Waltz.”
But the Arkansas-born rockabilly artist — who spent most of his life in Canada, and influenced generations of musicians with his outsized, energetic music and performing style, and was a friend of Bill Cliinton’s — led quite a life beyond The Band.
He died Sunday, at 87. Click here for a full obituary.
Lynda Shannon Bluestein is a longtime member — and former board chair — of the Unitarian Church in Westport.
She just published a very moving piece in The CT Mirror, on medical aid in dying.
The 2-time cancer survivor writes: “I simply want the right to have a say in the timing and manner of my death when I reach the point where my disease or the pain and suffering it causes robs me of the quality of life that is essential to me.”
Click here for the full, enlightening story. (Hat tip: Steve Axthelm)
Lynda Shannon Bluestein (Photo courtesy of The CT Mirror)
As Build Back Better infrastructure funds begin flowing, skilled workers in a variety of trades will be needed. The Connecticut Department of Transportation alone is looking for 100 people, especially those with commercial drivers licenses. They can’t find them.
High school juniors and seniors — and recent graduates — interested in on-the-job training and real-life work experiences in a variety of trades have until February 18 to register for a special program, which can propel them into successful, well-paying careers.
Students gain experience, and learn how to apply as an apprentice, in unions for carpenters, electricians, iron workers, road and highway laborers and operating engineers.
Certification can be earned in OSHA 10-Hour, flagger, and CPR/First Aid/AED.
Program graduates are eligible for notification of employment opportunities, resume reviews and interview preparation.
For more information, click here and here. Questions? Contact Staples guidance counselor Vicki Capozzi (vcapozzi@westportps.org) or Trish Howells (phowells@westportps.org).
Carl Addison Swanson has written over 50 books, including the Hush McCormick series, Tug Christian thrillers, Scooter mysteries, Ian Fletcher legal series and Justin Carmichael nostalgic memoirs.
You can find them all at his website. Or you can find many — for free — at the Westport Bookcycle, outside Local to Market on the Main Street/Parker Harding corner.
But be kind. Be like Carl. When you pick up a book, try to give one in return.
The Westport Country Playhouse has new policies for all visitors.
Starting March 1, everyone 18 and older must show proof of 2 doses of the COVID vaccine, or one of Johnson & Johnson — plus the booster.
And as of now, everyone 5 to 17 years old must show proof of 2 doses of the vaccine. Everyone under 5 must be accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult, and provide a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before the performance.
Masks must be worn at all times, with N95 and KN95 masks strongly encouraged. The Playhouse may ask audience members to double mask, with a surgical mask provided by the theater.
The Playhouse says, “We are aware that mask requirements are being lifted in some communities. But please note that Actors’ Equity requires that actors perform only at theaters where audiences are required to wear masks.
“Thank you for working with us to keep our community safe, especially for those who are most vulnerable. We will continue to follow the science and anticipate our guidelines will change as conditions change. We recommend that you check our website for the current policy before every visit to the Playhouse.”
ᐧFor a while, Marie Gross has noticed a pair of bald eagles sitting in the same tree overlooking the Saugatuck River, across from Saugatuck Elementary School.
A couple of days ago, she snapped this “Westport … Naturally” image.
“About 5 hours after the snow had stopped falling yesterday, it was very treacherous being a pedestrian on Post Road.
“I stopped in a couple of businesses and asked why their sidewalks had not been cleared. No excuses were forthcoming other than, ‘Someone is supposed to do it.’ This is extremely disappointing — not to mention hazardous.”
Molly sent along a series of photos of un-shoveled sidewalks. Here is one:
(Photo/Molly Alger)
A reminder: According to WestportCT.gov, “Per town ordinance, businesses are responsible for keeping all sidewalks along their property clear of snow and ice.”
It’s been many months in the making. But Ellen Naftalin’s “Art of the Album” exhibit is open, at the Westport Library’s Jesup Gallery. Put a mask on, and go!
On display is album cover art from remarkable women artists from the 1920s through ’60s. From the Depression and World War II to the civil rights and women’s movements, they broke the glass ceiling and the color barrier.
Naftalin and her husband Mark — a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band — dug through their personal, vast collection of LPs. Now they share them with the rest of us.
Every album cover — plus and the sign with Sister Rosetta Tharpe (“The Godmother of Rock and Roll”) has a QR code. Visitors can admire the art — and listen to each artist.
Naftalin’s exhibit is the second in a series. Another is planned for spring.
Part of Ellen Naftalin’s “Art of the Album” exhibit.
Speaking of the Library: “Cart-side service” is now available weekdays (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) and Saturdays (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) at the Westport Library. Books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, and children’s toys and kits are available for pickup.
Anyone with a Westport or CT Library card registered with the Westport Library can use the service. However, requests can take up to 4 days to be fulfilled
Click here or call 203-291-4807 to request items (up to 10 per library card). You will receive an email or phone call when the items are ready. Call the number above when you plan to come; items will be placed on the cart in the library (just inside the main upper entrance) for pickup.
This replaces the previous “curbside” service. Click here for more information.
There’s never a dull moment with Carl Addison Swanson. The Staples High School graduate has written 51 (!) novels, including the highly acclaimed Hush McCormick series, Tug Christian thrillers, Scooter mysteries, Ian Fletcher legal series, Justin Carmichael nostalgic memoirs, and more. Five works have been optioned to the film industry.
Carl’s latest is “Never a Dull Moment: Spring of 1966.”
Amazon’s teaser says: “One’s last two 2 semesters of high school can be rough, but even worse when there is never a dull moment.”
Westport’s feathered creatures know how to fend for themselves in foul weather. Of course, a bit of help from humans never hurts. Wendy Crowther snapped today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo right after yesterday’s snow.
And finally … Inez Foxx’s “Mockingbird” is one of the album covers in Ellen Naftalin’s Westport Library exhibit (above). Here’s the song behind the artwork:
In the summer of 1955, 7-year-old Westporter Carl Addison Swanson had $12.34 in earnings, from his summer landscaping business.
His father marched him down to Southport Savings — a bank later purchased by People’s — to open a savings account.
Carl had his eye on a new baseball mitt. It did not happen. “Depression parents and all?” he wonders today.
Some 61 years later (and still a People’s Bank client), Swanson learned that an investment firm’s error (someone entered the wrong account number) resulted in the transfer of $28,000 from his checking account, to one of the firm’s clients.
People’s fixed the error relatively quickly (about 2 weeks).
But Swanson’s banking woes were not over.
In mid-August, he put a $10,000 check in his mail box to pay his credit card bill.
It never reached Chase. Instead it ended up in someone’s individual account, in a local TD bank.
The FBI, police, US Postal Service, People’s Bank and The Hartford (homeowner’s) insurance company have all tried to get restitution. It still has not happened.
Swanson — himself an attorney — says, “The banks have gotten too big to fail and to serve their customers. Bigger is not always better.”
Kayak threats from Compo Beach — first reported on “06880” in July — continue.
Mousumi Ghosh is the latest victim. Her red Eddyline Equinox is gone from the storage area. She writes:
“We are devastated. It was one of the few recreations that we were able to enjoy as a family during the last year, not to mention the cost to replace it.
“I was away for a month for a family emergency. It could have happened any time during August.
“From speaking with others, I am discovering that this is not an isolated event. Many believe that crime is on the rise at the beach. Neither the police nor Parks & Rec are hopeful that the kayak can be recovered, or that there is much they can do to help.”
If anyone sees it (the rack emblem is #39), please call Westport Police. Meanwhile, another victim contacted “06880,” suggested security cameras. They’re installed elsewhere at the beach already. Perhaps it’s time to extend their range.
Kayak racks at Compo Beach. They look lovely — but they’re not secure. (Photo/Lauri Weiser)
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Among Wednesday night’s Hurricane Ida flood victims: The Toy Post.
The store at 180 Post Road East (near Imperial Avenue) has no flood insurance. They’re offering 50% off anything wet. (Hat tip: Jonathan Alloy)
Sure, you can have a January-to-December calendar. But in Westport — where the rhythm of life is attuned to the school year — you really need the Public Schools’ September-to-September version.
Plus, it’s decorated with artwork by local students, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Some very impressive stuff there!
And: It’s a fundraiser, for the Westport Public Art Collections. Paintings, photos and more hang in every school and municipal building in town.
Click here, then scroll down to order. The cost is $20 (pick up) or $23 (mail). It’s available too at ASF, Colonial Druggists, and the Westport Library.
For many years, the small shop on Maple Avenue South was Mario & Mike’s barber. Then it became Bill’s. After that, Salon Juljen.
Now it’s vacant. A sign says they’ve moved to Southport. No word on whether a new hair place — or some other business — will move in to the mixed commercial-residential building. (Hat tip: Chris Grimm)
It’s been 2 years since CLASP Homes’ last in-person, inside event.
But the Westport organization — which serves people and families with autism and developmental disabilities — is returning to live fundraising in a big, fun way.
Band Central brings the best of Motown and soul to a benefit concert (October 15, 6:30 p.m. Fairfield Theatre, Company).
Click here for tickets, and more information. To volunteer, email rhammond@clasphomes.org.
In other CLASP news: Throughout September, the Westport Book Shop will exhibit the works of 4 participants in its art program. The used book store is on Jesup Road, across the green from the library.
Another organization serving people with disabilities — STAR Lighting the Way — has good news too.
A grant from the Drew Friedman Arts Center will help them provide art classes to people with intellectual and developmental differences. The 6-week sessions cover a range of mediums — including photography, watercolor, acrylics, collage, dance, improvisation, acting and more — and engage local artists.
Some have already begun, at One River Art School in Westport.
Artists — including Drew Friedman Arts Center director Miggs Burroughs (far right) and STAR officials.
And finally … today is the 80th anniversary of the birth of Tompall Glaser.
Though less well known than his fellow country “outlaw” singers Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, he had quite a career before dying in 2013.
Among my favorites: this decidedly tongue in cheek tune from 1976.
Ever since he was a Staples High School track star, Henry Wynne has been called an “Olympic hopeful.”
Now that the Olympics are near — they’re supposed to begin next month in Tokyo — how hopeful is the Class of 2013 grad?
Very. And that’s despite a litany of issues that dogged him as a University of Virginia star, and beyond. Since 2016 Wynne has suffered a knee injury, pneumonia, and surgery on his small intestine.
But Brooks Running signed him to a pro contract. And now — with the Olympic trials underway now through June 27 in Eugene, Oregon — Wynne is giving it his best shot.
Yesterday, Runner’s World magazine profiles one of Westport’s top athletes ever. Click here for the full story.
Henry Wynne (Photo/Will Hoffman for Runner’s World)
Speaking of education: Sure, the Westport Public Schools select a Teacher of the Year. But there’s something special about earning that honor from a different source: the Staples High School football team.
This spring, the Wreckers — used to be cheered for — turned the tables. They gave shout-outs to their favorite educators in a homemade video. At the end, they announced the winner.
Who is this year’s football team Staples Teacher of the Year? Click below to see:
Another Staples tidbit: The Westport Garden Club has earned raves for their #FridayFlowers arrangements. Each week, there’s a different one somewhere in town.
This week’s was unveiled a day earlier. On Thursday evening, Class of 2021 graduates and their families saw this as they drove into Staples from North Avenue:
Two more sings that Westport is getting “back to business.”
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held its first in-person gathering in 20 months yesterday, at Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center. Over 60 people gathered in the garden, in beautiful weather. They shook hands, ate food catered by Calise’s Deli, and — as they did for years before the pandemic — exchanged business cards.
Sal Gilbertie spoke about the 100 years since his grandfather began as a flower grower, then turned to herbs. Today Gilbertie’s is a major micro green seller, in addition to their nursery’s plants and trees.
Sal Gilbertie addresses the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
But the Chamber wasn’t the only major Westport organization holding its first live-and-in-person meeting yesterday.
Sunrise Rotary also gathered together, for the first time in over a year. Attendance was solid. Handshakes and hugs were heartfelt.
And for those unable or not yet ready to attend, the event was livestreamed.
Westport Country Playhouse has 4 new trustees. Three are from Westport: Jessica Caldwell, Will Haskell and Margie Jacobson.
Haskell — a state senator whose district includes Westport — has a long theatrical history. As a member of Staples High School’s Class of 2014, he was elected of Players, the drama troupe. One of his first memories of live theater was seeing “Curious George” as a child, at the Playhouse’s old barn.
Caldwell graduated from Columbia University’s MFA film program. She produced independent feature films, while her feature film productions have premiered at Berlinale, SXSW and Tribeca. Her short film work has premiered at Sundance, Telluride, and Tribeca. Caldwell was also the writers’ room assistant and showrunners’ assistant on “Billions.” She is also a Moth storytelling contest GrandSlampion.
Jacobson is a nonprofit leader and attorney with legal experience spanning a variety of diverse settings. She is currently of counsel to a boutique law firm advocating for students’ rights from birth through post-secondary education, and co-founder of Woman’s Compass Forum. Jacobson previously served on the Playhouse board, from 2010 to 2016. She also serves on the boards of the ADL and the Remarkable Theater.
The WCP board of trustees is chaired by Westporter Ania Czekaj-Farber.
The Westport Library has 2 new trustees too.
Anna Alemani is CFO of Pierrepont School. Previously she had a 15-year career in finance. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in Business Administration from Bocconi University in Milan, where she focused her studies on management of museums and cultural institutions.
Dave Briggs spent his career in television, as a sports and news reporter/anchor. He has moved from South Dakota and Oklahoma to Boston, where he covered Red Sox World Series championships, Patriots Super Bowl titles and a Celtics NBA crown. He also hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and (for NBC) NHL, NASCAR, NFL and Olympic tennis, before anchoring “Early Start” on CNN. He currently interviews important Connecticut residents for Moffly Media content.
July 4 is the publication date for not one but two Carl Addison Swanson books. The Westporter’s latest works are written “Venezuela Vengeance” and “Brotherly Hate.”
He’s CEO of Bermuda’s CAS Publications, which publishes 14 other writers, and is a contributing editor at HBO. Click here for details.
And finally … Juneteenth has been celebrated — in one form or another — for 155 years.
Today, for the first time, we honor it as a national holiday.
Amen.
This week, immediately after the bill was signed in the House of Representatives and sent to President Biden, the Congressional Black Caucus sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
It’s been called the “Black National Anthem.” But it’s a fitting anthem today for every American, of every color and background.
Comments Off on Roundup: Henry Wynne, Pops Concert, Teacher Of The Year …
Carl Addison Swanson is many things. He’s a Staples graduate. A lawyer who spent decades in Texas, before returning to Westport several years ago. A frequent contributor to the “06880” comments section.
He’s also an author. His Hush McCormick series has done enormously well, thanks to social media marketing.
But in his latest book, Carl steps away from the “boat bum adventure” genre.
Double Parked in the Twilight Zone: Summer of 1960 is set in Westport. The protagonist, Justin Carmichael — and yes, that’s the name of a 1988 Staples grad, though the similarity ends there — graduates from Bedford Elementary School during that 1960 year.
Suffice it to say, Justin has a very interesting summer.
Carl is a Bedford El grad. (It’s now Town Hall. Carl remembers it well — including the basement, where the Westport Community Theater has replaced civil defense drills of yore.)
“Reaching 65 years of age in February made me aware that I suddenly wanted to talk about my life some more,” Carl says. His return to Westport sparked many memories, some of which he mines in Twilight Zone. (Note the subtle homage to Rod Serling, who lived in Westport when Carl was at Bedford.)
So is this book autobiographical?
Carl Addison Swanson
“In a sense, all writing is about your life and experiences,” he says. “The summer of 1960 was particularly intereseting to me, because a lot happened.”
For instance, Carl started playing golf at Longshore. His Little League team went to the town championship. He went steady with a girl for the first time.
“A lot of fun stuff,” he says.
Though Carl has a satirical streak, this is hardly satire. It is, he says, “a critique on the town back then, through my eyes.”
Westport was a great place to grow up, Carl says — “especially back in the ‘Wonder Years’ of the 1950s and ’60s. There was plenty to do, and a lot more freedom to do so.”
But there were not, he says, “as many adult eyes around as there are today.”
So why the title?
“I was pretty much of a goofball back then,” Carl says. “I got into a lot of trouble.
“I was also scared to death to walk by the Famous Artists School for fear of Rod Serling coming out. It was a terrifying television show.”
Carl Addison Swanson is an avid reader of — and commentator on — “06880.” He is a longtime Westport resident, a keen observer of the town he loves, and a writer. His most recent novel in the famed Hush McCormick series has just been released.
Pig in A Poke is your 3rd book in 3 years. How do you do it?
Out of necessity. It costs a lot of live in Westport.
What does “pig in a poke” actually mean?
It’s an English phrase dating back to the 17th century. They tried to trick you with dog or cat meat, when you thought you were buying ham. In my context it means “watch your ass.” You can never be sure of what you’re
The plot? All-American high school athlete is found guilty of date rape. With the help of Hush, he runs from the law. The FBI, NSA, Mafia and bail bondsmen attempt to track him down.
Your protagonist, Hush McCormick, helps people disappear. What’s with that? He’s a boat bum who likes to help people.
Your alter ego? The bum part.
All your books start out in Connecticut, but never Westport.
My next book, Double Parked in the Twilight Zone, will be set in Westport in the summer of 1960.
Will Westporters like it? If they liked Westport in 1960.
Carl Addison Swanson
You think it’s different now? The blueprint is very much the same. A buddy once told me that the world is made up of 90% assholes, and the key is to find the 10%. There are still a lot of the 10 per cent here. Far more than other places.
So Hush is retired, and you’re writing a memoir? You need to read Poke to find that out. But Hush is very tired. I need a new voice.
Some suspect you are the infamous “The Dude Abides” on this blog. I am much better looking.
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