Debra Kandrak’s one-woman crusade to paint the town yellow is paying off beautifully.
Every autumn for 4 years, she has used a wide variety of outlets — social media, emails, and of course “06880” — to encourage Westporters to plant daffodils.
She brings her message to friends, strangers, town organizations and committees and businesses.
Her ask is simple: “Paint the Town Yellow.”
Every spring around this time, we are blessed with the results of her — and their — work.
This year, the gorgeous yellow flowers are everywhere.
From neighborhoods like Greens Farms to the Westport Library, around mailboxes and street signs, by the Cribari Bridge, in traffic islands and at the entrances to Staples High and Bedford Middle Schools, Debra’s yeowoman efforts pay off for all of us.
As perennials, each year brings more and more explosions of color. Here are just a few examples of Debra’s efforts:
Near the police station.
Jesup Road
Imperial Avenue.
Compo Beach.
Sherwood Island Connector.
Weston Road, near Cross Highway.
Nevada Hitchcock Garden, Weston Road and Cross Highway.
Debra Kandrak’s adopt-a-spot, on Prospect Road and Greens Farms Road.
Debra Kandrak’s own Greens Farms barn …
… and her garden.
(“06880” is often inspired by Westport’s beauty. If you’re inspired by our hyper-local blog, please click here to contribute. Thank you!)
For 21 years, Stacie Curran and friends have ridden in the CT United Ride. The largest motorcycle ride in Connecticut pays tribute to the victims and first responders of 9/11.
Yesterday’s event took place on the actual date: September 11. Before the start at Sherwood Island, the group met at Stacie’s house:
The entire group — hundreds strong — gathered at the state park:
(Photo/Tom Lowrie)
Soon — with a police escort from several towns — they headed onto I-95. Their route of remembrance took them to Exit 17, Riverside Avenue, Wilton Road, and through 8 other Fairfield County towns.
Every year, the arrival of spring in Westport is heralded by the “Daffodil Mile” — the long, winding rows of daffodils at Willowbrook Cemetery on Main Street.
Daffodil Mile, at Willowbrook Cemetery … (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
For the past few years, daffodils have also bloomed throughout the rest of Westport. On Prospect Road, in Saugatuck, in traffic islands everywhere, the week of yellow flowers brings smiles to Westporters sick and tired of snow and slush.
Greens Farms Road, at Prospect Road.
Those daffodils don’t just fall from the sky (to mix metaphors). They’re the product of plenty of planning — and planting.
“Paint the Town Yellow” is a project begun 4 years ago by Debra Kandrak. This fall — prime daffodil-planting time — she encourages everyone, of all ages, to plant “around our neighborhoods, around street signs, mailbox posts, in front of your business, in front of the Police and Fire Departments.” She’d love for schools to be involved too.
This year’s theme is “plant in memory of a loved one lost.”
The easiest way to plant, Debra says, is to dig a trench and pop the bulbs in (pointy side up). Costco sells 50 bulbs for $13.99.
After you plant, email the location to debra.kandrak@raveis.com. She’ll come around next spring, and take photos.
The New York Times says that this November’s Metropolitan Opera staged premiere of “The Hours” is “New York City’s opera event of the fall.”
In addition to renowned soprano Renée Fleming, it stars Kelli O’Hara. The Times calls the Westport resident “a Tony Award-decorated musical theater actress with opera bona fides (even at the Met, where she was a standout as Despina in Mozart’s ‘Così Fan Tutte’).”
That’s part of the intro to an interview published yesterday with Fleming, O’Hara and Joyce DiDonato.
Click here for the full (and very interesting) piece.
Kelli O’Hara (Photo/Thea Traff for New York Times)
Every Staples High School reunion is a cause for celebration and remembrance.
COVID caused the Class of 1980 to wait an extra 2 years to gather for their 40th. But as they got together last month (and shook their heads that they’re all now 60 years old, or about to be) they turned their thoughts to classmate Susan Lloyd.
The popular, always-active native Westporter was diagnosed with cancer as a senior. She passed away while at Colgate University. Her parents and friends created the Susan Fund in her honor. For 4 decades, it has provided important educational scholarships to Fairfield County students diagnosed with cancer.
Ten years ago, the reunion class raised $2,300 for the Susan Fund. This year, they contributed $5,500.
Kelly Frey Pollard — Susan’s good friend, and a Susan Fund board member — created a beautiful display, with letters from classmates to Susan and her family during her battle with cancer. Classmates were encouraged to take their letters home, as mementoes.
Over 130 alumni attended the reunion. A 45th is planned for 2025 — with another contribution to the Susan Fund. To find out, more follow the “Staples Class 1980” Facebook page, or email Amy Potts: amy@aapk.com,
The Class of 1980 display, of cards and letters sent to Susan Lloyd.
The Westport Woman’s Club big clothing tag sale is next month. They’re getting ready — which means, they need items to sell.
Tax-deductible donations of new or gently-worn women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, and accessories like shoes, handbags, scarves, hats and jewelry, can be dropped off weekdays (9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m.) at the WWC (44 Imperial Avenue).
Funds raised from this clothing tag sale support the town food closet, local charities throughout Fairfield County, and student scholarships.
The clothing tag sale is set for October 28-29 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and October 30 (noon to 3 p.m.). For more information, call 203-227-4240 or email wwc@westportwomansclub.org.
Longtime Westporter Geoffrey Hooper died last week. He was 87 years old.
He was born in Victoria, British Columbia. After serving in the Canadian Air Force he met his first wife, Jeannette Lauzon, and moved to Connecticut to work for his father-in-law at Stamford Typesetting Corporation. In 1976 he bought the company with a partner, Frank DeBartolo.
At Stamford Type Geoff was a force to be reckoned with as a typesetter, salesman, accountant, proofreader and generous employer. He loved taking clients out charter fishing from Old Saybrook, and delivering bags of bluefish fillets to clients and friends. As the business changed from linotype to computers to desktop publishing and scanning, he kept up with all the new technologies.
When his children were growing up in Westport, Geoff was active in the Westport Community Theater and other acting groups.
After retiring in 2008 he spent most of his time at his favorite place: home. Geoff was a talented gardener who always grew too many seedlings, but was happy to share them with family and friends. He enjoyed reading, cooking, traveling, theatergoing, and the YMCA’s water aerobics classes.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Suzy; his brother Murray (Barbara); his children and their partners Debbie (Norman), Lynne (Gary), Geoff Jr. (Susan) and Kenneth (Kim); his grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his brother- and sister-in-law, Ken Solomon and Janice Lakey, and many other relatives and friends.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to a cause of your choice.
Last March, 3 dolphins hung out for a few days in Bermuda Lagoon, by Saugatuck Shores.
Westport architect Peter Cadoux did not see them. In all his years has boating on Long Island Sound, in fact, he has not seen a single dolphin.
Yesterday he made up for that. Peter was awed by a pod of about 100 dolphins, cavorting a couple of miles off Smithtown Bay. That’s almost directly across the water from Westport.
Here’s a close-up, for today’s fascinating “Westport … Naturally” feature:
(Without “06880,” would you know there were dolphins right off our coast? Please click here, to help us continue to bring you all the stories of where Westport meets the world.)
First came Willowbrook Cemetery’s “Miracle Mile.” Then came Debra Kandrak’s town-wide planting project. Now, Westport has become the Daffodil Capital of — if not the world — at least the area.
Among the yellow beauties bringing joy to us all: 7,000 lining Prospect Road.
These were planted, thanks to Debra, to remind everyone about the issue of bullying. It’s just not cool — for victim or the bullies themselves.
Cindy Shumate — who had both a literal and figurative hand in the projects — says that anyone who has suffered from bullying, or knows a person who has, is welcome to clip a bouquet for themselves.
(Please take them only from the roadway in front of #11, 13, 21 and 25 Prospect Road, owned by Melissa and John Ceriale).
“It’s a small token to let someone know that they are safe with you, and to open a conversation if that someone is ready,” Cindy says.
Prospect Road connects Hillspoint Road with Greens Farms Road. It’s worth a drive even without clipping a daffodil bouquet!
As the Russian war in Ukraine grinds on, Tyler Hicks’ photos continue to illustrate the gruesome state of life and death there.
The 1991 Staples High School graduate’s latest work in the New York Times is from the village of Husarivka. The Pulitzer Prize winning photographer’s images illustrate a story about the depravity of Russian soldiers, as they harass, terrorize and kill farmers and their family members. Click here for the full story, and photos.
Lubov Dvoretska, 62, a biology teacher whose husband was killed in a bombing. Her neighbors buried his body in the garden behind their house. (Photo/Tyler Hicks for the New York Times)
Emil Gilmutdinov was born in Russia. He moved to New York in 2009. He worked in the food and beverage industry for nearly a decade, but lost his job during the pandemic.
That’s when he rediscovered his passion for drawing and painting. A self-taught artist working with both pencil and oil paint, he constantly experiments and hones his skills. His work includes both black-and-white graphic prints, and oils reflecting nature.
His first-ever solo exhibition is set for Steam, the coffee spot across from the Westport train station on Railroad Place. There’s an opening reception tonight (Monday, April 18, 6 to 9 p.m.).
Emil’s work is on display at Steam, for purchase, through June 12.
Every autumn for several years, Debra Kandrak has urged Westporters to plant daffodils.
Every fall, they do. And every spring, we reap the rewards.
Here are just a few of the many “new” daffodil gardens that surprise and delight us all.
Assumption Church
Bulkley Avenue North and Long Lots Road,
Bulkley Avenue South and Post Road
Placid Lake Lane, off North Avenue
Post Road, near Baker Graphics
In addition to urging Westporters to “paint the town yellow,” Debra Kandrak maintains a traffic island daffodil garden. This is at the corner of Greens Farms and Prospect Roads. (All photos/Debra Kandrak)
It’s early October. Fall will soon hit full force, with a spectacular array of colors. It’s Westport’s most gorgeous time of year — rivaled only by spring, 6 months from now.
As the leaves turn, Debra Kandrak is thinking about daffodils.
It’s time, she says, to “paint the town yellow.”
Rotary at Church Lane and Myrtle Avenue (Photo/Dan Woog)
Kandrak is the woman behind the town’s 4th annual daffodil-planting project. Her efforts over the past 3 years have resulted in an explosion of flowers, from neighborhoods like Greens Farms to the Westport Library, Cribari Bridge, traffic island and the entrances to Staples High and Bedford Middle Schools.
Groups like the Westport Garden Club and National Charity League have helped. But Kandrak is the driving force, helping the project, um, flower.
This year’s theme is “In Memory of a Loved One Lost.” Kandrak encourages Westporters to plant flowers to honor those who died in the pandemic — or any other time.
Kandrak also hopes to plant a Memory Garden for Layla Malon, the young child killed last June. She is looking for ideas for an appropriate site.
Meanwhile, she urges Westporters to plant daffodils wherever they can. Sites include roadsides in front of homes, around mailboxes and street signs, in front of businesses, or anywhere else needing a pop of color.
(Photo/Scott Smith)
Kandrak’s goal is for Westport to have an annual Daffodil Festival, like Nantucket’s.
For now, please email debra.kandrak@raveis.com. Let her know where you’ve planted your flowers. Next spring — just 6 months from now — she’ll take a photo.
Sherwood Island Connector, at the Post Road. (Photos courtesy of Debra Kandrak)
It’s a Ramadan tradition for Muslims to visit civil service offices, meet executive officers in person, and thank them for their contributions.
Yesterday, Feroz Virani, Adil Kassam and Tameeza Asaria — members of the Ismaili Muslim community — presented 1st Selectman Jim Marpe, Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Fire Chief Robert Yost with a gift of appreciation.
At Town Hall …
… Police headquarters …
… and the fire station. (Photos courtesy of Town of Westport)
Westport Republican Town Committee member Jim Campbell has tossed his hat in the ring: for chair of the Connecticut Republican Party.
A former chair of the Greenwich Republican Town Committee whose early and avid support of Donald Trump was chronicled in Evan Osnos’ New Yorker story “How Greenwich Republicans Learned to Love Trump,” Campbell is an executive with Frontier Communications.
The cover story for AARP Magazine’s April/May issue is Michael Douglas.
In a long interview about his life and career, the 76-year-old actor mentions his teenage years in Westport:
I was into hot rods, tinkering with cars. I worked at a Mobil station at one point, and my first real award was Mobil Man of the Month. I was also a member of a group called the Downshifters. A little bit like the Jets in West Side Story: [sings] “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet all the way.”
I had a D.A. — when you’d comb your hair to look like a duck’s ass — the D.A., we called it. We were known to spend a little time locating automobiles that had parts that we wanted. Not proud about it, but it kept me out of a lot of other trouble.
Scott Smith writes: “I can’t remember a prettier season for daffodils and forsythia. I read an New York Times article on tulips that suggested the snow cover this winter may have helped. I
“I don’t recall buying any type of daffodil with multiple blooms, though I know some such varieties exist. So when I spotted this pretty bloom in my yard, I wondered if I have some sort of self-evolved mutant. Anybody else around town have this sort of daffodil?”
Speaking of blooms: The Westport Garden Club’s annual plant sale has a new venue: Jesup Green. The date is Friday, May 14 (9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.).
Also new this year: the option to pre-order plants online, for curbside pickup. The ordering page goes live May 1, at http://westportgardenclub.org.
Held annual since 1928 (except during World War II, and last year’s pandemic), the event features over 1,000 homegrown perennials from members’ own gardens, with a special section of Connecticut native plants. Club members will be on site, for advice. Each plant has a tag with care information too.
The Westport Book Shop — across Jesup Green — will offer a selection of garden books.
Proceeds from the sale — and the club’s booth at the Westport Museum for History & Culture’s May 1 Spring Market — support the club’s projects, including maintenance of local public gardens and parks. For more information, click here.
Westporter Melissa Bernstein has been very open about her lifelong battle with existential anguish and depression. LifeLines — the multimedia platform recently launched, in collaboration with Doug, her husband and fellow Melissa & Doug toy company founder — has gotten great publicity.
One of the most in-depth and powerful stories was just published in the Washington Post.Click here to read. (Hat tip: Marc Selverstone)
Food insecurity and cancer are both difficult situations. Too often, they go together.
In honor of Mother’s Day, Pink Aid is helping struggling moms feed their families. With every the breast cancer support group will purchase food cards for women battling both breast cancer and financial hardship.
Pink Aid will send every donor’s mother a card acknowledging the meaningful gift. For every donation of $100 or more, they’ll send the donor (or donor’s mom) a reusable insulated grocery bag. Click here to donate.
From the Cincinnati Reds to Greens Farms Academy. That’s the unusual career path for the private school’s new athletic director. Eric Lee — senior director of player development for the MLB team — begins his next job in early July. He replaces Tauni Butterfield, who is moving to North Carolina after 2 decades at the Beachside Avenue school.
Lee’s 8 years with the Reds includes stints at director of baseball operations and senior director of international operations. He played baseball at Haverford, where he earned a BA i political science. He then taught world history and coached coaches baseball at basketball at Hawaii Preparatory Academy before returning to Haverford as an assistant dean of students and assistant baseball coach. He also worked and coached at National Presbyterian School in Washington, DC — and earned a law degree from the University of Maryland.
And finally … on this day in 1965 Luciano Pavarotti mad his La Scala debut in Franco Zeffirelli’s production of “La Bohème.” Here he is, 21 years later:
After last fall’s 2nd annual “Paint the Town Yellow” campaign, organizers were pleased.
All over Westporter, groups and individual gardeners had planted daffodils.
Now — as the bulbs sprout — they are really happy.
So are the rest of us — even those who don’t realize where so many beautiful flowers came from.
Prospect Road — with 7,000 daffodils — is particularly gorgeous. Melissa and John Ceriale invite anyone to clip a bouquet in front of #11, 13, 21 and 25, to give to someone who has been bullied — or stopped a bully. (Please take them from the road only — not the garden beyond the stone wall!)
Prospect Road
Also last fall, the National Charity League placed daffodils around the trees at the entrance to Staples High School.
Staples High School
Nearby, parents and children planted them in front of then Bedford Middle School entry drive too.
Bedford Middle School
The Westport Garden Club put daffodils around the Westport Library. “Paint the Town Yellow” organizer Debra Kandrak did the same in front of the pine trees along the William F. Cribari Bridge.
William F. Cribari Bridge
Other residents planted in front of their homes and around their neighborhood.
One Greens Farms scene …
… and another.
“Everywhere I drive, I see a burst of yellow. It makes me smile!” Debra says.
She wonders if one day Westport could have a Daffodil Festival.
Why not? It would sure make other towns green with envy.
Greens Farms Road, at Prospect …
… and the Sherwood Island Connector. (All photos/Debra Kandrak)
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