After several years and 2 attempts, the Fairfield County Hunt Club will build a new racquets facility.
On Monday, the Planning & Zoning Commission voted to approve the 22,000-square foot indoor tennis and squash court building.
The original plan — for outdoor paddleball courts — met strong opposition from neighbors.
This time, residents on nearby Hunt Club Lane opposed the size of the structure, and possible noise from HVAC machinery.
The P&Z vote was 6-1. John Bolton opposed.
Also on Monday, the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) unanimously approved the Board of Education’s $150.4 million operating budget.
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Last night, in what has become an annual ritual, the RTM voted 28-2 to restore Wheels2U’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Westport Transit District directors Peter Gold and Karina Betfarhad thanked the 400 residents who wrote letters in support of the service, which links riders with the 2 train stations, and their homes, jobs and other spots in town.
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E-bikes are e-verywhere.
To raise awareness about safety, the Westport Police Department is sponsoring a community forum.
The May 13 event (6:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium) will cover rules and regulations (for riders and motorists), street awareness, and tips and resources for all ages. A Q-and-A session will follow.
The evening will feature law enforcement officials and safety director Charles Foster of SCBC Safe Rides.
Class 3 e-bike.
Speaking of safety: a car fire broke out during the Westport Rotary Club’s meeting yesterday, at Green’s Farms Church.
While the service organization was handing out $285,000 in grants at its annual awards luncheon, to 46 Fairfield County non-profits, Westport firefighters doused the blaze. There were no injuries, and no damage to the building.
Meanwhile, all the funds were handed out successfully, and received gratefully. The recipients provide services for victims of homelessness, food insecurity, substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health and other challenges. Of the nearly 4 dozen awardees, 1/3 ar based in Westport.
The grants come from the Rotary Club’s annaul LobsterFest. Mark your calendar: This year’s is September 20.
A small part of the large Rotary Club crowd. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)
If you’ve ever sat on the beach, watched sailboat races and wondered what it’s like to be on the water: This could be your summer.
You can join a boat — for free.
- Cedar Point Yacht Club is looking for crews, for various fleets:
- Atlantic (Saturdays, Sundays)
- Flying Scot, Lightning, Thistle (Saturdays)
- Vanguard 15 (Thursday, Fridays [women], Sundays
Cruising Class (Wednesdays, Saturdays). Click here for opportunities. Captains will welcome you aboard.
Cedar Point racing. (Photo/Richard Gordon)
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Wakeman Town Farm thinks of everything.
Including “Sensory Safari: Farm Fun for Neurodiverse Kids.”
The gentle, sensory-friendly animal adventure is designed for children ages 3-8.
The 45-minute session includes the chance to interact with goats, alpacas, sheep, rabbits and chickens.
The relaxed pace includes plenty of time to observe, touch (as comfortable), and engage with the animals in a calm, supportive environment.
The class is run by Jewell Ailes, an educator who works in an intensive resource room one-on-one with students with ASD and other special needs.
Wednesday classes are May 21 and 28, and June 4 and 11 (4:15 to 5 p.m.). For more information and to register, click here.
Fun at Wakeman Town Farm.
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Last month, Cory Booker delivered the longest recorded speech in US Senate history. For 25 hours and 5 minutes, he protested President Trump, and his administration.
He’ll speak for considerably less time next month, in Westport.
But the New Jersey Democrat will be here, raising funds for his re-election campaign. The event is June 6, 5:30 to 7 p.m. For details, email lizmilwe@gmail.com.
Senator Cory Booker
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Henry Patrick Raleigh was a noted Westport illustrator. He drew for magazines like the Saturday Evening Post and Colliers.
The Society of Illustrators calls him a “’star’ during the Golden Age of American Illustration (1900–1930). His graceful, fluid drawings, usually of crowded social scenes, were done in line, wash or colored inks and seemed to flow from his fingertips….
“Home to Raleigh was what is now the famous artist’s colony of Westport, Connectict. He, George Wright, Frederick Dorr Steele and Rose O’Neill helped pioneer that area’s popularity.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald — another noted Westporter — called his work “the best illustrations I’ve ever seen.” Decades later, in 1991, art historian Benjamin Eisenstat said, “Raleigh was the highest paid illustrator in America, and perhaps the world.”
The home he once lived in — 167A Compo Road South — is now on the market.
Built in 1913, the 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 2,103-square foot house on 2 acres is listed for $1.895 million.
Let’s hope it appeals to someone who appreciates the history behind it.
And wants to keep it.
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Plenty of Westporters celebrated Cinco de Mayo on Monday, at several of our town’s Mexican restaurants.
But no one had a better time than Andrew Colabella. The Representative Town Meeting (RTM) member, and man about town, celebrated in style at Viva Zapata.
(Photo/Matthew Mandell)
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From the Revolutionary Era to today, artists have explored our nation’s evolving understanding of itself through depictions of Old Glory.
On May 29 (6 p.m., MoCA CT), Dr. Robin Jaffee Frank’s “O Say Can You See: Artists Reimagine the Flag” gallery talk will describe how artists incorporate the stars and stripes into their work, to “achieve aesthetic ends, critique social and political inequities, celebrate freedom and democracy, support and mourn our troops, and express despair and hope.”
For tickets and more information, click here.
The American flag, in a variety of artworks.
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The “06880” panel on youth sports is 1 week from today.
We’ve partnered with Tommy Greenwald — the famed youth adult sports fiction writer, former Staples athlete (and father of 3 athletes) — to present “Fair Play and Foul Behavior: Issues Facing Youth Sports in Today’s World.”
It’s May 14 (7 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria).
Topics include the achievement/pressure balance, referee abuse, sport specialization, cost, the “academy” syndrome, myths and realities of college recruiting, and more.
I’ll moderate the event, and include time for audience questions. Panelists are:
- VJ Sarullo, Staples athletic director
- Dave Smith, father of 4 athletes who writes frequently on youth sports topics
- Caleb Smith, former Staples quarterback and lacrosse star, now playing football at the University of Connecticut
- Heather Talbott, PAL girls lacrosse co-president and basketball organizer; former lacrosse player at Lehigh University
- Mark Pressman, longtime football and softball official
- And of course Tommy Greenwald himself.
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At first glance, today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature photo looks sooooo cute.
(Photo/Richard Fogel)
But then you remember that the 5 cute little babies will grow up to be 5 honking, grass-eating, pooping adults, and, well …
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And finally … on this date in 1824, Beehoven’s Ninth Symphony — perhaps his most famous — had its world premiere in Vienna.
(Beethoven had patrons. “06880” is not a musical genius — just a hyper-local blog. But we depend on donors too. Please click here to support our work. Meanwhile, enjoy the music!)
