The Green’s Farms post office is one of Westport’s hidden gems.
Still, when I ran a Photo Challenge of a holiday display inside its lobby 2 months ago, over 2 dozen readers knew exactly where it was.
They sure didn’t look outside.
Only one reader — Fred Cantor — correctly identified last week’s Challenge. Scott Smith’s photo showed an antique lamppost and modern cell tower, just past the post office.
It’s opposite the only house, just before the mulching/composting operation tucked between the railroad tracks and I-95. (Click here to see.)
I guess that lamppost and cell tower are even more hidden than the hidden gem that is the Green’s Farms post office.
Today’s Photo Challenge is below. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” underneath.
(Photo/Pam Docters)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Last Sunday, I gave “06880” readers an early holiday gift.
Our Photo Challenge was both gorgeous, and easy to recognize: the Greens Farms post office lobby.
It was decorated beautifully, lovingly, and cleverly. (Click here to see.)
That homey touch is just one of the reasons Westporters — those who live in the neighborhood, and those who don’t but fortunately are in the know — love it.
And patronize it.
It’s one of Westport’s best-kept secrets (though, as Dave Eason commented, after the Photo Challenge publicity, it may no longer be too secret).
Besides Dave, 2 dozen readers took time out from their shopping to check in with the right answer. (A few others misidentified it as the Westport Museum for History & Culture.)
Congratulations to Jen Dennison, Ed Simek, Matt Murray, Jacque O’Brien, Seth Schachter, Kevin O’Connor, Lee Bollert, Bob Schroeder, Kate Caputo Squyres, Michael Szeto, Seth Braunstein, Clark Thiemann, Elisabeth Boas, Rob Hauck, Marianne Harrison, Sal Liccione, Jonathan McClure, Matt McGrath, Rob Henkin, Cheryl Petrone, Lynn Untermeyer Williams, Colleen Williams and Paul Cahill.
You all got that “post” right!
How many readers will get this one?
If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Lou Weinberg)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Downtown parking has gotten “lots” of attention lately.
In meetings and online, Westporters have talked discussed the lack of spots, and/or the distance they walk from them.
This holiday season, the Westport Transit District has a solution.
Wheels2U — their on-demand train station service — will operate this weekend and next.
Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on December 14 -15 and 20 -21, Wheels2U will pick you up anywhere in Westport. They’ll take you downtown, then back home again when you’re through.
Stops are at Jesup Green opposite the Westport Book Shop, and Elm Street across from Serena & Lily.
Download the Wheels2U app, and book your ride 20 minutes before you want to leave. Rides are just $2 per passenger, open to all Westport residents and visitors. Children 12 and under must ride with an adult.
Club203 — Westport’s social organization for adults with disaiblities — celebrated the holidays last night at the VFW.
It was another great evening. And — as with all of the club’s events — many people and businesses made it rock.
The VFW donated its popular space. Delicious food was made by Carmine Cenatiempo, of Calise’s Market. Desserts and gingerbread cookies for decorating came courtesy of Chef Avery (@chefaveryw).
Marcello scontributed a holiday-themed photo booth (@Marcello.DEF).
Club203 gives a huge shoutout to the Westport Woman’s Club. Its Ruegg Grant will enable them to offer more social and educational events for Westport’s neurodiverse community.
Audiences at the Westport Country Playhouse’s production of “A Sherlock Carol” (December 17 through 22) can get in the holiday spirit even before the curtain rises.
Collection boxes for 4 local charities — Domestic Violence Crisis Center, Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Norwalk Toys for Tots, and Westport Homes with Hope Food Pantry — will be set up in the lobby during performances.
They’re also available during box office hours (Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m.). You don’t have to see the show to help!
Click here for details on each charity, and wish lists for all 4.
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Speaking of Christmas wishes: There are 13 days till Christmas.
Which means there is still time for kids to drop off letters to Santa, at the Greens Farms post office.
Where — unlike the always-crammed Playhouse Square location — there is never a line.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
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It was a full — but unintended — Westport moment yesterday, on “Today.”
He did not realize until later that Lifelines is the company started by Melissa & Doug to “help individuals rediscover wonder and relieve stress through their senses.”
Of course, he knows that “Melissa & Doug” are the Bernsteins.
And that the husband and wife team are — like Craig himself — Westport residents. (Hat tip: Dave Briggs)
Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between December 4 and 11.
A 21-year-old Bronx man was charged with 2 counts of larceny, and 2 counts of conspiracy to commit larceny, following an investigation into 2 shoplifting incidents at Ulta Beauty in 2021. His bond was $100,000.
A 51-year-old Bronx man was arrested for identity theft, after a report from TD Bank of a suspect using fraudulent identifaction to obtain a debit card. He was released on $10,000 bond.
Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 13 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 2
Failure to obey stop sign: 2
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 2
School zone violation: 1
Opoerating a motor vehicle without a license: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Failure to drive in the proper lane: 1
Ulta Beauty is a frequent target of shoplifters. Many are arrested.
Westport continues to raising funds, to ensure that 200 children in our sister city of Lyman, Ukraine enjoy time away from the wartime terrors of the past 3 years.
Our goal of $56,000 will pay for them — scattered now, evacuated from their homes — to get together, with friends, teachers and counselors, at a therapeutic camp in the Carpathian Mountains.
To help, please click here. Under “Designation,” choose “Westport-Lyman sister city” from the dropdown menu. You can also choose a monthly or one-time donation. If you use the mail or Venmo option, please make a note: “For Westport-Lyman.”
A bit of normalcy in war-torn Ukraine.
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Westporter Warren Hammer is a chiropractor in Norwalk
For years he has specialized in fascial manipulation. It is taught in 50 countries, and used by many professional teams for chronic pain.
Last weekend, in Port St. Lucie, Florida, he introduced the method to the trainers who treat the New York Mets.
And finally … in honor of Warren Hammer’s recent gig (story above):
(As this Roundup shows, “06880” is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates: You never know what you’ll get. If you like most of what we offer, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
One task of the Historic District Commission is to “take such action as the meeting may determine to oppose the issuance” of demolition permits, and “require the full 180-day delay,” of homes more than 50 years old.
The idea is to allow time for alternate plans to be developed.
That rarely happens. Whether immediately or after 180 days, developers almost always demolish.
Next Tuesday’s HDC meeting (7 p.m., Zoom) includes an especially large number of “delay” requests.
The first is for 125 Riverside — the Coley-Crossman home diagonally across from Assumption Church.
The others are:
2 Windy Hill Road
10 Bauer Place
32 Webb Road
21 Long Lots Lane
158 Compo Road North
159 Easton Road
33 Oak Street
20 Blue Ribbon Drive
35 Evergreen Parkway.
125 Riverside Avenue
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“06880”‘s newest feature wants to hear from any and all Westport “teens and tweens.”
This is your chance to share your thoughts, ideas and insights with our world.
Every kind of experience is welcome: good or bad, happy or sad. You can talk about local issues: what’s going on at school, with your sports or arts or other activities, the skate park, Community Gardens, downtown or anything else.
You can talk about what you love about Westport. Or what you hate.
You can talk about bigger issues: how the debate over Israel and Gaza affects you. What the upcoming election means to you — or why you don’t care. Ditto for climate change.
And you don’t have to limit yourself to writing. If you feel more comfortable expressing yourself through a video, podcast, music or art — send it along.
All submissions, in all mediums and styles, are welcome.
If you’d like your name used with your submission: great! If you prefer anonymity: also great! Just let us know.
The goal is to get your voice heard.
To start, click here; then fill out the short form. We’ll take it from there.
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Tammy Barry had a great experience yesterday, at the Greens Farms post office.
There were no $1 stamps available. So Paul helped her place 3 stamps each, on all of her daughter’s wedding invitations.
Then he hand-stamped them all, preventing them from any possible damage in the machine.
In addition, Tammy says, “he was so friendly with all the patrons. He called many of them by their first names.
“His frequent saying is ‘I got you!’ He’s the best!”
Their loyal customers will probably kill me (and Tammy) for revealing the secret, but the Greens Farms post office is a great alternative to the downtown one.
There’s seldom a line. And always a parking spot.
Paul (right) and colleague Frank, at the Greens Farms post office. (Photo/Tammy Barry)
Karen Mather had a great experience yesterday too.
It did not start out that way, though.
Driving down Greens Farms Road, she saw a adorable — but listless — baby raccoon, perilously close to the street.
She called Westport Animal Control (203-341-5076). Officer Peter Reid arrived quickly.
He told Karen that the mother had most likely been killed; the baby was looking for her.
Fortunately, Peter said, the little critter was just very hungry. It could be saved at Wildlife in Crisis in Weston — where his wife volunteers.
He brought it right over.
The non-profit facility accepts over 5,000 wounded, ill and orphaned animals each year. The goal is to heal them, then return them to their natural habitats.
Who you gonna call if you see a creature needing help? Westport Animal Control or Wildlife in Crisis.
They’re both local life-savers.
Peter Reid, saving a raccoon.
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Rhone — the men’s clothing store on Main Street and a longtime champion of mental fitness — is hosting an evening dedicated to the topic.
Tomorrow’s event (Thursday, May 30, Westport Woman’s Club, 5:30 to 8 p.m.) includes inspirational speakers, a silent auction, and a “Mind & Muscle” experience led by Eric Johnson. It combines dynamic workouts with mental health discussions, combining physical and mental well-being.
Speakers will share personal reflections of recovery, suicide prevention, and the importance of mental health,
Rhone co-founder and CEO Nate Checketts will deliver the keynote. Other speakers include professional trainer Zac Clark (“Bachelorette” contestant and Scarlett Johansson trainer), and Staples High School boys basketball coach Dave Goldshore.
All proceeds from ticket sales and the silent auction will go to Positive Directions. In addition, a generous donor will match funds up to $15,000.
There’s more: Rhone will donate 10% of proceeds from all purchases between May 31 and June 2 to Positive Directions.
Click here for tickets, and more information. Click here to bid on silent auction items.
“Art in Bloom” — a celebration of the Westport Public Art Collections, with drinks, light bites, art sales, a silent art auction, and a special exhibit of flower-themed works — is set for June 6 (7 to 9 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club).
This is the first fundraiser for Friends of WestPAC is 5 years. They welcome old and new friends, to ensure the continued growth, care, display and educational uses of the collections. Works are exhibited in public building throughout town, including schools, Town Hall, and municipal offices.
Artists include: Shirley Black, Paul Camacho, Leonard Everett Fisher, Hardie Gramatky, Clement Kamena, Lisa Daugherty, Jak Kovatch, Philippe Lejeune, Estelle Margolis, John Mavroudis, Howard Munce, Susan Malloy, Fred Otnes, Nancy Reinker, Walter Dubois Richards, Barbara Rothenberg, and others.
Those are some great names. Their work is varied, and outstanding.
Click here for tickets, sponsorship information, and donations.
Staples High School Class of 1997 graduate Lisa Marie Giallanza Sweeting died peacefully of natural causes at Danbury Hospital earlier this month. She was 45.
Her family moved to Westport from Georgia in 1983. Lisa began playing the violin in 4th grade. She played in the orchestra and sang in the choir at Staples.
She graduated from Arizona State University with a BA in broadcast management.
Lisa was the regional president of the MOMS club (Moms Offering Moms Support). She worked as the admissions coordinator at St. Joseph’s School in Brookfield, then as the office administrator and athletic director at St. Rose of Lima School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Lisa loved camping and annual trips to the Outer Banks.
She is survived by her husband, Russell Sweeting; children Lily, Ryan and Evelyn; parents Tom and Patricia, and brothers Tom Jr., and Michael.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Rose of Lima School, 40 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470.
And finally … in honor of Peter Reid’s nice save yesterday:
(As today’s Roundup shows, Westport is filled with helpful, caring people. That includes “06880” readers! Please join the generous folks who support this blog. Just click here — and thank you.)
As of 4:30 p.m. yesterday (Monday, March 30), Westport had 115 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up 1 from the previous day. Weston had 24, up 3.
Of Connecticut’s 2,571 confirmed cases, the largest number continues to be in the 50-59 age group. The over-80 group has the highest rate of hospitalizations and deaths. Click here for a detailed look at the statewide spread of the disease.
Connecticut’s hospitals, nursing homes and medical facilities are in desperate need of medical volunteers. The state has embarked on a campaign to urge people with healthcare or medical backgrounds. Click here to register.
Rizzuto’s, Amis and Terrain restaurants have closed, until further notice. All had provided curbside and takeout dining during the coronavirus crisis.
As healthcare workers and first responders work tirelessly to keep us healthy, we should do the same for them.
“Mission Nutrition” helps. As described by Westporter Lisa Adelmann (whose husband and 2 brothers are local physicians), the goal is to deliver healthy care packages to hospitals, nursing homes, and police and fire departments around the country.
Packages contain protein shake mix, protein bars, energy and hydration drinks, and herbal tea. Some have hand cream.
To minimize human contact, each care package is assembled in a warehouse, and shipped directly to a hospital or first responder site.
Funds are needed. No donation is too small (or too big). To donate, Venmo @missionnutrition. Questions? Email donatetohelp.lisa@gmail.com.
The town of Westport now offers online tax preparation, with no in-person contact.
Volunteers — led by Westporter Mark Spivack — are the same IRS-certified tax preparers who have offered these services for years. The site is safely encrypted.
Users need a smartphone or computer, WiFi access, a working phone number and email address.
Though the US tax filing deadline has been extended to July 15, many Westporters have time on their hands now to “be prepared.”
For more information and to access the service, click here.
Bill Vornkahl reports that although the Greens Farms Fire Company’s 69th annual Easter Egg Hunt has been canceled, the Easter Bunny will make rounds throughout town starting early afternoon on Sunday, April 12.
Be on the lookout for him! (Although, Bill says confidentially, Westport’s Bunny is really a her.)
Not the Greens Farms Volunteer Fire Company’s Easter Bunny. (Photo/Hannah Hall)
Need info on the federal government plan to distribute direct payments to individuals and families? Congressman Jim Himes sends along this link to frequently asked questions. To learn more, call his office: 203-333-6600.
Linda Hall offers a special shout-out to Sue Pfister: “My parents never expected the Senior Center director to be their Meals on Wheels delivery person. But last week, there Sue was — by herself, in a downpour.” Thank you, Sue!
Sue Pfister (seated, right), at her beloved Senior Center.
Staples High School Class of 2011 graduate Nicki Brill now works as a middle school math teacher.
She says she is “lucky to be healthy and quarantined with my family.” She wants to recruit volunteers to help neighbors in need.
Click here for her form for healthy volunteers. Click here if you should not leave home (immunocompromised, older, other pre-existing conditions, quarantined). and need help with groceries or errands.
Looking to help in other ways? Click here for a link to many great ideas.
Nicky Brill
Village Pediatrics posted this, on social media. Their “kids” do grow up!
(Dr. Nikki Gorman adds, “We really need these, to use as reusable masks over our N95s that we can wash daily with the new washer dryer we are installing in our office — and for patients’ parents and some patients who could be asymptomatic carriers of COVID.”)
COVID-19 put a brutal end to the Staples High School girls basketball team’s magical season, just hours before the state semifinal game tipped off.
Senior co-captain Marisa Shorrock wrote about that emotional end for The Ruden Report. I reposted her insightful story on “06880.”
ESPN got into the act. Her essay was featured on the sports network.
Then last night, the entire team got a shout-out on ESPN’s Senior Moments feature. Scott Van Pelt did the honors — and quoted from Marisa’s story.
It’s not the state championship they probably would have won. But it’s nice to get a bit of well-deserved national recognition! Click below (skip to 1:44, if all you care about are our Wreckers).
(Hat tip: Russell and Don Kubie)
A bogus website claims that the Greens Farms post office is closed. (Here it is — but don’t click on any links inside it. You can never be too safe!)
The cute little post office by the train station is not closed. They’re still open, still serving customers in their homey, neighborhood way. Officials are aware of the fake site, but have been unable to shut it down.
(Photo/Lynn U. Miller)
Though the awards ceremony for TEAM Westport’s annual teen diversity essay contest is postponed, the group — town’s multicultural committee — has announced the 3 finalists.
Staples High School seniors Sahiba Dhindsa and Zachary Terrillion, and sophomore Victoria Holoubek-Sebok, are in the running for prizes of $1,000, $750 and $500.
This year’s prompt asked teens to describe experiences involving stereotypes focused on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, and consider steps that organizations, schools or individuals could take to counteract those stereotypes.
Westport musician Jon Saxon has performed for the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce at Supper & Soul and the Levitt Pavilion.
Tonight at 8 p.m. he livestreams a 30-minute concert. Click here for the Zoom link. The meeting ID is 901 431 6011.
It”s free — but he encourages donations during the show (or any time!) to benefit Yale New Haven Hospital. Click here to contribute.
Many supermarkets take strong measures to guard against COVID’s spread. Stew Leonard’s goes extra far. They’ve put Plexiglas shields on all registers and express lines, and at the customer service and coffee departments. Their hot and cold bar food is all pre-packaged now, and employees serve hot food and soup.
And finally, I love the song “500 Miles” by the Proclaimers. This isn’t it. (It’s a lot less Scottish, for one thing.) But it’s almost as good.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
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