WestportMoms is our town’s go-to multi-platform destination for upcoming family and kid events, merchants and helping professional news, and and school and camp advice.
The head moms — Megan Rutstein and Melissa Post — always have every child in mind. They know “it takes a village,” and they always support ours.
The other day, they posted this advice. It comes from Dr. Ali Griffith, and is worth repeating for the (few) folks who don’t follow WestportMoms:
Westport Parks & Recreation Department seasonal employees do it all.
Lifeguards keep everyone safe at our beaches and pools, handle first aid and medical concerns, and answer countless questions (over and over again).
Guest Services staffers collect daily fees, organize parking, keep the beaches and lots clean, and answer countless questions (over and over again).
Tennis clerks greet customers, schedule reservations, collect fees, and maintain the courts and surroundings.
Dock attendants assist boaters n docking, sell gasoline and ice, and oversee the marinas at Compo and Longshore.
Those are thankless jobs. So of course, most of us never say “thanks.”
On August 8, Parks & Rec operations manager Carmen Roda and waterfront foreman Michael Giunta will.
They (and guest services supervisor Donny Christopher, and tennis supervisors Jamie Boone and Matthew Schwartz) are treating those employees — well, the ones who won’t be working, anyway — to a “thank you” picnic.
It’s a welcome gesture. These (mostly) young men and women help make our summers rock.
Meanwhile, the next time you see a lifeguard, beach or dock attendant, or tennis employee, say “thank you” too.
Westport Parks & Rec staff help the summer run smoothly.
Over the past few years, the dingy pedestrian tunnel underneath the Westport railroad station tracks has been transformed into a much more welcoming space.
A partnership between the Westport Police Department — they’re in charge of railroad parking — and the Westport Arts Center, with gifts from Bill Scheffler and his wife Ann Sheffer, Robin Tauck, the late Gordon Joseloff and others, turned the sometimes-scary passageway into a stunning art gallery.
Westport native and noted artist Miggs Burroughs created 16 LED-lit lightboxes. Each continued a lenticular image that combined one from a 100-year-old postcard of Westport’s past, with a current shot of the same scene. Compo Beach, Longshore, the station itself — all are represented.
This spring, a new lightbox was added, on the station wall itself. You don’t have to descend into the tunnel to see another handsome lenticular, with scenes of the cannons and downtown. This one actually says “Welcome to Westport!”
Now there’s a new one, with a modern twist. It honors Olympic snowboarding silver medalist (and Westport native) Julia Marino.
It’s another great lenticular image by Miggs. Unveiled yesterday morning, it will be displayed for the next year.
One view of MIggs Burroughs’ lenticular image …
… and the other.
At the unveiling yesterday (from left): 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Julia Marino, Deputy Chief Sam Arciola, Julia’s father John (hidden), Miggs Burroughs.
Twiddle fans are all a-flutter for this Friday and Saturday’s special Levitt Pavilion shows (click here for details, and tickets).
An added bonus (besides the Vermont-based jam band, plus Mihail and The Nth Power):
The White Light Foundation supports causes and organizations important to Twiddle and its fans. They receive $1 from every ticket sold, then donate it back into each community where the band plays.
Speaking of the Levitt Pavilion: Sunday’s Sweet Remains concert was a smash. A full house loved the sweet-sounding group, an annual Levitt Pavilion favorite.
But you didn’t have to haul a lawn chair to the grass to enjoy the show.
Dylan Germishuys has a different idea. He writes:
“I line up Sunday concerts with higher tides, then get some people on our boat to go up the Saugatuck River and listen from the best seats ‘in’ the house.
“There was a perfect incoming tide for the Sweet Remains. We took a slow trip, found our spot, and had a picnic during the concert. The sound was great.
“At lower tides you have fewer options as to where you anchor, and have to be a little more cautious coming up this far. If the river was dredged, that might create more space.
“At higher tides , the Cribari (Bridge Street) bridge is a challenge for bigger boats. We only had a foot or two clearance on the way out.
“There’s enough room for quite a few more boats to do the same. You have to test your Bridge Street clearance at high tide before venturing up at low though, and being stuck for a tide cycle!”
Halloween is a lot closer than Christmas: only 97 days away.
So hurry on down to HomeGoods, which has already stocked all your costume needs.
(Photo/Sandy Rothenberg)
That area of town is quickly cornering the Halloween market. Just moments after Sandy Rothenberg sent her (aaaaargh!) HomeGoods report, Jack Krayson noted that Spooky Town — across from Stop & Shop, by Bulkley Avenue North — is open for business too.
Connecticut’s Democratic and Republican parties have primaries on Tuesday, August 9.
Unaffiliated voters cannot vote in primary elections — unless they change their registration to either party. Unaffiliated voters have until noon on August 8 to change, and register with either party. Click here for the link, to make the change online.
In other August 9 primary news: The town needs poll workers.
Poll workers must be registered voters in Connecticut. They must take part in a training session, for which they are paid $25.
Pay for the August 9 election day: A full day is $200, with a $40 food allowance; a half=day shift is $100, with a $20 for food allowance.
Election Day work starts at 5:45 a.m. (polls open at 6 a.m. sharp) and concludes at 8:15 p.m. (polls close at 8 p.m. sharp).
For more information, email dgreenberg@westportct.gov.
Voting machines and poll workers, at the Westport Library.
From time to time, “auction” signs pop up around Westport. Recently, we’ve been overridden with these:
(Photo/Matt Murray)
Alert reader Matt Murray writes:
“I called this number. Just for laughs. I wanted to see where they were located. It had been disconnected. Gee, do you think you could have been a scam?”
I’m not a betting man, Matt. But I’d bet my Patek Philippe, Rolex or Lamborghini on it.
Tomorrow (October 30, 2021) is the deadline for Fairfield County non-profits to apply for a grant from the Westport Woman’s Club. They go to deserving groups working in education, health and safety, and the arts.
Applications are being accepted too for a one-time use of their clubhouse, for an event.
Typed proposals should be sent — postmarked by tomorrow — to: Westport Woman’s Club, Attn.: Community Service Grant, 44 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.
For more information, call 203-227-4240 or click here.
The Westport Woman’s Club on Imperial Avenue is giving out grants — and offering the use of its clubhouse for an event.
The 2nd remarkable season of the Remarkable Theater’s drive-in comes to an end with an exciting Halloween weekend.
Tonight (Friday, October 29, 6:30 p.m.), it’s Beetlejuice.
Tomorrow (Saturday, October 30, 6 p.m. — “come in costume; truck or treat!”), there’s a double feature: “Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and “Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest.”
Craig Schmarr, the Westport Public Schools’ supervisor of building operations, died yesterday morning at Bridgeport Hospital. He served the district for over 27 years, in a variety of capacities. A full obituary will appear later.
The tent outside Savvy + Grace was packed last night. Owner Annette Norton hosted a special “shopping and cocktails” benefit for The Cancer Couch breast cancer foundation.
WICC;s “Melissa in the Morning” was among the dozens of guests. The event was held in memory of Laura Nelson, the beloved Westporter who died last month.
Annette Norton, at last night’s Savvy + Grace benefit for The Cancer Couch.
COVID has dramatically altered the college landscape — and the application process.
Private counselor Amy Chatterjee believes that a transcript is the most important part of a student’s application. On November 8 (7 p.m., Zoom), the Westporter offers a 1-hour workshop for parents.
She’ll discus “what it actually is, how students can show a love of learning through their courses,” and more. Click here for more information, and to register for the free event.
Autumn means more than changing leaves. Tree Board chair Monica Buesser’s “Westport … Naturally” photo shows the sometimes overlooked beauty of this familiar scene:
And finally … Robin McNamara died last week, at 74. He played Claude in the Broadway production of “Hair,” and had this very ’70s-ish pop hit. (Hat tip: Amy Schneider)
Once upon a time, Halloween was a hallowed — and very neighborly — holiday.
Some kids wore mom-made costumes. Others had store-bought masks. The younger ones went out with parents. But everyone 8-ish or older roamed their road, and one or two nearby, on their own.
They scarfed up as much candy as they could, in an hour or so. A few pennies were collected for UNICEF. Sometimes a pumpkin got smashed, an egg tossed.
Then the arms race began. Costumes grew more elaborate. Parents drove their kids to Westport’s densest neighborhoods,* maximizing the candy-to-ground-covered ratio.
Adults joined in the fun, opening their homes (and liquor cabinets) to friends and srangers chaperoning ever-older trick-or-treaters. With so many parents (and security cameras) around now, kids have no idea how to smash a pumpkin or toss an egg.
Last year, the pandemic threw Halloween for a loop. Would trick-or-treating on crowded streets turn into a super-spreader event? Was it dangerous to grab candy from a communal bowl? Wasn’t everyone sick of wearing masks,, anyway?
Some parents said: Go for it. Kids have lost so much already, let’s not take away Halloween.
Others said: Not this year. COVID before candy.
Which brings us to Halloween 2021. The virus still lurks here. Many in their prime candy-grabbing years have not yet been vaccinated. What’s a parent to do?
Full steam ahead? Only with friends? Sorry — no candy this year, kids?
“06880” wants to know how your family is handling Halloween. Click “Comments” below.
Whatever your choice — and speaking now as an adult, not a youngster — let’s hope it does not involve eggs.
At least, not at my house.
2021?
* If you don’t know where, I’m not going to tell you.
In the winter of 2020. Jeff Manchester emailed “06880.” He was concerned about the “incredibly dumb placement” of a utility pole at the southwest corner of the Post Road West/Riverside Avenue intersection. He sent this photo:
(Photo/Jeff Manchester)
Jeff warned: “It will surely result in a wedged tractor trailer at the intersection (trying to get back to I-95), or worse yet a fatality into the pole.”
There’s been no fatality yet. But yesterday, Jeff saw a bad accident right there. The pole leaned precariously against the building, as police and utility workers were figuring out what to do.
Moving forward, it’s a state road. The decision — to move the pole, or do something to the road — is in the Department of Transportation’s hands.
Westport’s annual Children’s Halloween Parade returns — after a year’s COVID absence — on Wednesday, October 27. Kids and parents meet on the Post Road at Main Street at 3:30 p.m.
The vent — for all children (“especially those 8 and under”) heads up Main Street, right on Avery Place, left on Myrtle Avenue, and ends at Town Hall and Veterans Green.
Children may trick or treat along Main Street, and in front of Town Hall. Entertainment, refreshments and a small gift will be provided n Veterans Green at 4 p.m.
The event is sponsored by Westport Parks and Recreation Department, the Downtown Merchants Association and Westport PAL.
On Saturday afternoon, 5 paintings were unveiled in the walkway to Bedford Square off Main Street. “Westport Illustrated” portrays the history — and future — of Westport.
The mural project is a collaboration between the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, David Adam Realty and Charter Realty & Development, with support from the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center.
From right to left: Eric Chiang, “A Vibrant New Community Unfurls”; Iyaba Ibo Mandigo, “The Ground Beneath Their Feet”; Hernan Garcia, “The Tides of Change”‘ Jana Ireijo,. “Keeping Memories Alive”; Rebecca Ross (Westport) “Westport of the Future: Circa 2070.”
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Alert “06880” readers know that Jeera Thai is one of my favorite restaurants. The fresh ingredients, wonderful spices and special flavors — all lovingly prepared — make every meal a treat.
Now my go-to spot is open 7 days a week.
They’ve announced 3 new weekly specials, too:
• Prawn phat phong karee กุ้งผัดผงกระหรี่
• Basil fried rice ข้าวผัดกระเพาะกุ้ง
• Panang curry with chicken แพนงไก่
Jeera Thai — across from Design Within Reach, next to Finalmente — is easy to overlook. But you shouldn’t!
Jeera Thai, nestled in a small space off the Post Road.
A “Roundup” item last week about the Westport Astronomical Society‘s observance of Observe the Moon Night impelled Paul Delano to head to the observatory on Bayberry Lane.
He reports: “Everyone was very friendly and knowledgeable. Quite a few people were checking out the view. It was a beautiful sky and great to use the telescopes to see the planets. It’s at the highest point in Westport, so it has a great view of the sky. That night the moon, Jupiter and Saturn were the brightest.
“I got a new camera and telephoto lens recently that I wanted to try out. They let me set up my tripod and camera. I was surprised I could see so much more than the naked eye.”
Paul sent along a couple of photos:
Westport Astronomical Observatory, and the moon. (Photo/Paul Delano)
A first-ever International Market & Festival is set this Saturday (October 23, noon to 5 p.m.) at Lachat Town Farm in Weston.
It features include vendors representing various countries, cultural music and dance, and markets with food from countries like Italy, France, Kenya, Pakistan, Brazil, Peru, India, Japan, Romania and Mexico. Children will receive a “passport” they can fill up as they visit each exhibit.
Tickets are $20 per family. Click here for more information.
Westport celebrates jUNe Day. This Saturday, Weston hosts its own International & Festival. (Photo/Jeff Simon)
Westport artist Kelly Rossetti is a featured artist at the Norwalk Art Space’s next exhibition (October 28 through December 2).
An opening reception on October 28 (6 to 9 p.m.) includes a DJ, dance performances, and the indie pop and folk duo East River. Click here for more information.
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature is all about dogwood berries. Scott Smith writes:
“We all get festive celebrating the blossoming of our lovely native dogwood trees early each spring. But Cornus florida deserves a special shoutout this fall.
“The profusion of red berries is the most vibrant I can recall. Whether it’s the summer that just won’t quit or the autumn that can’t get started, I don’t know, but I’m enjoying it.
“So too are the many birds that flock to this windfall of nutrient-rich berries. Robins in particular squabble over the berry-laden dogwood in my yard, even though there’s more than enough to go around. Let’s hope the birds spread the seeds of these treats far and wide.”
And finally … Peter Tosh was born today in 1944. From 1963 to 1976 he, Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer were the heart of the reggae band the Wailers. He then became a successful solo artist. He was killed in 1987 during a home invasion, at age 42.
You can tell Halloween is coming. CVS, Walgreens, Party Harty and pop-ups are chock full of ghosts and skeletons — plus Kit Kats, Hershey bars and other fine foods, most of them the size of small planets.
It’s a great time to be a kid.
Unless you’re allergic.
When Blake Hofmeister was 3 1/2, he ate an M&M. In a delayed reaction he broke out in hives, and could barely breathe. Tests showed he was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish.
His mom, Lisa, learned to scrutinize food labels. Now a 1st grader at Kings Highway Elementary School, his life — and his family’s — has never been the same.
The Hofmeister family.
A year ago Lisa heard about FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). The non-profit works to improve the quality of life of people with food allergies.
Last month, she helped organize a charity walk/fun day at Sherwood Island. The event drew hundreds, and raised over $150,000.
Now — as Halloween nears — Lisa is focused on her next effort: the Teal Pumpkin Project.
The national initiative promotes the inclusion of all trick-or-treaters in a holiday that excludes some.
Participation is simple. Parents are encouraged to buy inexpensive toys, rather than candy. They place a teal pumpkin or sign from FARE outside the home, indicating there are non-food treats inside.
“Parents are surprised how easy this is,” Lisa says.
Blake (Chewy) and Paisley (Minnie Mouse) Hofmeister enjoy Halloween last year.
Kings Highway has gotten on board. A “Pumpkin Palooza” fundraiser the Friday before Halloween includes magicians, music and other non-candy fun.
“Halloween used to be my favorite holiday,” says Lisa. “I loved the costumes, the candy, everything about it. Now I’m so nervous.”
She loves welcoming trick-or-treaters to her Old Hill neighborhood home. Last year, participating for the first time in the Teal Pumpkin Project, she was excited that many children — even those without food allergies — chose toys over candy.
“I want Blake to enjoy Halloween, like other kids,” she says. “I don’t want him to feel like an outsider.”
FARE makes it easy to take part. The website provides links to resources, including flyers, yard signs, ideas for non-food treats, and a trick-or-treat bag.
The Teal Pumpkin Project is not the food police. Giving candy is still okay.
But for kids with food allergies — as well as celiac disease and other issues — it can be a life-saver.
In the Compo Beach neighborhood — where densely packed houses draw chauffeured trick-or-treaters from across Westport (and waaaay beyond)* — Halloween is not orange.
It’s black or white. You either love it (and embrace it). Or you hate it (and go dark).
“Dark is for wimps,” Betsy Kahn says. “We completely go with it.”
“Completely” is right. Here’s what her Danbury Avenue home looked like before the hordes of Halloweenies descended.
This is the 3rd year in a row Betsy and her husband Dan have “decorated” their house with a theme. In 2011, the “ship” was buried in snow. Last year, Hurricane Sandy’s surging seawater made the “ship” a little too realistic.
But Betsy and Dan loved the boat so much, they dismantled it and saved it for another (non-rainy) day.
“Halloween at the beach is our favorite night of the year,” Betsy says. No word on whether she and Dan dressed up. If they did, I’m sure they were pirates.
*There’s a reason this story is running the day after Halloween. If I posted this yesterday, Compo would have been even more overrun than usual. Neighborhood holiday-haters would have spewed their venom on me.
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