Tag Archives: Jill Dunn

Roundup: Hazardous Waste Day, Bernadette Peters, Long Lots …

Posted on March 14, 2024 | 2 comments

Westport’s next Hazardous Waste Day is Saturday, April 13 (9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Greens Farms railroad station).

The free program enables residents of Westport, Norwalk, New Canaan, Darien, Stamford and Greenwich to safely dispose of household hazardous wastes.

Residents of those towns may bring these types of hazardous waste: gasoline, kerosene, spray paint, paint strippers, paint thinners, solvents, paints, stains, turpentine, varnishes, wood preservatives, degreasers, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, bleach, charcoal lighter, cleaning chemicals, drain cleaners, mercury thermometers, moth balls, pet flea shampoos, photo chemicals, rug shampoos, spot removers, art supplies and paints.

Make sure items are clearly labeled.
Never mix chemicals!
Keep products in their original labeled containers.
Place leaky containers in clear plastic bags.
Tighten lids of all containers, and pack items in sturdy cardboard boxes lined with paper.
Put boxes in the trunk or in back of the vehicle, away from passengers.
Leave pets and children home when bringing hazardous materials for collection.
This is the first Hazardous Waste Day of 2024, so lines may be long.

Westport residents may recycle antifreeze, motor oil, batteries of any type, light bulbs and electronics at the transfer station on the Sherwood Island Connector, weekdays from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon.

The following items are NOT acceptable: ammunition, flares, commercial hazardous waste.

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The Westport Country Playhouse has hosted many big names.

On May 19, it adds another: Bernadette Peters.

The stage, film and television actor and singer has won 4 Emmy Awards, 3 Tonys, and a Golden Globe. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Peters just finished a successful West End debut in “Old Friends,” celebrating the life and work of Stephen Sondheim.

Tickets for the evening of song are $250 and $175. All proceeds benefit live theater at the Playhouse. Click here to purchase, and for more information.

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The Long Lots School Building Committee meets tonight (Thursday, March 14, 6 p.m., Town Hall Room 309).

Two items on the agenda:

Executive discussion to discuss Request for Quote submissions, with invited candidates.
Public comment and/or questions, as time allows.

Discussion continues, on a new Long Lots Elementary School.

Meanwhile, next Monday (March 18, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium), 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker will present the town budget for fiscal year 2024-25 to the Board of Finance.

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A large crowd filled Mitchells of Westport for last night’s meet-and-greet with University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, and his team.

Among the attendees: Emily Bernier. She wore her UConn shirt. Meeting the legendary Auriemma was fun — and so was posing with her idol, Paige Bueckers:

The event was a fundraiser for Bleeding Blue for Good, the organization that provides name, image, likeness opportunities for Husky athletes.

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There is no limit on beach sticker sales to people who live in Westport and Weston.

However, only 450 stickers are sold to folks living anywhere else.

Those non-resident sales began yesterday, online and in person.

The photo below shows the woman (on the right) who purchased the first non-resident sticker.

She looks delighted.

Like the rest of us, she can’t wait to shed her coat, and — starting May 1 — put that sticker to good use.

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Registration is open for a slew of Wakeman Town Farm classes and events, for children and adults.

They include:

Kids’ spring classes
Kids’ summer camp
Kids’ Easter and Passover cooking (April 26, 4:15 to 6 p.m., ages 6-12)
Backyard chicken-keeping (April 4 and 25, May 9, 6:30 p.m.)
Canning class: jams and pickles (April 30, 6:15 p.m.).

Click here for details and registration information.

Want to raise chickens? Wakeman Town Farm will teach you.

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Jill Dunn‘s speed dating events are attracting big crowds.

And some great success stories.

The next are on Tuesday (March 19, Walrus Alley).

There are actually 2: one of people in the 30s-40s range (7 p.m.), the other for singles 55+ (5 p.m.).

Space is available for all (particularly for “great men” in the older group).

Click here for tickets to next Tuesday’s events. Click here for more news and information for singles.

Speed dating at Walrus Alley.

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Westport Police made no custodial arrests between March 6 and 13.

They issued these citations:

Traveling unreasonably fast: 12 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 5
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 4
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 3
Speeding: 2
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 2
Failure to renew registration: 2
Failure to obey traffic control signals: 2
Passing a standing school bus: 1
No passing zone violation: 1
Following too closely: 1
Failure to obey stop sign: 1
Failure to comply with dog ownership requirements: 1
Permitting dog to roam: 1
Failure to comply with tinted auto glass regulations: 1
Failure to return plates: 1

Westporters love dogs. But you can’t let them roam. And they have to obey all regulations. (Photo/Dana Altman)

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Last week, “06880” reported that Nate Colman and Jonah Rothlein’s documentary was one of 15 finalists for C-SPAN’s Student Cam contest.

Now it’s official: the Weston High School students’ story about Morad Tahbaz, a Weston resident held in an Iranian prison for 6 years, won the grand prize.

The young filmmakers will receive $5,000 — and “Innocents Held Hostage” will air on C-SPAN on April 21 (6:50 a.m., then throughout the day).

You can see it now — just click below:

The network received over 1,600 entries, from 42 states and Washington DC.

Congratulations, Nate and Jonah!

Nate Colman and Jonah Rothlein

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The Porch at Christie’s is now also The Porch at the Y.

The popular Cross Highway spot has opened an outpost at the Westport Weston Family YMCA.

They’re selling wraps, muffins, breakfast sandwiches, coffee, fruit and more.

That’s good news for everyone hungry after a workout, plus parents hanging out while their kids play, and of course Y employees.

It’s good news too for people with disabilities. The Porch’s mission is to train and hire those individuals — there, and at its Sweet P Bakery.

The Porch kiosk, at the YMCA. (Photo/Dan Woog)

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Westport is a town of people who love to read. Now, you can help select the next winner of the Westport Prize for Literature.

The Westport Prize needs readers to help vet manuscripts for its 2024 honor, to be awarded in conjunction with this fall’s StoryFest.

Readers will read 2 or 3 manuscripts, then submit feedback via an online form. Those results will help determine the finalists that advance to an independent jury.

The Westport Prize for Literature honors “an original work of fiction that explores issues in contemporary society. Last year’s winner was Zadie Smith, for The Fraud.

Westport residents interested in being a reader for this year’s prize should click here.

Last year’s winner of the Westport Prize for Literature.

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The Greenfield Hill Grange is in Fairfield. But Westporter Cornelia Olsen is very involved.

And Westport resident/composter/self-described “trash picker” James Flint is the speaker at fundraiser there. Proceeds will help pay for a new roof on the beautiful Queen Anne building.

“Recycling Revisited” (March 23, noon) is a luncheon and panel discussion for “gardeners, farmers, eaters and waste generators.”

Speakers will offer updates on what’s in and out in the recycling world; the solid waste crisis in Connecticut, and what local residents can do about it all.

Tickets are $20, and include a tuna or egg salad sandwich, beverage and dessert. RSVP by March 20; call Cornelia: 203-571-8673.

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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo is an unusual night one.

Doris Ghitelman shot this looking across the Saugatuck River. The lights are from buildings on Saugatuck Avenue.

(Photo/Doris Ghitelman)

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And finally … speaking of Bernadette Peters, coming in May to the Westport Country Playhouse (story above):

(Not a day goes by that “06880” is not grateful for our readers’ support. Please click here, to make our day. Thank you!)

2 Comments

Posted in Environment, Police, Restaurants, Teenagers, Weston, Westport Country Playhouse, YMCA

Tagged hazardous waste, Jill Dunn, Long Lots School Building Committee, The Porch at Christie's, Wakeman Town Farm, Westport Fire Department, Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service

In Post-COVID Singles World, Matchmaker Is “Jillin’ It”

Posted on January 29, 2024 | 23 comments

Among the many casualties of COVID: marriages.

Forced to spend all day, every day together, many spouses skedaddled. The reasons varied, but the results were the same. Tons of single Westporters have joined those who were already divorced, or never married.

The good news: What they look for in a new mate is not what they previously sought.

“I used to always hear, ‘They’re just looking for my money or status,'” Jill Dunn says.

“These days, people don’t care about superficial qualities. Coming out of COVID they want true compatibility, a connection on a deeper level. They want love. There’s much less checking the boxes of income or height.”

Jill Dunn

Dunn should know. The founder and “lead matchmaker” at Jillin’ It, she’s seen the Fairfield County dating scene evolve in the 8 years since starting the personalized, online-and-in-person service.

Plus, she’s been there herself.

Newly divorced in 2016, Dunn found it hard meeting single men outside of New York.

Leveraging her background as an event planner, she organized speed dating and mixers, in Norwalk and surrounding areas.

The business evolved into full-service matchmaking. Today her clients range “from 28 to 88,” she says, though most are men and women in their 30s and 40s. She works with LGBTQ as well as heterosexual clients.

She does not take her work lightly.

“I understand the raw, empty space crated when you’re single,” says Dunn. “That’s especially true with people who are divorced or widowed, whose space was once occupied.”

Many new singles have “forgotten how to date” — just as Dunn had when she found herself single, in her early 30s, with 2 young children.

She helps her clients figure out who they are, and what they’re looking for. She’s a coach and a sounding board.

She solicits feedback after a date — from her client, and the client’s date — about what went well, and what did not, to help fine-tune subsequent searches.

“It’s an intimate, beautiful process,” Dunn says. Often, it last for 3 to 5 months. Then “they fly the nest. They don’t need me anymore.”

The first match is the most important. It’s always the same: “between the client and the matchmaker.” Dunn will not work with anyone she does not feel a trusted connection with. (“I’ll only date a 6-2 billionaire with a goatee” is a non-starter.”)

Once that trust is established, Jillin’ It is all in. She offers both private, personalized matchmaking and small group meetings.

“For me, it’s quality matches over quantity,” Dunn says. “I’d rather send a client on 2 dates in 6 months, than be a service that promises one date a week. You could do that yourself, standing in a CVS aisle.”

Working with a matchmaker is like hiring a personal trainer, she notes. “You open yourself up, because you want to grow. And the benefits are not just the hour in the gym or the dates you go on, but the new mindset you’re in.”

This time of year — between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day — is the busiest for matchmakers, Dunn says.

And the hardest for singles.

The world is filled with Valentine’s Day images.

“People don’t want to go through the holidays alone. They’re surrounded by so many images of love and partnership.”

The good news is that “as you’re looking for someone, they’re looking for you.”

Still, she says, “you have to put yourself out there.” It doesn’t have to be with a matchmaker: “Just go to events in the community.”

But — in a town filled with post-COVID divorced people, and those who have never been married — she sure can help.

(For more information on Jillin’ It, click here, or email hello@jillinit.com.)

(Speaking of singles: You can support this hyper-local blog with singles, hundreds, credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, even Zelle. Please click here to learn how to donate to “0688o.” Thank you!)

23 Comments

Posted in Local business, Westport life

Tagged Divorce, Jill Dunn, Jillin' It, singles

Roundup: Interim Fire Chief, Lobster Fest Tickets, Long Lots Meeting …

Posted on July 21, 2023 | 3 comments

Westport has a new interim fire chief.

Mark Amatrudo takes over, effective Monday. Deputy Chief Nicholas Marsan, recently named town emergency management director, will continue in his dual role as deputy chief.

Amatrudo is a third generation chief fire officer. He has served as a career and volunteer assistant chief, deputy chief and acting chief for almost 25 years, including as Westport’s interim deputy chief from 2005-07.

Amatrudo is an Emergency Medical Technician. He also holds the highest level of fire service certifications in various areas, including fire officer, fire service instructor and safety officer.

He served as a Connecticut Fire Academy Instructor for almost 30 years. He developed a course for the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, and spent years instructing at the National Fire Academy campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Among his awards are FEMA National Outstanding Citizen Corps Council Award, Connecticut Emergency Manager of the Year, Connecticut Fire Instructor of the Year, Connecticut Exchange Club Hero Award and Holmatro Rescue Award.

Amatrudo holds a BS degree from Stonehill College, and an Executive MBA from the University of New Haven.

Mark Armatrudo

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It’s mid-July. Time to get tickets for the fall LobsterFest!

In fact, it may soon be too late. The Westport Rotary Club’s mega-fundraiser sells out very quickly.

This year’s event is September 23 (3 to 7 p.m., Compo Beach). As usual always, Rotary offers 2 1.25-pound lobsters or a 14-ounce New York strip steak; corn, cole slaw, potato salad and bread.

Plus of course live music; kids’ games and activities; unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, and a cash raw bar.

It’s one of Westport’s best parties. The timing is perfect, at the start of a new school year. The weather is wonderful. The food and entertainment are plentiful.

And the money raised helps Rotary support a wide array of great causes.

Click here for tickets, and more information.

A small part of the large LobsterFest.

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The Long Lots School Building Committee holds a special meeting next Tuesday, (July 25, 6 p.m., Town Hall Room 309).

The session begins with public comment and/or questions about the project.

A work session follows with the design team, for updates and review. The public can attend the work session, but not participate.

If time permits, public input will be allowed at the end of the meeting.

Long Lots Elementary School is 70 years old.

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This is the weekend for the always-anticipated, very giant Pequot Library Book Sale.

Over 100,000 items in 50-plus categories are on sale.

Hours are:

Today (Friday, July 21): 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and Monday (July 22-24): 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tuesday (July 25): 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pequot Library

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Paddle is coming to Westport.

That’s “Paddle for the Sound” — not (this time) paddleball.

For 9 days (July 29 to August 6), the 8th annual Save the Sound fundraiser draws people of all ages for a leisure paddle — or a kayak, stand up paddle board (SUP) and canoe competition.

Participants track their distances paddled, while raising funds to protect Long Island Sound and its rivers, restore local ecosystems, fight climate change, and save endangered lands.

They’ll take screenshots of the distance on each excursion, and send it to the Paddle for the Sound team to compile results. Prizes are awarded for total distance paddled, and most funds raised.

Click here for more information, and to sign up.

Enjoy a paddle. Save the Sound! (Photo/Lisa Price)

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Fig Linens & Home is moving.

A fixture on Post Road East near Main Street since 2004, their lease is up at the end of August.

They’re not sure where they’ll go. But they are not closing.

A “Moving Sale” is underway. As the sign says: Everything must go.

(Photo/Patti Brill)

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In the 5 years she has hosted matchmaking events for singles, Jill Dunn has connected thousands of people.

Her next event — and your next chance at relationship bliss — is July 30 (4:30 p.m., Gabriele’s Steakhouse).

For tickets, click here. For more information on Jill’s events, click here.

Jill Dunn

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Most of the time, action at the Westport Astronomical Society’s observatory is in the sky.

On Wednesday, the action shifted to the ground. A family of 4 bobcats visited.

They seemed more interested in looking down than up.

Then again, this was their land long before we humans arrived.

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Longtime Westporter Stewart Greenfield died peacefully at Bridgeport Hospital on Wednesday.

A service is set for Sunday (July 23, 12:30 p.m., Abraham Green & Son Funeral Home, 88 Beach Rd, Fairfield. Visitation begins at 11:30 a.m.

Interment is at Temple Israel Cemetery (225 Richards Avenue). The family will then host mourners at their Westport home.

The family will sit Shiva tonight through July 26 (6 to 8 p.m., 279 Sturges Highway and 49 East 86th Street, Apt 11B/C, New York).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Nature Conservancy or St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland.

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This frog looks huge.

It’s really just an inch long. But Molly Alger captured it perfectly — on the outside of her kitchen window — for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.

(Photo/Molly Alger)

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And finally … Tony Bennett died this morning in New York. He was 96.

The New York Times called him “a singer whose melodic clarity, jazz-influenced phrasing, audience-embracing persona and warm, deceptively simple interpretations of musical standards helped spread the American songbook around the world and won him generations of fans.”

He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. He continued to perform and record, however. His last public performance was in August that year, with Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall. Click here for a full obituary.