Watching the news from Ukraine with revulsion and horror, many people feel helpless.
Others swing into action.
A rally at Weston’s Town Hall on Monday drew 100 people together, in a feeling of solidarity. Westport’s event this coming Saturday (11 a.m., Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge) will do the same.
Many area residents have donated to relief efforts for the invaded nation, and for refugees streaming to safety across Europe.
What we do pales, of course, in comparison to what millions of Ukrainian men, women and children are doing. News reports show traffic jams at the border — leading into the country — as citizens return from elsewhere to defend their land.
Their actions, and those of so many others who chose to stay — or had no other choice — is inspiring. So are the words of President Volodomyr Zelensky.
And closer to home, the photos taken by Staples High School graduates Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks have helped wake the world to the ongoing tragedy.
A bombed-out apartment building in Kyiv. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for The New York Times)
None of these people are “unsung” heroes. Much has been written about them.
But these are special times, so today we will honor these special heroes.
Ken, this is all so violent and surreal. At the moment it is hard to get thoughts together.
Kiev is in big danger. But heavy fighting is all over eastern part. A group of enemy armored vehicles is somewhere close to (where we are in) Berdyansk now. Moving in the direction of Mariupol to block it from 2 sides. I am personally disappointed about Western sanctions and their little impact on Putin. They can not even agree on cutting Russia from SWIFT.
Also yesterday, more of Staples High School Class of 1988 graduate Tyler Hicks were published by the New York Times.
This was the most harrowing. It shows a Russian soldier lying dead, next to a Russian vehicle in Kharkiv, Ukraine:
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for The New York Times)
Meanwhile, Staples 1991 graduate Lynsey Addario took this photo, showing destruction at an apartment building after Russian bombing in Kyiv, Ukraine:
(Photo/Lynsey Addario for The New York Times)
(Hat tips: Tommy Greenwald, John Nathan, John Hartwell and Beth Cody)
Installation of beams at the Cavalry Road Bridge replacement project, between Crooked Mile and Rebel Roads, will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this coming Wednesday through Friday (March 2-4).
The contractor will use local roads to access the site to deliver the oversized crane and bridge beams, resulting in additional detours and possible delays in the area, including Red Coat Road and Hermit Lane.
Cavalry Road bridge (Photo courtesy of Weston Today)
Fred Cantor doesn’t miss a Westport reference — or a chance to tie loose ends together. The longtime Westport report:
“Near the beginning of Thursday’s return of the flagship franchise, ‘Law & Order,’ a suspect told police his alibi: ‘I was at home in Westport.’”
“Where did that line come from? Possibly the show’s executive producer, Peter Jankowski, who is also president of Dick Wolf Entertainment, and who grew up in Westport. Dick co-wrote the show.
“In the same show Sam Waterston, seen in the recent documentary ‘Gatsby in Connecticut’ — he was filmed inside the South Compo cottage the Fitzgeralds spent the summer in back in 1920 — returned to his role as the Manhattan DA.”
Westport piano teacher Nadine Cherna has been selected for a Steinway Top Teacher Award. She was cited for “care and commitment.”
Steinway & Sons president Gavin English added, “The young people who develop their craft under your guiding hand will be the artists who fill our future with music.” (Hat tip: Roger Kaufman)
And finally … Sandy Nelson, who had improbable hit records as a drummer, died earlier this month in Las Vegas. He was 83, and had suffered a stroke in 2017. Click here for a full obituary.
As the news from Ukraine grows increasingly dire, the world relies on journalists and photographers to report what is happening.
Two of the best photojournalists are the New York Times’ Pulitzer Prize winners Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks. Both are — incredibly — Staples High School graduates, just 3 classes apart (1991 and ’88).
They’ve reported from the globe’s most dangerous spots: Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and many more. This may be their most treacherous assignment yet.
Both are there because they want to be. But that does not make things any easier for their relatives here in Westport.
“It’s very tough,” admits Camille Addario, Lynsey’s mother. “To think that this fearless little girl has been all over the world, documenting tragedies.
“‘It’s what I do. Anything can happen anywhere,’ she always says. So I can only pray and support her, and hope that she gets home safely to her husband and 2 boys, and everyone who cares for her. The last thing she needs is guilt from her mother and sisters.”
Lauren, Lynsey, Lisa and Lesley Addario.
Lynsey FaceTimed Camille on Wednesday. She said the Times had put her up in a safe hotel.
However, Camille says, yesterday she moved to a more perilous spot.
“That’s Lynsey,” her mother says. “She’s right there.”
Camille does not watch much coverage of the conflict. Instead, she says, “I hope and pray that my mother is looking down, and has her hand on Lynsey’s shoulder. She’s always been her protector.”
Lynsey’s grandmother Louise Bonito died in November 2020 — at 107.
Louise “Nonnie” Bonito, surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Camille is in the front row, second from left.
Camille calls herself “blessed” by the support of family and friends. She has received many calls and texts. She thanks everyone for thinking of her and Lynsey.
And, she says, “like everyone, we’re just waiting for this awful thing to end.”
Waiting for trains out of the city at the main station in Kramatorsk yesterday. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for The New York Times)
Not far from Camille’s home, artist Darcy Hicks worries too. Her brother is Tyler Hicks.
“My mother, being an artist, brought me and her brother up with imagery. What you see in front of you, and how it makes you feel — that’s just true.
“So I think he and I both found ways — very different ways. — to express ourselves through imagery.
Tyler Hicks
“People are surprised when I tell them that Tyler is really not at all political, partly because he’s my brother [Darcy is active in progressive politics] and partly because he’s always covering warfare, which is of course politics.
“But he truly goes in with no preconceptions about the story he’s going to tell. He can’t go in looking for some piece of evidence that proves his point, ignoring the stuff that challenges his ideals.
“He just looks through the lens and shows us what is really going on. Imagine if we could all communicate that way. Seeing the gray, instead of finding a corner and an enemy.
“I’m very proud of him. But I will wring his neck when he gets out of there. Today, the world feels very unsustainable.”
In 2015, Camille Addario was interviewed by Time magazine about being the mother of a “war photographer.” Click here to read.)
Families boarding evacuation trains in Kramatorsk yesterday evening, bound for Kyiv and Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine. (Photo/Tyler Hicks for New York Times)
As Russian troops advance into Ukraine, Lynsey Addario and Tyler Hicks — both Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photographers, and both Staples High School graduates (1991 and ’88, respectively) are there, shooting important images and reporting too.
Today, Addario joined the paper’s podcast, “The Daily.” She’s on near the beginning. Click here to listen. (Hat tip: John Hartwell)
Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelensky (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
“Westport … Naturally” can never get enough dog-at-the-beach photos. At least until April 1, when the 6-month pooch ban begins. Here’s Axel, yesterday:
And finally … today is the 290th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. It’s also (coincidentally? probably not) the 131st anniversary of the day the state of Washington joined the union.
There aren’t a lot of songs about the Father of Our Country. Or about the Evergreen State. So these will have to do:
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But he’s not the only New York Times photographer shooting images in that threatened nation.
He’s not even the only one who is a Staples High School graduate.
Hick’s colleague Lynsey Addario — who graduated 3 years after Hicks, in 1991, and is both a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellow winner — has contributed her own important work.
This one shows — and humanizes — embattled Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelensky (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
A number of new neighbors joined “old timers” at Greens Farms Church. They shared tips and stories about life in this town. Just as importantly, they connected around kids, previous residences and similar needs.
It was a diverse crowd, with an international flavor. They plan to get together again soon.
If you missed the event and want to know more, email office@greensfarmschurch. All are welcome — church membership is not required!
“Fall in Love with Westport” at Greens Farms Church.
On Halloween I was honored to hear the world premiere of “Dracula: The Covenant.” That’s the musical project Westporter Dodie Pettit worked on for years with her husband, the late Broadway star Kevin Gray. (It was in the works long before a similar show with the same name flopped.)
With help from husband Rex Fowler — with whom she performs, as Aztec Two-Step 2.0 — Dodie completed the project.
Now it’s on Spotify and other digital media. CDs will arrive soon. To download and listen now to this enthralling work, click here.
In the wake of December’s devastating Kentucky tornadoes, Westporter Steve Crowley and his sons organized a fundraiser downtown.
Governor Andy Beshear recently thanked Crowley for both the money donated, and the specially designed t-shirts created for and sent to affected families.
Beshear also cited the “love and support” of donors, noting “we can come together in troubling times and give a lift to our friends and neighbors. In Kentucky we say ‘we will get through this, we’ll get through this together.’ Thank you for caring and contributing in our time of need.”
Steve Crowley (right) and sons sold t-shirts downtown.
Edward Thompson is the beloved minister of music at Westport’s Unitarian Church.
He does far more than pick songs and direct the choir. He’s a working composer. On Saturday, February 26 (8 p.m., Unitarian Church of Westport), New York’s Choral Chameleon offers the world premiere of his 12-movement choral piece “Step into the Night.” A jazz quartet will join the voices.
Thompson wrote the work in response to situations like the pandemic, filled with isolation and fear. It includes elements of both the classical tradition and jazz.
Tickets are $25 each, available online and at the door.
There is always something new at Finding Westport.
Jillian Elder has just added t-shirts (short and long sleeve), tanks, hoodies, tumblers, totes and mugs with 2 designs: the Minute Man in an “Interstate” crest (click here to see and order) and “I Really Miss Westport” (click here).
Alison Milwe Grace wears two toques. She’s a highly regarded culinary teacher at Staples High School. And her AMG Catering offers not just food for every event, but cooking classes.
Now she’s a television star. News12 Connecticut is featuring her, offering 5 favorite recipes, like honey-glazed chicken thighs and mussels with garlic toast. Click here to see (and then cook!).
At least, it looked like that to Katja Gabrielson. When she posted this image — which I’m stealing as the “Westport … Naturally” image today — on Facebook, many users chimed in that they thought exactly the same thing.
Longtime “06880” readers George, Bev and Jeff Bullwinkel were not available for comment.
We have the State of the Union speech, and the clumsily named State of the State speech.
But what about Westport?
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein address the “State of the Town” on Sunday, February 6 (2 p.m., Westport Library).
The pair will review accomplishments during the past year, and preview some upcoming initiatives. A question and answer session will follow, led by RTM moderator Jeffrey Wieser.
Questions may be emailed before and during the State of the Town to WestportSOTT@gmail.com.
The event will be livestreamed on www.westportct.gov, and broadcast on public access channels 79 (Optimum) and 6020 (Frontier). Click here to register for in-person attendance or a Zoom link. The event is co-sponsored by Westport Sunrise Rotary and the Westport Rotary Club.
What’s the state of our town? Find out on February 6. (Photo/JC Martin)
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist — and 1991 Staples High School graduate — Lynsey Addario spent nearly 3 years photographing Marieke Vervoort as she prepared to die. The Belgian woman — a Paralympics gold medalist as a wheelchair sprinter — suffered from a painful degenerative muscular disease.
Under Belgian law, she chose to end her life. Addario’s 2019 New York Times story was raw, intimate and powerful. She also wrote about what the reporting and photography of that story meant to her, personally.
Yesterday, the Times released a podcast of that story. Addario revisits that story, and all its emotions, in a riveting episode. Click here to access it. (Hat tip: John Hartwell)
In her final hours, Marieke Vervoort embraces her parents. (Photo/ copyright Lynsey Addario for New York Times)
The Joggers Club Jr. is back for a 2nd season of fun.
Youngsters in kindergarten through 8th grade can train with accomplished athletes, including speed and strength coaches.
It “runs” (ho ho) Sundays (2 to 3:15 p.m.), from April 3 to May 22, at the Staples High School track. The cost is $49 for Joggers Club members, $99 for non-members.
The camp is open to only 35 runners, and sold out last year. To join, Venmo @TheJoggersClub.ct.
Registration opens this Sunday (January 30, 6 a.m.). Click here, then complete the waiver under the “Members” section. Once that is complete, email the name and age of the registration to TheJoggersClub@gmail.com. Confirmation will be sent within a day.
Speaking of jogging: It’s a good way to work off any extra pounds from The Cheesecake Collection.
Westporter Anthoula Pantzos now makes beautiful, custom — and superb — cheesecakes. She grew up around the desserts — including at her family’s Greek restaurant in Stamford — and her husband (a chef) makes them too.
They come in Classic, Trendy and Seasonal varieties. Customers can also build their own. Pantzos offers 8-inch and 10-inch cheesecakes, plus mini-cakes, cheesecake bars, and special items for Valentine’s Day. Click here for the website.
Pick-up is available with 2 days’ notice. Free delivery is available on Saturdays, within a 10-mile radius of Westport.
Click here for the full story on CTBites. (Hat tip: Christine Meiers Schatz)
Anthoula Pantzos, with one of her cheesecakes. (PHoto courtesy of CTBites.com)
Speaking of food: A Westport bagel maker has made the New York Post‘s list of “the most sought-after pastries at NYC’s best bakeries.” The paper says:
“Putting it bluntly, New Yorkers are begging for these bagels. Popup Bagels, a subscription-based bakery with roots in Westport, Connecticut, won the vaunted title of best bagel at the Brooklyn BagelFest last October.
“Owner Adam Goldberg, 47, told The Post that his bagels’ ‘fun collaborations and freshness’ make them real winners. His recent ‘awesome flavors’ range from dill pickle and caramelized onion to Utz Cheese Ball powder and Mike’s Hot Honey.”
As of this week, the FCIAC is allowing non-parent fans back into winter high school sports events.
The Staples gym was packed last night, for the first time in 2 years. Students from the home team and Wilton were equally raucous in support of their squad, 2 of the top in the league. The Warriors prevailed 50-47 in overtime.
The 2021-22 Staples High School boys basketball team.
The link provided by AAPI Westport for the February 5 Lunar New Year celebration (Westport Weston Family YMCA, 1 p.m.) was broken. Registration is requested, but not required. Click here for the correct link.
Dale Eyerly Colson — a Westport resident for over 60 years, and a 1963 Staples High School graduate — died last week in Pittsboro, North Carolina. She was 76.
While studying sociology and economics at Salem College in Winston-Salem, she met West Point Cadet Robert Colson on a blind date before the Army-Navy football game. In June of 1967, they both graduated college and were married — all in the same week.
During 54 years of marriage they lived in 7 states, courtesy of the US Army. They were apart only while Robert served in Vietnam.
When he left the Army in 1976 they returned to Connecticut. Dale joined Travelstar, a full-service travel agency started by her mother. She was influential in the industry. She wrote “View from the Bilge,” a humorous column that ran regularly in a travel industry trade publication, and started the Cruise Compendium, which offered training to travel agents who hoped to specialize in cruises.
When her mother retired, Dale took over Travelstar and led the agency to a national award.
After closing the agency in 2003, she worked for 10 years with Tauck World Discovery as a proofreader and fact checker. Her work in the travel industry was matched by her love of travel itself. She visited relatives in England and Scotland, and traveled to 5 continents.
In 2013, Dale and Robert moved to Fearrington Village in Pittsboro. Their home became known as the “house on the edge of the deep, dark woods.” Friends on social media read frequent accounts of her adventures there.
She was active in her community, editing the newsletter for Women of Fearrington, volunteering in elementary schools in Chapel Hill and Chatham County, and singing first alto with the Fearrington Village Singers.
Dale is survived by Robert; daughter Amanda (David) of Chapel Hill; granddaughters Claire of Berlin, Germany and Lucy of Chapel Hill; sister Beth van Dijk of Little Britain, Ontario, and many nieces and nephews.
Because she made an anatomical gift to Duke Medical School, no funeral arrangements are planned. Those wishing to honor her life may make donations to the Jordan-Matthews Arts Foundation in Siler City, NC or CORA Food Bank in Pittsboro, NC, 2 organizations she supported.
And finally … on this date in 1858, Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” ws played at the marriage of Queen Victoria’s daughter (also named Victoria), and Friedrich of Prussia. It’s still heard 164 years later, at nearly every wedding, everywhere.
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On Friday, “06880” proudly posted a photo by Pulitzer Prize-winner (and Staples High School graduate) Lynsey Addario. Showing misery in South Sudan, it was one of the New York Times’ top photos of 2021.
Yesterday, another of her images — from a different continent — was featured. By another prestigious publication
National Geographic gave star treatment — and a lengthy explanation — to this shot.
Lynsey sure gets around. And she continues to make her hometown proud. (Hat tip: Chuck Greenlee)
SIR Development’s Rob Haroun responds to yesterday’s photo of trees that were recently cut on Hideaway Lane, off Hillspoint Road. He says:
“The 7 or 8 trees, most of which are on town property as shown in the Google Earth photo and acknowledged by the Westport tree warden, were all posted for removal. No one objected.
“After the requisite period of time and with permission from the tree warden, the trees were removed, some by the town. This was due to the extreme hazard to walkers and vehicles and the lack of maintenance over many years both by the town and the prior owner of 149 Hillspoint.
“The Google Earth photo (below) shows how the trees in the background leaned perilously over Hillspoint Road. Even though most of them were town trees, the tree warden requires replacement trees, from the town-approved list, which will be planted in the fall.
“Additionally, the ‘after’ photo (below) was not taken from the same vantage point as the Google Earth photo, as it does not show the remaining trees on both the left and right sides of Hideaway Lane.”
It’s hardly a surprise that Tyler Hicks and Lynsey Addario — Staples High School’s 2 Pulitzer Prize-winning photographers — have images in this year’s “Year in Pictures” supplement.
Tyler’s was taken on July 12 in Herat, Afghanistan.
(Photo/Tyler Hicks for New York Times)
Tyler says: “This photograph was taken at a checkpoint where Afghan police were inspecting vehicles arriving from nearby Taliban controlled villages. As cars were stopped and checked I turned and saw that a family who was fleeing that area was packed into a car with a girl looking out the back window, back toward where they had come from. I could see the concern in her face and to me that’s what stood out about this moment.
“Although only one person is seen in this photograph, her face says everything about what was soon to come. You can always tell what’s coming by the mood of the population. There was an urgency among the people that was obvious. This is when it became clear to me that there would be no turning back the events that followed.”
Lynsey’s photo was shot on October 26 in Paliau, South Sudan.
(Photo/Lynsey Addario for New York times)
She says: “I was traveling with UNICEF through this very flooded area of South Sudan. It was the first time people had been given masks and they were trying them on. There is so much flooding, malaria, hunger. Covid is not first and foremost on peoples’ minds.”
Congratulations to Tyler and Lynsey, on their superb images. Let’s hope they’ll be able to capture more pleasant and peaceful scenes for the 2022 Year in Pictures.
If you’re heading to tonight’s Christmas Eve services at Greens Farms Church: you’ll need to register in advance (click here). COVID restrictions will keep each service — at 4:30, 6 and 9 p.m. — below the 180-seat meetinghouse capacity.
Each service will last about 30 minutes, and include opportunities for participation by children. All services feature candlelight, too.
Masks are required in the meetinghouse. Congregants are asked to arrive early, for check-in.
Greens Farms Congregational Church (Photo/Candace Dohn Banks)
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Dozens of Westporters took time from hectic last-minute shopping yesterday, to contribute toys, books, coats and fundsto OneWestport’s collection. All donations will be given to Person to Person, the Fairfield County organization serving needing families.
James Dobin-Smith — founder of Staples High School’s OneWestport Club — says, “We were overwhelmed by how many people showed up. A 1st grader named George Gitto used the allowance he had saved up for months to buy picture books to donate from Barnes & Noble. We even got a cash donation from England!
“Thank you, everyone. We can’t wait to deliver the gifts on Christmas Eve!”
Congratulations to club members Dobin Smith, Caroline Caggiano, Isabelle Ormsby, Ian Patton, Cooper Sadler and Melanie Stanger.
OneWestport Club members with donations (from left): Melanie Stanger (with the two stuffed animals) and Ian Patton, Isabelle Ormsby, Cooper Sadler & me. Caroline Caggiano also volunteered but isn’t pictured.
More than 55 years after graduating from Staples, Rob Carlson still writes and records music. He’s better than ever. And he’s doing it with great local talent.
His latest effort was assembled over the last 3 years. With some new and some new recordings of older songs, it’s called simply “Rob Carlson.” It’s typically eclectic: folk, rock, jazz, pop, Americana, R&B, comedy and reggae.
COVID enabled Rob to record with other non-gigging greats like Westport session guitarist Jeff Southworth, jazz keyboardist Chris Coogan, and old friends like Jon Gailmor.
Yes — the legendary Carlson & Gailmor duo, whose long-out-of-print Polydor record is one of the all-time, hard-to-believe-it-never-made-it great records — is back together for a bit.
“Rob Carlson” is on Spotify, YouTube and other streaming services. The CD or tracks can be bought at Rob’s Online Store, or downloaded from Bandcamp.com. Find out more about the songs and artists by clicking here.
This month, the Greens Farms Garden Club’s annual wreath-making workshop and lunch was special. They surprised long-time member Mary Lou McGuire with a Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut life membership.
She was cited for her many years of service, depth of experience, and breadth of talents in chairing and serving on almost all positions in the club.
All wreaths made by club members were donated to local non-profit groups.
Greens Farms Garden Club past [resident Ann Watkins, current president Kathy Mitchell, and Mary Lou McGuire
Friends and relatives of Kuti Zeeva gathered last Sunday for a memorial soccer game, at PJ Romano Field.
Zeevi — a stalwart member of the Late Knights men’s soccer team, and a popular jeweler in town — was killed 10 years ago this month, in a robbery at his Compo Shopping Center store.
Regular and former players joined younger ones — including Kuti’s 10-year-old grandson — for soccer and stories. He lives on in the hearts of many. (Hat tip: Alex Anvari)
And finally … if you never heard Carlson & Gailmor sing together in their all-too-brief heyday time together after Staples, you missed some beautiful music.
Here — thanks to the magic of the interwebs — they live again.
Longshore Sailing School has a great reputation. The staff is knowledgeable, courteous, friendly and hardworking. Even when they’re swamped (ho ho), they handle everyone — students, renters, people who have no idea what they want — with care and concern.
So things must have gotten really bad for them to post this last Saturday, on social media:
The physical and emotional well-being of our staff and customers is our number one priority. We reserve the right to ask any renter/student to cease visiting our facility if their behavior is deemed to be inappropriate, especially when directed at another customer or Longshore Sailing School employee.
After dozens of “likes,” they added:
We love what we do, and we lover our staff. When you visit, we ask for kindness and readiness for a good time! Get ready for a stellar Sunday! Forecast is looking gorgeous.
It was a great weekend. Let’s hope whoever has been harassing the staff got the message, and took a hike.
Or at least took their obnoxious, entitled behavior elsewhere.
Deputy Fire Chief Michael Kronick is back in Westport. He just completed a 2-week wildfire assignment with the Connecticut Interstate Fire Crew, battling wildfires in Minnesota and Montana.
Westport Fire Chief Robert Yost says, “I’m proud to welcome back our deputy, who epitomizes Westport’s values of sacrifice and service to others. When communities and states need help, we can support our neighbors in their time of crisis battling dangerous wildfires. The experience and knowledge he gained in working a large-scale incident are invaluable to us.”
Deputy Fire Chief Michael Kronick, in action out west.
Silver Ribbon — for 45 years, a favorite destination for jewelry and more — will shut its doors in the small shopping plaza next to Fortuna’s when its merchandise is gone.
Signs outside say “Going Out of Business.” Inside, they talk about a “Retirement Sale.”
Good quality goods, at all price points, are still available.
The headline on yesterday’s Atlantic story was strong: “The Taliban’s Return is Catastrophic for Women.”
The subhead was even stronger: “As a photojournalist covering Afghanistan for two decades, I’ve seen how hard the country’s women have fought for their freedom, and how much they have gained. Now they stand to lose everything.”
The byline read “Lynsey Addario.” As usual, the Staples High School Pulitzer Prize- and MacArthur “genius grant”-winning photojournalist delivered even more than she promised.
Click here to read the full, harrowing piece. (Hat tip: Kathie Motes Bennewitz)
An Afghan woman (Photo/Lynsey Addario, courtesy of The Atlantic)
The talented writer/producer /creator of Starz’ “Power” franchise — and 1994 Staples High School graduate — has just signed a “high 8-figure overall deal” with Netflix. She’ll “create new series, and develop other projects for a global audience through her End of Episode banner,” says Deadline. Click here for the full story. (Hat tip: Judith Hamer)
COVID knocked the Westport Writers’ Workshop classes onto Zoom. But now they’re back — and in a great new location.
The new gallery-like teaching and event space is 25 Sylvan Road South — just down the hill from the previous site. It’s perfect for workshops, readings, publishing events and collaborations with other nonprofits.
Remote options are still available. Click here for fall schedules — and mark your calendars for an open house on September 9 (6 to 8 p.m.).
Piglet — Westport’s very famous deaf, blind rescue puppy — will appear with Melissa Shapiro, the veterinarian who made him famous — at the 3rd annual Smart Walk for Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities. The event is October 3, at Sherwood Island State Park.
Shapiro will talk (and Piglet will watch) about her new best-selling book, “Piglet: The Unexpected Story of a Deaf, Blind, Pink Puppy and His Family.”
“We can’t wait to share a little positive Piglet Mindse with everyone after the walk,” Shapiro says.
The Smart Walk is a day of crafts, games, music, ice cream — and the fundraising walk. Click here for more information, and to register.
Longtime Westporter Barbara Reis has spent over 50 years writing musicals.
They’ve been produced at the White Barn Theater, Fairfield Playhouse, Orpheum in New York and others.
She and collaborator Nancy Tobin have just completed “My Millionaire.” The musical is based on a Mark Twain short story.
They believe a presentation at Mark Twain’s former house would be great. They’re also looking for other ideas. Unfortunately, her agent has died. So she’s looking for help from “06880” readers, to move the show along.
If you’ve got ideas — or are interested in learning more — email barbarasmusic@sbcglobal.net
And finally … Nanci Griffith died last Friday, at 68. The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter “kept one foot in folk and the other in country, and was blessed with a soaring voice equally at home in both genres,” the New York Times says. Click here for a full obituary.
Paul Newman. Joanne Woodward. Bette Davis. Christopher Plummer. Martha Stewart. Phillip Addario.
Which name does not belong on that list?
None! All are current or former Westporters. All share the spotlight.
If you don’t recognize the last name, you must not be a real resident. As countless devoted clients and friends can tell you, Phillip — he goes by only one name, like Madonna or Pele — is the real deal.
Phillip Addario (Photo/Lynsey Addario)
For nearly 60 years Phillip’s Coiffure, Phillip’s of Westport and — since 1988, Phillip Bruce Salon — have been the go-to studios for Westporters as famous as movie stars, and as normal as my mother.
Phillip treated them all the same. He made them all look beautiful (or handsome).
On August 28, Phillip hangs up his scissors. He’ll turn off his blow dryer.
His birthday is the next day. Phillip turns 80. He’s ready to not stand for 8 hours a day.
It’s time to be with his family, travel, and tend to his beloved orchid collection and epic gardens.
His dedicated and fiercely loyal clients are as devastated to see him go as his husband Bruce, daughters Lauren, Lisa, Lesley and Lynsey, and 6 grandchildren are to have him for the next chapter in their lives.
Hairdressing has been Phillip’s life since his teenage years. At 17 — immediately after graduating from Hamden High School — he headed to Elm City Beauty Academy in New Haven.
In 1958 he was hired by Charles of the Ritz on Westport’s Main Street.
Five years later he partnered with his then-wife (and fellow beauty school graduate) Camille to open Phillip’s Coiffure.
Phillip and Camille Addario in 1973, celebrating the 10th anniversary of their salon.
The Post Road spot, across from Playhouse Square, was ahead of its time. It was among the first high-end salons to feature a “star hairdresser” — Phillip — who charged top dollar for styles that were customized “works of art,” rather than traditional cuts. He was often booked 6 months in advance, with customers from all over the area.
With a staff of 40, he spent 20 years tending to the locks of many A-list names. Christopher Atkins’ famously permed blond look was born at Phillip’s.
Generations of movie-goers remember Christopher Atkins in “Blue Lagoon.” Few know that Phillip Addario created his look.
In 1988 Phillip opened Phillip Bruce Salon near the old Pier 1, with Bruce Chapman, his longtime partner (they are now married). Today, the salon is located behind the Fire Department headquarters.
Bruce is not retiring. He will continue to work as a colorist.
Bruce Chapman and Phillip Addario.
As for Phillip: His many clients will lose a gifted hairdresser.
“He approaches his work the same way a fashion designer might create a new piece of clothing — matching fabric shape with body type,” his website says. “In Phillip’s case though, body type is replaced by face shape.
“The basis for his success is his ability to look at each client, and get an intuitive sense of who the person is — what defines him or her — and capture that essence with a distinctive style.
“He won’t stop until he’s achieved absolute perfection. In Phillip’s eyes, every head is a potential canvas for not only a work of art, but an accentuation of life.”
Life continues for Phillip Addario. But, untold numbers of Westporters know, it won’t be the same without him standing behind them, creating art one head at a time.
Phillip Addario and his employees, rocking the early ’80s look.
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