For decades, the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge and Jesup Green have been the site of political rallies.
Many are controversial: Vietnam. Iraq. Black Lives Matter.
Today’s drew more than 200 people, in a united show force. Democrats, Republicans, independents; men, women, children; Americans, Ukrainians, and immigrants centuries ago and yesterday from many other lands; a US Senator, a Congressman, and their constituents.
Congressman Jim Himes and Senator Richard Blumenthal, with constituents. One had a very pointed message. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
All had one message: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is abhorrent.
Holding signs supporting Ukraine, denouncing Vladimir Putin, and bearing QR codes with ways to support the invaded nation, they stood quietly but purposefully.
Listening intently at Jesup Green. (Photo)Susan Woog Wagner)
The past week has shocked the globe. In nearly every nation, people have gathered to express outrage and sorrow, and show solidarity.
Senator Richard Blumenthal met Ukrainian President Valodymyr Zelensky 6 weeks ago. “Putin has badly miscalculated this man,” Blumenthal said.
Senator Richard Blumenthal addresses the crowd. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
Blumenthal added that he told Zelensky, “Your values are America’s values. And today, we are all Ukrainians.”
Congressman Jim Himes called Russia’s invasion “something we did not think we’d see in this century, or this world. This is not a distant fight. Our parents fought against communism. Our grandparents fought against fascism. It’s time now for us to do our part.”
Many came dressed in Ukrainian colors. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker said: “Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they fight for their country, their democracy and their lives. Their incredible courage and resolve, and that of President Zelensky and the Ukrainian government, has galvanized and inspired the world – and Westport.”
Other speakers included Westporter Stephan Taranko, who described the terrors his Ukrainian family felt previously at the hands of the Russian government, and Yaroslav Palylyk, president of the Westchester chapter of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.
Some attendees noted their Ukrainian roots, or of similar heritage.
Other nations have suffered under Russian rule too. These Georgians showed solidarity on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
This was not a large demonstration, like Times Square or Berlin. It did not require the bravery of last weekend’s protests in the streets of Moscow.
But it was Westport’s way of showing that we do not live in a bubble. And of doing our part to let the Ukrainian people know that we are one town among many that stands with them.
Westport Police Chief Foti Koskinas and his daughters were at today’s rally, with a sunflower. It’s the national flower of Ukraine. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
(Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
Darcy Hicks (shown here with her husband Josh Koskoff) helped organize today’s rally. Darcy’s brother Tyler Hicks, a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times photographer, is chronicling the devastation. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
Miggs Burroughs — who is of Ukrainian descent — holds a sign he designed. The QR code opens a link for donations to help Ukrainian relief organizations. (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
(Photo/Jimmy Izzo)
The crowd on Jesup Green (Photo/Susan Woog Wagner)
(Photo/Ted Horowitz)
Saugatuck Elementary School students joined in too. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Westport artist Mark Yurkiw — whose parents fled the Ukraine in 1949 — decorated the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge with fabric. Blue and yellow are Ukraine’s national colors. (Photo/Dan Woog)
A technical glitch has caused some “06880” readers to fall off the subscriber list. If you’ve been receiving our emails regularly — no problem.
But you may have friends or relatives who are not getting them. So they’re not reading this. You can help.
If you know someone who says “I’m not getting my ‘06880!’,” please have them email 06880blog@gmail.com. I’ll send the info they need to get back on the list!
Today’s rally in support of Ukraine (Saturday, 11 a.m.) will have a special backdrop. Yesterday, the site — the downtown Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge — was decorated with blue and yellow fabric. As the world now knows, those are the colors of the nation now under siege.
Westport artist Mark Yurkiw — whose parents emigrated to the US in 1949 from Ukraine — conceived, designed and created it. He installed it yesterday, with help from Miggs Burroughs and Sal Liccione. Help with funding came from Stephan Taranko, another Westporter with Ukrainian heritage.
Ukrainian colors, on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
Years ago, Bobbi Essagof attended summer camp. Yesterday, the longtime Westporter received an email from the current owner. He passed along information from a camp family with ties to Ukraine. It offered several ways for Americans to help:
Yesterday’s “06880” story on Westport’s FY 2023 town budget said that the first 2 Board of Finance meetings about it would be held March 8 and 9.
Yesterday, those meetings were canceled. BOF chair Sheri Gordon says the delay to discuss the operating budget is caused because the Board of Education has not yet presented its working capital plan.
A Finance Board discussion will be held as scheduled with the BOE on March 10 (and beyond as needed) to allow the town and Board of Ed to come up with a realistic capital budget. Once that is done, discussions will proceed on the town’s operating and capital budgets.
88 houses closed in Westport over the past 3 months (December through February).
That’s a 40% decrease from the same time a year ago. But it’s still the 2nd-most closings for the period since 2005.
Houses spent 78 days on the market — and buyers on average paid 101.4% of the list price. The average closing price during that 3-month period was $1,952,335, up 9.1% from the previous year.
There were 91 active listings at the end of February. (Hat tip: Roe Colletti, Brown Harris Stevens)
This house at 50 Compo Mill Cove is on the market for $13.5 million.
Good news for fans of The Cottage — particularly those in Greenwich, Stamford and Westchester.
Chef Brian Lewis’ 2nd location opens at 49 Greenwich Avenue (Greenwich) on March 22.
The seasonal menu features classic dishes from The Cottage Westport, including Wagyu beef brisket steam buns, duck fried rice and The Cottage Burger, along with new small plates for sharing, house made pasta, signature items, vegetable-centric dishes and gluten-free options. also heart into every dish and drink that is served to a guest.”
Westport architect Rick Hoag collaborated with Lewis on a modern interpretation of the intimate Westport location. For more information, click here.
Tonight, Westporter Suzanne Tanner promotes world peace and harmony, with a benefit performance of 1970s love songs, Broadway ballads and selections from her original solo musicals. It’s set for 7 p.m. at the JCC in Sherman.
Proceeds will benefit environmental initiatives, and aid to Ukraine.
As the Ukrainian refugee crisis worsens, a long-planned International Women’s Day event seems especially timely.
This Tuesday (March 8, 7 p.m., Westport Library, in-person and Zoom), the United Nations Association Southwest Chapter hosts “The Refugee Experience.” Aid workers will discuss how the process works in Connecticut — specifically, how it affects women. Click here for details.
For the past few days, Westporters have watched citizens around the globe rally in support of Ukraine.
We get our own chance this Saturday.
The Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge — the go-to site for local political activity — is the site March 5, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The theme is “Stand With Ukraine.”
The event’s organizers — DefenDemocracy CT — say: “Represent. Bring signs. Be safe.”
Westport’s Mexican dining scene — already hot, with everything from “mama y papa” (Border Grille, Cuatro Hermanos) and fast-casual (Salsa Fresca) to upscale (Mexica) and of course old standbys (Viva Zapata, Bartaco) — gets another player soon.
Mexicue moves into the 2nd floor of 38 Main Street. The newly designed space was formerly occupied — in a much different configuration — by Bobby Q’s and Onion Alley.
Founder Thomas Kelly — who does not sound as if he’s from south of the border — writes on Mexicue’s website that he began by mixing a street food sensibility with fine dining. His experimenting, mixing and combining has led to Mexicues in New York City (Chelsea, NoMad, Midtown), Stamford and Washington, DC. Besides Westport, another is in the works in Bethesda, Maryland.
Westport artist Mark Yurkiw’s parents emigrated to the US from Ukraine, in 1949. They had spent years in displaced persons’ tent camps.
As a teenager during World War II, Mark’s mother was enslaved .For almost 50 years, the United Nations paid slave labor reparations to her.
Mark was born in New York, but his first language is Ukrainian. He has followed the news from his parents’ homeland closely, and fearfully. He knows its history well.
Mark says: “To get a sense of what Ukraine has endured, watch the film Mr. Jones. It is a true story about a British reporter trying to warn the world about what is now referred to the Holodomor during the early 1930s, when Stalin starved Ukraine and untold millions died.
“The rise and acceptance of the ruling authoritarians around the world is the most frightening aspect of our times. What is happening now in Ukraine will affect the whole world for years to come.”
WestportMoms reports that in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, BevMax has taken Russian vodka off its shelves. Instead, the chain is encouraging customers to buy vodka from Ukraine.
Today’s New York Times features a compelling photo from 1988 Staples High School graduate Tyler Hicks. It shows civilian volunteers sorting empty bottles in a parking lot in Dnipro, Ukraine. They’ll be used for Molotov cocktails.
Following CDC guidelines, superintendent of schools Thomas Scarice announced yesterday that students are no longer required to wear masks on school buses or vans. Anyone wishing to continue wearing them may do so.
Speaking of sports: With spring almost here*, the Joggers Club is warming up some great program.
The Kids Running Camp for kindergarten through 8th grade runs (ho ho) Sundays, April 3 through May 29 (Staples high School track, 2 to 3:15 p.m.). It’s $40 for members, $99 for non-members.
The Minute Man 10K Build-Up Series is Saturdays throughout April (Compo Beach, 8 a.m.); free for members.
Track Night (every Wednesday, Norwalk High School, 6:15 p.m.) and Fun Run (every Saturday, Compo Beach, 8 a.m.)) are both free for members.
Click here for more information, and membership ($50 per year; includes a free Brooks technical running shirt). Instagram: @TheJoggersClub.CT.
“What is a healthy fat?” “Should I do a juice cleanse?” “How can I improve my diet?” “Are all carbs bad”?
Dietician and wellness expert Katie Andrews answers those questions and more tomorrow (March 1, 7 p.m., TAP Strength Lab, 180 Post Road East). She’ll cover the basics of healthy nutrition, from macro and micronutrient needs, to how to manage a healthy diet.
It’s free; please RSVP to nancy@tapstrength.com. The first 30 people to respond get a free ready-to-eat chef-crafter meal from Azuluna.
Because of an online glitch and snow that prevented hand delivery of essays difficult, TEAM Westport has extended the deadline for its Teen Diversity Contest to Wednesday, March 2.
Click here for full details, and an application form.
Fulvio Vladimir Dobrich — a longtime Westporter, and husband of civic volunteer Maggie Mudd — died earlier this month in a sailing accident off the British Virgin Islands. He was 74.
His family writes: “Fulvio was a larger-than-life figure, a successful multi-lingual international financier who was energetic and ever-curious, with a strong grasp of world history and politics.
“He felt most at peace roaming the world on his beloved S/Y Istria.
“Youthful, adventurous and endowed with a passionate and enduring zest for life and risk unusual for a man of his age, he influenced the lives of many, showing them extraordinary generosity, warmth, moral support and always a guiding sense of greater possibility.
“Everybody could count on Fulvio for help. His devoted friends are spread across the globe.
“A teen emigrant who left a poor Istrian village in Croatia with his family to escape Communism, Fulvio became an ardent New Yorker, intensely proud of his public school education in Hell’s Kitchen and at City College, where he was a devoted alumnus.
“He served on the Advisory Council and the Board of Visitors of CCNY’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, and was a member of City College’s 21st Century Foundation board.
“He also created the Fulvio V. Dobrich New American Scholarship Fund. He instituted a similar program for first generation students at Wake Forest University.
“An anti-snob, he held an abiding compassion for the many worthy deprived of privilege or opportunity.”
In addition to Maggie Mudd, his wife of 27 years, he is survived by their sons, Jack Dobrich of New York and Andrew Dobrich of Los Angeles, and his daughter from an earlier marriage, Erin Dobrich of Westport.
In addition, a celebration of Fulvio’s life will be held at City College, New York, at a date to be determined.
And finally … yesterday we noted the death of Sally Kellerman, “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the original “MASH” movie.
On this day in 1983, the final TV episode of “M*A*S*H” aired. Almost 106 million viewers tuned in. Nearly 40 years later, that’s still the record for highest viewership of a season finale.
Anyone who saw that emotionally stunning 2-hour show recognizes the key role Mozart’s “Quintet for Clarinet and Strings” played in that memorable broadcast.
And if you haven’t seen it — or want to watch it again — click below. War is indeed hell.
Posted onJanuary 29, 2022|Comments Off on 0*6*Art*Art*0 — Week 95 Gallery
This week, nearly half of our featured artists are new to our online gallery.
Here’s a warm “06880” welcome to Staples High School graduate Dennis Jackson; Jason Osterhout, a 1991 Staples grad now living in Burlington, Vermont, whose works were recently shown at Steam by the train station; Loren Rubino, a teacher at One River and an art therapist at Sasco River Center; and Carl Schumann.
This gallery is open to all readers. Whatever your age and level of experience — professional or amateur, young or old. In every medium.
All genres are encouraged. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage and needlepoint — whatever you’ve got, email it to dwoog@optonline.net. Share your work with the world!
“Beaver Dam Road” — acrylic (Carl Schumann)
“What Now” (Mark Yurkiw)
“Caribbean Dreamin'” (Amy Schneider)
“Nature’s Artistic Design” (Larry Untermeyer)
Untitled (Loren Rubino)
“It’s All in the Mind: The Psychiatrist” (Brian Whelan)
“My Wife Maureen, Through a Glass Lightly” (Dennis Jackson)
“Philadelphia Rowhouse Where I Grew Up” (Lawrence Weisman)
Our first work this week is a photo, bringing us back to September 11, 2001. The second is a collagraph, focusing on our 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Those two submissions sum up the breadth and depth of “06880”‘s online gallery. Every week, we highlight the work of local artists in all mediums, and an enormous range of themes.
Whatever your age and level of experience — professional or amateur, young or old — this feature is open to everyone.
All genres and styles are encouraged too. Watercolors, oils, charcoal, pen-and-ink, acrylics, lithographs, macramé, jewelry, sculpture, decoupage (and now needlepoint) — whatever you’ve got, email it to dwoog@optonline.net. Share your work with the world!
At the end of an unfathomable year, art continues to amaze, inspire, provoke, entertain and soothe.
Keep sending your work. We’ll keep featuring it. Whatever form suits your mood — we want it. You don’t have to be a pro, or even experienced. Send it all!
Art should be inspired by, relevant to, or somehow, in some way, connected to our current lives. Student submissions of all ages are especially welcome. So are artists who have not submitted before.
Email dwoog@optonline.net, to share your work with the world.
Untitled (Mark Yurkiw)
“Alexa’s Flame” (Larry Gordon)
“Bill Harley, Staples High School Class of 1972” (Eric Bosch)
Last week it was Halloween. This week it’s Election Day.
But there’s always autumn. At least, for a week or two more.
Our Saturday gallery welcomes submissions from all artists. NOTE: Works should be inspired by, relevant to, or somehow, in some way, connected to our current lives. Student art of all ages is especially welcome.
Email dwoog@optonline.net, to share your work with the world.
“VOTE” (Amy Schneider)
“Someday, Somehow” (Ellin Spadone)
“A Fish Out of Water” — Sherwood Island (Photo/Karen Weingarten)
“They Don’t Build Churches Like This Anymore” (Lawrence Weisman)
“Happy Tuesday” (Mark Yurkiw)
“Fall Colors, Southport” (Eric Cole)
“Where There are Differences, There are Also Similarities” (Lou Rolla)
Posted onJuly 4, 2020|Comments Off on 0*6*Art*Art*0 — Week 16 Gallery
A few 4th of July-themed works are featured in this week’s art gallery.
“06880” is finishing our 4th month featuring readers’ creations. As the world changes, your submissions are as important as ever.
Keep ’em coming. Professional, amateur, old, young — we want it all. Student works are particularly welcome!
The only rule: Your art must be inspired by, reflective of, or otherwise related to the times we’re going through. Email dwoog@optonline.net.
“Happy 4th of July!” (Amy Schneider)
“Welcome Back” (Lawrence Weisman)
Seth Schachter created this collage from discarded items he spotted, in and around downtown. “It’s sad to see litter like this (or any litter for that matter),” he says.”But of course it’s reflective of the times we live in.”
“Out for a Drive in the New Norm!” Bob Weingarten says, “While cleaning drawers, I found cars and figures that our grandkids used.” One result is this photograph.
“First Recital” (oil on canvas). Artist Cindy Wagner says, “I just watched my granddaughter perform a virtual dance recital. It’s still beautiful and made me smile, but I thought about how different it was from her past recitals.”
“The Golden Rule” (Mark Yurkiw)
Untitled. Larry Untermeyer shot this tight closeup of the pistils from within a single bloom of a wild tiger lily that grows on his patio.
It’s a familiar scene on Main Street: A tenant moves out. Landlords leave the space vacant for a long time, searching for the perfect replacement. Or at least, someone willing to pay the sky-high rent.
But take a look at #1. One of the most visible properties downtown — it’s in the old library building, at the Post Road intersection across from Taylor Place — it was formerly the site of Calypso. The “luxury lifestyle brand” moved out more than 2 years ago.
The space is still available. But for the past few months, it’s been occupied — very vibrantly — by a pop-up art gallery.
#1 Main Street
Pop’TArt is the brainchild of Mark Yurkiw. A longtime Westporter and physicist by training, he spent his career helping Fortune 500 companies launch products and services. Part of that involved creating story-telling sculptures for media outlets like Newsweek and Fortune.
His works include a rendition of the Capitol. Commissioned by the George W. Bush White House, it was signed by 256 members of Congress.
In 1995 Yurkiw created a piece of a real estate developer named Donald Trump. He had bought a hotel on Columbus Circle, and wanted to brand it with his name.
A few months ago, in a conversation with fellow Westport artists Miggs Burroughs and Amy Kaplan, Yurkiw learned that Rick Yarmy was looking for a way to champion local artists.
Yarmy’s is the longtime property manager for Win Properties. They handle #1 Main Street (and many other retail spaces across the country).
Yurkiw called. He told Yarmy his idea: a gallery with works that would push visitors to think about current news and headlines.
Yarmy said “sure!”
Yurkiw found a curator. Jennifer Haviland was working in Southampton. But she took a leap of faith, and moved here.
Together, they set out to find local artist who could create or re-purpose pieces to fit a theme.
The current show — called “Words Matter,” because each work’s title is important — includes some of Yurkiw’s own previous efforts. His Capitol sculpture, for example, is called “Re-Birth of a Nation.” Recalling D.W. Griffith, with an egg shape that suggests birth.
Mark Yurkiw with “Re-Birth of a Nation.” Behind him is another work: “New National Bird.” It’s a monarch butterfly.
Yurkiw froze his own passport. He calls it “Passport on ICE.” It’s provocative. But — as with every piece in the show — Yurkiw says, “people can decide how or what to feel for themselves.”
“Passport on ICE,”
Another example: a monarch butterfly, called “New National Bird.” Some people may look at it and think about all the birds that are disappearing. Others might say, “They migrate from Mexico.” Or, “Oh, we now have a monarch.”
Chris Calle — who has designed 32 US stamps, many relating to space — contributed a diptych. Titled “Fragile,” the two parts — “Climate” and “Change” — show the earth from space, in two very different forms. One is lush; the other, arid.
Reaction to Pop’TArt has been excellent, Yurkiw says. And Yarmy — the landlord’s representative — is so excited at the chance to showcase art in an otherwise empty space that he’s talking with Yurkiw about moving the show to other properties.
The storefront is still for rent. But, Yurkiw says, Yarmy sees the gallery as an asset. Potential tenants are excited to see foot traffic, and can envision their own store there.
Curator Jennifer Haviland, with Steven Goldstein’s Paul Newman art.
Meanwhile, Yurkiw forges ahead. He’s spoken with Westport poet laureate Diane Lowman about doing readings at Pop’TArt.
“We want to bring as many artists here, of all kinds, for as long as we can,” he says.
And when #1 Main Street gets rented — well, there are plenty of other vacant storefronts downtown.
(Pop’TArt is open Thursday through Sunday, from 12 to 6 p.m.)
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!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
