Posted onJune 13, 2025|Comments Off on Lloyd Allen Grows “Organic” New Musical
Generations of Westporters know and love Lloyd Allen.
The eponymous owner of Double L Market (get it?) serves extra-fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs, bread, meat, fish, baked goods, soups, salads and flowers — and plenty of wisdom, about all of those and everything else — from his down-home store on Post Road East, next to Calise’s Deli.
Lloyd Allen, outside his Double L Market.
Some of his many customers/friends may know about Lloyd’s artistic side. When he moved from Texas in the early 1970s, he worked in the Metropolitan Opera’s millinery department.
He later designed and produced women’s clothing. When MTV launched, he wrote and produced their first fashion video.
And — hey, this is Westport!— Lloyd wrote “Being Martha,” a fan bio about you-know-who.
Now he’s got another project. Soon, we’ll see the fruits of his labor. “Screen Time” — a new musical Lloyd wrote — debuts at the Westport Library July 20.
It tells the story of Angie (a bookeworm) who meets Marshall (a coder) building Angela (an AI chatbot).
The humans fall in love. Marshall introduces Angie to his influencer friends. Cautious at first, she acquiesces. With Angela’s guidance, she becomes a viral influencer.
The cast includes many well known locals (and influencers). Among them: leads Emily Hall and Jayden Saenze, plus Zac Mathias, Stephanie Webster, Nina Clark, Megan Shinella, Meghan Hedge and Genie Morris. Eric Kupper is the musical director.
Emily Hall rocks “Screen Time.”
“Screen Time”‘s plot is as modern as it gets. But it’s been 20 years in the making.
Lloyd started on a musical 2 decades ago. He finally dusted it off, got past writer’s block (with help from Stephanie), and reworked it.
The original romcom was “20 years too early,” Lloyd says. The theme still works, though: “How do you stay in love while dealing with the good and bad sides of technology?”
The show is already on Instagram (@ScreenTimetheMusical). Fans can follow the production, as it builds to the Library launch.
“We’re adding to it all the time,” he says. “The whole thing is very organic.”
And organic is something Lloyd Allen — as a playwright and fresh produce store owner — knows very, very well.
(“06880” regularly covers local businesses, the arts, the Library — and their intersections. If you enjoy stories like this one, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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Herb Podel turns 100 this Saturday. Family and friends celebrated his birthday at Rizzuto’s yesterday.
He has lived in Westport since 1966 — nearly 60 years.
In that time Herb has embraced the local cultural and tennis scenes, and is now an avid participant at the Westport Senior Center.
He was an original occupant of the 35 Bridge Street building (after its conversion from Saugatuck Elementary School), and served as president of the co-op for over 10 years.
He now lives at The Residence at Westport. That’s where you can send “Happy 100th Birthday” cards: Herb Podel, c/o The Residence at Westport, 1141 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880.
Happy 100th, Herb Podel!
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Martha Stewart is back.
The lifestyle mogul — who kick-started her career in Westport, and later became America’s first self-made female billionaire — was the subject of 2 recent documentaries, on CNN and Netflix.
That introduced her to a new generation. They’re intrigued by all things Martha — including her first (of 100) book, “Entertaining.”
Published in 1982, it’s been long out of print. Copies have sold for more than $1,700 online.
Now it’s being reissued.
Her new fans see her as a “cool, badass woman,” she told The New York Times yesterday. Click here for the full story. (It includes a 1982 photo of Martha in her Turkey Hill kitchen.)
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Next month (Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m.), Temple Israel will host a screening “A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting.”
The HBO documentary will be followed by a panel discussion, about how security training saved lives that day.
Join us for a screening of HBO’s powerful documentary, A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, followed by a panel discussion to learn how security training saved lives that day.
Panelists include Stephen Weiss, who was in the building in 2018 when a gunman entered and killed 11 worshipers, and wounded 2 others and 4 police offices; Bryan Bierman, Temple Israel executive director who has grown it into a national gold standard for security practices, fostering strong partnerships with local and federal agencies, and Marc Silverman, acting US Attorney for Connecticut.
And finally … happy 88th birthday (!) to Roberta Flack.
(What better way to start your week than with Roberta Flack — and “06880”? If you enjoy our daily Roundup — or anything else on this hyper-local blog — please click here to support our work. Thanks!)
A “Red Flag” warning is in effect through 6 p.m. tonight. It’s issued during dangerous fire conditions due to strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures.
Any fire may spread quickly, and possibly out of control.
The Westport Fire Department says that outdoor fires are prohibited; cigarettes should be disposed of responsibility, and the public should call 911 immediately in the case of fire.
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AP has called the Pennsylvania Senate race for David McCormick.
The Republican ousted 3-term incumbent Democrat Bob Casey, after a campaign in which McCormick’s residency was scrutinized.
The former Bridgewater CEO — born and raised near Pittsburgh — owns a home on Beachside Avenue. Critics claimed that is where he spent most of his time, including during the early days of the campaign.
This year’s contest was the second most expensive race in the country.
Senator-elect David McCormick
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Like many Westporters, Carl Addison Swanson has noticed the 16 new signs (with blinking lights) (and other features) on Cross Highway, between North Avenue and Bayberry Lane.
There are plenty of places to get great Thanksgiving pies.
One of them includes a special treat: Every one you buy helps fight hunger.
Wakeman Town Farms’ “Thanksgiving Pies for Good” — a collaboration with Earth Animal’s Mitten Project — benefits CTFoodShares.
This year’s sale features freshly baked 9-inch pies: apple, apple crumb, blueberry, blueberry crumb, cherry, cherry crumb, and pumpkin. All are from Oronoque Farms.
Want something extra (and an extra helping of goodness for others)? Make your order à la mode, with Madagascar vanilla or bourbon brown sugar from Lindsay’s Handmade Ice Cream.
Pies are $20 each; ice cream is $20 per pint. Click here to order. The deadline is noon on November 22.
Pickup is Monday, November 25, 4 to 7 p.m. only at Wakeman Town Farm. Pies that are not picked up will be donated to local food pantries.
As for that other all-American food — pizza — Riko’s celebrates their arrival in Westport this Saturday (November 9, 2 to 4 p.m.), with a free festival.
The new restaurant — replacing Mystic Market (and before that, Blu Parrot, Jasmine and the Arrow restaurant) on Charles Street, opposite the railroad station parking lot and Luciano Park — will offer a bouncy house, face painting, temporary tattoos, balloon twisting, a photo booth and more.
Among the capital projects proposed for Westport: repairing the pedestrian bridge to Compo Cove, and the tidal gates there.
Yesterday, nearly half of the Representative Town Meeting took a field trip to the site, accessible only by a pedestrian bridge.
Department of Public Works director Pete Ratkiewich led the excursion. Last night, the appropriation was discussed at a meeting of the RTM’s Finance, Public Works and Environment Committees.
On Tuesday, the full body is the final vote on the $5.58 million request. It was approved unanimously Wednesday night by the Board of Finance.
RTM members on the Compo Cove pedestrian bridge. Moderator Jeff Wieser is at the far left. (Photo/Matt Murray)
Speaking of the Mill Pond, Larry Hoy sends this photo:
He writes: “A bucolic scene. But is it me, or has the cute little oyster farm at Old Mill turned into a full-blown industrial operation with 9 workers, generators and heavy equipment on several barges, harvesting and cleaning oysters to be sold to restaurants?
“I’m aware of the King’s Grant for the Mill Pond and parts of Long Island Sound here. But does that allow this level of noisy and questionably clean production to be done in what is essentially a residential neighborhood?
“The quiet walks on the Mill Pond bridge aren’t so peaceful and beautiful.”
“Martha” — R.J. Cutler’s documentary about the much-admired yet very controversial lifestyle guru/businesswoman/TV personality — is now on Netflix, after a series of film festival screenings.
Dave Briggs watched it, and caught a couple of references to her Westport years.
She calls it “the furthest commuting town from New York.”
As for Turkey Hill — the name she gave her home and garden on the road of the same name — “we had to have (it), to fix it up …. If I hadn’t had Turkey Hill I wouldn’t be me, right now. I would have been somebody else. I just wouldn’t have been Martha Stewart, homemaker.”
She also discusses her husband’s — and her own — infidelities during their marriage here.
So what does Martha think of “Martha”? Click here.
The sky’s the limit for the Westport Astronomical Society’s 2025 calendar.
It’s filled with great photos from amateur astro-photographers Michael Southam, Jasper Southam, Regina Olshan, Carol Quinn, Franco Fellah, Stuart Stakoff, Kurt Zeppetello, Celia Campbell-Mohn, Dana Weisbrot, Carl Lancaster, Phil Harrington, Louis Tancredi, Dr. Steven Labkoff and
The Westport Astronomical Society’s amateur astrophotographers found the best photons again this year with offerings from WAS members Michael Southam, Jasper Southam, Regina Olshan, Carol Quinn, Franco Fellah, Stuart Stakoff, Kurt Zeppetello, Celia Campbell-Mohn, Dana Weisbrot, Carl Lancaster, Phil Harrington, Louis Tancredi, Dr. Steven Labkoff and WAS president Shannon Calvert — plus daily astronomical data.
The cost is $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Shipping is $5 for 1-2 calendars, $10 for 3-5. Email kathy@was-ct.org; include your mailing address, and number of calendars requested. An invoice will be emailed back to you.
If you’ve been thinking, “Westport is a pretty great town, but what we really need is another nail spa”: Your prayers have been answered.
The oddly named Monday Nail Spa will move into the vacant space next to the Westport Post Office.
Probably not Monday. But soon.
(Photo/Molly Alger)
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STAR Lighting the Way has a new president: Westporter Doree Levy.
At the recent gala, she shared her vision for the future of the non-profit, which empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families.
Doree — a longtime STAR advocate — pledged to “do everything in my power to ensure that STAR will be there to watch over the young and the old, giving them the care and quality of life they deserve.”
New STAR president Doree Levy and her husband Bob are staunch supporters of the organization. (Photo/Miggs Burroughs)
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Today’s “Westport … Naturally” image is a gorgeous view of Winslow Park.
Photographer Mark Mathias calls it “a two-fer. First, regardless of one’s political leanings, voting for dogs is fun.
“Second, earlier this week the town mowed the big hill. All we need now is a good dumping of snow. An entire crop of kids with sleds will magically appear.”
(Photo/Mark Mathias)
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And finally … in honor of Westport’s favorite lifestyle guru:
(If you like this “taste” of Westport, please click here to support our work.)
Dozens of readers responded to Sunday’s “Cool Cohl Katz Contest.”
The Westport stylist to the stars offered her talents — a haircut and makeup application for women, a haircut and style for men — to 3 winners of a contest she and I cooked up.
We asked 3 trivia questions about famous current or past Westport or Weston residents. All of them have been (of course!) Cohl’s clients.
Then we put all the correct answers in a (stylish) hat, and drew 3 lucky winners.
Question #1:This former Westporter started out as a stockbroker. But that’s not where they gained the most fame.
This got the most correct responses: 47. The answer is (of course) Martha Stewart. (The most popular incorrect guess: James Comey).
Congratulations to the winner: Anne Leskow.
Martha Stewart and her former husband Andy, outside their Turkey Hill home.
Question #2: To prepare for his role as an emotionally destroyed soldier in a film that won him an Academy Award, this actor ate only bananas, water and rice for a month.
31 readers knew this was Christopher Walken, in “The Deer Hunter.” (Not Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise, also clients of Cohl’s.)
The winner is: Todd Pines.
Christopher Walken in “The Deer Hunter.”
Question #3: This musician has co-written 14 songs on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
Incorrect guesses were led by Nile Rodgers and Ashford & Simpson. The correct answer — known by 32 readers — is Keith Richards.
I thought that was a giveaway, because I mentioned “Rolling Stone” magazine. Oh well …
The winner of that prize is: Stacey Henske.
Keef
Congratulations to all 3. Cohl will be in touch, to arrange your style session.
Didn’t win, but want to feel like a star anyway? Email cohlita@yahoo.com.
(If you enjoyed this fun contest — or anything else, any day, on “06880′ — please consider a tax-deductible contribution. Just click here, to help us keep publishing “in style.” Thank you!)
Posted onFebruary 1, 2024|Comments Off on Roundup: Box Tree Moth, Martha & Miggs, Andrew Marchand …
Cindy Shumate — Westport’s garden designer extraordinaire — passes along this environmental warning from Paul Sztremer, the contractor in charge of planting and maintenance at beautiful Prospect Gardens in Greens Farms:
“There is a new, very destructive insect out there.
“It’s called box tree moth (or simply boxwood moth). Once settled within boxwood plants it can devour them within a short period of time, causing unsightly defoliation or even their demise.
“We will be on the vigilant lookout for them this season. I recommend you keep a look out as well. They can cause costly damage if missed or ignored.
The silver lining is that, just like the fairly new spotted lanterfly, they can be eradicated easily with almost any insecticide, if spotted in time (before they cause major damage).”
Cindy says they travel 3 to 6 miles a year.
“Boxwood is a favorite foundational plant in many Westport gardens. It would be devastating if this invasive pest would settle in here,” she says.
The silver lining is that, just like the fairly new Spotted Lanterfly insect, they can be eradicated easily with almost any insecticide, if spotted in time (before they cause major damage).
Andrew Marchand — the 1991 Staples High School graduate who, Poynter.org says, “probably breaks more sports media news than anyone in the business” — is leaving his longtime post at the New York Post.
His new home: The Athletic.
The New York Times — The Athletic’s owner — calls Marchand “a leading reporter at the intersection of sports media, television rights, talent and business for years.”
The former Mets and Yankees beat writer’s scoops include Joe Buck and Troy Aikman leaving Fox Sports for ESPN; the Apple deals involving MLB and MLS; Al Michaels’ shift from NBC to Amazon; Tom Brady’s stunning deal with Fox, and and the NFL making more than $100 billion on their new TV deals,
At Staples, Marchand played varsity soccer. (Hat tip: Bill Kutik)
Andrew Marchand
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Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between January 24 and 31.
A woman was arrested for larceny, conspiracy to commit larceny, forgery and conspiracy to commit forgery after a $560 check was stolen. She allegedly deposited it fraudulently in a bank account, for $5,500.
A man was arrested on a failure to appear warrant.
Westport Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 15 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic control signals: 8
Failure to comply with state traffic control regulations: 6
Speeding: 3
Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 3
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
Failure to obey stop sign: 2
Failure to register a commercial vehicle: 2
School zone violation: 1
Distracted driving: 1
Operating a motor vehicle under suspension/alcohol: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 1
Failure to renew registration: 1
Operating a motor vehicle without tint inspection: 1
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Fetch Rescue announces 2 events this weekend.
This Saturday (noon to 2 p.m., Feather & Fringe, 252 Post Road East) there’s a “fetch rescue” puppy adoption.
Sunday (12:30 to 2 p.m., Choice Pet, Compo Acres Shopping Center) brings another puppy adoption event, plus a free “Puppy 101” training session.
Questions? Email jessie@fetch-rescue.com.
This dog may not be up for adoption this weekend. But many others will be.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce held a joint meeting with the Norwalk Chamber of Commerce last night, at Jacob’s Pickles in the SoNo Collection.
It was a great chance to meet and greet — and enjoy a very cool new Southern comfort cuisine-themed restaurant.
(Photo/Matthew Mandell)
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La Plage is well known for its romantic waterside views.
That’s especially true on Valentine’s Day.
To celebrate, the Longshore restaurant offers a 3-course prix fixe menu.
Click here for the $95 per person menu. Reservations are required: 203-684-6232.
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Terry Tannen’s exhibit “Awakenings” — on view at The Westport Library through March 12 — is a collection of sunrise photographs taken over Sherwood Mill Pond.
“This series is a tribute to the last year of my beloved husband Charles Tannen’s life,” Terry says.
“Chuck was an avid lover of nature, photography and adventure. As his fight with Parkinson’s progressed, our goal became finding the beauty in what was in our present moment, in gratitude. Thus, ‘Awakenings.’”
An artist’s reception is set for February 12 (6 p.m.).
Untitled (Terry Tannen)
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One of the 2 people killed in 3-vehicle accident early Friday morning on I-95 in Fairfield was 75-year-old William Foster.
Better known as Billy, he was the front man and lead singer with Billy and the Showmen.
The band was popular throughout the tri-state region, and appeared often at the Levitt Pavilion. Click here for a full obituary. (Hat tip: MaryLou Roels)
“On Wednesday I was so lucky to enjoy lunch at Rive Bistro. The food was delicious as always, but the ducks just outside the window were the best entertainment. Amazing to watch them diving for their lunch!”
And finally … on this date in 1896, “La Bohème” premiered in Turin. The conductor was 30-year-old Arturo Toscanini.
(“06880” is where Westport meets the world: from the Lower East Side to France, and everywhere else. Please help us continue our hyper-local — yet global — work. Just click here. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: Box Tree Moth, Martha & Miggs, Andrew Marchand …
Half a century ago, the Westport housewife opened The Market Basket in a corner of The Common Market, on Main Street (near where Kerri Rosenthal is now). Featuring antiques on consignment, and the creations of local bakers and cooks, it launched the careers of several local residents. (Click here for details.)
Westporters — and viewers across America — will be reminded of (or learn about) those days this Sunday (January 28, 9 p.m.). CNN debuts the first 2 of a 4-part original series: “The Many Lives of Martha Stewart.”
The second part airs February 4.
Among the residents interviewed for the show: Sarah Kerstin Gross. She has spent 40 years as owner of Cabbages & Kings Catering, C&K Take Away and, most recently, C&K Community Kitchen.
Gross was there when Stewart launched her own career, cooking Tassajara breads, honey challahs, cookies and chocolate covered bunnies for Lawrence Olivier and others out of her parents’ Greens Farms Road kitchen — around the corner from what became Stewart’s famed Turkey Hill home.
Martha Stewart and her husband Andy, at their Turkey Hill home.
“I schlepped the food there in my parents’ station wagon,” Gross recalls.
“The shop was fabulous. It recreated her kitchen in compact form, with a stove and hangingcopper pots.
“We were all cooking illegally out of our homes before there were cottage laws, and lying when confronted by the Health Department, on Martha’s behalf. She was and is defiant.”
Also interviewed about the early catering years: Westport native and event planner Louise Felix, and former Westport author Elizabeth Hawes, who collaborated with Stewart.
Former Westporter, now Fairfield and Maine-based Brooke Dojny, award winning food journalist and cookbook author, joined Stewart later, helping with catering. She reflected on her time as a recipe developer for Stewart’s first book.
Not on camera but part of the local mix then were Vicky Negrin, a Stewart catering chef who was also responsible for the handwritten text of the Gnomes books, and all hand-written copy for Hay Day’s labeling (now Balducci’s); Audrey Doniger, famous for her Market Basket lemon squares; Dale Lamberty, who created legendary Easter egg panoramas and delectable baked goods, then went on to found the Great Cakes bakery, and Ujala Shu, who made Indian specialties and later ran her own catering business.
Doniger told “06880” yesterday that Stewart had “a knack for picking out people who needed to work, and who really ‘got her.'”
Recently divorced, and with 4 young children, Doniger was one of Stewart’s early suppliers. When Doniger switched from “homemade” to a Cuisinart, in order to fulfill more orders, Stewart tasted the difference.
She handed Doniger a wad of bills, and told her to teach herself how to use a Cuisinart to make cookies that tasted as if they were homemade.
Martha Stewart (right) catering, back in the day.
“It was a very special time for her to launch her catering business, using many of us,” Gross says.
“And it was important to all of us who had our beginnings there. Prepared food like that did not exist around here. To use local talent to mix and match like that still is a brilliant idea.”
All of those women rose from the 60 people who responded to a single ad Stewart placed in the Westport News, soliciting bakers and chefs for The Market Basket.
How many will be mentioned in Sunday’s CNN story (click here for details)? We’ll have to tune in to see.
But wait! That’s not enough. Martha Stewart will be back again, after CNN!
Netflix is also working on a show on the entertaining mogul. It’s due out later this year.
Yesterday, she sent her minions here to pick up a large order from Fatto a Mano.
That’s Pierluigi Mazzella’s bakery. He’s earned a large, devoted following — at the Westport Farmer’s Market, and through online ordering — for his magic with all things sourdough: bread, focaccia, pastries and more.
Martha wanted plenty of panettoni.
And for good reason. Though Pierluigi comes from Italy — and an image of his village and his father’s boat is on his cookie boxes — his baked goods are actually out of this world.
Pierluigi Mazzella and his bakers, at Fatto a Mano. The name means “made by hand.” (Hat tip and photo/Frank Rosen)
Speaking of food: There are some changes on the restaurant scene, just over the Southport line:
A sign promises that X Ramen (“Ramen, Fried Chicken, Tea”) is coming soon to the site of the former Wafu. A quick Google search turned up no further information.
Meanwhile, a few yards east, the longtime S&S Dugout has already become Kabab & Hummus House, offering “Mediterranean Fusion Grill.”
The menu looks great, even if they did not employ an editor to check mis-apostrophied words like Soup’s, Salad’s and Special’s.
Plus, “Meat Balls” is actually one word.
Oh, yeah: They also spelled “Mediterranean” wrong on their big outdoor sign.
Last week, Sustainable Westport announced its first-ever Community Giving Challenge.
Since then, 73 Westporters have supported their mission: to help Westport make small changes and big commitments toward a healthier, more sustainable future.
If they reach 100 gifts by December 31, a generous Westporter has pledged to donate $5,000 to help expand the organization’s sustainability programs, educational initiatives, and community outreach efforts.
Sustainable Westport is ab independent non-profit, run entirely by volunteers. To donate, click here.
Thursday was special for dozens of Club 203 members, relatives, friends and volunteers.
TAP Strength hosted the social group for adults with disabilities, at their 8th event of the year.
The “field day” was led by TAP founder EJ Zebro. His 5-person team facilitated stations for soccer, volleyball, dancing, cornhole, musical chairs and giant Jenga.
Also on “tap”: music, snacks, hacky sack prizes, and lots of laughs.
Joining TAP on Jesup Green were MoCA Westport (crafts and art project), Westport Book Shop (open late for parents to hang out), Lesser Evil Popcorn (snacks), and Kevin Godburn of Toquet Hall (tables and chairs).
Club 203’s next event: a fun day May 25, sponsored by Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department. Click here for more information on the group.
EJ Zebro (far right) and friends have fun at Jesup Green.
Martha Stewart returns to Westport June 1 (4 to 6 p.m.).
And not just anywhere. The former resident and longtime lifestyle guru will be back at her old Turkey Hill home. She’ll share memories of her years there, as she started her business and grew her media empire.
She’ll guide guests through the gardens, ending with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on the patio. (A few guests will stay for dinner with Stewart.)
It’s a fundraiser for Positive Directions, Westport’s behavioral health organization addressing the national mental health crisis.
Tickets are $1,000; $2,500 gets you that dinner. Click here to purchase, and for more details.
Former Westporter Martha Stewart.
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A baseball game between the only 2 undefeated teams in the FCIAC should be a nail-biter.
Yesterday’s was anything but.
Chase Siegel threw a perfect game. He needed just 59 pitches to shut down Danbury 10-0. The game ended early, thanks to the mercy (10-run lead) rule.
It’s been a great season so far for the 7-1 Wreckers, whose lone loss was 8-7 to non-league Fairfield Prep.
Staples has been led by pitchers Hiro Wyatt and Chris Zajac — and great defense. They’ve made only 1 error all season long. Ethan Cukier sparkled at shortstop against the Hatters.
In other Wrecker sports news, the boys lacrosse team — 6-1 after knocking off powerhouses like Massapequa, Bergen Catholic and Darien (13-11, storming back from an 8-1 halftime deficit) are ranked 16th in the latest national poll.
Chase Siegel. (Photo courtesy of Allison Ginzburg for The Ruden Report)
Kings Highway Elementary School students arrived early yesterday, to meet 2 special guests.
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Police Chief Foti Koskinas starred in a special “Rise & Read” event. They chatted with parents and kids over donuts, hot chocolate and coffee.
Tooker knows KHS well: Her 3 children went there. She read aloud to the current students from a very appropriate book: “Duck for President.”
The youngsters then asked questions, ranging from what she did to if her job is hard, and the benefits of having an office so close to Cold Fusion.
First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Police Chief Foti Koskinas, and “Duck for President.”
Last night’s Pics of the Day featured a young couple enjoying the sunset in a hammock.
Also yesterday; another man proposed, to another woman.
Jody Peters saw it all happen, from a discreet distance. She reports: “I think she said yes…she put the ring on and they exchanged a kiss. It was beautiful.”
(Photo/Jody Peters)
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Everyone knows Amy Irving as an actress.
She’s now a musician. “Born in A Trunk” includes 10 cover songs, pulled from her life and career.
On June 21 (7 p.m.), Westport welcomes her to the Levitt Pavilion stage.
Free tickets are available now to Levitt members. They’ll be available to everyone else on Monday at noon. Click here for yours.
Amy Irving
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For years, one of the joys of Parker Harding Plaza — how’s that for an oxymoron?! — has been the pedestrian bridge.
Jutting into the Saugatuck River just a few yards from asphalt and automobiles, it offers a serene chance to stroll, observe nature, and relax.
Not anymore.
A chain and stern sign now keep everyone at bay.
(Photo/Diane Bosch)
It’s not clear whether the danger is because of rotting wood, to protect nesting swans, or another reason.
Nor is it clear when — or if — the bridge will be safe again.
Or who, exactly, is in charge of making it so.
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The apple doesn’t fall far …
Shea Frimmer — child of Coleytown Middle School Company’s theater program — is directing a reading of “9:47” — a world premier play. It’s next Friday (April 28, 7 p.m., Toquet Hall).
The cast includes 2 professional adult actors, and 3 students.
Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door. Click here to purchase.
State Representative Dominique Johnson’s office is open to submissions for a Pride Month video essay contest. Any high school student in Westport or Norwalk can enter.
Video submissions should answer this question: “What is something you have done to build community that makes you most proud?” Creativity counts — but videos must be between 1 and 3 minutes only.
There are 2 categories: 9th-10th grade, and 11th-12th. Winners will receive a state citation, and be honored by Representative Johnson June 10 in Norwalk.
Heli Stagg manages the Westport Library café. She sees this view — and others like it, though always changing — often.
Today, she shares it with “06880” readers, for our “Westport … Naturally” treat.
(Photo/Heli Stagg)
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And finally … in honor of the prodigal daughter returning to town (story above):
(You may or may not want to pay $2,500 — or even $1,000 — to see Martha Stewart. But you can contribute any amount to “06880.” We’re happy for any help! Please click here. And thank you!)
Luciano Paving, the writer noted, is a long-time, very generous local business.
They donate to Westport PAL, and supply the equipment that keeps the Longshore skating rink clear. They bring equipment to the Touch-a-Truck event at the Imperial Avenue parking lot, and provide trucks and a car for the Westport Woman’s Club Memorial Day float.
Sam Luciano — former Westport chief of police, for whom the Saugatuck train station park is named — was Tim’s cousin. Every year, Tim sponsors a golf tournament in Sam’s name at Longshore.
More broadly, contractors are an asset to the town. In weather emergencies, they plow snow, clear roads and do whatever else is needed.
We would not be where we are without contractors like Luciano — a family that traces its heritage back to Antonio Gilbertie, founder of the floral business over 100 years ago.
Tim Luciano, of Luciano Paving, is a Westport native and Staples High School graduate.
Winfield Street Coffee has come a long way from its start, 98 years ago in East Norwalk.
Under current owner Breno Donatti, there are locations in Westport (the old Art’s Deli, just over the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge) and Stamford; kiosks in the Croton-Harmon and Rye train stations, plus Q line subway stops in Manhattan, and 2 in Naples, Florida.
Now — in addition to coffee (f course), Italian deli sandwiches, healthy bowls and salads, and fresh pastry.
Donatti is not sitting still. Culinary director Chris Gonzalez has designed an expanded menu, adding side dishes like bacon mac & cheese, roasted brussels sprouts with hot honey and crispy shallots, fries options like (sweet potato wedges, polenta fries, home fries), and homemade baked goods.
Coffee director Caleb MacPherson is implementing new drinks and roasting beans.
I know all this because Westport’s own Stephanie Webster covered it in her great CTBites blog. Click here for the full story (and excellent food photos).
PS: Click on the “Restaurants” tab at the top of “06880,” for details on Winfield Street Coffee and many more.
“Ain’t Misbehavin'” — a revival of the Broadway show celebrating jazz pioneer Fats Waller’s career, while exploring the “masks” he and his musicians wore while performing for white audiences — opens tonight at the Westport Country Playhouse. It runs through April 29.
Among the special events:
Taste & Chat (tonight, Tuesday, April 11, 6 p.m.): Wine and cheese with Marcella Monk Flake, of The Monk Center for Academic Enrichment and Performing Arts, and co-founder of Monk Youth Jazz and STEAM Collective.
Pride Night (Thursday, April 13, 6 p.m.): Pre-show cocktails for the LGBTQ community and friends.
Black Excellence Night (Friday, April 14, 6:30 p.m.): Free pre-show celebration for the Black and Brown community.
For ticket information, click here. For more on these special events, scroll down on that page.
Especially fascinating is this Westport connection: His 2010 biography, “Al Jaffee’s Mad Life,” was written by local writer Mary-Lou Weisman.
A 2010 story explains:
He has always had a soft spot … for Mary-Lou Weisman, a 72-year-old author from Westport, Conn., who used to own a summer place near his (in Provincetown, Massachetts). Not only did she appreciate his eccentricities but she also donated a stupid question to his collection. (For that, she thanks the sister who demanded to know, “Where do you keep your ice cubes?”)
Their friendship has led to a collaboration that should cheer anyone with a secret affinity for Mad magazine. Written by Ms. Weisman, “Al Jaffee’s Mad Life” lays bare in harrowing yet often riotous detail how a Southern boy, twice uprooted by his mother to Lithuanian shtetls on the eve of World War II, grew up to become a tireless satirist for some of America’s cheekier magazines. HarperCollins published the book on Tuesday under its It Books imprint.
Readers will also be treated to 74 original drawings by Mr. Jaffee, nearly twice what he had pledged. “He was on fire,” Ms. Weisman said.
Ever-popular pianist Chris Coogan headlines this week’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, April 13; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.).
Chris grew up here, and the area is home base for his multi-faceted career. He is a world-class jazz pianist; an in-demand accompanist for singers; a powerhouse Gospel pianist, choir director and bandleader; an inspiring educator, and an all- around good guy.
He’s joined this week at the VFW by bassist John Mobilio and drummer Joe Corsella.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
Chris Coogan
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Starting yesterday, Church Lane will be closed to through traffic.
The move — begun during COVID, and continued in following years thanks to the popularity of outdoor dining and leisurely strolling — continues through November 6.
Marty Yellin — a Ph.D. in engineering, who helped design and manage the Hubble Space Telescope — explained the differences between it and the James Webb Telescope.
His photographs, we are told, were “out of this world.”
Marty Yellin addresses the Y’s Women.
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Martha Stewart returned to Westport recently.
She sampled Arogya Holistic Healing & Tea’s teas, and shared recipes. The event was filmed for her TV show, “Martha Cooks!”
There’s something new at the Westport Country Playhouse: hosts for the evening.
And they don’t look like anything you’d expect:
Ashton Muniz, one of the Westport Country Playhouse hosts. (Photo/dan Woog)
Ashton Muñiz(above) and Akiko Akita are proud non-straight, non-white non-men. So why are they welcoming guests (with big smiles and ear plugs) to the current production of “Straight White Men”?
As they explain before the curtain rises, it’s because the audience needs to get out of its comfort zone.
And why are those ear plugs necessary? Well, the music that plays as the audience finds its seats is not what you’d normally hear at the historic, near-100-year-old theater.
The show itself is quite funny and unsettling — sometimes simultaneously. Playwright Young Jean Lee is the first Asian-American woman to have a show on Broadway.
She’s not the type of person you’d expect to write “Straight White Men.” But she — and Ashton and Akiko — are happy to welcome you to it.
“There is a new Optimum store in the Fresh Market plaza. We noticed the sign this week. We have questions about billing, so we decided to pay a visit.
“An incredible, bright and knowledgeable young man named Alex answered all our questions quickly and completely. it was a very different experience from our visit to the Norwalk office.
“Alex said they’ve been in town since December, but the sign just recently went up and nobody knows they are here. I want to let Westport know that Optimum is here, and has a really great guy on board.”
Speaking of (relatively) new businesses: More than a year after opening — in the middle of COVID — The Porch @ Christie’s held its official ribbon-cutting yesterday.
It was a quick, informal and friendly ceremony — just like the Cross Highway deli itself. The icing on the cake: free cookies, from the Porch’s partner Sweet P Bakery.
Cutting the Porch ribbon (from left): consultant Mark Moeller..2nd Selectwoman Andrea Moore, owners Bill and Andrea Pecoriello, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, marketing director Betsy Weissman, Sweet P Bakery head pastry chef Terri Cahn, manager Iby Rivera.
Beach-bound traffic was diverted yesterday afternoon, when a moving truck snagged a low-hangiing wire on Hillspoint Road, after pulling out of Edgewater Commons.
The road was reopened a few hours later.
The cause of the Hillspoint Road closure. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
“The Great American Tag Sale with Martha Stewart” aired last night.
ABC previewed it: “Martha Stewart, known for turning everyday living into an art form, is ready to part ways with pieces from her vast collection of furniture, art and housewares in this new 1-hour special. Over the years, Martha has amassed an assortment of items that ranges from fine art to knickknacks.
“During the special, she will regale viewers with fond memories of how these beloved items were acquired and offer expert advice on how to execute a successful tag sale. Alongside her team of event planners, Martha will host a series of tag sale events including an exclusive cocktail party for celebrities and neighbors to preview the sale.”
I did not watch the show. In fact, there are 27,298.331 things I would have done before I’d even think of watching it.
But — as someone who remembers when the lifestyle guru/ businesswoman/wrtier/television personality/chef/inmate lived in Westport (and the stories that circulated here) — I wonder how many of of items (both fine art and knicknacks) have a Westport back story. (Hat tip: Betsy Pollak)
How much of Martha Stewart’s tag sale started on Turkey Hill?
Last month, “06880” reported that Great Island — the 60-acre property off the Darien coast with a stable, riding rings, “grand house,” and whiskey and wine cellar with contents dating back to Prohibition, all once owned by the Steinkraus family of Westport — was for sale.
It was called “the largest private island ever to be offered for sale on the East Coast.”
Now, the Wall Street Journal reports, the town of Darien is in negotiations to buy the island for “more than $100 million.”
Granted, Cockenoe is no Great Island. And 1969 money is not the same as 2022.
But we got our island for just $200,000. (Hat tip: Adam Stolpen)
Congratulations to May’s Staples High School Students of the Month: jnior Jordyn Goldshore, sophomores Michael Blishteyn and Kervin Joseph, and freshmen Jonah Bernstein and Davi Da Silva.
Principal Stafford Thomas said they were chosen for helping make their school “a welcoming place for peers and teachers. They are the ‘glue’ of the Staples community: the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students who keep the high school together, making it the special place it is.”
Staples High School Students of the Month (from left): Michael Blishteyn, Jonah Bernstein, Davi Da Silva, Kervin Joseph. Missing: Jordyn Goldshore.
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