Tag Archives: Merlin Classics

Roundup: Pies, Magic, Comedy …

Posted on November 11, 2026 | Leave a comment

WAKEMAN TOWN FARM “PIES FOR GOOD” SALE IS ON. AND BOY, ARE THEY GOOD!

Wakeman Town Farm’s “Pies for Good” — their annual Thanksgiving sale supporting Earth Animal’s Mitten Project benefiting CT Food Share — is back.

But every pie needs ice cream. So WTF is selling that too.

The 9-inch freshly baked Oronoque Farms pies include apple, apple crumb, blueberry, blueberry crumb, cherry, cherry crumb and pumpkin. And new this year: cinnamon walnut coffee cakes.

Ice cream flavors are Madagascar vanilla or bourbon brown sugar, from Lindsay’s Handmade Ice Cream.

Click here to order (deadline: November 21). Pickup is Monday, November 23, 4 to 7 p.m. at Earth Animal (not Wakeman Town Farm!)

NOTES: For the freshest taste, pies should be frozen the day of pickup, or eaten within 3 days. Pumpkin pies are frozen and unbaked. Any items not picked up by 7 p.m. on November 23 will be donated to the Gillespie Center the next morning.

WTF: Irresistble! 

JASON BIRD RETURNS TO DELAMAR

It’s been nearly a month, and I still can’t believe what I saw at Jason Bird’s “Parlor of Impossibilities” show at the Delamar Westport.

Then I saw the magician/mentalist against last week, at the Sunrise Rotary Club’s “Uncorked” event at the Inn of Longshore, and I was equally gobsmacked.

But I do believe this: If you go to Jason’s next shows — Sunday, November 22 (4 and 7 p.m.) — you’ll still be shaking your head weeks later too.

I’ll leave the details to you. Suffice it to say: The intimate “parlor” atmosphere (small room, magic show mood) makes the experience even more other-worldly.

Click here for tickets. To learn more about Jason, click here.

comedy returns to vfw 

If you’re looking to laugh this Friday the 13th: You’re in luck!

Comedy returns to VFW Post 399 (8 p.m.).

Hosted by Matt Zako, the show features resident comedian Joe Pontillo, along with New York comedians Jane Condon, John Kenneth, and headliner Chris Roach.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance (click here), $25 at the door. There’s a 1-drink purchase minimum.

POPSHOP MARKET RETURNS TO MUSEUM

The popular Popshop Market returns to the grounds of the Westport Museum for History & Culture this Sunday (November 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Shoppers can browse gifts from independent boutiques, emerging brands, local artisans and specialty retailers.

Items include women’s clothing, handcrafted and fine jewelry, home décor, apothecary and self-care essentials, vintage treasures, artisan goods, seasonal accessories, and special gifts.

chris fuller’s “cheese fries & chili Dips” returns to ftc

Chris Fuller takes “Cheese Fries & Chili Dips” — the Weston golf pro’s funny, moving, insightful and inspiring show about his life with bipolar disorder — to Fairfield Theatre Company on November 17 (7 p.m.).

Afterward, Sachi Parker — Shirley MacLaine’s daughter, Warren Beatty’s niece, and Chris’ acting coach — takes the stage for a talk. Click here for tickets, and more information.

slobs 3-v-3 hoops tourney tips off soon

Get your game on!

Staples Service League of Boys’ (SLOBs) annual basketball fundraise is set for November 20 (6 p.m., Staples fieldhouse).

3-v-3 teams vie for supremacy. Everyone has fun — and all proceeds benefit Staples Tuition Grants.

Entry is $25 per player or manager. To pay, Venmo @Diane-Benke (last digits 7136).

PS: Volunteers — especially referees – are still needed. Click here to sign up.

The champs!

localcompany offers mah jongg tiles, tees & More

Merlin Classics — the Greens Farms company that creates original designs with a retro and vintage feel — has turned 4 vintage mah jongg tiles into both a gift collection and crystal holiday ornaments.

Each design is drawn from a single tile in the fine line of an old engraving: The Big Joker (the joker only the American game plays with); the 3 Dragons (for the clubhouse game in Florida); the Sparrow Tile (the One Bamboo bird that gives the game its Cantonese name), and The 3 Honors (the red, green and white as a Japanese set cuts them, with the white left blank).

They come on tees, sweatshirts, hats, totes, mugs, rocks glasses, coasters and more, and as 3-inch faceted crystal ornaments. To order, click here.

Merlin Classics mah jongg tiles.

SANTA comes to CLUBHOUSE BRUNCH

The Holiday Stroll is Saturday, December 5. Everyone of all ages will be there.

The family fun continues the next day, with a Santa Brunch at The Clubhouse.

There are 2 seatings (Sunday, December 6; 9 to 10:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.).

The event includes festive food, Christmas cookie decorating, a meet-and-greet with Santa, and a holiday carol sing-along.

An adult ticket ($65) includes a brunch entrée, and 1 specialty holiday beverage (alcoholic or nonalcoholic).

Children (ages 2+: $40) includes a kids’ holiday brunch entrée, soft drink, and  Christmas cookie decorating kit with cookies, icing and sprinkles.

All prices includes tax and gratuity. Children under 2 attend free.

In the spirit of giving, The Clubhouse will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots.

Additional event infomration, and tickets can be found via the link. Santa Brunch Link

For parties larger than eight, email connect@theclubhousewestport.com.

POLICE REPORTS

Westport Police made 4 custodial arrests between November 4 and 9. They were reported earlier on “06880.”

Westport Police also issued these citations:

  • Traveling unreasonably fast: 2 citations
  • School zone violation: 2
  • Improper turns: 2
  • Failure to renew registration: 2
  • Disorderly conduct: 1
  • Texting while driving: 1
  • Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 1
  • Failure to yield to a pedestrian: 1
  • Failure to obey stop sign: 1
  • Failure to obey state traffic commission regulations: 1

“WESTPORT … NATURALLY” & SONG OF THE DAY

They come in a carton. But what’s more natural than Wakeman Town Farm eggs?

Celia Campbell-Mohn captured today’s colorful, farm-fresh “Westport … Naturally” feature photo.

(Photo/Celia Campbell-Mohn)

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And finally … because I’m an idiot, I posted the “Armed Forces Medley” as yesterday’s Song of the Day — a day before (today’s) Veterans Day.

I meant to salute the Marine Corps. Yesterday was its 251st birthday.

So here — a day late — Semper Fi!

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Roundup: Hacker Alert! Plus EMS, Arts Collective, Pink Cadillac

Posted on September 22, 2026 | 1 comment

This Roundup was posted in error yesterday. It is reposted here today.

“06880” apologizes for the error. This email hack has completely screwed up our workflow. We might be a little wonky for a few days, as we spend hours battling to get our life back from financial institutions, merchants and more.

A reminder: Please use 06880blog@gmail.com as our only email. Thank you!

There are many ways Westporters can volunteer to help our community.

One of the best is through Volunteer Emergency Medical Services.

It’s a big commitment. With a big payoff: helping people at a stressful time, and actually saving lives.

The next Emergency Medical Technician course begins October 5. It provides students with topics ranging from basic bandaging to childbirth and multi-system trauma care. The course runs through January.

No prior experience is necessary. For more information and to register for the EMT class, click here.

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The Artists Collective of Westport’s annual trunk show is much more than, well, art sold from actual car trunks.

There’s music and food (and easels, panels and tables too).

The next one is Sunday, October 4 (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), at the Westport Library’s lower parking lot.

Bring a large vehicle, to haul away your purchases.

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Westport has a Minuteman Yacht Club. A Cedar Point Yacht Club. A Saugatuck Harbor Yacht Club.

But no “Compo Yacht Club.”

That didn’t stop Merlin Classics — the Greens Farms company that creates original designs with a retro and vintage feel, customized by city and state — from designing one.

The website calls it “Westport’s ‘finest institution since 1920,’ founded the very week the taps ran dry and dedicated ever since to seamanship, navigation and the six o’clock gun.

“The club burgee flies a martini where lesser clubs fly a star, and in 100 years no member has ever been observed actually sailing — although many tell tall tales. This is the ship’s store: everything below carries the flag, everyone who wears it holds the rank of Commodore, and dues are one olive. Every piece is printed to order in the USA, and profits support hunger relief.”

The design can be purchased on t-shirts, caps, shot glasses, coffee mugs and more. Click here to see. 

And though the Compo Yacht Club does not really exist, Merlin does. And they’re absolutely donating some of the proceeds to local hunger relief organizations.

Ahoy, mates!

Some of the Merlin merchandise.

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There’s a new speech pathology service for teenagers and adults in town.

Melissa Katz recently launched Beyond Words Language & Cognition. She specializes in helping adults with communication, language (aphasia), cognitive, voice and swallowing difficulties related to neurological conditions including stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, concussion and more.

She also provides care partner support and educational lectures regarding healthy aging and cognitive wellness.

Before moving to Connecticut, Katz worked as a Senior Speech-Language Pathologist at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia on the stroke and brain injury unit. She co-initiated the music therapy program and led the Cancer Care Committee.

“After moving to Connecticut, I realized that it can be challenging for adults and families to navigate life when returning home from a hospital or rehab after having a neurological illness. Many people who are ‘higher functioning’ may not even go to the hospital and aren’t set up with any resources.” she says. “I wanted to create a practice where therapy is personalized and focused on helping people communicate and function more confidently in everyday life.”

For more information, click here or email melissa@beyondwordslc.com.

Melissa Katz

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Huw Jones — new executive director of the 87-year-old Norwalk Symphony — spoke to the Sunrise Rotary Club on Friday.

He offered historical highlights, like the 1966 Itzhak Perlman performance of Tchaikovsky.

They’ll showcase the same work Festival in their season opener  October 24 (7:30 p.m,, Norwalk Concert Hall). They will perform his “Pathétique{ Symphony, his virtuosic “Violin Concerto” with Sirena Huang as soloist, and 3 songs by Nicolas Flagello. Click here for tickets, and more information.

Sunrise Rotarian Katie Augustyn and Jim Ezzes, with Huw Jones.

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Miller Motorcars continues its support of breast cancer awareness this Thursday (September 24).

They’ll host the American Cancer Society’s annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, and the Men Wear Pink Campaign, at Maserati of Westport (5:30 to 8 p.m.).

The evening includes music from Old Exit 19, raffles, and more.

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A former Westporter, who returns occasionally, has noticed that some things never change here.

Literraly.

He writes: “In Green’s Farms, if you drive down Westway Road about 150 feet before the bridge over Sasco Creek crossing into Fairfield, a sign reads ‘Construction Ahead, Road Use Restricted, State Liability Limited.'”

“There is no actual construction, but the sign has been there forever. Google Maps can trace it back about a decade and a half.

“But I place the installation of the sign decades earlier. I think it’s been there since about 1989 or so.

“I was in grade school at the time. and the sign prompted me to ask my parents what ‘liability’ means.

“Maybe your readers remember the actual construction project it was put up for. It could be the bridge over Sasco Creek. Perhaps it can be designated an official landmark due to longevity.”

Long-lived sign.

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Trumpeter Andy Gravish is a Jazz at the Post favorite.  His decades of experience reach back to the big bands of Buddy Rich and the Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

He and 5 frequent collaborators — pianist David Morgan, bassist Yuriy Galkin, drummer Erik Halvorson and saxophonist Greg Wall — join him this Thursday at the VFW (shows 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:45). Click here for tickets, and more information.

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Michael Szeto sends today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo of a juvenile cooper hawk with its prey, on a bench in his backyard.

“Cooper hawks are agile hunters, frequently found in yards with bird feeders,” he says.

“Unfortunately, this bench is located next to my feeder. So regrettably, I have to assume that is where the prey met its demise.”

(Photo/Michael Szeto)

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And finally …. this is not a pink Maserati (story above). But it’s close:

(Another day, another Roundup … and another gentle reminder that this hyper-local blog relies on reader support. If you appreciate what we do, please click here to help. Thank you!)

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Roundup: Ukraine, Staples, Minute Man …

Posted on September 11, 2026 | Leave a comment

Three Ukrainian officials — including the deputy governor of Donetsk oblast, Connecticut sister state — visited Westport yesterday.

Guests of Ukraine Aid International — the non-profit co-founded by Westporters Marshall and Brian Mayer, which since 2022 has provided on-the-ground aid to stricken areas — they gave an update on conditions in their war-torn country, to a small group at La Plage.

The gathering included Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. Both have made numerous trips to Ukraine.

The officials — and Marshall Mayer — painted a picture of both devastation and hope.

Ukraine Aid International initiated the sister city and sister state programs. Westport was the first, linked with Lyman. Last night included a first-hand report of the fighting — and resistance — in that town.

Ukrainian and Ukraine Aid Internaitonal officials, including co-founder Marshall Mayer (6th from left), flanked by Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, last night at La Plage. (Photo/Dan Woog)

On Wednesday, the Ukrainians and Marshall Mayer were in Hartford. They met with Governor Lamont, and other state officials.

The Ukrainian delegation then joined Governor Ned Lamont for his visit to Connecticut’s 9/11 Living Memorial at Sherwood Island State Park, for the 25th anniversary ceremony honoring victims of that terrorist attack.

This morning, the Ukrainian guests spoke to the Sunrise Rotary Club.

Ukrainian officials and translator (far right) this morning, at the Sunrise Rotary Club. (Photo/Marshall Mayer)

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(To donate to Lyman through Ukraine Aid International, click here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo.) 

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As noted above, Connecticut’s official 9/11 ceremony was held Wednesday. That’s to give families and friends the chance to attend the New York event too, held every year on September 11.

This was the scene yesterday, at Sherwood Island State Park. Officials and loved ones gathered the day before. Now the site — looking out toward New York — was once again beautiful and serene.

And sad.

(Photo/Chris Swan)

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Eight Staples High School seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Congratulations to Cora Barrett, Joseph Carpenter, Tyler Little, Anwara Olasewere, Charlotte Roberts, Ayush Rudra, Sahil Vora and Gabriella White.

Nationwide, fewer than 1% of the over 1.2 million students who took the 2026 qualifying exam will compete for 7,320 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $29 million.

Principal Stafford Thomas (2nd from left) with National Merit semifinalists: (from left): Gabriella White, Charlotte Roberts, Cora Barrett, Tyler Little, Joseph Carpenter, Ayush Rudra and Sahil Vora. Not pictured: Anwara Olasewere.

Also at Staples: Azita Vazhayil, Natalie Hartano and Tucker Eklund will join students from 18 nations in November’s Normandy International Youth Leadership Summit, in Le Havre, France.

The selected delegates — high-performing students with a strong interest in world affairs — will work collaboratively to develop a plan addressing an issue affecting their community and the world.

From left: Azita Vazhayil, Natalie Hartano, Tucker Eklund.

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Every Thursday, there’s something special at the Westport Farmers’ Market.

Yesterday, it was Richard Blumenthal.

Connecticut’s senior senator presented director Lori Cochran-Dougall with a proclamation, honoring the market’s 20th anniversary.

Then — accompanied by 1st Selectman Kevin Christie — he did what hundreds of others do each week: shopped for the freshest, most healthful and delicious food around.

Senator Richard Blumenthal at the Badass Bagels booth. (Photo/Lisa Lewin)

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Yesterday, Westport firefighters and police responded to the Hillspoint Road, after a heavy-duty pickup truck rammed through a fence and front yard, and struck a house.

A stone wall helped reduce the force of the impact, and limited damage.

The accident …

Westport’s Building Department and fire marshal’s office checked the structure for safety.

A special wrecker from Bud’s Towing in Bridgeport was called to remove the vehicle, minimizing the potential for additions damage. No serious injuries were reported.

… and the aftermath. (Photos/Westport Fire Department)

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DNR — Westport’s favorite (almost) all-doctor band — rocked the Levitt Pavilion last night.

Every year, the group pays tribute to Westport Emergency Medical Services, and first responders. It’s an important, welcome event — and if anyone knows how important those men and women are, it’s doctors.

DNR. with Westport Volunteer Emergency Services president Jaime Baraiktaris (3rd from right) and Levitt Pavilion’s Carleigh Welsh (far right), before the show. (Photo/Sean Bernand)

Five shows — all free — highlight the coming week, at the outdoor theater.

  • Saturday, September 12, 7:30 p.m.: The always popular Sweet Remains.
  • Sunday, September 13, 7 p.m. Brian López Electric Trio
  • Tuesday, September 15, 7 p.m., Comedy night
  • Wednesday, September 16, 7 p.m., Westport Community Band
  • Thursday, September 17, 7:30 p.m., Barboletta: Tribute to Santana.

Click here for details.

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Westport’s Minute Man is now a Christmas ornament.

Merlin Classics is a Greens Farms company. They create original designs with a retro and vintage feel, customized by city and state.

For this holiday season, they put our town’s iconic statue on a crystal glass ornament.

Our hero — who is often decked out in seasonal attire — wears a Santa cap.

Merlin is a volunteer operation. They regularly donate profits to hunger relief organizations.

The Minutemen Christmas ornament is $24. Click here to order. For the full website with all town (including Westport), click here.

Minutemen Christmas ornament.

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Superb nature photographer Lou Weinberg offers today’s glorious “Westport … Naturally” photo.

And this explanation: “Pollinators never stopped working. This one is a cabbage butterfly.

“How about those eyes? Nature wins!”

(Photo/Lou Weinberg)

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And finally … in the mournful days following September 11, 2001, Americans found solace in music.

Certain songs will always bring those of us who were alive then right back to that time.

Two will always resonate with me. One is “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” A few days after the attack, when Staples High School held a memorial service, director Alice Lipson’s Orphenians sang a stirring version of Simon & Garfunkel’s soaring song.

Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” was all over the radio. Its message was clear: We all needed someone to lean on.

Twenty-five years later, we still do.

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