If you finish a 5K, triathlon or distance swim: Congratulations! You should feel proud.
But if you’ve got a disability, and you do it: Wow! You should feel amazing.
A number of Westporters feel that way, at events like the Minute Man Road Race, Kiwanis Club Tri and YMCA Compo Beach Point-to-Point Swim.
They participate avidly and energetically.
And sharing in their fulfillment are volunteers from myTeam Triumph.
mTT — a low-key, but very importnat nonprofit — empowers people with disabilities (called “captains”) to participate in endurance events. They’re supported by “angels” — men, women and teenagers who run, bike or swim alongside.
The experience is about more than racing. It’s about friendship, inclusion, and joining joyfully together.
And they’re off!
As spring nears, myTeam Triumph Connecticut gears up for another inclusive season.
To kick things off, mTT-CT is inviting the community to an informal Warmup Run & Picnic, at Compo Beach. The April 13 event (11 a.m.) includes a short, easy run (all paces welcome), followed by a picnic with wraps, salads and good conversation. (Feel free to bring a side dish to share.) Click here to sign up.
myTeam Triumph’s pedal power.
Angels come in all ages and athletic abilities. There are runners, joggers and walkers (plus bicyclists and swimmers). Click here for more information, and to sign up.
Captains and angels, at the Point-to-Point Swim.
Meanwhile, if you’re a captain — an athlete with a disability who wants to experience the thrill of a race — there’s great news.
myTeam Triumph takes care of everything: race chair and equipment, registration and logistics, a team of volunteer angels every step (or stroke) of the way, at events throughout the year and around the state.
And it’s all free. There is absolutely no cost to participate. Click here for more information, and to sign up.
The Minute Man Race draws plenty of captains and angels.
Upcoming events include the Westport Young Woman’s League Minute Man Race (April 27), Stamford Boys & Girls Club 5K (May 15), and Bloomin’ Metric Bike Ride (May 18). Click here for the full schedule.
“Whether you’re looking to run, roll, cheer or just check things out, the April 13 Warmup is the perfect place to start.” organizers say.
“Come meet the mTT crew, enjoy some sunshine, and find out what this incredible community is all about.
“After all, everyone deserves to cross the finish line.”
The first step — long before installing turn lanes, crosswalks, shoulders and sidewalks on the stretch between Volvo of Westport and New Country Toyota — was the removal of a dozen or so trees.
They stood for decades in front of Linxweiler House — the former blacksmith shop between Fresh Market and McDonald’s, now owned and operate by Homes with Hope.
That property looks a lot different today, than it did last weekend:
Linxweiler House, as seen from Crescent Road …
… and looking east, from near Fresh Market. (Photos/Molly Alger)
On your mark … get set … and get ready for the 44th annual Minute Man Races
The popular Westport Young Woman’s League — set for Sunday, April 30 at Compo Beach — includes a 10K run, 5K run/walk, and kids’ fun runs (from 50 yards to 1 mile).
For professionals, it’s a USA Track and Field-certified event. For kids, family-friendly activities will take place during and after the races.
As always, there will be music, food trucks and more.
Student and first responder discounts are offered for the adult races. Contact minuteman@wywl.com for a discount code. Click here to register, and for more information. Proceeds benefit local non-profits.
Registration is open for the 5th annual Day of Champions.
The event — family-friendly fun (and fierce competition) that raises funds for Experience Camps, the Westport-based network of activities for children who have lost parents or siblings — is May 21 (8:30 to 11:30 a.m., PJ Romano Field).
To create or join a team — or donate — click here.
To get psyched for the event, click the video below.
But Westport artist Mark Yurkiw — who has Ukrainian heritage, and is a member of the group that raised $252,000 for our sister city, Lyman — is celebrating early.
Throughout his career, he’s been decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs. He sent “06880” a sample of his work:
The red egg in front celebrates the birth of Mark Yurkiw’s son Cooper, in 1994.
In 2001, he created this 5-foot “egg” for the White House.
It was signed by 256 members of Congress.
Slava Ukraini!
==============================================
More progress on the house at 233 Hillspoint Road. Town officials halted construction there in 2019, after finding violations of the building permit.
Workers yesterday removed several feet from the top of the chimney. It had been built higher than its legal height.
Workers removing the top of the chimney at 233 Hillspoint. Road. (Photo/Matt Murray)
=================================================
In 2020, COVID forced Saugatuck Elementary School to cancel “The Little Mermaid” at the final dress rehearsal — before the opening curtain.
She’s back!
A new cast of 125 students in grades 3-5 act, sing and dance — and run the lights and sound, help construct and decorate sets and props, and operate special effects.
Saugatuck alums from 2020 (and even some of their parents) have helped with the show! Set designer Julie Colotti, costume designer Miriam Young, and prop managers Alexandra Dodwell and Amy Kopisz incorporated many original pieces, along with new additions.
After his daughter Phoebe returned as a student acting coach, John Nunziato jumped in as artistic designer and special effects consultant.
Shows are Friday, March 31 (7 p.m.) and Saturday, April 1 (1 and 6:30 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
“The Little Mermaid,” at Saugatuck Elementary School. (Photo/Kerry Long)
VersoFest’s headliners and guests, including producer Steve Lillywhite, Psychedelic Furs front man Richard Butler, and Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth, will autograph copies of their records, for giveaways and auction items during next weekend’s VersoFest.
Festivalgoers can submit their entries for the giveaway starting with the March 30 kickoff concert featuring rising American rock band Sunflower Bean.
Submissions are open through Sunday, April 2. That final day features a record fair (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and a vinyl record panel brunch with WPKN DJ Alec Cumming, producer Dooley-O, Kraftjerkz Records’ Kid Ginseng, WFUV DJ and House of Wax host Eric Holland, New Haven Independent arts reporter Karen Ponzio, and moderated by the Zambonis’ Dave Schneider.
The silent auction (April 1-2) offers a chance to bid on a variety of signed albums associated with the festival’s speakers and guests. All proceeds support future VersoFests.
For more information, including concert tickets and workshops registration, click here.
VersoFest vinyl.
=================================================
Speaking of music: The Grammy for Best Children’s Album went to Kaitlin McGaw, and her group Alphabet Rockers. (Sure, it was in February. But I just found out. It’s still worth sharing!)
And it’s “06880”-worthy because she’s the granddaughter of longtime Westporters Ed and Kay See.
Ed — an attorney — was longtime town counsel. He played a key role in Westport’s purchase of Longshore, in 1959.
Kay supported many local causes. She was on the Westport Library board, when the new building was built.
The See family’s stained glass window hangs over the altar of Assumption Church, near the Josê Feliciano window.
Eloise See — Ed and Kay’s daughter — is Kaitlin’s proud mother. Sandy is her equally proud uncle.
The award was even more special, because the presenter was presidential inaugural poet — and Kaitlin’s fellow Harvard graduate — Amanda Gorman.
Alphabet Rockers produces and performs music and dance that promotes racial and gender awareness.
=================================================
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport is a beautiful building.
On April 1 (8 p.m.), its the site too of Damn Tall Buildings.
That’s the hot bluegrass/indie/roots/old-time/vintage swing/Americana band from Brooklyn. The trio will headline the UU’s Voices Café.
There’s table or individual seating. Bring your own beverages and snacks, or buy at the sweet treats table. General admission: $25 per person. A portion of the proceeds support the congregation’s Social Justice Council. Click here for tickets (live and livestream), and more information.
And finally … on this date in 1721, – Johann Sebastian Bach dedicated 6 concertos to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg-Schwedt. Today we know them as the Brandenburg Concertos.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog. We’re a non-profit, dedicated to bringing the community together. We rely on your (tax-deductible) contributions. Please click here to help. Thank you!)
They’re called the Minute Men, but they spent 8 years fighting the Revolutionary War.
It took a couple of years to renovate Westport’s Minute Man statue.
The annual Minute Man Road Race is actually 2 races — 5K or 10K — which take considerably longer than a minute to run.
So it’s fitting that Westport will celebrate “Minute Man Day” next (Sunday, April 26), with a series of activities that take 300 minutes (5 hours, if you failed math).
The activities — commemorating the 238th anniversary of the British march from Compo Beach to Danbury and back again (our Minute Men did a pretty good job against them), and celebrating the renovation of Henry Daniel Webster’s 105-year-old statue — begin at noon on Sunday, April 26, soon after the Minute Man Race.
Departing every 15 minutes from 12 to 1:30 p.m., Westport Historical Society docents (including yours truly) will lead guided tours. We’ll start at the Ned Dimes Marina (definitely not a Revolutionary War facility), and make stops at the old cemetery and Minute Man statue. There are special children’s activities at the marina. Net proceeds from a suggested donation of $10 (ages 13 and up) go toward the ongoing care of the statue.
From 1-5 p.m., a recreated Revolution militia encampment will be set up on Jesup Green. The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution color guard performs musket demonstrations. This event is free.
At 2:30 p.m. in the Westport Library, conservator Francis Miller will describe how he restored the Minute Man statue. This one is free too.
The Minuteman statue. In the distance is Minuteman Hill.
At 3 p.m. — also in the library — history lecturer Ed Hynes discusses the Danbury raid. He’ll talk about the 4-day adventure, which included noted brigadier general Benedict Arnold. If you don’t know which side he was on — or even if you do — this promises to be very educational.
In fact, the entire day is worth more than a few minutes of our time.
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.
