There’s not much time left to get in your car, drive somewhere, buy stuff, wrap it, deliver it, and hope that the recipient enjoys it.
Or, alternatively, to shop online, and hope that — thanks to our complex delivery system — someone else will deliver it wherever it needs to go, while you hope the recipient enjoys it.
Our town’s non-profit environmental education and advocacy organization notes that the holidays are a time of “joy, togetherness — and a lot of waste.”
The average household generates 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and the New Year than at other times of the year. (And as we all know, Westport households are far from “average.”)
Many people feel forced to choose between holiday cheer and sustainable practices, Sustainable Westport says.
But there are alternatives.
They share some ideas to reduce waste, and make the holidays more eco-friendly.
Susatainable Westport’s first recommendation is: “Stop buying more stuff!”
It’s important not only for the planet, they say, but for our own mental health.
Instead, they suggest, share or give “experiences. Meaningful moments and connections are what the holidays are truly about. Plus, by keeping gifts local, you can reduce your environmental impact and help promote our local economy.”
In the spirit of giving, Sustainable Westport shares a few “experiential ideas”:
Take advantage of our arts and cultural scene. Give a MoCA CT membership, and check out an exhibit there. Or catch a show at the Westport Country Playhouse
Sign up for a cooking class or attend a gourmet dinner at Wakeman Town Farm
Make a donation in a friend’s or family member’s name to the Westport Library
Purchase a gift certificate to one of Westport’s great restaurants.
This winter, give the gift of entertainment at the Westporot Country Playhouse.
“The holidays are a time to come together, not consume more,” Sustainable Westport says.
“We hope these ideas help you celebrate the season in a way that’s kinder to the planet — and your spirit.”
Their New Year’s resolution: Offering more tips in 2025.
(“06880” uses no trees or gas to deliver news and ideas, 24/7/365. If you appreciate our sustainable work, please make a tax-deductible gift by clicking here. Thank you!)
Sure, the weather is unseasonably warm for late fall.
But winter will come. So will heating bills.
The Westport Warm-Up Fund helps income-qualified households handle those expenses. The program is essential for residents whose earnings fall narrowly above state income guidelines. Though ineligible for state or federal assistance, they still need help with utility costs.
Funds come from individuals, businesses and community organizations.
Westport Department of Human Services Elaine Daignault says, “Warm-up donations allow our department to assist our ‘invisible; neighbors in need. Despite a wealth of resources, many neighbors quietly struggle to keep the lights on and their houses warm.”
Tax-deductible donations can be made online (scroll down to top item), or by mail to Westport Warm-Up Fund, Department of Human Services, Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave., Westport CT 06880. Questions? In need of assistance? Call 203-341-1050.
=================================================
Westport Sunrise Rotary’s 33rd annual “Westport Uncorked” — an international wine tasting — packed The Inn at Longshore last night.
Over 100 sustainable, organic wines were served, along with plenty of hors d’oeuvres.
Proceeds aid Sunrise Rotary’s charitable work, locally and abroad. It’s one of 2 major fundraisers (the other is the Great Duck Race).
We’ll drink to that!
Wine importer David Squires’ table was one of 18, serving a wide variety of sustainable, organic wines.
The Constitution is a huge topic of national conversation, in the run-up to this year’s presidential election.
On Monday (October 28, 7 p.m.), the Westport Library hosts Akhil Reed Amar.
The Yale University law and political science professor, and noted Constitutional scholar, will discuss his book “The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840.”
He’ll also cover a wide range of topics, including the Electoral College, the pardoning power of the presidency, presidential immunity, and the role and shaping of the judiciary. After the talk, Professor Amar will answer questions about the Constitution.
Also at the Library: a display of campaign buttons and other presidential memorabilia (including a metal button from George Washington’s inauguration!).
It’s a fascinating exhibit. We vote that everyone should see it.
Professor Akhil Reed Amar, with author Stephen Bowling.
The United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston has an exciting weekend ahead.
Tomorrow (Saturday, October 26, 1 to 3 p.m.), kids up to age 12 enjoy “Trunk or Treat.”
The public is invited. Admission is free; donations of cash or 3-5 food items for local pantries are a “treat” for neighbors.
Youngsters can wear costumes, for a fun, safe, “non-scary” Halloween event. To host a trunk, email george.hanze@gmail.com.
On Sunday (October 27, 4 p.m.), Jazz Vespers brings together live music, inspiring poetry and Scripture. Musicians include: Malin Carta (saxophone), John Hoddinot (guitar), Matthew Munzner (bass) and Conor Brennan, drums. A free will offering for the music program will be received.
Trunk or Treat, at the United Methodist Church.
=================================================
Cheryl Wheeler and Kenny White headline the next Voices Café (November 2, 8 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport).
Wheeler is a gifted singer-songwriter, and a storyteller with a great sense of humor. Her songs are often emotional portraits of people.
White has a deep career as a singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist,
Voices Café concerts support the church’s social justice programs. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Longtime Westport resident Bryan Alix died October 3. He was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer last year. He was 69.
Bryan represented many ocean shipping lines. His family says: “He always found a way to deliver the most logistically difficult cargo, ranging from food aid to turbines to houses to locomotives, to ports from Egypt to Tajikistan and everywhere in between. It was impossible to stump him on questions of geography and geopolitics. His stories of shipping on the high seas are legendary.”
Bryan earned a BA in economics from Columbia University, and an MS in international transportation management from SUNY Maritime College. He served on the Maritime Association NATO Panel of Ocean Shipping, as a US delegate.
Bryan played softball with the Westport Boys of Summer, and was a member of the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston. He was a soccer coach for Westport teams, an umpire for Westport Little League, and he continued his college passion of ice hockey by coaching at Wonderland of Ice.
His family says, “Bryan was the most reliable friend to anyone in need, and the person everyone wanted at their dinner table with stories and laughter guaranteed.”
He is survived by his wife Jane, sons Daniel (Michelle) of Redondo Beach, California, and Andrew (Allie Gluck) of Seattle; grandson Liam; sister Suzanne Lockhart (Jim), sister Maryann Finn (Dan); brother Charles Alix (Julie), and nieces and nephews.
A memorial will be held November 2 (1 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club). Donations in his name may be made to Westport Emergency Medical Service; Wonderland of Ice, Bridgeport; and Paula Takacs Foundation of Sarcoma Research.
Bryan Alix
==============================================
Today, acorns make their first appearance in our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Jerry Kuyper)
Jerry Kuyper spotted these nuts on his deck. He notes: “Some of these acorn caps appear to have small clocks inside of their cupules, to time their launch.”
And finally … in honor of Westport Sunrise Rotary’s great “Uncorked” event last night:
(“06880” is your hyper-local source for news you can use. It’s “where Westport meets the world.” But we can’t do it without your help. Please click here to donate. Thank you!)
Not Westport. At least, not MoCA Westport anymore.
The gallery/performing arts center — whose official name was the Museum of Contemporary Art Westport — is now MoCA CT.
MoCA’s entrance is on Newtown Turnpike in Westport. But the bulk of the property — which includes Martha Stewart’s former TV studio, and was once a ball bearing factory — is in Norwalk.
MoCA explains the name change:
While our roots are in Westport, our impact and reach extend across the entire state of Connecticut.
The new name, MoCA CT, better represents our commitment to serving and engaging with communities throughout Connecticut. The name MoCA CT emphasizes our dedication to inclusivity and accessibility. It signals that we welcome artists, visitors, and participants from all corners of the state, fostering a sense of belonging and community.
Our mission is to celebrate contemporary art and foster a creative, engaging environment for all.
The new name aligns more closely with this mission by removing geographic limitations and highlighting our statewide aspirations.
MoCA was previously known as the Westport Arts Center. Its name was changed in 2019, when it moved to its present location from Riverside Avenue.
As of yesterday, a new logo had not been posted on the website (which is still mocawestport.org).
Tomorrow’s Board of Education meeting (Thursday, June 13, 7 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria) begins with a recognition of 15 retiring staff members: Susan Bambach, Peter Barcello, Anitha Bolar, Barbara Burns, Catherine Carlson, Karen DeFelice-During, David DuBois, Denise Emmerthal, Agustin Feliciano, Joyce Horne, Ann Neary Adalberto Orozco Jr., Jane Sandri, Bruce Smith, Mary Sue Welch.
The 2 Staples students on the Board — Calum Madigan and Anya Nair — will also be recognized, along with PTA co-presidents.
After a brief reception, agenda items include a teacher evaluation plan, and a second reading of Board polices on assignment of students to classes, ages of attendance and graduation requirements.
Staples High School English teacher Ann Neary is one of 15 retiring staff members.
The Levitt Pavilion’s popular Wednesday Children’s Series launches tonight (June 12, 7 p.m.).
Grammy winners Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats headline the family-friendly show. They promise “an elegantly silly time, loaded with bilingual and swingin’ sounds of jazz and beyond.”
Click here to reserve free tickets. Click here for more information on the Levitt Pavilion’s 50-plus free shows — and ticket sales for others.
Flag Day is this Friday (June 14). It celebrates the day in 1777 when our nation officially adopted its 13-stars, 13-stripes banner.
Carl Addison Swanson says, “on all such occasions, flags line Pleasant Valley Lane in honor of patriotism. It is a regular flag fest. And it is a fine time, in our divided country, that we remember we are all Americans.”
(Photo/Tom Cook)
=================================================
Speaking of patriotism: VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399’s 31st annual golf tournament, held Monday at Longshore, was a huge success.
Thanks to 96 golfers, plus friends, sponsors, auxiliaries and volunteers, it will help the organization and American Legion Post 63 offer support veterans throughout Fairfield County — and give them a welcoming place to gather.
VFW Post 399 (465 Riverside Avenue) is open to the public. and serves the community in many ways.
They host a weekly Jazz Night every Thursday; conduct monthly Red Cross Blood Drives (47 consecutive months so far), and organize open houses and ceremonies on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
The VFW partners with community institutions like PAL, the Fire Department, Westport Weston Family Y, Senior Center and Chamber of Commerce. They are also involved in youth activities in schools, Scouts, boating and sports teams.
For more information about Westport’s VFW Post 399/American Legion Post 63 and their community initiatives, click here.
Patty Kondub, VFW/American Auxiliary, is flanked by Honda of Westport sponsor representatives Evan Perkins and Steve Perkins.
“To his students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Fordham University, Manhattanville College, Fairfield University, and the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, and patients at his clinical and forensic psychology practice in Westport, he was known as Dr. Norman Klein.
“To the thousands of Westporters he coached in the mid-1990s and then umpired behind the plate at Kowalsky Field, he was simply ‘Norm!’”
On Monday, young and old honored Norm for his nearly 30 years of service to Westport Little League.
Extolling Norm’s “flair for the dramatic, and his youthful exuberance,” longtime umpire-in-chief Brian Kurtz noted, “Your work was always your play. Which is the way it should be.”
Westport Baseball president Jeff Brill added, “His spirited and emphatic umpire calls on Saturday mornings of Majors games were hallmarks of better spring weather and Little League baseball fun. He will be sorely missed.”
In his bellowing umpire voice Norm said, “I am forever grateful, and just know: I loved every single inning.”
Westport Little League will permanently honor Norm with a plaque on the backstop at Kowalsky Field.
Norm Klein (right) and Little Leaguers, at Kowalsky Field.
The Hillspoint Road sidewalk project is making good progress.
Yesterday, workers were busy in front of Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
Unfortunately, if they wanted a cold brew after work, they had to go elsewhere.
Though the Planning & Zoning Commission voted 5-2 earlier this month to amend zoning regulations, to allow retail food establishments with seating inside for up to 10 people to serve alcoholic beverages, OMG’s application is not yet finalized.
For a couple of weeks, Westporters brought new and slightly used shoes to Town Hall and the Senior Center.
This week, town officials helped Souls4Soles organizers Ken Bernhard and Ted Freedman transport 35 boxes — filled with 450 pairs — to the UPS store for delivery to Tennessee.
This is the 5th time the town has rallied to provide footwear for people around the world who need them.
From left: Officer Greg Gunther, Ken Bernhard, Detective James Baker, Ted Freedman, Sgt. Sean Kelley and Sgt. Sharon Russo, with Soles4Soles boxes.
The volunteer organization — which collects, curates and distributes artwork for schools and municipal buildings — sold 30 paintings. The $16,000 raised will go a long way to ensuring that the arts are alive and well, all around town.
“Dream Town” by Lisa Daugherty was one of WestPAC’s auctioned items.
Another successful event: The “Evening of Mental Fitness,” sponsored by Rhone. 125 guests gathered at the Westport Woman’s Club to raise awareness and funds for Positive Directions’ prevention and counseling programs.
The non-profit collected nearly $30,000 through tickets, donations, a silent auction and 10% of Rhone’s Westport sales over the weekend.
At the mental health fundraiser (from left): Vanessa Wilson of Positive Directions, Zac Clark of Release Recovery, Kate Sweeney and Nate Checketts of Rhone, Staples High School boys basketball coach Dave Goldshore, and Westport 1st selectwoman Jen Tooker.
“This was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me” has just been released as an audiobook, on all digital platforms.
There are 2 local angles. It was written by Westporter Lucy Antek Johnson, with her late father Samuel Antek. He was NBC Symphony’s first violinist.
And it was produced at the Westport Library’s Verso Studios. Johnson and actor David Garrison did all the narration, while Verso director Travis Bell handled the music editing.
Excerpts from the famed conductor’s original NBC Symphony performances replace the iconic photos, in the hardcover edition.
For example, when Toscanini bellows “Brahms!” at the first rehearsal, listeners hear the opening of his First Symphony.
The release is particularly noteworthy now. June is Audibook Appreciation Month.
Club 203 “spared” nothing for their monthly party on Tuesday, at Nutmeg Bowl.
And they “struck” a perfect chord for all attendees.
Bowling, prizes, pizza — it was right down everyone’s alley.
Westport’s social group for adults with disabilities gets ready now for their final event before their summer break: a Compo Beach bash on June 5. Click here for details.
Westport Police made 2 custodial arrests between May 8 and 15.
A 47-year-old Westport woman was arrested for disorderly conduct, violation of a protective order and assault, after a report of a domestic violence incident.
A 36-year old Tracy, California man was arrested for identity theft and forgery, after he deposited fraudulent checks, then attempted to withdraw money from a credit card account.
Police also issued these citations:
Traveling unreasonably fast: 10 citations
Failure to comply with state traffic commission regulations: 6
MoCA Westport’s “Gallery of Games” begins at 7 p.m.
The arts center will be filled with poker, blackjack and craps tables. Staples High School graduate Michelle Pauker provides entertainment; there’s tarot card reading too, and a silent auction.
Staples High School juniors Jack Schwartz, Ryan Sunjka, Jackson Tracey and Lucy Barney, plus freshman Sienna Schwartz, serve on the Friends of Yale New Haven Children Hospital’s Junior Board.
They volunteer at the Ronald McDonald house, participate in toy drives, and have special guest speakers at monthly meetings.
They also fundraise.
A lot.
This year’s goal is $30,000.
The money will support sick children and under-resourced families as they struggle through unimaginable medical complications.
The 2nd annual “Heartbeat for Hope” is set for Orange Theory in Westport this Saturday (May 18, noon) and June 1 (1 p.m.). Teams of 3 compete in running and rowing workouts.
There is no entry fee. But to win big prizes, participants are asked to raise at least $450 per team ($150 per person) from families, friends, neighbors and others.
Prizes to the teams with the top times and most amount of money raised include high value tickets (University of Connecticut basketball, Yankees Legends behind home plate, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets), gift baskets and gift cards. Participants also receive t-shirts. Click here to join the fundraiser; then click “Support Me.”
The Junior Board members hope “06880” readers will donate, even if they can’t participate. Click here for the donation page.
Staples high School members of the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital Junior Board.
And finally … on this date in 1888, Nikola Tesla described the equipment that allows alternating currents to transmit electric power over long distances.
(Casino nights, jazz, police reports, duck races — as usual, it’s all here in the “06880” Roundup. If you enjoy this daily feature, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Our new Instagram feature will be called “Vide06880.”
Pronounced “vide-06880,” it features Dave Briggs helping local merchants, restaurants and organizations tell their stories.
Each week, the longtime Westporter (and nationally known CNN, NBC Sports, Fox News and Turner Sports broadcaster) will interview a different retail store, restaurant, home builder, fitness establishment, etc.
Dave’s very informative and entertaining Instagram reels, stories and IG Live interviews will live on our “06880” Instagram feed (“06880danwoog”), this blog (via the “Video” tab) and the app, and be posted on Dave’s feed (“DaveBriggsTV”). He’ll follow up daily with stories about that week’s feature.
This week, Dave features Romanacci — the new operator of Old Mill Grocery & Deli. Learn about their food, their vibe, and their petition to sell wine. Click below to see.
Got a suggestion for a feature? Want to learn more? Email us both: 06880blog@gmail.com and dbriggsproductions@gmail.com.
Yesterday’s “Roundup” item on Bruce Becker — president of Becker + Becker, who has reimagined the Brutalist former Armstrong Rubber/Pirelli headquarters in New Haven into the Hotel Marcel, called “the greenest hotel in America” by CNN — neglected to mention that on Friday, he was appointed by President Biden to the US Commission of Fine Arts.
That’s because we did not know, until his neighbor and friend Larry Hoy told us the news.
Since 1910, the commission has advised the federal government on matters pertaining to the arts and national symbols, and guided the architectural development of Washington.
The 7 members, all with arts expertise, serve 4-year terms.
Becker designs and builds projects with social and environmental value. His work includes conversion of the Bank of America tower in Hartford into a 285-unit LEED Platinum mixed-income community; the 500-unit, 360 State and Elm City Market in New Haven; adaptive re-use of the Wauregan Hotel in Norwich, Connecticut to create affordable housing, and redevelopment of the historic Octagon on Roosevelt Island in Manhattan into a mixed-income community.
Bruce Becker, with a “Westport Green Building Award” for “meaningfully contributing to a sustainable Westport, and furthering the town’s goal of being a net-zero community by 2050.”
Speaking of art: If you hear “student art” and think of a work hung on a refrigerator that only a mother could love — think again.
The Westport Public School’s visual arts exhibition, “Spark” opens May 25 at MoCA Westport. It runs through June 2 (closing reception 2-4 p.m.).
The very imaginative show highlights the creative spirit at work in our schools each day, from pre-K through 12th grade.
It is well worth seeing, even — perhaps especially — if you don’t have a young artist at home.
==============================================
First came Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice.”
Now there’s Gabe Sherman’s version.
The Westport native — who grew up in Westport and graduated from Middlebury College in 2001 — wrote a film with that familiar name.
“An exploration of power and ambition, set in a world of corruption and deceit,” it explores Trump’s efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, along with his relationship with attorney Roy Cohn.
“The Apprentice” has been chosen as one of 20 (out of 2.000) entries to premier at the Cannes Film Festival, which starts this week.
In a story about 5 things to look for at the movie mecca, the New York Times says:
If any Americans traveling abroad are counting on Cannes for 2 weeks of respite from this contentious election year, the festival has a rude reminder in the form of Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice.”
This political origin story of sorts stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald J. Trump, Maria Bakalova as his first wife, Ivana, and the “Succession” star Jeremy Strong as Trump’s mentor, the fixer Roy Cohn. Could this be the only film at Cannes this year eligible for both the Palme d’Or and a clapback on Truth Social?
Gabe Sherman
=================================================
Longtime Westporter Jay Dirnberger brought Y’s Women members back to the Vietnam days yesterday.
As guest speaker, the former Army combat helicopter pilot discussed the various roles of Hueys: ferrying soldiers in and out of missions, and supplying water and ammunition to the troops already there circling over terrain with dangerously high tree canopies and mountains.
Capt. Dirnberger described the draft as a “leveler of men,” surrounding people with others they’d never otherwise know, broadening the world at a very young age.
Once strangers, they now held each other’s fates in their hands. One mistake could be deadly.
Capt. Dirnberger speaks often at high schools and colleges.
Jay Dirnberger addresses the Y’s Women.
===============================================
May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
In this week’s “Westport … What’s Happening” podcast, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Department of Human Services director Elaine Daignault discuss the extensive programs available to Westporters.
As always, it’s courtesy of the Y’s Men of Westport & Weston. Click below to listen:
Jazz pianist/composer Ted Rosenthal leads this week’s Jazz at the Post (Thursday, May 16, 7:30 and 8:45 p.m. shows; dinner service at 7 p.m.; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $20 music cover, $15 veterans and students).
Joined by trumpeter Scott Wendholt, bassist Martin Wind, drummer Tim Horner and saxophonist Greg “Jazz Rabbi” Wall, the evening will feature many Gershwin gems — plus Rosenthal’s jazz adaptations of the his symphonic works.
Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com
It’s observed every May 14, to celebrate the first public performance (in 1897) of John Philip Sousa’s stirring tune. In 1987, it became the National March of the United States.
(Be a great American — or at least a good Westporter. Please support “06880,” your hyper-local blog. Just click here. We thank you!)
The Connecticut Department of Transportation wanted them gone, for sidewalk installation and lane expansion as part of the Post Road renovation project.
Representative Town Meeting member galvanized local politicians and others in support of the beloved trees.
Public Works Department, RTM, Westport Tree Board and Earthplace officials, plus Sakura’s owner and landowner, met with representatives from DOT and Eversource. The trees were saved.
This week, they were at peak blossom.
Present and former members of the RTM headed to Sakura, to honor the occasion.
Every Westporter who drives past the restaurant thanks them for their efforts.
FUN FACT:“Sakura” means “cherry blossom” in Japanese.
Standing at Sakura (from left): RTM members Harris Falk, Claudia Shaum, Andrew Colabella, Matthew Mandell, Don O’Day. Not pictured, but important to the effort: Louis Mall, Jay Keenan, Julie Whamond, Chris Tait, Seth Braunstein and Jimmy Izzo.
Senator Richard Blumenthal was supposed to address the Sunrise Rotary Club in person at 8 a.m. yesterday, at Green’s Farms Church.
However, the Senate schedule kept him in Washington.
No problem! Rotary member Mark Mathias used his technical know-how to set up a remote appearance.
At 8:00 sharp, Blumenthal appeared on-screen. An audience of 80 people — members of both Westport Rotary Clubs, and guests — heard his takes on a variety of issues, including the need for quick approval of military aid to Ukraine.
Senator Blumenthal addresses Sunrise Rotary. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
The Tesla Cybertruck that has drawn plenty of attention in Westport may be off the road for a while.
Tesla has recalled all 3,878 of the vehicles it produced from November 13 to December 4. An accelerator pedal can stick, leading to accidents. The cause for the defect was soap used as a lubricant at the Austin factory. (Hat tip: Bill Dedman)
Tesla Cybertruck, last week on Hillspoint Road. (Photo/Karen Como)
The Westporter has developed a great business making (very) fresh jams and preserves.
Mary Lou is also an excellent artist.
She took a break yesterday from the kitchen. On a whim, she headed to Playhouse Square.
There — on the sidewalk outside the post office — she went to work:
(Photo/Dan Woog)
Whatever she does, Mary Lou always manages to make it a fruitful day.
=================================================
Speaking of artists: Herm Freeman — the Westport Book Shop’s artist exhibitor for February, whose works have been exhibited throughout the US and Europe for over 40 years — is one of 2 local artists whose “Kaleidoscope Eyes” show at Colorblends House & Spring Garden in Bridgeport has an artists’ reception today (Saturday, April 20, 3 to 6 p.m., 893 Clinton Avenue).
The other — Cris Dam — has produced the show.
They invite interested Westporters to stop by. “There’s tons of art, and thousands of tulips. It’s great family fun!” Herm says.
Judging by the number of emails I get, Westporters are increasingly concerned about the number — and weight — of wires strung between utility poles.
They serve a variety of purposes: electricity, telephone, cable. But apparently it’s lot easier to string new ones than replace outdated ones. There are a lot up there.
Alert “06880” reader Bob Weingarten spotted a utility worker yesterday, on Post Road East by Stop & Shop. Bob writes: “He must be wondering, which one do I connect?!”
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature is a fierce one.
Anita Tucker Smith writes: “Our wooded yard on Roseville Road has a lot of daily wildlife visitors. But this one is special.
“We first spotted footprints in the 6-inch snow a few weeks ago. We then saw him 6 feet from our front door a few weeks later. We were all startled, and he zipped away.
“I finally managed a few pictures Saturday afternoon as we glanced out the living room windows, just before heading out to dinner.”
(Photo/Anita Tucker Smith)
==============================================
And finally … since today is 4/20:
(On 4/20 — and every other day of the year — “06880” is your hyper-local blog. And every day, we rely on readers like you. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Abortion — one of the biggest national issues — comes to MoCA next month.
The Newtown Avenue museum and performance space will host a staged reading of “The Wish.” The montage of dramatic scenes about the loss of abortion rights is described as “inspiring … gut-wrenching … at times comical.”
Two performances are set for May 8: 2 and 7 p.m.
Westport writer Ina Chadwick is the executive producer — and the founder of The “A” Chronicles. Her non-profit “tells stories with quandaries, irony, moral indignity, heartbreak, love and passion. Mostly about abortion.” And it “creates theater that makes visible lives other than our own.”
Screenshot from The A Chronicles website.
She describes the back story: “In 1969 I made bedside visits to women in the postpartum ward at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, to gather information for a research project on the efficacy of an IUD, conducted by the World Population Council.
“One week I was assigned to the exam rooms to chaperone doctors (all men) in the free OB GYN clinic.
“I witnessed a heartbreaking case of incest. A 12-year-old Down Syndrome girl was 3 months pregnant. Abortion was illegal.
“I was outraged that although most of the girls and women I knew could get an abortion if they needed one, this girl — unaware of what was happening, and her Irish immigrant mother who was stunned and devastated — had no choice but to have the baby.
“I followed them to the elevator and gave them a society doctor’s name. He would help.”
That encounter impelled her involvement with a lobbying group to push Roe v. Wade through Congress. She formed a Westchester County Committee For Abortion reform.
In 1973, the US Supreme Court recognized for the first time that the constitutional right to privacy encompasses a woman’s decision on whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.
“Here we are. 51 years later,” Chadwick says. “Thank you to MoCA for collaborating on a theater production with The ‘A’ Chronicles.”
As for “The Wish,” Chadwick was initially reluctant to take on the script that she calls “a last-ditch manual to save abortion in the US through theater.”
Written by 6 young women on the eve of the Texas Supreme Court’s decision to criminalize the procedure, she calls it “a radical theater piece.”
Chadwick had just launched The “A” Chronicles “with a grand vision to find and stage stories of heartbreak, moral indignity, quandaries, love, and passion, all dealing with abortion.”
“I had witnessed the scary times ‘before, and then the freedom and peace of ‘after,'” she recalls.
But “The Wish” was “unlike anything I ever saw, read or heard. Like listening to rap and hip hop lyrics, I had to adjust my experiential lens to hear and see the pathos in the mini-dramas, and get used to the language of women living in environments where they have little control over their own lives. Profanity is part of how they tell their stories.”
Chadwick realizes, “to make a difference in the arts we must push past discomfort. I had to resurrect the outrage of my own younger self.”
After 3 workshop readings of “compelling monologues, wry short play cycles, mesmerizing mythological tales and witch-weaving spells for healing herbs, and magical empowerment,” producing the show became “an imperative.”
More than half a century after that life-changing experience in a New York hospital moved her to work on the national stage, Ina Chadwick continues to tell important stories about important topics.
(“06880” is where Westport meets the world — in politics, arts and so much more. We rely on reader support to continue our work. Please click here to contribute. Thank you!)
Following Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission vote approving plans to redesign the Parker Harding and Jesup Green parking lots, longtime Westport resident and civic volunteer Lawrence Weisman has launched a petition.
Its goal is to for Representative Town Meeting moderator Jeff Wieser to place on the agenda “the matter of how best to supplement and improve downtown parking.”
Westport is a vibrant town which owes great deal to its downtown and its merchants for whom adequate, convenient parking is a priority. The scheme which is making its way through the approvals process, involving an unnecessary complete restriping of the Parker Harding lot without loading spaces and with parallel (as opposed to angled) parking is inadequate and poorly conceived.
A parking deck on the Baldwin lot will provide additional parking in an easily accessible location at affordable cost without the need to encroach upon the town green. If you want to keep Westport vibrant, sign our petition so we can make the case to the RTM.
The petition to the RTM includes the idea of a parking deck on the Baldwin lot, off Elm Street.
Another Change.org petition — also opposing changes to Jesup Green and aimed at the RTM, though it does not seek an agenda item — was started by Tracy Porosoff. It says:
Save Jesup Green and mature, beautiful trees from being turned into parking spots!
As Dr. Seuss said, we must speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.
Please ask the RTM to reject the funding to convert 1/3 of Jesup Green, an inviting green, open space in the heart of downtown, into parking spots that the downtown merchants do not even want.
Turning this area into paved parking spots will only exacerbate existing flooding problems near the Saugatuck River.
This proposal is not a solution to Westport’s parking issues- it is a sad attempt to destroy our precious trees and open, green spaces. The Westport Library conducts story times in this area. Children play in this area. Birds build nests and rest in the leafy branches. People walk their dogs and sit outside and relax in the shade of these magnificent trees. Jesup Green has been a community meeting space for protest groups, Westport Youth Commission events and the annual Westport Library book sale.
Tell our RTM representatives to preserve Jesup Green and vote against cutting down trees to fund a Jesup parking lot.
Use your voice to keep Jesup Green green, open and beautiful for our town! Vote against funding the destruction of Jesup Green to create inconvenient, unwanted and environmentally unsustainable parking.
We must speak for the trees, which some people are chopping as fast as you please!
Jesup Green, looking south toward the Westport Library.
In the 6 years since the Parkland High School shooting, Fred Guttenberg has become one of America’s most prominent anti-gun violence advocates.
On May 21 (noon), he’s the guest speaker at CT Against Gun Violence’s spring benefit luncheon. He’ll discuss his — and his fellow activists’ — efforts to turn pain into purpose, as well his book “Find the Helpers: What 9/11 and Parkland Taught Me about Recovery, Purpose and Hope.”
Since its founding in 1993, CAGV has lobbied effectively for some of the strongest gun laws in the country.
They were behind Connecticut’s 1993 assault weapons ban, the 3rd in the nation. Since Sandy Hook, they’ve worked closely with the state legislature to enact universal background checks, an expanded assault weapons ban, and limits on large capacity magazines.
The Westport Sunrise Rotary Club is proud of its interesting guest speakers.
Next Friday (April 19, Green’s Farms Church), US Senator Richard Blumenthal takes the mic.
The public is invited. Coffee, bagels and muffins are served at 7 a.m.; the meeting begins at 7:45.
Senator Richard Blumenthal
================================================
Speaking of politics: Congratulations to the Staples High School Class of 2024!
On Wednesday, the Westport League of Women Voters registered 112 seniors who will turn 18 by Election Day (November 5). Another 15-2 took home forms to complete there.
Last year, 57 seniors registered. So the Class of ’24 set a Staples LWV single-day voter registration record — by a landslide.
Och and oy! Alan Cumming and Ari Shapiro are a powerful 1-2 punch.
The Scottish actor (“Cabaret,” “The Good Wife”) and American journalist and singer (NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Pink Martini) join forces for an evening of entertainment at the Westport Country Playhouse.
The November 22 event is called “Och & Oy.” The title pays homage to Cumming’s Scottish and Shapiro’s Jewish roots.
The show combines the best bits of public radio and a musical, with “deep, thought-provoking conversations and also entertaining, perhaps slightly bawdy, musical numbers.” It’s a mix of songs, Q&A and personal storytelling.
Click here for tickets (on sale at 1 p.m. today), and more information.
=================================================
The Westport Weston Family YMCA is all about health for all — especially youth.
So it’s a no-brainer for them to invite everyone to Healthy Kids Day (April 27, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
Part of a national Y program, Healthy Kids Day highlights the importance of nutritious eating, physical activity, mental resilience, and developing lifelong healthy habits.
The event includes mini-classes, food trucks with healthy options, a bounce house, water safety demonstrations, and community vendors and partners.
The “swirling, ethereal” voices of Lyyra Ensemble’s women’s choral comes to Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday, April 21 (5 p.m.).
The repertoire includes jazz, folk and classical pieces. Afterward, attendees can meet the singers at a special reception.
Tickets are available at the door, or by clicking here.
Lyyra
================================================
There are garage sales.
And then there is MoCA and Designport’s “Upscale Garage Sale.” It’s set for May 4 (noon to 4 p.m.), at MoCA Westport.
Interior designers, stagers and local shops will join together to “spring clean” excess inventory at discounted prices — for example, furniture pieces like end tables, dining chairs and ottomans), tableware, vases, lamps, pillows, accessories, throws, frames, small rugs, coffee table books and more.
Upscale Garage Sale sellers include Apadana Fine Rugs, Kerri Rosenthal, House of Prim, The Post, The Rath Project, House of Huck, Maison Sheik, Smart Playrooms and Innate Studios.
A “Drop In Kids’ Art Studio” will entertain youngsters. There’s also music by LeRoy Decker.
There is a suggested $10 donation. Click here for more information.
=================================================
Molly Doe Wensberg.is Sorelle Gallery’s new featured artist. Her abstract landscapes of New England scenery — from rolling hills to coastal sunsets — are on view through May 4.
The show opens tomorrow (Saturday). Click here for more information about her work.
Westport resident and tennis aficionado Christian Le Brun died Saturday at home. He was 56, and had been diagnosed 22 months earlier with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Born in Buenos Aires, he grew up in Scarsdale, New York. He played tennis for Scarsdale High School and Lehigh University, and met his wife Oona on the tennis courts of Roosevelt Island.
A voracious competitor, Chris had a rich social life built around tennis. He spent many hours while ill watching the Tennis Channel, with a sprinkling of news. He also played canasta with his sister and parents.
His family says, “Chris was a stylish and elegant man, tall and slim, always impeccably groomed. On the work front he was unusual: a lawyer who loved being a lawyer.”
After working in New York for Chadbourne & Parke, Chris joined Orbcomm as general counsel in 2005. He played a key strategic role through an IPO, multiple satellite launches, 12 acquisitions and a go-private transaction.
His family says, “Chris loved family dinners with his wife and 1 boys, taking long walks with Oona and their chocolate lab Latte, and playing as much tennis as his busy schedule would allow.”
In addition to his wife and sons Nicolas and Jacque, Chris is survived by his parents Yves and Ana, brothers Lee and Paul, and sister Ceci.
A memorial service is set for on April 22 (2 p.m., Greens Farms Congregational Church). Click here to leave online condolences.
To honor Chris’s love for tennis, his family encourage donations to OTA, which supports underprivileged children in Cameroon through tennis and education.
And finally … happy birthday to Herbie Hancock! The jazz great is 84 years old today.
(And finally … every day, “06880” brings news of upcoming shows, talks, gallery openings and every other event imaginable. Please click here to support our wide-ranging blog. Thanks for your help!)
Fashion and hip hop closed out VersoFest yesterday. The 5-day event was the best attended and most diverse in the 3-year history of the Westport Library event.
The penultimate event was “Glam to Punk Fashion Roundtable: Alice Cooper, Bowie, Blondie and Beyond.” Christine “The Beehive Queen” Ohlman moderated.
Christine Ohlman (left) leads the fashion panel.
The finale was “Hip Hop Panel and Performances: 51 Years of Wild Style, the First Hip Hop Motion Picture” with Tony Tone (Cold Crush Brothers).
Hip hop on stage. (Photos/Dinkin Fotografix)
VersoFest ’24 drew plenty of Westporters — and many others from throughout the tri-state region.
All were impressed by the depth and breadth of the programming, as well as the venue. Those who had never been in the Westport Library before were awed by the space.
And amazed that no one said, “Be quiet. This is a library!”
Congratulations to all who made it happen: Library staff, sponsors, performers, panelists, and anyone else.
In the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, WMMM was Westport’s local radio station.
Broadcasting from studios above Oscar’s (now Rye Ridge) Deli, 1260 AM offered local news and sports, plus middle-of-the-road music.
They were there for the Save the Children radio auction, the Great Race, Festival Italiano and the Oyster Fest.
Of course, John LaBarca hosted a weekly Italian house party — and made trips (as Santa) to deliver holiday gifts to the Southbury Training School.
WMMM is no longer (though the FM station lives on, as 50,000-watt WEBE 108). WMMM’s last owners — the Graham family — donated WMMM to Sacred Heart University. In 2000, the call letters were changed to WSHU-AM.
But WMMM is back, at 105.5. Those are the call letters now of a radio station serving the Madison, Wisconsin area.
I don’t know how former Westporter John Kelley stumbled on the station, but he shared the news with “06880.”
PS: When WMMM was our station, the letters stood for “Modern Minute Man” (owner Red Graham owned Minuteman Travel, too).
Out in Wisconsin these days, they call it “Triple M.”
The “new” WMMM …
… and the original.
=================================================
The Fortunoff brothers — Aaron, a Staples High School freshman, and Brett, a Bedford Middle School 7th grader — spent all of yesterday outside Stop & Shop.
The boys were collecting cereal and donations for Cereal4All. The non-profit provide cereals to local food pantries.
Their hard work paid off. Shoppers donated 989 boxes of cereal, and added $2,100 in cash.
If you missed the Fortunoffs, but want to help, you can Venmo @lauriefortunoff, or click here for an Amazon wish list.
There will also be a collection box at Temple Israel in Westport throughout May.
Aaron and Brett Fortunoff, with a few of their many cereal boxes.
=================================================
Suzuki Music Schools are best known for their violin instructions.
Sophie B. Hawkins does not play the violin.
No matter. The Westport-based singer/songwriter is the special guest performer at Suzuki’s annual gala (April 26, Aspetuck Country Club, Weston). She’ll be accompanied by Suzuki students.
The event includes a cocktail hour with open bar, dinner, and a live auction.
Last year’s gala raised nearly $40,000 to support their Bridgeport Outreach programs, to provide music lessons to children in need.
This year’s goal: raise enough funds to provide violins for those children to take home for practice.
Community Conversations: “It Will Go On” curator Victoria McCraven and Black Art Library founder Asmaa Walton (Thursday, April 11, 6 to 7 p.m.; Zoom only): A discussion about the current exhibit, and New England’s first Black art library installation. Click here to register, and for more information.
MoCA Some Noise: Open Mic Night (Friday, April 26, 6:30 p.m.): A night of creativity and talent, celebrating the power of expression and connection through music, poetry and more. Click here for more information.
Voices of Women: Natalia Kazaryan (Saturday, April 27, 7 p.m.): Georgian pianist Natalia Kazaryan celebrates the contributions of women composers. Click here for tickets, and more information.
=================================================
Stéphanie Szostak — the Westport actress whose credits include “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Iron Man 3” and “A Million Little Things.” — is a keynote speaker at the American Cancer Society’s annual Women Leading the Way to Wellness luncheon (May 15, 11 a.m., Stamford Marriott).
Szostak speaks often about overcoming failure, being an outsider and living with authenticity.
Kitt Shapiro — owner of WEST boutique, and a longtime supporter of the ACS — is a tri-chair for the event.
The luncheon highlights the importance of being one’s own health advocate. Over the past 10 years it has raised more than $1 million to support women’s health research, advocacy and more.
A deer silhouetted in the Vista Terrace woods, in Longshore near the 1st and 2nd holes on the golf course, starts this week’s “Westport … Naturally” feature off on a handsome note.
Westport’s 2 budgets — town operations, and education — passed big hurdles this week.
On Monday, the Board of Finance okayed First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker’s $84,380,124 proposal. It’s a 1.96% increase from the current year.
Last night, it was the Board of Education’s turn. Their $147,300,744 request represents a rise of 8.08% over the current year. Much of that is driven by health insurance.
Both budgets now move to the Representative Town Meeting, for final approval.
Tomorrow’s Board of Education meeting (Thursday, March 21; 7:30 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria) includes discussion of redistricting, and a Policy Committee update.
The Policy Committee meets today (Wednesday, March 20; 11 a.m., Town Hall auditorium) for a 6th reading of possible revisions to the Student Discipline document.
Last month, “06880” wrote about — and linked to — a new online map. It gives residents a chance to provide feedback on Westport’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan project.
Users easily zoom in on a particular place in town. The map has 3 options to drop a pin, and offer feedback: “Safety Concern”; “Safety/Improvement Idea”; “Good Example.” There’s a chance too to like a previous comment (and see how many other residents agree).
In the month since, Westporters have made dozens of suggestions and comments.
You can see them all. Click here; then scroll down, and click “Continue.”
You can also add your own thoughts. It’s a dynamic, ongoing — and very interactive — map.
PS: Click here for the “Traffic & Pedestrian Safety” page on the town website.
Every icon represents a bad or dangerous spot (orange thumbs-down); something good (blue thumbs-up), or a comment (gray light bulb). Each icon is clickable, to read details.
Couch Potato Salad — the great new illustrated word puzzle game developed by Westporter Zack Gross — is adding players every day.
(What’s it all about? Click here for the very fun back story.)
Now you can see how you stack up against everyone else. And win $100 while doing so.
Every day, Couch Potato Salad posts a clever image. It describes 2 common phrases, linked together by a shared word in the middle. The image above shows (duh) “Couch Potato Salad.”
Couch Potato Salad’s March Madness competition is free to enter. All you need is a creative brain.
Just click here. Sign in. Play the daily puzzles from today (March 20) through March 31.
The top 3 scores earn $100 each. Winners are the 3 players who solve the most puzzles out of the 12.
Tiebreakers are: Most Nailed (got the answer in one entry), Most Sailed (did it piecemeal), and finally, time (quickest solutions).
Can you figure this one out? The answer is at the end of this item.
The site gives you all the info you need to play (it’s easy). Sign in using an email and password (not the “password-less” login).
Some puzzles are dated prior to March 20. You can play them, but they won’t count for this competition.
You don’t have to play the puzzles on the day they are posted. But there will be a leaderboard, so you can see how you stack up.
MoCA Westport’s new exhibition opens with a reception and special performance by Sahmra Sawyer (also known as Supreme Divinity) tomorrow (Thursday, March 21, 6 to 8 p.m.).
“It Will Go On” merges MoCA’s gallery space with the first New England installation of the Black Art Library. The exhibit explores how the visual and the literary intersect, and inspire each other. It “urges visitors to interrogate contemporary forms of silencing, quieting, and censorship.”
The exhibition runs through June 16, and is free for MoCA Westport members. There is a $10 suggested donation for non-members.
Longtime Westporter Margaret Labbance DeMace died peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Friday. She was 91.
She was born in Fairfield. When I-95 was built, she and her mother relocated to Westport. A neighbor, Dominick DeMace, became the love of her life.
They married in 1955. She proudly raised 3 children, and cherished her role as grandmother and great-grandmother. S
Marge enjoyed winters in Florida, and mission trips the couple took with Assumption parish. She was an active member of its prayer network, and a devoted attendee at Saturday mass.
She was predeceased by her husband. Marge is survived by her children David, Danielle Yingling and Dominick (Joanne); grandchildren Stephanie Fagan (Joseph); Christina Bierwirth, and Natalie, Emily, Elisabeth and Eric DeMace, and great-grandchildren Connor and Devin Fagan, and Andrew Bierwirth, as well as many nieces and nephews.
The family will receive relatives and friends today (Wednesday, March 20) from 4-7 p.m. at Harding Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian burial will take place at Assumption Church tomorrow (Thursday, March 21, 10:00 a.m). Burial will follow at Saint John’s Cemetery in Norwalk.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to Assumption Church may be made in her name.
Marge DeMace
==============================================
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” photo could have been taken at many Westport locations. Spring is popping up everywhere.
And finally … Vera Lynn was born on this date, in 1917. The English singer — who, along with Winston Churchill, was an enormous inspiration to her country during World War II — died in 2020, at 103.
(Don’t be a couch potato! Please click here to support “06880,” your hyper-local blog. Thanks!)
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.
But there are alternatives.
