Attention, youth sports parents: The “06880” panel on that very topical topic is tomorrow night (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria).
We’ve partnered with Tommy Greenwald — the famed youth adult sports fiction writer, former Staples athlete (and father of 3 athletes) — to present “Fair Play and Foul Behavior: Issues Facing Youth Sports in Today’s World.”
We’ll talk about the achievement/pressure balance, referee abuse, sport specialization, cost, the “academy” syndrome, myths and realities of college recruiting, and more.
I’ll moderate the event, and include time for audience questions. Panelists are:
VJ Sarullo, Staples athletic director
Dave Smith, father of 4 athletes who writes frequently on youth sports topics
Caleb Smith, former Staples quarterback and lacrosse star, now playing football at the University of Connecticut
Heather Talbott, PAL girls lacrosse co-president and basketball organizer; former lacrosse player at Lehigh University
Mark Pressman, longtime football and softball official
Sunday marked the end of Mrs. London’s Westport run.
The popular bakery closed at 7 p.m. It will reopen soon under new ownership: Maman, the New York-based café and bakery chain.
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The Democratic Town Committee inadvertently omitted the name of one candidate, in a press release announcing its Nominating Committee selections for November’s elections.
Bre Injeski has been selected as one of 3 Planning & Zoning Commission nominees. She is a current P&Z alternate, and a municpal and administrative law attorney.
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One of the main tenets of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Westport and Weston is social justice.
Responding to recent developments on immigrants and their communities, the church’s Immigration and Refugee Committee is hosting an “Accompaniment & Volunteer Information Session.”
Attendees will learn how to support refugee and immigrant communities in Fairfield County.
It’s ladybug season … and the first-ever appearance of this insect in our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Cohl Katz)
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And finally … happy 75th birthday to Stevie Wonder!
We could have picked dozens of great songs. Here are just 3:
(It would be “wonder”-ful if every reader supported “06880.” Or just half! Or a quarter, even. Please click here to show some love for this hyper-local blog. Thank you!)
During 3 years in Westport, Mrs. London’s has made her — er, its — mark.
The Church Lane café and bakery draws big crowds, with its pastries, coffee and more. (It also features a Champagne vending machine, though no one seems to have ever vended from it.)
Now though, it’s changing hands. With the sale of Mrs. London’s to Maman — a New York hospitality group — it will go the way of its predecessors Aux Delices, Java, Wild Pear, Chef’s Table, and probably a few more I can’t recall.
A press release says that Maman, “known for its cafés, bakeries, and event spaces, features a menu that celebrates childhood favorites from the South of France and North America.”
Mrs. London’s will retain its original brand in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Owner Max London says, “We’ve been given the opportunity to expand
nationwide with some of our key menu items, thereby broadening our reach beyond brick and mortar. So despite our success with this location, the timing just made sense.
“We have been very appreciative of Mrs. London’s success in Westport, and as local residents, we are very excited to see Maman thrive here as our successor.”
They’ve launched a community survey, covering programs, events and offerings.
It’s anonymous, open to Westporters and non-residents — and patrons, and those who have never stepped inside.
Need an extra incentive? Participants are eligible to win prizes, including 2 sets of Apple AirPods, free drinks at the Library café; Amazon gift cards; and — for students — a delivery of 10 pizzas to the Library during AP exam study times.
The survey (click here) takes 10 minutes to complete. It’s available through May 31.
Everyone’s got documents to shred. And who doesn’t want to support cancer research?
Both come together this Saturday (May 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., William Raveis Real Estate, 47 Riverside Avenue).
Raveis is sponsoring “Shred it for Cancer Research.” Your stuff will be shredded as you watch. You don’t even have to leave your car.
There’s a suggested donation of $10 per box or shopping bag, $20 for a large garbage bag (cash, check, credit card of Venmo).
100% of every donation benefits the William Raveis Charitable Fund, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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Four months after receiving notice that his contract was not being renewed, Staples High School boys soccer head coach Russell Oost-Lievense will get a hearing.
The Board of Education meets next Monday (May 12, 9 a.m., Town Hall auditorium) to hear the appeal.
Well, they will be on Friday (May 9, 6 p.m.). The building is VFW Post 399 (465 Riverside Avenue).
At least, their music will be there. Tickets for the dinner (and classic hits) are $40. Click here to purchase. For more information, call 302-312-3774.
One more sign of summer: The Wakeman Town Farm farm stand opens June 14.
It will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It features fresh produce, honey, artisanal baked goods, extra virgin olive oils and gourmet balsamic vinegars, Chaga mushroom elixirs and salsas — plus fresh cut flower bouquets and WTF logowear.
Visitors can also walk through the gardens, say hi to the animals, and chat with the farmers.
Meanwhile, Wakeman Town Farm is looking for volunteers (ages 16+) to prepare and plant gardens (Wednesdays and Fridays, 2 to 4:30 p.m.). Email info@wakemantownfarm.org.
Lots o’ stuff, at the Wakeman Town Farm stand.
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Staples High School’s May Students of the Month are senior Rachel Pontoriero, juniors Isabel Alfageme and Isabel Jo, sophomore Damein Potter, and freshmen Dylan Robbin and Sofia Urrea.
Nominated by teachers, they “help make Staples High School a welcoming place for their peers and teachers alike. They are the ‘glue’ of the Staples community — the type of kind, cheerful, hard-working, trustworthy students that keep the high school together.”
From left: Isabel Alfageme, Rachel Pontoriero, Isabel Jo, Dylan Robbin, Damein Potter. Not pictured: Sofia Urrea.
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Westport artist Steven Parton just completed an intriguing, throwback beach series of paintings.
This one will be part of New York’s Salmagundi Club Summer Invitational Exhibition, from May 20 through June 6.
Steve will see you there. Or at Compo.
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Play ball!
Westport Little League Softball welcomes 130 players grades pre-K through 8th — and their families — to opening day Saturday, at Meyer Field.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker threw a strike, for the ceremonial first pitch.
(Photo/Fairfield County Sports Photography)
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Speaking of sports: TOPSoccer — a national program for youngsters with disabilities — kicked off Saturday.
The partnership between the Westport Soccer Association and Weston Soccer Club drew a great crowd.
But there’s room for more players — and more volunteer buddies.
Sessions run the next 4 Saturdays, plus a rainout makeup date TBA; 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Morehouse Farm Park in Weston.
To register as a player — or volunteer — click here.
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JazzFC’s “PianoFest” — this month’s feature at Jazz at the Post — cotninues with a repeat performance by David Berkman.
He’ll be joined by saxophonists Billy Drewes and Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall, bassist Jakob Dryer and drummer Quinton Cain.
It’s this Thursday (May 8) at VFW Post 399. Shows are 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner begins at 7. Tickets are $20; $15 for veterans and students. Click here to purchase.
The longtime Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce board member earned President’s Sales Leadership Club status for her regional work with Welcome Wagon. She was also named 2025 Local Business Person of the Year in Westport by Alignable, a national business networking platform.
And finally … in honor of Elvis Presley and Neil Diamond’s “appearances” at the VFW this Friday (story above):
(Viva Westport! If you enjoy this hyper-local blog: We’re glad. But don’t forget: We rely on reader support. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
Growing up in Westport, Lynn Untermeyer Miller loved downtown.
She’s never lost that affection.
And — in her years as a professional photographer (as was her father, the beloved Larry Untermeyer) — she often trains her eye on the sights and scenes we sometimes miss on Main Street.
The holidays are a special time for downtown, and for Lynn. Here are a few evening images, perfect for the season.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog — in words and images. Please click here to help us keep delivering both. Thank you!)
The Greens Farms Garden Club helps our town look prettier.
They also help people in food deserts eat nutritiously, and well.
Every summer, the “Growing For Good” initiative provides fresh organically grown herbs and vegetables to local food banks. It’s part of the club’s mission to advance horticulture skills, civic development and environmental awareness.
This year’s harvest donations weighs i at 818.5 pounds. That’s almost half a ton of good food.
Last week, the Greens Farms Garden Club earned an Award of Excellence for Civic Development, at the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut’s 94th annual awards meeting in (of course) Plantsville,
There is not one car or truck on I-95. Carrie took the shot when the Saugatuck Avenue span — and, here the Saugatuck River bridge — was closed, during the “slide” replacement project.
When was the last time you saw I-95 with no vehicles?
I know, I know: 2 weeks ago, during the first “slide” event. But still, it’s a scene worth memorializing.
Also yesterday, shoppers from throughout the region battled the fear of “traffic-geddon” to reach Staples High School, for the Westport Young Woman’s League’s “Craft Westport” sale.
There were crafters of all kinds, plus food vendors and more. The youngest exhibitor was probably Aiden Schachter. The Staples senior — pictured below — makes and sells LED lightclouds.
“Craft Westport” continues today, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $11; seniors $10, children 12-18 $5, children under 12 are free. Click here for more details.
Aiden Schachter, at his CloudLight booth. (Photo/Susan Garment)
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Compo Beach is timeless.
But there’s always something new there, too.
Early today, there was a photo shoot on the shore.
That’s not unusual. But this morning’s subject was — well, a bit different.
(Photo/Matt Murray)
If you know the back story, click “Comments” below.
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Wheels2U — Westport’s on-demand, door-to-train shuttle service is almost free. ($2 per ride — close enough).
But on Tuesday — Election Day — the coffee is free.
The Westport Transit District and Compass Real Estate offer gratis coffee at Steam to anyone riding between 6 and 8:30 a.m.
Riders use the Wheels2U Westport app to request a pickup between mornings, then again between 4 and 9:30 p.m. to be taken to or from the Saugatuck or Greens Farms train platform and their front door. Pickups should be requested about 20 minutes before you would normally leave to drive to the station.
Wheels2U deposits riders right next to Steam, at the Saugatuck train station. (Photo/Phil Bancroft)
Audra McDonald sings songs from Broadway and the Great American Songbook, in a one-night fundraiser.
The 6-time Tony, 2-time Grammy and 1-time Emmy Award winner received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama. She was also one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People.”
$2,500 tickets include a pre-show dinner and post-show meet and greet; call 203-571-1291, or email cmackay@westportplayhouse.org.
Longtime Westport resident Liz Beeby died September 25, at her Fairfield home. She was 62.
Her obituary calls her “the friend who was bold, thoughtful, fearless, artistic, kind, outrageous, supportive and the coolest….It wasn’t uncommon to see her wearing minks, feather boas and glitter, belting out the lyrics to ‘Layla’ by Eric Clapton. Along with her angelic beauty, she had a sharp wit when needed.”
Liz was an accomplished artist. Her assemblage pieces appeared in Westport art shows and area auctions. “Jewelry Creations by Lucky” was her jewelry design business. She also created “Moving Memories,” which transformed still photos into special occasion videos with music and narration on a DVD.
Liz’s likeness can be seen in many award-winning photographs by Westport artist Miggs Burroughs.
A wake is set for Friday (November 10, 4 to 7 p.m., Spear Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield.)
Yesterday’s New York Times featured a Page 1, top-of-the-fold story about a female Ukrainian soldier. It begins:
Just over a year ago, Yulia Bondarenko’s days were full of lesson plans, grading and her students’ seventh-grade hormones.
When Russian missiles shattered that routine and Russian troops threatened her home in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, Ms. Bondarenko, 30, volunteered to fight back, despite her lack of experience, the grave risk to her life and Ukraine’s apparently impossible odds.
“I never held a rifle in my hands and never even saw one up close,” Ms. Bondarenko said. “In the first two weeks, I felt like I was in a fog. It was just a constant nightmare.”
The harrowing text is accompanied by Lynsey Addario’s haunting photos. The 1991 Staples High School graduate — a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur fellowship grant winner — made 5 trips to Ukraine last year.
She followed Bondarenko’s journey on four4 of them, reporting from the Kyiv, Kharkiv and Cherkasy regions.
Click here for the full story, and Lynsey’s powerful photographs.
Yulia Bondarenko learns how to use a rifle. (Photo/Lynsey Addario for the New York Times)
Alert “06880” reader Gil Ghitelman is a fan of Mrs. London’s Bakery — to a limit. He writes:
“Mrs. London’s is a welcome addition to the Westport dining experience. While I miss the vibe engendered by Java at the same Church Lane location several years ago, their pastries, albeit pricey, are quite delicious.
“What I find disturbing is their 3.5% surcharge for credit card use. The only outfits (other than gas stations) that I’m aware of using this ploy are online gun dealers.
“Mrs. London’s is only shooting itself in the foot if they continue this practice.”
Longtime Westporter Phyllis Makovsky died in her home, surrounded by her family, following an inspiring fight against leukemia. She was 80 years old.
The Queens native graduated from Barnard College with honors, and earned a master’s degree in teaching from Harvard University.
She was passionate in the classroom. She taught advanced math at the Brearley School in Manhattan and Great Neck South High School on Long Island, before turning her skills and compassion to her family, and through prominent roles in the community.
In 1972 Phyllis met Kenneth Makovsky. They married within months, and shared a partnership of 50 years. The couple enabled each other’s successes in business, at home and in their social and philanthropic lives. She served as a crucial strategic advisor to Ken as he built the public relations agency Makovsky & Company.
Phyllis was a doer. Her work came in many forms. She served Temple Israel as a board member for 10 years. She established a scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis dedicated to music. After her second diagnosis with breast cancer, she returned to Norwalk Hospital as a volunteer in the chemo-infusion center. She spent 20 years there — and returned to the same room for her final leukemia treatments. She was greeted with big hugs.
Phyllis used her talents as a teacher, and her combination of grace, grit and empathy, to make sure that her family could shine. As a friend and a sister she did the same. Phyllis was present, kind and insightful, and her love and good energy was returned to her by many.
Phyllis is survived by her husband Kenneth, sons Matt and Evan, and brother Stephen.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow (Tuesday, February 21, 1 p.m., Temple Israel). Burial will follow at 225 Richards Ave in Norwalk. Shiva will be observed at her Westport home tomorrow (Tuesday, February 21, post-service until 8 p.m.), and Wednesday and Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m..
To livestream the funeral service, please click here. Go to the YouTube page; it will be the first “live” video listing for the day. To share a condolence message, click here. Memorial contributions may be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
(Phyllis Makovsky was the subject of a song written by her son Matt. Click here for that story, posted last Friday on “06880.”)
“06880” reported yesterday that Greens Farms Spirit Shop was for sale. It was right there online, with an MLS listing.
Yesterday afternoon, owner Nick Conti emailed:
“Been hearing a lot of chatter today about my store being for sale. I can personally tell you: ‘The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.’ The store is not, in fact, for sale. I have had the store for almost 4 years now and couldn’t be happier in Westport. It’s a tremendous community!”
It seems a broker Nick had not met before misinterpreted an offhand remark, and posted — without his knowledge — an item about the sale. (“The MLS is a strange place to market a business,” Nick adds.)
So, not only is Greens Farms Spirit Shop not for sale. But the store was just recognized as one of the nation’s Top 100 retailers, by Beverage Dynamics magazine.
Everyone continues to rave about Old Mill Grocery — the newly reopened deli/market on Hillspoint Road.
And by “everyone,” we mean all kinds of people.
And their pets.
With plenty of dog treats on the shelf (courtesy of Earth Animal), we’ve seen lots of tail wagging — inside, and out front.
Bobo, at Old Mill Grocery. (Photo/Sunil Hirani)
Cathy Malkin sent this photo of Yogi Bear, and says he gives the new place “2 paws up”:
(Photo/Cathy Malkin)
Meanwhile, Maggie Moffitt Rahe reports — happily — “the line was out the door. One can only say ‘thank you” to the donors for opening the doors again. It’s bustling, and beautiful.”
Not far away at Compo, every Tuesday during the summer, the Y’s Men picnic near the cannons. Once a year, they use it to raise funds for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
This week’s hot dog cookout for the camp was the most successful ever
Several dozen Y’s Men and spouses — plus frequent Y’s Men speaker and loyal supporter 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker — enjoyed hundreds of dogs. They were donated by Y’s Man David Kalman, and grilled by members Roy McKay and Larry Licht.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker drops a contribution in the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp bag. (Photo/Bob Mitchell)
Flyers distributed yesterday in Saugatuck announced a state Department of Transportation “I-95 Resurfacing and Median Reconstruction Project, to begin July 2022.”
The bridge over Saugatuck Avenue will be replaced, using “Accelerated Bridge Construction Methods called Lateral Slide, which minimizes the disruption to I-95 commuters.”
In addition, the I-95 bridges over Franklin Street and the Saugatuck River will undergo concrete deck repairs, replacement of expansion joints and installation of new standpipes.
A portion of the structure will be replaced over a weekend, with 2 lanes of traffic in each direction.
Other work includes:
Reconstruction of the center median and right shoulders along with resurfacing of the highway mainline and ramps at Interchanges 16 and 17.
Median will be reconstructed consistent with other stretches of I-95 to provide a 6-foot-wide capped concrete barrier section.
Wider left and right shoulders where possible.
Improve drainage by replacing and re-routing drainage structures
Replacement of the existing highway illumination system
Install new realigned Incident Management System (IMS)
Install new guide rail
Utilize wet retroreflective pavement markings to provide increased visibility of pavement markings in wet conditions.
(Hat tip: Ken Stamm)
I-95 bridge over the Saugatuck River. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
Matthew Hooper and his wife live near downtown. On Tuesday night, walking in that often bustling area, he spotted 2 deer.
One was happily hanging out at the Millman & Millman law office. Moments later it as joined by another, strolling right down the yellow line on Main Street.
Whether they were looking for legal advice, or perhaps a gelato, they captured Matthew’s attention. And he captured one on camera, for “Westport … Naturally.”
Mrs. London’s Bakery — the highly anticipated, long-delayed successor to Aux Delices, Java, Wild Pear, Chef’s Table, and a few other places I’ve probably forgotten on Church Lane, at the foot of Elm Street — is scheduled to open the moment this Roundup hits your email inbox: 10 a.m. today.
That’s according to Sal Liccione, the unofficial mayor of downtown.
The 2nd outpost of the Saratoga Springs-based shop features pastries, baguettes, croissants, grilled sandwiches, paninis, salads, quiches, soups, “decadent desserts,” espressos and teas. Ingredients are organic, locally grown and sourced.
Word from upstate New York fans is that Mrs. London’s Bakery will be worth the wait.
And let’s hope she is around much longer than some of her predecessors.
The Staples High School Guidance Department invites seniors, their parents — and anyone else interested — to “Spark Your Future.”
The counselors, through their College & Career Center, are sponsoring a 4-part series. Alumni tell stories of how they got where they are, with all the twists and turns that make up life. The goal is for students to learn from others who were in their shoes a decade or so ago — and perhaps “spark” an idea or two for the future.
Each event includes information on the importance of soft skills too — learning from failure, networking, persistence.
The most recent session — about careers in media and entrepreneurship — featured Nicole Seo (Staples Class of 2011), who runs a recruiting business; D.J. Sixsmith ’11, senior manager, social media for CBS News; Melanie Mignucci ’12, lifestyle editor at Bustle, and Rachel Treisman ’15, digital correspondent for NPR.
Next up: Careers in Business and Computer Science. Georgia Fox ’16, Megan Root ’15 and Jake McCambley ’11 will be panelists. It’s Tuesday, April 5, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Click here to register. Everyone is welcome.
Sustainability and fashion. What could be less of a pairing?
But the 2 concepts come together March 28 (6:30 p.m., Wakeman Town Farm).
Therese LeFever, Cynthia Davis, Carly Ridloff and Haley Lieberman will discuss the effects of fast fashion on our environment, consumers and workers.
Attendees will learn how to identify sustainable businesses, make smarter buying choices, and what it means to be a conscious consumer.
The event also spotlights local sustainable clothing businesses, including Our Woven Community, The Exchange Project, and Shop Tomorrows, to show how they make an eco-friendly impact on the fashion community.
The Artists Collective of Westport’s pop-up shows are always fun, inspiring, and surprising. Members’ eclectic styles and subjects somehow always come together in provocative ways.
The next one is March 24-27 (2 to 6 p.m., Westport Country Playhouse barn). A reception is set for March 23 (6 to 8 p.m.), with an artists’ talk March 27 at 4 p.m.
Participating artists include Tom Berntsen, Michael Brennecke, Bevi Bullwinkel, Leonor Dao, Hernan Garcia, Katheryn Gray, Carmela Kaufman, Karen Kent, Sandra Meagher, Guy Philips, Norm Siegel and Ginny aters.
To learn more about the under-the-radar (but very cool) Artists Collective, click below.
Morning walkers, joggers, bikers, fishermen — and anyone else wandering by Schlaet’s Point — enjoy scenes like this “Westport … Naturally” one every day.
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