Staples Players’ astonishing production of “Les Misérables” concludes its 10-show run this afternoon (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.; click here for information).
Before the (spectacular) set is struck, however, it’s worth praising Players once again.
Today, kudos go to the tech crew: the young men and women who seldom get the credit they deserve, but without whom there would be no show at all.
These very talented, tremendously hard working, incredibly dedicated students build sets, oversee lighting and sound, create costumes, and do much, much more.
Once the play begins, it’s run entirely by students. They are responsible for keeping things moving smoothly — even when they go awry.
Colin Walker says, “I have the fortunate privilege of being the technical director. I get to be with these students on a daily basis. I see how hard they work. They make invaluable contributions to the success of the show.”
They sure do. Take a bow, “Les Mis” tech crew!
Staples Players tech crew, on set. (Photo/Colin Walker)
Jillian Elder’s Westport Holiday Lights Collection features local landmarks like the Cribari Bridge, Minute Man monument and Compo Beach cannons. Each piece is available on shirts, prints, mugs and totes.
New at the online shop: Westport Is my Happy Place. It’s a tribute to the town’s charm and creative spirit.
Esterina D’Amico, who was born in her parents’ Westport home, and was a lifelong resident, died Thursday, in Norwalk Hospital. She was 95.
Ester spent more than 40 years as an administrative secretary for PerkinElmer in Norwalk. She was a faithful parishioner of Assumption Church. She loved traveling the world, and was an accomplished skier.
She is survived by her brothers Anthony and Peter D’Amico; sister Geraldine Stauss; 17 nieces and nephews; and many grandnieces and grandnephews.
She was predeceased by her brothers Edward, Rudolph and Anthony, and sisters Adeline Coviello, Margaret Incerto, Mary Aldrich and Josephine D’Amico.
A funeral Mass of Christian Burial is set for Tuesday (November 25, 11 a.m., Assumption Church). Interment will follow in Assumption Cemetery on Greens Farms Road.
The family will receive visitors at Harding Funeral Home from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Condolences may be left online at www.hardingfuneral.com. Contributions in Ester’s memory may be made to a charity of one’s choice.
(While someone’s been working on the railroad, we’ve been working on “06880.” Our daily Roundup — and everything else — doesn’t fall from the sky! Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Voters in more than half of Westport’s 9 Representative Town Meeting districts will have an actual choice this November.
But just barely.
Each RTM district elects 4 representatives to the town’s legislative body.
With the filing deadline passed, only 5 of those districts have more than 4 candidates on the ballot. They are Districts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9. The other 4 have the bare minimum: 4 candidates each.
And of the 5 districts with actual races, 3 have just 5 candidates. Two — Districts 2 and 9 — have 6.
Here’s the breakdown.
District 1: Incumbents: Andrew Bloom, Matthew Mandell, Kristin Mott Purcell, Chris Tait. Petitioning: Gail Coykendall.
District 2: Incumbents: Jay Keenan, Melissa Levy, Louis Mall, Mike Perry. Petitioning: Harris Falk, Jenna Petok.
District 3: Incumbents: Ross Burkhardt, Jimmy Izzo, Pamela Troy-Kopack. Petitioning: Adam Drake, Srikanth Puttagunta.
District 4: Incumbents: Andrew Colabella, Clarence Hayes, Jeff Wieser. Petitioning: Charles Lucas, Victoria Wylie, Charles Lucas.
District 5: Incumbents: Peter Gold, Karen Kramer, Dick Lowenstein, Claudia Shaum.
District 6: Incumbents: Candace Banks, Seth Braunstein, Alma Sarelli. Petitioning: Lauren Karpf.
District 7: Incumbents Brandi Briggs, Jack Klinge, Ellen Lautenberg Hendel. Petitioning: Joseph Carson.
But those crustaceans (and all the steak, cole slaw, beverages — not to mention the band, booths, etc.) don’t fall from the sky. They take a ton of work.
The Westport Rotary Club fundraiser happens every year because of the very hard work of every member. And many more volunteers.
At yesterday’s weekly meeting, LobsterFest volunteer chair Susan Shuck described what all those people do.
Their efforts pay off. Approximately $400,000 will be distributed as grants in May, primarily to Westport and other Fairfield County non-profit organizations.
Representatives from one of those groups — Homes with Hope — spoke to the Rotary Club too. Paris Looney and Katherine Murray joined CEO Helen McAlinden.
She noted that HwH plays a major role in the greater Westport community — not only in the rehabilitation of homeless people, but through an array of programs and strategies that help prevent homelessness at its roots.
Back to LobsterFest: If you don’t yet have tickets, you’re out of luck. It sells out very quickly, when 1,500 tickets become available each summer. Watch this space next year!
Susan Shuck, with a LobsterFest volunteer t-shirt. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
Doris Skutch — a longtime Westporter, business executive, and ardent volunteer in politics and other areas of local life — died peacefully here on Sunday. She was 94.
After leaving Connecticut College in the 1950s, she moved to New York and began her professional journey as a journalist for women’s periodicals.
Her career soon transitioned into textiles, where she found her calling in communications and marketing. Doris spent over 3 decades at Burlington Industries. Starting as a secretary, she rose through the ranks to become vice president – fashion. She loved her twice-yearly trips to shows in Paris and London, bringing back wonderful concepts for fabric buyers.
Following her tenure at Burlington, Doris brought her expertise to a boutique communications firm in Westport. She later dedicating her skills to nonprofit work, as a grant writer for United Way in Bridgeport.
A passionate advocate for civic engagement and community service, Doris was a lifelong Democrat who remained active for over 50 years. She was a life member of the Westport League of Women Voters, and held LWV leadership roles at the local and state levels.
Her commitment to public service included the Y’s Women, and the Connecticut Alliance for Music. She also participated in several book clubs.
Doris was a devoted member of Christ & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church for many years.
Doris is survived by her sons Douglas and Elliot Royce; stepsons David and Christopher Skutch; niece Casey Farley; 4 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren.
Doris Skutch
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Today, elephant ears make their first appearance in our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
And finally … Rick Davies, founder of Supertramp, died Saturday in East Hampton, New York. He was 81, and had been diagnosed with blood cancer over a decade ago. Click here for a full obituary.
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