In this area, many of those talking are businesspeople. Most have some skin in the game.
That includes Stew Leonard Jr.
The Westport native — now CEO of Stew Leonard’s, the company his father founded, with 8 locations in the tri-state area — sat down the other day with Business Insider. Among his comments:
As far as tariffs go, I’ve talked to our suppliers in Mexico with avocados and beer and tequila, and I’ve talked to our suppliers in Canada. We get some tomatoes on the vine from Vancouver, and salmon is our biggest item from Canada. There’s also lobsters, but it’s not lobster season yet.
Basically, take your darts out for your dartboard because nobody that I’ve talked to, even the experts in the field, knows what’s going to happen.
Throw a dart. Is this tariff going to last one day? Is it going to last a week? Is it going to last a month?
What we’re scrambling to do is find alternate sources if there is an increase in the tariff. We’re sitting here riding the market day by day….
Click here to read the full story. (Hat tip: Doug McCarthy)
Stew Leonard Jr. (Photo courtesy/Westchester Magazine)
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On the 5th anniversary of the pandemic, COVID is still here.
Is bird flu here too?
While the CDC website shows no reported cases in Connecticut — or east of Ohio — one Westport woman is not so sure.
She told “06880” yesterday that she found 2 dead birds in the waters of the Ned Dimes Marina at Compo Beach, and another nearby on the Longshore golf course.
She was advised to contact the Aspetuck Health District, just to be sure.
Dead birds at the Compo Beach marina.
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For a while, I’ve wondered why nearly every new house in Westport seems to be white (with black accents).
I’m not the only one.
Dan Kois has thought about the trend too.
Now he’s written about it.
He concentrates on Arlington, Virginia. But the style is national, he notes.
His piece in Salon answers a number of questions, including why they’re so big, and why they’re so white. Click here to read. (Hat tip: Scott Smith)
This 4-bedroom, 3 1/2-bathroom house on Spriteview Avenue is on the market for $3.499 million.
It’s less than 3 miles from Staples High to the Westport Country Playhouse.
It’s a lot longer through Ithaca, New York.
That’s the route Zach De Brino took. It was worth the detour.
Before graduating from high school in 2019, he was an assistant director for Staples Players.
Zach earned a BFA in stage management from Ithaca College in 2023. Since then he’s worked Off-Broadway and regionally, including production assistant and crew swing on “Teeth” at Playwrights Horizons, assistant stage manager for the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, and event production coordinator in New York.
Now he returns home. Zach is the production assistant “Theatre People,” which opens March 25 at the Playhouse.
Click here for more information on the show, including tickets.
Zach De Brino, checking props for “Theatre People.” (Photo/Andrea Quiles)
The Westport Fire Department responded yesterday afternoon to a house fire on Tarone Drive. One resident was injured, and taken to Norwalk Hospital.
The WPD reminds everyone to ensure they have working smoke detectors in their homes.
Dayling Savings Time begins at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. Move your clocks forward one hour! Whenever you change your clocks, remember to change your batteries!
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More than half a century after graduating from Staples High School, I made my Players debut.
I was a guest speller last night in their production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
It was short-lived. I got knocked out on my first word: kumis. As I sure as heck did not know, the fermented milk drink from Central and East Asia is spelled not with a “c,” but with a “k.” (It’s also known as koumis or kumyz, neither of which I would have gotten either.)
Yours truly being given a loser’s prize by Mitch Mahoney (Yusef Abdallah), after failing in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
My fellow guest spellers — 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Staples principal Stafford Thomas and Bedford Acting Group director Ryan Smith — lasted longer than I did.
Neither of them won, either. (Spoiler alert: No guest speller has ever won, in the history of the Broadway show. It’s rigged!)
“Older” spellers (from left) Stafford Thomas, Dan Woog, Jen Tooker and Ryan Smith, on stage with the Staples cast, who are much better spellers (and actors).
But boy, did we have fun. Thank you, Players directors David Roth and Kerry Long, for the invitation. And great job Players, making us all feel welcome!
The show continues today (Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.) and tomorrow (Sunday, March 9, 2 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
Leaf Coneybear (Cooper Gusick, center) entertains Staples principal Stafford Thomas and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker. (All photos/Kerry Long)
Chef Brian Lewis — whose OKO and The Cottage are Westport favorites — was recently named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award (“Best Chef Northeast” category).
Now he’s introducing a new dining experience.
The OKO-KASE menu includes Popcorn Dashi Lions Mane, Hokkaido Uni, Osetra Caviar, Bread and Butter Lobster, Passion Fruit and Stracciatella
Black Truffle Chawanmushi.
That’s followed by a selection of nigiri sushi, hand rolls, and flavorful dishes like Chili-Lime King Crab Hand Roll, St. Canut Pork Belly with Walnut Miso and Fermented Apple Butter, and Yuzu White Chocolate Huckleberry Kiss.
The price is $200 per guest; $75 sake pairing per guest. Reservations (203-557-8404) require 48-hour notice, and a $50 deposit per guest.
Westport escaped major damage in yesterday’s high winds.
Residents of Hickory Drive were not as lucky, however. Power went out when a tree took down live wires.
(Photo/Ron Poserina)
Winds continue today, 20 to 30 mph, with occasional gusts over 40. The temperature will be in the mid 40s.
The week ahead looks good. Tuesday could see 60 degrees.
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Last year, Rach’s Hope Walk the Extra Mile raised more than $20,000. The funds helped the non-profit that supports families with critically ill children in the ICU with an additional 100 nights of hotel stays, so parents can rest and recharge while staying close to their kids.
Rach’s Hope — which honors Rachel Doran, the Staples High School graduate and rising Cornell University senior, who died after developin a rare reaction to common medications — is getting ready for their 6th annual Rach’s Hope PJ Gala.
(Rachel was a talented Staples Players costume designer, and founded a pajama company.)
The date is Saturday, March 29 (7 to 11 p.m., FTC, Fairfield). Click here for tickets.
Festivities include an open bar with Tito’s cocktails, beer, wine and prosecco; heavy appetizers and desserts by AMG Catering; live music kicked off by Westport’s own Michael Cantor and Frog Salon, plus Rach’s Hope’s signature band, Ellis Island — and live and silent auctions too.
The Staples High School freshman was the only 9th grader in the entire country to win the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy annual Civics Challenge His entry was Crafting Change: The Art of Lawmaking in Congress.
The Civics Challenge is a very competitive national contest open to students in grades 6 through 12. Participants demonstrate civics knowledge through essays, short videos or original songs.
Tucker — one of just 10 winners nationwide — earned a $500 prize.
And the admiration of everyone who mourns the loss of civics education in America today.
Speaking of education: Adam Shapiro recently spent 2 days at Greens Farms Academy.
The noted actor (“The Bear,” “Never Have I Ever,” “Waitress”)was the school’s 2025 Hartwell Visiting Artist.
Shapiro presented at student assemblies, delivered a keynote to parents on “Cultivating Creativity,” coached the Middle School cast of “Frozen Jr.,” and shared his stories and advice about building a career in the arts.
Click here to read more about Shapiro’s visit. Click below for a highlight reel:
Speaking of school: Congratulations too to Weston High School’s robotics team!
They won the engineering design Innovate Champion Award at the state robotics championship recently.
That earned them a spot at the VEX Robotics World Championships in Dallas in May. Good luck to the squad: Emily Arias, Angela Zhao, Joshua Miranda and Cooper Schleef.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong — an early opponent, with counterparts across the country, of some of President Trump’s first funding cuts — is the guest at the Democratic Women of Westport’s annual Souper Luncheon.
The event is March 28 (11:30 a.m.). The DWW invites the public to join the AG, and learn more about his work on behalf of state residents. To RSVP, email dww06880@gmail.com.
On April 22, the Democratic Women sponsor a forum with Yale Law School professor Paul Kahn, author of Democracy in Our America: Can We Still Govern Ourselves? He’ll be joined in conversation by the Representative Town Meeting’s current and former moderators, Jeff Wieser and Velma Heller.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong.
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Saugatuck Congregational Church host’s Connecticut’s first “Music for Food” concert (March 16, 3 p.m.), with classical pianist Emma Tahmizian.
The Bulgarian musician debuted internationally at age 11, at a concert series in Moscow. She has performed and recorded regularly, since winning the 1977 Robert Schumann Competition.
The event is free, but donations are accepted. All proceeds benefit Homes with Hope, to support area residents facing food insecurity.
Emma Tahmizian
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The Gallery @ Green’s Farms Church welcomes photographer Sally Harris, and her latest work: “The Colors and Culture of Oaxaca.”
The show runs from March 14 to May 14. An opening reception is March 14 (6 to 8 p.m.). For more information, click here.
Speaking of art: Brian Whelan’s work is always a highlight of our “06880” online gallery.
Now it’s on view at Trinity Church Wall Street, in New York.
“Holy City” is a series inspired by medieval artwork, contemporary expressionism, and Whelan’s Catholic roots. blending the temporal and the spiritual.
The 9-panel painting at the center of the exhibit depicts Christianity, Islam and Judaism existing in harmony, with houses of worship supporting and uplifting one another.
The exhibit is open through March 18. Click here for more information.
Speaking still of the arts: A large crowd learned a lot at Thursday’s Malloy Fund for the Arts’ presentation “Reimagined: Westport as an Arts Town, Past, Present and Future.”
Actor James Naughton moderated a panel, with Miggs Burroughs, Melissa Newman and Meloday James.
Ann Sheffer — a passionate arts advocate and philanthropist (and donor Susan Malloy’s niece), whose family’s contributions helped shape Westport’s cultural fabric — also spoke.
If you missed it: no worries. Just click below, to see the entire event.
The Westport Astronomical Society will be open from 1 a.m. to 3:40 a.m. (weather permitting) on March 14, to observe the total lunar eclipse.
In other WAS news, the next free online lecture features Sarah Elizabeth McCandless. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory navigation engineer discusses “Exploring an Icy World with Europa Clipper.”
Riverside Avenue and Lincoln Street neighbors fought hard.
But on Monday 2 large trees — perhaps over 200 years old — at 125 Riverside Avenue were cut down. Hours later, the oak at 79 Riverside Avenue next to Eloise Ray Park was also removed.
A home will be built adjacent to the park, on the Saugatuck River at the foot of Lincoln Street.
Nearby resident Charles Tirreno spent the afternoon helping his mother re-home newborn baby squirrels, whose nest was removed along with the tree.
“This has been a grave loss of habitat for countless species of mammals, insects, critically endangered turtles and protected birds,” he wrote in an email to his Representative Town Meeting District 9 members.
He urged his representatives to closely monitor the situation, to ensure that stipulations voted on by the Planning & Zoning Commission are adhered to.
Scene after trees were removed, adjacent to Eloise A. Ray Park. (Photo/Charles Tirreno)
Asked to comment by “06880,” RTM member Jennifer Johnson said, “This is a terrible loss for our entire community. It is an in-our-face reminder of how little Westport is doing to protect our town’s limited open space.
“Across Westport we are bearing witness to the systematic loss of cherished natural resources. From the assault on Jesup Green to the wiping out of the Community Gardens, and now a proposed 35,000-square foot area of asphalt, steel and concrete in the middle of Longshore. What’s going to happen to that giant sycamore gracing Charles Street when the Hamlet plows through?
“Sadly, the redevelopment of the property on 125 Riverside is a perfect example of community-wide inaction. We have an open space fund. Did anyone ever try to purchase the site for open space?
“Unfortunately, we waited to blame the person who eventually came forward to redevelop the site. That’s too late. We now must confront the loss of more glorious trees, and the missed chance to add parkland to our riverfront.”
“Please do not take any more trees!” added RTM member Sal Liccione.
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Mitchells — the small mom-and-pop men’s store that has grown in nearly 70 years to include 8 of the leading luxury retail stores in the US — has just gotten bigger.
Stanley Korshak — the leading luxury retailer in Dallas — is joining the Mitchell Stores family.
In addition to Westport — where Mitchells is headquartered — the group includes Richards in Greenwich; Mitchells in Huntington, New York; Wilkes Bashford stores in San Francisco and Palo Alto, and 3 Marios stores in Seattle, Portland and Bridgeport, Oregon.
The Mitchells have been close personal friends with former owner Crawford Brock and his family for over 20 years. Stanley Korshak is a 32,000-square foot store Dallas’ Uptown neighborhood.
Most important, Mitchells says, the store “shares our family’s vision to bringing customers the most exquisite luxury fashions in the world, with unequaled personalized service.” In addition to the main store, Stanley Korshak has one of the top bridal salons in the country.
“Stanley Korshak is a jewel in Texas. We will do everything to continue to offer world-class products and services that are perfectly tailored to Dallas customers,” says Chris Mitchell. The 3rd generation owner will spend half his time in Dallas, working closely with Crawford.
Meanwhile, the 4th generation of Mitchells has begun working with the company.
Ed and Norma Mitchell — who founded that original men’s store in a former plumbing supply building at the corner of Post Road East and Compo Road North in 1958 (now M&T Bank) — would be very proud.
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Staples Players actors are as close to professional as you can get, without an Equity card.
When the curtain rises Friday for “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” — Players’ spring production — they’ll be joined by a couple of legit Broadway actors, like Kelli O’Hara and Chris Sarandon.
Former Staples principal John Dodig (who had a memorable role in Players’ “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”) and former State Senator Will Haskell — a Player himself in his high school days — will be onstage too.
But so will a few definite non-actors, like First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Principal Stafford Thomas, and Wrecker boys basketball coach Dave Goldshore.
Plus “06880”‘s own Dan Woog.
We’re all “guest spellers.” We have no idea what we’re in for. We’ll just go with the flow.
And we’ll be guided by the very talented Players themselves. They’ve prepared well, for schmoes like us.
They’ll lead. We’ll follow. And we hope that audiences will laugh with — not at — us.
The full guest cast:
Friday, March 7 (7 p.m.): First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, Principal Stafford Thomas, “06880”‘s Dan Woog, Bedford Acting Group ‘s Ryan Smith.
Saturday, March 8 (2 p.m.): Actor Chris Sarandon, former State Senator Will Haskell and more.
Saturday, March 8 (7 p.m.): Coach Dave Goldshore and more.
Sunday, March 9 (2 p.m.): Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara, former Staples principal John Dodig, Staples choral director Lauren Pine and more.
The Read to Grow Bookmobile arrives in Westport tomorrow (Thursday, March 6, 3 to 5 p.m., Compo Beach cannons).
Youngsters can climb aboard the bookmobile (not the cannons) to pick out a free book. The selection includes new board books, picture books and chapter books, for youngsters birth to age 7.
Kids LOVE climbing aboard to pick out a free book to take home! Their shelves are packed with new board books, picture books, and chapter books for kids birth to age 7—so there’s something for everyone!
The Animal Awareness Night scheduled for this evening (Wednesday, March 5) has been postponed. The new date is March 19 (7 p.m., police station classroom).
Topics include wildlife (with officer Peter Reid), pet adoption (with Westport Animal Shelter Advocates’ Julie Loparo), and dog licensing guidelines. The event is free.
Westport Animal Control officer Peter Reid is a featured speaker at Wednesday’s Animal Awareness Night.
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Sure, you can teach your kids how to decorate cookie cakes.
But on March 25 (7:30 p.m., The Blondinit restaurant), Jess Leventhal will teach adults how to create “a stunning 2-layer mini cookie cake that feeds 6-8 people, and is almost too beautiful to eat.”
The $125 ticket a choice of signature cocktail, and light fare by The Blondinit. Click here for details and registration.
Blondinit cookie cake.
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Johanna Keyser Rossi spotted today’s “Westport … Naturally” subject — a juvenile mute swan — swimming alone in the Saugatuck River, near Riverside Park.
(Photo/Johanna Keyser Rossi)
That’s such a rare sight in Westport. No, not a swan. I mean a young one, playing without an adult nearby.
When audiences fill the auditorium for a Staples Players production, they know they’ll be entertained by a cast of very talented teenagers.
Next month will be no different.
Except that the Players will be joined by men and women far past their teenage years, including 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Police Chief Foti Koskinas, Staples principal Stafford Thomas, Wrecker boys basketball coach Dave Goldshore, Broadway star Kelli O’Hara, former State Senator Will Haskell, several popular teachers … and, um, “06880”‘s own founder and editor Dan Woog (aka me).
Four members of that quasi-illustrious cast will take the stage each night, in Players’ spring production: “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”
Anyone who saw the musical during its long Broadway run knows it is touching, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny.
Who will win the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee?
And, because the audience participates so directly, each show is different and unique.
Also unique: co-directors David Roth and Kerry Long’s selection of the comedy.
Traditionally, Players’ spring production has been big and showy. This year, they looked for something smaller and lighter.
They’d wanted to do a “Putnam Spelling Bee” — a great ensemble piece — for a while. In 2025, the timing was right.
Still, Players is a large organization. Roth and Long found a way to expand the show for a cast of 25.
Several cast members prepare for the show. (Photos/Kerry Long)
As expected, it’s been “super fun,” Long says. “Every day at rehearsal, I laugh at something new.”
The spontaneity of bringing spellers from the audience — and the improvisation that follows — is part of its charm.
Long admits, “it’s scary for us on stage.” Yet she and Roth are excited to see their actors rise to the challenge.
Also different from most Players’ productions: The actors play characters who are younger than themselves. Usually, their roles are older.
“The characters are larger than life,” Roth says. “They really embrace that.”
“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” is less than 2 hours long, including intermission.
The curtain rises Friday, March 7 at 7 p.m. Additional performances are Saturday, March 8 (2 and 7 p.m.), and Sunday, March 9 (2 p.m.). Click here for tickets, and more information.
(“06880” regularly covers Staples Players productions — and everything else going on at our schools, and in our town. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
NOTE: This story was published erroneously Sunday, 2 days earlier than scheduled. It is reposted now.
Staples Players made a life-changing impact on Gina Rattan.
After performing in shows like “Guys and Dolls,” “The Music Man” and “City of Angels,” the 2004 graduate studied directing at the University of Michigan.
She’s worked at the Royal Albert Hall and Guthrie Theater; assisted the lead producer at Disney Theatrical, and served as associate director for 7 Broadway shows, and the national tour of “Cinderella.”
Gina now coaches actors for theater, film and TV, plus corporate executives. She focuses on helping people communicate, in any area of life.
Gina Rattan
For the past 10 years, Gina has mentored directors in Staples’ One-Act Festival. She helps teenagers bring their vision to the Black Box stage.
But — realizing the impact of her Staples experience 2 decades ago — she wanted to do more.
“Players is an environment where excellence was expected of me. People believed I could do something challenging and great — and that when I screwed up, we could solve problems together,” Gina says.
“I wanted to pass that along to the next generation of kids.”
She talked with David Roth — her Players’ director in the early 2000s, and still in that role — about another project that could empower teenagers.
The result — “A Wrinkle in Time” — can be seen February 7 (sold out) and February 8 (5 and 7 p.m.) at Toquet Hall.
The adaptation of the beloved science fantasy novel, in a non-traditional performing space, excites Gina.
“It’s very different for the actors than being in the light, with the audience in the dark,” says Gina. “It adds excitement. No one can hide.”
The set is minimal, but the spectacle is great, she notes.
She and her actors use the rehearsal process as a “creative laboratory.” Gina, the actors, stage managers and production assistants are all co-creators in the final product.
Together, they “create the mood, and structure the world, in a very exciting way.”
“I could do it all on my own,” Gina notes. “But it’s much more empowering this way. There is a lot of experimentation, collaboration, and opportunities to try, fail, and build resilience.”
Her teenage students realize that there is not just one answer to how to stage a scene, or interpret a character. They do not follow Gina’s commands. Instead, they create a work together.
Gina Rattan (seated on floor) with her young actors. (Photo/Kerry Long)
That’s not easy, the director says. “Self-empowerment is grueling. It takes a lot of energy.
“But the process of discovery is just as important as the result. That’s a hard sell in our culture today. In an educational context, it’s so important.”
Gina enjoys working with the young cast and crew — and not just for their talent, eagerness and willingness to collaborate.
“I didn’t want to direcct kids pretending to be adults, which is what most high school shows have to be. It’s nice to have a show where they can just been teenagers, and relate to their own experiences.”
“At the same time, there’s a fantasy/science fiction element to it. They’re interpreting it all at a sophisticated level.”
Rehearsing at Staples High School, before moving to Toquet Hall. (Photo/Kerry Long)
The audience for “A Wrinkle in Time” is broad, Gina says.
“If you loved the book, you’ll love the show. If you’re a teenager, or a teenager’s parent, you’ll connect with it. And for anyone who’s a fan of science fiction and fantasy, it’s a home run.”
Gina loves this project because the cast and crew “never stop learning.” That’s one of the most important lessons she learned in Players, and throughout her years in the Westport schools: “Learning is fun. Learning is great.”
The teenagers are “developing skills at a formative time in their lives. They’ll have the benefit of those skills for the rest of their lives. I feel very honored to be a part of that.”
(Click here to purchase tickets for “A Wrinkle in Time,” and for more information.
(Staples Players’ spring season continues with “The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The mainstage show runs one weekend only: March 7-9.)
(From Staples Players to the Westport Country Playhouse — and to local stars on Broadway, TV and the movies — “06880” covers our town’s vibrant arts scene. Please click here to support us. Thanks!)
More than 240 SLOBs, students and parents formed 38 3-v-3 teams, to raise over $5,100 for Staples Tuition Grants.
SLOBS president Cole Siegner, fundraising chair Zach Gillman and the executive board planned the event, and selected the charity to support.
They also voted to create a SLOBs named award with Tuition Grants, in honor of their friend and fellow Stapleite Max Harper. To contribute, click here; then select “SHS SLOBs Named Award” from the dropdown menu.
Contratulations to the winners: seniors James Pretty, RJ Kickham and Ben Cukier.
Runners-up were Austin Heyer, Cole Landgraf, Nate Maurillo and James Moneyhun. Two teams won sportsmanship awards: Jack Schwartz, Jackson Tracey, Max Saperstein and Andre Albanese, and Grant Bozeman, Ryan Marens, Charles Nivaud and Michael Roberts.
And finally … Donald “Duck” Dunn was born on this day, in 1941. A bass guitarist/record producer/session musician/songwriter, he is best known for his work with Stax Records artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and others.
Dnn is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Booker T. & the MGs. He died in 2012, at 70.
(Hold on! Are you coming with a tax-deductible donation, to support “06880,” your hyper-local blog? If so, please click here. Thank you!)
The Westport Library has plenty of both. And right now, viny is on display on the main floor, near the reference desk.
The collection ranges from classics like Bob Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” to newer releases like Hozier’s “Unreal Unearth” and and Beyonce’s “Renaissance.”
There are over 100 records across 9 genres: rock, pop, R&B, hip hop, jazz, folk, blue:s, country, and local artists (including the Library’s home-grown “Verso Records: Volume 1.”
Patrons can check out up to 3 records at a time, for up to 10 days. For more information on viny collectng, click here.
Also in the Library of Things: 2 Nintendo Switch consoles, plus 50 games like Mario Party, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and more.
Westport Library vinyl and video game collections.
Speaking of music: Jeff Franzel — the Westport native and current Saugatuck Shores resident who played piano for the Hues Corporation (“Rock the Boat”), Les Brown, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Mel Torme and Bob Hope, then wrote hits for Taylor Dayne, the Temptations, NSYNC, Shawn Colvin, Josh Groban, Placido Domingo and Clay Aiken — recently received his first Grammy Award nomination.
It’s for his song “Big Mama-Latto,” in the Best Melodic Rap Song category. (The multi-talented Franzel is a rapper too.)
Earlier this fall he won the Netherlands’ Edison Award — that country’s Grammy equivalent.
Jeff and his wife Joanne went to Amsterdam for the ceremony. (Hat tip: Prill Boyle)
Remarkably, they’re not the only field hockey champs in town.
Yesterday, Greens Farms Academy won captured its first-ever New England prep title. The Dragons edged New Hampton 1-0, in the Class C final at the Ethel Walker School.
Almost as thrilling was the reception home. After getting off I-95, the team received an escort back to GFA by the Westport Police.
Greens Farms Academy: New England field hockey champs!
PS: Congratulations too to senior Grace Almeida. GFA’s all-time leading scorer will play field hockey next year at Brown University.
As audiences laughed, applauded for and loved Staples Players’ production of “Elf,” they had one question: Where was the peppy, great-sounding pit orchestra?
Conductor Lauren Pine and her 16 musicians were nowhere to be seen.
With no room on stage, they played from the band room, down a hallway behind the stage.
Staples High School’s “Elf” pit orchestra, in the band room.
They were hardly out of sight, out of mind. Despite the distance — and thanks to a TV monitor — they did not, um, miss a beat.
The show was particularly meaningful for bassist Larry Perlstein.
Exactly 50 years ago — in 1974 — he was a Staples junior, playing in his first pit for Players’ production of “Oklahoma!”
His daughter Avery is now a junior herself. She runs lights for “Elf,” carrying on the family tradition.
There are still 4 chances to see the show that has the entire town buzzing. performances are set for this Thursday and Friday (November 21 and 22, 7 p.m.), and Saturday (Nofember 23, 2 and 7 p.m.).Click here for tickets. Though some shows may be sold out, tickets are often available at the door.
Robert Haydon Jones, Jr. died peacefully on November 10 in Fairfield. Alice, his wife of 50 years, was at his side. He was 86.
Born in New York City and raised in Westport, he was a graduate of Staples High School, Portsmouth Priory (now Abbey) in Rhode Island.
He left Miami University in Ohio before graduation, when he married Carol Lindblom.
Moving back to Westport, Bob was hired by advertising firm Ogilvy, Benson & Mather. He spent his career on Madison Avenue agencies alongside giants in marketing, advertising, public relations and literary publishing. Malachy McCourt was a good friend, until his death earlier this year.
Bob founded his own shop, Robert Haydon Jones & Associates, in Westport in 1972. He helped create a new genre of customizable, direct-to-customer, targeted-outreach marketing tools.
He crafted “some of the greatest direct marketing strategies ever conceived,” said Denny Hatch, editor of DM News.
A fundraising letter aimed at holding President Nixon to account in 1972 started “Dear Fool.” It broke response records, and became a major fundraising package.
He was passionate about baseball. Generations of young players around Fairfield County still talk about his coaching of their Babe Ruth, travel and Collegiate Summer League teams.
In the 1980s and ’90s he helped revive the Over-18 Westport Advertisers club, which barnstormed throughout New England.
After stepping back from coaching, Bob became a youth and school umpire. He called his last game well past his 80th birthday, finally retiring in 2020.
His family says, “One of Bob’s greatest journeys was forging and maintaining the path to sobriety, a journey for which he was often armed with vats of coffee for his regular meetings. He found great solace in his community, and was always willing to talk to and guide others navigating their own rock bottoms.”
In addition to Alice, Bob is survived by brother Christopher “Kit” of New York and Westport; sisters Jeremy of Philadelphia, Jude Anne of Norwalk, and Pam of Fairfield. He was predeceased by his youngest brother, Jeffrey.
He is also survived by sons Andrew (Francesca Gori-Montanelli), Evan (Margaret Mitchell-Jones), Charles and (Meg), and Robert H. III (Sylvia); stepdaughter Catherine (Sean Beaudoin), and stepsons James Lewis (Noel Casiano) and Tom (Kim), along with 8 grandchildren, 3 step-grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, spread across 4 continents, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
His decades-long companion and trusted aide, Henry Glasford of St. Kitts and Bridgeport, who stood by Bob’s side throughout his decline and into his final days, also survives.
A funeral service for Robert Haydon Jones Jr. will be held this Friday (November 22, 10 a.m.), at Assumption Church.
After the service, his wife Alice will host a celebration of life gathering at her Fairfield home.
The family asks that any memorial donations inspired by Bob’s memory be directed to the study and treatment of Prader-Willi Syndrome, a cause to which he and Alice have dedicated decades to supporting themselves on behalf of their son Beau.
Bob Jones
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A dog, low tide, sunset … what could be more natural for our “Westport … Naturally” feature?!
The high school troupe punched way above their weight, thrilling last night’s audience with a Broadway-quality presentation of “Elf: The Musical.”
It’s fresh, funny and festive — a perfect, high-energy and wholesome respite from reality, and a great way to begin the holiday season a couple of weeks early.
The show continues today (Saturday, November 16, 2 and 7 p.m.) and tomorrow (Sunday, November 17, 2 p.m.). There are performances next weekend too, on November 21 and 22 (7 p.m.) and 23 (2 and 7 p.m.).Click here for tickets. Though some shows may be sold out, tickets are often available at the door.
“Elf” cast members take their bows last night. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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The Westport Board of Education hosts a “community conversation” for all residents this Wednesday (November 20, noon to 1:30 p.m., Westport Library).
Any school-related topic can be raised.
Velma Heller — former RTM moderator, and longtime Westport Public School admistrator, will facilitate the event.
31 men and women have just graduated from Westport’s Citizens’ Police Academy.
They spent 8 weeks learning all about the Westport Police Department’s many functions, including criminal investigations, specialty units, forensic science, financial scams, motor vehicle stops, and post-arrest procedures.
They also participated in firearms familiarization, rode with patrol officers, and received “stop the bleed training.”
A buck jumped in, then became trapped for a day inside a half-finished cement foundation. Two members of the Fairfield County Hunt Club horse barn team provided hay bales.
Public Works Department employees and Westport Animal Control officer Peter Reid began assembling a ramp from the bales.
Suddenly, the buck ran at the wall, and jumped out cleanly. “He just needed the right motivation,” Julie Loparo reports on social media.
Deer trapped in foundation. (Photo courtesy of Westport Front Porch, via Facebook)
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Longtime Westporter — and elected (Representative Town Meeting) official — Dick Lowenstein reminds all candidates for office earlier this month: It’s (past) time to remove your lawn signs!
This photo is from yesterday afternoon:
(Photo/Dick Lowenstein)
Today’s weather is perfect to get out, get ’em — and sotre them for the next campaign.
After a bitterly contentious election season, we all need to chill.
And what better way than by welcoming the holiday season early, with the beloved (and wintry) “Elf.”
Staples Players presents their first-ever production of the show this month. The choice was hardly random.
“With the state of the country the way it was, with everyone on edge, we wanted to do something that was just fun,” says Players’ co-director David Roth.
“This is all about positive thoughts. Buddy the Elf is so optimistic. He loves people and Christmas, and wants to spread cheer.”
Seamus Brannigan (double cast as Buddy) and Chloe Carson (double cast as Jovie). (Photo/Kerry Long)
Roth and co-director Kerry Long are not the only ones wanting to put a smile on audience’s faces. “Elf” opens on Broadway the same weekend the Staples curtain rises.
And Pottery Barn is one of several retailers to roll out a special “Elf” line this season.
It’s the right musical at the right time for Westport audiences. And “Elf” comes from the same script, music and lyric writers who created “Prom” — last year’s very popular Players production — and “The Drowsy Chaperone,” one of Roth and Long’s favorite shows.
“It’s a really funny book,” Roth says. “The play has its own humor and personality. It’s different from the movie, for people who are only familiar with that Will Ferrell version.”
Rehearsals have been “a lot of fun,” notes the director. “We laugh a lot. The kids are loving it. There’s a lot of good, positive energy, which they really need in their lives right now.”
Blake Raho (center) as Walter, with dancing castmates. (Photo/Kerry Long)
It is, he admits, “bizarre” to have been in holiday mode since auditions in September. And, though it’s still early November, “backstage looks like Santa’s workshop.”
The auditorium, meanwhile, will look festive too. Players encourages everyone to dress in fun holiday clothes: ugly sweaters, elf costumes, whatever looks festive.
Audience members are encouraged to bring unwrapped toys and/or new winter clothing. They’ll be donated to those in need, through Person to Person.
Just one more reason that everyone will leave “Elf” smiling.
(Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings, November 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23, 7 p.m.; matinees November 16, 17 and 23, 2 p.m. Click here for tickets. Though some shows may be sold out, tickets are often available at the door.)
Sara Stanley and Will McCrea (double cast as Jovie and Buddy). (Photo/Kerry Long)
This week, the Long Lots School Building Committee provided updates to the Boards of Finance and Education.
In the weeks ahead, they plan to meet with Long Lots neighbors. The LLSBC will
“listen to all questions, suggestions and concerns from the neighbors and discuss the current school design. We will restate that water management, both during and after the project, is a key priority for the LLSBC and the town. We will acknowledge that the project will be disruptive for the neighbors and affirm that we will do our best to mitigate the disruption and listen to the neighbors throughout the process.
The LLSBC will also meet with the Long Lots PTA, to “discuss the project and listen to parents’ questions, suggestions and concerns about the design of the new school including parent and bus drop offs, project timing, safety, and efforts to minimize disruption for all parties during construction.
In a meeting with the Planning & Zoning Commission, they provide an update on the project.
The LLSBC and design team will also meet with the members of the Westport Community Gardens. They will “listen to questions and seek input and suggestions about the construction of the new relocated Community Garden. The new garden is currently forecast to be ready, along with the new athletic fields and parking lots, the year following completion of the new school building.
“Currently the first planting season in the new relocated garden would be in the spring of 2028. We’ll reaffirm that this growing season (2024) will be the last for the current garden as mobilization and construction is forecast to begin in the spring of 2025.”
They will “also highlight that the First Selectwoman met with the Garden Steering Committee in late August and offered to work with the gardeners to move them to the Baron’s South property adjacent to the Senior Center. This move would allow the new gardens to open significantly sooner than the spring of 2028, which was the main impetus for the LLSBC to suggest this in our initial recommendation in October of 2023. The discussions between the First Selectwoman and the Garden Steering Committee regarding a move to Baron’s South are outside the scope of the LLSBC and the construction of the new Long Lots school.”
Plans are moving ahead for construction of the new Long Lots Elementary School.
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With less than a month to go before the presidential election, political signs are popping up all around town.
Some are for Harris/Walz. Others tout Trump/Vance.
They’re not generally noteworthy. But one on Saugatuck Shores caught our eye.
It wasn’t the message. It was the messenger.
The sign belongs to Betty Lou Cummings.
The 90-year-old and still very active volunteer is well known in town. In nearly 50 years here she founded the long-running Apple Festival, organized fundraisers like the Riverwalk and Westport Library River of Names, advocated for the Senior Center advocate, and served on the Representative Town Meeting.
She is also a former 2nd Selectwoman.
A Republican 2nd Selectwoman.
Betty Lou Cummings. Back in the day, she was a Michigan State cheerleader.
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Tickets to Staples Players’ “Elf: The Musical” go on sale tomorrow (Saturday, October 12, 10 a.m.). Click here to purchase.
Performances for the family-friendly show are November 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at 7 p.m., and November 16, 17, 23 at 2 p.m.
“Elf” tells the story of a suspiciously oversized elf named Buddy who has been raised by Santa in the North Pole. Overhearing the news that he’s actually a human, he embarks on a journey to New York City in a quest to find his father, who, he soon discovers, is on the naughty list.
Buddy’s own half-brother also doesn’t believe in Santa. Buddy decides to change the outlook of his new family and bring the true meaning of Christmas back into New York City. Along the way he discovers friendship, romance, and his true identity.
A rare sighting on the Saugatuck River yesterday at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 399 stirred excitement: the arrival of dredging equipment.
The last previous work there was 20 years ago.
Dredging operations are expected to begin today.
(Photo/Phil Delgado)
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Twenty current and former members of Westport’s Representative Town Meeting celebrated Restaurant Week yesterday, with lunch at The Boathouse.
The annual Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce event — actually 2 weeks — ends Sunday. Click here for a list of participating restaurants, with links to their menus.
Ken Feinberg — who as special master of the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund was responsible for the disbursement of over $7 billion dollars — is the special guest at next Thursday’s “Common Ground Conversation” at the Westport Library.
At “Civil Discourse to Resolve Complex Disputes,” the October event (7 p.m.)
Feinberg will share his experience and expertise in bringing people together to analyze, understand, and resolve complex disputes. Steve Parrish will moderate the discussion.
The Common Ground initiative will also be livestreamed. Click here for the link.
Speaking of the Library: How much we know about our environment and how we interact with it is the theme of their newest Verso Studios podcast, “Real World.”
A collaboration with Marisa Manley, the goal is “to explore, celebrate, and help listeners understand and possibly improve the built and created environment which surrounds us,” she says.
“We examine what the world is made of, how it came to be this way, and how it functions — in sometimes surprising ways.”
Episodes focus on everything from high-rise buildings and street signs to leggings and rocking chairs. Manley explores how they were designed, how they can be improved, and how they benefit all of us.
The podcast debuted Wednesday with 3 episodes, each 15 minutes long. An additional episode drops every other week.
Two of our town’s most exciting groups of people — StartUp Westport, and creative Staples High School graduates — join forces on November 25 (Westport Library, 6:30 p.m.).
The public/private partnership for our tech and innovation community hosts the first Young Innovators Forum. It’s a celebration of the groundbreaking innovations developed by remarkable alums.
Staples’ computer science program has nurtured a generation of young entrepreneurs. Visionary founders — all under the age of 26 — have launched transformative technologies and startups that are reshaping industries and attracting significant investment.
They’ll speak about challenges they’ve faced, solutions they’ve found, funding and investment, and the future of innovation in Westport.
Panelists — all from Staples — include Dylan Diamond, co-founder and CEO, Saturn Technologies; Max Hammer, co-Ffounder and CEO, CrowdVolt; Josh Karol, co-founder and CTO, CrowdVolt, and Jack Sharkey, co-founder and CTO, Whop
Staples alum Molly O’Shea — a venture capital investor and founder of Sourcey, will moderate.
Staples boys soccer fans were excited yesterday by the Wreckers’ 7-0 defeat of St. Joseph, at Wakeman Field.
But no one was more thrilled than several dozen boys and girls from Luis Marin Elementary School. The Bridgeport youngsters — participants in the Lighthouse program — have been mentored this year by members of the Staples team.
Among the project leaders: senior Alex Kuster. He also donated 1,200 childhood books to the program.
They took a special bus trip to Westport yesterday, to cheer on their idols. They were greeted before the game. At halftime, they participated in a penalty kick contest.
And afterward, they celebrated with the teenagers who this fall have become their friends.
Staples players and Luis Marin students, after the game. (Photo/Mike Beebe)
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Speaking of sports: This weekend, the Staples rugby team starts its fall touch program. It runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on Sundays through November 24, at Staples’ Loeffler Field, for 8th-12th graders — and parents. No experience is necessary.
An open house is set for October 20, to answer parents’ questions.
In the interest of safety and efficiency — and to accommodate commuters and school traffic — the milling and paving project of Long Lots Road will be conducted outside regularly established days and hours.
Work will be done on two Saturdays — tomorrow and October 19 — and this Monday, the Columbus Day holiday.
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