Tag Archives: Super Bowl

Roundup: Super Bowl Raffle, Electric Cars, Convos & Kids …

==================================================

No, you won’t get busted for taking part in your office Super Bowl pool.

But Westport’s Sunrise Rotary Club is sponsoring a legal, fully documented one.

And the payout is great: $1,000 for being assigned the randomly generated winning score box; $500 for winning each of the first 3 quarters.

After the 50% payout, all proceeds support the group’s many charities. Tickets will be sold through the morning of the number drawing (2 days before the Super Bowl). The drawing is set for Friday, February 11 (10 a.m., Westport Library). Participants (18 and older) will be notified by email of their numbers.

If the first 100 squares are sold, the Rotary Club may add other grids.

Click here for more information. Click here to purchase a square.

*Trick question. There are no “ups” in football. Only downs.

===================================================

Want to buy an electric vehicle, but clueless about them?

Try “Electric Vehicles: Pros & Cons.”

On Monday (February 7, 7 p.m.), Wakeman Town Farm sponsors a talk by Brady Kresch and Analiese Mione, of the EV Club of CT.

They’ll describe different types of electric vehicles, how to charge the battery, and the climate effects of an EV.

You don’t even have to drive your old gas-powered car there. This is an online event. Click here to register.

=======================================================

With temperatures in the 40s today, the ice is melting.

But on Tuesday, Jonathan Rosenoer spotted some ice rescue training at Compo Beach’s Ned Dimes Marina. He sent this photo:

(Photo/Jonathan Rosenoer)

I asked who conducted the training.

“Sorry,” he replied. “It was too cold to ask.”

Thanks to whoever is out there — keeping us safe, as we stay warm.

=======================================================

“Cocktails and Conversation” return to MoCA on Thursdays — starting today.

The events run from 6 to 7 p.m. They include expert speakers, views of current exhibitions, and a chance to purchase custom cocktails. The events are free and open to the public, but advance registration is requested. Click here for links.

Tonight (Thursday, February 3): Co-curator Kathleen Motes Bennewitz. She’ll be joined by “ThingsILove203,” with their range of high-end fashion and home acessories.

February 17: “An In-Depth Discussion on Tom Wesselmann” with Huffa Frobes-Cross, Tom Wesselmann catalogue raisonné project manager at the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, New York and Paris.

February 24: “Ekphrastic Writing Workshop” with Diane Meyer Lowman, Westport poet laureate

March 3: “WestPAC Teaching Gallery Talk” with WestPAC Director of Education and Learning Gallery curator Ive Covaci, and Cecily Anderson, Westport Public Schools educator

March 10: “WestportREADS Book Discussion.”

Diane Meyer Lowman will be at MoCA on February 24.

====================================================

“Family Festivities Shows” return soon to the Westport Country Playhouse.

The famed theater presents 2 performances of “Rosie Revere, Engineer & Friends” on Sunday, March 13 (1 and 4 p.m.).

The 60-minute show — aimed at youngsters in grades K to 4 — features Rosie, Iggy Peck and Ada Twist, as they bring their passions and curiosity to stage in a musical spotlighting the STEM curriculum.

The Playhouse says: “Based on the books by Andrea Beaty, it might just inspire bright kids to pursue their dreams,” Click here for tickets, and more information.

=======================================================

Last weekend’s storm is now just a memory. But Jamie Walsh captured this robin at rest, preserving its color and beauty for “Westport … Naturally” readers.

(Photo/Jamie Walsh)

=======================================================

And finally … Hargus “Pig” Robbins died last week, at 84.

You may not have heard of him — I sure hadn’t — but he was a noted Nashville session pianist. He was also blind, having lost his sight at age 3 in a knife accident.

Beginning in 1959, Pig worked with George Jones, Patsy ClineLoretta LynnConway TwittyKenny Rogers and Tammy Wynette. He also played on Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, and with Neil Young, Shania Twain, John Hartford, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Ween.

Click here for a full obituary. (Hat tip: Michael Taylor)

Roundup: Custodial Thanks, Peter’s Market, Westport Book Shop, More

==================================================

As Westport students prepare to return to full-time learning, “06880” reader Erin Loranger writes:

“While there are countless unsung heroes in our schools, I would love to recognize the custodial crews.

“I can’t imagine how hard they have worked with tasks such as reconfiguring classrooms and cafeterias, loading in new desks, and constructing Plexiglas barriers so that students and staff can have a safe environment.

“Without their commitment to excellence in taking care of our buildings and cleaning, our young learners would not have the opportunity to have been in school at all this year, let alone being in the position now to transition to full-time, in-person learning.”

Will Herrera — one of Westport’s many unsung, invaluable custodians and maintenance staff.

======================================================

Yesterday’s news that Peter’s Weston Market will close on Sunday evoked many memories of the role the store played in the community.

Ashton Robinson wrote:

“I left Weston in 1967, and Peter’s Weston Market was there. If my memory is correct, I think that ‘Peter; was Peter Robinson. I went through Weston schools with his son Guy in my class.

“The photo below was taken at a political rally in 1956, when Adlai Stevenson ran against Eisenhower. My father was the first Democratic Town Committee chairman. He organized this rally in Weston, representing both Republicans and Democrats. My mother and a friend’s mother are the two women on the left side of the photo.”

The cars, the styles and the politicians have changed since 1956. But Peter’s Weston Market still looks much as it did, 65 years ago.

=======================================================

The Westport Book Shop — downtown’s new nonprofit used book store — opens today at 3 p.m.

Honoring the year it begins, they’re rolling out a “2021 Welcome Program.” In keeping with COVID restrictions, guests are invited to browse for up to 20 minutes. To allow everyone to enjoy the store, they can purchase up to 21 items per visit.

See you there!

The new home of the Westport Book Shop, across from Jesup Green.

=======================================================

Seth Schachter is an avid collector of Westport postcards and memorabilia.

He saw this 8×10 image on eBay. It came from a Westport estate. It depicts an old factory here — but there are no other details.

Seth hopes our “06880” readers can crowdsource its background. If you know the name of the factory, or where it was, click “Comments” below. Click on or hover over to enlarge.

=======================================================

Westport Sunrise Rotary’s Super Bowl raffle is off to a great start. Not many tickets remain.

They’re $50 each. Numbers are randomly assigned. Winners will be determined by the scores at the end of each quarter. Winner of the final score snags a $1,000 Visa card. 1st, 2nd and 3rd quarter winners each get a $500 card.

The raffle funds important charities like Mercy Learning Center literacy training, the Susan Fund for students with cancer, Earthplace and Elderhouse.

Click here for tickets.

======================================================

Mary Satta Lane — better known as “MaryLane,” a beloved waitress at Mario’s for nearly 40 years — died Monday. She was 89 years old, though she described her age as “36 and holding.”

Her obituary calls her ‘a strong woman with a wicked sense of humor….She leaves behind a legacy of laughs, as well as a lot of people who love her.”

A memorial service — “the celebration she deserves” — will be held when the weather warms. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to United Methodist Homes, 58 Long Hill Avenue, Shelton, CT 06484.

For MaryLane’s full obituary, click here.

Mary Satta Lane

======================================================

Kevin Carroll and his wife headed to Compo Beach this morning, to watch the sunrise. Instead they were treated to a great view of the moonset.

PS: Tonight, Kevin notes, is the full wolf moon.

(Photo/Kevin Carroll)

=======================================================

William “Liam” Bohonnon has received the Connecticut Bar Association’s Anthony V. DeMayo Pro Bono Award. The 2008 Staples High School graduate was honored for his pro bono work for the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center.

Liam Bohonnon

===================================================

And finally … the Eisenhower-Stevenson presidential election (see Peter’s Market story above) was not the only momentous event in 1956.

On this day — January 28 — that year, Elvis Presley made his national television debut. It was not on the now-legendary, hip-thrusting “Ed Sullivan Show,” but — also on CBS — “Stage Show.”

The program, produced in New York, was hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. This appearance came the day after the release of “Heartbreak Hotel.”

Roundup: Sunrise, Open Space, Super Bowl, More

==========================

It’s not a quiet day in America.

Politicians debate the future of the president — and our democracy. More than 200,000 people will be diagnosed with COVID-19 today. Another 4,000 will die.

But in Westport, we woke up to this scene today.

(Photo/Michael Tomashefsky)

There is beauty all around us. We are so fortunate to not look far to find it.

============================

The property between Clapboard Hill Road and Morningside Drive South is one of the last big pieces of private open space left in Westport.

A new house is under construction there. This week, excavation began in the middle of the field.

No building or subdivision plans have been filed, so this might be work to improve the water table, drain the wetlands or otherwise tend to the fill there.

“06880” will follow up when we find out for sure.

(Photo/Nicholas Eisenberger)

==============================

Before he became CBS News chief homeland security and justice correspondent, a 3-time Emmy Award winner and the author of a book on police and the Black community, Jeff Pegues was an All-FCIAC running back on the Staples High School football team.

So he’s got some skin in the game when he interviews James Brown, host of  CBS’ “The NFL Today” and Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” on January 27 (7 p.m.).

The free virtual program — sponsored by the Westport Library — will preview the Super Bowl, with intriguing insights and analysis. Click here to register.

James Brown and Jeff Pegues.

==================================

And finally … on this date in 1968, Johnny Cash performed his now-famous concert at Folsom Prisom.

The 1st-Ever “06880” Story Involving A Tanning Salon, The Super Bowl And Public Toilets

Spotted on the front door of Palm Beach Tan, on Post Road East:

Okay. I kind of get why — a month ahead of time — they let their customers know they’ll be closing early for the Super Bowl.

They don’t want to disappoint all those pale folks racing in every Sunday evening, for those 7 p.m. appointments.

But “No Public Restrooms”?

Did I miss that epidemic of folks driving off I-95 — or those living nearby without indoor plumbing — who keep bugging Palm Beach Tan, screaming, “We gotta go!”?

The least they can do is direct them to Layla’s Falafel next door — a very welcoming spot. Maybe the 2 gas stations across the street.

Or just about any other place in town.

Giants Of Westport

For Giants fans, this year’s Super Bowl is utopia. (Pats fans too. But this post is about the local New York New Jersey squad.)

Yet unless you’re a Tisch or a Mara, chances are your connection with your favorite team is a bit removed.

You’ll watch the big game on a big screen in your big, climate-controlled entertainment center.

You might wear NFL-branded logowear, bought at NFL-licensed retailers at NFL-mandated prices.

You may have gone to actual games at the new Xanadu-like stadium, where you paid usurious prices to sit in the stands, or enjoyed the expense account amenities of a corporate suite.

But the chances of actually getting near — let alone saying “Great game!” — to Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora or even Prince Amukamara are about as good as Tim Tebow dissing God for favoring Tom Brady the other day.

It was not always that way.

Back in the mid-’60s, the Giants — like the rest of the NFL — were far less corporate. Sure, they were bigger than you and me (especially me), but they did actual human-being things.

Like pre-season training at Fairfield University.

That’s right. Every summer from 1961-69, the Giants ran their drills a mile or two up the road. Anyone could wander over and watch, standing almost on the sidelines. You’d mingle with the players and coaches as they walked back to campus, through the woods.

Occasionally you’d see them in town, at restaurants like the Arrow. And local watering holes — the less expensive, the better.

Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Del Shofner, Sam Huff, Stamford’s own Andy Robustelli — from September through June, they were the “New York Giants.”

But for a few weeks every mid-summer, they were our own.

That was super.