Tag Archives: Trader Joe’s

Roundup: First Responders, Short Cuts Film Festival, “Wicked” …

Posted on January 11, 2024 | 1 comment

Yesterday’s “06880” Unsung Hero award came from Marty Yellin. The 84-year-old fell into a creek by his house, and was 15 minutes from possible death when he was saved by the Westport Police and Fire Departments, and Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service.

Marty did not have the names of those who helped.

Chief Foti Koskinas does. He writes:

“First and foremost we are extremely grateful as a department that Mr. Yellin is doing well ,and we were able to get to him in time.

“Two of the officers who responded to the incident are currently in their field training program, as they are new officers. Officer Melissa Bike was with field training officer Greg Gunther, and Officer Ryan Kardamis was with field training officer Taylor Field.  The supervisor on scene was Sergeant Richard Bagley.

“It’s calls like these that our new officers get to see the level of expectation that we have of them, and how we value human life and how we treat people.

“This was truly a team effort in getting Mr. Yellin to the ambulance safely,  without further injury in a timely manner .

“Westport EMS staff on scene: Crew chief James  Schwartz, Westport Volunteer EMT David Harmston; Norwalk Hospital paramedic Marcos Rodriguez.

“Westport firefighters on scene: Lieutenant Kevin Dumas; firefighters Ron Burgess, Chris Carroll, Ryan Farrell,m Liz Ferguson.

“Thank you to all!”

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Speaking of police: Westport’s Department made 2 custodial arrests between January 4-11

One man was arrested for evading responsibility, following an accident in the Coleytown Elementary School parking lot.

One man was arrested for larceny and identify theft, after a check for $25,500 was intercepted in the mail, fraudulently endorsed and cashed.

Westport Police issued these citations:

  • Traveling unreasonably fast: 27 citations
  • Failure to obey a stop sign: 7
  • Distracted driving: 6
  • Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: 5
  • Failure to obey traffic control signals: 3
  • Operating a motor vehicle under suspension: 2
  • Failure to register a commercial motor vehicle: 2
  • Operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance: 2
  • Passing a standing school bus: 1
  • Speeding: 1
  • Evading responsibility: 1
  • Operating a motor vehicle without a license: 1
  • Failure to renew insurance: 1
  • Failure to insure a motor vehicle: 1
  • Falsification of marker: 1
  • Failure to return plates: 1
  • Illegal operation of a motor vehicle class: 1

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The final installment of the Westport Library’s Short Cuts Film Festival will be entertaining, thought=provoking — and wide-ranging

Award-winning short films from the US, China, Canada, France and Australia will be screened next Thursday (January 18, 7 p.m.; $26.50; popcorn and refreshments provided).

All were curated from the Tribeca Film Festival. They include:

  • Chat Mort (Dead Cat) (Canada), a humorous look at parents trying to protect their daughter from the truth about her cat.
  • Sealed Off (China, Macau, US), set in 1940s-occupied Shanghai during an air raid lockdown.
  • Et Maintenant? (What Next?) (France), about a ballet dancer who ages out after 30 years.
  • Shadow Brother Sunday (US) about a sibling rivalry.
  • Blood (Australia), a sensitive look at Tamil customs around fertility and menstruation.

Audience members can ask questions after the show.

For more information, click here. To purchase tickets, click here.

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“Good Witch/Bad Witch” — a concert by artists who played the roles of Glinda and Elphaba in Broadway’s “Wicked” — is set for the Westport Country Playhouse stage.

There are 2 shows on Saturday, January 20: 3 and 7:30 p.m.

The show features vocals and banter by Alli Mauzey and Dee Roscioli. In addition to “Wicked” music, the performance features songs from “Frozen,” “Funny Girl” and more.

For tickets and more information, click here.

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Carter Wiseman is feeling young. He writes:

“I’d like to salute whoever trains the checkout team at Trader Joe’s.

“My cart this morning included 2 six-packs of beer. The checker politely asked me for ID.

“At the age of 78 I was at first surprised, then flattered, to be considered under age.

“So I tipped my hat, revealing a mature hairline, but provided my driver’s license just in case. Being carded made my day, which is probably why TJ has its staff pick out the random grown-up for special attention.”

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Combining hands-on learning and art, Earthplace and Silvermine Arts Center together create a memorable experience for 2nd and 4th grade students from 4 Bridgeport elementary schools.

Youngsters from Wilbur Cross, Dunbar, Hallen and Beardsley travel to Earthplace to experience the great outdoors with naturalists, and meet resident animals. Earthplace’s lesson plans are aligned with state standards, and augment the school curriculum.

Silvermine Arts Center Outreach then visits the students in their classrooms to create mixed media artwork that helps reinforce new knowledge and vocabulary.

Artwork from this initiative is on display at Earthplace through the end of January.

Artwork on display at Earthplace.

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In 2014, Team Velominati has raised funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. They do it through the Pan-Mass Challenge, a great event that crosses the state of Massachusetts. Since the Challenge began, participants from across the country have raised nearly $1 billion,

Team Veelominati does it in conjunction with Coastal Bridge Advisors, the Westport-based investment firm. Last year, the team raised more than $560,000.

This year’s goal: $1 million.

The kickoff comes Monday (Jaunary 15, 6:30 p.m., 54 Wilton Road), at an event hosted by Coastal Bridge founding partner and Westporter Bill Loftus.

The event includes food, beverages, and a presentation about the team and the Pan-Mass Challenge. For more information, email dchilds@coastalbridgeadvisors.com.

Team Velominati, in 2022.

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Turkey vultures fill the sky, in today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature. These were spotted above Bayberry Lane, at Long Lots Road:

(Photo/Tammy Barry)

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And finally … here’s one more “Wicked”-ly good song (see story above):

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Posted in Children, Entertainment, Library, Local business, Police, Westport Country Playhouse

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Roundup: Snowpocalypse, Dog Doos (Don’t!) …

Posted on January 7, 2024 | 13 comments

As the first snowstorm in a couple of years headed to Westport yesterday, residents took to the grocery stores as if preparing for the Blizzard of ’88, Hurricane Katrina and The End of the World As We Know It, simultaneously.

This was the scene at Trader Joe’s:

If you survived this meteorological disaster, click “Comments” below.

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Speaking of snow: Jerry Kuyper calls this “the joy of the first 90 seconds of shoveling”:

(Photo/Jerry Kuyper)

And this was the scene on the Sherwood Island Connector, before plowing:

(Photo/Tracy Porosoff)

Here’s Cross Highway:

(Photo/Claudia Sherwood Servidio)

Snow showers and flurries are predicted through 1 p.m. today.

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In the wake of yesterday’s story about unleased dogs at Winslow Park, an alert “06880” reader writes about another favorite spot:

“On a walk through Longshore this morning, I encountered no less than half a dozen cases of dog owners leaving their pet’s droppings in little plastic bags, some prominently decorating the posts supporting the wooden roadside guard-rails. Quite pleasant.

After viewing 4 or 5 such transgressions, I came across this egregious scene. One or more selfish and inconsiderate dog owners designated this intersection as their official dog-doo drop off place.

In addition the half dozen doo bags I witnessed, I saw 3 or 4 unbagged transgressions along the way.

Winslow Park has long since gone to the dogs, and Compo Beach is a doggie domain for most of the spring, fall and winter.

We know that dogs are forbidden from the Longshore golf course at all times, so why not make Longshore a dog-free zone entirely?

The dog-culture aesthetic pictured above represents a strong argument for reserving Longshore as strictly human-friendly haven.

We should also consider the possibility of carving out a portion of Winslow Park as a “human only,” zone because is not a very welcome place for us non-dog-owning taxpayers!

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A couple of days before Snowmageddon, Les Dinkin captured this Compo Beach view, for our “Westport … Naturally” feature:

(Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)

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And finally … in 1955, Marian Anderson becomes the first Black artist to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.”

A decade and a half earlier, the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to let her sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. Thanks to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson performed on Easter Sunday on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, before an integrated crowd of more than 75,000. Millions more listened by radio.

(What to do on a snowy day? Help support “06880.” Just click here — and thank you!)

13 Comments

Posted in Environment, Local business, Longshore, Weather

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Pic Of The Day #2110

Posted on January 26, 2023 | 4 comments

Better art than spelling at Trader Joe’s (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)

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Posted in Beach, Local business, Pic of the Day

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Photo Challenge #416

Posted on December 18, 2022 | 15 comments

It’s a rare Photo Challenge that stumps even champs like Andrew Colabella and Michael Calise.

But last week’s did.

Abby Gordon-Tolan’s image showed the back wall of Trader Joe’s (“you have to look up,” she notes). Click here to see — and see why not even one “06880” reader came close.

This week’s Photo Challenge is one we all see often — if we (again) look up.

If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

And — even if you don’t know — if you’re an architectural historian and can shed light on why that window looks the way it does, the rest of us would love to hear.

(Photo/Elizabeth Devoll)

15 Comments

Posted in Local business, Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #394

Posted on July 17, 2022 | 8 comments

There are many reasons to shop at Trader Joe’s*: the intriguing selection. The always-cheerful “crew.” The fun vibe.

And — though we tend to see right past it — the artwork.

Several pieces add to the community-spirit mood. (It’s a corporate model: Every store in the country features local scenes.)

Last week’s Photo Challenge showed a piece of the “Westport” work hanging near the registers. (Click here to see.)

Howard Potter, Fred Cantor, Susan Yules, Shirlee Gordon, Elaine Marino, Debbie O’Malley, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Charles Wiseman, Andrew Colabella and Bobbie Herman are all shoppers who (at least occasionally) look up from chatting with the clerks to enjoy the art. Well done!

This week’s Photo Challenge is even more colorful than the last. If you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/Dan Woog)

*Though the parking lot is not one of them.

(If you enjoy our weekly Photo Challenge, please consider supportin “06880.” Click here to help.) 

8 Comments

Posted in Local business, Photo Challenge

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Unsung Heroes #221

Posted on January 5, 2022 | 11 comments

A grateful Westporter writes:

I want to give huge thanks to the managers at Trader Joe’s.

My daughter had a medical emergency recently in the store, and passed out. It was frightening.

But the managers were quick to react. They blocked the aisles, called 911, stayed with us until EMS and the ambulance arrived, and comforted and kept us calm with amazing kindness.

And as if they weren’t angels enough already: They came running out to the ambulance to hand me my groceries (which I didn’t even have time to pay for)!

I will never forget their kindness and caring actions. They are true heroes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I’m sure everyone who shops at Trader Joe’s in Westport agrees that it’s a special store. If you know other Unsung Heroes, email dwoog@optonline.net.

 

 

11 Comments

Posted in Local business, Unsung Heroes

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New Coffee Shop Stirs Controversy

Posted on December 30, 2021 | 25 comments

The news that Dunkin’ Donuts is moving across the Post Road — from its spot near the UPS Store, to 2 vacant storefronts in Compo Shopping Center — was greeted not with joy, for its expanded space.

Instead, “06880” commenters expressed chagrin that the already chaotic parking lot opposite Trader Joe’s will become — unbelievably — even more gruesome.

In a town with too many candidates for Worst Traffic Nightmare, the twin lots near downtown win in a walkaway. As bad as the rest of Westport is, nothing comes close to these mis-aligned, cramped lots filled with aggressive, heedless drivers laser-focused on getting their pizza, dry cleaning or hemorrhoid cream, then getting the hell out.

Now we add coffee into the mix.

Arrow? What arrow?!

I don’t recall Compo Shopping Center always being so bad. Even with a McClellan’s five-and-dime, barber shop and luncheonette — remember “luncheonettes”?! — plus a supermarket where Awesome Toys is now, traffic flowed smoothly.

I might be misremembering, but it seemed that the traffic in front of the left side of the plaza was always one-way, headed south. You couldn’t come from behind the stores and head left through the lot. You couldn’t even back out and aim for the light at the middle; you had to keep going toward North Compo.

Now anything goes. Parking spaces are narrower than ever. Drivers are more distracted. CVS is always packed. And that’s just for starters.

Note the two — two! — cars entering the CVS lot the wrong way.

So here is today’s “06880” challenge. It’s probably a fool’s errand, but let’s say you had a chance to redesign Compo Shopping Center. What would you do?

You can reimagine the entire, horrific property: The tiny traffic island at the middle entrance that many folks ignore. The entrance itself, a few maddening yards away from its counterpart at Trader Joe’s. The cut-through to the back lot. The one-way hill leading to the Humane Society (which is moving soon, to Wilton). The rear lot. The traffic flow. The stores themselves.

You name it — it’s all on the table.

One way to solve the problem of narrow parking spaces.

This is a great country. We just launched a space telescope 100 times more powerful than its already impressive predecessor. We developed, manufactured and distributed a vaccine to combat COVID all in 13 months, even if some people are too batshit stupid to take it. We can do whatever we put our minds to.

Even fix Compo Shopping Center.*

Click “Comments” below to provide your solution. The winner gets a free coffee at Dunkin’.

There’s lots of room in the underutilized back lot — though people park poorly there too.

*We’ll leave Compo Acres — the Trader Joe’s lot — for another time.

25 Comments

Posted in Local business, Real estate, Transportation

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Photo Challenge #364

Posted on December 19, 2021 | 16 comments

With so many snowmen decorating Westport for the holidays — though no snow (yet) — readers could be forgiven for not instantly recognizing last week’s Photo Challenge.

This one — brown, not white — sits inside Trader Joe’s. (“Near the potato chips,” as the delightfully named Susan Yules points out.)

Diane Bosch, Joyce Barnhart, Elizabeth Auber and Janice Strizever joined Susan in correctly identifying the site of the snowman. Frosty would be proud. (Click here to see the photo.)

As we head toward the longest night of the year, this week’s Challenge seems particularly apt. If you can shed light on where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.

(Photo/JC Martin)

16 Comments

Posted in Local business, Photo Challenge

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Photo Challenge #327

Posted on April 4, 2021 | 10 comments

When June Rose Whittaker sent a Photo Challenge submission — a colorful shot of letters spelling “Westport,” in a style reminiscent of all those “Greetings From …” postcards — I thought I’d seen it in the alley between Main Street and Bedford Square. (Click here for the image.)

So did the first couple of readers to respond.

But they — and I — were wrong. It hangs (as nearly a dozen folks knew) on the Trader Joe’s wall, just beyond the checkout registers.

Congratulations to Dave Dellinger, Seth Schachter, Deb Alderson, Katie Carmody, Bob Weingarten, Robert W. Mitchell, Cheryl McKenna, Bruce Salvo and Elizabeth Auber.

Yet the Trader Joe’s “postcard” looks very much like the murals downtown. Could they be by the same artist?

If anyone knows who created one (or all) of these uniquely “Westport” works, click “Comments” below.

Which you should also do if you know where in Westport you’d find this week’s Photo Challenge:

(Photo/Patricia McMahon)

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Posted in Local business, Photo Challenge

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Roundup: Shorefest, Trader Joe’s, Fall Fashion, More

Posted on September 21, 2020 | 5 comments

Yesterday’s “Shorefest on a Roll” — Friends of Sherwood Island’s reimagined, socially distanced annual fundraiser — was different than the usual lobsterfest.

It was also wonderful, fun, and made even better by spectacular weather.

Board members Cece Saunders and Steve Axthelm produced the clever, all-ages event. Riding in cars through the 232-acre state park, families listened to a podcast while enjoying kites, disc golf, music, and getting a purple martin education.

At the last stop, they picked up lobster roll dinners, courtesy of Westfair Fish & Chips.

Click here for a full report, and tons of photos.

Lobster roll dinners, at the end.

That’s one small step for a man. And one giant leap for faster checkouts.

Trader Joe’s has all registers open, for the first time since COVID struck in March.

The other day you worked out, at Main Street and Church Lane’s Fitness & Wellness Expo.

This Saturday, you can show off your new look. The Westport Downtown Merchants Association is sponsoring a Fall Fashion & Beauty Day.

Merchandise will be displayed on sidewalks — meaning there’s plenty of room to walk around in stores too. And despite the name, all downtown merchants — not just fashion and beauty retailers — are invited to participate.

All of Main Street, Elm Street and Church Lane will be closed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Local merchants not on those streets are being offered spots, so there’s plenty to see and do. Of course, masks and social distancing rules apply!

 

World peace comes to Westport.

That’s the name of the next MoCA Westport exhibit. It opens October 8.

Works in the show reflect “the culture of identity, and the divided and fractured political climate of America’s past and present.” The multi-media exhibit includes photography, sculpture, video, site-specific installations, works on paper, and protest art.

The group show features local and world-renowned artists, highlighting contemporary media culture, the criminal justice system, and the relationship between science and religion. 

Westporters include illustrators Tracy Sugarman and Naiad Einsel, and photographers Spencer Platt and Richard Frank

Local politicians, and experts on climate change and the media, will be featured in panels throughout the exhibition. It runs through January 17.

For more information, click here.

And finally … today is the International Day of Peace. Enough said.

 

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Posted in Beach, Downtown, Environment, Local business, Organizations

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