Posted onFebruary 25, 2023|Comments Off on Ukraine — And Westport — Mark Grim Anniversary
One year ago yesterday, Brian Mayer was working at a tech job in New York.
That day, the Russian army matched across the border to Ukraine. The largest war in Europe since World War II began.
Mayer and his brother Marshall — Westporters, who grew up here — quickly pivoted. They headed to Ukraine, and put their organizational skills to work.
Addressing 2 of the greatest challenges — fundraising, then ensuring that goods and materials reached their intended targets — the Mayers formed Ukraine Aid International.
In one year, the non-profit has achieved astonishing success.
They and their partners on the ground have delivered over 1 million pounds of aid directly to civilians on the front line.
They’ve supported more than 100 communities in liberated areas, and driven over 100,000 miles to provide aid to the hardest-to-reach towns, and most-impacted villages.
Every day, they provide over 125,000 Ukrainians with infrastructural support (electricity, heat and cleaning water).
That’s the big picture. Equally remarkable, Ukraine Aid International has been instrumental in helping Westport partner with Lyman, a town in the Donbas.
The Mayers and Liz Olegov, their COO, worked with 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Lyman mayor Alexander Victoravich Zuravlov to develop an initiative. “06880” helped lead a fundraising effort that, in just 3 weeks during the holiday season, brought in over $252,000.
UAI has put the money to extraordinary use.
The first delivery — at Christmas — was 400 meals, 2,000 loaves of bread, and 491 gifts (one for every child remaining in town).
Christmas in Lyman.
In January they delivered 2 police patrol cars and 2 trash vehicles to Lyman (the Russians had taken them all when they fled), plus printers, laptops, tablets, Starlink communication devices, socks, shoes and sweaters.
This month, a 20-ton truck carried repair materials for 6 apartment buildings, and bulletproof vests and helmets for utility workers near the front lines.
Local contractors are already lined up, to ensure that 2,000 Lyman residents now living in basements and elsewhere can return to their homes this spring.
An apartment building in Lyman.
The Westport town flag now hangs in the Lyman office, and on the sides of the donated vehicles. Lyman’s flag, meanwhile, has been donated to Westport.
Holding the Westport flag (from left): Lyman’s police chief and mayor. With the Lyman flag: Marshall Mayer, Brian Mayer, Liz Olegov.
Much more is on the way — for Lyman, and other devastated areas in Ukraine.
It’s been a brutal year for the war-torn nation.
But it’s also been a very productive one for 2 Westport brothers who saw a need. They thought they could help.
They moved mountains — in the form of countless tons of building material, communication equipment, clothes and more — to make a difference.
The war continues. It’s now in its second year.
So, fortunately, is Ukraine Aid International.
Ukraine Aid International continues to raise funds for Lyman, and the rest of the country. To make a tax-deductible contribution, click here. Click the “I want to support” box; then select “Support for the City of Lyman.” Scroll down on that page for other tax-deductible donation options (mail, wire transfer and Venmo). You can also donate directly, via Stripe (click here).
Comments Off on Ukraine — And Westport — Mark Grim Anniversary
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.”)
One of the most well-known homes in Westport — 48 Compo Mill Cove, the one closest to Old Mill Beach beyond the Sherwood Mill Pond pedestrian bridges — sold recently.
Now the second most well-known home on the Cove — #43 — is on the market.
43 Compo Mill Cove (Photo courtesy of MLS)
Built in 1940 (original location: the other side of the walking path), the property is just .18 acres.
But it’s surrounded by nearly 100 acres of the Mill Pond, and preserve. The sun and moon both rise over the pond, and there are stunning views in every direction. It’s the only house on the left side of the Cove’s path.
The 2-bedroom cottage needs work (and to be raised, to mitigate flood concerns).
The listing price is $1,999,000. For more information, click here.
Bonnie Erickson lives in Monroe. But the Staples High School Class of 1971 member still feels connected to Westport.
She also wants to do whatever she can to help others in need.
So when she saw an “06880” Roundup item about a call to assemble 600 life-saving medical kits that will be hand delivered to front line units in Ukraine, she headed last night to The Readiness Collective in the SoNo Collection mall.
The event was organized by Staples High School graduates Jesse and Sefra Levin. The twins are readiness skills specialists, whose company — Tactivate – prepares people for survival worldwide.
Jesse and Sefra have worked in Ukraine since last February.
Last night’s diverse group, assembling medical kits. (Photo/Bonnie Erickson)
Some readers are not receiving “06880” emails. WordPress knows of the problem, and is working to solve it.
Until they do, if you know anyone who is not being notified of new “06880” stories, please tell them to go directly to the website: www.06880.org. Thank you!
Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein offer their thoughts next Sunday (February 5, 2 p.m., Westport Library).
The “State of the Town” event is free. It will also be live-streamed here.
After a review of town and school accomplishments, and a preview of what’s ahead, the officials will answer questions. Westport Rotary Club past president Tony McDowell will moderate.
The event is a joint initiative of the Westport Sunrise Rotary and Westport Rotary Club.
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Board of Education chair Lee Goldstein, at last winter’s “State of the Town” event.
Summit Saugatuck — the 187-unit development on Hiawatha Lane Extension, near I-95 Exit 17 — has plowed ahead.
Last summer, what seemed to be the final steps for construction occurred. The last tenants left their homes, and heavy equipment moved in.
For 2 decades, neighbors have fought the proposal. Yesterday, after countless setbacks, Carolanne Curry — one of the most dogged opponents — sent this message:
“For 20 years we’ve been living with the bad news — the disrupting presence of developer Felix Charney wrecking havoc and and uncertainty in our lives. But today there is good news for all of us who want to Save Old Saugatuck.
“For many months our attorney, Joel Green, has been preparing significant legal steps to appeal the recent court ruling. He has prevailed in submitting a formal filing with a 170-page plaintiff’s brief, taking our case from the CT State Superior Court to the CT State Appellate Court. This was no easy task as Charney’s attorney, Tim Hollister, created many delays and presented misinformation and intimidations.
“Once an appeal has been filed, no property development should progress until the appeal has been settled. Over the next several months Attorney Green will have the opportunity to present the compelling reasons that legally support retaining a single family neighborhood on Hiawatha Lane Extension, and simultaneously would protect every other home in our community of Old Saugatuck. (To read online or download a PDF file of the entire brief, click here.)
“This initial appeal is just the first step in the appeal process… and we will continue to take this as far as possible.”
Artist’s rendering of the proposed 187-unit apartment complex on Hiawatha Lane.
Rain gear has been added to the list of material being collected for Ukraine, at the next 2 Westport Farmers’ Markets (February 2 and 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center, 7 Sylvan Lane).
Also needed: gently used winter coats, mittens, hats and gloves. Cash contributions to help with shipping costs are welcome too.
Questions? Want to help? Email Mark Yurkiw: mark.think3d@gmail.com.
Mark Yurkiw is helping collect supplies for his native Ukraine.
Longtime Westporter Martin Rosenfeld died Monday at his home in Rockville, Maryland. He was 95 years old.
Living here from 1998 until 2021, he and Martha, his wife of 66 years, were active members of the community.
Together, they donated over 16,000 volunteer hours, during nearly 20 years of service at Norwalk Hospital. Countless area residents remember Martin from his help with patients, visitors and staff in the ambulatory surgical waiting room.
Longtime members of a synagogue in New Rochelle, when they retired they looked for a community where they could continue to be active. At The Conservative Synagogue of Westport they found a young community with many children, which they immersed themselves in.
They assisted in the office, shined the silver on the Torah scrolls, and provided Passover Seders for people without local families. Martin played a key role as a tutor in the synagogue’s B’Nai Mitzvah program.
At the age of 70, Martin learned to read Torah for the first time. Until the pandemic diverted synagogue services to Zoom, he was still going strong — in fact, he was the synagogue’s most prolific reader.
Martin and Martha Rosenfeld
He and his Martha were avid attendees at adult education programs, inspiring all. In 2018, the couple were honored by the Federation for Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield County.
Born in the Bronx, Martin was a graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School and New York University. A veteran of World War II, he then attended Yale University where he became fluent in Japanese.
In addition to his wife Martha (Elowsky), Martin is survived by his daughter Elizabeth, son and daughter-in-law Reuben and Ora, and 3 grandsons.
His funeral and burial services were held Tuesday in Elmont, Long Island. Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn and Cantor Luis Cattan officiated.
Longtime Westporter Joseph Crosby, Jr. died this week, after a brief illness. He was 82.
Raised outside Philadelphia, Joe entered the Navy as an officer after graduating from LaSalle in 1962. While stationed in Puerto Rico he met his wife of 55 years, Carmen I. Crosby (Brau).
They settled in Westport in 1969 and raised their family there, the greatest joy of his life.
Joe was a pilot with American Airlines, retiring as captain in 2000. His favorite trips were those that brought him home each night. His children called him “the only pilot who doesn’t enjoy traveling.”
Joe also loved sailboats, and purchased his first in 1976. Over the years the boats got bigger, and the family summer cruises longer. They traveled to Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
At home, Joe spent mornings discussing the New York Times, afternoons watching the birds, squirrels, chipmunks and ducks that graced their yard, and evenings in the living room with cocktails and snacks.
His favorite activities were watching sunsets on the boat, and spending time with his grandchildren.
Joe is survived by his wife Carmen; daughter Tracy Crosby (Peter Vath); son Joe (Tricia Mulligan), and grandchildren Caleb and Leah Vath, and Samantha and Ryan Crosby.
His family expresses appreciation to all the healthcare professionals at Bridgeport Hospital, especially the Progressive Care Unit, Vitas, and the 7th floor team.
The family will receive visitors on February 4 (11 a.m., followed by a service at noon) at Harding Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Bridgeport Rescue Mission in Joe’s name.
Joseph Crosby, Jr.
===============================================
It’s been nearly 2 weeks since we ran a “Westport … Naturally” photo of the black buzzards buzzing around the dumpster behind Gaetano’s and Shanghai Gourmet.
They’re still there, enjoying Italian and Chinese food to go.
Posted onDecember 14, 2022|Comments Off on Roundup: WestportREADS, Orphenians Sing, Playhouse Plays …
For over 20 years, the Westport Library has offered one book for the entire community to read — and celebrate — together.
This year’s WestportREADS selection is “Firekeeper’s Daughter.” Angeline Boulley’s young adult novel features 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, a Native teen who must navigate family tragedy, new relationships, and an FBI investigation to root out the corruption in her community.
The author will deliver a keynote address on February 16, in the Trefz Forum. Events leading up to her appearance include:
PageTurners Book Club discussion (January 17, 11 a.m., Westport Library)
WestportREADS skating afternoon (January 21, 1 to 5 p.m., Westport PAL Longshore rink)
WestportREADS book discussion (February 2, 7 p.m., Westport Library).
More events will be announced soon.
Boulleyis a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan. She served as her tribe’s education director, and assistant executive director and on the board of regents at Bay Mills Community College before becoming director for the Office of Indian Education at the U.S. Department of Education.
At the age of 54, she recently published her first novel.
Angeline Boulley (Photo/Marcella Hadden)
“Firekeeper’s Daughter” is a #1 New York Times bestseller, and a Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club YA Pick. It is being adapted by Netflix for TV with former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground.
Copies of the book are available for borrowing now at the Library. Itis also available as an e-book and audiobook. For more information on WestportREADS, click here.
A longstanding Westport Rotary Club tradition returned yesterday. The Staples High School Orphenians performed a holiday show.
The half-hour a cappella concert was held in the acoustically resonant sanctuary of Green’s Farms Congregational Church. From “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies” to “Silent Night,” it was a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.
Conductor Luke Rosenberg leads the Orphenians at the Westport Rotary Club holiday show, in Green’s Farms Church. (Photo and hat tip/Dave Matlow)
“Yesterday was the last day to donate equipment for a shipment to Ukraine. The response was fantastic. Three more generators showed up, and a dozen sleeping bags, and more.
“But yesterday I got a message that the shipping departure date is postponed until next Wednesday.
“There were many people who wanted to donate but couldn’t do it in time. They now have one more week.”
Donations can be brought to 190 Cross Highway and left by the barn. For questions or pickup arrangements, call Mark: 646-873-0050.
Donations for Ukraine — in the country’s familiar blue and yellow colors.
Lake Gallery is where talented local photographers show stunning large-scale images, taken from around the world.
Westporters Ron Lake and Nancy Breakstone host an opening reception this Friday (December 16, 6 to 8 p.m., 33 Elm Street) of their work.
This is Ron’s second gallery, after opening Focus in 2020 in Woodstock, Vermont. Nancy has curated shows at Earthplace, the Carriage Barn in New Canaan and Rene Soto Gallery in Norwalk.
When COVID shut the Westport Country Playhouse, they reached audiences with a new/old idea: Playhouse Radio Theater.
The curtain has risen again. But the innovative series continues.
Next up: a holiday audio play. “A Merry Little Christmas Carol” — with original music and clever sound effects — airs on WSHU on Christmas Eve (December 24, 6:06 p.m. following the news). It will be rebroadcast Christmas Day (December 25, 1:06 p.m.).
Click here for the livestream. Click here for frequencies and locations. Click here for the link via the Playhouse website (available through January 1).
“A Merry Little Christmas Carol” is written and directed by Mark Shanahan, adapted from his play of the same name, and based on “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. Shanahan is curator of Playhouse Radio Theater, in addition to curating the Playhouse Script in Hand play reading series.
WCP artistic director Mark Lamos narrates, with noted Playhouse actors like Paxton Whitehead (Scrooge). Running time is 2 hours.
Longtime Westport Public Schools director of personnel Nancy Bonvini died peacefully last week. She was 88, and lived in Fairfield.
Following her retirement in 1999, she volunteered at Black Rock School, and was a tutor at Mercy Learning Center.
She enjoyed listening to good music, was an avid reader, and enjoyed time by Long Island Sound and surrounded by nature.
A service will be held tomorrow (Thursday, December 15, 11 a.m. Spear-Miller Funeral Home, 39 South Benson Road, Fairfield). Interment will follow in St. Michael’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, friends may consider a donation in Nancy’s memory to Mercy Learning Center, 637 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604.
Posted onDecember 12, 2022|Comments Off on Roundup: Techno Claus, Ukraine Aid, Blue Sunday …
For the 14th year in a row yesterday, “CBS Sunday Morning” featured modern gift ideas from “Techno Claus.”
Each year, the clever, rhyming St. Nick bears a striking resemblance to David Pogue.
And, as often happens, some of the shots in the segment bear a striking resemblance to our Westport neighbor’s home and neighborhoood.
Click below to see if you agree. As a bonus you’ll get some great ideas, on everything from a Zoom meeting “mute alert” and rechargeable hand warmers to a “cable crud” organizer and automobile back window message system.
Rather than toys, food, books or cash, Mark Yurkiw asked for new generators, chainsaws, kerosene heaters, flashlights, sleeping bags, cellphone power banks — the kind of important, durable things Ukraine needs to withstand the continued bombardment by Russia.
A shipping container was headed overseas in a few days. Westporters responded to Mark’s request — quickly and generously.
He received at least one of everything he requested, in an “06880” post. This photo shows some of the donations (in the nation’s famous blue and yellow colors).
But, Mark, notes, “Ukraine is a large country. They can use everything.”
There is still a day before a truck will be loaded.
Donations can be brought to 190 Cross Highway and left by the barn. For questions or pickup arrangements, call Mark: 646-873-0050.
As seniors race to finish their college applications before the January 1 deadline — and their parents worry about paying for the next 4 years — there’s help in sight.
Staples Tuition Grants is open for applications (click here). Seniors and current college students with demonstrated financial need have until April 9 to apply for STG aid.
Last year, the 81-year-old organization gave over $400,000 in grants, to more than 100 students.
STG could not do it without the help of donors. As they gear up for another season of high demand, the non-profit reminds “06880” readers of the importance of donations. Click here to help.
Last week’s Greens Farms Garden Club annual wreath-making and holiday lunch was both festive and functional.
The group gathered at the Connecticut Audubon Society. Their work can now be seen throughout Westport, Fairfield and Bridgeport, at the Bigelow Center for Seniors, Earthplace, Gillespie Center, Greens Farms post office, Wakeman Town Farms, CT Audubon Society, Fairfield Historical Society, Victorian Cottage, St. John’s Family Center, Mercy Learning Center, St. Timothy’s, STAR Inc., Sturges Ridge, CLASP, nOURish Bridgeport, and the Greens Farms, Southport and Fairfield train stations.
Greens Farms Garden Club members, and their wreaths.
Westport Community Gardens director — and nature photographer extraordinaire — Lou Weinberg explains today’s “Westport … Naturally” image:
“The winter plumage of the goldfinch is muted. They love when we leave the coneflower stalks standing. Coneflower is an important food source for the birds and the bees. Don’t cut it down!”
And finally … today is National Ding-a-Ling Day. (Don’t believe me? Click here.)
We’re supposed to get in touch with (“ding-a-ling”) family and friends we’ve lost touch with.
Most of us are too busy today to do that. (Which is why we lost touch in the first place). But for a couple of minutes, we can listen to Chuck Berry’s only (somehow) #1 hit:
(Where else but “06880” can you find David Pogue, the Greens Farms Garden Club and Chuck Berry on the same page? Please click here to support this blog. Thank you!)
Comments Off on Roundup: Techno Claus, Ukraine Aid, Blue Sunday …
The Westporter (who has Ukrainian heritage) continues to work on a variety of projects to help that embattled country. He writes: “Missiles are raining down on Ukraine today. They are specifically meant to destroy access to heat, light and water.
“A group I am working with was given the chance to fill the balance of the next shipping container going to Ukraine in 5 days.
“‘06880’ readers can save lives by donating used generators, chainsaws, sleeping bags, flashlights and cell phone power banks. Non-working chainsaws and generators are fine. We will repair them.”
They can be brought to 190 Cross Highway and left by the barn any time. For questions or pickup arrangements, call Mark: 646-873-0050.
NOTE: Other containers will follow soon. The equipment collection is ongoing.
Last night’s party honoring Westport Lifestyle magazine’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards winners featured fantastic food, an exciting venue (Christian Siriano’s Collective West) — and the most buff Santa ever to hustle down a chimney.
(Photo/Dan Woog)
This one bore a striking resemblance to RTM member/Staples High School graduate/longtime volunteer Andrew Colabella.
Staples and Brien McMahon High Schools compete against each other in many FCIAC (Fairfield County league) sports.
Now the Westport mother of former Wreckers is trying to help the Senators.
Lisa Marriott — whose sons were Staples track stars — heard that McMahon boys indoor track coach Valerie Kalunian needs used track spikes and/or running sneakers for some of her athletes. Without them, they cannot participate this winter.
“Those shoes can be very costly for students, and hard to find in local stores,” she says. “Over the years we have tried to gather extra spikes/racing shoes/training shoes for those that may not have them, but our selection is limited.”
Running shoes can be dropped off at the Town Hall front desk starting Monday (put Lisa Marriott’s name on the bag or box). For other options, email lsmarriott@gmail.com. To donate cash, click here for a GoFundMe page.
Come on, Westport students. You can write a much better garden-related poem than that timeworn ditty.
Here’s your chance. The Westport Garden Club has partnered with the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, town poet laureate Jessica Noyes McEntee and the Westport Library to sponsor a Youth Poetry Contest.
Affiliated with the National Garden Club’s Youth Poetry Contest, it’s open to public and private school students in kindergarten through 9th grade, plus those who are home schooled.
The competition encourages youth to embrace their creativity, using nature as inspiration.
The theme for the 2023 competition is “Seeds, Trees, and Bees…Oh My – Celebrating the Diversity of Nature”
Everyone in Westport goes to Compo Beach in the summer.
Plenty go in late spring and early fall.
December — not so many.
If you don’t know what it looks like when the wind is whipping and the skies are gray — as they were earlier this week — check out today’s “Westport … Naturally” scene:
Each Christmas season, the Wreaths Across America program honors fallen servicemembers, and all who serve. Over 2 million volunteers take part, in all 50 states and overseas.
This year, for the first time, Westport joins in.
The date is December 17. The time is noon. The cemetery is Assumption, on Greens Farms Road.
It wouldn’t have happened without Patty Kondub. The popular Westport Family YMCA and Senior Center (and Staples High School girls golf coach) is the local coordinator.
As part of her many other Westport activities, she’s also vice president of the VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 Auxiliary.
Click here to sponsor a wreath (the deadline is November 29). To designate a wreath for a specific veteran at the Assumption cemetery, email Patty: nortonpk@aol.com. You can also email her to volunteer to mark graves before December 17, and place them on that date
For Patty, the project is personal. Her father — John Kondub — was a World War II Marine, and VFW Post 399 member. He earned a Purple Heart, for hand-to-hand combat in the Japanese Islands.
He is buried at Assumption Greens Farms Cemetery — almost across from the farm where he was born, before I-95 was built.
“There are over 200 veterans buried in this cemetery,” Patty says. “I hope they all get wreaths.”
She’s from Florida, and speaks 5 languages. He’s a German attorney. They met and formed a group that braves drones and missiles to drive desperately needed supplies to the front lines in Ukraine. Their supplies include water filtration systems and wood burning stoves for civilians, who are starving and bracing for a cold winter.
After several months of non-stop work, the pair needed a rest. Brian invited them to Westport, for a few days of R&R.
On Monday they met with 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker and Ken Bernhard, another Westporter deeply involved in humanitarian aid.
Liz and Richard were taking a breather. But they did not stop working. The group discussed how Westport can be even more helpful in the global fight against Russian aggression.
(From left): Richard, Brian Mayer, 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Liz and Ken Bernhard discuss how Westport can aid Ukraine.
One of Westport’s favorite toy drives takes place soon.
The Police Department Benevolent Association and Westport Police Athletic League will again collect gifts for underprivileged children in Fairfield County.
Officers will accept new, unopened and unwrapped toys — plus cash donations — in the ASF Sports & Outdoors parking lot (1560 Post Road East), on Saturday and Sunday, December 3-4 and 10-11, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Speaking of police: As they do every year just before Thanksgiving, dozens of Staples High School students dodged cops.
The teenagers and officers had a ball.
The event was the annual Dodge-a-Cop dodgeball tournament. Each team of students included at least one member of the Westport force.
They hurled dodgeballs at each other. They protected their teammates.
The event — sponsored by the Westport Youth Commission and Staples’ Teen Awareness Group — was for a great cause. Entry fees supported the Toys for Tots holiday drive.
Staples school resource officer Ed Woolridge (back row, white shirt, blue headband) was on the winning Dodge-a-Cop team. The winners posed with Andrew Colabella — longtime Dodge-a-Cop referee, former Youth Commission member, and current RTM member. (far right).
That’s appropriate. Longshore — the site of this Saturday night’s first-ever Café Noir — is said to have been the setting for nearby resident (okay, renter) F. Scott Fitzgerald) when he later wrote “The Great Gatsby.”
But the music and vibe will be “classic house, funk and disco” at 9 p.m., when a pair of Westport DJs (self-described “middle-aged British dudes, aka “Bangers and Mash”) host the event at Longshore’s La Plage restaurant.
“We’re looking to introduce a bit of suave and sophistication to the evening,” says Phil White, who is Banger.
Tom Fielding is Mash. He’s also an accomplished house DJ. He founded London’s famed dance club The End back in the late 90s.
White DJed in college, then toured Europe putting on raves. before getting sucked into “the big bad world of global advertising.” (Hey, at least he’s advertising Café Noir well.)
The pair will run their Saturday night events at La Plage through Christmas. In the spring, they’ll take their act out on the terrace.
“So get out,” White urges. “Get your groove on. And dress to impress!”
Given the alleged nature of La Plage at Longshore ( the original millionaires party venue for the Great Gatsby?)…we’re looking to introduce a bit of swarve and sophicats to the evening proceeding and get 06680’s well healed and otherwise housebound cognoscenti to get out and get their groove on!
No shoe? No problem!
Ryan Smith — Bates College’s men’s cross country captain, and a Staples High School running star with the Class of 2019 — lost a shoe in the first mile of the 8K NCAA East Regional Championship, at Bowdoin College.
When his shoe was stepped on, there were 100 runners behind Smith. He could not slow down to fix it, so he kicked it into the woods and kept going.
He finished 11th out of more than 200 runners, helping the Bobcats to 2nd place overall. That helped them qualify for the NCAA Championships, (Hat tip: Brian Strong)
Westport’s founding fathers did not wear t-shirts. And they sure didn’t have mouse pads.
But you can sport a tee (or tank top, sweatshirt or hoodie), wrap yourself in a fleece blanket, drink from a mug or use a mouse pad that commemorates 1835 — the year Westport became its own town.
Those items are part of Finding Westport’s newest offerings. There are 2 lines: the 1835 Collection, and one called Westport Est.
The Y’s Men of Westport and Weston took a brisk 5-mile walk Monday — in Manhattan.
The group headed out from Grand Central to the United Nations, Sutton Place, Rockefeller University, Carl Shurz Park and Gracie Mansion.
It was the 7th in their series of New York City explorations. Many Y’s Men spent their careers working there. They seldom had a chance to be tourists, though.
Y’sMen at the New York Daily News building. (Hat tip and photo/Dave Matlow)
And finally … Michael Butler, the wealthy financier and producer who brought “Hair” to Broadway in 1968, died earlier this month in a nursing home in California. He was 95.
He was hardly a hippie. But he made his mark on American theater with the “tribal love-rock musical.” Click here for a full obituary.
(“Easy to be hard …” — and easy to support “06880.” Just click here. And thank you!)
A lone protestor took to the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge yesterday. In what looks like a reference to Monday’s controversial Board of Education meeting about a banned books display at Staples High School, he urges the teaching of reading:
Speaking of the local controversy: Fox News has taken notice.
The network includes a story about the Westport Board of Ed meeting on its website. The piece is illustrated with video from a Southington Board of Education meeting about a “woke worksheet,” and 2 photos from a Virginia Board of Ed protest about Critical Race Theory.
The Westport Library and Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce are serious about democracy.
On October 18 (noon, Trefz Forum), they’ll sponsor an interactive candidate forum.
State Senate District 26 candidates Toni Boucher and Ceci Maher, State Representative District 136 hopefuls Alma Sarelli and Jonathan Steinberg, and State Rep District 143 nominees Nicole Hampton and Dominique Johnson will appear.
The debate will be moderated by Chamber director Matthew Mandell, and archived on Vimeo.
An “06880” reader sent this photo of a new sign at Wakeman, the athletic fields adjacent to Bedford Middle School:
She writes:
“Many people feel it’s hard to have a dog in Westport. So many restrictions, especially during the warmer months. But now this new sign just went up in a few places at Wakeman.
“It was all the talk this morning with the moms and dads, where many walk their dogs, and bring them to weekend soccer, baseball and lacrosse games. It’s a shame our town can’t be more accommodating.”
But a youth sports coach had a different reaction.
“It’s about time,” he tells “06880.” “Now maybe I won’t have to walk the fields before practice every day, picking up poop.”
Frank Accardi writes that yesterday at 7:45 a.m. on Whitney Street, a woman driving a gray Volvo SUV began honking repeatedly as a school bus stopped to pick up children.
Several times, the driver attempted to pull into the opposite lane to pass the bus. Its lights were still flashing.
“If ever there was an instance of thumbing your nose at the community, this is it,” Frank says.
Sure, it’s a pain to be behind a school bus that stops every few feet.
But attempting to pass it, while children are getting on?
That’s worse than any Entitled Parking photo I’ve posted, for sure.
A proposal to restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in Westport — scheduled for the October Representative Town Meeting — has been removed from that agenda. Discussion and a possible vote will be postponed to a future date.
Next week, the very local Westport Farmers’ Market will be the site of an effort for international aid.
Lawn signs supporting Ukraine in its war against Russian aggression will be on sale next Thursday (October 13, Imperial Avenue parking lot). 100% of all money raised will go to Ukraine Aid International, organized by Westport native Brian Mayer. UAI provides food and medicine to Ukrainians isolated near the Russian border.
Westporter Ken Bernhard and Weston Kiwanis Club member Amy Jenner have already raised $3,000. They have 200 signs left.
If you can’t get to the Farmers Market, email kbernhar@optonline.net for details on purchasing a lawn sign.
Amy Jenner, Ken Bernhard and their Ukrainian lawn signs.
Congressman Jim Himes is featured at a “Rosé and Reproductive Rights” event (October 11, 7 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club). He’ll discuss the impact — both nationally and locally — of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, and take questions from audience members.
In May, Congressman Jim Himes spoke at a Westport rally protesting the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling. Governor Lamont and Senator Blumenthal (left to right) spoke also. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Westport’s Unitarian Church hosts a potluck brunch Sunday (October 9, directly after the 10 a.m. Sunday service). The group will then carpool to Stamford, for a 2 p.m. Women’s march.
The Church invites everyone interested to attend. For more information, email janetluongo.wellness@gmail.com.
Unitarian Church members making signs for the women’s march.
And finally … today’s “06880” Roundup features a number of signs: on the Ruth Steikraus Cohen Bridge, Wakeman Fields, Farmers’ Market, and for reproductive rights and the women’s march.
Anna Danchak and her family have lived in Westport for 20 years. Her daughter graduated from Staples High School in 2021. Her son was a freshman there last year, but has moved to a school near Boston to play ice hockey. She has 2 other children, in the Westport schools.
Since the Russian invasion, Anna has worked to raise funds and support for her native Ukraine. Her family recently traveled there, to help. She writes:
We brought burn kits, bleed stops, water purification tablets and very specialized items like air release kits and bone marrow injections to a group in Ukraine which brought them to the front lines.
Steve (in the photo below) is an incredible Canadian guy who has gone back and forth for 4 months. He delivered supplies to Brian Mayer, the Westporter who has also done tremendous work in Ukraine.
Steve and the Danchaks, in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, we volunteered with a UK-based organization. Our week at the border was full of busy days at the train station. I didn’t expect to see so many people still coming from Ukraine — tens of thousands, many from Odesa and Mykolai, some from Donbas.
We met a worker who was going back to Ukraine to the infamous nuclear station. I recognized him from TV to be the guy saying calmly to the Russian soldiers, “please do not fire at the nuclear reactor. It will cause a nuclear accident.”
We drove am elderly family to the airport. My daughters helped them check in for a flight to London. They had never been on an airplane, and were very anxious.
The Danchaks volunteer with children.
There are many children and women, and many elderly people. I got emotional when we were touring the train station for the first time. My grandfather who lived in Ukraine ran from Nazis 80 years ago. He was at a train station with his mom and siblings. She had no idea where to go.
I felt her despair. It was a very surreal moment for me.
We all hope this nightmare will end soon. But for now, thank you to everyone for being a part of the light.
Click here to help support “06880” via credit card or PayPal. Any amount is welcome, appreciated — and tax-deductible! Reader contributions keep this blog going. (Alternate methods: Please send a check to “06880”: PO Box 744, Westport, CT 06881. Or use Venmo: @blog06880. Or Zelle: dwoog@optonline.net. Thanks!)
GET THE “06880” APP
The “06880” app (search for it on the Apple or Android store) is the easiest way to get “06880.” Choose notifications: whenever a new post is published, or once or twice a day. Click here for details.
Addressing 2 of the greatest challenges — fundraising, then ensuring that goods and materials reached their intended targets — the Mayers formed Ukraine Aid International.
