Pam Docters was struck by the I was stuck by the green moss and blue water at the Westport Library Riverwalk — and enhanced it (a wee bit) for today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature.
And finally … George Harrison would have been 81 today. “The Quiet Beatle” — whose musical legacy is immense — died on November 29, 2001, of brain cancer.
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Congratulations to Staples High School Class of 2020 graduate Jake Thaw, and his University of Michigan Wolverines: national championships, after last night’s big win over Washington!
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Staples High School wrestling parent, booster club founder and former Wrecker wrestler and coach Terry Brannigan writes: “’It’s not what you gather, it is what you scatter.'”
“That was John Chacho’s message to a packed house at Foxwood Casino in 2013. Former wrestlers came from around the country to celebrate the legendary Staples coach’s induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“For Coach Chacho, his message is not merely a punchline delivered from a podium. It is a lesson he attributes to his mother, and the drumbeat for his life.
“John has touched the lives of generations of Westporters through his work in the Westport school system, and his favorite tool: wrestling.
“This Saturday, Staples hosts the annual John Chacho Dual Meet Tournament. It begins at 9 a.m. in the fieldhouse, and runs through mid-afternoon. We invite everyone to stop by and say hello to Coach Chacho.”
Terry nailed it. John is a Westport treasure. Seeing him on Saturday will make your day — and his.
Play With Your Food — the popular play-reading and talkback series — returns to MoCA next Tuesday (January 16, noon to 1:30 p.m.), with 3 very different shows.
Plus: boxed lunches from The Porch at Christies and Meli Melo Crêperie.
Plays include:
“I Just Sneezed with a Big Mouthful of Coffee and I Do Not Recommend It!”: 2 hypochondriacs connect in a hospital waiting room. The competition begins.
“Closing Time”: Will Sophie and her mom get to the store in time to buy the boots she so desperately wants? Spoiler alert: It’s not about the boots.
“The Jewish Wife”: Judith was a beloved wife, friend and bridge player, but now she is only Jewish. A quiet masterpiece written by Berthold Brecht in 1938.
Can’t make MoCA on the 16th? Play With Your Food heads to the Pequot Library in Southport January 17, and the Greenwich Arts Council the 18th.
Click here for details, tickets, and the full 2024 schedule.
Westport’s Business Network International chapter — the 2nd largest in the state — invites interested business networkers to a Visitors Day on Thursday, January 18 (7 to 9 a.m., United Methodist Church).
The group consists of only business per profession — for example, one financial advisor, one realtor, one chiropractor.
Categories open for this neeeting include estate attorney, landscaper, interior designer, printer, salon, personal trainer, restaurant, hotel, home inspector, home security, photographer, caterer or bakery, commercial/residential cleaner, commercial real estate, florist, event/wedding planner, travel/tour operator, automotive repair, physical therapy, promotional projects, and professional writer.
During the latest calendar year, the group passed over $1.6 million in closed business.
Pre-registration is required. Email debralommascout@gmail.com. For more information, click here.
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One of Jazz at the Post’s most popular performers — Westport’s own Melissa Newman — returns this Thursday (January 11; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner begins at 7; VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; $15 cover).
The Westporter will be joined by guitarist Tony Lombardozzi, bassist Phil Bowler and drummer Bobby Leonard.
Her shows are sure to sell out. Reservations: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
Westport Police announced yesterday that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging Neil Lott, 50, of Westport, with wire fraud related to a misappropriation scheme.
“As alleged in the indictment and statements made in court, from 2017 until August 2021, Lott was a 51 percent owner of Pacific Atlantic Handling Services, a baggage handling company based at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
In August 2021, Lott was terminated from PAH for cause. However, in November 2021, he opened a business bank account in the name of PAH without PAH’s knowledge or authorization.
On November 30, 2021, Lott deposited into this account a US Treasury check in the amount of $477,167, paid to the order of PAH, for an Employee Retention Tax Credit.
Lott was released on a $350,000 bond. If convicted of wire fraud, he faces a maximum prison term of 20 years.
“An indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
“The investigation is being conducted the US Postal Inspection Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Westport Police Department, with assistance from the Port Authority Police Department.”
Margaret Carey Coley — the wife of William Booth Coley, of the Coley family of Westport and Weston — died Friday, surrounded by her family. She was 75.
Her family says: “Margaret loved spending time with her family, especially her beloved granddaughters. She also enjoyed visiting with and giving treats to her grand-dogs. She was an avid reader, and loved to research and discuss family genealogy. She also loved to keep up with her favorite sports teams (Mets and Red Sox), and current events.
In addition to her husband of 45 years, she is survived by her daughter Michelle (Richard) Corcoran of North Haven; granddaughters Madelyn and Molly Corcoran; her brother Robert (Carolyn) Carey of Jamesville, New York, and several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by her brother John J. Carey Jr.
Margaret’s family thanks the Stratford VNA and Assisted Living Services for their care, with a special thank you to the ICU doctors, nurses and other staff at Yale New Haven Hospital for their care and compassion during her final week
A parlor service is set for Thursday (January 11, 10:30 a.m.; Porto Funeral Home, 830 Jones Hill Road, West Haven. Family and friends may call Thursday morning at 8:30. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to ALS United Connecticut, 4 Oxford Rd. Unit E4, Milford, CT 06460.
The famed Westporter and Pinkalicious author will read from her book “Pink or Treat” on Sunday, October 22 (10 a.m.).
The headline event is part of the kids’ component of StoryFest 2023. It also includes a “Pink or Treat” Halloween book reading and parade; a Pinkalicious Halloween parade with fun giveaways; a picture book reading on the Library steps with picture book authors, and a Monster Lab where kids can make their own 3D Monster Figurine or a Halloween mask.
The event is free with registration. There is an option to buy a signed copy of “Pink or Treat” for $15, and many other Kann favorites.
The 6th edition of StoryFest — the largest literary festival in Connecticut — runs October 20-22, with writers of all forms and from all genres.
Best-seller Neil Gaiman kicks off StoryFest 2023 on Friday evening, October 20, in conversation with Stephen Graham Jones. Saturday features author conversations and panel discussions, closing with a staged reading of Eric LaRocca’s new play, “Gentle Hacksaw.” Additional events are set for Sunday.
A reader wonders about Judy O’Meara’s now-closed TBI Apple-authorized shop, located first on Post Road West, then a mile down Route 1 in Norwalk.
She bought 2 iMacs there. Then the shop disappeared.
“Judy and the shop are irreplaceable,” the reader writes. “I’ve spent almost 11 months trying to find her.
The reader contacted the owner of the building and the Better Business Bureau. No one knows what happened, or where Judy is.
Readers with information on TBI and/or Judy: Please click “Comments” below.
Judy O’Meara
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Donations of new and gently used clothing and accessories are welcome now, for the Westport Woman’s Club annual clothing tag sale.
The event runs October 20-22, at the WWC clubhouse. On sale: a wide array of suits, dresses, pants, blouses, gowns, coats, scarves, shoes, jewelry, handbags and hats.
Funds raised help support the Westport food closet, charities throughout Fairfield County, and student scholarships.
Donations can be dropped off weekdays (9 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 4 p.m.) at the WWC (44 Imperial Avenue).
Laszlo Birinyi, a noted investment adviser who analyzed money flows to determine stock moves died Monday. He was 79.
The native of Hungary founded Birinyi Associates. Its office is still in a modest building on Wilton Road.
He was inducted into PBS’s “Wall Street Week Hall of Fame” in 1999. after success as the show’s top-ranked Dow Jones forecaster for most of the decade. (Hat tip: Johanna Rossi)
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This glorious arrangement at Stephanie Mastocciolo’s Warnock Drive home provides today’s “Westport … Naturally” color:
In the aftermath of the death of Matthew Balga — the chef killed on Riverside Avenue last Saturday night, after leaving work at The Whelk — his co-workers and family have organized a fundraiser. Money raised will support culinary education in Connecticut.
“Chef Matteo” had worked for For the Food restaurant owners Bill Taibe and Rachel Golan for over 18 years. Friends said he loved classic cars, played the guitar, had a sarcastic wit, and “most of all, was a loving man who loved to cook.”
The Connecticut Hospitality Educational Foundation (CHEF) is the non-profit philanthropic arm of the Connecticut Restaurant Association. It provides education for future restaurant industry professionals, workforce development opportunities and scholarships. Click here to contribute. (Hat tip: Westport Magazine)
The Westport Library offers plenty of innovative spaces and technologies, aimed at 21st century models of literacy and learning.
This spring, there will be more.
The Library is launching “Verso University.” The year-round series of high-level classes, workshops and lectures will further education and “learning for a lifetime.”
Offerings include one-time lectures, ongoing courses, and classes that meet weekly or monthly. They cover a wide variety of topics, with appeal to all ages and interests.
“Spring semester” includes
Launch Lecture: Martin Yellin on Space (Monday, March 13, 1 to 2 p.m.): Longtime Westporter and scientist Martin Yellin will provide an overview of the fascinating and unexpected discoveries made in space, and how we’ve begun to understand where we are and how we got here. Click here for more information.
The Range of Literary Realism: 4 Masterpieces of 21st Century Fiction, with Dr. Mark Schenker (Tuesdays, April 4 & 18, May 2 & 16, 2 to 3 p.m.): The noted lecturer in English at Yale University examines novels that reflect the range of literary realism as portrayed in 21st century fiction:
April 4: Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel
April 18: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
May 2: Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson
May 16: Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan
Got Problems? Think Them Through for Better Problem Solving! (May) Problem-solving coaches Mike Hibbard and Patricia Cyganovich will teach problem-solving processes to use in any area of life.
Fiction Writing Master Class, with Gabino Iglesias (May): Renowned noir writer and Westport Library StoryFest alum Gabino Iglesias teaches a master class-style writing workshop.
Crew Call (Rolling admission, spring through fall): Crew Call is a training program focused on live media production skills. Volunteers of all ages gain real-world experience in video recording and production. Crew Call participants support many Library productions.
Marty Yellin launches the Verso University series.
Rowers love to hate the erg machine. That’s the fitness machine they use relentlessly on land.
But recently, junior members of Saugatuck Rowing Club eagerly jumped on board. The occasion: a “Row for Dough Erg-a-thon” fundraiser for Homes with Hope. The local non-profit provides supportive housing and a food pantry, in downtown Westport.
Both boys and girls teams participated in individual 10K races (over 6.2 miles), and raised over $6,500.
SRC junior rowers also volunteer at the Gillespie Center food pantry, and helping with other Homes with Hope projects.
Saugatuck Rowing Club captains (from left): Jack Kiely, Lauren Schramm, Hannah Clemens, Dylan Halky, Cooper Levinson, Janna Moore.
Over 200 fans filled the Westport Library’s Trefz Forum for last night’s Blue Coupe concert. The band includes former Alice Cooper guitarist Dennis Dunaway, and Joe and Albert Bouchard of Blue Öyster Cult.
The event — a benefit for VersoFest, the music and media festival that kicks off March 30 — was co-produced by the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce.
They’re collaborating on upcoming shows too, including Verso Fest‘s Sunflower Bean (March 30), the Smithereens (March 31) and the Johnny Folsom 4 at “Supper & Soul” (May 13).
Blue Coupe, at the Westport Library. (Photo/Matthew Mandell)
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong got up early yesterday, for an important session: He addressed the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club’s meeting at Greens Farms Church.
Tong discussed his role as the chief civil attorney for the state, including notable litigation on tobacco, opioids and gun control.
Attorney General William Tong at Westport Sunrise Rotary. (Photo/Dave Matlow)
And finally … in honor of the very entitled dude who doesn’t know how to park his motorcycle (story above):
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