There is only 1 discussion item on Monday’s Board of Education agenda (June 26, 5 p.m., Staples High School cafeteria): redistricting.
Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarice will present the topic. No materials are yet available on the town website.
The meeting can be viewed on Optimum Channel 78, and by livestream here.
Population shifts have made Long Lots the largest elementary school in town. As work moves forward on renovations or a new school on the site, redistricting may also be on the table.
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Every June, more than 40,000 ham radio operators across the continent set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate science, skill and service.
“Field Day” — an annual event since 1933 — combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach and technical skills.
The Westport Astronomical Society’s Amateur Radio Club K1WAS celebrates Field Day this weekend. They’ll contact as many stations as possible on the 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 Meter HF bands today (Saturday, June 24, 2 p.m.) and tomorrow (Sunday, June 25, 5 p.m.) at their ham shack (classroom) at the Observatory on Bayberry Lane.
The Staples High School Class of 1973 is ready for their 50th reunion.
They’ll celebrate Friday, October 6 at 2 familiar spots: the Black Duck and Viva Zapata. Saturday, October 7 includes a golf outing and 1 p.m. party at Compo Beach. On Sunday, October 8 they’ll enjoy a 4 p.m. cocktail party at Bridgeport’s Fayerweather Yacht Club.
Email alisonhealy@yahoo.com, or click here for the Facebook page, for more details,
Staples High School looked like this, back in 1973. (Photo/Fred Cantor)
And finally …. Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist of Broadway smash hits like “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Fiorello!,” died yesterday in Manhattan. He was 99. Click here for a full obituary.
(“06880” is your hyper-local blog — and a non-profit. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
If it’s Westport in June, it must be Duck Time. Mark Mathias reports:
For years, the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club has presented The Great Duck Race. The big annual fundraiser raises money for charities.
Ralph Kreuger
But most people don’t know how the giant inflatable ducks came to become a Westport icon.
Ralph Kreuger — a long-time Sunrise Rotary member and master marketer –suggested in 2016 that the club buy a 30 foot tall inflatable duck to advertise The Great Duck Race.
It was made in China and shipped across the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal.
The club named the duck Sunny.
A 30-foot inflatable duck takes some serious wrangling, especially on water. And it’s really hard to move.
(Photo/Wendy Cusick)
For years Sunny floated on the Saugatuck River. He sometimes tipped over, sometimes blew away, but generally was a great sight for passersby.
People loved the duck. They loved taking pictures with Sunny.
(Photo/Audrey Sporre)
After a few years in charge of Sunny, Ralph died.
Sunrise Rotary wanted to continue the duck theme. So it purchased a smaller (relatively speaking) 12-foot duck.
The club honored Ralph’s memory and contributions by naming the new duck Little Ralphie.
Little Ralphie is what people see around town at the Memorial Day parade, and — leading up to The Great Duck Race — at various locations around Westport.
Right now, he’s in front of the Kohler showroom on Post Road East.
The Great Duck Race is Saturday, June 24. Attendance is free. For a chance to win up to $5,000 and support charitable causes, tickets can be purchased from any Westport Sunrise Rotarian or online.
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):
(Two important things to do before bed tonight: 1) Turn your clocks ahead; 2) Thank “06880” for reminding you. Please click here to make a contribution. Thank you!)
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker discusses that important financial document — what it is, how it’s grown, how it helps fund town services, and what it all means to residents — on the latest “Westport … What’s Happening?” podcast.
Click below to listen. The series is sponsored by the Y’s Men of Westport and Weston.
Just in time for the Super Bowl, the Westport Police Department and Westport Sunrise Rotary Club are sponsoring a “Souper Bowl of Caring” food drive. All donations support Homes with Hope, and Westport’s Department of Human Services food pantries.
Non-perishable foods can be brought to Stop & Shop this Saturday (February 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
Can’t make it then? Hammer & Nails — the new men’s grooming lounge at 606 Post Road East — is accepting food donations all week long.
And — because “06880” truly is “Where Westport meets the world” — here is another local story from Antarctica. Bill Kutik writes:
“I love adventure travel. I just rode an expedition ship from the southern tip of South America, hugging the coast of Antarctica, and finishing near the southern tip of New Zealand.
“It took 30 days to get from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere under the bottom of the earth. Despite being upside down the whole time, we didn’t fall off once!
“An intrepid hiker (and founding editor of Backpacker magazine in 1972), I had to tour New Zealand’s famous mountains used in the movies Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Power of the Dog.’ Here’s a photo of me from Fiordland National Park on the southwest coast (fresh from the helicopter).
Bill Kutik above Doubtful Bay.
“But my heart was captured by this eager, welcoming sign outside Westport, New Zealand. It’s a former port town — just like us.”
Expanding our horizons even beyond Antarctica: “Our galaxy was a quasar.”
That’s the topic for the next Westport Astronomical Society lecture. This one — with Professor Joshua Tan of LaGuardia Community College — is live, in the WAS classroom (February 21, 8 p.m.).
This will be Tan’s third appearance at the Astronomical Society. An optical astronomer, he studies short-period binary millisecond pulsars, open problems in binary modeling, neutron star physics, and 3-body dynamics.
Each year, Westport middle and high school students rock the National History Day competition.
They do it thanks to beyond-the-call help from their teachers — and extra attention from community members, who help students through the research and writing process.
Dr. Lauren Francese, townwide social studies coordinator, invites community members to help in a new capacity this year: as judges in the Fairfield County regional competition (Saturday, March 18, Sacred Heart University).
Judges do not need to be history or education experts. What’s needed is engaged, empathetic feedback to students on their papers, websites, museum exhibits, performances, and documentaries). Training is provided to all volunteers the morning of the event.
The keyboardist — who has toured and recorded with David Bowie, George Michael and Rod Stewart, and served as musical director for Kennedy Center extravaganzas — headlines this Thursday’s Jazz at the Post (February 9, VFW Joseph J. Clinton Post 399; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m.; dinner at 7 p.m.; $15 cover).
Hey will be joined by Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall, Dave Richards and Jason Tiemann. Reservations are highly recommended: JazzatthePost@gmail.com.
After 2 weeks, bagels are still sitting on High Gate Road.
Chris Grimm reports on the scene, off Maple Avenue South: “The 2 piles have been joined by a smaller, breakaway third pile, to the left, while a few to the far left seem to be trying to flee. Behind the larger pile to the right seem to be a large number of casualties.”
Over 100 people hoped to join Thursday’s Westport Representative Town Meeting’s Planning & Zoning Committee session on the text and map amendments that may lead to the redevelopment of Saugatuck.
The RTM Zoom link could handle only 100 guests. The meeting was canceled — and a new Zoom maximum set, of 500 attendees.
Meetings have been rescheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, January 10 and 12, at 6:30 p.m. Click here for the link.
The RTM’s Transit Committee will also meet on those dates and times, to discuss Saugatuck. Click here for the link.
In related news, members of the RTM Planning & Zoning Committee joined principals for the proposed Hamlet at Saugatuck project and other Westporters on a field trip to the site yesterday.
RTM members and others tour Saugatuck. They’re at the Morton’s parking lot, behnd Tarantino. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
In other RTM news: the non-partisan legislative body seeks candidates to fill the District 6 vacancy created by the death of Cathy Talmadge.
Residents of RTM District 6 interested in filling the vacancy should send a resume by January 20 to Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton: JDunkerton@westportct.gov.
No parent ever wants to hear: “Your child has cancer.”
Liz Vega and Tracy Cramer described their journeys yesterday, to members of Westport’s Sunrise Rotary Club.
Both women are from Circle of Care, a local non-profit helping families whose children battle cancer. Since 2003, the group has provided nearly $5 million in direct support.
The women offered sobering statistics — and inspiring stories — from their own lives, and those that Circle of Care has helped.
At yesterday’s Sunrise Rotary Club meeting (from left): Steven Chin (Rotary), Tracey Cramer and Liz Vega (Circle of Care), Bruce Paul (Rotary). (Photo/Mark Mathias)
Speaking of health: The Westport-based Shmaruk family non-profit PCT4PC recently presented a $50,000 check to the Norwalk Hospital Foundation. The donation supports pancreatic cancer early detection research conducted by Dr. Richard Frank, oncologist/hematologist and director of clinical cancer research at Norwalk Hospital.
The Shmaruk family formed PCT4PC in 2021 when Ben Shmaruk, now 23, set out to hike the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail to raise money for pancreatic cancer research.
He honored his father Alan, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in 2019. Ben’s sister Julianna, 21, managed social media accounts detailed the hike. To learn more about PCT4PC, please visit PCT4PC.com.
Alan Shmaruk died last, after living for nearly 3 years with the deadly disease. He is remembered at Norwalk Hospital for his unrelenting and inspirational positive. An exam room will be named in his honor at the Norwalk Hospital Whittingham Cancer Center.
(From left): Ben, Julianna and Dawn Shmaruk, and Dr. Richard Frank.
And finally … on this day in 1894, Thomas Edison made a kinetoscopic film of someone sneezing. Also today his employee, William Kennedy Dickson, received a patent for motion picture film.
The Staples High School Music Department celebrated the holiday season last night with its 82nd annual Candlelight Concert.
It was stunning.
The choral symphonic and jazz ensembles awed the full auditorium with their voices and musicianship. The program — from the traditional, lovely “Sing We Noel” through the stunning “Nutcracker Suite,” rousing “Jubilate Deo” and clever production number, to the powerful “Home Alone Suite” and rousing “Hallelujah Chorus” finale — was both proof that our town’s young artists are very alive, quite well (and superbly well-trained), and that even in times of uncertainty and division, all can be right in Westport.
Thanks to all who produced and participated in last night’s Candlelight. Two more (sold-out) concerts continue today.
The “Sing We Noel” processional. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
It’s still hard to believe Sue Pfister is retiring.
The beloved Senior Center director has spent 36 years serving Westport with plenty of kindness, tons of care and tremendous competence.
The town gets a chance to say goodbye and share memories on Wednesday, December 28. An open house (1:30 to 4:30 p.m.) is set for her beloved Senior Center.
Can’t make it? Drop in virtually. Just click here; the passcode is “retirement.”
Did you know that black plastic can’t be recycled?*
So what can you do?
Bring your washed, clean, black plastic takeout food containers (and matching lids) to the Westport Farmers’ Market the next 2 Thursdays (December 22 and 29, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Gilbertie’s Herbs & Garden Center, 7 Sylvan Lane).
Food containers will be used by Fridgeport Outdoor Food Pantry to repackage large trays of donated prepared foods into smaller portions for people facing food insecurity. Many recipients reuse the containers many times over.
The event is co-sponsored by Sustainable Westport and Food Rescue CT
*Why can’t black plastic be recycled? Optical sorting systems used to sort recycling cannot identify it as “plastic.” When black plastic is placed incorrectly with other items it contaminates the overall recycling stream reducing its value. In addition, black plastic has a hazardous level of toxins that increase in the recycling center. So whenever you can: Refuse or reuse black plastic!
¡Felicidades! to José “Feliz Navidad” Feliciano and his wife Susan.
The longtime Weston residents are the proud grandparents of twin grandsons. Their daughter Melissa and her husband Charles announce the birth of Theodore “Theo” Jose and Beau William Erickson.
They arrived 5 weeks early, weighing 3.13 and 6.02 pounds respectively.
They’re home and thriving, with Theo coming home on his mother’s birthday.
José and Susan say: “The Feliciano and Erickson families are blessed, and thrilled beyond words. So many prayers offered by so many good and loving people … we are incredibly grateful.”
The bar for our Entitled Parkers feature is extremely high. Usually, someone hogging 2 spaces won’t make the cut. “06880” readers demand something even more egregious: 3 spaces perhaps, or a vehicle completely covering a sidewalk.
But this Very Important Person takes today’s (Trader Joe’s) cake.
He — and you know it’s a guy —
Takes not just 2 spots, but they’re both handicap reserved.
Westport Sunrise Rotary’s guest speaker yesterday was Lexi Shereshewsky.
Founder and Executive Director of the Azraq Education and Community Fund (formerly The Syria Fund) — a non-profit providing education programs and hands-on humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees and other vulnerable families living in Jordan — she’s no stranger to the group. Sunrise Rotary is a longtime supporter.
Lexi Shereshewsky and Rick Jaffe, past president of Westport Sunrise Rotary.
[UPDATE] Several readers have pointed to a Westport Journal story that includes a photo of the banned book display at the Staples High School library. The book covers are exhibited, and students could browse the contents.
I have removed a story posted earlier today, citing a reader who emailed me saying she had changed her mind about the display, after learning that the book jackets had been covered.
That appears to be erroneous information. I have deleted this story, and will also remove other comments pertaining to it.
The “garden” part of Westport Community Gardens is clear to anyone wandering by the 100 plots just south of Long Lots Elementary School. They’re beautiful, and bountiful.
But the “community” part is just as important. Led by Lou Weinberg — and with plenty of help from everyone else — there’s as much camaraderie and spirit as there are vegetables, flowers and birds.
Yesterday, the Gardens community celebrated with a fall harvest party. Dozens of families shared friendship, music, pizza, gelato — and of course, plenty of salads.
No, you did not miss the Westport Library’s summer book sale.
The mega-event has been moved to fall. This year, it’s Friday, November 11 through Monday, November 14.
There are thousands of gently used books for children and adults in over 50 categories: non-fiction, fiction, romance, cookbooks, antiquarian, plus music CDs, and movie and TV series DVDs. Also, “a limited selection of artworks and ephemera.”
Westport resident Joseph Califano — President Carter’s Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare — has donated dozens of books signed and inscribed to him, from his personal library.
There’s a new “Fiction for $1 Room”: an entire conference room filled with hardcover fiction, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, young adult fiction and paperback novels — all just $1 each.
Also: a large selection of holiday-themed books, CDs and DVDs. Crank up that Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer!
Click here for information on prices, hours (and early-bird access).
Staples High School Class of 1978 graduate Dave Ruden served as chair emeritus of this year’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s. He lost his mother to the disease.
Ruden’s day job is publisher of The Ruden Report — the go-to multi-platform site for coverage of Fairfield County sports. So he put out the word to all 16 FCIAC schools — asking all sports, all seasons to help.
Over 60 responded, raising funds and walking yesterday at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk.
Among them: Staples baseball, cheer, boys ice hockey and girls tennis volleyball.
The Staples boys soccer program participated too — big time. Led by tri-captain Alex Laskin, they raised $9,428. That was the most of any FCIAC team — and 5th highest, among the 284 groups that raised funds.
Way to go, all you Wreckers!
Boys soccer varsity team, at the Alzheimer’s Walk. (Photo/Mark Sikorski)
Speaking of sports: On Election Day night, you may be cheering or crying.
Earlier in the day, your kids will definitely cheer.
That is, if they’re part of the Staples High School cheer team’s clinic (November 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). It’s open to children in grades kindergarten through 8 (
The $75 fee includes lunch and a t-shirt. It’s a fundraiser for the team. Click here to register, and for more information.
“The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man” — Paul Newman’s memoir — will be published October 18.
Next month (November 20, 3 p.m.), it’s the topic of a Westport Country Playhouse discussion.
Who better to talk about the beloved actor/philanthropist/race car driver — and longtime Westporter — than Melissa Newman? She wrote the book’s foreword — and is his daughter.
She’ll be joined by Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist, who served WCP co-artistic director with Newman’s wife, actor Joanne Woodward.
An audience Q-and-A will follow the talk.
Tickets are $45, and include a copy of the book. To purchase, and for more information, click here.
It included an interview with the editor of CD Media. The initials stand for “Creative Destruction,” which is “reopening newspapers up and down the Colonies.”
CD Media’s chief investigative correspondent and senior editor Christine Dolan comes to Westport on November 1 (6:45 p.m., Westport Library). She’ll bring her “American Conversation” series, to discuss “How Public Policy is Putting Our Children at Risk.” The event is co-sponsored by Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Among the topics her panel will address:
“Significant increase in child human trafficking”
“Exponential increase in youth deaths from fentanyl”
“Alarming increase in suicides of young people”
“Decrease in mastery of basic academic skills.”
Click here for tickets and more information. (Hat tip: Tom Prince)
Promotional photo for CD Media’s November 1 event.
Soccer’s World Cup kicks off next month, in Qatar.
Games will be played primarily from what is early morning to mid-afternoon, Eastern Standard Time. An “06880” reader named Fernando asks:
“What are the bars and other places in the area that will be open for all the matches? Are there any places that did this in 2018 that can be counted on to do it again, or new venues that will do so?”
And finally … contrary to what I learned in school, Christopher Columbus did not “discover” America. It was already here — and was home to a thriving population.
It took hundreds of years, but today we celebrate the indigenous people of North America — those millions who were here first.
The agenda for next Monday’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting (July 11, 7 p.m., Zoom) includes important discussions, such as converting the current Westport Rehabilitation Complex on Post Road West into a more modern eldercare facility, and redeveloping the 117-room Westport Inn into a smaller hotel with a restaurant, bar, event space, fitness center, pool and site improvements.
The existing Westport Inn (left), and the proposed new structure.
Two other interesting items are up for discussion too.
Birchwood Country Club wants to construct 4 pickleball courts, near their existing tennis courts. They’d fill a need — at least, for members of the private club — but they’re close to a few homes.
The ball will be in P&Z’s court.
The other intriguing item involves trampolines: Should they be regulated by zoning? And if so, how?
Most trampolines are above ground. But what about permanent, in-ground trampolines? A resident has asked for an interpretation.
Click here for the full P&Z agenda, including a Zoom link.
Westport Sunrise Rotary’s Great Duck Race returns this Saturday (July 9). There’s a new location — Jesup Green — but the same family fun.
The day begins with a 10 a.m. Fun Fair in the Westport Library parking lot. Activities include a Nerdy Derby, face painting and bubble machines.
At 1 p.m. on Jesup Green, 3,000 plastic ducks will slide down a 160-foot sluice course. Each wears a number, matching a $20 raffle ticket. The first 10 ducks down the course win money for their ticket holders. First place is $5,000. Second place wins $1,000. The next 8 finishers get $500 each.
The event is a major Sunrise Rotary fundraiser. Proceeds support charitable endeavors in this area, the state and around the world.
Click here for tickets. Click below for a sneak quack peek.
The Great Duck Race is not the only water-related activity this weekend.
Sunday marks the 43rd annual Westport Weston Family YMCA’s Point-to-Point Compo Beach Swim. The mile-long event includes competitors from across New England and the tri-state region.
All proceeds go to the Y’s aquatics programs to improve aquatics safety in the community, including swim lessons for all ages.
There are 4 heats, based on ability. Advanced swimmers start at 8 a.m., followed by intermediate swimmers (8:05), beginners (8:10) and myTeamTriumph (8:15).
That last group is special. My Team Triumph is a national non-profit serving children, teens adults and veterans with disabilities who could otherwise not experience endurance events like open water swims, road races, or triathlons.
“Captains” (special needs athletes) are paired with able-bodied “angel” volunteers, who use specialized racing equipment such as rafts to pull their captains during the race. Special needs athletes who would like to participate must register in advance with My Team Triumph.
Eegistration can be done online at westporty.org/43rd and is $50. Walk-registrations costs $60, starting at 7 a.m. The top 3 men’s and women’s finishers win awards. Swimmers get Point-to-Point swim caps and t-shirts.
No small potatoes: 19 teenagers and 9 adults just returned from Saugatuck Congregational Church’s High School Youth Group mission trip to Maine,
They stayed in Old Orchard Beach, and worked on a Growing to Give farm in Brunswick. The organization raises organic vegetables using climate-friendly methods, and donates them to food banks and pantries.
The youth group also cleared trails for the Saco Land Trust.
Westport Lifestyle Magazine’s July issue is out. Among the highlights: a deep dive into the Westport Library’s Verso studios. Click here to learn more about the professional-quality production facilities right under our noses (and open to the public).
One of the Verso studios. (Photo/Brendan Toller for Westport Lifestyle Magazine)
Today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature is this visitor to Franco Fellah’s garden. Judging by its looks, I wonder if there is anything left for Franco to eat.
And finally … on this date in 1928, sliced bread was sold for the first time (on the inventor’s 48th birthday) by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Missouri.
There is no record of when the phrase “the greatest thing since sliced bread!” was coined.
(“06880” may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread. But we do rely “greatly” — okay, entirely — on reader support. Please click here to help.)
The Planning and Zoning Commission adopted a 5-year affordable housing plan last night. The bipartisan vote was 5-0, with 2 abstentions.
Highlights include:
Creating a new affordable community designed specifically for families.
• The formation of a town-funded Affordable Housing Trust Fund to direct resources towards future development of affordable housing.
• The immediate development of location specific plans for town-owned land to meaningfully expand and/or renovate existing rental housing/structures to create affordable housing, and potentially partner with nonprofits engaged in this work.
• Allocation of the approximately $1,700,000 in the town’s Real Property Fund to acquire land for future development of affordable housing.
• The deed restriction of existing town-owned rental properties so that they are affordable and remain affordable to renters.
• The adoption of a new zoning district at Powell Place to ensure that existing deeply affordable housing (40% State Median Income or less) can be more intensively redeveloped with flexible parking requirements reflecting the availability of public lots nearby.
There is much more in the 5-year plan. Click here for a full “06880” report.
Part of the 5-year affordable housing plan envisions a “model pocket neighborhood/cottage commons” design. (Courtesy of Ross Chapin AIA)
You’d think by now everyone would have gotten the message.
Nope. Here’s the latest Groundhog Day news from the Westport Police Department:
On Saturday, several cars were broken into. All were unlocked. Go figure.
This often happens at night. However, these crimes occurred in late afternoon and early evening.
The WPD once again reminds Westporters to lock your cars and bring your keys or fobs inside. And never leave valuables — cash purses, wallets, electronics — in your car.
The Police Department also offers this advice, for the June 30th fireworks:
Spectators should arrive early. Traffic delays are inevitable.
Compo Beach closes at 4 p.m. Only vehicles with fireworks passes can remain. Parks & Recreation staff will collect passes. The beach should reopen to ticket holders by 5 p.m.
Vehicles with tickets can access the beach through South Compo Road only. Hillspoint Road south of Greens Farms Road will be open to residents who live south of that intersection.
Firework attendees should display their ticket prominently on the dashboard. It will be collected at the parking gate.
All ticket holders must be inside Compo Beach by 9 p.m. No beach traffic will be allowed south of the Minute Man monument after that time.
Vehicles without tickets will not be allowed any further toward Compo Beach than the Minute Man.
Uber, Lyft or taxi users will be directed straight past the Minute Man, on Compo Road South. They can be dropped off at Soundview Drive. Return service will not be available until after 11 p.m., due to 1-way traffic leaving the beach.
When the fireworks end, there will be 2 lanes of 1-way traffic only on Compo Beach Road and South Compo, to the intersection of Greens Farms Road. Residents of that area returning from elsewhere should expect a delay of 1 hour or so.
The fun doesn’t end with the fireworks. On Saturday, July 9, Westport Sunrise Rotary’s Great Duck Race returns. There’s a new location — Jesup Green — but the same family fun.
The day begins with a 10 a.m. Fun Fair in the Westport Library parking lot. Activities include a Nerdy Derby, face painting and bubble machines.
At 1 p.m. on Jesup Green, 3,000 plastic ducks will slide down a 160-foot sluice course. Each wears a number, matching a $20 raffle ticket. The first 10 ducks down the course win money for their ticket holders. First place is $5,000. Second place wins $1,000. The next 8 finishers get $500 each.
The event is a major Sunrise Rotary fundraiser. Proceeds support charitable endeavors in this area, the state and around the world.
Click here for tickets, and to learn more about Sunrise Rotary.
When Dick Lowenstein received his 2022-23 tax bill yesterday, he was surprised to see that the gross assessment had risen on his 2 vehicles. The dollar amounts were not huge, but the percentages were: 29% higher for his 2002 Lexus, 11% for his 2014 Honda CRV.
He called tax assessor Paul Friia. The immediate response: Gross assessment is based on standard information provided to the assessor. “Presumably, because of supply shortages, new car production has been delayed. Many people are instead buying used cars, which has driven up their value,” Dick reports.
I wonder what this Maserati will be assessed at next year. (Photo/Jerry Kuyper)
Our “Westport … Naturally” feature is open to everyone. We run photos of anything “natural” in town: animals, birds, flowers, trees — you name it. If it lives, we want to showcase it.
We are especially interested in images from young readers. Today we welcome 15-year-old Benji Porosoff, who captured this scene:
And finally … on this day in 1969, the Stonewall riots began in New York. The uprising — sparked by a police raid on the Stonewall Inn gay bar — is considered the start of the LGBTQ rights movement.
Ten years later, Diana Ross commissioned Chic founder (and current Westporter) Nile Rodgers to create material for her new album. One song was inspired after he saw drag queens dressed as Diana Ross at a New York club. It is now considered an anthem of the LGBTQ community.
(“06880” is supported solely by readers. Please click here to contribute.)
Westport’s 2 Rotary Clubs honored Pete Wolgast yesterday morning. with a prestigious District Governor’s Citation. The ceremony was held at the Sunrise Rotary meeting at Greens Farms Church. In addition to top Rotary officials, attendees included 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, her predecessor Jim Marpe, RTM moderator Jeff Wieser and Westport Weston Family YMCA CEO Anjali McCormick.
Wolgast’s service to Sunrise Rotary (he’s a former president) — and the entire town — is legendary. The University of Michigan and Harvard MBA graduate:
Was elected to the Representative Town Meeting, and chaired its Finance and Parks & Recreation Committees
Was executive assistant to 1st selectman Doug Wood; been a member of the Westport Republican Town Committee (2 terms as chair)
Twice chaired the Y’s board of trustees (2007-11 and 2013-20); chaired its Endowment Committee (2000-06); Volunteer of the Year honoree 2020
As president of the Westport Historical Society, chaired the committee that supervised the writing of the town’s definitive history
Been part of Westport’s Charter Revision Committee
Chaired Christ & Holy Trinity Church’s board, and volunteered on its Finance Committee
Joined the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston in 1987, and been its president
Served as a Boy Scout troop leader and board chair
Coached youth baseball and basketball for nearly 20 years, in Westport and London.
Wolgast and his wife Janet have been married for over 65 years. They have 4 children, 7 grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Congratulations, Pete, for this well-deserved honor. And thank you for all you have done, for all of us.
Pete Wolgast, at yesterday’s ceremony. (Photo/Ted Horowitz)
Staples Tuition Grants’ annual awards evening is one of the feel-good highlights of the year.
The 2022 event — set for Tuesday, May 31 (6 p.m., Staples auditorium) — will be particularly special. The $400,000 in scholarships will be the most ever — a whopping 14% higher than last year.
The average award will be $3,700. That too is a record — about $1,000 more than STG’s 10-year average.
The average help is 19% of net need. They can’t fill the aggregate net need of $2.4 million, but STG provides more assistance the even the federal government ($370,000 in Pell grants).
Help is provided to 8.4% of the graduating class of 2022. About 10% of the class needs help paying for college. The cost of tuition, room and board has reached $85,000 at some schools. Meanwhile, the funding gap widens — up 50% from 2 years ago.
Grants will help 108 students attend 76 colleges.
Nearly 700 Westporters and friends donated to STG’s general fund, named or endowed awards. Click here for more information, and to help Staples Tuition Grants.
Speaking of scholarships: Westport PAL awarded its scholarships on Monday night.
Awardees included Charlie Howard, Jaden Mueller (Chief Luciano Athletic); Alex Harrington, Kyle Harrington (Chief Luciano Good Citizenship); Brian Fullenbaum (PJ Romano Scholarship); Colin Konstanty (Greg LaValla Scholarship); Nick Augeri (Buck Iannacone Scholarship); Jack Oakley (Bernstein Family); Matthew Spada (Deputy Chief John Anastasia Scholarship).
If you missed the Staples Spring Choral Concert earlier this month — what a shame. It was a wonderful show. All the music was selected by students. They performed difficult pieces, in a wide range of genres and styles, at their usual spectacularly high level.
Thanks to the wonders of modern technology (and of videographer Jim Honeycutt), you can watch the whole concert now. Just click here — and enjoy.
Screenshot from the Staples High School Spring Choral Concert.
An application to subdivide the 12-acre Kowalsky property on Morningside Drive South, bordered by Clapboard Hill Road and Turkey Hill Road South, has been withdrawn. It will be resubmitted at a future date.
The Planning & Zoning Commission meeting scheduled for Monday to discuss it — and the Westport PAL clubhouse at PJ Romano Field — has been canceled. (Hat tips; Dick Lowenstein, Art Schoeller)
When Suzanne Tanner lived in Los Angeles, she met a Holocaust survivor named Rachel Goldman Miller.
After writing a multimedia musical documenting Miller’s life, Tanner is dedicating this Memorial Day weekend to her.
“Resonant music, lyrics and modern art can help us understand that history is only as strong as memory, a poignant reminder for today’s mounting war atrocities,” Tanner says.
Miller narrates her life story from a background movie that peppers the show with impactful visuals and testimony, while Tanner plays her role live — from her childhood in pre-war Paris to her elder years as a valuable Shoah participant and loving mother of a son who died of AIDS.
“Beyond Me: A Song Cycle in the Key of Survival” will be performed next Saturday (May 28, JCC, Sherman, CT). Tickets are $25 and $20, available at the door, but reservations recommended. Click here for details.
The Westport Weston Family YMCA Livestrong program –a free, 12-week program of physical, educational and social activities for adults living with, through and beyond cancer — filled up fast. There were 25 applications, for 8 spots.
The good news: The Wilton Y is starting the same program the first week in June. Five spots are open; Wilton residency is not required. Email magenuario@riverbrookymca.org for more information. (Hat tip: Amy Weiss)
The Westport Book Shop‘s almost-summer celebration is set for Saturday, June 4 (11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Jesup Green). There’s a DJ, safety tips from Stewie the Duck, crafts and snacks.
The almost-summer celebration takes place across from the Westport Book Shop.
And finally … this weekend’s Westport Woman’s Club art show includes a treat not often associated with art shows or woman’s clubs: live music by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mark Naftalin.
He’s best known as a Paul Butterfield Blues Band keyboardist. But the Westport resident played on many other famous recordings — including this one, sent to “06880” by Dave Lowrie.
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