Annual Westport Library Book Sale Offered Great Books at Great Prices
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
The four-day Spring Book Sale welcomed over 2,500 shoppers and was powered by a dedicated crew of more than 150 volunteers who kept the event organized and fun. The proceeds of the Book Sale fund Westport Book Sale Ventures’ nonprofit mission, which is to provide meaningful, competitive employment and workplace skills training for adults with disabilities, while raising support for The Westport Library. Jocelyn Barandiarán, President of Westport Book Sale Ventures, Inc., the nonprofit that operates the semi-annual Westport Library book sale events notes, "We were also very moved by how many shoppers want to get closer to our cause and asked about volunteering with us. This town doesn’t just love books, it deeply cares about its neighbors."
Barandiarán added, "We are so grateful to the community and our volunteers for making our Big Spring Book Sale a success – and for their support all year ‘round,”
Community care thrives year 'round at the Company’s nonprofit used bookstore, the Westport Book Shop, located right across from the Library at 23 Jesup Road. "Our book sale events and our year ‘round book shop are spaces where inclusivity and a love of reading, learning and growth intersect," Barandiarán explains. "Every single book purchased directly helps us create a more accessible, supportive, and rewarding workplace."
Since opening the Westport Book Shop in January 2021, the nonprofit has provided over 12,250 hours of meaningful, competitive employment and workplace skills training for 15 adults with disabilities, including neurodivergent individuals, and has raised over $350,000 of support for The Westport Library.
This dedication to the community ripples out through an active calendar of events. In addition to collaborations with local groups, the nonprofit Westport Book Shop brings people together through regular events like its monthly short story book club, and a monthly art show and reception highlighting local creators. “We love hosting spaces where neighbors can connect.”
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
The Westport Book Shop’s next big event is scheduled for Saturday, May 30 from 11am to 2pm, on Jesup Green, when the shop presents “Stories in Bloom: a Local Author Showcase” featuring more than 30 local authors for children and adults. Visitors will be able to chat with authors, learn about their writing processes, and purchase signed copies of their books. The event is designed for the whole family, with plenty of activities to keep kids entertained, including spring tattoos, bubbles, corn hole games, and a festive Maypole.
“We are honored to be so deeply woven into the daily life of this town, and we are profoundly grateful to our patrons, volunteers, and donors for helping our nonprofit mission grow, one book at a time," says Barandiarán.
To learn more about Westport Book Sale Ventures, visit their website at www.westportbooksaleventures.org
Cruising Main Street In Style
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.
This couple from Southport enjoyed the beautiful weather on Sunday by cruising through town in their pristine early 60's vintage Mercedes SL 1 convertible.The vintage Mercedes-Benz SL convertible lineage began in 1954, following the marque's 1952 racing triumphs. The name stands for "Sport Leicht" (Sport Light). Over seven generations, it transitioned from a track-ready exotic into the pinnacle of luxurious, high-performance grand touring for the road.
Some collector automobiles of this type have fetched hundreds of thousand of dollars at auction.
Enjoy Hot Coffee And Hotter Cars This Saturday Morning, May 16th At INTERSTATE Westport Design Center
INTERSTATE Premier Building Materials will be hosting their annual Cars & Coffee event on Saturday morning, May 16th at their Westport Design Center, 800 Post Road East.
Previous event photos by J.C. Martin for WestportLocalPress.
Automobile aficionados and enthusiasts can enjoy some of Fairfield County’s finest classic, vintage and late model exotic automobiles for. Speak to the owners and get the scoop on some of the great vehicles and all are welcome to visit and enjoy coffee, espresso, craft beverages and lite pastries served by Love You Latte's mobile coffee house.
While you are there, see the finest in luxury and high end products in their beautiful two story showroom and see the latest products for building or remodeling your dream home. The event was rescheduled from last Saturday due to the weather and will take place from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
Above, INTERSTATE CEO Sheldon Kahan with a couple of exotic Porsches.
Great Egret Fishing Gray's Creek
We spotted this beautiful Great Egret last week patiently search Gray's Creek for its lunch. The beautiful long, delicate plumes on its back long are prominent during breeding season.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Great Egret vs. Snowy Egret, what are the differences?
Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets are distinguished primarily by size and facial features: Great Egrets are much larger nearly 40” tall with yellow bills, (sometimes orange-ish in breeding season), a thicker neck and black legs/feet.
Snowy Egrets are smaller, around 24” with black bills, yellow lores (skin between eye and bill), and are known for their "golden slippers"; bright yellow feet contrasted with black legs and can have shaggy plumes on their chest and back. Great Egrets tend to be patient hunters, standing still in shallow water. Snowy Egrets are much more active, often chasing prey or stirring up the bottom with their feet to find food.
Great Egrets patiently and carefully walk through the body of water in which they are fishing.
The CT DEEP has great information on these beautiful birds including their history in CT. Visit CT DEEP Egrets
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The great egret was a "very rare" Connecticut visitor by the mid-1800s due, in large part, to market hunting. Protective legislation passed in the early 1900s helped populations stabilize. By the 1920s, egrets were increasingly seen along the Connecticut coastline during migration. In the 1940s, they were regular coastal visitors and were even spotted in the Waterbury and Hartford areas. The first recorded great egret nest in Connecticut was in the Norwalk Islands in 1961. Today, the great egret nests in limited numbers on offshore islands along Connecticut's coast. The birds can be seen at many inland areas during migration and after the breeding season as they search for food.
Learn more about Egrets at All About Birds.org