Looking Back: 2020 in Photos | March
In celebration of the new year, The Westport Local Press is looking back at the past 12 months in Westport. Throughout the day, viewers can follow the year through published photographs representing the community.
In a year filled with so much sadness, not all things were bad as the community grew together during what will forever be known as the year of the pandemic.
Happy New Year.
Bedford Middle School 6th grader Lukas Snow catches a fast ball from his father Matt Snow, both finding themselves without school and work on what would be known as the first days of the pandemic in Westport.
This photo was taken on Friday, March 13th - just one day after schools closed, and businesses sent their workers home due to the virus striking nearby communities. Many families flocked to Compo Beach to enjoy the unseasonably warm day, not yet knowing anything about mask wearing or social distancing, or what the following weeks would include. When this photo was taken, the closing to schools was for cleaning and planned as temporary. It would be the last time any child stepped foot into their classrooms until September.
Photos by Jaime Bairaktaris.
Looking Back: 2020 in Photos | February
In celebration of the new year, The Westport Local Press is looking back at the past 12 months in Westport. Throughout the day, viewers can follow the year through published photographs representing the community.
In a year filled with so much sadness, not all things were bad as the community grew together during what will forever be known as the year of the pandemic.
Happy New Year.
Owner Ellie Kim of Compo Farms Flowers, 392 Post Road East, went home at 3:00 AM after preparing for Valentine’s Day 2020, and was back in time to open the shop later that same morning. She estimated selling almost 10,000 roses that day, although Mother’s Day would have typically been their busiest day of the year.
Exactly one month after this photo, Westport joined the world in shutting down and going home because of the coronavirus. No word on how the pandemic affected the local florist’s business, which remains open and filled with flowers still today.
Photos by Jaime Bairaktaris.
Looking Back: 2020 in Photos | January
In celebration of the new year, The Westport Local Press is looking back at the past 12 months in Westport. Throughout the day, viewers can follow the year through published photographs representing the community.
In a year filled with so much sadness, not all things were bad as the community grew together during what will forever be known as the year of the pandemic.
Happy New Year.
Westport parents James Haman and Meghan Johnson assist their daughter Olivia, 4, and son James. 2, build a snowman at Winslow Park.
Taken January 18th, 2020 at Winslow Dog Park after a snow storm. Photo by Jaime Bairaktaris , originally for WestportNow.com.
County, Red & White Charity Balls Cancelled for High Schoolers
According to the Board of Directors for the County Assemblies, Inc.: the Red & White Charity Ball for high school seniors, and the County Assembly Charity Ball for high school juniors, are both cancelled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The charity ball tradition began in 1938 with a Christmas dance at the Red Barn for Westport teens. Since then, the non-profit organization welcomes high school juniors and seniors from Easton, Fairfield, Redding, Weston, Westport and Wilton to register for their grade’s dance at the Stamford Marriott - formerly held at The Inn at Longshore. The Junior and Senior dances are split into tri-town areas: Westport, Weston, Wilton as one group, and Easton, Redding, and Fairfield as the other group.
Tradition made it mandatory that the girls-asked-boys to the dances, and paid the $150 per-couple registration fee for the black tie event. It was not until 2018 that the Board of Directors announced that they would welcome ”…as an exception for the LGBTQ community, boys bringing a male escort” to the typically female-only registration system.
All money collected goes towards area charities benefiting children and teens. This year they were able to donate more than $60,000 to area food pantries throughout the region.
From the County Assemblies Board of Directors:
“The County Assemblies is taking a break for our 2021 events and we look forward to resuming our Charity Balls in 2022.
As a result of your generous support of our 2020 events, we awarded grants in excess of $60,000 to non-profit organizations that help children and teens in Fairfield County. Due to the additional needs of families during the pandemic, we supported food pantries in Easton, Redding, Fairfield, Norwalk, Weston, Westport and Wilton.”