Floral Blooms over the Gillespie Center
Pink and cream floral blooms cover the outdoor patio of the Gillespie Center and Hoskins Place on Jesup Road.
Tree Falls on Park Lane, Blocking Road and Taking Down Utility Lines
Today’s heavy winds took down a large tree on Park Lane, near South Compo Road, this afternoon. The tree blocked the entirety of the roadway in both directions while pulling down the nearby utility lines. Residents in nearby homes said they heard the crack as it fell, however they never lost power - only internet and phone services.
Westport Country Playhouse Announces Debut of Middle School Summer Camp
Press ReleaseWestport Country Playhouse will launch CampWCP, a new, in-person, social justice theater camp for 10 middle school students (6th through 8th grade) with playwright José Casas and the Playhouse’s Roz and Bud Siegel director of education Jenny Nelson. CampWCP will run from July 6 through July 30, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the theater’s rehearsal studio. Registration opens Monday, May 3, at noon. Licensing from the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is pending approval.
The four-week camp will be split into two classes: acting taught in the morning by Nelson, and playwriting/production taught in the afternoon by Casas. The 10 young artists will create original pieces focusing on the question: "What does home mean to you?,” working with Casas to weave their collective stories into a play. In addition, Playhouse staff will give the campers insight on what happens behind the scenes at a professional theater. At CampWCP’s conclusion on Saturday, July 31, students will share their original creations, in-person, at the Playhouse for an invitation-only event for their family and friends.
Casas believes that “this camp is the creation of a safe space so that youth feel free to express all their thoughts, feelings, and opinions. It is a collaboration and exchange where youth voices are acknowledged, listened to, and celebrated."
Casas is a playwright and assistant professor who heads the playwriting minor in the department of theatre and drama at the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild as well as a board member of Children’s Theatre Foundation of America. He has a BA in theatre arts from the University of California, Santa Barbara; MA in theatre arts from California State University, Los Angeles; MFA in playwriting from Arizona State University; and two years of graduate coursework in drama and theatre for youth and communities (DTYC) at the University of Texas at Austin. His plays have been performed across the country and included in anthologies. His plays, “la ofrenda” and “somebody’s children,” received both the Bonderman National Playwriting Award and the American Alliance of Theatre and Education’s Distinguished Play Award. His book, “Palabras del Cielo: An Exploration of Latina/o Theatre for Young Audiences,” was awarded the American Alliance of Theatre and Education’s Distinguished Book Award.
Nelson hails from Arizona where she received her bachelor’s degree in theater, master’s degree in theater from the University of Arizona, and a second master’s degree in education from Fairfield University. She is the associate artistic director of Collective Consciousness Theatre, a social justice theater in New Haven. She has taught at several universities, including City College of New York in the graduate program for theater professionals and educators. She has also worked as an artist and educator at several theaters, including Long Wharf Theatre, Shubert Theatre, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Recently, Nelson was a nominee for the Tony Teaching Award of Excellence.
Fee for the four-week camp is $750. To ensure that all young artists have equal access, scholarships and payment plans are available. Maximum camp capacity is 10 students. Registration will be online from Monday, May 3 through Tuesday, June 1 at https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/campwcp/
Campers will receive a limited edition CampWCP t-shirt; a copy of instructor José Casas’ play, “somebody’s children”; and a bound copy of the play collectively created.
Masks will be worn by staff and campers at all times; social distancing and health protocols will be followed, including OEC and local Covid-19 guidelines.
CampWCP is sponsored by Paige and Jodi Couture; additional 2021 Education Program supporters include the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation; The David and Geri Epstein Foundation; George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation; Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc., The Westport Young Woman’s League; as well as Athena and Daniel Adamson; Anna Czekaj-Farber; and Roz and Bud Siegel. WSHU is a 2021 Season Media Sponsor.
For Westport Country Playhouse tickets and information, visit westportplayhouse.org, call (203) 227-4177, or email at boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).
Team “Townies” Fighting for First Place in CLASP’s Un-Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser Today
As CLASP’s Great Westport Un-Scavenger Hunt is underway today, members of Team Townies took to the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge in the fight for First Place in the competition. The coveted 1st place spot, and the grand prizes that comes with it, is currently held by “Team G”.
Pictured is Julie Buoy Whamond, Melissa Kane, Marcy Sansolo, and Darcy Hicks. Executive Editor Jaime Bairaktaris is also participating with the (second place) team.
The event raises funds for CLASP Homes Westport, whose mission is “to create and support family environments for people with autism and intellectual disabilities by attracting and retaining a nurturing and dedicated staff.” Teams paid to enter the competition, with prizes such as a private car show or a sunset cruise on Long Island Sound.
Classic Imperial Avenue View
A classic view of an Imperial Avenue home flanked by brilliant red tulips and surrounded by a crisp white picket fence.
99 Year Old WWII Veteran to Serve as Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal
William Vornkahl, President of the Westport Veterans Council, announced today that the Grand Marshal for the Memorial Day Services is Nicholas Rossi. Nicholas Rossi was born in Oyster Bay, New York on September 3, 1922. He graduated from Oyster Bay High School in 1940, where he earned a Varsity letter in four sports: football, track, baseball and basketball.
Soon after graduation, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and served from December 1942 through March 1945. His flight crew was part of the 305th Bombardment Group of the 364th Squadron, assigned to the 8th Air Force Bomber Command in England which flew the B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber in the European Theater. A Technical Sergeant, Rossi flew multiple bombing missions as a B-17 gunner over occupied central Europe.
Rossi was discharged from the Army in March of 1945 but remained in Liege, Belgium after the war for several more years. As a civilian, he was employed by the government to work with the American Graves Registration Command for the purpose of locating and identifying unrecovered dead military personnel.
Rossi married in 1956 and raised five children (Paul, Christine, Caren, Carla and Peter) in the house he built in Mill Neck, NY. After the passing of his wife, Nick relocated to Westport, Connecticut and now resides with his son Paul and daughter-in-law Marguerite and his three grandchildren.
Now in his 99th year, Nick is delighted and honored to be this year’s Grand Marshal of the Westport Memorial Day parade.
Following the parade, Memorial Day Services will be held on Veteran’s Green.
Protected Bird Nests Return to Compo Beach
Birds protected by the Department of Environmental Protection have returned to Compo Beach’s South Beach, and so too have the fencing that keeps pedestrians and bird-watchers away from their nests. The bird that typically takes up rent on the sand each year is the American Oystercatcher, a shoreline bird known for its long legs and bright coloured beaks. Nearby beaches in Milford and Westbrook have experienced full closures in the past due to the protection of herons, egrets, and plovers that inhabit the islands in those communities.
Westport Women’s Club Announces May Art Show
Piece by Kerry LongPress ReleaseThe Westport Woman’s Club will host its annual Art Show on Saturday, May 22 and Sunday, May 23 (2:00 pm - 6:00 pm both days, indoors at the clubhouse) at 44 Imperial Ave, Westport, CT. Admission to the Westport Woman’s Club Art Show is free and open to the public; masks will be required and attendance will be limited. This event will follow all protocols mandated by CT and the town of Westport.
Curated by Westport Artist Miggs Burroughs, this popular show features a variety of local artists and their works available for purchase. Event Co-Chairs Jo Fuchs Luscombe and Leah Scherzer share that participating artists are donating a portion of their art sales to fund the club’s community service grants, scholarships and programs.
The roster of WWC Art Show 2021 artists, whose works will be available for purchase, include: Nina Bentley, Amy Bock, Trace Burroughs, Susan Fehlinger, Judith Orseck Katz, Tom Kretsch, Susan Leggitt, Kerry Long, Michael Ledner, Carole McClintock, Bernard Perry, Jon Puzzuoli, Katherine Ross and Jo Titsworth. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted for Art Show purchases, as well as charitable donations to the Westport Woman’s Club.
The Westport Woman’s Club thanks its generous sponsors for the 2021 Art Show which include The Drew Friedman Community Art Center, as well as New York artist JoMarie Dilorio who is donating an original piece of art, “Sunflowers Basking”, that will be given via a drawing to an Art Show attendee.
For more information on the Westport Woman’s Club Community Service outreach, please visit “Community Services” on www.westportwomansclub.org.
Lost Dog: “Ash” from Compo Road South Area
“Ash”, a miniature schnauzer, has been missing from his Dogwood Lane home.
This area lies between Hills Point Road, Greens Farms Road, Compo Road South, and Post Road East.
If seen:
Call Janet, 347-510-7303
Venture North to Redding’s Daffodil Field: a Love Story for Everyone
Words and photos by Jaime Bairaktaris, Executive EditorPublished in 2021
Redding’s daffodil field at 70 Cross Highway shows the gentle remains of a love story from a bygone era. It’s open to everyone who wishes to walk among the delicate flowers - a local tradition and the unofficial marking of Spring’s arrival for the Redding community.
Bud McQuade’s home, and the entrance to the daffodil fields, tucked into the hills of Cross Highway. This tradition began decades earlier with the property’s owners: Bud McQuade and his wife Florence. Bud was a veteran - both of the United States Army and of the classroom as a teacher at nearby Joel Barlow High School. He enjoyed working and learning, a point he made to me while speaking with him in 2018. He spoke strongly about his love for the world and how important he found learning - how it was through books and self-teaching that he was able to build his home for his wife and himself in the 1940s.
Bud also fiercely loved Florence and the life that they shared together. He began planting the daffodils each Spring in her honor - a tradition that has now lasted decades and touched the lives of thousands. Each year the field becomes larger and more colorful; his love for Florence continuing to blossom with every Spring. When he was nearly 100 years old, the community stepped forward to join him in continuing to plant the bulbs - splitting them and planting them in late Spring for the following year’s bloom - just as Bud taught them to.
Today there are nearly 50,000 throughout the property.
A love story continues each Spring. Bud McQuade passed away in August 2019 at the age of 103 years old. His home, and Florence's daffodils, were a part of an unknown future that plagues many older homes in Fairfield County in the midst of the active real estate market.
In the end: the home and its field were purchased by a neighbor who appreciated the tradition and love that the property holds. The tradition was saved. They plan to keep it as it is, and have added signs to make sure people know: you are welcome here.
What started as a love story between a man and his wife has now blossomed into a community treasure. Hundreds have visited the field this Spring, doing as Bud wanted: “Drive in, Walk Among.”
A view from the street of the daffodil blooms on Sunday. The field is open to the public, with parking on the street available. The blooms are currently in their peak, and will begin to die off in the next week or so. Walking paths and other blooming flowers and trees surround the property, which is popular for photos and to chat with other visitors. The address is 70 Cross Highway, Redding, Connecticut. Be cautious of vehicle traffic while crossing over to the property, and be cautious not to step on the delicate blooms as you explore the property.
One of nearly 50,000 blooms. Note from the Editor
I grew up in a house just up the road from Bud and his daffodils. Our school bus passed by the blooms every morning and every afternoon - each year the view became more expansive and more colorful.
In Spring of 2018, I saw Bud clearing his garden beds in front of his home in 80 degree heat; he was over 100 years old. I pulled into the driveway to offer my help - he pulled out his beach chair, told me how to delicately clear away the debris, and talked to me about his life from over 100 years of memories. He was proud of his stone wall that he built, the travels he went on, the Joel Barlow students who still visited him, and of his classic Ford Mustang parked in the garage.
If you have time this week - enjoy the drive along the reservoirs just 30 minutes north of Downtown Westport - and go visit Bud’s daffodil field.