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James Bairaktaris 5/31/21 James Bairaktaris 5/31/21

Videos: Tom “Big Red” Leyden’s Videos of the 1981 and 1969 Westport Memorial Day Parades

Thomas Leydon, “Big Red”, was an active Westporter who served the Assumption Church parish for nearly six decades in addition to coaching PAL Pop Warner football and remaining an avid model train collector. Leydon died in July of 2020 at the age of 82 due to an extended illness, leaving a void in the community he so fiercely supported. His YouTube channel holds two time capsules of Westport - videos of both the 1981 and 1969 Memorial Day Parades in Westport.

He shared with us the Parade in 1981, as seen and heard from the steps of Assumption Church on Riverside Avenue, and then the 1969 Parade as seen from the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Evergreen Avenue. Both videos freeze time as Westporters of bygone eras march by the screen. His YouTube channel is still active, and documents the two moments in the community’s history for both new and old Westporters to see the community as it was.

James Bairaktaris 5/30/21 James Bairaktaris 5/30/21

Foul Weather, Good Wind Surfing

A windsurfer waits for a gust to carry him out of the harbor off of Compo Beach this afternoon. With air temperatures reading closer to 46 degrees and a water temperature of about 50 degrees, the wetsuit was surely needed to keep warm today.

James Bairaktaris 5/30/21 James Bairaktaris 5/30/21

Westport Book Sale Becomes the Perfect Wet Weather Activity for the Community

`Book shoppers selectively browsed through a wide variety of choices in the Westport Library Trefz Forum as the 22nd annual Westport Book Sale was underway.`

Photos and Story by Preston Siroka

The Westport Book Sale was welcomed this weekend by a flood of both bibliophiles and rain, making it a great way for locals to spend the days inside to support a good local cause.

After 14 months of pandemic closures, an increase of people reading at home, and the donation of thousands of books - 60 library volunteers managed the indoor fundraising event while assuring safety amidst a pandemic.

`Volunteers for Westport Book Sales Ventures work to facilitate this weekend’s book sales.`

In this era of working and learning from home - books have been in the laps of many Westporters. According to staff members, the most donated reading categories in the past year were fiction and history books, however due to the heavy influx in donations, the library couldn't accept all books gifted. And due to the pandemic, strict rules and regulations about quarantining the books had to be put into place for all the books that were accepted. The pandemic and new regulations didn't stop The Westport Library from welcoming the community into the Library to enjoy their famous opportunity to snag a deal on off-market classics, gently-used new novels, or sought-after collectibles. Book sales didn’t end in 2020, but included more online offerings, as well as ticketed events to assure accurate social distancing.

As the library celebrates the success of the Memorial Day weekend event, Westport Book Sale Ventures Board Member Linda Hopper described the future - saying that “The Staples Cafeteria is the target location for future sales” as bigger and more available indoor options may be needed.

Giving Others A Chance

The Westport Library and Westport Book Sales Ventures’ mission is to provide funding for the Westport Library in conjunction with an opportunity to help adults with disabilities become employed and successful, with profits from the book sale directly helping those missions. “The jobs we provide are to help give them the skills to work a full-time job perhaps in the future.” Hopper said. As a way to continue their work in-between book sales, the group recently opened the Westport Book Shop - where employees of all abilities sell books, DVDs, CDs, vinyl records, and collectibles from the 23 Jesup Road storefront year-round.