“Coach Paul Lane Field” Coming to Staples; New Name Approved by the RTM
Westport Local Press photo. Tonight, with a unanimous decision by 29 members, the RTM voted to name the Staples High School football field “Coach Paul Lane Field” in honor of the Staples “Legend” Coach Paul Lane. The vote was the final hurdle for the renaming, which garnered the support of over one thousand online petitioners and local community members.
Through tears, Coach Laddie Lawrence - for whom the school’s track is named in honor of - said “I would be delighted to have his name next to mine” when speaking over Zoom to the representatives. “One of the things you don’t know is you have Ginny Parker Field and Loeffler Field - Paul, Ginny, and Albie all worked together at Staples, and were the backbone at establishing Staples as the athletic school that it is today.” he continued to explain. “You don’t know what this man meant to me.” Lane was aware that a petition was started and that the field’s renaming was in-process prior to his passing-away in June at the age of 93.
“I’m blessed to know, went to school or interacted with every one of the people that we’ve named (fields after) and Paul Lane completes the circle.” said RTM member Arline Gertzoff.
Compo Fireworks, Albeit Smaller, Excite Crowds Tonight
Families gathered along the shoreline tonight to enjoy fireworks, although smaller and less crowded than in past years, set off by local Compo Beach neighbors. Firework displays could be seen across the Sound on Long Island, in addition to many local displays along the Saugatuck River, Cedar Point, and in neighboring communities.
Patiently Waiting for a Good Humor Ice Cream on Soundview Drive
A group of kids wait patiently as the local Good Humor truck stopped along Compo Beach this afternoon. Photo by Preston Siroka for WestportLocal.com.
Local Fireworks: Visible from Land or Long Island Sound Today, Tomorrow
Sunday, July 4th | Independence Day
New Haven, Connecticut | 9:00 PM
View from Wilbur Cross High School
Mamaroneck, New York | 9:15 PM
Firemen’s Carnival & Midway Celebration
View from Harbor Island, or the shoreline
Port Chester, New York | 9:15 PM
View from Port Chester High School
Monday, July 5th
Fairfield, Connecticut | 9:15 PM
Jennings and Penfield Beaches
Daily parking pass required
Visible from the beaches, or the shoreline
Ridgefield, Connecticut | Dusk
Ridgefield High School’s Tiger Hollow Stadium
Tickets required - click here to purchase
Bradley Street Blooms for Independence Day
Hydrangeas are in full bloom on the corner of Bradley Street and Compo Road South, with the mass of color surrounding the home known for the annual display of pedals just in time for Independence Day.
Pair of Bald Eagles Spotted on the Shoreline of Hills Point Road
A pair of bald eagles could be seen today from Hills Point Road as they sat perched on rocks along the shoreline. The spotting joins a growing number of encounters that locals have had with the species, which can be seen throughout the Old Mill and Sherwood Island communities. The two flew off after nearly one half hour, flying in the direction of Old Mill and the treeline of Sherwood Island.
Destination Westport: 123 Foot Long “Temptation” Superyacht Anchors off of Cockenoe Island
The superyacht Temptation was anchored between Cedar Point, Compo Beach, and Cockenoe Island late Friday afternoon. Temptation, a 123 foot long Palmer Johnson motor yacht, has made Westport it’s latest port-of-call, adding to the list of superyachts calling Westport water's “home” for a few nights - with Temptation seen from Compo Beach throughout the end of this week.
The yacht is owned by David F. Dyer - a former President of J.Crew, CEO of Tommy Hilfiger, and most recently the President of Chico’s - and is typically chartered during the summer with several New England ports-of-call, like Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. The vessel remains in the south for the winters, with ports-of-call surrounding Florida and the Bahamas. Summer charters will run guests $70,000 per week, while winter charters could be as high as $77,000 for the week.
The 37 meter long vessel has room for eight guests and six crew members, with water toys including a 32 foot Edgewater center console tender, paddle boards, two waverunners, and snorkeling equipment. It’s top speed is 17.5 knots with a cruising range of 2,500 nautical miles. Built in 2005, the boat was last sold in 2017 - having an asking price of $5.7 million, the final sale price wasn’t announced. The boat was refitted in 2017 for $1.5 million.
It’s unknown why the vessel has chosen Westport as its anchor community, however the waters - protected by Cedar Point, Cockenoe Island, and Compo Beach - make for a calm option during a rough weather week, in addition to allowing the guests easy access to Westport restaurants and amenities via their tender vessel.
Temptation isn’t our first superyacht visitor - In May, the 183’ Rosehearty sailing yacht dropped anchor in the community - with its owner, a native Westporter, returning home for a visit.
With a deep water shoreline and easy community access, Westport may just be the next port of call for the big boats and their guests.
Power Outage Strikes Norwalk, Weston, Westport Late Friday Night
Eversource reported late tonight that 273 homes in Norwalk, 28 homes in Weston, and over a dozen homes in Westport were all without power. The outages were located in the Cranbury and Lyons Plains neighborhoods, with an estimated restoration time of 2:45 AM. No cause for the outage has been released.
Farmers’ Market Busy Ahead of Independence Day
Photos & Words by Caelan Chevrier for The Westport Local Press. The first hot and humid day of July brought hundreds of community members down to Westport Farmers’ Market. Shoppers could purchase produce, meats, loaves of bread, dairy products, and beverages, from over 50 local vendors. Due to the holiday weekend, Thursday’s turnout was even larger than normal. Every tent and truck attracted a line of enthusiastic visitors. Accompanied by a live acoustic set by a local musician, it seemed that Westport Farmers’ Market is the place to be on early Thursday mornings this summer.
Mae Farrell, who runs the Get Growing program for the market said that her favorite part is seeing all the shoppers. “It is such a great community of people,” she said. “You get your regulars and not just people from Westport, but people from all over the place traveling down here.”
Mackenzie Brandt, who works for the Riverbank Farm in Roxbury, CT, understands the importance of buying locally. She likes the market because she knows the food is high quality. “In some markets, they are not always organic, or they are not using the most sustainable practices. I think that local food is a lot more important than people give it credit for, a lot of the lettuce that we sell was just picked yesterday. Buying locally is healthier for you, it helps the environment, and community, you never know what the labor practices are with other larger companies.”
Westport Farmers’ Market will be open Thursdays 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM until November 11th this season.
WAAC Culture Corner: Westport Community Band and Red, White, and Blue for July
Prepared by Diane Lowman, Westport’s Poet Laureate and WAAC MemberWelcome back to the Westport Local Press’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee’s “Culture Corner.” Each month, the WAAC scours our 33.45 square miles and highlight one of the many artists – visual, written, performance, and other – who call Westport home. These artists create a spectrum of color that shines over town like the rainbows often seen over the Saugatuck, so we have made “color” our theme.
For July, we break the rules just a bit in that we feature three colors: red, white, and blue as we celebrate the nation’s independence. And what better way to highlight artists in our community, than by paying tribute to a group that features many members of our community, and itself honors that community by sharing its talent in myriad venues and ways – most recently in the first post-pandemic Memorial Day Parade. The Westport Community Band (https://westportcommunityband.com/) has been a fixture in our town since 1977.
Click here to expand the full article.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Sal LaRusso who has directed the group for 32 years. He explained that the band consists of adult musicians from the area. They have a wide variety of “day jobs,” but share a love of music, and enjoy honing their skills while entertaining the community. LaRusso served as Weston schools’ Band Director for more than thirty years, and now stands at the helm of this volunteer group whose ages range from 20 to 80. In addition to honing their musical skills, the band aims to serve the community as much as possible. While appearing regularly at the Memorial Day Parade, July 4 Fireworks (sadly, not this year), and the Levitt Pavilion, they also perform for organizations like Purple Hearts, where they aim to give back to this population who have given so much to their country. They also have a program that allows middle school musicians to rehearse and performs with the band. This “Play with the Community Band” program has served over 500 local students.
LaRusso’s dedication and service has earned him the honor of being named the Grand Marshall in Weston’s Memorial Day parade as well as the deep respect and gratitude of band and community members alike. Local dentist and avid musician Richard Epstein says that “Sal is enthusiastic and skilled at challenging everyone in the band to improve.” Epstein, who is a professional bassoonist, chose to play saxophone for the band to glean experience with that instrument. He has rehearsed and played with the ensemble for over five years and says his playing has greatly benefited, and he hopes the band has as well.
Some of the group’s favorite songs to perform are: Robert Russell Bennett’s Suite of Old American Dances and Richard Rogers’s Victory at Sea – and anything by John Philip Sousa, of course. Normally they’d rehearse after school hours at the Bedford Middle School auditorium, but the pandemic has put a hold on that. As Covid-19 fades in Connecticut, LaRusso hopes that they can reunite for regular sessions together. They not only make beautiful music together, but they enjoy each other’s company, and many miss the social aspects of their meetings.
The town is lucky to have such a multi-faceted band in its midst. They exemplify not only the depth and breadth of artist that we have here in Westport, but the deep commitment to giving back to their community, and so we take our hats off to the Westport Community Band!
See the Westport Community Band perform at the Levitt Pavillion on Tuesday July 13, 7pm.