Over 80 Kids from 9 Clubs Race in Opti Sailing Regatta off of Westport
With vessel names like “Pegasus”, “Usain Boat”, and “Trash Panda” - over 80 kids from around Fairfield County joined the Optimist Area C Open Regatta this afternoon, hosted by Cedar Point Yacht Club off of Compo Beach. Photos by WestportLocal.com
Area clubs included Cedar Point Yacht Club, Norwalk Yacht Club, Noroton Yacht Club, Pequot Yacht Club, Shore & Country Club, Black Rock Club, Roton Point Sailing Association, Stamford Yacht Club, and Milford Yacht Club. Full results of the regatta can be found here.
Optimist sailing boats are of the smallest type of sailing vessels, easily spotted for their size and flat bow - resembling “bath tubs.” Used by some of the youngest of sailors, the small boats are used by Westport and other area clubs to help educate and train kids ages 8-14 years old. Raced locally and internationally, the opti boats are a popular site from Westport’s shorelines each summer.
Photos by WestportLocal.com. Click to enlarge gallery. 
New Neighbors: STEAM Coffee, Uncle Leo’s Donuts to former Desi’s Corner on Railroad Place
Bob Glaser, left, and “Uncle Leo” Spinelli, right, in front of the new STEAM Coffee and Uncle Leo’s Donut shop at the corner of Riverside Avenue and Railroad Place. Photo by WestportLocal.comWith coffee specialties from STEAM and “old school” donuts from Uncle Leo's, the former Desi’s Corner storefront will open its doors on Wednesday after nearly three years of work at the historic Saugatuck corner shop.
Photos and words by Jaime Bairaktaris. The new addition to the Saugatuck community will bring back the corner shop experience to the commuters and Railroad Place diners alike with a much needed renovation. After Desi’s Corner closed in 2019, Glaser and Spinelli joined forces and began to overhaul the space - which had served patrons for generations as a corner store, and prior to the store, the historic location of the Post Office. With the windows covered in paper for years - with only a small sign on the window as a hint in the past few weeks, Glaser and Spinelli took down the paper today and are excited to open this week.
And while a new location - Glaser is no stranger to coffee, and Uncle Leo is no stranger to donuts.
Glaser’s STEAM coffee operated out of the Greens Farms station until the COVID-19 lockdowns drove away the commuters, and forced its closure. Glaser, a longtime Westporter, has been excited about beginning the next chapter and joining the Saugatuck revival.
“Uncle Leo’s Not Just Donut” Shops have brought the Wilton, Weston, and Redding communities together through his old fashioned donuts and breakfasts, with two locations in Georgetown and Wilton. He prides himself on true, “old school” donuts and the community that surrounds his two businesses, describing the families who have frequented the two spaces like family, saying “the kids just know me as Uncle Leo.“ During the COVID-19 lockdowns, Spinelli donated and delivered thousands of donuts and bagels to local healthcare centers for frontline workers - and continued to do so even after lockdowns were lifted.
With the planned redevelopment of the Ketchum Street neighborhood, the corner store will also include digital post office boxes - bringing mail back into the corner for the first time in over a century, and keeping it in Saugatuck for the neighborhood residents. “They’ll rent a box just like normal, and when a piece of mail is placed into their box, they’ll be alerted to it by their phone.” Glaser described as he showed a large portrait of the historic Railroad Place.
STEAM Coffee and Uncle Leo’s donuts will be opening its doors this Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM. With a new staff and newly renovated space, they’re excited to welcome the community into the new Saugatuck corner store.
Firefly Glows on Wedge Wood Road
A lightning bug glowed on the sidewalk of a Wedge Wood Road home late Sunday night. WestportLocal.com photo
Dancing-Room-Only at Levitt’s Sold Out Rita Harvey Concert
With all tickets for the Saturday evening Levitt Pavilion concert gone, it was dancing room only on the green as Rita Harvey performed on stage. Photo by J.C. Martin for WestportLocal.com
Saturday Skate
Westporter Brian Greenspan, UConn Freshman, takes flight at the Compo Beach Skate Park this afternoon. WestportLocal.com photo
New Neighbors: “Local to Market” brings Local Groceries Back to Main Street; Open until 2 Today
Rita and Chris Marcocci in front of their new store, Local to Market, during today’s Farm Stand. Anna Aron, of Little Bits Pottery, displays her work during today’s farm stand. A Staples Class of 2013 graduate, Aron attributes her passion and skill to the SHS pottery and sculpture teacher Jaclyn Jeselnik - who helped give her a “home” in the pottery room while a student. With Connecticut farmers and artisans standing with them, Westporters Chris and Rita Marcocci are bringing local love back to 177 Main Street with their new shop: Local to Market. The shop will focus on items made, grown, or produced in Connecticut - with a portion of their profits going towards local charities. Open until 2:00 today as a farm stand, they expect to be fully open within the next three weeks - bringing Groceries back to Downtown.
Located in the historic Remarkable Book Shop storefront, the Marcoccis - with local artisans and farmers - are celebrating their arrival to the community with a weekend Farm Stand, planned for every weekend at the corner of lower Main Street. The farm stand includes locally grown produce and fruits, locally sourced milk, and products created by Westport artists.
Envisioned as place where downtown neighbors and merchants can stop for groceries on their way home, or for downtown shoppers to enjoy some of the local artwork and wares, “We’re bringing groceries and locally made items back to downtown” Chris described.
Peter Stack and Jen Cozak, both of Fairfield, displayed Easton’s Silverman’s Farms produce and fresh donuts along with other locally sourced items, such as milk and local corn. “Everything needs to come from Connecticut” Chris continued as he spoke about the items they’ll be displaying. Chris and his wife Rita live in Westport, with Chris owning another locally owned business, StreetMarc marketing. The pair saw the need to continue this past year’s push to support local - turning it into their mission.
That mission: Eat Well, Live Well, Do Well. They’ll support it by carrying it throughout the shop as they feature local foods, arts, and even music seven days per week. When describing the “Do Well” mission, Chris continued: “A portion of all profits will go towards local charities, back into the community.”
Local to Market is located at 177 Main Street and is planning to open fully within the next three weeks. For now, the Marcoccis plan to have farm stands, like today’s, on the weekends from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.
Breakfast on Thomas Road
A fawn and a young buck graze on green grass found on the lawn of a Thomas Road home this morning. WestportLocal.com photo
Downpours Postpone Levitt Concert to September 11th
Tonight’s downpours postponed Borboletta: A Tribute to Santana, with the music group now planning to be on stage on September 11th. WestportLocal.com photo
MoCA and WAAC Will Exhibit Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC) Works in Winter Show
Contributed piece from the WestPAC collection. Photos by Larry Silver, Yangzhou, China, 1997-2000
Two community-focused arts organizations, MoCA Westport and Westport Arts Advisory Committee (WAAC), are excited to announce a new collaboration that will commence with an exhibition at MoCA featuring selected works from Westport Public Art Collections (WestPAC). The exhibition will be co-curated by Westport Town Curator Kathie Bennewitz and Liz Leggett, MoCA Westport's Director of Exhibitions. The exhibition will be on view at MoCA Westport (19 Newtown Turnpike) in the Winter of 2021/22.
WAAC's mission is to bring attention to Westport's artistic treasures, of which WestPAC is the most significant. "WestPAC has a foundation that dates back to 1910, with more than 1500 artworks displayed in schools and municipal buildings to create rich learning and visually stimulating environments," stated Bennewitz. "A partnership with MoCA Westport, with their expansive gallery space, is an ideal venue for ongoing thematic exhibitions from our collection," she added.
"We strive to present thought-provoking and relevant arts experiences, and we look forward to sharing WestPAC works that are often displayed in settings that may be inaccessible to the public. We hope that through this collaboration, we can create a dialogue, reframe perspectives and build community," stated Ruth Mannes, MoCA Westport's Executive Director.
Country Playhouse Announces Live, In-Person Shows Return this Fall
Photo by Robert BensonWestport Country Playhouse announces that in-person theatrical productions will resume this fall with a live staging of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning drama, “Doubt: A Parable,” playing November 2 through November 20. In addition, the play will be filmed before a live audience for on-demand streaming at home. “Doubt” is written by John Patrick Shanley and directed by David Kennedy, Playhouse associate artistic director.
“Following the close of our 2019 season of plays, no one could have predicted that we would not produce a play on our stage in the presence of an audience until 23 months later,” said Michael Barker, Playhouse managing director. “For more than a year, we have produced online, outdoors, and on the radio, providing theatrical and educational programming for our immediate community and audiences around the world. Recently, we returned to the theater with comedy and cabaret performances, a toe in the waters of normalcy.
“Now we are back with one of the finest examples of modern American drama, beautifully produced on our stage in the presence of a living, breathing audience,” added Barker. ‘We simply cannot wait to welcome you back for ‘Doubt’!’
Earlier this year, the Playhouse announced an all-virtual 2021 season when pandemic safety concerns prevented producing a live show. Easing guidelines at federal, state, and local levels, as well as those of theatrical unions, has opened the door to live theater. As of July 28, 2021, all Playhouse visitors must provide proof of their Covid-19 vaccination to attend any performance or event at the Playhouse. In addition, all visitors, volunteers, and staff are required to wear a mask (unless part of the performance).
For updates on Covid-19 health and safety protocols at the Playhouse, please visit westportplayhouse.org/visit/covid19safety/
The Playhouse’s 2021 season also includes two HD video productions from the Playhouse archives streaming on-demand: the musical, “Man of La Mancha” (2018), from August 23 through September 5, and John Steinbeck’s drama, “Of Mice and Men” (2008), from September 13 through 26. Both productions are directed by Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. All virtual content in the Playhouse’s 2021 season will be available on demand for patrons’ convenience, with captions in both English and Spanish translation. The complete schedule of 2021 Playhouse events is listed at: https://www.westportplayhouse.org
The 2021 season is generously supported by the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation. 2021 season Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio. The production of “Doubt: A Parable” is sponsored by the Eunice and David Bigelow Foundation, and Judy and Scott Phares.
All play titles, artists, dates, and formats are subject to change.
To purchase tickets, visit westportplayhouse.org, call the box office at (203) 227-4177, or email boxoffice@westportplayhouse.org. Stay connected to the Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).