Hopalong Andrew Brings Fiddles and Fun to Levitt Family Night
Kids and parents “partied in place” tonight as Hopalong Andrew, a former NYC Urban Park Ranger, brought the feels of the Wild West to Westport. The Levitt Pavilion free children’s series concert was sold out tonight, with all families reminded to remain in their reserved space as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the community. WestportLocal.com photo
Bobby Q’s Founder Needs Help
Contributed photo from GoFundMe. Bob LeRose, the founder of the former Main Street barbecue joint Bobby Q’s, has been undergoing treatments for cancer since 2012. Despite being given just two years to live, LeRose has continued to fight for his life - and even continued to run Bobby Q’s and the Blues, Views, and Barbecue festival in Downtown Westport, “Often times this was done from the confines of a hospital bed or wheelchair.” his campaign stated.
LeRose’s family and friends have started a GoFundMe to help support LeRose and his treatments - like physical and occupational therapies, and weekly immunotherapy and blood transfusions. “Defying the odds and getting to this point has been nothing short of a heroic effort by Bob and his family. It’s time for the next round of heroes to step up” the campaign concluded.
To donate to Bob LeRose’s GoFundMe or to learn more, click here.
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.