Local Kids’ “Crumby But Yummy” Lemonade and Bake Sale Benefits Animals in Need
Westporters Jack Steel (10) and Lucas Robinson (10) behind their stand. WestportLocal.com photoDuring the hottest hours of the day today, drivers heading down Hillandale Road could find cool refuge with a cup of iced lemonade and a bit of afternoon pep with homemade energy bites. Westporters Jack Steel and Lucas Robinson, both ten, put up a lemonade and bake sale stand at 3 Hillandale Road - recreating a classic scene of Americana as the local kids learned the ropes of business while raising funds for charity.
Animal Control Officer Peter Reid introduced Jack and Lucas to the dachshund in his care after a cool drink of lemonade. With a plan they’ve wanted to launch for months, Robinson described that he’s been learning about business, and knew that his friend Jack was great at baking - so the two joined together to sell Jack’s energy bites with Lucas’ lemonade. As parents watched nearby, the boys waved at everyone who passed the blue table - even grabbing the attention of Westport Animal Control Officer Peter Reid on his way to the Westport Animal Shelter. The boys were excited to meet the local ACO, and the dachshund in his care, as one half of all of their profits are being donated to the ASPCA.
The boys said that business was slow yesterday, but quickly picked up today in their first hour. “Business is booming!” exclaimed Robinson as more cars pulled over for the afternoon treat. The little Westporters are selling their lemonade and energy bites for $1 each, and will be out front of 3 Hillandale Road again tomorrow during what’s forecast to be another beautiful Summer day in Westport.
A community comes together over a cup of lemonade on Hillandale Road. This, or This? Downtown Shopping Day Underway on Main Street
Local shops, vendors, restaurants, musicians, and local organizations were beating the heat today under the sale-tents throughout Main Street. The event ends at 5:00 today and includes live music, a sidewalk bar, and sales from dozens of members of the downtown community. The Downtown Shopping Days are sponsored by the Westport Downtown Association, and have been a big hit with bargain hunters throughout the summer season.
Compo Guards Remain Steadfast through 100 Degree Heat
A Compo Beach lifeguard watches over the waterfront this afternoon after a day when temperatures soared into the nineties, with the heat index making the midday air feel nearer to 105 degrees. Although clear and calm skies and water were present along the coast, the beachfront was sparse as many remained indoors or in the water. WestportLocal.com photo
Metro North Announces Bikes Ride Free on Trains, “The number of cyclists has risen considerably during the pandemic”
MTA Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi and Long Island Rail Road President Phil Eng are joined by Bike New York President Ken Podziba and Alzheimer’s Association Vice President of Development Joanne Luciano in Grand Central Terminal. Contributed photo by Marc A. Hermann, MTAMTA Reinforcing its longstanding commitment to sustainable transportation, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced plans to lift bike permit requirements on both the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad. Starting Sept. 7, cyclists riding the rails will no longer be required to obtain a permit to travel with a full-size bike.
LIRR and Metro-North customers will also not be required to present a bike permit on Sunday, August 22, the day of Bike New York’s Five Boro Bike Tour. The event, which was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, draws tens of thousands of cyclists to the city.
“Metro-North believes deeply in the value of sustainable transportation and looks forward to helping our customers ride the system more seamlessly with their bikes in tow,” said Metro-North President Cathy Rinaldi. “As more and more riders continue to return to the railways, it’s essential that we’re doing everything we can to accommodate them and making it easier to travel with bikes is one way of doing that. The number of cyclists has risen considerably during the pandemic, and it’s vital that mass transit plays a role in promoting that growth.”
“The LIRR provides New Yorkers with access to a range of world class bike rides throughout Long Island,” said LIRR President Phil Eng. “We continually strive to make it easier for everyone to access those adventures. We’ve always supported all modes of sustainable travel and this news ensures our commitment to enhancing the bicycling experience and quality of life throughout our geographic footprint. I’m excited to see more and more bike riders take the train to their cycling destinations of choice.”
“Every day at Bike New York we’re fighting for safer and more equitable streets and providing free bike education to more than 30,000 New Yorkers each year,” said Bike New York President and CEO Kenneth J. Podziba. “And we couldn’t do the work we do on behalf of New Yorkers if it weren’t for our incredible partners, like the MTA, TD Bank and Manhattan Portage.”
Other rules for bringing bikes on board the LIRR and Metro-North continue to apply. Non-folding bikes are not allowed on rush hour trains or on holidays. On weekdays, up to four bikes per train are allowed. On weekends, up to eight bikes per train are allowed. The MTA encourages cyclists to look for bicycle trains on weekends. These accommodate more than eight bikes. These trains are indicated on published timetables with a bicycle symbol and a plus sign.
For current information on taking your bike on MTA subways, buses and commuter rail, visit new.mta.info/guide/bikes.
About the TD Five Boro Bike Tour
Now in its 43rd edition, the TD Five Boro Bike Tour remains America’s most popular charitable ride. Proceeds from the event benefit Bike New York, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to provide bike education opportunities to both kids and adults all over New York City. The 40-mile, car-free Tour traverses all five boroughs, starting in Manhattan and ending in Staten Island with spectacular crossings along the Queensboro and Verrazano Bridges. While previous Tours saw up to 32,000 riders, this year’s Tour, capped at 20,000 registrants, promises cyclists a unique experience and a fantastic way to reconnect with the people and places that make New York City special.
For more information about the Five Boro Bike Tour, visit www.bike.nyc.
About Bike New York’s Bike Education Programs
The TD Five Boro Bike Tour funds public bike classes that reach over 30,000 kids and adults each year. Classes not only provide New Yorkers with a new way to get around; they also offer new ways for people to connect with their communities.
Last year’s in-person events and classes were suspended due to the pandemic, but Bike New York continued to support New York’s bike boom with virtual instruction that reached more than 30,000 viewers worldwide. The tour will support the return of live classes and grow the organization’s virtual offerings so that both new and seasoned riders can stay in touch with the city and the larger New York cycling community.
Bike New York has implemented bike safety education programs with the Department of Education at local middle schools, co-developed with Brooklyn’s One Community a job training and placement program for formerly incarcerated Brooklynites to become bike mechanics, and helped pilot a free bike rental system at Shirley Chisholm State Park.
Heading Home past Compo Hill
Teenagers head home tonight after an evening of tubing, passing by the Compo Hill homes tiered above Hillspoint Road and Old Mill Beach. WestportLocal.com photo
Volunteers Needed for Sherwood Island Beach Clean-up Monday
Maritime Aquarium, CT Sea Grant ReleaseHelp give Long Island Sound that extra little sparkle by joining a beach clean-up on Mon., Aug. 16 at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.
The clean-up is from 10 a.m. to noon. Bags and gloves will be provided. Volunteers should bring their own water, and meet at the pavilion near the main beach parking lot.
Monday’s clean-up launches the fifth annual #DontTrashLISound campaign led by the Connecticut Sea Grant program, with support from Save the Sound, The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk and other groups.
This year’s #DontTrashLISound campaign, run by the Connecticut and New York Sea Grant programs with support from the Long Island Sound Study, continues through International Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 18. There will be clean-up events in both states, social media posts and giveaways of “Protect Our Wildlife” stickers for reusable water bottles and travel mugs.
The theme of this year’s campaign, #DoOneThing, encourages people to take at least one action to reduce litter on streets, parks and beaches before it gets carried into waterways and ultimately Long Island Sound.
“Campaigns like this one help keep people aware of the larger marine debris problem affecting Long Island Sound,” said Nancy Balcom, associate director of Connecticut Sea Grant. “They also help people focus on doable actions that we can all undertake with as much or as little effort as we have time to commit.”
See the full schedule of clean-ups in Connecticut this fall – and sign up – at www.savethesound.org/2021cleanup.
For more details on the #DontTrashLISound campaign, contact Judy Benson of CT Sea Grant at judy.benson@uconn.edu.
DREAM: 196’ Superyacht Joins Westport’s Summer of über Luxury Vessel Visits, Tops List as Largest Boat (so far)
All photos by WestportLocal.com
The third in a series of superyachts anchored in Westport, DREAM - 57m/196ft long - was spotted between Cockenoe Reef and Compo Beach yesterday afternoon. The vessel was built in 2001 by Abeking & Rasmussen out of Germany, and is registered to the Marshall Islands.
Originally called Excellence III prior to a 2017 refitting, the vessel and its 15 person crew can be chartered for $420,000 per week, and is typically visiting ports-of-call such as Antigua, the US Virgin Islands, and Saint Martin. Amenities for its 12 possible guests include two tender vessels, a water slide, and waverunners. Only in Westport for two days, the vessel left the community’s waters last night for East Hampton, New York.
Earlier this summer - the Rosehearty, a 183’ sailing yacht - and the 123 foot long motor yacht Temptation both called Westport home for several evenings as the uber luxury guests make Westport a yachting destination for Summer 2021.
Easton Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival Celebrates 80 Years, Ends Tomorrow
Open from 6:00 - 11:00 tonight and tomorrow night, the Easton Volunteer Fireman’s Carnival returned this year with the classic sites and sounds of a traditional country fair filling the warm night air - just as it has for 80 years, and generations of community members. (click to read more and see full photo gallery on WestportLocal.com)
The carnival, with amusement park rides from Stewart Amusement and games and food from volunteers, raises funds for the rural fire company’s operations. The carnival has been well known for its thrills, homemade dinner and desserts, deep fried oreos, and cash bingo tent for generations - and was packed Thursday night with families and teens enjoying the warm country air. With gaggles of teenagers roaming the grounds with burgers and fries in-hand, and small children patiently waiting their turn at stepping onto their next ride - the quiet Center Road triangle was alive with excitement.
Personnel working at the event said that Tuesday’s opening-night ticket lines were as long as they could have ever remembered, with many families returning to this summer tradition after their 2020 hiatus due to COVID-19 concerns. Although outdoors, many families and volunteers opted to wear a mask in light of the rise in COVID-19 cases in the region - with all food and game tents remaining open-air.
Westporters can easily find the fairground by driving up Route 136 (Easton Road), then turning right onto Center Road, left onto Adams Road, and then another right onto Sport Hill Road - a serene drive through the forest until the ferris wheel lights draw one’s attention. The carnival is located at 1 Center Road, with parking available at Silverman’s Farms, Helen Keller Middle School, and surrounding the Easton Village Store. A shuttle bus is available to those parking at the middle school, with drop off directly at the fairgrounds.
Volunteers recommend visitors bring cash for purchasing ride tickets or wristbands, as well as to purchase dinner, desserts, or to join the bingo tent. With rides for both young children and teenagers, and games for all ages - the carnival has been a tradition for many area families, all while supporting the volunteer firefighter’s mission. More information and live updates can be found at their Facebook page. More information on supporting the Easton Volunteer Fire Company can be found on their website.
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.