The Remarkable Bookcycle Find New Home on Main Street
Westport’s famous Remarkable Bookshop was brought to life again with the Remarkable Bookcycle, a little free library now stationed on the sidewalk in front of 173 Main Street, the future home of Cold Fusion Gelato. The mobile free library offers novels and children’s books to anyone who stops by, curated by a team of volunteer Remarkable Librarians.
Designed and gifted by bestselling novelist Jane Green and her husband Ian Warburg, the couple brought in the help of Ryan Peterson to build the bike, working with local celebrated artist Miggs Burroughs to paint its recognizable signage, before they even knew Miggs had created the original artwork for the store.
The name and color were inspired by the famous Remarkable Bookshop, an iconic landmark which which sat at the head of Main Street, just up from the bike’s current spot, before its closure in 1994. Beloved by the community for its nooks and crannies, it’s wonderful staff, and Heathcliff the cat, who could always be found snuggled amongst a pile of books.
The bookcycle travels the community, allowing neighbors the chance to find their next great read as the old bike waits for its next move.
GFS 5th Graders Present “Annie JR.” this Week in Bedford Square; Tickets Still Available
Learning their steps from co-choreographer Kristine Nielsen. After months of outdoor rehearsals, Greens Farms Elementary School fifth graders are excited to present their show “Annie Jr.” this week in Bedford Square.
Laura Curley Pendergast, owner of Theater Camp 4 Kids Broadway Academy, directs the show Annie Jr. Musical theater wasn’t on the amenities list for tenants of Bedford Square, but residents and passersby have gladly noticed the small acting school practicing outdoors - in all weather - throughout the pandemic in yet another example of the theatrical arts thriving in Westport. The Westport Local Press was able to visit the group at the rotary parking lot at 12 Elm Street - watching as the sidewalk became a stage, and apartment owners leaned from their balconies to enjoy the show below.
The acting school is run by Westporter Laura Curley Pendergast, who is directing the sidewalk show with the help of volunteers and interns. The sets are mobile, with a makeshift indoor studio space and the use of the sidewalks being lent to the group of singing, dancing kids by Bedford Square’s David Waldman. Waldman has allowed them the space, as other indoor venues were shuttered this past year - such as the auditoriums of many local schoolhouses.
Holden LaForce fills Bedford Square with his voice as he practices one of Annie Jr’s musical numbers. Capri DiVincenzo, playing Grace Farrell, and Charlotte Pendergast, Co-leading as Annie. The tiny dancers captured the attention of many who walk past the group as they sing, dance, flip, “sleep”, and laugh through their rehearsals - with Pendergast leading them as they glide through their lines and moves. The fifth graders make the work seem effortless, with scene changes and dance routines moving along without missing a beat during rehearsals, even while pedestrians crossed and twisted around the kids with bright sun beating down on their faces.
However warm now, the school had continued through this past winter - with students hopping onto the sidewalk stage in thick coats, hats, gloves during the cold New England days to prepare for their next show.
Co-lead Jasmita Mani-Lorenzato as Annie.After months of hard work and pandemic-era adaptations, the Greens Farms School fifth graders welcome the community to attend their shows this week - right on the sidewalk where they’ve been singing and dancing all along. A sweet rendition of Annie, Annie Jr. will gives Westporters a chance to enjoy a live performance under the bright skies and street lamps of Downtown Westport.
Annie JR. Performance Schedule:
Friday, June 4th: 6:30 PM
Saturday, June 5th: 2:00 PM
Saturday, June 5th: 4:30 PM
Sunday, June 6th: 4:30 PM*
To attend the outdoor performances, contact Director Laura Curley Pendergast by texting her at 917-734-8462 or by emailing anniejr2021westport@gmail.com to purchase the $18 tickets. For information on camps and lessons, visit their website.
Waving to the Crowds
A young member of the Westport Little League team the Knights happily waved to onlookers today while marching up Myrtle Avenue as part of the Westport Memorial Day Parade.
Gallery: Westport’s Memorial Day Parade 2021
Click to enlarge photos. Photos by Lynn Jefferey, Jenae Weinbrenner, Preston Siroka, and The Westport Local Press.
Good Genes: Grand Marshal Nicholas Rossi and Grandson Nick Rossi Take the Stage to Honor the Fallen
Nicholas Rossi, 99, with his grandson Nick Rossi, 19. Rossi Sr., a WWII veteran, served as the Westport Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal. Nicholas Rossi, 99, was beaming today as he served as the Westport Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal.
Nick Rossi, 19, kisses his grandfather Nicholas Rossi, 99, as he completes his performance of the Star Spangled Banner. Born on Long Island in 1922 and graduating Oyster Bay High School in 1940, Rossi enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1942 at the age of 19. He joined the 8th Air Force Bomber Command as a Technical Sergeant, working as a gunner on the infamous B-17 aircrafts over occupied Europe. By the end of the War, the 8th Army Air Force accounted for half of the Army Air Forces' casualties in World War II - with more than 47,000 casualties and more than 26,000 lost.
Rossi’s grandson Nick Rossi, 19, spoke on behalf of his grandfather today during the Memorial Day Ceremonies following the parade. “When he enlisted, he was 19 years old - the same age that I am right now.” Nick described. “It is unimaginable to me what it must have felt like to go off to war as a young man who had barely begun to live his life. It was a selfless sacrifice - not even a choice at that point in time - but an expectation that that generation of young men would enlist and serve their country.” he continued as his grandfather looked to him at the podium. “He became an expert on the B-17 aircraft.”
Nicholas Rossi admires his grandson, Nick Rossi, as Nick sings the United States National Anthem. First Selectman Jim Marpe described the brave acts that Rossi performed during the war, adding that he was a “relative newcomer to Westport and an active member of our Senior Center.” After Rossi’s wife passed away, he moved to the Westport community with his son Paul Rossi, his wife Marguerite, and their three children.
A Tradition Returns as the Community Marches in the Memorial Day Parade
Members of Westport Little League wave from the boot of a vintage Mercedes-Benz as they pass by Town Hall this morning.
Winners Announced for Memorial Day Parade Floats
Best Development of a Theme
League of Women Voters
Best Youth Organization Float
Suzuki Music Schools
Most Creative Float
Westport Paddle Club
Best Community Organization float
Westport Rotary
Most Colorful Float
VFW Auxiliary 399
Best Overall Float
Y’s Men of Westport\Weston
Special “Pep Award”
Staples, Bedford Middle & Coleytown Middle School Bands
Memorial Day Parade Float Judges:
Betty Lou Cummings, Ruth Whelan, Diana Heisinger & Mary Ann Lindwall
Parade Master:
William (Bill) Vornkahl
The Memorial Day Parade Guide: Celebrating a Westport Tradition
The 2021 Westport Memorial Day Parade Route. Start: 9:00 AM [Saugatuck Elementary School]
End: 10:30 AM [Memorial Day Ceremony, Veteran’s Green]
2021 Parade Marshall: Nicholas Rossi, WWII Veteran
2021 Float Contest Theme: Honoring Women Veterans
Line of March:
Honor Division
Col. John Chester Fife & Drum Corps
Westport Police Department
Westport Volunteer EMS
Grand Marshal Nicholas Rossi
World War II Veterans
1st Division
Dignitaries - RTM Members
Westport Community Band
Connecticut Veterans Honor Guard
Joseph J. Clinton Post 399 - Veterans of Foreign Wars
August Matthias Post 63 - American Legion
VFW Auxiliary 399 Westport Float
2nd Division
Nash Drum Corps
Westport Fire Department
Y's Men of Westport/Weston
Westport Baseball – Hawks
Westport Little League Baseball
Westport Little League - Blue Jays
Westport PAL Boys and Girls Lacrosse
Westport Soccer Association
Staples High School Marching Band
Bedford Middle School Marching Band
Coleytown Middle School Marching Band
Staples Tuition Grants
Staples Rugby Club
Assumption Church - Knights of Columbus Council #3688
Suzuki Music Schools
St. Paul Christian School
Westport Woman's Club
3rd Division
Girl Scouts
The League of Women Voters of Westport
Boy Scouts of America
The United Methodist Church of Westport & Weston
Builders Beyond Borders
Westport Paddle Club
Westport Library
Westport Weston Family YMCA
Junior Colonial Fife & Drum Corps of Westbrook, CT
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 SirokaThe 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.
Charise Siblings Sell Kid-Created Art for a Cause; Youngest Exhibitors at Westport Fine Arts Festival
Ashley and Austin Charise stand inside their booth surrounded by the student-created art, all of which is being sold for a good cause. Austin (11) and Ashley (9) Charise had the idea to join the Westport Arts Festival this year, however when they realized how large of an event it is and that they would be juried, they went back to the drawing board as they worked to meet their goal of obtaining a booth that displayed art created by fellow elementary schoolers.
Thinking about how to enter the show as elementary schoolers, and with guidance from the Downtown Merchant’s Association, the siblings were able to find a sponsor in their parents’ local business and with help from local artist Miggs Burroughs and the Drew Friedman Community Arts Center - and their booth was secured. With a spot on Brooks Corner, they were the youngest exhibiting members of the Festival and enjoyed meeting the artists who worked alongside them to sell their art to the community.
Their booth exhibited art from Westport elementary schoolers, from 5 to 11 years old. Each piece required a $20 fee to enter, which was donated to the international charity BuildOn. The artist named their price for their pieces, and when sold, they collected 80% of the sales - with the other 20% also going towards BuildOn.
The Charise siblings have a goal in mind with those BuildOn donation dollars: build a school in Malawi, Africa. As of Sunday, they had raised nearly $1,500 dollars towards their goal, with hope that Sunday afternoon will bring more success as the festival comes to a close at 5:00 PM today.