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.
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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.
State Announces Free Children’s Admission to Connecticut Museums This Summer; Maritime Aquarium Joins the Program for Kids
Press Release, The Maritime AquariumAn immersive new 4D Theater and an enormous new seal habitat will highlight rediscoveries of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk this summer, especially for families taking advantage of the “CT Summer at the Museum - Free Admission for Kids” offer.
The Maritime Aquarium is among the nearly 100 institutions participating in the state’s “CT Summer at the Museum" admission program, which offers free entry for all Connecticut residents 18 and under, along with one accompanying adult in each group.
“After the tumultuous 16 months we just experienced, the Governor has created an amazing opportunity to encourage all children in the state to make up for lost time and visit the state’s best attractions this summer,” said Jason Patlis, president and CEO of The Maritime Aquarium. “With price no longer a barrier, this initiative opens up the aquarium to anyone who’s a Connecticut resident,” Patlis said. “We’re particularly excited to invite families who might not otherwise visit us.”
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Through the admission deal, one adult with any number of kids = all free. Two kids with two adults = one paid adult admission ($28.95) while receiving three free tickets valued at $68.85.
The offer is open only to Connecticut residents. Guests planning to take advantage of the offer are strongly encouraged to make their reservations in advance online at www.maritimeaquarium.org. Proof of residency will be required at the door.
The program for free admissions was proposed by Gov. Lamont, and approved by the General Assembly, as a way to allocate a portion of the federal COVID-19 recovery funding that Connecticut is receiving from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“This program provides a unique opportunity for children to take advantage of the world-class museums and attractions offered in Connecticut, while having both a fun and educational experience,” Governor Lamont said. “Museums are centers of exploration, recreation, and learning, and will play an important role in helping provide social-emotional, mental health, and educational growth opportunities that were limited during the pandemic. It is my hope that families take advantage of this unique opportunity happening in Connecticut this summer.”
Anyone who hasn’t visited The Maritime Aquarium since the pandemic started will discover significant transformations. In January, the Aquarium debuted a 4D Theater to replace its IMAX Theater. This new cinematic experience sends the action visually spilling off the two-story screen and over audiences in 3D, in addition to such thrill-enhancing sensory special effects as bubbles, snow, wind, mists, scents and more. The 169-seat theater offers two films every hour: BBC Earth’s “Shark: A 4D Experience” and “Ice Age: No Time for Nuts 4D.”
The opening of the 4D theater also included a new main entrance, with a new Sound Bites café just inside featuring a full selection of hot and cold drinks from Starbucks, as well as pastries from a rotating lineup of local bakeries.
The Maritime Aquarium’s other major change was the June 8 debut of an enormous new seal habitat. At 160,000 gallons, it’s the largest display in The Maritime Aquarium’s 33-year history. Guests can watch from above and below the surface as the seals dive, twirl and bob in the 22-foot-deep exhibit, called “Pinniped Cove.” (The word pinniped means “fin- or flipper-footed” and is the scientific grouping for seals, sea lions and walruses.) The seals’ new home is more than eight times larger than their original exhibit, where they lived from 1988-2019.
Also new this year is a special exhibit called “A Slug’s Life: Facing the Climate Endgame,” a unique exhibit for the Aquarium in that it presents its message through a blending of live animals with sculpture and photography. Stars of the exhibit are a group of mollusks called nudibranchs known for their striking forms, brilliant colors and vulnerability in reef systems. In addition to live nudibranchs and other mollusks, “A Slug’s Life” features nudibranchs depicted in onyx and marble sculptures by Gar Waterman of New Haven, as well as nudibranch photographs by divers from all around the world.
“With COVID vaccinations increasing and cases falling, folks are itching to venture back out this summer, and we’re ready and excited to show off this fantastic seal habitat, the movies in our immersive 4D Theater, and all of the animals and exhibits here,” said Aquarium spokesman Dave Sigworth. “If you haven’t visited The Maritime Aquarium in a while, come see how much we’ve changed. Certainly, the ‘CT Summer at the Museum’ offer serves as an incredible extra incentive.”
Based on guidelines of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the state of Connecticut. unvaccinated guests – and all children age 2-11 – must continue to wear masks in The Maritime Aquarium. Vaccinated guests are strongly encouraged to continue to wear their masks too.
Learn more about the Aquarium’s exhibits, programs and public cruises this summer at www.maritimeaquarium.org.
Sandbar Romp
A family took advantage of the sandbars off of Cockenoe Island this evening as the sun set over Peck Ledge Lighthouse in the distance.