A Day for the Osprey
One of the nesting ospreys found near Longshore Sailing School returns to their home against blue skies over the nearby harbor. Photo by J.C. Martin for The Westport Local Press.
Westport Police: Bear Sightings in Westport Reported
Westport Police Department Press ReleaseOn Sunday, May 31, there were multiple black bear sightings reported in the northern section of Westport. The bear was first reported to be in the area of Weathervane Hill and then was seen by Earthplace which is located off Woodside Lane. Later that day, the bear was observed at the Westport/Weston YMCA and in the early evening there were additional sightings on Weston Road. Westport Animal Control believes that it was the same bear at all four locations. The bear was not behaving in an aggressive manner and seemed to be acting normally.
Black bears are becoming increasingly common in Connecticut. In order to safely co-exist, residents are reminded to take precautions to prevent negative encounters with bears. Bears have an incredible sense of smell. To prevent luring them towards your property, secure your garbage in sturdy covered containers in a garage or outbuilding. Residents that compost are asked to do so responsibly. Do not throw meat scraps or greasy, oily, or sweet materials in your compost pile. These kinds of foods will attract bears and other animals. Clean barbecues and grills after each use, refrain from leaving pet food outdoors, and remove bird feeders from your property for the summer. Please keep your eye on pets and small children playing outside.
While it can be frightening to see a bear on or around your property, it is important to know that they are very timid animals and thus try to avoid human contact.
If sighted, use caution, and do not approach the bear. The mere presence of a bear does not necessitate its removal. According to DEEP, if left alone and given an avenue for escape, the bear will usually wander back into more secluded areas. DEEP does not take routine reports of bear sightings over the phone. Sightings can be reported to Westport Animal Control at (203) 341-5076 or reported to DEEP via this link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/187a8a495d4e4ca497261d163d6fffc9
For more information on bears, please visit the DEEP’s website; https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=325930&deepNav_GID=1655
Easton Road Car Accident Slows Early Morning Commute
Just before 8:00 AM, first responders were dispatched to the area of 65 Easton Road for the report of the medical emergency. Upon their arrival, they found it was a two-car accident and subsequently shut down the roadway for a short time. No information has been released on the extent of injuries or what caused the accident.
WAAC Culture Corner: June is for Dads and Cartoons
Prepared by Diane Lowman, Westport Poet Laureate and Westport Arts Advisory Committee member. Welcome back to the Westport Local Press’s Westport Arts Advisory Committee’s “Culture Corner.” Each month, the WAAC will scour 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.
This month, we focus on mahogany, to conjure armchairs and books bound in aromatic leather on shelves of that rich-hued wood. We honor fathers everywhere in this month of June with a bit of a twist. Rather than an extant artist, we highlight two pieces from the Westport Public Art Collections that show patres familias reverence with a touch of levity.
The Hank Ketchum cartoon “I don’t drink and I don’t gab”, a part of the Westport Public Arts collection. Curator Kathie Bennewitz shared work by two well-known cartoonists with me when I put the call out for father-centric art: Whitney Darrow Jr. and Hank Ketcham. Their respective featured cartoons, Tell Me Again, Pop and I Don’t Drink and I Don’t Gab… both capture a moment in the father child relationship that is at once humorous and universally relatable.
Darrow produced cartoons prolifically for The New Yorker for 50 years, publishing over 1,500 between 1932 and 1982. Unlike many cartoonists, he wrote his own captions. He found inspiration in his friends and neighbors from his many years living in Wilton. This piece is part of the WSPAC: Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection (collections.westportps.org). This sketch illustrates a lovely father-son bond over storytelling. The pipe and bowtie might date the piece, but the ritual of sharing stories – repeatedly for little ones especially – is timeless.
A Whitney Darrow Jr. cartoon that is part of the Westport Public Arts collection. Ketcham created the Dennis the Menace comic strip, like Darrow, both drawing and writing it himself (from 1951-1994). Inspired to draw by one of his parents’ dinner guests, he went on to work for Walt Disney as an animator. He worked on Pinocchio, Fantasia, Bambi, and several Donald Duck shorts. He based the strip for which he is famous on his own son, Dennis Ketcham. One day his then wife burst into his studio crying exasperatedly, “your son is a menace!” At age four, Dennis had wrecked his bedroom instead of napping; thus began the legendary comic stip. It ran in over 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries in 19 languages. This piece, too, is part of the WSPAC. This featured cartoon depicts not only the quintessential Father’s Day barbecue celebration, but the typical youngsters’ frustration with adult ways and delays.
We here at Westport Local Press and the WAAC wish all the fathers and their offspring a happy day filled with shared activities and stories in the making. Please, also, have a look at the amazing and vast WestPAC collection – https://www.westportps.org/community/westport-public-art-collections. It, like the all our dads, is a real treasure!