Chabad Of Westport Hosts Visiting Israeli Soldiers
Chabad of Westport was proud to host four injured soldiers from the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) this past week. These four soldiers were injured standing in defense of the Jewish homeland against the ever present threat of terrorist attack according to Yehuda Kantor, Rabbi of the Chabad of Westport.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
"The objective was to show them love and appreciation for their heroic and selfless service. Their visit culminated with a community BBQ on Sunday and the response was inspiring" said Kantor. "The soldiers expressed how much this meant to them, to know that they aren’t alone and that despite the physical distance between Westport and Israel there is no distance whatsoever emotionally!!"
Pictured above are (L to R), Lyle Katz, David Sussman, Joseph Jaffe, Hy Saporta, Former Westport Selectman Avi Kaner, Mendel Ciment, Gadi Slade, Ed Levin, Dan Ventura, Rabbi Yehuda Kantor, Dori Konig , Savid Bomback together with the soldiers whose names are withheld for security reasons.
Westport's 7th Annual Dog Festival A Great Day For Dog Lovers & Charities
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
One of Westport's favorite events was held at Sunday at Winslow Park in Downtown Westport, sometimes called "the dog park". Produced by the Westport-Weston Chamber Of Commerce in association with Choice Pet and T.A.I.L.S., The Alliance In Limiting Strays, the event was a beautiful day for dog lovers, families, and especially the dogs who numbered over 700 along with more than 2,000 humans who brought them or came to admire them and watch as the canines competed in multiple contests.
The event is always a big success thanks to the hard work of Chamber Executive Director Matthew Mandell and his team of hardworking volunteers, and the event proceeds, over $6,000 are distributed to local pet-related non-profits. This 7th edition of the much loved annual event will bring the total donations to more than $50,000 to-date.
Great food options were available from 4 food trucks as festival-goers entered the grounds. More than 50 vendors offered everything from many varieties of dog treats and goodies including holistic dog (and cat) treats to a wide array of canine clothing and accessories such as stylish dog bandanas. Multiple adoption and animal rescue organizations including Adopt-A-Dog a leading Westchester county rescue and adoption organization, Lucky Dog Rescue and ROAR, the Ridgefield Operation for Animal Rescue helped match potential dog adopters with their new best friends. Fidelco Guide Dogs which are German Shepherds well bred from Bavarian stock which are provided to the blind were also represented at their tent. Animal advocates CT Votes For Animals provided information on how they lobby legislatures to help pass laws protecting animals who cannot protect themselves.
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There were several highly entertaining contests for our four-legged friends and their humans. Best Tail Wagger, Best Singer/Barker, Best Trick, Best Dressed, Best Kisser (or licker) and a crowd favorite Best Lap Dog Over 50 pounds. This year that event resulted in a 3-way tie as shown in the above photo which shows the three competitors judges chose for first place tie.
On the left is Oakley who had the added challenge of wearing a brace due to a torn ACL. At center is Rex and on the right was a nearly 90 lb. English Mastiff named Buddy who was selected the winner chosen by audience applause for each contestant.
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There was something for everyone including children who were entertained by a balloon bender, face painter, caricaturist and field games.
The Dog Lovers Days Lure Course returned to the festival again this year offering dogs, and sometimes their owners a chance to chase and try to catch a lure which runs at high speed on a wire throughout the course, which most but not all dogs find irresistible. The winner with the best time was rewarded for his/her efforts with a year's supply of dog food.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The most watched event each year is a demonstration by law enforcement K-9 officers held twice during the day. This year Westport's own Officer Dave Scinto and his German Shepherd, K-9 officer Atlas were joined by Corporal Kevin Smith and his Belgian Malinois, K-9 officer Onyx.
The dogs showed off the skills they bring to the Westport PD including drug detection, sniffing out illicit drugs which were hidden in one of the two PD cruisers, and displayed their outstanding obedience training as they are directed by there human partners. The K-9s outstanding ability to apprehend a suspect thrilled the crowd as Corporal Smith demonstrated while wearing a protective sleeve which is used by PD to train the dogs. K-9 Atlas showed the audience why the last thing a suspect wants to see is a Westport PD K-9 charging toward them. After finally letting go of the sleeve Scinto and Smith brought the dogs over to the crowd for a Q & A session, and gave K-9 Atlas a few extra minutes to chomp on his protective sleeve.
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Felines were not forgotten. T.A.I.L.S., The Alliance In Limiting Strays (tailsct.org) the Westport based Cat Rescue organization also had a strong presence.
One of the NY metro area's premier rescue operations, the North Shore Animal League, based in Long Island, NY provided their Mobile Unit, a custom built extended van which holds two dozen or more cats to TAILS to help in their mission to adopt the many stray cats and kittens found in our area and which they currently have housed with their group of volunteers.
North Shore helps support TAILS by generously providing this vehicle at no charge to TAILS for the festival as well as their monthly adoption events held each month at Petco locations in Westport & Fairfield.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Staples Girls Lacrosse Falls To Wilton In FCIAC Quarterfinal Match
The 6th ranked Wreckers faced number 3 Wilton at Wilton High on Thursday night in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference tournament match, and although the Staples girls fought hard until the final seconds, they were defeated by the score of 17-3. In a physical game Wilton was able to build a big lead at the half holding the Wreckers to only a single goal.
Photos and story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Despite the lead the girls on the field were loudly cheered on the entire second half from the sidelines and although the final result was not in their favor, one of the girls was overheard at the game's conclusion saying "we won in our hearts".
The team's attitude and demeanor was exemplary in the face of a lop-sided scoreboard result as evidenced in our post-game team photo below.
Scoring for Staples included two goals by #3 Senior Captain Jaden Mello and a third by #1 Junior Keira Best who added an assist. Goalkeeper Alice Anderson made 10 saves. Sophomore #17 Katie Fitzgerald played a strong game controlling the draw 5 times and causing 2 turnovers.
The Wreckers' coach Nicole Gerosa said, "our focus now turns to setting new team goals and preparing for the CIAC State Tournament" which begins on Friday May 25th with a qualifying round at the higher seed where Staples, with a 6-9 record in regular season play, is ranked #12 in the latest CIAC rankings.
Photos and story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
MoCA Westport's Rainbow In The Dark Exhibit Highlighted By Curator Talk
As part of the Museum of Modern Art Westport's Cocktails & Conversation series visitors enjoyed a Curator Talk by Emann Odufu, the curator of MoCA's Rainbow in the Dark exhibition which featured the works of German contemporary artist Anselm Reyle.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
Rainbow in the Dark is a solo exhibition by German contemporary artist Anselm Reyle. The exhibition was curated by Newark, New Jersey-based Emann Odufu. Anselm Reyle is one of the most renowned contemporary artists in the world. His best-known works include his foil and strip paintings and his sculptures. Remnants of consumer society, discarded materials, symbols of urbanity, and industrial change play a central role in his works.
Reyle’s practice is inspired by his participation in the punk and heavy metal music movements. His unique color palette that utilizes Day Glo colors can be seen as an outgrowth of his fascination with psychedelic and punk aesthetics.
Museum visitors last night also enjoyed Punk rock music played by NYC-based band Darling which emanated from MoCA Westport's gallery earlier in the evening as part of the Museum's Cocktails and Conversation event.
The lobby experience was created by Anselm Reyle while on site; he used fire extinguishers and paint cartridges to create this site-specific art while at MoCA in April 2023.
Photos (below) of Darling performing and curator Emann Odufu with moderator Georgina Johnston-Watt contributed.
