Westport Democrats seek Replacement on Board of Finance
Press Release
The Westport DTC is seeking a candidate to fill a vacancy on the Board of Finance to replace Nancie Dupier, who is stepping down. Nancie has served the town with great distinction, and we very much appreciate her service!
Registered Democrats may apply by submitting a statement of interest and bio/resume to Michael Gordon at mgordon906<at>gmail.com
The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 21, at 5:00pm.
Candidate interviews with the Nominating Committee will likely be held on Monday, July 24th.
Interested candidates should be prepared to serve the remaining few months of Nancie’s current term and campaign this fall for a four-year term on the BoF and stand for election in November.
Contact:
Michael Gordon
203 255 2244
Booked For The Evening Presented Laura Linney To Record Crowd
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Westport Library's Booked For The Evening series has had numerous very high profile honorees and Thursday's event with acclaimed star of stage, film and television Laura Linney helped the Library to it's most successful "Booked" fundraiser yet.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Before taking the stage to be interviewed by Lynne Meadow, the director of the Manhattan Theatre Club, Linney was front row for the presentation film in which she received glowing tributes on her abilities as and actor and as a exceptional person by the long line of Hollywood and Broadway "A" listers from Clint Eastwood to Jason Bateman to Liam Neeson. One speaker took a comic note of the extensive accolades afforded Linney from all over the entertainment industry saying he was happy that Linney was able to hear her eulogy in person while alive to enjoy it, bringing a smile to the honeree's face.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Linney’s film, television and stage credits are extensive with roles in Love, Actually, Mystic River and The Truman Show. Television viewers will remember her from shows such as Frasier and more recently, Ozark as well as the acclaimed mini-series John Adams. Her true loves always been the stage and she has appeared on Broadway in The Crucible, Sight Unseen, and other roles.
She has been recognized for her acting excellence with two Golden Globes, a SAG Award and four Emmys.
The pre-main event gathering for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres was at capacity at nearly 500 guests, as was the on stage interview of Linney with many notable Westporters in attendance.
As always, dedicated library volunteers and staff helped the evening go smoothly. Music was provided by a string trio of recent staples grads.
A Very NICE Saturday In Norwalk
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
On Saturday July 8th, Norwalk's Oyster Shell park, a beautiful hilltop overlooking the Norwalk River and SoNo held their annual NICE festival. NICE was created by the Norwalk International Cultural Exchange, is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose goal is to promote and increase awareness of the diversity of people from around the world through arts and culture.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The event, first held in 2016 has grown to draw up to 5,000 visitors throughout the nearly 12 hour event. This seventh staging of the NICE festival, which was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic offers visitors a taste of the flavors of multiple world cultures in not only delicious ethnic foods from multiple vendor food truck, but in their native dances and traditional music.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
As their website states, "NICE specifically emphasizes celebrating folk and traditional arts from multiple cultures and ethnic groups across varied art forms and genres…"
One of the more spectacular performances was by Cebuanos in Engaging in Building Unity Inc's Tribu Cebuano which presented Sinulog. Performed at the Sinulog Festival which originated in Cebu City in the Philippines, it is held on the third Sunday of January. It commemorates the conversion of the Cebuanos to Roman Catholicism and pays tribute to the Santo Niño de Cebú, also known as the Holy Child Jesus.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The word “Sinulog” means “graceful dance”, wherein it all started in 1980 with a simple dance that represents the “sulog” (or current) of a river in Cebu. With the celebration's evolution, the Sinulog Festival has become a month long tradition in Cebu.
The mission of NICE is to encourage the various groups that make up our society to learn about each other’s traditions and customs in order to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of what each group brings to our community.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The festival receives high praise from the office of Norwalk's Mayor, Harry Rilling on the NICE website which says "In Norwalk, we make it a point to celebrate the uniqueness of our community and all the diverse cultures our city represents. No other event exemplifies the beautiful melting pot that Norwalk exhibits as well as the NICE Festival."
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The performers listed on their website included the Mike Camacho Quintet which performed a Jazz Tribute to Norwalk's own Horace Silver, Mariachi Mexico Antiguo featuring Tere Luna a Traditional Mexican Folkloric Ensemble, NYTAK, the Akwaaba Ensemble from Ghana, Rick Reyes who brought Latin American Fusion with more music provided by DJ Kebi who has spun at Aspen and the events worldwide.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
LymanAID Fundraising Festival Raises Over $40K For Ukrainian Sister Cities
Several hundred people attended the LymanAid event in Southport on Saturday and were treated to great food and great music form the very popular local group the Mike McGovern Band and as well as patriotic Ukrainian songs performed by Olga Olichka a lovely Ukrainian singer who regularly performs for events aimed at raising funds for helping the people of Ukraine as they endure more than 500 days of suffering and sacrifice. In keeping with the Ukrainian spirit food was given to festival attendees with free will donations gratefully accepted.
Photos And Story by J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Above, Left: Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Center: Easton First Selectman David Bindleglass, Right: (L to R) Marshall Mayer, co-founder and President, Ukraine Aid International (UAI) Clyde Wauchope, Volunteer Coordinator, UAI, Connie Von Zwehl, LymanAID Organizer, Brian Mayer, Co-Founder and Executive Director, UAI
UAI Press Release - Southport, CT - July 9, 2023
LymanAID, a remarkable fundraising festival, was held today at the Ukrainian American Club in Southport, CT, with the aim of supporting Ukraine Aid International, Inc., a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization. The event was organized to further assist the Sister City of Lyman in Ukraine, as well as six additional towns in Connecticut that have been paired with Sister Cities in Ukraine.
The festival commemorated the thriving partnership between Westport and Lyman, which began in December 2022. Demonstrating their unwavering commitment, Westport successfully raised more than $250,000 for Lyman, enabling critical aid initiatives. These include the procurement of two trash trucks, repairs to six apartment buildings, revitalizing the town's agricultural sector through seed distributions, and much more.
Press Release continued:
Expanding its scope to incorporate other Connecticut towns, LymanAID welcomed guests from every Sister City involved. Participants included representatives from Fairfield, Easton, Weston, Ridgefield, Greenwich, Stamford, and LymanAID's host town, Fairfield. Notable dignitaries in attendance were Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Representative Jim Himes (CT-04), First Selectwoman Jen Tooker of Westport, First Selectman David Bindelglass of Easton, First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor of Weston, First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchik of Fairfield, and Chief of Police Foti Koskinas of Westport. The event was meticulously organized by Connie Von Zwehl and graciously hosted by the Ukrainian American Club of Southport.
LymanAID was further enriched by the generous support of local vendors who donated their time, food, and goods. Special thanks go to 203 Brick Oven Pizza, Saugatuck Sweets, AZYR Specs, and Keller Williams Westport Realty for their invaluable contributions.
Photos by J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Press Release continued:
Marshall Mayer, President of Ukraine Aid International, expressed his gratitude, saying, "LymanAID exemplifies the power of collaboration and compassion. The remarkable support received today will significantly impact the lives of those residing in Lyman and our sister cities across Eastern Ukraine. We are immensely grateful for the generous contributions made at this event."
Additionally, heartfelt appreciation goes out to the dedicated volunteers of the Ukrainian American Club of Southport who played an integral role in making the event a reality.
While organizers continue to tally the final donation figures from the generous contributors at LymanAid, early indications suggest that over $30,000 has been raised for Lyman and the other sister cities in Eastern Ukraine. The event was privately underwritten, guaranteeing that 100% of the funds raised will directly benefit Ukraine Aid International and their ongoing efforts to support Lyman and the Ukrainian sister cities.
For further information about the impactful work carried out by Ukraine Aid International and to make a tax-deductible donation to support their work, please visit www.ukraineaidinternational.org.
Anyone wishing to help can contact Ukraine Aid International, Inc. via email: contact@ukraineaidinternational.org
The mayor of Lyman, Oleksandr Zhuravlov appeared on a TV monitor and addressed the audience about the devastation his city has suffered.
As Westporter's have seen in media reports Zhuravlov hosted our First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Police Chief Foti Koskinas and Easton First Selectman David Bindleglass on a recent visit to Lyman, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker spoke with sadness at the recent news of more destruction to Westport's sister city, Lyman as a result of renewed Russian missle attacks which took the lives of nine people in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, a city which was retaken by Ukrainian forces last year.
Tooker told WestportLocalPress, "Saturday’s shelling of our sister city Lyman makes me even more committed to delivering personalized, respectful, effective humanitarian aid to them through the efforts of the non-profit Ukraine Aid International. Thank you to our generous Westport community. You are making a difference in the lives of regular people who are now caught between being victims and heroes"
Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Fairfield Westport First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick, Easton First Selectman David Bindleglass.
U.S Senator Richard Blumenthal spoke passionately about the determination of the U.S. to support Ukraine, including providing the military hardware and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine defend their homeland and to stop what is widely believed to be Putin's possible aggression against other countries in the region.
Photos And Story by J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Mike McGovern Band kept the event rocking’.
Mother-Daughter Team Luba and Yaroslava Zamoyska offered art, blankets, wood art, cat toys, doggie bandanas all handmade by them, as well as photos donated by a local photographer. Proceeds from everything sold were donated to assist Ukraine. Both women are proud to demonstrate dedication to their cause and their homeland and have gotten tattoos with the ubiquitous Ukrainian national symbol, the Tryzub trident we have seen everywhere which Yaroslava (left) proudly displays.
Photos And Story by J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Volunteers braved the hot weather and even hotter grills to serve up delicious food offerings.
Photos And Story by J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Left: Julia Voytovych of Ridgefield Holds one of the artwork pieces offered, a very hard-hitting paiting showing the flag of Ukraine bringing focus on the bloodshed of innocent Ukrainians.
Westport artist and designer Miggs Burroughs designed and produced one of his lenticualr photographs which commemorates the sinking of the pride of the Russian Black Sea fleet, the flagship Moskva (Moscow in Russian) on April 14th. 2022. The piece show the vessel steaming along one minute and when turned a few degrees, shows the sinking of the ship after being struck by two R-360 Ukrainian subsonic anti-ship cruise missiles which reportedly infuriated Putin.Burroughs was asked by Mark Yurkiw who, along with Miggs is of Ukrainian decent, to create about 20 of them for a stamp convention in New Jersey last year to raise money. They sold for about $100 each And several were sold. As well as being a fundraiser, Burroughs and Yurkiw thought it would make a great statement about the Ukranian’s strength and resolve to show the ship actually sinking, which Miggs created with Photoshop using the original photo. The envelope with a stamp and an illustration related to the stamp is called a “First Day Cover” and is very collectible in the stamp world.
Again, Anyone wishing to help can contact Ukraine Aid International, Inc. via email: contact@ukraineaidinternational.org