A Visit To Christmas Past
Revisitng the magic of Rick & Joan Setti’s Spectacular Christmas Village which ran for 26 years nearby in Norwalk.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
For nearly three decades generations of people, young and old made their yearly pilgrimage to Norwalk each December to one the the greatest Christmas displays in Connecticut and actually one of the best in the country. That fact was established in 2014 when the nationally televised ABC show, “The Great Christmas Light Fight” airing for it’s second year awarded the Settis first place which came with a $50,000 prize.
Rick and Joan’s reaction was stunned amazement in a moment that is a must see, click here: Great Christmas Light Fight.
There are no doubt hundreds and hundreds of Westporters with fond memories of one day being children and teens brought by their parents to years later being parents brining their own little ones to find amazement and joy at the sight. Alone approached the families home they could see they were on the right road as the glow of the lights was visible even before you got to the house.
The family and friends would begin assembling their display, which included 150,000 lights and over 700 hand-made characters in September to get ready for the big day after Thanksgiving Day.
That is when the City made their Midwood Road in Norwalk’s West Rocks section a one way street to try to manage the hundreds of cars which would arrive at dusk to marvel at the brilliant spectacle the Settis created. They added to their display over the years as Rick would create characters from across the spectrum of children’s entertainment in his wood shop and wife Joan would lovingly hand paint each figure. There was everything from early Disney films such as Snow White to the Peanuts Gang. There were scores of snowmen, Surfs galore, their North Pole Village and the scenes from the birth of Jesus. There were numerous room vignettes which the children would clamor into and pose for photos. The demand for electric service was so great CL&P, now Eversource had to install a dedicated transformer to handle the demand.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The biggest day for the Settis was in fact Christmas Eve. This was when, at “their invitation” Santa and Mrs. Clause would take up their positions and hand out a candy cane to every child who came to sit on Santa’s lap to answer the age old question, “And what would you like for Christmas this year?”, no doubt hoping their Christmas wish would be granted the next morning. This would easily be a four hour process and they were able to tally the number of children who each received one candy cane which sometimes numbers more than 800 children.
The great gift of the first place finish was a poignant one for the Setti’s, who were then in their 70’s and would be making their last Christmas Miracle that year. They told everyone they would hold a tag sale after their season was over so that the beautiful pieces that had been a part of so many people’s lives would then become part of those family’s Christmas decorations.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Staples High School Presented Their 83rd Annual Gift Of Joy To Westport
As they have now for 83 years, the Staples Symphonic Band, Symphonic Orchestra and Choral Ensemble gave the people of Westport and it’s surrounds the gift of a joyous holiday concert in what has become recognized as exceptional musicianship, superb vocals and creative, top-notch production values from the moment the candle procession entered the auditorium.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open galleries.
As always, the Friday and Saturday performances were sold out almost immediately which one can see by the photo of the packed house. Many were excited to see the world premier presentation of the first commissioned work for Candlelight in 40 years which was composed by by 2013 graduates Jake Landau and Emily Garber.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open galleries.
The achievements of the talented musicians and choir were on full display under the leadership of the Staples music department. Their new choir director Lauren Pine joined perfectly with orchestra directors Jeri Brima and Carrie Mascaro, and Band director Philip Giampietro along with assistant Caitlin Serpliss in producing another outstanding and joyful holiday experience.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open galleries.
And as always, for the Hallelujah Chorus finale the audience was invited to stand as alumni from Staples classes happily joined the full orchestra and choir in song.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com. Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
From Behind the Ice Cream Counter: Support Local
Note from the Editor the Ice Cream Scooper:
When I was 18, I saw an email from Al DiGuido about needing people to help scoop ice cream on the weekends.
Last night, now 26 years old, I helped lock the doors to Saugatuck Sweets Westport for its final time. It began to rain again as the small group of us stood outside looking at the darkened storefront. As one young girl said as she left the store: “they’re tears.”
A chapter ended for the Westport institution; the story continues at the Fairfield location on Reef Road. Same ice cream, candy, Al’s Angels spirit, and good people.
However, as I sit here today, I cannot thank the DiGuidos and the Saugatuck Sweets family enough for all that it’s given me. I was able to work for a locally owned business - and experience every up and down that comes with it. As Westport continues to evolve, I wonder how many teens will ever experience the wonders of working for a family-owned place in Westport. The frustration, the joy, the camaraderie of the staff, feelings of success after surviving a busy night.
From behind an ice cream counter I could observe a very different view of the community. I learned a lot with my head facing the ice cream bins.
I’ve been privy to devastation; a child getting a scoop of ice cream just before his parents gave him the news of his classmate passing away. “You’re lying” he said as he put down his ice cream. I can still hear him saying it. I kept scooping.
I’ve been privy to triumph; siblings running in and both ordering double scoops as they tell me about their mother’s cancer treatment, and how well it was going and the ice cream they’d bring back to her as she rested at home. Their whole family has come in ever since. I kept scooping.
I’ve been privy to pride; dozens of elementary schoolers lined the sidewalk after their concerts - the kids shouting and yelling orders as parents bravely protected their white dresses or button down shirts. Kids in basketball uniforms, soccer cleats, football pads, ballet flats, “Class of 20##” logowear; adults in softball jerseys, business suits, pajamas; police officers, firefighters, EMTs and paramedics in uniform. I kept scooping.
I kept scooping as families came in week after week, year after year. Some came in small enough to be lifted-up to see the ice cream, and left this weekend while looking me in my eyes. I’ve watched as mothers, who enjoyed their free scoops while pregnant, came in with their newborns. Just two weekends ago, a man came in without his wife, but with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen; on his phone was a photo of his beautiful newborn son, and his wife’s ice cream order that he was going to bring home as they get settled in to their new normal. Some of those newborns from our first years in business are in elementary school now - I was able to scoop them their first ice cream as an infant, and their 150th ice cream. They refer to the owners as “aunt” or “uncle”. A few came in to say “goodbye” to the store, and “see you in Fairfield” to the staff.
I kept scooping until we entered the pandemic - then everyone stopped scooping, but Chris and Lisa worked day and night to get families their Easter baskets by leaving them outside on the benches; holding together a store and a business that thrives on long lines and a packed parlor in the midst of a pandemic.
Some things were ritual - each night the entire staff shared dinner together - something that meant even more after the pandemic, some of us coming in just to share dinner even if we weren’t on the schedule to work. We got to know the Saugatuck restaurants and their staffs, like Tutti’s and Match Burger Lobster. We watched as some closed down - like Julian’s, and Parker Mansion, even Commuter Coffee where I’d enjoy breakfast before helping open the shop.
From behind the counter I met some really wonderful people - people who will remain a part of my life much longer than I would have expected any ice cream customer to be.
I’ve also met some really wonderful colleagues - colleagues who will also remain part of my life after we spent some very, very long nights scooping together. We experienced the kindness of some customers, the anger of others. We could predict the orders of people just by looking at them, we knew the orders of the local kids who arrived by bikes or kayaks just the same as the older folks who walked in with their walking canes and their own cooler bag that as ready to carry their to-go quarts home. All of those colleagues now dot the Earth - at school, at jobs, traveling or just “being.” All of them will forever be marked by the shiver they get from hearing the jingle of the bell as the door swung open, and all will forever be marked by some pretty firm forearm muscles.
On rainy days, Chris would make sure that one of us would grab the umbrella that was kept in the corner to walk customers out to their cars if they were moving a bit slower.
On hot summer days, droves of people would show up barefooted and shirtless from their boats or the beach. They’d stare into the window while we worked on their orders, bringing them outside while the salt water still dripped from their hair as the mint ice cream drops began to fall, too. Some parents just borrowed our garden hose to wash down their kids outside after particularly messy encounters with a particularly large ice cream cone on especially hot days.
One night - a group of middle schoolers came in. Customers complained about their loud voices and the space they were taking-up. They were acting like, well, middle schoolers. After a quick conversation, they turned out to be incredible - they ended up sweeping the floors as our crew worked on closing after a busy summer night; they always stopped in to say hi as they rode their bikes past the shop in the years after that.
One afternoon (one of my first ever being allowed to work alone) - a woman came in and asked if I had hot balls. Pallor took over my face and I stuttered for words. She then corrected herself, and asked if we had “Fire Balls”. I pointed to the bin of cinnamon candies, then sat myself down while trying to regain feeling in my fingers and called the owners with my story. I was laughed at, and am still laughed at, for my adolescent misunderstanding.
Another night - a woman came in and ordered a single ice cream; she usually ordered two for the several years leading up to that point. She was told that the ice cream was “on us” when she attempted to pay, and she broke down crying. She continued to come in every week after that - her single ice cream was always ready.
One afternoon - a child came in and we asked about the best and worst part of his week. He exclaimed that he had failed a math test. We took out some dry erase markers - and he, the two other ice cream scoopers, and I all practiced math problems on the ice cream case glass. He came in a few months later and was very proud of the high mark he received on his maths exam, and he continued those good grades for years afterward.
In the midst of a snowstorm, I drove down and opened up the shop on a whim - the parlor was pure magic in a snowstorm. A few police officers stopped in to chat and for a scoop, a few snowplow drivers enjoyed some hot coffee, and then 3 kids showed up with literal skis and snowboards after a long day shredding the gnar at the Birchwood Country Club hill. Everyone began to crowd into the shop as the Christmas lights alerted them to our being open. We ended up propping the door open as people came and went - snow swirling around the Christmas tree in the courtyard as kids slid on the iced over puddles.
On another evening, with a line out of the door - a mother approached me at the cash register. She handed me a jar of honey with her child’s name on it; it came from his own beehive. The child had passed away, the mother explained, and they wanted me to have some of his honey. The glass jar now sits on my desk at home.
Saugatuck Sweets was the epitome of small-town and locally-owned. Some of our first customers, who were just six years old when Chris and Al opened the store, became official employees this past summer - some of them asking every month for years “how old do I have to be to work here?” Their pictures lined the ceiling - each year they got taller and older - the pictures of the local kids remained a time capsule that will now head to Fairfield.
Some of our Saugatuck neighbors became our closest friends - we shared meals, laughs, and complaints as the neighborhood continued to evolve. We celebrated, we vented. We watched the world go by from one of the greatest spots in the world - the parlor was electric on a busy night, peaceful and calming on the coldest winter afternoons - the river and tides constantly giving us a rhythm by which we could work by. Scoop, after scoop, after scoop.
I was spoiled for having Saugatuck Sweets as a weekend job. After particularly long days - I knew I could stop in to the shop to vent to whichever staff members were there. I knew that during my busiest and hardest weeks, I would get a text message from Chris or Lisa that simply said “cookies just came out of the oven”, because they knew I was a sucker for a warm cookie. Everyone put up with my lack of attention-span, especially when I would hear the horn blow that announced the Cribari Bridge opening - and I’d run out to watch every. single. time. I spent hours and hours working on this website after the doors locked - I would sit outside at one of the tables or inside at the countertop and write and re-write until things looked just right, with shots of espresso in between to keep me going. Some days I’d take my small Boston Whaler to work instead of driving, always keeping a spare pair of shoes at the store in case I showed up damp from the drive over, almost always showing up on “Jaime Time” [late].
I was even spoiled for being able to mop the floor - when the world was turned upside down around us, I just scrubbed harder until the seemingly endless drips of ice cream came off of the small blue and white tiles and everything else didn’t matter as much. Back and forth, more hot water, back and forth. A therapy all its own.
Westport was spoiled by this landmark - a cornerstone of many childhoods, and many moments of growing up; a first job, a first ice cream, the first time allowed to go out with friends with a five dollar bill in-hand; a first date, a place to meet after a meeting, or before a meeting; a place to go to celebrate, or to console. Dozens of donations to countless PTAs, sports teams, schools, charities, and free scoops for being pregnant, wearing a helmet on your bike, or just being kind sometimes. It was simply “the place.” We might not have known your name, but we definitely knew your favorite flavor.
As we head into the final days of the holiday season: I urge all of you to support our local businesses. Make it a point to go out and spend some money at your favorites this week. Don’t wait until the news article comes out announcing their closure. These businesses support the community you live in - so go support your community; support the small guys. They don’t have corporations to fall back on when times get tough - they have us.
Thank you to everyone who helped “raise” me the past 8 years from behind the ice cream counter. An experience that has changed my life. I can only hope that the next generations of Westporters will have family-owned businesses to work for as they, too, grow up in our community.
In partnership,
Jaime Bairaktaris, Editor & Ice Cream Scooper
The neon lights turn off for the final time.
Twinkling Lights Create Downtown Glow
On Saturday night, the glowing lights from the buildings on the west bank of the Saugatuck are reflected in the near high tide. Christmas lights which adorn Main Street and Church Lane for the holiday season add to the cheery ambience for many shoppers working to finish getting gifts for Christmas as the big day nears. Downtown restaurants were also busy as Westport shoppers and visitors sometimes waited on short lines for a seat at their favorite restaurant.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge image.
Voices Midwinter Concert Brings A Capella Magic To Westport
Windborne's Music of Midwinter brought incomparable vocal harmonies to the Unitarian Universalist Voices Cafe in the latest of their exceptional concert series last night!
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Above, right, Voices Director Dave Caplin introduces Windborne to to the one hundred audience members.
The evening’s performance offered gorgeous songs from holiday times of old , brought to new life by the ensemble of Jeremy Carter-Gordon, Lynn Rowan, Lauren Breunig and Will Rowan gave Voices Cafe audiences a real treat. With voices honed by decades of experience and a deep friendship, there was an unmatched creative energy in the room last night and Windborne had the audience singing, clapping and on their feet!
Windborne delivered what NPR promised: "...the stunningly powerful Windborne sets a new bar for harmony singing today!”
Voices Cafe is a 100% volunteer run live music venue, dedicated to bringing the power of song to our local community while supporting social justice causes across the region. It is a cabaret style venue at which guest can enjoy their top-notch musical offerings while they bring their own food and libations. December 16th's concert benefited Bridgeport's Helping Hands Outreach, and its holiday toy drive.
Voices Cafe has a strong line up for 2024, starting with on Feb 3rd's concert featuring social justice troubadour Crys Matthews, called "the next generation's Woody Guthrie". This concert will benefit Trans Haven, a program of New Haven's Peer Pride.
Tickets and information is available at VoicesCafe.org.
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MoCA Westport Brings The Holiday Cheer With Evening Of Holiday And Classical Music
Thursday evening Kristen Young and Joe Bush wowed the audience with their dynamic collaboration for the second year running at MoCA Westport.
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Kristen Young graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Master of Music in Violin Performance and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship, and from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Music in Music Management. Kristen is the Director of Performing Arts at MoCA where she heads the Music at MoCA Concert Series and the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition. She also teaches violin at the Westport School of Music and plays in the American Chamber Orchestra.
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Joseph Bush is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (UCONN) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in music under the tutelage of Irma Vallecillo. He received his masters in piano performance from Indiana University studying under Alexander Toradze. Joe has played in numerous venues over many diverse genres. After graduating he has been the artist in residence at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Newburgh New York. Since being there, he has revived and developed their choral program to include 20+ members.Joe makes his living teaching privately, maintaining a studio of over 50+ students. He also accompanies all over Fairfield County and the greater New York area.
Concert Guests Also Enjoyed The New Exhibit Of Artist Purvis Young
While waiting for Kristen Young and Joseph Bush to take the stage, visitors on Saturday night viewed the current exhibition, “This Is The Life I See” by acclaimed artist Purvis Young whose work appears in these photographs.
Purvis Young (1943 – 2010) was an entirely self-taught artist who dealt with the plight of the underprivileged and the consequences of racism and daily violence through a highly distinctive visual style. Young lived his entire life in the Miami, FL neighborhood of Overtown, once an entertainment destination as well as a designated black neighborhood in the segregated South.
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Young created thousands of works that featured a mixture of painting and drawing with collaged elements, utilizing everyday discarded found objects such as scrap lumber and plywood. Some are large and some are small. Some are landscapes. Some are portraits. Some have figures, people. Some of these people have bodies. Some of these people have eyes. Some have both, some have neither.
Young’s work radiates rawness. His paintings indulge in color and shape. They are riddled with unrest and animation. They are intensely prolific. Ultimately, Young’s work is a dialogue of binaries. Freedom versus struggle. White versus black. Country versus city. Movement versus confinement. History versus contemporary. Truth versus deceit. Rich versus poor.
Visit Soon! The exhibit runs through December 29th. For more information visit: mocawestport.org/exhibitions
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Pequot Library Hosts Annual Menorah Lighting For Westport & Fairfield Communities
On Tuesday the Jewish communities of Westport and Fairfield joined for a Menorah lighting at the Pequot Library in Southport. The site has been chosen in the last few years as it is the midway point for the two communities. The event on the sixth night of Chanukah was organized by the Westport Chabad, Rabbi Yehudi Kantor and Rabbi Shame Landa of Fairfield Chabad. While waiting for the lighting ceremony to begin lighting the six candles, guests enjoyed treats such as delicious donuts.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The memorable event began with a multiple car parade which had lighted menorahs mounted on the roofs and which was facilitated by the Westport and Fairfield police departments.
The exciting festivities were quite the Chanukah celebration, the sonic background for which was provided by DJ Marv exciting the close to 100 guests by spinning a curated soundtrack that resonated with the spirit of Chanukah. The playlist featured electrifying remixes, including hits like "Candlelight" by the Maccabeats, a parody which told the story of Chanukah in a unique and clever way to the tune of the Taio Cruz hit, “Dynamite” The track included lyrics like “I flip my latkes in the air sometimes, sayin' ay oh spin the dreidel.” He presented a soulful "Hanukkah Song Mashup" by Elliot Dvorin and the Key Tov Orchestra and other crowd favorites.
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The finale after the lighting was provided by Lady Blaze, a fire spinner and fire dancer for more than 20 years, who put on an amazing show with a dazzling display of skill and precision with multiple flaming props including a burning hula hoop.
Rabbi Kantor included in his remarks that “Chanukah is the Holiday of Lights with a strong message of hope over despair, triumph of good over evil and the empowerment of everyone to make a difference in this world.”
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John Brandt, Y’s Men’s Classical Music Aficionado Presented “The Soundtrack Of Our Lives” At Westport Library
Y’s Man John Brandt told an audience of attentive Westporters that “Music is everywhere in our lives”, the theme of his multi-media presentation last night at the Westport Library. The program tracked the impact of music on a variety of art forms in a range of venues. Brandt, a lifelong Westporter, highlighted how music has become the soundtrack of our lives.
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“Music has become a driving force in making our lives more vibrant, music is everywhere,” Brandt said, extolling names as diverse as Leonard Bernstein, Michael Tilson Thomas, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, Staples High School and Aaron Copeland as contributors to his love of music and dance.
“From the concert hall, to iconic stage productions, to films of every description, music has become the underscore that carries us along.” His presentation included various video clips of the “The Nutcracker,” Fred Astaire, Jimmy Cagney, Gene Kelly and the cast of “A Chorus Line”, and Walt Disney’s 1940 feature film Fantasia, which brought classical masterpieces to a wide audience in an animated film which cost 50 million dollars in today’s money.
To see this special presentation click here: https://vimeo.com/894659816
For further information, contact Dick Kalt at dkalt@optonline.net or by phone at 203.216.5196.
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Artist Collective Hosts Annual 12”x12” Show At Westport Playhouse
On a frosty Tuesday evening, hundreds of people gathered in the warm and cozy barn at the Westport Playhouse to experience the annual 12”x12” art show put on by the Artists Collective of Westport.
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In addition to the 100 pieces of original and affordable art by Collective members in an amazing variety of media, styles and content, there was an 18 foot long table full of food and flowers for guests to enjoy, talented local pianist Caren Cole provided the evening’s beautiful musical accompaniment which included many songs of the season.
The exhibit will be open from 2 PM to 6 PM from Wednesday, December 13 to Sunday, December 17.
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The “Y’s” Men Present: Music - The Soundtrack Of Our Lives At The Westport Library
Westport’s Y’s Men is hosting a special Multi-Media presentation on the intersection of Music and various art forms on Tuesday December 12th at 7:00 PM with guest speaker John Brandt.
Y’s Men Press Release:
Music is everywhere in our lives. That is the theme of a multi-media presentation at the Westport Library on Tuesday evening, December 12th, beginning at 7 p.m. The program, jointly sponsored by the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston and The Westport Library, tracks the impact of music on a variety of art forms in a range of venues. The speaker, John Brandt, a lifelong Westporter, will highlight how music is the soundtrack of our lives.
According to Brandt, a dancer, singer, actor, percussionist and public relations consultant, music is a driving force in making our lives more vibrant. “Music is everywhere,” he says. “From the concert hall, to iconic stage productions, to films of every description, music is the underscore that carries us along. And the selection of video clips that illustrate my program give voice to the variety and impact that music has on each of us.”
Brandt is a founding member of the Staples Orphenians and of the Staples Players. He graduated from the University of Connecticut and studied with a variety of mentors in the arts, including Martha Graham and Alvin Ailey, all in the last century. He describes himself as a lifelong lover of music in all its forms and in all its venues. “You need only walk Compo Beach on any given day to see the small number of people without earbuds to realize how central music is every day.”
The 90-minute program is free, but registration on the Westport Library site is required.
Click Here To Register For This Event
For further information, contact John Brandt at jkbrandt@aol.com or by phone at (203) 246-6280.