Wreckers Hopes For FCIAC Playoff Berth Dashed In Danbury
The Staples girls basketball team was hoping for a win last night against the Hatters of Danbury which would earn them a spot in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference post season tourney, but despite leaving it all on the court for 32 minutes, it was not to be.
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In a game which was exceptionally physical, with one tie-up after another becoming fierce battles for possession, and body contact which must have left both teams bruised today, the Wreckers were in it until the final five minutes.
The Wreckers came out strong, scoring two quick buckets in the first two minutes, but Danbury fought back tying the game 8-8 midway through the period. Staples held a one point advantage at the end of the first quarter thanks in part to sophomore stand-out Sarah Von Dohlen who posted 8 of her game-high 22 points.
The second quarter saw the lead change several times with Staples overcoming a five point deficit to go into the locker room leading 32-25 behind buckets by sophomore Freya Harvey, 3-pointers by Von Dohlen and sophomore Emma Asiel, junior Ella Harrington who was second leading scorer with 11 points total and who plays alongside her twin sister Poppy.
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The Wreckers expanded their lead to ten points early in the third period, however things went downhill from there with Danbury closing to within one at the end of the period. Staples had no answer for 5’11” Danbury center Lily Bevington who was able to score from the post and with a couple of quick scores the Hatters took the lead, 43-40 and then expanded the lead to eight. With 1:30 left to play, Danbury was firmly in control, leading 56-48, with Von Dohlen draining a trey in the final minute, the Wreckers fell to Danbury by the final score of 58-55. Adding to the Wreckers scoring were sophomore Sadie Katzner who finished with six points, Asiel with seven, junior Sophia Martin adding three and Marley Belzer who finished with two.
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Music Fans Add Cool Jazz Concert At Westport Library To Their Super Bowl Sunday Activities
More than 130 music lovers came to the Trefz Forum at the Westport Library to enjoy a special performance by internationally know recording artist Sherry Winston and her very talented band on Super Bowl Sunday. The appreciative crowd were wowed by the musicianship of this seasoned band and the one hour plus show concluded with a standing ovation.
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Ms. Winston told WestportLocalPress, “I was so happy to be asked to perform at the Westport Library on Super Bowl Sunday. I knew nothing about the library in advance and was so pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the structure, the professionalism of the staff, the magnificence of the sound system, Sound Engineer and Videographer. I was doubly surprised by the number of people who came out to see me on a day which was the most televised sports show in the U.S. The audience was very supportive and attentive to me and my band and made performing for them a total joy. Kudos to Jennifer Keller, Program Director, Travis, Sound Engineer and David,Videographer. They all did a magnificent job and made us comfortable and very happy with the quality of the sound & video.”
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Sherry told several stories during the show from her years in the music industry. One such anecdote was how her flute career began, which was pretty much by accident, or perhaps destiny. When in junior high school in Queens, Sherry wanted to join the music program and when the list of applicants was called alphabetically to choose their instrument to study, the petite Ms. Winston was left with two choices, flute or tuba. The choice was pretty clear.
One of Ms. Winston’s fondest memories was a performance where the great Stevie Wonder was in the audience. The story goes: Several years ago I had the opportunity to play a tribute concert for the late Hal Jackson who was the first Black DJ in the U.S. and a 50 year presence on WBLS radio in NYC !! Hal's wife Debi Jackson was giving a 96th birthday party for him in Lower Manhattan and asked me if I would come and do a tribute to Hal. Of course I considered it an honor to be asked to perform along with some of the biggest names in R&B music like Melba Moore. I was the only Jazz artist asked to participate.
Debi told me that she was also asking Stevie Wonder to come and honor Hal, since Hal had been instrumental in Stevie’s career when he was first starting out as “Little Stevie Wonder.” Hal gave him much needed air time on WBLS and promoted his first LP. Debi Had me rehearse a song that Stevie wrote called “Pastime Paradise,” with a band that she put together for Hal’s party. I had recorded “Pastime Paradise,” on my 4th CD and was excited about the possibility of performing the song for Stevie.
When Stevie came to the venue Debi asked me to start playing the song with the band. When Stevie heard his song being played he immediately followed the sound and pulled out his Harmonica and began to play with me. We were joined by the Icon Valerie Simpson on Piano who performed & wrote many hit songs as part of the Duo Ashford & Simpson. It was truly a night to remember and will always hold a special place in my heart.
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Joining Sherry in her band were Richard Cummings on Keyboards, who attended Julliard and has performed with Harry Belafonte, conductor Zubin Mehta, internationally known Hugh Masekela, Wayne Shorter, renowned singer Dianne Reeves.
Also, Grammy winning drummer Joe Ham who has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Gloria Gaynor, Sam & Dave, The Platters, Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Marvellettes, and Tom Browne. In addition, Clarke has performed for TV shows The Cosby Show, A Different World, and Living Single. His Grammy was awarded for the Deniece Williams album This is my Song.
Steve Clarke playing electric bass has performed with Marion Meadows, Estaban, Tom Browne, Victor Fields, The Five Satins, Ben E. King, The Drifters, Coasters, and Sam & Dave. He has released seven albums under his own name, with his latest featuring Mike Stern, and has performed on more than 55 albums with other artists.
This exceptional concert can be enjoyed on the Westport Library YouTube channel: The Sherry Winston Band at The Westport Library
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At the conclusion of the show, Sherry did a meet & greet, signing copies of her CD’s and her book- For Lovers Only: “A Cookbook and More,” a how-to book on entertaining from the moment your guests enter your home until the second they leave. Her book, which was created over several years includes recipes for delicious, easily prepared dishes, recommendations for great music, good wine and beautiful flowers. Author/musician Sherry Winston helps everyone create the perfect ambience for a fun evening or special occasion.
As a bonus Sherry has included her mellow CD, "For Lovers Only, "which is perfect musically for any time night or day as part of this great package.
To learn more about Sherry’s music and her cookbook, visit: sherrywinston.com
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CT DOT Amends Transportation Improvement Plan To Include Funding For Cribari Bridge Project
The South Western Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (SWRMPO) announced that it has placed an amendment to the FFY 2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), as requested by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CT DOT), for the right of way and final design phase for the rehabilitation/replacement of the State-owned Bridge No. 01349, a/k/a William F. Cribari Memorial Bridge. The TIP is a dynamic list of all highway and public transit projects proposed to be undertaken utilizing Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration funding during federal fiscal years 2021-2024 within Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Stamford, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.
See Town Website For Details: Cribari Bridge Project Update
Staples Gymnastics Heads Into FCIAC Championships On Saturday
Staples Gymnastics has had a strong season and will compete on Saturday in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference Championships, one of the two major meets in gymnastics. The Wreckers will be seeded in the top three in this competition.
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On Tuesday, Staples competed against the Norwalk and Wilton teams, photos from that competition are here. Staples coach Kelsey Martin also coaches the Norwalk High School team which has had their most successful gymnastics season in more than 15 years. They have won 5 matches and achieved much individual success.
Staples Gymnastics is led by Senior captain Victoria Fidalgo Schioppa (bars, beam and floor) and junior captain Sofia Alarcon Frias (all-around). Watch out for the talented all-arounders in Sophomores of Sarah Arango, Hannah Bitsky and Mia Cochran.
Here are the scores for Tuesday’s competition for the top Staples and Norwalk Performers:
Vault - Staples - Manar and Mia 8.3; Norwalk - Katie 8.1
Bars - Staples - Sarah 9.0; Norwalk - Sam 8.55
Beam - Staples - Sofia 8.8; Norwalk - Sam 8.0
Floor - Staples - Sofia and Manar 9.0; Norwalk - Kaite 8.4
All around - Staples - Sofia 34.65; Norwalk - Sam 32.55
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Even though Staples lost a talented trio of seniors last year, they added a ton of talent and depth this year with 7 freshmen. Unfortunately within the last two weeks, two of Staples top performers this year, Laura Guster and Emilia Fletcher sustained season ending injuries.
Staples is training hard to overcome from the key injuries. They are taking advantage of the depth of the team and are ready to perform at a high level in FCIAC's and States.
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