Vigil Tonight To Mark 300 Days Of Captivity Of The Israeli Hostages
As we all know, on October 7th, 2023 Hamas staged a stunning attack on Israel, taking more than 200 hostages and killing hudreds more. Many of those kidnapped from their homes and from the Nova music festival near Gaza have been held by Hamas ever since.
This evening at 6 PM, Run4TheirLives-Westport and other humanitarian organizations will hold a vigil on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial Bridge in Westport. Their Communications Director, Jennifer Wolff, told WestportLocalPress, “We will also be reinstalling hostage posters vandalized and removed by another Westport resident. (see WestportLocalPress: Anti-Semitism) Westport Police will be on hand to protect members of the vigil from any violence that may occur.
In January, Melinda Wasserman created the Westport chapter of Run4TheirLives — leading weekly marches on Sundays at 11 AM starting at Playhouse Square and heading across the bridge and back. According to Wolff, “We have not missed a Sunday since, and will not miss one until all of the hostages are home.”
Story By J.C. Martin
Sunday’s Soundview Summer Stroll A Smash!
The inaugural street festival, the Soundview Summer Stroll was by any measure a great success. Instead of cars streaming down Soundview Ave, which runs from the Compo Beach Parking lot, along the beach and ends at Hillspoint and Compo Rd. South, the well-known and picturesque street was filled with Westporters having fun.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
This wonderful, free, family friendly event was presented by Dan Woog’s 06880 Blog and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with an assist from Westport Parks & Rec Department and Westport PD.
There were several great bands, including Rock, Paper, Soul which is pictured here which kicked the party into high gear.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The band got folks literally dancing in the street, both the very young and the not-so-young. They played a long set of varied genres, from rock to pop to Motown.
They may have gigs that paid a bit more, but Rock, Paper, Soul have probably never had a better view while they performed.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Crowd estimates over the course of the 6 hour event was as high as possibly 3,000, including town officials (L. to R.) Kristen Mott Purcell, District 1 RTM member who assisted in organizing the event, First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Second Selectwoman Andrea Moore, Westport Fire Dept. Deputy Chief Matt Cohen, Westport FD’s Jennifer Petrosinelli and co-organizer 06880’s Dan Woog.
The band got folks literally dancing in the street, both the very young and the not-so-young. They played a long set of varied genres, from rock to pop to Motown. The wall was a perfect spot to enjoy the music and watch your friends pass by.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
There were some delicious food offerings provide in part by Old Mill Grocery & Deli by Romanacci which offered a great menu at the same attractive prices as the store, which is not always the case at many fairs and festivals. There was also delicious OG’s delicious gelato, another offering from Romanacci’s Old Mill Grocery.
Romanacci’s had a long line of hungry festival-goers eager to enjoy their fine food, amazing pizza and delicious Italian-style gelato. Dan Woog (center pic) was one of the happy faces waiting for a treat.
Kids had a ball with lots of activities for the little ones, including face painting, crafts and a chance to create a little street art. There were games like tug-of-war and balloon toss that kept them busy. Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Not-To-Be Missed Soundview Summer Stroll This Sunday
Another great summer tradition (we hope) will begin in Westport on Sunday, the Soundview Summer Stroll which takes place July 28th on Soundview Drive at Compo Beach.
Sound view Drive will be closed to traffic from Compo’s Soundview parking lot to the jetty at the intersection of Compo Rd. South and Hillspoint Rd.
This wonderful family friendly event is presented by Dan Woog’s 06880 Blog and the Compo Beach Improvement Association, with an assist from Westport Parks & Rec Department and Westport PD. the fun kicks-off at 11:00AM and will run to 5:00PM. There will be live music from four bands and the usual kid-friendly activities such as face painting, crafts and a balloon artist.
The Compo Beach Playground Committee will be running the schedule. Planned events will include a tug of war on the each hour, with the Water Balloon Toss to follow 20 minutes later and next, an inflatable relay race. Food will be available menu favorites from Old Mill Grocery & Deli.
The event is free, but a beach emblem is required to park. This will be a great, must be-there event so be sure to stop by and get in on the fun.
Plein Air Painting With Flags Flying
Local artist John Forgione can frequently be seen around town at his easel with brush in hand, capturing the many wonderful scenes in Westport. On this day he took advantage of the flags of more than 100 nations which were flying on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Memorial Bridge for last months jUNe Day celebration (WestportLocalPress jUNe Day).
John’s work has been displayed and sold through a variety of Connecticut art shows and galleries including the Fine Line Art Gallery, NEST Arts Factory, New Pond Farm, Rene Soto Gallery, Mark Twain Library, Metro Art Studios, and out of his home studio and gallery in Easton.
John told WestportLocal, “I've lived right next to Westport nearly my entire life (Weston and Easton), and I've always enjoyed the people, the history, and the amenities the town of Westport has to offer. The international flags being flown on the Saugatuck bridge are a high-energy visual, and I was naturally attracted to the scene ... doing my best to capture the day and express the positive energy with paint and brush.” John added, “My lifelong love of nature, and a strong influence of the French and American Impressionists drive my passion for “Plein Air” Painting. I truly enjoy the emotional and physical challenges of painting outdoors, working quickly and fervently to capture the effects of light, weather, form, architecture and nature in my work.”
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge.