Saugatuck Congregational’s Message Of Inclusion And Affirmation
The rainbow chairs on the front lawn of the church convey the message of the church proclaiming that all are welcome.
Photos and story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
Saugatuck Congregational Church recently added another visual message to the peace sign which they installed earlier this year (WestportLocalPress: Message of Peace) when they welcomed their new Interim Minister Reverend Kari J. Nicewander. The collection of rainbow Adirondack chairs appears with a banner proclaiming “There’s a seat for everyone at God’s table.”
This message stands in stark contrast to the recent vandalism at Westport’s noted Rainbow Crosswalk at Jesup Green and helps to reinforce Westport’s strongly held creed of being a welcoming community where there is indeed a place for everyone.
Reverend Nicewander told WestportlocalPress, “As a member of the queer community, it means so much to me that Saugatuck Church has been affirming of LGBTQ+ people for so many years. As the Interim Minister at Saugatuck, it means so much to me that we share that message of love, affirmation, and inclusion with the broader community. We believe that God created us as we are - gay, straight, queer, lesbian, bisexual, non-binary, transgender, etc - and that God celebrates us as we are. We are not just accepting of queer community and people, we are queer community, and we rejoice in the diversity of God's creation.”
Photos and story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com
New York Air Show: Into The Wild Blue Yonder
WestportLocalPress went on a road trip to the Orange County, NY Airport to see the legendary United States Air Force Thunderbirds precision flight squadron on Saturday.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Joining the Thunderbirds this year at the show, flying in the United States for the first time in more than 30 years is the Italian Air Force precision squadron, Frecce Tricolori, which is the world’s largest, with ten aircraft flying exceptional maneuvers. Their tour this year is commemorating the 500th anniversary of Giovanni da Verrazzano's expedition to America in 1524.
The photos above show the Thunderbirds in their signature Diamond formation, flying as close as two feet apart, and Frecce Tricolori’s ten plane Delta formation, with their smoke generators proudly showing the red, white and green of the Italian flag.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Thunderbird signature maneuvers include a vertical climb with each plane banking in a different direction and their canopy-to-canopy slow flight down the runway center line a few feet apart.
The headliner USAF Thunderbirds fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon and perform a combination of formation and solo maneuvers in an inspiring, patriotic, high energy demonstration that thrills and draws gasps from the crowd. To see more on these, some of America’s finest pilots, visit: USAF Thunderbirds.
The show continued on Sunday August 11th. Orange County Airport is less than 1-1/2 hours from Westport, at 500 Dunn Rd, Montgomery, NY.
Visit: NY Air Show for more information. Air shows are held each year at Orange County Airport and on Memorial Day weekend at Jones Beach on Long Island.
Photos And Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Fishing The Sound, Tern-Style
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The Common Tern in these photos were part of a group of 6 or 8 that practiced a fishing method called “plunge diving”, where they sight a fish close to the surface, on the wing and then dive into the water, taking the fish. They were not successful each time, but they eventually grabbed a nice dinner. This group may well have been part of colony which nests out on Cockenoe Island.
AllAboutBirds.org states, “Common Terns nest in colonies on the ground in areas with loose sand, gravel, shell, or cobble pebbles typically less than 350 feet from the water. They tend to choose areas with scattered, low-growing vegetation to provide cover for chicks.” Their clutch size is anywhere from 1-4 eggs with an incubation period of 22-27 days.
He’s In There Somewhere!
These 3 guys knew a fun, exhilarating way to beat the heat last week, splashing in the Sound on their powerful jet skis.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
The guy in blue seemed to be the alpha rider of the trio, pushing the envelope with tight turns at quite a clip, challenging the other riders.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.