Senior Prom Fashion Show

In a scene repeated all over Westport tonight, attendees at the Staples High School senior prom posed for a group picture at one of the student's homes before heading off to the dance in Stamford. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Men in Black

Before heading off to the Staples High School senior prom tonight, this group of men in black took a moment so parents could preserve the moment for posterity. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

All Together

They're more of them, so they're harder to see, but now you can match the boys with the girls who posed before tonight's Staples senior prom. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Pretty as a Picture

Carol Boas snaps a photo of (l-r) daughter Rebecca, Katie DeKraker and Francesca Marshall before tonight's Staples prom. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Another Pre-Prom Photo

Another photo session tonight before the Staples prom. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Martha Nachman for WestportNow.com

Taking to the Stairs

These Staples prom attendees took to the stairs tonight for their pre-event photo session. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Ira Bloom for WestportNow.com

Book Sale Leadership Changes Hands

After more than 10 years as chairman of the Friends of the Westport Library Book Sale, Dick Lowenstein is passing the chairmanship to Mimi Greenlee. Greenlee, past president of PTAs, the United Way, the Westport Young Women’s League and Friends of the Westport Library, takes the helm of one of the largest book sales in the area. She begins her chairmanship with a sale that starts on Saturday, July 16 and will feature more than 60,000 items. Greenlee said about 250 volunteers are needed and asked those interested to phone (203) 291-4840 or go to the library Web site, www.westportlibrary.org. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

A Better Chance Westport Launches New Program

With the graduation from Staples High School of ABC of Westport’s first scholar just days away, the ABC board has announced the launch of a new social and cultural program, “ABC at Play."

The program is designed to help the scholars optimize their ABC program experience and prepare them for life beyond the classroom, an announcement said. This will be done by enhancing their social skills, personal interactions and cultural exposures.

Students will be given an opportunity to broaden their learning by trying new activities in areas such as the arts, careers, colleges, computing, health, finances, the outdoors, sports and spirituality.

The scholars will work with selected “certifiers” who will be volunteers from the community. They will oversee student involvement, ensure that certain goals or criteria are met and provide an opportunity for active reflection and documentation of their experiences, the announcement said.

Scholars will select the majority of their ABC at Play activities based on their personal interests, passions and curiosities.

ABC is currently looking for volunteers with a strong interest and some expertise in these and other areas who will serve as certifiers for the 2005-2006 school year.

An informational session on the program will be held later this month. For more information, contact Tom Richardson at (203) 227-0410 or Barbara Bangser at (203) 454-1488.

Westport Demo: Support Our Troops, Bring Them Home

About a dozen persons demonstrated today on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge in Westport's center urging that passersby support U.S. troops by bringing them home. Organizer Mary Maynard (4th l.) said the protests will continue every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the same spot and urged other Westporters to join them. Estelle Margolis (center, holding gray sign) said the demonstration was a response to a columnist in a local paper who recently asked, "Where's the outrage?," referring to the Iraq War." Said Margolis: "I'm outraged." The demonstrators said in one hour today, 101 passing motorists indicated support with honks or thumbs up and none indicated disagreeement. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Toquet Hall Wraps Up Photo Show, Readies for Painting Exhibit

Toquet Hall, Westport's student coffeehouse on Post Road East, wrapped up its first photography art show Friday. Beginning Tuesday, the teen center will host its second annual drawing and painting show. Guests are welcome to view the exhibit 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. through Friday. Awards will be announced Wednesday at 6 p.m. Max's Art Supply is again the sponsor. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Turf Talk

Guests at a fund-raiser tonight to install artificial turf on town ballfields listen as Staples (and UConn) football great Sean Mulcahy, with Bill Mitchell at his side, welcomes them to the event at Mitchells of Westport. The Staples Gridiron Club's "Field of Dreams Gala" was held to provide seed money for a community project to install the turf for football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and rugby teams. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

A Sign of the Changing Neighborhood

Joan Raymond has lived in Westport's Saugatuck Shores area for 45 years and has placed a new lawn sign outside her home to let everyone know what she thinks of the changes to the neighborhood. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Resident Makes No Secret of What She Thinks of Her Changing Neighborhood

By Dave Matlow

Joan Raymond: "What are they thinking?" Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com Joan Raymond has lived in Westport's Saugatuck Shores area for 45 years and is so unhappy with the way the neighborhood is changing that she has erected a new lawn sign outside her house: "Slow – Pre-McMansion Historic District."

And she has offered to give visitors guided tours of her "vintage house of the Fifties," no appointment needed, before it becomes a teardown like others around her.

“Westport has changed but you have to expect change," says the retired dietician whose sign has drawn so much attention – not to mention admiration – from neighbors that she is going back to the printer for more.

"This is happening all over. My son lives in New Jersey and it’s happening there. But it’s not happening on small lots. Is this a fad or will it continue? Will these oversized houses become white elephants?”

Raymond said she is not opposed to McMansions per se. "It’s the small size of the lot that they built on that is the issue," she said. "We fear that the neighborhood will be become wall-to-wall houses.”

Raymond said recent visitors to her Covlee Drive home wondered about a big house under construction on neighboring Duck Pond Road, asking her, “Are they building condos, a motel?"
Visitors ask: "Is it a condo or motel?" (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

"If only these houses were on 2-, 5- or 10-acre lots it would be magnificent," she said. "But now these houses are falling into the street. What are they thinking?”

Raymond said it frustrates her that while all the gigantic home construction meets Planning and Zoning guidelines, those who want to make changes to their existing homes have to go through a lot of red tape.

"I feel sorry for the poor soul in my neighborhood who wants to make a small modification of his entryway," she said. "He ends up getting the run-around."

She said neighbors no longer want to make improvements to their houses because they feel it will be a teardown anyway and that the improvements will not increase the value.
Invitation to guided tour: No appointment needed. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Not only has Raymond publicly displayed her feelings through a lawn sign but she has taped a sign to her window offering guided tours of her disappearing lifestyle. It reads:

"Welcome.
"Covlee-On-the-Sound Historic Area
"Vintage Houses of the Fifties.
"See them before they all go.
"Guided tours are available. No appointment needed. Meet some original residents.
"See the exhibit of life before tear-downs.
"Don't delay. They are going, going, going…"

Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run Passes Through Westport

Members of the Westport Police Department were among participants in today's Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run along a 47-mile route from Greenwich to New Haven. Runners are seen crossing the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge in Westport's center. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Getting a Police Escort

Westport Police Department runners escort the torch during today's Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run through Westport. The torch was being carried to New Haven in time for tonight's opening ceremonies of the Connecticut Special Olympics at Western Connecticut State University. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

McCourt to Host Playhouse Irish Folklore Symposium

Malachy McCourt, the garrulous Irish actor and writer -- not to mention a character in his brother Frank's Pulitzer Prize-wining memoir Angela's Ashes -- is scheduled to bring a touch of the old sod to the Westport Country Playhouse on Sunday, June 19.
Malachy McCourt: to discuss Irish folklore. Contributed photo

McCourt has been booked to host a 5:30 p.m. symposium dubbed "Irish Folklore on Stage." It's an opening act of sorts to the musical "Finian's Rainbow," the curtain for which rises at 7:30 to officially usher in the Playhouse's 75th season, all in its new digs.

Free and open to the public, Playhouse officials say, the symposium will provide the audience with McCourt's insights and observations about the musical followed by questions from the audience.

An actor of stage, film and television, McCourt is also the author of "A Monk Swimming," "Singing by Him Song," "Danny Boy," "Voices of Ireland," "Harold Be Thy Name: Lighthearted Daily Reflections for People in Recovery," "The Claddagh Ring," "Bush Lies in State (a collection of published columns) and "History of Ireland."

"A Couple of Blaguards," a play co-written by Malachy McCourt and his brother, Frank McCourt, has been produced across the United States. as well as Australia and the United Kingdom.

"Finian's Rainbow" is directed by Charlotte Moore, who directed the
Playhouse's 2003 production of "The Streets of New York." The cast includes
renowned Broadway actors Milo O'Shea as Finian, Melissa Errico as his
daughter, Sharon, and Malcolm Gets as Og, the Leprechaun.

Friday, June 10, 2005

7 p.m. - Mitchells, 670 Post Road East - Staples Gridiron Club's "Field of Dreams Gala" to provide seed money for a community project to install artificial turf for football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and rugby teams

Lincoln Link Buys Bradley House Time

By James Lomuscio

Talk about the great emancipator. It seems that a very distant connection between Abraham Lincoln and the Abel Bradley House on the Westport-Fairfield border may play a role is freeing the home built in 1800s from a date with the wrecking ball.
Abel Bradley House: Lincoln connection discovered. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

A last-minute discovery announced in Hartford today claims the historic Westport home on Sturges Highway is a copy of a 1690 Cohasset house built by Mordecai Lincoln, Honest Abe's great-great-great-grandfather.

The new information buys the Bradley house an additional four months of consideration for being placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the state Historic Preservation Board.

While being considered, the house is protected by a court-ordered injunction from being torn down. If placed on the register when the board votes in October, the Bradley House will be permanently protected.

"This is great," exclaimed Westporter Eleanor Dickey, president of the Coalition for the Preservation of the Bradley House. "We were just hoping that the nomination would be accepted, and to get a delay in addition is just marvelous."

Alan Bomes, a member of Westport's Representative Town Meeting (RTM) who attended the state preservation board meeting as part of the Westport delegation, called the connection to Lincoln "fascinating."

"It would be nice to really explore that connection, how Westport could have
a copy of a house built in Cohasset by Abraham Lincoln's great-great-great-grandfather," said Bomes.

"I always wondered why the well (n front of the Bradley House) is named Cohasset," said Scott Williams, coalition vice president. "And now I know."

The discovery was made a few days ago by Rod McKenzie, a library assistant at the Fairfield Historical Society, as he pored over handwritten documents about local families.

MacKenzie, who has been assisting the coalition on the genealogical portions of the National Register nomination, then contacted Melanie Marks, coalition genealogist.

According to coalition members, the Lincoln connection explains the Bradley House's many pre-Revolutionary design features, such as an asymmetrical window pattern and a gambrel roof unusual in Fairfield County.

Six people traveled to Hartford from Westport and other towns to urge the state to accept the Bradley House's nomination. So did the property's owner Mark Iuraduri and employee Mike Horvath who opposed it.

"The (Fairfield) Historical Society has come through for us over and over again," said Dickey, "and I just can't thank them enough for making this possible."

"Hats Off" from Westport-Weston United Way

United Way of Westport-Weston held its annual meeting at Westport's Peppermill Restaurant today with the theme "hats off" to thank United Way partners and volunteers. Among those honored was former president Mimi Greenlee (l), who served from 2001-03. Behind the podium is Carlos Mello, United Way president, and at right is Marjolijn Wijsenbeek, executive director. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport Grads Celebrate at Greens Farms Academy

Today was graduation day for the senior class at Westport's Greens Farms Academy. Among Westporters in the 57-member graduating class were front row l-r: Cassie Herman, Katherine Dolan, Natasha Rabinowitz, Brad Auerbach, Phil Myerson, Brett Aresco, Tess Herman; back row l-r: Jordan Kunkes, Eduard Stolpen (peaking through), and Brent Morris. Commencement speaker was Prof. Tom Gerety, director of New York University's Brennan Center for Justice. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

All Gone: 7 Covlee Drive

The house a 7 Covlee Drive in the Saugatuck Shores area came down Wednesday. The house was featured as WestportNow's teardown on Oct. 23, 2004. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Staples Post-Graduation Event Set for June 22

The third annual Senior Bash for the 2005 graduates of Staples High School will be held Wednesday, June 22, from 9 p.m. to midnight at the Pavilion at Longshore Club Park.
Flashback to 2004: Fun at Longshore. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

The Staples graduation ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. at the school's field house.

The Bash is intended to provide a drug-free, non-alcoholic atmosphere where Staples’ newest graduates can come together to celebrate their accomplishments, their friends, and their futures, according to organizers.

Lynn Abramson, Marge Cion, and Phyllis Hirschfield, members of the Staples High School PTA and co-chairs of the event, hope that parents will spread the word about the party.

"We are trying to convince parents to become part of our 'Safe and Sober Campaign.'," Cion said. "In the past, when parents didn’t know about this party, they held competing events."

She said based on the latest mortality data available, motor vehicle crashes are the leading causes of death for people 15-20 years old. In 2003, 25 percent of drivers in that age group who were killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking. Nineteen percent were intoxicated.

"Students are more likely to drink on nights when big events are held, such as prom night and graduation night," Cion said. "That is why the Staples PTA has decided to host events on these nights. We want to give the kids a safe choice."

Hirschfield added, "To combat this very real threat of dangerous drinking, drug use and driving while intoxicated, we are working hard to make this party a success. Last year, a majority of the senior class attended the event and this year’s Bash promises to be even better."

Music will again be provided by the Josh Cramoy Band, which is made up of former Westporters who have moved to Lake Placid and are a fixture on the college campus concert circuit.

“The Levitt Pavilion was instrumental in helping us obtain this incredibly popular band, and has arranged to house them at the Westport Inn," Abramson said. "We would like to publicly thank them."

Food and drink will be provided by Joey’s By The Sea. Every student who attends the bash will receive free pajama pants with “2005” marked on them.

Numbered tickets will be given to graduates when they arrive and, throughout the night, those with winning numbers will receive various prizes including an IPOD, a digital camera, gas cards, a TiVo, a television, and much more.

Hirschfield said that the fact that the party is alcohol free should not deter the graduates from having a good time. The co-chairs said they are encouraging Staples students to spread the word and are encouraging parents to do the same.

"The more kids who show up, the more fun it is for everyone," Hirschfield said. "It’s the last time to celebrate together as a class. We hope they’ll take advantage of this incredible venue, the great entertainment and all of the fun."

Abramson said organizers hoped the entire community will get behind this event.

"We greatly appreciate the support we’ve gotten from Parks and Recreation, the Westport Police Department, Source Marketing, other community organizations, and the Staples parents," she said.

"There will be a tent so the Bash will go on, rain or shine. We hope to see all of the graduates at the Bash. We are trying to help them make good decisions. We are trying to keep them safe."

Westport Property Transfers May 31-June 3, 2005

Property transfers as reported by the Westport Town Clerk's office for the period May 31-June 3, 2005:

Christopher J. Mulliken to Jeffrey A. and Heidi L. Hammer, 371 Greens Farms Road, $1,800,000

James S. and Sharon M. Patricelli to Marc J. and Lisa E. Hirten, 17 Over Rock Lane, $2,050,000

Estate of Bruce L. Wilkins to Bruce and Joan Newmirow, 54 Lyons Plains Road, $1,570,000

Julia E. Juhasz to Christina Builders Trumbull LLC, 38 Maple Ave. South, $950,000

Charles B. and Ann P. Hamlin to Chris Cassell and Senta Teschner, 12 Green Acre Lane, $2,555,000

Mbmvest LLC to Alan and Ilene C. Frost, 50 Lyons Plains Road, $3,500,000

Joseph Linda and Chris England to Christian Johnson and Gwendolyn A. Wahl, 11 Sterling Drive, $1,375,000

Alison Edelman to Claudia Pearl and Alison Edelman, 51 Maple Ave. North, $810,000

"In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"

The Bedford Middle School, Coleytown Middle School, and Staples High School Jazz Bands performed their last concert of the year Wednesday night at Bedford Middle School. Here Staples sophomore Mia Gentile sings “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” with the Staples Jazz Band led by Nick Mariconda. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Thursday, June 9, 2005

7 p.m. - Westport Fire Headquarters - Public Site & Building Commission
7 p.m. - Toquet Hall - Youth Commission
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Planning and Zoning Commission

Practicing for the Real Thing

A "victim" grimaces in pain tonight as the Westport Emergency Medical Service conducted a mass casualty drill outside Westport Police headquarters. The event simulated a ferry going aground and spilling passengers on shore. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Up a Tree

Tonight's mass casualty drill conducted by Westport EMS outside police headquarters even had one "victim" hanging from a tree. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

A Helping Hand

Westport EMT Nancy Strong helps a "victim" during tonight's mass casualty drill outside Westport Police headquarters. EMS conducts the drills periodically to sharpen skills in case of the real thing. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Assessing the Patients

Paramedic Todd Smith (l) and Crew Chief Adam Sappern tend to a "victim" during tonight's Westport Volunteer Emergency Medical Service mass casualty drill. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

For a Good Cause

Bill Mitchell takes a look at his shot during today's Westport Rotary Club annual golf tournament at Westport's Longshore Club Park. The event honored Mitchell's late father, Ed Mitchell, founder of the Mitchels/Richards clothing stores in Westport and Greenwich and a longtime Rotary member. WestportNow was a sponsor of the tourney which raises funds for local charities. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Under the Big Tent

The weather was warm and sunny for today's Westport Rotary Club annual golf tournament benefiting local charities. After the morning rounds, players, members and guests lunched beneath a large tent at Longshore Club Park. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport Schools Release Early Dismissal Schedule for June 22

The Westport school district today released the early dismissal schedule for June 22, the last day of school for students:

Staples High 11:45 a.m.

Coleytown Middle and Bedford Middle, Saugatuck Elementary 12:15 p.m.

Coleytown, Greens Farms, Kings Highway and Long Lots Elementary 1 p.m.

Kindergarteners are scheduled to ride home on the bus that brings them to school in the morning.

Stepping Stones Pre-K extended day will dismiss at 1 p.m.

Staples graduation will take place June 22 at 2 p.m. in the Staples Field House.

Governor Signs Bill to Keep Children With Food Allergies Safe

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has signed a bill requiring all state schools to adopt policies to keep children with food allergies safe, her office announced today.

"My goal is to make Connecticut schools as safe as they possibly can be," Rell said in a statement.

"This law will put a system in place that can potentially save children’s lives. Parents of students with allergies will finally get some peace of mind. With this law, Connecticut breaks new ground as a leader in prevention and school safety."

The measure requires the state to develop and make available to each local and regional board of education guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies by Jan. 1, 2006.

The guidelines must include, but need not be limited to:

• Education and training for school personnel on the management of students with life-threatening food allergies, including training related to the administration of medication with a cartridge injector.

• Procedures for responding to life-threatening allergic reactions to food.

• A process for the development of individualized health care and food allergy action plans for every student with a life-threatening food allergy.

• Protocols to prevent exposure to food allergens.

By July 1, 2006, each local and regional board of education must implement a plan based on the guidelines for the management of students with life-threatening food allergies enrolled in their schools.

Westport Historical Society Set for Sunday's Hidden Garden Tour

Owners of five Connecticut gardens will open their properties to the public Sunday for the Westport Historical Society's 14th Annual Hidden Garden Tour.
Porch news: Westport Historical Society uses its porch to promote Sunday's garden tour. James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com

The event traditionally draws hundreds of visitors from throughout the region. It offers unique access to private gardens showcasing flowering perennial beds, peony gardens and pools, historic ivy-covered stone walls, scented shrubs, and lines of Snowgoose cherry trees.

Location of the gardens are revealed to the public only on the day of the tour.

One luxurious garden, designed in a creative and romantic style by renowned British landscape designers Simon Johnson and Piers Simon, will be open to the public by its prominent British owner in memory of Piers Simon, who was a victim of the Tsunami of 2004.

Coinciding with the tour, the grounds of the Westport Historical Society and Veterans Green will be transformed into a Garden Market where visitors can browse through garden related items. There will be a raffle of garden items donated by local businesses and refreshments will be available.

Advance tickets are $25 for WHS members, $35 for non-members, and $40 on the day of the tour. Tickets with a map and directions to the gardens must be picked up on the day of the tour at Wheeler House, 25 Avery Place, Westport.

A Field Trip to Ancient Egypt and Greece

Fifth graders from Westport's Coleytown Elementary School enjoy themselves at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Each year the fifth graders, accompanied by teachers and parents, go on the field trip after spending good part of the year studying about ancient Greece and Egypt. Teacher Jennifer Graham is pictured in front of the Temple of Dunder with some of her students. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jennifer Jackson for WestportNow.com

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

7:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 - TEAM Westport Committee
8:15 a.m. - Peppermill Reataurant - League of Women Voters annual meeting
10:30 a.m. - Town Hall Room 102 - International Hospitality Committee
Noon - Town Hall Room 309/307 - Citizens Brown Bag Luncheon
5:30 p.m. - Turner Trailers - School Building Committee Staples Subcommittee

Going Hungry in Westport

National Hunger Awareness Day came to a close tonight and the Rev. Peter Powell said he was disappointed with the response from Westporters.

While some donors were very generous, Powell, executive director of the Interfaith Housing Association of Westport-Weston Inc., said, it was not enough to serve a growing need.

"The response was not overwhelming, but we are grateful to those who gave," he said.

Several dozen Westport families rely on the goodwill of others for their next meal, Powell said.

They are not homeless but are renters, who in order to keep roofs over their heads, must spend between 50 to 70 percent of their income on housing, he said.

These housing expenses leave little for anything else, sometimes food on the table, Powell saidl.

As a result, each day about six of these families show up at the Gillespie Center on Westport's Jesup Road in the town center for bags of groceries to get them through another week.

"This is what keeps them from becoming homeless," said Powell, noting that in most of these families the breadwinners are underemployed.

Since Friday in anticipation of National Hunger Awareness Day Powell has asked the community to drop off bags of groceries at the center. In particular he requested foods high in protein, such as canned stews, soups with meat, tuna fish and peanut butter.

While disappointed, Powell lauded one Westporter who called up Pea Pod by Stop & Shop and had $700 worth of groceries dropped off at the center.

"Otherwise it's been coming in slowly," he said. "I guess in June people's minds are focused on other things.

"But the real problem is that it's going out too fast," Powell added. "The demand is too high."

He said that Westport and Weston residents historically have been very generous, which has prevented IHA from having to tap into the Connecticut Food Bank.

"This community's has been very supportive," he said.

A Layup Lunch?

Staples High School officials closed the cafeteria this week so construction could get underway in the area. Students moved into the gymnasium for lunch for the remainder of the school year. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Galen Blumenthal for WestportNow.com

Foggy Morning

Westport's Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge was shrouded in fog early today. But the weather cleared later in the day and afternoon temperatures reached into the low 90s away from the shore. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Ron Malone for WestportNow.com

"Breakfast With Barbara" at Westport Inn

The Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce held its monthly breakfast and networking session today at the Westport Inn. The event, "Breakfast with Barbara," was introduced in March by Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Barbara Sweet. The Westport Inn supports the 7:30 a.m. – 9 a.m. session with complimentary coffee and food. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Board of Finance Names Allyson Stollenwerck to Fill Unexpired Ezzes Term

The Westport Board of Finance Monday night voted unanimously to appoint Allyson S. Stollenwerck to fill the unexpired term of Steven Ezzes, board chair since 1997, who announced his resignation last month.

Both are Democrats. Under the Town Charter, the vacancy must be filled by a member of the same political party as the departing member. Ezzes, whose term runs until 2007, said he was moving to Weston.

Stollenwerck, 34, is an attorney with corporate and government experience. She has served as a member of the Board of Assessment Appeals and for a period served in the U.S. Department of Justice where she was attorney-advisor to Attorney General Janet Reno and Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder on national legal and policy matters.

A graduate of Stanford University and Yale Law School, Stollenwerck has also been active in local community groups as well as politics. In 2002, she managed the re-election campaign of Connecticut Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.

Portrait of the Artist: Alan Fontaine

Artist at work: Alan Fontaine holds one of his many collages that wil lbe on display at Barnes & Noble Booksellers next month. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com By James Lomuscio

At 88, veteran shutterbug Alan Fontaine has yet to give up on his muse. His quest for the artistic in the most unlikely of places still consumes him, whether it's through the lens of his camera or his mind's eye.

The longtime Westporter finds beauty in old torn posters, random rocks in Central Park, the innards of computer hard drives, flattened soda cans he finds along Westport's Main Street, cracked and mildewed old furniture, even car parts he ferrets out of junkyards.

"The rustier the better," says Fontaine with the conviction of one who spies a creative treasure trove in detritus.

"I've been collecting things all my life, and I've always been interested in things that have age," he said.

"I look for things that are old," Fontaine quipped, "like me."

On a recent afternoon. he and his son John were busy deciding what works they would include in an upcoming show of Fontaine's collages scheduled for the entire month of July at Westport's Barnes and Noble Booksellers. This will be Fontaine's third show there; the last one this past January was a 60-year retrospective of his photography.

Fontaine opened his first commercial studio "on April Fools' Day" 1946 in a carriage house on New York's East 40th Street. And while he always heeded a creative call from some other realm, Fontaine had sufficient real world tether to keep him grounded long enough to build a roster of corporate and celebrity clients.

Over the years he photographed boxer Jack Dempsey and a cavalcade of starlets and models. One was an obscure model who would later be known as Martha Stewart.

Assignments took him to Rome, Florence, Venice, even the White House where he photographed President Kennedy's scrimshaw collection. He admits that while on that assignment his penchant for touching and examining everything he saw in the Oval Office exasperated the Secret Service. His larger than life efforts were perhaps best seen by the huge Kodak Colorama photos displayed at Grand Central Station during the 1960s.

His biggest challenge came 12 years ago when a heavy fall rain overflowed a stream that poured into his Westport basement studio and nearly destroyed his life's work. After the water was pumped out, Fontaine returned and tried to salvage what he could.

"I was too depressed, but I figured I would try to make prints out of some of the negatives," he said.

The dampness had caused mold to grow on the negatives, and when he printed them he found that mold had transformed the chromes into something surreal. Ever true to the creative process, Fontaine discovered a new art form he dubbed "moldage."

Soon he and his partner Edie Van Breems had negatives placed in petri dishes, growing mold on them and using the chromes as a canvass for anyone who wanted to see themselves moldaged.

The late actor Jason Robards was one of the celebrities to be moldaged, and Fontaine's new art form had gallery showings in New York City, as well as its own website.

From moldage Fontaine moved into another area, anamorphic photography. He would shoot objects as they were reflected on a mirrored tube, "so that it gives them 180 degrees of distortion." His anamorphic photos of classic paintings, including the Mona Lisa and Velasquez's "Pope Innocent IX", where displayed in 1989 in five of Tiffany's windows.

Later he returned to his first love, making and photographing collages.

"A lot of it has to do with combining objects and getting an interaction between them," he said. "It's a surrealistic view to have an object that is not connected or in context with the background."

"My philosophy is that even if it is very disparate and not connoted it does not bother me," Fontaine said. "The important thing is the texture and the design.

"It's not necessarily symbolic," he added. "It's a simply free expression with no literal meaning. If they work visually, that's okay for me."

Thus explains the crushed Coke cans, computer bits and pieces, insulator caps, torn billboards, mannequin hands, Baroque scrolls and hubcaps. Fontaine finds beauty where they meet.

Talking Transportation: Value Pricing Our Highways

By Jim Cameron
Special to WestportNow

Tired of sitting in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic on I-95 and the Merritt? Well, esteemed economist Milton Friedman has the answer.

Almost a decade ago, Freidman realized that traffic congestion was just a matter of supply and demand: too much demand and not enough supply.

While some have suggested expanding the supply of roadways by double-decking I-95 or widening the Merritt Parkway, a simpler (and less costly) solution seems to be in managing the demand using "value pricing."

Today, when we drive on highways at rush hour it costs us no more than if we drive off-peak. That is wrong. The value derived from being able to cruise (or crawl) on I-95 in morning rush hour is much higher, and should be priced accordingly.

Consider the other services we consume that offer off-peak pricing. Go to a movie on a Saturday night and you’ll pay more than on a weekday afternoon. Take a flight on a busy holiday weekend, when everyone else wants to fly, and you’ll pay more. Even Metro-North offers peak and off-peak (reduced) fares. So too should our highways.

Using electronic tolls (think EZPass), motorists who want or must drive at rush hour would pay a small price for the privilege. Those who don’t need to be on the roads at the busiest hours would wait, and pay less (or maybe nothing).

That would mean fewer cars at rush hour and less congestion. Those paying the tolls at rush hour would get faster trip times… real value for the price. And the money raised could pay for long overdue highway construction or, better yet, subsidies for mass transit to keep fares low and attract even more cars off the highways.

Is it worth, say, $4 to drive 11 miles at rush hour? You bet, if it means you pick up your kid at daycare on time and avoid a $1 per minute penalty for late pick-up… or if you can actually make that important 8:30 a.m. meeting that wins you an important piece of business.

Value pricing is already underway on the George Washington Bridge. In rush hour, big-rigs pay $36 to cross. But off-peak it’s only $30 and overnight the toll drops to $21. Since its introduction, value pricing has evened out the traffic load, saving everybody time and money.

Why haven’t we put such technology to use in Connecticut? Two reasons: 1) people think tolls actually slow down traffic and 2) there is a myth that if we reinstate tolls on our highways we’ll have to repay the federal government billions of dollars. Both are false.

Drive the Garden State or Jersey Turnpike using EZPass and you can sail thru the barrier at top speed. And even the federal Department of Transportation acknowledges that it will make exceptions for highway tolls used as a traffic mitigation tool.

So, as you motor across the countryside this summer, take a look around. Make note of the many state and private toll roads using new technology to collect tolls that pay for the roads you’re enjoying and ask yourself this: why aren’t we as progressive here in Connecticut?

(Editor's Note: Jim Cameron has been a Darien resident for 14 years. He is vice chairman of the Connecticut Metro-North Shore Line East Rail Commuter Council and a member of the Coastal Corridor Transportation Investment Area, one of five Transportation Investment Areas established by the Connecticut General Assembly in July 2001 to develop 20-year strategic plans for each of the state's major transportation corridors. He is also a member of the Darien Representative Town Meeting. The opinions and accuracy of information in this article are the responsibility of the contributor. E-mail him at jim@camcomm.com or www.trainweb.org/ct)

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

10 a.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - Planning and Zoning Commission Big House Committee
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309 - Shellfish Commission
7 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201 - RTM Employee Compensation/Finance/Education Committees
8 p.m. - Town Hall Auditorium - Representative Town Meeting (live coverage cable channel 79)

Best in Show

Dave Pressler, a judge at the Norwalk Camera Club exhibit at Westport's Earthplace, The Nature Discovery Center, points to the best in show winner -- "Flower" by Wayne Chou. The exhibit runs through Aug. 19. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

State Senate Passes Property Tax Freeze Measure

Connecticut cities and towns would be able to freeze property taxes for some elderly residents under a provision that passed the state Senate today.

The bill gives towns the option of freezing property taxes to people over 80 who have lived in the town for at least a year. Towns would be allowed to place liens on the property. The bill now moves to the House.

Single seniors would only be eligible if they made $27,000 a year or less, and elderly married couples would qualify if they earned $33,000 a year or less. Spouses of people who are deceased but would have qualified at the time of death are also eligible.

Sen. Jonathan Harris, D-West Hartford, said there was a similar program that ended in 1980, but no more seniors have been able to sign up for the program since then.

Storm Clouds

Storm clouds darkened skies over Westport late today as thunderstorms moved through the area. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Stephen Rubin for WestportNow.com

For Reznikoff: One Small Snip, One Giant Leap in Publicity

By James Lomuscio

To hear John Reznikoff and his attorney tell it, the first man to walk on the moon doesn't have a leg to stand on when it comes to retrieving his hair clippings from Westport's most eclectic and sometimes controversial collector.
History hair: John Reznikoff shows off his latest purchase. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com

That one small snip that Reznikoff paid $3,000 for through an agent from Neil Armstrong's barber has put Reznikoff in the national spotlight again, while shedding light on what was until now a little known niche collecting hobby -- celebrity hair.

"As far as giving this back goes, I bought this hair at an arm's length transaction between a ready and willing buyer and seller," said Reznikoff, owner of University Archives on Richmondville Avenue, "and why would I forfeit something that cost me a great deal of money?"

Reznikoff also argued that "once the hair hits the ground," it no longer belongs to person who grew it, an argument he says that has the support of most barbers who consider hair clippings trash.

"And it begs the question that if you wanted to be such a private person, than you shouldn't have walked on the moon," added Reznikoff, whose collection boasts the locks of 115 famous people including: Elvis, Einstein, JFK, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Charles V and Marilyn Monroe, to name a few.

"I don't think he has any basis for a lawsuit vis a vis John," said Daniel Brams, attorney for Reznikoff. "John is what we call in law a bona fide purchaser."

Armstrong's barber, however, could be a lawsuit target. According to Associated Press reports, Max Sizemore, Armstrong's now former barber in Lebanon, Ohio, has been threatened with legal action if he did not return the famed astronaut's locks or donate the $3,000 to charity.

Since Sizemore claims to have spent the money, Reznikoff says he'll donate the $3,000 for him, preferably to Westport-based Newman's Own. He contacted Armstrong's attorney Ross Wales with the proposition last week and is still waiting for a reply.

Why does Reznikoff not mind donating the money he paid to help out the barber, while refusing to give the hair back? He says it's a matter of principle, and while he's not averse to making a donation, "I'm not ready to forfeit."

Perhaps that's because the hair clippings, which he said could tally up to hundreds of follicles, could have a much greater street value when cut, literally.

This is not the first time Reznikoff's penchant for collecting generated the kind of publicity that is a press agent's dream. In September 1999 NASA seized a moon rock Reznikoff said he had obtained from a woman whose father was in the space program.

"They said I couldn't own a national treasure," he said. "I hired a lawyer. In order to prove it, they would have to do tests that would destroy it, so they said it was inconclusive, and I got the rock back."

Last year around the anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination, Reznikoff put a limousine that Kennedy rode in on the day he was shot (not the one he was riding in when he was shot but the one from the airport) on eBay for $1 million. The car sold, and Reznikoff made headlines again when it turned out the buyer could not cover the price.

Now with the first man on the moon's hair in his hand, Reznikoff is riding the media wave again.

"Certainly there has been an upheaval in the press, and I'm fascinated that people are so interested in it," he said.

Weather Alert: Area Under Severe Thunderstorm Watch

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for portions of Connecticut, including the Westport area, for this afternoon.

The watch, in effect until 8 p.m., warns of the possibility of hail one-inch in diameter and thunderstorm wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. It said dangerous lightning is also possible.

Report: Martha Stewart's Westport Home May Be for Sale for $10 Million

The New York Post, citing unnamed sources, said today that Martha Stewart has plans to put her Westport Turkey Hill Road home on the market for almost $10 million.

"Sources tell The Post that the domestic diva has local brokers doing a walk-through at her famed Turkey Hill Farm – which she brought as a young stockbroker in the early 1970s – and that she plans to list for almost $10 million," the newspaper said.

The Post quoted a Stewart spokeswoman as denying that Stewart, who is serving out her house arrest term at her Bedford, N.Y., estate, has any plans to sell the property.

A Westport broker who asked not to be identified told WestportNow it has been known for some time that Stewart would be willing to consider offers for the estate.

The Post quoted a source familiar with the property as saying: "That's ($10 million) a pretty steep price for what it is. Despite its name, it's basically a very nice three-bedroom house on four acres."

Citing the unnamed source, the report said Stewart hopes there will be a "Martha premium" attached to the price of the property, from which she launched the catering company that eventually evolved into her lifestyle empire.

The property at 48 Turkey Hill Road South, which includes her original catering kitchen, is probably worth closer to $7 million, brokers told the newspaper.

"The house is beautifully done, but the gardens, while gorgeous, are overwhelming," another source told The Post. "From a resale standpoint, you'd have to hire two or three full-time gardeners to maintain the grounds."

The Post said that in August 2002 it reported that Stewart was trying to quietly sell her unoccupied West Village duplex penthouse, which her publicist denied at the time.

It was eventually sold for $6.65 million last summer, the report said.

Today's Westport Teardown: 21 Woods Grove Road

Today's WestportNow teardown is 21 Woods Grove Road, off Canal Street. Built in 1947, it sold in April for $700,000. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Magazine Features Westport Artist Karen Silver Bloom

Karen Silver Bloom: gets magazine spotlight. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) photo © Mary Engelbreit's Home CompanionWestport artist Karen Silver Bloom is featured in the June/July 2005 issue of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion magazine.

The six-page feature, “Bloom where you’re Planted,” showcases Bloom's whimsical shadow boxes, created by arranging unusual vintage toys and collectibles, often enhanced with her own pen and ink or watercolor illustrations. The magazine notes that her boxes are reflected in the decorating style of her home.

Bloom's work is currently on display at Frank J. Miele’s Contemporary Folk Art Gallery,1086 Madison Ave., New York, as well as at Zoe and Floyd Gallery, 23 Bank St., Seymour, Conn., through June 26 as part of its Garden Art Show. The shadow boxes will soon be available at the Westport Historical Society gift shop.

Her work can be viewed on her Web site www.karensilverbloom.com.

Monday, June 6, 2005

6 p.m. - Bedford Middle School, Room 130 - Board of Education anticipated executive session
7 p.m. - Bedford Middle School Cafeteria - Board of Education Retirement Program
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 201/201A - Golf Advisory Committee
7:30 p.m. - Town Hall Room 309/307 - Special Board of Finance public meeting
8 p.m. - Bedford Middle School Cafeteria - Board of Education

Westport Woman Set to Dig in Colorado

When Westport's Betsy Wacker was 8 years old, she learned about the ancient Italian city of Pompeii, which was buried in ash after a volcanic eruption. She decided she wanted to be an archeologist and unearth such ancient mysteries.

Somewhere along the way she got sidetracked and spent most of her adult life working as a lobbyist for women's health issues. But seven years ago, she went back to college to study archeology and this week sets out to dig at an Indian site in Colorado, according to the Danbury News-Times.

She will join four other students and Western Connecticut State University professor Laurie Weinstein on a 10,000-year-old Paleo Indian site 10,000 feet up in the mountains. Paleo Indians are the earliest known inhabitants of the Americas. "It's really a one-of-a-kind Paleo Indian homestead," Weinstein said.

Wacker is just as excited about the tools the group will be using as what they will be seeing, the newspaper said. Wacker, who plans to begin graduate school in archeology at Yale University in the fall, said she will try her hand at using a Geographic Information System in her work. "That's going to be really key to learn the GIS system for Yale," Wacker said. "This is very cool for me."

Honoring Mom and Dad

Among Staples scholar-athletes honored tonight at a Norwalk banquet was Jordana Kozel, 17. The senior, who starred in soccer and lacrosse, stands behind her parents, Ellen and David Kozel, as Principal John Dodig asked the honorees to stand beside their parents to honor them for supporting them through their athletic career. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Staples Scholar-Athletes

Staples scholar-athletes listen tonight as Staples soccer coach Dan Woog introduced them at the Staples Scholar-Athlete Banquet at Continental Manor in Norwalk. UConn head football coach Randy Esdall was guest speaker, introduced by Sean Mulcahy, a 2000 Staples grad who played for the Huskies. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Finally, Some Summer-Like Weather

Today's sunny, warm, summer-like weather drew crowds to Westport's Compo Beach. The temperature reached 93F at Coleytown Middle School during the afternoon but only 79F along Long Island Sound at the Longshore Sailing School. The forecast for Monday was for partly cloudy weather with highs in the mid-80s with a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Catching a Wave, Sort Of

Westport's Compo Beach did not offer any thrills for those who craved the wave today, but in-line skater Christopher Amderson, 14, found the perfect adrenaline alternative at the beach's skate park. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) James Lomuscio for WestportNow.com

Born Again: Retired Westport Firefighter and Civil War General

Jeffrey J. Keene and John B. Gordon: Retired Westport firefighter believes he was a Civl War general. Contributed photosToday's Connecticut Post recounts the story of retired Westport firefighter John J. Keene who believes that in a past life he was a Civil War general.

Keene, a 1965 Staples grad who retired in 2003 as an assistant chief, has written a book about his belief that he earlier had the identity of John B. Gordon, Confederate General, Army of Northern Virginia, who died in 1904.

For years, Keene, 57, had researched the Civil War fighter and told his tale of reincarnation in a book, “Someone Else's Yesterday: The Confederate General and Connecticut Yankee, a Past Life Revealed” (Blue Dolphin Pub. $17.95). (See WestportNow May 2, 2003)

The Post interviewed Keene, who lives in Trumbull, and said the Air Force veteran is still haunted by the connection that he first discovered 14 years ago after a visit to a Civil War battlefield.

Playing for Charity

Saturday's polo match at the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport was for the benefit of the non-profit Near and Fair Aid Association. Co-chairs of the event were Ariane Schreiner of Westport and Patsy Devine of Fairfield. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Lauren Hampton for WestportNow.com

No Westport Housing Bubble Here

A resident of Westport's Bridge Street offered a home for sale that was a real bargain for the right occupant. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Chip Stephens for WestportNow.com