Blues/rock/soul singer Jay Stollman was among the early performers today at the ninth annual Blues, Views, and BBQ Festival in Westport. The two-day event is expected to attract thousands. CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Blues singer Jay Stollman performs today with Beth Ivonelli at the Blues, Views, and BBQ Festival in Westport. British guitar virtuoso and Blues Hall-Of-Famer Matt Schofield (l) accompanied them. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Joe Farrell, co-owner of Westport’s Rothbard Ale + Larder, a rathskeller restaurant in the basement of the old Westport Town Hall, serves up a warm pretzel today to a customer at the Blues, Views, and BBQ Festival. A large variety of foods were available in the Westport Library parking lot, in addition to play activities and music. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Bob LeRose, (l) a founder of the Westport Blues, Views, and BBQ Festival, was up front in the Levitt Pavilion audience for this year’s version with state Rep. Jonathan Steinberg. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo

Installation was underway today for the “MORE Than Words” exhibition opening Friday, Sept. 9 at the Westport Arts Center (WAC) with a 6 to 8 p.m. reception. Curated by Gerry Snyder, dean of Pratt Institute School of Art, the exhibition by contemporary artists centers around the theme of courage, resilience and empowerment in the face of bullying. The exhibition will be on view through Oct. 29. Pictured are WAC staff members Noah Steinman and Adriana Reis installing the work “Crazy Bitches” by Andrea Bowers. A Los Angeles-based artist, she works in a variety of media, including video, drawing, and installation, and centers her work on the convergence of art and activism. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Leslie LaSala for WestportNow.com

The September issue of Connecticut magazine includes a nine-page feature on the history of Westport’s Post 154 restaurant, which opened to great fanfare in August 2013, then closed last January.

The magazine tells the inside story of the restaurant’s much anticipated opening to its quiet sudden end. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Writer Michael Catarevas, a 20-year town resident, worked at the restaurant during its first five months, and tells the tale from his point of view and those of many others he interviewed.

“It was a fascinating place,” he said. “I was between full-time editorial positions at the time and took a waiter job for a few months.

“I saw how and why a multimillion-dollar investment, with a lot of very smart people involved, could still go downhill fast.”

Grill masters, blues artists and jammers will be smoking, bringing sultry sounds, scents and flavors to Westport as the ninth annual Blues, Views and BBQ Festival fires up this Labor Day weekend at the Levitt Pavilion and in the Westport Library lot.

Ronnie Baker Brooks greeted fans in the crowd after his performance last year. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) J.C. Martin for WestportNow.com

The Saturday and Sunday event is being sponsored by the Westport Downtown Merchants Association (DMA), which promises a “foot stomping, mouthwatering weekend on the beautiful banks of the Saugatuck River” and the Westport Library.

Saturday’s musical lineup on the Levitt stage from noon through 9:30 p.m. includes: Popa Chubby, Anders Osborne, Manny and the Mojomatics, Jay Stollman with Matt Schofield, Funky Meters and Mark Broussard.

But those won’t be the only smoky tunes filling the banks of the Saugatuck River on Saturday, event planners say.

Amis Trattoria, a Philadelphia-based restaurant group owned by Urban Outfitters, will open in 2017 at 59 Post Road East in the Bedford Building and Firehouse in the Bedford Square Development.

Amis Trattoria is owned by Urban Outfitters, whose Anthropologie brand will occupy 40,000 square feet of the Bedford Square development.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Amis, created by Marc Vetri who owns three Amis restaurants in Philadelphia, is part of the Vetri family of restaurants that includes restaurants under the names of Osteria, Pizzeria Vetri, Alla Spina and Lospiedo.

Urban Outfitters, a $3.3 billion company, made its first move to casual dining with the December 2015 acquisition of Vetri.

Anthropologie, also owned by Urban Outfitters, will relocate from 1365 Post Road East to Bedford Square where it will occupy 40,000 square feet.