A giclee of Westport artist Hardie Gramatky’s watercolor of Compo Beach from Westport’s art collection was presented to retiring Superintendent of Schools Elliott Landon in his last week on the job after 17 years. Making the presentation were members of the Westport Schools Permanent Art Collection (WSPAC) Committee (l-r) co chairs Maija Krasts and Kathie Bennewitz, and Michele Mechanic. “He has always been a strong supporter of WSPAC,” said Bennewitz, adding as a last act, Landon supported the Board of Education and Westport Arts Advisory Committee in making the former PTA committee evolve into a new entity, the Westport Public Art Collections (WESTpac), which will operate as the caretaker of the WSPAC and town art collections beginning Friday, July 1. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Tina Giorgi of Long Island, a former school teacher, was one of three Treehouse Comedy Club standup comedians who entertained tonight at the Saugatuck Elementary School auditorium, an alternate venue when the Levitt Pavilion schedule is threatened by forecasts of inclement weather. The other two stand-up acts were Joseph Anthony and Paul Bond whose performance featured guitar musical parodies. According to Brad Axelrod, founder of Treehouse Comedy Club, Bond will headline an evening’s entertainment in August at the Westport Inn. The Comedy Club, which traces its origins to 1983 in Westport, is Connecticut‘s original and first full-time comedy showcase. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

It was laugh time tonight for the audience at Westport’s Saugatuck Elementary School watching the Treehouse Comedy Club performers. The show was moved from the Levitt Pavilion due to the threat of rain. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

There was an enthusiastic reception tonight for the cast at the Westport Country Playhouse following the script-in-hand reading of the family art caper comedy “The Late Christopher Bean” which is set in the 1932 era. Pictured (l-r)  Martha Stout, stage directions, David Staller, Ross Bickell, Jeff Biehl,
John Skelley, Deirdre Madigan, Michael McCormick, Clea Alsip, Kristen Hahn and Mary Bacon. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Westport Library staff members and friends gathered tonight to bid farewell to Kelle Ruden (c), director, programs and book discussion leader since June 2013. Prior to joining the library, she was with Penguin Random House and Barnes & Noble.  (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Le Penguin, a French bistro, will open in August at 15 Myrtle Ave. in Sconset Square in the space formerly occupied by Blue Lemon, which closed in April after 13 years (see WestportNow March 14, 2016.)  According to office manager Leslie Aguirre, the owners, veteran restaurateurs Antoine Blech and Anshu Vidyarthi, also own two other restaurants –- the highly acclaimed Le Penguin, 61 Lewis St., Greenwich, and Le Fat Poodle, 20 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich. Blech’s career has taken him from Spago and L’Orangerie in Los Angeles, and Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia to Le Bilboquet, Le Comptoir, Le Colonial, and Orienta in New York. He also co-owned Opia in Manhattan. Vidyarthi has more than 20 years of restaurant and customer service knowledge, becoming well known to Fairfield County patrons as the director of operations of l’escale restaurant bar in Greenwich. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The cast of tonight’s Westport Country Playhouse Script in Hand reading of Sidney Howard’s ”The Late Christopher Bean” takes a break during a rehearsal today. The play reading, directed by Anne Keefe, curator of the play reading series, is a comedy about paintings left to a family by a deceased artist suddenly skyrocketing in value. Pictured with Keefe (l) are (standing from 2nd l) David Staller, Ross Bickell, John Skelley, Michael McCormick, Jeff Biehl, Deirdre Madigan, Kristen Hahn, Clea Alsip and Martha Stout, stage directions. Seated: Mary Bacon. The reading begins at 7 p.m. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

It was a perfect beach day today to film a JBL waterproof sound system commercial at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. The crew of about 60 included a water safety team to ensure the safety of cast and crew. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Mary Ann West for WestportNow.com