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Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Westport Senior Center Site of Drug Take Back Day

A walk-up contributor to Prescription Drug Back Day drops off prescription drugs to Westport police office Mike Ruttenber. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The Cauldron is Bubbling on Rockyfield Road

Another entry into the Halloween House Decorating contest sponsored by Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department (click here for more information). Witches, a scarecrow, and some residents formerly residing below share the lawn at 16 Rockyfield Road. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020

Westport Senior Center is closed to the public.
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. – all over Westport – WWCC Halloween Window Painting Contest 2020
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Westport Senior Center Parking Lot – Westport Police DEA Prescription Drug Take Back Day
11 a.m. – Town Hall front steps – United Nations 75th Anniversary Celebration
Noon – 2 p.m. – MoCA Westport – “World Peace” exhibit
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. – MoCA Westport – World’s Largest Abstract Painting Event & Concert: Hopalong Andrew
7 p.m. – Virtual Westport Library – Westport Library Fundraiser: “Westport Show of Shows”
7:30 p.m. – Imperial Parking Lot – Remarkable Drive-In Theater: “Grease” (with Westport Rotary Club)

Westport Senior Center YouTube Channel
Westport Library Event Calendar
Westport Library YouTube Page
Earthplace YouTube Channel
Virtual Westport Museum for History & Culture
See more events: Celebrate Westport Calendar

Friday, October 23rd, 2020

Friday Night Lights

Westport night lights, with the United Nations flags on the Ruth Steinkraus Cohen Bridge. The world flags were placed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the UN. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Meredith Holod for WestportNow.com

Westport Property Transfers Oct. 5-9, 2020

Westport property transfers as reported by the Town Clerk’s office for the period Oct. 5-9, 2020:

Francesco E. Daniele to Jonathan & Margot Simmons, 15 Wakeman Place, $1,787,034

Bay Ten Holdings LLC to 10 Bay Street Property LLC, 10 Bay St., $3,400,000

Jennifer A. & Francis B. Gilbert III to John & Jan Cory, 11 Timber Lane, $890,000

Carol Brezovec Tr. to Richard & Pamela Kesselman, 19 Bradley St., $2,000,000

Denise Pearl to Robert & Olivia Van Kolken, 18 Burr School Road, $2,040,000

Robert A. Devellis Tr. to David & Brittany Pulito, 1 Wedgewood Lane, $1,050,000

3 Keenes LLC to Robert & Magdalena Boroujerdi, 3 Keenes Road, $2,250,000

Daniel & Jennifer Franklin to Stephen Joyson D’Silva, 81 Compo Road South, $1,350,000

MFH15 LLC to Twilight Enterprises LLC, 15 Burnham Hill, $3,375,000

Two Ninety-Six LLC to Andrew N. & Jenna Levin, 4 Sue Terrace, $1,499,000

Carol D. Malone to Victoria A. Smith & Mark Eicher, Jr., 189 Cross Highway, $460,000

5 Cooper LLC to SPGCP Holdings LLC, 5 Cooper Lane, $1,600,000

Pamela Ealy Murphy to Arthur Caruso, Jr. & Jill Caruso, 5 Mansfield Place, $1,500,000

J. Michael Anastasio & Mark A. Westcott to Randall R. & Joanne Carpenter, 5 Brookside Park, $951,000

Sarah Elizabeth Ann Bevan & Hakija Hrvacic Trs. to Bradley & Meredith Eisen, 111 Newtown Turnpike, $705,000

Edward Denkin to Roland A. Wauthier, 56 Compo Mill Cove, $1,450,000

New Operator Approved for Inn at Longshore

Westport’s Inn at Longshore. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Longshore Hospitality, LLC. has been approved to operate the Inn at Longshore following approvals by the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance to reassign the operating lease, it was announced today.

The lease reassignment follows the announced retirement of Rory Tagert, who has operated the inn for the past 35 years.

Longshore Hospitality LLC is a partnership led by the Greenwich Hospitality Group. The transfer to the new management team was negotiated and structured by Jim Randel of the Randel Law Offices, LLC of Westport. One of the other principals, Michael Ryan, is a Westport resident.

“We’ve greatly enjoyed our 35 years here in Westport running the inn,” said Tagert. “As we’re now ready to retire, we’re passing on the guardianship of this beloved property to Longshore Associates LLC.

“We have full confidence that the Inn is in good hands with a company that has the expertise and resources to further our legacy,” he added.

Founded by Charles Mallory of Greenwich, the company’s CEO, Greenwich Hospitality Group operates boutique hotels in many states. In Connecticut, the company runs Delamar hotels in Greenwich, Southport and West Hartford.

‘We recognize the importance of the Inn to the Westport community and are honored to accept responsibility for overseeing its operations,” Mallory said. “We are hopeful that over the coming years, we will have the opportunity to invest in renovations and upgrades, thereby elevating the guest experience to Delamar standards.”

According to Mallory, the transition will be seamless. Hotel and events staff, many of whom have been at the property for several years, as well as the catering team led by Westport resident Marc Weber, will remain, he said. Scheduled weddings and banquets will be unaffected, he added, saying the Pearl at Longshore restaurant will continue to stay open.

“The Inn at Longshore is one of the unique, iconic symbols of Westport,” said First Selectman Jim Marpe. “Its extraordinary location has hosted countless weddings, celebrations and civic gatherings—all of which make our town such a special place.

“I want to thank the Tagerts for over 30 years of stewardship of the Inn,” he added. “Because of their proprietorship, Westporters and visitors alike have been able to experience the facilities’ breathtaking views and create special memories at Longshore. I wish them well as they begin the next chapter in their lives.”

Democrat Matriarch Martha Aasen, 90

By James Lomuscio

Martha Aasen, the Mississippi-born steel magnolia credited with the Westport’s Democratic Party’s renaissance during the 1990s, died today at Norwalk Hospital from heart failure following a fall last weekend. She was 90.

Martha Aasen Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

During her tenure as chairwoman of the town’s Democratic Town Committee (DTC)—the first woman to hold the post – Aasen was front and center in Westport during visits from President Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and myriad party heavy hitters.

Revered as the power behind the party, she received the Silver Donkey Award from the Westport Democratic Women and was later credited with a town wide turnout of 87.9% of Democratic voters in 2000, according to the late local writer Woody Klein.

During her time in Westport, where she and her husband Larry Aasen moved in 1963, she was also active in international affairs, working in public relations for the UN, and later as director of technical assistance for International Executive Service Corps in Stamford.

Martha Aasen (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Born Martha Ann McMullen in Lake, Mississippi in 1930, Aasen’s passion for party politics was piqued by her father Milton McMullen, who took her to political rallies during the 1940s.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt cinched Aasen becoming a lifelong Democrat.

“The man I remember best when I was growing up in the South was Franklin Delano Roosevelt,” Aasen told Klein in a 2001 article for Westport Magazine. “In my house, we all gathered around the radio to listen to his fireside chats.

“I remember the day he died,” she added. “April 12, 1945.”

Growing up in the segregated South, she said she flaunted convention by having Black friends. After high school and college (She spent two years at Mary Baldwin In Virginia, finishing up at the University of Mississippi.), she landed a job at McGraw Hill, working for the magazine Fleet Owner, a trucking magazine. She said she landed the writing job by saying that her father had sold farm equipment.

There, she met Larry Aasen, her editor, who would become her future husband. They were married in 1953, and they raised two children David and Susan in Westport where they moved in 1963, remaining in their Ellery Lane home until her death.

In addition to Larry Aasen, 97, she is survived by her two children.

No details about services have been released.

Westport COVID-19 Cases Up Five, Deaths Unchanged

The state said today its Westport COVID-19 case count was up five at 416 (399 confirmed and 17 probable) and deaths unchanged at 23.

Assessing their Opportunities

A bald eagle couple could be seen over a home on the coastal section of Hillspoint Road today. According to nearby traffic agents, this is a normal occurrence (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jaime Bairaktaris for WestportNow.com

Wright Street is Fright Street

The Grim Reaper entered the Halloween House Decorating contest sponsored by Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department (click here for more information). He adds menace to the entryway at 71 Wright St. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com