Memorial Day: Honoring Those Who Have Served And Sacrificed
Our veterans saluting the flag during the singing of our National Anthem by Staples Alum Nick Rossi who has been providing an amazing performance each year since 2018. Those who have attended the service each year will know these men in this photo. Their names are below.
Lieutenant Colonel Nate Dougall, CT Army National Guard Reserve (left). Lieutenant Commander Phil Delgado, U.S. Navy (Retired), VFW Post 399 Quartermaster (c). Sergeant First Class Buyile Rani, CT Army National Guard (Retired) (r).
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Pledging allegiance to the Flag Of The United States Of America.
We all love Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer. A day of picnics, barbecues, hitting the beach for the first time this year, shopping the big holiday sales, and of course, starting with Westport’s beloved parade. As nice as those things all are, it is important to not lose sight of what Memorial Day really is. The day the nation gathers to honor those who have served and fought defending America, and those who continue to do so.
We look to the history from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs which states: Memorial Day, a federal holiday held the last Monday in May, is the nation's foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women. Originally called Decoration Day, it was formalized by a "Memorial Day Order" issued by Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan in 1868. The modern proclamation calls on Americans "to observe Memorial Day by praying, according to their individual religious faith, for permanent peace."
The history begins at the conclusion of the Civil War after which for years cited over 360,000 Union soldiers killed and 258,000 from the South, a figure historians now claim is in fact too low. On May 5, 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a politically powerful organization of Union veterans led by Major General John A. Logan — issued General Orders No. 11 or the "Memorial Day Act." This issuance formally established "Memorial Day" as a Decoration Day on which the nation would remember its war dead and decorate their graves with flowers. In fact, for many years the holiday was known as Decoration Day.
Each year the organizers select a veteran to honor, one who has served with great distinction, honor and valor. For as long as anyone can remember, Korean War veteran Bill Vornkahl who was the driving force for the event for half a century and was closely involved in the selection of Grand Marshall. “Mr. Parade” as he was known for decades sadly passed away last year but the tradition he helped thrive has carried on. This year Charles P. Lamb, Jr. was honored as Grand Marshall.
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The bio provided to WestportLocalPress of Lt. Charles P. Lamb, Jr. is rather impressive and remarkable for his service to our country, his many accomplishments, and his years of devotion to our town warrants a careful review.
Charles Perry Lamb, Jr. was born in Springfield, IL in 1928 and moved to Sycamore, OH where he graduated high school.. He joined the Navy in 1946 at age 17 as part of the Naval Aviation College Program. That offered free college and a chance to be a Naval Aviator, but required a rigorous 3-day test. It was the same program that Neil Armstrong took to become an astronaut. Only 2 people out of more than 20 people who trained for the test were accepted to the program. They were Charles Lamb and his best friend Dale Campbell. They were both admitted to Bowling Green University (OH) where they studied courses specified by the Navy that included writing, spherical trigonometry, and physics. In 1948 they were sent to Pensacola Naval Air Station where they officially became Midshipmen and started ground school. Flight training began In February 1949. The first time he ever was in a plane, he was the pilot. He then learned to land planes on aircraft carriers. Later he was sent to NAS Corpus Christi for advanced training for multi engine patrol planes. (PB4Y-2)
In March 1950, at age 21, he was designated by the Naval Air Training Command as a Naval Aviator. Eventually, he amassed over 2000 hours of flight time, earning 2 medals, each representing 20 aerial combat missions during the Korean war. That while rising to the rank of Navy lieutenant. After the Navy, he completed his under-graduate studies at Kent State University, where he met and married Alberta Cifolelli. They celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary prior to her death in 2021.
After the marriage, Alberta and Chuck moved to Indianapolis, IN where he was a test driver for Chrysler, often testing the cars for speed on the Indianapolis 500 track. In 1960 they moved to Cleveland, OH, where Charles worked for Cleveland Pneumatic on the team that designed the landing gear for the iconic Boeing 707. During that time, he also completed his M.A. in engineering at Case-Western Reserve. By the time the family moved to Connecticut In 1970, they had three sons, Mark, John & Todd, who became Staples High School graduates. He also has two grandchildren. Charles still lives in the house they bought at Saugatuck Shores in 1971.
In Connecticut, Charles was Director of Quality Control for Dorr Oliver in Stamford, then worked for Composition Materials in Fairfield, and finally started his own business, Lamb & Associates, which made repairs to city waste systems. In Westport, Charles Lamb Jr. served on the RTM from district 1 and on the Zoning Board of Appeals. He was also a youth basketball coach.
After retirement, he took a writing class at Norwalk Community College. He then wrote and edited a book that included stories about his Navy experiences entitled “Lives – a Soundwriter’s Anthology.” That led to him being named President of NCC’s Lifetime Learners for more than 5 years.
In 2022, the State of Connecticut recognized Charles Lamb for his patriotic service to his country during the Korean War-era. “
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Selectwoman Jen Tooker opined upon Memorial Day and Lt. Lamb, beginning by saying, “Before I start my comments I’d like to highlight our Poet Laureate, Jessie McEntee and her contribution to today’s memorial. She has chosen an excerpt of “The Parade” by Billy Collins,
The Parade - BY BILLY COLLINS
How exhilarating it is to march along the great boulevards
in the sunflash of trumpets and under all the waving flags— the flag of ambition, the flag of love.
So many of us streaming along— all of humanity, really— moving in perfect step, yet each lost in the room of a private dream.
Tooker continuted, “Before we begin, I want to acknowledge and thank the organizers of this event. The group is slightly different this year with members of the VFW, the Parks and Rec department and my own office, the First Selectwoman’s office. They had big shoes to fill but they did it so very well – thank you! As many of you know, we recently lost Mr. Parade – Bill Vornkahl. He was a true Westport legend, who passed away in January at the age of 93. A veteran of the Korean War, Bill’s dedication to Westport and its veterans is well known throughout our community. It was Bill, who served as the chair of Westport’s Memorial Day Parade since 1970, who chose the American Flag as the theme for this year’s parade just before he passed.” “The brutal reality of war is front and center every day on the news. It’s a stark reminder to us all that we can’t take our freedom for granted. While those of us who have never served can never really understand what that means, we know that our veterans represent the best of America, the diversity of its people, and the virtues and ideals that make our country great.”
“As we stand here today, we are surrounded by the memorials to the Westport residents who died in battle. We are here to pay homage to them. To the many veterans who are here with us on this Memorial Day, the families of those who served, and the American servicemen and women serving around the world today, we thank you.”
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Several hundred people gathered at Veteran’s Green for the annual tribute to our veterans.
The Staples band performed as always. Each year two band members performed Taps after the Westport Police Department honor guard fired a salute. One band member plays at the south end of the green, and after playing a few notes those notes are echoed by the second member at the north end creating a solemn rendition.
The crowd had cameras out, recording the Staples Band playing a patriotic medley.
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A Day For The Dogs (And Their Humans) At Winslow Park
Westport's annual Dog Festival returned to Winslow Park on Sunday and drew an estimated 2,500 visitors and more than 700 dogs. There was every kind of dog imaginable and they and their humans enjoyed a variety of activities including contests, vendors who offered everything for the well cared for canine, the very popular obstacle course and a spectator favorite every year, the Westport Police K9 Unit demonstration.
Photos and Story By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Spectators cheer on their favorites to help the judges select the winner of the Best Lap Dog over 50 pounds contest.
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These were the 4 semi-finalists in the Best Lap Dog contest, with the winner, a white Samoyed being chosen after several calls for applause. Judge Jeff Weiser gave the young winner his certificate for gifts, (below left.)
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Doggie athletes line up for a chance to win prizes for fastest run through the obstacle course.
One of the competitors could not wait his turn and leaped onto the course, racing the other dog for the chance to grab the lure (above right).
The obstacle course has been downsized this year with only two jumps on the course but dogs and owners had a great time competing anyway.
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Among the exhibitors was the CT Humane Society which was promoting their new state of the art shelter currently under construction on Rt. 7 in Wilton which will replace the Post Road East shelter. The organization’s Kayleigh Shettleworth was eager to share the details with WestportLocalPress, saying, “Animal sheltering and care is about to get very exciting. This time next year, the Connecticut Humane Society will be opening its doors to the brand new, 14,581-square-foot Animal Resource Center on 863 Danbury Road in Wilton. Providing adoption services and all the resources a pet needs to stay with its family including a low-fee veterinary clinic open to the public, Pet Food Pantry, and humane education opportunities, this facility will be innovative and life changing. The resource center will replace the 75-year-old shelter in Westport, joining Newington and Waterford as CHS' three locations throughout the state.”
For more information visit CThumane.org/Wilton or contact Kayleigh Shettleworth at kshettleworth@cthumane.org or call 860-594-4502 ext. 6307
Spectators gather to Watch the Westport Police Department K9 Unit demonstration. Long-time vendor, Westport's Earth Animal donated a portion of their sales to the Westport Police Department K-9 Unit which helps them pay for training and even bullet/knife resistant vests for their K-9's. The K9 unit put on two demonstrations of drug detection, evidence location and behavior commands.
Corporal Jimmy Loomer (left) hosted the K9 Unit demonstration describing the activities of the unit and their K9 officers. K9 Onyx searches a patrol car for drugs which were hidden in the vehicle. Corporal Smith demonstrates an apprehension effectuated by K9 Atlas who poses with partner Corporal Dave Scinto (right). Atlas has served for 8 years with Scinto and will be retiring this year to enjoy lots of playtime and some well earned time off.
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Spectators watched eagerly as the officers put their K9 partners through their paces. Kids were especially interested and asked Corporal Loomer several questions about the program. Below, K9 Onyx diligently searches for drugs and is rewarded by Smith with his favorite toy, which is part of his training program. Below right, Scinto encourages Atlas to release Corporal Smith. German Shepherds have a bit force of over 200 pounds per square inch (psi) which Smith can definitely attest to.
Cats are also a part of the Dog Festival.
Each year the fabled North Shore Animal League, acknowledged to be the largest no-kill animal shelter in the world drives their Mutt-I-Grees Express Rescue Unit up from Long Island for T.A.I.L.S, the alliance for limiting strays to showcase fabulous felines which are available for adoption. T.A.I.L.S is an all volunteer organization that does rescue, TNR (trap, Neuter, Return) to reduce the substantial feral cat problem, and offers adoption opportunities. They show available cats and kittens at Petco locations on the Post Road in Westport and at the Walmart Plaza in Norwalk.
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Travel Alert: I-95 Southbound Exit 17 Ramp Closure Tonight
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is announcing the scheduled closure and detour of I-95 southbound off and on-ramp at Exit 17 in Westport on Thursday night, May 23, between the hours of 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. These closures are necessary for the milling of pavement on the two ramps to repair and repave the roadway. CTDOT Project No. 0102-0295 was awarded to Yonkers Contracting Company, Inc at a cost of $103,411,848 on April 30, 2022, and is scheduled to be completed on November 1, 2024. This project is administered by the Bureau of Engineering and Construction, Office of Construction, District 3 in New Haven.
DETOUR INFO:
The proposed closure and detour are as follows:
I-95 Southbound Off-Ramp at Exit 17 Detour: The traffic will be detoured to the Exit 18 off-ramp to Sherwood Island Connector from I-95 southbound and then to Route 1 and Riverside Avenue (SR 33).
I-95 Southbound On-Ramp at Exit 17 Detour: The traffic will be detoured via the I-95 northbound on-ramp at Exit 17 to I-95 northbound to Exit 18 off-ramp and then back on to I-95 southbound via the Exit 18 on-ramp
Wreckers Wrestlers Workin’ At The Car Wash
Above: Members of the Staples Varsity wrestling team near the end of their “shift” on Sunday.
A car wash fundraiser was held on Sunday for the Staples Wrestling Team at the Shell Gas Station at 322 Post Road East in Westport. Damian Rousseau, one of the newly appointed captains of the wrestling team, decided he wanted to bring the team together to raise money for the upcoming winter season. This was Damian's first time ever planning something like this, and he only had a week to pull things together. Many of the team, and some freshmen to be, gave their commitment to help. The school's athletic director loaned out their competition singlets to make the event more fun as the team washed cars.
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They are: Front row left to right: Seamus Brannigan, Amere Miller Julian Rousseau. Back row: from left to right: Henry Goldman, Lucas Rosen (graduating captain), Colin Caricato, Damian Rousseau (current captain), Jessiah Jones, Jasper Haazen, Charlie Goldman, Mieshko Solowinski.
Other team members who had worked the car wash earlier included not included in the group photo were Liam Donaldson (graduating captain). Chase Watkins (graduating captain), Aiden Schacter, Michael Sarelli, David Sheng, Damian Schmutte, Ethan Ambrose. Wrestlers missing from this photo but who participated in the fundraiser are listed as follows: Liam Donaldson (graduating captain). Chase Watkins (graduating captain), Aiden Schacter, Michael Sarelli, David Sheng, Damian Schmutte, Ethan Ambrose.
The biggest challenge was finding a location for the car wash, and Raja Ali, owner of the Shell gas station and convenience market welcomed the fundraiser with open arms when he was asked. It was an amazing day seeing the Staples Wrecker Wrestlers, wearing their singlets proudly, holding signs to advertise the event while others worked nonstop washing a steady line of cars that came in.
Pictured above, right is Mieshko Solowinski who went all in to encourage drivers to pull in and leave with a now spotless ride. There was no cost for the car wash and we accepted donations of any size from those that were happy with the wash and wanted to support the team. There were so many generous people that came to our fundraiser today and it was great fun.
This Staples Wrestling team has a proud history of community service worthy of their competitive athletic results. Our amazing community responded in kind with generous donations to that the team will use for such things as scholarships, equipment and other necessities beyond what the school can provide. The event was by all measures an overwhelming success. The team wished to convey special thanks to all who came by!
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Staples LAX Crushes Wilton 9-1; Advance To FCIAC Semi-Finals
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Two-time defending state champion Staples Wreckers Boys Lacrosse were firing on all cylinders on Saturday facing the Warriors on their home field. The Wreckers not only had a balanced offensive attack, with seven players scoring goals, but defended their net in spectacular form, with goalie Josh Marcus allowing only one Wilton goal while coming up with 10 saves. The face-offs also told the story with the Wreckers prevailing on 13 out of 14.
Adam Udell and Charlie Clark reached scored one goal and 5 and 3 assists respectively. Adding one goal each were Cam Prior, Tyler DiMaio and Nick Weil. Both Tristan Schaefer and Hunter Pallai each added two additional goals.
The Wreckers take the field again in Wilton on Tuesday at 4:30 PM, facing top ranked New Canaan which is undefeated in league play after they dominated Fairfield Ludlow 13-1 on Friday.
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Enjoy Hot Coffee And Hotter Cars Saturday Morning At Interstate+Lakeland’s Westport Design Center
The Interstate+Lakeland Westport Design Center, 800 Post Road East, the area’s premier showroom for high end and luxury products for building or remodeling your dream home will be hosting “Cars & Coffee” at their Design Center on Saturday May 18th from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The WDC staff has numerous auto enthusiasts who have partnered with the Ridgefield Motor Club and The Auto Spa of Fairfield to present some of Fairfield County’s finest classic, vintage and late model exotic automobiles for car aficionados and admirers. Some of the world’s most renowned brands will include Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis and others will be on view. All are welcome to visit and enjoy coffee, espresso, craft beverages and pastries served by Caffé Bon’s mobile coffee house.
Guests are invited to also visit the Design Center and see some of the finest in luxury building products, specialty doors and windows and their huge selection of high end home design hardware and accessories.
Design Center Manager Frank Bowron said, “The dramatic way we display our products at the IDC is similar to what you might find on the showroom floor of a high-end auto dealer. Just like you'd need to take a car for a test drive, you'll need to visit the Westport IDC to imagine yourself in your new home.”
Touch-A-Truck Proves It; Kids Love Trucks!
With many folks observing that kids are spending much of their time on screens of one kind or another one thing became perfectly clear on Saturday at the the annual Westport Touch-A-Truck; Kids love trucks! And so do their parents.
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Hosted by the Westport Weston Cooperative Nursery School and held at the Imperial Lot, 50 Imperial Avenue, Westport, hundreds of visitors wandered through an impressive array of all manner of trucks including big rigs, dump trucks, and industrial cranes and other heavy equipment which were available for viewing from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Kids made a beeline to Westport’s Fire, Police and EMS vehicles as well as a State Police cruiser manned by Westporter Joey Bairaktaris (below right) who recently became a trooper with the Connecticut State Police.
One of the big attractions was the Roaming Railroad which took attendees for a ride throughout the vehicles and equipment on exhibit. The popularity is clear from the long line which appears in the photo above and below.
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Westport Animal Control Officer Peter V.K. Reid (bottom, left) brought a couple of pups rescued by him with the hope that a potential adopter might fall in love. One of the more popular stops on the tour was an ambulance belonging to Westport Volunteer Emergency Medial Service. Crew Chief Jaimie Bairaktaris shows a couple of fascinated kids some of the life-saving equipment he and his EMS colleagues regularly employ to treat patients when responding to EMS calls.
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Staples Boys Tennis Notch 7th Straight Victory; Defeat Trumbull 5-2
Wreckers Boys Tennis continues to burn up the courts with this seventh strait win. They faced the Trumbull Eagles on Thursday at home and the Wreckers won 2 of 4 singles matches and they defeated the Eagles in all three doubles matches.
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They are now 11-2 for the season after Saturday’s victory over Fairfield Warde and will face Danbury at home on Monday at 4:00PM. Junior Alex Cozzolino and Freshman Kieran Anand prevailed in their singles matches and Juniors Lucas Ceballos-Cala and Co-Captain Noah Wolff were defeated. Doubles matches were all Staples with wins by Mattie Guadarrama (Jr.) / Hayden Frey (Sr. Captain), Jared Even / Clint Graham (Sr.) and Aleko Vergakis (So.) / Shreyas Gorre ((Jr.)
Singles Scoring:
1. Justin Ilie (T) def. Noah Wolff (S) 6-3, 7-6 2. Dean Jackson (T) def. Lucas Ceballos-Cala (S) 7-6, 6-1
3. Alex Cozzolino (S) def. Peter Bahr (T) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 4. Kieran Anand (S) def. Andre Esperitu (T) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles Scoring
1. Mattie Guadarrama / Hayden Frey (S) def. Neel Jakka / Johnnie Iacci (T) 6-0, 6-0 2. Jared Even / Clint Graham (S) def. Josh Jacob / Jackson Sanderson (T) 6-7, 7-6, 10-8 3. Aleko Vergakis / Shreyas Gorre (S) def. Rithik Gunda / Jason Orlick (T) 6-3, 6-4
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Staples LAX Falls To New Canaan, 1-5
Two-time defending state champion Staples Wreckers Boys Lacrosse faced a fired-up New Canaan Rams team at home on Thursday, and despite fighting hard on defense and leading 1-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Wreckers were unable to find the net more than once early in the match. Tristan Schaefer, unassisted put Staples only goal on the scoreboard.
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The tone of the game changed quickly, with New Canaan returning to the field in the second quarter scoring in just over the first minute to tie the match 1-1. Just two minutes later the Rams scored again going, into the locker room at the half leading by a goal. Again, they scored quickly after the break to bring the score to 3-1 and New Canaan would then go on to score twice more.
Staples was only able to win 2 out of 10 face-offs putting pressure on goalie Josh Marcus who had 9 saves, closely matching the 10 saves for New Canaan goalies Cam Lyden and Jack Crowell, however the Rams fired more shots than the Wreckers resulting in the win for New Canaan.
Staples Head coach Will Koshansky told WestportLocalPress, “Our defense played very well, our offense generated good scoring opportunities but did not put the ball in the net. We had 21 shots. Need to score more than 1 goal to win. Credit to their defense and goalies, however if we would have shot at an average level instead of very poorly I think the outcome would have been different.”
Staples will again take the field on Saturday at 3:00 for a non-conference match against St. John’s Prep of Massachusetts which will be preceded by the Wreckers annual Sticks For Soldiers event which begins at 2:30 PM.
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A future Wreckers star kept an eye on the match as did a Blue Merle Boston Bulldog. Wreckers fans included some girl’s team members posing for a few snaps.
Come And Touch-A-Truck On Saturday In Downtown Westport
The Westport Weston Cooperative Nursery School is hosting their annual Touch-A-Truck event on Saturday at the Imperial Lot, 50 Imperial Avenue, site of the Farmer’s Market and Remarkable Theatre on Saturday, May 4th.
The event will open at 9:00 AM and will run until 1:30PM. Be advised that the projected 4 day closure of I-95 for the demolition of the Fairfield Ave. bridge in Norwalk will continue to impact Westport traffic. Westport PD suggests allowing for increased travel time.
Traffic not withstanding, the popular event which is a major fundraiser for the school is expect to draw hundreds of families to enjoy getting up close and personal with all manner of trucks including big rigs, dump trucks, and industrial cranes and other heavy equipment. Fire, Police and EMS vehicles will also be available to inspect. All our favorite family activities will be there as well, including face painting, crafts,and food trucks and live music.
The school describes the annual event this way, “Our annual Touch-A-Truck inspires young minds, allows children to explore with their senses, and provides our contributors an opportunity to promote to the community. A wide array of vehicles and other child-centered activities make it an event, eagerly anticipated by area children and families.” They note that, “The event will have a designated ‘Quiet Time’ from 9:00am-9:30am. NO horns/sirens/loud noises until the 9:30am countdown to noise!”
The event’s generous sponsors include Bartaco and Interstate Lakeland Lumber.
Admission is $35. per family and all proceeds will benefit The Westport Weston Cooperative Nursery School.