Good Day for a Good Humor
A vintage Good Humor ice cream truck remained along Soundview Drive as passersby young and younger stopped to peruse the classic collection of frozen treats. The Good Humor company began to deliver ice cream in converted Model T Fords in the late 1920s, according to the Company, and continued to innovate up until they began to use the Ford F-100 series trucks that we can still see today - most popular due to their being sold-off in the 1970s. The Good Humor Man, and in this case: woman - rang their bells on many of the Westport community’s hottest days along the waterfront for decades. Today was no exception. WestportLocal.com photo
Umbrella Sundays
With another hot, sunny weekend on the books - the sand was covered by umbrellas today as Compo Beach was filled with beachgoers. WestportLocal.com photo
Bringing the Board to the Beach: A Classic Compo Scene
A 1960s Ford Galaxie 500 convertible sat atop the sand with a board sticking out from it’s cabin, a timeless scene as many flocked to the shoreline today in whatever vehicle could afford them the most air flow - or in this case - the best headroom. WestportLocal.com photo
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 87. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight
Isolated showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tomorrow
Scattered showers, mainly between 8am and 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tomorrow Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
High Tides
1:19 AM / 1:44 PM
Low Tides
7:41 AM / 7:56 PM
Goodnight Moon
A crescent moon rises over the Saugatuck River as evening falls over Westport. Photo by Nancy Lally for WestportLocal.com
Lynda Crawford Abshire, 82, Died; Gifted Musician, Westporter
Lynda Crawford Abshire passed away in Westport, CT on Wednesday July 20, 2022 after a long struggle with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Lynda was born in Pecos, TX on March 5, 1940, and was the only child of Jo and Vernon Crawford.
A sensitive and gifted musician, Lynda graduated from the University of North Texas in 1962, majoring in Music. She went on to earn two masters degrees in arts-related disciplines.
In addition to keyboards, Lynda was also an accomplished recorder player and classical singer, specializing in baroque recorder and chamber choral music. While living in Atlanta, Lynda sang with Robert Shaw's Atlanta Symphony Chorus. After moving to Westport, CT from Albuquerque, New Mexico in 2009, Lynda joined the Southern Connecticut Camerata, with whom she sang in many public concerts. She also performed frequently in the Connecticut area with the Dolce Ensemble.
Lynda also enjoyed performing as an actor with community musical theater groups. In 2012, she performed the role of Joanne in the Stephen Sondheim musical "Company" with the Westport Community Theater, which Lynda described as, "The role of a lifetime."
Lynda was a lifelong Democrat and the longstanding companion of Sandra Wagenfeld of Westport, CT. Lynda is survived by her sons Gary Vern Abshire and Michael Krystian Abshire, as well as by her former husband, Robert Abshire, all of Fort Worth, Texas. Lynda specifically wished to express her deep gratitude to Wendy Awa, David Lassow, Martha Scales, and Valerie Wagenfeld for the devoted care they have given her during her illness.
Saturday Sunset along Compo Beach Road
Tonight’s sunset was marked by orange skies and the silhouettes of the egrets patiently waiting in the shallows. Photo by Nancy Lally for Westportlocal.com.
William Bradford Sowik, Staples Grad, Air Force Veteran, Died
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of William Bradford Sowik on July 13, 2022. He passed away peacefully after a 5 year battle with cancer.
He will be deeply missed by his wife of almost 50 years, Sherri, his sons, Jason (Samantha) and Jeremy (Olivia) and grandchildren Kingston and Noah; sister Sharene Chiaia (Louie), and his cousins Frank and Ellen, nieces and nephews and many extended family members.
Born and raised in CT, Bill spent many summers out at Cockenoe Island, graduated from Staples High School and graduated from UConn with a degree in Environmental Sciences. He was a veteran of the U. S. Air Force. He jogged for many years and enjoyed playing golf and had the highlight of hitting a hole in one in 2012. He worked for many years for the State of CT monitoring air quality as a field technician at the DEEP.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson Street, Willimantic, CT on Saturday, August 6th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We will always be grateful to the staff of Dr. Joseph McLaughlin at the John DeQuattro Cancer Center and Bill's hospice team as well as family and many friends who were there for us.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made online to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (www.pcf.org). If mailing, the address is 1250 Fourth Street, 3rd Floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Please reference Bill's name "in memory" in either the online or sent donation. Inform them of your name and address so they can notify the family of your donation. Also, donations can be made to Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut to enable donations of medical supplies for people who need them at www.echn.org. Please write checks out to VNHSC Hospice and send to VNHSC Hospice, 8 Keynote Drive, Vernon, CT 06066. For complete obituary and online condolences, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com.
Levitt Pavilion Hosts Two-Day Music Festival On Friday And Saturday Opening Doors At 3:00 PM
The two-day festival headlined by the fan favorite band Twiddle opened on Friday afternoon at 3:00 and by 4:30 or so the grounds were filled. Including headliners Twiddle the event features 5 bands including Levitt favorite Mihali and the Nth Power who performed on Friday, and Eggy and Dwight & Nicole who will join Twiddle on Saturday. Twiddle, whose fan base is reminiscent of the Grateful Dead and Phish came out in force, sporting a variety of Twiddle garb.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
If there was one word to describe the festival it would have to be Joy which was evident everywhere in the enthusiastic crowd and very apparent among Twiddle's followers who could be seen singing along with many of their favorite hit tracks. The crowd danced for hours seeming to have and endless supply of energy.
Their was a truly eclectic mix in the audience, from less than a year old to over 70 years old. Flower children, both young and old with artwork everywhere, from the full sleeves and other tattoo art to the clothes worn by the creative and stylish crowd.
Twiddle, known for jaw-dropping live performances, the group has repeatedly sold out some of the most legendary venues in the world, including Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Capitol Theatre. Plus, they’ve ignited festivals such as Bonnaroo and Electric Forest in addition to launching and headlining their own annual extravaganza Tumble Down Festival. Along the way, they have built a powerful catalog highlighted by the 2017 double-disc epic Plump (Chapters 1 & 2). Thus far, they’ve also gathered over 100 million streams and counting. Throughout 2021, Twiddle wrote and recorded Every Last Leaf. For the first time, they teamed up with producer Clint Bierman behind-the-board, recording in Sugar Shack, Mihali’s home studio, and Clint’s own spot.
The musicianship, featuring frontman Mihali Savoulidis who delivered mesmerizing guitar shreds and top-tier drum work by Adrian Tramontano who provided the crowd with a high energy solos captivated the crowd. Their exceptional stage show was enhanced by spectacular LED screens behind the band and their second set, once the sun went down featured a beautiful, creative laser light show.
Outside the concert area were food trucks and merchandise vendors who did a brisk business and inside, libations including cocktails, craft beers, and Tito's Vodka kept the audience's thirst well satisfied. Twiddle will once again perform two sets on Saturday at 7:00 PM and doors open at 3:00 for opening acts Eggy and Dwight & Nicole.
Photos By J.C. Martin For WestportLocalPress.com Click on an image to enlarge and open gallery.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Sunny, with a high near 87. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
Tonight
Mostly clear, with a low around 64. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Tomorrow
Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Light south wind.
High Tides
12:42 AM / 1:09 Pm
Low Tides
7:07 AM / 7:18 PM