Neighborhood Watch Program Reignited

Neighborhood Watch Program Reignited:

Citizens become extensions of Fairfield police force

By Mike Lauterborn

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 8/2)

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

8/1/11

Fairfield, CT – More than two dozen select citizens throughout Fairfield have just completed a five-week training session to become Neighborhood Watch leaders, helping Fairfield’s finest do their jobs even better and assist with apprehending criminals. Though the Watch program is not a new one, the latest iteration features a strong two-way line of communication between these citizens and the police department that did not previously exist.

In a special press briefing Monday morning at Fairfield police headquarters, 100 Reef Road, Lt. Jim Perez noted that 28 Fairfielders had just finished the program, the goal of which is give them a “police mind”, train them to observe possible crime and learn how to report criminal activity to get the proper response from police. The training included terrorism awareness, observation skills, reporting and defining suspicious behavior.

“We want to reinvigorate their sixth sense,” said Perez, “because often times society teaches us to deny our gift of fear.”

The program drew town residents from the beach area, Mill River, Greenfield Hill and Stratford. “Participants tell others and interest grows,” said Perez, who said that an additional round of classes is scheduled to be held in September.

In the past, back in the 80s when the program first started, citizens were trained and released. It was up to the block captains to keep things going. Now, these NETs (Neighborhood Emergency Teams) coordinate activities between their leaders and police with regard to issues and problems. The police are also doing more reach-out to the community, scheduling meetings to listen to complaints, putting response plans together and then addressing concerns. “The key is effective, open communication all the time,” said Perez.

During the briefing, Perez cited a fresh example of how the program is working. He read a letter from a community team leader that related how a driver had run down and driven away from a stop sign and how his group collected evidence at the scene which enabled police to track down the perpetrator and arrest him. The incident occurred this past Saturday, around midnight, at the corner of Melville Drive and Greenfield Drive. Citizen response helped lead to the apprehension of Timothy Andrews, 53, of 21 Garden Drive, on a charge of evading responsibility and failure to drive right.

“Without the Neighborhood Watch program, officers would have ultimately seen the stop sign but wouldn’t have made a connection,” Perez said. “In this case, the neighbors protected the evidence and allowed police to do a better job of solving the case.”

Perez added, “The neighbors were alert, took their responsibility seriously, and catalogued and photographed evidence. Police can’t be there all the time. Neighbors can help serve as our eyes and ears in the community.” 

Annual Tag Sale Gives Hope to Homeless and Hungry

Annual Tag Sale Gives Hope to Homeless and Hungry

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Fairfield Citizen News)

7/30/11

Fairfield, CT – The work of hundreds of volunteers, donations from thousands of local residents and uncountable man hours all resulted in the successful launch Saturday morning of Operation Hope’s Annual Tag Sale, held in and around First Congregational Church, 148 Beach Road.

Operation Hope’s Executive Director Carla Miklos estimated that the two-day sale (Sunday hours are 12 to 4) is the organization’s 18th annual. “In the old days, we would pull in around $30,000 or $40,000,” she said. “In recent years, the take has been smaller. People do more consigning and eBay these days. Still, we have a lot of generous donations. There are literally thousands of items, including furniture, sporting goods, artwork, frames, mirrors, toys, electronics, housewares, linens, holiday items, jewelry and ‘finer things’ like collectibles.”

Miklos added that, for the last three years, they have been offering hi-end raffle baskets, pulled together from businesses and people in the community. In addition, the Fairfield Rotary Club is on hand selling donuts and coffee in the morning, and hamburgers and hot dogs in the afternoon, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Operation Hope. Sherwood Farm in Easton and Billy’s Bakery have contributed items for sale as well.

The sale funds general operations of Operation Hope’s center at 636 Old Post Road and 50 Nichols Street. The shelter houses 18 men, six women and three families at any given time, according to Miklos. The organization’s food pantry serves 475 unique households. Forty-six units of affordable housing is also scattered throughout Fairfield and Bridgeport. In addition, a community kitchen serves lunch and dinner to anyone that is hungry and a clinical team supports clients’ medical and basic needs.

“It’s hard to put into words how generous the community is,” said Miklos. “The community is a combination of hundreds of volunteers that help with set up, the merchandise donated by people all week, volunteers that work the sale and people that come out to shop for a good cause.”

Among the 50 to 60 volunteers on hand Saturday was former First Selectman Ken Flatto. “When you love your town, you have to keep volunteering,” he said. “I’m pleased to help organizations like Operation Hope. Last week, I was doing a stint at Pequot Library (annual summer book sale). It’s the least I can do.”

Another volunteer, 19-year-old Serena Mistry, a student at the University of Connecticut, said she wanted to help out during the summer before starting back to college and that her efforts would serve as good work experience while helping a great cause.

As to attendees, Sarah Booth, from Southport, who was pacing around a table, said, “I’m looking for furniture to furnish an apartment. I’m seeing many interesting items here. There’s quite a range of quality, styles and great values.”

Tanya Kujan, at checkout, said, “We came down today to see what great stuff we could find. We also donated many items. We’re rotating our stuff. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”

Operation Hope’s Annual Tag Sale is being held Saturday through 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., inside and around First Congregational Church, 148 Beach Road, at the corner of Old Post Road. Parking is available at the intersecting streets as well as in the parking lot sharing by the church and Gaelic-American Club.

Les Bon Temps Rouler at Pequot Library

Les Bon Temps Rouler at Pequot Library:

Cajun musician Papillion 

entertains families Friday night

By Mike Lauterborn

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 8/1)

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

7/30/11

Southport, CT – One of the most devastating hurricanes the United States has ever experienced led to his doing permanent annual gigs in the northeast and, on Friday, July 29, the performer was visiting the area again.

Papillion, billed as a Louisiana musician and storyteller, was the attraction at Pequot Library in Southport this past Friday evening when the institution presented a Cajun and Zydeco program on the great lawn. Several adults and their young children attended, sitting in chairs or blankets and enjoying a picnic dinner as they listened to the guitarist strum away and relate stories about his rich Bayou history.

Ironically, if it had not been for Hurricane Katrina’s unwelcome visit in August 2005, and the total interruption it caused in his capacity to earn an income in his home state of Louisiana, Papillion may not have come up to this area at all.

“It blew me up here,” the bearded, 40-ish looking Southerner said. “I had presented a workshop in the Ansonia area, in the spring before Katrina, and made good connections there. A few weeks after Katrina came through, the directors called me and offered assistance where they could. They flew me up and booked me at preschools, elementary schools and libraries, and that just lit the match in terms of my getting a foothold in the Northeast.”

Now the musician comes up three times a year for three weeks at a time. He stays in an apartment/guest room at the Julia Day Nursery School in Ansonia, which has been provided to him annually free of charge since Katrina.

Papillion said his Cajun music is very much about family and celebrating that experience. “I do stuff about life, values, matters of the heart, grandparents,” he said. “It’s for all ages – there are multi-levels in what I share. Kids rise up to sophisticated themes.”

Papillion explained that he was born and raised in French Louisiana, as were his parents, grandparents, etc., and that many of his song themes are built around his family history. “My way-back ancestors, whom we call ‘Acadie’, came from Canada – Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.”

Local audiences here in Connecticut have given Papillion a very warm welcome he said. “One of my best indicators is when I am playing Fais Dodo (the Cajun Dance) and see Connecticut mommas and papas and grandparents all dancing with their babies,” he added.

Children’s Librarian Susan Ei said the Cajun format fits well with library programming. “Our summer reading theme is ‘One World, Many Stories,’” she said. “There are many stories in our own country and the Cajun aspect is one of them.”

There was no question families were enjoying the presentation. Fairfield mom Erin Russell, with husband Bill (Pequot Library’s board president), four-year-old daughter Maggie and twin one-year-old sons Henry and Edward, said, “I can’t think of a better way of spending a Friday night than listening to Cajun music.”

For more information about the performer, visit www.papillion.com

Doobies Rock the Levitt with Some Funky Dixieland Jams

Doobies Rock the Levitt with Some Funky Dixieland Jams

By Mike Lauterborn

(for Westport News)

7/28/11

Westport, CT – Four decades after forming the band in northern California, Tommy Johnston was still rocking as hard as ever. And sidekick Pat Simmons was right beside him, strumming his axe and launching himself through the air. As Johnston put it, they played “a little old stuff, a little new stuff and some in-between stuff” and had the crowd completely mobilized.

The Doobie Brothers rocked the Levitt Pavilion Thursday night as the star attraction of the organizing body’s Summer Gala, the most important annual fundraiser the Performing Arts group organizes, which helps fund the cost of offering over 50 free performances at the space each summer season. The evening began with a 7 p.m. reception, held under a large white tent on Jesup Green, for top supporters, donors and dignitaries, sponsored by Honda of Westport. The concert followed at 9 p.m., underwritten by Poland Spring, which provides major support for the entire year of programming.

The opening song was the classic “Jesus Is Just Alright (With Me)” and, at first, it seemed as if the crowd would be polite and sedate and remain seated in the many rows of white molded chairs that filled the pavilion field. But as the band launched into “Rockin’ Down the Highway”, audience members leapt to their feet and rushed the stagefront to begin shimmying and dancing. And as the Doobies fired up “Rock Me a Little While”, the group of dancers grew until the whole pit area was packed solid and sweat ran off the brows of concertgoers as they writhed in the humid night.

It was drummer John Hartman and lead vocalist/guitarist Johnston that planted the Doobie seed, forming a power trio called Pud, with bassist Greg Murphy, in 1969. They then teamed up with bass player Dave Shogren and guitarist Simmons, adopting the name Doobie Brothers in 1971. The origin of the name is attributed to a housemate, Keith Rosen, who noted the guys’ fondness for doobies (marijuana cigarettes). The group built a following in Northern California in and around San Jose, and with the Hells Angels. A first, self-titled album failed to make record charts but a second, in 1972, called “Toulouse Street”, gave life to “Listen to the Music” and “Jesus Is Just Alright”, which propelled the band into the spotlight.

Michael Hossack took over for Hartman on drums, Shogren was replaced by Tiran Porter and Bill Payne came in on keyboards. Their sound evolved into a blend of R&B, country, bluegrass, hard rock, roadhouse boogie, funk and rock & roll, which found its way into follow-up anthems “China Grove” and “Long Train Runnin’”, on their 1973 album “The Captain and Me”, and “Without You” on 1974’s “What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.”

As Keith Knudsen replaced Hossack and Jeff Baxter joined as third lead guitarist, the Doobies-defining “Black Water” rolled off the band’s assembly line, forever embedding the line “I’d like to hear some funky Dixieland, pretty mama come and take me by the hand” into fans’ minds and driving multi-platinum sales for “Vices”.

In 1975, touring was taking a toll on the band and Michael McDonald was recruited from retired Steely Dan to step in for an ailing Johnston. McDonald’s voice became the Doobie’s new signature sound as evidenced on 1976’s “Takin’ It to the Streets” and 1978’s “What a Fool Believes”, written with Kenny Loggins and earning a grammy for Record of the Year.

The Doobies ultimately disbanded in 1981, but reformed in 1989 with a mix of old and new recruits, under the leadership of Johnston, Simmons and Hossack.

At the pre-concert reception, attended by some 150 people, which included Pavilion matriarch Mimi Levitt, First Selectman Gordon Joseloff, Second Selectman Shelly Kassen and a Who’s Who of area glitterati, recollections about the Doobies were rife.

Aryn Quinn, who came up from Manhattan for the show, said, “The first song I ever heard is ‘Black Water’. I remember listening to it on a small sky-blue transistor radio in bed. I was a little kid in the ‘70s and Steely Dan and the Doobies were the first rock bands I heard. The Doobies are musicians and Southern kick-ass rockers. The total package.”

Westporter Anita Parry said, “I’m from Minnesota originally and the Doobies were very big there back then. We all lived on the water so the ‘Black Water’ song was a favorite. They played at the Minnesota State Fair.”

Hyleri Katzenberg, who was surrounded by friends and husband Mark of the Katzenberg Kafe chain, exclaimed, “I’m a total Doobies fan. I’m looking to catch the sweat towel. My 30^th high school reunion is this weekend and this is getting me in the vibe – it’s my kickoff to getting back to 18!”

Westporter John Stefani lived in Manila in the late 1970s and would often play a cassette tape of “The Best of the Doobie Brothers.” He said, “I would lay in bed, flipping my basketball against the ceiling, and wouldn’t stop until the entire tape was done.”

Providing an official town perspective, First Selectman Joseloff offered, “The Playhouse and the Pavilion are among the stars of Westport, particularly at nights like this that enable over 50 nights of free entertainment. The weather is cooperative… this is a fun night.”

Turnpike Shopping Center Opening Just Around the Corner

Turnpike Shopping Center Opening Just Around the Corner:

ShopRite to reopen Sept. 16; balance of complex by Oct. 1

By Mike Lauterborn

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 7/29)

© 2011. All Rights Reserved.

7/29/11

Fairfield, CT – A tweak here, a tweak there, some paint here, some roof tiles there. Accent work is all that really remains to complete work on the Turnpike Shopping Center, the complex encompassing stores from 1901 to 2009 Black Rock Turnpike.

According to Larry Roberts, a managing partner at Turnpike Properties and an owner/partner of the complex, the ShopRite Supermarket half of the property is set for a Sept. 16 reopening while upgrades on the balance of the complex will be complex by the end of September.

Roberts, whose complex owner partners include Al and Ken Kleban, gave some background on the property, noting that the original lessee, going back to the mid-1970s, was First National, supermarket owners. “Then Shaw’s was assigned the lease, about 15 years ago, followed by Wakefern/ShopRite, in the summer of 2010.”

Roberts’ company (Roberts Associates) and Kleban Properties, met with Wakefern/ShopRite and extended the store’s lease. As part of the agreement, Roberts/Kleban agreed to upgrade ShopRite’s façade. “We don’t do anything part way,” said Roberts. “Upgrades include resurfacing sidewalks, new facades and decorative roofing. We also expanded Webster Bank’s space, adding a drive-thru. In all, the property encompasses 110,000 square feet.”

Roberts’ group has put $2 million into the upgrade, which is mostly exterior work, while ShopRite has put in an estimated $5 million, for interior renovations. Roberts said the renovation work has gone along very smoothly. “The town has been very cooperative and is pleased with the progress,” said Turnpike Properties’ Facilities Manager Jeff Campbell, who has been onsite overseeing contractor work. “The general public is also very complimentary. People ask us more than 10 times a day when we’re going to open.”

Campbell mentioned that among improvements was the addition of recess lights and post lamps that are LED controlled. “They will provide big energy economies, using just a quarter of the power used before.”

As contract work moves down the homestretch, the following retailers continue to be open and conduct business: Party City, G.Q. Shoe Repair, J. Albert Johnson Jewelers, Audiodesign, Super Cuts, Choice Pet Supply, Eastern Mountain Sports, Webster Bank, Soccer Post, Shelton-Saxe Aesthetics, China Wok, Rehab Associates, Pearl Vision Center, Superior Cleaners, Billy’s Bakery, United States Post Office, Salon V and Tek Kwon Do Academy.

As for ShopRite, interior updates are nearly complete and shelves are already being stocked with non-perishable food items.

For more details about the project, visit www.turnpikeproperties.net

View Finder: Go Team!

View Finder: Go Team!

FLHS cheerleaders wash cars to raise funds

By Mike Lauterborn

(Posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 7/28)

Fairfield, CT – Standing curbside on Reef Road near the fire station with two hand-written posterboard signs saying WE CLEAN CARS, Mary-Kate O’Brien and Taylor Van Fleet flagged down passing cars and steered them toward the back of the station. The sixteen-year-olds were representing the Fairfield Ludlowe High School Varsity Cheerleading Squad, the balance of which was in the parking lot behind the station, hoses in hand.

No, not fire hoses, but the garden variety, used for watering plants or, in this case, washing down cars. For a small fee, any motorist could get their car washed between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 23, courtesy of the squad. All monies raised would help the team offset its expenses, including uniforms, music, choreography and travel.

While the girls sponged cars, scrubbed hubcaps and rinsed dirt off cars that came through, Coaches Jessica Young, 22, and Ashley Carolan, 21, looked on. Carolan mentioned that, in addition to this annual car wash effort, the team does a fundraiser at Stop & Shop in October, to benefit children with special needs involved in cheerleading.

The good intentions aside, it was clear the girls were having some good old soapy, sudsy, summer fun.

View Finder: Wayne from Maine

View Finder: Wayne from Maine

Kittery performer entertains moms & kids on Sherman Green

By Mike Lauterborn

(posted to Fairfield.Patch.com 7/28)

Fairfield, CT – Wednesday July 27 marked the fourth of five scheduled Picnic Performances on downtown’s Sherman Green. Entertaining some 75 to 100 moms and children was Wayne from Maine, a duo from Kittery consisting of the Maine man himself and percussionist Jimmy James, known as the KoongaBoonga man.

As the audience, arranged on blankets and towels, looked on, the musical pair laid down “edu-tainment” designed to take listeners on an interactive musical journey to inspire the young and young-at-heart.

Sponsored by Trinity Church of Fairfield, the event also featured a face painting station, of which most children took advantage. Rainbows, sharks and other iconic symbols adorned cheeks and foreheads, lending a visual element to the audio experience.