Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Quick Article Index . . .
Trimming the trim
at the new fire station.
A frightfully fine
day for a run!
EverythingWestport.com
Wednesday, December 30, 2009 The second-time
around may be the charm for Lees Supermarket as they prepare to launch a Blockbuster Express DVD rental kiosk sometime in January of 2010.
Read
about the closing of Village Video and the
turmoil in the video rental business. According
to Video Business Newsweekly, Blockbuster is expanding its customer reach
with a deal that will put Blockbuster Express DVD rental kiosks in Big Y
grocery stores throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. NCR,
which partners with Blockbuster on the kiosks, anticipates the Blockbuster
Express machines will be in all 57 Big Y stores by Sept. 3, the company said
in a statement today. Blockbuster Starts New Grocery-Store Kiosks -- And May
Save Itself In The Process. Read
more. Blockbuster
Express kiosks rent DVDs for $1 a night, the same price as kiosk market
leader Redbox. Redbox's low rental price has been a sore point for some
studios, which have imposed title restrictions, including delayed street
dates, on the kiosk segment. Redbox has sued Universal Studios Home
Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video over
their kiosk rental window of 30 days or more. Other studios have signed deals with Redbox to give them
guaranteed market share in the kiosks. On Aug. 25, Paramount signed a trial
deal with Redbox. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Lionsgate already have
agreements with the kiosk leader. The restrictions Universal, Fox and Warner have placed on Redbox
extend to the entire kiosk channel and so would also affect Blockbuster
Express machines. Still, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes applauded Warner's
decision to delay new release to kiosks because it helps the No. 1 retailer's
bricks-and-mortar rental business. Rental kiosks helped fuel rental growth in the first half of the
year. Consumer spending on kiosks was up more than 150% in the first quarter,
according to Rentrak. NPD Group forecasts that kiosks will control 30% of the
overall DVD/Blu-ray rental market next year. Blockbuster
announced in September that it will be rolling out grocery-store kiosks, a move that could take out upstart
Redbox and re-establish its foothold in middle America. The relatively
old-fashioned DVD push is infinitely smarter than pushing into the crowded
digital space or continuing its losing mail-order battle against Netflix. Lees Market changes the formula and re-introduces
in-store video rentals. A few years back Lees tried a full in-store
video operation when it picked up the tape and DVD inventory from Jake
Rodrigues when he closed The Big Picture at the beginning of the new
millennia. They shut it down a year later and gave the inventory to Village
Pizza’s Tony Ferreira. Rumor had it that Lees had considered
Redbox, so the introduction of Blockbuster’s kiosk was very timely. Got a monster flat-panel TV for Christmas?
Then Lees might just make it a bit easier for you to see new release movies,
save some coin, and get tasty snacks and drinks to boot! Trimming
the trim at the new fire station. EverythingWestport.com Thursday, December
31, 2009
“We buttoned up
the facility just in time,” said Owner’s Manager Peter Koczera. “It allowed
us to use gas heaters to continue working on internal construction and system
implementation.” “It’s cold but
the guys are working.” With any luck,
weather-wise, outside shingling will start in January. Meanwhile, the septic leaching field is
being installed along with a 2000 gallon septic tank. “It’s a traditional
septic system”, Koczera said, “just like the one for your home, only a little
bigger.”
Left: The apparatus
bay is stuffed with Azek trim boards. Right: Sheetrocking has begun, aided by
internal gas heaters to keep things warm.
Left: A base of sand
is being laid down in the septic leaching field. Right: The building is all
buttoned up, with windows and doors installed, just in time as sub-freezing
temperatures have set in. The new pavement makes work a lot easier with no
dust, mud or frozen ground with which to contend. A
frightfully fine day for a run! EverythingWestport.com Saturday, January
02, 2010 View the road race photo album now 104 photos | Dial-up speed | Broadband/DSL speed | Little Compton - The weather outside was
frightful, but that didn’t stop Eric Lonegan of North Kingston from setting a
blistering pace of 26:51, five seconds shy of a full 3 minutes ahead of the
field, to win the 2010 Little Compton Scenic Winter Road Race. Lonegan was
1:46 off last year’s record-breaking run of 25:06
by Bronson Venable. Michael St.
Thomas of Attleboro was second overall at 29:46.
Westport-raised Anne
Kugler of Providence (sixth overall) shook off South Kingston’s Claire Gadrow
to capture the Women’s title at 30:49, an amazing twenty seconds better,
considering the weather conditions, than last year’s winner, Christine
Anderson. This was Kugler’s first attempt at the annual Little Compton event.
Claire Gadrow was
second female overall at 31:52. There was some question that the race would
go forward, with snow accumulation over the last two days and flurries in the
air at race time. But race officials fired the starting gun
at 10:00 a.m. and 198 runners hit the pavement. There were 40 no shows. The
weather was challenging for the field as temperatures hovered around 25
degrees Fahrenheit, with a strong north wind and snow flurries taunting the
runners. “It was particular tough coming back up West Main Road,” women’s
champion Anne Kugler said, “as the wind and snow was right in my face,
stinging my eyes.” The
registered field was 198 strong, almost a third off from last year’s 274.
Most completed the 4.8 mile course. See
the course.
“I anticipated profits would be down from
last year, reflecting the weakened economy. We had a decent pre-registration,
but had 40 no-shows because of the weather,” said Matt Allder, one of the organizers
of the road race. “We are, however, very grateful to our sponsors without
whom this race would not be possible.” All
runners received t-shirts, and cash prizes were awarded to the top three men
and women. The top three in each category got some neat stuff too! Some
of the choicest warm soups and chowders from some of the area’s finest
restaurants were available to all runners at the finish of the race. There
were also drinks, apples, bananas and bagels to replace all those calories
burnt in pursuit of the prizes! “This
is the third running of The Little Compton Scenic Winter Road Race which
returned after taking a few years hiatus,” Allder explained. Allder worked
closely with Meredith Nelson of Organization Plus, the official timekeeper of
this event. “We are excited to be teaming up again with Meredith and Ray
Nelson from Organization Plus
Road Race Management Services to offer this classic winter road race
once again,” he said.
From the left: (1) Anne Kugler (left) accepting her
first place cash prize; (2) Matt Allder with second place women’s winner Claire Gadrow; and (3) youngest
runner, Theresa Gallagher of Little Compton, 13. The
folks at Organization Plus did a fabulous job in officially recording and
reporting times and finishes of all the runners who completed the course. The
number caller and time recorder worked with three others to keep the runners
in line as they entered the finish chute. Three youngsters ran the completed
time sheets one by one into the Wilbur McMahon School where Meredith Nelson
entered them into a laptop. Times and runners’ numbers were carefully
coordinated to insure accurate placement results. The 4.8 mile course was measured by Ray
Nelson. Click here to read Matt Allder’s 2010 thank
you letter Click here to view race
results now. PDF Contact:
organizationplus@cox.net when you need to
get ready for your next race! All
proceeds from the event benefit the Little Compton Education Foundation
(LCEF) and students at the Wilbur McMahon School. Click here to read more about
the Little Compton Education Foundation. The Top Three
Finishers – Men and Women Congratulations
Eric Lonegan, 24 (26:51) – below left Mike
Sawyer, 48 (29:49) – below right
Congratulations Anne Kugler, 41 (30:49) – below left Claire Gadrow, 40 (31:24) - below center Jane Couto, 29 (34:48) – below right
Photos/EverythingWestport.com
Left: Nancy Crowther (left) of Tiverton, 46th overall at
40:11,with friend Mindy Davis of Fall River, 132nd overall at 53:48. Center: Dave
Schaad (left) of East Greenwich, fifth overall at 30:06, with 71-year-old
Fred Zuleger of Coventry, 65th overall at 43:22. Right: Scenic United
Congregational Church. This year’s 2010 Little Compton
Scenic Winter Road Run and Walk truly lived up to its name. And thanks to the
efforts of many, the event was a big success. One hundred fifty runners,
plenty of volunteers and a number of spectators and supporters turned out on
Saturday, January 2 to take part in the 4.8 mile road race that started and
ended right in front of the Wilbur McMahon School. Sponsored by the Little Compton
Education Foundation, the race’s proceeds will benefit the students at Wilbur
McMahon School by supporting enrichment programs. A special thank you goes to
the dedicated volunteers from throughout the community who helped the Little
Compton Education Foundation with this event despite the inclement weather.
Thank you to the almost 150 participants, without whom, there would be no
race, and finally to our sponsors who continue to give year after year:
While the proceeds to benefit the
school are wonderful – the sense of community in the Wilbur McMahon School
gym on January 2 was an even greater reward. Everyone pulled together and
provided a great day of fun for all those who took part. To see photos and results from
this year’s race, or to learn more about the Little Compton Education
Foundation, please visit our website at www.lceducationfoundation.org. Thank You Matt Allder Little Compton Education
Foundation Road Race Committee Chairman - - - - - End - - -
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