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Sunday, June 20, 2010
Quick Article Index . . .
Westport tennis courts offer adult leagues and youth
clinics.
Westport selectmen
honor WWII veteran Leo St. Onge.
The
second time around is always better.
|
Westport tennis courts offer adult
leagues and youth clinics. EverythingWestport.com Friday, June 18, 2010 Westport tennis courts offer adult leagues and youth
clinics. Registration deadline for either
league is June 30. The Diane B. Snyder Tennis Courts group is planning
singles and doubles league for players 14 and older who are interested in
competitive play. The league will preset weekly
matches, and players contact their opponent for that week to set a time that
works for them. Opponents are coordinated as best possible based on ability. There is a one-time $15 registration
fee per person, whether playing singles, doubles or both. League standings
will be posted weekly. Each player or team brings an
unopened can of ball s for their match, and the winner takes the winner takes
the unopened can for their next match. This year the organization is also
offering a Pick-Up League option. The Pick-Up League is geared for folks who
want to play competitively but may not be able to commit to a league format. Registration deadline for either
league is June 30. The DBSTC is also offering Kids
Tennis Clinics beginning July 6, with a two- and four- week session option. A
second two-week session begins on July 20. The tennis clinics are geared to
children interested in learning how to hit and rally, learn the different
strokes, and master the basics of tennis. The clinic instructors are past and
present members of the Westport High School tennis teams, which kids seem to
love. For more information or a
registration form, call Lisa at (508) 636-1311 or Pam at (508) 636-3320, or
email DBSTCtennis@gmail.com. Westport selectmen honor WWII
veteran Leo St. Onge. EverythingWestport.com Monday, June 14, 2010
Starting for the left: Fall River’s Veterans Officer Manny
Dupont, Sergeant Leo St. Onge, Westport resident Lino Rego, and selectmen
Paul Scmid, Brian Valcourt, Chairman Steven Ouellette, Craig Dutra and
Richard Spirlet. Turning 89 this Saturday, the
choked-up war hero could barely manage to thank those who applauded for him.
The promotion spanned six wars and 66 years. Westport’s most decorated war veteran
was promoted to Sergeant, United States Army, in a Memorial Day ceremony at
Fall River’s Bank Street Armory. The 89-year-old Silver Star recipient had
little to say, but spoke volumes through his tears as he accepted the
promotion from Colonel Joe Lydon. Sergeant St. Onge, a recipient of the
Silver Cross, Bronze Medal, Purple Heart, and the French War Cross (Croix de Guere) was the
honorary Grand Marshall for this year’s Westport and Fall River Memorial Day
parades. Related Stories. Read about the Memorial Day presentation with photos. Click here to read about Leo St. Onge’s bravery that won
him a Croix de Guere in his meeting with the Westport
ROMEOs. The French War Cross is the third highest French wartime honor given to
Americans and Britons. Click here to read about St. Onge’s heroics and his Silver
Star.
Lino Rego of Westport introduced St.
Onge to the Board of Selectmen, describing the journey he and St. Onge went
on to recover the promotion. Lino Rego, Commander of American Legion Post 145 in Westport, took an interest in St. Onge four years ago when he met him through his
father-in-law, who also had fought in World War II. Rego began
researching the 85th Infantry Division and the 339th Infantry Regiment to
learn more about St. Onge. It was during this research he discovered the
Croix de Guere. Rego’s efforts were directly responsible for St.
Onge receiving the French War Cross, the third highest French wartime honor
given to Americans and Britons, that was awarded St. Onge’s unit 64 years
ago. It was during this research
that he became aware of the battlefield promotion refused by St. Onge. Rego worked on restoring
that rank, culminating in today’s presentation. “We had some very influential
people (the Pentagon) working on it,” Rego said. St. Onge, in his remarks to the
packed armory auditorium, recalled the pile of German bodies in front of him
during the assault on Hill 69. “It’s something you never forget, never get
over,” the Sergeant said. “I was lying in their blood, firing my weapon. The
nightmares never leave me.” 89 year-old Leo St. Onge is less well understood these days. World War
II injuries received in Italy make hearing difficult, and his sinuses are always
acting up. His memory is hazy and unclear, impaired after a mortar round
devastated his body and earned him a Purple Heart. The price paid for being a
hero. “I remember very little of the war and what I did,” St. Onge said. “I
only know that I was just doing what I was ordered to do.” His voice may be
fading, but his heroism in the face of overwhelming enemy fire speaks volumes
for the soft-spoken Westport native. Fall River’s Veterans Officer
Sergeant Manny Dupont, read Leo St. Onge’s commanding officer’s report from
May of 1944 to the assembled crowd and Selectmen, and once again Lino Rego
presented the plaque-mounted promotion to St. Onge. For maybe the only time in the
history of Selectmen meetings, everyone including the audience were in unanimous
agreement.
Senior center’s transportation budget restored. In additional business, the Selectmen
voted unanimously to restore the Senior Center’s transportation budget level
to $70,000, fulfilling a promise made before town meeting. A very happy COA
Director Mary Ellen Gomes (below, left) beamed when the vote was taken. Selectmen also unanimously approved
the promotion of widely respected Chris Gonsalves (center in photo below,
right) to Foreman, Highway Department.
EverythingWestport.com Wednesday, June 16, 2010 View
the photo album now!
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For the cost of a ticket, visitors
were treated to Harbor hospitality and got to ogle hardscapes, riverscapes
and seascapes at their best. Left: Artist Judy Chaves of Portsmouth, RI
in a garden on River Road. Every artist likes a little
inspiration. So with oils, watercolors and easels in hand, 21 of the
southcoast’s many talented painters visited Westport Harbor to capture on
canvas the tranquil and serene garden landscapes that 11 Westport residents
call home: River Road, Alantic Avenue, Howland Road, Whistler Point Road, and
Rockbridge Drive. The Westport Art Group had their Artists in the Gardens event on
Wednesday, June 16 where with a ticket and an automobile you could tour some
of the finest vistas and gardens in Westport where these artists were
painting. Tour of the gardens was from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Paintings were
displayed from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Howland Road home of Westport artist Sarah
Desjardins. Refreshments were served. Participating in Artists in the
Gardens were: Judy Keely, Denise Zompa, Liz Coxe, Dora Milliken, Kris
Donovan, Judy Chaves, Alita Marks, Judy McLean, Meredith Cornell, Maureen
Young, Paul Vien, Mary Sexton, Sarah Desjardins, Dennis Broadbent, Heide
Hallemeier, Maureen Fleming, Sachiko Morgan, Patty Walsh, Trish Hurley, Karen
Melanson, and Madeleine Ferraz.
Left: Dora Milliken on River Road. Right: Sarah Desjardins at her home on
Howland Road.
Left: Meredith Cornell on Atlantic Avenue.
Center: Mary Sexton on
Howland Road framing her best work. Right: Reception and display of
paintings at Sarah Desjardins’ home. The second time around is always
better. EverythingWestport.com Saturday, June 19, 2009 View
the photo album now!
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Visitors got a chance to get a another
taste of Westport at this second annual event hosted by Westport Rivers
Vineyard and Winery, and to help in raising money that benefits the local
agricultural industry. Music was supplied by Gary Duquette, One Bad Ant. Gary, a Westport
native, who played, blues, folk, classic and soft rock favorites. This food and wine festival focused on
Westport wine, food, beer, produce and providers from the town of Westport to benefit Westport agriculture. Local purveyors including farmers, restaurateurs, and
caterers provided some free food samples, with some food items sold at vendor
tables. Delicious food was provided by the The Back Eddy, Smoke & Pickles, Green Gal, Perry's Bakery, Bayside, Lees Market, Starfish Bakery, Kozy Nook, Bittersweet Farm, Bud’s by the Beach, and Village Pizza. A cash raw bar by Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms was available. Visitors were
able to meet the farmers from Allen Farms, Paradise Hill, Hana's Honey, Shy Brothers Cheeses, North Star Farm, Noquochoke Orchards and River Rock Farm. “We sold out early on all our food items,” said Steve Ferreira of Bud’s
by the Beach. “It was really busy when we opened up.” Doris Mills of Noquochoke Orchards was on hand with her Brandy White tomatoes.
“They aren’t much to look at,” Doris said, “but they are very tasty, and
their meaty texture makes them great in sandwiches.”
Left: Doris Mills of Noquochoke Orchards brandishing her Brandy Whites. Center:
Julie Newton Dosvais worked the tasting table for Just Beer! Right:
Heide Hallemeier’s ‘Furs and feathers’ entry on display at the Vineyard
gallery. Many paired these delicious flavors with the wines from Westport
Rivers, Running Brook and Travessia and the beer from Just Beer. Visitors were able to purchase many delicacies
and products as well. Also at the event were representatives from SEMAP, The Westport Land Trust, The Trustees of Reservations and the Westport Agricultural Commission. They all had
educational booths, and answered many agricultural questions. And remember last year’s silent auction? Well this year’s auction was awesome.
Really, just as awesome as last year featuring gift certificates from hotels,
restaurants, caterers, farmstands and non-profits. And home gardeners were delighted
by all the abundant plants to bid on. “We raised $2,132 from this year’s auction,” Rob Russell said as he
presented a check to Shirley Robbins, a board member of the Westport Agricultural
Commission. “We’re really pleased to be able to present this check to you,
Shirley,” he said.
Left: Rob Russell of Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery presents a large
check to Shirley Robbins, board member of the Westport Agricultural
Commission. Right: Scenic Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery. The Westport Art Group’s award-winning painting exhibition, ‘Fur and
Feathers,’ was running concurrently at the Vineyard gallery, adding another cultural
dimension to this rural farming exposition. Many of the original show’s winning
paintings were on display. Westport Rivers Vineyard & Winery hosted this second food and wine
festival to benefit the preservation of agriculture here in Westport through
the Westport Agricultural Commission. Last year they raised enough money to
make 18 Westport Agricultural Right-to-Farm signs for our town. The Westport
Highway Department installed them this spring. This year they will be raising
money to revamp and print the Westport Agricultural brochure. - - - - - End -
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