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http://www.westportartgroup.com

 

Read Jul/Aug 2010 Newsletter – BrushStrokes.

 

Jul 23rd thru Aug 1st

Westport Art Group presents 54rd Annual Summer Show & Sale

1740 Main Road, Westport Point.

 

t8.jpgOpen Monday – Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

The eagerly anticipated WAG Summer Show is FREE and open to the public. The Show features artworks by WAG and other local artists, plus handcrafts by local artisans. Crafts include hand-crafted jewelry, woodcrafts, pottery, hand-blown glass jewelry and vases, crocheted items, scarves, art prints and more! All arts and crafts are for sale.

 

Don’t miss our famous “Raffle Wall” and your chance to win a piece by your favorite artist! Ready-for-framing 5” x 7” artworks by WAG artists will be raffled. Chances are one for $2.00, three for $5.00, and eight for $10.00. The drawing will be held Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 4:30 p.m.

 

Click here to see photos of the 2009 53rd Annual Summer Show and Sale.

 

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WAG presented pastel-proficient Jean Hirons on Monday, June 7.

The Mattapoisett native, now residing in Rockville, Maryland, brought a buckboard full of tips and techniques June 7th to 50 Westport Art Group members who came to polish their skills and learn from one of the best pastel artists in the business. Hirons is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America, the Maryland Pastel Society, and the Pastel Painters’ Society of Cape Cod.  Click here to read more and view photos.

 

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The Westport Art Group is a non-profit organization that supports education in the arts with classes, art exhibits and scholarships to high school seniors. The mission of the Westport Art Group is to stimulate and promote the appreciation and encouragement of the arts and crafts. Call (508) 636-2114 or visit www.westportartgroup.com  for more information.

 

 

 

Yoga at the Westport Grange and more.

 

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Program schedule now available as of Sunday, June 27, 2010

Click here to get schedule

 

 

Mystery Photo Solved!

 

07/14/2010 - A First! New mystery photo solved by both Gerry Santos and Steve Medeiros, independently, who both correctly guessed on 07/14/10 at about 09:38 “Twin Willow Farm on Sodom Road.  Gerry and Steve both win a $25 gift certificate to Partners Village Store and Kitchen, the area’s one-stop shopping for all your distinctive gift and reading needs. Consider your selections over coffee and a sandwich.

Congratulations gentlemen!

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Our last mystery photo was correctly identified by Betty Slade of Westport Point. Betty correctly identified “the memorial for George Leach, former Westport Selectman with a distinguished military career, which is located across from the Harbormaster’s office at the town docks.”

John Coury, a longtime friend of George's, said he spearheaded the effort to place a memorial down at the docks after George died. John was in E. Africa on safari when George passed away. When he returned he appeared before the Board of Selectmen to seek approval for placement of a memorial to George where it stands today. The Board approved the request.

 

John, working with Bob Haines and a few others, collected money and had Albanese produce the stone, with a third party donating the bronze plaque.

 

 Betty won a $25 gift certificate to the Back Eddy Restaurant, Westport’s favorite harborside restaurant!  Congratulation Betty!

 

You can’t win if you don’t guess!

 

Email your guess now!

 

*Starting 02/11/2010 we will be limiting immediate families to one gift certificate won per month. EverythingWestport will be increasing the number of mystery photos this year and we would like everybody to have a chance at participating. Also, you may take as many guesses as you want for a mystery photo, but please only one guess at a time.

 

 

White's of Westport
66 State Road, Westport. For more information, call (508) 675-7185 or visit
www.lafrancehospitality.com.

 

Upcoming Dinner Shows and special events:

 

The Scott Record Show
Friday, August 6
$35.95 per person

Singing Comedy Impressionist - Scott Record has a career and background as versatile as his talents.  As a child growing up in New England, Scott's early interests and training were in the fields of music, tap dancing, magic, acting, and sports.  Scott is one of the most requested headlines on several of the world's most elite cruise lines.  "The must see show of the summer." - The Miami Herald.

 

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Live bands in the Galley Grille every Friday and Saturday night:

 

Friday, July 30 - Chris Farias
Saturday, July 31 - Tony Rocha

Friday, August 6- Kenny Richards
Friday, August 13 - Tony & Steph
Friday, August 20 - Bill Santos
Friday, August 27 - Gary Farias

 

Every Wednesday, Michael Dutra is Strictly Sinatra - $10 per person; 7 – 10 p.m.  Michael Dutra is a man living a very large dream. After just four short years as a professional in the entertainment industry, he takes to the stage more than 300 nights per year, stunning audiences along the East Coast with his dead-on renditions of Frank Sinatra classics. Dutra's songbook offers infinite variety. "Sinatra sang more than 2,400 songs," Dutra marvels, "and my repertoire features at least 500 of those."  He finds that My Way and Summer Wind are runaway favorites with audiences everywhere!

 

Every Saturday Paul Nogueira on piano playing Country, Blues and other favorites

 

 

Bittersweet Farm Restaurant & Tavern
438 Main Road, Westport.  For more information, call (508) 636-0085 or visit www.lafrancehospitality.com.

 

Tavern hosts live bands Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. 

 

Friday, July 30– Nightlife
Saturday, July 31– TBA

Friday, August 6– Hot Mess
Saturday, August 7– Farias Brothers
Friday, August 13– MRL Trio
Saturday, August 14– Neal & Kenny
Friday, August 20– Shuttlecock
Saturday, August 21– Wood & Wire
Friday, August 27– Midnight Kitchen
Saturday, August 28– S.C.A.T.

 

Every Thursday enjoy acoustic guitar with Kenny Richards 

 

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Call (508) 675-7185 or check out their website for information:

www.LafranceHospitality.com

 

 

 

The week ahead on EverythingWestport.com

 

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Click here for all local Theater, Music and Arts events this week!

 

"Liberty Street Printmakers" at the Tiverton Town Hall.

t2.jpgThe Tiverton Arts Council is pleased to present the "Liberty Street Printmakers", a group of nine printmakers from the Newport Art Museum's Coleman Center for Creative Studies.  The exhibition will run from July 7 to August 31, 2010 at Tiverton Town Hall, 343 Highland Road.  The Tiverton Town Hall is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. An opening reception was held on Sunday, July 11th from 4:00 - 6:00p.m. The public is invited. 

The show offers a glimpse into the creative and varied world of printmaking.  Works range in techniques from painterly monotypes to monoprints created by solar plates to collage works combining woodcuts, fiber and other found objects.  Artists shown are Kelly Albert, Roberta Erlich, Mary Evans, Debbie Talbot, Ginger Lacy, Brian Pitts, Margot Rubin, Robin Vallese and Marion Wilner. 

Click here to read more and tale a virtual tour.

 

 

Jul 26th Monday thru Aug 1st Sunday

Westport Art Group presents 54rd Annual Summer Show & Sale at 1740 Main Road, Westport Point.

 

t8.jpgOpen Monday – Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

 

The eagerly anticipated WAG Summer Show is FREE and open to the public. The Show features artworks by 52 WAG and other local artists, plus handcrafts by eight local artisans. Crafts include hand-crafted jewelry, woodcrafts, pottery, hand-blown glass jewelry and vases, crocheted items, scarves, art prints and more! All arts and crafts are for sale.

 

Don’t miss their famous “Raffle Wall” and your chance to win a piece by your favorite artist! Ready-for-framing 5” x 7” artworks by WAG artists will be raffled. Chances are one for $2.00, three for $5.00, and eight for $10.00. The drawing will be held Sunday, August 1, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. 

 

Click here to see photos of the 2009 53rd Annual Summer Show and Sale.

 

The Westport Art Group

The Westport Art Group is a non-profit organization that supports education in the arts with classes, art exhibits and scholarships to high school seniors. The mission of the Westport Art Group is to stimulate and promote the appreciation and encouragement of the arts and crafts. Call (508) 636-2114 or visit www.westportartgroup.com  for more information.

 

Jul 26th Monday

t7.jpgA friend of the Westport-based Devin Laubi Foundation has set up a golf tournament, details below, to benefit the Devin Laubi Foundation.  This friend lost both her sister and brother to brain tumors.  She would like to celebrate their lives and make an impact to honor her family; she chose us.  So if you are free and enjoy golfing, please attend or pass this info to another golfer.  Flyer attached.

 

Easton Country Club, 265 Purchase Street, South Easton, MA. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Tee-off time (scramble format) is at 8:30 a.m. Cost per player is $125. Cost includes unlimited range balls during registration, continental breakfast, 18-holes of golf (with a cart), unlimited soft drinks and bottled water, and lunch.  Bring extra money for contests and raffles.

 

Come out for golf and lunch or just come for lunch to help us celebrate the lives of Dan DiPierro and Deb Reardon, both of whom lost their struggles with glioblastomas, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, in July, 2008. 

 

Lunch is a sit down buffet consisting of an individual garden salad, dinner rolls, top sirloin with mushroom gravy, chicken picatta, seafood Newburg, oven roasted red potatoes, snap peas with rainbow peppers, assorted pastries, and fresh brewed coffee.  Suggested donation for lunch (without golf) is $45-$60 per person.  Please arrive for lunch by noon. 

 

To confirm your spot please mail your check by July 1, 2010 made payable to: Amy Doherty, 53 Westview Terrace, Westwood, MA 02090. If you have any questions, please contact Amy at amyrdoherty@verizon.net. They look forward to seeing you on the 26th!

 

All proceeds will benefit The Devin Laubi Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to families of children with cancer in Southeastern Massachusetts, New England and across the United States.

 
For more information about The Devin Laubi Foundation, please visit http://mydevin.org.

 

Jul 26th Monday through July 30th Friday

WRWA to sponsor Watershed Explorers exploration of Westport River.

Children ages 12-15 have the opportunity to explore sections of the Westport River, from the Head of Westport to its mouth at Westport Harbor in an exciting outdoor adventure with the Westport River Watershed Alliance this summer.

 

The week-long summer program, Watershed Explorers, includes three days of kayaking on the river with Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures, and two days of exploring the coastal habitats at Westport's Town Beach. Along the way, participants will discover and learn about the creatures of the forest, wetland, freshwater, estuary and marine habitats found in this region.

 

The program is being offered this summer during the week of July 26-30, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday). Cost is $360 for the week for WRWA members (non-members, $390) and includes three days of kayak rentals.

 

Space is limited, so please call Shelli Costa, Education Director, at (508) 636-3016, or visit www.westportwatershed.org , for more information on registration.

 

WRWA's mission is to restore, protect, celebrate, and sustain the natural resources of the Westport River and its watershed which encompasses six towns: Dartmouth, Fall River, Freetown, and Westport in Massachusetts, and Little Compton and Tiverton in Rhode Island. WRWA accomplishes its goal of protecting the watershed through education, advocacy, and community outreach.

 

Jul 29th Thursday

Westport ROMEOs to host David Proulx at White's of Westport.
There will be a luncheon this Thursday, July 29th at White’s of Westport in the Pricilla Dining Room. The Westport social group will be hosting David Proulx, a republican sticker/write-in candidate for State Representative in the 8th Bristol District being vacated by Mike Rodrigues, who is running for State Senator. The retired Correctional Officer of 20 years currently teaches at an educational collaborative on Cape Cod.
 
t11.jpgProulx feels that constituent services are the cornerstone of good representation. He also believes that economic growth, jobs and prosperity come from a vibrant private sector, and a smaller less intrusive government. He will address the thorny issues of our area's high unemployment, backyard casino, and the Southeast Rail corridor's impact on Westport. He lives in Fall River with his wife and two sons. 
 
The ROMEOs, Retired Older Men Eating Out, has been an active social group sharing lunch and every Thursday for the last 20 years at various local restaurants, Whites of Westport being the latest. All are welcome. You pay for your own lunch, but you have the pleasure of the best company our area offers. There are no age limits. Come and experience what the ROMEOs are all about.
 
No reservations necessary. For more information, please call Joe Crowley at (508) 636-6442, or email him at pennyman68@charter.net

 

July 29th Thursday

elvis impersonator.jpgVic Solo at the Westport Senior Center. A Unique Entertainer will be coming to the Westport COA at 12:00 p.m. Vic is an Elvis Presley impersonator, who has performed at many COA’s – Come and join in on the fun!! Please call to make reservations at (508) 636-1026. 75 Reed Road, Westport

 

Jul 29th Thursday

Summer Music Series at Sakonnet Vineyards, 162 West Main Road, Little Compton, RI. Thursdays in July and August. 6 – 8 p.m. $10 per car. Performance by Jack Jennings of Blues Train fame. The gift shop and Coop Café will be open. For more information call or click (800) 998-8486;  http://sakonnetwine.com/ 

 

Jul 29th Thursday

Partners Village Store will host a “Poetry Night” featuring Geraldine Zetzel and Joanie Mackowski.  Zetzel, a longtime summer resident of Westport, and Mackowski, who is staying in town this summer, will both be reading from their new work. All are welcome to meet the authors, and light refreshments will be available. Starts at 5:30 p.m.

 

t9.jpg t8.jpgZetzel, a Buddhist and teacher at the Harvard Institute for Learning in Retirement, has been published in many journals and anthologies. Her new collection, Mapping the Sands, has been noted for its “music and the sensuous pleasures of language” and “precise images with startling metaphors”.

 

Mackowski teaches at the University of Cincinnati and has been published in the Best American Poetry in both 2007 and 2009 as well as the Yale Review and the Kenyon Review. Her latest work is View from a Temporary Window which has been called “haunted by a sense of the body’s strangeness”. “Like origami unfolded upon your table, these poems reveal the blueprints of the universe.”

 

This is a free gathering! Partners Village Store & Kitchen, 865 Main Road in Westport, MA. For more information please call (508) 636-2572.

Jul 30th Friday

t2.jpgWestport Fire Department announces Station No. 1 Grand Opening and Dedication Friday, July 30 at 11:00 a.m. Sandwiches and Fire House Chili! Come on over to 54 Hixbridge Road and get a tour. Click on invitation for all the details.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jul 30th Friday

t4.jpgSunset Music Series returns to Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery. 6 – 8 p.m. Friday Night Lights, Whites and Westport Brut at the Vineyard. If award-winning wines, gourmet apps, stunning sunsets and the music of Gary Duquette are your idea of an idyllic TGIF night out, than hustle on down to the Vineyard.


Gary Duquette, One Bad Ant is back! Truly a one-man band, Gary’s style leaves everyone asking for more. Locally grown guitarist Gary Duquette continues to be one of our most versatile and best all around performers here at the vineyard.

 

t1.jpgThe tradition continues as the tremendously popular Sunset Music Series returns to Westport’s cultural hot spot under the setting sun. Come early to get a spot. Get this year’s schedule now.  Read more with photos from last year.

 

This is a family friendly event. Admission just $5 per carload. Visitors are always encouraged to bring blankets, beach chairs, sun block, and bug spray. Please no brought in alcohol. Please no climbing on our old stone walls. (They don’t want your kid getting crushed.)

Westport Rivers wine and Just Beer brews will be available for purchase. Please feel free to bring your own potluck picnics or take advantage of the occasional vendors who sometimes offer fun food items during select shows.

www.westportrivers.com

 

Jul 30th Friday

t8.jpgBluesy-folk guitarist Jen Clapp will show case music from her latest CD at a concert at the Westport Grange on Friday, July 30 at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are available at the Westport Farmers Market on Saturdays, or at the door for $10.00.  Proceeds will benefit the Westport Grange scholarship fund.  The Grange Cafe will have a variety of beverages and home baked goodies available.  Copies of Jen’s CD will also be available for purchase.  For previews and reviews visit her web site. www.jenclapp.com.  For further information call Beth Easterly at (508) 636-4427.  

 

Jen Clapp has been touring the northeast region of the United States in support of her new CD. Copies will be available at the concert. Currently Jen lives in New York’s Hudson Valley where she regularly performs in concert and at Farmers Markets. 

 

Songs from the CD are receiving play on many radio stations as well as on internet radio. Jen was a featured artist for a 2-part interview with Sara LaDuke on Performance Place, WAMC - Northeast Public Radio. She was also featured on Laney Goodman’s Women on Air program and an interview with Jen appears in Indie Sounds NY issue 39. More information at jenclapp.com and music available on iTunes. 

 

While living in New York city in the early 1990’s she was a founding member of the alternative folk- soul band Native Tongue. The band was a fixture in the downtown New York acoustic scene with a weekly gig at the Cafe Sin-e on St. Marks Place. A highlight was singing with Sinead O’Connor. 

 

Jul 31st Saturday

t31.jpg t64.jpg t6.jpg

Westport Farmers’ Market & Artisans Fair continues its third year on Saturday, July 24 and will run every Saturday through the end of September from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., RAIN or SHINE.  This event is sponsored by the Westport Grange, and located at 931 Main Road (Central Village).  For information on the market please call (508) 636-6228.

 

Jul 31st Saturday

Sakonnet Growers Market features Provencal Bakery, Old Stone Orchard, Seapowet Shellfish, Windy Hill Nurseries, Mello’s Farm Stand, Crow’s Nest Farm and Cory’s Kitchen. Pardon Gray Preserve on Route 77 at Lafayette Road, Tiverton, RI.

 

8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays through October 2.

 

Jul 31st Saturday

t18.jpgThe Westport Point United Methodist Church will hold its 29th Annual Clam Bake on Saturday, July 31st.  The menu includes farm raised Narragansett Bay clams, sausage, hot dog, potato, corn, sweet potato, stuffing, and brown bread.  The cost is $30 or $40 to add lobster.  Chowder and drinks will be served at noon and the bake begins at 1:00 p.m.  Tickets can be purchased at Partners Village Store or by leaving a message at the church office at (508) 636-2036.  The Clam Bake is held at the church, 1912 Main Road at Westport Point.

 

Click here to read about last year’s clambake with photos!

 

t38.jpg    t41.jpg

 

Jul 31st Saturday

Partners Village Store will host a Vera Bradley Celebration on Saturday, July 31st, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Join them for rewards, door prizes, and food tastings!

 

t3.jpgVera Bradley, designers of stylish quilted cotton luggage, handbags and accessories for over 20 years has had a loyal following of customers who not only look forward to their lovely new fabrics and styles that are introduced each season, but who also appreciate the function and quality that is synonymous with the Vera Bradley name. The Vera Bradley fall line will be featured and there will be a SNEAK PREVIEW of the Holiday Collection. For summer and retired patterns and styles they will offer a reward program of buy one get one 50% off.

 

Gallo’s Family Food Products located in Assonet, MA will be sampling their delicious line of Biscotti Cookies with flavors such as almond, cranberry walnut, and chocolate chip. Spindrift Soda, also located in Massachusetts, hopes to change how America experiences sodas and will be sampling their blackberry, lemonade, grapefruit and mango orange soda. They start with ultra clean sparkling water, fresh squeezed fruit or berries (pulp and all!), and a dash of cane juice. The result is a light, refreshing, delicious soda. Sidehill Farm, located in Brattleboro, VT, takes pride in preserving foods the old-fashioned way. Their jams and jellies are cooked in small batches and hand-stirred by a second generation Vermont jam maker. No pectin or artificial ingredients are added, just the finest ingredients are slow-cooked together to assure there is more fruit, and more flavor, in every bite. Some flavors we will be sampling are cinnamon pear, raspberry peach and blueberry.

 

They will also be sampling mouth watering milk chocolate nonpareils. Partners Village Store & Kitchen, 865 Main Road in Westport, MA. For more information call or click: (508) 636-2572;

www.partnersvillagestore.com 

Jul 31st Saturday

t4.jpgSixth Annual Barn Dance. Join the Westport Land Conservation Trust for its sixth annual Barn Dance. Dinner, prepared by local businesses and volunteers. Dance to the music of Eight to the Bar (pictured below, right).

 

Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery, 417 Hixbridge Road, Westport. From 6 to 10 p.m. $45 per person in advance; no tickets at the door. For tickets or more information please call (508) 636-9228. Tickets also available at Country Woolens, 842 Main Street, Westport.

 

Click on poster to enlarge.

 

Click here to view photos from last year.

 

 

t43.jpg   t37.jpg

 

Aug 1st Sunday

The Acoaxet Free-Will Chapel Association will have a meeting in the fellowship hall following the morning service on Sunday, Aug. 1. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the direction members want the morning service to take. The Acoaxet Chapel is located at 36 Howland Road.

 

Aug 1st Sunday

The fifth Annual Juliet Lambert Raposa Memorial Bikers Run and Car/Truck Show will be held Sunday, Aug. 1, rain or shine. Bike registration starts at 9:30 a.m. at BCC on Elsbree Street. Run starts at 11 a.m.

Car and truck registration will begin at 11 a.m. at the Holy Ghost Grounds, Sodom Road, Westport.

There will be vendors, music, T-shirts, raffles, door prizes and trophies. There is a $20 registration fee for every bike, car or truck; $10 walk-in donation. Kids 10 and under are free. Price includes coffee and doughnuts and lunch. Proceeds to benefit The We Love Children Organization.

For more information, contact Ed or Karen Raposa at 508-659-3446; Palmira Aguiar at (508) 824-2797 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or (508) 672-0477.

 

 

 

Click here to view upcoming events.   

 

Town Meetings This Week

As of Wednesday, July 28, 2010

 

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Call the Town Clerk at (508) 636-1000 during normal working hours to verify meeting schedule changes.

 

Click here to read about new state posting requirements for town meetings effective as of July 1, 2010.

 

Wednesday, July 28th

·         Board of Appeals – 6:30 p.m., Town Hall

·         Fire Station Bldg Comm. – 10 a.m., 54 Hixbridge Road

 

Thursday, July 29th

·         Housing Rehab Advisory – 10 a.m., Town Hall

·         Beach Comm – 7 p.m., Town Hall Basement

·         Central Village Improvement – 9 a.m., Town Hall, second floor

·         Affordable Housing Trust – 12 noon, Town Hall Annex

·         Housing Partnership – 12 noon, Town Hall Annex

 

Friday, July 30th

·         Fire Station Bldg Comm. – 10 a.m., 54 Hixbridge Road

·         Fire Station open house – 11 a.m., 54 Hixbridge Road

 

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Town Hall - 816 Main Road

 

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Town Hall Annex - 856 Main Road

 

Westport Town Announcements

 

Sunday, July 25, 2010

 

First quarter tax bills due August 2.

Westport real estate and property tax bills for the first quarter of 2010 are due August 2, and second quarter bills by November 1. Preliminary bills for both time periods were mailed out July 1. Any payment made after the deadline is subject to a 14 percent interest. New homeowners who did not receive a bill may contact the tax collector’s office at (508) 636-1010. Payments may be made by mail, in person or online at www.westport-ma.com. Online orders include a fee of 35 cents per transaction. Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. On the first Monday of each month, the office is open until 6 p.m.

 

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Library announces summer hours.

06-26-2010 - The Westport Library will be observing the following hours Starting July 1 through September 4.

Monday:  12 to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday and Wednesday:  10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Thursday:  12 - 8:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday: Closed

The library will also be closed Monday, July 5 in observance of Independence Day.

 

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Westport residents need Yard Sale Permits.

06-22-2010 - Westport Residents who are planning to hold a yard sale must obtain a Yard Sale Permit from the Building Department, Town Hall Annex, 856 Main Road. Permits are $5.00 per day. Under the Town Bylaws and Regulations, a Yard Sale Permit may be issued to any one person for only three days in any one month or four days in any one year in conformity with the Zoning Regulations and for any one premises zoned residential. The Police Department or Zoning Enforcement Officer will be checking to see if a Yard Sale Permit is on premises and the permit must be presented if requested. Any person who shall violate any provision of the Bylaw shall be liable to a fine of $50.00 for each violation. Each day shall constitute a separate offense.

 

For further information, please contact the Building Department at 508-636-1035 or 508-636-1036.

Note: Posted Yard Sale Signs Must Be Removed At The End Of The Sale.

 

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New stickers for the transfer station are now available in the Board of Health office at the Town Hall Annex.

05-19-2010 For the fiscal year that begins July 1, stickers will now cost $30 a year. For seniors, the stickers are $15. Unlike stickers sold in the past, they will expire at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2011.

Residents must present vehicle registration or a tax bill to prove property ownership or residency.

The Board of Health office is located in the Town Hall Annex at 856 Main Road, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Stickers may also be purchased, by check only, at the transfer station.

 

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Beach passes and dog licenses for 2010 now available from Town Clerk’s office.

01-05-2010 Dog Licenses are $10 for spayed and neutered dogs; all others are $15. A valid rabies certificate is required and must be presented to obtain a license. A license can be issued at the Town Clerk’s office during normal business hours, or by mailing a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a check payable to the "Town of Westport" accompanied by a valid rabies certificate to: Town Clerk, 816 Main Road, Westport, MA 02790.

 

Other dog licenses are as follows: $50.00 - 4 dog kennel; $75.00 - 10 dog kennel; and $100.00 - more than 10 dog kennel.

 

Beach Stickers are $30.00 per year, per vehicle, and are issued to residents and non-resident property owners. Senior citizens aged 65 and older are $15.00 each. Vehicle registrations must be shown for each sticker. Non-Resident property owners must also show the most recent, paid Westport Real Estate tax bill. NOTE TO NON-RESIDENT PROPERTY OWNERS: The vehicle registration and Westport tax bill must be in the same name/names.

 

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New tax rate in effect.

01-01-2010 The 2010 property tax rate has risen by 73 cents to $6.27 per $1000 of assessed value. In effect now, this tax rate will run through June 2010. A typical $350,000 property will see a $255 increase in taxes ($2,194 in annual taxes) under the new rate.

 

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Beach Avenue to close again!

07-10-2009  The Board of Selectmen have decided to begin the legal process of closing Beach Avenue to vehicles as residents in the surrounding area are complaining again of cars getting stuck on the dirt road and of trash being left behind by visitors. The Selectmen said they would look into finding a new parking area so residents could walk down Beach Avenue to the town landing and the beach.

 

 

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Westport Property and GIS Maps Now On-Line

Citizens, town employees and other interested persons may now research properties on Westport by using the on-line property viewer and the interactive mapping capability of the town’s new geographic information system (GIS) website. The site allows to search for and display the assessors’ map of a parcel of land and to add additional information such as soil types, wetlands, zoning and aerial photos to that map. Users may also view an interactive map of the entire town, adding their desired information, then zooming to an area of interest.

 

The site includes a wide range of environmental and regulatory information. The information is not to be used for legal determination or to settle property disputes. It will be useful to anyone interested in their own property, to anyone interested in developing a property, and to those interested in the physical and cultural characteristics of Westport.

 

The site is accessed via a link on the town’s website: www.westport-ma.gov, where a tip sheet is also available. A video tutorial will be available in the near future via the town website. The project, which will be improved an updated yearly, is a joint effort of the Planning Board and the Board of Assessors, with funding from the data processing department.

 

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Moratorium lifted on cemetery plots.

7-16-2008 With the cemetery department finishing the preparation of several new sections, spaces are now available for 1200 new cemetery plots. Fees were increased as of July 1. Plots now cost Westport residents $500 with perpetual care; non-residents are $650. Selectmen have decided to let people on the waiting list (about 80) have two plots at the old price as long as they pay for them in 30 days.

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Try as you might!

 

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EverythingWestport.com - July 17, 2010

 

Try as you might!  It seems this unidentified volunteer at the recent Westport Fair was taking devilish delight in watching escape artist Peter V. struggle with the overly-tightened fasteners of a sadistic strait jacket. But his amusement was short-lived as the Houdini-capable trickster strained, pulled, and exerted his mighty powers of concentration and manipulation to escape the restraints. Click here for more photos of Peter V. and a hot Saturday at the Westport Fair.

 

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Historical Westport Footnotes

 

 

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Westport’s oldest weekly newspaper revealed in Historical Society find.

 

06/28/2010 - The 1896 weekly newspaper shown in the photo below may be an ancient ancestor to today’s Westport weeklies - Westport Shorelines and Dartmouth/Westport Chronicle. The only known copy of the Westport News is in the archives of the Westport Historical Society.

 

“We don’t know much about the Westport News,” said WHS Director Jenny O’Neill. “If anyone out there has additional copies or more information about the company t1.jpgbehind the paper, please let us know.”

 

“The weekly paper appears to have been first published in the fall of 1895, and there is no knowledge of when it ceased operation.” O’Neill said.

 

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The format of the weekly suggests that many versions of the same paper were published with the names of different towns printed in the front page blank header space.

 

A form of this concept is still used today in a slightly more sophisticated way by the East Bay Newspaper group which includes Westport Shorelines and Sakonnet Times with other Rhode Island weeklies (Barrington, Bristol, Warren, Portsmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton, and Westport) which share stories and advertisements, with a smattering of local interest stories and news in each variant.

 

t2.jpgA consolidation of resources (reporters, photographers, print facilities, and advertisers) made this concept financially viable while still reaching out to smaller markets.

 

The editors also wrote articles about local businesses, probably hoping for their advertising dollars much the same as they do today,

 

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As with all weekly newspapers, the internet poses a formidable threat through reduced advertising revenue, and may bring an end to this folksy print media.  

 

Other area newspapers of the time.

The Standard-Times was formed from the 1934 merger of The New Bedford Standard and The New Bedford Times. The Standard had been in operation since being founded as an evening newspaper in 1850. 

 

Three Fall River newspapers combined in 1892 to form The Herald News: the Fall River News, which dated from 1845; the Fall River Daily Herald, 1872, and the Fall River Daily Globe, 1885.

 

Fall River Herald 07/11/2010Westport Historical Society finds old newspaper, seeks information on its origin.

The Historical Society has discovered an old weekly newspaper from 1896 called Westport News but can’t find any other information, like who published the paper and for how long.

“I’ve never heard of it until we just happened upon it,” said Jenny O’Neill, the Historical Society director.

 

Click here to read more from Herald article.

 

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