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The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper: local, local, local.
November 12, 2021
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The Local News You Need to Know
Thank You For Your Service
WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND BUYS BETTERIDGE According to WATCHPRO, Betteridge has been acquired by Watches of Switzerland which includes its locations here on Greenwich Avenue, plus two stores in Vail and Aspen, Colorado. The deal does not include the Betteridge Palm Beach, Florida, store, which trades mainly in high end estate jewelry. Terry Betteridge will take on an advisory role, particularly sharing his expertise in jewelry (his primary passion), which will continue to be sold through the Greenwich, Aspen and Vale boutiques. For more information see the story in WATCHPRO at usa.watchpro.com. CCF PP A N NOU NCE S 2 02 1-2 2 SL AT E OF ELECTED BOARD AND SERVICE MEMBERS President – Stephanie Dunn Ashley; Vice President – Brian M. Kelly; Secretary – W. Christian Andersen, Jr.; Treasurer – Felix Dostmann; Asst. Secretary – Luis Alarcon; Asst. Treasurer – Alexander Buffone; Chief – Sebastian C. Dostmann; Captain – Alec Sachs; 1st LT. – Nik LaBorne; 2nd LT – Robert Wilson; Sgt: – Alexander Buffone; Sgt. – Edward Graham; Directors: Robert S. Lucas; A. Pat Mead; D. Peter Yeskey. COVID UPDATE The Town of Greenwich and Greenwich Hospital on Wednesday announced that since the beginning on the pandemic there have been 5,902 COVID positive Greenwich residents, an increase of 23 since the previous week. The town is currently tracking
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Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
The Elder Brother Cliff
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT In the biblical story of the prodigal son, the elder brother is the one who does everything right and his younger brother does everything wrong. When the younger brother comes home from squandering his inheritance, his forgiving father throws him a banquet. The elder brother thinks this is unfair and refuses to come to the party. When we think we are in the right, we often feel good for a while up on the cliff, but it’s lonely. Stewing on the cliff of self-righteous superiority does not make relationships better. Come down to level ground and listen to the other person’s story. A person’s behavior may be illegal, immoral, or reprehensible. We may ultimately choose not to be in relationship with that person. However, by getting off the elder-brother cliff, we may also move beyond anger and judgment to feel sadness and compassion. After a year of meeting together, members of a small group were bothered by one another’s “quirks.” Then each member was given 45 uninterrupted minutes to share his life story. This experience was most memorable because these stories effectively replaced annoyance with empathy. Greenwich resident, Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Books (203-869-1515) or info@dianesbooks.com) or at Amazon.
A warm sun washed over the crowd as 70 people gathered around a small memorial park on a beautiful Saturday morning to honor service members. Cub Scouts Packs 20 and 23 kicked off the event serving as the color guard. Afterwards the National Anthem was performed by Greenwich resident Stephanie Kies. Among the crowd were First Selectman Fred Camillo and Tax Collector Heather Smerigilio. Alongside them were many generations of Greenwich residents including Girl Scout Troop 50432. The honor bell was rung in memory of Peter Perry Jr. and Robert Intrieri, two veterans who died in September. “These veterans only ask two things of us in return,” said Bill Cameron, Post Adjutant. “One: That we never forget the selfless service made by those who lie beneath the white marble headstones in US Veterans cemeteries around the world. And number two: That we all fully enjoy the life and freedom that these veterans earned for us.” “VFW is very important to me,” said Service Officer Anthony Marzullo. “I like helping other members and veterans obtain help, otherwise it’s very difficult to do it on your own.” “You may see a veteran wearing a medal in the shape of a purple heart because they have suffered wounds in battle. Many veterans carry scars, unfortunately many bear scars of the mind, which may take decades to heal,” said Cameron. “Whenever you see a veteran wearing a service hat, please stop for a moment and say to them, ‘Thank you for your service.’”
By Albert Huang A smok y scent f illed the air alongside the children’s laughter on a beautiful Saturday morning as Mike’s Organic held its first pop-up event in celebration of the opening of the organic market’s flagship location. Crates of orga n ic f r u its a nd vegetables lined tables under colorful tents in the parking lot outside the newly-purchased marketplace. Other tables were stocked with organic and locally crafted items like juices, spices, and condiments and more. Steam rose from another nearby tent that boiled dumplings for guests to enjoy while exploring other tents. Mike Geller, owner and founder of Mike’s Organic, is a Greenwich local
“I grew up here and basically lived here my entire life, so I really want this to be a true community place for the town" who lived in backcountry Greenwich before leaving for college. Geller said after college, he ran a hip-hop studio in Atlanta and ran celebrity events, but never enjoyed what he did. “I never loved what I was doing so after eight months I quit and ended up spending three months living in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, hoping to build a photographic safari camp,” said Geller. “I had to hunt for all of my own food. I went to the market over there and all the food looked better than it did here! And this was in 2008.”
Geller said after he came home, he worked at a restaurant in New York and began to learn about the local food system. Afterwards, he started Mike’s Organic out of his parent’s house and in his Nissan Pathfinder, making food deliveries in 2009. After the pandemic struck, Geller said his business grew after working with more small farms around New York and Connecticut. “A lot of farmers relied on us. Within five days, we were delivering to p e op l e ’s h o m e s . We h a d 3 0
Family Centers Holiday Drives
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Greenwich Symphony Orchestra has a new tagline …..Your Orchestra...Your Music. The slogan, meant to emphasize the personal connection between the orchestra and Greenwich residents, became necessary when the board learned that not everyone knows about the GSO and its long role in Greenwich. On Saturday, November 20 at 7:30 and Sunday, November 21 at 3pm, the orchestra will perform The Chairman D a n c e s by Jo h n A d a m s , P i a n o Concerto in G Major, by Maurice Ravel and the beloved ‘Pastoral’ Symphony No.6 by Beethoven. Conductor Martin Majkut, one of five talented musicians v y i ng to b e come t he nex t Music Director of Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, will conduct. George Li, a 26 year old Harvard a nd New E n g la nd Con s e r v ator y graduate, will be the soloist for the Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major. He is young, charming and a major talent who performs with the finest orchestras and conductors. Don't miss the chance to experience a live orchestra performance with George Li, Martin Majkut and the Greenwich Symphony Orchestra. Individual tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for students. To learn more about Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, go to https:// greenwichsymphony.org online or call 203-869-2664.
Mike's Organic is Coming Home
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GSO Your Orchestra, Your Music
By Albert Huang Family Centers is beginning their annual Thanksgiving food drive to help families in need for the holiday season. Last year, due to COVID restrictions, the food drive was limited to gift cards only. However, this year the organization w i l l b e accept i ng a hybr id of donations via non-perishables and gift cards. “L ast yea r, b ecause of t he pa ndem ic , we had a b out 4 0 0 requests from our families,” said Bill Brucker, chief advancement officer of Family Centers. “This ye a r, we’r e r ig ht a r ou nd t he same number. Anybody in the community that’s willing to provide a Thanksgiving meal to families in need, we can make sure anything that’s donated gets right out in time for the holiday.” Donors can now purchase nonperishable foods as well as gift
cards to support families. Brucker recommends donating items such as macaroni and cheese, stuffing, canned vegetables, and instantmashed potatoes, alongside a gift card so families can complete their Thanksgiving with a turkey. Brucker says Family Center serves about 20,000 people in lower Fairfield County every year, and the pandemic has amplified needs, particularly requests for food. “We’re very fortunate to live in a community where there’s great opportunities and resources. At the same time there's a tremendous amount of need. We’re eternally grateful to donors, supporters, and volunteers who step up year after year to provide the support to our clients, to make sure they have the best possible holiday season.” After the Thanksgiving season, Family Center plans to hold a winter holiday donation drive
where donors can “adopt a family,” and help complete wish lists for the holiday season. “ We c a n’t t h a n k o u r communities enough for having the backs of our family centers and we hope they continue to be as generous as possible,” says Brucker. To donate to a family in need this Thanksgiving, you can drop off donations at 40 Arch Street from November 15 to 18, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. For monetary donations either v isit https://app.mobilecause. com/form/9evKNw?vid=n4j8i or text “fcthanksgiving” to 41444. Donations made v ia text goes directly to purchasing grocery store gift cards. For more information, you c a n cont ac t t he development coordinator Tyler Shanafelt at tshanafelt@familycenters.org.
farmers tell us they would’ve lost their farms without Mike’s Organic last year.” Peter and Carol Sepe manage Sepe Farm out of Sandy Hook, CT. The husband and wife farming duo brought wool blankets, sheep hide, and the fuzzy friends who produced them to the pop-up event. Three sheep sat in a pen for all to admire and pet. Throughout the event, the Sepes would bring out one of the sheep and shear them for the crowd. As Sepe sheared sheep, he talked about his farm’s whole animal concept, where, if the farm decided to use an animal for meat, they try to utilize as much as that animal can produce. Sepe explained that for sheep this means wool for blankets, blood for blood sausages, intestines for kokoretsi, and much more. “We save as much as we can from the whole animal when it comes to consumption,” said Sepe. “As a producer, we even save the bones for raw-meat feeders, AKA, the people who want to raise dogs but don’t want to feed them kibble.” “Connection and transparency are two big words for us. What’s on it, what’s in it, when was it picked, and who grew it,” Geller commented. Geller says he plans to turn the f lagship location into “something special for the town.” “We’re buying a local kitchen in Stamford, so we’ll also have a full line of prepared foods here. Come in, get a salad or a wrap and sit outside on the picnic table and enjoy!” Geller says his plans include weekly events. “This is going to be like a playground for food out here. Every weekend a donut machine with hot fresh donuts, apple cider, and hot chocolate. We’ll have lobster men coming down from Maine with live lobster off the coast.” “ We’r e goi ng to do d r ive -i n movies. We’re going to have all kinds of great stuff where you can meet a farmer, eat something delicious, learn about your food, and know where it came from.” “I grew up here and basically lived here my entire life, so I really want this to be a true community place for the town of Greenwich.” Mike’s Organic will be opening their flagship market location at 600 East Putnam Avenue, Cos Cob in 2022. Until then, look out for more pop-ups to come.