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A collection program for unwanted or expired prescription drugs will take place Saturday at Westport Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Ave.

The free program, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., is sponsored by the Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration. The collection site will be at the rear of Town Hall.

Organizers say the drop-offs can be made anonymously, no questions asked.

Nationwide last year, Americans turned in 242,000 pounds — 121 tons — of prescription drugs at nearly 4,100 sites operated by the DEA and more than 3,000 state and local law enforcement partners, according to a release from Westport police.

Medicines that languish unused are susceptible to diversion, misuse and abuse, police said. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses caused by these drugs, police said.
Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, police said.

People are also advised that usual methods for disposing of unused medicines — flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash — pose potential safety and health hazards.

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Westport, which over the years has won plaudits — and high rankings — on surveys conducted by various state and national media outlets on a community’s general appeal, is basking in a new round of praise.

Connecticut magazine, in its recently published November issue, ranks Westport as No. 1 among 26 state communities with populations between 25,000 and 50,000.

The communities in 2011 were rated on: education, crime, economy, cost and leisure. With an average total computed on the community’s ranking in each category, Westport had an overall total of 34 and was ranked first in education, economy and leisure, fifth in crime, but 26th for costs.

Ranked closely behind at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, are the upstate towns of Farmington and Glastonbury with survey scores of 37 and 38, respectively.

The closest Fairfield County town surveyed in the same size demographic was Trumbull, ranked ninth with an overall score of 60 points.

At the bottom of the magazine’s survey was East Haven, No. 26 with an overall score of 102.

Find the chart of the Connecticut magazine rankings HERE.

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Vampires will vamp, robots will rumble, princesses will prance and, of course, ghosts will glide.

All manner of creatures — some frightening, others funny — will take to the streets of downtown Westport on Thursday, Oct. 27, for the annual Children’s Halloween Parade sponsored by the town’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Downtown Merchants Association and Westport Police Athletic League.

Children 7 years old and younger, along with their parents, should meet at 3 p.m. in front of the Westport Weston Family Y, corner of Main Street and Post Road.

The gremlins, goblins and ghouls, et al, will proceed up Main Street, along Avery Drive, and then to Town Hall.

Entertainment, refreshments and a small gift will be provided to participants on Veterans Green.

There will be no traffic parking on Main Street between 2 and 4 p.m. while this parade is taking place.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved into the Westport Town Hall beginning at 3 p.m.

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A real winner: That’s what the National Alliance for Youth Sports thinks about Westport’s Parks and Recreation Department. The non-profit that advocates for youth sports has tagged the department to receive one of its 2011 Excellence in Youth Sports Awards.

The award, presented in conjunction with Athletic Business magazine, recognizes youth sports programs that “are doing superior jobs of conducting diverse activities with a focus on providing safe and positive experiences for the children, parents and coaches involved,” the alliance said in a statement announcing the selection.

“We work hard to make the best youth sports experience possible in our community and to win an award like this really makes it all worthwhile,” Karen Puskas, program manager at the Parks and Recreation Department, said in a Monday release. “While our department has led the way in the campaign to make youth sports in Westport an encouraging and constructive experience in a sound environment, a lot of the credit goes to the community’s youth sports providers who have worked hand in hand with us to make it happen.

The department also cited local youth sports groups that deserve credit for the citation, including: Westport Soccer Association, Westport Baseball and Softball, Westport Basketball Association, Westport Police Athletic League (programs include football, cheerleading, wrestling, basketball, track and lacrosse), Westport Field Hockey Association and the Westport Y (basketball.)

The Parks and Recreation Department will be presented with the award at the NAYS Youth Sports Congress in Orlando, Fla., from Nov. 30-Dec. 3.

Founded in 1981, the National Alliance for Youth Sports advocates “positive, safe sports and activities for children,” the group said. The organization is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Fla.

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They’re hitting the road.

Members of Westport’s Planning and Zoning Commission are scheduled for a field trip tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 18) to check out in person the site of a re-zoning proposal on Church Lane.

The amendment under consideration — set for P&Z review on Thursday — would allow for a much larger commercial structure to be built at 35 Church Lane than now is possible. The proposal comes as part of an overall plan to transform the downtown street with the anticipated redevelopment of what is now the Westport Weston Family Y.

The P&Z field trip is open to the public … that is, anyone who can make the 8:15 a.m. time.

Even though the excursion at that hour may pass in relative quietude, anticipate a much more mixed reception when the P&Z takes up the plan when it meets at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Town Hall.

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City Lights West art gallery opens Saturday in Dragone Classic Cars on Post Road West. Photo: Kirk Lang

In Westport, a showroom for classic cars begets a gallery for new art works.

It’s City Lights West, a gallery opening Saturday in Dragone Classic Motor Cars, 176 Post Road West. There’s a reception to mark the event from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Artwork will be displayed both in Dragone’s front showroom, as well as a larger gallery space at the rear of the business, according to George Dragone, co-owner of Dragone Classic Motor Cars.

City Lights West draws its name from City Lights and Co., an art gallery and community-based arts organization in downtown Bridgeport. The gallery organizers’ mission is to help raise awareness of the growing arts community in the Park City and provide a showcase for local artists’ work.

For more information about City Lights West, call 203-349-8840.

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Westport Town Hall, where volunteers are sought to serve on several town boards and commissions. Photo: Paul Schott/Westport News

Westport town officials are seeking volunteers to fill openings on a number of municipal boards, commissions and committees.
“Nothing is more fulfilling than being able to serve our community as a volunteer,” said First Selectman Gordon Joseloff. “Hundreds of Westporters already give their time in so many ways to the town but there is always a need for new faces.”
Terms on these panels range from one to four years. More details about their work can be found on the town’s website, www.westportct.gov.
Individuals interested in applying or seeking more information can call the Selectman’s Office at 203-341-1111, e-mail selectman@westportct.gov, or write to the office at 110 Myrtle Ave., Westport, CT 06880.
Applicants, who must be Westport residents, are asked to include pertinent information about their qualifications for a position and/or a general statement about their background, interests, or skills.
Open positions include:
Boating Advisory Committee — three regular member vacancies
Conservation Commission — one alternate member vacancy
Dangerous Dog Hearing Board — three regular member vacancies
Flood and Erosion Control Board — one alternate member vacancy
Hillspoint Road Committee — one regular member vacancy
Municipal Employees Pension Committee — one regular member vacancy
Public Site & Building Commission — one regular member vacancy
Shellfish Commission — two regular member vacancies
Sherwood Mill Pond Advisory Committee — three regular member vacancies
Tree Board — six regular member vacancies
Youth Commission — one regular member vacancy

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A hometown perspective on world affairs. That’s what Westport resident Anthony Banbury — who also is the United Nations assistant secretary general for field support — will offer when he speaks Wednesday, Oct. 12, at the Westport Public Library. The free talk is set for 7:30 p.m.

Addressing the topic, “Challenges of Disaster Relief and Peace,” Banbury knows whereof he speaks. After Haiti was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010, Banbury was dispatched as the UN secretary general’s special representative there, where he served until March of that year. Before assuming his current post, Banbury served as the UN world food program regional director for Asia.

Here’s a LINK to a Dan Woog column about Banbury published in the Westport News in April 2010.