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Y's Men News -- Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Table of Contents



(Scroll Down to Find the Article Behind the Headline. Articles are

in the same order as the Table of Contents)

• Give Blood Until 4:00 pm Today
• Meet the Candidates at Tomorrow's Town Hall Forum
• Mike Boyle Brown Bag Lunch This Friday
• T&E Lists Outing to Seven Bridges Sculptures and Galleries
• Entry Period in 2025 Photo Contest Underway
• GIDG Will Focus on Saudi Arabia's Role in the Middle East
• Military History Group to Discuss Crimean War
• DNR to Perform to Benefit Whittingham Cancer Center
• Y's Men: Anyone Remember When the Church Was Moved
• Y's Men Classical Music Society Features "Carmen" November 4
• Y's Men Veterans: Bedford Students Want to Hear About You
• Income Tax Preparation Volunteers Needed

Y's Men: Please Show Respect for Tomorrow's Candidates

Tomorrow's Town Hall forum is not over until the moderator ends it. Please remain seated until then. If you must leave earlier, please sit in the rear of the room so you can slip out quietly. And avoid conversations in the back of the room until the forum ends.

Meet the Candidates at the Y's Men Town Hall Tomorrow

Join us tomorrow morning for a live Y’s Men Town Hall Forum featuring the candidates for Westport First Selectman and moderated by long-time RTM member and moderator Y's Man Jeff Wieser.

This isn’t your typical candidate debate — it’s a true town hall, focused squarely on the issues that matter most to Y’s Men. With his deep understanding of local government, Jeff will guide the conversation and ensure candidates give direct, meaningful answers to member-driven questions.

To help get things started, we’re asking for a few initial questions to warm up the audience. If there’s a key issue or concern you’d like addressed, click the link below to submit your question and help shape the discussion.

Be part of this dynamic, candid exchange — by Y’s Men, for Y’s Men.

Submit Your Question Here: wieser74@gmail.com

Here are the candidates for Westport First Selectman:

Y's Men Thursday morning meetings are in Hoskins Hall downstairs in the Saugatuck Congregational Church, 245 Post Road East in Westport. Coffee, donut and bagel social hour begins at 9:00 am, business meeting at 10:00 am, speaker at 10:30 am. Come early and meet your fellow members. Guests are always welcome.

Mike Boyle Brown Bag Lunch This Friday

Mike Boyle, Y's Men President

The monthly brown bag lunch conducted by Y's Men President Mike Boyle will be held this Friday, October 31 at 12 noon at Mike’s home in Southport. The weather is supposed to be rainy so he is hosting the lunch at his residence. Please let Mike know you would like to attend and he will send you his address. (mikeboyle1@gmail.com)

Designed as a way for him to get to know members better, the lunches are on the last Friday of the month. "If you have any ideas or want to get more involved, let me know," Mike said. "If you have concerns, complaints, compliments, or just want to chat, come join me."

Bring your own lunch and/or a drink.

Wednesday, November 5

Four Hours at Seven Bridges Galleries and Sculptures

Spouses and significant others are welcome. Non-member friends of Y’s Men are welcome, space permitting. Please inquire.

https://conta.cc/3VPJ1D2

Entry Period in 2025 Photo Contest Open Through November 6

Entries in Expo 22, the photo contest co-sponsored by the Y's Men Photography Club and the Westport Center for Senior Activities, may be submitted through Thursday, November 6.

Judging of entries, in eight classifications, will be on Wednesday, November 12. Three entries per person will be allowed in these categories: Landscape, Waterscape, Architectural, Portrait, Nature, Critter, General, and Highly Manipulated.

Click here to read the rules of the exhibition and obtain an entry form.

GIDG Will Focus on Saudi Arabia's Role in the Middle East

The Global Issues Discussion Group (GIDG) will meet Monday, November 30 at 9:00 am in Room 203/204 at the Saugatuck Congregational Church.

The topic for discussion will be "The Role of Saudi Arabia in Shaping the Middle East."

For more information on GIDG, contact Harvey Luft at harveyluft@gmail.com

Military History Group to Discuss Crimean War

The Y's Men Military History Group will meet Monday, November 3 at 10:15 am in Room 211 at the Saugatuck Congregational Church.

Topic for the meeting will be "The Crimean War." Y's Man Jon Fox will be the presenter.

Any questions, or for additional information, contact Mark Perlman at

203-895-9493.

DNR to Perform in Fundraiser for Whittingham Cancer Center

DNR, the Y's Men's favorite rock band, performs at The Westport Library on Saturday, November 1. Doors open at 6:30 pm and the event begins at 7:00 pm.

The performance will raise funds for Norwalk Hospital's Whittingham Cancer Center. For tickets (beginning at $50.00) and other funding opportunities go to https://trellis.org/DNR.

Y's Men: Anyone Remember When the Church Was Moved?

This Saturday, November 1, the Saugatuck Congregational Church will celebrate the 75^th Anniversary of the move of the church building across the Post Road in 1950. 

It’s a public event to which everyone will be invited, but particularly, the Church is looking for people who witnessed the event to participate. There are surely some Y’s Men who were there as kids.

If you're one of them, please contact Y's Man Bob Mitchell at mitch1236@optonline.net.

Classical Music Society Features "Carmen" on November 4

The Y's Men Classical Music Society features Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen" when it meets on Tuesday, November 4 from 2:45 to 4:15 pm at the Westport Center for Senior Activities.

It's helpful to know the story of any opera in English before you see it. That way you won't be fumbling with the libretto during the performance to figure out what's happening. This one happens to be sung in French. A libretto will be provided electronically as soon as a reservation is made to attend the meeting, and printed copies will be available at the meeting.

Because of the length of the opera, there only will be time to screen Act 1 at the meeting. But fear not. Attendees will receive links to the entire opera the day after the meeting, so they can see how it all comes out in the comfort of their own homes.

Attendees are advised to read the story of "Carmen" ahead of time so they won't be distracted from the beauty of Bizet's music.

Reservations are required. They may be made by contacting Y's Man Ed Bloch at edbloch71@gmail.com.

Y's Men Veterans: Bedford Students Want to Learn From You

NOW HEAR THIS: In years past, a number of Y's Men military veterans have participated in a highly successful Veterans Day education program at Bedford Middle School. The program invites veterans to share their military experiences with members of the school's eighth grade classes.

The coordinator at Bedford is eager to have as many vets as possible participate in this year's program but has not heard from some of her past volunteers. 

If you are a vet and have participated in the past, but have not responded to this year's invitation, or if you would like to join this year's program on Wednesday morning, November12 as a first-timer, please contact John Brandt at jkbrandt@aol.com. He will put you in touch with Courtney Ruggiero, the program coordinator who will reserve you a place in the program.

According to past Y's Men participants, it's one of those intergenerational experiences that will be well worth your time.

Income Tax Preparation Volunteers Needed

SimplifyCT is the company that offers free IRS tax return preparation at Westport Town Hall. Its IRS-sponsored Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, helps thousands of families across Fairfield County prepare and file their taxes for free each year.

They would like to see if any Y's Men would be interested in volunteering with them this upcoming tax season. For Tax Year 2024 alone, they prepared more than 14,000 returns and helped bring nearly $17 million in federal refunds back into the community. 

They provide full training (no prior tax experience required), and volunteers can choose from a variety of roles - from greeting clients to preparing tax returns. Training starts in December, certification happens in January, and service runs from late January through mid-April.

If you are interested in learning more, please contact Leidy Diaz at leidyd@simplifyct.org, and to learn even more, go to their website at www.simplifyct.org.