Westport Chair Trail reopens for 3rd season

WESTPORT | Once again, the Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance (WWCA) is encouraging people to get outside and enjoy the lakeside town during the warmer months ahead, and one way to do that is by embarking on the Chair Trail. Organized by the Safe Roads - Walkable Westport Task Force, this pedestrian-friendly three-mile loop around town features several larger-than-life Westport Chairs painted by local artists and community members. Those who are out and about on the trail are encouraged to stop at each chair, each one with its own theme, and then sit, stay, and snap a photo or two. For instance, on the Westport Library Green, there's the Library Chair by Christopher Irvine Rice. "The Westport Chair, invented by Thomas Lee [in 1903], consisted of a single, full-dimension-width, unfinished board. [...] This chair respects the existing architecture that shares this space and yet is not lost in the landscape," as stated in the artist statement about the chairs that were built about 30% larger than the original design by local carpenter and craftsman Tom Fedigan. "Warm gray alludes to the natural wood of Lee's original. Assigning colors representing seat, back, and arm independently from the supporting structure was inspired by architect Gerrit Rietveld's 1918 Red Blue Chair." Also inspired by local history, there's the Got Milk Chair by Jeff Ardolino on Front Street, which pays homage to the town's rich agricultural history rooted in dairy farming and New York dairy production. "As kids, we lived across from Bob Frisbie's farm, where the Brookside Inn once stood. I couldn't wait to go over and have a look at all these Holsteins. Being from the city, this was a big deal," as stated in the artist's statement online. "These ladies once dotted the landscape of Westport and beyond, producing almost 90% of the milk in the United States. So, this chair is a dedication to all the hard-working farmers, especially Bob Frisbie and family, the milkers, and, of course, the Holstein cow." Other chairs were painted in honor of cherished memories, too, like the Hamilton House's Lakeside Sunflowers Chair by Catherine Seidenberg, who blanketed the chair with a field of sunflowers reminiscent of the field of sunflowers that grew along Stevenson Road for many years. The local environment served as inspiration for several local artists, like Cynthia Ford-Johnston, who painted the Nature Trails Chair on Main Street and the Agricultural Landscape Chair at the Toll Gate House on Route 9N. "The 'chair' project intrigued me from the first time it was proposed. I painted chairs to represent our agricultural landscape and our wonderful local resource known as the CATS [Champlain Area Trails]," according to her artist statement online. "I am honored to be part of the Westport Chair Trail." The Westport Chair Trail, which launched three years ago, is part of the town's ongoing "Slow with the Flow" and "Walkable Westport" public awareness campaigns, aimed at encouraging residents to walk more often and improving pedestrian safety. "While the Chair Trail is associated with our 'Slow with the Flow' road safety and 'Walkable Westport' campaign, it has also really grown a life of its own," said WWCA President Jen Williams about the Chair Trail, which will be getting a new chair by Chazy & Westport Communications sometime this summer. "I love hearing from the hosts of the chairs, when we put them back out in May, how people are already stopping and snapping pics together." For more information or updates, visit gowestportny.com.

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Westport Chair Trail reopens for 3rd season

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