By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — An increasingly popular craft beer event will return downtown Oct. 15.

The Westoberfest New England Craft Beer Festival, organized by the Westport Downtown Association, runs from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. that Saturday.

The Board of Selectwomen on Wednesday signed off on the association’s plan to use the Singrid Schultz parking lot off Elm Street for the festival, and to close a portion of the street as needed.

This year will be the third that area regional brewers — “often small unique breweries with enthusiastic local followings” — roll out the barrels.

Maxx Crowley, of the merchants’ association, said Westoberfest has been growing in popularity, despite the challenges COVID posed.

“A lot of people enjoy it, it gets a good crowd, supports a lot of these local brewers,” he told the selectwomen Wednesday morning at Town Hall.

The festival is billed as a family event, but Crowley noted wristbands would be issued to adults for entry into the beer-serving areas.

Learn more here.

Permission granted for suicide-prevention event

Another annual event that received the selectwomen’s approval to use town property comes a week later, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s “Out of the Darkness Walk to Fight Suicide.”

That event is planned from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22.

The selectwomen granted the event permission to use town-owned properties for the event, including Jesup Green, the Imperial Avenue parking lot, Riverwalk, Jesup Road and Imperial Avenue.

Anne Romano, a member of the AFSP board who works at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, said it is the only Fairfield County walk to support the cause. The organizations are grateful for Westport’s support, she added.

“It’s been a tough couple of years, and it’s been a tough couple of months, with teen and adult suicides,” she said. “We’ve been contacted by spouses, and parents, and classmates, teammates …”

Learn more on how to support or participate here.

Thane Grauel, the Westport Journal executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Learn more about us here.