Acoustic Cafe (335-3655) - Roger Edel's Hotbos plays Friday night (July 25) at 9 PM ($5).  Strange Tribe and Big Moon on Saturday night (July 26) at 9 PM.  Tickets are $8.  The Acoustic Cafe also has its Open Mic night on Tuesdays ($3) at 9 PM and an Open Blues Jam ($3) on Wednesday night at 9 PM. Baxter's (335-2395) - The Stereo Police will play Friday (July 25) Captain's Cove (335-7104) - features  Chris Barber on Friday (July 25) at 6 PM, The Penfield Reefers on Saturday (July 26) at 9 PM, Good & Plenty on Sunday (July 27) at 3 PM, and Rush Hour on Sunday (July 27) at 7 PM. Harborview Market (367-7336) - Dave Hogan plays Sunday (July 27) at 10 AM Ray Kelly's Pub (332-6889) - Blackout plays Friday evening (July 25) and Corkscrew plays Saturday evening (July 26) 07/25/2008

Bridgeport Condo Update June 2008  The Bridgeport Condo market is definitely showing signs of the slowdown.  Bridgeport especially the Northend Neighborhood has always had a very active condo market.  These condos have proven to be good investments over time.  The best performing areas have been the Northend and Black Rock -- both are very good commuter locations.  Condos have provided a great way for first time buyers or those on their own for the first time to have an economical way to own their own home.  Seeing the market off 38% shows just how broad the impact of this slowdown is.....these are some of the best values and price points in Fairfield County!  BRIDGEPORT Update Year to Date Sales of CONDOS As of June 30                            2008 2007 08 vs 07 2006 08 vs 06 Closes ... 07/25/2008

Acoustic Cafe (335-3655) - Debbie Davies, who is on tour with her latest record Blues Blast will sing the blues with her band on Saturday night (July 19) at 9 PM.  Tickets are $10.  The Acoustic Cafe also has it's Open Mic night on Tuesdays ($3) at 9 PM and an Open Blues Jam ($3) on Wednesday night at 9 PM. Baxter's (335-2395) - Darian Cunning will play Friday (July 18) and Undercover will play Saturday (July 19) Captain's Cove (335-7104) - features Dave Rodriguez on Friday (July 18) at 6 PM, The Mill River Band on Saturday (July 19) at 4 PM, The Short Bus on Sunday (July 20) at 3 PM, and Tangled Vine on Sunday (July 20) at 7 PM. Harborview Market (367-7336) - Lisa Furman at 10 AM on Sunday, July 20 Ray Kelly's Pub (332-6889) - Katie Pearlman plays Friday evening (July 18) and Tom Crowl... 07/17/2008

The Black Rock Art Center will host a benefit concert for Harmony4Kidz featuring The Daria Musk Trio, the Blue Joy Project, Irena and Bermuda Road, Laura Sumner and Lisa Bastoni.  The art exhibit "Artists Who Care: Work For, By, and About At-Risk Children" exhibit will open at 6:30 PM to concert attendees.  Tickets for the concert are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.  For more information, call 367-7917 or visit www.harmony4kidz.com 07/17/2008

Bridgeport Real Estate and Home Sales Update June 30, 2008  Bridgeport Single Family Home Sales continue to slide. After six months this year they are on track to finish with the lowest total in over a decade - right now the projection is that the city will come in under the six month total for 2006.  Average Prices are off 18% from just one year ago.  A new Mayor and a new energy may be the start of the turnaround for this City.  In addition, Bridgeport was hit hard by the sub prime crisis in both the Single Family segment and the Multi-Family or Investment segment.  Values abound in this market if you have the cash or credit to take advantage of them.   Bridgeport Update Year to Date Sales of Single Family Homes As of June 30                            2008 2007 08 vs 07 2006 08 vs 06... 07/15/2008

Bridgeport, CT came in #3 as one of the best places to invest in real estate in the U.S. according to Business 2.0's article The New Rules of Real Estate: The Best Places to (Still) Invest http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/biz2/newrules_bestinvest/3.html for those who have the patience to buy and hold. I've lived here for 30 years now and I'm not surprised. This city is located in one of the wealthiest counties in the U.S., Fairfield County, home to Greenwich and Darien, Connecticut. It is within commuting distance of Manhattan. I worked in the corporate world and commuted to Manhattan for many years before "retiring" to my real estate career. Bridgeport was once a vibrant, wealthy industrial center and the architecture of both the commercial and residential buildings reflects this. It h... 07/13/2008

For the fourth year, Black Rock Art Center is proud to be a part of the Black Rock ArtWalk taking place along Fairfield Avenue throughout the spring and summer. This year's ArtWalks will occur every first and third Friday from 6 - 9 PM, May through October. DATES:  May 2, May 16, June 6, June 20, (Note: July 4 is skipped), July 18, August 1, August 15, September 5, September 19, and October 3 07/13/2008

http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/ A number of Black Rock businesses won in their categories in Fairfield County Weekly’s annual survey. Congratulations to:   Acoustic Cafe Best Local Music, Best Alternative Music, Best Open Mic 2926 Fairfield Avenue Phone: 203-335-3655 www.acousticafe.com       Ash Creek Saloon Best Barbecue 2895 Fairfield Avenue Phone: www.ashcreeksaloon.com     Aura Best New Bar, #2 Best Martini 2914 Fairfield Avenue Phone: (203) 870-0939   Bloodroot Best Off the Beaten Path, Best Vegetarian 85 Ferris Street (off Hackley) Phone: (203) 576-9168 www.bloodroot.com Capricorn Comics Best Comic Book Store 3002 Fairfield Ave Phone: (203) 334-5566   Green Room #3 for Alternative Music 3224 Fairfield Ave Phone: (203) 384-2233 www.myspace.com/thegreenroomlounge     Happy Tails A... 07/13/2008

On May 15, 2008 at 6:30 PM, Connecticut Audubon's Milan Bull, led a guided tour of the spring migration of shorebirds along the Ash Creek tidal estuary. Kraig Steffen, Vice President of the Ash Creek Conservation Association (co-sponsor of the event) created this photo journal of the bird tour: We started out near the sand spit at St Mary's in the light rain.   We quickly saw some interesting birds, including the Night Heron. We then walked along ash creek and saw hooded mergansors, shorebirds, a woodpecker, various sparrows, grackles, and starlings. We stopped along Sailor's Lane to look out across the creek at the Osprey on the nest and her mate enjoying a fish (looked liked a Koi!) on a nearby branch. We then went up the hill and checked out the nesting Herons, along with some movie ... 07/13/2008

You Tube videos of the Black Rock Day Parade on June 8, 2008 as it came down Harborview Avenue.   07/13/2008

The Bridgeport Public Library needs your help in shaping its next long range strategic plan. The focus group meeting hasve been re-scheduled as follows:   Black Rock Library FOCUS GROUP MEETING to be held on Friday, August 15th from 10-11:30am at the Burroughs Community Center located @2470 Fairfield Avenue 06605   Please call to confirm your attendance by calling the Library's Main Office at 203.576.7777.  Bridgeport Public Library  www.bridgeportpubliclibrary.org  925 Broad Street, Bridgeport, CT 06604   203.576.7779   voice203.333.0253 faxshughes@bridgeportpubliclibrary.org   Scott A. Hughes, City Librarian  07/13/2008

We think 6/21st should have produced chicks so just may not be viable eggs.  They certainly have had rough weather to contend with !!!  This evening 6 pm "she" was again on nest and "he" was on drift wood  keeping watch. The male keeps beinging more sticks!!  I guess he is positive about hatchlings... soo am I ... at least one positive happening   07/10/2008

In today's Connecticut Post (7/2/08), the headlines blared, "State housing market plunges: Fairfield County single-family home sales decline 44% over the past year as prices drop 10%."  Our situation in Black Rock is not as dire as the headlines would suggest.  As in the rest of Fairfield County, the number of homes sold in Black Rock has declined, however, the good news is that our median sales figures are higher than last year.  The median price for a single family home in Black Rock was $336,000 in the first half of 2008 compared to $316,000 in the first half of 2007.  This higher median price comes at a cost, however, as fewer homes are selling.   At this time last year 20 single family homes had closed in the first half of 2007, whereas only 9 single family homes closed during the ... 07/04/2008

ACTIVE LISTINGS Prop Type Bedrooms # Active Avg LP Avg MT SF ALL 548 274,330 93 2 OR LESS 51 202,137 76 3 304 251,631 88 4 139 299,050 102 5 OR MORE 54 406,674 111     OFF MARKET LISTINGS Prop Type # of Bedrooms # of SOLD % SOLD Avg LP of SOLD Avg SP of SOLD SP:LP Ratio Avg MT of SOLD Avg LP UN-SOLD % EXPD SF ALL 150 22 228,191 216,879 95 84 261,627 68 2 OR LESS 12 16 133,637 119,791 89 88 221,114 70 3 93 24 230,399 218,218 94 88 255,362 66 4 37 22 251,374 243,539 96 79 280,783 69 5 OR MORE 8 18 237,137 223,650 94 62 305,486 77 05/15/2008

On Sunday, April 26 over two dozen volunteers gathered to assist in the annual Ash Creek Clean up, including members of the Ash Creek Conservation Association, Save the Sound, and the Westport Unitarian Church. Ash Creek Conservation Association Vice President, Kraig Steffen took these Flip Video clips of this year's Ash Creek Clean Up.  We think at least one of them should be sent into America's Funniest Home videos, but maybe two of them qualify.  What do you think?  04/30/2008

Bridgeport Condo UpdateMarch 2008Unit Sales are off 41% from the prior year and continue the three year downward trend.  This is similar to the Single Family trend in unit sales.  What is a bit of a surprise is that the Median and Average Selling Prices seem to be very stable.   This is counter to the trend in Single Family Homes where we are seeing a dip in prices too.This is good news for Bridgeport and Values.   We just need to get past the mortgage cash crunch and loosen credit a little bit for the condo market to start thriving again. BRIDGEPORT Update Year to Date Sales of CONDOS As of March 31                 2008200708 vs 07200608 vs 06 Closes70119-41%125-44% Median Price$150,000$145,0003%$135,00011% Avg Selling Price$159,811$147,8938%$143,57611%                             Prep... 04/27/2008

I build relationships of trust with my clients.  I have always provided many services to my clients including help with the "chores" of moving.  I work with the home inspectors, appraisers and attorneys.  I can recommend various contractors, if needed, and other service providers to make the moving experience a more pleasant one. I am part of a real estate company that not only is the largest real estate network but also cares for families.  As a Realtor with Remax I donate a percentage of my total earnings to Komen Race For the Cure and Childrens Miracle Network.   Whether it is a buyer or seller, I am an efficient realtor with the promise to always exceed expectations. 04/23/2008

Bridgeport Real Estate and Home Sales UpdateMarch 30,2008Home Sales in Bridgeport continue to fall.  The number of homes sold is running almost 50% below the total from just two years ago.  There appears to be increasing price pressure on Sellers with both Median Price and Average Sales Price running well below last year.  For buyers, this means there are some great values to be had in the market.  The overall story in Bridgeport remains a positive one but there are some short term budget issues facing the city.   Bridgeport UpdateYear to Date Sales of Single Family HomesAs of March 30              2008200708 vs 07200608 vs 06Closes84120-30%159-47%Median Price205,000249,000-18%246,900-17%Avg Selling Price213,997250,978-15%253,018-15%                         Prepared by the TETREAU Real ... 04/19/2008

Bridgeport Real Estate and Home Sales UpdateFebruary 2008The Bridgeport Real Estate slump continues.  The City continues to show the effects of the Sub Prime Mortgage crisis that is sweeping the nation.  It's Fairfield County location has not offered much protection from the turbulent money market.It is obvious from the numbers that both Unit Sales and Selling Prices are taking a hit.  The first two months of the year seem to indicate a declining market - even when compared to the lows of last year.  We can only hope that the Fed Reserve action on Interest Rates and the influx of funds into the major banks will trickle down to buyers.  Keep your fingers crossed...... Bridgeport Update Year to Date Sales of Single Family Homes As of February 29                 2008200708 vs 07200608 vs 0... 03/15/2008

Ash Creek Conservation AssociationDedicated to the preservation and restoration of Bridgeport's last surviving Salt Marsh EstuaryOur PurposeThe Ash Creek Conservation Association, Inc. (ACCA) is a non-profit citizen- based group dedicated to the preservation and restoration of Ash Creek, a salt marsh estuary located at the mouth of the Rooster River between the towns of Bridgeport and Fairfield in Connecticut. Our group strives to educate local Bridgeport and Fairfield residents, political leaders, environmental groups, and other concerned citizens about the value and fragility of the Ash Creek tidal estuary. Click here for an aerial photograph of the Ash Creek area. Association GoalsWho we areThe ACCA is composed mostly of volunteers from the communities of Bridgeport and Fairfield. We... 02/15/2008