Bill Whitbeck grew up here. His 1st job was cooking burgers at Big Top, where his customers included Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Bill also was a huge Mario’s fan.
He moved far away in the late 1970s. But he still lives in Westport.
Bill sent along a few photos, and explains:
“Happy 4th of July from Westport, Washington! A beautiful evening on the Pacific Coast.”
I wish the cities and towns out here in the West would celebrate patriotic holidays like Westport does. Here it’s “head for the mountains” with everyone getting out of town and going to one of the thousands of campgrounds, reservoirs, national forests or state parks and lakes for camping with family and friends for the long weekend, or else those still in town have a BBQ at home with friends, or pack picnic dinners and head over to a local park about 7:00 p.m. for a 9:00 p.m. fireworks display. Some will hike up mountain trails and find a space where they can look down on the city and see all the different fireworks displays going off at one time. Meantime, all the stores are open, even small Mom & Pop’s, although they usually close at 6:00 p.m. instead of the normal 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m. Because of the mountains, lakes and reservoirs; camping, boating, hiking, biking, fishing and getting away from it all is how the West spends their 4th of July weekend for the most part (and Labor Day and Memorial Day).
I miss the way I grew up in which we made a HUGE deal of 4th of July and other patriotic holidays, with parades, floats, bike decorating contests, pot luck picnic dinners with other families, and oohing and ahhing over fireworks while sitting on a grassy slope around the high school school athletic fields at the end of a fun-filled day…
Bill, your Westport looks very nice. When we traveled through the Pacific Northwest almost 30 years ago, we passed through Westport, OR on the way from Astoria (which was a beautiful setting) to Mt. Ranier (which was spectacular). As for Westport, OR–well, Gertrude Stein’s quote pretty much captured it.
Well, it does make me smile when I see the sign “Westport Road” here in my own town, also in the PNW. Scorching hot here, with many wildfires brewing, as in Washington. Very, very unusual (unlike the name “Westport”!)
WE need one of those “Fish Shacks!”
Marcy Anson Fralick if you are in the SF Bay area come on over to Half Moon Bay next 4th we have an old fashioned parade straight up main street and some years fire works as well-plus since we are a beach town you can BBQ on the beach with everyone else after the parade.
Interesting how each of us re-imagines the Westport (Conn) of our memories. Mine go back to the 1950s, when I graduated from SHS in 1953 when it was still on Saugatuck Avenue. A dime cup of coffee at Jack’s (Town Diner) entitled you to play the pinball machine forever. After school clubs like the High-Y at the (old, ivy covered) YMCA. Waiting for the late bus to Weston in front of the old warehouse that would become The Inn at National Hall (sorry if I got the name wrong). I wonder if anyone ever found the case of cold beer we buried on Cockoene island?