Yesterday’s post about Hook’d struck a nerve.
Most readers agreed with the one quoted. They filled the Comments section with stories of their own, slamming the Compo Beach concessionaire for mediocre food, long wait times, and a lack of planning and care. (A couple of readers disagreed; they love Hook’d).
Much of that falls on the owners’ shoulders. Word on the street is that employees are frustrated and embarrassed — and sometimes bear the brunt of customers’ complaints.
The cooks and counter help are local teenagers. They have no control over whether enough burgers and hot dogs are ordered, the price, or the systems in place to make ordering simple and pick-up fast. They’re at the mercy of their bosses.
Give the kids a break. It’s not an easy situation to be in.
But — as many readers have noted — the owners deserve whatever they get.
Hook’d, last year. (Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)
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Speaking of Compo Beach:
Sunday church services began there this morning, near the cannons. They run every week, through the September 4.
It’s a BYOC event (bring your own chair). Parking is free; tell the gate attendant you’re going to the service.
Participating churches include Saugatuck, Greens Farms, Norfield and Wilton Congregational, and United Methodist Church of Westport and Weston. A different minister leads worship each week.
Rev. Heather Sinclair of the United Methodist Church leads this morning’s service. (Photo/Karen Como)
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Westport is still buzzing about the fantastic Independence Day fireworks on Thursday.
It couldn’t have happened without the generosity of Melissa & Doug, the locally based, internationally beloved toy company; the hard work of the Westport Police, Fire, EMS, Parks & Recreation and Public Works Departments — and the volunteer efforts of Westport PAL.
The biggest party of the year is a fundraiser for PAL. They could not run their many sports programs for boys and girls, or scholarships for Staples High School students, without that help.
So, whether you bought a ticket or freeloaded, consider a contribution to one of Westport’s most important organizations. Click here to see all they do; then click here to donate.
(Photo/Dan Woog)
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Kathie Bennewitz — our talented town art curator, who tirelessly finds, documents, preserves and exhibits the Westport Public Arts Collections — has taken on a new challenge: to preserve the legacy of iconic American artist Edward Hopper.
He’s the creator of classic works like the famed diner scene “Nighthawks (1942). She travels nearly every day to Nyack, New York, to steward and shepherd the Edward Hopper House Museum & Study Center.
The other day, Westport artists Eric Chiang and Mark Yurkiw took up Bennewitz’s offer to visit. Yurkiw reports: “The walkable and vibrant destination, with the Hudson River as a backdrop, makes a fabulous day trip. See the museum, stroll down Hopper Way and around the village of Nyack, with plenty to eat and experience.”
And say hi to Kathie at the museum, before she heads home to us.
(From left): Eric Chiang, Kathie Motes Bennewitz and Mark Yurkiw, outside the Edward Hopper Museum.
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Speaking of Eric Chiang:
If you missed his fascinating talk — “The Musical Planet” — the other day at the Westport Library: You’re in luck.
Click below to hear his thoughts on his art, its place in the world — and Westport’s role as an artists’ town.
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A reader writes:
“I was at Old Mill Beach with my husband and 3 young boys. We have come at low tide for years, to swim and find hermit crabs. Today, we saw this:
“At first we thought the owners would return to pick up the bags, but there were no dogs or owners around. The tide was coming in, and these bags would have been washed away into the sea. I took them to the trash. It was very disappointing, and obviously disgusting.”
No s—.
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Paul Cohen, formerly of Westport and Fairfield, beloved husband of Barbara R. (Bobbie) Herman, passed away peacefully yesterday in Redding, He was 98 years old.
The New York City native enlisted in the Army Air Corps on his 19th birthday in 1942, the earliest that was permitted at the time. He served in the Galapagos and Central America, commanding a radio operations group to protect the Panama Canal.
After the war he attended Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. then the Sorbonne and La Cinémathèque Française in Paris, where he studied cinematography. He was employed by the March of Time in Paris.
After returning to the US Paul worked at Owen Murphy Productions, a producer of documentaries and commercial films. After several years, he acquired the company. He produced films for clients like IBM, the USIA, Western Electric, the 1960-61 World’s Fair and the States of New York and New Jersey. and won many awards. He traveled with 3 presidents: Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.
He and his wife Helene moved to Westport in 1974, and became involved in town activities. Paul produced bulletins, posters and newsletters for the Westport Arts Center, Y’s Men, Y’s Women, Westport Woman’s Club and Unitarian Church. He won several awards in the Y’s Men annual photo contest.
Helene died in 1993. Paul married Bobbie in 1997. In addition to Helene, he was predeceased by a daughter Susan, a brother and 2 sisters.
Survivors include his son Peter, stepsons Randall Schein (Ann Reingold), Jonathan Schein (Cynthia Hewett), and step-grandaughters Samantha and Lily Jo Schein.
A memorial service will be held in the fall. Donations in his memory may be made to the Unitarian Church in Westport, or a charity of your choice.
Paul Cohen
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Longtime Westporter Stanley Bryk died Wednesday, at Norwalk Hospital. He was 87.
The Bridgeport native lived in Westport for 55 years, before moving to Southport 2 years ago.
Bryk — a Marine Corps veteran — spent 41 years with Sikorsky Aircraft. He was a member of the Frank C. Godfrey American Legion Post, and the VFW. He was also a lifelong New York Giants fan, and an avid traveler.
Survivors include his wife, Laura Renzulli Bryk; daughters Linda (Brent) Norton of Goshen, New York, and Susan (Robert) Tierney of Glastonbury, and grandchildren Taylor, Kelly, Erika, Casey, Rebecca and Kevin. He was predeceased by his brother Frank and one sister Mary Murphy.
AMass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, July 9 (11 a.m., St. Luke Church). Internment with military honors will follow in Willowbrook Cemetery. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Saint Jude Children’s Hospital for Cancer.
Stanley Bryk
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Former Staples High School media teacher Mike Zito’s wife of 32 years, Joni Gaines, died last month after a long battle with cancer.
Despite insurance, Zito faces medical bills approaching $10,000. He has started a GoFundMe page. Click here to help.
Jodi Gaines
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Dick Truitt lives near Winslow Park. Dogs occasionally wander through his yard.
They’re not the only visitors. This midnight guest stars in today’s “Westport … Naturally” feature:
(Photo/Dick Truitt)
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And finally … since everyone seems to have feelings about the Compo Beach concessionaire (story above):
Love the song choice at the end! 🤣 Thank you Dan for all you do!
Of course a shout out to Melissa and Doug. Also, I think that Parks & Recreation did an excellent job in cleaning up, well into the morning hours, the areas of the fireworks and viewing. Apparently, Old Mill Beach had some shortcomings. All I can say is help out, pick up trash and place it in a garbage pail.
Not included in Paul Cohen’s bio is his stunning 18-minute documentary: Man From a Missing Land about the hanging of Tibetan Monks by the Chinese on Meridian-Trust.org. Paul and I were best friends for 40 years and had lunch every weekend at different restaurants where we discussed TV, film, literature, politics, culture, languages and cuisine from around the world. That was just the beginning, until he was too frail for our long walks on the beach and bike rides. So I went to his home, sometimes with food my wife prepared or sandwiches from Gold’s: deli—a Lower East Side and Brooklyn staple. Being with Paul from the Lower East with his unmistakable accent (think “toirlet) and chuckle, and I, from Brooklyn, well … fuhgeddaboudit … we became instant friends forever and beyond. My wife and I will miss him very much, but he remains in our hearts and our spirits are with him.
Funny — I lived with him for 26 years, and never noticed a “Lower East Side” accent.
The town should never have given the contract to Hook’d for the beach or the golf course. Both are horrible.
Is “Chubby Lane” available? Gawd their food was great.
The awarding of the contract to an out of town purveyor was not the best one when local companies were available
Young local workers are not to blame.It is also overpriced.A simple beach menu would have been easier to deal with
A local purveyor would have likely been a better choice No fault of young workers A simple beach menu would certainly speed things upPrices are too high as well.
Why not permit a fleet of food trucks along side the beach?
Thank you Dan for reminding the town that the problems at Hook’d were not created by the teenagers working there for low paying summer jobs. I personally saw a mother, holding hands with a toddler, scream at and berate a young worker in a profanity filled rant because her cous cous salad was taking too long. I’ve heard of people throwing receipts in the face of the cashiers, telling them to ‘go F themselves’ when asked for a phone number, and throwing garbage on the floor. Unreal! How do people abandon common decency and manners so quickly?! Perhaps our town isn’t so community friendly after all? (recall Coleytown mold issue when one entitled woman stood up and said “We don’t want your kids. Don’t make your problems our problems”. Do better people!