Longtime Westporters know the drill.
Newcomers may not.
The annual PAL fireworks display is set for this Thursday (June 29; rain date, Friday).That means tons of traffic,
Compo Beach closes at 4 p.m. Only vehicles with fireworks passes hanging on their rearview mirrors are allowed to remain. All others will be ticketed or towed.
The beach usually reopens to ticket holders by 5 p.m.
Access to the fireworks is through South Compo Road only. Hillspoint Road south of Greens Farms Road is open only to residents south of that intersection.
Fireworks attendees should hang their ticket on their rearview mirror. A few tickets ($50 per car) are still available at the Westport Police station (50 Jesup Road) and Parks & Recreation office (in Longshore Park), during business hours. The event is a fundraiser for the Westport PAL, thanks to sponsorship by Melissa and Doug Bernstein.
Vehicles without tickets will not be permitted beyond the Minute Man monument.
People arriving by Uber, Lyft, or taxi will be directed straight past the Minuteman on Compo Road South. They can walk from Soundview Drive to the beach.
NOTE: Return service by those methods will not be available until after 11 p.m., due to 1-way traffic exiting the beach.
Just prior to the conclusion of the fireworks, 2-way traffic will be suspended on Compo Beach Road and South Compo Road to the intersection of Greens Farms Road. There will be two lanes of northbound traffic on these streets until the beach is cleared.
Residents of this area will encounter delays getting to their homes for about one hour, or until traffic has cleared from the beach.
Residents who will pick up family members in the beach area should also plan for delays.
Don’t worry. The traffic is worth it. Enjoy the show — and thanks, PAL and Melissa and Doug!
Welcome to the fireworks! (Photo/Dan Woog)
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In the wake of last week’s implosion of the Titan — the submersible that brought adventure-seekers to the wreck of Titanic — David Pogue offered some of the most respected and insightful views.
Last year, the Westport correspondent/writer/podcaster/tech expert reported on the Titan. As a guest of the submersible’s company, OceanGate, he traveled to the North Atlantic for a “CBS Sunday Morning” report.
Pogue’s own attempts to see Titanic were scrubbed. The closest he got was 37 feet underwater. (Click here to see that video.)
But his questions of CEO Stockton Rush — one of 5 who died — about the safety of the vessel took on new resonance last week.
Yesterday, Pogue was featured in a 10-minute “CBS Sunday Morning” feature, exploring his trip and the aftermath.
The story — which includes interviews with Rush and Paul-Henri Nargeolet, a French maritime expert and Connecticut resident who also perished — is a clear, compelling, compassionate but honest look at a modern-day Shakespearean story that gripped the world. Click below to see:
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Jonathan Prager “spotted” this excellent specimen for our “Westport … Naturally” feature yesterday:
(Photo/Jonathan Prager)
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And finally … on this day in 1927, the Cyclone roller coaster opened on Coney Island.
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