Back in the day — long before the PAL Skating Rink at Longshore, and even before its predecessor, the rink next to the miniature golf course (for decades now, the Westport Tennis Club indoor courts behind Goodwill) — there were plenty of places to skate in Westport.
Ponds like the one on Bulkley Avenue North welcomed all. Most are gone now — though Round Pond across from Longshore (where Dorothy Hamill often skated, while visiting relatives nearby) still draws crowds when it’s safely frozen.
Not far away, the corner of Compo Road South and Bridge Street — before I-95 plowed through — was also very popular.
This was no ordinary outdoor venue. It was owned by Parke Cummings — a noted author, humorist, and frequent contributor to the New Yorker and Sports Illutrated.
Here’s a photo from those days:
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Speaking of ice:
Prolific Westport author Carl Addison Swanson writes: “While the book, movie and most news stories deal with the Great Ice Storm Felix of December 1973, which paralyzed the entire state of Connecticut, 50 years ago today another ice storm hit Westport and surrounding towns.
“I know it well, for it was my wedding day. It took us close to 3 hours to get from Westport to the church in New Canaan.
“The Merritt Parkway was a sheet of ice, and the caterer smashed into a telephone pole delivering yummies to the Roger Sherman Inn.
“The ice finally melted, as did the marriage.”
January 1974 ice storm. (Photo courtesy of Carl Addison Swanson)
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Our go to pond in the North Compo / Evergreen area was Gerrows Pond. It was located behind the Evergreen Ave Cemetary and the sanitarium property (Winslow Park now). The pond was a dammed section of Dead Mans Brook with a cool small island in the middle. There was even a great small sledding hill on the property between the house (it was called a mansion then) and the pond. One could sled right down to and across the frozen ice. The family allowed skaters at ALL hours, and they even dredged the pond every summer. Today the area is off limits, the pond no longer is dredged so has become a swamp which does not freeze. It was such a great place growing up near there and was so magical at night for skating.
To the left of the Parke Cummings house and down the hill was a pond. We called it Uccillini’s Pond. It was a hundred yards from out house. Parke used to water it at night to smooth it down and some years hung lights and piped music! He was an awesome neighbor.
I remember in the late seventies and eighties skating on a pond on Saugatuck Avenue across from Burritts Landing. I just tried seeing on a map but I don’t see it…not sure if the Indian River Green Condos filled it in. Your article brought back great memories!
I spent many hours skating on Round Pond. I lived on Narrow Rocks Road not far from Round Pond, next door to Mary Swan Piper (I think I got that right). She was Dorothy Hamil’s aunt.
Ericksons Pond in Greens zFarms was a local ice skating venue too!
Lee Pond was the spot for the Fillow Street crowd in the 70’s.
In the 1960s, the Fillow street crowd skated at Dorr-Oliver.
The pond we went to was on Sturgess Hwy. I even have a 1957 home movie from there.
Back in the Wonder Years, the two Hitchcock Roads (@Cross) & @Roseville never connected but brought in housing development Between the two streets was a nice pond and was a great skating rink in the winter. Gone, replaced by the deer.
Sturgess Hwy. pond skater here. Fond memories.