Friday Flashback #399

It was a fun tradition, while it lasted.

In 2017, Bernard Izzo Jr. — “Butchie” — of Izzo’s Landscaping had a contract with the town to plant trees around Westport.

He placed one on the spit of land at the far end of South Beach, jutting into Ned Dimes Marina.

It died.

Whimsically — and at his own expense — he replaced it with a palm tree.

He figured it would last through the summer heat. In the fall, he’d replace it with an appropriate tree.

The 2017 palm tree. (Photo/Susan Saracena)

The lighthearted gesture did not have Parks & Recreation Department approval. They were not amused.

But the public was. Dozens of readers commented enthusiastically on “06880.”

Quickly, Parks and Rec embraced — metaphorically, anyway — the unusual tree.

It remained there, loved and admired and frequently photographed, until it was removed for the winter.

(Photo/Jaime Bairaktaris)

The next year, the palm tree — or more likely, a relative — was back on the sand. Once again, beachgoers and boaters enjoyed a little bit of tropics right here in New England.

In the fall of 2018, the palm tree was gone — south? — for the winter.

It never returned.

For Westporters who remember the palm tree, it’s hard to believe that was 6 years ago.

For everyone who arrived since then, it may be hard to picture a palm tree at Compo Beach.

Here’s one more photo:

(Photo/Dinkin Fotografix)

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