School’s out! Summer is here!
Back in the day, most teenagers had summer jobs — including (like me) at Chubby Lane’s, the Compo Beach concession stand that sat where the volleyball courts are now.
It was a great experience (despite the knee-length socks we had to wear). We were at the beach. We made money. We got free food.
And our friends were right there, hanging out for hours nearby.
Chubby’s, back in the day. (Photo copyright Studio Astute/courtesy of Jack Whittle)
Things have changed. The concession stand — formerly Joey’s, recently Hook’d, now Bluestone — is in a bigger, less welcoming space.
The menu is bigger too (and pricier).
And teenagers spend their days at college ID clinics for sports. They go to college application essay writing boot camps. They work at internships in law offices, real estate offices, financial planning offices.
Their time for just hanging out is limited.
Saddest of all, they will never know the joy of biting into a juicy Chubby’s cheeseburger, cooked by a friend.
And slipped to them through the ice cream window, for free.
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Another view of Chubby’s. There was curbside parking — no need for a beach sticker to enjoy a burger. (Photo courtesy of Liz Doyle Boyd)