Back in the day, my generation learned about snow days by listening to the radio.
Westport’s WMMM and Bridgeport’s WICC would go through the list.
It was alphabetical — and agonizing.
Ansonia Public Schools. Bridgeport public schools. Darien public schools. Even Our Lady of Fatima, wherever that was.
Who cared? What about Westport?!
Sometimes they’d be closed. Sometimes they wouldn’t. It was a crapshoot.
Then came a more high-tech method: emails and voicemails.
Still, it was a crapshoot. Longtime superintendent of schools Elliot Landon made it a point of pride to keep Westport schools open.
“Today is Monday, January 26. The Westport Public Schools will be open!” he cackled.
It didn’t matter that schools from here to Buffalo were closed. Suck it up!
Former superintendent of schools Elliot Landon. He is probably smiling because he just announced that schools would be open.
But this is 2026. Social media is everywhere. High school students make full-length documentaries; 8-year-olds create Instagram reels.
So, to announce tomorrow’s snow day — which there was little doubt about, from Friday’s predictions on — Westport Public Schools officials got creative.
Assistant superintendent John Bayers headed to Long Lots Elementary School. He consulted with Leo the Lion — the mascot. They punted.
The decision was left to Long Lots’ staff: teachers, cafeteria workers, custodians, and the school resource officer.
Click here to see their announcement.
So kids: Sleep in!
You don’t have to wake up at 6 a.m., to listen to the radio.
Or the superintendent’s voice.
Screenshot, from the Westport Public Schools video.
Wonderful ‼️
Send it to Mamdani in NYC. 🤣
Oy. I prefer WICC…Our Lady of Fatima is in Wilton..
I think we had ONE SNOW DAY in 3 years during my years 1958-61
Dan you have captured the snow day anticipation exactly from the old days perfectly. Waking up on a school day but seeing a blanket of snow out the window got our blood pumping and thoughts of sledding, snow ball fights and making Frosty in the yard racing through our heads. Then the nail biting wait glued to the AM transistor radio. I don’t recall how many we had through my Saugatuck, Bedford, and Staples years but every snow day was cherished. I even remember a couple back to back twofers which was especially rare.
LOVE IT LONG LOTS!!!! Be safe, stay home and ENJOY!!!
Anyone remember the name of the WICC jock who used to do the no-school announcements for decades back in the day? He was very smooth.
John Labarca
That was a great video. Snow Day = Pure Joy!
Before him
Yes, we were glued to the radio. I went to Fatima, which of course was in Wilton. Many times the public schools were off and we still had to go in.
Hey Dan,
Way back in the Stone Age, we used to listen in the morning after a big snow fall, for the Fire House whistle to sound. Living right next to Coleytown and also right near the firehouse, meant there was not ambiguity. At 7 a.m. that whistle would blow and great cheers would ring out through the land. The firehouse downtown and the Coleytown firehouse would also blare every afternoon at 5 pm. Time to go home!