Two decorative spheres — one on each side of the entrance road — greet visitors to Longshore (or “Longshore Club Park,” as no one except town officials call it).
One of them was the subject of last week’s Photo Challenge (click here to see).
It was an easy one. Seth Schachter, Diane Silfen, Brian Taylor, Jonathan McClure, Ed Creevy, Lynn Untermeyer Miller, Michael Szeto, John McKinney, Pat Saviano, Matt McGrath, Amy Schneider, Seth Braunstein, Andrew Colabella and Tom Feeley all checked in quickly with the right answer.
FUN FACT: For decades, a pair of small “foo dogs” (also known as “Chinese guardian lions”) sat behind the marble globes. How and why they go there were mysteries, but the few folks who noticed them always wondered.
There’s no great back story behind today’s Photo Challenge. But if you know where in Westport you’d see this, click “Comments” below.
(Photo/Bruce McFadden)
(Every Sunday, “06880” hosts this Photo Challenge. We challenge you too to support your hyper-local blog. Please click here to make a tax-deductible contribution. Thank you!)
After a whirlwind couple of weeks, Nikki Glekas was ready.
Town officials approved the new Compo Beach and Longshore concessionaire in mid-May.
But by yesterday, the owner of Westport-based NG Entertainment already had a name (The Sandbar — a play on both the beach, and the roving golf cart that will sell drinks at the Longshore golf course).
She had a logo (gentle waves). She had food, staff, cash registers and freezers. She’d cleaned the Compo space left vacant a few months ago, when previous concessionaire Hook’d got the hook.
She’d installed new lights, and given the interior a fresh, nautical/ Mediterranean look. The staff had Sandbar logowear.
Nikki Glekas, in front of a new design at The Sandbar.
Nikki was ready for beach customers, on the holiday weekend that ushers in summer.
The weather, though, was not ready.
A steady rain and cold temperatures kept everyone away.
Nikki was undaunted. She will be there, as soon as the sun breaks through.
Nikki Glekas has already installed new lights. (Photo courtesy of Instagram)
It will be a breakthrough for beachgoers, too.
Yesterday, Nikki showed The Sandbar to “06880.”
She described the full, fresh menu: sandwiches, quesadillas, single and double smashburgers, crab burgers, chicken tenders, wraps, lobster rolls, pitas, gyros, salads and tacos.
Plus all the usual sides (and some Greek ones), baskets, fresh grab-and-go selections, soft-serve ice cream, and a full line of Coke products. There are gluten-free options too. (Click here for the full menu.)
Customers can order ahead online, via QR code. (Or click here.)
Nikki will introduce catering, with small and large trays and platters. She expects big business for the fireworks.
Old door, new sign … and a fresh vibe. (Photo/Matt Murray)
A side wall will be filled soon with Westport-themed merchandise.
This is not Nikki’s first rodeo. She scaled up quickly thanks in part to her decade of experience running food services at Chelsea Piers. Chefs will come from those locations.
Applications for other positions have poured in. Many came from Staples students. Nikki is impressed by the “professionalism” of their emails.
Staples sophomore Nicholas Glekas (left) and junior Alex Kovics are ready for customers.
Two experienced bartenders will work at Longshore. (The pavilion there opens next week. The roving golf cart is set for a June 10 delivery.)
“Our goal is to be here a long time,” Nikki says.
Pointing to Compo — wet, cold, but filled with possibilities just a few days away — she adds, “This is supposed to be where everyone comes. We want it to be where everyone hangs out, and has fun.”
Whenever customers come, Nikki — and The Sandbar — will be ready.
(The Instagram is @TheSandbar068880. It already has over 400 followers. She hopes users will offer feedback there. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week. During peak times, The Sandbar will open earlier and close later.)
(“06880” covers the waterfront — in every way possible. If you enjoy our reporting on all things Compo, Longshore, Burying Hill and Old Mill-related, please click here to support us. Thank you!)
We’re a week away from the 53rd annual Fine Arts Festival.
Across North America, over 150 artists are preparing to come to Westport, and show their work.
Selected from over 320 applications, and representing 12 categories, they come from 23 states and Canada. 27 are from Connecticut — 6 from right here in 06880.
All 2025 award winners return. Click here for a full list. Meanwhile, a record 52 artists make their Fine Arts Festival debut.
New this year: a very cool art activation. Staples High School art students will paint a BMW in the family area (Sigrid Schultz parking lot).
Two new judges join the panel: art enthusiasts Lonnie Quinn (CBS weatherman) and Louise Crowley.
Longshore Capital Improvement Plan update – Maintenance facility building update.
One possibility for the enclosed dog run at Winslow Park.
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The Levitt Pavilion announced a torrent of new shows this week — both free and ticketed.
The Revivalists rock on August 11. One of the most uplifting live acts in music today, their current tour includes the Grand Ole Opry, part of the FIFA World Cup, Red Rocks Amphitheatre — and a return to the banks of the Saugatuck. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Also booked:
May 29: An album release concert by Amani Burnham (first free show of the ’26 season). The 20-year-old Ethiopian-born, Connecticut-based artist has amassed more than 240,000 followers and nearly 30 million views on social media. Amani and his band will make their Levitt Pavilion debut while celebrating their debut album and set sail as the first free show of the 2026 season! Pretty auspicious!
June 7: Jumaane Smith Jazz Quartet. Lauded by Michael Bublé (with whom he tours). Wynton Marsalis (coming to the Levitt on June 28) was his trumpet teacher at Juilliard.
Hard to believe: This is the 25th anniversary of “Shrek.”
Not hard to believe: The Westport Library is celebrating the milestone.
On Tuesday (May 19, 7 p.m.; $10), co-writer Roger S.H. Schulman takes the audience behind the scenes. He’ll discuss his journey from journalism to Hollywood and the classroom. Click here to register, and for more information.
To learn more about the mechanics of screenwriting, Schulman offers a Verso University workshop on “Writing Compelling Characters.” Click here for details.
The bakery — founded by Westporters Bill and Andrea Pecoriello, which trains and employs people with disabilities (who make great stuff) — is raising money for the Hype 4 Life Foundation, an autism awareness non-profit.
They’ll send 2 winners (and plus-ones) to the Brian Burns Celebrity Softball Game May 30 in Pomona, New York. The football star and current Giants play Brandon Jacobs and Super Bowl XLII and XLVI champions, and other legends. Over 100 current and former NFL players will be on the field, competing in softball, a home run derby and (why not?) dodgeball.
Just in time for Memorial Day: the construction trailer — part of the Soundview parking lot staging area, for the Compo Cove tidal gate renovation project — has been hauled away.
Those parking spaces will be needed soon.
Maybe very soon. Sunday’s high temperature is forecast to be 86.
And finally … Soul singer/guitaristClarence Carter died Wednesday in Atlanta. He was 90, and had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The New York Times said, “Blind from youth and distinguished by his deep, declamatory baritone and lecherous, full-throated laugh, Mr. Carter combined the sermonic fervor of a backwoods preacher and the bawdy humor of a juke joint.” Click here for a full obituary.
(Sure, it’s the weekend. But “06880” keeps pumping out these Roundups like there’s no tomorrow. If you enjoy our 24/7/365 work, please show your support by clicking here. Thank you!)
The Planning & Zoning Commission does not often debate recreation.
But they do weigh in on issues involving town property. So 2 items of interest to many Westporters — the concession stand operator at Compo Beach and Longshore, and lights on 2 athletic fields — were on their agenda last night.
Nearly 100 people logged on to the virtual meeting. Over the course of 4 hours the P&Z unanimously endorsed Nikki Glekas to run “The Sandbar,” and heard the pros and cons of 4 70-foot poles at the Wakeman and PJ Romano synthetic turf fields.
Glekas — owner of Westport-based NG Entertainment — was enthusiastically recommended by Parks & Recreation director Erik Barbieri.
She said that her beach menu would be both “family friendly” and “a bit upscale,” ranging from smashburgers, chicken tenders and french fries to fresh salads, gyros and souvlaki.
The Compo Beach concession opens soon. (Photo/JD Dworkow)
She would offer catering too — for fireworks parties, for example — and make The Sandbar a “destination.”
With little discussion, the P&Z voted unanimously in favor of Glekas, for Compo, the Longshore pavilion and golf course halfway house.
With Barbieri and Glekas hoping to be operational by Memorial Day weekend, and Board of Finance approval coming 48 hours earlier, the contract now goes to the Board of Selectpersons on May 21 for final approval.
The field lighting proposal drew much more comment, from commissioners and the public.
Citing increased participant numbers, gender equity, the effects on Staples sports and the need to maintain the quality of grass fields by limiting play there, Barbieri, Parks & Rec superintendent Carm Roda and Staples High School athletic director VJ Sarullo called the need for lit fields “urgent.”
Wakeman B, near Bedford Middle School, is currently unlit. PJ Romano, behind Saugatuck Elementary, utilizes temporary lights. The third lit field in town, at Greens Farms Elementary, is used for softball.
Wakeman B field.
The town officials, and Mike Mahoney of Musco Sports Lighting, who has worked with Westport previously, emphasized LED technology, which eliminates the “spillover” of previous generation lights; automatic turnoff, to prevent not-permitted use, and noise restrictions. The lights would comply with Connecticut Dark Sky standards.
Roda promised to pull the permits of any organizations abusing the system.
Dozens of residents emailed public comments before the meeting. But the majority of public speakers — while emphasizing their support for youth sports — questioned certain aspects of the proposal.
Many live near Wakeman Field. the focus of most of the speakers.
Concerns included the effects of lights and noise on neighboring properties; the proposed 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. cutoffs; the effects of night games and practices on youngsters’ bedtimes, and use by adult teams and for-profit organizations.
The tone of the discussion was respectful. Many of the neighbors asked for revisions or “a better solution,” and requested a meeting at the Wakeman site.
The P&Z took no vote. Discussion, including public comment, will continue May 18 (6 p.m., Zoom), and again on June 1.
What is the concession contract at Compo Beach, the Longshore pavilion and Longshore halfway house worth?
$8,333 a month in year one of a 3-year contract; $9,166 per month the second year, and $10,000 the third. That works out to about $100,000, $110,000 and $120,000 a year.
The terms were worked out between the Parks & Recreation Department and NG Entertainment, a Westport-based company owned by Nikki Glekas.
On Wednesday (6 p.m., livestream), the Planning & Zoning Commission discusses the lease. They’re involved because Compo and Longshore are public property.
Glekas’ business could sell alcohol at the halfway house, and from a roaming golf cart.
The contract would begin May 15, and end November 15, 2029 (the last day of that golf season.
Two 2-year extension options could be exercised, at the town’s discretion.
After the P&Z, the contract goes to the Boards of Finance and Selectpersons for final approval.
A mural may not be all that’s new at the beach this year. A local concessionaire may replace Hook’d. The town bought out that company’s lease earlier this year. (Photo/Carm Roda)
The weather cleared beautifully yesterday — just in time for the opening of the outdoor Westport Farmers’ Market.
The 20th opening, in fact. That’s quite a milestone.
The Imperial Avenue parking lot was packed. And it will be, every Thursday between now and November, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you’ve never been: Go! From fresh produce, breads, baked goods, meats and seafood to flowers, dog treats and food trucks for lunch — plus live music, knife sharpening and much more — the Farmers’ Market has something for everyone.
And if you’re a regular — see you there!
(Photos/Susan Garment)
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Also yesterday: the always-inspiring A Better Chance of Westport “Dream Event.”
For a quarter century, the local chapter of the national non-profit has brought academically gifted and highly motivated teenagers of color to town. They live together, attend Staples, are supported by Westport volunteers — and give back at least as much as they get, to the community.
Last night, at the spectacular House Up on the Hill in Norwalk, ABC celebrated 2 graduating seniors, and 1 longtime volunteer.
Souleye Kebe and Vincent Vega are graduating, after 4 years in the program. After loving introductions by their host families, both spoke eloquently and movingly about their time at ABC’s Glendarcy House, at Staples and in Westport.
Souleye — who is a student representative on the Board of Education, president of Student Council, a member of the high school’s award-winning We the People team, and was the “Wrecker Bob” mascot at football games — talked about the impact his July 4th birthday had on his passion for democracy. He will attend Northwestern University.
Vincent — a talented baseball player — described the 4 families that have been central to his life: the one he was born into; his ABC “brothers”; his baseball team, and his 2 host families.
Both scholars received standing ovations for their words, and their contributions to their school and adopted town.
Souleye Kebe and Vincent Vega.
Maggie Gomez — a math teacher, who serves as both the liaison between Staples and A Better Chance, and with her husband Felix is a host parent — received ABC’s Community Award. She too spoke about the importance of the program, to all who are involved.
Your next chance to give is Monday (May 11, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Westport Woman’s Club, 44 Imperial Avenue). The drive is sponsored by the WWC and American Red Cross.
To make an appointment, click here; enter Westport in the “Zip/Sponsor Code” box. Or call 800-REDCROSS.
Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department hosts a free Tennis Festival this Saturday (May 9, 12 to 4 p.m., Longshore).
The afternoon includes free adult and junior lessons (12-2 p.m.), a fast serve contest, hitting for prizes, adult and junior point play (2-4 p.m.), food trucks and a raffle.
On this date in 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II in Europe.
Released right around that time, this is widely considered the ultimate homecoming anthem.
(Every day, “06880” takes you on a journey — with many emotions — through Westport’s past and present. If you appreciate this hyper-local blog, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
But the Parks & Recreation Department has chosen a new concessionaire for the Compo Beach pavilion, as well as the Longshore pavilion and golf course halfway house.
NG Entertainment/Nikki Glekas Collective of Westport must still be approved by the Board of Finance, Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Selectpersons.
Nikki Glekas
The Westport-based group got the nod over Braxtons Hospitality Group of Bridgeport. A third vendor went to the walk-through, but did not bid.
Glekas was the choice of a special committee created by Parks & Rec director Erik Barbieri. It included members of the Parks & Rec Commission, Board of Finance and Representative Town Meeting.
The town bought out the contract of previous concessionaire Hook’d earlier this year.
Glekas’ website describes her as “a restauranteur, caterer, and entertaining expert with over 2 decades of professional experience in the tri-state area.”
She began her career as the owner of EOS, an award-winning Greek restaurant in Stamford. She expanded into events and catering when she opened Bank Street Events, in Stamford. Partnerships with Chelsea Piers Connecticut and Noroton Yacht Club followed..
Glekas also hosts Nikki’s Modern Mediterranean, a YouTube show featuring her family’s Greek recipes, and entertaining tips.
The contract between the town and NG — not yet finalized — is on the Board of Finance agenda for next Wednesday (7:30 p.m., Zoom).
It then goes to the Planning & Zoning Commission — because the lease involves public property — on May 13 (6 p.m., livestream). The Board of Selectpersons has the final say.
Before Hook’d, the Compo Beach concession was run by Joey Romeo, and called Joey’s by the Shore. (Photo/Lynn Untermeyer Miller)
“Everyone feels good about putting her forward,” Barbieri tells “06880.”
If the 3 boards approve the recommendation, the director hopes Glekas can be operating by Memorial Day.
“It’s tight,” he admits. “But we’ll work with her as best we can. We’re optimistic, and she’s excited. She wants to hit the ground running.”
(“06880” covers the Westport waterfront — in every way possible. if you enjoy our reporting — including breaking stories like this — please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
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