Compo’s South Beach (Photo/JD Dworkow)
Even in fall, sometimes there’s a really long wait for an empty picnic table at Compo. (Photo/Katherine Bruan)
Sunday night: last picnic at Compo? (Photo/Judith Katz)
Toasting the moon, at Compo (PHoto/Cohl Katz)
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Posted in Beach, Pic of the Day
A toast to South Beach (Photo/Judith Katz)
Scattered thunderstorms are forecast for early this afternoon.
But the evening looks great. The temperature will start cooling off.
Which means: We’re on for our 9th annual “06880” blog party!
We’re still set for 6 p.m. at South Beach — the alcohol-is-fine-except-no-glass-bottles end, furthest from the cannons.
If it rains earlier, we’ll clear off the tables and benches. (If you’ve got an extra folding table, please bring one!)
This is a bring-your-own-food-and-beverages event. If you’ve got something extra to share, feel free!
“06880” provides the rest: a chance to meet commenters and lurkers. Each year we welcome old-timers, newcomers, politicians and normal human beings. It’s a chance to talk, laugh and trade stories about this wild, wacky and only slightly dysfunctional town we share and love.
See you tonight!
We’ll be just to the left of this jetty (near the boat and kayak launch). Without the car, though, (Photo/Linda Gramatky Smith)
At first glance, it looks like a house in the Hamptons. On second glance, it’s the bathrooms at Compo’s South Beach. (Photo/Miggs Burroughs)
Yesterday’s “Roundup” item about what seemed to be a low number of picnic tables at Compo’s South Beach brought a call from Carm Roda, of Westport’s Parks & Recreation Department.
All 17 tables — plus 4 for handicapped users — are there, he says. Because people move them to make larger tables, it might seem that there are fewer. However, as Michael Calise noted in the “Comments” section, that’s a far cry from the 41 that were there pre-COVID.
And, he notes, they were wooden — some double-size, and all more substantial than the new, plastic ones.
So: If you’re coming to our “06880” blog party this Thursday (July 21, 6 p.m., South Beach), please consider bringing a folding table.
There’s plenty of room for everyone. Just not a lot of tables.
New (foreground) and older picnic tables, in 2018. The concrete grills have all been replaced too; only the smaller ones remain.
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It’s Shark Week at the beach!
Hopefully though, the only shark is on the side of the blimp. It advertises “Shark Week” on TV.
Fingers crossed. Stay safe!
(Photo/Matt Murray)
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Some rites of summer never change.
Bedford Middle School student Aiden Konig writes: “I’m 11 years old. Me and my friends, Liam and Ethan, were hanging out on the beach and made this really cool sand castle. I wanted to share it with your blog.”
Thanks, Aiden. I’m glad you guys are enjoying the timeless fun of the beach. Please be sure your grandkids send a similar photo, in 2092.
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Nearby, Dianne Wildman took a walk.
Compo is a beautiful neighborhood. But one sight disturbed her. Dianne writes:
On Friday at Bradley and Fairfield Avenues, I passed a black squishy plastic pillow covering a drain. A stream of water crossed the street, to another drain. Water gushed out at a healthy rate.
(Photo/Dianne Wildman)
A couple walked by as I was taking photos. They said the gushing had been going on for 2 weeks. All this on a day when the town announced we’re officially in a drought.
The woman said it won’t do any good to complain, because the problem was caused by a builder on the corner working on a new house and digging a swimming pool. The water level is 3 feet, so if you go deeper, it floods. “The town authorities always side with the builders,” they said, citing a similar story when someone built a pool last year.
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Congratulations to the Westport 11U District All-Star team: Section 1 champs!
They beat North Stamford 11-2 yesterday, in the finals. Next up: the state tournament. It’s set for next weekend, in Newington.
Players include Dylan Burdeshaw, Miles Delorier, Henry Ellis, Justin Goldshore, Wyatt Johnson, Christopher Lambert, Chase Landgraf, Jack McGrath, Luke Moneyhon, Torrey Rossetter, Toby Slavin, Grant Theisinger and Nolan Walters. The manager is Justin Walters; coaches are Marc Theisinger and Jon Ellis.
Section champs!
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Michael Szeto is used to seeing egrets at Longshore.
He was surprised, though, to see this one in his Minute Man Hill back yard.
He grabbed his camera, and snapped the scene for our “Westport … Naturally” feature.
(Photo/Michael Szeto)
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And finally … Monty Norman, the British composer who wrote the theme tune for the James Bond films, died this week, He was 94.
Mark Yurkiw calls his work “the most memorable score by the most unmemorable composer.” Click here for a full obituary.
I took a beach walk late yesterday afternoon.
It was a gorgeous start to the weekend. The sky was cloudless; the temperature and breeze, perfect.
But something was missing: maybe half the South Beach picnic tables.
How could that be? They’re very, very heavy. Where would they go, and why?
I tried to think of any event that would take precedence.
Nope. So I gave up, and figured it was just my imagination.
South Beach yesterday, 6 p.m. (Photo/Dan Woog)
Before I finished my walk though, 3 groups of people stopped me. All wondered: What happened to the South Beach tables?
I have no idea. The Parks & Rec office is closed for the weekend, so they can’t help.
We’ll just have to crowdsource this. If you know what happened to all those picnic tables, click “Comments” below.
And if you took them: Bring them back. No questions asked.
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Election Day is near!
Republican Primary and Democratic Primary scheduled for Tuesday, August 9.
Polls are open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Click here to find your polling place.
Absentee ballot applications are available through the Town Clerk’s office. The drop box at the rear of Town Hall is ready to receive applications and absentee ballots. Click here for information on absentee ballots.
Connecticut has a closed primary system. Only enrolled Democrats may vote in the Democratic primary, and only enrolled Republicans may vote in the Republican primary. The deadline for changing parties has already passed.
However, an unaffiliated voter may select a party up to noon the day before the primary, changing to one of the major parties. Click here to verify your party status.
If you are not yet a registered voter, applications must be postmarked by August 4. In-person registration is available until noon on August 8.
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Looking for a cool movie next week?
The Remarkable Theater schedule includes these shows, at the Imperial Avenue drive-in:
“Dirty Dancing” (Monday, July 18; gate opens 7:15 p.m., movie at 8:15 p.m.): Spending the summer at a Catskills resort with her family, Frances “Baby” Houseman falls in love with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle. Rated PG-13.
“Scream” (Wednesday, July 20; gate opens at 7:30 p.m.; movie at 8:30 p.m.): A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. Rated R.
Click here for tickets and more information.
A night at the drive-in. (Photo courtesy of 4th Row Films)
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Not far from the Remarkable Theater, just steps from downtown, Baron’s South is a 22-acre jewel.
But, Molly Alger says, the park needs some maintenance. Walking paths are overgrown with weeds. She took this photo on her way from the Senior Center to Compo Road South:
(Photo/Molly Alger)
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Next Saturday, there’s a double treat for fans of Staples Players alumni.
2013 graduate Michelle Pauker returns to Westport for a star turn in “Broadway Through the Ages.” The MoCA show (July 23, 7 p.m., 19 Newtown Turnpike) is an evening of memorable tunes, from Golden Age to contemporary.
Music direction is by acclaimed Juilliard & Oxford Academy composer Jake Landau — a 2013 classmate of Michelle’s.
Entry to the museum’s “Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse” exhibit is included in the admission. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Michelle Pauker
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Speaking of former Staples Players: Congratulations to Britt Hennemuth!
The 2008 Staples High School and 2012 Pepperdine University graduate is now the West Coast editor for Vanity Fair.
He’s just published his first cover story: “Dakota Johnson on Family, Sexual Agency—And the ‘Psychotic’ Making of Fifty Shades of Grey.”
Click here to read — including one of the best opening lines in any magazine story, anywhere. (Hat tip: Jeff Wieser)
Britt Hennemuth
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CORRECTION: An incorrect date was given yesterday for the Westport Astronomical Society’s “Cal & Friends Meteorite Show & Tell Party.” The correct date is this coming Tuesday (July 19, 8 p.m.), at the observatory on Bayberry Lane.
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Staples High School Class of 2006 graduate Joanne Smith died last Sunday.
The Chicago native moved to Brazil for 8 months after graduation, before beginning work in the hospitality industry. She had a passion for fitness, nutrition and exercise, and enjoyed being outdoors.
She was an animal lover, an avid reader (particularly Harry Potter), and a movie buff. She particularly enjoyed the beach and dog, Romie.
She is survived by her mother, Katherine Gordon Smith of Stratford; father Gregory and stepmother Donna of Fairfield; brother Matthew of Norwalk; sister Jennifer (Rodolfo Antorocha) of Washington, DC, and maternal grandmother Sally Grabot.
Her family says, “Joey was a fun, kind, loving, intelligent light in the family and to all who knew her. She took on the annual role of Christmas Elf to hand out presents.Joey was well loved by family, friends and co-workers.”
The family will greet relatives and friends on Monday (July 18, 11 a.m. to noon, Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial (12:30 p.m., Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 545 Stratfield Road, Fairfield).
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the ASPCA. To leave online condolences, click here.
Joanna Smith
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Does the rule about dogs on the beach apply to the jetty that forms Compo’s border?
Who cares. This is a classic “Westport … Naturally” photo. Enjoy!
(Photo/Richard Abramowitz)
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And finally … you may or may not have seen “Dirty Dancing” (the next Remarkable Theater film — story above).
But in 1987, there was no escaping this song:
(“06880” runs on contributions from readers like you. Please click here to add your support.)
The annual “06880″ party is just a week away.
And if you’re reading this: You’re invited.
Next Thursday (July 21, 6 p.m.) is the day and time. The far end of Compo’s South Beach — away from the cannons, near the boat and kayak launch — is the place. (Still confused? See the aerial view below.)
The blue arrow marks the “06880” party spot.
Every member of the “06880″ (as in, this website) community is invited. We welcome frequent commenters and lurkers. Folks who have lived here all their lives, and those who moved here yesterday. People who want the Cribari bridge to stay the same, those who want a new one, and everyone in between. (Don’t worry: We keep the party a politics-free zone.)
The tagline for “06880″ is “Where Westport meets the world.” Next Thursday, that world comes to Compo.
Please bring your own food, beverages, beach chairs and blankets. (If you bring extras to share with others, we won’t say no). Then mix, mingle and enjoy the evening with the “06880″ crowd.
There’s no charge. It’s a “fun-raiser,” not a fundraiser.
A “blog party” — the “06880” version of a block party.
See you next Thursday!
(PS: Because “06880” is now a non-profit, Westport Parks & Rec allows a limited number of out-of-towners without beach stickers. Please email 06880blog@gmail.com to be put on the list. First come, first served!)
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Posted in Beach, Media, Westport life
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