Yesterday, “06880” ran 2 photos of the 4th of July at Sherwood Island.
Actually, it was the nearby Connector, and I-95 exit ramp. Cars were parked all along — and on Greens Farms Road — because the state park parking lot filled up by mid-morning.
Instead of giving up, hundreds of people hauled umbrellas, chairs and coolers all the way to the shore.
(Photo/John Karrel)
They were not the only out-of-towners to enjoy a Westport beach.
Compo was also packed. There’s a limit to the number of daily passes that the Parks & Recreation Department sells each day. They met that number — 125, at $70 each — early, and stopped any more sales the morning of the holiday.
Folks lucky enough to get in headed for South Beach. They set up tents, spread blankets, grilled, and enjoyed a great holiday with friends and family, at a beach with plenty of amenities.
And plenty of room.
It was a wonderful scene.
I walked by on the pedestrian path, from the kayak launch to the cannons, in mid-afternoon.
I saw people of all ages playing and swimming. I smelled delicious foods. I heard music and chatter.
Most of it was not in English.
It was wonderful.
I was happy to see so many people enjoying our beach. They were there for the day, and they made the most of it.
The rest of the beach — from the cannons to the wooden pavilion– was crowded, but nowhere near the night of the fireworks. There was plenty of space all along Soundview.
I was glad to see our town jewel getting so much enjoyment, by residents and those without regular access to a beach.
Welcome to Compo! (Photo/Ed Simek)
Not everyone shared my joy.
Social media sizzled with comments. Many were disparaging. Some were ugly. (The worst were, thankfully, removed.)
But some people pushed back.
One of the strongest comments came from Dan Roberti. A 2000 Fairfield Prep graduate (and before that, Kings Highway Elementary and Bedford Middle Schools) who spent his high school years as a Compo Beach (and Longshore and YMCA) lifeguard, then moved back to town in 2018 with his wife (Hilary Lister, Staples ’05), he wrote:
“After reading some of the negativity regarding Compo Beach, I want to share my overwhelmingly positive experience, say how grateful I am for Compo Beach, and thank all the town employees who work to make it such a great experience.
“As a counterpoint to the complaints about out-of-towners at Compo, let me offer that as a resident I drove in yesterday at the high point. I had an easy time finding a parking space right on the beach, between the cannons and the pavilion, after being greeted with friendly smiles and waves by multiple Parks & Rec employees at both the entrance and checkpoint. (They undoubtedly had to spend a lot of time turning out-of-town families away, which I’m sure was not easy).
“Despite the beach being significantly fuller than usual, my family had no trouble finding a comfortable spot in the sand for our chairs, umbrellas and toys. Our friends even had room to pitch a tent.
“It’s great having a half mile stretch of beach minutes away from anywhere in town that I have full access to, even on the busiest beach-going day in the entire country.
Sometimes Compo Beach is crowded. Many times, it’s not. (Drone photo/Brandon Malin)
“The lifeguards, marine police and other emergency personnel did an amazing job of keeping everyone safe yesterday (an additional shout out to the massive effort Tuesday night for the fireworks).
“I love being in a town with a long record of being able to fully staff its beaches with lifeguards, when so many other beaches have faced shortages for decades.
“It was wonderful to see so many people, both from in town and out of town, respectfully enjoying the beach yesterday. I saw families playing catch, sharing meals, building sand castles, walking out as far as the sandbars would allow them, and discovering shells and crabs in tide pools.
“How nice it was of the 3 older kids on the playground who, after talking to each other about how amazing this playground was and how they are so glad they came down to this fun beach today, noticed my 4-year-old waiting to use the ship wheel they had been playing on.
“It’s your turn, little guy,” they happily shouted as they ran off to a different part of the playground.
Kids of all ages — and from Westport and beyond — enjoy the Compo Beach playground.
“Yes, it is true that on this one very busy day some things were inconvenient, like the bathrooms and concession stands (for a 90-minute stretch at the absolute height of the day. But they returned to normal after that point.
“It was otherwise a truly remarkable place to spend the day. And to think, it was only an 8-minute drive from my house, and I spend most weekends at this amazing beach where the parking lot is more than half empty.
“And wow, what a job the Parks & Rec maintenance teams do! Trash cans are regularly emptied; the beach was well groomed (as well groomed as a rocky New England beach can be!); the pavilion, boardwalk, basketball courts, skate park, marina, pickleball courts, picnic areas and bathrooms were clean and safe.
“What a great way to spend the 4th. Thank you to the many hardworking people who made it possible!”
Thanks, Dan. We are indeed lucky to have Compo Beach right here, in (almost literally) our back yard.
And for those lucky enough to snag an out-of-town spot on Thursday: I hope it was your best 4th of July ever.
Yesterday — July 5th — South Beach was back to “normal.” There were plenty of grills for everyone. And Westporters were back to reserving the non-reservable picnic tables. (Photo/Dan Woog)
