Another beach season — Memorial Day to Labor Day — ended Monday.
The lifeguards stowed their boards and buoys for the last time. They locked the shack. They left the last motivational quote on the temperature-and-tide sign; the next one will posted 9 months from now.
It was a quiet final day.
That’s the way the lifeguards like it.
We did not hear, this summer, about any catastrophes. Not even a close call.
We did not hear a panicked cry for help, or the wails of ambulances.
That’s because the lifeguards did their job — every day, 7 days a week, from Memorial Day to Labor Day — so that they wouldn’t have to do that job.
Compo lifeguards on Monday: the last hour of the last day. (Photo/Dan Woog)
So: What did they do?
They performed first aid, for everything from heatstroke to splinters.
They found missing kids.
They helped people use the special wheelchairs that enable less abled beachgoers to enjoy the shore.
They trained, and practiced — just in case.
And every day, they posted a different motivational quote on the whiteboard in their shack.
That’s the way they roll. And all summer, they rocked it.
One morning — before the beach opened — Parks & Rec sponsored the Lifeguard Olympics.
This week’s Unsung Heroes are our superb lifeguards — at Compo, Longshore and Burying Hill.
Let’s hear it for their boss, Danilo Sierra-Girlado too, plus senior foreman Mike Giunta, and our new Parks & Recreation Department director, Erik Barbieri.
They didn’t make any headlines this year. Which is exactly how they like it.
So this story will have to suffice.
(“06880” is proud to honor Unsung Heroes — and tell many other tales of town too. Please click here to support your hyper-local blog.)
The day Westporters have been waiting for (and salivating over) is almost here.
Rotary Club LobsterFest tickets go on sale this Friday (August 15), at 10 a.m.
The mega-fundraiser — set for September 20 (3 to 7 p.m.) sells out quickly.
For very good reason. There’s something — lobsters, oysters, steak, beer, wine, soda, gelato, music, kids’ stuff (fire juggler, glitter tattoos, antique fire truck) — for everyone. T
100% of profits from sponsorships, donations and ticket sales go to charitable causes. Last year’s event raised over $325,000.
And remember: Those lobsters don’t eat themselves.
Tickets are on sale Friday for this fest. (Photo/Dan Woog)
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With the first day of school around the corner (Spoiler alert: It’s much closer than you think!), dozens of Westport children still need help.
The Department of Human Services has launched its annual Back-to-School and After-School Care campaigns, to make sure every child starts the year with the supplies, clothing, and support they need to succeed.
There are several ways to help:
Make a monetary gift online or in person to support back-to-school resources and after-school scholarships for elementary -aged children – providing safe, enriching activities for working families.
Donate Walmart gift cards to help families purchase backpacks, notebooks, clothing and essentials.
“Back-to-school isn’t just about pencils and paper—it’s about giving kids the confidence and resources to learn and grow,” says Human Services director Elaine Daignault. “Every donation helps give every child a fair start.”
Mail checks payable to “Westport Human Services”; send to Human Services, Town Hall, 110 Myrtle Avenue, Westport, CT 06880
Drop off gift cards at Human Services at Town Hall weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Give online at www.westportct.gov/donate (WeCare Westport); select “Family to Family Programs—Seasonal Program.”
Colin Quinn is the latest addition to the Westport Country Playhouse fall schedule.
The Brooklyn comedian (MTV, Saturday night Live, Comedy Central, on and off Broadway) brings his New York vibe to the historic stage on October 9 (8 p.m.).
Blau House & Gardens is more than a gorgeous hidden gem off Bayberry Lane.
It’s also a cherished classical garden space.
Norwalk Symphony Orchestra highlights a series of Sunday concerts. Each blends music, poetry and nature, in a serene woodland setting.
This Sunday (August 17), the Harmonia V Woodwind Quintet fills the gardens with lyrical melodies. Gwyneth Walker will read selected poems before each of 5 parts of her suite “All Nature Sings.”
The final event (August 31) showcases “So Sings the Garden,” a collaboration of poetry reading led by Westport poet laureate Donna Disch, with performances by soprano Maureen McKay, baritone Marcelo Guzzo, pianist Thomas Cuffari, and cellist Gunnar Sahlin.
Each evening includes an optional garden tour from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., with concerts beginning at 6. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic before the performances. Parking and shuttle service is provided at Coleytown Elementary School.
But it may be of interest to all “06880” readers. We all need to be vigilant, againt all kinds of scams.
Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton emailed all our JPs:
“We have been alerted by a Westport Justice of the Peace that they were recently targeted in a scam.
“The JP was contacted to perform a wedding ceremony and offered payment in advance. The couple sent a certified check for more than the agreed amount and then asked the JP to wire the overpayment back to them.
“In this instance, the JP recognized that something was suspicious and contacted both the Westport Police Department and our office.
“Please remain vigilant if you are contacted to perform a ceremony. If you have any doubts, feel free to contact our office to confirm whether the couple has obtained a Marriage License here in Westport.”
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Three Westport-based creators are producing “Rise + Step:” the first wellness event ever at Bridgeport’s Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater.
The event “blends movement, music and mission, bringing together community wellness, local talent,” turning the concert venue venue into a space for “empowerment, connection, and purpose.”
The fitness and wellness experience (September 7, 9 to 11 a.m) features:
Flow yoga with Westporter Sarah Sadie Newett
The Gold Step with Cori Adams, a Westport music-driven step workout phenomenon
Producer Peter Van Heerden, Westport-based arts and culture strategist.
Local sponsors include The Granola Bar, Hemma Kitchen, and Barvida.
Westport native Jack Backiel now lives in Maryland.
But thanks to “06880,” he keeps up with all things Westport.
Now, add CNN to the list.
Jack writes, “Stew Leonard Jr. was interviewed on CNN yesterday. He talked about prices, but also mentioned he’d be throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium last night.”
And finally … in honor of next month’s “Rise + Step” wellness event (story above):
(Rise up, click here, and join the crew of “06880” supporters. Remember, this blog does not fall from the sky. It takes work — and we need your help to make it happen. Thank you all!)
The Parks & Recreation Department held its annual Lifeguard Olympics yesterday morning, at Compo Beach.
Under the direction of Michael Giunta (waterfront foreman) and Danilo Sierra-Giraldo (lead lifeguard), the guards competed in a friendly competition that utilized all their skills.
Operations director Carm Roda notes: “In the eyes of Parks & Rec, all of our lifeguards are gold medal winners.”
Common Ground — the Westport Library’s project to bring civility back to civic discourse — sponsors a timely topic next week.
“Communicating to Open Minds” (Monday, August 5, 7 p.m.) features Steve Parrish in conversation with Sally Susman, Pfizer’s chief corporate affairs officer. They’ll discuss ways to share information in ways that encourage agreement, and avoid confrontation.
During the pandemic, Susman was charged with rolling out Pfizer’s vaccine to an anxious and polarized world. She’ll offer insights learned about leadership and connectivity.
The event is free. Click here for tickets, and more information.
Sally Susman’s book.
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The Westport Winners and Fairfield Red Storm — both Little League Challenger teams — attended a private Junior Mets clinic on the Citi Field diamond yesterday.
The day included hitting, fielding and base running — plus high fives for all after the clinic.
The Challenger athletes, at Citi Field …
… and a special day for all.
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The Westport Book Shop Short Story Book Club meets August 22 (6 p.m.). They’ll discuss 2 authors’ manifestations of technology in the future:
One is “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury, published in 1950. The other, “Mika Model” by Paolo Bacigalupi, was published nearly 70 years later, in 2016.
Registration is required. Call 203-349-5141, or email bookshop@westportbooksaleventures.org.
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First Folk Sunday — the monthly Saugatuck Rowing Club afternoon of good music and a fun vibe — always showcases excellent talent.
It’s even better when it’s local.
Singer/songwriter Lisa Bastoni — a Westport girl now living in Northampton, Massachusetts — comes “home” on August 4.
Rozanne Gates and Suzanne Sheridan, who created First Folk Sunday, saw Bastoni perform in 2023 in Northampton. They were impressed with her songwriting, musicianship and connection to her audience.
They invited her to be a guest artist at First Folk Sunday — not knowing she is from here.
Lisa knew them both. She had heard Sheridan sing at a 2001 anti-war rally on Jesup Green.
Bastoni has had great success since then. Click here for her website. Click here for tickets to the August 4 First Folk Sunday, and more information.
And finally … Jerry Miller, a guitarist and founder of Moby Grape, the San Francisco group that never achieved the success many predicted for them, died last Sunday in Tacoma, Washington. He was 81.
Vinny Penna — the longtime Westport police officer and deputy chief whose death in 2021, at 51 from a heart attack, stunned the town — was honored yesterday.
A statue in his honor was dedicated at Assumption Church. Members of the Penna family were joined by law enforcement members from across the Northeast, as well as Westport Police officials, the Westport Police Athletic League, and other residents whose lives he touched.
Funds came from the PAL, Assumption Church, and Vinny’s many friends.
Vinny Penna statue at Assumption Church. (Photo and hat tip/ Andrew Colabella)
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The Levitt Pavilion has added a new ticketed event.
Billy Prine & the Prine Time Band play “Songs of John Prine” on Saturday, September 30. Scarlett Egan is the opening act.
Meanwhile, this week is filled with free shows. They include:
Tuesday, 7 p.m.: Sona Jobarteh, Africa’s first female griot kora virtuoso.
Westport’s 12U Little League team continues its winning ways. They captured the sectional championship, beating Wilton 5-0.
Next up: the state championship, beginning Wednesday (6 p.m. vs Shelton, at Unity Park, Trumbull).
Westport has not won the 12U state title since 2013. That year, they went all the way to the Little League World Series final in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
When COVID struck in March 2020, the Westport Weston Family YMCA shut down.
It reopened — very tentatively — 3 months later. Every area and program — fitness center, yoga, gymnastics, childcare — had rules. The staff followed them diligently.
The strictest regulations were in the pool. Swimmers had to sign up online 3 days ahead of time. Slots were limited to 45 minutes or an hour; there were restrictions too on the number of swimmers per lane.
In between each 45- or 60-minute session, surfaces — benches, hooks for towels, even handrails — had to be wiped down.
I’m a swimmer. For the past year, those daily workouts have been my physical — and mental — salvation.
I’ve watched the Y lifeguard in action, every day. They’ve been outstanding.
They’re diligent with their cleaning. They’re warm and welcoming to every swimmer. They’ve been patient, kind and helpful.
They helped create a nice community at the pool, at a time we desperately needed one.
A small part of the big Westport Y pool. The lifeguards have it all covered.
Yesterday, the swimming restrictions were lifted. The pool is (almost) back to normal.
Today, I give a shoutout to the Westport Y lifeguards. To Brian and his crew: Thank you. You’re “06880”‘s Heroes of the Week.
And you earned it without having to save anyone.
SPECIAL CITATION: Here’s a shout-out to the Y’s member services team too. Whether greeting guests at the front desk, working behind the scenes to solve a problem (the reservations system was sometimes glitchy), or helping someone make sense of the constantly changing regulations, they’ve been outstanding too.
And they never stopped smiling.
(Do you know an Unsung Hero? Email dwoog@optonline.net)
Whenever Daria Maya or her family threw a pool party, they hired a lifeguard. It was a simple matter of safety.
But as she grew up in Westport, she realized not every family was as cautious.
And when the Staples sophomore took a lifeguarding class at the high school this year — part of the physical education curriculum — her teacher told her there are not enough guards to fill demand. At the same time, homeowners who want to hire them don’t know who to ask.
Now they do.
Daria created a website — WeLifeguard.com — that anyone can use to find a lifeguard for a private event. She’s adding swim instructors soon.
Daria Maya
Daria’s list includes teammates from her Staples water polo team, and friends. To broaden the pool further, she used the iStaples app to find every student taking lifeguarding in phys. ed. Many were delighted to be added in.
The site went live in April. The popular Westport Moms platform gave it a big boost. Daria also handed out flyers. She’s already booked several parties, starting Memorial Day.
Daria is all about water safety. She’s working with Stewie the Duck — Stew Leonard’s water safety foundation — to spread the word about the importance of swim instruction and lifeguards.
Guards on her site charge $20 an hour. That’s a small price to pay for safety.
And for the ease of finding a certified lifeguard for your party.
(For Daria’s website, click here. Her email is welifeguard@gmail.com)
Westport’s few dozen guards — male and female; high school, college age and older; Westporters, Westonites, Norwalkers, Wiltonites and beyond — are like the salt air: an important part of the beach experience, but often overlooked. And seldom noted.
It’s time that changed.
Assistant directors Kaitlyn Mello and Jamie Whittendale take a brief break on the boardwalk.
Kaitlyn Mello is a 2005 Staples graduate who is one of 2 assistant waterfront directors, serving under director Brandon Ogiba. The other day she sat in the lifeguard station and talked about her job.
It was a choppy interview — walkie-talkies squawked, and Kaitlyn’s eyes kept roaming the beach — but that’s the way it should be.
“We’ve had a really good summer so far,” she says. “The staff is really strong — a lot of senior guards, and the newcomers are stepping up.”
Compo lifeguards work 8-hour shifts, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: 1 hour in the chair, 1 hour off (sweeping the beach, tending to first aid, etc.). Each hour, the new shift walks to their posts as a team, then come back in together at the end.
(Burying Hill has 2 full-time guards — important, because of the treacherous tides and elderly population. The Longshore pool has its own staff.)
This summer’s weather has been great. One result: Compo is crammed.
Things get hectic. Vigilance is particularly important during camp hours. “We work as a team with the counselors,” Kaitlyn says. “There’s constant communication.”
Justin Rende, at the ready.
Guards also communicate with parents, when the parents communicate in their own way. “We see moms talking with their friends, or on their cell phones, with their backs to the water when their kids are playing or swimming,” she says as diplomatically as possible. “We try to make sure everyone is watching.”
A major guard issue is swimmers who think the buoys are too close — especially at low tide. “It’s our discretion how far out to allow people,” Kaitlyn explains. “High tide can get pretty deep. There’s no reason to go too far.”
Also big: enforcing the no-fishing ban, and keeping boats from coming too near.
Injuries have been minor this year. One man slipped on the jetty; a volleyball player dislocated his shoulder. The guards are primary caregivers until EMS arrives.
Guards drill every weekday, unless the beach is too crowded or they can’t spare anyone. They practice rescues, CPR and other emergencies. The time always changes; sometimes volunteers of different ages help out.
A typical scene at the Compo Beach lifeguard station.
Much of the guards’ job is public relations. They answer questions, explain and enforce rules, and do their best to make the beach experience a great one for the enormous variety of folks who swim, play, stroll, picnic and do whatever else they do every day.
That’s not always easy, particularly this year with its surge of out-of-town guests.
“We’ve seen, and the main gate agrees, a lot of people from New York and other places,” Kaitlyn says. “And a lot of people walk over from the train station, or take a taxi. When they ask if they can buy beach chairs, we know they’re not from here.”
The best part of the job is being outside. And, Kaitlyn adds, “I love being able to help people. I think I’m prepared for every situation.”
Including requests like, “Can you remove the jellyfish?”
“I don’t think so,” Kaitlyn says. “They were here first.”
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The strictest regulations were in the pool. Swimmers had to sign up online 3 days ahead of time. Slots were limited to 45 minutes or an hour; there were restrictions too on the number of swimmers per lane.
