New concessionaire Nikki Glekas will soon open “The Sandbar” at Compo Beach.
She replaces the much-reviled “Hook’d” (which in its final death throe year rebranded itself as something like “Bluestone”).
Hook’d was preceded by the much-loved Joey Romeo, whose “Joey’s by the Shore” spent about 3 decades as everything a beach food stand should be.
Before all those, of course, was “Chubby’s.”
Concessionaire Chubby Lane operated at the beach entrance, where the volleyball courts are now.
You could park in front, without a beach sticker.
The screen doors slammed. The smell of burgers and fries was intoxicating.
Throughout the 1960s and ’70s, this was summer in Westport.
Nikki Glekas stands on broad shoulders. She’s got big shoes to fill.
Here’s wishing her a warm, Chubby’s and Joey’s welcome to Compo.
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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.
If it’s Christmastime, you’re hearing holiday songs: “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.”
And — just as regularly — you’ll read or hear a light news item about tunes like those.
Yesterday, it was the New York Times’ turn. They turned the spotlight on Johnny Marks, the talented (Jewish) man who wrote all 3 of the songs I mentioned above.
And who for decades had a home on Green Acre Lane, off Compo Road South.
The Times piece focuses on Rudolph. It describes the back story (Marks wrote the song nearly a decade after his brother-in-law created the Rudolph character for a Montgomery Ward promotion); the stats (when Marks died in 1985, there were 500 versions, with 150 million records sold); the reasons for the tune’s popularity and endurance (“It’s a relief from the genre’s usual themes of home, nostalgia and romantic love; its tempo is faster than some Christmas songs of that era, and even the average pop song of the past 60 years; the lyrics are so concise that the story is heard twice and the melody three times in a single play; it’s easy for kids to sing, since the tune travels less than an octave; and the song’s “natural cheerfulness is pretty indestructible across genres.”
The newspaper story does not mention Marks’ Westport connection. Nor does it note another one: Daniel Tashian, the Grammy-winning Nashville songwriter and producer, is the son of Barry Tashian, founder of the fabled Remains band (who toured with the Beatles), and his wife Holly. Both are Staples High School graduates.
For some unknown reason, the Times quotes Daniel Tashian as a Rudolph expert.
He “compared the song to a ‘couture garment,’ so expertly stitched that the underlying handiwork is invisible. But for him, it’s more than mechanics: It’s a ‘rebel’s anthem.’”
Tashian added: “I was just a little half-Armenian kid and I neverIt’s Ch felt like I fit in with all the other kids in the school. I saw myself as Rudolph.”
You may love hearing “Rudolph” — Gene Autry’s version, or any other, ranging from Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton and Ray Charles to the Temptations, DMX and the Chipmunks; as the Times notes, “it has been bebopped, soul-infused, tranquilized, saddled with twang, rocked, rapped and made to cha-cha” — or you may hate it.
But after tomorrow, it goes into hibernation for 11 months.
Then — like all those other Christmas chestnuts — we’ll hear Johnny Marks’ most memorable song once again.
(Click here for the full New York Times piece. Hat tip: Fred Cantor)
Johnny Marks
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It’s a Christmas miracle!
Facebook’s Westport Front Porch page regularly contains posts like this: “Someone backed into my car in the [fill in the blank] parking lot today at [fill in the time], and left without leaving a note. If you saw anything, please contact me.”
Yesterday was quite different.
A woman wrote: “Dear Post Road shoppers. My passenger side mirror hit someone’s mirror while they were parked in the area of Patagonia.
“Getting back around via Main Street to drive past that area to try and assess which car mirror it may have been was challenging, given all the traffic.
“My mirror snapped closed and has no damage. other than a slight black scuff mark. I notified Westport PD.
“If you were parked in this area around 3:45 and your mirror was damaged, – please PM me!”
This is indeed the most wonderful time of the year.
The driver’s mirror.
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Yesterday, “06880” featured Nikki Glekas’ Bridge Street home, as part of our feature on Westport’s very cool holiday-themed decorations. (She’s a pro: The restaurateur/caterer/entertaining expert owns Nikki Glekas Collective.)
Nikki Glekas’ Bridge Street home. (Photo/Andrew Colabella)
“06880” is in good company. Over the weekend NBC’s “Open House” highlighted it too.
They were lucky enough to go inside. Here’s one look at the spectacular decor:
Or one for the 8 nights of Hanukkah? Or perhaps an end-of-year tax-saving gift?
Donate to the Compo Beach Playground Renovation project. You can make a general contribution, or buy a specific item (like a swing, suspension bridge or picket).
Volunteers are less than $75,000 from their 2024 fundraising goal. Donations will last for decades.
Click here for more information, including how to contribute.
But this Halloween remnant is still hanging around.
Deservedly, our “Westport … Naturally” feature shows with a mantle of snow.
(Photo/Jerry Kuyper)
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And finally … once you saw the story about Johnny Marks, you knew this was coming:
(It’s Christmas Eve! Set out cookies and milk for Santa. Join in reindeer games. And click here, to support “06880.” On behalf of your hyper-local blog, Rudolph thanks you.)
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