Back in the day — long before the PAL Skating Rink at Longshore, and even before its predecessor, the rink next to the miniature golf course (for decades now, the Westport Tennis Club indoor courts behind Goodwill) — there were plenty of places to skate in Westport.
Ponds like the one on Bulkley Avenue North welcomed all. Most are gone now — though Round Pond across from Longshore (where Dorothy Hamill often skated, while visiting relatives nearby) still draws crowds when it’s safely frozen.
Not far away, the corner of Compo Road South and Bridge Street — before I-95 plowed through — was also very popular.
This was no ordinary outdoor venue. It was owned by Parke Cummings — a noted author, humorist, and frequent contributor to the New Yorker and Sports Illutrated.
Here’s a photo from those days:
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Speaking of ice:
Prolific Westport author Carl Addison Swanson writes: “While the book, movie and most news stories deal with the Great Ice Storm Felix of December 1973, which paralyzed the entire state of Connecticut, 50 years ago today another ice storm hit Westport and surrounding towns.
“I know it well, for it was my wedding day. It took us close to 3 hours to get from Westport to the church in New Canaan.
“The Merritt Parkway was a sheet of ice, and the caterer smashed into a telephone pole delivering yummies to the Roger Sherman Inn.
“The ice finally melted, as did the marriage.”
January 1974 ice storm. (Photo courtesy of Carl Addison Swanson)
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