last name city state zip country For state, use CT, MA, etc. Search our database of 20,000+ Westporters!

ARE YOU A TRUE WESTPORTER? (posted originally in 1998) Leora Tec, Staples '79 Recently my friends and I who grew up in Westport in the 60's and 70's (I'm Staples class of '79), many of whom have moved back, have been lamenting the changes that have been wrought in our town. Kleins' book department giving way to Banana Republic really clinched it. We often discuss the "new people" who think "they own the place." I saw Westport referred to on the Phil Donahue Show a few years ago, its name being dropped like the most chi-chi, "in" place. "Yes, darling," a woman cooed, "we listen to WMMM right above Oscar's Deli." Don't name drop Oscar's where my friend Karen and I used to flirt with a guy named Dave behind the counter (I think he still works there), and where my friend Vicky and I used to indulge in the most luscious brownies. Don't name drop Gold's either where Kenny (he's definitely still there--he owns the place now) used to give me and my brother pretzels. Recently, a friend of mine from highschool who works in a large corporation nearby and has moved back in with her mom in Westport, ran into her boss at CVS on a Friday night. " YOU live in Westport?" he stammered in surprise. " Yes," she answered matter of factly. When she told me this story I said, " You should have told him you grew up here." " No way!, " she replied, " Then he'd just write me off as a townie." What have we come to? This is OUR town! You think you're a real Westporter? Take this quiz and see: Name two pink business establishments that are no longer with us. Where was McClellan's five and ten? Name the functioning elementary schools in the 60's and 70's. Another name for "The Willows" doctors' offices. What's the name of the 9th grade formal dance to which the girls ask the boys? Where did Westport's Friendly's used to be? Which of the following were Main Street businesses while we were growing up? Trudy Gary children's clothing Dorain's Drug Store Gold Rush All of the above Name three retail stores that moved from Main Street to Playhouse Square. Name two things Klein's used to sell on the mezzanine where they now sell children's books (but not for long). What was the giant Steiff stuffed animal at the top of the stairs in the Carousel Toy Store? Scroll down for answers & quiz #2. ANSWERS: A. The Remarkable Book Shoppe Truly a remarkable place, painted pepto bismol pink at the end of its life, was comprised of a series of small rooms. The wooden floor boards creaked as you moved from room to room amidst the black and white hand painted signs labeling the various sections: poetry; mystery; travel; sociology; etc. Interspersed among the books were all kinds of knick knacks. There was a room devoted to children and one to cooking. The staff loved books. And they read them! Purchases were packaged in white paper bags sporting the remarkable logo in black. And there was a cat who lived in the store. B. The Ice Cream Parlor An old fashioned ice cream parlor with hand-cranked movies and penny candy. We kids used to have our birthday parties there. It was always a thrill buying wax lips, wax bottles filled with sweet liquid or fireballs there. - top - Where CVS now stands. - top - Coleytown, Bedford, Hillspoint, Greensfarms, Burr Farms, Saugatuck, and Kings Highway. - top - "Fort Apache." My friend Karen, who I've known since our Coleytown Junior High (NOT Middle School!) days, said the other day, "I took my daughter to the Willows." "Are you becoming a new Westporter, then?" She vehemently denied the charge. "I mean Fort Apache." - top - The Holly Ball. Is it still around? That dance caused more social upheaval: She asked him too! Who'll he go with? Actually, my picture was in The Westport News when I went in 1975. - top - Where Derma clinic is at Playhouse Square. Our highschool hangouts were: Friendly's; The Farm Shoppe (where Friendly's is now in Southport.); Athena Diner Sherwood diner And Grass Roots (A funky wine and cheese type place with jazz and live folk music where National Hall is now.) Where do highschoolers hang out now after parties? - top - D) all of the above. We bought all our boot cut Levi's cords at Gold Rush, and also these flannel pullover shirts with cotton collars , waistbands and sleevebands. They were so in in 9th grade, along with Huckapoo shirts! - top - Silver Ribbon, Isabel Eland, Party Barn (no longer there). - top - Music--Sally of "Sally's Place" worked there. And toys. - top - A huge bear. And it cost over $400. Carousel--a two story kids wonderland where Camera Arts is now in Sherwood Square. (Oh, sorry, I think we're supposed to call it Sconset Square now.) - top - SCORES: 7-10: A true Westporter. I feel a bond. 4-7: Not totally new but not born and bred either. 0-3: Please! You're from the upper West side and live in a McMansion. (Either that or you're painfully unobservant.) I'd be interested to hear from those who are even more genuine Westporters than my friends and me, who grew up here in the 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's. Things must've really changed since then. QUIZ #2 - Sent in by Kevin Byron, Staples '67 1. What shop was part of the Remarkable Book Shop in the 1960's? 2. What boutique was in the basement of the Ice Cream Parlor in the '60's? 3. The world's largest discotheque opened on the Post Road in 1966. What were its names? 4. What was the name of the place on the corner of Roseville Road and the Post Road that had great burgers, fries, onion rings, chicken and ribs? 5. What was the name of the big store on the corner of the Post Road and South Compo Road in the '50's and '60's? 6. What was the name of the hardware store on Main Street near the Library? 7. What was the name of the Chinese restaurant in the same area during the '60's? 8. What was the name of the bar next to the Westport Country Playhouse in the '70's? 9. In the '50's and '60's what was the name of the little store on Hillspoint Road opposite Old Mill Road? What were its nicknames? 10. What was the name of the restaurant across from that store? 11. In the '60's, what was the name of the restaurant that looked out on the Sherwood Mill Pond from Hillspoint Road? 12. What was the name of the funky little club on Hillspoint Road just before you got to the railroad and turnpike bridges? Scroll down for answers to quiz #2. Answers: 1. The Record Hunter. 2. The Rage. 3. The Nines and later, The Palladium. 4. The Big Top Shoppe. 5. Franklin Simon. 6. Welch's Hardware. 7. The West Lake. 8. The Players' Tavern. 9. Montgomery's Store. Muggy's. Grub's. 10. The Cafe de la Plage. 11. Allen's Clam House. 12. The Penguin.