Newsletter October  2007 

Join us at CBIA’s  Spring Bulb Planting Event!

CBIA will be having its first annual Spring Bulb Planting Event.  Saturday, November 17 at 12:30 pm.  Meet at the Minuteman Statue (corner of Compo Road South & Compo Beach Road). Bring your own shovel, trowel, or bulb planter.  Daffodil bulbs will be provided.  Come join us for an hour or the afternoon.  Come have fun, meet your neighbors, and enjoy the beautiful flowers next April!  Rain date is Sunday, November 18

Halloween in the Compo Beach area

Perhaps because of the proximity of homes and the number of younger families that have moved to our neighborhood over the last decade, trick or treating in the Compo Beach area has grown noticeably in popularity.  Many members have expressed varying degrees of excitement and/or concerns over the effects of Halloween's popularity on our neighborhood.  As a result, the Board has discussed Halloween and wanted to provide some suggestions to help our members and neighbors enjoy the holiday and be mindful of and respectful towards everyone living in our beautiful area.

a)      How many people can I expect in the Compo Beach area on Halloween?  

As many as more than 1,000 people are estimated to have visited our neighborhood, particularly the Soundview Drive, Fairfield Avenue and Danbury Avenue area, in recent years.  Many residents now treat Halloween as an opportunity for one last block party before indoor weather sets in, with tremendous "haunted home" decorations, music and celebration.  We are blessed to live in this neighborhood and we appreciate not only the increasing popularity of Halloween as a celebration, but particularly its popularity in our neighborhood; however, we are also mindful of being good neighbors.  Given that Halloween 2007 will be on a Wednesday evening, we encourage all members to be sensitive to the needs of everyone by lowering music and bright lights at reasonable times so that all of our neighbors, particularly schoolchildren and working adults, can enjoy their privacy (and get a good night's sleep)!

b)  How can I take my children around the neighborhood to enjoy the holiday while also being available to provide treats to visitors?  

For those of us with children, this is often a difficult challenge!  From personal experiences of members, we encourage you not to leave treats unattended on a front porch - the temptation is simply too great for visitors to take more than they should, leaving you without treats at an artificially early hour!  Many members split duties, one spouse taking children around the neighborhood while the other stays home to attend to visitors (often alternating annually or by age group of children).  Others simply turn out the lights and leave the candy indoors while trick or treating, manning the candy for visitors after finishing a trip around the neighborhood.  There is no foolproof method - just have fun!

c)  What do I do when/if I run out of candy while many visitors continue to visit the neighborhood?

For some reason, and despite years of practice, no amount of estimating ever turns out just right and, normally, we all seem to run out of candy too soon.  We generally encourage you not to worry - your neighbors will pick up the slack.  For those hoping to avoid the embarrassment or inconvenience of having to repeatedly inform late arriving visitors of your lack of treats, we encourage you to turn out the front lights and go about your business - our visitors have historically been well behaved and respectful of the privacy of residents.

d)  Will the Westport police be in the neighborhood to help minimize "mischief"?

Absolutely - you will notice an increased police presence on Halloween.  Officers in patrol cars, with illuminated lighting to highlight their presence, will be in the area to help keep order and minimize mischief.  We have not had reports of homes being subject to damage from eggs, shaving cream, toilet paper, etc. in recent years; however, we can't promise that a few won't mistreat the evening.  We would ask parents to remind children that such behavior is inappropriate and illegal, and that police officers will ticket offenders. Let's hope that everyone behaves and enjoys; however, if everyone does not, let's not let a small few ruin the enjoyment of so many.  

If you know of any newcomers in the area please tell them about CBIA and encourage them to join. Please contact Viveka  (kjellgrenv@raveisre.com) or 203 984 2499) for an application.