Westport ct gay bar

The gay bar was The Brook. It sat on the Post Road near the Exit 18 connector — directly across from the state police barracks. The Brook — now called the Cedar Brook — is still there. The gay bar outlasted them all. At 71 years old, the Cedar Brook has been called the oldest continually operating gay bar in the United States.

For 7 decades, every gay boy growing up in Westport has told the same story. Knowing there was a gay bar right down the street created both tremendous excitement there are people like me! Wondering who — and what — lurked behind those ramshackle walls consumed gay teenagers. Straight kids wondered too.

One summer in the s, a college friend visited. To show off my town, I decided to take her to every bar from the Norwalk line to Fairfield. Note to young readers: Yes, Westport had many bars. The world was a different place then. By the time we made it to the Brook, it was 1 a. The place was packed. The music was loud; the dance floor looked amazing.

The Brook Bites The Dust

This was my chance to finally get inside! Like an aging drag queen, the Cedar Brook is now past its prime. Crowds are down; even the traditionally huge Wednesday-before-Thanksgiving party — when newly out college guys discovered with glee who else had recently come out — lost its luster in recent years.

Dan you might be able to put your worries or fears aside of your beloved Brook being razed. So it may not meet up with a wrecking ball, but live on…. The Brook will be missed. I am not gay or a lesbian. I have danced enjoyed the company of many friends at Brook. The Halloween Parties were the best.

Havimg a gay bar next to a strip joint was a wonderful representation of what makes Westport a great play to live. Walgreens and Starbucks, it is just not the same. I think a place to dance for everybody would be good.