By John Schwing

WESTPORT — Today is Sunday, May 1 — “May Day.”

Some celebrate the day to herald the seasonal return of warmth and light, dancing around a maypole.

Others marshal comrades in solidarity in observance of  International Workers Day.

And, “mayday, mayday, mayday!” is an internationally recognized signal of distress with no known tie to “May Day” — other than they are homonyms.

But in Westport today, whether planning a maypole dance, marching in support of workers’ rights or compelled to issue a distress call, you can’t do it at the town’s beaches without a parking emblem.

May 1 marks the official start of Westport’s beach season, which runs through September — and emblems are required to enter beach parking lots.

That said, Sunday should be a very nice day on the local waterfront.

The National Weather Service forecasts sunny skies throughout the day, with the high temperature rising to nearly 70 degrees.

However, odds are better than 50 percent there will be overnight showers into Monday morning. Cloudy conditions will prevail most of that day, with the temperature rising only to the mid-50s.

John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.