July 26, 1991

Tempers escalated with temperatures this week, when a longstanding lack of adequate air conditioning at Fairfield Hills Hospital was criticized and a protest march held by the Alliance for the Mentally Ill. A small contingent of patients' relatives marched from Tinkerfield Road up Mile Hill Road Thursday morning onto the hospital campus. They carried signs that read "Fairfield Hills Inferno." The alliance is concerned about the inadequate air conditioning in two of three buildings and the recent death of a patient who may have died in part because of the past week's 90-degree heat.

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The so-called short list for open space projects eligible for Iroquois funding is becoming longer. The newest potential recipients through the Land Enhancement and Preservation Program are proposals to purchase three properties: the former Yankee Drover site on Main Street, 136 acres of land owned by Richard Gretsch stretching from Castle Hill to Taunton Lake, and a panoramic vista of Chambers Road in Sandy Hook.

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Last week, we outlined here our reasons for supporting the acquisition of the former Yankee Drover property with Iroquois funds. That proposal is vying with others for the approval of the Board of Selectmen and ultimately the Legislative Council. This week we are giving our readers an opportunity to voice support with the coupon that appears below. Add your name to the cause and return your coupons to

The Bee by 10, Wednesday, July 31.

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Are you practicing sound gardening? The University of Connecticut Extension Service is offering a gardening packet titled, "Sound Gardening," which offers advice on how to garden without adversely affecting Long Island Sound. The booklet covers pest management, landscaping, soil erosion, fruit and vegetable gardening, fertilization, and water quality.

 

July 29, 1966

How's that again? Mary Neustrand of Sandy Hook was spending the weekend in Shelton with her grandmother and cousins from Florida when the girls decided to go for a walk. They certainly did. They walked to Newtown. They left Shelton at 9:30 Saturday morning and arrived in Newtown at 3:30 that afternoon. Just a nice summer stroll.

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Bertram A. Stroock of Newtown, vice president of Danbury Hospital and one of its leading benefactors, was the recipient of an unusual tribute on the occasion of his 75th birthday on July 23, in recognition of his accomplishments on behalf of the hospital. A group of friends and associates presented him with a check in the sum of $15,000 for the hospital's development fund, which he founded some years ago.

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Work by members of the Fairfield Hills Hospital patients' art class will be on exhibit at the Sidewalk Art Show on Saturday in Bethel. All the paintings will be exhibited in handsome frames in a variety of woods, now being completed by various members of the art class.

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Mrs Chester S. Hopper of Boggs Hill Road recently completed a one-week course in ecology and conservation at the Greenwich Audubon Center. She received a scholarship from the National Audubon Society. Her studies included birds, insects, mammals, plants, and pond life.

 

July 25, 1941

A few weeks ago, while helping to move a telephone pole, Walter Peterson had the misfortune to break his collar bone. He is now recuperating at the home of his sister and brother-in-law, Mr and Mrs Albert Kuhne, Sr.

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The Newtown A.C. won its sixth straight victory on Sunday at Pine Grove Park when they eased out Southbury 5-0 to ensure their second place standing. With the exception of Southbury, the A.C. has met all the teams of the league at least once. The first scheduled game with Southbury was rained out in June. The Southbury team was weakened in the fact that they did not have a full complement of men on Sunday.

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Since early last week when Paul. S. Smith, president of the Chamber of Commerce sponsoring body for the Newtown Boy Scouts, received a telegram from the members of the Pine Tree Patrol, that they had reached Three Rivers, Quebec, Canada, and were ready to start into the brush, friends and family of the Scouts have been interested to learn the progress of the trip.

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John Leavy's Sandy Hook baseball team lost another hard-fought game on Sunday when they bowed to the strong Bridgeport Athletics, 8-5. The Leavymen built up a lead in the early innings, ahead at one time by 5-2, but when starting pitcher Joe Cavanaugh and his support weakened in the late innings, they blew it. This Sunday the boys will meet The Golden Hill Club of Danbury at Pine Grove Park.

July 28, 1916

On Wednesday it was the editor's pleasure to visit Newtown's newest industry, the Upham Food Products Inc, located in pleasant quarters in the Baker Building in Hawleyville. We were pleasantly received by B.W. Bartlett, the company's capable superintendent. The company is currently employing eight people in the local branch. W.A. Upham, who has an attractive summer home in Hanover and claims Newtown as his residence, is the president and general manager of the company.

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The first layer of stone for the tennis courts at the Newtown Country Club has been laid and the work is nearing completion. The country club building has been wired for electricity, and as soon as manager Sanders provides the juice it is expected that dances will be held weekly at the club house.

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Our friend, E.J. Thrall, Sr, comes around with a pretty good sized story about picking ripe tomatoes on Monday, July 17, but as he is a man of truth and veracity, we had to acknowledge the corn. He says he can prove it by Leroy Lovejoy and Dave Morgan.

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Newtown and Hawleyville people will learn with regret about the death of Miss Elizabeth Baker, whose funeral took place in Washington, last week Thursday. Mr Baker and family resided a number of years at Hawleyville, and the family has many friends and acquaintances here.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed to kendra@thebee.com, or brought to the office at 5 Church Hill Road to be scanned. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.