UPDATE (Friday, October 21, 2016): The Newtown Bee heard from a reader during the past week who was able to shed some light on the photo accompanying this week's column. George Guidera wrote, saying: "I do not know whether or not the photo was a Newtown event, but I can tell you that the man leaning into the microphone on the far right is John M. Lupton of Weston, CT," Mr Guidera writes to us. "John was a Connecticut State Senator (a Republican) in the 26th Senatorial District for several terms in the 1960s and early 1970s. This may either be a Republican gathering or possibly a public meeting of a committee of the General Assembly held in a town hall somewhere to get public input. I was the State Senator in the 26th District from 1973 to 1979 and knew John Lupton well. Hope this helps." 

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November 1, 1991

Kent House, one of three buildings for mentally ill patients at Fairfield Hills Hospital, is about to close. Thirty-two patients are to be discharged between October and December to community-based residential programs in Connecticut. By December the remaining 96 will be transferred to Canaan and Cochran Houses, the other two mental health buildings on the campus.

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On the night of October 30, the night before Halloween, Newtown was hit by a slew of suspicious brush fires, which kept most of the town's volunteer firefighters up for virtually the entire night. Fire officials said they couldn't recall a night when there were so many fires, and they believed most, if not all, were set. "These fires were set," said Deputy Fire Marshall Joe Cavanaugh.

***

Doug Rogers will present a program on crop circles on Thursday, November 7, at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library. Mr Rogers's intriguing discussion will cover the history of crop circles and where the research on this topic is leading today. Some 400 "circles" were seen throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1990. This is more than any previous year and they are more complex than ever.

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A decision has been made to change the "Chief Wahoo" emblem on the NHS athletic jackets. Principal Bill Manfredonia made the decision after determining that it is disrespectful to the American Indian and that it does not accurately represent the high school. The emblem will no longer be available for placement on athletic jackets after March 1992.

October 21, 1966

At the end of this Christmas season the Land's End Country Store, owned and operated by Mrs Robert J. Clark of Hawleyville, will close its doors after 17 years of business. The life and usefulness of the building, however, are far from over as it has been given, together with the land it occupies, to the Newtown Historical Society. The building is the second oldest one-room schoolhouse in the area.

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The Newtown Indians will be after their first varsity victory this Saturday when they play host to Everett Regional High School at Taylor Field. The game marks the home debut of the Blue and Gold. A large crowd is expected to be on hand to welcome football back to Newtown.

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The Red Cross Bloodmobile visited Newtown on Tuesday, October 18; of the total 133 who appeared, only 119 pints were collected as 14 had to be rejected. In a town of 13,000 souls doesn't this seem an extraordinary total? And 20 odd short at that.

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A cliff, fifty feet high, according to Mr and Mrs George Kovacs, owners of the property above it, has been created by Gould Realty in excavating for a subdivision at Blue Spruce Road and Route 25. A wire fence marks the Kovacs's property boundary is hanging over the edge. A warning sign is posted to prevent people from following the fence over the edge.

October 17, 1941

Jack Leavy's Sandy Hook boys went on a rampage Sunday afternoon at Pine Grove Park, trimming Walt Nichols's old timers, 11-3. Joe Cavanaugh pitched grand ball for the Sandy Hook team and was well supported by his mates, who hit pretty freely the offerings of Wells, the opposing pitcher.

It has been some time since The Bee has reminded its advertisers, correspondents, and contributors that EARLY COPY IS ESSENTIAL. Such being the case, we note the fact once again. Sometimes late copy is unavoidable, and we bend double to oblige. In other cases of forgetfulness or procrastination, we of necessity are otherwise inclined.

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Arrangements have been made for the annual Harvest Supper given by the woman of Trinity Church and to be held in the Guild rooms of the church on Wednesday, October 22. Tickets can be purchased from any member of the Guild.

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Richard H Sperling, laundry manager at the Fairfield State Hospital, leaves by plane this Friday morning for Cleveland, Ohio, where he will be one of three Connecticut delegates to the national convention of Institutional Laundry Managers. He will return home by plane on Sunday afternoon.

October 20, 1916

It promises to be an unusually busy winter at tobacco in New Milford. William and S.D. Green will probably have employment for fully 100 men and will start their shop up early in November if a good tobacco storm comes along.

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It is with particular sadness we are obliged to note the passing on of that able newspaperman Editor Bolande of The Post. He came to Bridgeport, conquered and achieved but like many another newspaper worker, labored beyond his strength and so left us in his early manhood, and in the years when he should have done his best work.

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John Leavy of Botsford Hill dislocated his shoulder Saturday by a fall. He was taken to Danbury Hospital and the dislocated shoulder was set by Drs Brown and Kiernan.

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Dr C.H. Peck has presented to Mr and Mrs Henry Eldridge of Hanover a fine Jersey cow, a gift that was greatly appreciated.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with readers of The Newtown Bee. Images can be e-mailed to , 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.kendra@thebee.com