The Town of Newtown ended the 1979-80 fiscal year last June 30 with an audited surplus of $160,088 from the budget, which will be applied to the budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, 1981. The surplus is down considerably from last year’s figure for 1978-79, $271,462, which went into the current budget.

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Newtown’s Board of Education will begin preliminary work on the 1981-82 school budget at the Tuesday, January 13, meeting. Superintendent of Schools Dr Albert Brinkman will present his recommendations for the budget to the board. Included in the maintenance portion will be $6,853 for site improvements. Preliminary plans are for the Middle School to receive $3,853 to enlarge the kitchen parking lot and $3,000 to be allotted to Newtown High School to replace the football goal posts.

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Top state legislators are looking at a comprehensive review of Connecticut’s mental health facilities, and could decide early in the new legislative session to close at least one of three major hospitals within the next two years. But preliminary indications now are that Newtown’s Fairfield Hills Hospital, which serves much of the western part of the state, will not be the one.

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Is your left hand cold these days? If so, you might be the one who lost a green mitten at The Bee during the early part of the week. It is still here to be picked up, or drop off the other one so we will have a pair.

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January 30 is the new target date for opening of the Newtown Health & Racquetball Club on Commerce Road. According to George Arfaras, principal owner and president of the club said on Wednesday that everything seems to be progressing well inside the club. “Right now we have a few problems with the outside work.”

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The Newtown High School Home Economics Department celebrated the holidays by hosting parties for the small children in the community. The Children’s Adventure Center came to the foods room for a cookie demonstration arranged by Miss Gail Seymour and her Foods One class.

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January 13, 1956

A hearing of interest and importance to all concerned with the development and use of land in Newtown for residential purposes will be held Wednesday evening, January 25, at 8 pm in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall as the Town Planning Commission reviews its purposed regulations for subdivisions in a public meeting. Basic requirements include a preliminary plan of any proposed subdivision and a final plan.

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The Newtown Mother’s Club invites all interested persons to attend its next meeting on Monday, January 16, at 8 pm at the Congregational Church House. The program will include a movie, “Safe Driving in the Winter,” and a discussion of juvenile driving by State Policeman John Carlson of Ridgefield Barracks.

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Townspeople are cordially invited to have breakfast, brunch, lunch or whatever else they care to call it on Tuesday, January 17, between the hours of 9:30 and 2 pm at Lovell’s Farm Equipment on Main Street. Pancakes and coffee will be served to all. On display will be the newest in farm machinery, featuring such tractor developments as TA, new torque amplifier, and Hydra-touch, complete hydraulic system.

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Townspeople who are familiar with the decorative, imaginative hooked rugs of Mrs James B. Peck of Hanover Road, and all who have studied under her, will welcome the news that one of her rugs, “Summer Bloom,” is shown as a full-color illustration of “Rug Hooking Made Easy,” a new book by Charlotte Kimball Stratton of Greenfield, Mass.

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Newtown Homemakers enjoyed a session devoted to sewing screens at the monthly meeting Wednesday afternoon at the home of Mrs Stephen Danuszar, Dodgingtown, with Mrs Louie Lovell the leader. The February 15 meeting at the home of Mrs James Kelly will continue on the subject of sewing screens.

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Newtown Methodist: During the renovation of the sanctuary and the installation of the new heating plant the services and Sunday School will be conducted in the Pootatuck Grange hall on Church Hill Road.

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SAC NOTE: The pause in basketball bookings during the holidays afforded an opportunity to get started on a project of reclaiming another piece of the marsh at SAC Park. A plan is being worked out by the US Soil and Conservation Service by which the accumulated water from a couple of live springs in the center of the marsh can be directed into a central catch basin.

January 9, 1931

The art committee, members of which have been visiting the studios and viewing the work of the various artists suggested to it, held a meeting in the Memorial Room of the Edmond Town Hall on Friday evening, January 2. It was decided by unanimous vote to have Frederick Lester Sexton of New Haven paint Miss Hawley’s portrait. This tribute to Miss Hawley is from the community at large.

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The commission on building the new library under the bequest of the late Miss Mary E. Hawley, organized by electing Selectman Thomas F. Brew chairman and H. Carleton Hubbell as secretary. Architect Philip N. Sunderland was chosen to draw the plans for the new building.

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DeForest Glover fell and injured his leg on Friday night of last week, at the basketball game. Dr E.L. Kingman took three stitches in the leg. It will be some time before he plays basketball again.

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Henry G. Carlson, the genial proprietor of Liberty Garage, is building on an addition on the east side of his garage, 20 x 60 feet. This will give him an up to date office and show room, and the southern half of the new addition will give him more working space in his garage.

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New Year’s day proved ideal, clear and cold with the sun shining. Friday morning, the thermometer registered at zero in Sandy Hook, and many autoists about town had trouble in getting their cars started.

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At a meeting of the War Memorial committee held on Monday evening, all members being present, it was unanimously voted that the committee endorse the offer of Mrs Sarah Grace Glover to give to the town sufficient ground from her adjoining property near the triangle at the north end of Main street to make a square instead of a triangle. It is expected a town meeting will be called to act on Mrs Glover’s generous offer after further investigation is had.

January 12, 1906

A recent addition to the work in Newtown cemetery is a fine granite monument on the lot of the late Cyrus Beers Sherman. This monument, with other work delivered at the same time, was furnished by Hughes & Chapman of Bridgeport, who are enterprising dealers in this class of goods, as their largely increased business the past year indicates.

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Charles Underhill, the famous reciter and impersonator, will appear at the Town hall, Friday evening, January 19. While here he will be the guest of Ross Jewell, a personal friend. Mr Underhill has read “The Rivals” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in the Thompson Course, at Williams College, and has won deservedly high praise for the fine quality of his work.

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James Lee required all furnishing milk to his Hawleyville creamery to sign a contract for their milk extending to October 1, in which he is to receive 10 cents per can commission for nine months. The patrons were given but a few days in which to sign or have their milk on their hands. The whole thing as viewed by the patrons was unjust and unfair and is highly resented by all and will not in any degree conduce to their good will towards the author. There are quite a number who will find other markets at the expiration of the present contract, and will place themselves where they will not be subject to such dictations.

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The Sandy Hook Library: Sale in the new library room, this Friday afternoon and evening, for the benefit of the library. Cake, candies, bread, pies, fruit, vegetables, aprons, sweeping-caps, and whatever may be donated. If Friday is decidedly stormy, come Saturday.

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A “loaded” stick of wood put into Charles Thorpe’s wood pile, recently, by some miscreant, exploded in the stove, but fortunately did no damage.

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Samuel Lazar, who bought the George French place in Huntingtown, last summer, became dissatisfied with country life and sold out, last week, moving his family back to New York.