Faced with petitions by hundreds of softball players, and a continuing request for years by the Newtown Tennis Association, the Newtown Park and Recreation Commission sought $48,000 in its 1980-81 budget to install lights at the Dickinson Town Park softball field and at the five tennis courts. But the Board of Selectmen has cut that request from its budget recommendation for next year, instead placing $7,000 in the budget to provide an extra ballfield for Little League.

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“Share and share alike” has become the theme of Newtown’s Board of Selectmen and the finance director. In an economizing move, the selectmen have decided to do away with the practice of assigning automobiles to several town departments, and instead will establish a car pool system with the next year’s budget.

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Ever wonder why some men in the Newtown police uniform wear different hats? The reason is that the one’s with the campaign hats such as the state police wear are regular members of the department; the ones who wear the standard police hats with a visor are the members of the police auxiliary.

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The Newtown High School varsity wrestling team will have three matmen seeded number one in their respective weight classes when the Indians compete in the CIAC class L tournament at Penney High School in East Hartford.

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Due to baton twirling competition there will be no junior league basketball games at Newtown High School on Saturday, February 23.

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The Newtown Lions Club’s annual Miss Newtown Scholarship Pageant will take place at Newtown High School on Saturday, March 1. Contestants will be graded in four areas. Talent represents fifty per cent of total points, with evening gown, swim suit and personal interview accounting for the remaining fifty per cent.

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With six sessions of training under their belts and four more to go, volunteers from four of Newtown’s five fire companies are either learning or being refreshed on the many aspects of firefighting techniques.

FEBRUARY 25, 1955

A survey of the property on Church Hill Road owned by St Rose Church was made on Tuesday of this week as a preliminary to the drawing of plans for moving and remodeling St Rose Hall for use as a parish parochial school. A committee is also making a survey of the number of parish children who will enter the first four grades on the expected starting date, September, 1957. The Rev Walter R. Conroy, pastor of St Rose parish, announced the preliminary plans for the school in the latest issue of The Parish Bulletin, distributed at church last Sunday. Father Conroy revealed that Sister Loretta Julia, provincial of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur has notified him that she will send sisters to conduct a school here at the beginning of the 1957-58 school year.

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On Saturday, February 19, the Girl Scouts of Newtown paid tribute to Chief William M. McKenzie who was observing his 88th birthday. The ten scouts representing the Troops of Newtown were not only celebrating a very happy occasion but were also expressing their thanks to their friend who through his generous gift was enabling the Girl Scouts to expand their local programs.

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With spring in the offing, Dog Warden John Sedor reminds dog owners that state statutes forbid their permitting pets to run wild and create nuisances. The owners are urged to keep their dogs under control and so avoid possible penalties.

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After a lay-off of three months, the Newtown Kennel Club will resume its monthly AKC sanction matches next Thursday night, March 3, at 8 o’ clock in the gymnasium of Edmond Town Hall. This will be the 75th in the series which the club began nearly seven years ago, in April, 1947.

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Townspeople will have an opportunity Tuesday night, March 1, to hear of the plans for the elementary school to be built in Sandy Hook….Those attending the meeting will hear from the planners the “whys” and “wherefores” of the particular structure chosen. A question and answer will follow the main talk to give those present an opportunity to discuss any particular phase of the program they do not understand.

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All persons who have winter garments at the PTA Clothing Exchange in Sandy Hook are asked by Mrs George Geckle, exchange chairman, to stop and pick up these articles by Tuesday, March 15.

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Over 100 persons attended the “international variety” night of the Couples club held last Saturday evening in the Congregational Church House. Each of the tables in the dining room represented a different country and appropriate centerpieces were used as decoration. Travel posters were used to decorate the room and the Memorial Room where the entertainment took place.

 

FEBRUARY 21, 1930

In the latter part of January, Selectman T.F. Brew received complaints on the condition of things that existed in the small shack of Horner Roberts in Hattertown, the former Ed Gray place. The house has but three rooms and when Selectmen Brew and Agent Barlow of the Connecticut Humane Society called to investigate, they found Roberts and a woman and 108 chickens, ducks and geese, all domiciled in the same apartment.

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Another of Miss Mary Elizabeth Hawley’s benefactions is practically completed in the substantial and handsome bridge leading from the state road to the main entrance of the Newtown Village Cemetery…. This bridge makes a fine setting for the approach to the cemetery grounds, and is an improvement that will be gratefully appreciated by all who hope Newtown to become a town beautiful.

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The house of Miss Zania Paterson had a narrow escape from burning, Tuesday morning about 2 o’clock. Foreman John A. Carlson and F.J. Crouch of the Newtown Hook & Ladder Company went down. A.E. Bevans and Horace Smith of Dodgingtown were also on hand. By hard work they succeded in putting the fire out.

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Best creamery butter 41cents per lb.; strictly fresh eggs 49 cents a doz.; evaporated milk, large cans, 3 for 23 cents; Shaker salt, 3 boxes for 25 cents. At Davey Brothers, Sandy Hook.

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Sunday morning proved the most tedious of the winter, with the thermometer at zero and the wind blowing a gale.

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Mrs George M. Stuart entertained some of her friends with a Bridge party at ther home on Thursday afternoon. The hostess served very dainty refreshments at the close of the afternoon.

 

FEBRUARY 24, 1905

One day last week as a lady of Taunton was returning home from the Hawleyville depot, she had the misfortune to lose her pocket book, and for a few days was unable to locate it. A day or so after she was at a neighbor’s telling about her experience, and the young man of the family had found the pocketbook on the track. The only thing that puzzled her was that when the pocketbook was lost it had three cents in it and when it was returned to the owner there was four cents in it.

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The fine horse of Professor C.S. Platt is laid up and under the care of Dr. R.S. Todd of New Milford as a result of a cut on a barbed wire fence, while trying to drive in the lots below the place of the Misses Northrop. The town will doubtless have a bill of damages.

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A meeting of the nominating committee on Newtown’s 200th anniversary clebration will be held on Monday night at the Grand Hotel parlors at 8 o’clock.

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Lenten supplies at Taylor, Curtis and Co.’s include herring, mackerel, and salt fish of all kinds, in 10 and 20 pound pails.