March 10, 1989

The Newtown Lady Indians’ magical 1989 basketball season finally came to a close last Tuesday night, March 7, with a Class LL State Semifinal loss to a powerhouse (20-3) team from Southington. Not many people gave Newtown a chance going in, but as they had done throughout the tournament the gutsy, local girls refused to be counted out. Southington did win in the end, but not without an all out triple overtime effort. Newtown’s long and truly incredible journey had reached its end.

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Progress on the Senior Center addition has picked up recently and has been moving along steadily. The $84,000 project, which will be paid for completely through state infrastructure funds, has been on the boards since 1985, and is currently slated to be completed by spring. The addition will include two new offices, a conference room and a media room for computer class training of senior volunteers.

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A woman threatened to shoot herself with a shotgun while parked on Route 34 early Wednesday, keeping Newtown and State Police busy for over two hours, before she relinquished the weapon. She was charged with reckless endangerment, breach of peace, possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, and engaging officers in pursuit.

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As the Newtown Rotary Club prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it is appropriate to look back on the club’s history, to remind Newtowners of the Rotarians’ impact on their lives. The club, made up of men, and now women, of all different professions, has been fully or partially responsible for many of the things that are today taken for granted by Newtowners. Newtown has an ambulance because of the club. In addition to the many programs started by Rotary that Newtowners benefit from, several of the events that townspeople look forward to each year have their roots in the club. Some of the notable projects undertaken by the club have been building the town park ballfields and picnic benches, delivering Christmas baskets to needy families, and running graduation night parties for high schoolers until the 1960s. The Rotary Youth Exchange has been one of the club’s major programs that still exists.

March 13, 1964

Dr Willard A. Downie, superintendent of schools at Greenfield, Mass., will be the new superintendent in Newtown. The Newtown Board of Education made the announcement of his appointment and acceptance last Saturday. Dr Downie stated to The Bee that he is “impressed with Newtown, its schools, its people, and its potential.”

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Through the cooperation and generosity of the Red Coach Grill in Darien, patrons will ride in style to the 18th Century Ball, sponsored by the Newtown Historical Society. William R. Stambach, manager, has arranged for the restaurant’s horse drawn coach to transport patrons to the Ball. The coach will travel between the Hawley Manor Inn and the Edmond Town Hall.

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Following its meeting on Monday evening, the Zoning Commission of the Borough of Newtown has announced its decision to deny the applications of Ralph L. Knibloe and Martin Sealander for permission to construct apartment houses on property owned by Mrs Florence Budd on the east side of The Boulevard. There are no Regulations in the Borough of Newtown allowing Multiple Family use as requested. Changing said zone would permit a higher density use than is presently allowable.

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A full house at the Edmond Town Hall Theatre last Thursday night enthusiastically received the Newtown High School senior class play, “What A Life.” To single out one performer in this presentation would be difficult, if not impossible, for each turned in a performance which excelled in the talent that the part demanded.

 

March 10, 1939

The trustees of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library voted at their meeting on Tuesday evening to offer the position of librarian, made vacant last December by the resignation of Miss Vera Tracy, to Miss Alice P. Hancock. She studied library science at the University of Wisconsin and is a graduate of Columbia University School of Library Science. Now on leave of absence, after completing four years with the New York City library, where she was employed in the reference and children’s department, Miss Hancock is engaged in special work in the State Library at Albany, N.Y.

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Rev A.C. Fuller, pastor of the South Britain and Sandy Hook Methodist churches, surprised his congregations, Sunday, at the regular services by announcing his intention of retiring from the active ministry of the pastorate at the next session of the annual New York East Conference, which will convene in New Haven, the week of May 24. Rev Mr Fuller has served these two churches for the past five years with untiring zeal and unselfishness. The repairing and restoring of the exterior and interior of the Sandy Hook Methodist church will long bear witness of his efforts, generosity, and faith in God and man.

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The card party under the auspices of the Men’s Senior and Junior Discussion Groups of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, for the benefit of St Rose church, will be held in the Edmond gymnasium on Friday evening, March 17, at 8 o’clock. A door prize, a ton of coal donated by the Newtown Coal and Grain Co., will be awarded following the card playing.

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Formal institution of the Charles Howard Peck, Sr and Jr Post No 308, Veterans of Foreign Wars, proved a most colorful affair, last Friday evening at the Edmond gymnasium. Not only was there a large attendance of townspeople and representatives of local organizations but many delegations from VFW posts about the state as well, bringing the total attendance to more than six hundred.

 

March 13, 1914

While assisting Henry Penny in sawing down a large tree near his house, George Beck was struck by a falling dead limb of the tree and so badly bruised that he was confined to the house for some days. Fortunately no bones were broken nor was Mr Beck seriously injured and Mr Penny will thereby escape having to pay the compensation tax.

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There has been a suggestion made and advocated, this week, that it would be a fine thing to buy the Borden ice house and move it on to the High school grounds for the use of the school as an auditorium and gymnasium. The building is 40 x 70 feet, with a small addition, lined inside with matched boards and has been in use for but a few years. With a few changes it would make an ideal building for its proposed use and could be made the largest hall in town. It is estimated that it will cost $750 to buy the building, move it and put it on pier foundations.

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J.B. Shaw of Derby has leased the Newtown creamery. Writing J.J. Northrop, a member of the local Grange committee, appointed to communicate with Borden’s, he says in part: “Yours at hand and will say that I intend to take care of milk as soon as Borden’s leave, if they will allow it, as my lease commences May 1. I will guarantee Borden’s prices and better if I can and mean to be fair in every way. I think I can run that factory so as to get all the milk handy to it, say 3,000 quarts a day.”

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Newton M. Curtis, Newtown’s peach king, has been carefully over his large peach orchards on Curtis hill and believes there will be practically no crop in 1914, as he thinks most of the buds are killed. The severe cold weather at a time the buds were beginning to swell is responsible for the unfortunate condition. His 1913 crop was the largest crop he ever raised and was in great demand.