* * *

At its workshop meeting Tuesday, June 22, the Newtown Board of Education discussed possible staff cuts that it may effect to meet the $180,000 budget reduction proposed by the Legislative Council. The proposed cuts would include one middle school teacher, one high school cooperative work experience teacher, one elementary school teacher and one part-time director of curriculum.

* * *

The annual Fourth of July picnic and fireworks sponsored by the Newtown Summer Festival Committee will begin Sunday, July 4, at 1 pm, at the Town Park. Several events and activities will continue throughout the day. These include the sale of popcorn and beer, in the pavilion a “pinball alley” will be set up with machines provided by Just Good Games of Sandy Hook. The town pool will be open until 6 pm and there will be places for picnickers to organize their own games.

* * *

The third town meeting of the year June 17 rejected the council’s $16,706,143 budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 by a margin of 151 to 86. The action came amidst criticism by three Democrats of the Republican majority on the Legislative Council for the $300,000 in budget cuts it had initiated following the referendum rejection of an earlier $17.1 million budget June 2.

* * *

Three Newtown racers finished among the top five in their division at the Greater Danbury Soap Box Derby, run last Sunday at Casper Street in Danbury. Chris Brown, whose car was sponsored by The Bee came out of the loser’s bracket to finish second in the Western Connecticut Junior Division. Sarah Gallo, whose car was also sponsored by The Bee, was fourth. Sal Padula captured fifth place.

* * *

Newtown Middle School 7th graders recreated the mood of the Mississippi River adventures of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher along the banks of the brook at Dickinson Memorial Park at their annual class picnic Wednesday, June 16. Their assignment for the day was to impersonate the main characters from the movie, Tom Sawyer, which they saw recently at a local theater.

* * *

How many of the proposed facilities for Phase II of Timothy B. Treadwell Memorial Park on Philo Curtis Road, Sandy Hook, will become realities will be determined over the next week after bids for the facility are opened in Newtown Edmond Town Hall Thursday afternoon. The next phase is planned to produce a park with facilities for all members of the family — as well as an irrigation system which will be important to maintaining the three athletic fields that were developed during Phase I.

 

June 28, 1957

As a result of the referendum vote held May 21, zoning became effective in Newtown on Saturday, June 22, and the Newtown Planning Commission became the Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission. The Zoning Board of Appeals also became an official part of the town government when its members were sworn into office on Tuesday afternoon at the Town Clerk’s office.

* * *

Rumors of pollution in the swimming pool of Dickinson Memorial Park were emphatically denied this week by First Selectman Edward J. Coleman, chairman of the Park Commission. Mr Coleman issued a statement this Thursday to The Bee in which he told of up-to-date bacteria tests and assured residents the commission will remain vigilant.

* * *

When the bell rings next fall at Plumtrees School to herald the start of another school year, it will be the first time in 40 years that Mrs Frank Rockwell won’t be at her desk to welcome the shy, new first-graders and to greet the older children returning from summer vacation. Mrs Rockwell, who has been the only teacher at the one-room schoolhouse in Bethel since 1917, retired this June. Born Anna Ruffles in the Palestine District of Newtown, Mrs Rockwell’s parents were Mr and Mrs Walter Ruffles. She attended elementary school in the Palestine District and high school in Newtown.

* * *

The first patients’ swimming party of the summer will be held under the direction of the recreation division of the rehabilitation department of Fairfield State Hospital at Lake Quassapaug on Monday, July 1. The party will make the trip by bus and spend the day swimming and enjoying the amusement area.

* * *

The Newtown Hook and Ladder Company opened its parade season Wednesday evening when it joined with many other fire companies in the Bethel Fireman’s Parade. Chief Lee Glover led 22 men of the company as they pulled the antique hook and ladder, hose cart, and hand pumper. Despite a wheel which refused to turn and had to be pulled by brute force more than half the parade route, Hook and Ladder Company completed the parade to win a trophy for “The Oldest Apparatus.”

* * *

An innovation will take place next Tuesday, July 2, with the opening of Newtown’s first private tennis club, the Maple Grove Tennis Club, located on Orchard Hill Road, South Central District. The idea was conceived by Mrs Gladys M. Correa, who will act as director of the new venture. An all-weather court and a new club house have been erected on the Correa property. The club house has dressing rooms for men and women, showers, and a snack bar.

 

June 24, 1932

The grounds in the rear of the Atchison block have been nicely graded. The old foundations of the historic tin shop were buried in trenches.

* * *

Mr and Mrs Marcus Adelman of New York have leased Hurd’s block in Sandy Hook and have opened it as the “Sandy Hook Tea Room.” They are serving nice course dinners for 50 cents.

* * *

Wales Lines De Bussey, president, and E.B. Moss, vice-president, of the H. Wales-Lines Co of Meriden, who are building the second unit of the new Fairfield State Hospital, were in town, Monday, and with Charles Jones, their superintendent, went over the various buildings in process of construction. The roof is on Building No 2, the last of the group of buildings they are erecting. About 290 men are employed at present by the H. Wales Lines Co, on the Fairfield State Hospital buildings.

* * *

FOR SALE — TESTED CATTLE! Three Fresh Cows; 3 Milking Cows; 3 Yearlings; one Heifer Calf due July 1, registered. Real bargains for quick sale. Also fine Horse, weight 1200. SADDLE HORSE — $55, good jumper. MAX BUSKER & SON Cattle Dealers NEWTOWN, CONN. On State Road.

* * *

Verning Brothers, expert building movers, are finishing the stone foundations under the large house they moved from the Library site to the property of Rodney P. Shepard, south of Patrick Carroll’s residence. This firm performed the difficult task of lifting this large house on to heavy timbers from its former foundations and moving it 1860 feet to the new location, without hardly cracking a wall. This house is known as the Annex and was originally owned by W.A. Leonard, who modernized and enlarged it. Later it passed to the ownership of Miss Hawley, who changed it to a two apartment house.

* * *

A dog belonging to a resident of the town got into the hen yard of Robert D. Fairchild, last week, and killed 79 chickens. Mr Fairchild sent for Selectman Blackman, the chickens were appraised, and the owner of the dog settled for the damage. The dog also killed a bull calf of the Ormsby strain which Mr Fairchild had recently.

June 28, 1907

Last week Tuesday Mrs Benjamin Smith of Obtuse had a narrow escape at the Hawleyville depot from being killed. Mrs Smith started to board a train as it was moving to go to the Bi-Centennial at New Milford and slipped, nearly falling under the wheels of the car, but was fortunate to escape with bruises.

* * *

An event to which the Masons of Newtown and vicinity had been looking forward to with great interest, took place on Wednesday afternoon, when the new Masonic temple at Sandy Hook was dedicated in the presence of 200 members of the Fraternity. Members of Hiram lodge with teams met the trains from the north and south, Wednesday morning, and conveyed the visiting brethren to Sandy Hook, where dinner was served at 12 o’clock. The charter under which the lodge is working is 116 years old. There are 57 years of ancient records and 32 years of modern records, with 15 years intervening when no records were kept. Peter Nichols was the first master of Hiram lodge and the charter bears the date of June 19, 1791.

* * *

Herbert Robinson and George Robinson, who had been doing some work for J.A. Blackman at Sunset Cottage, went on the veranda during the shower of Tuesday afternoon. When the shower was at its height a bolt of lightning struck the house and shocked the men quite severely. The damage to the house was considerable, knocking a hole in the roof, shattering timber and knocking off walls.

* * *

The Railroad Co have a stone crusher at work near the rock cut just west of Hawleyville and will use the stone to make a new cement bridge over the brook near the pumping station at Hawleyville.

* * *

The affection and interest the people of the town have in the High school was shown in the great audience which packed the Town hall to the doors, Friday night, despite the intense heat and sultry weather. The ugly colors of the walls of the hall were entirely hidden under the tasteful decorations so well arranged by the young people.