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The Board of Education on July 8 decided on the $261,000 in cuts it will make within its 1986-87 budget to reflect reductions made by he Legislative Council. The cuts included a number of proposed new positions. The cost of lunches at the elementary schools was raised from 90 cents to $1; at the Middle School from $1 to $1.20; and at the high school, from $1.15 to $1.25.

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Early on the morning of the Fourth of July, Newtown did its part to help celebrate. The biggest Stars and Stripes ever to fly from Newtown’s famous flagpole in the center of town was hoisted into place. The 20-by-30 foot version of Old Glory dominated the view of Main Street through Sunday, July 6. It was then replaced by the usual 12-by-18 foot flag that flies daily. The new flag was donated to the town by Dr and Mrs Thomas Draper, The Newtown Bee, Surgical Associates of Danbury, and the McLachlan Insurance Agency. The big flag will be used on major holidays.

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The Board of Selectmen on July 7 awarded the bid for three new police cruisers to Amaral Motors, even though the bid was $1,000 more than that of Valley Motors of New Milford. Chief Marchese said it would be less time-consuming for officers to bring the vehicles to Amaral Motors for servicing than to New Milford. He noted that as a local taxpayer, Amaral Motors had a special incentive in doing a good job.

July 14, 1961

R. Scudder Smith, son of Mr and Mrs Paul S. Smith, has joined The Bee staff. For the past four years, he has been a student at Union College and has been employed by the Millivac Corporation in Schenectady, N.Y. Mr and Mrs Smith, with their son, David, and daughter, Sherri, moved to Newtown over the weekend.

***

The recommendation of James F. Hinckley, superintendent of schools, for separate high school and elementary school bus transportation in the coming school year was turned down by the Board of Education at the meeting on Tuesday evening. The board in its consideration of the matter stated that the new proposal would increase total transportation costs about $9,000 in the academic year.

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The Garden Club of Newtown has been named the recipient of the 1961 $200 award of the Civic Beautification Contest for Juniors given by the Sears Roebuck Foundation. The award is for the work which the garden club began in 1956 on the Sandy Hook School grounds. The garden club undertook the foundation planting of the building and over the years extended the program to include a long-range beautification program.

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The League of Women Voters of Newtown has designated Friday, July 21, as Map Sale Day. The sale will be conducted from 9 am to 5 pm. The map, which is the official town map of Newtown, was artistically executed by Nina Blake. The map will swell for $1 plus tax.

July 10, 1936

The largest crowd in the history of the Newtown Country Club enjoyed the festivities at the club on the Fourth of July, including an excellent dinner served at 1 o’clock to nearly one hundred members and guests of he club who were seated at five large tables in the clubhouse. An 18-hole handicap tournament was started in the morning and continued through Sunday. Directly after the dinner, the ladies participated in the annual approaching and putting contest. The last event of the day was a two-ball mixed foursome of nine holes.

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Willis Arndt of Taunton district reports that on last Friday a small twister played him a trick by descending on his hay field and blowing some of the hay which was being piled into an adjoining cornfield. The wire fence between the two lots was also well banked with the hay, the wind taking some of the hay nearly two hundred feet in the air. It was an unusual occurrence and took some little time to gather the hay again.

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Sometime during the early hours of Monday morning, thieves broke into The Kegs restaurant and filling station owned by William C. Baxter, carrying off a safe containing about $200 besides valuable papers connected with Mr Baxter’s business. The thieves forced a window at the rear of the building and rolled the safe, weighing between 500 and 600 pounds, to the front door, where it was evidently put into a car or truck and taken away.

***

The local committee in charge of placing children in homes through the Herald Tribune Fresh Air Fund of New York, wishes to notify the townspeople that it will be impossible to carry on the work as they have the past two years, because of restriction with regard to paying board for the children. Because of new rulings, children must be placed free or not at all. The Fund has been lax in cooperating with members of the local committee. Mrs Norwell Page and Mrs Harry Bally, who extended cordial invitations to two youngsters to spend the entire summer at their respective homes, free, have received anything but courteous considerations from the Fund.

 

July 14, 1911

The general testimony among Newtown farmers is that the hay crop is about one-third or one-half of the usual crop. This is the general testimony throughout western and southern Connecticut. It is quite evident that those obliged to buy hat and oats will pay a higher price in 1911-1912 than for several years.

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Henry S. Gibson has shown his public spirit by spraying all the elm trees in front of his property, the Methodist church and the residence of Ex-Representative Patrick Campbell.

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The Brick store interior is being improved by a new floor laid in the main room. Charles Beeman and Frank D. Hulse are the architects and carpenters and hustled the floor down with lightning rapidity.

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A two-horse load of happy young people from Bennett’s Bridge drove to Sandy Hook on the evening of the Fourth to see the fireworks and arrived in time to see two skyrockets and a Roman candle. They enjoyed the ride back home, arriving just a short time before 12.