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TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

For years it has been a tradition at the Labor Day Booksale for early birds to

show up hours before opening to guarantee themselves a chance to be among the

first to scoop up the bargains. They have even developed a system of numbers

to hold their place in line.

Now that tradition seems to be spilling over to the preschools, if what's been

happening at Trinity Day School is any indication. Kim Connolly and Wendy

VonderLinn were among the mothers who showed up at 4:30 am, Saturday, to

enroll their children in the preschool at Trinity -- and found three other

people already in line, one arriving as early at 3:30 am. By 5:30 am, there

were so many waiting that the remaining 27 openings in the afternoon preschool

session were all spoken for -- and registration didn't start until 8 am.

Longtime Newtown High School teacher and football teacher Bob Zito must have

had mixed feelings as he watched Tuesday night's boys' basketball game between

Newtown and Stratford in Stratford. Mr Zito left Newtown last month to take a

job at Stratford High, the town he grew up in. Also on hand was NHS girls'

basketball coach Greg Simon, who teaches at Newtown Middle School and lives in

Stratford.

With the national college basketball tournaments beginning this week, March

Madness has officially begun. Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker

said she never got interested in basketball.

"I never liked all that squeaking of the sneakers on the court," she said.

The kids at Hawley School were literally "chilling out" Tuesday morning after

an automatic fire alarm went off in the building. After fire crews from

Newtown Hook and Ladder and Sandy Hook responded to the school and checked out

the alarm problem, the shivering students, who had been waiting on the front

sidewalk for about 15 minutes, were allowed back inside the building. About an

hour later, the alarm system malfunctioned again and everyone had to go back

outside. This time, however, the malfunction was correctly quickly and the

students were back inside quickly.

Canaan House sure is a big place. One construction worker who had gone to the

town building department there Wednesday about doing some work in Newtown had

some difficulty finding his way back outside the building to his parked truck.

He walked through the halls of the massive building, asking people how to get

out, and after making some wrong turns, eventually found his way back to his

truck.

Inmates from Garner Correctional Institution recently repainted three sides of

Town Hall South, giving the weathered municipal building a freshened look.

Garner Warden Giovanny Gomez has assured First Selectman Herb Rosenthal that

the prison will provide inmate labor to repaint the west side of the building,

the two-story wall which faces Town Hall South's rear parking lot.

There have been more personnel changes at the police department in the past

two weeks than there have been there in a long time. Captain Owen Carney

retired from the department February 26. Joe Joudy was promoted from patrol

officer to detective by the Police Commission on March 2. On March 4, the

commission promoted Sergeant Michael Kehoe to the rank of captain. Patrol

Officer Raymond Thompson is serving as an acting sergeant to fill the

sergeant's vacancy created by Kehoe's promotion.

Town Animal Control Officer George Mattegat has received a new truck for his

work in controlling local animals. And the Chevy pickup arrived none too soon.

Since the officer's large old Ford pickup truck had broken down, he had been

using a compact station wagon for his work. The new Chevy S-10 should prove

more practical for dog control duties.

The price of gold is down a little these days, but that isn't expected to

affect the interest in the Rotary Club's annual gold raffle which will take

place March 22 at the Fireside Inn.

Speaking of Rotary, Newtown resident Linda Vitrella of Great Ring Road is

preparing to depart for Stuttgart, Germany as a member of the organization's

Group Study Exchange program. Mrs Vitrella, a US Post Office employee, is

interesting in observing how the German postal service works. She will leave

the US on April 8 and return May 10.

Much like the child's game of musical chairs, some Newtowners have been almost

playing musical hospital beds recently. Julia Wasserman went from Danbury

Hospital to Yale New-Haven for triple bypass surgery and found herself in a

room next to Al Brinkman, former superintendent of schools, who also had the

surgery. Then Mike Snyder went into Danbury Hospital -- into the same room

that Julia had vacated -- and from there to Yale for a quadruple bypass.

Fortunately everyone is doing well and all should be recovering at home soon.

Howie Willmore, who now lives in North Carolina, is looking for information on

whether there will be a fiftieth reunion for the Newtown High School Class of

1949. Mr Willmore can be reached at 828/479-2963 or by e-mail at

howson@graham.maine.nc.us.

This Sunday there will be an open house and reception from 1 to 4 pm at Edmond

Town Hall to mark the completion of the second phase of the murals. Artist

David Merrill will be on hand to talk about his years of work on the scenes

that line the staircases in the building. A plaque will be unveiled and

refreshments will be served.

The Library Board of Trustees tried to sing "Happy Birthday" to Kathy Geckle

Tuesday night, but she was having none of it. Kathy spent the day interviewing

custodians for an opening at the library and attended the board meeting that

night. At the meeting, it was announced that librarian Maureen Armstrong will

be retiring April 15, after 30 years of service. Say it isn't so, Maureen, the

library won't be the same place without you.

Maureen may be leaving the library, but I'll be always be here so be sure

to...

Read me again.