Tercentennial Events Taking Shape For 2005 Celebration

By Jan Howard

Plans are moving for a ball, fireworks, the return of the original deed for Newtown, and several other events that will celebrate Newtown’s Tercentennial year in 2005.

On Wednesday, Tercentennial Steering Committee members Janet Woycik and Barbara Kasbarian, co-chairs of the Major Events committee, announced that celebrants at the Tercentennial Ball on February 5 would dance to the music of the band Third Shift. Three hundred to 500 people are expected to attend the ball, which will be held at the Fireside Inn. It will include dinner, dancing, and live and silent auctions. The co-chairs noted a chairman is still needed to oversee auction plans. Snow date is February 12.

The first official event of the tercentennial year would be on January 9 when Dick and Marie Sturdevant will return the original 1705 deed to Newtown from Hartford.

A fundraising event is planned for April at the Fireside, the Friends of Music will hold a concert dedicated to the tercentennial in June, and a weekend of events is planned for August, including a townwide picnic, old-time baseball game, and fireworks display on August 6, the Labor Day Parade in September, a tableau vivant of Newtown’s history by Amber Edwards in October, period dancing by The Reel Thing in November, and the traditional Christmas Tree lighting in December.

Among other events are a beard-growing contest sponsored by the Congregational Church, art shows and exhibits, a demonstration by the Rocking Roosters Square Dance Club, and others.

Tercentennial memorabilia available for purchase next year will include a commemorative Christmas ornament as well as books.

T-shirts and caps are available now and can be purchased at the Parks and Recreation office at Town Hall South, the Newtown Savings Bank offices on Main Street and in Sandy Hill Plaza, C.H. Booth Library, and The Newtown Bee. Pins featuring the tercentennial logo are also available for purchase.

Mae Schmidle told committee members that Planters’ Choice on Huntingtown Road is developing a special rose for the Newtown Tercentennial.

She also discussed a proposed website for the tercentennial that would be set up by volunteer Kathy Beals and maintained monthly by the committee’s publicist, Joanne Rochman.

Ms Schmidle said the site would feature information about the tercentennial, including photos, stories, and who’s who, among other items.

“It’s a strong way of letting people know about events,” she said. The committee voted to approve an appropriation for the website.

Ms Schmidle also said that Ms Rochman has arranged for a cable show that would appear weekly during the tercentennial year, during which she would include interviews, musings, recollections, first person accounts of events in Newtown, plus a calendar.

Ms Schmidle also suggested that a handout be prepared for distribution at the Labor Day Parade on September 6 that would inform residents about some of the upcoming tercentennial’s major events. The handout was approved. Also approved was an advertisement to appear in the parade program to be donated by the Steering Committee members.

Ms Schmidle also advised that she has made arrangements for a wagon for the Tercentennial Steering Committee to ride in during the Labor Day Parade. She also advised that Governor M. Jodi Rell is scheduled to appear at the parade.

During public participation, Mike Fitzsimons, chairman of the fireworks display scheduled for August 6, 2005, updated the committee on his ongoing plans. Cost of the fireworks display is estimated at $20,000.

Mr Fitzsimons said he has met with Police Chief Mike Kehoe, who has reviewed the area of the fireworks.  “In theory, he won’t have a problem with the fireworks,” Mr Fitzsimons said. He has also met with Fire Marshal Bill Halstead, who also approved the display area.

Mr Fitzsimons said First Selectman Herb Rosenthal has approved the use of a town-owned site on Queen Street as a viewing area. Mr Fitzsimons also noted that mowing would be minimal at the display site, which is located on a parcel of land off Commerce Road that is owned by the town.

He said the display site cuts down on the number of viewing areas, but he has contacted the state over possible use of the horse guard property for viewing. The next step, Mr Fitzsimons, noted, is to gain permission for the fireworks from the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Richard Woycik, chairman of the Commemorative Committee, reported that $2,800 has been raised from the sale of T-shirts and caps. He recommended that additional T-shirts and caps as well as 100 sweatshirts in various sizes be ordered in time for sale at the Labor Day Parade.

“Children’s wearables sold better than expected,” he said.

He also raised the idea of a tercentennial banner or flags, which was also discussed by John Klopfenstein, who suggested that three- by five-foot flags on six-foot poles be displayed on Main Street’s 28 CL&P poles through sponsorships by local businesses. Those who donated toward those flags would be given another flag to display at their places of business.

Flags could also be placed in Sandy Hook center and on the flagpole on Main Street, he said.

The flags, Mr Klopfenstein said, “would be promotional and generate a little revenue” for the tercentennial.

He was authorized to proceed with the idea and to attend the next meeting with additional information.

Treasurer John Trentacosta reported that donations of $23,057.76 have been received for the Tercentennial, with expenses of $14,047.51, leaving a balance of $14,047.51.

The committee approved appropriations for the band and for the purchase of additional T-shirts, caps, and sweatshirts.

The Steering Committee’s next monthly meeting will be September 8 at 3:45 pm in the C.H. Booth Library meeting room. The committee members will meet on September 22 at 3:45 at the Newtown Savings Bank to discuss budgets for the various events that are planned. All committee chairs are reminded that their budgets should be submitted to Mr Trentacosta by September 15.

Donations for the tercentennial celebration may be sent to Newtown Tercentennial Inc, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, 39 Main Street, Newtown CT 06470.