As of now, there is still no freshman sports program to be offered next year at Newtown High School, but this weekend a committee of six is going to try and sit down and figure out a way that there could be one. And the Board of Education has scheduled a special meeting for 7:30 pm next Tuesday night to hear ideas the group might present and possibly act on them. The committee members will be Patricia Llodra and Alan Martin for the Board of Education; Lester Burroughs and William Leahy for the group of parents who are concerned about the programs being dropped; and Robert Sveda and Deann LeBeau of the high school sports staff.

***

An amendment to the Newtown zoning regulations has been proposed which would permit Nunnawauk Meadows, the town’s housing project for the elderly, to double the number of housing units from 40 to 80. The Planning & Zoning Commission will eventually hold a public hearing on the proposed amendments, filed by Attorney Sutherland W.G. Denlinger on behalf of Newtown Housing for the Elderly Inc, the nonprofit corporation which owns and operates Nunnawauk Meadows.

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Will Main Street’s Lovell’s of Ruwet-Sibley someday house the Newtown Police Department and the Hook and Ladder firemen and equipment instead of tractor sales and service and hardware? We should know by January 1, according to First Selectman Jack Rosenthal. Mr Rosenthal announced that George Ruwet of Ruwet-Sibley has approached the Town of Newtown to see if it’s interested in buying the commercial property and building. The two-floor, cinder block structure, built in 1950, has over 22,000 square feet and is located on 1.2 acres of land at 3 Main Street. Mr Ruwet has agreed to keep the property off the market until January 1, 1979, while the town investigates its potential.

***

Newtown still has a recycling center open daily at the town landfill for cans and glass, but the station has been unmanned since August 11. First Selectman Jack Rosenthal on that date fired three CETA (Comprehensive Training and Employment Act) funded employees who were hired for the recycling operation. Terming it euphemistically an “administrative separation,” the first selectman said the step was taken because of a “lack of productivity” by the three men.

***

A catapult. It’s a very ancient weapon, used hundreds and even thousands of years ago by man as he waged war. Probably some people today have never heard the word. A youngster playing with a slingshot more than likely doen’t know that is actually a mini-capapult. The missiles shot from a catapult were rocks and boulders; and after a second weekend of assaults from rocks from somewhere in the woods above Eichler’s Cove Marina in Sandy Hook, there is a theory that a portable catapult is being used. It all started last weekend when the residents of the cove began being pelted with large rocks, from 4 to 8 inches in diameter. They came with great force and accuracy from somewhere above, in the area of Bennett’s Bridge Road. A member of the police force was hit in the forehead by one while investigating. Searches by residents and police turned up nothing, and the rock throwing stopped, until this weekend. Then this past Sunday evening the barrage started again, and was continued Monday and Tuesday mornings. On Monday morning, Chief Louis Marchese was at the scene and he said he nearly got hit by one of the rocks.

***

The delayed reroofing of the B wing and B-C connector of Newtown High School finally got under way this week, but it wasn’t certain whether the job will be finished by the time school reopens on September 6.

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Mrs Arthur W. Boyd of Taunton Hill Road went to the Bridgewater Fair over the past weekend and came home the proud possessor of a large blue ribbon, the first prize awarded her in the fair’s baking contest for Shredded Wheat bread. The contest for the bread baking was a statewide one, and now Mrs Boyd will compete at the annual meeting of the Association of Connecticut Fairs on October 28. She will vie with other state winners, using the same recipe (provided in the Connecticut State Fair booklet).

AUGUST 28, 1953

With the schedule of district meetings on zoning accelerated by the Town Development Committee to cover all school districts by the end of August, five districts met last week at Edmond Town Hall with the residents attending showing a decided interest in familiarizing themselves and other residents of their districts with the provisions of Special Act No 552 of the State Legislature which permits zoning by school districts in Newtown.

***

Mrs Allan Beardsley of Riverside Road has notified The Bee that she will again provide transportation for kindergarten children to and from Hawley School at noon to those parents in the Sandy Hook, Riverside and Botsford Hill areas desiring it. The Board of Education provides regular school bus transportation for kindergartners morning and afternoon, but parents must collect and deliver their children at noon.

***

The birthday of the late Mary Elizabeth Hawley, philanthropist and supporter of Newtown institutions, last Saturday, August 22, was marked by the placing of flowers in the memorial room at Edmond Town Hall, the Cyranius H. Booth Library, and the Newtown Congregational Church. Following the Sunday morning service, the flowers were taken from the church and placed on Miss Hawley’s grave in Newtown Village Cemetery by H. Carleton Hubbell.

***

 The September issue of American Artist, out this week, contains an excellent article on John Angel of Sandy Hook, written by Ernest W. Watson, one of the magazine’s editors. Besides exploring the life and works of Mr Angel, most notable of which are the as yet uncompleted sculptures for the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City, the article is handsomely illustrated with both sketches and photographs.

***

Announcement was made this week that the Newtown Bowling League will open its 1953–54 season at the Edmond Town Hall alleys on Tuesday evening, September 8. There are two rounds of play each scheduled evening, the first between 7 and 9 o’clock, the second between 9 and 11.

***

A concerted drive to clean up pollution in the Pootatuck River was promised by Judge Albert B. Gardella of Ansonia, on his reelection to the presidency of the Housatonic Clean Waters League in Edmond Town Hall last Friday evening, August 21.

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The cake sale held Saturday by the Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the home of Mrs John Flanagan, Church Hill Road, was reported to be very successful by Mrs Claude Lewis, chairman. Assisting Mrs Lewis were Mrs Charles Neilson and Miss Martha Lewis. The proceeds will be used for the Auxiliary’s hospital work. Further funds to be used toward the completion of the Veterans’ Memorial Building, South Main Street, will be sought in a benefit dance to be held in the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium Saturday evening, September 12.

AUGUST 24, 1928

Frank H. Hopkins has sold his place in the Borough to Alfred Pinkham of New York, through the agency of W.B. Bentley.

***

Local motorists will be pleased to learn that Paul Sevens, formerly of Lovell’s garage, has opened a garage at his home on Queen Street, and will do overhauling and repair of all makes of motor cars.

***

A large crowd of spectators witnessed the preliminary boat races at Lake Zoar, Sunday afternoon, given by the Fish Rock Boat Club under the management of Paul Propoky of Danbury. The course was 3½ miles long laid out in full view of the spectators at the Fish Rock Club. It was a thrilling sight to see the fast boats make their turns, many of which had narrow escapes from overturning.

***

Mr and Mrs Walter Glover are on a week’s automobile trip through Maine.

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Raymond L. Hall and Wallis Arndt joined the state Grange lecturers, Saturday, in making a trip to Vermont, where is being held the New England Grange lecturers’ conference at Burlington, Vt., August 20–22.

 

AUGUST 28, 1903

The prayer meeting, last week Wednesday evening, at the Plumtrees schoolhouse, was led by Mrs A.D. Fairchild of Newtown.

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C.S. Peck and family of Hawleyville are spending several days at Lake Waramaug, enjoying the fine fishing there.

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S.H. Smith, for 23 years connected with the Danbury division of the SNET Company, was in town, Monday, and moved The Bee’s telephone to the new office building on Church Street. Mr Smith placed the first telephone in Newtown, about 18 years ago.

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Miss Emma Wilson entertained 21 of her young friends Friday night at the home of Mr and Mrs George R. Wilson in honor of her birthday.

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The selectmen have opened the bids for the state road work from Mrs Hannah Terrill’s place toward Sandy Hook.

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W.M. Reynolds, of the privilege department of the Newtown Fair, has engaged a merry-go-round as an attraction this year.

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The selectmen will have their monthly meeting Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm for the purpose of paying bills and attending to other town business.

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Miss Rebecca D. Beach, the donor of the Beach Memorial Library building, passed Monday and Tuesday with Mrs Charles F. Beardsley.