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THE WAY WE WERE

SEPTEMBER 13, 1974

Aided by the Newtown Tennis Association's fund drive and money accumulated in

the Park Gifts Fund, the Park and Recreation Commission reported at its

September 10 meeting that construction of two additional tennis courts is

underway in Dickinson Town Park. Commissioners at the meeting heard a proposal

by a Westport firm that would, if accepted, result in the town's gaining a

sixth court in the park and a courtside clubhouse. As pressure for tennis

courts seemed about to ease, the commission heard Little League president

Charlie Rideg's urgent assertions that provisions for more playing fields must

be made soon since he expects more than 700 youngsters in the Little League

baseball program next spring.

When the Rouel H. LaBelle family returned to their home on 24 West Street on

Wednesday evening, September 11, they discovered that an unwelcome alteration

had been made to their residence. An Allis-Chalmers backhoe owned by the

Loomis Construction Company, which was working on the driveway on the John

Stratton property across the street, had come down the hillside of the

Stratton property and crashed into the side of the LaBelle home, ending up in

the living room. Luckily, the home was unoccupied at the time of the mishap.

The Public Building Committee, moving rapidly after the Planning & Zoning

Commission disapproved the Stefanko site last month, recommended on Monday

night that the town of Newtown seek to obtain an industrial parcel of land

near the landfill on Route 25 for location of a new town garage.

No, said the Board of Education members, in a three-to-two vote, to the motion

that the Superintendent of Schools begin moving grade 5 students into the

portable classrooms at his discretion when he felt they were ready for

occupancy. The vote came at the board's September 10 meeting at which

Superintendent Dr Albert Brinkman said work was progressing to such a degree

on some of the portables, especially those at Hawley and Middle Gate, he felt

some classes could be able to occupy the portables on Monday, September 16, if

the expected approval came from the Fire Marshal on Friday. The portables at

Sandy Hook, he said, would be finished within a couple of weeks.

Newtown Housing for the Elderly Inc, moving ahead with its plans for a project

for Newtown, met Tuesday evening at the Chase Realty office to discuss a

meeting the planning and site development committee had the night before with

architect Richard Donahoe, who is developing plans for the project. The

organization is hoping to locate the 40-unit housing project on land now a

part of Fairfield Hills State Hospital, 20 acres off Nunnawauk Road.

Summer is almost over. The memories of a season of trails, meadows, and show

rings swirl through the minds of horse-lovers young and old. Christina Weeden

and her mother, Mrs Vera Weeden, of Pond Brook Road, Newtown, have something

different to think back on: their journey on horseback from Newtown to

Williamstown, Mass., on the Vermont border, a distance of nearly 150 miles.

Community Action Newtown (CAN), at its first board meeting of the season on

September 4, discussed the need for a community center for Newtown. Such a

center would be available for use by the entire community, from day care

facilities and teenage activities to golden age groups. facilities should

include, the board concluded, meeting and recreation rooms as well as office

space for various community groups. A committee headed by Tom Keegan, J.

Haney, and Mrs Judy Clack, agreed to begin making definite recommendations.

This year's Newtown High School football team has a tough act to follow,

considering last year's undefeated, championship eleven, but Head Coach Pete

Kohut hardly thinks the Indians are going to be easy prey for any of the teams

in the Western Connecticut Conference. "I don't think anyone's going to push

us around this year. We're going to hold our own," the coach told The Bee in

an interview last week.

SEPTEMBER 16, 1949

Mr and Mrs Carl A. LeGrow entertained last Thursday afternoon at a tea given

for all members of the teaching staffs of Newtown schools, their wives and

husbands, at their home in the Zoar district. The tea has become something of

an institution with Mr and Mrs LeGrow for the first week of each school year.

Mrs Carroll Johnson and Miss Charlotte Isham poured.

As a result of Tuesday night's public hearing called by the Board of Finance,

the summer-long controversy involving Newtown's flagpole moved a step nearer

solution, for at the annual town meeting on October 3, the board will

recommend an expenditure of $2,500 to replace the present unused and unsafe

pole with a modern shaft, probably one of steel. The meeting held in the

Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall was attended by less than 60 persons, and

was presided over by Herbert H. Cutler, chairman of the Finance body.

As was to have been expected, last week's enrollment figures for Newtown

schools gave an incomplete picture of what to expect this year. The totals

printed last week were first-day enrollment figures only; since then classes

have grown a bit to make the number of students in Hawley and the reopened

Sandy Hook school an all-time high. Total enrollment in all grades, including

kindergarten, is 672 as of Wednesday, September 14.

The elector's oath was administered to 61 new voters and one additional name

was restored to the list at the meeting of the Board of Selectmen and the Town

Clerk held in Edmond Town Hall last Saturday. This compares with 87 persons

who were made voters in the corresponding meeting last year.

Everything is shaping up well for the night football game which will open the

1949 football season this Saturday night at Taylor Field. Newtown and New

Milford six-man teams have been practicing hard for several weeks to get into

peak condition.

On Tuesday evening, September 20, the eighth annual meeting of the Newtown

Ambulance Association will be held at the Edmond Town Hall at 8 pm. The

regular business of the meeting will include the election of three members of

the board of trustees, and a discussion of plans for the newly authorized

addition to the fire house in rear of Edmond Town Hall as a permanent garage

for the ambulance.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1924

Last Thursday afternoon we had the hardest thunder shower that has visited

this place in a long time. Two cows were killed by the lightning, one owned by

Thomas Koma and the other by Jacob Goldberg.

Frank Hopkins, Sr, is driving a new Dodge sedan, purchased through F.A. Judd,

Jr, of the Blue Ribbon Garage, Bridgeport.