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Citizens for the Preservation of Housatonic Basin invited state legislators on a cruise Sunday morning, October 10, to acquaint them with the areas the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was identifying as suitable waste sites and why they felt they were unsuitable. The cruise is just one effort the citizens’ group has made to accumulate and share information while it waits for the DEP to schedule more workshops on its water classification study.

* * *

An advisory meeting to discuss cable TV service to Newtown will be held in the office of First Selectman Jack Rosenthal on Thursday, October 14, at 7:30 pm, at Edmond Town Hall. Housatonic Cable TV has the franchise to enter Newtown and Sandy Hook. The possibility of cable TV for the area was remote until the present time, since the construction of a microwave tower was not permitted. The application for the tower and the ensuing challenge in Superior Court tied up the plans for cable here for almost four years.

* * *

Overall, the students in the Newtown School System are scoring above average in national testing, according to reports presented at a recent Board of Education workshop meeting. Director of pupil services Bob Chiapetta reported that results of the Iowa tests in grades three, five, and seven were at least a grade level or higher in comparison to the national average.

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Next year Newtown police officers will be expressing their community spirit on their uniforms. On October 5, the Board of Police Commissioners approved a new shoulder patch, with the stipulation that each officer would pay for his own from his clothing allowance.

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The Parks and Recreation Commission Tuesday gave conditional approval to locating the wells for Timothy B. Treadwell Memorial Park near the Sandy Hook School site. The change, which would place the park wells over the Pootatuck Aquafir, requires laying an additional 1,800 feet of pipe, rather than the original 500 feet originally anticipated. TPA vice president William Aniskovich told Parks and Rec that the new system would cost $15,370 more than the original bid.

* * *

Newtown Chief of Police Louis B. Marchese said this week he was angry about residents dumping their garbage at the landfill on Columbus Day, October 11, when it was closed. “They couldn’t get through the gate, so they just dumped it outside,” he said. He said that the town Highway Department had to send a crew Tuesday morning to clean up 40 or 50 bags and transport them to the landfill. “We have three or four names, but we’re not going to prosecute anybody.” But if it happens in the future, he said, “We will make arrests.”

 

October 18, 1957

Ayrshire cattle owners and breeders came to Newtown from all parts of the east Saturday when the Quiet Valley Farm dispersed 72 animals, the greater part of the farm’s renowned herd of purebred Ayrshire cattle. Mrs Edward J. Churchill, who with Mr Churchill owns the farm that was stricken when the large barn and the winter’s feed supply was destroyed in the August 11 fire, called the sale, “very successful.”

* * *

Newtown Health Officer Dr J. Benton Egee, reports, “Newtown had about 30 cases of known Asian Influenza in the past week. This is by no means epidemic proportion.” In a word of caution he added, “However, with the onset of cold weather epidemic proportions can be expected,” Dr Egee pointed out.

* * *

Five Newtown youths were arrested Tuesday by Resident State Policeman and Town Officer Hiram Hanlon for throwing a cabbage stolen from a produce truck parked in front of Cantone’s Restaurant, Sandy Hook, through the windshield of a moving trailer truck in Sandy Hook, Monday night. This was the second case in four days of objects being thrown through the windshield of a moving vehicle. A beer bottle was thrown through the windshield of State Policeman Edward Leonard of Ridgefield Barracks early Saturday, as he was speeding along Sugar Hollow Road to the scene of an attempted suicide in Newtown.

* * *

An elaborate and varied program is being planned for the United Nations Day celebration set for October 20, at 4 pm at the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall. Introductory remarks by First Selectman Edward Cole will be followed by two films. Scheduled next are folk dances performed by a group of sixth graders tutored by Miss Mariette Paquin of Sandy Hook School. An outstanding feature of the afternoon will be refreshments. Representatives of 31 nations have promised specialties from their homelands. Admittance will be free.

* * *

The Newtown Little League held its annual award night last Thursday evening, October 10, in the gymnasium of the Edmond Town Hall. The Dodgers, winners of the inter-town play, were awarded the Johnny Cashman memorial trophy and their name will now be added to the cup as winners of the 1957 season.

* * *

Raymond L. Hall of Newtown, a mathematics teacher at Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, reports he was able to see the rocket that launched the Russian satellite on Tuesday morning. He said he could see the rocket with the naked eye at about 6:07 am and that it was, “One of the advantages of getting up before 6 am every day.”

 

October 14, 1932

The Bee Scribe, on Tuesday, had the pleasure of visiting the Wakefield Antique Shop, located on the Boston-New York Post road between Southport and Westport. Wakefield, undoubtedly, has one of the finest collections of antiques in this section of the country. Over 5,000 pieces are on exhibition, such as glassware, pewter, mahogany, pine, plain and curly maple, primitive artifacts, tin ware, weather vanes, cobbler’s bench, rare glass, tales of all kinds, and a wonderful collection of builders’ hardware.

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ATTRACTIONS AT EDMOND TOWN HALL THEATER. Wednesday, October 19, “Blessed Event.” The new season’s greatest entertainment smash! A sensational Broadway stage success brought to the screen in a million laugh production that is absolutely the last word in talking pictures! Melodrama, comedy, action, music, romance — all rolled into one gigantic show!

* * *

Contractor T.F. Brew has the frame up for an attractive colonial house, 24 x 32 on Queen street, for William McKenzie of Flushing, N.Y. Mr Brew is also building a garage for Mr McKenzie, 18 x 22.

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A humorous feature of last Monday’s election was a man who voted at 9 o’clock, and who became filled up with some kind of intoxicating liquid. He came back again to the polls at 4 pm and once more demanded to vote. The registrars and ballot box tenders denied him his request and he was led away.

* * *

Over 100 members of the Mary Silliman Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Bridgeport came to Newtown on Monday afternoon to attend the dedication of the marker which has been placed on the Hawley school grounds. The marker was unveiled by Miss Barbara Mitchell and Boy and Girl Scouts were grouped around the stone, holding the flag.

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An awful automobile accident took place at 8:15 o’clock on the state road near the Edvinar gas station at Botsford, Thursday morning, when a truck, loaded with bags of flour, owned by A.R. Pacelli & Sons, of 55 Randall avenue, Bridgeport, came in collision with a sedan owned and driven by John R. Peck of South Center, prominent and active dairyman and truckman. In the car were two young men, John Pango, now in St Vincent’s hospital and a young man, whose name is not known, who was instantly killed. Messrs Peck, Pango and Pacelli were taken to St Vincent’s hospital, but Mr Peck died before arriving there.

 

October 18, 1907

A farewell missionary service in honor of Lee H. Downing will be held at Rev F.K. Hawley’s, October 24, with services at 10:30 am and 2 pm. He sails with his wife and children for Africa, with a party of 20 missionaries, on November 2. The public are cordially invited to attend the services at Mr Hawley’s.

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On Friday evening, November 1, the High school will give a Hallowe’en entertainment in the Town Hall. The program will be an attractive one and the usual large audiences at High school functions may be expected. The roller skating rink at the Town hall will be re-opened, Saturday night, the 26th.

* * *

Charles R. Hathaway, state examiner of public records, was in town, Wednesday, examining the town records as kept by the town clerk. He reported conditions unsatisfactory and deteriorating, as compared with his last visit. The neat and complete condition of the records as kept by Judge Beecher in the probate office was highly complimented by Mr Hathaway.

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It is interesting to notice how the Prohibition movement is growing in the United States and what a large section of the country is free from the domination of the saloon. The following whole states are now in the temperance column: Maine, Kansas, Tennessee and Georgia and Texas is likely to swing into the temperance column in the near future. For the rum business is the curse of our Anglo-Saxon civilization and if we can lead men to live sober and temperate lives we shall do away with three-fourths of the misery, crime and poverty of this great nation.

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At the school meeting in Sandy Hook district, last week Wednesday night, it was voted to buy two stoves. A tax will be laid to cover the expense and insure the property.