Newtown had a Bicentennial happening on Sunday, November 2, when the members of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company conducted a Bicentennial flag dedication ceremony on the Dodgingtown Green. A good number of residents came out for the observance, which began with a drill by the Belvederes Color Guard. Following the playing of “America” by members of the Newtown High School band, addresses on the meaning of the Bicentennial were made by Bertram Stroock, First Selectman Frank DeLucia, State Rep John Anderson, and Newtown’s Bicentennial chairman Christopher Spiro, with Mr Stroock paying special tribute to the ladies of the auxiliary and their spirit of volunteerism.

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 On October 21, “Lou” Pelletier of The Old Road was the honored recipient of a fraternal “roast.” The Stony Hill Inn was the setting for the event. Eighty-five members of the American Society for Industrial Security gathered to honor Lou for the professionalism he has shown this Society over the past seven years.

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The Board of Selectmen and the Board of Police Commissioners met in special session on Monday evening, called for the purpose of discussing and ratifying the new two-year contract for the men in the department. Also attending the meeting were Chief Louis Marchese; Sgt Raymond Tompkins, president of the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers; Sgt Michael Fekete; and Officer Mike Brokaw. The part of the contract ratified that evening had to do with salaries, with ratification of the rest of the contract, the sections dealing with benefits and general terms, expected within ten days or so once some minor language changes are made.

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Newtown may have another union. On Wednesday afternoon, between the hours of 2 and 3, the four dispatchers at the Newtown Police Department voted 4-0 to join a union, the National Association of Government Employees, the same organization under which are the police and road crew unions. The State Labor Relations Board conducted the election on Wednesday.

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Big Brothers of Newtown, serving not only Newtown but Danbury, Bethel, Southbury, Brookfield, Monroe, and New Fairfield, has had a busy two weeks. On October 30, the Big Brothers held a coffee for mothers of Little Brothers as well as Big Brothers board members, President Ray Craven, Robert Dyer, Eugene Luchansky, Hank Mahler, John Wilson, and Gordon Williams.

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At the November meeting of the Newtown Beautification Committee Monday morning at the home of Mrs Alvah Cramer, chairman, a final report of the Daffodil Bulb project was given by Mrs Harold Ley who headed the project. A total of 17,160 bulbs have been sold to 183 townspeople and local organizations who have planted them at private homes, along roadsides, and in public places about town. The prospect looms large for a bright and colorful appearance around Newtown in the spring.

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Very nearly a year ago the members of the Newtown Ambulance Driver Corps were seen every weekend on the property of Mr and Mrs Richard Gretsch off Johnny Cake Lane selling Christmas trees. The purpose of the sale was for the corps members to raise funds to purchase new winter jackets, and those were delivered on Monday evening, November 3. Mr and Mrs Gretsch were invited to come down to the ambulance garage so members of the corps could extend their personal thanks to these two generous people. The jackets are bright orange with white sleeves trimmed with blue and orange reflective stripes. They bear a Newtown Ambulance breast patch with the name tags for each member. On the breast pocket is an emergency medical symbol. The backs of the jackets have inserts of reflective white stripes, making them easily visible on a dark night.

NOVEMBER 10, 1950

With an upsurge of Republican voting throughout the country, Newtown favored Republican candidates for all offices with the exception of the post of Judge of Probate, wherein the present incumbent, Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, who has held the office for the past 12 years, was returned to his post by the emphatic vote of 1,336 against 1,044 votes cast for Walter A. Reynolds, the Republican candidate. A feature of the election was the large number of split tickets, there being 824 such ballots cast as opposed to 650 in 1948. Judge John F. Holian, unsuccessful Democratic candidate for representative, polled the next highest number in the Democratic column, taking 1,118 votes, 31 more votes than he polled in 1948 but approximately 200 votes less than each of the two Republican candidates. Rep George M. Stuart polled 1,314 votes and Rep Newton M. Curtis 1,321.

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Connecticut’s electorate on Tuesday ousted Democratic Governor Chester Bowles and elected Republican John Davis Lodge of Westport to the state’s highest office. In so doing, Lodge becomes the first winner to a four-year term of office. Until now, the governship has been a two-year job. Republican Lodge won his office by more than 15,000 votes over former OPA administrator, Bowles.

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The Hawleyville Fire Department had more difficulty in bringing under control its alarm signal than it did the automobile fire to which it was summoned early Monday evening of this week. According to Fire Commissioner J. Frederick Seman, members of the company were meeting in the fire house when they received a call from Mrs Jean Parsons of Hawleyville. Firemen found nothing more than burning brakes on Mrs Parsons’ car, but it was nearly a half hour later before mechanics were able to put a stop to the siren which had been wailing insistently since the alarm first sounded.

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That Great Britain stands squarely with the United States in the present international crisis was one of the high points of an informal talk given before the Newtown Rotary Club Monday night by Laurence W. Martin, a graduate of Cambridge University, England, now studying international relations at the Yale Graduate School on a Rotary fellowship. Mr Martin also described political and economic conditions in Britain, comparing them with conditions in the United States.

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The Newtown Ground Observer Corps was active last weekend, November 4 and 5, between the hours of 9 am and 6 pm when the Air Force held a test observation period through the state of New York and all New England states. The local activity was typical of that carried out in 96 observation posts in other parts of Connecticut.

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John R. McMahon was reelected chief driver at the annual meeting and banquet of the Drivers Association of the Newtown Ambulance Association held at Hillandale Inn on Wednesday night of last week.

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A large number of guests, including many family groups, enjoyed a baked ham supper at Pohtatuck Grange hall last Saturday night. Unscheduled events adding excitement to the affair were torrential rain, high winds, and an electrical power failure.

 

NOVEMBER 6, 1925

Arrangements have been made by the Newtown Hook and Ladder Company for a novel entertainment to be given in the Town Hall, free of charge, Wednesday, November 11, at 8 pm, when a demonstration will be given of the operation of a telephone switchboard.

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Henry Warner has opened a feldspar mine on the farm of Edward Olmstead. He has erected heavy cement foundations for a crusher to be used in handling the feldspar.

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Mrs J.A. Canfield has had a new eight-foot veranda added to her house. H.C. Johnson had the contract.

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Bader Brothers of Washington have bought the live turkeys of T.F. Bailey and M.T. Carroll of Gray’s Plain District, Newtown.

NOVEMBER 9, 1900

J.C. Lewis and Perry Hubbell are shooting lots of birds this fall. Their record for last week was 84.

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Z.S. Peck, who voted on Tuesday, said it was the 17th time he had voted for President.

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J.A. Canfield has exchanged a side-bas surrey for an end spring carriage with A.M. Briscoe and Son of Sandy Hook.

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Charles Blackman of Hawleyville dropped a barrel of cider on his foot, last week Wednesday, while he was putting it into John Masterson’s saloon on Ives Street. Two of the toes were crushed so that he will probably lose them. One of them was almost torn off.