December 13, 1996

Storm Bernice spread a heavy blanket of snow across parts of New England, snapping trees and bringing down power lines last weekend. About 1,737 homes and businesses in Newtown lost power, some for more than 24 hours. From 3:44 pm Saturday, when a transformer exploded on Cedar Hill Road, until 1:30 pm Sunday, firefighters from Newtown’s five companies were busy responding to calls of felled trees and sparking electrical wires in widely scattered incidents around town.

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Despite a thick covering of snow, which blanketed Newtown Saturday night, the sun came out Sunday morning and the temperature quickly began to rise, enticing more than 1,200 persons to attend The Family Life Center’s 11th Annual Holiday Festival. Attendance was down from last year’s peak of 1,800, largely because of the snow storm, which left parts of Newtown without electricity.

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In its pursuit to connect all of Newtown’s trail systems, the Greenways Committee is seeking to rebuild Black Bridge in Sandy Hook. The bridge spans to Pootatuck River in the Rocky Glen State Park near Glen Road and is said to be a “major bottle neck” to the trail system. However, with no decking and only the steel beams remaining, the bridge is unusable, bringing two trail systems to an abrupt end. Greenways hopes to replace the bridge with a span that would allow foot and equestrian traffic at an estimated cost of $80,000.

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Forget seeing your name in lights — a brick is more permanent. And it’s as easy as filling out a form, shelling out forty bucks, and voila! Your message will edge the walkway at the newly expanded Cyrenius H. Booth Library. “Memory Bricks,” the latest fundraising endeavor of the Library Board of Trustees Building Committee, will benefit the Building Fund. Townspeople are invited to “create a special tribute to family members or friends; commemorate a special event such as a birthday, anniversary or graduation.”

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The 1996 fall sports season was one of historic proportions for the athletes at Newtown High School. A total of eleven athletes in five different sports earned All-State recognition for their performances this fall. Not only has Newtown not crowned ten All-State athletes in a season before but never even close to that number in an entire year. The All-State athletes are as follows: Patrick Reilly, Kevin Lausten, Jeff Chuongvan (football), David Miller (soccer), Dee Conley and Leigh Hoppmeier (volleyball), Alicia Wickson (field hockey), and Jaime Ryan, Sarah Leddy, Kari Fischer, and Stephanie Nickse (swimming). Their names will all be added to the Wall of Fame in the NHS gymnasium.

December 17, 1971

On Tuesday afternoon two buses carrying some 90 executives and employees of Pitney Bowes in Stamford came to Newtown to be given a tour of the town and a first-hand introduction to the community in which the company will build a distribution center. Construction of the new facility on Edmond Road will start early next year with completion scheduled for June 1972. The visiting group was welcomed by First Selectman Timothy Treadwell. Other speakers at the group’s luncheon at the high school included Superintendent of Schools James Boyd; George McLachlan, who spoke for the Ambulance Association and the police and fire companies; and Edward O’Dowd, the town’s new recreation director.

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The Republican Town Committee Monday night elected Timothy Loughlin of Taunton Ridge Road as their new chairman, filling a vacancy created when former Chairman John Kipp resigned the position. Mr Loughlin has been a resident of Newtown for 16 years and has served on the RTC for 14 years. This is his second term as chairman. He also is a new member of the Newtown Police Commission. His first act as the new chairman was to name three committee chairpersons: Mrs Walter Lane, publicity; Mrs W. Nelson Roberts, candidate screening; and Tom Ineson, steering committee.

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Progress toward a parking ordinance for the Borough of Newtown was disclosed at the regular meeting of the Board of Burgesses last Tuesday evening. It was reported at the meeting that Thomas Cheney, borough attorney, had been asked to draw up an ordinance patterned on that of Ridgefield. The plan, according to Warden Willard Christensen, is to draw up a combined borough and town ordinance and to have a public hearing on it, although the board has the authority to pass the ordinance without a hearing. A special board meeting is planned in early January to deal exclusively with the ordinance.

December 13, 1946

A fire destroyed the home of Mr and Mrs Edward A. Conger in the Huntingtown district about 3:30 am last Friday, killing the four youngest children in the family. Daughters Carol, 8, and Audrey, 5, and sons Robert, 2, and William, 1, were killed when fire engulfed the caretaker’s quarters on the property of Dr J.V. Donnett. Mr and Mrs Conger were severely burned in the fire as was their oldest son, John, 17. Another son, Edward A. Conger, Jr, 7, was the only member of the family not injured. A boarder, William Webber, 68, escaped by breaking down an unused door leading to the back of the building. The house, which was converted from a barn and a garage, was completely destroyed. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Relief funds are being collected for the family, which lost everything in the fire.

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A special town meeting will be held January 9 to vote on accepting a $50,000 state grant for an addition to Hawley School. Plans and specifications for the project have been completed, approved by the building committee and are on file in the office of Hawley School where they may be examined by anyone interested in the school facilities.

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Newtown reached the country’s highest level of motor car casualties with three traffic accidents over the last weekend. Some 1,600 quarts of milk were lost when the driver of a trailer truck, in order to avoid a more serious accident, swung left from the road and knocked down a telephone pole and light pole on Main Street. A Volkswagen was totalled when it collided with an oil truck at the intersection of Queen Street and Church Hill Road. Another car overturned when the driver lost control on an icy stretch of pavement on Mt Pleasant Road Sunday morning. The occupants of the automobiles in the accidents were treated at Danbury Hospital and have been released.

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A month-long program to celebrate the holidays is being held at the Fairfield State Hospital, sponsored by Charles G. Morris, chairman of the board of trustees, and Dr William F. Green, superintendent. The program began with a musical in the Shelton House last Monday, followed by a movie, High School, in Bridgeport Hall last Thursday evening.

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The Foster Parents Plan for War Children Inc., has announced two more foster children have been added to the list of those already “adopted” by residents of Newtown. Gertrude Kelly of Old Mill Road has assumed responsibility for two little Dutch boys in Holland, one aged four and the other a 10-year-old Boy Scout. In both cases the boys’ fathers were killed in the war and the families suffered badly during the German occupation.

December 16, 1921

EDITORIAL INK DROPS: While the response on the appeal to buy the Christmas seals has been generous, there are still a good number who have taken no action. This is a most worthy cause, as 85 per cent of the receipts are to be used for tuberculosis work by the local Visiting Nurse association. Send your remittance to Mrs C.A. Peal, Sandy Hook. Give and give promptly.

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At a meeting of the Community Workers held on Wednesday afternoon Mrs L.C. Morris was appointed to purchase material for the sewing for the American Memorial hospital at Rheims. The work will begin early in January. More money is needed and those who wish to help in this good work may hand their contribution to the treasurer, Mrs L.C. Morris.

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Charles M. Beresford has closed his house on Curt’s Hill and has gone to New York City, where he will pass the winter with a niece.

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There was a goodly attendance at the Newtown Country Club whist given at the club rooms on Monday evening. There were nine tables, who enjoyed the whist. The highest scores for the evening were made by Mrs Arthur J. Smith and Mrs James Marshall for the ladies, and Beers, Shepard and C.A. Peale for the gentlemen. The scores for the month show Mrs William R. Curtis and Mrs Arthur J. Smith ahead for the ladies, and O. Howard Hall and Raymond L. Hall for the gentlemen. Mrs O.H. Hall and Mrs F.H. Duncombe entertained. The next whist will be held at the club rooms on Monday, December 19. The Christmas party and supper will be held on Thursday evening, December 29.

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It appears that it is not the fault of the Danbury & Bethel Street Railway Company, but of the Telephone Company, that Sandy Hook is not getting the electric lights. The telephone company are to set the poles, and owing to the ice storms their workmen have been taken away to the hill towns of Litchfield county, where the damage to telephone poles and telephone wires was very great.

December 18, 1896

THE EDITOR’S FAMILIAR CHAT: The public meeting at the Town hall in behalf of “Suffering Armenia” was a success, well planned and a credit to those who arranged it. The response on the part of the people was generous, and doubtless before another Bee reaches its readers the money will be relieving starvation and distress. Any towns desiring illumination will not make a mistake in sending for Mr Samuelian. | Another treasured (?) volume has been added to the editorial library, the annual report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, through the commissioner, Samuel B. Horne, to whom we are indebted for the same. It strikes us the State of Connecticut wastes a good deal of money in printing public documents. At the rate the State is running in debt it would seem the incoming Legislature would call a halt. | The annual meeting of the Newtown Agricultural Fair Company, with all its unfortunate scenes, has passed into history. Let it be forgotten. It is much better to meet at such a time and discuss differences of opinion peaceably than to rant and tear around, making it unpleasant for all concerned. Even supposing the directors of the Newtown fair had been faulty in the business entrusted to their care, (and from the character of the men composing this board we do not believe that one of them would intentionally do wrong), but supposing there had been some mistakes made, considering the faithful and untiring work done by them they certainly were not deserving of such treatment. Now that it is over, forget the past, excuse the personalities said in hasty temper and let all look forward to a brighter future for our fair, with a sincere desire that shall forever prevent a similar occurrence at an annual meeting.

Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to shannon@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date. If you live locally and would like to loan a photo/photos, please give us a call (203-426-3141) to let us know when you will be visiting.