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The big day is this Sunday, July 3. Everything is ready; all we need is you. The gates at Dickinson Town Park on Elm Drive will open at 9 am, and residents are invited to bring a picnic lunch and join in the fun. Events begin at 1 pm. There will be puppet shows and face painting for the children, water sports and contests, and field games for all. The annual egg toss, a pie-eating contest, and a challenging game of Simon Says are a few of the picnic highlights. Beer, popcorn, and cotton candy will be sold all day long.

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Mendik Realty Corporation wants to connect its planned Newtown Corporate Park to a sewer system, and on Wednesday night, a representative of the firm offered the town $1 million to help speed the construction of a local sewage treatment plant. Newtown has been under State orders to abate pollution caused by failing or malfunctioning subsurface septic systems since 1977. The Water Pollution Control Authority has been created and charged with planning a system of sewers to deal with the town’s identified septic trouble spots.

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It took 81 years, but Minnie Reed Wheeler received her Newtown High School diploma in a special ceremony held at Ashlar of Newtown where Mrs Wheeler now resides. Back in 1902, Mrs Wheeler was unable to finish her last year in school because of a sever case of measles which impaired her vision. A full graduation ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 28, which followed the same format as the traditional Newtown High commencement exercises.

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Fifth graders in Mrs Lenore Niedzielski’s room at Head O’ Meadow School were surprised to receive a communication from the White House — pictures and a letter from President Ronald Reagan. For a class assignment they wrote letters to representatives at local, state, and national levels. The majority of students decided to write to the President. Obviously, the President was impressed with the correspondence and sent them an autographed picture and a letter, personally signed.

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Rep Mae Schmidle’s announcement last week declining the Republican party’s bid for the first selectman’s slot has created a dilemma for Newtown Republicans who have very little time to select a candidate to oppose the Democratic incumbent Jack Rosenthal. Mrs Schmidle announced on Thursday, June 23, that she would not accept the party draft and that her reasons are “personal and unalterable.”

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Traffic on I-84 promises to be heavy this holiday weekend as State Police detours traffic from Interstate 95, following the tragic collapse of a bridge section over the Mianus River in Greenwich early Tuesday morning. “We’re suggesting that drivers find other routes,” said Dispatcher William Gerard of Southbury Troop A. For the next two weeks until the bridge is repaired, State Police are recommending that eastbound truck and car traffic from the New York City area take I-684 north to Brewster, then head east on I-84.

July 4, 1958

Newtown tax collector George A. Jackson reports that a total of $690,294.98 have been collected on the 1957 list as of the last day of June. This represents 82.387 percent of the total amount of $837,870.99. At the same date in 1957, a total of $516,271.49 was collected on a total 1956 bill of $617,243.28.

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Dickinson Memorial Park got into full swing this week with the arrival of real summer weather. To take care of the increased attendance, the Newtown Park Commission has announced its summer lifeguard schedule which will remain in force through Labor Day. Both lifeguards, Robert Hall and Charles Elsesser, are Red Cross Senior Life Savers.

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A new five-ton air conditioning unit was being installed this week in the Newtown Savings Bank to go with two smaller units already operating to bring the air conditioning capacity to nine tons. The added unit will serve to improve the comfort of the building during the summer and will be beneficial to members of the staff and customers.

* * *

Henry G. Carlson has applied to the Borough Zoning Board of appeals for a variance to demolish the existing building occupied by Liberty Chevrolet and to build in its place, but further from the road, a modern filling station and service garage with a brick front and colonial design.

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First Selectman Edward J. Coleman has received notification from the Connecticut State Board of Education that Newtown has been granted $275,000 in state aid for the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Miles Harris, chairman of the Elementary School Building Committee, reports the grant is considerably more than the committee had estimated.

Edward Barker of Hawleyville driving his fast No 53 stock car captured his first feature win at the weekly stock car races at the Danbury Fair Speedway last Saturday night. Barker, starting in eighth position, weaved his way into the lead spot and captured the checkered flag a full half-lap ahead of his nearest competitor.

 

June 30, 1933

Well, well, well! Can our DeMolay boys of Newtown and Waterbury play ball? I’ll say they can and such a crowd! We want to thank you all for the support of our team when on Saturday afternoon our boys took the Bridgeport chapter into camp to the tune of 10 to 5. It was such a game and how the fans did enjoy the pitching and catching of the Fray brothers of our home team.

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The Farm Bureau recently met at the farm of Morris Butensky of Hawleyville. It was their unanimous opinion that Mr Butensky had the finest crop of alfalfa and clover they have ever looked at.

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John L. Burr, who has successfully conducted the Fountain Lunch in the Atchison Block for the past year and a half, has sold the business to Harold F. Smith of South Center district. The new owner will continue to make this place the headquarters for lunches, sodas, candy, package drugs, etc. In addition, Mr Smith will operate the place as a tea room, featuring home cooking with fruit and vegetables right from Mr Smith’s farm. The place in the future will be known as the Flagpole Fountain Lunch.

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The Eden Hill golf course has had a record breaking attendance during the month. Over 500 people have enjoyed the facilities of this course with many week end parties staying at the club house. Each Saturday night, Frank Powlosky and his Merry Makers play for dancing at the Barn Dance hall.

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Plans have been made for an enjoyable day at the Newtown Country Club on Tuesday, the Fourth of July. Numerous golf and tennis contests and a chicken dinner at noon are sure to draw the customary large crowd which each year attends the Club’s functions on the Fourth.

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Dog owners of Newtown will be glad to know that Dr D.R. Kersey of Danbury has offered to give anti-rabies treatment to our dogs. He will be at the Parker House on Monday, July 3, to treat all dogs brought to him. The charge will be only $1.50 to cover the cost of the serum, and for each dog a tag and certificate will be issued showing that the treatment has been given. This is an excellent opportunity to guard against the dread rabies.

 

July 3, 1908

The Land’s End Cemetery association at Hawleyville has been improving their cemetery by having new ornamented gates and rustic stone gate posts erected at the entrance and have also graded in front of the cemetery. A number of the men interested in the association gathered there one day recently and did the grading. Charles F. Beardsley is president of the Land’s End Cemetery association.

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A peanut vendor opened up his wares on Sunday in front of the two churches and began business. Warden D.C. Peck of the Borough asked him to desist. The man wanted to continue to sell, but Sheriff C.B. Johnson was secured and when he saw the officer’s badge, and heard a few remarks to the point from Mr Johnson, he wheeled his wagon out of sight and stopped business.

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Miss Mabel Northrop, with friends, was making a call, Saturday, having her pet dog with her. She thought to secure him by taking him by the collar when the dog fastened his teeth through the thick part of her hand. Upon removing her glove the hand was found to be bleeding badly. Carbolic acid diluted was used freely and later she went to Dr Kiernan’s office for treatment.

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Sandy Hook people have shown their public spirit by arranging for a display of fire works on the evening of July 4. The fire works will be set off near the Niantic pond, and a good crowd is sure to turn out to enjoy them.

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The credit of harvesting the heaviest hay crop per acre in town belongs to our genial neighbor, Borough Clerk Charles F. Beardsley. The windrows were so thick in the field one could scarcely find room to stand between them. We doubt if there is a finer piece of grass in the state. Mr Beardsley applied nitrate of soda in addition to stable manure. Mr Beardsley should not be unduly puffed up, but he has got a rattling good yield of grass.