Date: Fri 31-Jul-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Mountain-Powerball

Full Text:

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

The town was awash this week in torn up Powerball tickets, as local ticket

holders failed to beat the 80 million-to-1 odds once again. I didn't get

around to buying a ticket for myself, since I realized that the odds were far

better that a jumbo shrimp would fall out of the sky into my waiting mouth. I

ended spending most of the week with my open mouth pointed skyward. A lot of

people told me I was crazy, but I wasn't quite as crazy as all the voluntary

taxpayers who queued up to buy Powerball tickets.

I'm not sure whether Bob Histon picked Powerball numbers this week, but if he

did, I'm pretty sure there was an 8 in there somewhere. Bob, whom many

remember as the former poundkeeper for Newtown, will turn 80 years old on 8/8.

Ernie and Ada Bevans have an important date coming up, too. This Saturday,

August 1, the Bevanses will celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary. Ernie

says that even after 61 years of marriage they haven't run out of things to

say. "We still speak to each other every now and then," says Ernie with a

smile.

Staffers at the town clerk's office in Edmond Town Hall were nonplussed last

week when a vendor shipped them a measly box of staples in a huge box filled

with packing material. The box, the packing, and the shipping had to cost more

than the staples.

Sandy Hook volunteer firefighters responded to a call for a possible hazardous

spill on Lake Zoar late last week. Someone had contacted the Department of

Environmental Protection (DEP) about some strange substance floating on the

top of the water near the Riverside Beach. Chief Bill Halstead sent a crew in

a boat out to check out the strange substance. They returned to report finding

only the remains of a duck. "There were feathers all over the place," Chief

Halstead said.

The chief explained that the duck feathers, coupled with a large amount of

pollen made it appear to be some sort of foamy substance. A weed cutter had

been used in the lake earlier in the day and investigators estimated it

somehow got hold of the duck, sending feathers flying.

Instead of standing over steaming pots of pasta, the folks that run the

community dinners at the Methodist Church on the first Saturday of each month

have opted to have a chicken barbecue on Saturday night, August 1. Dinner

includes a choice of salads and the famous Methodist dessert bar that's served

year-round at the pasta dinners. Bill of fare is $8 for adults, $7 for

seniors, $5 for children. The supper will be in the hall of the church on

Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook.

Now that we are in the dog days of summer, the Cornerstone Thrift Shop is

running a special event called "How Much is that Doggie in the Window?"

through August 8. Every child who brings in a stuffed pooch, in good

condition, can swap it for one of the stuffed dogs in the window of the shop

in Ricky's Shopping Center. The shop is operated by volunteers from the

Newtown Congregational Church who came up with the idea for the free swap.

The Bee's arts editor was in Maine last week and had dinner in a place called

Cappy's Chowder House, on Route 1 in Camden. One of the bartenders had a name

tag that not only said "Mark," but also the notation "Bridgeport, Connecticut"

on a separate line. After some a bit of conversation, the bartender revealed

that he was born in Bridgeport, but had actually grown up in Newtown. His name

is Mark Lewis. For years, his family lived in town and vacationed in Maine.

Mark's dad had worked for a number of years for the town's highway department,

and also for Lovell's Garage (when it was still in existence). Mark had heard

about the garage being leveled, and was pretty interested to hear about the

new park space that had replaced the abandoned building.

The Lewis family moved to The Vacation State in 1970, but remains in touch

with family and friends in and around Newtown. In fact, Mark said, the Lewises

are pretty tight with Richie and Ruth Liska. Richie was honored this past May

down here for 50 years of service with Newtown Hook & Ladder. It turns out the

Liskas are living just a few towns over from Camden, in South Thomaston. The

Liskas, after vacationing in Maine for 25 years, finally made the move north

for good almost two years ago.

The Chamber of Commerce wanted to hold its annual picnic someplace new this

year, but finding a spot was tougher than organizers had thought. They looked

everywhere with little luck. Finally, Paul Brautigam of Brautigam Land

Surveyors, offered the lawn just outside the front door of his business on

Church Hill Road. And that's where it will be, Wednesday, August 12 at 6 pm.

For those of you who have become dizzy watching Lee Glover's old bench go back

and forth across Main Street, rest assured, the "musical bench" game is

finally over. The bench is back on the porch of Jill Wolowitz, who purchased

the home from Mr Glover last month. The bench had spent several days at the

Mary Hawley Inn.

Question to Herb Rosenthal: If you won the $250 million Powerball would you

resign as first selectman? "I don't think so. I love this job too much," he

said. Something tells me he was serious.

Readers can rest assured that if I do catch a jumbo shrimp falling from the

sky, I too will return to work next week, so...

Read me again.