Old Man Winter telegraphed his punch in Newtown by dropping between a foot and 18 inches of dry powder snow all over town the last weekend before Christmas. Just as the snow warnings were being lifted the storm stalled, and with rising winds drifting the dry powder, lasted into another day. The storm closed Newtown schools two days early for Christmas vacations and some Newtown industries, like Barclay Knitwear and Pitney-Bowes, closed for the day Monday while others, like S. Curtis & Son, simply encouraged some office workers to leave early. Young and old were affected as the Children’s Adventure Center postponed its Christmas play and the Alexandria Mid-day Seniors cancelled their noontime meal and recreation in Edmond Town Hall, both Monday and Tuesday. Cyrenius Booth Library was closed Monday but reopened Tuesday. Stores and offices opened Monday, some a bit late, and many with less than a full staff. Edmond Town Hall offices were closed all day Monday. Lovell’s Garage reported a lot of wrecker calls to extricate cars from fender benders, but nothing beyond the normal demand for service following a snowstorm.

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 The Country Steppers, directed by Chip and Elaine Hendrickson of Rock Ridge Road, are a group of dancers who are performing American country dances for the Bicentennial. At their last meeting in the Community Room at Buckingham Gardens a dance party was held instead of a regular rehearsal.

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Three mandatory referrals were considered by the Planning and Zoning Commission at its December 19 meeting: two were approved and one bit the dust. In summary, the town-owned Stefanko property on Philo Curtis was approved as a site for the potential second town park, a 3.2 acre portion of the Richard Fairchilds’ property adjacent to the town landfill was approved to drain water from the landfill into the Pootatuck with the provision that the appropriate local and state water quality regulation agencies also give their approval, and the 9.1 acre Mackey property at the corner of Peck’s Lane and Route 25 was turned down as a potential town garage-maintenance facility and police headquarters because of traffic, wetlands and planning problems.

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The Town and Country Garden Club has judged the winning entries in their annual Christmas decorating contest. Winner in the tree decorating category was Betsey Kenyon who entered a fresh balsam decorated with handcrafted ornaments, for example, miniature cone wreaths, straw wreaths, fabric strawberries and hearts, small red and white bows and the entire tree topped with a large red and white gingham bow. In the door decorating category, Judy Riebe took the prize with a wreath of cones and nuts surrounded by a circle of evergreens and embellished with a green and white checked bow. Instituted this year, the mantel decorating prize went to Zita McMahon who displayed a cone wreath, cone swag, cranberry velvet bows and balsam roping intertwined with lights.

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December 19 the Planning and Zoning Commission led off its evening’s work with two public hearings. The two hearings involved, first of all, the subdivision request of Clifford O’Dell to split an 8.023 acre lot on Route 302 into two lots of 6.96 acres, and 1.063 acres. The second hearing was concerned with the request of George Arfaras of A-C Associates that the commission reclassify 95.114 acres of Riverside Road, Sandy Hook, from two-acre to one-acre residential and farming zoning. Mr Arfaras’ property is adjacent to Pootatuck Park.

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Traditional Christmas parties were highlighted by Bead Ceremonies and service projects this week as the Newtown Camp Fire girls and Blue Birds celebrated. The Minnehahas of Middle Gate and St Rose and the TaShutas of Hawley and Sandy Hook conducted candlelight ceremonies. Called forward by their Indian names WaNoNaka for Theresa Bland, Lanakila for Amy Jackson, Odeek for Nancy Andrews and Akaga for Jenny Andrews, each girl received her ceremonial vest and the brightly colored beads for the action crafts she had completed.

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Four Middle Gate teachers picked up tips on how to make learning more fun last week at after-school workshops at RESCUE in Bridgewater. RESCUE (Regional Educational Service Center for United Effort) sponsored voluntary workshops all month. Mary Ann Pastore, grade 2-3 teacher, and Judy Dobbrow, Grade 1 teacher, attended on Dec. 17.

DECEMBER 29, 1950

Robert E. Fulton, Jr, of Platt’s Hill Road, Newtown, inventor of the Airphibian, was granted a certificate last week by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in Washington approving public sale of the combination airplane and auto manufactured by Mr Fulton’s firm, Continental, Inc, at Danbury Airport. The Airphibian is a familiar sight to local residents, whether on the ground or in the air, and it has created nationwide interest through news reels, magazine articles and picture stories. Mr Fulton flew his craft to Washington last week, disassembled the wings and drove to FAA headquarters in downtown Washington where he received the certificate in brief exercises outside the building from CAA Administrator Donald W. Nyrop. Later he returned to the airport, made the wing assembly adjustments and flew back to Danbury and Newtown. The aeronautics official said this was the first time a combination airplane and highway vehicle had been approved for public sale.

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Pohtatuck Grange is in the process of drafting petitions calling on safety measures to prevent any more accidents at the foot of Sandy Hook hill, according to a recent announcement. Such action was prompted by the latest accident on the hill, that of a truck and trailer crash which occurred on the morning of November 20. Assailing the hazardous conditions of the hill, Grange members adopted a petition proposal made by Howe F. Smith, member of the Grange executive committee.

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The first meeting of the reorganized Newtown Civil Defense  Council took place with a three-hour discussion in which all members joined on Wednesday night in Edmond Town Hall, with local Director Warner W. Bayley presiding. The purpose of the meeting was consideration of all problems facing the Civil Defense authorities in Newtown, with emphasis on the need for careful planning and immediate action.

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The Christmas party of the dancing class under the direction of Mrs Berkley H. Hill, Sr, of Danbury, was held on Saturday afternoon in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall. Ice cream and Christmas cookies were served by the members of the invitation committee, which included Mrs W. Cranston Brewer, Mrs J. Benton Egee, Mrs James N. Greene, Mrs Harry F. Greenman, Mrs John Mann, Mrs Jo Mielziner and Mrs Russell Strasburger. Prizes were won by Tina Muller, Monica Dumser, Kattie Greene, Ronny Greenman, Connie Hayward, Jack Swanberg and Neil Mielziner. Both fathers and mothers attended the party and thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Shoppers in Sandy Hook, if they have not seen it, should take notice of the Christmas window at H.G. Warner’s store. An antique weather vane, dating back to 1840, holds the center of attention. It is a Holstein cow, made of metal, wearing Christmas bells around its neck and displaying an Armour sign along its broad back. The cow is unusally well preserved, considering its advanced age, and gazes into the street quite contentedly. It belongs to the Newtown Decorators, who loaned it to Mrs George Clark at Warner’s store so that she could prepare such an interesting and unique window display for the holiday season.

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A large and appreciative audience filled Edmond Town Hall theater almost to capacity last Thursday night when the music department of Hawley School presented its third annual Christmas concert under the direction of William B. Jones, Jr, supervisor of music in Newtown and Southbury schools.

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Plans to organize state and local advisory boards of nurses in the event of national manpower mobilization are now under way, it has been announced by Mrs Helen M. Cullen, executive secretary of the Connecticut State Nurses’ Association. She observed U.S. Department of Labor for critical occupations, and said these plans are necessary to assure reasonably adequate distribution of nurses for essential civilian needs and expected increased requirements for nurses in the armed forces.

 

DECEMBER 25, 1925

The directors of the Visiting Nurse Association are pleased to announce that a nurse, Miss Baker, has been secured and will take up her duties on Monday, December 28.

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Miss Stowe, pastor of the Methodist Church, will pass Christmas Day with her parents in Seymour.

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The Taunton school had interesting Christmas exercises on Wednesday afternoon. About 15 of the parents were present. The children were remembered with gifts by their teacher, Miss Jennie Honan.

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W.C. Perry was so unfortunate as to lose a valuable horse by colic, last week.