April 11, 1980

Local gas supplies will not be as short this summer as they were last year during the warmer months, say area gasoline retailers. But it’s not because more gas is available. Most people, they say, are definitely driving less. And as John Koschel of Newtown Exxon noted, “We’re getting $1.24 for regular. People aren’t going to pay that. They’re going to conserve.”

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Newtown’s septic tank pumpers, faced since April 1 with a trip to Bridgeport to dump septage, are unhappy with the arrangement and have set up a meeting with First Selectman Jack Rosenthal on Friday morning to air their grievances.

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Wednesday’s 4.16 inches of rain built a new swimming hole at the town park, very near the regular pool. The “puddle” was so deep and large that it completely covered the bridge over the brook near the diving board side of the pool.

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Newtown Deputy Fire Marshal George Lockwood was steaming over violations of fire safety regulations at the schools during the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting Tuesday night. He said those using the schools for park and recreation-sponsored programs are smoking in nonsmoking areas and parking in fire lanes. “I went in there [the middle school] to ask them to move their cars and they laughed at me,” he said.

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Eleven members of the Newtown High School boys basketball team and six others will be spending this coming week’s spring vacation in Sweden as part of a basketball team exchange program. All 17 Newtowners will board a 747 jet Friday at 6 pm which will take them on a 7½-hour flight from Kennedy International Airport to Copenhagen, Denmark. From Copenhagen, the group will ferry to Helsingborg, Sweden.

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Rescue operations went on for over a half hour before the driver of a dump tuck which overturned on I-84 could be extricated from the cab of his vehicle. The truck is owned by Piedmont Construction of Newtown. It was hauling rock from the hillside construction work which is being done on I-84 near the Currituck overpass. Dirt and sand under the left front tire gave way causing the truck to flip over on its left side. Newtown Hook and Ladder was called the scene to assist in extrication.

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Groundbreaking ceremonies took place Tuesday for the planned Newtown Health and Racquetball Club, which George Arfaras, president, says should be open by September or October.

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The Newtown Junior Woman’s Club had sterling silver charms of the Newtown seal cast to commemorate America’s Bicentennial. The first 16 charms were numbered and a limited amount made so the charms would retain their value.

 

April 15, 1955

Festivities for the 12 foreign students of Yale University who will be guests of the Newtown Rotary Club will begin next Friday evening, April 22, with a dinner at the Stony Hill Inn, Bethel. In the afternoon the group will visit the Danbury plant of Manning, Maxwell and Moore, manufacturer and designer of controls for jet aircraft.

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Depending upon the availability and quantity of Salk polio vaccine obtainable in Newtown, the local doctors formulated a policy for administering inoculations on a private basis this week. At the outset, preference will be given the five to 16 year old age group, where the incidence of infection is highest.

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A small limb on the elm tree in front of Trinity Church was the apparent reason for the lights going out in a large part of Newtown Wednesday night. Falling across the West Street feeder, the limb caused a short circuit which burned out two wires causing them to drop onto Main Street.

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Several hundred gallons of fuel oil were spilled on Route 6 at the intersection of the Hawleyville Road last Saturday afternoon, April 9, when an oil truck overturned in a collision involving two automobiles. The accident required the calling out of a State Highway Department crew to spread sand over the oil, and Newtown fire units to stand by in case of an accidental fire.

On April 28 the Boys SAC will start its tenth year of continuous operation as an independent organization dedicated to the health, social, athletic and character development of the boys of this vicinity.

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In order to equalize its rate schedule for classified display advertising in comparison with other types of advertising, The Bee will change its charge for classified display advertising to 90 cents per column inch — effective May 1, 1955.

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Wednesday evening was chilly and drizzly outdoors, but inside the Botsford Fire House it was really spring. Daffodils bloomed on every windowsill of the newly finished social room where a large crowd of spectators had gathered to watch a fashion show sponsored by the Women’s Auxiliary. Little boys and girls dressed in gaily-colored spring and summer suits, dresses and play clothes from the Dorothy D. Shop at the Newtown shopping center, came up the stairs one by one and walked under a garden trellis decorated with green and yellow streamers.

 

April 11 , 1930

The rain came down in torrents Sunday night as the large audience was leaving the Congregational Church, after listening to the presentation of “Stabat Mater” by the St Thomas’ church choir of Bethel and assisting artists.

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A lively grass and forest fire Saturday afternoon burned over 120 acres in the Hanover and Lake George district and was finally checked by Deputy Fire Warden Kachele.

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A record meeting in the interest of forming a Rotary Club was held on Tuesday night at the Parker House. W.A. Wicks, president of the Seattle Washington Rotary Club and several Rotarians from Shelton, Ansonia and New Haven were present.

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There was quite a delegation from Newtown and Sandy Hook, who went over to see Jean Gros’ French Marionettes, last Friday evening, April 4, at the Danbury High School auditorium.

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The old Newtown post office building, which is being torn down by the H. Wales Lines Co., builders of the new Edmond Town, has an interesting history. The building was the home of the old Newtown Academy. It was completed in the fall of 1837, and the school was opened in charge of George I. Foote. The Academy was sold to the late L.B. Booth in 1883, who moved it to the present location where it became the post office. About 1884, R.H. Smith moved the office of the Newtown Bee from the old Sanford building to this property. The Bee moved to its new home on Church Street on October 1903.

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W.N. Burroughs is driving a De Soto Straight Eight sedan, bought of Henry G. Carlsen of the Liberty Garage.

 

April 14, 1905

The young men and maidens of Sandy Hook will present one of Baker’s delightful novelties, “The Old Fashioned Husking Bee,” on Wednesday evening, April 26, in Glover’s hall. Admission 15 cents and 25 cents.

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Theodore Stratton of Dodgingtown had chicken thieves steal all but two or three of his chickens from his hen roost, last Monday night.

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James B. Nichols has a handsome pneumatic tire buggy, bought in New Haven.

 

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Gov Roberts has signified his acceptance of an invitation to attend Newtown’s Bi-centennial on August 5. At a meeting of the executive committee on Monday night it was voted to extend an invitation to Rev Dr Tart, president of the Connecticut Historical Society, to be present and deliver an address.

 

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Philo T. Platt has sold his fast stepper to Alfred Briscoe of Bethel.