A low-keyed, well-attended special town meeting on Wednesday evening in the Edmond Town Hall overwhelmingly gave its approval to that political hot potato that has been in the news so much over the past month – the exchange of 4.05 acres of town landfill property for two parcels on Turkey Hill Road owned by Howard Mattioli of Trumbull, owner of Loma Sand & Gravel. Approval came on a voice vote by the 350 persons in attendance, after a surprisingly brief discussion about the proposal. Maybe 40 or 50 persons voted against the exchange. Robert H. Hall, Legislative Council member from District II, again expressed his misgivings about the trade, as he had done at length at two council meetings at which the council voted to recommend the land exchange, then refused to rescind that action.

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  Wednesday night’s town meeting almost unanimously approved a special appropriation of $60,000 for the purchases by the Town of Newtown of 24.3 acres of woodlands, meadows, and a stream from the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company. One person apparently voted against the acquisition during the voice vote of more than 300 persons in attendance. The property, located off Huntingtown Road with a 30-foot right of way from Orchard Hill Road, was viewed by the Newtown Park & Recreation Commission as having value for passive recreation purposes or, in the future, for active recreation.

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Men and equipment from two fire companies were called out on two consecutive days to put out fires at a gravel crushing tower on the former Cappy’s Sand & Gravel property on South Main Street. According to Chief Roland Pratt, Jr, of the United Fire Company of Botsford, the tower was being dismantled but oil-treated and highly-flammable wood planking was not removed prior to use of torches to dismantle the steel frame of the structure. On Thursday, September 23, 19 Botsford firemen responded, and the next day 12 were on the site to extinguish the fire, with men and equipment from Hook & Ladder also present. The chief did not have the name of the company that was dismantling the structure. It took about two hours each day for the fire fighting units to douse the flames, under Botsford Assistant Chief Steve Belair.

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Saturday, September 25, was made to order for the dedication ceremony set for 1 pm that afternoon as the fine fall weather set the stage for the naming of Newtown High School’s athletic stadium for 1976 Olympic Decathlon champion Bruce Jenner. The Newtown Indians football team was set to open its home season against Masuk High and the pre-game activities began with the NHS marching Band circling the field, playing Olympic music under the direction of Joe Grasso. The band was followed by pairs of school children advancing a lighted torch around the athletic track to the middle of the field, where the ceremony began. Bruce’s wife Chrystie, Bob Mathias, former Olympic decathlon champion, and Bruce entered the stadium in Harvey Hubbell’s open cadillac convertible and were brought to the center of the field where they were introduced by master of ceremonies Gerald Frawley.

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When the great Danbury State Fair opens its gates Saturday at 9:30 am, it will institute a ten-day run of the 107th annual exposition in the magnificent fall setting in the foothills of the Berkshires. Fred G. Fearn, president and general manager, has been at the Fair Grounds daily and has declared that “everything is ready.” He and other fair officials estimate more than 350,000 visitors will pass through the turnstiles.

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The problems and tragedies that can come about as the result of roaming dogs have come to the fore because of an incident in Sandy Hook this past week. Last Thursday The Bee received a call from Mrs Terri Church of Riverside Road who said the family’s goat has just been killed by a dog that had come onto their property. Mrs Church’s young daughter was witness to some of the killing, as she observed the dog eating the goat when she stepped outside to play.

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The Committee on Aging spent an hour in special session Tuesday night, September 28, batting around the question of whether or not a proposed “multi-purpose service facility” to be used for a senior center should be built in conjunction with the Children’s Adventure Center day care facility under planning now for a parcel of town-owned land off Riverside Road and near Sandy Hook School. Town grants administrator Zita McMahon guesses that the town should have definite word by late October on whether the $89,000 applied for by the local Board of Selectmen had been granted from federal Housing and Urban Development descretionary funds.  She has had assurances, however, that the application stands a good chance of being approved.

OCTOBER 5, 1951

In Newtown’s biennial election held on Monday of this week, A. Fenn Dickinson, Democratic candidate for reelection as first selectman, was returned to office by a vote of 1,394, more than double the 594 ballots cast for his Republican opponent, Ben Day Smith. Mr Dickinson polled more votes than any other candidate on the ballot and surpassed all straight ballots cast in his own party by an additional 625. Edward E. Knapp, Republican, with 989 votes, was elected a selectman and Anthony Amaral, Democrat, another selectman, with 965.

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Danbury Fairgoers passed through the entrance gates by the thousands so far this week, and if present indications mean anything, then thousands more will make their way toward the “Hat City Extravaganza” on this final weekend. According to fair officials, the opening three days drew a crowd of nearly 60,000 spectators, which denotes an increase of close to 6,000 over 1950 attendance figures for the same period of time. The crowds jammed the grounds to the tune of 14,590 last Saturday and 36,421 on Sunday for a record breaking weekend total of 51,011 paid admissions.

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The Newtown League of Women Voters held a most successful candidates rally on Friday evening in the gymnasium of the Edmond Town Hall. Mrs Herman deVries, president, opened the program, introducing Mrs Edmond Neary, first vice-president, who acted as moderator. Mrs Milton Mandelson, voters service chairman, had contacted all of the candidates in Monday’s town election, inviting them to speak at the rally. She acted as timekeeper, each speaker being limited in the number of minutes allotted to him.

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William C. Bechert of Hall Lane looked out of his window Tuesday evening to see a deer on his front lawn. The animal presented a pretty sight munching on dogwood berries, perhaps knowing that there is no shortage in the Borough.

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The annual election of officers of the Newtown Fish and Game Club took place in St Rose Hall last Friday night, with Joseph Samperi of Cold Spring Road elected president, and Joseph Soracco, Bridgeport, vice president. Rev John F. Culliton was unanimously reelected club secretary and Michael Rusinko, treasurer.

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Colonel Robert N. Mackin of Sugar Street has resigned his position as Civil Defense director for the Fairfield County area, according to an announcement made last week by General William Hesketh, state director, who has named Donal G. Murphy of Westport as his successor.

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The Visiting Nurse Association of Newtown, which has always been helpful in the statewide tuberculosis control program, is cooperating with the Connecticut State Tuberculosis Commission to provide consultation service for tuberculosis cases and contacts. The service will be in the form of a free clinic to be held in the Visiting Nurse rooms in the Edmond Town Hall, on the first Thursday of each month, starting in October.

OCTOBER 1, 1926

At the Democratic state convention in New Haven last week, Thursday, Hon Charles G. Morris of this town was again honored with the party nomination for governor.

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Newtown people in attendance at the Middlebury Fair on Saturday included: Mr and Mrs Archibald McArthur, Mrs Amos Camp, Charles Ferris and sons, Allison P. Smith, and Miss Hazel H. Smith.

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Edward S. Lovell and Louie Lovell passed Friday at the Eastern States Exposition at Springfield, Mass.

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An excellent piece of road work has just been completed on the lower Glen Road. The work has been carried out under the supervision of Connor Haugh and men of Walnut Tree Hill.

OCTOBER 4, 1901

How much an agricultural fair depends for success on fine weather was again illustrated in the fair of 1901. The opening day, Tuesday, started in with fine weather and a good crowd. Wednesday morning had threatening skies and by the time the 3,200 people on the grounds began to enjoy themselves, the rain began to fall, spoiling the day’s pleasure. Thanks to Secretary Peck of the speed department, the racing was as good as has been seen on the track. The exhibits of vegetables and fruit were fine for the year, and the ladies department and the exhibits of the merchants were complete and up-to-date.

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R.H. McCarthy, the popular teacher of the Newtown Center School, has been busy at the Fairgrounds this week, so his place has been taken by his niece, Miss May Lyons, daughter of John J. Lyons. The school was closed on Wednesday and Thursday.