One local retailer, Mike Sorrentino of Newtown Hardware, said he noticed a distinct change among his customers right after President Carter’s anti-inflation speech in March. “People have been buying less since then,” he maintained, “and they’ve stopped using credit cards as much.”

***

In moves engineered by the eight Republican members who caucused prior to the Wednesday night meeting, the Legislative Council went beyond the recommendations of both the Board of Education and Board of Selectmen in cutting the budget. The reduced figure now goes to a town meeting set for Wednesday, May 28, at Newtown High School. The town meeting can cut additional money from both budgets or can approve the council’s recommendation.

***

The seniors of Newtown have been invited to join the Danbury seniors at Ives Manor in a Country Square Dance. The dance is to be held in the Ball Room of the Ives Manor on Main Street, diagonally across from Howland’s front entrance.

***

Scabrous in appearance no longer is Newtown’s most notable landmark, the Main Street flagpole, after two coats of white paint restored its gleaming appearance last week. The Town of Newtown originally expected to pay for the job, but a generous contribution by Dual-Lite Inc this week covered the entire $1,619 costs.

***

Despite a continuous drizzle, 114 runners participated in last Sunday’s Newtown Summer Festival 10 Kilometer Road Race which began at Newtown High School and wound in and around the green grounds of Fairfield Hills Hospital.

***

Because it held a meeting on Martin Luther King Day, the Newtown Board of Education, along with an assortment of government agencies in 20 other towns, have been put on notice that advisory opinions will be forthcoming from the Freedom of Information Commission that such activity was illegal because Martin Luther King Day is a legal state holiday.

***

The Newtown Kennel Club presented its 258th AKC-sanctioned match dog show last Sunday on the grounds of Newtown High School. Despite an intermittent drizzle, which seemed to be more of a discomfort to the humans than to the dogs, the show was a success. “Mercer’s Morning Glory,” a golden retriever, owned and handled by Mercer Russo Evans of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., won Best In Show.

May 27, 1955

Between 400 and 500 people, including town residents, officials of banks from near and far and many other visitors, accepted the Newtown Saving Bank’s invitation to inspect its new facilities on Friday and Saturday of last week. It is safe to say that everybody enjoyed the new décor and spacious quarters of the century-old savings bank.

***

The Red Cross Blood Bank collected a total of 131 pints from donors who kept their appointments last Friday, May 20, in the Congregational Church House, according t the local committee. The committee feels that failure on the part of 36 persons to keep their appointments was a factor in the town falling short 19 pints of its 150 pint quota.

***

The shocked reaction of the community, county and state to the accidental death of A. Fenn Dickinson, first selectman of Newtown, on Tuesday, May 17, made itself felt through the week as various organizations and individuals expressed publicly their sorrow and condolence for the Dickinson family, and their appreciation of Mr Dickinson’s ability as a town official.

***

A class of 14 residents of Sandy Hook, Newtown and Southbury was confirmed last Sunday, May 22, at St John’s Episcopal Church, Sandy Hook by the Rt Rev Robert McConnell Hatch, D.D., suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. Making his first visit to St John’s since his consecration five years ago, Bishop Hatch preached and confirmed 11 and received three others who previously had been confirmed in the Catholic Church.

***

With keen interest in baseball shown by boys of Newtown, several dads, under the leadership of Robert Van Patton-Steiger, are planning formation of a farm team. All boys, not members of the Newtown Little League, who would like to become members of the farm team, are urged to report for first practice on Saturday.

***

The Newtown Country Club will open its tournament season this week-end, combining competitions on Sunday and Monday with a social affair on Sunday evening. Members who have not already done so are urged to visit the club over the week-end to inspect the new facilities, including a new pro shop, enlarged locker room, new bar and re-decorated upstairs lounge.

***

The Newtown Junior High School baseball team won its third game Monday afternoon as Guy Cullen pitched a no-hitter against the Southbury Consolidated School team. Cullen struck out 19 batters and walked but five during the seven innings of play.

May 23, 1930

William Knapp, employed in the building foundations of the new store of E.C. Platt at Hawleyville, met with a peculiar accident, one day recently. In some way a part of the foundation wall fell on top of Mr Knapp, burying him in the soft sand. His fellow workmen did some rapid work and pulled him out after a few minutes.

***

The Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts of Newtown celebrated Parents’ night, last Monday evening. Each patrol had a den or booth arranged to demonstrate the year’s work. The Laural Patrol of Girl Scouts, under the direction of Emily Leahy, the troop lieutenant, exhibited different types of cooking, needlework, knot-tying, first aid, nature study, signaling, wood craft and trailing.

***

Oaren Edwards, Taunton well digger, has just dug a well for Mrs W.C. Turner, Taunton District, Newtown, and is now digging a well for Fred Gerald of Danbury.

***

This week one of the super-productions of the year will be shown at Blackman’s, when “The Wild Party,” featuring Clara Bow, the “It” Girl of the movies. Every girl in this picture is a hand picked beauty and this show has made box office records. It is the show of shows for this town.

***

Numerous citizens of Newtown have called to the attention of the editor, a traffic menace that exists in Newtown. The menace finds its location at the foot of Newtown Street in front of Lovell’s garage, where a constant string of traffic wends its way north, south, east and west. Another dangerous intersection exists at the flagpole in the very center of our village. A traffic light that flashes a caution warning might eliminate some of the needless collisions that occur beneath our splendid flag pole.

***

On Sunday, Emanuel Pipel of the Botsford section was being instructed in the art of driving an auto by his son, Robert, when his car crashed into the side of a machine owned by William Wallace of New York, near the Liberty pole in the Street. Mrs Edna Wallace, an occupant of the Wallace car, received a very severe cut on the jaw, sustained cuts on the nose, some deep lacerations on the forehead and an injury to the outside covering of the skull.

 

May 26, 1905

The Congregational people had a rare treat last Friday evening in listening to W.W. Stevens of Danbury. We live our lives in the positive, comparative or superlative degree; and things naturally rank themselves in one of these three classes just as a careful business man files his documents in the pigeon holes of his desk. The recitations that were given before the gathering of Congregational folk at the home of Mrs Hurd Hewit easily take their place in the highest of the degrees.

***

A.L. Hawley of Hawleyville has a hive of bees from which there have been two swarms of bees during the month of May. He has had five swarms in all during the month of May from his bees.

***

The May meeting of the Men’s club, last Thursday night, at the residence of Robert H. Beers, was one of the pleasantest the club has held in a long time. Each of the guests was supplied with a boutonniere of lilies of the valley. An elaborate supper was enjoyed, after which attention was given to the writings of Kipling, in charge of Dr A.L. Schuyler.

***

On Tuesday evening, May 23, about 21 of the young fiends of Gustave W. Carlson gathered at the home of Miss Susie J. Scudder, in honor of his 21st birthday. A cobweb party and blind man’s buff in the attic were much enjoyed. After this the guests were invited to descend to the dining room, where a huge birthday cake, with 21 candles burning brightly, occupied the center of the table.

***

Arthur I. Platt and Harry Mason of Bridgeport, accompanied by Miss Helen Pratt and Miss Hartwell of the same city, enjoyed a carriage ride to Newtown, Sunday, being entertained at dinner by Prof and Mrs C.S. Platt.

***

A Word From C.J. Merritt: Dear Cousin: I am much interested in the upcoming bi-centennial celebration, to which you have called my attention. The occasions are not frequent, in any town, where local events have occurred of sufficient importance that will, in after years, be of such general interest as to justify a public celebration. When such have occurred, it is eminently proper that the living should take some commemorative action to show due appreciation, and also to stimulate patriotic bits of character in those who are now, and will hereafter be, beneficiaries of the public acts of forefathers long since gone to their reward.