October 28, 1994

A fire caused by a quartz heater damaged a ground floor storage room in the Pizza Villa Restaurant on Riverside Road in Sandy Hook on Thursday morning. The fire was reported shortly after 8 am by school bus driver Gary Wheeler, who noticed the smoke. Firefighters from Sandy Hook responded, followed shortly by Hook & Ladder. “The firemen did a hell of a job,” said Fire Marshal George Lockwood after the fire was out. “That’s an old building. If they hadn’t knocked down the fire quickly, the whole building would be gone.” The fire was contained to the ground floor storage room although there was some smoke damage upstairs. A professional crew was called to clean the restaurant. Mr Lockwood said it would be at least a day before it reopened.

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The school system has grown by about 99 children since last October, according to October 1 school enrollment figures. Superintendent John Reed said in the 1993-94 enrollment grew by about 200 children. If growth had continued at that rate, he said he would have put forth a proposal to build a fifth elementary school. Due to its slowing, he said he will monitor the situation for another school year. De Reed said the elementary schools are not yet overcrowded, but some are experiencing a tight fit. Dr Reed said there is one more kindergarten teacher than last year to deal with the increase. Still, the Board of Education likes kindergarten classes to be under 20 students, and classes are now over 20, Dr Reed said.

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Part-time help wanted. P/T advertising telemarketer needed for growing monthly publication. Experience helpful, but not necessary. Interest in horses a plus! Flexible hours — pleasant environment. Call: The Newtown Bee, 426-3141, ask for Michael Enright.

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Criminal Mischief. On the night of October 24, a Clearview Drive man found his bicycle, which had been missing for two weeks, vandalized on his front yard, police said. The man also found his mailbox post pulled out from the ground. The estimated damage costs are $100, police said.

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Remember the tale of the one-armed man? Anyone who ever sat around a campfire or attended a sleepover knows some variation of that tale. The story was always told when it was very dark and quiet. The suspense of the man’s search for his missing limb always culminated with someone reaching out and grabbing your arm. The unexpected touch was accompanied by shrieks and screams. That kind of dramatic haunting has staying power not only because the story is memorable, but because the response of the entire experience is on total mental recall and stays with you forever. As Halloween draws near, signs for haunted happenings are posted everywhere. Though haunted hayrides, trails and houses offer immediate thrills, a good Halloween read will haunt you forever. Scared Silly! (A book for the brave), by Marc Brown. Published by Little Brown & Company, 61 pgs, hard cover, $18.95.

October 17, 1969

Louis Birdsey Parsons was feted on Sunday, October 5, at a surprise party for his 85th birthday, at the home of his daughter, Ellen Strong, of Southbury. Those from Newtown who attended were Mrs Charlotte Forbell, Miss Anna May Betts, Hawley Warner, Roswell Tilson, Mrs Edgar Northrop and Mr and Mrs Charles Botsford. Mr Parsons wishes to thank all who came to visit him and for the gifts and cards he received to make his birthday an enjoyable one.

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The annual meeting of the Newtown Forest Association will be held this Friday afternoon, October 17, at the Congregational Church House at 3:30 o’clock. Members are urged to attend. Reports will be given for the past year, which has been a banner one with some important acquisitions of property. Officers and directors will be elected, and an amendment to the by-laws considered. The amendment would provide for nine, rather than seven directors, and redefine some of the officers’ responsibilities.

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Hawley Family Society members made their annual pilgrimage Saturday, October 11, to assemble for their traditional reunion. This year’s meeting, the 47th since founding the organization in Bridgeport, was as the Hawley Manor Inn. Few family associations remain of the thousands which have been formed over the country, and fewer still can claim a longer unbroken span of active life. Miss Emily Haley of Brookfield sparked the original reunion in 1923 when she invited all the then-known descendants of Joseph Hawley of Stratford to meet in Bridgeport. The response was so enthusiastic that the group incorporated into a society of The Hawley Family Inc. It has met at least once a year since that time. It has been estimated that there are over 50,000 descendants of Joseph Hawley, who was one of the founders of Stratford, and its first Town Clerk. His handwritten records have been carefully preserved, a few years ago they were covered with plastic film, rendering them immune to further deterioration.

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Telephone customers will find the Danbury Phone Store at a new location starting Monday, October 20. The office will move from 39 West Street to rented quarters at 325 Main Street. The new location will be convenient for customers who want to select new phones, inquire about service, pay phone bills, or discuss job opportunities.

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Newtown Hook & Ladder Company will sponsor its traditional children’s Halloween party on Friday, October 31 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium. The program this year will include live entertainment with Jeff Verry and his group, games, prizes for most original, prettiest, and funniest costumes. Refreshments will be served to both youngsters and parents.

October 20, 1944

Announcement is made by Alvin B. Coger, Republican Town Committee chair, that Congressman Clare Booth Luce will speak in Newtown at the Edmond Town Hall on Thursday, November 2, at 7:30 pm. Mrs Luce, who is seeking reelection to Congress for this district, is in large demand as a speaker, both in the district and throughout the state and the nation. The local Republican committee feels fortunate in being able to arrange her Newtown appearance. On that same day she will also speak at Grace church in Trumbull at 3 pm and in Shelton at 9 pm The public will be cordially invited to hear her.

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A Democratic rally will be held in the Alexandria Room at the Edmond Town Hall on Tuesday, October 31, at 7:30 in the evening. Brien McMahon, candidate for U.S. Senate, will speak on “Win the Peace.” Robert A. Hurley, candidate for Governor, will talk on “Connecticut’s Part in World Affairs.” The subject for Margaret E. Connors, candidate for Congress, will be “The Meaning of a Good Record.” The public is invited to attend.

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Save time... with a McCormick-Deering milker. Thousands of farmers the country over are saving valuable time in these days of farm help shortages by using milking machines. If you area the fortunate owner of a McCormick-Deering milker, take the best possible care of it. If you need a new milker, ask us about the availability of a new machine. Brooklawn Grain & Feed Co, Bridgeport.

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At rare intervals newspaper proprietors declare, above or below some column that has become more or less famous: “We are not responsible for what appears in this column.” That is not altogether a truthful statement. The publisher, by selecting the name of one person out of a hatful of columnists’ names, and printing the stuff given out by the one who wins the job, does have responsibility. If I were the publisher, I would be inclined to keep standing in print above the column this warning —”Columnist, remember Oliver Cromwell the successful general, statesman and monarch of England called The Lord Protector, and considered well his speech to the Presbyterian ministers of the Church of Scotland — “I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think that you may be wrong!”

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Mrs Anne Boothe Murphy’s pretty little newly bought, newly decorated home, The Band Box, suffered a small fire early Monday morning. Smoke penetrated the upper story of the house, wakened Mrs Murphy who discovered that in some way a fire had started from the fireplace and was just bursting into a brisk little blaze in the floor and wall. The Washington Fire Department responded promptly to the call, and the fire, which fortunately had not made much progress, was quickly extinguished. The Band Box was very lucky that the fire was discovered quickly. Mrs Taylor, and her daughters Miss Hope Taylor and Mrs Stephens, with Little Virginia Stephens, will occupy the Band Box this Winter. Little Virginia, by the way, will celebrate her first birthday on October tenth.

October 17, 1919

Arthur J. Crowe attended the Danbury fair on Friday.

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There is no improvement in the case of William A. Canfield, the popular Sandy Hook RFD Man, who remains gravely Ill at his residence on the Boulevard.

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Dr W. H. Kiernan returned from Three Rivers, Canada on Tuesday, where he went to see his brother-in-law, Dr George Bourgeois, who is gravely ill.

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James Campbell is putting in new gates at the Sandy Hook grist mill and is getting in readiness for the big fall rush.

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Mrs M. F. Carmody has been visiting friends in Danbury this week.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with The Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed to kendra@thebee.com or brought to the office at 5 Church Hill Road to be scanned. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.