December 29, 1995

In the 14 years Dick McGuire has been postmaster in Newtown, he’s never seen a Christmas season like this one... With the snowstorms in the Northeast and other weather related problems across the country that closed airports and held up the mail, the week before Christmas at the post office in Newtown was its busiest ever. To make sure that people got their Christmas packages, local postal employees worked Saturday, Sunday, and even on Christmas Day.

***

The town has received approval for a $30,000 federal grant intended to place laptop computers in police patrol cars, First Selectman Robert Cascella said Wednesday... Having computers in patrol cars will allow officers to do more of their records work at the site of infractions and criminal offenses, thus saving the time they would spend on such paperwork at the police station.

***

Workmen Tuesday repaired the exterior of a state-owned house on the grounds of Fairfield Hills on Queen Street at its intersection with Mile Hill Road. Although the state recently moved its psychiatric facilities from Fairfield Hills, it has been making repairs to some of the many houses it owns on Queen Street and Mile Hill Road South to preserve them for the future.

***

Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Commission members next week are scheduled to consider proposed zoning amendments to allow commercial golf courses and golf driving ranges in M-6 Industrial Zones... Ridgefield golf pro Peter Belmont of Peter Belmont, Inc, would like to buy 130 acres of the D’Addario Sand & Stone Company Inc’s sand and gravel mining area in Botsford to build and 18-hole golf course with Par 3 holes and an adjacent golf driving range.

***

Newtown High School junior Ryan Moore was pressed into action [last Thursday] as [the team’s] center when the Lady Indians lost Liz Glazer to injury last week. Newtown had earlier lost center Michelle Draper, leaving the team without any size down low. Moore filled in ably, though, scoring a career-high 14 points in leading her team to a 47-36 come-from-behind victory over Joel Barlow.

***

Assistant Superintendent of Schools Bob Kuklis may have been the right man at the right time for Newtown. As educators and parents put more and more emphasis on state mastery test scores, schools have been working harder to prepare students for these tests. Newtown is hoping to get ahead of the game with the help of Dr Kuklis, who has brought with him a strong background in curriculum assessment. Dr Kuklis, 56, came to Newtown a year ago with years of experience both as a teacher and administrator in New York.

December 25, 1970

In a referendum Friday, Newtown residents voted 4-3 in favor of acquiring the Boyle site for an elementary school to serve the Dodgingtown-Taunton District... The total vote for the referendum was 1,698, which included the first and second districts. This was the second referendum on a school site in six months. The first was for the Luf property in June and showed a much larger turnout.

***

In open session [of the Planning & Zoning Commission] a section of the Luf property off Great Hill Road was discussed, 47 acres to be divided into 36 lots. This is near, but not identical to the site which had been considered for an elementary school. The section brought up Friday is known as “Luf 101.” The map, first presented in 1967 shows 36 lots... but some of the lots might be combined to meet state requirements.

***

On December 17 the Knights of Columbus, represented by Nick Hayes, Grand Knight, and Harry Truchon, Institutional Representative, presented Boy Scout Troop 470 with an American flag and a Troop flag... The Troop committee presented Scoutmaster Tom Helmacy a gift of thanks for a great deal of hard work and time... Santa Claus arrived and passed out gifts to the Scouts and their younger brothers and sisters.

***

The third snowstorm of the month began early Tuesday morning and guaranteed a white Christmas for Newtown. As the snow fell during most of the day, it looked as though there was going to be more than the approximately three to four inches that accumulated... Motorists didn’t run into any major difficulties with the exception of freezing rain on windshields in the late afternoon and evening, which caused difficulty in seeing. According to the police, there were no skidding accidents reported in town.

***

One of Main Street’s historic old homes has been sold and will be used as a private residence and a real estate office. The house built in 1792 is located on the corner of Main Street and Church Hill Road and was purchased by Ray Gold from Dr John Herlihy. Mr and Mrs Gold and their three children moved into the house on December 22. When weather permits, renovations will done on the large house, which boasts of two chimneys, a regal cherry center stairway, six bedrooms and four baths. There is also a three story barn at the rear of the property.

***

During the last several weeks many 125-foot I-beams have been seeing coming up Church Hill Road and making a perilous turn at the flagpole on their way to Bridgeport. On Monday, James Roberts of Torrington, driver for the Brunalli Construction Company of Southington, didn’t quite make the turn off I-84 onto Church Hill Road. The beam got caught on the median divider and it took a bit of constructive thinking to get it loose.

December 21, 1945

All who have had occasion to drive by The Kegs recently have enjoyed the Christmas decorations with Santa’s sleigh and reindeer atop the roof, as well as a large and fascinating assortment of toys — for which St Nick is so famous.

***

The Pohtatuck Grange hall is now completely secured to its new foundation, the work being done the past few weeks by Martin Sealander, local contractor. The Grange also boasts a brand new furnace, which was installed this past week.

***

A large and enthusiastic audience enjoyed the benefit concert given last Thursday evening at Edmond Town Hall, with Caesar Finn and Vladamir Zymbaluk as the evening’s artists. Mr Finn, of New York, showed marked ability, both as a pianist and composer... The richness, depth, and volume of Vladamir Zymbaluk’s voice, in spite of a bad cold, filled the audience with pride and wonder. Pride, because he is a Newtown boy and a graduate of Hawley High, class of 1941, and wonder, because it is so obvious to anyone who appreciates music, that with a few years of training, Newtown will be able to boast of being the hometown of a great basso.

***

Many people enjoyed watching the eclipse of the moon on Tuesday evening, the severe storm of Wednesday delaying itself long enough for clear skies to hold, all during the eclipse. Henry Allan Price of Currituck Hill, Newtown’s foremost astronomer, tells us that there will be a conjunction of Mars and the moon on this Friday evening, December 21, when Mars will be no more than half a degree from the moon, affording another good chance to watch the skies.

***

Some twenty boys, their fathers, and members of the Troop committee gathered at the Parker House on Saturday evening at 6:30 to enjoy the annual “Father and Son Banquet” and to formally welcome the return of the Troop Scoutmaster, Rev Paul A. Cullens, who is now home from his overseas service as Army Chaplain.

***

A heavy rush of Christmas mail is being experienced at the post offices in town. Not only is the mail “heavy,” but it started early and continues so. The regular staff at the Newtown Post Office is augmented by Mrs Evelyn Cole and Richard Rideout. For the past few days it has taken until late in the evening to sort all of the incoming mail.

December 10, 1920

While going the rounds of his traps on Sunday, Ernest Ingraham made a gruesome find about noon of that day, coming on to the skeleton of a human body in Hanover district on the Milliken property, about 500 feet from the Housatonic river and about a mile and a half from the residence of Edgar T. Andrews. Mr Ingraham, on going to his home in the Glen, at once sent word of the discovery of the skeleton to Dr Walter H. Kiernan, the local medical examiner, who with Sheriff Beers, went to Mr Ingraham’s home and were guided by him to the lonely spot where the skeleton lay... A pair of shoes, evidently of expensive make were found and part of a Derby hat. Dr Kiernan thinks he must have been a very tall man... Whether the body was brought there and deposited, or whether he died while roaming over that lonely section is purely a matter of conjecture. The man had a very fine set of teeth.

***

Each year the Newtown Library subscribes to a long list of magazines. As the price has advanced materially this year, is there not someone who is a subscriber who would be willing to donate their magazines to the Library after reading them themselves? If so, kindly notify Miss Peck, librarian, phone 32-2. Among the magazines desired are: Harper’s, Scribner’s, Century, Atlantic, Munsey, Woman’s Home Companion, Ladies’ Home Journal, People’s Home Journal, Delineator, American Boy, Popular Science, Everybody’s, World’s Work, Good Housekeeping, McClures, McCalls, St Nicholas, Science and Invention.

***

At The Town Hall: Mary Pickford appeared in a delightful role in “Captain Kidd, Jr,” last Saturday night, and scored a decisive hit with a large and appreciative audience. This week makes the second appearance of a most popular star, Charles Ray, in what is widely known as the original “Country Boy of the Screen” in “String Beans.” There is a humor and dramatic thrills in the development of the plot.

***

Some contentions made by the New Haven Dairy Company in an appealed case heard before Judge James H. Webb of the superior court, which involved disagreements over rules for the pasteurization of milk made by the state dairy and food commission, have been won by the company in a decision just handed down... The court removes the maximum of 145 degrees of heat in pasteurization, but heat must not drop below 142 degrees... The company’s contention that it is a difficult task to hold heat during the process between 142 and 143 degrees, admitted by the state board, is recognized by the court. The decision also favors the company in its claim that the maximum degree of heat is one of business policy to be settled between the company and the customer. The higher the heat, the lower the cream line.

Your memories are the ones we want to share! Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to editor@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.