June 14, 1996

A referendum has been set for Wednesday, June 19, to decide the fate of the $29 million high school and Hawley School expansion projects. More than enough signatures were gathered in a petition drive last weekend to force a machine vote on the projects, which had been approved at a town meeting on June 3... The questions on the ballot will be the same as those approved at the town meeting: To appropriate $24,922,000 for the high school project, and $4,183,000 for Hawley School, although it isn’t known yet exactly how much the elementary school project will cost.

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The Newtown Police Commission has selected a current captain with the Bristol Police Department to become Newtown’s new police chief. Following an executive session June 9, Police Commission members voted 4-0 to hire James E. Lysaght, Jr, 47, to become Newtown’s top law enforcement official. Mr Lysaght replaces Michael DeJoseph, who retired as police chief in March.

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Since 1977, Sandy Hook Elementary School Principal Ron Vitarelli usually drives himself into work each morning, but last Thursday, he arrived in a limousine. The longtime SHS principal will step down from his post this month after nearly 20 years of service to the Dickinson Drive school... The day started off normally enough for Mr Vitarelli who, along with his wife Marie, awoke at their Middlebury home and got dressed for work. But when the limousine driver showed up at the front door of the Vitarelli residence, the regularity of the day began to get irregular... During the limousine drive, Mr Vitarelli enjoyed coffee and donuts as he took in the many sights seen so frequently during his trips into school.

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Nothing could match last year’s World Special Olympic Games in Connecticut for pageantry, but the same exhilaration and determination were visible among the participants at the equestrian competition in the Connecticut Special Olympics State Games on June 8 in Lion Hill Farm in Easton, Conn. Megan Riley, 12, of Sandy Hook, who has been riding only two months, attended the Game with her parents Robin and Jack. They watched as Megan rode Frosty, a gray pony, to a gold medal in equitation and a bronze in trails. Megan, a Sandy Hook School fifth grader, participates once a week at the therapeutic riding program at Stepping Stones Farm in Bethany.

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In light of the Planning & Zoning Commission’s intention to eliminate rear house lots in one-acre residential zones, builders and developers have been submitting residential subdivision applications for areas with such zoning at a rapid pace. The P&Z plans to hold a public hearing June 20... P&Z members added rear-lot, one-acre residential zoning to the zoning regulations last summer, but since then they have determined that such zoning creates construction densities that are too high.

June 11, 1971

The lower room of the Yankee Drover Inn was filled with 110 friends and relatives of Clayton Lewis who came to a testimonial dinner give for him by the Newtown Bus Drivers Association on June 4. Mr Lewis is retiring at the end of this school year after driving a school bus for the system for 45 years.

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The new $5,000,000 high school in Sandy Hook has been occupied for a full school year, and all is not well. The fact that there are some serious problems which could cost a great deal of money to remedy was discussed at the Board of Education meeting on June 8... The first problem is a lack of ventilation, poor acoustics, and a bad exhaust system in the industrial arts shops... The second is, temperature-wise, the school runs hot and cold... The third is trouble with the water system... Following the discussions there were no decisions made by the Board except to call the meeting with Mr Fodor [unidentified] as soon as possible.

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On May 28, Henry Paproski discontinued the milk route which he and his brother, Sam, began 35 years ago. However, milk is still very much the Paproski’s business with the operation of their large dairy farm on Sugar Lane.

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A freak storm hit the Bee area Tuesday evening, felling trees which brought down power lines in some areas, particularly Newtown and Brookfield in this section, and hopscotching to leave other towns almost dry. One sad event was the death at the height of the thunder and lightning of a well-known horse, Ward Eight, perhaps better known as Connecticut Yankee. The barn was not struck, fortunately, but a particularly bright flash and loud clap apparently sent him into panic. He died in his stall of a massive heart attack. Ward Eight had been stabled for some time at Open Gate Farm in Newtown.

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The fourth unit for The Bee’s Goss Community offset press arrived from Chicago last week. It is now installed and in use for the first time, to print extra pages for this week’s issue. Weighing over 6,000 pounds, workmen from Mariano Brothers Inc of Danbury eased the unit off the truck and placed it in the building as though it were no more than a pound of butter.

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Precast cement beams were delivered and put into place Tuesday at the bridge site for the new dump off of Route 25. The crane hoisted the parts into place, and the structure will span the railroad tracks and lead to the main dumping area for the townspeople. In the meantime, all the garbage which for so many years had been left at the Route 34 area is being moved by the state and used for fill in the construction for the widening of I-84.

June 7, 1946

Two evenings of fun and frolic were enjoyed by the large crowds which attended the Mardi Gras on Friday and Saturday nights at the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium... the gym had been transformed into a most realistic street scene in New Orleans, with booths for the concessions arranged along the walls... At the west end of the gym, a life-like Showboat, “The Dixie Belle” was painted in most expert fashion, aboard which casts of local actors and actresses gave two stirring melodramas each night.

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Clear skies and bright sunshine supported the impressive Memorial Day ceremonies held last Thursday morning at the Memorial Monument for Soldiers and Sailors at the head of Main Street. The exercises were in charge of Charles Howard Peck, Sr, and Jr Post 308, VFW. Some 50 members of the Post and 20 other returned veterans, members of the Auxiliary, joined by Boy Scouts marched from Edmond Town Hall to the scene of the ceremony.

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Feminine members of the teaching staff at Hawley School, aided by Walter Los, played a game of softball, Wednesday afternoon after school against a team of high school girls. To the astonishment of the faculty players, and the dismay of the students, the final score showed the teachers in the lead.

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On Thursday evening next, June 13, at 8:30 o’clock, there will take place in the Edmond Town Hall the first concert of the Newtown Orchestral Society in five years. In celebration of this event, the Society has succeeded in securing Percy Grainger, the world famous pianist and composer, as soloist... Mr Grainger will play with orchestral accompaniment the famous and currently tremendously popular Grieg Concerto in A minor.

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“Jack” Leavy’s Sandy Hook ball team continued on its winning way on Memorial Day afternoon, when they played Woodbury and won 8-3 behind the masterful pitching of “Bud” Luckner, who earned 17 strikeouts and allowed only 3 hits.

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The Regional Board of Education will meet with the boards of Newtown, Southbury, Woodbury, and Bethlehem at the Southbury Consolidated School on Monday, June 10, at 8 o’clock to choose a superintendent for the supervisory district recently voted unanimously by all boards.

May 27, 1921

The body of C. Howard Peck, son of Dr and Mrs C.H. Peck, who died in France, was brought to Newtown for burial, Wednesday afternoon. Rev James Lasher and Rev W. C. Cravner of Flushing, N.Y. officiated at the impressive service in the Newtown cemetery. John O. Pitzschler sounded Taps as the body was lowered to its last resting place. A large number of the former members of the Roosevelt hospital unit were present at the burial.

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Wesley Peck and Louis Pettit were in a serious accident, Saturday night, when a Ford car they were driving turned over near The Bee office. Mr Peck was thrown against the railing and suffered bruises on the chest and hip. Pettit was also badly bruised. Dr E.L. Kingman attended them. Emanuel Braga and Manuel Freyer lifted the car off from the unfortunate men.

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The Parker House, formerly the Grand Central Hotel, was formally opened to the public the first of the week under the capable management of W.D. Parker. Extensive improvements have been made throughout the hotel. The large dining room has been handsomely redecorated, the side wall in French gray and the ceiling in white... In front of the house a very attractive sign has been placed bearing the words, The Parker House, and the grounds have been fast put in good condition.

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A very beautiful entertainment was given at the meeting of Pootatuck Grange, Tuesday night, it being Children’s night. The program was under the able management of that gifted authoress and poetess, Mrs Austin B. Blakeman, who has delighted Newtown audiences on previous occasions with the presentation of original pageants.

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There will be some good horse racing on Memorial Day, May 30, daylight saving time, at the Danbury Fair Grounds, with a free for all pace, a 2.17 trot, a 2.30 trot and a 2.30 pace. Admission 50 cents, including the war tax.

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There is a remarkable real estate boom in the vicinity of Lake Zoar at Stevenson. John B. Downes has sold a tract of 100 acres of land to the Bridgeport Star Summer Colony. Mr Downes has also sold in the Great Quarter section bordering on Lake Zoar 100 acres to Elmore & Hurd of Bridgeport. It is the purpose of these latter parties to develop Derby, Ansonia, and New Haven colonies on the tract. The section has been named Housatonic Heights. A week ago, Sunday, there were four bus loads of people from Bridgeport and about 100 automobiles at Stevenson looking over the new bungalow sites.

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.