June 17, 1988

The effort to find a “hang out” for Newtown youths free from hassle and the threat of trespassing tickets, until now an all-talk-and-no-action proposition, finally bore some fruit this week. The Parks and Rec Commission voted Tuesday to extend the hours of Dickinson Park until 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays for a three-week trial period, beginning June 24, mainly but not explicitly for teens. The chief concern of the commission was liability. The town’s insurance carrier requires any town-sponsored activity to be supervised at all times. But Chief DeJoseph pointed out that opening the park until 11 pm needn’t be considered an event or activity for teens.

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Elaborate plans for an equestrian-centered community on Poverty Hollow Road recently won preliminary support from land use commissioners and nearby residents. Overall, the new plans for the property include preserving an existing horse farm owned by George Lauinger of Redding and building 47 expensive, secluded homes on lots averaging close to six acres. Also in the works will be certain enticements, such as horse trails, to horse owners and riders to reside here, near the Lauinger farm and his newly built indoor arena.

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Parishioners of the Newtown Congregational Church will be leaving the ancient sanctuary on Main Street and moving to their new home this Sunday, June 19. The congregation will begin a 9:15 am service at the old sanctuary. Then, each person attending will carry a hymnbook or other small religious artifact to the new sanctuary on Castle Hill Road, just a short walk away. Left behind will be the famous cock weathervane, the simple white cross at the head of the church, the console and organ pipes in the balcony, and the 16-light chandelier placed in the center of the church in 1885. The fate of the old sanctuary is still unknown.

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The Board of Education will need to come up with at least $200,000 additional funds to finish the $6 million Middle School renovation project. The additional money is needed to cover an intercom system, a roof over the new entryway, finishing corridor painting and installing two new mud drums for the heating system, while enhancing two standby units. There is the possibility that some bonding money left from other projects could be used to cover the Middle School project. The project, which was begun two years ago, has suffered from several change orders.

June 21, 1963

In the driving rain last Saturday, a light plane, in which were a father, mother, and three children, made a forced landing in a field near Route 34 and Great Ring Road. Paul Burnet of Great Ring Road reports that a taxi came and took the mother and children to better transportation for Boston, Mass., where the plane was headed, and later the father took off in the plane headed for Monroe airport.

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Newtown’s slow-pitch softballers started their third week of play Tuesday evening, with the Vitramon lads winning their overtime game in the eighth on Devito’s two-base blow scoring Mesaros; score 7-6. Regan and Furce starred for the winning squad while the Albert brothers topped the Molders at bat.

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Miss Judy Hempstead, daughter of Mr and Mrs Herbert Hempstead of Dead Man’s Curve, Newtown, has for the past two weeks been the proud owner of a pet robin, which she has named “Baby.” The robin was given to her by a friend who found the bird in Newtown, and is so tame and friendly that it comes when called.

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The Newtown Antique Shop opened officially last Saturday, June 15, under the management of Mrs Ann Killian and Albert Sampley. The shop is located in the center of Newtown, next to the Edmond Town Hall.

June 17, 1938

Michael Mahoney, the Sandy Hook fisherman, caught a fine rainbow trout, last week, down by the bridge. Many the fisherman who would liked to have caught that speckled beauty, for he weighed one pound and a half.

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The commencement exercises for the Class of  ’38 of Hawley School will be held this Thursday evening at 8 o’clock in the Edmond Town Hall, when the largest class in the history of the school will graduate. The three honor students picked from the thirty-two members of the Class are: Lillian Hyatt, Valedictorian; Marion Reynolds, Salutatorian; and Honor Essayist, Barbara Nichols.

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Twenty-three persons were injured on Sunday evening on Mt Pleasant Hill, shortly before 10 o’clock, when a Connecticut Company bus, carrying a party of 27 from New Haven, skidded on the wet pavement into the left hand ditch, through a fence and turned over in a field. A passing motorist, witnessing the accident, summoned Dr Waldo F. Desmond of Main street, and Dr J. Benton Egee of Sandy Hook, who treated many at the scene of the accident.

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A meeting was held at St Rose Casino on Wednesday evening for the purpose of organizing a dramatic club, members of which will be parishioners of St Rose church. These dramatic activities will be under the supervision of Rev William J. Collins and Rev Walter R. Conroy, assisted by William Keane, organist, and various other members of the parish.

 

June 20, 1913

The house of Frank Piskura, in Lake George district, formerly the old Peter Kelly place, was burned to the ground, last Friday, June 13, about noon. They were unable to save anything. James Daley is passing around a subscription for the benefit of Mr Piskura and family and has in the neighborhood of $100 promised.

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At the meeting of the joint Board of School Visitors and selectmen, Tuesday night, the High School committee brought forward a proposition for the introduction of a commercial department in the High school. This matter will be further considered at a meeting of the Board of School Visitors, High school committee and selectmen at some date to be named later.

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George Winton has been supplying the Sandy Hook market for the last week with a crate of extra nice strawberries. The early frosts played havoc, as a general rule, with the strawberry crop in this section.

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George F. Taylor and Dr W.H. Kiernan came near losing their lives in the garage at New Haven, in which there was a big explosion on Tuesday. They had just come out of the garage when the explosion took place. Messrs Taylor and Kiernan were thrown to the ground, the doctor having one arm bruised.