***

Newtown’s new Charter Revision Commission met August 17 in Edmond Town Hall and received the charge of the Legislative Council to confront six problem areas of town government. Council chairman James Severnak conducted the meeting until the six members present elected Richard Sturdevant temporary chairman and Mrs Barbara Phillips temporary secretary of the panel.

***

 At its meeting on August 10, the Board of Selectmen voted to give the Newtown Bicentennial Committee exclusive hawking rights to sell such things as balloons at the Labor Day parade. But, said First Selectman Jack Rosenthal at the board’s August 17 session, he learned in the interim that the purpose in Bicentennial Committee Chairman Christopher Spiro’s original request was not for the group to sell anything at the parade, but to keep other hawkers away. This, Mr Rosenthal considered, was discriminatory. Mr Spiro was out of town this week, so the selectmen discussed what Mr Rosenthal called a “somewhat confusing matter” with three members of the parade committee, Marge Hicks, Marie Sturdevant and Sandy Motyka.

***

The Newtown Board of Police Commissioners covered a mixed bag of topics at its meeting Monday night, touching on whether or not they and the public were getting enough information about the workings of the department, the size of the force, medical reports of men who are out with injuries or illness, and the cost to the town of having the men answer the burglar alarms which come in through the town hall console.

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Mrs Helen Reid of Tunnel Road is Newtown’s new dog warden. The petite lady has had experience with dogs since 1954 when she bought her first German shepherd. She has been showing Alaskan malemutes since 1962 and now maintains a private kennel of them.

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Don Lewis was elected chief of the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department and Kenneth Casey its president at the first August meeting of the volunteers.

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Terming the land “extremely lovely,” Newtown Legislative Council member Jack Kipp told his fellow members Wednesday that he highly recommends they recommend to a town meeting the purchase of 24.3 acres of Huntingtown Road land Bridgeport Hydraulic Company (BHC) has offered for sale to the town. The council also heard Wednesday night that the town’s umbrella catastrophe insurance may cost more than anticipated, and appointed one of its members as liaison to the Board of Education for contract negotiations.

***

On Friday, August 22, 1930, Edmond Town Hall was formally presented to the Town of Newtown by Arthur Treat Nettleton, one of the executors of the will of Miss Mary Elizabeth Hawley who so generously gave the building to the town. The date marked the anniversary of Miss Hawley’s birth on August 22, 1857. It was a source of grief to the entire town that she did not live to see Edmond Town Hall completed, her death having occurred on May 11, 1930. The formal presentation of the deed by Mr Nettleton to First Selectman Thomas F. Brew took place at ten o’clock on that Friday morning of August 22, 1930, and the building was thrown open for public inspection from one o’clock until 10 pm. There was a recital of orchestral music and a talking picture program, both afternoon and evening. Today Newtown’s Edmond Town Hall, together with its endowment, is taken very much for granted.

 

AUGUST 24, 1951

The highlight of the year for several hundred young people throughout Fairfield County is being reached this Friday and Saturday, August 24 and 25, when the ninth annual 4-H Club Fair will be in progress on the Monroe School grounds, Monroe. The yearly fair is the place where the 4-H Club boys and girls bring the best results of their club work, exhibit in friendly competition and engage in demonstrations and contests.

***

An unusual and rewarding program of varied instrumental and vocal music was performed to a large audience in the Edmond Town Hall theatre last Thursday evening when Mrs Allen Northey Jones and Mrs Felix Baridon, sponsors, brought to the stage their “Music On The Terrace” for the benefit of Danbury Hospital.

***

Pfc Richard A. Dean of Sandy Hook is one of 1,214 rotation combat troops from the Orient aboard the transport Gen Simon B. Buckner which was due to arrive in Seattle, Wash., on Wednesday. Pfc Dean enlisted in the regular Army for three years in March, 1950, and joined the Army Engineering Corps. Following a short period of basic training, he went overseas soon after his enlistment, and has since been on active duty in Korea.

***

Newtown Kennel Club will pass another landmark in its rapid rise to regional and national fame this Saturday, August 25, when its second annual licensed outdoor show will be held on the athletic grounds of Danbury High School. Success of the show was virtually assured this week when the American Kennel Club’s books for the Danbury show were closed with a total entry of 585 dogs. As they did last year, boxers led the breeds in total entries.

***

Petitions were recently sent to the office of the Secretary of State at Hartford, signed by a sufficient number of local voters, to insure inclusion of Independent candidates for the Board of Education and Board of Finance on the ballots for the biennial town election in October. Donald R. McCain, Jr, and Mrs Mortimer Smith will appear as candidates for election to the Board of Education and Robert J. Clark and Dr Russell Strasburger as candidates for the Board of Finance.

***

Members of the Newtown Rotary Club, with their wives, enjoyed a clambake on the grounds of Southbury Training School Monday night in place of the usual Monday meeting at the Parker House. Prior to the dinner, the members viewed some of the latest developments about the institution. Serving on the committee were Miles Harris, Donald R. McCain, Jr, Dr Clifford G. Johnson, and Victor T. Harper, director of psychological services at the school.

***

The Housatonic Valley Clean Waters League, Inc, organized several years ago to combat unfavorable conditions in the waters of Lake Zoar, the Housatonic River and its contributary streams, is holding a general meeting and election of officers in the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium this Friday night at 8 o’clock. The public is cordially invited and urged to attend. Emil F. Seifert of Sandy Hook is secretary-treasurer.

AUGUST 20, 1926

The Walnut Tree Hill Special is handling the season’s rush with a 100 percent efficiency. The new 1926 Model cars have taken excellent care of the heavy traffic.

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Samuel Nalven, who recently sold his store in Huntingtown after 19 years in business, has moved, this week, with his family to Brooklyn, N.Y. and has entered into the contracting business.

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The annual meeting of Sandy Hook Free Public Library was held in the library rooms August 10. The following officers were elected: Chairman, John O. Petzschler; and Board of Directors: John O. Petzschler, Mrs H.G. Warner, Miss Anna May Betts, and Mrs Morris Beers.

***

 

AUGUST 23, 1901

Sunday morning about 7:30 o’clock the bell of the North Center schoolhouse was heard to ring out merrily. The residents of that section thought a fire was in progress. Two boys, old enough to know better, were seen running from the building down the hill.

***

It is a fine sight one sees in the plum orchard of William Parker in Obtuse. He estimates that his crop will be about 100 baskets.

***

Edward Camp captured a four and one-half pound bass in Taunton Lake, one day last week.

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At a meeting of the School Board on Saturday at the North Center schoolhouse certificates were granted to Miss Edith E. Morse for Taunton, Miss Florence Lake for Palestine and Miss Sarah D. Green for Head of Meadow. Miss Edna Booth of Hattertown took the examination for practice and passed creditably.

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Miss Emma L. Ferry has been engaged to teach the Flat Swamp School for the coming year.