November 19, 1993

In its review of possible uses for property and buildings at the 800-acre Fairfield Hills campus, the Fairfield Hills Task Force has heard proposals from several state and local departments and agencies. These proposals are designed to solve or alleviate specific problems by attaching some small parcel of Fairfield Hills to one bureaucracy or another. Very few proposals are destined to add much to the quality of life in Newtown. Last week, the Newtown Bridle Lands Association outlined a plan to set aside a 275-acre tract for use as a horse park suitable for major equestrian competitions. With all the competing suggestions for the use of the land and buildings at Fairfield Hills for storage, for offices, and various public facilities, it would be easy for this beautiful expanse at the heart of town to evolve into a jumble of small bureaucratic domains, each with a narrow purpose, and none with the potential to make a significant contribution to community life. The horse park, on the other hand, would bring to Newtown economic development, tax revenue, educational opportunities, while preserving open space. The Task Force should saddle up this proposal and see how far it travels with the state.

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CALIFORNIA, HERE THEY COME: The Newtown High School Marching Band has been selected to perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasedena on January 2, 1995. Band Director Zack Zamary said the band was one of 22 college and high school bands selected form the U.S. and Europe. This is only the third time a Connecticut band has been selected. “It really is a major feather in our cap,” said Mr Zamary. In June he had submitted the band’s resume, photos, and video. A month ago the band learned it was among the final 30 bands for consideration and was asked to send audio for the final screening. On November 15 the band received a letter noting its acceptance. Mr Zamary noted that it would be a formidable task to raise additional money for the trip, which will include air transportation and room and board.

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INDIANS ARE HEADS-UP AND ON THE BALL: The boys on the high school soccer team made the vow that they would shave their heads if they made it to the state championship. After their semifinal win against Wilton on November 15, they did just that. And although coach Larry Ashmore avoided the camera, he didn’t escape the razor. Who knows what top-seeded Hand-Madison will think at the Class L state finals on Friday night when they see this busload of Martians arrive.

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The Gaston home at 18 Main Street will be featured on Dateline Newtown, a local Crown Cable channel 21 program, on Mondays, November 22 and 29, at 8 pm. The program is produced by Gary Fetzer and features Family Life Center Co-Chairs Judy Pierce and Carol Garbarino, as well as Alan Clavette, center treasurer. They will discuss this year’s Holiday Festival.

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The Rocking Roosters will dance on November 19 at the Edmond Town Hall at 8 pm. Attendees are urged to bring canned goods, pasta, peanut butter and other nonperishables that will be used to replenish FAITH Food Pantry at St John’s Church in Sandy Hook. The dance offers participants the opportunity to combine their dancing with an effort to make the Thanksgivings of some unfortunate families just a little more festive. Club caller Allen Finkenaur will be on hand to direct dancers through their paces while Harold Roy will be the cuer.

November 22, 1968

Monday’s heavy rain kept many people from attending during the day and the evening meeting of the Historical Society held at the home of Jerome Jackson in Sandy Hook. Nevertheless, those who did brave the weather found very rewarding the opportunity to view Mr Jackson’s extensive collection of old clocks. His first clock was a Seth Thomas Flat OG clock made in Plymouth, Conn., about 1840 with the case made in Thomaston in about 1850. His oldest mechanical clock still going is one made by John Z. Bushman, London, England, in 1680. In his collection are many varied time pieces going far back of the 1680s.

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It wasn’t a bomb, though it started a bomb scare; it wasn’t a bird, though it had to have travelled through the air; it wasn’t Superman, though his help was needed, for three strong men could not move this unidentified object. What it is, it turns out, is a piece of electronic equipment. Its owner is unknown, as is the method of transportation to a wooded area about a mile and a quarter off Main Street. It was found Sunday by Bill P. Fleming of Southbury. It made a hole four to five feet deep and about six feet in diameter. He made a quick call to John Wargo, a friend at the Navy Recruiting Office in Waterbury, and men soon arrived to pick up “The Thing” and found they couldn’t do it. In Monday’s rain, Navy equipment arrived to take “The Thing” into the Navy’s safekeeping. It now awaits the attention of Navy exports from Rhode Island.

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SO WE GOOFED. It was a great game, fine play, and good pictures of it in last week’s paper — front page, no less —but The Bee wouldn’t even make the scrub team, certainly not the Newtown High School varsity! The high school football team beat Mt Everett, not Masuk, in the last game. Our apologies to all three schools.

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During the week of Halloween, Jim Crick displayed a 96-pound pumpkin, which he had grown himself, on his Glover Avenue front porch. He maintained constant guard over it, bringing it in each night. After spook-day, he hollowed it out and filled it with several bags of cement and left it out around the clock to tempt the crooks. One day it was among the missing, but Jim didn’t realize this until it was returned, and he found out that it took six men to steal it. Curious about its weight, the pumpkin-nappers put it on a scale with a 250-pound maximum and it hit the top.

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Doctor Robert Grossman, the bee man of Main Street, is blowing bees from the hive prior to taking the honey crop. This method, instead of smoke, was used by the doctor this year for the first time, and with fine results. After leaving enough honey for the bees to eat during the winter, Bob found himself with well over 300 pounds of the sweet stuff, available now to the public in jars or five-pound pails. The product is being sold at the General Store on Main Street and at Borodenko’s Market in the Shopping Center. While he was swiping the honey, about 20 bees found an opening around his boots and left him plenty of reminders of just whose honey he was fooling with.

November 26, 1943

Technical Sergeant William Cornut, son of Mr and Mrs Lucien Cornut of Pepper Street, Stepney, is enjoying three weeks of furlough with his parents, having just returned from North Africa where he has been attached to the 98th Bombardment group. Sergeant Curnut has been in the service since August 1942, and has made over 55 bombing missions over enemy territory as a gunner and radio operator on a B-24 bomber. In October he was cited for having completed 300 flying hours in the Middle East and Mediterranean section.

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The season’s first serious snowstorm on Monday night and Tuesday, together with high wind, gave Newtown people the first real taste of winter. Snow fell to a depth of 1½ inches. While motorists encountered little inconvenience on the roads, hills became quite slippery. Trucks and passenger cars were stalled, and it was not until noon, when the snow started to melt, that traffic moved normally.

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Mr and Mrs John McKenzie, who for the past three years have been employed at the Churchill’s Quiet Valley Farm in Hopewell’s district, and who were British subjects, have been called back to Scotland and sailed from Canada on November 21.

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Book Week was observed at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library with a most appropriate program presented Friday evening by Marni Wood of Dodgingtown district and May Bradshaw Hays, well-known literary and dramatic critic. Marni, the first speaker of the evening, gave an entertaining talk on magazine publishing, taking her listeners behind the scenes as she described her work on the editorial staff of American Home. The popularity of May Bradshaw Hays as a speaker in the field of book reviewing was ably demonstrated in her informal and highly informative talk, in the course of which she gave a well-worded description of a number of current books which are receiving wide attention at the present time. She spoke of the wide opportunities which reading affords, not only to take ourselves away from our own sometimes dull existence but also to transport us to far parts of the world, meeting distinguished people and living through all sorts of experiences, from murder to love, all of which are open to us through the pages of books available to everyone.

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The local firemen were called to the residence of Henry Karrmann, superintendent of the Allen Jones farm, on Monday evening, to extinguish a chimney fire. Fortunately, no damage was done.

November 22 , 1918

Mrs Alvah Meeker opened her pleasant home Friday evening for a miscellaneous shower for Millie Stevens, one of the coming brides. She was the recipient of a basket full of useful and handsome presents. Refreshments of cake, coffee, and sandwiches were served.

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A canvass of the town will be made in the next two weeks to ascertain how much food was saved by the women this summer. This is a state-wide canvass and it is hoped that the women will cheerfully aid the canvassers in making this drive a success. Count your cans today and be ready to answer the questions: Number of quarts canned, number of quarts of jellies, jams, pickles, catsup, etc., and number of pounds of dried products. The Food Administration is doing everything in its power to encourage home canning and gives assurance that no home canned products will be seized by the government.

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Strong protest has been made to The Bee on the practice of riding bicycles on the sidewalks of the Borough. One or two ladies have been run into in the dark of late and the practice must stop. It is clearly against the law and this friendly warning should be borne in mind by the boys. If it is not headed, some prosecution will follow.

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Dr C. Floyd Haviland, superintendent at the Connecticut State Hospital, desires The Bee to state that the quarantine existing at this hospital because of the prevalence in influenza, was lifted on Wednesday, the 20th, owing to improved conditions. After this, visitors to the hospital will be allowed to visit patients heretofore.

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WANTED At Once — Married man on dairy farm who is capable of operating a milking machine, also handle horses. State size of family and wages expected. W.H. Munson, Woodbury, Conn. Telephone 2-3

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.