January 3, 1986

Now that the New Year is upon us, it’s time to buckle up those seat belts to comply with the new state law. It requires all front seat passengers in private passenger vehicles to wear the safety devices. The installation and use of seat belts is required in passenger vehicles manufactured after January 1, 1964.

***

Newtown High School has a unique project in the home economics department. It began with seed money from a mini-grant in 1983, grew into an afternoon pilot project, and has blossomed into The Nurtury. Fifty-four students from Mary Thomas’ child study classes alternate interacting with a dozen preschoolers during fourth and fifth periods twice a week. “Children have their first sociable experience here,” says Mrs Thomas.

***

The New Year’s Eve ball in the Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall was a dual celebration, in that it celebrated the arrival of the New Year, as well as the completion of the town hall mural which artist David Merrill has worked on since January 1984.

***

Of the four post offices in town, the one most infamous among Newtowners is Sandy Hook. Newtowners know the post office as a small building that generates a large amount of traffic and lots of headaches. The Sandy Hook Post Office has long been notorious for a lack of parking places on the side and a backup of cars in front. Rich Uluski, postmaster, says he doesn’t see any possibility of expanding the parking lot. “The people know there’s a parking problem, but they keep coming anyway.”

 

January 6, 1961

Connecticut telephone users can reach more than 130 million telephone users around the world, according to the 1960 edition of “The World’s Telephones,” released recently by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. This represents 97 percent of all telephones on Earth.

***

Robert Wheeler, who has been serving as lay leader of the Newtown Methodist Church in Sandy Hook, has been appointed by Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke of the New York East Conference to serve as local preacher until June or until a permanent pastor can be obtained.

***

An early morning fire on New Year’s Day destroyed the interior of the garage and two cars it contained behind 84 Main Street, owned by John McGrath. Considerable smoke damage was caused to an apartment above the garage. According to Mr McGrath, the heat from the fire caused one of the automobile horns to blow shortly after 5 o’clock in the morning of January 1, awakening him, and he immediately called the fire department.

***

For the second year now, the Horticulture Club of Newtown has sponsored a contest among the sixth grade pupils of the Hawley school to see who could remove the largest number of tent caterpillar cases from our trees. Last year, over 2,100 were collected, but this year that record was broken by the members of the present sixth grade, collecting just over 3,000.

 

January 3, 1936

Hub Beers whispers to us that the Walleyed Pike are biting up at Candlewood lake. He recently caught one that tipped the scales at six pounds, a pretty fair catch. His pal, Jimmy Nichols, says that isn’t anything, for he has caught them that weighed 9 pounds in the same lake.

***

Newtown feels a deep loss in the death of Dr Edward Lyman Kingman, which occurred on New Year’s Day in the New Haven Hospital. He had been a helpful physician and real friend among the people of our town since he came here to practice in 1918.

***

The State tax commissioner has notified the Selectmen that the assessment against Newtown for the old age pension now being inaugurated in Connecticut will be $3,485.40. The personal tax enumerators have found about 1,600 persons who are liable to pay the personal tax of $3 each, which will be due in February.

***

Methodist Notes: Last Friday evening children and parents came out to enjoy the Christmas exercises, including the first electrically lighted tree the old church had ever housed. For many years the lighted candles had their place on the Christmas trees in the old church but when they were discarded as a fire hazard the trees of recent years had to go without lights. Now, after eighty-five years, the tree was made beautiful by two lines of electrically lighted colored bulbs.

 

January 6, 1911

Quite a large crowd of people gathered, last Sunday, at the Sandy Hook station, to see the new bridge, which has been building for several months, rolled into place. It took only about three-quarters of an hour to remove the old bridge and the new bridge was rolled into place in just 55 minutes. One could not realize that about 800 tons of material was being moved. By 4 o’clock in the afternoon, the first train went over the new bridge. The new bridge is of cement and iron and is the finest of its kind.

***

The Jewish Farmers of Newtown, Stepney, and Long Hill met at the home of H. Garder in Stepney, last week, the last day of the Feast of Channukah, and formed the first Credit Union in this state. After the meeting, Mrs Garder, in a pretty little speech complimented the members and surprised them by an invitation to remain to the banquet she prepared in their honor.

***

The contractors, Blakeslee & Sons, are making such horrible work near the Newtown depot, that it is as much as a pedestrian’s life is worth to get through the mud. It would seem as if it was the duty of the selectmen to compel the contractors to provide a plank walk for pedestrians either on the St Rose’s side of the street or in the rear of the house of Mr Riley.

***

Ye Olde Fashioned Masquerade Proves to be Most Notable Social Event: The town hall, last Friday night, was the scene of one of the most elaborate and prettiest affairs that the people of this quaint old New England town have attended in years. The gallery was crowded to its fullest capacity by 8 o’clock, when the Lyric Orchestra of Bridgeport rendered several selections for the benefit of the unmasked spectators. Between 50 and 60 couples wearing costumes of every description imaginable participated in the Grand March.