May 26, 1989

In conjunction with the week-long run of the classic film, Gone With the Wind, the Edmond Town Hall managers arranged for an encampment of the men and women of Battery B of the First Rhode Island Light Artillery on the front lawn of town hall. The brigade pitched camp on Saturday morning and settled in for the whole weekend, offering passersby and moviegoers a glimpse of life in the army camps during the Civil War.

***

Townspeople seem to be having a hard time getting the hang of the new parking area in front of the post office. The area is for parallel parking only, though many find it easier to park perpendicular to the curb. The Newtown Shopping Center management says that this latter method of parking will become very costly since violators of the “parallel only” rule will be ticketed.

***

Eighty-two youth teams from five states, including several State Cup and divisional contenders, will compete over the weekend in the biggest sporting event of the year in Newtown, the Seventh Annual Kick-Off Soccer Tournament. Teams will be traveling from as far away as Maryland and Maine to compete in the event, which is sponsored by the Newtown Soccer Club.

***

“Adopt A Pot Saturday,” as program coordinator Mary Lye called it, was quite a success. On May 20, the people who “adopted” pots of flowers through the Adopt A Pot program started by the Borough Court of Burgesses, picked up their flowers at Lexington Gardens at 11 am. Then they planted them in about 40 pots on Queen Street and Main Street before gathering in front of the Newtown Post Office for some iced tea and snacks offered from the rear of Ms Lye’s car.

 

May 29, 1964

Thirty boys and girls from William H. Foote’s sixth grade of the Hawley School on May 25 spent the day aboard their “adopted ship” — the T-2 tanker S/S Byron D. Benson docked in East Providence, R.I., as guests of the Tidewater Oil Company. The “Adopt- A-Ship” program dates from the Merchant Marine Act of 1936 and Mr Foote’s sixth grade has been actively participating in the program since 1956. Captains and their ships are placed for adoption by various American shipping companies in order to teach young Americans the necessity of maintaining an adequate merchant marine.

***

The Newtown Parks and Recreation Commission announces that the official opening of the Dickinson Memorial Park and the Lake Lillinonah Park will be on Memorial Day. Appropriate exercises will be held at the Dickinson Memorial Park at noon on Saturday. Although the park was not supposed to be used for swimming the past week-end, the sudden heat spell attracted many residents to the beach. The Park Commission disregarded its ban on swimming and engaged a lifeguard on Sunday.

***

Over 110 members and friends of the Newtown Couples Club enjoyed the first Luau and last program of the year, Saturday, in a most enjoyable setting at the Dickinson Memorial Park. Gay lights and decorations hung from the trees under which the guests enjoyed a meal prepared with all the flavor of the Islands.

***

The Newtown Scholarship Association Inc announces with pleasure and appreciation the gift of $1,000 by the Newtown Rotary Club. This donation, the largest ever received, will serve to enrich the Association’s annual fund drive now in progress.

 

May 26, 1939

Citizens of Newtown, particularly newer residents, will be interested to learn that the last available copies of “Newtown’s Bicentennial 1705–1905” have just been bound by the publishers, and are now on sale at $2.00 per copy, while the supply lasts, at the Newtown Savings Bank. This book was published at the time of Newtown’s Bicentennial celebration, an in its 177 pages contains a great deal of historical information about our town.

***

An audience which filled the Edmond Theater nearly to capacity on Monday evening, found very much to its liking the Spring Dance Recital given by the pupils of Miss Susan Cole. The evening’s program opened with the “Magic Garden” in an appropriate garden setting with a background of fir trees. Loretta Nichols appeared as the chill North Wind, and was followed by Beatrice Morgan as the South Wind, and then the Baby class as Butterflies. All went well with the Butterflies until Patricia, George and Mary Starr Smith became entangled in each other’s antenna. Maureen Maulick came to the rescue and disengaged the prisoners.

***

The first stage of the tuberculosis prevention work in the town schools, sponsored by the Visiting Nurse Association of Newtown, has been completed by Dr W.F. Desmond, Health Officer, and Miss Barbara Gratto, school nurse. This has consisted of giving 468 Tuberculin Tests. Two tests were done 48 hours apart. In all, 234 students were tested, of which 42 were positive and 192 negative. The health officer wishes to emphasize that a positive tuberculin test in a student need cause no worry. It does not mean that the student is diseased.

***

The Decoration Day week-end will mark the opening of the Knotty Pine, an attractive, newly-built tea room located in Sandy Hook Village on the New Haven road, US Route 34. This new tea house, which is under the management of Miss Florence M. Blake, will cater to local and transient motorists and will serve a variety of foods from a sandwich to a full course dinner. Miss Blake plans to make her tea room attractive in every respect.

 

May 29, 1914

Mr Editor: I regret to say that on last Thursday night some malicious or frolicking persons seemed to gratify their foolish notions by removing several gates from the homes of peaceful citizens while they slept. One was at the Methodist parsonage, which was returned on Monday in a torn and dilapidated condition by some unknown person, to whom we are very grateful for the restoring of the frame at least. We cannot believe the act to have been committed by our citizens, but must have been the echo of spirited and evil disposed passers through the village. —T.N. Laine

***

Morris & Shepard have a new order wagon, bought of the local dealers, A.M. Briscoe & Son. Charles Hawley, the veteran and obliging stage driver, has a handsome stage wagon of natural wood, bought of A.M. Briscoe & Son.

***

Newtown was visited by a young cyclone, Wednesday afternoon, the air being full of dust and the sky overcast with heavy black clouds. Fine maple trees were blown down or practically destroyed in front of the Congregational parsonage and the residence of Levi C. Morris. A large apple tree was blown over in front of the residence of Allison P. Smith. Only a little rain fell, but the air was cooled off to the relief of everyone.

***

With his customary energy, C.F. Beardsley has filled the large mound in the front part of Land’s End cemetery at Hawleyville with more than 200 plants. If every citizen in town took the same interest in public matters as does our friend, the Borough clerk, it would come mighty near being the ideal and model community.