June 30, 2000

HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of James W. Burns.

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Newtown residents attended a forum Monday night, urging town officials to decide on buying Fairfield Hills. Many said the purchase needs to move forward, while the 50-60 citizens present said otherwise. Owning the 185-acre property comes with responsibility, and Judy Craven’s concerns were having “enough trouble cutting the grass on town property.” Additionally, Irwin Potter believes it will be more costly to rehabilitate the buildings than to rebuild them.

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The Garden Club of Newtown ended its club year last week by hosting an old-fashioned Victorian tea at The Pleasance. First Selectman Herb Rosenthal presented certificates of appreciation to the Garden Club for its construction of a butterfly garden at the senior center and to Bee Publisher Scudder Smith for creating The Pleasance.

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After a five-month ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting of Mark F. Rebong, while traveling through Danbury to get to work, police published a poster this week seeking information. Police are asking for any information from people who traveled near Exit 2 between 10:30 and 11:15 pm January 17 and may have witnessed the shooting. The Rebong family, friends and colleagues are offering a $20,000 reward for those coming forward.

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Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian accepted a handful of checks, totaling nearly $11,000, from Newtown resident Howard Lasher last Friday. Mr Lasher, a trader on the floor of the American Stock Exchange, collected the money from colleagues to help support the town’s campership fund for underprivileged campers. Mr Lasher grew up at the corner of Suffolk and Houston on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He helped raise more than $70,000 over the years, prompting the Parks & Recreation Department to rename the summer camp “Camp Lash.”

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This week, 90 women participated in the Women’s Outdoor Sports Day at the Fairfield County Fish and Game Protective Association. Funded by Step Outside and Griffin & Howe, the goal was to give beginners a chance to try outdoor sports that are often unavailable to women. The event succeeded as 100 percent of participants, ranging from 9 to 60-year-olds, said they would return to the event. “We wanted to give women a comfortable environment where they could safely experience the excitement that these sports offer,” said club member and event organizer Dayna Wenzel.

June 27, 1975

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — AGAIN THIS YEAR: It takes only the first few hot days of June, the announcement of a summer activity program, or even the recess of school, for the Town’s recreational facilities to be put to the test. Citizens of all ages want a place to picnic, courts to use, ballfields to enjoy and, of course, swimming. While Newtown has all of these things to offer, the strain is a bit more this year than it has ever been in the past. After introducing the summer recreation program, every class filled up before the announced start time.

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The skies were bright and so were the faces of 296 Newtown High School graduates as they received their diplomas at commencement exercises at the high school on Saturday evening, June 21. It was a perfect evening for an outdoor graduation, and proud parents, relatives and friends filled the football stadium to see the members of the Class of 1975 bid farewell to the Newtown school system.

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What better way to start the Olympics than with a torch-lighting ceremony? Kenny Morris of Cub Scout Pack 70 carried the flame high as he took off from Edmond Town Hall on the first leg of the journey to Dickinson Town Park, where the Cub Scout Olympics were held Saturday. First Selectman Frank DeLucia lit the torch, which five Cubs helped convey to the park.

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Lyndon Thomas was officially recognized as Jaycee of the Year at the Newtown Jaycees’ last annual membership meeting on June 18. Lyndon’s brief tenure as a Newtown Jaycee has produced an almost unbelievable amount of community involvement. He was chairman of the easter egg hunt, also serving as chairman of the Outstanding Young Man of the Year booklet ads, and the Town Players refreshment stand. He filled in as secretary of the organization from January through May and was recently elected to fill the post of internal vice president in this year’s Jaycee administration. Lyndon is the owner of the Smoke Shop on Church Hill Road, Newtown.

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The Botsford, Newtown and Sandy Hook fire departments responded to a fire behind the Charles Batchelder Co. aluminum smelting operation on Swamp Road on Friday, June 20. The cause was a blaze in a 12-foot-high stack of magnesium. Other than containing the fire and barricading the location with sand, little was done as the firemen let it burn itself out. There were no injuries and no buildings were damaged.

June 23, 1950

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — COOPERATION LEADS TO PROGRESS: A long and at times argumentative session took place on Tuesday evening at the Edmond Town Hall. The occasion was a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Town Development Committee and members of the five volunteer fire companies in Newtown. The purpose was to hear and discuss a proposed plan of reorganization for the Newtown Fire Department and the Board of Fire Commissioners. ... Newtown is one town, needing one efficient and well coordinated fire department, even though each of the give voluneer companies in its own section of the township does naturally have a local pride and interest in its individual affairs. The situation reminds us of a hand, whose five fingers working together comprise a mighty useful part of one’s anatomy. Cooperation in the current situation particularly, is the keystone to progress, and there is every reason to expect that it will be shown.

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At the regular meeting of the Newtown Lions Club, held on Wednesday evening, June 14 at the Parker House, Miss Patricia McMahon of Hawley High School was the recipient of the first annual award to be made by the Lions in memory of their late President, George W. Trull. The award is to be made annually to the Newtown boy or girl student selected by the faculty at the close of the school year as the best all-around student of the year.

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A joint meeting was held in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall on Tuesday evening, attended by members of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Town Development Committee and five volunteer fire companies in Newtown. Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh presided and presented a proposed plan for reorganization of the Newtown Fire Department and the Board of Fire Commissioners.

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Members of the Newtown Mothers Club elected Mrs William H. Walsh, Jr as president at their last meeting of the season, which was held Monday evening, June 19, in Trinity Church rooms. Other officers chosen at this time were Mrs Gilpin Johns, vice president and program chairman; Mrs Roy Byrne, secretary, Mrs Frank Nichols, hospitality chairman; Mrs Thomas Ramsdell, ways and means chairman and Mrs Herman Parker, publicity.

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On Wednesday afternoon, June 14, as many of the first-graders-to-be as were able, came to the Hawley School auditorium with their mothers. The occasion was a party to help the children, and their parents become acquainted with the faculty, the school and the first-grade program. Colored slides showing first-grade activities were shown. The handbooks for beginners, “Now We Are Six”, were distributed to each parent.

June 26, 1925

There was a laid at rest on June 12 in Berkshire cemetery, the mortal remains of Mrs. Sarah Esther Hard of Norwalk, wife of the late William G. Hard, who died, on June 9. She was born February 29, 1840, the daughter of Hiram Camp and Eliza Barnum Camp. ... Mrs Hard was a woman of sweet and lovable Christian character, and those who knew her have only sweet and pleasant memories of her.

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Mr and Mrs J. Block of Botsford announce the marriage of their daughter, Beatrice R. to Irving Feln of Richmond Hill, on June 7, 1925, at High Noon. After the ceremony a catered dinner was served to the immediate families and a few intimate friends.

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HATTERTOWN-PERSONAL CHAT: Miss Helen Egan was the guest over the weekend of Miss Gladys Peck. | Mrs. Emma Booth has been spending a few days with Mr and Mrs Eugene Northrop. | H.H. Tomlinson and family have been recent guests of relatives in Woodbridge. | Mrs Louisa A. Peck celebrated her 88th birthday, Thursday. Mrs. Peck is remarkably well preserved woman and we hope will live to enjoy many more birthday anniversaries. | Mr and Mrs J.C. Lewis, with a party of friends from Bridgeport, enjoyed a picnic at Lake Waramaug, Sunday.

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The carnival at the Newtown Inn, Friday and Saturday evenings, for the benefit of the Visiting Nurse Association was a booming success, the Inn parlors being crowded with people both evenings and netting handsome sum for the Association.

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At the adjourned borough meeting on Monday night, it was voted to rescind the action of a previous meeting in appropriating $5000 to purchase fire fighting apparatus and a vote was then taken to appropriate $2000 for that purpose, when in the judgment of the warden and burgesses, an active fire company should be organized.

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The Stevenson mail now goes through the Sandy Hook office. Mrs. A. M. Freeman has taken the contract for making two round trips between Sandy Hook and Stevenson offices. She leaves the Sandy Hook office at 9:30 a.m. and is using a Dodge car for the work.

June 29, 1900

Fireworks that will make a small noise for a small boy or a big noise for a big boy at R. H. Beers & Co.’s. Prices in proportion to the noise.

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Farmers and gardeners are invited to call at Taylor, Curtis & Co.’s and examine the Meyer Faultless Sprayer for applying paris green or other poison on potato vines, shrubs and the like.

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Martin Hourigan, one of the long-time residents of the town, died yesterday noon, aged 62 years. Mr Hourigan had been in poor health for some months, still his death came as a great blow to his friends. He is survived by his wife and six children, Mrs Houlihan, wife of Ex-Senator M.J. Houlihan, Misses Mary and Bridget Hourigan, and Messrs Martin, Jr., Patrick S. and Michael C. Hourigan.

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The hay on the land belonging to the Methodist society, adjoining Castle Ronald, is advertised for sale in another column. Application should be made to Ezra J. Hall, the genial Sandy Hook merchant.

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The Bee Publishing Co. is now engaged in getting out the annual prospectus for the Newtown Agricultural Fair Co. Any desiring space should apply at once to any member of The Bee force.

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Miss Stella Skinner of Brooklyn is the guest of Mrs. Scudder.

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Rev and Mrs. Dillingham and children are now comfortably settled in their summer home at Sunset cottage. Mr. Dillingham is the pastor of the Universalist church of Bridgeport and an energetic worker.

Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to shannon@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date. If you live locally and would like to loan a photo/photos, please give us a call (203-426-3141) to let us know when you will be visiting.