Ninety-two youngsters from area towns will take part in a competition sponsored by the Greater Danbury Soap Box Derby Sunday, with the winner eligible to move on to the All-American Soap Box Derby next month in Akron, Ohio. They’ll be racing their cars, which can reach 40 mph, down an 1,800 foot course at the Huckleberry Hill School, White Turkey Road, Brookfield, starting at 9 am and lasting all day on July 13. Susan Williamson, Queen Street, Newtown, will be one of several girls racing in the competition. Other Newtown youngsters taking part will be Greg Cullen, Walnut Tree Hill Road; Kevin Kenny, Benjamin Drive; Dennis LaCava, Poverty Hollow Road; Christopher Meehan, Meadow Acres; Michael Miller, Patricia Lane; Alan Triacca, Nelson Avenue.

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Last week The Bee ran a bone-chilling tale of the strange disappearance of two cows owned by Dr Humberto Bauta of Taunton Ridge Road. Following up on that story, we are pleased to report that it has a semi-happy ending. After reading of Dr Bauta’s misfortunes, Andy Sedor, a dairy farmer on Currituck Road, found one of the missing heifers mingling in his herd. Graciously Mr Sedor declined to collect the reward for the return of the animal, which was reportedly scatological. Dr Bauta informs us that his “brown face” cow, however, is still missing. If you find her, you still may have a chance to collect. Dr Bauta says he is willing to wait – until the cow comes home.

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It appears Newtown Housing for the Elderly Incorporated expects to obtain a deed from the state for 20 acres of Fairfield Hills Hospital property next Monday. According to publicity director Gordon M. Williams, the deed transfer will be signed then in Hartford at the State Controller’s Office by the Attorney General and Governor Ella Grasso. Department of Mental Health Commissioner Ernest Shepherd has already signed it. Newtown Housing for the Elderly plans to build 40 apartment units for the aged on the site, located on Nunnawauk Road. Groundbreaking is expected in early fall and the project will take about a year and a half to complete.

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“Natural areas and open spaces are important in making a community an exciting and attractive place in which to live. Open space provides land for athletic purposes, access to water for swimming, fishing, and boating, and unused land that preserves the freedom and the joy of wandering in solitude. Presently, Newtown possesses a valuable natural, cultural, and historic resource in its extensive open spaces. It is important that action be taken to set aside key portions of the town’s open and natural areas. Thus, even though development may proceed at a brisk pace, the town would retain significant elements of its present rural and natural character.” Thus begins the introduction to the proposed open space plan prepared for the Conservation Commission by Frederick P. Clark Associates, a planning consultant firm in Rye, N.Y.

***

The Hanover 4-H Goat Club of Newtown and Brookfield boasts 13 new members and six active goats. Members of the club are: Bridget and Billy Seaman; Scott, Eddie, and Bobby Kimball; Mike and Dean Briglia; Michelle and Jennifer Ferrara; Brian Whitford; and Eddie, Tina, and Tony Dvorsky.

***

There was a great deal of extra activity at Alex Kraner’s Shell Station this Fourth of July weekend, as the Newtown Jaycees attracted over 2,000 holiday travelers to their annual rest area.

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The newly formed Council on Water Company lands, the Public Utilities Commission, and the echief executive officers of 25 cities and towns in western Connecticut, including Newtown, have been named as defendants in a suit filed recently by the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company and its subsidiaries. Charging that the recently enacted two year moratorium on water company land sales constituted a “taking of property without just compensation,” and a denial of due process and equal protection to the water companies and their stockholders, the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company, its subsidiary water companies in Litchfield, North Canaan, Norfolk, Lakeville, and Cornwall, and its holding company, The Hydraulic Company, are seeking to have the moratorium declared unconstitutional.

JULY 14, 1950

For the first time in the history of the local Visiting Nurse Association, Newtown will have a full-time school nurse and a full-time visiting nurse. In past years, both positions were handled by the visiting nurse, who only lately has been aided by a part-time assistant. Miss Adelaide Barrett, who for several years has been associated with the New Haven Visiting Nurse Association, has been employed by the nursing committee of the local VNA to serve as visiting nurse, beginning September 1. She will replace Miss Martha N. Kline, who will assume her new duties as school nurse in September.

***

Work on the addition to Edmond Town Hall is progressing satisfactorily and the brick work of the first story is now nearing completion. The Board of Managers reports that the $40,000 addition should be ready for occupancy this fall. It will contain quarters for the visiting nurse, the assessors, and the tax collector. Plans call for a building of two and one-half stories, which will include another exit from the gymnasium.

***

Signs limiting parking to 60 minutes were placed by the State Traffic Commission on Tuesday in front of the Atchison Block and the Newtown Congregational Church. This was done at the request of First Selectman A. Fenn Dickinson, who has made several other requests of the State Traffic Commission in order to improve traffic conditions on Newtown’s Main Street. Mr Dickinson has asked that the speed limit be reduced from 35 to 30 miles per hour, and a speed survey has already been made by the state authorities in that regard. Mr Dickinson has also requested that traffic lights be installed in the center of Sandy Hook, at Lovell’s Corner, and at the intersection of Queen Street and Church Road.

***

Sixteen Brownies from the local troop are spending this week at Camp Trefoil in Stepney. The group includes Judith Cutler, Monica Dumser, Susan Fox, Dorothy Halstead, Deborah Hayward, Caroline Hibbard, Jean Jandreau, Lois Morgan, Gay Parker, Susan Parker, Helen Selbert, Ann Phillips, Marion Slocum, Sally Swanberg, Nancy Truil, and Ann Ward.

***

Alfred H. Jurgens, secretary of the Rotary Club of Newtown, just returned with Mrs Jurgens from Detroit, gave an account before the club Monday evening of the 41st annual convention of Rotary International which brought to the Michigan metropolis during the five days June 18-22 some 6,949 Rotarians and members of their families, from 50 countries of the world, for a striking demonstration of the convention theme: “Service Is Our Business.”

***

The current show at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown, presents the work of a local artist whose previous performances have been confined to one or two works shown in the annual American Art Week series held every fall. The artist is Jan Mayer of the Dodgingtown District. In those earlier shows, Mr Mayer was represented by portraits and other oils, but no matter how much vitality they carried, they lacked the impact of the present exhibit.

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This year’s Honegger Cup men’s doubles tennis tournament will be played on Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16, on the court of Mr and Mrs H.C. Honegger of Walnut Tree Hill.

 

JULY 10, 1925

Louis C. Lovell, popular agent and serviceman for the Star and Durant cars, is moving, Thursday, into his new $20,000 garage, located at the foot of the Borough street at the junction of the Newtown-Bethel state road.

***

A meeting for the reorganization of the Newtown Hook and Ladder Co., No. 1, took place on Monday night. The officers elected were: Foreman, Patrick H. Gannon; first assistant foreman, John A. Carlson; second assistant foreman, E.S. Pitzschler; secretary and treasurer, Oscar Pitzschler.

JULY 13,  1900

Miss Susie Scudder drives a new horse, bought of Stevens of Danbury.

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Ground has been broken in Newtown for the new memorial library building which is to be presented to the Newtown Library Association by Miss Rebecca Beach of New Haven. It is hoped to have the library building completed and ready for occupancy by October and at that time fitting exercises will be held when the building will be formally turned over to the care of the Library Association.