August 6, 1982

The Town of Newtown faces hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of renovations for two municipal buildings and the six school system structures to bring them into compliance with state fire codes. School officials are not yet ready to give a timetable for when funding would be sought, as final code violations have not yet been determined, and two schools have yet to be inspected by state and local fire marshals.

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A demonstration will be held Monday, August 9, in Hartford, in an effort to prevent the closing of Fairfield House, home of the alcohol rehabilitation program at the State Hospital, Fairfield Hills, Newtown. The rally is being organized by District 1199 of the New England Care Employees' Union and is scheduled for 10:30 am at 90 Washington Street in front of the Department of Mental Health.

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Despite cutbacks, layoffs, enforced vacations and other ramifications of the recession affecting employment in this area of Connecticut, the sampling of businesses and industries in Newtown that responded when contacted by The Bee shows that they are holding their own. So it seems that Newtown, as a whole, is faring better than many towns in the area.

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The annual meeting of Newtown Cemetery Association was held Monday afternoon at 3:30 at the Newtown Savings Bank building. The most important item of business was the decision to repair this fall the stonework in the dam at Hawley Pond, which is in real need of attention. A concern of the Association, in addition to the chores of maintaining the cemetery grounds, is also the task of keeping Ram's Pasture in pleasing condition.

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Smith-Corona announced on July 29 that it will cease its typewriter research and development operations at its South Main Street, Newtown, facility by mid-August, in a move of consolidation. Some of those employees will be moved along with the research and development operation to the company's headquarters for R&D and manufacturing in Cortland, N.Y.

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Western Connecticut counties escaped the brunt of gypsy moth defoliation in 1982, according to a report released over the past week by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. In Fairfield County, defoliation was limited to two adjoining towns, Greenwich and Stamford. Area towns in Fairfield County, including Newtown, Monroe, Redding, Sherman, Easton, Danbury, Bethel and Brookfield, had no defoliation.

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It was almost anticlimactic. Yet the final nudge to actually place construction equipment for Phase II of the Treadwell Memorial Park site on Philo Curtis Road took place on Thursday afternoon, July 29. Workers began clearing trees this week, primarily in the tennis court are and basketball site. Besides clearing and irrigation, Phase II includes a concrete block maintenance building and driveway; lavatory; handball court and small play area near the tennis courts; play area near the basketball court; and landscaping.

August 9, 1957

Last Thursday at about 4:30 in the afternoon, Newtown residents were startled by what several people described as a "terrific" double explosion, which was heard all over town. According to State Policeman Costello of Ridgefield Barracks and Town Officer Hiram Hanlon, the explosions were caused by two jet aircraft breaking the sound barrier, the noise probably occurring as the planes were coming out of it. The severity of the explosions was so great that Mrs Rea Irvin has reported they damaged three ceilings in her Taunton District home.

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Considerable opposition to an asphalt mixing plant was voiced at a public hearing held last Thursday. The hearing was held on the application filed by the Silliman Company of Bridgeport for a license to erect an asphalt mixing plant at Botsford Station at about the center of a tract of 15 acres.

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The annual lawn fete sponsored by the Ladies Guild of St John's Episcopal Church, Sandy Hook, will be held on the church grounds, Saturday, August 17, for 9 am to 6 pm. There will be many attractive booths with varieties of articles on sale such as fancy work of all kinds, including linens for the home, and also for special gifts throughout the year.

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A driver, who apparently fell asleep going up Church Hill Road toward Main Street, crashed into the Newtown flagpole early Wednesday morning, sending the gilded ball from atop the flagpole to the ground. Observers noted the flagpole had a slight tilt.

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In accordance with the national proclamation by President Eisenhower, First Selectman Edward Coleman has proclaimed this week, August 4-10, as Youth Fitness Week for Newtown. Plans for the coming year include participation in the school program of physical fitness tests by keeping records and submitting applications for certificates to the American Athletic Union.

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In their first local game held last Sunday afternoon at Taylor Field, the newly organized ladies softball team, the Lady Leaguers, defeated the Giants Little League team by a score of 9 to 7. Hoping to continue their success, the Lady Leaguers will play the Newtown All Star Little League team this Sunday, August 11. The game promises to be an exciting one.

August 5, 1932

A meeting of the Warden and Burgesses and other Borough officials was held on Tuesday night in the Alexandria Room at Edmond Town Hall. In view of the fact that the hill known as Peck's Hill, being an opening artery into the said borough, and the possibility of this creating a speedway, we recommend the erection of a sign of suitable size, large enough to be very noticeable, signifying the fact that speed laws as designated will be strictly enforced.

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A double-barreled campaign to rid waters of turtles and snakes injurious to fish and wildfowl and at the same time furnish turtle meat to the needy has just been started by the Connecticut Board of Fisheries and Game, according to an announcement of the American Game Association. Connecticut, in the first week of its campaign, caught and turned over several tons of live turtles to the unemployed and other needy citizens. Recipes on how to prepare turtle were given with the turtles.

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The Brookfield Players presented

The Cat's Away at Edmond Town Hall on last Friday evening. The acting of the various members of the cast was well enough, but in the opinion of the Editor no acting could overcome the play itself. Not only was it uninteresting, but the language used and the incidents of the story were of such character as to influence a number of the people in the audience to leave in the middle of the second act.

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The final meeting of the executive committee in charge of the Newtown George Washington Bicentennial celebration was held on Monday night at Edmond Town Hall, with the entire membership of the committee present. Treasurer Bentley announced there was a balance of $107.42 after paying all bills of the celebration. It was unanimously voted to turn over to the treasurer of Newtown Visiting Nurse Association, whose charitable and helpful work in the town is so highly spoken of.

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The Stephen B. Church Company of Seymour is at work on the installation of pumping houses and pumps at the Fairfield State Hospital. The Church Company will install there six deep well turbine pumps, and two high pressure centrifugal pumps to handle a minimum of 600 gallons of water per minute. These pumps will take the water from the wells which they constructed there last year, and deliver it into the 500,000-gallon reservoir, which is now in the process of construction on the hill to the south of the hospital buildings.

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In the Providence of God, there has been removed from our membership one of the oldest members of the Newtown Hook and Ladder Company, Judge Oscar Pitzschler. While bowing with submission to the Divine Will, we wish to place on our records a sincere minute of our appreciation of his many faithful services as secretary and treasurer of the company and helpful attitude toward his fellow members. Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be placed on our records, and a copy sent to the family of Judge Pitzschler, and be published in

The Newtown Bee. P.H. McCarthy, Walter N. Nichols, Sr, Committee, Newtown

August 9, 1907

Trinity parish is preparing to mark the spot where the Reverend John Beach preached his first sermon as rector of Trinity parish. A boulder will be placed in front of the residence of Mrs Newton Shepard on which will be placed a tablet with the following simple inscription: 1732-1907 Near This Spot Under A Large Button Ball Tree REV JOHN BEACH, A.M., missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Held His First Service as Rector of Trinity Church, Newtown, September 1, 1732.

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The pupils of Mrs James W. Gordon gave an exhibition at the town hall of their work on piano, violin, and mandolin and entertained pleasantly a large audience. All speak well of the showing made by the children, and the evening netted good receipts.

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C.A. McPherson, who has been on the operating force at the Hawleyville station for about two years, is now working the keys nights at the New Milford station. C.H. Tarbox, night operator at Hawleyville, has been transferred to Torrington.

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Next Sunday morning Rev R.E. Danforth will preach his final sermon as pastor of the Congregational church. He will leave, with his family, about August 15, for Ann Arbor, Mich., where in September Mr Danforth will enter upon a course of study at the University of Michigan.

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Henry Beckwith of Taunton was quite badly bitten by a dog belonging to William Alexander last week, Wednesday. The dog flew at him, inflicting quite a bad wound in the stomach.