August 7, 1981

Both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly mustered the two-thirds vote necessary to pass reapportionment plans for the state House and Senate in a special session last Friday. Newtown State Rep Mae Schmidle and Southbury Rep Carol Herskowitz, both of whose towns would be divided up under the redistricting, voted against the plans, as did Woodbury Rep Jamie McLaughlin.

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Final work on a series of revisions to Newtown’s charter, including giving the town a single elected first selectman after the 1983 election instead of a three-member Board of Selectmen, was done by the Charter Revision Commission Wednesday in its final meeting since being formed by the Legislative Council in June 1980. The completed revisions will now go back to the Legislative Council, which will meet on August 19 at 8 pm at Town Hall South to decide which revision questions will be placed on the November ballot for action by the voters.

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Newtown fire officials suspect an electric fan caused a fire which gutted a Sandy Hook home on Sunday, August 2, at 11:27 am. Thirty-five firefighters from Sandy Hook responded to the call at the ranch-style home. “Smoke was pouring out of the house when we arrived. The end bedroom was in flames and there was a heavy amount of heat and smoke damage,” commented Chief Halstead.

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The Board of Police voted unanimously to renew Chief Louis Marchese’s contract for two years at its regular meeting Tuesday night. Chief Marchese, who said he was “thoroughly satisfied with the terms,” came to Newtown’s newly formed police department as its first chief in August 1971 after retiring from Connecticut State Police as commander of the western division.

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That grand structure on Main Street known as the C.H. Booth Library is getting spruced up for a very special celebration — its golden jubilee! This week, library director Dennis J. Clarke talked about some of the preparations being made to get the library in shape for its fiftieth birthday party coming up in 1982. To begin, the library will be closed to the public beginning Saturday, August 8, through Saturday, August 22, to allow for interior painting and renovation.

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The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recently released a booklet endorsing a new and potentially revolutionary approach to exercise in the United States. The Heart Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health, and funds most of the heart disease research in this country. The booklet, entitled, “Exercise and Your Heart,” advocates that adult Americans engage in regular, vigorous exercise and indicates that the benefits of regular physical activity substantially outweigh the risks.

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A special meeting of the Board of Ethics has been scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, to hear a proposal which would establish guidelines and allow private co-sponsorship of parks and recreation programs. Work on the proposal started after P&R director William Davis, faced with high costs for programs not covered in the budget, asked the ethics board in June to consider drawing up some guidelines to allow sponsorship by private business.

 

August 10, 1956

Newtown Visiting Nurse Association will begin its annual drive for funds on Wednesday, August 15, and will extend the campaign through September 30. The services rendered by the association have grown continually throughout the years. As the town expands and more people move into the area, the demand for the facilities available through the association has likewise grown.

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The Bee learned this week that Ferdinand M. Thieriot, nephew of Miss Celeste L. Thieriot of Laurel Road, Newtown, and his wife, Frances, perished in the sinking of the Andrea Doria off Nantucket. Their eldest son, Peter, 13, who was returning with them from a holiday in Europe, was saved and picked up by the Ile de France. The Thieriot cabin was almost at the spot where the liner Stockholm struck the Italian liner the night of July 25. Peter occupied a cabin across the ship from his parents, and thus escaped.

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The seventh annual dog show and obedience trials of Newtown Kennel Club, Inc will take place on Saturday, August 25, at Harbs Property, Route 7, Wilton. The club president, Stuart S. Sliney, states that this coming show has every prospect of being the largest and best run show the club has yet had and points out that Wilton Exchange Club will benefit from the proceeds for their civic activities.

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The completion of the lavatories in the (Dickinson) park has been delayed because of the Housatonic Public Services strike but as soon as electric power can be brought in, the work will be continued. The installation of a water storage tank and well pump will begin sometime this coming week.

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Everyone on that noisy section of Route 34 which takes the heavy traffic that detours from the Sandy Hook Post Office to the new Rochambeau bridge is rooting for the little brown hen who has adopted a young gosling and stands in the middle of traffic with feathers ruffled, fussing at motorists and pedestrians alike whenever the gosling decides to cross the road. The spunky little hen does a better job of halting traffic than the red light at the corner as she ushers her web-footed charge to the east side of the road for breakfast and to the west side for a swim.

 

August 7, 1931

Wilton Lackaye, Jr has bought the schoolhouse in South Center of C.B. Johnson and has had it moved to his property in Sandy Hook, where he is having it fitted up as a studio. Andrew Poe is doing the work.

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NOW OPEN Remodeled “The Pines Inn” located on Bridgeport-Newtown highway, 10 miles from Main St. and Fairfield Ave., City — direct route out North Main Street. Announcement Our new modern Rotisserie is open. We are roasting chickens on the open grate. We have answered public demand and will specialize in Chicken and Waffles 85 cents NOTE: We have been located at this spot for the past 4 years. We cater to banquets, weddings, outings, etc. Drive out and enjoy the country air and home cooked food. PLENTY OF PARKING SPACE JAMES H. SOLEN PHONE NEWTOWN 188-2.

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Without question the greatest material blessing that can be brought into rural life today, especially to isolated localities, is electricity, and all over the country is manifest a growing rural agitation to bring the privileges of electrification within reach, both actually and financially, of farmers and other rural dwellers.

Everyone in this place is giving a vote of thanks to Selectman Tyrrell of Monroe for putting some 200 truck loads of gravel upon the road to Stepney. Now if Selectman Brew would gravel the quarter-mile stretch between the Monroe line and this village it would be much appreciated.

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EDMOND TOWN HALL THEATER ATTRACTIONS. The exceptionally fine work which Charlie Ruggles has done in a number of Paramount pictures has earned him the enviable rank of star with that company. His first starring production is showing currently at the Edmond Town Hall. Ruggles makes his talkie debut in Gentlemen of the Press, as the memorable reporter who never seemed to know which paper he was working for.

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Virgilius Council, Knights of Columbus extends a cordial invitation to all the people of Newtown and the nearby cities and towns to attend the annual carnival and dance, which will be held at St Rose’s Casino, Friday and Saturday nights of this week. Al Newton and his five piece orchestra of Bridgeport will again be on hand and will play a program of dance music that will include both the modern and the old time dances.

 

August 10, 1906

Lightning struck the large tree in front of Martin Troy’s house at Botsford in the hard shower last Tuesday afternoon. The bolt glanced off, entering the house through the screen door and splitting the frame. It tore from the wall in two rooms quite a quantity of plaster. One of Mr Troy’s daughters, who stood in the doorway, received quite a shock.

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During the shower of Tuesday afternoon lightning struck the barn of Mrs D. Crowe of Huntingtown district. The barn was filled with hay, and the lightning followed a beam next to it, setting it on fire. It was only by the desperate efforts of Mr Crowe and his neighbors that the barn and contents were saved. A valuable horse belonging to Mrs Crowe was killed in a stall and a calf in the next stall was not injured.

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About 15 were present at the Town meeting on Saturday, called for the purpose of considering the purchase of the High school building. George W. Stuart objected to taking action. C.H. Northrop made a few remarks in answer to Mr Stuart, stating that the meeting had been properly warned and well advertised and that the people should come out. A resolution was then introduced and carried that the town purchase the property of the Academical association for $1300 and that amount was then appropriated for the purpose.

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James B. Nichols had an unusual experience at haying, Tuesday. He drove to Sandy Hook with a load of hay, and while unloading it a heavy shower fell. He went home expecting to find his hay in the field wet down, but it hadn’t rained a drop on his farm, while other farms a few hundred feet distant were visited by a heavy shower.

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George W. Northrop of Palestine completed harvesting his hay crop last Monday, and celebrated the event in a novel way and one he will not care to repeat.

He was in one of his back lots and had the last load of hay on his ox cart. There were some brush and briers near where he finished loading and before he left the lot he thought he would set fire to them and burn them up, and did so. As it was burning, the fire snapped and a brand hit the back of his load of hay, setting it on fire and in less time than it takes to tell it, the whole back of his load of hay was afire.

The fire frightened his oxen and they jumped and threw off the man on the load of hay. The oxen ran to the farther side of the lot and into the swamp, when one wheel to the cart came off and they were obliged to stop. Mr Northrop and those with him were soon on the spot and released the cattle, but were unable to save the load of hay.