Date: Fri 06-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

mountain-Huskies-Spring

Full Text:

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

It's time to hollow out the old basketball to fit your head and get out the

blue and white greasepaint. It's tournament time, both the men's and women's

UConn Husky teams appear to be well primed for the final sprint down the road

to the Final Four. As I write this, the women have already won the Big East

Tournament, and the men are just embarking on their quest to do the same.

Huskymania is going to get all confused with Spring Fever this year, since the

seasons seemed to skip a month somewhere along the way. By the last few days

of February, signs of spring were popping up all over. People walking along

Main Street have been slowing down all week in front of Gordon Williams' house

to take in the carpet of purple crocuses (or is it croci?) that grace his

front lawn.

It's never to early to get started on some important projects. The Easter

Basket Project launched last year by Judy Grillo is being repeated this year

as a cooperative effort by the town's social services department, local Girl

Scout troops, Women Involved in Newtown, and the Newtown Junior Woman's Club.

The organizers are seeking donations of gift certificates of up to $30 so that

at least $30 worth can be put into each basket to provide perishable food

items for each needy family. The gift certificates can be purchased at local

supermarkets and should be mailed to Karen Hoyt, Human Services Director, at

Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. For more information, call Ms Hoyt at

270-4330.

St John's Church -- which likes to call itself "the little church with the big

heart" -- is inviting all men in the community to an ecumenical men's prayer

breakfast from 7:30 to 9 am on Saturday, March 7, at the church on Washington

Avenue in Sandy Hook. Breakfast is free (donations will be accepted). Call

David Minor at 426-3869.

The women aren't being left out either. There is an ecumenical service and

luncheon today (Friday) at St John's, sponsored by Church Women United in

recognition of World Day of Prayer.

The Stottles on Robin Hill Road are telling the world about their new

granddaughter, Gabriella Elizabeth Childers, who was born to Jeff and Cheryl

(Stottle) Childers of Easley, South Carolina. But unlike most new

grandparents, who must content themselves with pictures of their

grandchildren, the Stottles are giving out their new granddaughter's website

address: members.aol.com/LITTLEJ0B/gabriella.html. (Note: the 0 in LITTLEJ0B

is a zero.)

(CARTOON HERE)

Featured prominently on the site is a cartoon depicting Gabriella's bewildered

big brother, Job Alex, who is 1«.

George Lockwood is one happy fire marshal. With the town's acquisition of a

new fire-engine-red Ford Explorer for George's use, he will be traveling from

incident to incident via four-wheel-drive. Until now, George had used his

personal pickup truck while on his fire marshal duties. Now, in a bigger,

newer, and more reliable vehicle, George will be making his way from

investigation to investigation in style. George's new Ford Explorer joins the

police department's new Ford Expedition as the town's new go-in-the-snow

emergency vehicles.

That clever old railroad overpass! It takes a licking and keeps on tricking

(truck drivers, that is). The state Department of Transportation (DOT),

however, hopes its days of deception are growing short. The DOT has installed

a sign on the overpass on Church Hill Road showing that it has a

low-clearance. The overpass has been the victim of dozens of hits by

tractor-trailer trucks annually. It seems the truckers either don't notice

existing warning signs, don't pay attention to the signs, or simply think they

can sneak their rigs under the antiquated iron overpass. As a result the

overpass has been steadily damaged by collisions.

Well, I just collided with my deadline, so that's going to be it for this

week. Don't forget to cheer on the Huskies and to...

Read me again.