Date: Fri 17-Apr-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Mountain-spring

Full Text:

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

The beautiful weather this spring has given me the urge to throw open the

windows, shake out the rugs and generally start my spring cleaning. I started

with my litter box, and it's so pristine now that I think I'll rake the sand

around a bit, put a rock in it, and make one of those Zen meditation gardens

out of it. Come to think of it, I've always found that box a great place to

meditate.

If you happen to be spring cleaning too, take a look around the closets and

drawers to see if you have any usable glasses with plastic or metal frames, or

non-prescription sunglasses. The school community team at Head O' Meadow

School is sponsoring a campaign to collect the glasses on behalf of New Eyes

for the Needy, Inc, a New Jersey-based agency that provides the gift of sight

to the poor all over the United States and throughout the world. There will be

a collection box in the main foyer of the school this month.

Residents of Taunton Lake Road were startled when they looked out their

windows Sunday morning and saw a bunny hopping through their yards. Could it

actually be the Easter Bunny?

Not this time. The white with brown-striped rabbit was actually owned by

Shannon Kohn and had escaped earlier that morning. Shannon finally tracked the

animal down and carried him back home.

More than 50 people showed up at the top of Castle Hill Road Sunday morning

for the Congregational Church's annual sunrise service. For those who woke up

early enough to attend, the scene was breathtaking. It was still dark as the

worshipers arrived around 6:20 am under a full moon. As the service moved

along, the sun rose magnificently in the east as the gathering sang "Christ

the Lord Has Risen." The sunrise service was led by Senior Deacon Ed Corfey.

The undersized vault in the town clerk's office was jam packed one day last

week as several title searchers and attorneys crowded inside for information

all at once. According to Town Clerk Cindy Curtis Simon, the 305-square-foot

vault is actually only about one-third the size of what it is supposed to be.

State guidelines require that the town clerk's vault in towns with populations

between 20,000-30,000 residents be no less than 1,000 square feet.

A carnival sponsored by the United Fire Company of Botsford is underway this

week in the front parking lot at Newtown High School. The carnival hours are 6

to 10 pm on Thursday and Friday, and 1 to 10 pm on Saturday. Bracelet night is

every night -- ride as often as you like for a flat $10.

Have you seen the license plate holders that read: "Meet Me At The Flagpole"

and "Newtown, Ct...Settled 1711"? The Newtown Junior Women's Club is selling

the plastic plate frames for $5 with proceeds to be used to buy books for the

Cyrenius H. Booth Library. The frames and may be purchased at the library or

at The Bee office on Church Hill Road.

The Newtown Summer Festival committee which organizes the Labor Day Parade is

up and running again. This year's committee includes Kym Stendahl, Lisa

Franze, Valerie Giaratano, Cathy Hydeck, Kathy Berg, and Sally Allison.

Fund-raising letters will be mailed to all residents in mid-May. Please be

generous. It costs more than $10,000 each year to stage the parade, most of

which is to offset the travel expenses for the bands that participate.

Performing groups like the Shriners support the free burn centers and

orthopedic hospitals for children so the parade helps worthy causes -- besides

being a great Newtown tradition. The committee also buys trophies, pays for

insurance, and has other small expenses. For more information, or if you want

to help, call Lisa at 426-1124 or Kym at 270-1805.

Don't forget that next week is National Library Week, Volunteer Recognition

Week, and Wednesday is Professional Secretaries Day. (Is there a day for

unprofessional secretaries?)

I am sorry to report that a cat named Muffin, who looks remarkably like me

except for a few orange splotches on the back, has gone missing. If you have

seen her, call Katy or George at 270-1608.

As for me, I do not intend to go missing any time soon, so be sure to be here

next week to...

Read me again.