Date: Fri 20-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Mountain-vernal-equinox

Full Text:

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Happy vernal equinox! Now that the sun has moved back across the ecliptic, the

world is back in balance. Well, at least the hours of night and day are

equally balanced for one day. From here on out, the days will be longer than

the nights until the autumnal equinox on September 23.

Last Saturday, the night seemed particularly long and festive at the Fireside

Inn. The place was packed as about 300 people filled the banquet hall where

the Bold Fenien Men were playing for St Rose's annual Irish Cabaret, and the

bar was shoulder-to-shoulder with the followers of Moppin' Sauce, the funky

'70s retro band.

Three members of the nine-piece Moppin' Sauce group were making their debut

performances -- Mike Connolly, Bob Henderson and backup singer Carrie Valenta.

Like most of the members of the band, they are from Newtown. Others in the

group include Glenn Dean, Kathy Buda, Tim McMahon, Ed Zang, Cass Stevens, and

Spencer Real.

Paul Kelly had an especially good time at the Irish Cabaret -- he won the

eight-day all-expense-paid trip for two to Ireland.

Dr James S. Marks made the national news last Friday when he released a report

that revealed that the number of new cancer cases, and deaths from cancer, are

declining in the United States. Dr Marks, who is the son of Dr and Mrs Eugene

M. Marks of 22 Grand Place, is the director of the National Center for Chronic

Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. A 1973 graduate of the medical school

at the State University of New York at Buffalo, he has been with the Centers

for Disease Control for about 20 years.

Margareta and Phil Kotch are finally grandparents. Their daughter, Dr Ingrid

Kotch, gave birth to a daughter, Annika Victoria Rowland, on March 1 in

Philadelphia, where she is a third-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology,

and her husband, Dr Michael Rowland, is a fourth-year resident in orthopedics.

Last year's charity basketball game was so successful that the Knights of

Columbus and the St Rose parents have decided to hold another one this year at

6:30 pm on Saturday, April 4, at the high school. This time there is going to

be a chance for a half-court shot that could land the winner a new $14,000

Plymouth Neon from Danny Amaral's store. There will be lots of games for kids

of all ages, too, and it's all for a good cause. Admission will be $3 for

adults, $1 for students.

The American Red Cross is planning a couple of "critical need" blood drives in

Newtown this month. The first one will be at Garner Correctional Institution

on Thursday, March 26, from 11:15 am to 5 pm; the second one, sponsored by JP

Maquire Associates, will be on Monday, March 30, from 1:45 to 6:45 pm at the

Sandy Hook Firehouse. Both are open to the general public. Call

1-800/GIVE-LIVE to schedule an appointment.

The Board of Selectmen spent a good part of Monday's meeting studying maps as

it familiarized itself with various road and drainage work agreements. Bill

Brimmer, being his usual helpful self, tried desperately to correctly fold the

maps, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get it right. "I have

the same trouble when I'm traveling," Bill joked.

Genealogist Harlan Jessup is scheduled to talk about Newtown records at the

Cyrenius Booth Library Saturday. Those who attend will get a special treat as

Harlan unveils the 35 marriage licenses he just recently discovered in the

bowels of the newly renovated library. The licenses, which date back to

between 1794-1810, were reportedly found in a pasted scrap book once owned by

the town's justice of the peace.

Board of Education member Susan Hills must have expected it to be a long night

at Tuesday's budget meeting in the NHS cafeteria because she brought with her

an enormous box of Pepperidge Farms Goldfish crackers. "Is that what you had

for dinner instead of corned beef and cabbage?" joked a friend.

Actually, Susan has probably had more than her share of the popular Irish dish

over the years. Believe it or not, both her father and mother were born with

the last name, "Sullivan."

Bill and Jeanne Honan are back from their cruise in the waters off the Yucatan

Peninsula. They had a good time but Bill said it sure was cold. The crew kept

saying that it's never cold in the waters off Mexico this time of year so El

Nino must have had something to do with it.

I'm sort of glad everyone's blaming every bit of bad luck on El Nino these

days instead of blaming it on El Gato Negro. Hope your luck stays good, at

least until you...

Read me again.