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WAY WE WERE FOR JULY 4, 1997

JULY 7, 1972

Bruce Jenner, son of Mr and Mrs William Jenner of Forest Drive, Sandy Hook, is

on his way to compete in the decathlon at the Summer Olympics in Munich,

Germany. Bruce won his seat on the Olympic team by placing third in the

decathlon in the Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, on July 3 and 4. The

22-year old senior at Graceland College in Iowa is an all-around athlete, a

qualification needed for the decathlon which includes a 100-meter dash, long

jump, shot put, high jump, 400-meter dash, 100-meter high hurdles, discus

throw, pole vault, javelin and 1,500-meter race, in that order. At Newtown

High School, Bruce was a three-year letter man in football, basketball and

track, and in his senior year was the Connecticut state champion high jumper

and pole vaulter.

The Newtown Parks & Recreation Commission this week announced the resignation

of Edward F. O'Dowd, recreation director, to take effect immediately. In a

letter to William A. Honan, Jr, chairman of the Park & Rec Commission, Mr Dowd

said personal reasons prevented him from moving to the Newtown area. While the

commission looks for a new recreation director, Thomas Kiernan, head

lifeguard, has been appointed camp director and will supervise and direct the

summer recreation program at the Dickinson Park.

An estimated 6,000 persons attended Monday evening's Fourth of July fireworks

show at Dickinson Park despite inclement weather. The event was sponsored by

the Newtown Jaycees. The "Swingin' 15" singers entertained from 8 pm on. A

dance sponsored by the Park & Rec Commission followed the fireworks with a

crowd of young people dancing to the music of The Anvil until after 11 pm.

First Selectman Frank DeLucia attended a meeting about new Route 25 called by

the Bridgeport area Chambers of Commerce last week. As presently announced,

bids on the section of Route 25 through Trumbull to Newtown will not be let

until 1976 and Newtown has been told its section will have to wait eight or

more years, until 1980 at the least, before the road is widened. Meanwhile,

the town is growing; more and more developments are going in within the area

around Toddy Hill Road previously discussed as the new route for the highway.

Newtown residents are collecting contributions for floor relief to assist the

areas of eastern United States which were devastated by Hurricane Agnes.

Pitney Bowes, which is building a new warehouse and distribution center in

Newtown, also announced that it is sending extra equipment and service people

to sections of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia which were hardest hit by

the heavy rains and flooding. All available postage meters and related mailing

equipment are being loaned without charge to customers whose equipment was put

out of service by the emergency.

JULY 4, 1947

The huge cypress water tank which has been a landmark on the Plastic Molding

Corporation property in Sandy Hook is being dismantled to make way for an

expansion project at the plant. Erected in 1906 for the Sandy Hook Reclaiming

Company (which later merged with US Rubber Company), the tower rose 80 feet to

the platform and its cypress timbers are still sound. The original buildings

were erected in 1873 and the property was administered from 1900 to 1928 by

the Fabric Fire Hose Company when it was bought from the US Rubber Company by

Plastic Molding.

At last Friday's special town meeting, some progress was made in what to do

about the flagpole in the center of town. The flagpole has been condemned by

the state as unsafe. It was unanimously agreed to retain a landmark in the

form of the flagpole but whether the old wooden one can be repaired and made

serviceable or will have to be replaced by a modern steel pole was a question

left for the Board of Selectmen to decide. To date, only one bid has been

received for a new flagpole and the price quoted ($1,675) did not include

dismantling and removal of the old pole nor installing and painting the new

one.

Revival of old-time patriotism expressed in town spirit and town loyalty is

again indicated in preparations on foot for the liveliest and most impressive

Fourth of July parade that Newtown has seen in a number of years. At least six

organizations have built floats and a number of other mobile units will take

part. The spectacle will be enlivened by the participation of the Sandy Hook

Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps and the Grassy Plain Corps. Many marching units

will appear in uniform. The parade will form at 9:30 am in the rear of Edmond

Town Hall. The line of march will be down Main Street, around the flagpole,

down the entire length of Church Hill Road to the center of Sandy Hook, hence

out to Glen Road to the Sandy Hook fire headquarters.

Postmaster Arthur W. Carmody made an urgent appeal to patrons of the Sandy

Hook Post Office who have boxes on the delivery route to paint their names on

their boxes. It is expected there will be a new carrier on the rural route in

the near future and, since most houses are not numbered, unless names appear

on the boxes along the route to identify them, mail delivery will be unable to

be made.

Added impetus was given Wednesday evening to the already popular Firemen's

Carnival at Taylor Field behind Hawley School when a big parade marched the

entire length of Main Street as far as Glover Avenue, through Queen Street and

down to the carnival grounds. Included in the parade were the Grassy Plain and

Sandy Hook fife, drum and bugle corps, and units from the Dodgingtown, Bethel,

Newtown, Hawleyville and Sandy Hook fire companies with their equipment. A

large number of spectators on foot and in cars followed the parade to Taylor

Field to take part in the evening's merriment there. The yearly carnival is

the largest fund-raiser in town for the fire companies and is their chief

means of support.