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Keep The Parade Marching On

When it comes to the basics of Newtown's popular Labor Day Parade, it all

seems to boil down to dollars and strength. Without question there are many

people from both town and afar who line the streets to watch this event

thinking that it is the picture of volunteerism at work. Well, in part, they

are right, and that is where the strength comes into play.

The parade started out as a labor of love, and it has continued that way over

the years. Countless hours of work go into this event by local volunteers and

it is really a year-long effort to coordinate all of the details. Manpower is

sometimes scarce, but that extra effort or helping hand always seems to come

along and the parade steps off in grand style.

So while the strength to put on the parade can be mustered when needed, often

the dollar side of the coin is hard to come by. Those colorful bands do not

come here for the fun of it, nor do they come to make money by performing.

They do, however, charge for an appearance in order to cover some of their own

expenses such as travel, insurance, and equipment upkeep. Close to $11,000 is

spend on musical units, but do we want a parade without them? Imagine not

seeing the strutting drum major leading the Mattatuck Fife and Drum Corps.

Additional dollars are spent on insurance, trophies, and incidentals, along

with a hold-over fund which is used to launch the fund drive mailing for the

next year. Last year's funding was not strong enough to meet this need,

causing an immediate financial setback. Thus, while it takes about $12,500 to

make the parade work, the Summer Festival Committee is hoping to reach a

$15,000 goal this time around.

So, Newtown, let's keep the parade marching on. It is too good to stop, or

even to falter, and help is needed right now. Donations of any size are

welcome and can be sent to Newtown Summer Festival, c/o Fleet Bank, Queen

Street, Newtown, Conn. 06470. You will be especially glad you did on September

1.

Road To Nowhere

We have been in Newtown a long time, in fact long enough to see the wonderful

alley of maple trees, interspersed with dogwoods, grow large and full along

the entrance road to Fairfield Hills Hospital. We also remember when the row

of pine trees was planted on state property along Mile Hill and today those

trees stand tall, shading the roadway from the setting sun.

Recently the alley of maples was interrupted when a few of them were taken

down to make way for the bypass road designed to connect South Main Street

with Exit 11 of I-84 and Route 34. The design for this proposed road also

called for shaving branches from the pine trees, leaving them with a "butch"

cut on the east side. It is a shame to see trees treated this way, but we must

remember it is all being done in the name of progress. But, where is the

progress?

Newtown has long needed an east-west road and talk of such a project has been

heard for many years and through a good number of administrations. It

appeared, following the recent tree work, that the bypass was going to happen

and the Department of Transportation gave us an "end of 1998" completion date.

For those of us who travel Mile Hill Road, or visit the state grounds to

attend youth ball games, there is no sign of progress. In fact, nothing is

happening and we are all wondering why. Our state representative, Julia

Wasserman, has been in contact with the DOT, but did not have any answers at

mid-week. Neither did the office of our first selectman. And reaching the DOT

for answers can become a major game of phone-tag.

What we have learned is that work has been postponed and will be started again

around the middle of August. Completion is set for September 1999, nine months

later than promised. We have also learned that work to raise the railroad

bridge on Church Hill Road may never happen, as the state can "save that

money" since the bypass road will provide the solution to the problem. If one

were to take this logic realistically, then we probably already have a "bridge

bypass" for truckers. Just hop on I-84 at Exit 9, and get off at Exit 10. Or

reverse it.

It is tough to follow the state's reasoning, and may be best not to try. But

it would have been nicer for motorists using the entrance road to Fairfield

Hills Hospital and Mile Hill Road to see the trees all in place a bit longer,

and not signs of construction which is burdened with delays.