The Charter Revision Commission on October 18 found three members of the Board of Education unenthusiastic about charter changes the Legislative Council had asked the commission to consider. Board of Education Chairman Lester Burroughs, board secretary Dr Ruby Johnson, and board member Michael Mazaika were unanimous in their opposition to having a town public works department take over the maintenance of school buildings, with a line item included in the selectmen’s budget for this function. They also took a dim view of shorter terms for board members, insisting the first two years on the board are largely learning experiences.

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 “Mae’s Day” was celebrated by the Newtown Republican Women’s Club October 20, when a capacity crowd gathered at the Fireside Inn in honor of Town Clerk Mae Schmidle and her candidacy for state representative from the 106th district, covering Newtown and Redding.

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By a two-to-one vote on Tuesday, the Newtown Board of Selectmen decided to withdraw its application for a $450,000 mortgage loan from the Federal Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) for construction of a new garage. The town already has federal approval of the loan, but the action was taken on the recommendation of Grant Administrator Zita McMahon, who had been advised by the Economic Development Administration that the town could not have other financing to apply for monies from the Federal Public Works Act.

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The Board of Burgesses agreed with the Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission and a recent editorial in the Newtown Bee at its Monday, October 25 meeting, when they declared the flagpole, a landmark in Newtown, should stay right where it is in the middle of the intersection of Route 25 and Church Hill Road. They do think an ordinance should be adopted limiting parking in front of the Congregational Church to Sundays only. “There aren’t that many trucks trying to make it around the flagpole on Sundays,” Borough Clerk Ethel Connor observed.

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The visually and acoustically rich Edmond Town Hall theatre provided an appropriate setting for a suspenseful competition among 12 young charmers from Western Connecticut Sunday afternoon, October 24, when blond, willowy Sheri Lee Scott of New Canaan became the national candidate from Connecticut in the “Miss Teenage America” competition, sponsored by the Dr Pepper organization.

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Benson Snaider, attorney for the Boggs Hill group, has filed an appeal to the State Supreme Court on the recent decision of a state referee that the town award the group $94,320 as compensation for the taking of 29.9 acres of their property in 1970, now the site of the new Head O’ Meadow Elementary School. However, the appeal is not on the amount the referee declared due compensation, but the fact that in his decision he said the town should also take another four acres of land which Mrs Elizabeth Fosdick, one of the members of the Boggs Hill group, has equitable title to.

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The Warden and Burgesses of the Borough of Newtown wish to inform hunters and target shooters that the discharge of firearms within the Borough of Newtown is strictly forbidden by law.

NOVEMBER 2, 1951

The High School Building Committee met at the Edmond Town Hall on Monday evening, October 29, with Superintendent Carl LeGrow and the architects, and reviewed virtually complete working drawings for the new high school. A schedule adopted at the close of the meeting calls for submission of the plans and specifications November 6 to the Public School Building Commission for final approval, advertising for bids November 12, and set December 14 as the closing date for receiving bids.

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With the hunting season in its second week, Frederick J. Seman of the Newtown Fish and Game Club states that hunters are reporting a better than average field. With the State Board of Fisheries and Game releasing 645 birds in Newtown, supplemented by the 200 birds raised for the club by Mr Seman, there are still plenty of birds under cover. One needs dogs to find them, Mr Seman adds.

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On page 16 of this week’s Bee, the Village Coffee Shop at the corner of Church Hill and Queen Street announces that it is following the lead of Johnny McMahon in doing something for the Hawley School Athletic Association. It will be remembered what a red-letter day October 20 was, when representatives of the Hawley AA took turns operating the pumps at McMahon’s Service Station. They pumped a lot of gas. Their cut for the day’s work was, by prearrangement, the profits from that day’s cash sales. Now Jim and Esther Howard, proprietors of the Village Coffee Shop, are to continue the practice established by McMahon. Next Thursday, November 8, they have arranged with the school authorities to have groups of honor students work behind the counter throughout the day and evening. Profits from that day’s business will be handed over to the Hawley AA to add to its treasury.

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With Armistice Day falling on Sunday, November 11, observance in Newtown will be marked by two assemblies to be held in Hawley School auditorium, Friday morning, November 9, sponsored by the Raymond L. Pease Post 163, American Legion, with students of the school participating, and Judge Paul V. Cananaugh, representative of the Legion, delivering a short address.

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Having completed the pond project as planned, the big dredging shovel moved out of SAC Park last Monday and started a job for neighbor James Reed. The club took advantage of having the big machine on the property to level off the approaches to the beach, using the resultant fill to extend the right field of the ball field, and making use of the drag-line to pull out and bury a large number of tree stumps that seemed dangerous.

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Nearly 200 little people from grades one through seven swamped the Hawley School gymnasium Wednesday evening, with 100 adults present to witness the funmaking. Walter Los ran three reels of juvenile movies in the auditorium, when all repaired to the gym, where, with the youngsters organized by the Misses Ann Anderson and Mariette Paquin, the judges, on account of the crowd, moved around the ring full of the merrymakers in costume. They awarded Vivian Correa first prize for the prettiest, and Gay Parker the second. For the funniest, Bobbie Wilkes took first, and Douglas Eccles second. Toni Hennessy in a packing box took first for the most original, and Joe Hoffman as a big red rooster, second.

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Frank H. Lee of Danbury and Col C. Sidney Haight of Newtown will serve as co-chairmen of the drive for funds USO will undertake in Fairfield County during November. The announcement was made this week by Justice Raymond B. Baldwin, chairman of the statewide “Hundred Towns” committee.

OCTOBER , 1926

A proven case of rabies has appeared in this neighborhood. Recently a lean stray dog, obviously ill, was killed in the lower part of town. The head was examined by the State Department of Health at Hartford, and showed unmistakable signs of this disease.

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Goerge C. Canfield is driving a new Chrysler “50” car.

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Raymond Hall, high priest of Hiram Chapter, RAM, and lecturer of Pootatuck Grange, was bitten by a stray dog Saturday morning. Later Mr Hall got his revolver and shot the dog and went at once to the office of Dr Kingman for treatment. It now appears the dog was suffering from rabies and on Saturday had bitten Mrs Bachman and Mrs Edward Twiss of Monroe. These ladies are under the care of Dr Wales of Monroe.

NOVEMBER 1, 1901

At the annual meeting of the Newtown Savings, held on Saturday last, the following trustees were elected for the ensuing year: Cyrus B. Sherman, Aaron Sanford, Daniel G. Beers, David C. Peck, Philo Nichols, Hosea B. Northrop, John B. Wheeler, Theron E. Platt, Cornelius B Taylor, Henry G. Curtis, Hobart H. Curtis, Frank Wright, Arthur T. Nettleton, Edward S. Lovell, Robert C. Mitchell, and William J. Beecher.

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Mr Collins of Danbury has employed the Wegant Brothers of Newburgh, N.Y., to do the blasting in the silica quarry.

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The attractive residence and farm buildings of that thorough-going South Center farmer Herbert W. Wright are being treated to a new dress of paint. T.M. Canfield is the artist.

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Rev Patrick Fox, who is an excellent shot with a gun, brought down a large hawk the other day. It measured four feet from tip to tip of its wings.

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Over 30,000 feet of hose has been shipped from the Sandy Hook factory of the Fabric Fire Hose Company since they started up a month ago.

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Charles D. Ferris brought in a car load of cattle from Buffalo this week.