Newtown’s taxpayers will have their first opportunity ever to act on the request of the Board of Fire Commissioners for funds to purchase a new ladder truck, at a special town meeting called for Wednesday, November 19, at 8 pm in the gymnasium of Edmond Town Hall. For the past three years funds for the vehicle have been cut out of the town’s budget before they could be voted on by the taxpayers, but the Board of Finance approved a $130,000 special appropriation Monday.

***

 At a Veterans Day press conference, Christopher Spiro released the official Bicentennial logo along with a fairly firm calendar of Bicentennial events for the first part of 1976. Due to the fact that funds for the Bicentennial celebration were cut from the 1975-76 budget, said Mr Spiro, most of the events planned in Newtown before July are either inexpensive or fundraisers. Hopefully, he said, money will be found, either in next year’s budget or in proceeds from fundraisers, or both, to finance the costly events from July 1976 on.

***

Zita McMahon, Democratic candidate for selectman, has announced that she will not pursue the court case involving the legality of 289 absentee ballots cast in the November 4 election and has stated she feels the results of the recount [Friday evening, November 7] should stand. This means that First Selectman Frank DeLucia, who lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Jack Rosenthal, but outpolled Mrs McMahon for a selectman’s seat by eight votes because of absentee ballots, has won the position.

***

The annual meeting of the Poverty Hollow Pony Club took place Friday, November 7, at Trinity Church on Main Street in Newtown. The outgoing district commissioner, Mrs Carolyn Fensterer, opened the meeting and presided until the slate of officers for the forthcoming year was presented by the Nominating Committee. Mrs Donald Fox of Currituck Road in Newtown was elected the new district commissioner, with running mate Mrs Gordon Smith from Brookfield Center elected the new treasurer over Mrs Mike Davies, who resigned.

***

It’s one thing to talk about policies in a campaign, but quite another to implement them once you take office. Democratic First Selectman-elect Jack Rosenthal had a number of campaign points which his opponent, incumbent Republican First Selectman Frank DeLucia, strongly took issue with. Now that the campaign is over, the interaction between the First Selectman’s office, the GOP-dominated legislative council, and the two Republican selectmen – Thomas Goosman and possibly Frank DeLucia – after January 5, will be something that will bear keen watching. One of the first major issues following the 1975 election is next week’s town meeting which will act on the Board of Selectmen and Board of Finance-approved appropriation of $130,000 for a new ladder truck. Sitting on the Board of Finance during budget deliberations for 1975-76, Jack Rosenthal voted against including funds for the ladder truck in the budget, and at the time he announced his candidacy for first selectman, he questioned the need for the truck. Asked what his feelings are now, Mr Rosenthal said last week, “Perhaps in the six to eight months since we voted last spring, they [the Board of Fire Commissioners] have more information available to show the need.” He said he’d “eagerly await” this information.

***

High scorers (bowling in Sandy Hook) for November 4 were: high single, Betty Genova, 143; high three, Ann Skelty, 382; high no-mark, Marian Wilson, 92. Other high scorers were: Diane Lautenslager, 138; Katy Pierwola, 135; Mae Hein, 129; Lois Brown, 124; and Barbara Trosan, 122.

***

As the Republican Town Committee meeting convened on Monday night, First Selectman Frank DeLucia spoke briefly to members reflecting on his November 4 defeat at the polls and his three and a half years as the head of Newtown’s government.

NOVEMBER 17, 1950

Local farms received special honors at the annual meeting of the Fairfield County Farm Bureau held in Edmond Town Hall on Tuesday when three farms of the vicinity received famed awards of merit in the Greener Pastures Contest. Cited in the presentation of awards were Green Acres Farm, Palestine District, H.L. Green, owner, Richard Rockwell, manager; Atlasta Farm, Hopewell District, H.E. and S.L. Bickford, owners, Raymond Dudley manager; and the farm of Benjamin S. Maynard, Obtuse District, Brookfield, Mr and Mrs Maynard owners and managers.

***

Representatives of 13 youth clubs of Newtown attended the fifth annual youth club dinner of the Rotary Club at the Parker House Monday night and told of their purposes, accomplishments, plans, needs, and problems. Accompanied by their leaders, the young people on Monday night laid their cards on the table, telling exactly what they were trying to accomplish and what they have been doing during the past 12 months. Outstanding presentations were made by the Future Home Makers of America and the Boys Social and Athletic Club of Sandy Hook, both of whose operations seem to be “in the black,” the boys now having an athletic field and field house now in full operation, and the girls doing a thriving business by the sale of hot dogs at the school noon recesses.

***

Newtown’s badly crippled and patched-up team dropped its last game of the season to New Milford under lights on Taylor Field before a good crowd last Saturday evening. Newtown started off in good style by stopping the New Milford attack and taking over the ball and carrying it within the shadow of its goal. A high forward from Wiser to Maye was dropped in the end zone only to be followed by a fumble that gave the visitors the ball on New Milford’s 15-yard strip. On Monday afternoon preceding Saturday’s game, Newtown lost its center when Ronny Wagner was injured.

***

Dr James A. Tobey of Sunset Hill, Newtown, will deliver the principal address at the annual meeting of the Danbury Chapter of the American Red Cross at the Hotel Green in Danbury on Monday evening, November 20. His subject will be “Atomic Welfare and the Blood Bank.” Dr Tobey is a veteran of both world wars and is now a colonel on the active list of the Medical Service Corps of the US Army Reserves.

***

Selective Service board No. 13 sent 24 men to New Haven for induction into the US Army on Monday of this week. The largest contingent since the reactivation of the draft law, the group included James David Bowen and Martin Francis O’Connor, both of Newtown.

***

Armistice Day, marking the cessation of hostilities between the Allies and Germany in World War I, was observed in Newtown last Saturday morning by a parade of veterans and Boy Scouts and by appropriate ceremonies. The program was in charge of the American Legion Raymond L. Pease Post 163, and included a parade from Edmond Town Hall to the memorial monument at the head of Main Street and a counter-march to the flagpole, with exercises at each point. The parade was headed by Commander Oswald Peck of the American Legion Post, with Commander George A. Jackson of VFW Charles Howard Peck Post 308 as his deputy. They were followed by a color guard with the massed colors of the two posts, by Dr Gordon D. Pierce and Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, units of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts and their auxiliaries, and by Troop 70, Boy Scouts, headed by Scoutmaster Paul A. Cullens.

***

Miss Florence Pease was elected master of Pohtatuck Grange Tuesday night. Other officers were elected as follows: William F. Arndt, overseer; Mrs Jennie Slocum, lecturer; John Morgan, steward; Miss Jane Slocum, assistant steward; Mrs Pearl Tilson, chaplain; Rosa Lee Adams, treasurer; Miss Martha Jones, secretary; Walter Johns, gatekeeper; Mrs Elizabeth Hayden, Ceres; Mrs Walter Shaw, Pomona; Mrs Eileen Artruc, Flora; Mrs Winifred LeWare, lady assistant steward; Mrs Edna Patterson, pianist, and Robert K. Mitchell, executive committee.

 

NOVEMBER 13, 1925

E.J. Hall has installed Fuller & Warren super heaters to Robert Martin and Mr Bradley of Pootatuck District, South.

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Miss Alta Bassett of Hopewell district has accepted a responsible position with the Merchants Bank & Trust Company of New Haven.

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There will be a dance Saturday evening at the residence of Louis C. Brown in Gray’s Plain. Ladies, refreshments, gentlemen, music.

***

Dr E.I. Kingman has a new Ford coupe, bought of the Liberty garage.

NOVEMBER 16, 1900

A certain Hawleyville man, who is an ardent believer in democracy, had a flagpole in front of his house from the top of which he had a large flag flying. Last Monday night he declared that if Bryan was defeated he would take an axe and go out and chop down the pole, the same as George Washington did the cherry tree. Wednesday morning after the election, he executed his resolve, cut down the pole, and left it lying where it fell.

***

Danbury parties have moved machinery on to F.A. Young’s farm this week, where they are to mine feldspar.

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St Rose’s drum corps were in the Centennial Parade at Bridgeport, being engaged by the Eureka & Alert hose companies of Bethel. They made a very fine appearance.