December 9, 1994

A throng of onlookers gathered at the Ram Pasture last Friday evening to sing carols and celebrate the official start of the Christmas season by lighting the town tree. Property owners along Main Street, Glover Avenue, and Elm Drive also helped illuminate the night by placing luminaria along the curb.

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Stretched like a limbo stick across Church Hill Road, the low-clearance Housatonic Valley Railroad bridge has for years tested the nerve of truck drivers, many of whom unsuccessfully attempted to squeeze vehicles through the 11-foot, 6-inch high underpass. But state Department of Transportation officials say it may be only another year before work begins on a new multi-million-dollar structure that will solve the problem. “Sometime next spring there will be a public hearing in Newtown about the plans for a new bridge,” said DOT design engineer Tom Harley, who is working on the project. “We expect to complete the design for a new bridge by the fall of 1995 for construction in 1996.” The cost, estimated to be between $2 million and $2.5 million, would be paid by the federal and state governments in an 80-20 split.

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The police department has scheduled extra patrol work during the coming weeks to seek out and arrest drunk drivers. The town is using a $2,500 federal grant to cover costs in the holiday season enforcement program. The program is designed to apprehend intoxicated motorists on the roads after happy hours, office parties, and house parties, according to Lt David Lydem, the department’s field service coordinator. Extra patrols will be on the roads this holiday season December 9 through January 1.

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Residents are invited to a New Year’s Eve celebration to benefit the Newtown Mural Fund. The party will be held in the Edmond Town Hall Alexandria Room. Soundtrack Environment will provide music for dancing. There will be snacks and noisemakers, and a midnight buffet. $30 per person. BYOB. Town hall muralist David Merrill will be present. Lithographs of his latest Main Street paintings in the snow will be available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit the Mural Fund Part II. Reservations should be made as soon as possible.

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New Streetlamps In Sandy Hook. Sandy Hook businessman George Lockwood Jr. [took] a walk on the bridge over the Pootatuck River in Sandy Hook Center, which will now be illuminated by stylized streetlamps installed this week. The lamps were purchased by the Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity and the town paid for installation.

December 5, 1969

The annual exhibit of Newtown artists’ work will open on Sunday, December 7 at the Cyrenius Booth Library, Main Street. Betty Christensen and Henry Schnakenberg will hang the show on Friday. The public is cordially invited to meet the artists on Sunday afternoon from 3-5, at the library.

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Frank Frisch, baseball Hall of Famer, will be the speaker at the Newtown Little League first annual sports dinner. Former Fordham player, he was named to every National League All-Star team during his years with the Giants and the Cardinals. The Dinner will be at Newtown High School at 5:30 pm on Saturday, December 6 and tickets may be had from Terry Johansen at 426-9252. Although some 400 youngsters took part in Little League this past season, many more would have had this experience had adult leaders been available. It is hoped that the sports banquet will stimulate interest in the growth of Little League here. Tickets are also on sale at the Smoke Shop, Rexall Drug in Newtown, Smith Drug in Sandy Hook and at the Village Barber Shop.

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New site tests on the Luf property are underway at the request of the Board of Education, under the supervision of Thomas Casey of Henderson & Casey, sanitary engineers. It is hoped that Mr Casey can, from the test results, determine design criteria for a septic system for a new elementary school.

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Upon further investigation, The Bee has learned a more detailed account of the tragic deaths of Roger Levan and his son Gary on Lake Lillinonah November 22. Around 9 pm John Lorenzo of Southbury offered the use of his speed boat to John Butler of Newtown and Newtown Police Officer Augue Fernandez, who had been searching for the Levan party in a smaller boat for about two hours. The three covered the lake shores for about an hour until they ran low on gas. After the owner of Land’s End Marina of New Milford donated gas for the boat, Mr Lorenzo took Mr Butler and Officer Fernandez to the landing at the Newtown park on the lake. He then went home to change into more suitable clothing and Mr Lorenzo joined him. They then returned to the park and picked up Mr Butler, Officer Fernandez, and Sgt Ray Tompkins and continued to search. They rode toward the Shepaug Dam and sighted Mr Levan’s boat in a cove near the point where the Shepaug and Housatonic Rivers intersect. Mr Butler remained in Mr Lorenzo’s boat with a walkie-talkie while the rest of the party went ashore. Shortly after, the group found Mr Levan and after searching further, came upon the two boys together. Mr and Mrs Lorenzo and Mr Butler took Gregory, age 9, who was in immediate need of medical attention, directly to the Lorenzo home by boat and called for an ambulance. The Newtown ambulance, driven by James Burghoff, arrived, followed almost immediately by the Southbury ambulance. Gregory was rushed to Danbury Hospital by Mr Burghoff and Mr Butler in the Newtown ambulance, where he was treated and has since been released. As reported in last week’s Bee, Mr Levan and Gary, age 6, were found dead from exposure.

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An informal gathering in the hallway of Newtown High School brought to an end the fall adult education classes, under the direction of Mrs Robert Schmidle. Coffee was served, guitar music filled the air and special exhibits and demonstrations were set up in the classrooms used by instructors. From all reports, this has been a most successful year for adult education and more of the same is promised for the spring term.

December 1, 1944

The men of St. John’s parish will hold a card party at the church on Thursday evening, December 5 at 8 o’clock. The committee in charge includes Rev. John W. Mutton, Austin Dinkler, Julian Drew, and Albert Kuhne, St. There will be a door prize and prizes at the tables, as well as refreshments. The date of the card party is the 13th anniversary of the dedication of the present church building.

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It has been learned by friends in town that Staff Sergeant Hervey Ward, formerly of Newtown, was slightly wounded in action in Luxembourg on November 11. Sgt. Ward was serving with the 83rd Division of the 9th Army and has been overseas since April of this year. His parents, Mr and Mrs Hervey Ward, now reside at 51 Milwaukee Avenue, Bethel.

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More details will be given in next week’s Bee of a Square Dance planned for December 29, to raise funds for the two Belgian refugee boys in England, toward whose support Newtown has so gladly given in the past.

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Miss Anna May Betts was in New York last week. She spent Thanksgiving with her brother and sister-in-law, Mr and Mrs Charles Betts, and the weekend with Miss Emily Sanford of Brooklyn.

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Entries for over 400 birds have been received for the Pigeon Show to be held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Edmond Town Hall gymnasium from 10 am to 10 pm each day under the auspices of the Danbury Pigeon Club. This is the last show of its kind to be held in this town and has attracted considerable attention from pigeon fanciers from throughout the eastern United States. Almost every state is represented, with entries from Massachusetts to North Carolina. The most distant entry is from Kansas. Over fifty prizes are to be awarded and the judges, Alfred Berry of Norwich, James Avid of Beacon, New York, P.J. Curran of Worcester, Mass., and Arthur Gies of Newtown will judge entries on Saturday. Among the popular variety of birds will be the White King, Pigmy Pouter, Nun’s Orientals, Frill, Dragoon, Homers, Swallows, Tumblers, Mondaines, and others.

November 28, 1919

The item about Prof Elias Loomis’ algebra, last week, interested quite a number. Prof Loomis was a cousin of Mrs H. M. Tiemann’s grandmother, Mrs Smith of Moosup, and visited at her home. On one occasion Prof Loomis visited at the home when Mrs Tiemann, then a young Miss, was also present. The staid professor looked down at the little girl and said: “And how far have you progressed in mathematics?”

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The annual meeting of the Newtown Library Association will be held on Tuesday night, December 2, at 7:30 pm at the Beach Memorial Library building.

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Mr and Mrs William Henry, chefs at The Inn for some time, leave this week and will be succeeded by a chef from New York.

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Don’t forget the Thanksgiving night basketball game at the Town Hall.

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A party of 50 young people from Bridgeport chaperoned by Mrs Charles Miller, enjoyed a dinner and dance at the Inn, Saturday night.

Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with The Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed to kendra@thebee.com or brought to the office at 5 Church Hill Road to be scanned. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.