Cultural Events

Weekend Holiday Events

Published: Dec 01, 2023 07:30 AM

Newtown traditionally spends the first weekend in December celebrating the holidays, and 2023 is no different. Tree lightings begin Saturday, a number of groups are hosting special fundraisers, and the Newtown Holiday Festival returns on Sunday, December 3.

The following is a listing of holiday-related activities planned for this weekend. See our Community Calendar for the listing of regular meetings and other special events.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1

Sip ‘n Shop, 5-9 pm, Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street, $25 general admission, $45 VIP (early entrance, specialty cocktails, food/appetizers, door prizes), shopping with vendors, wine and beer tastings, food, music, and more; 203-270-4349.

Sandy Hook Christmas Tree (& More) Sales, 6-9 pm, Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue main station, 18-20 Riverside Road, Christmas trees, wreaths, pine roping, cemetery boxes and more available for purchase, presented by and a benefit for fire company, Thursdays-Sundays to December 24 or while supplies last; 203-270-4392, SandyHookFire.com.

(Read more here: SHVFR Planning Tree Sales, Sleigh Rides)

POSTPONED: Ram Pasture Tree Lighting, 6:30 pm, Ram Pasture, due to expected inclement weather this event has been postponed to December 8.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2

63rd Annual Newtown Rotary Pancake Breakfast, 8 am-noon, Edmond Town Hall (Alexandria Room), 45 Main Street, $10 adults, $5 children, all-you-can-eat breakfast includes pancakes cooked by Rotary members, also Butcher’s Best sausage, Maple Craft Foods syrup, BD Provisions coffee, and milk, juice and hot chocolate; newtownCTrotary.org.

Greens & Gift Sale, 9 am-noon, Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West Street, annual holiday sale by The Garden Club of Newtown will again offer fresh wreaths decorated by hand, boxwood trees, centerpieces and more.

Sandy Hook Christmas Tree (& More) Sales, 9 am-9 pm, see additional December 1 details.

Friends of C.H. Booth Library Holiday Sale, 9:30 am-5 pm, C.H. Booth Library (meeting room), 25 Main Street, gift-quality books for all ages, jewelry, stocking stuffers, toys, jigsaw puzzles, media, and other gift items, proceeds benefit C.H. Booth Library, event continues December 3; boothbooksale.org.

Newtown’s Family Scavenger Hunt, 2 pm start, Newtown Youth & Family Services, $25/team, teams of up to six people will travel around town to find clues and complete tasks while competing for a prize, fundraiser presented by and to benefit Newtown Youth & Family Services; 203-270-4335, newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org/Special-Events.

A Christmas Celebration: The Singing Principal and Carol Sing, 3:30-6:30 pm, Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Road, children’s program by The Singing Principal (3:30-4:20, reservations required), then caroling in the sanctuary (4:30-5:30, all ages, no reservations needed), all will then be invited to bundle up and walk down the hill to Sandy Hook Center for 6 pm tree lighting; 203-426-9998, churchoffice@newtown-umc.org, numc.us.

2023 Sandy Hook Center Tree Lighting, 4-6:30 pm, Sandy Hook Center, business district centered around intersection of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road and Glen Road, activities begin at 4, Santa visits and karaoke begin at 5, tree on corner of Washington Avenue and Riverside Road will be lit at 6, caroling to continue, nonperishable donations requested for FAITH Food Pantry (each donor will be entered into raffle to light the tree), hosted by Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity; SandyHookVillage.com.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3

Sandy Hook Christmas Tree (& More) Sales, 9 am-6 pm, see additional December 1 details.

Drop-In Holiday Buttons, 11 am-1 pm, C.H. Booth Library (chbMakers’ Corner), 25 Main Street, all ages invited to learn how to press a button with a holiday theme during ongoing event; 203-426-4533.

38th Newtown Holiday Festival, 11 am-4 pm, along Main Street, annual holiday event with offerings for all ages including Festival of Trees, Historic House Tours & Holiday Tea, Nutcracker Suite performances, Outdoor Holiday Market, Cookies with Mrs Claus, Family Magic Shows, Historic Trolley Tours, and more, presented by and a fundraiser for Newtown Youth & Family Services; 203-270-4335, newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org.

Friends of C.H. Booth Library Holiday Sale, 11 am-5 pm, see additional December 2 details.

The Nutcracker Suite by Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet & Voice, performances at noon and 2 pm, Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street, tickets $15/door for performance only, or $15-$20 for full Newtown Holiday Festival ticket (see details in separate listing), special holiday performance by NCCB students suitable for all ages; 203-270-4335, newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org.

Newtown Historical Society Holiday Open House, 12-4 pm, The Matthew Curtiss House, 44 Main Street, free, historical society’s headquarters will be decorated in traditional style, with warm cider served by the fireplace, donations welcomed for historical society; 203-426-5937, newtownhistory.org.

Drop-In Beaded Wreath Ornaments, 2-4 pm, C.H. Booth Library (chbMakers’ Corner), all ages invited to learn how to create a wreath ornament, all materials provided; 203-426-4533.

“Songs for the Holiday Season,” 4 pm, Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street, $10 adults, $8 seniors and students, holiday concert by Newtown Choral Society will include songs from Africa, Denmark and Ireland, also traditional songs of the season, jazz interpretation of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” with bassist Amber Harris, also guest percussionists Howard Schuster and Jason Voegeli; 203-313-3064.

People began crossing Washington Avenue between the two trees in Sandy Hook Center soon after they were lit for the first time in 2022. Sandy Hook will have the honor of hosting the first tree lighting event this year, on Saturday, December 2. —Bee file photo

One of last year's entries in the Holiday Festival Gingerbread Competition. —Bee file photo

Garden Club of Newtown member Jeannette DelVento helps Jillian Cruwys during last year's Garden Club of Newtown Greens Sale. The event returns this weekend to Newtown Congregational Church. —Bee file photo

A Grinch ornament looks out from the tree decorated by the DeBlasi family for last year's Holiday Festival-Festival of Trees. The Holiday Festival returns on Sunday, but the Festival of Trees will open on Saturday. —Bee file photo

Snapshot: Alex Villamil

Work Week Opened With Fundraiser At The Country Club

Barbara Edwards

John Landolfi

Mark M. Passero, Sr

They clearly didn't get the message ! CUT THE BUDGET by 20% , not raise it ! Newtown spends $2,500,000.00 every week now ! It will be $2.6m if you approve it ! Who are these people not paying attention to the cost of living? Throwing money at the school administration will not make your kids any smarter ! We are at $22K per kid per year, that is insane ! CUT THE BUDGET ! Go show up and VOTE, because 1200 people who voted yes will show up again, and it's the 1200 people who decide your cost of living for years to come. 51% voters turnout should be mandated to approve the budget, not pathetic 15% of voters. Stop these nonsensical referendums and send everyone a card in the mail so we have a true outcome what people actually want.

Council Cuts $1.4 Million From School Budget

The town cuts down the Sandy Hook Christmas tree and now trashes this bridge. What next?

Sandy Hook Pedestrian Bridge Removed

All due respect, the headline to this article is misleading. The budget presented was a proposed budget that did not pass public referendum. There are no cuts to anything, rather a reduction in the Board of Education original asking dollars. As matter of fact, the current recommendation from the LC is an increase of 2.3M more than the previous budget from 2023/24.

Some background on the Bus comment Mr Knapp made on not following policy. From ther Bee may 2023. Following a Request for Proposal (RFP), the school board learned at its March 15 meeting that only one bid came back for the school district’s transportation contract. The current contract with All-Star Transportation, which oversees the majority of bus routes for the district, is set to end at the end of this school year. At the May 3 meeting, district Director of Business & Finance Tanja Vadas said — reacting to Public Participation speaker Ryan Knapp who, among other things concerning the transportation contract, questioned the school district’s RFP process — she stands by the district’s RFP process “but other companies just didn’t bid.”

Concerns With Adherence To School District Policies

Additionally, they also anticipate over a $300,000 surplus for this fiscal year.

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Weekend Holiday Events

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