Features

Seniors Gathered For Year-End Holiday Feast

By Sam Cross

Published: Dec 25, 2025 6:00 am

Newtown Senior Center once again hosted its annual “Sparkle And Snow” holiday party on Friday, December 19. Every table was full and every seat was taken.

Natalie Griffith, director of Human Services, was hard at work “getting food out to 70 of our closest friends.” As staff was shuffling food out of the kitchen, seniors conversed among themselves and said hello to First Selectman Bruce Walczak as he moseyed about and even joined the senior center members for lunch.

After everyone was served, Griffith shared some thanks to the staff at the senior center, “Thank you to our incredible Human Services team over there.” Everyone in the room clapped and cheered.

Then, senior center member Donna D’Alessandro approached the front of the room. She had a few gifts in her hands, “I just want to say that Christmas is the best to acknowledge all the people that do this job for us … The best way it was summarized by one gentleman who said, ‘Those ladies allow me to come here and feel comfortable.’”

Some people from the crowd agreed, and applause erupted once more. D’Alessandro then handed the small gifts to Wendy Devereaux, Nicole Nicholson, Grifith, and Jennifer Faircloth.

After D’Alessandro’s presentation, Griffith said, “May this holiday season bring you joy, warmth, and cherished moments with friends and family, and may 2026 be filled with good health, laughter, and lots of great memories at the Newtown Senior Center. Thank you for being a part of our family here.” She then invited Walczak to say a few words.

Walczak first joked and said that he “left [his] speech at home.” He wished everyone a happy holiday, a merry Christmas, and a great Hanukkah. He shared that this upcoming year is going to be “very exciting, very busy, and hopefully [he] will live up to your expectations.”

After the brief words, Harmony on the Sound, a chapter of Sweet Adelines International, performed for the crowd. The group sings four-part, a cappella harmony in the barbershop style, and claims to be a “new kind” of barbershop.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.

Senior center member Donna D’Alessandro hugs Jennifer Faircloth after giving her a small holiday gift at Newtown Senior Center’s “Sparkle And Snow” holiday party on December 19.—Bee Photos, Cross

First Selectman Bruce Walczak wishes everyone a happy holiday.

Harmony on the Sound performs a variety of Christmas songs at Newtown Senior Center.

The room was at full capacity with a list of 70 guests who came to enjoy the year-end party at the senior center.

Donna D’Alessandro thanks the Human Services staff for making Newtown Senior Center thrive.

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My darling, You were the best GRANDmother a child could ask for. You created so many great memories & traditions that I have passed down to your Great grandchildren. You brought joy into every room you stepped into. Your laughter, singing, whistling and the signature Rockettes high kicks, is something I will always hold in my heart. There was something about walking into your home and being greeted by your beautiful face. *kiss on each check* followed by HELLOOOOOO Darling! The classical music playing softly in the background and your love and comfort made your home, a safe space. Somewhere, where love knew no boundaries. It was so much more than a home. I aim for the same in my home, and play the classic music 24/7, but it will never be the same. I pray I can be 1/4 of GRAND, you put in GRANDmother. You were so resilient. You found the positive in every situation. I look up to you so much. I remember begging Mom and Dad for years to change my name to “Carmen”. They didn’t officially change my name, but eventually started calling me “Carmenita” as I am a little you. THE HONOR. You were there for me, no matter the day or hour. You were always the one who would talk me through whatever hard situation I was going through. When my baby passed away, I refused to talk to anyone for 3 weeks. Except for you. You said to me “Better days are coming, babes. There’s always a rainbow after the storm”. Of course, you were right, because you are GRAND. I picture you in heaven dancing and laughing with him. Uncle Jay playing the money game with him. To know you are with your children again & with mine does bring me some joy. Twas the night before Christmas & New Year’s Eve, will never be the same. Another tradition you created. A memory that will last forever. Not just with me, but for generations to come. It may not be the same, but we won’t let it die. It will live on, in your name. To be your first GRANDchild was a blessing. I could write an entire book about you & all the amazing things about you. Even though we were robbed of time together & it makes me angry, I know I will see you again. This isn’t a goodbye, but a “see you later”. Just like we ended every phone call. Ciao, darling. I love you. MWAH MWAH! Love your GRANDchild, Kimberly aka Carmenita

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Unfortunately, I think this is likely to get worse, not better... Based on both public comments and private conversations, I’m increasingly concerned that our newly elected First Selectman intends not just to install these cameras, but to expand their use for full-blown enforcement and fines. Try getting a straight answer out of him about the long-term plan and you quickly realize how vague the responses become. Tyler is absolutely right to raise the privacy issue. These systems don’t just “catch speeders” — they quietly build a database of where we drive, when we drive, and who is in our vehicles. Once that infrastructure is in place, it becomes very easy to justify expanding its scope: more cameras, more locations, more uses, and eventually more automated enforcement. If Newtown is going down this road, residents deserve clear, written answers to some basic questions before anything is expanded: What limits will be placed on how and where cameras are used? Will footage and plate data be used only for speed enforcement, or for other investigations too? How long will data be stored, and who can access it? What safeguards will prevent vendors and individuals from abusing this information? Without firm, enforceable rules in place, “just a few cameras to slow traffic” can turn into something very different over time. I support safe roads — but not at the cost of unchecked surveillance and vague promises from our leaders. You try getting straight answers out of our First Selectman, myself and others have not been able to...

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I had to hold back a laugh at the idea that 7:30 pm is apparently such a late-night hardship that we’re already talking about moving meetings earlier. For a lot of residents, 7:30 is the earliest they can realistically get to Town Hall after work, family obligations, and the rest of real life. Shifting BOS meetings to 7:00 might make the calendar look tidier for those in the building, but it makes participation harder for the people who pay for the building. If the new First Selectman’s week is already booked solid and evening meetings feel like a strain, that’s not a reason to move the goalposts on public access—it's a reminder that the job is supposed to be demanding. Public service means accommodating the public, even when it’s inconvenient.

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Real people were just in a frightening car accident. To immediately frame their misfortune as rhetorical ammunition against new housing — affordable housing included — feels less like concern for “health and safety” and more like opportunistically using a scary moment to support a pre-existing position. If we’re going to debate this proposal, we should do it honestly: with data on traffic volume, accident history, engineering recommendations, and the town’s housing needs, not by seizing on a single crash as proof that 300 apartments are inherently unsafe. Newtown deserves a thoughtful, fact-based conversation about growth, safety, and affordability — one that doesn’t turn other people’s bad day into a political talking point.

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To add context that did not occur at the meeting would not be an accurate representation of the meeting and would, in fact, be editorializing to shape public opinion. The editorial staff here do not consider ourselves to be final arbiters of what the truth is (and if we did, it would make us partisan and biased), and we would need to provide a source for any dissenting information (sourcing all information in an article is literally Journalism 101). There were no such sources present at the meeting in question, and so it would not be appropriate to include such information in an article about the meeting. Dissenting voices appear in meeting stories when there were active participants with dissenting opinions, such as during public participation or the words of a council member who disagreed. It should be noted that the Interfaith Council, like many local boards and commissions, conduct meetings that are open to the public. This was not an article on the actions of the Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants, or on immigrants, or on ICE's actions in the community, where including other voices or perspectives would be appropriate. We appreciate your opinion, but we stand by our meeting coverage and consider this discussion closed.

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Seniors Gathered For Year-End Holiday Feast

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