Tercentennial Party—

Plan Set For Fireworks, Parking, And Traffic

By Andrew Gorosko

In view of the town’s upcoming “All-Day Birthday Celebration” at Fairfield Hills slated for Saturday, August 6, in commemoration of the Newtown Tercentennial, police have been planning how best to handle the crowds and traffic expected for the event, which will be capped off by a 9 pm fireworks display.

The rain date for the fireworks show is Sunday, August 7.

“We want to make this a safe event for everybody,” Police Chief Michael Kehoe said this week.

Five areas have been designated for the public viewing of the fireworks display, he said.

Viewing Area 1 is located behind Newtown Middle School on Queen Street, on the northeastern quadrant of the middle school property. Viewing Area 2 is located on a town-owned meadow on the east side of Queen Street.

Viewing Areas 3 and 4 are located near the turning circle on the dead-end street that runs behind Reed Intermediate School at Fairfield Hills. That street is known Old Farm Road. That turning circle is located across Wasserman Way from Wasserman Way’s intersection with Mile Hill Road South.

Viewing Area 5 is the athletic field at Fairfield Hills that lies between Kent House and Danbury Hall.

All five designated fireworks viewing areas will be clearly posted, Chief Kehoe said. The fireworks show will last 30 minutes. It has been more than 20 years since a legal fireworks display has been staged locally.

To accommodate the thousands of visitors expected to attend the fireworks display, the town has designated five vehicle-parking areas. Parking will be allowed only on paved surfaces.

Parking Area 1 is the Hawley School parking lot on Church Hill Road. Parking Area 2 is the Newtown Middle School parking lot.

Parking Area 3 is the Reed School parking lot, as well as the length of the dead-end Old Farm Road, which lies behind the school. Parking Area 4 is at Newtown High School and Parking area 5 is at the town offices at 31 Peck’s Lane.

Very limited parking will be available at Fairfield Hills, Chief Kehoe said. Such parking will be limited to those including handicapped people, vendors, and volunteer workers, he said.

Shuttle buses will run throughout the day to ferry people between the high school parking area and Fairfield Hills, Chief Kehoe said.

Events during the day at Fairfield Hills will include a vintage base ball game, family picnic, entertainment, and an antique auto show, among other activities.

Shuttle buses will start running at 6 pm between the town’s Peck’s Lane offices and Fairfield Hills.

Police will provide pedestrians with safe passage across streets that they must cross to reach designated fireworks viewing areas after having parked their vehicles at town-approved parking areas, Chief Kehoe said. Fourteen police will be on overtime duty for the event.

Police will close to vehicular traffic a large section of Queen Street and the entire dead-end Grand Place starting at 6:30 to 7 pm, Chief Kehoe said. 

The section of Queen Street to be closed to traffic extends from its intersection with Glover Avenue on the north to its intersection with Mile Hill Road on the south. Side streets leading to Queen Street will be barricaded at their intersections with Queen Street.

During its closure, Queen Street will serve as a broad pedestrian walkway, the police chief said.

Queen Street and Grand Place will reopen to traffic after the crowd disperses following the fireworks display, Chief Kehoe said.

“No Parking” signs will be posted in areas where parking will be prohibited during the celebration.

The police chief urged that people arrive early to attend the fireworks display in order to avoid a last-minute rush to get to the event.