Date: Fri 27-Mar-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

Mountain-basketball

Full Text:

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

All those people who like to put their money where their hopes are got wiped

out of all the office basketball pools last weekend, when the UConn Huskies

got left behind in the tournament brackets by the University of North

Carolina.

Some of Newtown's most gung-ho basketball fans almost missed the big UConn/UNC

game last Saturday evening because they were playing in another big game.

Newtown Youth Services sponsored its annual basketball game featuring members

of the New York Giants football team Saturday night. For the first time ever,

the Newtown All-Stars actually put up a fight, finally succumbing down the

stretch, 99-98, at Newtown High School. Members of the All-Stars got

themselves fired up for the game by watching the second half of the UConn vs

North Carolina game on an old black and white TV just before tipoff.

By the way, the Newtown Youth Services raised $5,000 from the event.

Rev Steve Gordon of the Newtown Congregational Church saw some court time in

Saturday's game, but wanted to make sure he saved some energy for the

following day, when he took off on a long flight to Turkey and Greece.

The women in the town clerk's office get all kinds of zany calls during the

normal business day. Here's the latest: a woman called wanting to know if she

needed a permit in order to bring a petting zoo to a birthday party. It brings

new meaning to the game -- pin the tail on the donkey.

Other guests at the Ritz Carlton in Boston must have been taken aback last

week when Darryl Ifkovic and her husband, David, drove up towing their

two-horse trailer filled, not with horses, but with luggage. Friends from

Kentucky, their teenage son, and his girlfriend had flown in to visit and when

it came time for them to leave for Boston, in one vehicle, they realized there

simply wasn't enough space for all that luggage. Pressed for time, they tried

unsuccessfully to get a U-Haul, then opted for the horse trailer. Not to

worry, the Ritz Carlton staff assured them when they phoned ahead that there

will be a designated parking spot waiting. The trouble was, the space wasn't

nearly big enough. Fortunately the hotel found a space in an open lot to park

the trailer during their weekend stay.

I got a call this week from Dana Rundlof who was wondering whether any plans

have been made for the fifth year reunion of her class, 1993, at the high

school. Dana is down in Virginia where she is a communications/research

specialist for the Feminist Majority, one of the premier feminist think tanks

in the United States. The nonprofit activist organization is based in

Washington, D.C., and fights for women's equality. Two of its main areas of

concentration are increasing the number of women in political office, and

mobilizing defense against terrorist activities involving abortion clinics.

Dana says one of her main projects is the campaign to stop gender apartheid in

Afghanistan, where the militia has stripped women of most of their basic human

rights. Anyone who wants to keep in touch with Dana can e-mail her at

drundlof@feminist.org.

Judy Craven had a big birthday this weekend and what a celebration it was. Two

of her children flew in from Ohio and Florida for a surprise party with other

family members at Mona Lisa restaurant on Saturday night. Then Pat and Leon

Barkman had everyone over to dinner on Sunday. On Monday evening there was a

party at Pat Denlinger's house to celebrate the birthdays of all the women in

the Denlinger-Previdi office and a few other friends -- about 25 actually --

showed up to help Judy celebrate.

On Saturday, March 28, The Lions Club will host a Spaghetti Dinner in the

Alexandria Room at Town Hall, 5:30 to 8:30 pm; dessert and tours will follow

at the library. The fundraising event will help pay for furnishings and

equipment for the Story Hour Room. Tickets are available at the library.

The impressive countenance of Edmond Town Hall now looks like it's wearing a

catcher's mask. The scaffolding on the front and portions of the side wall of

the building has been erected so roofers and carpenters can start replacing

the building's slate roof. The office workers inside say they are getting used

to all the clanging and clattering. The work is expected to take two months to

complete.

I am happy to report that the street clock in front of The Bee is keeping

accurate time again -- in both directions. Now, no one will have any excuse

for not returning here at the same time next week to...

Read me again.