July 14, 2000

HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER of Brian Russell

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Newtown has apparently become home to a group of vandals who have gotten a kick out of painting over street signs. Their handiwork has cost the town thousands of dollars and created traffic hazards all over town.

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With the removal of a few signs and some barriers Currituck Road re-opened to traffic Tuesday afternoon. The road had been closed for bridge repair work (over Pond Brook) at the north end of the road for more than six months.

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Father Bob Weiss of St Rose Church was all smiles this week after his golf cart was recovered from the woods somewhere behind Lexington Gardens. The cart had been missing for 2-3 days after someone drove off with it during the St Rose Carnival late last week.

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Finally, her wait is over. Fifth grader Chelsea Fowler arrived at Sand Hill Plaza’s parking lot at 9 am Saturday, one hour before The Book Review opened its doors. Her purpose: to end a vigil of waiting stretching all the way back to November. When the store’s doors opened, the middle gate student was the first one at the reserved copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

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DANBURY — Newtown resident Elaine Abrams, a registered nurse, has been named Wellness on Wheels (WOW) Coordinator. Ms Abrams earned her diploma in nursing at the Newtown-Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing and her bachelor of science in Community Health Education at Western Connecticut State University. She is a master of public health candidate at the University of Connecticut in Farmington.

July 11, 1975

It appears Newtown Housing for the Elderly Incorporated expects to obtain a deed from the state for 20 acres of Fairfield Hills Hospital property next Monday. According to publicity director Gordon M. Williams, the deed transfer will be signed then in Hartford at the State Controller’s Office by the Attorney General and Governor Ella Grasso. Department of Mental Health Commissioner Ernest Shepherd has already signed it.

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Funeral services for John W. Trowbridge, assistant fire chief of the United Fire Company of Botsford and the company’s former chief, were conducted from the Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, to the Newtown Christian Church on Saturday, July 5.

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Congressman Ronald Sarasin (R-5th) hosted William H. Downing of Saw Mill Ridge Road, Newtown, who participated in the Connecticut Summer Intern Program. William attended the second of five weekly sessions in Washington held between June 16 and July 28 along with 45 other high school seniors from around Connecticut.

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There was a great deal of extra activity at Alex Kraner’s Shell Station this Fourth of July weekend, as the Newtown Jaycees attracted over 2,000 holiday travelers to their annual rest area. The Jaycees used some property kindly donated by Alex Kramer to erect a large tent and picnic area, where free coffee, orange drink, cookies, and donuts were dispensed to people using Route 84 over the holiday vacation.

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The Hanover 4-H Goat Club of Newtown and Brookfield boasts 13 new members and six active goats. Members of the Club are: Bridget and Billy Seaman; Scott, Eddie and Bobby Kimball; Mike and Dean Briglia; Michelle and Jennifer Ferrara; Brian Whitford, and Eddie, Tina and Tony Dvorsky. The 4-H leader is Dillena of Twin Ponds Farm, assisted by Lyn and Richard Mays.

July 7, 1950

EDITORIAL INK DROPS — ON WITH THE SHOW: Summer is no longer in this neck of the woods without an impressive list of auctions, art shows, antique sales, straw hat theaters and outdoor musicals. The fare is varied and bountiful — no one’s particular tastes need be at all neglected. There should not be a dull day or idle evening for a single person who delights in art, music or drama.

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A Fourth of July evening celebration that had earmarks of a community get-together was staged at Taylor Field in rear of Hawley School Tuesday night with a program of athletics and fireworks organized by the Troop Committee of the Newtown Boy Scouts, with James M. Osborne, Jr., chairman.

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The Fabric Fire Hose Company, presently engaged in efforts to improve its agency organization, is conducting a campaign that spreads into every state in the union, according to a report from Charles S. Cole, president of the company. The campaign is being conducted under the leadership of William Cole, company sales manager since the first of the year.

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A number of friends have visited with Arthur T. Nettleton at the Danbury Hospital during the past week. They report that he evinces much interest in affairs about the town and appears to be holding his own.

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The newly assigned Red Cross swimming instructor, Jack White, reported to Curtis Pond on Wednesday and has already begun a fine program for those wishing to pass life saving tests and for the very young swimmers, Coach DeGroat reports.

July 10, 1925

A meeting for the reorganization of the Newtown Hook & Ladder Co., No. 1, took place on Monday night. The officers elected were: Foreman, Patrick H. Gannon, First Assistant foreman, John A. Carlson, Second Assistant Foreman, F. S. Pitzschler, Secretary and treasurer, Oscar Pitzschler, Standing committee Frank Wright, P. H. McCarthy, C. F. Cavanaugh; Steward, Allison P. Smith.

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Louis C. Lovell, popular agent and service man for the Star and Durant cars, is moving, Thursday, into his new $20,000 garage, located at the foot of the Borough Street at the junction of the Newtown-Bethel state road.

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Allison P. Smith was in Middletown, Wednesday, attending the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State Hospital. Joesph Porter of Portland was elected chairman and W. W. Wilcox of Middletown, secretary of the Board. Mr. Smith was accompanied on the trip by Martin K. Donahue and James R. Lauder of New York City.

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Miss Cornella Caskey of Washington, D.C., is the guest of her sister, Mrs Robert D. Smith.

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Robert N. Hawley and Miss Mildred Hawley of Maplewood, N.J., were guests over the weekend of Mrs Ida Hawley of Hawleyville.

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Mr and Mrs E. F. Hurd and Edward, Jr., of Bridgeport, were guests, the Fourth, of Mrs Ida Hawley of Hawleyville.

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Goodyear, U.S. and Firestone tires and tubes at the Liberty Garage.

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Mr and Mrs A. W. McIntyre of New Haven are camping out for 10 weeks at Stevenson.

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Mr and Mrs Thomas M. White of Sandy Hook entertained at luncheon and dinner on Tuesday, Mr and Mrs Stanley J. Killian of New York, and Mr and Mrs William A. Johnson of Newtown, C. L. Birds of New York, Mr and Mrs Dennis Kelley of Bridgeport and Miss Catherine Hearn of Hoboken, N. J., the latter spending the summer with her sister, Mrs White.

July 13, 1900

Miss Hazel Smith is the latest victim of the popular malady, which the doctors call the whooping cough.

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H. A. Pratt now greets his friends with a broad smile on his face and invariably hands out a good cigar, all on account of the arrival of a future president at his home the Fourth. Mrs Pratt and her little son are doing nicely. Mrs Lynch of Long Hill is caring for her.

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Ground has been broken in Newtown for the new memorial library building which is to be presented to the Newtown library association by Miss Rebecca Beach of New Haven. It is hoped to have the library building completed and ready for occupancy by October and at that time fitting exercises will be held when the building will be formally turned over to the care of the Library association. The Library association of Newtown gave the plot of ground upon which the building is to be built. It is located in the central part of the town. The building according to the plans that have been made by Grosvenor Atterbury of New York, the architect, will be similar in construction to the building of the Country Club here.

Do you have photographs of people or places in town from a bygone era? The Way We Were is the perfect landing spot so that your photographs can be enjoyed by readers of The Newtown Bee. Images can be e-mailed as attachments to shannon@thebee.com, subject line: Way We Were photo. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date. If you live locally and would like to loan a photo/photos, please give us a call (203-426-3141) to let us know when you will be visiting.