Date: Fri 16-Jan-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Mountain-Booth-Library

Full Text:

TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

What a great weekend I had at the Booth Library. First I sampled a donut in

the staff room while everyone was busy getting the library polished and

vacuumed in time for Saturday night's gala. Then the real food arrived for the

catered event, and I spent the evening noshing on miniature crab cakes,

stuffed mushrooms and other nibbles that a cat doesn't get to eat very often.

The entertainment was great, too. Joe Grasso's quartet played in the reading

room, there were flutists in the children's department, the library board of

trustees sang "Can You See The Love Tonight?" (good thing they were backed up

by the Newtown Choral Society), and Bill Brimmer sang a song about Newtown,

with lyrics that he wrote to the music of "Our Town" by Sammy Cahn and James

Van Heusen. Here are the words, so you can try singing it yourself:

"You will like the friends you meet in Newtown

On Main Street or any other street in our town

Pick up the paper, The Bee is all-new

And our gorgeous Flagpole is there to welcome you.

We are proud of our town we call Newtown

It's also called Sandy Hook and Dodgingtown

Don't forget Botsford and Hawleyville, too

Part of everyone of us is part of all of you

We remember those in past who came to Newtown

They left their mark on every inch of our town

The Curtises and Booths, we thank each one of you

Mary Elizabeth Hawley, what would we have done without you?

We'll not forget you all, I promise you

Welcome to our Newtown

Sixty square miles of beautiful town

We'll keep making Newtown our town, too!"

Frank Krasnickas played a big part in working to get the library finally

completed, so he was missed at the gala. Poor Frank came down with influenza

and hasn't been going out much lately. His sense of taste was finally coming

back earlier this week, however, so he decided to bake a cake. Frank likes

baking cakes. But to his surprise, there was no vanilla in the house, so Frank

made his way down to the Grand Union Tuesday night for a bottle of vanilla.

Paul and Laurie Brautigam brought the whole family for a tour of the new

library Sunday, but they didn't get past the new-look children's section. It

seems their son Robert, 6, found a computer and made his way onto the

Internet. A whole new world had suddenly opened up to young Robert and he

wasn't going anywhere.

The notice on last week's front page that Newtown's first baby of 1998 still

hadn't been found finally brought some results. It seems that everyone thought

someone else surely must have had the first baby.

Mark D'Avola finally called to report that his wife, Elizabeth, delivered a

baby girl, Emma Rose, on January 3 at 11:20 am. The D'Avolas live on Taunton

Ridge Road. The Petersons, Sandy and Michael of 41 Mile Hill Road South,

apparently were second with the birth of their daughter, Jessica Lynn, on

January 6. Jessica Lynn was born at 9:43 am and weighed 7 lbs 2 oz.

Bruce Ratcliffe (aka Bruce Francis Weston Ratcliffe, Jr) of Woodbury also

called because his wife, Susan, had given birth to their son, Bruce 3rd, at

4:16 am on New Year's Day at Danbury Hospital. Bruce, the father, grew up in

Newtown on Turkey Hill Road where his father, the proud grandpa, still lives.

Bruce, Jr, graduated from Newtown High School in 1985 and still works in

Newtown, for AC2000, an air conditioning/heating contractor. So he hoped his

new son might qualify as the first baby. The rules are clear, however, that

the parents must be current Newtown residents.

"I was looking for the first baby or a tax deduction, and I didn't get

either," he said. Sorry, Bruce.

Mae Schmidle was headed up to storm-ravaged Vermont earlier this week so she

figured she'd stop by the town's thrift shop at Edmond Town Hall to pick up

some winter coats and hats to bring up to those in need. Many have been

without power and heat for more than a week since a recent ice storm and Mae

figured she'd bring with her a bit of help from Newtown, Conn. Heck, she

figured, it's been so warm down here, no one needs this winter stuff anyway.

The household of Beth and Kevin Koschel added some parakeets to the family

roster this Christmas, but unfortunately one of the birds took off for the

wide open spaces when the door was opened just a little too long last Sunday.

Beth remembered that the bird seemed to like the colored Christmas tree lights

on the trees outside, since it would sit by the picture window for long

periods of time looking out at the lights. So she turned on all the lights

hoping to lure the bird back. No luck.

Monday morning Beth was back out in the yard in her pajamas whistling for the

parakeet, hoping against the odds that he was still around. Happily, she heard

his chirp nearby. After trying a number of ideas for attracting the wayward

parakeet, Beth finally opened all the windows in the living room so the

chirping of the remaining parakeets could be heard outside. The bird finally

showed up, landing briefly on Beth's outstretched finger, only to fly off

again to a neighbor's yard. But this time Beth was able to catch up to him and

snag him from behind. A little later, the bird was pronounced fit by the vet

(it had been a warm night) and returned to the other birds to tell his tales

of adventure.

All's well that ends well, which is my cue to remind you to...

Read me again.