Last Friday, Republicans, Democrats and Independents from miles around crossed party lines paying tribute to Town Clerk Mae Schmidle, who is launching her new career as state legislator from the 106th assembly district. Wearing red, as her constituents have come to expect from the colorful lady who has been active in town and state affairs for many years, Mrs Schmidle expressed her gratitude.

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Recently, Responders, Inc, a Newtown-based emergency radio monitoring team, presented the police department with a citizens band base station and antenna. Two of the department’s new cruisers already had CBs as well as the police radio, but up until a month ago police had been unable to communicate by CB directly to police headquarters.

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The Board of Selectmen has reinstituted the position of assistant sanitarian in the Newtown health department, a position which has been vacant since the last assistant quit in January of 1980.

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Police arrested two Bethel teenagers and charged them with tearing down both sets of goal posts on the high school football field over the weekend. Damage was estimated at $800. They stopped them on Longview Drive and saw that two 2x4 posts, approximately six feet long, were sticking out of their trunk.

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Twenty-one members of the Newtown High School instrumental music department recently participated in the Western Connecticut Music Festival at the University of Bridgeport. The annual event is sponsored by the Connecticut Music Educators Association and brings together outstanding talent from the western area of the state.

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Newtowners were wondering this week just what happened to Old Glory at the famous flagpole at the intersection of Main Street and Church Hill Road. According to Chief Louis Marchese of the Newtown Police Department, the pulleys which hoist the flag were twisted around the pole and were unable to be shaken loose until Thursday morning.

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Three Newtown High wrestlers won titles and four finished as runners-up at the second annual Western Connecticut Conference Wrestling Tournament held at Joel Barlow High in Redding last Saturday.

February 24, 1956

Tuesday afternoon, February 21, marked the consummation of the purchase by the Newtown Congregational Church of the Knapp and Meyers store property on Main Street, adjoining the Congregational parsonage. The Newtown Congregational Church has purchased the property against the eventuality of a needed enlargement of the church edifice at some time in the not too distant future, when the church could be moved to the Knapp and Meyers site and needed alterations completed.

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Members of the vocational agriculture class of Newtown High School headed by their instructor, Vincent Gaffney, are spending considerable time in the Town Forest on Castle Hill Road to thin out the stand of young trees, clear away diseased trees and otherwise practice good forestry methods.

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Paul Webb, Shepard’s Hill Road, is again in the news, after his one-man show in New York the first of this year, this time with the announcement by Joseph M. Boychuck, president of Columbia Features, Inc that the Newtown artist has signed a contract with Columbia to produce a daily panel and a full color comic strip to be released the middle of March.

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The Couples Club was one of the casualties of last Saturday’s storm, with slippery roads making it impossible for all of the members to be present for the roast beef dinner and “shopping and swapping” program.

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The special town meeting, held Friday evening in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall, drew an attendance of less than 40 citizens and lasted less than 10 minutes. A resolution was presented by George Northrop, chairman of the Planning Commission, calling for an appropriation of $760 to meet the Commission’s expenses.

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The joint meeting to discuss highway safety and traffic problems in Newtown, which had been arranged by the Highway Safety committee of the Newtown Chamber of Commerce, was held on Tuesday evening at the Hawley Manor. Lengthy discussion was held on local highway safety and the various traffic problems being experienced in Newtown at the present time. Several corrective measures were suggested, and it was decided that a detailed program to control traffic and promote highway safety be prepared from the suggestions made at the meeting.

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A large size curb side collection box in the new red, white and blue colors will be installed by this week end beside the North driveway of Edmond Town Hall as another convenience for the patrons of the Newtown Post Office, according to Postmaster Albert H. Nichols.

February 20, 1931

One of the most important real estate transactions that has taken place in the Borough of Newtown was announced on Wednesday in the sale under contract of the homestead of the late Miss Mary E. Hawley to Mr and Mrs William F. Scott of New York. The property is one of the show places of the town, consisting of the main house, Fern cottage, extensive barns and outbuildings and seven and one-fourth acres of land.

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NEWTOWN DOG WINS BLUE RIBBONS Mrs Edith Parker, owner of one of the finest English Greyhounds in this part of the country, was the grand winner of blue ribbons at the New Haven Dog Show, Saturday, February 14. Her dog, “Mrs. Smalley,” won first prize in four classes and best of breed, winners and best of winners, which is considered a remarkable winning for the first showing of any dog.

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By way of keeping the weather record for January and February, the Stevenson section reports a four degree above zero, early Sunday morning. It was a poor night to sleep out by the side of a haystack.

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The falls at the old Niantic mill dam at Sandy Hook were a miniature Niagara on Wednesday afternoon. Not for more than a year has the Pootatuck river been any higher. Many people paused at the railing thrilled by the sight.

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THE NEW ST JOHN’S CHURCH. Soon To Be Erected in Sandy Hook. One will see it from the street, its arched doorway framed by two great maples. The steep pitched roofs, the high crossing belfry, the shadowy grey of the walls are distinctly English in the manner of Cornwall. Small seating, about 150, its greatest dimension is 82 feet, its width across the nave is 24.

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A bill providing $2,500,000 for the construction of the Fairfield state hospital at Newtown during the next two years was favorably reported in the legislature at Hartford, Tuesday, and the passage of the measure, which is expected, will insure the continuance of the work as planned during the next two years.

February 23, 1906

W.C Johnson had 48 men at work on the Foundry pond, Friday Saturday, Sunday and Monday, with 10 or 12 teams, hauling ice to the Borden’s factory and filling his own ice house. The Borden house holds 850 tons and Mr Johnson’s house about 1500 tons.

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The long-expected Bi-Centennial history, a volume of 175 pages, in rich red covers, and containing 33 half-tone illustrations, appears, this week, and is being delivered by Charles G. Peck, a well-known townsman. That the book is a model of typographical neatness will not be disputed.

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Miss Ella Blake had her arm caught in a loom in the factory of the Fabric Fire Hose Co., bruising her wrist and wrenching her shoulder

The popularity of the talking machine is based upon its real value as an entertainer. There is no other form of home amusement that gives so much genuine pleasure to all members of the family. The Century Co., Bridgeport, sells Victor talking machines, Edison phonographs and Columbia graphophones, as well as carrying one of the largest stocks of records in the state.

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Frederick W. Andrews, a popular Taunton farmer, slipped into the water on A.C. Moore’s pond, while assisting in the ice harvest, last week, being completely immersed in the icy water. It was a jolly experience, for those who looked on.

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The White Wind Poultry farm of Nichols’ completed, last fall, a large pond for their ducks and geese, which they feel will greatly increase the productiveness of the eggs.