July 9, 1993

Treadwell Pool Loses Its Race With The Heat. Once Treadwell pool is open - possible July 9 - the Parks and Recreation Department intends to expand the hours of operation of the town's two pools. "We hope that we can at least get a temporary certificate of occupancy this afternoon so that we can open Treadwell tomorrow," said Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian on Thursday. Several problems, such as lack of handicapped railings in the bathrooms and showers, were causing the delay.

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This is a lost dog story with a happy ending. Fifty-three days after Brandy, a six-year-old sheltie owned by Cindy and Robert Miller disappeared, he was found in the woods behind the Edmond Town Hall by Newtown Hook & Ladder members. Brandy was confused, malnourished and dehydrated. He had festering sores on his back. But he was still beautiful to the children at Cindy Miller's daycare facility who had been praying for his return. "I cried my eyes out," Ms Miller said. "He was such a pathetic sight. His eyes were sunken into their sockets." Now back to his frisky self, Brandy scampered around the porch at the Miller home near Currituck Road this week, his shaved hindquarters the only evidence of his almost two-month disappearance. On a Sunday in early May, Brandy had followed Mrs Miller's son Rob, to the mailbox. When Rob returned, the family immediately noticed that the dog wasn't with him.

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The state supreme court has upheld the murder conviction of Richard Crafts, who claimed there wasn't enough evidence to prove he killed his wife and then disposed of her body with a woodchipper. The majority of the court, with one member dissenting, disputed Mr Crafts's contention that there was not enough evidence to convict him. The court also rejected arguments that several errors occurred during his trial and that his case was prejudiced by pretrial publicity. The court's 27-page opinion was issued Tuesday. Mr Crafts's lawyer has said he has not decided if he will appeal the case to the US Supreme Court. Crafts, 55, a former Eastern Airlines pilot, was convicted of murdering his wife Hellen, a flight attendant who disappeared in November, 1986, from their Newtown home. After her disappearance, state police found about three-quarters of an ounce of body parts along the shores of the Housatonic River in Southbury. A Southbury road worker spotted a man operating a woodchipper in the middle of a storm the same month Crafts's wife disappeared.

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Benjamin Franklin, inventor, linguist, publisher, scientist, statesman, and all around sophisticate, was having dinner in Paris with friends when someone wondered aloud what the most pitiable condition of a man might be. Franklin listened to his friends and added his own description of a man to be pitied most: A lonesome man on a rainy day who does not know how to read. We are partial to people who read for our product, the written word, is worthless until it is read. This summer, the Cyrenius H. Booth Library is offering a couple of reading programs for children ages 3 through 8th grade. The ideas and information that carry a reader from page to page are the modern world's most fundamental sources of power.

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Wednesday, July 14, will be Circus Day in Newtown. The Robert Bros Three-Ring Circus will set up its Big Top at the Newtown Shopping Center on Queen Street at 7 am. The circus will present two shows that day at 5:30 pm and 7:30 pm. The shows consist of clowns, animals, aerialists, and acrobats. There are no cages in Roberts Bros Circus. Every animal is domesticated including the Asian Elephant, Lisa.

July 12, 1968

Townspeople will go to the polls next Tuesday to elect a First Selectman for the second time in less than two years. The Republican endorsed candidate Timothy Treadwell, who is serving as interim first selectmen, is opposed by Miles Harris, the Democratic candidate. The stage was set for the special election last March 22, when the Republican First Selectman Francis J. Hiney, resigned on order of his physician after serving less than a year of his two-year term. A Democratic caucus endorsed Mr Harris as its candidate for the first selectman's post. A record turnout of Republican voters at the GOP caucus endorsed Mr Treadwell.

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At about 11:15 pm on Wednesday, July 3, after the fireworks at the Town Park a young man was walking alone on Elm Drive between the Town Park and Route 25, when five young fellows grabbed and held him. Using a sharp instrument, possibly a knife, they cut a large "X" on his stomach and the initials "FNG" on his right forearm. The victim is Charles Laczkoskie, 22, who works at Fairfield Hills Hospital and lives at 6 Baldwin Road, Newtown. He went to the doctor the next day and Doctor Waldo F. Desmond reported the matter to police. The "X" on his stomach required 15 stitches.

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Catherine Conger celebrates three 35th anniversaries this month. One: she has worked 35 years at the Sandy Hook post office. Two: she became a registered nurse 35 years ago. Three: she married Anbroce Conger 35 years ago, July 14. Fellow post office employees gave a small surprise party in her honor on Sunday, July 7.

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Graydon Lockard of Great Ring Road, Sandy Hook, is being transferred to the Boston office of the American Shoe Machinery Company where he will be corporate controller. His promotion was celebrated at a party given by his friends from Newtown, New Haven, Derby, and Shelton who enjoyed dinner, horseback riding, and swimming. Many of his fellow members of the Newtown Lions Club attended.

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"Please cancel my ad for the apartment to rent. The calls are driving me nuts. The apartment was rented last week when the ad first came out." Southbury advertiser.

July 16, 1943

The Gray's Plain school, one of the oldest landmarks in that section of town, has again come into public usefulness, not as a schoolhouse, but as a center where the Bookmobile for the Cyrenius H. Booth Library calls every other Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 with books for residents in that vicinity. The next visit is July 21. The idea of the Bookmobile proves of considerable convenience to residents who, because of transportation problems, cannot get to the library. The choice of the Gray's Plain school has been a happy one for the people thereabouts and has prompted a bit of research on the part of The Bee to bring to its readers a few of the interesting facts about this old building. Homer Clark, who lives above the school on the hill and is now 80 years of age, well remembers attending the school as a boy. He also recalls talk of the building by his parents, and believes that it stood at the time his grandparents were alive.

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Much credit is due Basil Bartram at Liberty Garage for his expert workmanship in building the body for Hawleyville's new fire truck. Handicapped in obtaining materials and pieces of equipment because of scarcities, Mr Bartram has turned out not only a good looking but thoroughly efficient piece of fire fighting apparatus, well adapted to the needs of Hawleyville.

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The children of Fredericka House will have their closing program on Wednesday evening, July 21. They will give the first presentation of a fairy opera, "Bo Peep Fantasie," by Edward Rupert. This will be preceded by a short play, "The Sentimental Scarecrow," by Rachel Field. There will be folk dancing and an exhibition of handiwork. Visitors are most welcome.

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Dr and Mrs Willian Crawford White are enjoying a two weeks' vacation at their summer home in Palestine district. Their younger son, Norval, having graduated from Exiter Academy in June, is now a freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and their older son Thomas, who is a second-year medical student, as such has been inducted into the Army where he will continue his studies.

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A group of townspeople and employees of the Fairfield State Hospital attended the canning demonstration which was sponsored by the Fairfield County Farm Bureau on Thursday evening, July 8, at Stratford House. Miss Helen Clark, Home Demonstration Agent for the bureau, took charge of the demonstration. At the start of the evening, she described in detail the two most widely used canning processes, namely, the pressure cooker and the hot water bath; the latter process being used most exclusively by novice canners since the manufacturer of pressure cookers has been suspended because of the war.

July 12, 1918

Wednesday was an ideal summer day and it was the editor's good fortune to be the guest for the afternoon of Mr and Mrs W. S. McLaughlin at their attractive summer home, The Elms, in Hanover. To W. Lyon McLaughlin, their son, the scribe is also indebted for courtesies extended, for the handy Ford in his control made the trip to Hanover through the woods a delight. But the cordial greeting and genuine hospitality of the hosts left no stone unturned for the editor's comfort and happiness. After dinner we sat in the cool shade of the elms, enjoying the picture on the hillside across the road, which shorn of the brush which has adorned the hillside for some years, is now furnishing pasturage for a herd of cows. A word about this old Colonial house is of interest. Mr McLaughlin believes it was built by Booth Terrill along about 1842.

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Mary Pickford will be shown in "Madam Butterfly," a splendid five-reel production at the town hall, this Friday evening, followed by a Black Diamond comedy. This program ought to suit the movie fans.

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James Sexton and sons, the monument builders of Stratford and Bridgeport, have just completed the erection of a very large and beautiful polished dark Quincy granite monument in the family plot in Cornwall Bridge cemetery for the late Carl B. Lorch. The monument is the largest and finest in the cemetery and weighs seven tons. Ten thousand dollars-worth of new monuments have arrived in the last ten days from the quarries and as many of the granite cutters are taken over by the government to work in shipyards, there will be very few, if any, monuments and headstones cut until after the war.

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"Best Medicine For Women." Portsmouth, Ohio. "I suffered from irregularities, pains in my side and was so weak at times I could hardly get around to do my work, and as I had four in my family and three boarders it made it very hard for me. Lydia E. Pinkman's vegetable compound was recommended to me. I took it and it has restored my health. It is certainly the best medicine for women's ailments I ever saw." -Mrs Sara Shaw, Portsmouth, Ohio. Mr Shaw wrote this letter of merit in order that other suffering women may find relief as she did. Women suffering should not drag along from day to day without giving this root and her remedy, Lydia Pinkman's vegetable compound, a trial.

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S. Nalevky sent to the treasurer of the local Red Cross $6 as the result of the Huntingtown dance, last Saturday night.Please consider sharing your old photographs of people and places from Newtown or Sandy Hook with The Newtown Bee readers. Images can be e-mailed to kendra@thebee.com, or brought to the office at 5 Church Hill Road to be scanned. When submitting photographs, please identify as many people as possible, the location, and the approximate date.