Life in Newtown, CT

Ladybugs and Newtown, CT  The very first Fall we lived in Newtown, CT, I was amazed at the number of ladybugs that were swarming my home.  Since then, every Fall, usually in mid-October, the ladybugs come - in great numbers.  I have a fondness for the ladybugs and don't particularly mind them, but not everyone shares my sentiments. 

I wondered about the ladybug and Newtown, CT phenomenon, so, I've googled different aspects of ladybugs over the past few years.  Here's what I've learned over the years:

• The ladybugs are looking for shelter for their winter hibernation
• They tend to like bathrooms because of the water & moisture
• They'll fly into your home or squeeze through small openings to hibernate
• Ladybugs will form a large group for their hibernation
• Ladybugs are attracted to light colored homes
• When they die, the vacuum works just fine

So, now you have a little information for next year when the ladybugs return to Newtown, CT.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

WIN - Women Involved in Newtown  Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) is a non-profit organization made up of women of all ages from all over Newtown who are interested in working together for the goodwill of our community.  Our meetings are once a month from September to June, usually on the second Monday of the month at 7:30 PM.  Meetings are at a different member's home each month and we take turns providing food and drinks. Directions to each month's meeting are sent in a monthly email. Membership dues ($25) are payable in September and once paid ensure that you will receive the monthly meeting minutes via email.

If becoming an Active Member is too much of a time commitment, you can receive the email minutes each month as an Associate Member. Associate Members are not required to attend monthly meetings, but are kept apprised of our activities via email and may choose to participate in any of our activities as their interest dictates and schedule allows.  WIN works as a group on various projects throughout the year, with individual members choosing to lend a hand where their help is best suited.  All money raised by Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) goes toward funding our annual projects explained below.

WIN ACTIVITIES

• THANKSGIVING BASKETS

This town-wide event is organized by WIN. Social Services provides WIN with a list of families in Newtown who are in need, which we match with various volunteer sponsors (Girl Scouts, church groups, local businesses, individual families, etc.). Each sponsor provides holiday "fixings" (turkey or ham, stuffing, etc.) and groceries (canned goods, cereal and even pet food) to last the assigned family for an entire month.  WIN provides milk, eggs and butter. On the Friday prior to Thanksgiving, all items are collected and divided into boxes and bags for the families to pick up later in the day (some deliveries are also made).  All WIN members are called upon for this event, even if only for an hour with a preschooler in tow!  Note:  You do not need to be a member to participate - all help is appreciated, including teens looking for community service hours.

• VOTING ENUMERATION

Each year, WIN volunteers (often accompanied by husbands!) serve as enumerators for Newtown elections the first Tuesday in November.  This is considered a fund-raising activity as WIN receives payment for this service.

•  AMBULANCE ENVELOPES

WIN members meet to stuff envelopes for the Newtown Ambulance's annual fundraiser. Pizza is provided and older children are welcome - older means old enough to sit with you and stuff envelopes!  This is a great opportunity for kids who need community service hours.

•  HOLIDAY FAMILY SPONSORSHIP

Every year, WIN sponsors one Newtown family in need. Social Services provides us with a description of the family members (sex and age) and a list of their needs/desires for the holiday. Very often the wish list is simply necessity items, such as clothing. WIN shops for these items and wraps everything for delivery in time for the holidays.

• RED CROSS SANDWICHES

WIN Members provide homemade sandwiches for distribution to blood donors at the Newtown Lions' Red Cross blood drive(s). Each participating member usually provides two loaves of bread worth of sandwiches and/or brownies, packaged individually.

• FESTIVAL OF TREES

WIN is asked to donate a decorated tree for the Festival of Trees each winter. The Christmas trees are then auctioned off for charity.

• EASTER BASKETS

WIN Members stuff Easter baskets filled with candy (partly donated and partly purchased by WIN), stuffed animals, and goodies, which are distributed to needy children in town and the surrounding area.  We also collect stuffed animals all year long that are used in this effort (extra stuffed animals are sent to Africa with Danbury doctors who volunteer their time there).

• LITE THE NIGHT

This is the first year WIN will participate in Light the Night being held in late October. This event is a smaller scale of Relay for Life.

• WIN SCHOLARSHIP

Each year WIN provides a scholarship to a deserving female high school student who has excelled in community service. Applications are submitted and WIN members vote on the winning candidate.

•  DONATIONS

Please note that Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) accepts donations year-round.  If you are interested in making a charitable contribution of any amount, we are a 501(c)3 classified Non-Profit Organization and all contributions are considered tax-deductible.  WIN, P.O Box 286, Newtown, CT 06470.

If you would like to become a member of Women Involved in Newtown (WIN), please email us and we'll pass along your request (we know people who are WINners!)  ~ Visit Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) at their new website www.WINCT.org!

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

Flagpole in Newtown, CT  Newtown, CT and its flagpole go hand in hand.  Located in the middle of the street at the Main Street, Church Hill Road and West Street intersection, Newtown's glorious flagpole stands proudly in the middle of the road.  One question that people commonly ask: "Why does Newtown have a flagpole in the middle of the road?"

Well here is a little history on the flagpole in Newtown, CT.  It was written by Dan Cruson, the Town Historian, and I located this article in The Rooster's Crow, a newsletter printed 5 times per year by the Newtown Historical Society.  The information below comes from the September/October 1994 issue and is not reproduced in full.

There appears to be no public flagpole in Newtown until the first of modern sequence of poles is erected in 1876.  That was the year of the nation's centennial and a number of Newtown's leading men came together to decide how best to celebrate this event in Newtown.  A "liberty pole" was decided upon and donations were taken up to pay for the cost.  43 people contributed $107.50 for the "liberty pole".  The complete cost of obtaining and erecting the pole was $131.65.  One of the contributors made up the deficit of $24.15.

Before the placement of the modern day steel flagpole in Newtown, there was a succession of three wooden poles that stood in the intersection.  The first one deteriorated as the typical New England weather took its toll on the exposed wood.  Until recently, it was not known when the original pole was replaced.  The recent discovery of a news item, in the April 1, 1892, issue of The Newtown Bee has reduced our ignorance.  It states that, "Lawrence Mitchell has been at work on a new flagpole for The Street (the old name for Main Street) ... "

The second flagpole took quite a beating before it was replaced in 1914.  By the time of Newtown's bicentennial celebration in 1905, the flagpole was leaning to one side.  The Men's Club, in whose hands the bicentennial planning had been placed, arranged a set of guy wires to hold the flagpole upright.  A year after Newtown's bicentennial celebration, the Newtown flagpole was struck by lightening.  It was badly damaged and repaired within a short time.  Within 6 years of the repair, the whole flagpole came crashing down one night.  The pole snapped off about 15 feet from the base and the stump remained for two years while the Men's Club and town fathers decided what to do about is replacement.

On July 4th, 1914, the third flagpole in Newtown, CT was installed.  The top mast, surmounted by a gilt ball, was then added to the main mast raising the total height of the Newtown flagpole to a dizzying 100 feet.  In 1947, the old wooden flagpole was in need of maintenance.  Extensive repairs were made to Newtown's flagpole that were expected to last another quarter of a century.  It barely lasted for three years.  By late 1949, examination of the lower portion of the top mast indicated that it was so badly rotted that three feet of the mast bottom was going to have to be cut off.  Bids were taken in for this work and it was decided by the First Selectman, A. Finn Dickenson, that they were too expensive for temporary measures to repair the deteriorating flagpole.  In reaction to this, plans were made to replace the ailing wooden flagpole with a more substantial one made of steel and measuring 100 feet, the same height as the pole it was replacing.

Late in January 1950, the old wooden pole was dismantled and a hole 12 feet deep and 7 feet in diameter was dug in the pavement of the intersection just north of the previous pole.  Into this hole a galvanized steel cylinder 21 inches in diameter was lowered to a depth of 11 feet and concrete was poured around the steel to firmly secure it in place.  Into this cylinder the new steel pole was lowered on Monday, January 23, 1950.  It came in two parts that were welded together on the ground and swung into position by a gigantic crane.  This pole was 16 inches in diameter at the base.  The modern Newtown flagpole cost $2,900 - just 10 times as much as the pole it replaced.

This flagpole, the present one, has been in place for the past 59 years with little deterioration, even after having been hit by a car in 1979 which was traveling at an estimated 55 mph late one night.  The injury sustained by the Newtown flagpole was a minor dent.  The car was demolished.  Such resilience is due to its weight  of 2.5 tons and the fact that is buried to a depth of 11 feet below Main Street.

In the morning when you listen to the traffic on the radio, you'll hear something like "15 minute backup at the Newtown flagpole".  We always find this funny - there's just something about the flagpole that makes you smile.

We hope that you'll think the flagepole in Newtown, CT is as great as we do.  It is one of the things that makes Newtown, CT a special place to live.

* The flagpole photo on the above left is courtesy of David Rowe, Monroe, CT.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

My Trip to The Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, CT  So, we moved to Newtown, CT in 2000 and today, was my first true visit to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.  I drive past the library all the time and point it out to clients when we're out looking at homes.  I've been wanting to get a library card so that I can stop spending loads of money on books that I only read once and then give away.  It's been on my list of things to do, but it just wasn't getting done.  Recently, I posted on Facebook - asking for subjects to post on this blog and someone mentioned the flagpole in Newtown, CT.  That's what brought me to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, CT today.

From past experience when dropping my child off, I knew to pull into the rear of the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.  There is parking on the Main Street, but it's fairly limited and the parking lot in the rear is rather large.  What I noticed once I reach the walkway were the bricks with people's names engraved into them.  I later learned that these were .  These personalized bricks are incorporated into the pathways on the library grounds.  These can be purchased with a $50 donation.  Don't know if they are still available, but I thought they are really cool.

I walked up the steps into the library and walked past a small Conference Room where I had attended a Real Estate Leadership Training class.  Prior to today, the small Conference Room was as far into the library I'd been.  I walked down the hall looking for something or someone to tell me where to go.  I turned left and walked through a metal detector and continued to look like a lost soul.  A lady in the large room ahead of me (the Children's Department) asked me if I needed help.  I responded that I did and explained why I was there (library card and research).  She was very friendly (as were all the staff I encountered today) and told me that I had to go up to the first floor and that I could use the stairway or elevator.  I opted for the stairs to the first floor.

The lady who assisted me on the first floor gave me an index card to fill out for my new library card.  I have to wait a few days for the official card to be issued, but I was allowed to take out 4 books today, if I wanted.  She pointed out a few books about Newtown, CT that are available for purchase as she thought they might be of help to me for my research (this is the Booth Boutique).  Next, she directed me upstairs for my research.  Again, I opted for the stairs over the elevator.

When I arrived to the next floor, I explained to the two ladies my purpose and they were very accommodating.  They brought me to the section of the floor where the books were that I needed.  They then brought over to my table articles that were in their file about Newtown's flagpole.  Next, they gave me a wonderful binder that contained past issues of a newsletter called "The Rooster's Crow" that was issued by Newtown's Historical Society.  The Rooster's Crow is a wonderful resource tool for information on Newtown's past.  I paid 10 cents for each copy that I made on the copy machine and was on my way.

I forgot to mention that inside the stairwell a bulletin board was posted at each landing.  On the bulletin boards were all sorts of flyers about town events (organic farmer's market in Sandy Hook), library happenings (a knitting class that is being offered starting October 20th), and other items. 

I'm truly glad I went to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library in Newtown, CT today.  I found the library to be an inviting place to visit and the people who work there to be very pleasant and helpful.  I look forward to going back to get my official Cyrenius H. Booth Library card.

If you haven't been to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library, I suggest you stop by for a visit.  It's located at 25 Main Street, Newtown - just south of the Newtown flagpole!

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818

55+ Active Adult Communities in Newtown, CT: Market Update 10/3/09  Last month, we posted a general information blog about the different 55+ Active Adult communities in Newtown, CT.  Several people contacted us for more information about this type of housing and we thought it a good idea to update you from time to time about what is happening with 55+ Active Adult real estate in Newtown.

• As of today, there are 18 (eighteen) homes listed for sale in the different communities around Newtown
• 2 homes are marked as being under deposit
• The actively properties range in price from $284,500 to $565,000
• The average list price is $417,926
• The average market time for these 18 home is 147 days
• There are 6 homes that are pending sale
• 8 homes in the 55+ Active Adult communities have sold so far this year
• The average market time of the sold units was 175 days
• The average list price of the sold properties was $355,449
• The average sold price of the sold properties was $344,500

We hope you find this information to be helpful. If you would like us to send you a list of available units in Newtown's 55+ Active Adult Communities, please email us or call us at (203) 470-9818.

Bob & Richelle Ward, Realtors, ABR
Prudential Connecticut Realty
www.connecticuthomesforsale.com
Cell - (203) 470-9818