Life in Newtown, CT

The Newtown Forest Assocation - Newtown, CT  As you drive around Newtown, CT, you will occasionally notice signs like this one:

The Newtown Forest Association is the oldest private land trust organization in the State of Connecticut. Since its inception in 1923, The Newtown Forest Association has been dedicated to securing the benefits derived from open space lands for the residents of Newtown and their posterity. These open space lands which include, but are not limited to, forest and agricultural land, wildlife and nature preserves and watersheds.  

Today, The Newtown Forest Association holds more than 1,000 acres located in all sections of Newtown in the land trust.

From time to time, The Newtown Forest Association sponsors hikes on the trails of the different properties in their trust.  We have heard that they are very picturesque and fun to go on.  If you would like to hike on your own, look for trail maps on The Newtown Forest Association's website.

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

Dogs and Roosters - 5/21/11  This coming Saturday, May 21, 2011, Newtown Parks and Recreation is sponsoring two events at the Fairfield Hills complex:

• 37th Annual 5K Rocking Rooster Run/Walk - Starts at 8:00 pm.  5K (3.1 miles) walk/run is broken up into different age groups.  Registration fee is $20.00 ($25.00 day of the event).  All proceeds benefit Newtown Scholarship Association.



• Strut Your Mutt - 10:30 am to 1:00 pm - There will be a 2K fun dog walk, vendors, demonstrations and contests.  Tickets are $25.00 ($30.0) day of the event).  Proceeds go toward the proposed Dog Park - Park and Bark.

Dogs and Roosters - 5/21/11 will be a fun day in Newtown, CT!  We hope to see you there - Riley, the Real Estate Dog will be at Strut Your Mutt.

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

Newtown, CT Parks and Recreation - Winter 2011  Newtown Parks and Recreation is out with the new schedule of programs for Winter 2011.  There is quite an array of programs available - sports, computer classes, golf lessons and dog training.  We thought some of the most interesting were in the Speciality Programs Section and they include:

• The Wizards School of Magic
• Cartooning
• Claymation Moviemaker
• Robotics: Lego Carnival
• Mandarin Chinese
• Ballroom and Salsa Dancing

When you see the new Newtown Parks and Recreation - Winter 2011 flyer, check it out and sign up for a class or two.  The flyers are generally distributed through the schools and as an insert in The Newtown Bee.

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

Newtown, CT Parks and Recreation  We try to post useful information that helps people to know more about Newtown.  Last April, we posted about Golf Courses and Parks in Newtown.  In this post, we mentioned Newtown Parks and Recreation, as they run the town parks.  Newtown Parks and Recreation is responsible for more than the town parks - they also have Town Programs.

Newtown Parks and Recreation puts out new programs each season.  They print up a nice program that describes each program and gives the schedule for each one.  Programs are very diverse and some are broken out by age range.  Here's a sampling of what Newtown Parks and Recreation typically offers:

• Swimming at the Newtown High School and the town pool at Treadwell Park
• Day Trips - there is usually one to NYC
• Computer Courses
• Adult Programs - Yoga, Knitting, Portuguese, Pilates
• Fun for All Ages - Legos, Claymation Moviemaking, Skating at Dickinson Park
• Youth Programs - Dance, Home Cooking, Etiquette
• Youth and Teen Programs - "The Garage" Teen Center, Intro to Animation
• Teen and Adult Programs - Self Defense, Zumba, Scrapbooking
• There are even Kidsfit Programs and Preschool Programs!

The newest park to Newtown Parks and Recreation is the dog park located over at Fairfield Hills.  We understand that it will be called "Park and Bark".  There are many places in Newtown to walk your dog, but the dog park will be a nice place for dogs to play together.

When you see the next Newtown Parks and Recreation flyer, check it out and sign up for a class or two.

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

Ram Pasture, Newtown, CT  We recently posted a blog, Pictures of Newtown, CT.  The photos posted are all iconic Newtown, CT images, but the one location that we frequently pass by is Ram Pasture.

Ram Pasture is located at the intersection of Route 25 and Route 302 (Sugar Street).  It's a big open field with a pond.  The annual holiday tree lighting takes place here and until recently, we didn't really know much more about Ram Pasture.

So, Richelle took a trip to the Cyrenius H. Booth Library to find out more.  There she found "A Mosaic of Newtown History", a book written by Dan Cruson, Town Historian.  Inside were several pages about the history of Ram Pasture which were quite informative.  Here is a little history:

• The original name for this section of land was "Home Common" and it contained what is today known as Ram Pasture
• Ram Pasture was owned by individual town residents until it was reassembled as a 12.5 acre parcel of land by Mary Hawley, Newtown's benefactress, in the 1920's
• Upon Mary Hawyley's death, ownership of Ram Pasture went briefly to Yale University. 
• The Newtown Village Cemetery Association maintains this property
• In all likelihood, very few rams actually grazed on Ram Pasture

Ram Pasture is quite pretty and a very peaceful place.  It is a reminder of Newtown's history and of days gone by. 

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

Newtown, CT Golf Courses and Parks.  For a small town, Newtown offers the golf enthusiast two private golf courses:

• Rock Ridge Country Club - is a full-service club with a 9 hole golf course with separate tee areas when playing 18 holes,
• Newtown Country Club - has a 9 hole golf course, Grill Room and private Dining Room for member parties.

The surrounding towns have golf courses with many residents playing at Richter Park in Danbury.  Richter Park is a Municipal 18 hole course designated as one of America's top 25 public courses.  Rates vary, but are reasonable.

The Newtown Park and Recreation Department runs many programs in Newtown including the town parks.  Newtown's town parks are:

• Dickenson Park - Open to Newtown Residents only.  Open from 9 am to Sundown.  Dickinson Park has (5) tennis courts, softball field, basketball court, two playground areas, FUNSCAPE creative play area, pavilion and picnicking  facilities, complete with charcoal grills.  A park permit is required on any vehicle entering the park.
• Treadwell Memorial Park - park is open from 9 a.m. until sundown.  Amenities include (4) tennis courts, a ball wall, basketball court, two playground areas, pavilion, multi-purpose baseball/softball field, two regulation size soccer field, and swimming pool complex, which features an 8 lane, 25 yard pool, with a diving "L" and wading pool.  Locker facilities are available.
• Lake Lillinonah Park - In addition to a beautiful view of the lake, there are picnic tables, grills and a boat launch.  There are portable bathroom facilities and parking. Swimming is NOT allowed, as boats pose too much danger.  Open to Newtown residents only.

In addition to the parks listed above, Newtown Park and Recreation maintains Eichler's Cove Beach & Marina and the Orchard Hill Nature Center.

If you have any questions about Newtown's Golf Courses and Parks, please feel free to email us.

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