US troops and kids around the world will be happy to hear that some of that candy collected on Halloween will make its way to them. From 11 am to 2 pm, Tuesday, November 8, Dental Associates, 11 Church Hill Road, will let kids trade in candy for cash. The Newtown dental office is offering $2 for every pound of wrapped Halloween candy brought in, up to 10 pounds per person. All of the candy, as well as toothbrushes, paste, and floss, will be donated to Operation Gratitude, The Women's Center of Greater Danbury, Yale Children's Hospital, and Give Kids The World. That's as sweet as the candy itself.@Sandy_Scarecrow. www.nanowrimo.org. Grab those pens, and get to it!

Congratulations to Kevin Cragin, who on Monday retired after 37 years of serving on the town's Board of Fire Commissioners. Kevin reportedly did not want a big deal made about his service to the town, but we couldn't let this go by without at least acknowledging all of the time the longtime resident volunteered for the board that governs over the town's five fire companies. Kevin has served as one of the board's civilian representatives since November 2012, but served as chairman of the BOFC for more than 20 years prior to that. Kevin was the toast of the evening during Monday's annual Board of Fire Commissioners dinner meeting.

Congratulations, too, to Big Y World Class Market, which was recognized by the Connecticut Food Bank this past Tuesday for its "support, resulting in enough food and funds to provide more than 1 million meals since 1998." Volunteers from Big Y stores, including staff from Newtown, spent Tuesday afternoon sorting items in the distribution center, as well.

More congratulations go out, this time to "Grampa" Erardi. Our superintendent of schools welcomed grandson Elijah into the family this past Monday and according to Dr Erardi's tweet, he has the little guy pegged already as Class of 2034 valedictorian.

Even in the miserable weather of last Saturday, volunteers including members of Boy Scout Troop 270, Newtown Forest Association, and nearby residents spent time clearing the trails that run behind Newtown Congregational Church up to the top of Castle Hill. Hygglig, the unofficial (canine) greeter of NCC, particularly enjoyed his morning walk on Tuesday, according to Church Office Manager (and Hygglig's "mom") Vicky Truitt. The trails traverse property owned by the church and the forest association, and can be enjoyed by anyone who would like a short but stimulating hike that summits where one of the town's most recognizable views can be enjoyed: west of the Main Street flagpole intersection, with the steeples of Newtown Meeting House and Trinity Episcopal Church reaching toward the sky. These volunteers are absolutely deserving of the Good Egg Award, I would say.

This Saturday looks like a more fun day, for kids ages 3 to 7, and their parents. The C.H. Booth Library is hosting a morning of scavenger hunts, photo booth, crafts, and more, from 10 am to noon, on the 29th. Costumes are encouraged, but not required, and no registration is necessary. Just stop by and join in the party.

Kids in costume get a free ice cream cone and goodie bag at Ferris Acres Creamery on Sunday, October 30, the ice cream stand's final day of this season. Stop by between 11:30 am and 9 pm for free refreshments and see what creative costumes the Creamery staff comes up with. If you can't make it the last day, rest assured you can get your last taste of the Creamery ice cream Thursday, from 11:30 to 9 pm, or Friday and Saturday, between 11:30 and 10 pm.

A scarecrow at the base of a steep driveway on Riverside Road may have a few more adventures left in him (her? it?) this season. The scarecrow appeared a few weeks ago, and initially looked like a traditional scarecrow. It stood still, and it looked like it would do a good job of scaring crows and other creatures away. Then one morning it was holding a badminton racket. Another morning it was holding a tackle box and fishing pole. Earlier this week it was dressed as a business person, rushing to work. With Halloween coming up on Monday, it will be interesting to see what the sculpture does next. Can't get over to Riverside Road? Sandy Hook Scarecrow has its own Twitter feed. Follow him/her/it at

If you enjoy works of art, "Painting and Printmaking," works by master contemporary artist J. Neil Bittner, will be at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, October 31 through November 30, with an artist's reception Sunday, November 6, from 2 to 4 pm. Mr Bittner's works are in private collections all over the world. Although he works in six mediums - serigraphs, lithographs, oils, oil painting, collages, stained glass, and photography - this show will be limited to his painting and printmaking.

I noticed recently that the library has a poster of interest to writers - National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is coming up. Aspiring novelists are urged to set a goal of writing every day, for 30 days, to total 50,000 words. On November 1, from 6 to 8 pm, the library is offering contemplative space to write in the Genealogy Room, and on the 30th, you can wrap up your novel at the library, from 6 to 8 pm, in the Board Room. Find out more about the NaNoWriMo challenge at

I'm pretty sure I'll come up with a few thousand words to share throughout next month, and at least a few hundred next week. Be sure to... Read me again.