Happy 75th Birthday Current Main Street Flagpole! The 100-foot-tall steel pole in the center of the five-legged intersection of Main Street, Church Hill Road and the two directions of West Street on either side of Newtown Meeting House was installed on January 23, 1950. It was not the first flagpole at that intersection, of course, but it is the longest standing in that location and has become a recognized landmark across the state. The state-sanctioned landmark was delivered to town in two sections in January 1950, welded on scene and then swung by a giant crane into place, according to notes on the front page of our January 27, 1950 issue. The pole was then sunk in concrete at the historic location of its predecessor.

Phil Lombardo, who is featured in this week’s Snapshot, also celebrated a milestone birthday on January 23. He’s not nearly as old as the current flagpole, however.

Is anyone else still writing 2024 when you’re dating things? I found myself doing that twice this week, after a few weeks of being right on top of this new year! Of course I also realized I’d recently written out an entire calendar of events for this month and promptly finished that task by writing February across the top of it, so there’s that.

The Junior Library at Gunn Memorial Library needs clay pots for a winter project. Librarians are hoping to receive donations of 8-12-inch diameter pots in gently used or new condition. If you have any you’re willing to let go of and can make the drive to Washington by February 1, the staff at 5 Wykeham Road would be very grateful.

It’s very unsettling to learn that the trend of people of all ages not joining clubs and organizations, or communities of faith, or even hosting block parties, is an issue found across the country. That topic is the focus of the documentary Join or Die, which follows the decades-long trend of declining engagement and research into it by Harvard social scientist and researcher Robert Putnam. The film was screened a few weeks ago at C.H. Booth Library, part of a special afternoon event co-hosted by Newtown Congregational Church. Organizers were hoping to shed light on the fact that traditional social interactions are diminishing greatly. There are many reasons for it. In response to the concern, the library will host Global Community Engagement Day this Saturday afternoon. From 1 to 4 pm, readers are invited to connect and learn from members of local organizations, nonprofits and businesses, who will be set up in the library’s Gathering Room. As of Tuesday of this week, representatives from nearly 20 local organizations were planning to share their unique perspectives and talents. All ages are invited to drop in to learn about local opportunities to volunteer.

During the three-hour event Saturday, Newtown Historical Society will be blending its mission of preserving and celebrating this town’s history with the introduction of something new: Ezra the Rooster. A colorful metal sculpture was named in honor of Ezra Johnson, Newtown’s first historian. Historical Society volunteers will be placing Ezra around town in upcoming months, when he will be spotted at locations with varying degrees of historical significance. Cats and roosters don’t make the best of friends or travel companions, but I’ll admit I’m curious (like most cats… ) to see how much I know about the locations he’ll be visiting.

Belated congratulations to Newtown Savings Bank, which was recently recognized as one of America’s 2025 Best Regional Banks and Credit Unions by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group. The two entities conducted a large-scale study of regional banks and credit unions across the country, based on the analysis of over 9,000 FDIC-insured US banks and credit unions, more than 70,000 customer surveys, and millions of social media and app reviews. The institutions are assessed based on a formula that included measures of profitability, asset quality, lending activity, online banking and mobile app satisfaction scores, and a customer survey. The final ranking includes only ten banks and credit unions headquartered in Connecticut, and Newtown Savings Bank was one of only six to receive a five-star rating.

The Newtown VNA Thrift Shop has been operating for more than 75 years, and may have recently overcome its most challenging hurdle. The store on the ground level of Edmond Town Hall suffered tremendous damage in the rain and flooding of last August. The storm that hit the region left several inches of standing water on the lowest level of 45 Main Street, including the VNA’s clearing house of personal apparel and household articles sold at very low prices. Fortunately the members of the local VNA were able to salvage much of their inventory and held a flash sale the weekend after the storm. The shop was then closed for repairs, which included an entire new floor, painting, new shelving, and even new curtains. VNA Newtown President Mary Tietjen said the VNA was able to move back into its space in early November. The shop is again open every Saturday morning between 9 am and noon, and “it’s been doing very, very well,” Mary said. “People are happy to have us back. It looks very nice, very fresh and new. It was almost a blessing in disguise” that the repairs needed to be done, she added.

I understand Isaiah Morris was tickled to be mentioned in this space last week, for both his approaching birthday and the jokes that were shared in his honor. Laura Lerman also appreciated hearing about someone else who loves jokes, and was kind enough to share a few with me. The first one goes like this: A man is taking a refrigerated truck of penguins to the zoo. It breaks down and a kindly motorist stops and offers to take the penguins to the zoo. An hour later, the original truck driver gets to the zoo and sees the woman who had offered to take the penguins to the zoo, leading all the penguins back to her car. “I thought you were going to take these penguins to the zoo,” the driver says. “I did,” the woman replies, “But we had so much fun that now we are going for ice cream.” The second one I’ll share goes like this: One little girl says to her friend, “First I had appendicitis and then I had pneumonia.” Her friend responds, “That’s awful.” To which the first little girl responds: “I know! It was the worst spelling test I ever had.”

The Boy Scouts Troop 270 Christmas Tree Campaign for 2024-25 concluded last weekend, just ahead of the storm that rolled in late Sunday afternoon. I had to laugh Sunday afternoon when I saw a pickup truck loaded with pine trees turn from Riverside Road onto Cherry Street, looking very much like the driver was trying to finish the last of the scheduled pickups before the snow started. I hope Scouts did well again with this annual project, which helps them raise funds through donations from the homeowners who have the Scouts pick up their trees once they’re finished with them for the holidays. Funds are used for things like Scouting summer camp tuition, fees for leadership training, and high adventure trips. The project also benefits the environment because the trees are donated to Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited, which uses them for conservation projects.

With this week’s very cold weather, I don’t mind admitting I’ve been engaged in more naps than usual. It’s all about conserving my heat and energy, after all. Stay warm, friends. Stay safe. Check on family, friends and neighbors, and then don’t forget to come back next week, when you can … read me again.