Happy Birthday Helen Dalton! Helen will be joining that rare Centenarian Club this weekend, when she turns 100 years old on Saturday. A little birdie told me about this amazing achievement, along with the fact the birthday girl was surprised recently by some of her friends and neighbors at Nunnawauk Meadows. Helen is part of a monthly roundtable discussion group. This month’s gathering was on February 7 and included a birthday cake and a few additional guests in addition to the regular attendees and refreshments.

Cathy Sullivan recently celebrated a milestone birthday, which I told you about a few weeks ago. This week I have some happy follow-up news to share. Cathy’s family organized a party for her, with generations of family members and friends all invited, with one request: in lieu of gifts for Cathy, the birthday girl suggested donations for FAITH Food Pantry if gifts were going to be shared. Thanks to the generosity of Cathy’s family and friends, more than $1,000 in food was donated including meat that was immediately put into a freezer. With all of that bounty, the food was divided between FAITH and Hospitality Hall, a similar offering hosted by Newtown Congregational Church.

Additionally, several gift cards to Big Y, Amazon and Target were also gifted to Cathy for the pantries, so she used those to purchase things such as deodorant and toothpaste, “things people don’t generally donate to the pantries,” she said. Needless to say, Cathy is still very happy following the celebration. Her guests were “all so very generous. I am grateful and blessed,” she said last weekend.

Members of Cathy’s church offered their birthday wishes to another longtime member last weekend. During post-worship service Coffee Hour, friends serenaded Dot O’Byrne. Her seat at a table was clearly visible thanks to a bouquet of flowers that was awaiting her arrival.

I love this photo of Sports Editor Andy Hutchison and his daughter Kelsie, taken as they were leaving last Friday night for the Sweetheart Ball at Newtown Community Center. This was one of those rare times when Andy was able to combine work with family time. The two were able to spend some fun father-daughter time together, with Andy taking plenty of photos and notes while still enjoying time with his firstborn.

Valentine’s Day 2024 is now in the history books, but love is still in the air … for coyotes. If you think you’ve been hearing and/or seeing them frequently in recent days and weeks, you are not wrong. It’s mating season for those monogamous creatures, and the males are trying to find their forever love if they haven’t already done so. Eastern coyotes are about 48-60 inches long from nose to tail and weigh between 30-50 pounds, with males typically weighing more than females (but of course not being at all self-conscious about that, unlike their human counterparts). While they’re primarily nocturnal, it’s not unusual for coyotes to be out during the day, according to CT DOT. This time of year especially, the officials suggest keeping domestic cats and dogs close. Cats look like prey, and dogs — in large part because they can be very similar in size — may be seen as a threat if they get anywhere near a den. Denning season begins in mid-March and lasts into April. It will begin earlier if February gets warm again. Litters can range from one to 12 pups; the average is seven in this state. Both parents will care for the pups, who are weaned at about 6-8 weeks and begin foraging and hunting with the adults when they are 8-13 weeks old. So keep your ears open, my canine and feline friends safe, and keep your trash hidden.

Doug Calderone, who was profiled in this paper just a few weeks ago for the exhibition featuring his work at C.H. Booth Library, has another location readers can check out his new art. Through the end of the month, readers can visit Molten Java in Bethel. Doug’s work is part of the local art on view inside the Greenwood Avenue coffee house, café, art gallery and music venue. I’m still very partial to “Smokey,” one of Doug’s mixed media pieces featuring Smokey Bear drawn on the cover of a recent Newtown Bee, which had been in the library show (and pictured in the recent story about Doug) but found its way last week to 5 Church Hill Road. We will treasure it forever.

Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Reigning Champion Lynn Remson was shopping recently and happened upon one of the world’s biggest Peeps. She won’t name the person holding that Peep for her — that was the promise she gave the unnamed gentleman when she loaned us this photo — but the picture reminded me that with Lent now underway, that means the countdown is really on toward this year’s contest. The 2024 Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Contest — the 13th offering of our seasonal competition — will be presented March 28-29. In-house and Facebook voting will again be conducted for 24 hours, from noon Thursday until noon Good Friday, with winners of the Peeps Diorama Trophy and honorary Peep-le’s Choice Award to be announced early Friday afternoon. As I mentioned last month, we’d really love to see creations from readers. If you’d like to join the fun, create your own Peeps Diorama and post it as a comment when we share our photos for voting. There are very few rules for our contest. One, you must include at least one Peep; two, try to be original with your design; and three, keep it family friendly.

Well before that big day, Newtown United Methodist Church will have an early St Patrick’s Day event. Volunteers from the church will again be joined by lead cook Candice Rothe for a Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner on Saturday, March 9. Dinner will be served from 4 to 7 pm that day, with in-person seating and curbside pick-up options both available. Diners who enjoy their meal in Rauner Hall will have an additional treat: students from Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance and a bagpiper will all be offering entertainment. Dancing is planned for 6-6:30, and the bagpiping will be through the rest of the evening. Cost is $17 for adults, $16 for ages 62 and older, and $8 for ages 12 and under for each dinner of corned beef brisket, garden salad, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, a dinner roll, and dessert. Reservations are available now by calling Candice (203-217-9732). Organizers are also asking those planning to enjoy the dinner to remember those in the community who face food insecurity. Donations for FAITH Food Pantry will again be collected that night.

Newtown firefighters on Monday responded to two homes with owners reporting chimney fires. While both fires were quickly contained, I’m going to take a moment to offer my final PSA of the week: please, readers, make sure your chimneys are clean and sturdy. I’m pulling this from a press release that ran a few years ago, although the advice is still current. Remember that when wood is burned it gives off creosote, tars, and resins. These products of incomplete combustion collect in the flue liner. If these combustible products are allowed to build up, sooner or later they will ignite and burn vigorously inside the chimney. Many times this type of fire will initially go undetected, allowing the fire to spread quickly between the fire box and the top of the chimney. If there is a blockage in the chimney the fire could spread into the house. Creosote ignites at 451 degrees and can get as high as 2,100 degrees within seconds. Yikes! This is why chimneys should be inspected by professionals who use wire brushes and other tools at least once a year.

I’d be very sad to hear of any of my peeps having a chimney fire, or any terrifying event, at their home. Stay safe, be good, pet your pets, and don’t forget to come back next week to … read me again.