We would be remiss if we failed to mention that Scudder and Helen Smith celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary this week. While they had a quiet dinner with their family on Wednesday night, we'd like to continue celebrating them with another note of congratulations.

There is a very well-known cat coming to Newtown in August ... Not me. Think much larger and with a tall, red and white striped hat, because NewArts is bringing Seussical to a stage near us, for its tenth season of productions. Auditions are March 25 and 26, and appointments are still available. See page A-14 in the March 11, 2022, print edition for details. Count this cat as excited.

I suspect another Newtown resident is excited right now ... Kate Katcher — an actor, playwright, and founding director of Stray Kates Theatre Company — will see one of her recent works among those featured in “An Evening of One Acts 2022,” opening this weekend at Ridgefield Theater Barn. Kate’s is one of seven plays that will be performed Friday and Saturday evenings, and Sunday afternoons, March 20 and 27. Performances at the theater, 37 Halpin Lane in Ridgefield, continue to be done cabaret style, with seatings in tables of four for $140 ($120 for senior/veteran/student tables). For reservations, and those looking for fewer than four seats, contact the box office at boxoffice@ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org. Tables are spaced generously apart for limited capacity, and all patrons are required to show proof of vaccination. Visit ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org for additional information about the upcoming production, current COVID guidelines, and other details.

C.H. Booth Library announced it has a new book club, Carm’s Kids Book Club, for ages 6 to 12. The first meeting is slated for March 18 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at the library, 25 Main Street. Space is limited and registration is required by going online to chboothlibrary.org. All participants will receive a copy of The Adventures of Robin Hood that they may keep. Copies are available for pickup at the Young Adult desk.

The library also announced this week that it is working on a “Show Your Library Card and Save” program for the spring that involves local small businesses offering an incentive to C.H. Booth Library card holders. In exchange for businesses offering a special discount to library patrons for showing their library card, local businesses will receive free marketing exposure to thousands of library cardholders, be featured on the C.H. Booth Library’s website, chboothlibrary.org, and on other promotional mediums, and be provided with a free window display decal to show the partnership with the library. Local small businesses interested in participating can call Shari Merrill at 203-426-4533 ext 4650 or e-mail her at smerrill@chboothlibrary.org.

There is another reason to swing by the library as soon as possible; former The Newtown Bee Editor (and a personal friend of your favorite cat columnist) Nancy K. Crevier has oil paintings on display in the Mary Hawley Museum Room on the third floor. Nancy’s display showcases landscapes, with a focus on clouds as seen at Holcombe Hill Wilfdlife Preserve. She has 16 small paintings on view in a glass case. I am always swept away by Nancy’s wispy clouds and rolling hills, and I promise you will be too.

If you missed this week’s collection day of cleaned and sellable items to raise funds for maintenance of the Matthew Curtiss House, don’t worry, Newtown Historical Society has another collection day set for Sunday, March 20, from 1 to 3 pm. The historical society is seeking clothing, accessories, coats, shoes, handbags, wallets, ties, belts, backpacks, bed sheets, blankets, curtains, decorative pillows, and towels to sell for the fundraiser. The items should be dropped off in front of the Matthew Curtiss House during the drop-off times.

Multiple readers contacted us shortly after last week’s paper was published to help us identify a “mystery man” in the March 4, 2022 Way We Were. It wasn’t much of a mystery after all… We were reminded that the smiling gentleman in the photo, shown here, is the retired and longstanding Newtown resident Dr Thomas Draper. Dr Draper was a pediatrician for decades right here in town, and also served for 29 years as one of our earlier Health Directors, among many other accolades. We apologize to Dr Draper for the misstep, and thank Andy Forbell and Lynn Bassett for being the first to set us straight. Marilyn Alexander said Dr Draper “was so important to those of us with young children. He would take calls early every morning to offer advice when we had questions about our kids’ health. His laid-back, common sense and wise demeanor kept us from panicking.” Other parents relayed similar messages, including Janet Happel, whose children were all patients of Dr Draper. She mentioned being able to call him at his home around 6 in the morning, “he would answer the phone and tell you how to treat the illness or advise you to bring your child into his office for an exam.” Former employee Meg Walsh said Dr Draper “was a wonderful doctor as well as an educator” who delivered many babies in town, including a few who also reached out to tell us who we were looking at in last week’s Way We Were photo. The smiling man himself even paid a visit to the office earlier this week, and was very forgiving over the snafu.

Aspetuck Youth & High School Rugby has an open house event at Newtown Community Center set for Tuesday, March 15, from 6 pm to 8 pm. Teams include U-8 and U-10 flag teams, U-12 and U-14 tackle contact teams, and the high school has a girls U-19 team and boys freshmen, junior varsity, and varsity teams. Practices start mid-March, weather permitting. For more information e-mail aspetuckrugby@gmail.com or go online to aspetuckrugby.com.

Don’t blink or you will miss this news: Newtown High School’s 4x800 meter relay team, with a time of 9:36.55, again broke the school record with its sixth-place finish in the New England Championships. Several Nighthawks will compete in national competitions in mid-March. The NHS boys’ basketball team won its state playoff opener, setting up a return to Wilton for Coach Tim Tallcouch, who used to coach there. Newtown was to visit Wilton in the second round on Wednesday. Read more in the sports section and online at newtownbee.com.

Anyone who loves Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue’s LobsterFest was happy to hear earlier this week that after two years of cancellations, members of that volunteer fire company are planning for a return this year. The company formally announced on Tuesday that its big fundraiser will return Friday and Saturday, June 10-11. Details beyond that are still being worked on. While many people will simply mark their calendar, we know two Main Street residents who are already strategizing for their coveted position in line. For years, Laura and Ken Lerman could be counted on to be right there at the beginning of the queue for the two-day event. It’s a familiar sight that harkens back to those pre-pandemic days and we can’t wait to see that in just a few months.

I learned this week from Mount Pleasant Hospital For Animals that beloved associate Dr Katelyn Bakewell will have her last day at the hospital on March 15. An announcement from the hospital read, “We are very grateful for the many years that Dr Bakewell has grown with our family! We will continue to search to expand our team in her absence and we ask that you please be considerate during this transition. We encourage you to send well wishes for Dr Bakewell as she starts her new chapter!” Good luck on all of your next adventures Dr Bakewell, and thank you for helping to take care of Newtown’s fur-babies.

I promise never to leave you (I have nine lives after all), as long as you promise next week to... Read me again.