The Newtown Bee supports the right to get the facts and joins Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in the national celebration of access to public information during Sunshine Week, March 15-21, 2020 — and every day of every year!

People passing by or through The Pleasance at the corner of Main and Sugar streets on Monday may have been taken off guard by the sight of the statues there decked out in protective gear. We are taking the COVID-19 threat seriously here at The Newtown Bee, so we hope that whoever decided to put medical masks and gloves on the statues of the dog walker and dogs at The Pleasance last weekend did so with the best of intentions, and is not taking this potentially disrupting illness lightly. Our town officials remind us all that masks and gloves are not de rigueur, but rather staying healthy by a first step of thorough handwashing is the way to go. You’ll find updated COVID-19 information in The Newtown Bee, at newtownbee.com, and at newtown-ct.gov. Please check frequently, as scheduled meetings and gatherings are changing day to day. We’ll do our best to help you stay on top of this news.

State Reps Mitch Bolinksy, JP Sredzinski, and Raghib Allie-Brennan, and Sen Tony Hwang released the following statement regarding the resignation of Tim Makris from his role as executive director of Sandy Hook Promise:

“The Newtown Delegation would like to thank Tim Makris, who, at our community’s time of greatest need, co-founded one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable nonprofit groups in the country. He is a force in our community whose legacy beams with boldness and courage, and we wish him the best as he takes much-needed time for self-care and family.”

The Bee family, as well, wishes Tim the best.

Newtown Congregational Church’s Diaper Bank would like to share from a recent deposit. The West Street church recently received about 1,000 diapers through some grant funding, and would like to share them. Sizes N-6 are available, along with some formula and other assorted baby essentials. Anyone who could use these is encouraged to call the church office (203-426-9024), send an e-mail to newcong@sbcglobal.net, or visit the church, Tuesday through Friday, between 9 am and 5 pm.

Here’s an opportunity to clear some unused items from your home and help others at the same time. IPRR (Interfaith Partnership for Refugee Resettlement) is in need of items for new family. Household donations are needed for a Sudanese family of five, two parents and three children (boy, age 11, girl, age 6, and boy, age 4). The family will be arriving March 18, and the group is anxious to get a place set up for them. If you can help, visit signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4DA4AB2AA2FD0-home. Also, help collecting and moving larger items is needed. E-mail Kate Barnhart at iprefugeer@gmail.com.

The Garden Club of Newtown is combining garden tips and a fancy luncheon, Tuesday, March 24 — one of the ways the group is celebrating its 65th anniversary. The special luncheon at Rock Ridge Country Club, 11 am to 2:30 pm, features author and garden pro Ellen Necker Ogden, as well as a raffle and silent auction. Your ticket for the luncheon, $55, includes ten raffle tickets. That’s quite a good deal, if I say so myself! Contact Peggy Jepsen at peggyjepsen@frontier.com by Tuesday, March 17, for tickets and more information.

Pomperaug Woods, the retirement community in Southbury, will host a free screening next week of Sky Bergman’s award-winning documentary, Lives Lived: Celebrating the Secrets, Wit & Wisdom of Age. The 2017 film shares the stories of 40 people between the ages of 75 and 100. They share their secrets and insights on life through family histories, personal triumph and tragedies, even love and losses, all to inspire viewers of all ages. The screening is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, at 2 pm, at Edmond Town Hall, 45 Main Street. Admission is free, but the event organizers are requesting donations for the Alzheimer’s Association of Connecticut. Organizers are also requesting reservations, which can be made by calling 203-267-2825 or sending an e-mail to LConnors@pomperaugwoods.com.

In this pre-St Patrick’s Day weekend, the younger dancers among us are invited to high step it into Ashurst Academy of Irish Dance Saturday morning, in the studio at 3 Simm Lane. At 10 am, co-founders and former Riverdance stars Christina and Craig Ashurst will offer a 45-minute lesson that will include Irish dance steps. Children age 4 and up are welcome to the studio, where regional, national, and world champions have been studying with the Ashursts for a few years. For additional information call 203-928-0689 or visit ashurstirishdance.com.

Newtown resident Edward Hornyak, 94, entertained his wife, Susan, and The Newtown Bee’s feature reporter, Alissa Silber, with a lively song on his beloved accordion during his Snapshot interview (keep an eye out for that in the March 27 edition). Hornyak has been playing the musical instrument since he was around six years old and still enjoys playing in his free time.

Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals, 119 Mt Pleasant Road, has put out a plea that it is in need of gently used towels and blankets. If you have been cleaning out closets and have these items, the staff would be most appreciative if you drop them by the office. No doubt, other veterinarian offices have a similar need, if you care to call around.

There’s time to catch the Flagpole Photographers Camera Club exhibit at the Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, during regular hours, 8 am to 5 pm, weekdays. On display, through March 30, are photographs reflecting the theme “Animals” all by members of the local camera club.

Those sneaky ticks are making themselves known. One resident shared with me recently that she had not even been out gardening or walking in the woods, and pulled a tick off herself. If you missed it, an informational article about tick season and some new bugs to look out for ran in the February 21, 2020, print edition of The Newtown Bee (“Arrival Of Two New Tick Species Prompts Health District Advisory”) or find it here at newtownbee.com.

It’s parades and guzzling Guinness that comes to mind for so many on St Patrick’s Day, on Tuesday, March 17. But did you know that the patron saint of Ireland was born in Britain? He was captured as a teen and stolen away to Ireland. Apparently, life there was not so horrible. He escaped, but then went back, determined to turn Ireland into a Christian nation. His establishment of monasteries and churches there seems to acknowledge his successes, and Ireland has for centuries celebrated this saint, originally as a religious celebration. The big parades and drinking parties came way later, mostly beginning in the US during the 18th and 19th Centuries. Green beer? Corned beef and cabbage? Irish soda bread? Do what you will, but have a Happy St Patrick’s Day!

After all the festivities, though, don’t forget to... Read me again.