The Newtown High School girls’ basketball team, still fresh off their triumphant state championship win over Mercy High, will be honored this weekend at Stone River Grille. Grille owner Gary Seri will host the Nighthawks at 1 Glen Road on Sunday, April 1, from 1 to 3 pm, and everyone is invited. Whether you were among the car- and busloads of people who traveled to Uncasville on March 16 to see the girls win their first state championship in NHS history, have cheered on the team at any point this season, or just want to meet the young ladies, their coaches, and managers, the restaurant is giving all of Newtown the chance to say “Congratulations!” (and enjoy free appetizers).

That’s not all that’s up at the Stone River Grille. “Art About Town: Stone River Grille,” with 26 works of art by five Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) members (Pam Danneman, Adele Moros, Margaret Moss, Glen River, and Roberta Shea), is on view until Saturday night in The Hawley Warner Room of the restaurant. Gary has graciously opened the room to visitors whether they dine at his restaurant or not, and had promised that commissions from the sale of any works through this exhibition will be donated to FAITH Food Pantry. More than $50 has already been collected for the food pantry. Just a few days remain before SCAN begins presenting its next “Art About Town” show, at Stella Restaurant in Bethel, featuring art by Beverly Branch, Jeanine Greaves, Amy Skillen, Barbara Saltman, and Virginia Zic. The restaurant, says Rosemary Rau, one of the show’s curators, will choose a charity to receive the money from sales commissions of artwork. An opening reception will be offered Sunday, April 15, from 2 to 4 pm, at the restaurant, 213 Greenwood Avenue.

My Kindle e-reader is so easy to navigate, even with furry paws. So I was quite happy when our local library started offering e-book borrowing services last month. And just this week, I found out that (once again) thanks to the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library, the library will be able to buy into the additional eBook module called OverDrive Advantage, which allows CHB to purchase individual eBook titles, accessible to Newtown patrons only. More than 150 titles, mostly fiction, will soon be purchased, and become available sometime in April. Those Friends are Good Eggs, are they not? Here’s to you, Friends!

Among the 13 men and women accepting the challenge to raise funds in the 2012 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man & Woman of the Year (MWOY) campaign, is Bob Kensek of Bethlehem, an advertising sales representative for The Bee Publishing Company. Over a ten-week fundraising period, candidates generate funds to advance the LLS mission. The candidates compete in honor of MWOY’s Boy & Girl of the Year, local children who are blood cancer survivors and sources of inspiration to others. Bob has donation cans at Newtown General Store on Main Street; Loree’s Catering in Bethel; Koenig Art Emporium in Southbury; and Daly Express Mart and Woodbury Discount Wine & Liquors in Woodbury. This is one of those competitions where everyone wins. Donations collected by Saturday, May 5, will benefit the LLS mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Have you ever wanted to ham it up? The Candlewood Area Radio Association (CARA) will be holding a technician class (entry level) for amateur radio (“ham radio”) next month, in Newtown. Sessions begin on Tuesday, April 10, for eight weeks. The cost is expected to be $60 and includes the course book. Classes will run from 6 to 9 pm each week, with a test to be administered on Saturday, June 2. Those who complete the course, and successfully pass the test, will earn their ham radio license. Contact John Will, class coordinator, at 203-270-8601 to reserve a spot or for more details.

If you are knee deep in spring cleaning, and aren’t sure what to do with your too-good-to-throw items, Monroe Historical Society is preparing for a tag sale on Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, at The Eliot Beardsley House, 31 Great Ring Road. The historical society is looking for any clean and usable items. To donate, call Nancy Zorena, chairman, at 203-261-8554, or Kathy Baletta at 203-268-3516. Profits support the Monroe Historical Society buildings and collections.

Last week I promised you a picture of what 2,500 cans of cat food looks like, and true to my word, here it is. Kitten Associates founder Robin Olson is happily perched atop this pallet of food donated to her cat rescue organization by Halo pet foods. As thanks for some of Robin’s photography, the nearly 900 pounds of cat food was delivered to her driveway Tuesday morning. “We are deeply grateful for the donation,” Robin tells me. “It will be nice not to have to worry about having enough cat food [for our rescues],” Robin says. Robin will be sharing the high quality, all natural cat food with other rescue operations, as well as with anyone who fosters a cat or kitten from Kitten Associates. It’s moments like this that bring a purr to my throat.

Former Newtown resident Greg McEvoy stopped by the office last week, very excited about an interview he and fellow WKPN hosts have set up. Greg is, along with Richard Hill, Guy Beardsley and Jay Santini, one of the hosts of The Organic Farm Stand, a biweekly program on the Bridgeport-based listener supported community radio station (89.5 FM). Seems Greg and pals will be speaking with Sandy Hook resident Mary Fellows next week, and Mary will be giving a history of the Sandy Hook Organic Farmers’ Market. Mary has been one of the mainstays with the market since its inception in July 2003, when it was located in the parking lot behind St John’s Episcopal Church. Greg’s program airs from noon to 1 pm on the first and third Thursday of each month, and Mary is scheduled to join the guys on April 5. We look forward to hearing what Mary has to say, including — we hope — a target opening day for this year’s tenth anniversary market.

The cold snap this week (not to mention the random hailstorm at noon Wednesday) may have taken the wind out of the sails, so far as gardening goes, but new Fairfield County Extension Service program coordinator Jackie Algon reminds me that now is the time to do soil testing. Brochures on how to collect soil samples and where to send them (they go to UConn in Storrs for testing) are available at the Route 6 facility in Bethel.

You can make a fool out of whomever you please on April 1, but it’s no joke that I’m the cat to keep you in the know. Make sure next week to… Read me again.