For the fourth consecutive year, Lynn Remson won the Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Contest Trophy. She will be keeping the trophy at her desk for another 12 months thanks to overwhelming support for her creation, Sesame Peeps, which featured Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover, Big Bird, Abby Cadabby and Oscar the Grouch gathered at their talking stoop. It was another brilliant design by our friend and co-worker, who also picked up the Peep-le’s Choice honors because the photo of her diorama also picked up the highest number of Likes on Facebook during the 24-hour voting period April 17-18. We had a good competition this year. Sam Cross, Jenna Visca and Sophia Baggett also entered, offering their views of Mouse Slayer Mountain, Peeps Pajama Party, and The Peep System, respectively.

Sam’s diorama had a good backstory some readers may have missed. At face value it looked like sword- and spear-wielding Peeps were chasing mice up a mountain. The full story goes back to the sad day in January when it was decided that the time for a permanent display of Peeps dioramas from previous years was over. Mice finally found and then ate away at the Peeps entries from 2022, 2023 and 2024. The difficult decision was made to remove the dioramas, but Sam’s diorama was a colorfully imaginative dream I think some of those late Peeps may have had before they woke up in the dumpster.

From Peeps to ducks: Newtown Lions Club members have three locations planned for this weekend’s Great Pootatuck Duck Race ticket sales. Readers can find club members (and some dinner!) at Papa Al’s Pizza, Barnabas Road in Hawleyville, on Friday between 5:30 and 7 pm; at the Lions Club booth at the Earth Day Festival at the middle school on Saturday between noon and 4 pm; and then outside Stop & Shop on South Main Street, Sunday between 11 am and 3 pm. Tickets are $10 each and race day is May 31.

Bridget Seaman was one of the best tag sale chasers I’ve ever known. Our late Classified Department employee lived for a good tag sale (or even a bad one — she really loved the search!), and would often surprise friends and family with unexpected gifts she’d found while on a weekend outing. I’ve been thinking about Bridget during the past week because it’s nearly time for the Newtown High School Band & Guard Spring Tag Sale. This year’s event is being planned for May 17-18 at the high school, 12 Berkshire Road. Presented by and a big fundraiser for the host organization, the sale will run from 9 am until 2 pm Saturday and then 9 am until noon on Sunday. Admission is free for those hours. If you’re serious about those tag sale treasures, however, early bird admission will open at 8 am Saturday for $20 per person. I know Bridget’s looking down, wishing she could be there.

If you’re more into the spring cleaning side of this season, and would like to lessen some of the items in your home or office, you too can help the high school group with the fundraiser. And that’s why I’m mentioning all of this a few weeks early. The annual Junk in Your Trunk event for the tag sale — a/k/a donations event — will be held Friday, May 16, 5-7 pm, also at the high school. The band and guard will gratefully accept most gently used items to turn around and sell for their fundraising efforts. Please note, however, mattresses, car seats and cribs will not be accepted into this sale.

And hey, if you want to clean out some of your home collections but then go back and put something new-to-you in that recently vacated space, nothing says you can’t go to Junk in Your Truck and the tag sale!

Newtown Historical Society tag sale collection events have also been planned. Clothing, accessories, and other soft goods (comforters, sheets, blankets, curtains and tablecloths) will be accepted at The Matthew Curtiss House, 44 Main Street, on Wednesday April 30, between 10 am and 2 pm; Monday, May 12, 3:30-5:30 pm; and Sunday, June 1, 10:30 am-12:30 pm. Organizers ask for donations to be gently used items only, packed into large trash bags. They also ask for items donors would consider buying. Contact Patti Clark at willomoor@att.net for further information.

The historical society’s tag sale itself is planned for Sunday, June 22, 12-4 pm, at The Matthew Curtiss House. Proceeds from that event will fully benefit the society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

There was a brief time Tuesday morning when all five of Newtown’s volunteer fire companies were on calls — not one big call, but three separate calls that needed a little bit of help from everyone. It was a great illustration of why this 60+-square mile town we call home needs five volunteer fire companies to keep everyone and everything safe. The first call was for a mulch fire at the transfer station, to which Botsford and Hook & Ladder responded. While that was happening, a commercial fire alarm went off at a Pecks Lane business. Dodgingtown and Hawleyville were dispatched to that call. Then a commercial alarm went off at a Church Hill Road business. Hook & Ladder and Sandy Hook were dispatched there. The transfer station fire took approximately 90 minutes to fully put out and clear from. Fortunately the other two calls were easily covered — all by men and women who volunteer their time to do this work.

Overwhelming response to the invitation from Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) for its May 7 FONS Membership Meeting invitation has led organizers to say “We give!” In just its second year, the event has become so popular, the large room at Newtown Community Center where it will be held is full. Those who registered should have received an email last week confirming their request to attend. If you tried to register and haven’t heard back, contact FONS at 203-430-0633 or info@friendsofnewtownseniors.org, just to check on your status. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated.

I was tickled last week to hear about an event in Newtown … Australia … where a business there opened its doors to showcase how businesses can make it easier for customers with blindness or low vision. Employees of Tokyo Lamington in Sydney recently underwent accessibility training through Guide Dogs NSW/ACT and that organization’s Access Means Business campaign. On April 12, the café’s employees shared with visitors some of the accessibility training they’d learned. Tokyo Lamington Co-Founder Min Chai said accessibility can make “a huge difference to the way people with low vision and blindness experience your venue. This can be as easy as ensuring staff know how to react if someone walks in the door with a guide dog, and taking out hazards and visual clutter that make the space harder to navigate.” The idea of the event, according to Guide Dogs NSW/ACT CEO Dale Cleaver, was to prioritize accessibility, which in turn “ensures independence, dignity and inclusion for everyone.”

Last week I introduced readers to Banks, the new in-house puppy who has joined the Baggett household and 5 Church Hill Road security staff. Soon after we went to print last week I learned more about Banks and her family. It turns out one of her brothers is already earmarked to become a service dog.

I will remain in service to you if you’ll remember to come back next week, when you can … read me again.