Take advantage of the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library’s Children’s Book Sale this coming Monday, June 29, to pick up some great reads for children and young adults, plus sign up for the summer reading program. A special comedy-magic show will take place at 11 am and again at 2 pm, as well, with free tickets available in the children’s department the day of the event. With all the rainy weather, it might be a good idea to have a plentiful supply of books on hand.

Kate Mayer “is awesome,” I am told, and should be awarded my Good Egg Award. As a Books on Wheels volunteer, Kate delivers library books to shut-ins around Newtown and Sandy Hook. “Kate goes above and beyond, though,” I hear. “She’s so cheerful about it and she has even involved a couple of the shut-ins in her personal life. She takes the time to listen to them.” Kate, I am proud to say that you are a Good Egg! Congratulations!

Congratulations as well to all of the Class of 2009. Good luck as you make your way in this wild, wacky, and wonderful world.

Parents might want to check out the interactive workshop on transition skills led by Stefanie Lagana of Expanding Your Visions at the meetinghouse on June 30. Whether a child is moving from fourth grade to RIS, from RIS to the middle school, or going out into the world after high school or college graduation, transitions can be tricky. Contact Stefanie at 203-983-8286 to register or for more information. Luckily for me, the only transition I am anticipating is one to the chair on the deck — if it ever stops raining.

A vendor who has participated in the Sandy Hook Farmers’ Market over the past years is setting up camp elsewhere this year. Laurie Popadic stopped by the office earlier this week to let us — and those who love the fresh clams and oysters she and husband Edward sell — know that Pepe’s Cream of the Crop will be setting up their tent on Sunday mornings on Main Street South, next to Buzz’s Mobil. She and Edward are hoping to set up their weekly Sunday morning and early afternoon shop this weekend, depending on the weather. Keep an eye out for them, or call 203-395-3881 if the weather is iffy… again.

There is no better place on earth for a cat than somewhere with fresh milk and ice cream, so I made sure that I was on hand this past Tuesday when Ferris Farm Creamery celebrated its fifth anniversary. I couldn’t decide between Elsie, Daisy, or Bossy for the calf-naming contest, though, so I let all of the kids there cast their votes and kept my ideas to myself. Happy Birthday, Creamery!

Salon Discussions, open to all, continue on Monday evenings at Mocha Coffee House on Glen Road. Despite facilitator Ben Robert’s concerns that summer would see a drop off in attendance, the group is still going strong and having a great time talking about all kinds of heady subjects. For more information about the discussion group, visit ConsciousFinancialDirections.com.

The board of directors of Newtown Housing for the Elderly, Inc extends an invitation for anyone who likes the art of former Newtown resident David Merrill to join them for a reception and dedication of his latest mural on Sunday, June 28. The event will take place in the community building at Nunnawauk Meadows, 3 Nunnawauk Road, at 2 pm. David spent the first part of this year painting a mural on the wall space above the community building’s fireplace that honors Nunnawauk Meadows, those who helped create the senior living community, and the state of Connecticut, and put the final touches on it in May. Reservations aren’t necessary to stop by and see the new work and greet to someone who is very much a friend of Newtown and its residents.

It’s not every day you find the president and CEO of an organization with a chef hat on his head and an apron tied around his waist, carrying pitchers of lemonade and balancing trays of cookies. But that’s exactly what Thomas H. Fanning, president & CEO of Ability Beyond Disability, was doing earlier this month, along with vice presidents and directors from across the organization, when they devoted their afternoon to serving lunch to a group of Ability Beyond Disability employees: thanking them for the years they’ve dedicated to serving people with disabilities. The luncheon honored 76 employees, for 20, 15, ten and five years of service to Ability Beyond Disability, including Newtown resident George Kovacs, for five years of service.

Hawleyville banjo strummer Tom Dwyer shared with me this week that Newtown’s Pioneer of Folk Music Roger Sprung can be credited with the sound that set The Kingston Trio on the road to fame. From a 2005 Sing Out magazine article he provided, written by Joe Hickerson, we learn from the Trio’s Erik Darling that “My first recording experience was when Roger Sprung asked me and Bob Carey to be in a trio [the Folksay Trio] to record four songs…. our syncopated version of ‘Tom Dooley’ on this little [10-inch] record was the one from which the Kingston Trio got their version of the song.” Those in the folk music industry understand that “More than any other single recording, ‘Tom Dooley’ set off the urban folk-music boom,” as Bill C. Malone wrote in 1968 in Country Music USA. So if you see Roger around town, give him the tip of the hat (or Hamburg) and say, “Thanks, Mr Folk Music!”

You can give a tip of the hat to me, too, by making sure next week to…. Read me again.