A dedication of a new playhouse provided by Newtown Kindness took place July 7, at the Regional Hospice and Home Care of Western Connecticut Center in Danbury, according to the Newtown Kindness Facebook page. The playhouse is an addition to the outdoor playground there, providing a comforting space for children visiting patients to take a break. The Facebook page notes that "The mission of Newtown Kindness is to promote kindness as a value and the playhouse is a wonderful illustration of this in action." Newtown Kindness oversees the Charlotte Bacon Acts of Kindness Award and the Charlotte's Litter program.Save UConn's Faculty Row Facebook page for more information. Ronald also urges sending e-mails to Todd.Levine@ct.gov, in hopes he will "do everything possible under the law to save Faculty Row from demolition."msweeney@hfotusa.org to find out how to help.Vince Giordano - There's a Future in the Past, the latest project by multiple (multiple…) Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Amber Edwards, I have good news for you. The Newtown resident's latest work will be screened on Saturday, August 20, at 4 pm, at Andrews Memorial Town Hall in Clinton. The presentation of the 90-minute feature documentary will be followed by a Q&A with Vince Giordano. Amber and her co-producer and co-writer David Davidson will also participate in the Q&A. Tickets are free for this special event, but they are also required and limited to four per person. To get them, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to George Flynn Classical Concerts, PO Box 473, Clinton CT 06413.

A Twitter user with the handle @UconnnCornelius gave us a good laugh earlier this week, when he or she shared a photo of The Bee's dog walker statue with a new accessory. The statue at the Pleasance has occasionally been given a new hat, and this week Steve (the dog walker) was adorned with a Pokémon hat. Who knew Steve was so trendy? Even in the heat of early this week, the hat looked pretty cool. Thank you UconnnCornelius.

(Steve's owners appreciate finding fashions left for Steve and/or any of his five canine charges, but they do ask one favor: keep the donations soft. Nothing scratchy on the metal, which has damaged the painted artwork in the past.)

That reminds me: UConn grads and students from Newtown might want to support this effort by Ronald W. McCutcheon of Middle Haddam. Ronald is spearheading an effort to save nine historic "Faculty Row" cottages on the Storrs campus. He is encouraging the adaptive reuse of these buildings, rather than demolition. Go to the

There is appreciation on the parts of the Farmers Market shoppers at Fairfield Hills this year, for the signage pointing to the best place to park. Right around the corner from all of the Tuesday afternoon vendors, plenty of parking is convenient - no busy roads to cross.

Lois Barber, who organizes the Beautiful Baby Contest here in town to support Homes For Our Troops, tells me that there is a kick-off event scheduled for the start of this year's home build for Army Specialist Sean Pesce, Saturday, August 13. Sean is paralyzed from the waist down from injuries suffered in Afghanistan in 2012. Homes For Our Troops builds mortgage-free, adaptive homes for troops. The kick-off is at Amity Middle School, 190 Luke Hill Road, in Bethany. The public is invited to this celebration, which begins with registration at 9:30 am, and a ceremony at 10 am. Volunteers are always needed to make these projects a success. Visit hfotusa.org/Pesce to register for the August 13 event, or contact Monica Sweeney at

If you missed the New York premiere of

This sent a happy shiver down my furry spine: Jane Bean and her husband Dave drove down from Cornwall last weekend to visit Anne and Joseph Kugielsky, when they encountered what Jane described as "the sight of a lifetime: a beautiful white deer ... all white, no spots, no darker blends of color." The couple was traveling along Currituck Road when they saw the unusual creature (as did the driver of a second vehicle, Jane shared, who also stopped to gaze in amazement at the animal). They weren't sure if it was a true albino deer or not because they couldn't see its eyes, but everything else was definitely white. When they reached the Kugielsky home in Newtown, Joseph looked up the symbolic meaning of a white deer. They learned that "Native lore calls a white deer a symbol of prophecy and great blessings. We are to be blessed with spiritual growth and perhaps some kind of great reward, which we are now waiting for. It's a little bit like waiting for lightening to strike, in a good way," said Jane, who also said she hopes others also have an opportunity to see the deer as well.

The flag and trailer that mark the end of a successful trek through the annual autumn cornfield maze at Castle Hill Farm on Route 302 are in place now, but the next few weeks might be your final opportunities to spot either one. By the time the weather cools down - and it will, some day - the corn stalks will camouflage the trailer completely, and only the red, white, and blue of the flag will be visible. (The earth is plowed and it is hard to imagine now that in a few weeks the field will be populated with corn plants.)

I'll be populating this column next week with lots of things you'll want to read, though, so be sure to … Read me again.