I had a nice note come in last week from Dawn Handschuh, who recognized her sister in the July 19 Way We Were photo. The photo that week showed a few people at a 2004 Sandy Hook Organic Farmers Market. The photo had been taken by Mary Fellows, who launched the market in 2002 and continued to serve as its master for years. Mary gave us that and many other photos for our collections. We recognized The Pocket Man, a regular feature of those markets, but there is a woman holding a child in her arms standing on the left and a few children walking between the woman and Pocket Man. Dawn’s note told me the woman is Southbury resident Kim Handschuh, who “grows interesting medicinal and edible plants,” according to Dawn. She hadn’t realized her sister was aware of Sandy Hook Organic Farmers market in its infancy, “but I’m not surprised,” Dawn added.

The current iteration of that market continues Tuesdays at Fairfield Hills. Tuesdays seem to be the day for Newtown and a farmers market, regardless of its name or location. The Sandy Hook Organic offering ran in the parking lot and then upper field area behind St John’s Episcopal Church for eight summers. It then had a very short-lived stint in the parking lot of the former Lexington Gardens on Church Hill Road, before moving to Fairfield Hills — initially operating as The Sandy Hook Organic Farmers Market at Fairfield Hills, then FM@FFH, and now The Newtown Farmers Market — in 2010. Weekly market hours are 2-6 pm, and the market is presented off Keating Farms Avenue. You’ll see it as soon as you enter the campus from the main entrance. If you use the Mile Hill Road South entrance, take your first left onto Keating Farms Avenue, then continue straight after the first stop sign and you’ll see the market on your left within the next block.

Goodwill donations will be accepted on Saturday when the next Knights of Columbus car wash is conducted. I have my paws crossed for the members of the St Virgilius Council #185, who conducted a similar event in April but had overcast skies and even a few rain showers dampen that effort. All are invited to drive in to the parking lot of 46 Church Hill Road on August 10 between 10 am and 2 pm. Volunteers will scrub down and rinse off vehicles.

If you read last week’s paper, you saw a photo in the Education pages that celebrated the presentation of three Visiting Nurse Association of Newtown scholarships to 2023 recipients. What we didn’t initially know about that photo was something happy that happened behind the scenes: the namesake of one of those scholarships was there to present the check and certificate. Former Newtown resident and past VNA-Newtown President Sally Schwerdtle was in Newtown last month. She visited friends, celebrated her birthday, and on July 24 she presented the first check representing The Sally Schwerdtle Scholarship to Fairfield University student Kyra Alvarez. The scholarship is for students pursuing a post graduate degree in the field of nursing and honors a woman with a lifetime interest in public health. Sally graduated from Cornell University School of Nursing in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science and then practiced in Manhattan on the staff of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. She later served as chairperson of the VNA Newtown Scholarship Committee for 40 years. The Schwerdtle Scholarship, and two additional scholarship funds and certificates, were presented to the local students outside the VNA Thrift Shop at Edmond Town Hall because the funds raised through that longtime offering are what create the education awards. Congratulations again to Kyra (pictured here with Sally) and fellow VNA scholarship recipients Ben Fogal and Caroline Gardner.

I know I talked about this last week but just in case someone forgot to check in with me (it happens, I know), I’m offering a reminder that we should have a very exciting overnight Sunday into Monday if skies are clear. The Perseid Meteor Shower will offer one shooting star every minute between midnight and 1 am. Keep in mind we’ll need clear skies, and you may want to plan on having a chair or blanket if you want to witness the shower for a little while. Plan on finding an open space, turn off any window and exterior lights, give your eyes a minute to adjust. Wide open spaces are best, like a ballfield or lakeside area or even a large lawn; you don’t want to try to watch through breaks between trees. The optimum viewing time will be around midnight or 1 am, when we should be seeing these about once a minute. Early birds can begin looking skyward around 9, but know that you’ll only see a meteor every four or five minutes at that time.

Bravo to Newtown Allies For Change (NAFC), who shopped the Annual Friends of C.H. Booth Library Book Sale last month for books to place in their Little Free Library, located at Treadwell Park. Shoppers were reportedly on the lookout for books which center BIPOC characters or authors, and they found plenty! I hear the volunteers were able to take home boxes full of books. Talk about shopping local. Located at Treadwell Park between the pool building and pavilion, NAFC’s Little Free Library is one of a few that have popped up in town in recent years, and they’re a great way to find new and share used books. Little Free Libraries can also be found within Dickinson Park, near the playground at Newtown Congregational Church, and along the walking trail at Fairfield Hills.

Meanwhile, an NAFC youth group is also launching this month. A preliminary meeting was held at the end of the 2023-24 school year, and organizers have decided to continue the momentum. Students in grades 5-8 who would like to make the world a kinder and more inclusive place are invited to check out NAFC Youth Voices. Gatherings are scheduled monthly through the end of the year on the fourth Saturday of each month: August 31, September 28, October 26, November 23, and December 28. The group gathers in the CHBMakers’ Space Room at Booth Library, 25 Main Street. Meetings run from 11 am until noon and registration is requested; contact Christine Miller at themillerfamily01@gmail.com to take care of that or to ask about the group.

Fresh off that big book sale, the Friends is celebrating some exciting news this week. An unexpected donation of more than 75 cartons of brand new assorted craft, gardening, landscaping, cooking, woodworking, building books and DVDs, and more, means a special event is in the works. Additional details are TBA, but I can share this much: mark your calendar for Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6, for what my friends tell me will be “a huge sale” at the library.

Readers of all ages who would like to do something nice for local students in need can do so right now. Newtown Community Center is hosting a School Supply Drive until August 19. The drive will benefit school children in Newtown who need it most. Readers are asked to consider donating dry erase markers, backpacks, Post-Its, glue sticks, child-safe scissors, markers/colored pencils, school snacks and similar supplies. Donations can be dropped off in the lobby during normal business hours (Monday through Thursday, 6 am-9 pm; Friday, 6 am-8 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 7 am-5 pm).

I had to laugh last Friday afternoon, after I saw a bucket truck traveling down Church Hill Road with something flapping from its mirror. You’ll recall how hot it was before that midday thunderstorm rolled through? The driver of the utility truck must have been working in that heat, and perspired, because he’d tied his long-sleeved T-shirt to the mirror. That’s what was flapping away as he drove along Church Hill. That’s one way to dry it out!

Stay cool, my friends. It’s summer in New England. We can’t get away from the heat, humidity and fast-moving storms, but we can plan to check in again next week, when you can … read me again.