David Rizzardi motored up to Newtown on his motorcycle one afternoon last week to deliver... newspapers... to The Newtown Bee. The former resident says he’s up this way pretty regularly, so he didn’t mind returning to us a packet of papers that had ended up in his mailbox. His, which he expected, was on top of the shrink-wrapped bundle, but other subscribers’ papers were in it. Sorry USPS, but the note does say to separate out for delivery all those papers in the bundle. We regret that this meant a few subscribers did not get their August 7 issue in a timely manner. Thank you, David, for bothering to let us know where these papers went astray!

The weather took a dip to the cooler side this past weekend, a very welcome relief after days of sweltering temperatures — and many suffering without electricity! Even so, I’m glad to see that Eichler’s Cove beach and the Treadwell Park pool have reopened after weathering the storm, though a brief uptick in unacceptable bacteria levels at the beach has caused a more sporadic reopening. It’s still plenty warm for a swim, if you are so inclined.

Meanwhile, you think Tropical Storm Isaias gave us troubles? The National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada, issued a tornado warning for Lassen County in northern California on August 15 — and not just any tornado. “... A pyrocumulonimbus from the Loyalton Wildfire is capable of producing a fire-induced tornado... extreme fire behavior with strong outflow winds capable of downing trees and starting new fires.” I don’t know about you, but a fire tornado sounds as terrifying as any tropical storm!

Emily Slattery reached out early Sunday morning to let us know that her fifth anniversary celebration for Old Glory Days — the Sandy Hook business that provides socialization and special events for senior citizens — was postponing its event due to the rain that day. The good news is, Emily already had a rain date planned. Everyone is invited to try again, this time for Saturday, August 22. Drop in to the courtyard of Betts Square, at 107 Church Hill Road, between noon and 1:30 pm, to learn about the business while also enjoying free lunch and live musical entertainment. Face masks and social distancing will be required. For additional information call 203-491-2922.

We are going to offer a Good Egg Award this week to the crew of CT DOT and Tilcon employees who were working along Mt Pleasant Road last week. Associate Editor Shannon Hicks happened upon the crew while they were laying down asphalt curbing and aprons along the section of Mt Pleasant/Route 6 between Taunton Lane and Violette Road. On one of the hottest days of the year, doing one of the hottest jobs on the planet, Shannon said the men were all very nice, and very happy to talk about their jobs. “I can’t even look outside on a hot day and feel comfortable,” she said, “and here were these guys, in full suits to protect them from asphalt, working under that sun, and they were very welcoming when I showed up to take a few photos.” Part of their happiness, she thinks, is how proud they are of their recent jobs. The men she met last week were part of the team that did the repaving of Mile Hill Road recently, among other local projects. Those are some Good Eggs indeed.

Are you a fan of the Bard? What do you think: Was Shakespeare the author of Shakespeare?! The fourth annual Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship “Who Wrote Shakespeare?” Video Contest took place this summer, open to contestants from the US and eight other countries — the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Australia, and New Zealand. Now it’s your turn to decide whose video best determines if the English author was actually the wordsmith he is acclaimed to be... or does the video make the case that he was not? The top three winners will be selected by open public voting, now available through September 20, by visiting https://shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/sof-video-contest/vote-now, where everyone can view the ten finalist videos and vote for their favorite.

Jamie Paige, 15, of Woodbury, will be hosting an 8th annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand to raise money for childhood cancer research. Jamie has hosted a Lemonade Stand event for the past seven years! The event will be held at Denmo’s, 340 Main Street South (Route 6) in Southbury, on Saturday, August 29, from 11 am to 2 pm. “This year, due to COVID-19, it will be more challenging for me to reach my goal of raising enough money to reach the long term goal of funding 100 hours of research,” Jamie tells me. Visit https://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/2203453 for more information or to donate to support the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer — but getting a sip of delicious lemonade while donating is a definite plus.

Check out the Senior News column in each week's print edition for some outdoor opportunities members can enjoy for socializing. Not a member? No problem. Call the Senior Center at 203-270-4310 and they will help you with joining the group for lots of fun and camaraderie.

We are reaching out to residents in so many ways, and eager to hear back from you! Please contact eliza@thebee.com with “Life Now” submissions. Life Now is looking at how we have adjusted our work and social lives to accommodate COVID-19 protocols. Send a photo and a brief description — we want to share how Newtown is doing Life Now. Reporter Eliza Hallabeck is also “hosting” #TellTheNewtownBee, found on our Twitter account @thenewtownbee. This week our question is: What has been your wildest (PG rated...) COVID-time purchase? Respond on Twitter, please! (I’m more familiar with the tweeting of little birds outside my window, but I’m game to Twitter an answer...)

Share updates you have made around your home due to COVID-19 by e-mailing education reporter Eliza Hallabeck, eliza@thebee.com, by 5 pm on Wednesday, August 26, to be included in possible coverage in an upcoming story. Are you adding office areas? Or homework areas for the children? We want to know the big and small changes you have made at home since the pandemic began.

And don’t forget to look for our in-house created coloring scene that appears periodically in these pages. Guess who would love to receive photos of your colored picture? eliza@thebee.com! Or feel free to stop by the office at 5 Church Hill Road with your work of art — wear a mask, please, when you enter!

What memory of any Labor Day Parade lingers in your mind? Share it with Newtown Bee readers! We welcome short descriptions of your favorite past parade moment, as well as photos from previous parades, if you care to include one. Send your submission to shannon@thebee.com by August 28 at noon — a newly extended deadline. You can send your note to our office by USPS, if you prefer: The Newtown Bee — ATTN Shannon Hicks, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470. Be sure to give us your daytime contact information.

Audubon has winnowed down 6,000 submissions to ten winners of the 2020 Audubon Photography Contest. There are some pretty cool photos, as nature tends to provide the opportunity for a good photographer to zero in. If you want to take a look visit audubon.org. My favorite is the hummingbird capturing a droplet of water mid-air, the Amateur Honorable Mention by Bibek Ghosh. Now that’s a trick — for both bird and photographer!

There’s nothing tricky about opening up the paper to this column, so I hope that next week you will... Read me again.