I am licking my chops already, though, at the thought of the delicious pyrohy, holubchi, and borscht that will be on the menu at Sunday’s Ukrainian Festival at the Paproski Tree Farm on Hattertown Road. A celebration of the Divine Liturgy will start the daylong festivities at 11 am, followed by feasting and lots of fun activities. The festival goes on rain or shine and Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians are welcome to attend; felines, too, I presume. I’m practically on my way.

Who was that masked man? Anyone who was visiting or passing by The Inn at Newtown recently may have seen a masked man in black hanging around the premises. In fact, the Inn was hosting a group of friends including Derby resident Arthur Deco, aka “The Lone Stranger.” It seems Art and his golfing buddies Harry Ashmore, Perry Salvagne, and Michael Hilton were meeting in Newtown to discuss a September 10 golf tournament at Ridgewood Country Club to benefit Ann’s Place, Home of I Can, a Danbury-based sanctuary of support and resources for individuals and families living with cancer. “The Lone Stranger” is planning to challenge any golfer to drive a ball father than he can, while fully caped and costumed — and kneeling! And anyone who can beat Art’s kneeling drive will be in the running to win a digital video camera. Anyone interested in participating in the Ann Olsen Greater Danbury Golf Classic can get information by clicking on annsplace.com.

I spotted another mystery man last week, as well, while perched on a windowsill surreptitiously observing a Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) meeting. A dark-haired man speaking to another man outdoors, near the entryway to the sewage treatment plant offices on Commerce Road, looked familiar, but I wasn’t quite sure who it was. I edged closer and realized that it was land use engineer Steve Trinkaus, who represents development applicants before local land use agencies. Steve, who has had a prominent mustache until now, had decided to shave it off, changing his appearance and making him look at least five years younger. I wonder if that would work if I shaved off my whiskers?

Looking good is important to everyone, whiskers or not, and Officer Steve Ketchum is stylin’ these days. The only elements lacking in Police Patrol Officer Ketchum’s new wardrobe are a pair of high motorcycle boots, but from what I gather, before long he will be fully outfitted with all the riding gear he needs for his motorcycle patrol duty on the police department’s newly acquired Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. The spiffy bike sports deep-gloss black paint, plus copious chroming and enough lights on it to be mistaken for a Christmas tree from 100 yards.

Congratulations to Polly Brody, who has just published her third book. At the Flower’s Lip is, according to a note sent over from Polly this week, a collection of poems depicting the anguish of divorce and the exquisite joy of late-life love. The former Newtown resident, who is now living in nearby Southbury, will be at The Barnum Museum next week, offering a reading with several other members of Connecticut Poetry Society. The August 30 event will be a closing reception for the Bridgeport museum’s current exhibition of oil drum art. Polly will also be a participant in an “Author Roundtable” event at Borders Books in Fairfield on Wednesday, September 19, at 6:30 (call the book store, 203-256-1619, for details), and then she’ll be the first featured reader of the new season for the Yale Book Store Poetry Series on Thursday, October 25, at 6 (call 203-777-8440). At the Flower’s Lip may be available at each of these events, or it can be ordered from Polly Brody, 218-B Heritage Village, Southbury CT 06488, or from the publisher, Antrim House, PO Box 111, Tariffville CT 06081. Copies are $12 each, and mail orders should include an additional $2 to cover postage.

The buzz at The Bee has also been that Quinnipiac University School of Law Professor Emeritus, history buff, and Sandy Hook resident Martin Margulies has had his copiously researched book The Battle of Prestonpans 1745 published by Tempus Publishing Limited. His book reveals the myth behind the myth, it seems, of the legendary Hanoverian Scottish officer General Sir John Cope, unjustly ridiculed for centuries. Always a lawyer, always seeking justice.

The last days of summer are good for kickin’ back a little. Earlier this month Erick and Kim Feucht drove 11 hours to Galax, Va., a sleepy town in the Blue Ridge Mountains where bluegrass — and for one week each year, Roger Sprung — is king. Seems the Feuchts went to participate in and enjoy the six-day festival and found out that their friend, Roger, who is of course a Newtown resident long celebrated for his banjo and bluegrass achievements, is a big draw of the festival.

The Feuchts knew Roger already; Erick can oftentimes be found picking mandolin during the monthly spaghetti suppers at Newtown United Methodist Church. This year the couple spent the week of August 4–9 with Roger at the largest gathering of old-time and bluegrass musicians in the South. “Several thousand musicians and well over 10,000 spectators gather in the town park for a week of contests and jamming,” Erick wrote last week. “If you have been to the Roxbury Pickin’ & Fiddlin’ Contest you get the idea.” Roger has been going to this festival, Erick found out, for 45 years. “For many of the most accomplished musicians, Roger’s camp is their first stop,” he said.

It was a great week of music and friendship, and was also something of an eye-opener for the Feuchts. “The rest of the year we can enjoy the talent and artistry of Mr Sprung right here at home. From September through June he performs monthly at the NUMC spaghetti supper on the first Saturday night [of each month]. He also gives music lessons at his home in Newtown and in New York City.

“After a week in the sweet sunny South with Roger, we understand why his name is on the wall in Edmond Town Hall among the notable Newtown residents. His skill and innovation on the banjo have made him a legend in his own time, and our hopes are that he may be as well appreciated here at home as he is in the hills of Virginia.”

I’m heading for the hills, for now, but I hope you’ll find time next week to …

Read me again.