Congratulations Claire Danner! The Newtown resident will be representing the Bridgewater Fair at the State Baking Contest hosted by The Association of Connecticut Fairs. Claire won that honor when she picked up the blue ribbon a few weekends ago for her blueberry buckle. She will now go up against fellow bakers who qualify for the Junior Division (age 7-15) during the current fair season. Claire and the others will bake another blueberry buckle ahead of the association’s annual meeting in North Haven in early November. Best wishes! (and hey, if you need a taste panel, I may know a few Bees who like buckle!)

Friends of Newtown Seniors (FONS) is offering an encore presentation of its AARP HomeFit Program, at NYA Sports & Fitness Center next Friday morning. The program is based on an AARP publication that offers smart ways to make a home comfortable and safe. Copies of the guide will be provided to each participant. The free program is scheduled for September 8, 10:30 am until noon, and honestly, all ages can benefit from the suggestions. Reservations are required by September 6. Call NYA at 203-426-0088 extension 106 to get onto the list. Light refreshments will be provided and a safety gift will be offered to each attendee.

Continuing on the success of last year’s event, FONS is also well into planning its OktoberFest 2023. Bev Bennett Schaedler was very excited to share that tickets ($30) are on sale for an October 4 return to NewSylum’s gazebo. Dinner will be served from 5 to 9 pm, the full catered dinner handled again by Full Bloom Catering, and there will be live music by Solid Gold Times Two. Cash bar will also be operating. Not that she wants to think about it but should it be needed, Bev said this year there is a rain date of October 11. If you’d like to be part of this year’s celebration — and it looked like a lot of very happy people out there last year — reach out to Bev at msbevtoo@yahoo.com.

Speaking of happy, I couldn’t help but be charmed at this spunky dwarf sunflower when it caught my eye last week. In a small patch of blossoms that had already been picked over by pollinators and then dried by the sun, this one flower still stood strong, proud in its strength and uniqueness. Who wouldn’t be impressed by that?

Reservations are due this weekend from those who would like to participate next weekend in Hope On Main Street. This is the fundraising event for American Cancer Society that grew out of the former Relay For Life events in town. It started in 2019, was of course on hold during the pandemic, but returned last year with organizers and volunteers honoring cancer survivors and caregivers, and remembering those who succumbed to the terrible disease. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, September 9, at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street. It will run 5:30 to 7 pm, rain or shine, and include brief comments, including guest speaker Alissa Heizler-Mendoza. Those who are able will be invited to walk along Main Street, reflecting on those who lost their battle with cancer and celebrate those who are bravely fighting. There will be live bagpipe music and small tokens of appreciation for cancer survivors. Donations will be forwarded to American Cancer Society, earmarked toward rides to treatment, wigs, counseling, and more. Registration can be done via email to hopeonmainstreet@gmail.com, and additional information is available at hopeonmainstreet.com.

Sunday is the day for the big Panacea & Friends 2023 & Final Reunion. Leslie Ballard and the rest of the band have promised one final show at Dickinson Park; see additional details here. This year’s event will also feature the second and final Bridget Seaman Memorial FAITH Food Pantry Collection. My late co-worker and a friend to generations of residents had a special place in her heart for the town’s food pantry. Bridget was instrumental in raising awareness for the need of donations for the nondenominational pantry. For years, attendees to the Panacea events would carry in donations each Labor Day Sunday, and Bridget made a point of organizing them during the concert and then delivering them to the Church Hill Road pantry within a few days. With Bridget’s sudden death in April of 2021, the 2022 collection was done in her memory. Anyone still have their Flat Bridget? Bring it! We’d love to see photos of the laminated cutouts that also honor our dear friend. Panacea & Friends is planned for 2 to 6 pm Sunday, September 3. And don’t worry if there’s rain. As has happened in the past, if there’s rain, everything moves under the pavilion of the Elm Drive park.

Monday will not only be the unofficial grand finale of summer when the Labor Day Parade steps off at 10 o’clock on Main Street, it will also be the next offering of Pancakes & Parking at Newtown Congregational Church. NCC members will be serving fresh pancakes, fruit cups, sausage, orange juice and plenty of coffee in The Great Room at 14 West Street from 8 until 9:15 am (although a little birdie tells me guests are welcome to arrive and park as early as 7:45), for just $6 per person or $20 for families. Even better than a hearty, wonderful breakfast to start the day? If you’d like to leave your vehicle at the church and make the brief walk to Main Street for the parade, now you understand the second part of the event’s name. Don’t want breakfast but would like to take advantage of the good parking? That’s fine too. A $5 donation per vehicle is requested, and all of the morning’s proceeds will benefit the church and its multiple missions.

The 61st Labor Day Parade is Monday morning. Here’s a gentle reminder for everyone who’s planning on attending: remember our childhood lessons, and don’t litter. People talk about how nice it is that the homeowners along the parade route let people sit on their property for the parade but the truth is, they really don’t have a choice. They’re kind to put up with it, however, and I tip my hat to them every year. What those folks should never have to contend with is litter. Unfortunately, I do see and hear about trash left behind after every parade, and that’s a shame. Please friends, do your part. Don’t leave anything on the lawns, roads, or sidewalks when you leave on Monday. Consider this an early request for Halloween, too. There’s no reason we can’t all lead by example. Don’t drop litter for others to pick up. Be better than that.

There’s just about a week left to take a chance on winning a house by donating to FAITH Food Pantry. For the second year, Around Town Real Estate is proud to be once again supporting the pantry by raffling a custom-built playhouse. The playhouse was built by Around Town Real Estate team member Chris Haggerty, with items generously donated from East Haven Builders Supply. Readers are invited to make a minimum $10 donation to FAITH, for which they will receive tickets/entries toward a raffle drawing. Visit aroundtownrealestatect.com/winthishouse by September 9 for full details including Venmo, cash and check donation options. All proceeds will go directly to the town’s nondenominational food pantry (its acronym stands for Food Assistance, Immediate Temporary Help), and the playhouse will be delivered without charge within a 25-mile radius of Newtown. For additional information contact Jessica Sachs at jessicasachs@aroundtownrealestatect.com.

Until then, I’m going to start planning how to decorate that playhouse if I’m lucky enough to win it. It’s going to feel like a mansion to this cat! I’ll let you know what I come up with if you’ll come back next week to … read me again.