The 2024 Olympics may be over, but don’t try to tell that to the folks at Around Town Real Estate. Employees there had plans to participate in National Night Out earlier this month, with events and offerings tied in to the Olympic Games. Kris Kling even made a terrific set of Olympic rings using pool noodles, and was very disappointed when NNO ended up being canceled last week (the August 20 event was canceled because so many people who would have been participating were still very involved in local and regional cleanup efforts following the August 18-19 rain).

Thanks to some quick thinking and pivoting, Around Town team members had their own special event last Friday afternoon, and those Olympic rings were put to great use. Employees had a “Minute To Win It” event, during which they were challenged to throw as many pool noodles as possible through those rings. I’m told it was a very tough competition, enjoyed by many, especially Kris. The rings were still visible to the east of the company’s Church Hill Road building earlier this week and they were spectacular. I hope you spotted them.

We've been looking forward to the first day of school and cant wait to see local students children dressed up for the big day. I hope to see some of those First Day of School Photos for the September 6 print edition. Deadline to submit photos is 8 am Tuesday, September 3 — yes, right after Labor Day. Photos should be kept as large as possible and sent to editor@thebee.com. Include the first and last names of those pictured, along with their grade level and the school they’re attending, along with the name of the person who took the photo.

Welcome and Congratulations to the Stone Bridge team, who recently took over the healthcare and senior living facility at 139 Toddy Hill Road. One of their first outreach efforts resulted in a great collection of school supplies delivered last week to the Board of Education offices. Notebooks, backpacks, crayons, markers, colored pencils, pencils, glue, glue sticks, rulers, erasers, scissors, and much more were all collected among the staff there. Those donations will certainly help students fill their backpacks, take notes, and do homework this school year.

Like thousands of others in town, Bruce the Spruce also celebrated the beginning of the 2024-25 academic school year this week. The ladies in our Production Department did so well sprucing up their three-foot-tall artificial tree we need a horizontal photo to get everything in this time. Bruce the Teacher Spruce is dressed for success, right down to his yellow collar and blue tie (go Nighthawks!). He also has plenty of supplies for any assignment.

Going to the Labor Day parade? Consider taking along an item or two for FAITH Food Pantry. Volunteers will again be accepting donations of nonperishables and even cash/checks as they walk the parade route Monday morning. Drop boxes will also be available along the route if you’d like to drop off a donation as you head to your favorite viewing spot. This week’s wish list includes baked beans, baking supplies, body wash, broth (all kinds), conditioner, cereal, coffee, cookies, lunch snacks, macaroni & cheese, paper products, ready-to-eat soup, shampoo, and tea bags (regular and decaf).

Meanwhile, Rings End of Newtown has graciously stepped up to be the newest drop-off location for the food pantry. They have not only joined a growing number of year-round donation locations, the 14 Church Hill Road store is also home to the latest collection stand built by FFP volunteer Andy Engels.

If you’re heading to Pancakes & Parking ahead of the parade, there’s some good news and some bad news there. The bad news is, if you’re going with hopes to feast on the eggs listed in some of the pre-event publicity, you’re out of luck. We had a note arrive last week from organizers, who apologized for the inclusion of “eggs” in the first announcements for the Newtown Congregational Church event. The good news is, there really will be plenty of pancakes, sausage, fruit, and coffee for breakfast. See our calendar listings in print and online for additional details.

Women Involved in Newtown has a new fundraiser underway. The Sue Rubino WIN Scholarship Fund will benefit from a Mum Sale Fundraiser that runs to September 4. Orders can be made for any combination of 12” pots of yellow, bronze, red, pink or white chrysanthemums. Each pot is $35, and all proceeds will benefit the organization’s scholarship fund to be awarded to a Newtown High School student who demonstrates exemplary community service. To place an order, contact Kelly Conte at 203-952-3859. Payment can be done by check payable to WIN or through Venmo (@Kelly-Conte). Orders will be ready for pick-up Friday and Saturday, September 6-7. The schedule and pick-up location details will be shared with the placement of each order.

Co-Publisher Sherri Smith Baggett and Managing Editor Shannon Hicks represented this newspaper last week during the inaugural Mary Hawley Public Service Award ceremony at Edmond Town Hall. Both were so pleased to see the turnout for that event last Thursday afternoon, when more than 100 people joined Gordon Williams, wife Lina, and all three of their adult children — Christopher, Cara and Emily — to celebrate the spirit of volunteerism that is alive and well in Newtown. Shannon was invited to introduce Gordon before he was presented with a plaque and additional honors from local officials. “It was amazing,” she said, to look out at those gathered and see generations of people from town and beyond, all there to celebrate her friend.

Gordon’s been under the weather this week, unfortunately. I hope he’s doing better by the time this week’s paper is published. I’d be more than happy to visit for a good catnap or two if he wants one.

Speaking of volunteers, organizers of the 5th Annual Hope on Main Street are still hoping for a few more people to help when this year’s event returns on September 7. Help is needed setting up and breaking down for the 90-minute event, and probably other tasks. If you’re available even part of the afternoon send a note to hopeonmainstreet@gmail.com. (See our calendars or page B-7 for details about the event itself, which is open to everyone in and around town.)

AAA says many Americans will be traveling stateside for the long Labor Day weekend. AAA booking data showed overall domestic travel over the holiday weekend is up 9% compared to last year, while the cost to travel domestically is down 2%. Top domestic destinations include New York, Boston, Alaska, Las Vegas, Florida, Denver, Chicago, and San Francisco. Leading Labor Day international destinations include Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada; Rome, London, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Greece.

Those are all much too far for this little cat. I’m thinking a trip to Dickinson Park on Sunday, to take in this year’s Panacea & Friends concert and the 2024 Bridget Seaman Memorial FAITH Food Pantry Drive. Then I’ll be on Main Street bright and early Monday morning, looking for little bits of oversize pretzels and maybe even some cotton candy accidentally dropped for me before, during and after the big parade.

Oh! Before I forget, here’s my annual PSA concerning Main Street, Monday, and the parade: leave no trace behind, please and thank you. The homeowners and business owners along the parade route should not have to clean up after strangers who spend any part of their day enjoying the parade. It’s a great get-together, a time when old friends can catch up and strangers can make new friends among the crowd. Enjoy your coffee, your bagels, your breakfast, snacks, etc, but please clean up after yourself. It’s always so discouraging to see all the litter left behind Monday afternoons and even Tuesday mornings. Raise the bar. Lead by example.

Then come right back next week, when you can … read me again.