The town certainly took on a new look Wednesday morning — yellow school buses on the roads, children dressed up in their finest waiting for those buses, lots and lots more traffic as everyone headed back to school. I’m laying low till the excitement wears off, but wishing all of the educators and kids good luck in the coming year.

I had to prick up my ears in the office on Tuesday to make out the tune I thought I heard our office manager, Sherri, humming under her breath. Was that “Happy Birthday To Me”? And did she hum it 50 times? Maybe someone can unravel this mystery for me…

If you’re looking for something crafty to do on Sunday, Brookfield Craft Center will be hosting its annual open house that afternoon. And among the faculty members offering demonstrations of traditional and contemporary craft techniques will be Newtown residents Carol and Wayne Smith. Wayne is also known as The Grizzly Woodsmith. He carves some very detailed, and sometimes whimsical, wood pieces, and then Carol paints many of them. The open house will be running from 1 to 4 pm (a student-faculty pottery and glass sale will also be running on Saturday from 10 to 4 and then on Sunday from 10 to 4 as well), there are usually refreshments available, and best of all it’s free!

There’s always plenty of conversation this time of year around the upcoming Labor Day Parade — who’s making a float; who’s marching; what’s the weather going to do? Julie Schwartz Ober reminded me this week via my Facebook (thank you for feeding the cat, Julie) that the Newtown High School Marching Band has been practicing eight hours or more each day to get ready for the parade. Now that’s dedication. I’m going to be sure to give them a high-five as they march down Main Street next Monday.

Trinity’s youth group will once again be offering parking for a small fee on Monday. For a $5 donation, paradegoers will have the opportunity to safely leave their vehicle in a parking lot that offers access to Main Street, as well as Queen Street and Glover for those who don’t mind stretching their legs. All donations will benefit the church’s youth group.

 Nearby Newtown Congregational Church is offering something new this year before the parade: Pancakes & Parking. The church will be serving pancake breakfasts from 7:30 to 9:30 am, at $6 per person or $20 max for a family, and then attendees will be welcome to leave their cars in the parking lots at 14 West Street. It’s a little further to walk than from Trinity, but you’ll be working off all those carbs that way. Proceeds from those donations will benefit the church’s ministries.

Newtown resident Breanne Lubinsky will be among the hundreds of people in the parade come Monday morning. Breanne’s group won’t be throwing candy or anything else to those on the sidelines. They’re hoping to be collecting something from everyone along the route, actually. Breanne is bringing back her very successful 1 Can Make(s) A Different collection for FAITH Food Pantry, and anyone who can spare a can or box of anything nonperishable is asked to do so. If you can put your donation into a plastic bag, that will be even more helpful. Collectors can collect the donations that much easier, and the food pantry will reuse those bags when volunteers dole out food for their clients in coming weeks.

The Bee invited visitors to our Facebook page this week to share with us their favorite memories of the town’s Labor Day Parade. There are some wonderful responses there, and we hope more people will continue to add to that online scrapbook. Unfortunately, one response reminded us that not everyone who marches or attends the parade takes care of themselves, so this is a gentle reminder to everyone who will be lining the parade route on Monday: Please clean up after yourself when the parade is over. The homeowners along Main Street, Glover Avenue, and Queen Street have hundreds of people on their lawns every Labor Day and some years the properties look awful once the final group has marched by. It’s embarrassing to the town and downright rude to homeowners to leave trash behind. Let’s all try to be better neighbors this year. When you pick up your chairs, kids, and whatever else you bring with you to the parade, make sure the ground is as clean when you leave as it was when you arrived.

A little bird told me, and Kyle Lyddy confirmed, that the family of the late Thomas Lyddy held a fundraiser for Swim Across the Sound at their Fairfield beach house on Lantern Point, last month. Family members Kyle Lyddy, Katie Lyddy Barry, Ryan Lyddy, Chris Lyddy (that would be our state representative), Sally Lyddy, Rob DeFilippo, Amy Lyddy, Kara Lyddy DeFilippo, and Christopher Barry, and lots of their friends and neighbors listened to music by performers Spiral City, Greg Buzzi, Michael Greenberg, and Daria Musk and raised $4,000 through donations and the sale of drinks and food, and plenty of raffled items.

“Light Up The Point” honored the memory of Thomas Lyddy who passed away in 2006 from colon cancer, said Kyle. “We chose [to support Swim Across the Sound] because of their purpose in supporting cancer patients. None of my family has ever participated, but we felt it was important to give back to a cause that is so important to us,” he said. The day ended with candles lit along the high tide line of the beach and a slide show of the day’s events.

Don’t forget that Saturday is the annual Newtown Road Race, benefiting the Newtown Youth & Family Services here in town. Registration begins at 7:30 am and preregistration is available online at NewtownRoadRace.com or in person at the New Balance store on Stony Hill Road in Bethel. The race kicks off at 9 am at Dickinson Park. The Kid’s Fun Run, another part of the fun morning, is sponsored by Newtown Prevention Council and is open to children of all ages. Cost is $5 per child with a maximum of $10 per family. Registration for the Kid’s Run ends at 10 am and the race begins at 10:15 am. So, strap on those sneakers and get going!

I’m going to get going to all of the weekend’s great activities. Don’t forget next week to…. Read me again.