When school started on a wide scale last week it was the first week at 5 Church Hill Road that we didn’t have our summer interns join us for our Editorial meeting on Monday morning. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed bylines for Claire Baranovic and Jack Kobrock in recent months. While those names appeared regularly for a few months, their final stories before returning to school will appear in next week’s special Fall Home & Garden supplement. Claire has returned to American University in Washington, D.C., where she is majoring in journalism (yay!) with a minor in history. She expects to graduate in May 2026. Jack, meanwhile, is working toward a Bachelor of Arts at Keene State College. His trip to New Hampshire last month represented the start of his senior year. He plans to graduate next May.

Thank you to everyone who shared First Day of School pictures with us for this week’s print edition. I really do love seeing everyone all clean and pretty, in nice new clothes, as they step into their new academic year. Special thanks to Kelley Landers, who was the first to get a picture in the Inbox last Thursday morning.

Good news! If you’re going to the outdoor Zac n’ Fried, Friday night concert of the Newtown Arts Festival on September 20 and the weather is awful, (you know how cats hate to be wet) the concert will switch to Edmond Town Hall. And the beer and wine garden will follow the concert. So, tickets are $15 and you can buy them on the Festival website and know you’ll be dry no matter what.

Reporter Jenna Visca came in wide-eyed Tuesday morning, wired from everything that she saw at the annual Labor Day Parade because somehow, despite living here all her life, she never went out to the parade before (talk about a bummer!). She made up for lost time by taking in as many sights as she could, from all of the huge, colorful floats that drove on by to the thousands of people lined up at the sidelines cheering everyone on. Jenna said everyone she got to talk to during the event was extremely sweet, and that she was so happy to see so many smiling faces. The Grand Marshals of the event, Sue and Jim Shortt, even gave her one of the zinnia flowers that was on their float. I’m only a little jealous that they didn’t give a flower to me, too. A little birdie also told me that Jenna unfortunately fell right at the end of the event, and that she says that she would like to thank the police officers and nurses on standby who evaluated her and made sure that she was okay, as well as the other parade attendees who kept her company.

Readers may have spotted our very own copy editor, Kathy Ronan, alongside First Selectman Jeff Capeci, chefing up pancakes before the Labor Day Parade at Pancakes and Parking on Monday morning at Newtown Congregational Church. They served yummy breakfast foods for all people, including gluten-free pancakes, pancakes with toppings, sausages, and more. Troops 270 and 870 helped with parking at the church and welcomed everyone to breakfast inside. Don’t tell anyone this, readers, but I do love snacking on pancakes when I get the chance, and of course sausage, too.

Not so good news about the borough sign being cut down and stolen from the intersection of Castle Hill Road and Taunton Lake Road. Though I was out prowling the streets both nights it could have been taken, I wasn’t in those areas. I prefer to stay close by the office. I hear lots of people are upset about it. Senior Burgess Chris Gardner and Warden Jay Maher are hoping to recover the sign to save some money as the borough’s budget isn’t huge to begin with. If you know anything about it, you should let them know. You can read the full story on page one of the September 6 print edition or online here.

Join the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard on Saturday, September 7 for their annual Fall Festival. I won’t be hanging around there as cats run the risk of being stepped on by those big hooves, but I hear there will be some musical horse shows for spectators to enjoy, as well as pony rides for children and face painters so the whole family can look like a horse (or a cat). The event is rain or shine, so be prepared for the weather. Did you know the 2GHG is an all-volunteer state military element? It was chartered in 1808, making it older than the Borough of Newtown, which was chartered in 1824, and also older than The Bee, which was founded in 1877.

Also keep an eye out for Newtown Underwater Search & Rescue's 3rd Annual Dive-A-Thon on Saturday, September 14, from 10 am-4 pm. While it was originally going to take place at Eichler’s Cove beach, the beach is still recovering from the record-breaking amount of rainfall that we got last month, forcing a location change. The event this year will be held at Lake Lillinonah Town Park at 194 Hanover Road. If you go, get ready to meet the NUSAR team, take a look at their equipment, and event talk to divers while they’re underwater. I, personally, am not the biggest fan of water, so I will respectfully watch from a distance.

Speaking of “old things,” Hispanic Heritage Month starts September 15. The cultural traditions of Hispanic people date back hundreds of years, and are still celebrated and practiced widely around the globe. Hispanic Heritage Month also aligns with the independence dates for many Central American countries. C.H. Booth Library is joining the fun with a screening of the movie Frida, a documentary about the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. The screening will be on September 17, 5:30 pm. Register in advance so you can score some good seats for the movie. I’ve seen it before, it’s one you don’t want to miss (but, leave the kiddos at home, it is rated R!). If the kids need someplace to go while you watch the movie, the Exceptional Sidekick therapy dogs will be hanging around the Periodicals Room starting at 6 pm. I, again, will not be joining the Exceptional Sidekicks. I don’t think they would take too kindly to me.

Readers, if you’ve seen the electric rates rising and you want to talk to someone about it, don’t worry. The Legislative Town Hall that was scheduled for Tuesday, September 3, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, September 17. Same time (7-9 pm), same place (Newtown Community Center). I saw State Senator Tony Hwang and other state legislators will be in attendance. Hwang is bringing subject matter experts to talk to the community and with residents about affordability, energy rates, and utilities.

One lucky winner will have a hand built playhouse delivered to their home in a few weeks if their ticket is selected for the Third Annual Around Town Real Estate Custom Playhouse Raffle. The playhouse was pictured in last week’s print edition, and is on view on the front lawn of the real estate office at 17 Church Hill Road. Realtor and Around Town team member Chris Haggerty again built the playhouse, which he has done for the past two years, with materials donated by East Haven-Ridgefield Building Supply. Ticket sales are again raising funds for FAITH Food Pantry, which has benefited from the previous two annual raffles ($900 in 2022, $2,600 last year!). Tickets are available just until Saturday, September 7, priced at $10 for one, $25 for three, $50 for ten, and $100 for 25 entries. The good news is, sales are online through aroundtownrealestatect.com/winthishouse and by scanning the QR code on a sign posted next to the playhouse on Church Hill Road. The playhouse will be delivered without fee within a 25-mile radius of the Around Town Team office.

Rumor has it a new fundraiser is coming from that team later this year. It’s similar but different, I hear. I will, of course, keep you posted.

I’m looking for something similar but different to do during the upcoming week. Reporter Sam Cross mentioned last week that September 1 was National Ginger Cat Appreciation Day, according to someone’s calendar. We missed that observance this year — and we at The Bee focus on black cats, of course — but I’ll let you know if I do find something when you come back next week to … read me again.