Congratulations to Newtown Bee Associate Editor John Voket, who received news last week from Xanthus Communications and PR for People. He was among those who placed in the top ten entries for the Matt Kramer Award for Excellence in Journalism. The Guardian writer Jordan Reife earned the award for the "Skid Robot: the street artist drawing attention to LA's homeless residents" story published in February 2016. John earned fourth place for his "Parent Connection Supporting Loved Ones Grappling With Opiate-Related Tragedy" story published in The Newtown Bee's July 8, 2016, print edition. A panel of judges evaluated the submissions. A full list of the top earning entries are available online at www.prforpeople.com/news/media/pr-people%C2%AE-announces-winner-matt-kramer-award-excellence-journalism.castlehillfarm.net/corn-maze.Treyf: May Life As An Unorthodox Outlaw. (Treyf is a word most commonly defined as nonkosher or prohibited foods or the mixing of dairy and meat products.) Her name may be familiar to you, as she is the author of the memoir Poor Man's Feast, and the blog of the same name. She writes the Washington Post column "Feeding My Mother," too. The library event is free, and books will be available for purchasing and signing. Register at marktwainlibrary.org, at the library, located at 439 Redding Road (Route 53), or by calling 203-938-2545.www.gsofct.org.

Karen Szilagyi from the town office of the Purchasing Department wants to be sure that youngsters Jill and Nate Hoag get a Good Egg Award. Jill and Nate donated $103, raised from sales at their lemonade stand this summer, to Social Services earlier this month. They are, truly, Good Eggs.

The US Social Security Administration released its lists for the top five female and male baby names in 2016 by state last week. The top five female baby names in the state of Connecticut for 2016, from one to five, are listed as Olivia, Charlotte, Mia, Ava, and Isabella. The top five male names are Noah, James, Michael, Liam, and Jacob. I keep hoping Mountain will be a popular name one of these years...

Speaking of babies, the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary's Facebook post on September 20 reminded its online followers that, "If you touch a wild baby and think you can't return it because of human scent, have no worries! That animal's mama will come back. Mothers love their babies and do their best to help that baby survive and grow up big and strong. Certain species such as fawns and rabbits are born without a scent. Nature designed it this way because these babies nest on the ground for hours to weeks. The lack of scent helps keep predators from noticing them. If these babies have to be touched, you can rub your hands in dirt beforehand, or rub the babies body gently with some dirt to mask the scent."

I thought my eyes were deceiving me on September 21, but there really were three, not two, golden retrievers in The Bee's 5 Church Hill Road office building. Bee office dogs Piper and Liberty "Libby" (owned by Sherri and Scott Baggett) were visited by Pickles (owned by Alex Snyder and Scudder Baggett). Pickles is just six weeks younger than office puppy Libby. Piper may have been a little put off by the new visitor; she bucked up fast thanks to a few willing Bees who played fetch with her.

The seven-acre corn maze at Paproski's Castle Hill Farm, 25 Sugar Lane, opened this past weekend. A post on the Castle Hill Farm Facebook page unveiled the maze's design on September 10 as including the celebratory message "90 years," in honor of the farm's start in 1927. The maze is open on weekends, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 am to 5 pm. Hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo area, and snacks are also available at the site. Pumpkin picking will begin on September 31. Admissions to the maze is $9, and children 3 and under are free. Other upcoming events (like flashlight maze nights) are listed on the farm's website

Slight change in plans this weekend for those planning to join Newtown Hikers for Saturday's outing. Instead of Sleeping Giant State Park, the group will be heading to Seaside Park in Bridgeport for a beach walk. Anyone interested in joining the group (on most Saturdays) should be in the lower parking lot behind Edmond Town Hall by 9 am Saturday. The group leaves from there, and heads toward each weekend's destination. This weekend's hike leader is Molly Schleis, who can be reached at 203-616-5950. There is no cost to participate in these hikes, but there are a few things to keep in mind: participants will be asked to sign a waiver for Newtown Parks & Recreation, children must be accompanied by an adult, and hikers should dress for the terrain. Contact Molly with any specific questions, or if you would like to catch up with everyone at a location other than the town hall. The Sleeping Giant hike originally scheduled for this weekend has been rescheduled for November 11, by the way.

Look for Newtown writer and award winning blogger Elissa Altman at The Mark Twain Library in Redding, Thursday, October 5, at 7 pm. Elissa will speak about her newest book

Also on October 5, Girl Scouts of Newtown is set to host an Open House event at Newtown Middle School, from 6 to 7 pm. Information about Girl Scouting will be shared at the event. You can find more information about volunteering with Girl Scouts at

I understand there are new trends in yoga, barre yoga being one of them... and goat yoga is one of the others catching on. That's right - mini goats add a breath of fresh (?) air to practicing poses and stretching. A number of places in Connecticut now offer classes with the tiny hoofers - Google it to find out who offers sessions. Can cat yoga be far behind?

It's no stretch for me to find the news behind the scene. Be sure next week to... Read me again.