Dr Baum’s annual hay person rose from the ground in front of his Church Hill Road office last week, thanks to Bill Pendergast, but now the orthodontist is hoping someone can come up with a great name for the cornstalk-skirted bale of beauty. He welcomes anyone to stop by the office at the junction of Queen Street and fill out a form with a suggestion. The office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 am until 5 pm, and the contest runs through October 31. Once I know her name, I can stop yelling out, “Hay Lady!” when I saunter past.

Mackenzie Voight, 3, usually spends much of her day with her mom, but on Wednesday, September 28, she was too interested in dad’s work to leave him on his own. That’s why passersby of the landscaped area on one corner of the Church Hill Road-Queen Street intersection may have done a double-take if they noticed a crew hard at work that afternoon. Mackenzie was right in the thick of it, helping dad Mike and uncle Chris Voight, employees of American Contracting, tackle some mulching duties.

The NHS Varsity Cheerleaders would appreciate it, if whoever has been doing the rain dance, stops now. They have rescheduled their car wash for this Saturday, October 8, from 10 am to 2 pm, in the Berkshire Motors parking lot, across from the high school on Washington Avenue. There is no charge to make your car shine, but donations are welcomed.

Do I really need to remind you that the postponed 50th Anniversary Newtown Labor Day Parade is this Sunday, October 9? With the Newtown High School Marching Band leading the way, the parade heads out from the top of Main Street at 2 pm. So, get your chairs out, bring your friends, and be prepared to have fun at what parade committee members promise will be a festive 50th!

Parade committee members and organizer Stacey Olszewski want to also remind everyone of the new parade feature, the Parade Fair. From 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, the public is invited to a festival on the front lawn of the Newtown Middle School. If you are looking to appease your appetite pre- or post-parade at the fair, look for Newtown-based company Romy’s BBQ at the fair. Romy’s will be offering pork shish kebabs, hot dogs, hamburgers, fried dough, soda, and water. Crafters and local business and nonprofits will be there, too. GMS Rowing will be on hand, with a crew boat, to answer any questions about the sport of crew. Stacey may still be able to squeeze additional vendors into a spot if you contact her at staceyolszewski@yahoo.com or 203-512-9100, ASAP.

Lorraine van der Wende and Mary Antey will be set up in front of the library Sunday afternoon, before and after the parade, selling the 2011 Woman’s Club Christmas ornaments. This year’s pewter collectable features the former Hawleyville Post Office building, and is once again crafted by Woodbury Pewterers, Inc. The ornaments are priced at $10 each, and are accompanied by a brief history of the post office, written by Town Historian Dan Cruson. After Sunday, the ornaments will be available for purchase at the library as well as at Everything Newtown (formerly Drug Center Pharmacy), the town clerk’s office at Newtown Municipal Center, The Newtown Bee, and Country Hearts in Monroe. Anyone looking for ornaments from previous years can contact Mrs Antey at 203-426-9787 or Mrs VandwerWende at 203-426-4865. It’s never too soon to think about holiday gifts, I say, and what is more perfect for any fan of our town, near or far?

Feel free to bring along any unused hearing aids and eyeglasses when you come to the parade. The Lions Club will be collecting them along the parade route. They might not be useful to you, but someone, somewhere, can make good use of your dormant items.

NHS 2011 graduate Faith Mangiafico, now a freshman at Bryant University in Rhode Island, ran the Maine Marathon in Portland with a pretty special running partner — her dad. Faith and Paul Mangiafico finished the 26.2-mile marathon in an impressive four (very rainy) hours and 22 minutes.

The members of the Newtown Senior Center have been working for months to prepare for the upcoming Fall Bazaar, at the 14 Riverside Road Senior Center, Friday, October 14 through Sunday, October 16. Make some time to stop by, between 9 am and 4 pm, Friday or Saturday, and between 9 am and noon on Sunday, because I got a preview this week, and let me tell you: there is a lot of great stuff to be had!

I noted a bit of gloom in the air at the Senior Center, though, this week. It seems that longtime (and extremely active) Senior Center member Bea Piskura, who has lived in Newtown for more than 40 years, is moving out of town come October 14. She will be greatly missed by all of her friends at the center and around town. I want to join them in wishing Bea much happiness in her new home.

If you think Bingo is a farmer’s dog, I’ve got news: it’s a game, and St Rose has it —twice! — this month. St Rose of Lima Home School Association has begun a series of Friday Bingo Nights. Doors open at 5:45, games begin at 6:30, and the next session is planned for October 14. Games are played in the church’s Gathering Hall, 40 Church Hill Road. Designed for serious and recreational Bingo lovers, evenings offer cash prizes for all games, dinner and dessert items, and complementary coffee. Admission is $17. For more information, call 203-426-5102. Meanwhile, the St Rose of Lima Women’s Club is also planning a night of Bingo in the church’s Gathering Hall on Saturday, October 22. Doors open at 6, games begin at 7, and admission is $10 per person for 12 regular games. There will be cash prizes, and a number of special games that will be available to buy into for $1 each. Hot dogs, pizza and other snacks will be available for purchase as well.

Indulge your urge to purge — the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library are in need of book, CD, DVD, and LP donations for next summer’s big sale. A special Book Donation Day is scheduled from noon to 5, in the back lot of the library, Sunday, October 15. Volunteers will be on hand to assist, so don’t be shy about bringing lots and lots of your used (but not abused) books by.

There’s a chance to chat with a couple of local authors coming up at the library. Martin Margulies, author of Mhor and More: Hill Walks in Uist (Scotland) will be in the Antiques Room of the library, Thursday evening, October 13, at 7 pm. Mhor and More is a collection of stories that introduce visitors to the wonder of the hills, footpaths, and glens Marty has explored in his 20-some years as a part-time resident of the Scottish isle, South Uist. It also contains tips on how to traverse those glens — and get back in one piece. A limited number of copies of the book will be available for purchase. Registration is at www.chboothlibrary.org, or at the library. Coming up on Wednesday, October 26, is a talk and book signing by Newtowner Wally Wood, author of an almost-mystery (his wife tells him there has to be a body for it to qualify as a bona fide mystery), Getting Oriented, A Novel About Japan. Wally will be at the library that evening at 7 pm, and his presentation will include a pictorial “tour” of Japan, a country he has visited many times. No need to have read his novel first in order to enjoy the program. And as always, the library will furnish tasty refreshments at both author talks. I do have to talk to adult library program coordinator, Kim, though, about remembering to put out a bowl of cream for me. Punch just sticks to my whiskers.

I’m not pulling any punches, though, when I tell you I will be back with more exciting news and adventures next week. So… Read me again.