According to a Facebook post by Barbara Kraushaar at We Are Newtown, this past weekend, Ricci’s Salon stylists Leah and Taylor collected $500 for a Starbucks card, then contacted the Starbucks in Roseburg, Ore., and asked them to put it toward treating customers there, until it runs out. It’s their way of paying it forward, responding to the many ways that Newtown and Sandy Hook residents were graciously treated in the weeks following 12/14. Roseburg, I’m sure you’re aware, suffered a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, Thursday, October 1. What a wonderful gesture on behalf of our community. A Good Egg Award seems trite, in light of this; but nonetheless, Leah and Taylor, you are truly Good Eggs. Thank you.

Just in case you missed the opening weekend of The Rocky Horror Show, the Sherman Playhouse production continues weekends through October 31. Why are we especially interested in this utterly campy cult classic? Among the many talented performers, you’ll find Michael and Jerusha Wright, both of Newtown, and…  Hey, wait a minute! Former Newtown Bee intern Jim Dietter is in the show, too. If Jim acts as well as he writes, I’m fairly sure you’ll enjoy this performance. Break a leg, Jim! The curtain rises on the cult music/comedy at 8 pm, each Friday and Saturday, with 2 pm matinees on Sundays, October 18 and 25. There is even a special Thursday evening show on October 29, which will also begin at 8. How perfect is this for Halloween? The final performance is at midnight on Saturday, October 31. Tickets for all shows are $30. Parents should note: There is no pricing for children as the show is not recommended for those under 12. Reservations can be made online at www.shermanplayers.org or by calling the box office at 860- 354-3622. The Sherman Playhouse is a non-equity theatre company located at 5 Route 39 North (next to the firehouse) in Sherman.

Riley Wurtz, an NHS grad and currently a senior at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, studying film and TV, is looking for some help. “Last semester I got permission to be in a class called Advanced Television Writing,” Riley tells us. “The entire semester each student works on writing one pilot television episode. At the end of the year, everyone submits scripts to a panel of judges,” which includes teachers and faculty. Two pilots were selected to be produced, and one is Riley’s. “Shady Pines Manor” is a comedy about a crazy retirement home. The pilot is filming in New York, on a limited budget, so Riley is hoping her hometown friends and neighbors might have some props she could borrow: old canes, walkers, scooter, nurse scrubs, etc. “We will return all donations,” Riley promises. Contact her at rw1222@nyu.edu or call 203-297-4744 if you can help her out.

Meanwhile, 2004 NHS graduate Matt Grills spent his high school years impressing local theater goers, and continues to do so — around the world. We hear from his mother, Nancy Moreno, that Matt has just finished his run at San Francisco Opera as Tobias, in Sweeney Todd, and is on his way back to Munich, Germany, to rejoin the Bayerische Staatsoper, for the upcoming season.

Rising stars can find a place to perform locally at the Saturday Night Open Mic For Youth. This evening of entertainment by young musicians and performers returns October 24, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm, in the Great Room of Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West Street. Saturday Night Open Mic is for high school and middle school performers, as well as performers in grades 5 and 6; all ages are welcome to enjoy as the audience. Suggested donation is $1, and adult family members are invited to bring snacks or drinks to share. Sign-up begins at 7:15 pm, first come, first served. Each event is limited to 20 performers, with about 5 minutes per spot. For more info, call 203-270-9659.

Up and coming writers have a place to share their works, too. Newtown residents Kelly Goodridge and her husband, Oscar De Los Santos, host “Saturday Scribes,” the second Saturday of every month, September through may. You have to travel a bit, but it’s a scenic ride to Brewster, where the writers gather at The Studio Around the Corner, 67 Main Street, beginning at 7 pm. “Open mic is at 7; headliners follow right after,” Kelly says. “The whole evening runs about two hours. Everybody with a story, excerpt, or poems or songs to share is invited, along with those who simply want to come out for a fun night of words and the occasional tune,” she says. You can reach Kelly at kellyhasclass@sbcglobal.net, for more information.

Do you have an exceptional pet? The Exceptional Pet, 3 Simm Lane, thinks you probably do, and with the support of the American Kennel Club, is sponsoring a Responsible Dog Ownership Day and open house, this Saturday, October 10, from 2 to 4 pm. Dog etiquette, child safety, agility, rally, tricks and games, and pet CPR are just a few of the things you and Fido can learn this weekend. Go to www.theexceptionalpet.com for more information.

There’s nothing more beautiful than a sunset at Holcombe Hill Preserve, unless it’s a full moon rising. Join Newtown Forest Association hike leader Dr Aaron Coopersmith on a Hunter’s Full Moon Hike at the preserve, located at 65 Great Hill Road, on Tuesday, October 27, beginning at 7 pm. (Halloween costumes optional!) Registration is not required. If it rains, the moon does not shine – and the hike is canceled. Contact Aaron at aaroncoop@gmail.com for more information.

Rain or shine, I will be on the lookout for the news. Be sure next week to… read me again.