The Newtown Labor Day Parade Committee must have a hot line to Heaven. After a crazy month of rescheduling the parade, knocked out of its usual Labor Day spot by Tropical Storm Irene, the committee got the show on the road Sunday, October 9, in weather that could not have been more perfect. Sunshine and bright blue skies, leaves tinged with fall’s first colors, and bright balloons escaping little hands to join the vintage planes flying overhead were all that the committee could have wished for. I am going to hand out my Good Egg Award to the committee members, President Beth Caldwell, Dan Cruson, Robin Buchanan, Tom D’Agostino, Steve Bigham, Brian Amey, Ellie Whalen, Kym and Kelly Stendahl, and Andy Cluff for pushing forward under less than perfect circumstances to see that the town was not deprived of its annual tradition. Thank you, to all of them, and Happy 50th Anniversary to the parade!

Anyone who parked up at the Newtown Congregational Church and walked to Main Street for the parade found a little surprise waiting for them when they returned to their cars. A box of Cracker Jack, wrapped up in a note announcing the church’s Thursday evening AWE service (6 pm free dinner, Alternative Worship Service, at 7 pm) was placed strategically atop the cars. Why Cracker Jack? The October 13 AWE service is baseball themed… kind of makes you curious as a cat, doesn’t it? I may have to wander down this week, or visit the website, newtowncongregationalchurch.org, to find out about the other upcoming AWE services.

It’s a busy weekend in town for people who love to make or buy crafts. The Newtown Senior Center on Riverside Road presents its annual Fall Bazaar beginning this Friday, October 14, from 9 am to 4 pm, featuring beautiful handmade articles created by center members. The bazaar continues Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm, and on Sunday, from 9 am to noon.

Then hurry on over to Reed Intermediate School on Trades Lane, Saturday, October 15, when the Newtown United Methodist Church hosts its juried Arts and Crafts Fair, from 10 am to 4 pm. Food, themed baskets, a silent auction, and AMBER alert registration will be part of the fair, along with lots of great art from professional artisans. The admission suits me — $0 — so I’ll be browsing about, that’s for sure.

If you don’t get enough art this weekend, there is always next weekend. Dick McEvoy will open his Taunton Lake Studio, the home studio where he has been creating art for a few years, on Saturday and Sunday, October 22 and 23. The studio, as you can guess from its name, offers great views of the lake. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served among the original pastel and oil paintings by Dick, who is a signature artist and board member of The Pastels Society of America and a signature artist of The Connecticut Pastel Society and The Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod. The open house — which will run from noon until 4 pm each day — will offer the rare opportunity to see this award-winning artist’s Impressionist landscapes and Abstract Expressionist works in his creative space. The studio is at 51 Taunton Lake Road. While reservations are not needed, there is one request from the artist: please park on one side of the narrow residential street.

And if that’s not enough to satisfy your art lust, mark the last weekend in October on your calendar. Newtown resident Heidrun Morgan is involved with “Crop Circle,” a special exhibition described by organizers as “an interdisciplinary visual art and music event to celebrate our connections to the natural world.” Ginger Hanrahan, who maintains a studio here in town, is also part of this event. The theme of the exhibition is to promote awareness of the connection between food, culture, and the environment, thinking globally and acting locally. The conceptual thread of this exhibition is based on the outreach and entanglement of artists, farmers, the environment, and community through mutual exchange.

Heidrun — as well as regional artists Bridget Grady, Anne Flynn, Matang Gonzales, Kathy Good, Bill Gusky, Kristie Holiday, and Georgia Sheron — has created a work of art inspired by something purchased at a farmers’ market. Each artist has promised to donate a percentage of the sale of his or her work to his or her local food bank. The collection will be on view October 28 to November 5, at Blue Horse Studio in Watertown. Hours are noon to 5 pm daily, or by appointment. The public is also invited to view the collection and meet many of the artists during an opening reception on Friday, October 28, that will run from 7 to 9 pm. Contact gallery owner Bridget Grady at 860-417-3243 or bgrady@bridgetgrady.com for additional information or to make an appointment to visit.

I pricked up my ears this week and tuned in to an SOS I was receiving from Newtown Meals On Wheels. The volunteer group is in desperate need of additional drivers to deliver meals each week to shut-ins around Newtown and Sandy Hook. All that is required is one hour, once a month. You must have a car and driver’s license, and a kind heart. Pick-up is at Masonicare at Newtown off of Toddy Hill Road, and volunteers deliver three to six meals each. To find out more about becoming a Meals On Wheels volunteer, call Colleen Honan, at 203-426-0714.

Word is spreading like trick-or-treaters at sundown on Halloween, that the Saturday before Halloween, October 29, from 10 am to 2 pm, costumed children will be welcomed to Sandy Hook Center to trick-or-treat at businesses and take part in a pumpkin carving contest at Stone River Grille, 1 Glen Road. The inaugural Sandy Hook Halloween Walk was thought up and is being shepherded by Stone River Grille owner Gary Seri. Gary says he has thought about starting a trick-or-treat event in Sandy Hook for years, and now, with him taking ownership of Stone River Grille this past July, everything fell into place — like candy in a bag. He has high hopes that the event will become an annual one. Stone River Grille will provide pregutted pumpkins for carvers participating in the contest, and Gary urges any interested volunteers, especially those who can provide extra entertainment for the event, to contact him at 203-270-1200. How about a lovely black cat to provide some authenticity?

The residents of Newtown Village Cemetery won’t be pushing up daisies come spring, but they will be pushing up daffodils, or at least peacefully enjoying a view of the sunny flowers, thanks to Bee publisher Scudder Smith and Bee Extra production designer Frank LePac. The dynamic duo has already planted more than 700 bulbs along the iron fence that borders the Elm Drive cemetery, and Frank tells me they have another 500 still waiting to be planted. Newtown Village Cemetery Association President and Sexton Maureen Crick Owen is “thrilled,” I hear, about the beautification project.

They aren’t as pretty as flowers, but I already have ideas planted in my furry little head for next week’s column. Here’s hoping that you will… Read me again.