UPDATE (1:24 pm): The changing of the Main Street flag has been rescheduled from October 25, as originally mentioned in this column, to the following Saturday due to a schedule conflict.

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It’s official! Bee employees will be handing out candy for some of the earliest Trick or Treaters on October 31. A few employees are planning to dress up that day, and at least two plan to walk up to Main Street to take in the sights and sounds (and images) of that evening’s fun. In recent years we’ve seen the youngest families heading toward the thoroughfare as early as 4 pm, so we’ll have candy ready at the front door for that time as well.

This is also a good time to remind everyone planning to head toward Main Street that night that unless you live there, you should consider donating at least one bag of candy to the homeowners there. “Halloween on Main Street” is not a formal event. Despite additional police who do traffic duty that night, the Town of Newtown has nothing to do with the hordes of people who descend to the area to enjoy Trick or Treating. It’s just something that has grown on its own over the years. Homeowners have welcomed upwards of 3,000 costumed children to their doors, so please, if you’re going to be among those with Trick or Treating children, do the right thing. Candy donation boxes are available at Caraluzzi’s Newtown Market, 5 Queen Street; and Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main Street. Newtown Parks & Recreation is asking parents who register their children for the Halloween Hoot N’ Howl next weekend to bring a bag of candy with them to that event as well. Parks & Rec has a collection box available for additional donations. Those donations can go right to the desk just inside the main entrance of 8 Simpson Street, and staff members will then deliver directly to homeowners ahead of Trick or Treating.

Meanwhile, Newtown resident Lisa Yu is doing what she can to collect non-food items to provide to the residents of Main Street so they can participate in The Teal Pumpkin Project. If you aren’t already familiar with it, The Teal Pumpkin Project supports children and families who deal with life-threatening food allergies by offering non-food treats to those who still want to enjoy Halloween. Newtown Community Center has given Lisa space for her collection, and will help her with delivery later this month. She’s looking for things such as festive pencils, stickers and stamps, bubbles, bracelets, glow sticks, toy rings and the like. Main Street residents who would like to host a Teal Pumpkin Collection on October 31, who haven’t already heard from her, are invited to contact Lisa through the community center (203-270-4349). If there is a large enough response there are also other events in town that could use these donations too, she has said. Donations should be left at the community center by the close of business Wednesday, October 23.

Right after Halloween, of course, we’ll be changing focus toward Thanksgiving. That means it’ll be time for readers to think about the annual Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) Thanksgiving Basket Outreach. Every year WIN partners with the Town’s Department of Human Services to help connect Newtown households in need with those who want to give during Thanksgiving time. Adopted households receive everything they need for a Thanksgiving Dinner, additional everyday groceries, household needs and pet supplies. Anyone who would like to adopt a household is invited to contact WIN at womeninnewtown@gmail.com. Financial donations to put toward those “baskets” are always welcome as well. WIN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization so donations are tax-deductible and 100% will go directly to those in need. WIN has a PayPal account that can accept those donations, and then use them to fill in where something may be needed for one family or another. If you’d like to help that way, visit winct.org for full details.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, I should also remind everyone that October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month. A donation box has again been set up in the lobby of Bee Publishing Company, and we are accepting donations through Friday, November 1, for Newtown Animal Control Center. The following items have been requested: Earthborn dry dog food, Nutro Max mini chunk dog food, Iams dry dog food, freeze-dried liver treats, poultry flavor toothpaste, pigs ears, large rubber Kong toys, Air Kongs, large rope toys, Frisbees, squeak toys, tennis balls, choke chains, collars, and sturdy slide leads. They’ll also happily accept pet store gift certificates and cleaning supplies such as bleach, ammonia, paper towels, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, towels, and large black garbage bags. And yes, while it may be Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month, the nice men and women on Old Farm Road also take care of cats, so this month’s collection will also accept canned or dry cat food and treats. Visit 5 Church Hill Road weekdays between 8 am and 5 pm (earlier and later by chance). Our collection box is just inside the front door. If a couple of golden retrievers charge across the office when you open the door, (a) I apologize in advance and (b) that’s their way of offering thanks for helping other dogs much less fortunate than those who get to live their lives as Bee Dogs.

(NOTE: The changing of the Main Street flag mentioned in the next paragraph has been rescheduled to SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2.)

You know what else happens in October? The changing of the Main Street flag. Keeper of the Flag Chris Gardner, who is also the Senior Burgess for the Borough, recently mentioned he plans to change the flag from the 20- by 30-foot summer flag to the smaller but still impressive 18- by 24-foot winter flag next weekend. Newtown Lions Club and Newtown Hook & Ladder members have traditionally assisted with that special event, but the public is always more than welcome to witness it. If you haven’t before, it really is something to take in. The work is quick because those men and women have been doing this for years, so make sure you’re in the area of the flagpole for 8 am. Ten minutes later and you will have missed it. I hope it won’t be nearly as windy next Saturday morning as it was this past Monday. The gusts were so strong, I could hear the flag snapping all day!

This Saturday will carry its own excitement on Main Street. Newtown Lions are really in the final stretch of their annual Mustang Raffle. Final tickets for this year’s prize — a 2021 low-mileage yellow convertible with black top, yellow and black interior, eco-boosted 2.3-liter engine with 310-horsepower, 350 foot-pounds of torque and 10-speed automatic transmission — will be sold in front of Edmond Town Hall. Tickets are $20 each, and the one winning ticket will be selected at 1 pm. The winner does not need to be present to win, but like the flag changeover, the public is always welcome to witness the drawing. This is the local Lions Club’s largest annual fundraiser. The Newtown Lions Club Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all net proceeds from this raffle go to Lions Charities.

Belated congratulations to Kris Peterson, who has reached an incredible milestone: she celebrated her 40th anniversary with Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps earlier this month. Thank you so much for your service, and for being an inspiration for others, EMT Peterson. Bee Reporter Jenna Visca met with a few members of the ambulance corps recently, including some who just finished the latest EMT course offered by NVAC.

According to a recent survey based on data from the US Census Bureau, Connecticut residents spent an average $422 annually on the lottery. That puts Nutmeggers in sixth place nationally. Our neighbors to the immediate north average nearly twice as much, with $832.87 in lottery spending, or the equivalent of everyone in Massachusetts buying a $2 scratch card every day for a year. Connecticut residents created a 2022 state lottery income of $1,522,544,000, with 63% of that money — or $1.04 billion — given back as prizes. Zowie!

(For those who are curious, the remaining top ten included, in descending order, Rhode Island, Georgia, Michigan and New York above Connecticut, followed by Virginia, South Carolina, Florida, and Delaware.)

I keep crossing my paws and making a wish for world peace and a little more catnip to come my way every time I look at the clock at 11:11. Maybe it’s time for me to wish for a winning lottery ticket too. Next week I’ll let you know how that goes, if you’ll promise to come back and … read me again.