Church Hill Village, the assisted living facility on the corner of The Boulevard and Church Hill Road, has not yet even opened — but the CHV Team is already reaching out to make friends in their new community. June is a busy month for them as they get to know Newtown. The team is donating reusable bags to Newtown Environmental Action Team (NEAT) in their efforts to limit the amount of plastic being used in town and has been granted permission to place bins outside Booth Library, the municipal center, Edmond Town Hall, Social Services, and FAITH with these reusable bags. They’ll be digging into the community with weeding assistance in June at the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary property, at the police station, and along the Fruit Trail at Fairfield Hills. Seems like this team is a great fit for Newtown.

I think that this past Saturday may have been one of the loveliest stretches of weather for [naviga:u]the Lions Club Annual Duck Race[/naviga:u] in a while. Blue skies, sunshine, puffy clouds, and a river flowing — but not raging — made the day enjoyable for the many residents and their friends and families who ventured outto see the ducks meander down the river to the finish line. From my perch by the river, though, I observed that a number of the duckies needed some insistent prodding to enter the race, content to bob about just below the bridge where they were dumped, for some time. Congratulations to all the winners.

Children’s book author and illustrator Clare Pernice, pictured here with Hailey Kipperman of Weston, will lead Story Time and conduct the special event, “A Day at the Circus” on Saturday, June 1, at 10 am, at The Toy Tree, 14 Church Hill Road. Pernice will read from the book she penned and illustrated, Circus Girl, then invite children to complete a related craft. Each attendee will create a keepsake lion puppet (art materials are complimentary), followed by a book signing. Admission is the purchase of one copy of Circus Girl from The Toy Tree. In addition, all will be entered into a door prize drawing for an child-friendly gift basket. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Get out your trowel! Saturday also brings the “Super Cool Plant Sale” to the Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, from 8 am to 3 pm. Early bird 8 am arrivals will pay a $10 admission fee, but it is free after 9 am. Hosted by Newtown Parks & Rec, you’ll find unusual plants not easily found at local nurseries — all selected by editors of Fine Gardening magazine.

And if you want to see some fancy footwork by some of Newtown’s talented dancers, don’t forget that the 67th Annual Lathrop School of Dance Stardust Revue takes place this Saturday and Sunday at Edmond Town Hall. Tickets are $15. Purchase them and find out details at [naviga:u]http://www.lathropschoolofdance.com/home/[/naviga:u].

All screenings of Captain Marvel at Edmond Town Hall next weekend will be free of charge. Newtown resident Todd Ingersoll, owner of Ingersoll Auto of Danbury, launched the series of one free movie each month back in 2013, and occasionally, he feels even more generous. Next weekend is one of those times: all seven screenings June 7-9 of the Marvel Studios film starring Brie Larson in the title role are absolutely free. Screenings will continue June 10-12 at the regular price of $3 per ticket.

Borough residents are reminded that the annual budget vote — take two — [naviga:u]is scheduled for Thursday, June 6[/naviga:u], at Edmond Town Hall. Borough residents said “nay” to the first round of the budget, but Borough officers are hopeful that the tweaking they have done will satisfy those who call the Borough home — and pay taxes to live there.

The 32nd Sandy Hook LobsterFest is nearly here! Will firefighters top last year’s numbers, when they served 2,050 lobsters and 750 pounds of ribeye over two nights? Find out on Friday and Saturday, June 7-8, at Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue’s main station. Dinner will be served from 5 to 9 pm on Friday and 4 to 9 pm on Saturday. Tickets for a lobster or steak dinner with all kinds of sides are $28 in advance, $30 at the door; burger or hot dog dinners are $8. Surf & Turf upgrades are available at the door. Live music, a raw bar, desserts, and plenty of socializing are all part of the fundraiser for the fire company. Tickets are available from most SHVFR members at their main station, 18-20 Riverside Road; at The Newtown Bee office, 5 Church Hill Road; and at Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, within the Fire Marshal and Town Clerk’s offices. Need more information? Call 203-270-4392.

What do you think? The Newtown Bee wants to know. Once a week, we will post a question to our Twitter account ([naviga:u]@TheNewtownBee[/naviga:u]) with #TellTheNewtownBee included in the tweet. In the next week’s print edition, some responses will be featured. Sign in to Twitter, respond using #TellTheNewtownBee in the tweet or reply to the original tweet, and check the paper weekly to read the replies.

By the way, who doesn’t love an ice cream cake? Send your child’s photo, name, age, and birthdate, as well as your contact info, to [naviga:u]eliza@thebee.com[/naviga:u] and one Birthday Cake entrant a week will win a cake from Ferris Acres Creamery.

The arrival of June marks Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, “Pride Month” for short. Celebrations include pride parades, parties, and, in the case of Audubon Connecticut, bird walks. “Let’s Go Birding Together” (LGBT) walks are for anyone who loves birds, likes birds, doesn’t know how they feel about birds, or just wants to get outdoors. Audubon welcomes those who identify as LGBTQ, allies, families, and anyone who wants to enjoy an outdoor experience that is inclusive. Locally, go birding at Bent of the River Audubon Center, 185 East Flat Hill Road in Southbury, Saturday, June 15, 10 am to noon. Also this month, the Center celebrates Connecticut Trails Day with a hike on Saturday, June 1, 8 to 11 am — meet at main entrance parking lot. And every Friday through June, join Bent of the River staff for a morning bird walk through the sanctuary, 8 to 10 am; meet at main entrance parking lot. Call 203-264-5098 for information.

Are you hearing owls whoo, whoo, whoo, whooing in the Parmalee Hill Road area? Rumor has it that a particular documentary film maker in that neck of the woods has perfected her barred owl call — and was happy to get quite the raucous response this past Friday from (what seemed to be!) the genuine owls in the nearby woods. Whoo, whoo knows what that conversation was all about?

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reminds all pet lovers that as spring and summer weather heats up, the vehicle is no place to leave your beloved furry friend. According to PETA, “On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. A dog trapped inside can succumb to heatstroke in mere minutes, even if the vehicle is parked in the shade with the windows slightly open.”

I have no desire to heat up anything beyond a good conversation. I’ll be seeking out the news to do just that, so be sure next week to... Read me again.