This week I’ve seen more ballot box caressing than at any time since they discontinued the Miss Rheingold elections of the 1950s. The only difference between now and then is that we never used to take ourselves quite so seriously. But serious political junkies were in heaven this week.

One of Newtown’s main political aficionados is First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, who started this politics binge out right by an all-nighter the night of the election last week. At 6 am the next morning, Herb’s wife, Michelle, awoke to find her husband still sitting on the couch watching TV… in his suit from the day before.

With all the attention being paid to Florida these days, it is easy to forget about the other 49 states. For example, this week Registrar of Voters Karin Aurelia was having trouble remembering which presidential candidate took Connecticut. The answer: Al Gore.

Nunnawauk Meadows Executive Director Frank DeLucia hardly winced this week as he got his flu shot at a clinic put on by the town’s Health District. However, the town’s former first selectman was doing plenty of wincing 17 years ago this week as he found himself in the middle of what is believed to be the closest first selectman race in the town’s history. In 1973, Mr DeLucia defeated Jerry Frawley in the race for first selectman, but he only won it after a re-count showed he had prevailed by a mere seven votes. But the results of that race can not even match what is currently going on in New Mexico where at one point, Al Gore reportedly led George W. Bush by just four votes.

I got my hands on this photo of Kevin Cragin earlier this week, but I must admit, I still can’t believe my eyes. Kevin has always said you would never see him in a tuxedo. However, I’ve been told he actually wore a tuxedo on two Saturday nights in a row, first at the St Rose Church Millennium Ball and then the Danbury Hospital Ball. I wonder if Kevin is making up for lost time?

Speaking of Kevin, he won $500 in the 50-50 raffle at the St Rose Church Millennium Ball, then donated it back to the church’s debt-reduction fund.

Carole Ross is in snow country this week. She and her husband Bill flew out to Colorado last week and planned to rent a Ford Bronco for the drive to California to visit their daughter, Sally. However, they probably didn’t expect to have to deal with the major amount of snow that has hit the Rocky Mountains area this month. Carole is due back next week, just in time for New England’s first snowfall.

Mark your calendar for Thanksgiving “Eve,” November 22. That’s the night the Newtown High School football team butts heads with Masuk at the Jenner Stadium. The evening match-up will feature two of the South-West Conference’s (SWC) elite teams. Newtown has won seven in a row and a victory against Masuk will catapult the team into the CIAC Class “L” state playoffs. A loss would more than likely end the season.

Incidentally, those who attend the game will probably be entering Bruce Jenner Stadium for the last time. The stadium is expected to have a new name by next season.

It’s rumored that the casinos in Las Vegas are trying to hire Janet Woycik and Barbara Kasbarian after their fine performances as blackjack dealers at last Saturday’s Casino night. The event raised more than $4,000 for the Treadwell Park playground but almost netted another $1,000 when Hank Gellert bet that Jim Marcucilli couldn’t out-arm wrestle Bill Denlinger. The match, unfortunately, was declared a draw.

You know you’ve been at a meeting too long when people start acting a little giddy. Superintendent of Schools John Reed’s humorous side started to show as the hours dragged on at this week’s meeting. At one point, he chimed in just as board chairperson Elaine McClure was calling for a vote on the financial report. “Wait a minute, I did not want you to vote on this tonight,” he joked.

 Director of Business Ron Bienkowski’s body language implied he had no idea what was going on. Then with a grin, Dr Reed said he was kidding. During public participation, Dr Reed was asked what he had for dinner. The question caught him off guard. He could not recall what he had eaten just an hour or two before. But right before the meeting ended, he responded that he had salmon. He quickly noted, however, that he had not spent the entire meeting trying to remember what he had for dinner.

If you are looking for some comic relief this weekend, take a ride over to Newtown High School for the drama club’s performance of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The curtain goes up Friday at 8 pm and Saturday at 2 and 8 pm. Be on the lookout for Travis Finlayson and Beth English. These two student-actors will definitely draw some laughs.

If you look at the movie listings at Edmond Town Hall for this week, you might notice that this week’s offering is only running through Tuesday evening (instead of the regular Thursday evening). The reason for this is the Thanksgiving holiday coming up next week. Because the theatre – and the entire town hall, for that matter – will be closed Thursday, the Board of Managers at Edmond Town Hall has decided to start its next movie run on Wednesday night rather than wait for Friday. So The Kid, a nice family movie for the pre-holiday week, will be presented Friday, November 17, through Tuesday, November 21, and then What Lies Beneath, a suspense-thriller starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, will be shown on Wednesday, November 22, and resume on Friday, November 24, for a regular run.

We here at The Bee will be winding things up early here next week for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Bee should be out on the newsstands by Wednesday afternoon and in our subscribers’ mailboxes as usual by Friday. No matter when you pick The Bee up, be sure to…

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