I think all my taunting of this year’s “imposter” January last week has finally shamed the month into behaving the way it’s supposed to. I woke up Wednesday morning to find the temperature diving quickly toward zero with the wind driving it even lower still. And I hear there will probably be snow on the ground by the time you read this.

This change in the weather comes just in time for the annual WinterFest at Tarrywile Park in Danbury on Saturday. The event is scheduled to take place rain, shine, or even snow. There will be ongoing demonstrations of winter camping, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, and ice fishing. At 10:15 there will be a guided hike led by park volunteers, and then at 11 staff from Sharon Audubon will present a hawk and owl program.

The pièce de résistance, however, will come at 12:30 with the opening shots of the Second Annual WinterFest Fruitcake Toss. Prizes will be awarded to winners in four age categories. The park is at 70 Southern Boulevard; call 744-3130 for additional information. You never know — there may be limitations on the number of nuts allowed in the cake, or the ratio of fruit per square inch of cake.

Speaking of fun winter activities, according to holidays.net, Sunday, January 21, is Squirrel Appreciation Day. Does that mean the motors on those whirl-a-squirrel birdfeeders should be turned off for the day for 24 hours of amnesty? I guess if we can celebrate groundhogs every year, there is no reason not to celebrate other rodents. If Squirrel Appreciation Day sounds like your kind of event, be sure to read the Field Notes column this week; its about the love life of squirrels. It’s the kind of reporting you will find only in The Bee.

I was happy to learn that Newtown’s new chocolatier, Jack Elias, is now offering to enhance everyone’s love life with an astonishing array of specialty chocolate goods at the Newtown Chocolatier, which is now open for business in Ricky’s shopping plaza on Route 25.

The Teen Center overflowed with activity January 12 when its doors opened to middle school students who enjoyed pizza, games, and company as groups of friends gathered either inside the center or outdoors for conversation. Assistant Director of Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano said the afternoon was a success as both part of the center’s regular operation, and as an outlet for the students who used the center as a place to gather after school. The Newtown Youth Advisory Board students helped make the day a success as an estimated 50–75 teens visited the facility throughout the afternoon.

Joan Salbu was thrilled when she called in to radio station WLAD last week and won a free massage, but not so thrilled when Manny the Massager called to offer her the free massage — au naturel. Just as the aghast Joan prepared to give the radio station a piece of her mind for handing out her phone number, Manny, alias friend Joe Vacaro, called back to confess his mischief. It seems that other of Joan’s joke-loving friends were tuned in to WLAD, heard Joan win, and put him up to the practical joke. Garry? Jennifer? Anything to say for yourselves? (Joan has since been quite relieved to find that her massage is at the up-and-up Take Ten in Bethel….)

While we’re moving up and up, I should mention that Eileen Brooks, an associate with Century 21 Home Services Scalzo-Gleason Group, was recently named president of the Newtown Board of Realtors for 2007.

If for some masochistic reason you’re thinking of taking to Lake Zoar in a rowboat this weekend, you should know that the state Department of Environmental Protection has some new boating rules that apply to you. All persons aboard any manually propelled vessel are now required to wear life jackets from October 1 to May 31. (Not everywhere! Just when they’re out on the water.) Previously, the requirement to wear life jackets only applied to persons aboard canoes. Now, kayakers and persons in rowboats must comply with this requirement as well.

If you haven’t been to the Booth Library in a while, you are just the person the library’s long-range planning committee is looking for. The committee has been surveying the community about library services and especially wants to hear from people who don’t usually use the library facilities on Main Street. You can take their survey online at www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=859023111316.

Fortunately, people don’t have to solicit my views on anything. I write them all down and give them to you right here every week, so be sure to…

Read me again.