Newtown is all set to light up the holidays with the annual lighting of the town Christmas tree on Friday evening at 6:30 pm in the Ram Pasture. This year, the switch will be thrown by Diana and Wayland Johnson, who are credited with giving the idea for such a townwide celebration impetus and for finding a suitable tree in a central location back in 1984, when the tree-lighting tradition started.  Try not to miss this year’s tree lighting. It’s going to be great, with plenty of music and a visit by that Claus couple.

I hear the Ram Pasture geese have had a hard time containing themselves in anticipation of the event, so watch your step.

Everyone I know is excited about all the holiday events planned for this weekend. I’m going to fortify myself with two breakfasts on Saturday morning. I think I’ll start out with pancakes at the Rotary Breakfast at Edmond Town Hall and then head off to the middle school for breakfast with Santa Claus, which is sponsored by the Park and Rec Department.

Then on Sunday, all the action is on Main Street for the 14th annual Newtown Holiday Festival. There is going to be plenty of music, food, and sights to see all up and down the street, but don’t forget to stop by The Bee to see where I work. The Bee’s offices, all decked out for the holidays, will be open to the public all day.

Members of the Newtown Choral Society are busy practicing this week for their annual holiday concert that will be held at 7:30 pm on Saturday, December 11, at the Meeting House on Main Street. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and children under 12. For more information call 426-3769. On the following day, the newly refurbished Meeting House will be rededicated in ceremonies  between 2:30 to 4:30 pm. The Second Division Governor’s Horse Guard, in colonial regimental dress, will greet the public. There will be a reception with music and refreshments.

Members of the Newtown Congregational Church surprised Pastor Steve Gordon last Sunday with a roast for his upcoming 50th birthday on December 7. Among the items they gave him were thick glasses and a cane that came complete with a horn and a sign that read “Hi. My name is Steve. I am lost. I live at 15 Clearview Drive. Please take me home.”

You’ve probably heard news reports of criminals that left incriminating evidence – like their wallets – at the scene of the crime. Over the Thanksgiving weekend someone drove what seemed to be a four-wheel drive vehicle through the seventh green of Newtown Country Club, tearing up the turf. But on the way out the driver hit a post that knocked off the car’s license plate. Club Superintendent Joe Kocet found the plate and turned it over to the police.

Where there was a gaping pit in front of the police station just a few weeks ago is now a spanking new blacktopped parking lot. After several weeks of work, the excavation in front of the police station is over. Workmen have refilled the large pit that gave them access to the building’s foundation to install subsurface drainage control devices, so I guess the downstairs skating rink in Town Hall South will not be in business this winter. A work crew was busy Wednesday painting stripes on the new larger parking lot that should make public access to the police station simpler.

The parking lot is missing two things, however. The coin telephone which stood next to the police station entrance for years was removed, though a replacement phone is planned. Also, the parking lot has no drains, so all the water will flow down the driveway toward The Pleasance. Maybe I can get the boss to install a tropical garden there to help absorb all the water.

Dick and Jane McEvoy, along with their son Bret, visited their daughter, Lauren, in Rome, Italy over the holidays. While they were there, the McEvoys went to a professional soccer game (FIFA) in the Roman stadium on the outskirts of the city. Jane admitted she felt a bit uneasy at times as the rowdy crowd packed the massive stadium to the gills. Fortunately, the home team won and everyone went home happy.

By the way, the McEvoys know a thing or two about soccer. Dick was a standout player at Brown University, and Bret, a NHS senior, was just selected to the CIAC all-state soccer team.

Lauren, a junior at the Rhode Island School of Design, is spending the year in Rome studying art.

Thank goodness for the Men’s Literary and Social Club of Newtown Street. About a dozen of them always take part in the Newtown Salvation Army’s Christmas bell ringing campaign. They’re at it again this year, signing up to ring the bell in the cold. This year’s Literary and Social Club volunteers are Richard Sturdevant, Dan Cruson, Jim Morley, Bill Meyer, Bob Hall, Bill Honan, Bob Schmidle, Don Studley, Jim Osborne and John Madzula.

By the way, 90 percent of all money raised during the bell ringing stays in Newtown. It supplies the town food pantry and provides temporary assistance to people in need of assistance.

Here’s a little advice that might just ring a bell…

Read me again.