It’s not only spring flowers poppin’ up in the unseasonable warmth and rain we have recently had, but in some yards, frogs are poppin’ and a-hoppin’, too. One Sandy Hook resident found several frogs perched on her deck last week, and another mysteriously appeared in the basement. I’ve been keeping my ears open, but have yet to hear an early chorus of peepers.

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday (Spring ahead!), and members of the Town’s Bike & Trails Committee are really hoping you do not forget to set your clocks ahead one hour by early Sunday morning. The committee has been working for months on their biggest public event to date, and if you run late, you will miss the second half of an opportunity to learn about this group and its efforts. An open house and symposium are scheduled for Sunday, March 8, from 11 am until 1 pm at the community center, 8 Simpson Street. Learn about the trails in town, plans to improve them, and the volunteer opportunities available. Call Committee Chair Brid Craddock, 203-442-0758, if you have questions before Sunday.

The Official Guide To Newtown is officially here! This special Bee publication is sent to every household, and if you need extras to share, you will find copies of the guide (chock full of info you want — important phone numbers and websites, contact information for businesses, clubs and organizations, emergency information, town government, and more) in the lobby of our office at 5 Church Hill Road and at various locations around town. The guide has a new full-color look this year, along with easy-to-use business and advertiser sections to help you find what you need, when you need it. You can also browse the guide at newtownbee.com; scroll down to the bottom of the home page to find it.

A reminder this week that not only is the Women Involved in Newtown (WIN) annual Easter Basket Collection underway, but it has expanded this year. WIN is hoping to receive donations of candy, baskets, filler/plastic grass, and gently used stuffed animals, which will all be used to create Easter baskets for regional children and young adults who wouldn’t otherwise receive them on April 12. WIN has also expanded its collection to include canned and dry food for cats and dogs. Donations are requested by April 1, and they can be dropped off at Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street; the home of WIN Co-president Mandy Monaco, 1 Beckett Village Road in Sandy Hook; or Middle Gate School, 12 Cold Spring Road. For additional information call Mandy, 203-426-5600.

The Newtown Bee Editor Nancy Crevier spent a couple of hours at Middle Gate Elementary School on Monday, for the school’s career day. She chatted with a few second grade students who shared that they love to read, write, and talk to people. Hmmm. Do we have some reporters in the making?

Newtown resident Amanda Lucadamo will be among those celebrating the opening this weekend of “Artists on The Rise,” the fifth annual juried high school student art exhibition at Brookfield Craft Center. More than 90 students will reportedly be represented, with works in ceramics, painting, photography, and more. An opening reception is planned for Saturday, March 7, from 5 to 7 pm, and all are welcome. The exhibition — with works by students from Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, Henry Abbott Technical, and New Milford high schools — will remain on view until March 31. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, free of charge. The Craft Center, at 286 Whisconier Road (Route 25) in Brookfield, can be reached for additional information at 203-775-4526.

Are you a Newtown or Sandy Hook resident with a residential salt water pool? We’d love to hear from you for an upcoming article — contact alissa@thebee.com or call Alissa at 203-426-3141.

Newtown Historical Society’s next program is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, rather than its usual Monday evening presentation. Former Washington DC tour guide Mariann Millard will by at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street, on Sunday, March 8, with “America’s First Ladies: An Adventure in Glamour, Guts & Gumption.” According to program notes, Mariann plans to talk about First Ladies from Martha Washington to Melania Trump, sharing some of their challenges, strengths, and successes. The free program will begin at 2 pm in the lower meeting room. Monday evening programs will resume next month.

American Legion Post 202 Senior Post Commander Donna Monteleone reminds young men and women of the American Legion Boys /Girls State Program. One young man from Newtown has already applied to go to Boys State in late June. “We do not have a limit on the number of students to put forward from our post. The student must be a Newtown resident and have completed junior year and must attend at least one more semester in their senior year,” she notes.

Boys State applications are to be sent to the Newtown American Legion Post 202, PO Box 659, Newtown CT 06470 . The post will review applications and forward to the American Legion Department of Connecticut by June 7.

Girls State is sponsored by the Auxiliary; inquiries should be sent to Auxiliary President Carol Yanosy at cvyanosy@charter.net or call 203-520-5692 for details. Newtown partners with Monroe Post 176.

Worried about viruses? Health experts offer guidance for one of the simplest things all can do to stave off illnesses, from the common cold to the flu to the novel coronavirus: wash hands. Yep. Turns out it is more effective than licking your paws. Washing hands properly is the first step to holding illness at bay. Use plenty of soap. Lather up while you sing “Happy Birthday,” twice. (If you choose to sing out loud, be prepared for perplexed looks from your coworkers as you exit the washroom....) Then rinse hands thoroughly with warm water and dry with a disposable paper tissue. Use a clean tissue to wipe off the faucets, as a courtesy to the next user. See? How easy is that? I feel better already. (Facts about coronavirus and local response to the new virus can be found in the page A1 article in this issue.)

I marked it on my calendar right away when I read that the Lions Club was changing its traditional date for the Great Pootatuck Duck Race. The big red “X” is on May 30 for this year, not the usual Memorial Day weekend. You’ll find lots of the same entertainment and vendors at the same spot — the park on Glen Road — but if you go the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, don’t expect to see thousands of yellow rubber duckies cascading over the side of the bridge and into the river. That comes, let me repeat, on Saturday, May 30!

You’ll see why one particular WCSU Observatory spring program has me intrigued: Saturday, March 28, the hourlong planetarium show will start at 4 and 7 pm, with sky observation following from 8 to 10 pm. Visible objects will include the crescent moon, Venus, the Orion nebula, Sirius, and the Beehive star cluster. I’m on my way! The observatory is located at the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Avenue Extension.

One landscaper in town, I hear, has announced that winter is over: no more snow on the way for Newtown. I’m hopeful that this prediction is right on, as the recent 50 degree days have set spring fever in motion for me. I’m lazing in every bit of warm sunshine I find, and listening to the spring birdsongs that fill the air early each morning now. Will Mother Nature fool us all? I have memories of snowy Aprils, so we will see what the next weeks bring.

I sure hope I know what you’ll be doing next week. Be sure to... Read me again.