Our marshmallow hearts melted a little last week when we heard the news that Ira “Bob” Born had died. Bob, 98, was a candy company executive known as the “Father of Peeps” thanks to his work to mechanize the process that makes marshmallow Peeps. He and an engineer reportedly took the initial process, which took 27 hours to make marshmallows, and built a machine that made them in less than six minutes. Today, the machines at Just Born — the company that produces Peeps — crank out 5.5 million Peeps a day. That’s 2 billion Peeps annually, or enough to circle the globe 2½ times. Bob died on January 29. He was 98 years old, and had led his family’s company for much of his life. We extend our condolences to Bob Born’s family and friends. I have a feeling at least one Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Contest entry this year will honor him.

Thanks to a grant from CT Humanities, a new series of book discussions featuring local authors has been curated by Friends Of Newtown Seniors (FONS) and C.H. Booth Library. The Newtown Author Reading Series will offer readers eight opportunities this year to attend interactive programs at the library. Those who register for each program will be given a copy of the book to be discussed, and strongly encouraged to read the book to foster better discussion. Having said that, organizers will be very understanding if those who are just learning about this series today sign up and don’t have a chance to fully read Nancy K. Crevier’s The Peach Quartet and Other Poems before Wednesday, February 15. Our former Editor’s book is the inaugural title for the series, and will be discussed that afternoon starting at 5 pm. Programs will be in the meeting room of the library, 25 Main Street. Reservations are requested and can be done by calling 203-426-4533 or through chboothlibrary.org. The full series was previewed in our January 13 print edition, and also on our website. Each program is listed in our online calendar, and will also appear in print ahead of each program date; the series can also be found on the library’s website. Bravo to FONS, who applied for and received the funding from CT Humanities to make this new offering possible.

Speaking of our wonderful library, did you know it has a Mango Movie Club? And it may not be what you think it is. According to a recent announcement from the library, “The Mango Movie Club encourages you to select a language from the language tree handout and watch a film in that language. Studies show that watching foreign films can help individuals more easily learn a second language. At the end of the year turn in your completed form for a chance to win the grand prize! Stop by a service desk for your language tree handout.” Mango Languages is a language learning database that library patrons have access to thanks to the library’s website and mobile app. It has over 70 languages with native-speaker audio and cultural context, and accessing it is free with a library card.

Newtown Parks & Recreation Assistant Director-Recreation RoseAnn Reggiano is well into planning for one of her favorite annual events, Strutt Your Mutt. The 2023 fundraiser for the town’s off-leash dog park is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, and RoseAnn has vendor openings. Interested? Send her a note at roseann.reggiano@newtown-ct.gov. Tell her Mountain sent you, and that she owes me a little catnip for the assist.

Here is a reminder from the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library that donated materials are welcome year-round, anytime the library is open. You can bring gently used books, media, puzzles, and other items to the Friends’ sorting room on the first floor of the library, 25 Main Street, directly across from the elevator. Some donated items will be earmarked for the Friends’ 47th Annual Book Sale at Reed Intermediate in July, others will be available for sale at the Friends’ Little Book Store on the second floor of C.H. Booth Library. More information about the group and donating materials is available online at boothbooksale.

And one more library-related note ... Booth Library’s Monthly Humanities Spotlight is particularly touching to us this month. Through the end of February and on the second anniversary of his death, the late Town Historian Dan Cruson is being celebrated. Dan was long a friend of this newspaper, often stopping in with new discoveries or dropping in to chat with staff members. Countless reporters and editors were able to call on him for guidance over the years, and he was always so generous in sharing his knowledge. For over half a century, Dan — a retired educator — uncovered and recorded innumerable pieces of local history. His annual Town Historian’s Lectures were always enjoyable, and if you remember nothing else, memorize these two facts in honor of our late friend: first, the rooster weather vane atop Newtown Meeting House may have been shot at over the years, but it was not by Rochambeau’s soldiers; and second, Scrabble may have been developed in Newtown by James Brunot, but it was not invented here. Dan spent a lot of time trying to clarify both of those points. In his honor we ask readers to stop by the library to see what you can learn or be reminded of. The Humanities Spotlights are presented in the front foyer, between the Gathering and Reading rooms.

I’m practically spinning with excitement for this Saturday, February 11, when the Newtown Winter Color Guard teams are set to host The Winter Extravaganza home show at Newtown High School, 12 Berkshire Road. Newtown will host 19 competing winter guard teams from Connecticut and New York at the event. The Winter Extravaganza will begin at 5 pm in the high school’s gymnasium, and it will run until approximately 8:30 pm. The event will be followed by senior recognition and awards. Spectators are welcome to come to watch the performances and enjoy food and desserts made by volunteers. Tickets are $15 for those ten and older and $8 for children under ten. Hopefully you read this column in time to make it to the event.

I would like to offer congratulations to The Newtown Bee reporter Noelle Veillette, who has officially earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Western Connecticut State University (WCSU). Way to go Noelle!

In other Bee news, Managing Editor Shannon Hicks’s January article, “Scouts Christmas Trees Pickup To Continue This Weekend,” received a shout out online recently from Alan Blatter, thanking her and The Newtown Bee staff for promoting Troop 270’s Annual Christmas Tree Pickup campaign that provided 120 trees to Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited’s “Trees for Trout” collection. Blatter posted about the effort online at troop270newtownct.org/post/smells-like-tree-spirit, and we have a follow-up photo from that very successful event in this week’s paper.

Newtown Community Center has been selected as a beneficiary of the Big Y Community Bag Program this month. The program, launched in January 2019, is a reusable bag program that facilitates community support with the goal to make a difference in the communities where shoppers live and work. The community center will receive a $1 donation every time the $2.50 reusable Community Bag is purchased at the Big Y World Class Market at 6 Queen Street until February 28, unless otherwise directed by the customer through the Giving Tag attached to the bag.

Girl Scouts of Connecticut (GSOFCT) announced it is “the sweetest time of the year” again. That’s right: Girl Scout Cookie season is back. “The five fundamentals of the cookie program are goal setting, decision making, business ethics, people skills and money management,” said GSOFCT Chief Executive Officer Diana Mahoney. “Girls learn to work as a team to accomplish goals, while building confidence in their individual abilities.” There is a new cookie this year, the Raspberry Rally, described as a thin crispy cookie infused with raspberry flavor and covered in a “chocolaty coating.” So be ready to place online orders starting this month (gsofct.org), and watch for local Girl Scouts selling cookies at local locations April 1-May 7.

I know next week will be the “sweetest,” as long as you promise to ... Read me again.