The Rainbow Bridge had a new walker last week. Piper Baggett, the 12-year-old “senior security dog” at Bee Publishing Company’s office, crossed the bridge late last Wednesday afternoon following a brief battle with lung cancer. Her sidekick Liberty is a little lost these days, as are “parents” Sherri and Scott Baggett and her friends at 5 Church Hill Road. We all agree, however, that one of the first things she did once she crossed over last week was find our late Publisher, Scudder Smith — a big dog lover himself — and catch up on nearly 2½ years worth of scratches, belly rubs, and him sneaking some sandwiches her way. Piper has now joined Rosie, Deeke, Starr and other Bee canine predecessors, leaving Libby to temporarily rule this roost on her own.

We had our first measurable snow of the season last week! While there had been flurries on November 30, and some snow on Tuesday night — greeting those leaving the Board of Ed meeting as well as those in the stands when NHS football was defeating Amity during the Class L state playoff quarterfinal round at Blue & Gold Stadium — the first measurable snow arrived during the December 4-5 overnight.

This weekend is the final push for the 2024 Toys For Tots collection. Newtown Police Department is again helping local coordinators with the annual goal of helping families put toys under trees for their children, including teenagers. Twenty local businesses stepped up to serve as toy drop-off sites this year — you should have seen plenty of Toys For Tots signs around town — and this weekend will be the annual NPD in person event. Police officers will be in front of TJ Maxx, in Sand Hill Plaza at 228 South Main Street, and The Toy Tree, within The Village at Lexington Gardens, 32 Church Hill Road, from 10 am until 2 pm Saturday, December 14. Donations of any new, unwrapped toys will be accepted at both locations.

Sandy Hook firefighters have hosted annual visits by a group of Tolland Volunteer Fire Department members for years, and the annual Santa Sleigh Rides event is also coming up this weekend. The visit will again include the arrival of Santa and an antique sleigh. The sleigh is mounted on a flatbed trailer, and all ages are invited to go for a ride with Santa and Mrs Claus. Bundle up, too! If you haven’t been on this ride before trust me when I say even a slow ride on an open sleigh is a fun but chilly adventure.

Meanwhile, Santa has a request this year. In addition to providing rides on that sleigh — and in Tolland, delivering toys all over town during the weekends leading to Christmas — the Tolland group also provides toys to a local shelter. This year the group is not receiving as many gifts as they have in the past, so they’re hoping some of the folks who plan to enjoy a Santa Sleigh Ride on December 14 can help out just a little. They’d like to return to Tolland with that sleigh filled with toys. If you plan to enjoy a ride this year and can help them out, I know Santa and his friends would be grateful. As with Toys For Toys, the group will gratefully accept new, unwrapped toys for all ages.

One additional option for those who would like to donate toys to others is through the Transition CT Toy Drive. The social services organization with an office in Newtown is planning a Holiday Spectacular next week, and the cost of admission is a donation for their toy drive. The performance is scheduled for 7 pm Tuesday, December 17, at Edmond Town Hall. The collection of new, unwrapped toys will be delivered to Feed The People Food Pantry in Bridgeport, we were told this week.

Two nights after the Transition CT event, the curtain will again go up on the main stage at 45 Main Street for this year’s Newtown Stage Company (NSCo) holiday production. Four performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever are scheduled for Friday night through Sunday afternoon in the same space, and rumor has it dozens of local residents have filled the cast and crew positions for the musical. See our calendars in print and online for show, ticket and reservation details.

Way to go Sophia Recio! The young Newtowner, who played Elsa in last year’s NSCo production of Frozen Jr, was featured at Madison Square Garden last Thursday night when the NY Knicks hosted the Charlotte Hornets. Sophia brought the house down with her performance of “Let It Go.” Congratulations Sophia (and to the home team, who took the win that night).

Are you aware The Declaration of Independence is nearly 250 years old? With the anniversary of July 4, 2026 approaching, institutions across the country are scrambling for approaches to celebrating. As announced in a press release that ran early last month in this paper, The America 250-CT Commission has been established by Governor Lamont to coordinate in-state commemorations of that anniversary. The commission is overseeing two initiatives: The America 250-CT Affiliate Program and local coordinating committees in Connecticut municipalities.

Newtown Historical Society is working on its game plan for the observance, and is already asking members and residents to consider The Declaration of Independence. As NHS President Melissa Houston wrote in the society’s newsletter, “The idea of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ has meant different things for different people in different places.” Melissa and NHS members would like to know how those words have affected your life. They’d also love to hear from Social Studies teachers especially, with ideas for how the local historical society can provide “engaging learning opportunities for our community,” Melissa’s recent newsletter note also mentioned. If you’d like to learn more about and/or be part of the planning for local America 250 events, send a note to info@newtownhistory.org or leave a message at 203-426-5937. If you’d like to learn more about America 250 nationally — including an essay competition that will award 25 trips to students in grades 3-12, offering an opportunity to spend time at some of this country’s most iconic historic landmarks — visit America250.org.

According to a recent survey, Connecticut has the second-highest average IQ in the nation and ranks above average in math. I’m not surprised to hear this, however. You’re reading this column right now, aren’t you? That seals it! Data collected by the Web3 platform Freename (freename.io) analyzed 29 metrics, which were organized into six categories: business and professional indicators, educational attainment and achievement, IQ, lifelong learning and intellectual engagement, standardized test performance, and STEM focus and innovation. Each of the 29 metrics was ranked within its category and standardized to give each grouping a score out of 100. These six scores were then combined to calculate an overall score and determine the smartest state. Massachusetts came out on top, with the highest average IQ and the largest share of residents holding graduate or bachelor’s degrees. Washington ranks as the third smartest state, with Vermont, Virginia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maryland, Colorado and Minnesota rounding out the top ten. Connecticut’s overall score was 70.80. The state has an average IQ of 103.1, the second highest in the nation, and Grade 8 NAEP scores above the national average for both reading (263.81) and math (276.49). The Constitution State ranks fifth in business indicators, reflecting its strength in skilled fields such as finance and healthcare, and ninth in STEM focus, underscoring its commitment to technical education. Well done Nutmeggers!

I’m going to focus my already-impressive intellect on some quiet time and see if I can figure out how to improve this state’s IQ average. I’ll let you know how that goes when you come back again next week, when you can … read me again.