My favorite watering hole, the fountain at The Pleasance on South Main Street, is out of commission for a bit. The main stem has rusted out after these many years, and work is underway to repair it. I’m feeling mighty thirsty these hot summer days (yes, summer officially started on Sunday!) so hopefully, it won’t be long before the fountain is bubbling over again.

It’s an SOS to help cats! With the rescue on Monday of more than 40 cats from a house in Newtown, the town’s animal care and control center finds itself with a lot of new felines to care for. That rescue operation also saved nine horses and a number of dogs from reportedly deplorable conditions, but the horses and dogs were taken elsewhere. Cat litter and dry cat food are in need. Donations can be dropped off at the animal control center, which is located at the end of Old Farm Road in Fairfield Hills (turn onto Trades Lane from Wasserman Way, go to the end of Trades Lane and turn right, and follow signs to the Silverlieb Center).

There are so many great causes supported by residents. Here are two more. Raveis real estate agent Amy Dickinson will take part in the 12-mile bike ride in Fairfield, September 12, to support the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. “I am not a regular bicyclist,” Amy tells me, “however, I work out regularly, either doing kickboxing, Zumba, CrossFit, or outside walking.” Amy went to a work meeting recently, which hosted several people from the Damon Runyon Foundation, and a scientist who benefited from the organization. “My employer’s wife was diagnosed with leukemia, which is the same form of cancer that took my grandmother’s life,” says Amy. “I felt what they are doing is very beneficial to the future of curing cancer,” she said. So Amy will be hopping on her bike to raise money for the Foundation this fall. You can support her and cancer research by going to www.raveisrideandwalkconnecticut.crowdsterapp.com/amydickinson. All of the funds raised go to the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, which identifies new generations of cancer researchers with the drive to find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat all forms of cancer.

You will soon see donation boxes popping up in various businesses around town to raise money to support the Africa Volunteer Corps (AVC). Rachel Karnoff, a 2013 NHS graduate, plans to have the boxes in place by next week. Now studying international relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, Rachel is interning for AVC this summer. AVC’s mission is to give Africans the skills and experience needed to help them develop their own society, she tells me, and places motivated Tanzanians in a grassroots or ground-up organization, allowing Africans to gain work experience while facilitating in helping their society grow. “AVC gives Tanzanians an open door to get the experience and skills they need to be community leaders, while simultaneously giving local organizations the ability to build their capacity, improving overall performance,” Rachel explains. Any donation to these boxes, big or small, will go 100 percent to helping a Tanzanian citizen take control of his or her own future. The boxes will be around town until mid-August. For more information or to donate online, visit africavolunteercorps.org.

The annual St Rose parish carnival may have been washed out on Tuesday night, but there are a few more nights to join the fun. The carnival will continue to Saturday, June 27, running 6 to 10:30 pm each night. There are carnival rides, games of chance, a fun tent with spin art and face painting, live entertainment, and plenty of food offerings. Ride tickets can be purchased individually, or $25 ride bracelets are also available. Proceeds from the carnival will again be used to support parish needs. Sounds like the start of summer fun, to me!

By the time you read this, there will be only a couple of days left to get the annual dog license for your canine companion, without paying an additional fee. As of this past Monday, there were 1,129 dogs registered at the town clerk’s office — that’s down from about 2,000 this time, last year. If your favorite Fido is still not licensed for this year, make a point of heading over to the municipal center building at Fairfield Hills (before the end of June). Licenses are available in the town clerk office there; and don’t forget to bring proof of current rabies vaccinations.

While I was at the municipal center one day this week, I noticed a lovely retrospective of the beautiful artwork by Betty Christensen, hanging in the hallway. The longtime Newtown resident and painter died this spring, leaving behind a trove of works done in oil, watercolor, and pastels. Take a few minutes to stop in and view these truly beautiful scenes captured on canvas by the late artist.

I’m told that Newtown Ben’s Bells will be one of the local charities that will benefit from proceeds of the John Demille 50th Annual Firecracker 4th of July Race in Bethel, next Saturday. The 5K and 10K races, both on downtown Bethel streets, are sure to attract lots of runners. For registration information, go to www.fasttracktiming.com/races/7042015-john-demille-firecracker-5k-10k/. The races begin at 9 am, so there will still be plenty of time afterwards for celebrating our country’s big day.

I’ll be running around from now until next week, seeking the best bits of news in town. Be sure to… Read me again.