There were many fine Veterans Day celebrations at the local schools this past Wednesday, as well as one for the general public at the VFW Post 308. I hope you had the opportunity, one way or the other, to honor the many veterans who have served and who continue to serve this country.

You won’t want to miss the Newtown Senior Center Holiday Bazaar, this Saturday, November 14. A fine array of handcrafted items for fall and winter celebrations, all made by members of the Senior Center, will be offered for sale at the Riverside Road location, from 9 am to 3 pm. Proceeds from the bazaar help offset the cost of special programs and events at the Newtown Senior Center. It’s a win for everybody, so I hope to bump into you there.

Another win for everyone is giving to those who are less fortunate. For Newtown High School’s Annual Holiday Food Drive, this year’s senior class is collecting items to be donated to the Salvation Army Food Pantry at Newtown Social Services, and to support the school’s Feed the Need program. The collection began on November 1, and runs through next Friday, November 20. Nonperishable donations and gift cards to food stores can be dropped off at the school’s main office, 12 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook. Residents make use of the town food pantry year around, but as the holidays draw near there is an increase in need.

FAITH Food Pantry, located in the basement of St John’s Episcopal Church, Washington Avenue, Sandy Hook Center, is also in need of support. Donations can be dropped off Tuesdays between 10 am and noon, or Thursdays between 6 and 7:30 pm.

Women Involved in Newtown (yet another WIN) will be working through the finale of its annual Holiday Basket Program, Friday, November 20. This project pulls together collections of food for a full Thanksgiving dinner, as well as food and toiletries to get a family, couple, or single person through the holiday season. Volunteers will spend a few hours receiving donations, sorting them out, and then delivering them to those in need that day. WIN organizers tell me that this year, 70 families are in need of these holiday baskets — but only 30 families have been “adopted.” If you can help, contact WIN President Audrey Locorotondo at 203-770-3965. Donations will be gratefully accepted at Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Road, on November 20, as well; please check expiration dates on donations. The group will be working in the church hall, entered through the lower rear driveway of the church. Adult and teen volunteers to sort and then pack up food are also welcome.

Belated birthday wishes to Nancy Whittemore. I’m not sure if she wants everyone to know exactly which milestone birthday she was celebrating when this photo was taken, but here’s a clue: she is no longer an octogenarian. Some of Nancy’s garden club friends took her to lunch at Figs on November 4, one day before her big day.

It is always lovely to hear that readers appreciate the stories we put out each week. The Bee was pleased to get a note from Ann Listokin this past week, telling us so. Ann grew up in Newtown, and though now a North Carolina resident, continues to read her hometown paper. Along with memories triggered by the occasional Way We Were blurb, Ann shared some memories that a recent story on the Atchison/Chase Building brought to mind.

“I went to the A&P with my mom. George was a clerk. The smallish store was packed to the ceiling and I liked watching them get boxes down with the long-stemmed grasper that reached way up! A butcher counter was in a corner. Flagpole Fountain Lunch was a favorite, for getting an occasional Cracker Jack, or a small Dixie Cup of ice cream. The tops of Dixie Cups had pix of movie stars, to be collected and traded,” recalls Ann. “Brother David got his haircuts at Ed Pitzschler’s barber shop. If I was there, I would sit in a leather barber chair to wait, and Mr P. would give me a lollipop,” Ann says. Thank you, Ann, for adding to the memories that make up Newtown’s history.

“Fast away the old year passes…” so hurry in to the Bee office and pick up your complimentary calendar. The 2016 Newtown Bee calendars can be found on the counter immediately inside the front door, at 5 Church Hill Road, and you are welcome to pick one up any time between 8 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

This big bear meandered through Hopewell Ridge Farm on Poverty Hollow Road, Thursday morning, and residents who spotted it guess that it weighs more than 600 pounds.  You might want to consider taking in your bird feeders at dusk, if you live in this area, and making sure no other attractive food sources are accessible to hungry Yogi Bears like this one.

Newtown Taunton Lake resident and fine artist Susan McLaughlin is thrilled that her painting “The Man Under My Bed,” a 30 by 24 acrylic on linen, has been accepted for the 2015 Armstrong National 2-D Exhibition at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Ga. The show, at the Armstrong Fine Arts Gallery, runs from December 16 until January 22, in case you are planning a little trip to the south.

You won’t find a man under your bed, I hope, but you may spot me under a chair, on a tree limb, or peering around a corner. What I find, you’ll find here next week, if you… Read me again.