Members of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company not only invite the public to join them for their 23rd Annual Lobsterfest next weekend, but challenge everyone to wake up early next Friday morning. On June 11, the company will be featured on FOX-61 TV when reporter Jeff Valin visits and does a set of his “Firehouse Fridays” segments from the Riverside Road firehouse. Set your DVRs if you must. “Firehouse Fridays,” in which Jeff Valin visits a different firehouse across Connecticut each week, begins at 4:30 am, and segments are presented each hour until 9 am. So hours before their big Lobsterfest gets underway, members of Sandy Hook Fire & Rescue will be on the air as they begin final preparations for the first of the two huge dinners. The Lobsterfest runs this year on Friday, June 11, and Saturday, June 12, at the company’s main station, at 18-20 Riverside Road. Hours on Friday are 5 to 9 pm, and on Saturday from 3 to 9 pm. Ticket prices have been held at $22 in advance and $24 at the door for the third year, and can be purchased in advance at the Newtown fire marshal’s office within Newtown Municipal Center, at The Newtown Bee offices at 5 Church Hill Road, or at the Riverside Road Firehouse. The event is a fundraiser for the fire company.

Newtown Ecumenical Workcamp Students (NEWS) are still preparing for their 16th annual mission trip. This year the group — which has 31 students and nine adult chaperones from Newtown Congregational Church, Newtown United Methodist Church, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St Rose Roman Catholic Church, and even a few unaffiliated members — will spend the week of July 3 to 10 in Biloxi, Miss., performing much-needed home repairs for Gulf Coast residents who are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. By the time they reach Biloxi, which is right on the Gulf of Mexico, there’s a good chance these young adults will be seeing direct effects of the BP oil spill as well.

The NEWS group continues to raise funds for their upcoming trip, and this weekend they’ll be holding a car wash in the parking lot of Century 21-The Scalzo Group at 48 Main Street South. Workcampers and chaperones will be there on Saturday, June 5, from 9 am until 1 pm, cleaning cars and trucks in exchange for donations of any amount.

Newtown Junior Women’s Club President Christine Grabowski tells me that the organization’s members have put together their first collective cookbook. Filled with delicious recipes beloved by members and their friends and families, the book will be sold at the C.H. Booth Library and McLaughlin Vineyards, for $10 per copy. All of the proceeds go back to the Newtown community, says Christine, and she is hopeful that other local businesses will soon carry the cookbook, as well.

I was sitting in the shade on the grassy knoll back of the VFW hall on Tinkerfield Road before the Memorial Day service began this past Monday, when I noticed a crowd at a small card table set up near the seating area. Curiosity killed the cat, of course, and I had to go see what the attraction was. Betsy Krauschar and her daughter, Aspen, had put out a pile of denim quilting blocks and a pile of markers for their Four Freedoms Gratitude Quilts that they are making. The quilts, which are distributed to US military men and women receiving care at medical facilities abroad, are made up of denim squares that are signed with individual messages of encouragement and appreciation. Betsy and Aspen first started the Operation Quiet Comfort program when they were affiliated with Cadette Girl Scout Troop 50651, but have continued the project on their own. I know that any of the many quilting blocks signed on Monday will carry warm wishes to the troops in need.

Just in case you’re wondering what the fabulous cakes look like that Tony Posca of Andrea’s Pastry Shop makes for the Bee Birthday Cake winners, Kylie Groody’s family has shared this photo: Kylie was the May 28 cake winner, and poses here with her delightful birthday cake and Tony. Check our “Just For Kids” page in The Bee for details on entering the cake contest.

Don’t forget that June is dog-licensing month in Newtown. Bring along a certificate of proof of current rabies vaccination when you stop into the Newtown Municipal Center at Fairfield Hills to get Fido’s license, and a copy of the spay/neuter certificate for a discount. It’s not a big expense, and a portion of the doggie tax goes to provide medical care at the pound and to support canine cancer research. Think of it as a fundraiser…. And if your dog or cat is in need of a rabies vaccination, stop by the Edmond Town Hall, Saturday, June 19, between 10 am and noon, where veterinarians will be giving the shots for a cost of only $20 per animal.

The C.H. Booth Library is still welcoming donations of books, CDs, DVDs, and videos for the upcoming Annual Book Sale, scheduled for July 10 to 14, at the Reed Intermediate School on Trades Lane. Leave donations on the cart set up near the Children’s Department of the library during library hours, or if you need a hand unloading your car, call 203-270-4537 ahead of time to arrange assistance. Last year, the Friends of the C.H. Booth Library had more than 120,000 items offered for sale at the event, their biggest fundraiser each year.

No doubt the end of the school year and the start of summer vacations has everyone running in circles, but don’t forget to let me know about the Good Eggs you come across. Nominate someone whom you know gives without thought for recognition of the Good Egg Award in my Top of the Mountain column, by e-mailing Nancy@thebee.com. A kind deed deserves a kind word.

The kindest words I could hear, of course, are that next week you plan to… Read me again.