Food, song, and dancing? How can you resist? And it is all coming up this weekend at the rescheduled 36th Annual Ukrainian Festival. The festival will take place Sunday, September 25, at Paproski’s Castle Hill Farm, 5 Sugar Lane (off Route 302). This is a new location this year, if you have been used to attending the past 35, held on Hattertown Road. The day begins at 11 am, with the Divine Liturgy celebrated by Right Reverend Archpriest Mihai Dubovici. Don’t eat your usual Sunday morning breakfast feast, if you go: save room for traditional Ukrainian food (like potato dumplings, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa sausage and more). At 2:30 pm, ethnic Ukrainian dancing performed by the Kolononka Ukrainian Dance Group of Stamford, and Ukrainian songs performed by Gregory Kylinskyj, Mukola Maksymiuk, Anatolij Krytej and a duet by the Korenovski Sisters, will provide entertainment. There will also be an exhibit of Ukrainian arts and crafts, and so much more, for all ages. Admission is a mere $2, and the festival will take place (barring another hurricane), rain or shine. For info, call Gloria at 203-269-5909 or Stephen at 203-426-5487.

Food, song, and dancing? Do I sound repetitious? That’s because the rescheduled Newtown Labor Day Parade is on my mind, and like the Ukrainian Festival, the parade promises to offer all those things, too — plus bands, floats, and fire trucks galore. Tropical Storm Irene may have blown the parade a bit off course, but the parade committee has rallied to organize the event for Sunday, October 9, beginning at 2 pm. Mark it on your calendar now! I’m crossing every toe on each of my paws for a beautiful autumn afternoon that day.

Gary Seri is certainly making a name for himself and his new Stone River Grille restaurant in Sandy Hook Center. After recently offering Hurricane Relief specials for families with kids who were trying to recover from Tropical Storm Irene (see this week’s Letter Hive), Gary picked up an award on behalf of his restaurant during last weekend’s Taste of Greater Danbury. The restaurant and its owner were awarded with Best Appetizer for their Wild Mushroom Pan Seared Scallops, which Gary said this week was already a popular dish at the restaurant. Now it’s an award-winning one. They say good deeds are returned through karma. Sounds to me like the gods of food were smiling on Gary during the September 10–11 event at CityCenter Danbury, following his good deed for his new neighbors.

Speaking of winners, Newtown sent home a few from the Bridgewater Fair last month. Belated congratulations to the following folks for the honors they received: Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company, which picked up trophies for Best Appearing Company in Shirts and Best Appearing Color Guard from the Fireman’s Parade, along with the company’s auxiliary, which won Best Appearing Ladies; and the DeStories family, who picked up a Judges Choice Award for their entry in the Canning/Eggs Senior Division — Eggs Competition.

Other winning residents include: Laura Duffy, first prize for Early Girl Tomatoes, and first place, Flowers; John Boccuzzi, first place, Tallest Sunflower; Ken Erdman, first place, Needlework: Machine Quilted; Charlotte Springmeyer, first place, Baked Goods: State Apple Pie Contest; Betsy Dattalo, first place, Baked Goods: Chocolate Chip Cookies; Barbara Campbell, second place, Needlework: Socks, and third place for Needlework: Stole; Laura Duffy, second place, Canning & Fresh Egg Exhibit: Zucchini Pickles; Cynthia Erdman, second place, Needlework: Machine Quilted, and second place, Needlework: Machine Quilted – Wall Hanging; Azureen Erdman, third place, Needlework: Machine Quilted; Zoe DeStories, third place, Baked Goods: Oatmeal Cookies; and John Ferris, second place, Tractor Pull (7,500-pounds class).

Young residents also earned a fair share of awards. Vinny Sauli won a trophy for his entry in the fair’s Hobbies competition. Additional winners include: Cora Kneen, first place, Hobbies; and William Kneen, third place, Hobbies; Sabrina Boccuzzi, second place in photography, junior division, Color Photography, and second place, Junior Baking: Brownies; and Kyle Mackovack, sixth place, Junior Tractor Pull (Saturday, 7–8-Year Olds). Congratulations everyone!

Newtown Woman’s Club, GWFC, has been presenting photos once each month in The Newtown Bee since the beginning of the year of locations in town that are important. Each photo in the series, which has been called “This Place Matters,” has been accompanied by a brief history of the location photographed. Woman’s Club members Jo Ann Bruno and Anna Wiedemann have posed in front of each location, once each month, and now residents are being asked to choose their favorite This Place Matters location (listed in the order they were presented): The Newtown Bee, Fairfield Hills, Edmond Town Hall, C.H. Booth Library, The Matthew Curtiss House, Newtown Meeting House or The Flagpole. During the month of September, everyone is invited to select their favorite location(s) and vote, as many times as you would like, at $1 per vote, for their favorite location(s). Ballot boxes and voting envelopes have been set up at Everything Newtown (formerly The Drug Center), 61 Church Hill Road; The Newtown Bee office, at 5 Church Hill Road; C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street; Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street; and Stop & Shop in Sand Hill Plaza, 228 South Main Street. Those who are unable to get to one of the voting locations and would like to participate can send a check payable to Newtown Woman’s Club GFWC, Inc, PO Box 101, Newtown CT 076470. Be sure to indicate your choice(s) on the memo line or attach a note if you are choosing more than one. Vote once, or as many times as you would like. Proceeds from the friendly competition will benefit Newtown Historical Society. The winning location will be recognized in October.

Marilyn Alexander is spreading her wings. She is heading to Stockholm, Sweden, where she will visit a very special person, Pernilla Staaff. Pernilla was an exchange student who made her home with the Alexanders and graduated from Newtown High School in 1988, and Marilyn says she is quite excited to reconnect with Pernilla and her family after all these years. After that, she is heading on to St Petersburg, Russia, then to Moscow, before returning to Newtown. I’m betting her old hometown is going to seem a little dull after all that world travel.

I’ve been busy sampling the wares of several Newtown restaurants this past week, as I hope you have, during Newtown Restaurant Week. More than a dozen eateries in town participated, offering $5, $15, and $25 specials and/or buy one, get one specials. The week of mad eating continues through Friday, September 16, so drop your plans for dining at home this final day of the event, check out the offers at www.NewtownRestaurantWeek.com, and prepare for a happy meal — and a happy wallet.

A happy car is a clean car, so take advantage of the car wash this weekend, hosted by the NHS softball team. The team will scrub your car clean, anytime from 10 am to 2 pm, at Berkshire Motors, 25 Berkshire Road in Sandy Hook on Saturday, September 17.

Once your car is spotless, you wouldn’t want to put a dirty dog in it. So let Newtown High School girls’ soccer team members take care of that next problem for you. The kickers are holding a dog washing event — for nice dogs only — at 11 Tory Lane (off of Mt Pleasant Road), from 10 am to 2 pm, this Saturday, September 17, with a suggested donation of $10 per pup. I want to know, who is going to be brave enough to hold a cat wash?

Every now and then I like to take a walk around the Web to make sure I’m not missing out on any exciting holidays. Upcoming next week are a few you will want to mark on your calendars, I’m sure. Everyone’s favorite, International Talk Like A Pirate Day, is Monday, September 19. That gives you the whole weekend to practice. Arrgh. Miniature Golf Day is next Wednesday, followed by one of my favorites, Elephant Appreciation Day on Thursday. The first day of autumn is next Friday, let’s not forget, although it may not qualify for an oddball holiday. Looking ahead is Crush a Can Day (which reminds me: One Can Make(s) A Difference will collect nonperishable food items for the town food pantries, during the October 9 parade, so be sure to tuck a can or two into your backpack), Ask A Stupid Question Day, and on the last day of the month, National Mud Pack Day.

There is always a reason to celebrate, I guess. I’ll be celebrating, if you promise next week to… Read me again.