What a Weekend! I’m still recovering. Newtown outdid itself with a gala Tercentennial Labor Day Parade to end all parades and a Friends of the Library Book Sale tent and lawn party that drew hundreds if not thousands of residents and out-of-towners to Fairfield Hills.

Regarding all those terrific parade floats, the music, and the marchers, I was totally blown away by the multimedia extravaganza put on by St Rose School and St Rose Church. Watching Tyler von Oy riding that Roman chariot down Main Street took me right back to one of my former lives when I was an extra on the set of Ben Hur. Who knew that was really the Father Bob’s “Bobmobile” underneath all that paper mache?

And how did Father Bob entice all those St Rose parishioners to march wearing cardboard boxes? I hear he stood up in church two weeks earlier and promised them they would win if they simply did what he said and kept it a secret. The result was two floats and 300 marchers, many dressed as tercentennial birthday presents.  When the St Rose choir, recalling their recent trip to Italy, burst into joyous song, I realized this was a production worthy of Cecil B. DeMille. Totally over the top. No wonder they won Best School, Best Float(s), Best Non-Musical, and Best Crowd Pleaser.

Moving on from chariots to chairs, the folks who live in the house on the western corner of Glover Avenue and Meadow Road would like their chairs returned. It seems they left them outside on the evening of Sunday, September 4, in anticipation of the Labor Day Parade on the following day, but someone must have thought they were there to take because they did. The missing chairs are a blue canvas recliner with matching pillow, plus two gray cushioned recliners.

More news about corner disturbances: The property at Church Hill Road and Queen Street sure has changed in the past few weeks. That once-open field was bulldozed and a mountain of dirt is rising as construction equipment and workers are laboring daily to build what will be The Shoppes at Church Hill & Queen, a three-building retail/office complex slated to open by the summer of 2006. The site formerly held the White Birch Inn and Village Texaco.

I was sad to see the few tall trees taken down from that property –– except for one very handsome spruce left standing at the back of the lot. Even without ornaments or lights, it looks very much like a holiday tree. Newtown Chamber of Commerce, please take note.

A large group of retired teachers and friends of John and Jane Vouros celebrated the first week of school by visiting their beautiful, newly opened Dana Holcombe House for a delicious breakfast. Sheila Kolesar remarked that before they were even done with their last cup of coffee, John had the kitchen put back to rights and “everything was in meticulous order.”

Who was that masked man I saw step into the sleek Chevrolet Corvette the other day? None other than Fire Marshal Bill Halstead. Newtown residents are used to seeing Bill driving a bright red Ford sport-utility vehicle as the town’s fire marshal, or driving the bright red Rescue Truck 444 at the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company where he is the fire chief. But this was a surprise. Need I add that the Corvette, Bill’s personal vehicle, was also bright red?

Stockbroker Howard Lasher is organizing a memorial service for the victims of 9/11 that will take place at the American Stock Exchange in New York City at 8:30 am on Monday, September 12. Anyone who would like to attend is invited to come. Howard’s home on Route 302 in Newtown is well-known as the site of the trees painted by artist David Merrill to resemble the American flag. 

The Annual CT United Ride will be taking place on Sunday, September 11. This is the largest 9/11 memorial ride in the state. It’s a spectacular sight and it’s coming right up Route 302 once again. Last year’s event finished with 2,300 motorcycles. The riders will each donate at least $25, with funds benefiting Connecticut firefighters, law enforcement officials, and two United Way agencies. This year, riders have been requested to also donate a Hurricane Relief Bag containing Ziploc bags with toothpaste, antibacterial ointment, moist towelettes, energy bars, and Band-Aids.

The ride should be reaching Newtown around 12:30 pm or so. Listen for the rumble of the motorcycles, watch for the American flags, have your camera ready, and be prepared to wave.

I won’t be waving because I’ll have my paw on the clicker counting the riders as they go by. We can talk numbers next week if you care to…

Read me again.