Sharp-eyed readers who read last week’s Newtown Bee article, “The People and Stories Behind Newtown’s Roads” might have noticed that among the photos of the road signs, just one of them, Shepard Hill, sported a town rooster logo, and wondered what made this sign so special? I was wondering that myself, so I called Fred Hurley down at the public works department. Three years ago at the federal level, and filtering down to the local level, it was mandated that within a five-year window, all road signs had to have upgraded reflective and easily readable letters, Mr Hurley told me. Newtown has been complying, starting with road signs on major routes like 302 and 25, and replacing other road signs as they are needed. “Eventually all of the road signs in town will be replaced with the new, large-letter signs with the rooster logo,” explained Mr Hurley. So if you have rooster envy on your road, fear not. Your road’s time will come.

I’ll be finding my way over to Reed Intermediate School next Wednesday evening for the special “Finding Our Way Home” fundraiser, and I hope you will be doing the same. The students of RIS want to raise $7,000 to rent a truck to move supplies and equipment when their “sister” school in Ghana, the Carolyn A. Miller Elementary School in the Buduburam Refugee Camp, must relocate. The CAME School will close in August and the refugees resettled back in Liberia, whose borders they fled during the civil wars that rocked that country. The school and the people of Buduburam do not have the money to rent a truck, and each refugee is allowed only 50 pounds of belongings each.

The students, who have been involved in a reciprocal program with the Buduburam students, would also like to support the rebuilding of the CAME School in Bong County, Liberia.

It will be a special evening of photography and writing created by the RIS and CAME students, and by volunteers who traveled to Ghana, and a multimedia musical performance by RIS students. Not only that, but Easton native and opera singer Josh Fein, who has appeared on stage in several New York and Connecticut productions, will be joining the RIS chorus for a show-stopping performance, I am told. Members of the Flagpole Photographers will be on hand to take family photographs for suggested donation of just $10 per family, all of which will be donated to the relocation fundraising. Call 270-4880 to schedule an appointment on the evening of the 18th.

In addition, a sale of African jewelry and a silent auction will lend still more opportunities to support the effort. The program takes place Wednesday, June 18, at Reed Intermediate School on Trades Lane, from 7 to 9 pm. I have a warm and fuzzy feeling that the good people of Newtown are going to turn out in droves to support this cause.

It’s time for another Hallmark holiday. Don’t forget that this Sunday is Father’s Day, when dads and grandpas and all kinds of male mentors are honored with cards, gifts, and breakfast in bed. I kind of like the idea of “Herrentag” in Germany that I read about, though, the Deutsch equivalent of our Father’s Day. Apparently, this is a day for men-only hikes involving manpowered wagons and lots of heavy foods. At any rate, our own celebration took root in 1909 in Spokane, Wash., when a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd heard a Mother’s Day sermon and thought that fathers needed some recognition, too. President Calvin Coolidge took up the effort, recommending it as a holiday in 1924, and in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared the third Sunday in June of that year as Father’s Day. But it wasn’t until 1972 that President Richard Nixon, through a congressional resolution, made Father’s Day official in the US. I’m sure I was making Father’s Day cards with crayon and ric rac long before that, though.

If you’re into tag sales, there is a very special tag sale scheduled for this Saturday, June 14. College sophomore Jessica DiVanno is heading to Accra, Ghana in West Africa, on July 20 with Unite for Sight. In order to go, Jessica needs to raise at least $1,500 to donate to Unite For Sight, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing eye care to people in undeveloped regions of the world. She also needs to collect at least 300 pairs of glasses or sunglasses to take with her. The tag sale will be held starting at 9 am at 43 Jo-Mar Drive in Sandy Hook, and the proceeds will go entirely to Unite For Sight, not to offset her personal costs for the trip. If the hot weather hasn’t stymied your spring-cleaning, think about donating your closet gleanings to Jessica’s tag sale. To arrange to drop off items for the tag sale or to donate used eyeglasses, call Jessica at 426-4418.

There is a lot of excitement right now with graduation and all of the other end of the school year activities, but don’t forget that before you know it, it will be time for the Labor Day Parade. It takes a lot of moola to get that show on the road, but with only a small donation from the thousands of residents who enjoy the event each year, the organizers can breathe more easily. The committee members are proud to honor our own VNA this year, with Mae Schmidle serving as the grand marshal. Mail your donation to support the 47th Annual Labor Day Parade, c/o Newtown Savings Bank, Box 497, Newtown CT 06470.

The heat wave that kicked off this week was a boost to ice cream sales in town, that’s for sure. I don’t think there was an empty spot in the parking lot of any shop selling icy confections between the hours of noon and nine. Personally, I was ready to zip off my fur coat, hang it up, and roll around in a puddle of 302 Chocolate Moo.

Who knows what next week’s weather will bring? Just a reminder that no matter what, the way to be cool is to… Read me again.