The NHS Class of 2014 Council is hosting a Halloween Costume Drive this month. A collection box has been placed in the high school’s main office to collect new or gently used costumes for children aged infant to teenager. Donors are asked to put donated costumes in a sealable bag. The Junior Class will be collecting until October 26, and costumes will be donated to less fortunate children in the area to ensure that they have a Happy Halloween.

Postmaster Mark, and clerks Laura and Rich want to get you in the Halloween spirit, too. Witches, black cats, and ghosts galore are haunting the Route 25 Hawleyville Post Office with some spooky decorations. Don’t let it scare you away, though; you’ll still get plenty of friendly service this month!

With a successful 2nd Annual Passport To Sandy Hook still fresh in the minds of hundreds of visitors, members of Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP) are already scaring up some new ideas, including the second annual Halloween Walk, which is set for 10 am to 2 pm on Saturday, October 27. Gary Seri of the Stone River Grille and Sharon Doherty of PJ’s Laundromat are helping organize the districtwide event that provides a chance for the “little goblins” — very young children — to get their costumes on and be out and about during the daytime. All Sandy Hook businesses displaying a bright orange pumpkin cutout are participating, and will welcome trick or treaters. The Stone River Grille is also hosting a dj, face painting, and jack-o’-lantern making activities with a twist. Once the event is over, decorated pumpkins will be donated to the “Great Pumpkin Challenge” on Main Street, along with a generous donation to the cause. The Challenge is the invention of Mackenzie Page, who will display jack-o’-lantern on Halloween night for a $5 donation that will help her friend and cancer survivor Zoe McMorran with costs related to her treatments.

You might have Halloween on your mind, but the Senior Center is geared up for the autumn and winter holidays. The Newtown Senior Center Annual Holiday Bazaar takes place Friday, November 9, from 9 am to 5 pm, Saturday, November 10, from 9 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, November 11, from 9 am to noon, with a special open house preview Thursday, November 8, from 5 to 7 pm. I’ve been prowling around the center while some of these beautiful crafts have been underway, and I can assure you that there are quality, handmade items perfect for gift giving. Quilts, afghans, jewelry, knitted items, hand painted items, cards, table runners, and baked goods are just a few of the things you’ll find at the sale, and the prices are a steal. Mark your calendar now!

Coke or Pepsi? That’s always the pressing question. But whichever you favor, I think you’ll enjoy the newest collection in the glass case just outside the Children’s Department at the C.H. Booth Library. Brad and Angela Charles have set up an impressive display of commemorative Pepsi bottles.

Sculpture by Newtown resident Jim Travers will be coupled with paintings by Gus Moran for an unnamed exhibition that will open at The Atrium Gallery in Bridgeport, Saturday, October 20, with a reception from 3 to 5 pm. The gallery is at 957 Main Street, with access through Amici Miei Café. The collection will remain on view until November 24, and can be visited Monday through Saturdays, between 11 am and 6 pm.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in case you have been wondering why everything is pink wherever you go — the color that has become associated with supporting breast cancer awareness. Beth Caldwell has let me know, too, about a program sponsored by William Raveis in conjunction with the American Cancer Society that will truly put newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in the pink. The Patient Navigator program, at the UConn Health Center in Farmington, helps patients navigate the sometimes overwhelming diagnosis and treatment options. Through Raveis’ financial support, UConn has been able to hire a full-time, onsite navigator who is accessible to all patients, offering patient and family support. It’s a program that Beth thinks every breast cancer patient should know about, to move through the cancer process with comfort and confidence. Follow this link to find out more about the program: cancer.uchc.edu/treatment/services/navigator.html. You can support the efforts of our local William Raveis office by purchasing raffle tickets, this Friday afternoon, from 4 to 6 pm, in front of Yankee Wine & Spirits in the Big Y plaza (weather permitting). A $5 ticket gets you the chance to win great prizes in the December 10 drawing, from gift certificates to a Bose Wave music system to a smart TV.

Newtown’s 2013 Relay For Life is half a year away, but the first meeting of next year’s committee chairs has been scheduled for October 23. NSB staff member Cheryl Jablonowski is serving as Relay For Life of Newtown chairperson for 2013. There are also a number of relay-related fundraisers going on now and through the week of the 2013 event, and residents who want to keep up to speed on these activities are encouraged to follow the Newtown Relay For Life page on Facebook.

If you missed the special showings at the C.H. Booth Library in 2010 of Fifth Form, a film co-authored by Newtown native Bill Stern and friend Adam Orman, here’s some good news. After playing at more than a dozen festivals and screenings from 2009 to 2010, and winning Best Film honors and honorable mentions in Philadelphia and Houston, the dark comedy about a prank war that tears apart a boy’s dorm at an elite prep school can now be viewed by joining Indieflix or on pay-per-view. “Then share, comment, pass it on and do all the other things that websites let you do these days that didn’t exist seven years ago when we started writing the script,” Adam comments in a recent e-mail. Here’s the code to use when signing on: indieflix.com/subscription.refcode/FMC52535.

With cooler weather settling in, I’m more than happy to curl up in front of a good movie. Not to worry, though. I’ll have more news when you… Read me again.