Please tell me you did not forget to celebrate National Cat Day, Wednesday, October 29, with your favorite feline…

Although Maggie and Addie, the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) comfort dogs, now living in Newtown, will not be in Marysville, Wash., to dispense their furry therapy, other dogs and handlers trained by the organization arrived there on Monday, October 27. The dogs were requested by Pastor Kurt Onken of Messiah Lutheran Church in Marysville, according to the LCC website, www.luthernchurchcharities.org. Marysville is the site of the most recent school shooting, in which three young people have died, and others remain in serious or critical condition. Messiah Lutheran Church is close to the high school and has opened its doors for people to gather and talk, aided by the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs. LCC never charges, and relies on donations. You can donate at the LCC website: K-9 Comfort Dog Travel Fund – Marysville, or by mail to Lutheran Church Charities, 333 West Lake Street, Addison IL 60101 (please put “K9 Marysville, WA” in the memo line). Donations are also accepted by phone at 866-455-6466. In the meantime, you can meet Maggie and Addie this Saturday, November 1, at the Kids Lend A Paw Fourth Annual Dog Walk, beginning at 11:30 am, at Fairfield Hills.

The Western Connecticut State University women’s swimming and diving team will host “Swim Strong for Shaun,” a swim-a-thon to raise funds to support the Stand Strong for Shaun Fund, at 1 pm, Sunday, November 2, in the O’Neill Center Natatorium, Westside campus, 43 Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury. Shaun Bailey, who works for NYA Sports & Fitness Center, is an assistant coach with the WCSU women’s soccer team, and has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The community is invited to support a WCSU swimmer or diver by pledging a flat donation of $5. For a $10 donation, supporters can join the team in the pool. To make a direct donation, visit www.gofundme.com/frhtw8.

Olivia Phenix, a 2013 NHS graduate, competed in the October 25 Amazon Fashion Challenge of rising stars from NYC’s fashion and design colleges. Olivia is studying fashion merchandising at LIM College. Mentored by a group of top industry professionals, the student teams of five were challenged to conceptualize, style, and shoot an editorial campaign that speaks to the Amazon Fashion customer, with the winning images to be featured as part of Amazon Fashion’s Fall 2014 onsite editorial. Olivia was the set designer for the LIM College Menswear Team. Way to go, Olivia!

Young men and women from ages 14 to 20 are invited to join the Newtown Venture Crew 70. This group is dedicated to “high adventure,” encouraging a love of the outdoors while developing self-esteem and selfconfidence. Their motto is to have fun, and they do it through a number of hiking, camping, canoeing, caving, rock climbing, backpacking, and biking experiences. Venture Crew 70 advisors are Cat Fedorchek, Richard Palmer, David Schill, and Jeff Meyer. The group meets at Cullens Youth Association lodge on Taunton Lake Road. To find out more about joining, e-mail vcrew70newtown@yahoo.com.

I missed that the Newtown Senior Center did not do the Autumn Bazaar, but my spirits are lifted to find out there is a Holiday Craft Store at the Riverside Road facility, Thursdays and Fridays, from 10 am to 2 pm. Stop in for local holiday shopping of beautiful handcrafted items like jewelry and cards, or knitted items and afghans. The proceeds from sales support programs and day trips for members of the Senior Center.

Two area authors will be at the Bethel Public Library in November. Newtown resident C.J. Golden, an inspirational speaker and workshop facilitator, will be there Monday, November 3, at 7 pm. She will discuss her book Reflections from Beyond: Sharing a Message of Hope, Peace, and Kindness. Then on Saturday, November 15, from 2 to 3 pm, local speaker and author Dr Gerard Brooker will present “Leading a Balanced Personal and Professional Life.” Registration for the programs is required at bethellibrary.org, by calling 203-794-8756, extention 4, or by signing up at the library’s reference desk. Bethel Public Library is at 189 Greenwood Avenue.

Voting is your opportunity to have a say in who runs our government and how it is run, so if you are of voting age, I hope you have registered. Voting takes place at the Middle School (Districts 1 and 1-5), Reed School (District 2 and District 3-2), and Head O’ Meadow School (Districts 3 and 3-5), all day on Tuesday, November 4. Here’s my catty advice: if you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain.

In case you haven’t the time to peruse the Internet for fun facts, I’m taking care of that for you this week. Did you know that Halloween is an offshoot of the Irish Celtic festival Samhain, and that the practice of carving pumpkins is also an Irish tradition? How about this: Old women often used a walking stick, or sometimes a broom, to aid their travels, and so broomsticks came to be associated with witches — because elderly women were once readily misidentified as witches. That black cat that accompanies a witch is there to protect her powers. I give my thanks to ibtimes.com for these facts, and also for noting the other names by which Halloween is known, All Hallows’ Eve, Witches Night, Samhaim, Summer’s End, and my favorite: Lamswool Snap-Apple Night.

My black cat costume is an integral part of who I am, so I am more than ready for Halloween. I noticed that the C.H. Booth Library has a collection basket for candy donations, to support the residents of Main Street who so generously give… and give… and give on Halloween. There may still be time for you to add a bag or two to help out! Every year Newtown’s main drag is populated on All Hallows’ Eve with thousands of demons, goblins, and ghosts galore. I’m looking forward to seeing what kinds of spooky costumes walk past our door this year.

So, a Happy Lamswool Snap-Apple Night to you! Don’t forget next week to… Read me again.