The obituary in The New York Times last week for Thomas Meehan, of Broadway fame, caught the eye of Tom Dwyer. Mr Meehan, Tom tells us, was a summertime resident of Newtown for more than 20 years, until about 1995. The man who wrote the books for Tony Award-winning productions such as Annie, The Producers, and Hairspray spent summers at an Obtuse Road address near the Dwyers.The Newtown Bee one day last week. They did appear just after a visit to the office by Shelton artist Craig Smith...The Bee office this week. Connecticut Schoolhouses Through Time by Melinda K. Elliott is a lovely photographic essay featuring historic schoolhouses - including Newtown's Little Red Schoolhouse at Middle Gate. The book depicts old and current photos of the schoolhouses still standing, all across the state. "Compare the new photographs with the up to 130-year-old photos to see how the schools and terrain have changed or remained the same," urges the press release. In good timing, the Newtown Historical Society will host its annual Children' Day at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Sunday, September 24, from 2 to 4 pm. Fun classes will take place inside the school room, and if weather permits, there will be outside activities, as well. Sign up at register@newtownhistory.org - a $3 supply fee will be collected at the schoolhouse for craft activities.The Newtown Bee, last Friday morning. Mr Rosati was freshening up several of the red hydrants about town. There's no missing one now!phishing@irs.gov, subject line: IRS Phone Scam, to report the false call. Remember, the IRS will not call to demand payment, nor call about taxes without having first mailed a bill. Do not give credit or debit card numbers over the phone, and the IRS will never ask you to pay via a prepaid debit card.

We can't be certain where they came from, but three beautifully handpainted rocks were placed in the gardens just outside the front entrance to

A new book from Arcadia Publishing that will be released September 4 arrived in

Dominic Rosati, from the Aquarion Water Company, added a fresh coat of paint to the fire hydrant near the office of

We've had reports from a couple of residents that the IRA phone scam is back in action. If you get a suspicious call from someone claiming to be an IRS agent, the irs.gov website recommends you ask for the employee's name, badge number, call back number, and record the caller ID number if that is available. You can call 800-366-4484 to determine if the caller is legitimate. If not, e-mail

I see there is a Route 25 Consignment Crawl on tap for Friday, September 8, and Saturday, September 9. Newtown's Fashion Exchange and Dad's Consignment, and Monroe's Olive My Stuff and Pemberley Designer Consignments invite shoppers to stop by for refreshments, and get a card punched for visiting. Punch all four, and have a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Contact Leslie Troy at 203-880-9158 for details.

Every now and them I can't resist looking up some of the sillier "holidays" for the month. Did you know that (somewhere) it is National Lazy Mom's Day on September 1? How about celebrating Bacon Day on September 2, or National Tailgating Day? If bowling is your thing, you'll be honored to know that September 3 is National Bowling League Day. Could we ignore National Newspaper Carrier Day on September 4? Be Late For Something Day falls on September 5, followed by National Read A Book Day on September 6 and Grandma Moses Day on the 7th; and it looks like our president got the jump on Pardon Day - it's not until September 8.

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo has reached its challenge goal to build a new home for Rochan, the red panda, according to a press release. This is thanks to two substantial donations from Helen and Bob Natt of Easton, and a matching grant for monies raised by supporter donations from the Werth Family Foundation. Newtown resident and Beardsley Zoo animal caretaker Ryan Paoletti was on hand for the groundbreaking, August 22, along with Natt family members, Debbie Werth-Bachard, Bridgeport Mayor Ganim, council members, and Zoo members and staff. . I'm told that Ryan is one of the caretakers for Rochan. The red panda's new enlarged habitat will feature a yard landscaped with bamboo - (Rochan eats approximately 1,000 bamboo leaves daily) - with plenty of treetop spots for sunbathing. Sounds like a pretty sweet set up.

The spectacular Labor Day Parade will have marched on down the street and out of sight for another year by the time we go to press next week. Hope to see you on the sidelines of the parade on Monday - and you can be sure I'll be gathering news so that you'll... Read me again.