It will be fun for all this Saturday, April 28, with the annual Newtown Earth Day Festival, from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Newtown Middle School on Queen Street. The official Earth Day was April 22, but our celebration is no less a celebration of our Earth and environment. Be sure to stop by - there will be lots to see and learn. (And maybe you can still adopt a road to clean up for the Lions' Lose The Litter walk.)All The Luck: Poems Celebrating Love, Life, And The Enduring Human Spirit. Newtown Bee reporter Alissa Silber had the opportunity to sit down with Sydney earlier this month and talk about the book. The works in All The Luck, Alissa wrote, "are all near and dear to her heart and stem from a wide array of inspiration" ("Sydney Eddison Releases New Poetry Collection," April 6, 2018). Reservations are not needed for what organizers promise will be a "delightful hour of listening." Tea and cookies will be served.The Newtown Bee of the lovely young men and women decked out for the evening. E-mail original-sized photos, with those pictured identified (first and last names) from left to right, to eliza@thebee.com, by Tuesday morning, May 8. Please include a daytime phone number in case we have questions. Photos can also be dropped off at our 5 Church Hill Road office on Monday, May 7, to be scanned. Photos submitted will be considered for use in a photo package to run in the May 11 issue of the paper.newtown-ct.gov, Parks & Recreation.

On the heels of Newtown's Earth Day, comes May Day, just a few days later. Maypole dancing, tossing about flower petals, a celebration of fertility, and some Gaelic symbolic fireworks have all heralded the first of May in other eras, other countries. The whole maypole dancing thing has been imported from other cultures and kind of caught on in the USA, but in the 1800s, May Day was all about a movement for an 8-hour day of work. Well, we see how that has panned out. At any rate, have a happy May Day!

Poet. Friend. Gardener. … Sydney Eddison really is all that, so it's the perfect title for a program in which the longtime Newtown resident will be featured this weekend at C.H. Booth Library. Sydney will be at the library on Saturday, April 28, for a 2 o'clock gathering that will include readings from her latest book of poetry,

It's Spring Book Donation Day at the C.H. Booth Library, this Sunday, April 29, from noon to 5 pm. Bring your books, CDs, DVDs, LPs, games, and puzzles to the back lot of the library, and Friends of the C.H. Booth Library volunteers will be thrilled to accept your donations.

Then slip over to the FAITH Food Pantry Open House, from 2 to 4 pm. FAITH organizers are excited to introduce the community to the new space, behind St Rose of Lima Catholic Church, at 46 Church Hill Road. It has been a bit of a long road for this food pantry, since losing its longtime space at St John's Episcopal Church. The generosity of Tier One on Pecks Lane kept this important nonecumenical pantry going with donated space until the new building could be erected this spring behind St Rose. Come meet the many volunteers and celebrate this new permanent home for FAITH. FAITH Treasurer Barbara Krell mentioned this week that last weekend's event for the parishioners of the church went "very well."

Speaking of FAITH's new location, Lee mentioned recently that Pat Caruso has become a regular supporter of the food pantry. "He's going above and beyond in helping us, and this is my way of publicly saying 'Thanks,'" she said. "He is definitely a Good Egg." I could not be more in agreement.

The British are coming! The British are coming! Well, at least in song, when the Newtown Choral Society presents its spring concert, Sunday, May 6, at 3:30 pm, at the Newtown Meeting House. Tickets at the door are $10, $8 for seniors and students.

Put a big "X" on your calendar for Saturday, May 12, when Social Services benefits from the Annual Postal Food Drive. Just fill up a bag with items for the Social Services Food Pantry - please check any expiration dates - and hang it on your mailbox that morning. Beginning around 10 am, volunteers will swing by and scoop up the donations. Incidentally, volunteers to drive, to sort, and assist in other ways are needed for May 12. Contact Social Services Director Ann LoBosco at 203-270-4330 to find out how you can help.

NHS Senior Prom is scheduled for Friday, May 4. Please consider sharing photos with

Senior citizens are reminded, as well, that the Parks & Rec/Senior Center prom is also scheduled for Friday, May 4, at Newtown High School. Fancy wear is encouraged for this special dinner/dance. You'll find details at

Giddyap! I see that the Annual Pony Rides For Jessica Rekos event returns to the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard grounds Sunday, May 6, from 11 am to 4 pm. Proceeds from the pony rides, raffle, auction, and other fun family activities go to the Jessica Rekos Foundation. The foundation, formed following the tragedy at Sandy Hook School in 2012, which took Jessica's life, is dedicated to Jessica's love of horses and whales. It helps others "to experience Jessica's passions" and support school security efforts.

Are you a Hess toy truck collector? Here's some good news, then. Hess Toy Truck is celebrating by announcing three new toy releases this year The 2018 Hess Toy Truck lineup includes:

*June 1 - The Mini Collection: Brought back by popular demand (as the 2017 mini collection sold out in just two weeks), Hess Toy Truck will release a collection of three previously unreleased miniature toy truck replicas.

*October 1 - A Special Collector's Edition Toy Truck: This special release created for the company's 85th anniversary, will be offered in the most limited quantity ever in Hess Toy Truck history.

*November 1- Holiday Hess Toy Truck: Staying true to Hess Toy Truck tradition, the highly anticipated holiday truck will be revealed on November 1, just in time for the holiday season.

Looks like there is a lot of excitement in store for Hess collectors.

There's always a lot of excitement here in town, and I'm all for seeking it out. Be sure next week to... Read me again.