Remember when most everyone who drove, drove a car. Well, times have changed. While at Town Hall South this week I saw Jim Shpunt, who operates the building for the town. In a row of nine vehicles parked next to the building, we counted two automobiles, three sport-utility vehicles, three pickup trucks, and one minivan. Jim’s new midnight blue Dodge Ram pickup truck was one of those vehicles. The new pickup, which has a very fancy radio, has about 2,000 miles on the odometer.

Joan Crick also has a new vehicle. She’s now driving around in a two-tone gray/blue PT Cruiser, which has plenty of room in the back — perfect for trips to the dump. Joan, however, doesn’t want to compromise the new-car smell, so her husband, Jim Crick, has to find other transportation to the dump. But I have to admit, Jim goes in style to the dump no matter what he’s driving. I ran into him this week and he was wearing a business suit, white shirt, and tie. You’d think he was running for office; he said he just got back from the dump.

I bet John Martocci is happy. John heads the Newtown Savings Bank, which at long last is starting its project to expand bank office facilities at its Main Street main office. Construction equipment is being brought to the site, where a new office complex will replace the building that formerly served as the Newtown Congregational Church’s church house. While the work is underway, bank personnel will be parking next door at the Edmond Town Hall overflow parking lot.

If there are any odd jobs that have to be done around the construction site, I bet John will be ready to pitch right in. He has an impressive inventory of secret skills. For example, when he was being interviewed this week about fundraising efforts of the Tercentennial Commission, which he heads, he noticed that reporter Jan Howard’s glasses were loose and kept slipping down her nose. John quickly produced a set of tiny screwdrivers and repaired Jan’s glasses on the spot.

Julia Wasserman turned 80 last week. Her friends and associates, trying to be sensitive about the veteran legislator’s age, presented her with a birthday cake that said “2 x 40.”

Three town residents were among a party of four who recently visited The Longaberger Company’s basketmaking complex in Dresden. Ohio. The Newtowners making the automobile trip were Carol Mayhew, Sue Shpunt, and Karin Halstead. The handcrafted baskets are considered collectibles. Sue was the lucky winner in a drawing for an elaborate basket-style tea service, which was signed by many members of the Longaberger clan. While in Dresden, each of the women practiced the art of basketry. 

At Canaan House at Fairfield Hills, some town workers this week were wearing their coats while at work inside the building. Chilly, windy conditions on Wednesday morning prompted them to bundle up. A fire on the night of April 13 destroyed an external boiler that had been used to heat the building. The return of warmer weather toward the end of the week was eagerly anticipated.

Theatergoers at Loews in Brookfield were startled when the a large part of the audience cheered as the credits rolled after last Sunday afternoon’s showing of Man on Fire. The cheering came from a large Newtown contingent that was there cheer the first movie of hometown boy Craig Smith.

Craig, 27, is the son of Thea and Cliff Smith of Bridge End Farm Lane in Sandy Hook. A radio-television graduate of Ithaca College, Craig had worked for three years as a producer on the Channel 8 evening news before leaving for California to follow his dream of working on movies. He got his big break on the Denzel Washington movie when the chief film editor got hurt and needed help. When the credits rolled, there was Craig’s name as “apprentice editor” just under the names of the film’s major production staff.

Jerry Valenta was among those who were there to see the credits. That’s worth noting because Jerry hasn’t been to a movie theater since he left Detroit in 1969. The last movie he saw in a theater was either Alfie or Blow-Up — he can’t remember which — but both came out in 1966.

Donna Williams, manager of the Newtown branch of Savings Bank of Danbury, is really excited because she became a grandmother last week when her daughter Jennifer, who also works for SBD, gave birth to a son, Anthony James Miressi. Anthony’s father, Adam, works for the Newtown post office.

Cindy and Trent Harrison had a baby boy last Thursday, April 22 — the due date, what a punctual child — giving Beryl and Jack Harrison their second grandson. Trent says it is the Harrison curse to have only boys, but nonetheless everyone thinks Tyler Knight Harrison is a blessing.

Mark Johnson of Brookfield, who is a huge fan of The Bard, aka William Shakespeare, decided on April 22 (the day before Shakespeare’s 440th birthday) to attend the Booth Library’s Book Discussion Group hosted by Liz Arneth and Gordon Williams. Their topic for the evening was the comedy As You Like It, and Mr Johnson enjoyed the group discussion so much that he couched his comments to a friend at The Bee in appropriately Shakespearean prose. “Work was a real Comedy Of Errors today, which put me behind for the [7 pm start time]. I hate being late and was in a bit of a Tempest when I got there. I did make it to the Hamlet of Newtown… so All’s Well That Ends Well, and it turned out my agitation was Much Ado About Nothing. For me, chatting about Shakespeare is never a Love’s Labour Lost and Measure for Measure, it was a perfectly swell evening. I was one of only Two Gentlemen there and the rest were Merry Wives, probably from Windsor. I’ll keep this note brief, As You Like It, and thank you again for tipping me to the group. I am off to make a friendly phone call to one or two noble kinsmen. Then to sleep,” Mark said, perchance to dream of Midsummer Nights coming soon. He’s had enough of Winter’s Tale, and so have we all.

Time for me to bid you adieu, but I’ll be back, so be sure to…

Read me again.