Newtown’s Irv “The Curve” Barlia traveled to Cooperstown, N.Y., earlier this month to take part in the Legends of Baseball tournament — and the 77-year-old pitcher was featured in an article at forbes.com. According to Forbes, Irv’s teammates averaged 43 years of age. Go, Irv!

Boy Scout Troop 270 wants to color your world! The Color Splash Run/Walk takes place this Saturday, August 25, at the Second Governor’s Horse Guard, 4 Wildlife Drive. Run, jog, hop, skip, walk — whatever works for you on this 3-mile family fun course. Expect to get splashed with color in the splash zones along the way. The run is a fundraiser to help the Scouts pay for adventure trips, like the one planned to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for 2019. Check bit.ly/troop270 for registration information; it may not be too late. Donations are welcome by mailing a check to Boy Scout Troop 270, 14 West Street, Newtown CT 06470. Feel free to come and cheer them all on, of course.

Maybe motorcycles are more up your alley for adventures. The VFW Post 308 will host the First Annual Auxiliary Poker Run this Saturday. Registration is 9:30 to 10:30 am at the 18 Tinkerfield Road location, ride starts at 11 am. Bikers cost is $25, riders cost is $20. BBQ at 4 pm. Find out more by calling 203-426-9316.

Ugh. Remember the hideous (and venomous) caterpillar I described last week? Well, Christopher Lindsay found one of those Saddleback Caterpillars in his Cobblestone Lane yard over the weekend. It is just as ugly as I suspected. Watch out when you are handling leaves, that none of these critters gives you a sting.

Labor Day weekend is always a busy one in Newtown, and it looks like there’s some fun scheduled in our neighboring town that weekend, too, this year. The Bethel Holiday Weekend Craft Festival will take place on the front lawn of the Municipal Center, 1 School Street in Bethel, on Sunday, September 2, from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free.

If you have not yet donated to support the Newtown Labor Day Parade, organizers estimate it will cost nearly $30,000 to march this parade down the street on September 3. That’s a lot of dough... but really, only about $1 per resident. If your family will be among those lining the streets for the parade, please consider donating even a dollar for each family member. You’ll find a coupon elsewhere in our paper this week, or go to newtownctlabordayparade.org and donate there. Thanks in advance!

The Ninth annual Newtown Hook & Ladder Firehouse Ride is Saturday, September 29, and you don’t want to miss out on the excitement, fun, and fundraiser to support the local fire company. The 50-mile motorcycle ride culminates in a pig roast, music, and more at the Church Hill Road firehouse. Registration for the ride is at 1 pm, with the ride roaring into action at 3 pm. Can’t make it to the event? You can still be a sponsor or take out an ad in the program book. Contact Alyssa Canfield at 203-426-9193. Visit nhlfd.com for details.

Speaking of fun and excitement, Botsford Fire & Rescue is hosting its Summer Bash at the company’s firehouse this Saturday, August 25, from 5 to 11 pm. Food will be available for purchase, and there will be live music by Frandango starting at 6 pm; the annual event benefits the local fire company. There is a $10 entrance fee, and children 12 and under are free. More information about the event is available by calling 203-270-4388 or by vising the company’s Facebook page, facebook.com/botsfordfirerescue.

We are anticipating a different type of excitement for this Monday. We hope parents of Newtown students will remember to submit photos of their child/children returning to school on August 27 for possible inclusion in the next week’s edition of The Newtown Bee and/or for use online at newtownbee.com. Submit photos by e-mailing them with a description of each photo — including the first and last names of those pictured, what grade they are in, and which school they attend — to Education Reporter Eliza Hallabeck at eliza@thebee.com, before 9 am on Tuesday, August 28. My coworkers and I wish all of Newtown’s students a wonderful 2018-19 school year!

The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary (CVHAS) will host a free Twilight Hike this Friday, August 24, from 7 to 9 pm, at the property at the end of Old Farm Road. Participants will investigate the nighttime chorus of the fields and woodlands and enjoy a fireside question and answer session with CVHAS educator and professional naturalist Henryk Teraszkiewicz. Attendees should bring a flashlight and dress appropriately for the outdoors. Visit cvhfoundation.org for more information about the event and the sanctuary.

I’ll be working all week on my investigations, so make sure next week to... Read me again.