When do slime and cookies go together? When you’re talking about Newtown Community Center, of course! In the case of the first, Have The Slime of Your Life, originally planned for last week, it has been rescheduled to the afternoon of Sunday, February 26. Cost is still $8 for one child, $4 for any additional children in the same family, and registration is required. Call 203-270-4349 (or see our calendars) for additional information.

The community center this week also announced a new offering: Valentine Cookie Decorating Kits, through its partnership with Better Day Café. Kits are $5 each and have “everything you need to decorate your very own Valentine’s Day cookies,” according to organizers. Registration is required by February 8; call the community center or search Eventbrite for Newtown Community Center. Orders will be ready for pickup by February 10, and instructions will be emailed to each registered participant concerning pickup time and location.

Real Food CT has set a “Creating Small Farms” workshop for February 4 from 11:30 am-2:30 pm. The event will begin with a catered lunch, coffee, and mingling. Then starting at 12:30 pm there will be interactive dialogue on micro farms, leasing compared to owning, part-time compared to full-time, equipment and resource sharing, housing, and more. Input from the workshop will shape a Connecticut Economic Development proposal, as announced on the Real Food CT Facebook page. “The Real Food CT team is putting together a big time proposal in 2023 that will build a network of farms in underserved communities,” a description from the group reads. “The workshop will be an interactive discussion on what new farmers need in regards to training, housing, flexibility, and support. Join our journey this year and let us know if you are interested in creating the farms of our dreams.” Registration for the event is available online at realfoodct.kindful.com/e/creating-small-farms.

If you know a young reader with a different sort of adventure in mind than learning about farming, Byrd’s Books in Bethel, 178 Greenwood Avenue, may have just the thing set for February 5, at 4 pm. “Join us for a great afternoon event with Jennifer Thermes’s new book, The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic ... Jennifer will be in conversation with author and Antarctic adventurer Karen Romano Young. Do not miss this exciting afternoon,” a description for the event reads. More information about the event, along with a link to register to attend, is available online at byrdsbooks.com.

And speaking of local book stores with events for local young readers, I noticed that Turning The Page, the Monroe bookstore at 477 Main Street and owned by former Reed Intermediate School librarian Pia Ledina, has set a date for a book launch and story time with author Maria Scrivan, for Sunday, February 12, at 2:30 pm. The event will celebrate the publication of the book Nat For Nothing. A description for the event reads, “Turning The Page is excited to welcome graphic novelist/comic Maria Scrivan back to the shop as she celebrates the publication of Nat for Nothing, the fourth in the Nat Enough series ... you will not want to miss this one!!” Registration for the event is available online at turningthepagebooks.com. And don’t worry if you miss the event, the book store has another book launch party that young readers are sure to enjoy set for February 26 with author Janae Marks.

First Selectman Dan Rosenthal is seeking residents to volunteer to fill a vacancy on the Bike & Trails Committee. The vacant position is available to a Democrat or unaffiliated voter. Resumes are due by February 10, and any interested party can send a letter of interest and a resume to susan.marcinek@newtown-ct.gov. The committee was formed in 2018 to support the development, maintenance, and enjoyment of an interconnected set of sidewalks, trails, and roadways for recreational and non-motorized transportation uses. The committee works to assure that Newtown is a community where sidewalks, trails, and roads provide a safe way for residents to travel, to connect with each other, and to enjoy both the town and the surrounding area by foot, bicycle, and on horseback.

Congratulations to The Exceptional Sidekick Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs board member Andrea Maney! Thanks to an announcement on the group’s Facebook page, I saw this week that Andrea was selected as one of Cigna’s 2023 Community Ambassador Fellows. According to Cigna, “Each year, Cigna selects up to 15 employees as Cigna’s Community Ambassador Fellows and awards each person as much as three months of paid leave and up to $20,000 to develop and launch programs to improve the health and well-being of people around the globe.” As The Exceptional Sidekick Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs post shared, “With this incredible gift Andrea will be improving the lives of all service dog handlers through education and advocacy.” What an accomplishment!

The Newtown Bee Sports Editor Andy Hutchison has certainly been busy this week. There is a coaching change at the top for Newtown High School’s football team. Read all about Head Coach Bobby Pattison’s decision in sports on Page B1. Then, Unified Sports gives special needs athletes a chance to shine — catch up with the Newtown Blue Blaze basketball team, also on B1. And, the NHS track teams had school relay and individual race records broken this past week. Way to fly Nighthawks! But that’s not all: Pomperaug High School student Emma Bensley is doing her Senior Project with The Newtown Bee sports department; check out her writing in the Sports section this week. Emma is pursuing a career in journalism and has an interest in sports. She did a summer academy with The New York Times this past year. I’m sure we will all be following her career closely over the years to come.

You know how much I love all bee information. So of course I noted a post to the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary’s Facebook page on January 17, that credited Mario Marcio for sharing the following: “The bee’s eye is a wonder of biology. It’s covered by hairs that act as a shield against pollen and consists of thousands of tiny lenses called omatides. These lenses allow the bee to see a range of colors, including ultraviolet, and are highly sensitive to movement. This allows the bee to locate flowers and other nutrition sources as well as avoid potential threats. But what really makes the bees eye different is its structure. Unlike our own complex eyes, the bee’s eye is made up of many simple eyes that work together to provide a broad view of the world. With a 280-degree field, the bee can see almost everything around it without turning its head. This is particularly useful for spotting flowers and avoiding predators. Besides its impressive visual abilities, the bee’s eye also processes information at the speed of light. This helps the bee to make quick decisions about where to fly and what to do.”

I don’t mean to brag, but I’d bet this cat has keener eyes than any bee. I intend to use my keen eyes to spot all the news about town as long as you promise next week to ... Read me again.