Ramadan has started and the season of Lent has arrived. Ahead of the latter, Newtown Congregational Church hosted a Fat Sunday brunch last weekend, with members of its Adult Workcamp group cooking up a pancake breakfast that was enjoyed following that morning’s worship service. Trinity Episcopal Church hosted its Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper on Tuesday, with bacon, sausage, and pancakes in three different flavors, and while I’m not sure if the planned inaugural round of Pancake Races ended up taking place, I did see some very impressive photos of children flipping pancakes with spatulas. Wednesday morning, Pastor Steve Volpe was in the parking lot of Newtown United Methodist Church, offering his Drive-Thru Ash Wednesday ministry for the third consecutive year. Multiple communities of faith also hosted special Ash Wednesday services, marking the formal entry to the holy season.

The return of Lent also means it’s time for Bee Publishing Company employees to get serious with plans for the 2026 Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Contest. Employees are hoping to come up with displays that are not only fun and creative, they’re also hoping at least one person has a design that’s strong enough to give reigning champion Lynn Remson a good challenge. Our in-house contest is returning for its 15th offering and Lynn has hosted the Peeps Diorama Contest Trophy at her desk for four consecutive years. The trophy represents votes by fellow employees. Lynn has also picked up the equally coveted Peep-le’s Choice honor for the past three years, which means her creations also collected more Likes/Loves through our Facebook presentations than other dioramas each of those years. She also won the trophy at least twice before, in 2018 and 2019; and the Peep-le’s Choice once before, in 2018. That is some tough, tough competition.

We look forward to another good contest. Dioramas will be arriving at 5 Church Hill Road on Thursday, April 2, and voting will again open at noon. A Facebook album with photos of the entries will be published concurrently so that friends and followers can also participate in Peep-le’s Choice voting. Voting will continue until noon Friday. Winners will be announced soon after that. We’ll have a reminder or two ahead of that time, but one of the reasons I’m mentioning all of this so early is we’d love to see similar creations by readers. There are just three rules for our contest: one, you must include at least one Peep; two, try to be original with your design; and three, keep it family friendly. Photos can be e-mailed to shannon@thebee.com or shared on our Facebook when the album is published on April 2.

I heard from my new friend at Newtown Special Ed last week. Following a successful debut of “Sips & Tips” last month, when parents and caregivers of children who receive special education services gathered for coffee and connection with others on the same journey, Newtown Special Ed PTA has scheduled another gathering. The event will again be on a Friday and timed for guests to stop in at C.H. Booth Library after the morning drop-offs at school. If you’d like to join, the group will be in the Gathering Room of the library, just inside the main entrance of 25 Main Street, on March 27 from 9:30 until 11 am. Sharing helpful ideas for navigating support, services, and everyday challenges is again on the unofficial agenda. Registration is requested and can be done by e-mail to newtownSpEdPTA@gmail.com.

Liberty Baggett is on the mend following some recent surgery. Our senior office dog needed to have some cysts removed a few weeks ago, and it was a little more challenging than expected. As a result, she spent a few days working from home with her “mom.” She returned to the office last week, when she was protected by a coat that covered incisions and areas that needed to be shaved. This past Monday, however, marked a big day in her recovery: Libby appeared without her coat. The scars are mighty impressive and she’s still sleeping a lot, but she’s here and she’s healing and we’re all very happy for that.

Meanwhile, it’s been a year for Banks Baggett. Our junior office dog celebrated her first birthday on Monday. Happy birthday Banks!

I just want to reiterate something wonderful that was written about in our Health section this week: the VNA Newtown Thrift Shop raises hundreds of dollars every weekend. The members of the local organization donate all those funds to others. Similarly, Newtown Woman’s Club sent a letter to the editor this week, also noting that all funds raised through their signature fundraiser — the Christmas pewter ornament — go to community and town organizations. Many people often say it, and this week we have two examples of just how “Nicer in Newtown” things can be. Thank you to those in these groups, and many others, who go above and beyond to help others.

VNA Newtown began collaborating last year with Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps to present Hands-Only CPR. Like the thrift shop, “successful” doesn’t seem to be a strong enough word to describe that undertaking. VNA Newtown Vice President Joan Reynolds said last week that approximately 80 people were trained through the classes last year, which didn’t even launch until mid-July. A pediatric CPR class is already nearly full for this month, but I’m told additional classes with different areas of focus will continue this year every six to eight weeks. Cris Fadus, a VNA member who works with NVAC to coordinate the schedule — “the VNA organizes dates and registration, NVAC provides the space and training,” she explained — said the partnership “is working very well. It’s been well received and it’s needed.”

John Schriever stopped in to share some good news last week, and asked that I make sure I offer a Good Egg Award to two Newtown Police Department officers. It seems John and his wife Kathleen returned to their home last Sunday night and found, after two days of heavy winds, snow drifts had filled in their driveway so much, John had a difficult time with it. The Schrievers have a steep driveway with a sharp bend, he shared, and he just couldn’t get his vehicle around that bend. Kathleen wasn’t going to be able to walk the driveway, so John put out a call for help to the local emergency communications center. A short time later Newtown PD Officers Anthony DiGiovanni and Jason Dennison arrived to help. They used their vehicle to transport Kathleen to the top of the hill, and made sure she and John were safely in their home before heading back out on patrol. John said “it was great” to have that help. “They were so nice, and the dispatcher was also really nice,” he added. John asked that I share this good news, which I’m happy to do, along with the honorary award.

The early bird may get the worm, but the night owl will enjoy the Worm Moon in a few weeks. The next full moon on the calendar, March 3’s event will also be a total lunar eclipse.

I hope your memory won’t be eclipsed when it’s time to come back here for the next collection of good news. Like moon cycles, you can also count on me, Thursday afternoons in print and Friday mornings online. Those are the times to check in and … read me again.