It’s Girl Scout Week in Connecticut, and while Girl Scouts of Connecticut Chief Executive Officer Diana Mahoney recently said the March 10-16 observance “is a time for the girls to proudly reflect on our history as the oldest girl-led organization while looking toward the future,” I see something else approaching: Girl Scout Cookie Drop Day! Troops are scheduled to pick up their orders for customer delivery and begin booth sales. As of last weekend, local Girl Scouts were planning to have at least two booths available on Saturday. If you’d like to be first in line this year, Scouts are scheduled to be at Stop & Shop from 8-11 am and at Bagel Delight from 10 am until noon. Sales will continue on Sunday, at Bagel Delight from 8-10 am; Dunkin Donuts, 8 am-noon; Mitchell Hawleyville Deli, 10 am-2 pm; both entrances of Stop & Shop, 11 am-5 pm; Tractor Supply, 12-2 pm; and Your Healthy Pet, 10 am-2 pm. Weekend sales continue at those locations until at least April 7, so if you can’t get out to stock up on Girl Scout Cookies this weekend, you’ll have plenty of time this season. If you’d like to check for updates visit gsofct.org. Once there, click on the little cookie (a Samoa) near the top of the page; within the green banner that says Cookies, click on the green down arrow, then on Find Cookies.

On a serious note for just a moment, more than 50 million American women have participated in the sisterhood of Girl Scouts through the years. Connecticut joined Scouts across the country this week in observing the 112th anniversary of the founding of Girl Scouts on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia. Since last weekend, Scouts have been encouraged to do something kind in the spirit of Girl Scouting, share positive messages with friends, put on party hats (Tuesday, on the anniversary), wear Girl Scout gear, share something they’re thankful for, and share plans for a brighter future. This weekend, Scouts and leaders will work together on Service Sunday, serving their communities as a sisterhood.

It’s also just about St Patrick’s Day with the publication of this week’s print edition. I was so happy to catch a performance last weekend by students of Ashurst School of Irish Dance. The students closed their Saturday with a terrific presentation during the Newtown United Methodist Church Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner, spending 30 minutes in front of a very appreciative crowd. Following the performance School Co-Director Craig Ashurst mentioned it was the fifth performance of the day for his students. That made me appreciate their appearance even more. Those young dancers were all smiles for their crowd, and they were as impressive as ever.

The historic one-room schoolhouse at Middle Gate Elementary School was vandalized recently. Newtown Police shared with the public last Thursday that they were investigating vandalism that occurred on the unsuspecting building that has had its home on the lower front lawn of Middle Gate School since 1973. The circa 1850 building originally stood on the north side of the former Toll Gate Hill (or Tollgate, as some maps show it), the north slope of today’s South Main Street/Route 25, on the east side of the hill, as one heads toward Monroe. The building has been used as an active school and continues to serve as homage to part of this town’s educational history. It has been moved, painted, renovated, reroofed, and generally honored for its role in history, so when I learned that someone felt the need to damage the building owned by Newtown Historical Society, my claws went out. I truly hope the people responsible for that evil deed are found, brought to justice, and answer one burning question: Why??? Why vandalize a historic building? I hope we get some answers to that one.

You know who had a lot of answers recently? Hayden Hughes. Proudly representing Hughes Homeschool of Newtown, Hayden moved to the top of the hive on March 3, winning the 2024 Connecticut Spelling Bee. The seventh grade student took to the microphone 14 times during the recent event, besting 45 other students from across the state to earn this year’s Connecticut title and earn herself a place at the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of May. I am so excited for her!!! Hayden will be among 200 students from across the country competing in Washington, D.C., this year and I will be among those eagerly cheering her on from her hometown.

It seems the focus of a recent cover feature continues to hear from readers who enjoyed learning about one of his favorite pastimes. First Selectman Jeff Capeci was the celebrity bartender during last weekend’s sold out Live at Edmond Town Hall performance by Best of The Eagles. Apparently more than one person mentioned Kathy Ronan’s recent story (“In The Kitchen With Jeff Capeci,” March 1, 2024) to Jeff while he was taking care of drink orders. At least one person referred to him as “the bread guy,” disregarding his current role as the town’s top elected official and focusing instead on the person who shared with our readers how much he enjoys being in the kitchen, baking sourdough bread and variants. If he hasn’t heard it enough yet, I’ll offer it one more time: thank you, Jeff, for sharing that story.

Kleats For Kids, founded by Newtown High School student-athlete Marc Maurath, has a donation bin in the main lobby of NYA Sports & Fitness. This is Marc’s third annual collection seeking gently used cleats. The athletic footwear can be dropped off to help support under-resourced youth groups, community programs, and schools. The bin will be at 4 Primrose Street through March 31.

Happy 85th Anniversary to The Rotary Club of Newtown, whose original charter was signed on March 13, 1939. The local club shared not only a photo of that charter on its Facebook page this week, but also found the front page article from the March 31, 1939 Newtown Bee announcing the formation of the club. The brief story also announced plans for a Charter Night was being organized for Monday, April 10, at Edmond Town Hall. A dinner was planned, “following which the Charter Night program will take place, with presentation of the Charter by Charles W. Petenfill of the 200th Rotary district. Anson T. Leary will act as toastmaster. The main address will be given by Hon Albert E. Lavery, past district governor,” according to the paper that week. Music for the grand event was to be performed by Westport Rotary Orchestra, who expected to be playing for over 200 Rotarians from various clubs across the state! George M. Stuart, president of the local club, was in charge — what a way to launch a Rotary career! Current Club President Vern Chong is hoping to celebrate the anniversary later this year, but I couldn’t let this week go by without throwing some catnip in the air in their honor.

Our local Rotary remains very active and productive, and continues to grow. Jen and Neil Chaudhary were welcomed into the fold at the end of January, and were recruited to appear in their first photo for the paper just a few weeks later. Look for that photo, with fellow Rotarians announcing the return of a fundraising raffle, elsewhere in this week’s print edition.

Belated but still continued congratulations to former Newtown resident Phoebe Jane Hart. We just learned that she received the Short Film Jury Award for Animation during this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Phoebe was simultaneously the writer, producer, model maker, cinematographer and editor of her film, called Bug Diner. Phoebe’s film was one of 12,000 shorts submitted and among the 53 selected for the festival in January. Of those, seven received awards, and only Bug Diner received the Short Film Jury Award for Animation. The film was also screened, at least twice, during this month’s South by Southwest Festival. Could there be an Oscar in the future for this work? Well technically, the Sundance Award does make Bug Diner Oscar-qualifying. Whether it takes that next step to nominations or not, we send our biggest congratulations from this side of the country to the West Coast, where Phoebe now lives and works.

Me, I’m very content with my home on the East Coast. Newtown has a lot happening and so much to be proud about. I’ll talk about that some more next week if you promise to come back and … read me again.