Newtown had impressive representation in the 63rd Annual Schoolboy/Schoolgirl Classic, a premier basketball all star game featuring elite high school seniors, which took place at Staples High in Westport on March 28. Newtown High School's Sam Diaspro was among the Connecticut selections, and Newtown High Coach Jeremy O'Connell coached Diaspro and the East squad to a 92-88 over the West lineup. The teams were comprised of players from CIAC and NEPSAC schools in Connecticut. "The All-Star Game was incredible — to be able to coach so much talent was a lot of fun," the coach said.

We had our own great competition last week, with five amazing entries for the 2026 Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Contest. Newcomer Katherine Kordik contributed Dungeons & Peeps; longtime employee Susie Leniart entered the competition for the first time with Peep or Get Off The Pot; and the other three entries came from returning competitors Sam Cross, with Dirty Peeping; Shannon Hicks, with Ferris Acres Peepery; and Lynn Remson, with Super Mario Peeps. We had a lot of fun looking at the detailed work in each diorama as they arrived Thursday morning. For the in-house voting it was a close competition among four of the entries last week, with Katherine’s Dungeons & Peeps picking up The Peeps Diorama Trophy. Katherine gets to keep that award at her desk for the next year. Not a bad way for one of our newest Bees to enter the fray.

Meanwhile, the online voting leaned heavily toward Ferris Acres Peepery, Shannon’s celebration of the very popular ice cream stand on Sugar Street. It was nice to have two winners again this year. We don’t have a trophy for Peep-le’s Choice, however, so Shannon gets bragging rights for the next year but nothing to keep on her desk.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit our Facebook album and vote. We truly appreciate each of you. If you'd like to see additional photos from this year's entries, including close-up views of some of the details, visit our 2026 Newtown Bee Peeps Diorama Contest photo album on Facebook.

Spring continues and that means we’re seeing the return of bright bulb-driven flowers like tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, and, of course, daffodils. One of the local landmarks for years has been the yellow daffodils that line the iron fence in front of Newtown Village Cemetery. Our late publisher, R. Scudder Smith, spearheaded the effort that got those bulbs planted years ago. We think of him often, especially now as they begin to return in the days ahead of what would have been his 91st birthday.

The Garden Club of Newtown has been building its own daffodil patch just across the road. During the past two years, 800 bulbs have been planted in the grassy space in the southern section of Ram Pasture, south of the Hawley Lane bridge. They too have just begun showing their faces and they make a beautiful complement to Scudder’s plantings.

April showers bring May flowers, as they say. Locally, April also brings the launch of Great Pootatuck Duck Race ticket sales. The Newtown Lions Club family-friendly event returns to Heritage Park in June, with dozens of prizes and, this year, new additions, including a few nods toward America’s Semiquincentennial. Tickets are $10 each and if you’d like to be among the first to buy them, local Lions Club members are scheduled to be outside Hawleyville Wine & Liquor, 23 Barnabas Road, on Friday, April 10, from 5-7 pm; and then in front of Newtown Hardware, 61 Church Hill Road, on Saturday, April 11, from 9 am until 1 pm.

Next weekend’s sales include members in front of Yankee Wine & Spirits, within Newtown Shopping Center at 6 Queen Street, on Friday, April 17, 5-7 pm; and then near each entrance of Stop & Shop, within Sand Hill Plaza at 228 South Main Street, on Saturday, April 18, from 10 am until 2 pm. The Lions have been kind enough to share their sales schedule with me, so check back each week between now and June 13 for updates.

I hope you’ll be kind enough to remember that I love collecting and sharing good news on a weekly basis. I’ll be looking for you again in seven days, when it will be time to … read me again.