Newtown Youth & Family Services is seeking nominations for its 2012 Outstanding Youth Awards, and the deadline is fast approaching to get them in. Fortunately it’s a pretty easy process. In two paragraphs, tell NYFS Executive Director Candice Foster how your nominee has shown exemplary leadership skills, is a good role model for his/her peers, is community oriented, and demonstrates good character. Send this to Candice either via snail mail at NYFS, 15 Berkshire Road, Sandy Hook CT 06482, or e-mail her at CFoster@NewtownYouthAndFamilyServices.org. Deadline for nominations is May 23, and awards will be presented during the NYFS annual meeting in June. Sounds like someone could be a “Good Egg” in training, to me.

The Victory Garden at Fairfield Hills is back, and this past Sunday, three generations of Sterns dug in to help get the plot ready.  On the left is grandma Julie Stern, who joined her daughter Rachel and grandson Andrew in pulling weeds, spreading mulch, and otherwise preparing the soil for planting. Now there’s a good way to spend Mother’s Day: mothering Mother Nature!

Meanwhile, another grandmother was taking on nature in quite a different way. While some were enjoying a restful Mother’s Day, Newtowner Jeanne Walker, grandmother of six, and her daughter Christy Magoon, mother of two, were in Pepperell, Mass., trying something new: skydiving. “It was an awesome experience,” according to Jeanne.

Good luck to the D’Orazio sisters, JoJo and AnnMarie, of DOrazio Sisters Bakery in Plaza South! They are one of eight bakeries in the state competing to hold the honor of official birthday cake baker for the Beardsley Zoo’s 90th birthday celebration. The Great Cake Bake-Off will be judged by the Twice Baked Twins of Channel 3’s Twice Baked 2 Minute Take fame, during the birthday bash, Saturday, May 19, from 10 am to 2 pm, at the zoo in Bridgeport. The zoo/birthday-themed cake must be three-tiers and frosted, but JoJo says she has a feeling that their entry will be taller than three tiers. I can’t wait to see what deliciously wild creation the baking sisters come up with — I’m hoping a big cat, but JoJo hints that it may be one of the bird species.

The Newtown High School Gymnastics Team will host a car wash fundraiser this weekend, with members of the team washing vehicles of all sizes in exchange for donations. Gymnasts will be at Berkshire Motors, 25 Berkshire Road, on Saturday, May 19, from 9 am until 2 pm. Donations of any amount will be greatly appreciated. Chris Jannott, whose daughter Anna is on the team, reminded me “2011-12 was the first year NHS had an official varsity gymnastics team, however the team is currently funded solely by the families of the gymnasts.”

Also on Saturday, the Glo Glo Girls Newtown Relay For Life team will host a tag sale at 7 Main Street (that beautiful blue Victorian), from 8:30 am until 2 pm. In addition to tag sale items the team will be offering baked goods, with all money from the event going to the American Cancer Society.

I was schmoozing with Crash the golden retriever at Newtown Country Mill on Route 302 one afternoon last week, when he told me that he has been helping owner Linda Manna pack up. But not to worry, the store specializing in country, primitive, and antique items for all around the house and garden is only relocating. Crash says he’ll be picking out a braided rug to sleep on inside of the antique house next to demitasse coffee shop in Sandy Hook Center, come August 1. In the meantime, savvy shoppers might make off with some moving sale bargains during May and June.

Cats have nine lives, and we sometimes take them for granted, but a dear feline friend of mine used her final life last weekend. Lucky, a beautiful white cat that adopted Amber Edwards and Justin Scott a few years ago, died Sunday night. She had been ill for a few weeks, but her family and doctors were encouraged when Lucky was able to return home on Saturday. She spent a beautiful sunny Mother’s Day lounging in different parts of the gardens that Amber and Justin maintain (certainly in part for her pleasure, she always thought), but when she went to sleep Sunday night she quietly slipped away to that catnip garden in the sky.

Not everyone has nine lives, though. You can help patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases by becoming a bone marrow donor. It involves only a cheek swab to become part of the registry to match you up in the future with someone in need, and this coming Monday, May 21, representatives from the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be The Match Registry will be in the high school auditorium, from 8 am to 2:30 pm to take cheek swabs and register donors. For more information, visit www.marrow.org.

Whether or not you are a Democrat, you might want to attend the June 5 Jefferson-Jackson-Bailey Day dinner sponsored by the local Democratic Town Committee, when former first selectman Herb Rosenthal is honored for his commitment to town and state. Guest speaker Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman will address guests that evening, and Newtown State Representative Chris Lyddy will emcee the event. The dinner will be presented in The Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall, and is open to the public. Tickets are $60 per person, and include cocktails at 6:30 pm followed by dinner at 7:30 pm. Seating in is limited to 105 people, so tickets must be purchased by May 21, by calling Maureen Owen at 203-270-1774 or Jan Brookes at 203-426-9889. Advertising in the event program is available for purchase by calling either Ms Owen or Ms Brookes.

A note from St Rose of Lima Home School Association confirms there will definitely be another Friday Night Bingo on May 25, a fun way to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. Doors open at 5:45, games begin at 6:30, and it’s a $17 per person charge for all of the regular games. Special games with higher jackpots can be bought in to for another $1 each, and there are plenty of refreshments to keep everyone charged up for the full night, which usually runs about 2½ hours. Call 203-426-5102 if you have any questions. There may even be another Bingo added in June — stay tuned, to stay up to date.

I know the best way to stay up to date. Open the paper to page 6 next week and… Read me again.