It takes a cat’s sharp eyes to find the rare sights in Newtown, and last Wednesday evening while out doing some backseat driving just at dusk, I laid eyes on a furry beast loping across Great Hill Road. I’m not sure if it was Boo Boo Bear or Yogi Bear, but it was definitely a bear that crossed the road and scrambled up a tree on the other side. By the time I shut my dropped jaw, rubbed my eyes just to be sure, and turned around for a better look, the bear had evidently climbed down and gone on his way, or had shimmied so far up the pine that I could not see him. Linda Whippie, who lives in the area, tells me she has heard reports of bear tracks up on Holcomb Hill. It’s thrilling to see wild creatures, but I think a small cat like me might be wise to stick close by the back door.

So what is a canine advocate to do when one of her beloved dogs gets scared by thunder and causes a jog-stopping injury? If you’re Kendra Bobowick, you grin and try to bear it. Kendra, who is familiar around town not only for her reporting duties here at The Bee but also for her regular midday (and after-work) jogs, was sidelined recently when she and Hershey, one of her dogs, found themselves trying to get back home from one of those jogs before a rainstorm hit. Unfortunately they didn’t quite make it back to their yard before the sky opened up and the first boom of thunder announced itself, at which point Hershey pulled out of her collar, ran across the yard, and then turned and made a beeline back toward Kendra… and made solid contact with her right knee. If she were a football player, Hershey totally would have drawn a flag for that kind of play. Kendra’s jogging and gardening have been put on hold for the time being, and she’s still moving rather gingerly, but the dogs and homeowners who are used to seeing her jog along Wendover, The Boulevard, Church Hill, and other roads in the center of town most afternoons can rest assured. She’ll be back in her sneakers and making tracks as soon as she gets the OK from her doctors.

Concertgoers dodged sudden high winds and enormous plops of rain, squeezing in the front doors of The Meeting House just before last Saturday evening’s storm burst forth in all of its glory. The thunder and lightning rumbled off in time for the members of the Newtown Choral Society, under the direction of Mary Andreotta, to put forth the first sweet notes of the spring concert, though, and pretty soon it was not the drumming of the rain, but some fancy drumming by Choral Society member Chuck Margoulas that was music to the ears. Apparently those of us indoors missed out on a fabulous double rainbow that followed the storm, but on the other hand, everyone who saw the rainbows missed out on a fabulous concert.

 In case you’ve been out of the country and haven’t had the opportunity over the past several weeks to take part in one fundraiser or another, the extraordinary American Cancer Society overnight experience Relay For Life takes place on the Newtown High School grounds this weekend, Saturday, June 7, through Sunday morning, June 8. This year’s event brings the community together with hundreds of people participating under the Olympic theme of “One World, One Dream.”

The event combines fun-filled activities and serious messages about cancer prevention and survivorship, while raising money for research and programming. For those unfamiliar with Relay For Life, during the relay, teams gather at the high school track and take turns walking or running laps. Each team tries to keep at least one team member on the track at all times.

This year, Newtown has been chosen as a pilot site for an online auction for the American Cancer Society serving as a fundraising opportunity for teams. Whether you walk, volunteer, or donate, the 2008 Relay For Life is an opportunity to participate in one of Newtown’s most popular and well-attended community activities, with an average attendance of more than 2,000. To learn how to participate, or to volunteer, call Necole Salvesen at 948-3878 or e-mail relayforlifeofnewtown@gmail.com.

There is a celebrity in our midst — I hope you didn’t miss Gov Rell’s proclamation of this past Sunday as Dana L. Van Buskirk Day. I know. You thought he was just some excellent NHS wrestler graduating in a couple of weeks. Nope. Dana earned Boy Scout’s highest honor of Eagle Scout in a ceremony held Sunday afternoon at Cullens. And so, Sunday was DLVB Day. Way to go, Dana!

We can’t toot the horn for every wonderful student who receives an accolade this time of the year because there are so many of them, of course. We try to let everyone know about Newtown’s fantastic young adults, and every now and then we have to blurt out the names of those we are particularly proud of. This week, it is not just Dana who has us bursting with pride, but Bridie Rubino, who we recently learned was one of five NHS students awarded a scholarship last month by The Weller Foundation. Bridie received a Paul W. Broggi Communications Award, which is for a student focused on communications studies. The reason we here at The Bee are particularly proud to hear of this award is that we had the pleasure of welcoming Bridie as an intern for a few months during her junior year at NHS last spring. We’re very happy to hear that she’s still interested and actively pursuing membership in the Fourth Estate.

Okay, I have to dish on one more youthful Newtowner. The 51st American Junior Miss (AJM) National Finals is right around the corner and a talented young woman from Newtown will represent the state of Connecticut. Lauren Morrissey, a recent graduate from Newtown High School, will travel to Mobile, Ala., on June 16, to participate in the finals on June 26, 27, and 28. She will be participating in community service activities, special events, and long rehearsals during her two-week stay on the Gulf Coast. Find out what’s happening with Lauren by visiting the AJM website ajm.org/media or Lauren’s blog at nbc15online.com. Good luck, Lauren!

All this praise has worn me out. I’m going back to my cushion with just a reminder to you for next week: Read me again.