There is a long-standing joke/observation that Newtown does not need any more pizza restaurants, liquor stores, or nail salons. In fact, the updated lines in that conversation that come up each time a retail location opens up in town is someone really business savvy will open a combination pizza restaurant-liquor store-nail salon, offering customers one-stop shopping. Research recently unveiled by Pricelisto, analyzing Google searches within each state, says more searches are done in Connecticut for Chinese cuisine than any other style. Second place was Mexican, followed in order by Indian, and then Italian! I’d say they forgot to let Newtown residents know about that survey. Sounds a little skewed to me. (Speaking of skewed, my personal favorite — sushi — didn’t even rank!)

Shoutout this week to Sandbox Beach Grill, which opened last week and caught not only my attention with the wafting scents of tuna and shrimp (yummm!) but also the sight of its Beach Reads. A community library just inside the new eatery at 48 South Main Street, the collection offers fiction, non-fiction and children’s titles on topics related to happiness, meaning, and mindset. Now that’s something I can wrap my paws around. Second shoutout to also being the latest in-town restaurant to connect with local vendors. Sandbox is already featuring NewSylum on tap and Ferris Acres Creamery in its desserts. This cat is always about shopping and supporting local!

Readers are reminded that members of Protect Our Pollinators are planning tours of Tammy’s Garden this weekend. The public space is a formerly empty courtyard on the western side of Newtown Municipal Center that has been filled in recent years with 19 beds of native plants, eight native trees, two iron benches, and memories of a longtime Town employee with a “big smile and loving heart [who] touched everyone who knew her. Tammy loved gardens, butterflies, and other pollinators,” according to POP Co-Founder Mary Wilson. Mary and others will be at that beautiful space on Saturday, from 10 am until 2 pm, answering questions about the garden and the plants specifically selected for the space. There is no fee, and picnic lunches are welcome. Rain date is Sunday, June 25. Check POP’s website, propollinators.org, on Saturday if the weather looks at all iffy.

Trinity Episcopal Church has announced its formal plans for its You Are Not Alone grief support group. The recently launched program plans to meet permanently on the first and third Thursdays of each month, from 4 to 5:15 pm, in the library of the church at 36 Main Street. Those planning to attend should use the glass doors on the rear/eastern side of the church; an elevator is also available for those who need that. This is an interfaith, non-sectarian, confidential meeting in a non-judgmental listening space. Contact the church office at 203-426-9070 or admin@trinitynewtownct.org for additional information.

While we regularly highlight some of the favorite finds and research by John Renjilian into antique and rare finds for the Friends of C.H. Booth Library Book Sale, this is a good time to note that there are other volunteers who are equally adept at realizing value in some of the unexpected donations every year. Not only that, but you never know who knows what interesting pieces of history. Lily Moreno-Sheridan unearthed an interesting item just last weekend while in the sorting room at the library. She discovered an educational exhibit from Cheney Brothers Silk Mills, which was “one of the big players in Connecticut’s silk industry in the 19th Century,” according to Friends Publicist Nancy Dvorin. Nancy credited Lily, who has family ties to the Cheneys as well as an academic interest in this state’s silk industry, for immediately recognizing the value of the donation. The item is a Cheney Brothers Educational Silk Exhibit, according to John. The collection was designed for textile schools, colleges and universities, and department store personnel. Its box, and accompanying charts, each approximately 17½ by 13 inches, includes samples that illustrate the process of silk manufacture and various materials used in and produced by the process, three charts of swatches of finished products, and two identical charts of illustrations of silk worms and the manufactory process, without swatches. There is also a framed advertising circular from another mill, a large photogravure of the mill, and two silk kerchiefs, seemingly from a later period, all according to notes already collated by the Friends about this exciting find.

In a separate note, Lily explained that her father’s family immigrated from Sicily in 1900, and moved to Manchester in the late 1910s to work at Cheney Mills. Due to the way the company was structured, Lily’s ancestors were given a house and worked at the mills, she said. “My great-grandfather worked in the silk tie mill. My dad’s family has lived in Manchester and the surrounding area ever since,” she shared. “Because of the family connection, I have been interested in the mills and their history, and wrote a short paper on the history of silk manufacturing in Connecticut this past April.” Lily used the educational charts as source material for her paper just a few months ago, so she recognized them immediately when they were donated! That’s very cool to this cat. I hope readers understand the time and talent that goes into organizing that fundraising book sale every year. There are a lot of people who provide hours of work behind the scenes, well before (and during and even after) the days of public shopping. The Cheney Mills lot had not been priced as of the beginning of this week, but other highlights were discussed during a recent visit with The Newtown Bee. See next week’s story about some of those finds.

It’s Lightning Safety Awareness Week. My canine counterparts are all about hiding when thunder and lighting starts. That’s about the smartest thing they do. Did you know, though, that lightning kills or injures hundreds of people in this country every year? The National Weather Service launched Lightning Safety Awareness Week (LSAW) in 2001 to call attention to that terrifying statistic. Fortunately, education has led the number of lightning deaths to drop from about 55 per year to less than 30. This year’s observance continues to June 24, and the weather service has been offering daily tips on its Facebook and Twitter feeds. Sunday’s opening day message was, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” Please take a few minutes to visit either location to learn easy ways to be safe as a storm approaches, and while one is in the immediate area.

Speaking of dogs and scary sounds, please keep animals — and people — in mind as Independence Day approaches. Not everyone is a fan of fireworks, and some people in town have been getting an early start with their backyard presentations. We’ve already heard from a few people who are not at all happy about that. Please be careful if you play with fireworks, and do consider going easy on the neighbors too.

The movable crosswalk warning sign in front of Edmond Town Hall took another hit during the past week. Around midday Tuesday, it was definitely lilting to one side. I suppose it’s better that a vehicle clipped that and not a pedestrian.

Boy, Jim Taylor’s story last week (“Pedestrian Bridge In Sandy Hook Unsafe, May Face Removal”) about Sandy Hook Center’s pedestrian bridge, its current condition, and discussion by the Legislative Council on what to do now that the bridge is unsafe for its intended use really jolted the hornet’s nest. People have very definite opinions about the bridge, as evidenced by the 50+ comments about the story on our Facebook page this week. There was a little confusion for some readers about the location of the bridge. To be clear, this is the bridge that goes over the Pootatuck River, connecting the parking lot at 4 Washington Avenue to the parking lot of 100 Church Hill Road. The span can be seen from the easternmost Church Hill Road traffic bridge, and it is lovely. There is a lot of corrosion on the all-steel bridge, however, which led to fencing being installed at least six months ago to prevent people from using the span. We look forward to seeing what local officials — or other enterprising individuals who may want to finance some part of the bridge’s repairs, as has been suggested — decide what to do. The topic is far from closed, and we thank readers who took the time to share their thoughts.

Newtown Congregational Church is doing a collection for St Martin de Porres Academy, a middle school in New Haven. Marked tubs are in the lower lobby of the church, at 14 West Street, and readers are invited to offer any of the following for the school’s students: age-appropriate books, sheet music, musical instruments, beach towels, and gently-used one piece bathing suits for girls or trunk swimsuits for boys. The swim suits should be child size medium through teen/small adult. Longtime NCC member Gary Peters is organizing the collection. Reach out (crossroadsolutionsLLC@gmail.com) if you have any questions. The church has been supporting the school for a few years, often with similar donation drives.

That’s it for me this week. I’m going to rest up after sharing all of these notes and tidbits but I hope you will remember to … read me again.