By Nancy K. Crevier

In a wooded thicket just behind the police station off of Main Street, three little rabbits are obeying Mother Rabbit as they gather berries into their wicker baskets. But over the bridge and down the path, a naughty little bunny is raiding the farmer's garden, as the dismayed gardener looks on.

The scene has been set by longtime Newtown residents Helen and Scudder Smith, who created The Pleasance on Main Street for the people of Newtown ten years ago. The bunnies and their friends that frolic in the newest patch of greenery near The Pleasance are resin-fortified, cast cement statues, designed and hand painted by artist Ken Memoli of Lime Rock.

"The kids in town love the rooster and turtle and the dogs at The Pleasance," said Mrs Smith, "so we decided that we should have a children's garden."

The special garden is the dream of Mrs Smith, who spent two years designing and mapping out the winding paths and the placement of the 6-by-8-foot Victorian cottage, potting shed, gardens, and the characters that call the thicket home.

The statues are reminiscent of those rabbit characters created by the late 19th-early 20th Century children's author and illustrator Beatrix Potter, of whom Mrs Smith has long been a fan. The Bunny Garden figures are copyrighted, said Mrs Smith, but can be reproduced with permission from the Smiths.

Work on The Bunny Garden began in earnest this spring when a bulldozer cleared the area and the Smiths, Scott and Scudder Baggett, Ken Joyce, Jerry Wilson, and Paul Miles joined forces to turn the brambles and brush into an inviting shade garden. Tom Johnson of Lexington Gardens in Newtown, Hollandia Garden Center of Bethel, and Planters' Choice of Newtown were the source of the hosta, spirea, blueberry bushes, decorative grasses, and cedar trees, as well as many of the plants in the vegetable garden.

The Bunny Garden opens to the public Saturday, July 21, and families are invited to explore the new garden, tiptoe through the vegetable garden, and peek into the potting shed. Inside the cottage, a miniature home furnished with items from Mrs Smith's personal collection presents a cozy picture of bunny homemaking, complete with a roaring "fire" and a photo of Mother Rabbit's favorite wayward son perched on the mantel. The lacy curtains that frame the windows are Mrs Smith's own handiwork. While visitors are not allowed into the cottage, they are welcome to pop their heads in the door to take in the diminutive wonders there.

The Smiths hope that residents of Newtown, young and old, will enjoy the new garden. "People have been very respectful of The Pleasance and we are banking on people being respectful of this garden, as well," said Mr Smith.