Calling 1960-64 Newtown High School grads! Members of the NHS Class of 1962 are working on planning the 60th class reunion for Saturday, September 17, at Rock Ridge Country Club. E-mail inquiries have been sent out to members of the 1960, 1961, 1963, and 1964 classes also inviting them to join the celebration. If interested in attending, or for more information, contact Terry (Madsen) Qubick at 203-470-1067.

If you missed the July 12 Newtown Senior Center presentation of Newtown resident and retired editor of The Newtown Bee Nancy K. Crevier debuting her book of poetry, The Peach Quartet and Other Poems, fear not. A, Shannon Hicks has a recap of that event in this week’s Enjoy section and B, Crevier has another upcoming event planned. Nancy will be joining fellow Newtown resident and author Andrea Zimmermann (another fellow Bee, who recently published A Legacy of Lies: A Rock Ridge Mystery), and Newtown resident and author Sydney Eddison, whose latest poetry collection is The Sacred Ground of Home: Poems from a country life, for a September 15 program at C.H. Booth Library. All three books are available to purchase online on Amazon, but you can also purchase the books at the upcoming event. For the September 15 program, the authors will offer a book talk, reading, and sales of their books. It is never too early to register for a C.H. Booth Library event; call 203-426-4533 or visit chboothlibrary.org to do so. Personally, I love snacking on oranges and reading during the summer months, so you know what this cat will be doing with the rest of my summer: Prepping for the event.

Congratulations to NHS’s Armed School Security Officer (ASSO) Pete Zaksewicz, pictured, and Head O’ Meadow Elementary School Security Officer (SSO) Michael Kaylor for their retirements. Kaylor retired in June, and Zaksewicz is set to retire on July 29. Kaylor — known as “Mr Mike” to the HOM community — served 30 years with the United States Postal Service and worked for Newtown Public Schools from 2013 to this year. We know he is an avid boater, coaches basketball, and is a proud grandfather of four children under the age of 3. I wish you many happy memories in your retirement Mr Mike! Pete is working at NHS through his last day, so if you see him working before then, make sure to wish him well! Pete served 30 years with Shelton Police Department, eight years as a detective and retired in the rank of sergeant (traffic division), and has worked for Newtown Public Schools since 2015. Once he’s retired, this cat still expects to see him riding his motorcycle in the area or maybe zooming down slopes in the winter as a downhill skier. He also studies aircraft. Pete is looking forward to spending more time with his two grandchildren, and I wish him all the best!

If you are driving around and hear a bell this Saturday, know that yes, it is Christmas. This Saturday, July 23, is Salvation Army’s Christmas in July event. Local volunteers will be ringing bells at location spots to collect donations for the local Salvation Army chapter. 90% of collected funds will stay in town to help support back-to-school backpacks and other supplies and will support residents affected by increased food and gas costs. Locations are Bagel Delight, 30 Church Hill Road, 8 am-1 pm; Dunkin’ Donuts, 6 Queen Street, 8 am-noon; Newtown General Store, 43 Main Street, 8 am-1 pm; Stop & Shop, 228 South Main Street (Sand Hill Plaza), 9 am-4 pm; and Yankee Wine & Spirits, 6 Queen Street, noon-4 pm.

Also on Saturday, Newtown Democratic Town Committee has reserved the pavilion at Dickinson Town Park for a few hours, when they will host a campaign rally for Tim Gavin. The contestant for state senate will be celebrated on July 23 between noon and 2 pm, according to a note we received this week from Newtown DTC. Speakers are scheduled to arrive right at noon, and speeches should begin around 12:15, we were told. Lt Gov Susan Bysiewicz and Secretary of the State candidate Stephanie Thomas, among other candidates, are also expected. Light food and refreshments will be available. Reservations are not needed for the public event. Easiest access to the pavilion is via the park driveway at 50 Elm Drive.

Free movies return to Edmond Town Hall this weekend, thanks still to Ingersoll Auto of Danbury. This month’s feature is The Bad Guys. The animated heist caper will be screened Friday through Sunday, July 22-24, at 1 and 7 pm each day. The film is rated PG and features the vocal talents of Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, and Awkwafina, among others. You can get tickets ahead of each show at the box office (45 Main Street), or they can be reserved ahead of time via edmondtownhall.org. For more than nine years Todd Ingersoll and his company have sponsored this wonderful offering. We thank them for this ongoing gesture of kindness.

While COVID-19 has not fully cleared from the conversation, we acknowledge that steps continue to be taken to reawaken the world from its slumber. One of the most recent big steps we celebrated was the return of group visits to our office on Church Hill Road. A few weeks ago we said Hello to a lovely group of young ladies, local Girl Scout Brownies who reached out to see if they could visit us as part of a troop walking tour in the center of town. We extend our belated thanks to the girls, their troop leaders and parents, and the siblings who all visited, showed enthusiasm and great manners, and left us hopeful for the next generation of newspaper readers. It was a pleasure to welcome you.

We heard from Barbara O’Connor this week, who admitted she was a little bit behind but nevertheless helped us step toward identifying someone in a recent Way We Were photo. In the July 8, 2022 issue of The Newtown Bee, we had a photo showing Boy Scouts in Troop 270, we think during a meeting or event at Botsford firehouse. The adult troop leader is looking at the camera, but there are no identifying marks on the photo. Barbara thought the man could be George Houghton — and none of us are sure about the spelling of his surname — who used to live on nearby Meadow Brook Road with his wife and their children.

Hopefully by the time this week’s column is published, Jane Sharpe will have a new knee.

Best wishes to Sandy Hook residents Pammi and Marc (they know who they are…) and the grand adventure of marriage they will be embarking on this weekend.

It’s been a hot week here in Newtown and the area. I’m going to go curl up in the shade with a good book — or maybe take advantage of the air-conditioning at 45 Main Street while enjoying a free movie — and think about how thankful I will be if you promise to… read me again.