To the Editor:

It is usually not hard for me to find words, but I must admit I am overwhelmed to the point of feeling somewhat speechless. It may be more accurate to say that the utter joy you have bestowed upon my parents and me this month has made us assume a position of inadequacy for any words we may muster.

It goes without saying that Newtown is my heart. Growing up in this beloved town is certainly the greatest gift of my lifetime. Being born into a family like mine has been an honor but being born into the town of Newtown is most definitely a privilege.

The Newtown Bee always represented to me a totem of community; celebrating small town life at its most charming. It has always been in the pages of The Bee that my family and I sought fun, comfort, information, art, happenings, adventure. More outings than I can remember began as a means to seek out the location of a “Bee’s Buck” that ultimately led to the Ice Cream Shop.

Seeing over the years the highlighted members of Newtown who through the pages I learned were retiring or had accomplished something fabulous, kept me up on my fellow Newtowners. Witnessing the pics of those who traveled with The Bee where by way of the “Bee around the world” snapshots showed me where folks were visiting, exploring, igniting their passion for getting out into the world.

The Newtown Bee is definitely not your run of the mill town paper; it is not an expected publication; it is always evolving, growing, but most of all, I have found its heart to lie in telling the stories of its people.

This past month, my mother and father, Charles and Phyllis Framularo, Newtown Residents for decades, celebrated their 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary in the home I grew up in. They have lived there since before I was born and still reside comfortably in our li’l village today.

It was with such enthusiasm that I wrote to The Bee to share their accomplishment of love through it all in our small town in an effort to see if there was a way to commemorate this union that birthed so much joy in our community.

My dad has been on boards in the town, my mom worked more snack shacks for little league than I can remember, I grew up swimming at the town park (which I desperately miss, turtles and all), and running along the train tracks. My first job was scooping ice cream at the Newtown Ice Cream Shop owned by Mr and Mrs White who taught me so much, and Middle Gate along with the Middle School were the best days of my life!

All of this came to mind when I wrote to the Editor and lo and behold, my folks were relaxing at the library a couple weeks ago, opened The Bee and BOOM! There they were: in the spotlight. The team at The Bee set them apart; congratulating them and sharing this pure Happiness with you all!

I am so grateful and proud to be a Newtowner. No matter how many countries I have lived in, how many states I have moved to, and even though I find myself nestled in the Mountains of Idaho today, Newtown will forever and always be home.

Thank you Newtown Bee for standing apart. Thank you for honoring those who so proudly call you “theirs,” and for making this 50th Year Celebration just that much more golden!

With love, gratitude and affection,

Carla Framularo

Boise, Idaho