While filing Property Transfers recently, Bee Reporter Sam Cross found it ironic to see that a home on Poorhouse Road recently sold for $700,000. The less-than-a-half-mile long road in western Newtown was named for the Newtown-Danbury Poor House constructed along that stretch in 1862 for $600, according to Newtown Connecticut: Past and Present.

Curiosity still hasn’t killed this cat, so I wonder: what’s the takedown date for Congratulations Graduate signs? Asking for a friend…

Three young ladies in Newtown recently did something very nice for others, so I’ve decided to give each of them a Good Egg Award. During last week’s hot spell, Hadley Armitage, Reese Armitage and Grace Zinkewich decided to have a lemonade stand. They also wanted to donate the money they raised to a worthy cause. They decided to forward those funds to the local Human Services Department, earmarked for Back To School supplies, and they ended up raising $600! Town of Newtown Director of Human Services Director Natalie Griffith was very surprised — and grateful — when she received that donation.

Missed the lemonade stand? Or want to continue helping those in town who need a hand filling their backpacks for the upcoming academic year? A Back To School Supply Drive is underway, with collection points at Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street; and Around Town Real Estate, 17 Church Hill Road. Through August 15, the following items are being accepted: dry erase markers, backpacks, Post-Its, glue sticks, child-safe scissors, markers, colored pencils, earbuds or headphones, pocket folders, notebooks, lunchboxes, crayons, pencils, pens, and school snacks.

Anything will help. According to the National Retail Federation, families with students in elementary through high school are expected to spend an average of $858.07 on clothing, shoes, school supplies and electronics this season. School supplies alone average $143.77, the federation noted.

State Treasurer Erick Russell was in town this week, addressing the State of the State in terms of Connecticut finances. We’ll have a full story about that visit next week, but one of the things he talked about during his visit on Monday was the number of children born into poverty in Connecticut. Every municipality, he said, has families living below the poverty level. “Poverty doesn’t always look like what you expect it to,” he told the crowd. That means yes, even in Newtown we have families who have a very challenging time making ends meet. The good work those three young ladies did last week with their lemonade stand, and the ongoing collection at the community center and Around Town RE, will certainly help our neighbors and friends.

Speaking of the approaching school year, Newtown Public Schools will report in for the 2025-26 academic year and begin their annual professional development on August 20. Students have their first day of school less than a week later, on August 25. Back-To-School sales and planning those first day outfits began weeks ago, and we’d love to see what everyone looks like on August 25. Students, parents, grandparents, et al, we’d love First Day of School photos for our annual roundup. Please send photos — keeping them as large as possible, so they print well in the paper — to Education Reporter Jenna Visca at jenna@thebee.com. We’ll need those photos right away if they’re going to be included in the print edition of August 29, so send them almost as soon as you take them, please. They’re due in Jenna’s hands by 8 am Tuesday, August 26.

I hear a special guest has promised to take the hot seat — or would that be a wet seat? — in the dunk tank at Botsford Summer Bash in a few weeks. Members of southern Newtown’s volunteer company have added two more locations where people can buy tickets for the fundraiser’s raffle — Napa Auto Parts-Klover Inc at 111 South Main Street and Newtown Hardware at 61 Church Hill Road — in addition to the South Main Street firehouse on Monday nights, from most members, at the Office of the Fire Marshal, and at the office of The Newtown Bee. Now they’ve added someone with a big profile on the local level to the dunk tank line-up. Children’s activities will be running from 2-5 pm on August 23, and Botsford Chief Kyle Placko said this week the special guest will be in the spotlight from 3-3:30 that afternoon.

I also heard from Leslie Ballard this week, who shared some very nice news with me. She and her brother Corky are the two original members of Panacea who will be performing another reunion show Labor Day weekend at Dickinson Park — more on that next week, or you can look at our online calendar now for details. Panacea has performed music from the 1960s through 90s, inviting all ages to enjoy the free show at the town park, and usually arranging for at least one food truck to be on site. In lieu of any performance fee the band has also requested donations for FAITH Food Pantry. In 2021, they formally named their collection The Bridget Seaman Memorial FAITH Food Pantry Drive, to honor their friend and ours after her sudden death that April. Bridget was a big supporter of the food pantry, and Panacea, so it’s a natural combination.

This year Leslie is upping the ante for those who attend the show in a few weeks. She will be raffling a one-year subscription to her hometown newspaper. Tickets will be sold the afternoon of the concert, and all proceeds will be added to donations received for the food pantry. I thank Leslie for supporting two of my favorite things with this generous project. She’s pretty purrfect in my book.

Speaking of FAITH Food Pantry, they’ll be operating their monthly Drive-Thru Food Drive this weekend. If you can visit 46 Church Hill Road on Saturday between 10 am and noon, volunteers will be there to accept donations. You won’t even need to get out of your vehicle. Regular donations of nonperishable food, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, personal hygiene items and financial donations will all be accepted.

If you’d like to help fill some of the gaps in the current supplies, however, the pantry has created a wish list for this month: body wash, broth (chicken, beef or vegetable), canned carrots, cat litter, deodorant for men and women, iced tea or lemonade mixes, lunch size salty snacks for children, shampoo and conditioners, and sunscreen.

My wish list is always simple: happiness, tuna, and a cool place for a nap. I also wish another good week for you, and that you’ll remember to come back and … read me again.