A reminder this week that Dan Rosenthal is inviting residents to put on their walking shoes and step outdoors with him. The first selectman is resurrecting Walk & Talk with First Selectman Rosenthal, a program that invites residents to walk within Fairfield Hills and talk town topics outside the government setting. The program returns Friday, August 13, at noon, and will continue every other week — weather permitting — until October 22. Anyone interested in joining Dan should gather outside the southern entrance of Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street. We will post updates online, including our social media feeds, if rain or other bad weather forces a cancellation.

From walking to running, I hear registration is open for the 12th Annual Turkey Trot, set for Thanksgiving Day. The 5K run/walk or 2.5K (1.6 miles) fitness walk will benefit C.H. Booth Library and is sponsored by Newtown Savings Bank. The event will start and finish at Newtown Middle School. For more information and to sign up see runsignup.com/race/ct/newtown/newtownturkeytrot online.

If walking and running is not enough for you, I know a video you can watch to feel like you are “flying” via drone footage: The video for this year’s “Taps Along the Housatonic” has been completed. Now everyone can see what a beautiful event this year’s Memorial Day offering was. Newtown resident and videographer Bill Cafarelli edited the videos shot at each of the eight locations along the Housatonic River where musicians gathered for the second annual offering on Monday, May 31. The video is just shy of 13 minutes, and it opens with welcoming remarks by Thomas J. Saadi, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs. It continues with the origin story of “Taps,” then a brief message by Nick Cabral, commander of American Legion Post 202, which coordinated the effort last year and this year. Messages from Dan Rosenthal and State Representative Mitch Bolinsky are also part of the video. In addition to the performances from each location, the video includes a slideshow featuring photos of uniformed members of service who have passed away but who had lived in Newtown at some time in their lives. Visit youtu.be/4fvtdk7ryn4 to view the finished project.

Note to my cat-self: Build a “catio.” As you can see from these cool cats inside Newtown Animal Control Shelter’s outdoor catio — lounging on perches and peering at the blooming flowers nearby that attracted a variety of pollinators on August 2 — a catio is the place to be on a sunny summer day.

Speaking of cats, I’d like to remind you that the most important day of the year was August 8, International Cat Day. In honor of this wonderful day, don’t forget that there are some wonderful cats up for adoption in Newtown. The animal control shelter, 21 Old Farm Road, has both dogs and cats up for adoption. (Again, check out those happy felines on the catio.) The shelter can be reached at 203-426-6900. Hours for adoption are Monday to Friday, 9 am to 3 pm by appointment only.

If you have not spotted a meteor yet this summer, now is the time to look up. The Perseid meteor shower reached its peak this week (August 11 to 13), and meteors will continue to be spotted through next week, according to NASA.

Here’s a little sneak peek into the Bee Publishing Company family: The past week included two special celebrations. The first was on August 7, when Ali and Judd Baggett celebrated their wedding reception with a great big party at the home of Judd’s parents. Judd is a grandson of Bee Publisher R. Scudder Smith and his wife Helen, and the younger son of Bee Business Manager Sherri Baggett and Production Director/Jack of All Trades/MacGyver Scott Baggett. Ali and Judd had a small, very intimate wedding ceremony atop Castle Hill in April 2020, and then traveled to Sequoia National Park this past May for a private ceremony. Last weekend was the first time the newlyweds were able to celebrate with dozens of family members and friends from all over. As with family friends Kristen and Matt Iseppi in June, members of the “Bee family” past and present were part of the celebration, including Editor John Voket as the DJ and Associate Editor Shannon Hicks as the official photographer.

Additionally this week, Bee Publishing Company’s accountant celebrated a milestone birthday on August 11. We won’t divulge her age — especially because she does not look it — but we will offer belated birthday wishes to Sandy Morici.

Speaking of birthdays, do you know a child with one coming up? Submit their photo, name, and date of birth for our Birthday Wishes announcement, published weekly in the Education section. The weekly deadline to submit a birthday announcement is Tuesday at noon, and every child submitted for Birthday Wishes has a chance to win a certificate for an ice cream cake from Ferris Acres Creamery. To include your child in “Birthday Wishes,” send name, address, phone number, age, and birthday, along with an original head and shoulders photo to Birthday Wishes, The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown CT 06470, or e-mail information and a JPG photo to eliza@thebee.com. Please send the photo as an attachment to the e-mail. Birth dates must be within one month of submission.

The Newtown Bee Sports Editor Andy Hutchison and his daughter Kelsie had an extra lucky find recently: While out looking at clovers, the duo discovered not one, but two four-leaf clovers. They even captured photo-proof.

I’ll consider myself the luckiest cat in the world if you promise next week to... Read me again.