While thinking about that ice cream cone you want that you may be tempted to park on any old street in the vicinity of Ferris Acres Creamery. In the interest of public safety, while continuing to support a popular Newtown business, the Newtown Police Department and First Selectman Dan Rosenthal are working with the Ferris family — who operate Ferris Acres Creamery — to address parking concerns during busy periods at the ice cream stand. While the Ferris family has taken steps, including closing earlier on Sundays, to help reduce instances of patrons parking on the busy State Route 302/Sugar Street, and on neighboring residential streets, the first selectman said that local police will begin ticketing illegally parked vehicles while on routine patrol in the area: effective immediately!

Congratulations to Oliver Guzy, 12, who finished 18th in the 80-meter hurdles in the 11-12-year-old division of the USA Track And Field National Olympics in Sacramento, Calif., in late July. Oliver completed his race in 13.96 seconds. He represented the Newtown-based Nutmeg Striders in the competition.

Our readers are reminded that a section of Route 34 in downtown Derby will be closed this weekend. The narrow section of Route 34 (called Roosevelt Drive in Derby) will be closed for a half-mile stretch from its intersections with Olivia Street and North Avenue. The closure is planned from 8 pm Friday, August 16, through 5 am Monday, August 19. Only local traffic will be permitted between those intersections. Detours are set from Route 34, just east of the Newtown-Monroe line, to Route 11, to Route 110, and into Shelton and beyond. The closure is needed so that precast concrete structures that will make up the new Roosevelt Drive Pumping Station can be delivered and installed. Work is scheduled to proceed continuously over the weekend until the structures are installed.

The last day of day camps at Treadwell Memorial Park and Dickinson Memorial Park through Newtown Parks & Recreation was August 9. With the end of “summer” for day campers comes the reminder that school is just around the corner. Our Back to School supplement is published this week and offers stories and the list of bus routes as shared by All-Star Transportation. We hope Newtown families enjoy looking through it.

Speaking of the start of the 2019-20 school year; parents, please don’t forget to share your first day of school (August 26) photos with Education Reporter Eliza Hallabeck by 9 am on Tuesday, August 27. Submit photos by e-mailing them with a description of each photo — including the first and last name of those pictured, what grade they are in, and which school they attend — to eliza@thebee.com. Photos submitted may be included in that week’s print edition of the paper and may be used in next year’s Back to School supplement.

FAITH Food Pantry, located behind St Rose Church, 46 Church Hill Road, is hungrier than ever. Now that construction and paving is finished for St Rose Church and School, donations are more than welcomed to restock the shelves. The pantry is need of anything and everything, paper goods, kitty and dog food, hygiene products, laundry and dish soap, and of course the food staples of coffee, cereal, pasta, sauces, cake mixes… the list could go on and on! You can check FAITH’s Facebook page or newtownbee.com for FAITH’s ad to see more goodies needed and what drop off times are and locations. We welcome donations inside the office of The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.

The Red Cross continues to be in need of blood donors. Donate blood on August 23, from 1 to 6 pm, at the Newtown Rehabilitation and Health Center (formerly Masonicare), 139 Toddy Hill Road. Download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or enable the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

The National Science Foundation tells us that September marks 25 years since Scholastic’s Magic School Bus “veered off the written page and onto the small screen, leading children on journeys through the solar system, the blood stream, and wherever else ‘the Friz’ resolved to go.” The Magic School Bus book series was created by Newtown’s Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen back in the late 1980s. Congratulations on a long run!

Things are heating up for the Newtown Labor Day Parade — and that’s a good thing. The temperature gauge poster at the corner of South Main Street and Glover Avenue shows that donations have crept up past the halfway mark. But with a goal of $30,000, there is still a need for support before the September 2 parade kicks off. Visit newtownctlabordayparade.org to donate. Keep turning up the heat!

Sci-fi fans will want to mark this date on the calendar: Friday, September 6, when The International Sci-Fi Film Festival comes to The Palace Danbury, 165 Main Street. Doors open at 7 pm. Films starts at 8 pm. General Admission. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at thepalacedanbury.com, by phone at 203-794-9944 or at the box office starting one hour before showtime.

I’m not saying who, but I heard that a doctor in Newtown got a gift that keeps friendships growing, in the shape of a lovely redbud tree, given and planted by friends in celebration of one of those milestone birthdays.

It seems like there has been a spate of rollovers in town lately. Damp and dark roads in our town can be hazardous, and then there is the unexpected wildlife leaping out to create the need for a quick stop. Please drive carefully, so you don’t find yourself caught between a rock and a hard place, as many have been in recent weeks.

There are still a few weeks of swimming left for Treadwell Park pool and Eichler’s Cove. Did you know that residents 60 and over get a free pass to swim? Visit newtown-ct.gov/parks-recreation to find out how to get in the swim.

First an awesome book sale, then a cute pet contest, and now an auction of surplus library items is underway. The C.H. Booth Library has paired with auctioneer Fairfield Auction to create a fundraiser that will preserve the library’s historical collection but streamline space in the Main Street library. Examination of and bidding on the 15 items is ongoing through September 5 at tinyurl.com/chboothfundraiser. The pieces up for auction are located on the third floor of the library. The library’s Reference Desk welcomes questions related to the auction at 203-426-4533.

As always, I’ll be seeking the surplus news about town. Be sure next week to... Read me again.