Business owners, managers, event organizers, et al are encouraged to contact Associate Editor Shannon Hicks at shannon@thebee.com. Updates to current information are also invited.

Organizations, businesses, and general announcements are listed first, following by special events by date.

NEW THIS WEEK

Newtown Parent Connection, 2 Washington Square, has resumed in-person meetings of its support groups. The Bereavement group meets Tuesdays at 7 pm, outdoors when weather permits and indoors if needed, with social distancing; and Newtown Hope & Support meets Thursdays, also 7-08:30 pm, outdoors when weather permits, indoors if needed, also with social distancing.

The Milford/Fairfield Hope & Support meetings are Wednesdays, 7-8:30 pm, at St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 71 Milford Street in Milford, at 7 pm, outdoors when weather permits, visit NewtownParentConnection.org for rain/inclement weather plans (the church does not have enough interior space for the group to safely meet).

Anyone seeking individual assistance, including referrals and services, is invited to call 203-270-1600 or send a note to Dorrie@newtownparentconnection.org.

BUSINESSES & ORGANIZATIONS

Big Y World Class Market, 6 Queen Street, is open at 7 am for senior citizens, 8 am for everyone else, and remaining open until 8 pm daily, until further notice.

Booth Library remains closed. The town library continues to offer multiple virtual programs and curbside service is available; call 203-426-4533 for details. Library cards due to expire have been extended to October 1, according to the library’s website.

Caraluzzi’s Newtown Market, 5 Queen Street, is open from 7 until 8 am daily for shoppers age 60 and over, and then from 8 am until 9 pm for all, until further notice.

Curbside pickup for essential is available in Newtown, according to the website. Customers use their Care Cards to access the online program, select and pay for their items online, choose a pickup time, and Caraluzzi’s employees load everything into the customer’s vehicle. There will be a $4.95 fee for this service in the future; it is currently being waived due to COVID-19, according to the store’s website. Visit caraluzzis.com/curbside-pickup for details.

The bottle return machines are available for use, but shopping carts are not to be used to transport bottles and cans, according to signs posted near the store’s entrances.

Cornerstone Ministry at Newtown Congregational Church remains closed until further notice.

Edmond Town Hall is not doing indoor movies, but does have spaces available for event rental; contact the office at 203-270-4285 or manager@edmondtownhall.org.

ETH is offering virtual and drive-in movies. See our calendar listings, in print and online, for screening times and other information. For additional information visit edmondtownhall.org.

EverWonder Children’s Museum remains closed until further notice. Visit its Facebook page for activity suggestions.

FAITH Food Pantry is operating by appointment only. Call 203-426-5604 or 203-837-0816 to make an appointment to pick up or donate food, toiletries, pet supplies, etc.

Donation boxes are available at Caraluzzi’s Newtown Market and the front office of The Newtown Bee.

FISH of Newtown, Inc, the volunteer medical transportation service, has canceled service until further notice, for the protection of clients and drivers.

Girl Scouts of Connecticut, including Girl Scouts of Newtown, has suspended all activity and meetings.

The Newtown Bee offices, 5 Church Hill Road, are open. Connect by phone (203-426-3141) or e-mail (start with editor@thebee.com for Editorial or sherri@thebee.com for Sales/Classified and all other content). All visitors must wear a face mask to enter the building.

When the weather cooperates, copies of the print edition are sold on a cart outside the front door. Papers are $1 each, and an honor box is on the cart. If it’s raining and you’d like a copy of The Bee without entering the office, call us and someone will walk one outside.

To subscribe to The Newtown Bee — subscriptions are as low as $38 for six months of weekly home delivery — visit newtownbee.com and click Subscribe (top of the page, in green). To subscribe to its sister paper Antiques And The Arts Weekly — $92 for one year, with print or e-editions delivered weekly — visit antiquesandthearts.com/subscribe.

Newtown Bridge Club is hosting virtual games at 10:15 am daily, at bridgebase.com. Master points are awarded. The club, which meets at Edmond Town Hall, will not meet until the building reopens.

Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street, has reopened, and is operating on its summer schedule. Call 203-270-4349 or visit newtowncommunitycenter.org for details.

Newtown Municipal Center, 3 Primrose Street, reopened on July 1, with safety precautions in place: All visitors are asked to self-check for fever and COVID-19 symptoms before entering the building, and anyone with symptoms is asked to not visit at this time (anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher will not be allowed entry); all visitors must wear protective face coverings; visitor logs are kept for each department; only one family member as a time should enter the building; and patrons are asked to use their own pens if possible.

Contact information for each department is available at the town website (newtown-ct.gov).

Newtown Parent Connection 2 Washington Square, has resumed in-person meetings of its support groups. The Bereavement group meets Tuesdays at 7 pm, outdoors when weather permits and indoors if needed, with social distancing; and Newtown Hope & Support meets Thursdays, also 7-08:30 pm, outdoors when weather permits, indoors if needed, also with social distancing.

The Milford/Fairfield Hope & Support meetings are Wednesdays, 7-8:30 pm, at St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 71 Milford Street in Milford, at 7 pm, outdoors when weather permits, visit newtownparentconnection.org for rain/inclement weather plans (the church does not have enough interior space for the group to safely meet).

Anyone seeking individual assistance, including referrals and services, is invited to call 203-270-1600 or send a note to Dorrie@newtownparentconnection.org.

Newtown Park & Bark, 21 Old Farm Road, has reopened. The park is limited to 20 humans at a time. All visitors must practice social distancing and should not visit if the park is full. The water features of the park are not yet being turned on. There are no public restrooms. BYO hand sanitizer and have a parking permit; permits can be ordered through Parks & Rec at 203-270-4340. Ambassadors will be spot-checking the numbers of visitors and parking permits.

Newtown Parks & Recreation programs and activities are ongoing, with COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions are in place. Call 203-270-4340 or visit newtown-ct.gov/parks-recreation for details.

Organized sporting activities are postponed indefinitely. Scheduled field use will resume when schools reopen.

Eichler’s Cove beach and Treadwell Park pool have both reopened. Both are using a reservation system through Parks & Rec (203-270-4340) to allow a limited number of residents to use each facility. Note that the reservation system has been wonky since Tropical Storm Isaias; call Parks & Rec before heading to either location for current status. On days when the system is not working, space is available first-come first served during each time slot and residents will need to have their membership passes with them. There are reduced-cost pool and beach memberships this year due to the shortened season.

Pole Bridge and Orchard Hill preserves are open for hiking.

Newtown Police Department has adopted its own social distancing protocols, including asking residents and others to not visit 3 Main Street unless it is an emergency. Call 911 in the event of an emergency, but use the department’s routine phone line (203-426-5841) for all other calls.

Those who do go to the station will be directed to an internal phone in the lobby, from which they will be connected to an officer.

The records window is closed until further notice; requests can be made over the phone, via e-mail, and via USPS. Car seat installation services are suspended until further notice.

Fingerprinting has resumed on Wednesdays, by appointment only.

The department is also asking that the public hold off on visiting with gifts and/or treats until further notice.

Newtown Public Schools are will have a hybrid education model for students when they begin the 2020-21 academic year on September 3. The 2020 Newtown Bee Back To School supplement contains many stories to help parents navigate the upcoming academic year.

Newtown Public Works and Engineering departments, 4 Turkey Hill Road, are open by appointment only. Call 203-270-4300 to schedule an appointment, including arrangements for compost bags or recycling bins.

Newtown Senior Center remains closed for indoor programs, but has begun offering some outdoor programs with social distancing in place. See this week’s Senior News (page A-6) for details.

Through CW Resources, the senior center’s meal provider, prepackaged lunches for senior citizens are available Monday through Thursday, with advance registration. Suggested donation is $3, cash only.

Contact the senior center, 203-270-4310, for additional information or to place an order for a lunch.

Newtown Youth & Family Services has closed its offices, but staff remains available for non-emergency calls. All outpatient services have moved online; visit newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org for details.

NYFS has begun offering virtual and telehealth appointments, according to NYFS Executive Director Candice Bohr.

Contact NYFS’s answering service at 203-791-7332. Call 911 in the event of an emergency.

NYA Sports & Fitness Center, 4 Primrose Street, has reopened with modified hours and new safety measures in place.

Those planning to join the center and members visiting for the first time since the temporary shutdown should visit nyasportsfitness.com/covid19 for the latest reopening information including schedules.

Old Glory Days, 107 Church Hill Road (Suite GL-1), is seeing clients again. An outdoor Fifth Anniversary Celebration is planned for Saturday, August 22, from 12 to 1:30 pm.

The Resiliency Center of Newtown is open by appointment only; call 203-364-9750.

Stop & Shop stores, including the one in Sand Hill Plaza, 228 South Main Street, are open between 6 and 7:30 am for customers age 60 and older and anyone with a compromised immune system. The store is open to all customers from 7:30 am until 8 pm.

Online pickup has resumed. Visit peapod.com and select Delivery/Pickup Times at the Newtown address. Customers can then head to the store at their chosen pickup time, park in a designated pickup spot, then call to let the store team know they have arrived. Stop & Shop team members will deliver the order right to their car. There is a $2.95 fee for this service and a $30 order minimum.

The bottle redemption room has reopened, with a time limit.

The VNA Thrift Shop at Edmond Town Hall remains closed until further notice.

Weaving Newtown sessions are canceled until further notice.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Saturday, August 22: The 6th Annual Catherine’s Butterfly Party, postponed from June, has been canceled. Organizers are planning next year’s event for Saturday, June 5.

Saturday, August 22: Newtown Yoga Festival has been postponed to November; new date TBA.

Saturday: August 29: Botsford Fire Rescue has canceled its 2020 Summer Bash.

Monday, September 7: The Newtown Labor Day Parade has been canceled.

Saturday, September 12: The 3rd Annual Run 4 Hunger & Health, a 5K run/walk to benefit FAITH Food Pantry and Newtown Youth & Family Services, has been canceled.

Sunday, September 27: The return to Edmond Town Hall by comedian Tom Green has been postponed to 2021.

Sunday, October 18: The return performance by The Imagination Movers, already rescheduled from May 3, has been postponed to 2021; new date TBA. Tickets from May or October will be honored next year, according to the promoter.