Well, isn’t this just the cat’s meow? Last week’s Top of the Mountain column found itself the featured item in the August 31 release of the AlaskaDispatch, an online news magazine out of Anchorage, Alaska. Why? For my brief coverage of Alaskan lieutenant governor hopeful (and Newtown native) Mead Treadwell’s capture of that nomination. For some reason, the AlaskaDispatch finds it odd that I would lead with cat news…. I got a real chuckle out of the Alaskan take on this column. See for yourself at www.alaskadispatch.com/blogs/political-animal/6613-gop-candidate-treadwell-is-sort-of-the-talk-of-his-hometown.

Another kitty update from Monica Roberto at The Animal Center, incidentally, is the discovery last Thursday of yet two more kittens at the Siamese cat site mentioned last week. The three-and-a-half- week-old kittens are terribly sick, but pulling through, she says. Of course this means additional veterinarian fees for the nonprofit animal rescue organization, so please don’t forget to donate to the Big Fix at www.AnimalCenter.org.

Just a reminder: school is back in session (in case you didn’t notice all of the orange school buses) so please be careful when driving. Kids will be waiting at the roadsides in the (dim) early morning light for their buses, and hopping off in late afternoon; plus, plenty of kids will be walking to and from school or visiting local businesses when school is out — those crosswalks will bear some extra attention. Give yourself an extra five minutes to get to your destination and be alert.

I’ve had the pleasure the past few weeks of watching a doe and her two fawns. The trio appears nearly every morning when I’m out pussyfooting around, in the same wooded area. They are just three of hundreds of wild animals that cross our busy streets each day. Slowing down for the schoolchildren will also be of great value to the forest creatures that call Newtown home, too.

There is really no need to rush headlong into any situation; at least, that seems to be Dave Harris’s attitude. Rumor has it that, after three years, he can finally open the hatchback of his Subaru. It seems that the car company did a good job of hiding the switch, and Dave just came upon it last week. I agree: slow and steady wins the race.

Brenda Wurtz, owner of BW Retail Real Estate Group in Newtown, is out to win a race — for the American Cancer Society, that is. Even though it has been awhile since she has tackled long distance running, Brenda says she is ready to take on the New York City Marathon on November 7. She’ll be running to honor the memory of her mother, who died in 2005, of lung cancer, just a few weeks after being diagnosed. To support Brenda, go to main.acsevents.org/goto/BrendaWurtz. Maybe we can run cancer down, one person at a time.

You don’t have to run far or fast to brighten the day for cancer patients undergoing treatment at Danbury Hospital’s Praxair Cancer Center, though. Kathleen Cole will be setting up her CHEM-pals table at 14 Queen Street (right in front of the NMS horseshoe driveway) from 9 am to 2 pm on Labor Day Monday, September 6. CHEM-pals delivers donated cards of encouragement to cancer treatment patients (CHEM-pals stands for Cheerful, Heartfelt, Encouragement Message-pals). Kathleen will have card stock, markers and more at her table to allow anyone to stop by and create a card before, during, or after the Labor Day Parade. If you don’t feel crafty, bring a store-bought card, and Kathleen will make sure that it gets into the hands of someone who will appreciate your good wishes. No religious or evangelical messages, please, she asks, and please leave envelopes unsealed.

After seeing all of those shiny fire trucks and spiffed up firefighters marching in the parade, you might be inspired to stop by Ace Hardware on Queen Street, where Newtown Hook & Ladder is looking for a little support, too. Members and supporters will have a table set up to sell T-shirts and baked goodies in front of the hardware store — a perfect stop at the end of the parade. Money raised will benefit the new Hook & Ladder building fund.

The two churches closest to the Labor Day Parade route will be offering parking via donation on Monday. Newtown Congregational Church, at 14 West Street, will be serving a pancake breakfast in its Great Room between 8 and 9:30 am, offering the opportunity to enjoy a hot breakfast before walking it off on the relatively short distance between the church and Main Street. Requested donation will be $6 per person, with a $20 family maximum, and all proceeds will benefit the church’s ministries. Meanwhile, Trinity Episcopal Church will also be requesting donations for those hoping to use its parking lot at 36 Main Street.

And in other preparade news… Just in from Mae Schmidle: The Newtown VNA will be passing out $5 credits for its VNA Thrift Shop during the parade on Monday. “Our giveaway this year will be a printed mock-up of a $5 bill, complete with President Lincoln’s handsome face,” Mae shared Wednesday afternoon. “It’s really, really cute, and anyone who comes to shop at our thrift shop and spends $25 or more will then have $5 off their final cost.”

My column, of course is always a bargain, so be sure next week to…. Read me again.