This weekend will be host to the last of the local Semiquincentennial events we’ve heard about, a musical celebration at Newtown Congregational Church. Longtime NCC member and musician Rich Collins has been working on “Our Country’s 250th Anniversary: A Music Event.” Rich and the other members of the church’s Human Services Committee had a meeting last Sunday morning to go over everything ahead of next weekend, and he announced nearly 30 local musicians will be volunteering their time and sharing their talent for the special event, which will happen on October 4, 2 pm at the church, 14 West Street. The emphasis will be on Americana and folk music. It’s a celebratory event, he and Human Services Chair Gordon Williams have said all along. The hope is people will even feel like singing along during the program, which will be filled with songs made popular by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Arlo Guthrie, John Mellencamp, Dolly Parton, and many others. The program will open with a prayer by NCC Pastor Matt Crebbin, followed immediately by the performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on electric guitar.

One small change of plans for Sunday: light refreshments will not be served after all. Those planning to attend are of course welcome to carry in their own soft drinks if they’d like to, but the decision was made to not worry about refreshments and just enjoy the gathering of people and patriotism. The Semiquincentennial event will be presented outdoors if the weather cooperates, with a backup plan for inside the church if needed.

Magic Elizabeth, a children’s book by Norma Kassirer first published in 1966 by The Viking Press and subsequently by Scholastic, Knopf, and HarperCollins, has been reissued by The Collective Book Studio. The new edition features brand-new full-color illustrations by Mark Richardson of Sandy Hook, and will be celebrated with a book launch this weekend. Byrd’s Books, 178 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel, will host the special event on Sunday at 4 pm, with Mark and friend and fellow Newtown resident Susan Kassirer signing copies of the book.

Mark and Susan collaborated a few years ago on The Knitting Witch: A Spellbinding Tale of Magic and Mischief, also by Norma Kassirer, and also published by The Collective Book Studio in 2024. Mark illustrated and Susan carefully edited her mother’s long-lost work, which was discovered while Susan was going through stacks of manuscripts in her late mother’s apartment. She shared it with her trusted friend and illustrator, and the two began collaborating. That book ended up selling out its first run. Meanwhile, despite being out of print for more than 25 years, Magic Elizabeth “has continued to resonate across generations, with readers seeking secondhand copies to share with their children and grandchildren,” Susan proudly said recently. The book sold nearly one million copies of its Scholastic edition alone, and earned a place in The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children. Susan says she plans to talk about all of that, and “most importantly, [why it] continues to enchant children today.” Reservations are required due to space constraints at the book store. Visit byrdsbooks.com for details and to save yourself a space.

Newtown Lions Club members are heading toward the final stretch of this year’s Mustang Raffle ticket sales. If you haven’t seen it yet, this year’s vehicle is a beautiful 2024 convertible, metallic blue with black top, 315 horsepower, ten-speed automatic engine with lots of torque and turbocharging from its eco boosted 2.3-liter engine, and more details I don’t understand. Truly, it’s pretty and I wouldn’t turn down the offer of a ride in the car. Ticket sales have been underway for months, with just a few weekends left before the big drawing on Saturday, October 17. Tickets are still $20 each. Many Lions Club members have tickets available for purchase and they are also available online; visit newtownlions.org for details.

Rain did not go away last weekend, and neither did Rockin’ the Hook. SHOP Sandy Hook’s signature autumn event went on almost as planned, with volunteers and attendees braving the rain that plagued the region all weekend. Saturday’s event went on with three of the four planned bands performing, food trucks serving, and plenty of people enjoying themselves. One thing that did not happen — yet — was the next step in the creation of the inaugural Village Mural Project. Clearly it was too wet to ask people to purchase 12-inch squares and paint on them. By the end of the afternoon, however, updated plans were announced: the public is now invited to visit Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue’s main station on Riverside Road next weekend. On Sunday, October 11, from 10 am until 3 pm that day, SHOP members and Morgan Sclafani — the local artist whose design was selected for this year’s mural — will be at the firehouse pavilion or just inside the back bays (the weather will determine where everything is set up this time), where mural work will resume. For $25 per square, attendees will receive a square, the outline for one section of the mural, and the paint needed to fill in the space. There are 48 squares available, and organizers promise you don’t need to be a professional artist to participate.

Morgan will be there to meet people and sign copies of postcards featuring her design. Newtown High School cheerleaders will be offering free face painting for children, and I’m told additional surprises may be added by the time October 11 arrives. One thing to keep in mind: mural organizers are strongly encouraging anyone planning to help that day to wear clothing, including shoes, that can get paint on them. The mural will be created with exterior, non-washable paint.

The Newtown High School Athletics Hall of Fame will become official in just a few weeks. The first class, according to a story we had in last week’s paper, features athletes representing myriad sports, from the 1970s through 2014. Inductees were selected by a Hall of Fame board that looked at each nominee’s performance, multiple sport contributions, and/or accolades such as All American honors and sportsmanship, among others. The inaugural class features 12 athletes, two coaches, two honorary members, and one Friend of NHS Athletics: Cassie Ekstrom (Class of 2014), Jake Feinstein (2013), Casey Frobey (2005), Andrew Gellert (1998), Randy Gunther (1981), Kasey Keating (1989), Steve Kordish (1979), Lynn Lattanzio (1992), Maureen McGovern (1993), Marcus Tracy (2005), John Wlasuk (2011), and Riley Wurtz (2012), along with Friend of the Program Lin Hertberg, Coaches Pete Kohut and Maura Fletcher, and Administrators Gregg Simon and Bill Manfredonia. Congratulations everyone!

The first NHS Athletics Hall of Fame Luncheon will be celebrated Sunday, November 8, at 11 am, at The Stone Barn at Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe, and the public is welcome. Tickets are $100 for adults, and $75 for ages 4-10 (ages 3 and under will be admitted for free), with full tables of ten also available.

The motto of this new Hall of Fame is “Celebrating excellence. Honoring legacy.” I promise to celebrate if you’ll honor me by returning to this space around this time next week, when it will be time to … read me again.