You’ve marked your calendar for this coming Monday, right? The Newtown Bee’s Meet & Greet is your chance to meet some of the many residents hoping to be elected to various boards and commissions come November. Join us for a casual evening with candidates on October 7, from 6 to 8 pm, at Reverie Brewing Company, 57B Church Hill Road. Purchase one of Reverie’s craft brews (and enjoy a free slice of pizza, courtesy of several local pizza eateries and The Newtown Bee) and take some time to get to know those hoping for your vote in November on a personal level. No RSVP required — we look forward to seeing you there.

Well, bless me! That is, how about taking your favorite pet to St Rose rectory garage on Saturday morning at 9 am for the blessing of the animals? Rain or shine, the good graces will be bestowed on pets — on a leash or caged, please. You can enjoy some music by the St Rose Folk Trio, too, at the 46 Church Hill Road site.

The students and teachers of St Rose of Lima School celebrated Monsignor Robert Weiss’s September 30 birthday on September 27 after Friday Mass with the presentation of a framed “garden of butterflies” (each hand-decorated by students and teachers), balloons, and a song in his honor. The song was “Somewhere In the Lord’s House,” written by eighth grader Sylvia Pinheiro and sung to the tune of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The celebration continued on September 30 when a group of students, representing all grade levels at the school, brought a cake to the rectory and sang to him. It turns out he wasn’t the only winner on his birthday, as Monsignor Weiss declared it a “dress down day” with extra recess and no homework assignments, so it was a special day for all.

There’s always so much to celebrate, but next week, October 6 to 12, is National Newspaper Week, so here’s a little shout out to ourselves and all publications. Sponsored by the Newspaper Association Managers, the week honors the “service of newspapers and their employees across North America.” If you’re reading this, we know that you value local news and appreciate having a hometown paper. Whether hyper-local or national news outlets, newspapers provide information you can trust. Communities that lose a local newspaper know that getting dependable town government news, as well as other critical information in times of emergency, is difficult, if not impossible. Support newspapers — this coming week and every week — please!

Get ready for Bingo fun and cash prizes, along with raffle giveaways and concessions. The next night of games is scheduled for Friday, October 11, in the St Rose Msgr Weiss Gathering Hall at 40 Church Hill Road. Doors will open at 5:45 pm, and games will run from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. The per-person admission fee of $17 will cover all regular games. Join in on a chance to win awesome, fall-themed, intermission raffle prizes. For more information about St Rose Bingo, call 203-426-5102.

We know locals ventured to West Springfield, Mass., to have fun at this year’s Big E, which ran September 19-28. And even if we didn’t have firsthand knowledge of that fact, we would still place our bets that some of the 1,629,527 attendees were Newtown residents. This year’s fair had a record number of attendees.

The Newtown Marching Band & Guard’s annual home show, the Joseph P. Grasso Marching Band Festival, will be held this Saturday, October 5, at Newtown High School’s Blue & Gold Stadium, 12 Berkshire Road. The event is open to the public. Gates open at 5 pm, and the show begins at 5:55 pm. Seven groups, including Newtown, will perform, followed by an awards ceremony. There will be concessions, a bake sale, candy, air-grams, and merchandise available. Tickets are $12 for adults, $7 for students and seniors, and no charge for children under 5.

Edmond Town Hall has a movie premiere event set for Monday, October 7, with a meet and greet with the writer/director and actors. A sneak peek of Manipulated, a Matt Berman film, will be presented in advance of the Louisville International Festival of Film, and proceeds from Monday’s event will benefit the Edmond Town Hall Theatre. The film is a classic “whodunnit” focusing on the interrogation of this mystery, according to a description for the event. Two of the film’s leads, Kelly Perine and Chase Masterson, along with Mr Berman will avail themselves for a casual Meet & Greet after the screening. The event is set to begin at 6:30 pm and end at 9 pm. Ticket prices range from $20 to $60. Beer and wine will be available for purchase, courtesy of Oak Barrel Wine & Spirits. Hors d’oeuvres will be available from Monroe Diner. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly to the Edmond Town Hall Lighting Fund. For more information and to purchase tickets, search for “Manipulated — Movie Premiere” on eventbrite.com. Information is also available online at edmondtownhall.org.

Former Sandy Hook resident and Salvador Dali protégé Louis Markoya is having his work featured in an exhibition currently on view at Bethel Photoworks. The show opened on September 21 and will remain on view until November 15, but this weekend offers the opportunity to celebrate the artist and his work during a reception scheduled for Saturday, October 5, from 2 to 5 pm. According to the gallery, “Mr Markoya not only carries on the work of Dali but also is exhibiting the very latest in technology to produce the dream of artists since the Renaissance. True 3D in full color on a two-dimensional surface.” Bethel Photoworks is at 226 Greenwood Avenue; call 203-733-7000 or visit bethelphotoworks.com for additional information.

The Ladies Auxiliary of Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire & Rescue Company will host a paper shredding event this weekend. On Saturday, October 5, from 9 am until noon, the public is invited to visit the fire company’s main station, at 18-20 Riverside Road, with papers that need to be shredded. A shredding company will be onsite to take care of reducing paper to shreds as it arrives. Cost is $10 per box or paper bag, with proceeds to benefit the auxiliary.

From an October 1 post on the Catherine Violet Hubbard (CVH) Animal Sanctuary’s Facebook page, I learned there are some bees in need of support. “Friends,” the post reads, “we need your help to bring the bees home! After moving the sanctuary bees to a safer site during construction, they’re ready for their homecoming! But we need your help... So often it’s the tiniest creatures that do the most good and need the most support. Will you join the hive and give the bees an apiary makeover? With your support, we can provide these special pollinators more bee houses, larger space, [a] handcrafted wood enclosure, and electric fence to protect those inside and out. Make a gift for the bees at https://bit.ly/2nfIihT. Thank you for BEE-ing kind and supporting the beautiful creatures of the CVH Animal Sanctuary. We couldn’t do it without you.”

Speaking of buzzing, The Newtown Bee wants to know what you’re thinking. If you’re interested in “bee-ing” part of the conversation, contact editor@thebee.com; The Community Buzz is a semiregular casual conversation among half a dozen residents or so, hosted and moderated by our staff, and focused on one issue. The hour-long conversations usually take place on a Friday.

We’ll put you on our list and hope for enough interest generated to host a Buzz in November.

Here’s the real buzz: I’ll be ready next week for you to... Read me again.