Maybe midafternoon on Tuesday did not allow you to see the live Newtown Bee Facebook conversation with five community members opposed to housing at Fairfield Hills. Not to worry — you’ll find “Alternative Perspectives” on The Newtown Bee’s YouTube channel, for you to watch at your convenience. Happy viewing!

There are two donation boxes set up in the lobby of The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, to support two ongoing efforts. October is Adopt A Shelter Dog month, as I’ve mentioned before, and we continue to seek donations to help our Newtown Animal Shelter — pet food, pet toys, treats, slide leads, and cleaning supplies are welcome!

The other box is for donations to FAITH Food Pantry, 46 Church Hill Road. Though this group hosted a successful drive through a food donation event recently, donations of nonperishable food and household items are a constant need. Our office is open from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday for donation drop offs. Call 203-837-0816 or 203-426-5604 to arrange a time to visit FAITH, or to donate items directly to the food pantry on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

A reminder that members of Newtown Congregational Church will be cooking up Chicken and Shrimp Dinners this weekend. These NCC members have been hosting BBQ/Shrimp Boil events for a few years, but of course this year’s offering is changing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of having tables covered with paper and diners sitting elbow to elbow, peeling open shrimp or carving into just-cooked chicken, this event will be a takeout/curbside pickup offering only. Dinners include the entrée of your choice along with salad, roll, butter, and dessert. Cost is $20 for a Chicken & Shrimp Dinner, $18 for a Shrimp Dinner, and $15 for a Chicken Dinner, and reservations are required. Visit bit.ly/orderbbqoct24 to make a reservation, which includes a 15-minute window during which guests are asked to pick up their meals. All proceeds will benefit Back Bay Mission, in Biloxi, Miss., and its ongoing fight against poverty, disease, and hurricanes in the Gulf Region. NCC has been actively supporting the mission since 2006.

Have you registered yet for the family-friendly Parks & Rec Spooktacular? It takes place at Dickinson Park, Saturday, October 24, from 11 am to 1 pm. This party is limited to 100 people, though, so contact Parks & Rec asap at newtown-ct.gov/parks-recreation to find out if you can still participate. (There is a fee.)

Another Spooktacular event is happening, as well, at the Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street. A drive-thru event with a surprise for each vehicle takes place this Friday, October 23, from 7 to 9 pm, as well as next Friday, October 30, 7 to 9 pm, and then again on Halloween, from 2 to 7 pm. Registration and a small fee are requested. Find out details at newtowncommunitycenter.org.

These two options for celebrating Halloween are COVID-sensitive, safe ways to celebrate in this most unusual year, and still have some fun. Small outddor neighborhood parties are another way, or creating family-oriented scavenger hunts at home that night. (See the October 16 Newtown Bee “For Better Health” supplement article “With Halloween 2020 Happening Amid A Pandemic, Is It Safe To Trick-Or-Treat” for more tips.) If lights are out at houses, should you opt to trick-or-treat on October 31, please be respectful of the homeowners’ wishes and do not ring the doorbells or knock. (The office of The Newtown Bee will not be handing out Halloween treats this year. See you in 2021!)

There’s some fun fall contests going on in town, too. The Newtown Middle School Painted Pumpkin Patch in front of the Queen Street school will be ready for residents to take a look and cast a vote this Saturday and Sunday. Votes are $1 and QR codes will be posted throughout the event for individuals to scan, which will bring them to a ballot form. Donations will also be collected digitally, raising funds for a local charity.

You may be seeing scarecrows popping up all over Fairfield Hills by now, too. The Parks & Rec scarecrow contest will have individuals and organizations attaching creations to an assigned lamppost there, and community voting takes place from October 26 to 29, with a winner to be announced on October 30. You can find a ballot to print at newtown-ct.gov (Parks & Recreation) and a voting box will be in the vestibule of the Newtown Community Center, 8 Simpson Street. I’ve noticed a lot of activity in The Bee “hive” in recent days unrelated to news coverage... odd clothing... hay bales... laughter... I wonder if they haven’t scared up an entry?

Now that you can visit our C.H. Booth Library live and in person, you may have again noticed the engraved bricks that pave the walkways. The ongoing “Pave the Way” campaign encourages you to buy a brick with a special message of up to three lines, 14 characters each. The $100 dollar donation per brick supports the library’s many programs and buys books, etc., for all to enjoy. Maybe your brick will honor a first responder, a teacher, or any other moment/person you wish to celebrate. Visit https://chboothlibrary.org/support-the-library to find out how your brick can pave the way.

A belated congratulations to Newtown Parent Connection, which was honored last month for being Recovery Champions by the Fairfield CARES Community Coalition.

Have you enjoyed getting to know some of the buildings and sites around Newtown through Bee reporter Eliza Hallabeck’s recent series? If you’ve been wondering about a place in Newtown or Sandy Hook, please send your suggestion to eliza@thebee.com and she’ll look into it.

Also, just FYI, this Friday’s print edition contains the final endorsement letters that will appear in print as well as online. Endorsement letters for candidates that reached our office too late for the October 23 edition (and any responses to print letters from October 23) will appear only at newtownbee.com through October 30. No letters of endorsement will be posted after October 30.

Is it time to return to the gentleman/gentlewoman’s agreement that once existed in Newtown regarding election signage? There seems to be an unsightly proliferation of signs on every street corner this year, of all sizes; not to mention the spate of signs being destroyed or swiped this year. Disagreeing with someone’s posted opinion is no reason to take it down or carry it away. As Paul McCartney sang, “Let it be...”

I hope I don’t have to post a sign of any size, though, to remind you to... Read me again.