Friends of the Library volunteer Pat Marshall tells me that the special book donation day held Sunday, October 26, was a resounding success. The Friends had solicited book donations to shore up the stock for the annual summer book sale and to replenish the Book Nook at the library, and from noon to 5 pm, “It was a steady stream of cars all day,” said Pat. “People were thanking us, because having a particular day to donate the books gave them a deadline to clean out,” Pat said. Friends volunteers had piled up hundreds of boxes of books, CDs, DVDs, videos, and puzzles in the sorting room by the time the last car had left the driveway. If you didn’t make it to the special donation day, though, don’t fret. The Friends continue to accept donations every day. Just leave your offerings on the cart located near the children’s department anytime during library hours.

As Main Street residents prepare for a record-breaking number of trick-or-treaters, Trinity Episcopal Church will offer parking in its lot between 4 and 8 pm. The church is asking only for donations in return for use of the convenient parking, and charitable gifts received that night will help fund Music at Trinity. Please use the Church Hill Road entrance. After parking, trick-or-treaters can access the costume parade via the Main Street driveway along the southeastern side of the church.

The days immediately following Halloween are the an orthodontist’s nightmare, as so many ghosts and goblins break their braces. In order to promote good dental hygiene, Dr Baum Orthodontics will be holding the annual Candy Buyback Program again this year. You can trade candy for cash at the Church Hill Road Newtown office November 3 through the November 14. Receive $2 a pound, up to ten pounds. The candy goes to the “Project Of The Heart” organization, which sends it to the troops in Iraq. Visit Dr Baum and the Tooth Fairy on Halloween night in front of Edmond Town Hall. Get a free toothbrush and Tooth Fairy dust. For more information, please call Dr Baum’s office at 426-5900 or visit baumbraces.com.

Dental Associates will also repeat its Halloween Candy Buyback Program, Tuesday, November 4. In Newtown, the office at 11 Church Hill Road will be accepting candy from 11 am to 1 pm. The Tooth Fairy and Dr Smile E. Fox will weigh unopened Halloween candy and buy it back for $2 per pound, up to a maximum of ten pounds. The candy will be donated to various local agencies, including Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends care packages to soldiers overseas. For additional information, call 270-4586 or visit DentalAssociates.us. Newtown’s children are all going to have great smiles, but I’m wondering if we aren’t going to be needing to increase the number of dentists serving overseas….

The Children’s Adventure Center is distributing free, reflective trick-or-treat bags approved by the National Crime Prevention Council. The Adventure Center, at 14 Riverside Road, is open from 7 am until 6 pm daily. If you run late picking up a trick-or-treat bag from The Children’s Adventure Center, I’ve been napping all week on top of a small supply of the same bags, thanks to Mae Schmidle, who made sure we had some to share here. Pick up a bag here at The Bee late Friday afternoon and put your first Halloween candy of the night into it. Your (g)hosts, Danielle and Cory, will be handing out candy, starting around 5 pm.

I’m still pretty excited about the Canine Advocate fundraiser at the Inn at Newtown on Halloween. For a small donation that supports the new dog (and cat) pound, the Inn will hand out cups of hot cider. And if you make it to the top of Main Street and aren’t scared away by the Mulligans’ big spider, the volunteers at the Ambulance Garage will provide you with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. A yummy night, all around, I expect.

The Paproski Farm maze on Sugar Lane is always awesome, but this year there is something extra special about it. The maze was designed and mowed by Steve and Diane’s daughters, 18-year-old Stephanie Paproski and her sister, Shannon, 15. The “Curves and Swerves” design caught the attention of Scudder Baggett who took this picture as he was flying over one day last week. That’s not the only thing special about the maze, though. This year, a portion of the proceeds from the maze will be donated to the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. If you haven’t lost yourself in the crazy maze yet this fall, there is still time. The maze will be open one last weekend, November 1 and 2. See you there!

A heavy voter turnout is expected for the Tuesday, November 4, general elections, according to LeReine Frampton, the Democratic registrar of voters, so voters might want to consider casting their ballots between noon and 3 pm. That period is a relatively light time for voting and balloting should proceed fairly swiftly then, she said. The town’s four polling places are open from 6 am to 8 pm that day. It’s your right and privilege, so don’t forget!

Bee workers are always ready to rise to a challenge, and when the editor threw down the gauntlet, the drones rose to the occasion: a hot chocolate taste-off to determine if a water-based mix can result in a delicious hot drink. Last Friday morning five different hot chocolates appeared in the editorial staff room where thirsty tasters sipped and cast their votes for the tastiest of the hot chocolates. After many seconds of debating, the top three finishers were selected. In first place, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate, made with milk. Second place went to Hershey’s cocoa, also made with milk. Surprise! The third place winner was a water and mix concoction — Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation. Fourth and fifth place entries were made with milk, so it just goes to show. Time to get this show on the road. Don’t forget next week to … Read me again.