Yes. There were Dalmatians crossing Church Hill Road on Halloween, October 31. In the middle of the school day, kindergarten and first grade students from St Rose of Lima School walked from the school across the street to Church Hill Village to visit the residents there while wearing their Halloween costumes. One class was dressed entirely as Dalmatians with Cruella de Ville walking briskly behind them. And of course, this cat could not help but share the spotting.

A tiny, nonaggressive bee that is a super pollinator? How can we not be excited about an approaching program about them? The Town & Country Garden Club will host Sally Brockett next week. Sally is planning to present the free program “The Marvelous Mason Bee: A Super Pollinator” on Wednesday, November 9, at 7 pm. The garden club meets at Newtown Senior Center, 8 Simpson Street, and there is no charge for anyone to join the fun. Need more details? Contact Denise Rod at denisemarierod@yahoo.com or visit tcgardenclub.org.

Make sure to put Thursday, November 17 on your calendar now. We will have a story in next week’s paper on the upcoming Sean’s Mile, A Walk 4 All event at The Danbury Sports Dome, 25 Shelter Rock Lane, Danbury. Newtown High School senior Kyle Getzinger created the event for her Senior Capstone project and it supports Sean’s Path, created to honor and fuel the legacy of Sean Stutman, who had Down syndrome and “who passed away unexpectedly just before his eighth birthday, in July of 2022,” a description for the foundation reads. Sean was a Newtown resident who loved The Danbury Sports Dome. A bounce house will be on site, and all are encouraged to celebrate Sean’s life through community inclusivity and faith by walking, running, or wheeling the track at the space. The charge is $5 for individuals and $20 for a family of four. Walk ins are welcome. For more information about Sean’s Path see its website at publishthis.email/sean’s-path-HkgQAsE4s. A full story highlighting the event will be in next week’s paper.

The Newtown Bee’s office dog Pickles may have thought she could sneak her way into the photo submissions collected by the paper of our entry into Newtown Parks & Recreation’s Third Annual Scarecrow Contest, but she could not fool us. We dared residents to pose with our “bee” scarecrow and submit a photo for a chance to win a free one-year subscription to the paper. All the submissions are on page __ in this week’s paper. We love them all. But Pickles could not fool us. While we could not in good conscience allow her into the drawing for a free copy of the paper, her photo is still worthy of sharing. We love you Pickles, but you are already a Bee and therefore were not qualified for the contest.

Who is ready for 2023? The Newtown Bee is, thanks to the arrival of our calendars. The Newtown Bee calendars are available for anyone who wants one. I know many people who look forward to these calendars each year. Just stop by our front office at 5 Church Hill Road, and you can be ready for 2023 right alongside us.

With the change of the month, from October to November, some people are now ready for Christmas. Reverie Brewing Co, located at 57B Church Hill Road, is already preparing too. It has slated its 4th Annual Holiday Pop Up event for Sunday, December 11 from 11 am to 2 pm. “ We are excited to announce the return of our annual Holiday Market at Reverie! This year, our Holiday Market will be Sunday, December 11th. Admission to shop the market will be $2 or a canned food item, all of which will be donated to our local food pantry. In addition to the many local vendors that come out to sell perfect holiday gifts, this year’s market will include a 50/50 raffle, live music, and our first ever Christmas tree lighting and ornament contest! If you are interested in being a vendor this year, please reach out to us at events@reveriebrewing.com. More details to come!”

Newtown Youth & Family Services (NYFS) is also preparing for December. In its recent newsletter NYFS noted both the 37th Annual Holiday Festival set for December 4 on Main Street (more details and tickets available online at newtownyouthandfamilyservices.org,) and its Birthday Bin program, which is for parents and guardians who need gifts for a child’s birthday. “Every child, regardless of personal or financial circumstances, deserves a special birthday,” the newsletter reads. Upcoming days the Birthday Bin is open are November 4, November 5, November 12, November 17, November 19, and November 26. Reserve a time to visit the Birthday Bin online at tickettailor.com/events/newtownyouthfamilyservices/769514.

Speaking of birthdays, Ferris Acres Creamery may be closed for the season, as of October 30, but there is still a way for one lucky local child to win a birthday cake from the creamery ... The Newtown Bee’s “Birthday Wishes,” which announces upcoming birthdays in the Education section each week. Parents can send a head and shoulders photo of their child, with their first and last name, age, and date of birth to Education Editor Eliza Van at eliza@thebee.com for publication in “Birthday Wishes.” Be sure and include a daytime phone number in case we have questions, as well as your address. All children submitted for birthday announcements are entered into a chance to win a free ice cream cake from Ferris Acres Creamery. One child wins weekly. What a great way to celebrate a birthday!

We heard some very good news from Newtown Congregational Church this week. With the church continuing to host an average of two blood drives each month, there have been 774 blood donations made at 14 West Street since the beginning of 2022. Thank you to everyone who continues to make that possible. The church has been home to extra blood drives for more than two years, since the regional arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. It isn’t stopping that work yet. The next Blood Drive at Newtown Congregational Church is planned for Friday, December 9. Call 800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment.

The Newtown Bee Managing Editor Shannon Hicks will have a full story next week from the latest Newtown Interfaith Council meeting, but we can tease one thing that came out of that gathering: NIC is planning to present an Interfaith Thanksgiving Gathering this month. Save the date for Sunday, November 20, and plan to join leaders and representatives from local communities of faith for a 7 o’clock event at Newtown Congregational Church.

I can offer one more tease for the week, my column next week will be great as long as you promise to ... Read me again.