The Full Hunter’s Moon will reach peak illumination on Monday, October 26, at 12:12 am, but the best time to watch it rise will be Sunday evening right around sunset. A quick reading of The Old Farmer’s Almanac recently reminded me that this month's moon is the full moon that follows the Harvest Moon, traditionally associated with hunting and preparing meat for winter. Lucky for me, a telescope won’t be required to enjoy this moon (nor do I need to hunt more than the occasional mouse). The Almanac editors say it’s best to find an open location with an unobstructed view. Look toward the eastern horizon and you’ll be set.

As mentioned in print and online during the past week, early voting opened Monday morning for next month’s elections. I understand the line at Newtown Municipal Center was out the door during at least the first hour of that option, which joined absentee voting in the list of options available for those who want to exercise their right to vote. Good for everyone who has already taken advantage of this relatively new option, and my sincere thanks to everyone working at the polls.

Early voting continues daily until November 1. Hours are 10 am to 6 pm every day, with extended hours next Tuesday and Thursday, October 27 and 29, when registered local voters will have from 8 am until 8 pm to cast their ballots for governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of the state, treasurer, comptroller, attorney general, judge of probate, our state senator, and state representative (106th and 107th, depending on where within town you live).

Meanwhile, voting for the Seventh Annual Newtown Parks & Recreation Scarecrow Contest opens tomorrow. Scarecrows have been appearing around the Fairfield Hills campus since the beginning of the month. A pretty little birdie tells me organizers expected 26 entries this year, and all were due by this Friday morning. Voting opens October 24 and will continue until Thursday, October 29. Everyone is invited to walk around the campus to take a look at this year’s entries, and then vote for their favorites in the categories of Most Original, Newtown Pride, and People’s Choice. Best wishes to everyone who entered this year. Voting will all be done electronically, with links sent via e-mail and posted on the department’s Facebook page. Votes are limited to one per person, there is no fee to vote, and the winners will be announced Friday, October 30. As always, I’m not telling you how to vote. I’m just encouraging you to get out and vote.

Bee Publishing Company employees are gearing up for Election Day with a new in-house addition. Following a current TikTok trend, a whiteboard has been set up within 5 Church Hill Road (thank you Elizabeth Koschel!) and employees here are being encouraged to vote on not-too-serious questions. The project launched earlier this week with “How would a giraffe wear a bow tie?” Accompanying drawings showed one giraffe with a bow tie under its neck and another giraffe with a bow tie toward the base of the neck, just above its body. Considering our late publisher’s love of quirky bow ties, that question was the easy choice for the first Topic of the Day Question.

It’s official: Newtown Woman’s Club 2026 ornament sales have launched. We welcomed our first customer of the season last Friday afternoon. Our continued thanks to the gentleman who bought the first pewter ornament with the silver bell design from our stock. The 39th annual release in the series that was introduced in 1988, this year’s ornament was designed by Michelle Rosenthal. The illustration incorporates a bell, with a bow and sprigs of holly across its top and “250th” inscribed on the surface of the bell. Five stars are also inscribed on the lower lip of the bell. The words “Newtown Christmas” curve along the upper arch of the dual-sided ornament, while 1776-2026 complements the wording on the lower section of the ornament. Ornaments are still $20 each and in addition to our office at 5 Church Hill Road, they are available at C.H. Booth Library, 25 Main Street; The Toy Tree, 32 Church Hill Road (Newtown location only), and — new this year — Sentimenti, 3 Queen Street. Payment is cash or check payable to Newtown Woman’s Club. Proceeds will again be donated by the long-standing club to local civic organizations.

I was heading toward Head O’Meadow School last Thursday morning and nearly missed my turn from Sugar Street onto Boggs Hill Road. My attention was pulled toward a wonderful pirate display on the eastern corner of that intersection, at 37 Sugar Street. It’s an amazing presentation, with at least a dozen skeletons utilized in the front yard. West of the sidewalk is one group that looks straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. To the east of the sidewalk, another group of skeleton-pirates have opened a treasure trove from which another skeleton is emerging. Of course there’s at least one skeleton-pirate with a parrot on its shoulder, and nearby is another skeleton that looks like it’s being eaten by a large blue fish. What look in passing like long strands of black tinsel cover the fence behind the two scenes, and a pair of large pirate flags have been hung from the porch pillars. It’s just delightful. Take the time to drive past it, slowly, and enjoy the creativity that went into the wonderful holiday offering.

Once I caught my breath after that — and made the last-minute turn to catch Boggs Hill Road — the guy in the photo above scared the snot out of me about a half-mile later. This little guy is on the eastern side of the road, just past Spring Road, and I have to say: #welldone homeowners!

A few hours later I received an e-mail with an amazing little bit of data: Americans are on track to spend $4.3 billion on Halloween decorations this year. Now that’s scary! A recent post by LawnStarter said this year’s top displays will lean toward giant skeletons, animatronics and LED lighting, and inflatables. The e-mail that started my journey down the rabbit hole of 2026 Halloween decorating trends also said we can expect an increase in high-tech displays with coordinated lights and music.

One local Halloween tradition we can all count on? Trick-or-treating on Main Street later this month. It’s time for me to remind (or educate) those who may have forgotten (or don’t yet know), that “Halloween on Main Street” is not a Town of Newtown event. It isn’t listed in our print and online calendars for a few reasons. One, it’s not formally coordinated by anyone. Second, there’s no formal start or end time because … see previous sentences. All those homes along the beautiful historic corridor are privately owned, and those homeowners shell out big bucks to make sure they have candy and treats available for up to 1,500 costumed guests at their door on Halloween. I’m not kidding about that number. Steadfast Church, which has been meeting at Edmond Town Hall since last September, handed out 2,000 cups of candy with scripture from their table in the courtyard of 45 Main Street last year.

Please friends, I beg you: if you don’t live on Main Street but you plan to go trick-or-treating there, or plan to take your children there, donate to one of the local candy drives for Main Street residents. Play fair. Be nice. Do your part before going door-to-door. Enjoy the decorations — because they’re always amazing and impressive — just please remember to do your part first. Newtown Parks & Rec is accepting donations, including during special events like tonight’s Hoot N’ Howl at the community center. If you don’t get to that event, visit the main desk just inside the front entrance of 8 Simpson Street and leave some candy there. Trinity Church’s Youth Commission is also collecting candy for Main Street residents. Donation bins are located at the entrance of the 36 Main Street church. I haven’t heard complaints from those who live within the extremely popular trick-or-treating destination. Most seem to enjoy welcoming the large crowds, in fact. I’m just asking everyone to remember the Golden Rule: in short, play fair.

I can’t wait to see what this year’s costume trends are. Me, I’m always happy to see anyone dressed as a black cat. That’s probably what I’ll roll with again on October 31. I may have a better idea around this time next week. I’ll let you know if you’ll remember to come back and check in then, when it will be time to … read me again.