As I promised last week, the results of the First Annual Newtown Bee Peeps Eating/Diorama contest, Thursday, April 21, are in:

Three Bee employees and two FOBs (Friends of the Bee) took part in the 5-minute eating contest, devouring the holiday marshmallow treats (with a rapidly waning enthusiasm as the minutes wore on). Triumphant (and sugar coated), was Cory Spinelli, who managed to gobble down two trays of Peeps Chicks and eight Peeps Bunnies.

Then it was on to the Peeps Diorama contest, where ballots were counted. I prowled around the display table earlier last Thursday morning and have to admit, I was pretty impressed by the creative works. “Harry Peeps” fought off the Basilisk, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looming behind him. An old shoe spilled over with Peeps, in “There Was An Old Peep Who Lived In A Shoe,” Honey Peeps settled onto a flowery wreath, Peeps turned into peeper frogs in “Spring Peeps,” and Peeps Prince William and Peeps Kate Middleton said their vows at the altar of “The Royal Peeps Wedding.” Not to mention, the “Night of the Peeping Dead…” And the winner is (drum roll, please): associate editor Shannon Hicks, for her tastefully presented “The Peep Supper,” featuring all 12 Peeps-postles. Congratulations, Shannon — and Cory!

It could have been mistaken for the Easter Bunny, but the flash of white that crossed Melanie Murphy’s path while walking on Equestrian Ridge Road this past Sunday turned out to be a snowy white squirrel. She snapped a couple of photos before Mr White scurried away.  Thanks for sharing this oddity with all the Bee readers, Melanie.

Egg hunts may be over, but Good Eggs still abound. One reader says Lee Paulson should get the Good Egg Award, and I agree: “Lee Paulsen, co-chair of the FAITH Food Pantry for over 25 years, is truly a good egg,” this reader tells me. “She learned of an egg farmer from Guilford who wanted to donate 11 dozen eggs to the food pantry. They talked over the phone and agreed to meet, at the donor’s request, in Wilton. Lee drove all the way to Wilton and waited over an hour while the “egg lady” was lost. Finally, the eggs arrived and Lee drove them all the way back to Sandy Hook, where they were distributed by the volunteers, and gratefully received by clients of the Pantry. Fresh eggs have not been available to our clients in the past but hopefully we can continue to provide them — just like Lee Paulsen continues to work tirelessly for our Newtown neighbors in need.” Lee, you are a Good Egg!

Our friends at Taunton Press take environmental causes seriously, and even publish a book and magazine publication called Junk Beautiful, that teaches people how to “upcycle” flea market finds into new usable household items, Taunton events team coordinator Rich Rivellese says. Recently, Taunton employees took part in a contest to see who could come up with the best “upcycled” creations, after a previous contest two years ago resulted in some impressive entries. This year, a sun hat knit entirely out of Stop & Shop plastic bags by Sarah McFarland nosed out entries like the two-tiered candy dish made of and LP album and a 45 record, a messenger bag of burlap, and a bulletin board made from wine corks glued to an old spoon display rack. Insert Taunton hat photo I feel some inspiration coming on!

Newtown resident Michelle Babyak was cutting for a cause this past Tuesday, April 26. Michelle was honored to be a presenter at the ribbon cutting of the new American Cancer Society Regional Center in Norwalk, C. Anthony and Jean Whittingham Family Building. Michelle is a cancer survivor, the co-chair for the Newtown Relay for Life, and serves as a Hero of Hope for the American Cancer Society, sharing her story and offering support to newly diagnosed cancer patients. “I think, too, that I was selected to take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony because I took part in the American Cancer Society’s “Look Good, Feel Better” program, and because the research seed money for one of the drugs — which may have saved my life — that I took, was funded by the American Cancer Society,” Michelle tells me. The new ACS building is 13,350 square feet of space that will welcome cancer patients, caregivers, and others for support groups, community education, and volunteer training, in addition to nutritional counseling, multilingual materials, free wigs, and prostheses, according to a recent press release.

There’s nothing like swapping stories with like-minded people, and the April 30 Gardening Seed and Bulb Swap at Fairfield Hills offers a chance to do that. Bring a garden-related item to trade — a book, a tool, seeds, or bulbs — and $5 to the event. Registration begins at 9:45 am. Meet at Keating Farms Road on the Fairfield Hills campus, between the new municipal building and Woodbury Hall. Sponsored by the nonprofit organization Trinity Productions, the entry fee will go to support other Trinity Production programs that promote mind, body, and spiritual wellness. For information visit www.trinityproduction.org or call 203-426-9448.

As we go to press, the First Annual Chris Stenz Memorial Golf Tournament is preparing to tee off Friday, April 29, at Whitney Farms Golf Course in Monroe, honoring the late youth coach and Newtown resident, Chris Stenz. And coming up shortly, on Thursday, May 5, is the Glenn R. “Benny” Atkinson Memorial Golf Tournament, at the Golf Club at Oxford Greens, in Oxford. (Check bennyatkinsongolf.com, to find out if entries are still being accepted.) That tournament is being played in honor of native Newtown resident, Glenn R. Atkinson, who died last fall. “Benny” was instrumental in organizing the Torpedoes youth swim team.

If you love golf, the Newtown Scholarship Association has another golfing-for-a-cause tournament scheduled. The NSA will hold its 19th Annual Jack Friel Memorial Golf Scramble, June 20, at Whitney Farms Golf Club. Newtown Savings Bank will serve as Title Sponsor of the event, the Association’s major fundraiser. A fee of $180 per golfer includes lunch, golf, reception, prizes, raffles and dinner at the Stone Barn Restaurant. Call Mark Fries at 203-426-8507 or Jim Morley at 203-426-8966 for more details.

All that golfing can wear a cat out, so I’m marking my calendar for a relaxing afternoon at the Newtown Choral Society’s annual spring concert, Sunday, May 8, at 3:30 pm, at the Meeting House. The group has worked up several opera and light opera pieces, and will be joined by a children’s choir, I hear. It’s Mother’s Day, so I’m planning to bring MomCat along. Why don’t you plan to do the same? (Well, bring your own mother, not MomCat…) Tickets are just $10, available at the door.

The only thing that could make me happier than a warm day in May, is if you remember next week to… Read me again.