Volunteers needed to clear new Athens Dome trail
CAMBRIDGEPORT - The Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association will host a trail-clearing work day on its newly-acquired land, on Saturday, Oct. 8, beginning at 10 a.m.
The objective is to get the trail at least partially cleared and marked with white discs before the winter snows. Workers should meet at the Cambridgeport yellow warehouse parking lot, where they will divide up in several crews to tackle different sections of the new trail. Bring gloves, loppers if possible, water, and lunch.
About four miles of trails are proposed for the newly-acquired Athens Dome land, which will increase The Pinnacle Association's trail system from 14 to about 20 miles, from Putney to Grafton. This property runs along the Ledge Road in Grafton that features a tumbling brook of good trout habitat, a historic soapstone quarry, and a collection of enormous boulders known as glacial erratics.
This parcel is connected with many others owned by groups such as the Grafton Improvement Association, the Windham Foundation, and a newly conserved wildlife management area by the state of Vermont, all of which adds up to a significant protected natural area.
If interested in participating in this work day, call 802-869-1388 or camil@sover.net.
Climate change discussion in Dummerston on Oct. 11
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Conservation Commission and Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center present “Climate Change in New England: An Ecological Perspective” with Hector Galbraith on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., at the Dummerston Community Center in West Dummerston.
Galbraith will discuss the latest findings on the causes of climate change, the evidence of climate change in New England, how bad the scientists think it will get, and the implications of climate change for the New England ecosystem and conservation in New England.
Galbraith, a Dummerston resident, leads the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences' Climate Change Initiative Team and is one of the leading scientists in the field of evaluating the current and future impacts of climate change on ecological resources and of developing science-based adaptation strategies.
The talk is free and open to everyone.
BF Woman's Club meets Oct. 11
BELLOWS FALLS - The Oct. 11 meeting of the Bellows Falls Woman's Club/GFWC will feature a “Creative Bag or Box Lunch Social,” beginning at noon at the United Church of Bellows Falls on School Street.
Members are reminded to bring a lunch packed in a special container of choice. These will be raffled off by number. The Executive Board will provide a choice of soups and beverages to accompany the lunch. The cost of the luncheon is $8.
The afternoon's program will be presented by Eric Ewers of Florentine Films of Walpole, N.H. He is an Emmy Award-winning editor and director.
The Bellows Falls Woman's Club is a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs.
Planning begins for Bellows Falls community gardens
BELLOWS FALLS - The Greater Falls Great Food Community Conversation (GFGFCC) will host a community gathering to discuss and plan for the development of community gardens in Bellows Falls for 2012.
The conversation will take place on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 6-7:30 p.m., at St. Charles Sacred Heart Education and Social Center, 39 Green St., at the corner of Green and Williams streets.
This event is a follow-up to an initial conversation about community gardens that was held at the GFGFCC community supper in September. At that event, opinions were expressed on how such a project would not only allow residents opportunities for garden space, and to increase peoples' food security, but could also serve as a connection to the schools in town (such as Central, the Middle School and BFUHS) which already have, or are planning school gardens.
Expanding upon this vision, people expressed a desire to involve local businesses, town government, and the arts community, as well as others, in an effort that could potentially be a source of civic pride for Bellows Falls.
All interested parties are invited to attend and offer their ideas and suggestions as to how this project can be advanced. For more information, contact Tim Stevenson at 802-869-2141 or info@postoilsolutions.org.
BMH hosts Mediterranean dinner, healthy eating discussion on Oct. 12
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital will host a public dinner featuring low-fat Mediterranean fare and a presentation on healthy eating at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 12 in the Brew Barry Conference Center.
During the dinner, Casey Blust, PTA and assistant in the BMH Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Department, will give a talk entitled, “Under the Influence of Food.” Blust will discuss how external cues make us overeat and how it contributes to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
The talk will also compare what Americans eat in a typical week with other parts of the globe, and examine the concepts of the “health halo” and “workout reward” from Dr. Brian Wansink's research at Cornell University. Seating is limited. Call 802-257-8331 before Oct. 7 to make reservations. Cost for the dinner is $11.95 per person.
White Cane Awareness Day on Oct. 14 features walk, movie
BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (VABVI) and Vermont's Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI) is sponsoring its fourth annual White Cane Awareness Day event on Friday, Oct. 14, at the Brattleboro Common across from Park Place.
The event will begin at 2 p.m. with a brief walk using Brattleboro's newly refurbished pedestrian sidewalks on the roads near the Common. Refreshments and information about VABVI and the Vermont's Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired programs will be provided before and after the walk. A limited supply of free t-shirts will be available to participants.
In addition to the walk, the documentary, Going Blind, will be shown at 3 p.m. at the Vermont Center for Independent Living, a disability rights center located at 28 Vernon St. The movie will be fully accessible including audio description, subtitles, and an interpreter. This unique film was directed by Joseph Lovett, who was slowly losing his vision due to glaucoma and decided to investigate how people all over the country respond to vision-loss.
Lovett's search begins small, with people he meets on the streets of his hometown New York City and gradually leads him to places and people around the country, of all different ages and backgrounds. Each has a fascinating story about dealing with the vision loss caused by sight-robbing diseases, infections and accidents.
The program will be free and open to the public. For more information, call De Haskell at 802-254-8761.
VABVI was founded in 1926, with assistance from Helen Keller and the American Foundation for the Blind. VABVI has offices in Brattleboro, Rutland, Montpelier, and Burlington. It serves children and adults, whether blind or visually impaired, to help them achieve and maintain independence.
For more information go to www.vabvi.org or call 800-639-5861.
BMH offers free prostate screening clinic on Oct. 17
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is offering a free prostate screening clinic from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17 on the third floor of the BMH Dunham Building.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death for men in America. In addition to the free screening, the visit will include a PSA blood test and a digital rectal exam. To be eligible, individuals must be between 40 and 70 years old and must not have had a prostate screening or PSA blood test in the past 12 months.
Appointments are limited and offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. The deadline for registration is Oct. 12. To register, call 802-257-8858.
Host families needed for BUHS exchange students
BRATTLEBORO - PAX, the Program of Academic Exchange is interviewing host families for several exchange students who are attending Brattleboro Union High School this year. The students have already spent a month with a “welcome family” who is not able to host long-term because of other commitments.
Hassan, a sophomore at BUHS, is from Amman, Jordan. He is a quiet, devout 15-year old boy who plays soccer and basketball. He is an excellent student, has a great sense of humor, and is most helpful and cooperative.
Other boys needing new host families are Thales from Brazil, age 16, who is playing football at BUHS and also likes drumming, drawing, and chess, and Soeren from Germany. He is the editor of his school newspaper at home, works on Extempore, plays the piano, and also likes sports.
Soumaya, a junior at BUHS, is from Morocco. A native speaker of French and Arabic, she also speaks excellent English. Soumaya is outgoing, cheerful, and responsible, and her interests include writing, art, dance, piano…and now cheerleading.
PAX students do not need a separate bedroom, as long as the family can provide a bed in a room with a host sibling and a place to study. Students have spending money of their own for personal expenses and separate medical insurance.
Families are invited to host for a couple of months…or for the remainder of the school year. For more information contact Ann Newsmith at 802-257-4710 or annN@pax.org or visit www.pax.org.
Volunteer counselors needed for AARP/IRS TaxAide Program
BRATTLEBORO - Volunteers are sought for the AARP/IRS TaxAide Program, which assists elderly and low/moderate income families in doing their 2010 personal income taxes.
Training will be provided in two phases for new volunteers. First will be an introduction to the TaxAide program to include step-by-step training on the Taxwise computer program that is used with TaxAide. The introduction will be conducted in early November (dates and times to be announced). A more formal in depth training program for both new and returning volunteers will be held in January 2012. Beginning in February, volunteers will be asked to give four hours a week of counseling for 10 weeks.
Also urgently needed are volunteers to take phone calls and make appointments as well as greeters/pre-tax assistors at the TaxAide sites. For further information, contact Jean Cornish at 802-365-7222 or jeancornish@svcable.net.