Twilight Music continues its 10th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Friday, June 15 with a twin bill featuring Darlingside and Jamie Kent & The Options.
The seven concert series continues every other Friday through Aug. 24. All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain.
“String-rock” quintet Darlingside, from Northampton, Mass., creates a seamless, exhilarating sound at the intersection of rock, classical and folk music. Lush five-part harmonies, classical cello-violin duets and compelling break-beats characterize the band's sound. Sam Kapala (drums, vocals), Don Mitchell (guitar, vocals), Auyon Mukharji (mandolin, violin, vocals), Harris Paseltiner (cello, guitar, vocals) and David Senft (vocals, bass guitar, guitar) keep audiences on their toes with exuberant stage presence, spontaneous a cappella, frequent instrument switches, mind-boggling covers and a widely eclectic, cross-genre blend of original material.
Together only two years, Darlingside has already played to packed houses from Portland to D.C., toured internationally with appearances at Canadian Music Fest in Toronto, SXSW in Austin, Texas, and Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Conn,, and headlined such prestigious venues as The Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Brooklyn Bowl in New York and the Paramount Theatre in Rutland.
Broad Brook Grange presents Father's Day Brunch GUILFORD - Broad Brook Grange will present its 16th annual Father's Day Brunch on Sunday, June 17, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Grange hall in Guilford Center. The proceeds from the event will allow for continued renovations of the...
Obituaries • Ruth Marion Allard Bartosewcz, 84, of Readsboro. Died June 4 at her home. Wife of the late Fred Bartosewcz. Mother of Craig Bartosewcz and his wife, Cindy, of Readsboro; Michael Bartosewcz and his wife, Joyce, of Wichita, Kansas; Nancy Silulu and her husband, Val, of Boxborough, Mass.;
While Vermont Public Radio is the most listened-to radio station in Brattleboro, according to broadcasting rating services, some listeners to VPR have said they have a hard time picking up its signal. Reception of VPR's main frequency for southern Vermont, WVPR 89.5 FM, can be spotty at best, depending on where you are in Windham County. That will change later this summer when VPR puts a new frequency, WVBA 88.9 FM, into service to carry its news and talk programming.
Emma Davis, 17, of Brattleboro, took three gold medals in swimming at this year's Special Olympics held recently at the University of Vermont. One of three swimmers in the 100-meter individual medley (all four competitive strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle), Davis gained the gold. She was the only swimmer doing the breaststroke, so she netted the gold again for her competitive performance. She swam the challenging 50-meter butterfly and again gained gold after the other swimmers were disqualified. But...
Grace Cottage Hospital will offer the Arthritis Foundation's Self-Help Program for six Mondays, June 25 to July 30, 5 to 6:30 p.m., in the hospital's Community Wellness Center, 133 Grafton Rd. (Route 35). The class focuses on how to manage arthritis and lead a more active, fulfilling life. One past participant reported that, before the class, she needed two canes to walk and her pain level was 10 out of 10. After taking the class and applying the lessons to...
It may have been too much to ask of the Brattleboro Colonels softball team to make two bus rides to St. Albans in the space of 24 hours. Or to maintain their intensity after having a thunderstorm interrupt the game and force that second ride to St. Albans. Or to face the team they beat last year for their second straight state title under these circumstances. But that was the hand that was dealt to the third-seeded Colonels, who lost...
While crews pave miles of Green River Road that were destroyed during Tropical Storm Irene last August, Halifax town administrators learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of Vermont have released the funding for most of Halifax's recovery work. “As miles of dirt road turn black, our accounts will finally move from red to black,” said Halifax Town Clerk/Treasurer Patty Dow. The town recently received $307,000 for repairs and, by the end of June, the town...
This summer, Open Music Collective (OMC) will expand its programing with rock camps, vocal workshops, jazz studies, and composition for children. Starting June 25, OMC, in its third year, will resume its Summer Jazz Intensive. Last year, students worked on improvising over forms and freeform, using clave (percussion instruments) and with dancers from Luminz Studio. Concepts of practicing, performing, and composing will be presented from a faculty who are working musicians as well as teachers. Check www.openmusiccollective.org for more details...
Strolling of the Heifers and the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp. have announced the winners of the 2012 Windham Regional Business Plan competition, with a total of $60,000 in prizes awarded. Taking top prizes of $10,000 each were Iron Arts of Brattleboro in the existing general business category, and Deer Ridge Farm of Guilford in the existing farm/food category. Iron Arts, owned by James Takaki, fabricates, markets, and sells ornamental metalwork, such as plant trellises, plant stands, birdbaths, and accent garden...
My dog, Tink, was attacked and savaged by a dog at South Pond in Marlboro on Sunday, May 27. I was hysterical and completely focused on trying to get the dog off Tink, so I didn't get the name of the person with the dog or any contact information. The dog was a large, smooth-haired, brindled animal. It looked like 40 to 50 pounds of solid muscle. The girl with him said she wasn't his owner, but that the owner...
On May 23, I attended the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's public meeting in Brattleboro on its annual safety assessment of Vermont Yankee. Prior to the meeting, I read the announcement from Nuclear Regulatory Commission administrator Bill Dean of the NRC's findings on Vermont Yankee, showing that the plant had once again earned the commission's highest safety rating of green. It was nice to read an informed, balanced, experienced voice of reason discuss the highly debated issue of whether Vermont Yankee is...
More than a century ago, Sonora Louise Smart Dodd aspired to create a holiday to honor fathers. The daughter of a single father and Civil War veteran was inspired by a Mother's Day sermon and wondered why there was no holiday for fathers. After securing support from ministers in Spokane, Wash., her idea came to fruition with the first Father's Day celebration at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. On Sunday, June 17, Meeting Waters YMCA joins the nation...
Several Brattleboro committees are looking for volunteers. Many existing terms expire on June 30, and the town is looking for public participation to fill each vacancy. The following are committees with vacancies: Agricultural Advisory Board; Arts Committee; BCTV Board of Directors; Brattleboro Housing Authority; Cemetery Committee; Citizen Police Communications Committee; Conservation Commission; Council on Aging; Development Review Board; Development Review Board Alternate; Energy Committee; Energy Coordinator; Fence Viewer (by statute, must be legal voter of the town); Honor Roll Committee;
Coming in every shape, size, and flavor, co-ops arrived in force at the recent Slow Living Summit with a long but important message: they build communities, create good jobs, are democratically owned, and are more resilient than conventional businesses to the effects of economic recessions. One of the many myths that cooperative presenters sought to dispel was the idea that co-ops are just another business model used primarily in the food industry. Credit unions, green energy co-ops, electricity co-ops, fair-trade-coffee...
We at Turning Point are very grateful to Entergy for a recent grant of $500 to help our recovery center upgrade some very outdated computer equipment. Having this technology available to support the center's work is essential to our mission of serving the recovering community, people who are often in transition. Our computers are used by our office assistant, who tracks our data and handles administrative needs; our volunteer coordinator, who handles time sheets, human resources matters; and for promotional...
As school ends this spring, so do school lunch programs and convenient, regular access to nutritious meals for many area children. That's why Project Feed the Thousands has announced a special summer appeal to residents of southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire to help ensure that area children get enough to eat each day through the warm months. For the 60 percent of children in local communities who qualify for reduced lunches and free breakfasts, school is sometimes their only...
What happens when you bring together on stage for two hours a crabby misanthrope and a silent invalid? That's exactly what the Actors Theatre Playhouse (ATP) is doing as their 2012 season begins on June 14, with Canadian playwright Morris Panych's dark comedy, Vigil. Terri Storti directs Gregory Lesch and Nancy Groff in a two-character play that will open the 38th season of the ATP in West Chesterfield, N.H., with 12 performances on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights through July...
In the face of a service cut that is set to begin June 20, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) has reached an agreement with Greyhound to maintain Interstate 91 corridor service between White River Junction and Springfield, Mass., including stops in Bellows Falls and Brattleboro. The agreement would ensure that existing Greyhound runs to New York City through Springfield, Mass., would be maintained in Vermont through the end of 2012, while the AOT continues an intensive study of inter-city...
What makes a co-op a co-op? It's more than bags of bulgur, or sprouty sandwiches, or any of the other tired cliches. According to Donald A. Frederick, an attorney writing for the U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture's Rural Development, “A cooperative is a business that is owned, financed, and controlled by the people who use its services. Earnings are allocated and distributed to members based on patronage, rather than to investors based on equity.” In Vermont, cooperatives - which...
Free and nutritious meals will be available to youth 18 and younger at over 20 sites throughout Windham County this summer. Meals will be served from Monday, June 18, through Friday, August 24, in Brattleboro, and in mid-summer in other communities. Lunches will be served at all sites and breakfast or a late afternoon snack will also be served at some sites. “The summer lunch program is expanding through creative partnerships around Windham County,” said Carmen Derby, executive director of...
Nearly 10 months after the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene, there is still little resolution for the local businesses who were affected by the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has money available for homeowners who suffered storm damage, as well as municipalities that did. The problem is that FEMA does not have any comparable relief program for small-business owners, who instead must deal with a crazy quilt of state and federal sources of money, mostly in the...
Emily Bracale, author and artist of “In the Lyme-Light,” shares her life with Lyme disease in her book, and it speaks to all who have had similar contact with this illness. After years of sickness, Bracale found she was a “poster child for Lyme disease” and began the mentally and physically exhausting process of treatment and recovery. A former teacher and artist, she used her painting and writing to express her feelings and ideas about the disease. “Until recently, I...
Cold River Bridges of Walpole, N.H., was the unanimous choice of the Rockingham Selectboard to handle the reconstruction of the Lower Bartonsville Covered Bridge. The Selectboard made their decision at a special meeting last Thursday. Cold River Bridges submitted a bid of $1.2 million, which was the lowest of the four contractors that competed for the contract to rebuild the historic bridge that was destroyed by Tropical Storm Irene last August. The other contractors were Daniels Construction of Ascutney, Alpine...
As the school year draws to a close, I would like to recognize and thank the more than 40 area families who have opened their homes and their hearts to teenagers from other parts of the world through the PAX (Program of Academic Exchange) program. Taking a stranger into one's family is a leap of faith and an awesome responsibility, yet the rewards are abundant - for the student, for the family, and for our community. In celebrating the generosity...
Like many Americans, I grew up playing Monopoly, the famous board game that teaches players how to become real estate magnates. I remember the thrill of passing “Go” and collecting $200, the delight of owning a railroad or a prime property like Park Place, and the anxiety of having to come up with the rent when I landed on someone else's high-rent turf. Basically, playing Monopoly indoctrinated me (and so many others) in cutthroat capitalism, and I accepted the zero-sum...
The vision that binds the members of the Great River Co-op is a community-owned market that emphasizes locally grown produce and meats and locally made food products. Some members are drawn by the idea of supporting local farmers and strengthening the regional agricultural economy; others emphasize the idea of fresher foods as healthier foods. Some have become members as a way to support local economic development and the creation of jobs, while still others have joined to foster greater competition...
This winter, as construction proceeded apace on the Brattleboro Food Co-op's new building - the first new commercial building in downtown to be built in many years - we knew that we would want to cover this milestone. We also knew that we would want to do so in a way that would not be an empty paean to one business in town or, worse, a thinly veiled excuse to capitalize on this significant development as a cynical excuse to...
Newfane Town Moderator Deborah Lee Luskin commented here recently [June 6] that “in Vermont, gods don't vote.” Her piece was ostensibly about the recent decision of the Vermont Superior Court to rule as unconstitutional an explicitly Christian prayer at a town meeting. I am a Christian pastor, so it might surprise Luskin to know that I support that ruling. I have reminded others often that civic observances must respect the religious diversity of the entire community. A Christian prayer is...
A big fuss emerged in both local newspapers recently about a police shooting of a pit bull. What constitutes identifying a pit bull? Was it dangerous? Was the dog out of it? How come in the reported instance it was in a children's playground off its leash with no owner around? Lots of questions. So are pit bulls actually dangerous as a breed? I like dogs, and recently I encountered a handsome pit bull in our neighborhood, one who was...
A recent New Yorker cover said it all. Titled “The Cloud,” it features a Magritte-like picture of a man in a bowler hat whose face, and therefore his identity, is totally obscured by huge clouds, which also surround him. The sky is beautifully blue but vacant. He is Everyman, lost in the fog of modern life. The cover resonated for me because I've been thinking a lot about the new gestalt, the often-unseen but deeply felt forces that are affecting...
The “By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth” citizens committee has set June 22 as the deadline for participants to sign up for the town's 39th annual Independence Day parade. Our volunteer group, working with the town Recreation & Parks Department, is inviting floats, musicians, and marching units that appeal to spectators of all ages and backgrounds and adhere to a set of safety rules. The July 4 march will start at 10 a.m. along Canal and Main streets to the...
Upwards of 800 million people around the world have a direct ownership stake in the secret success story of the global economy - and, fortunately, greater metropolitan Brattleboro has more than its share of them. That success story is, of course, the cooperative movement. The latest tangible evidence of that success in Windham County is the new headquarters of the Brattleboro Food Co-op. It is no coincidence that this beautiful and life-affirming addition to downtown Brattleboro comes as the United...
Caroline Eisenhood and Keith Richards are the new owners and operators of the venerable Newfane Market, a store that has been in the village center in one form or another since 1825. Jim Borta who, along with his wife Pat, have run the store for the past 12 years, turned it over to Eisenhood and Richards on Monday. The general store has long been a local hangout for gossip, groceries and newspapers. Under the Bortas, the store expanded to include...
Eugene Friesen's String Institute which runs from June 21 to 24 in Bellows Falls, features Celtic harpist and vocalist Aine Minogue and Pakistani singer/bandleader Arieb Azhar. Now enrolling for its fifth season, the String Institute is an intensive, small-group workshop for string players and other classical musicians who are interested in exploring improvisation. Grammy award-winning cellist Eugene Friesen will lead a weekend of classes and improvisations in Emmanuel Episcopal Church (the Stone Church), a magnificent space with warm acoustics and...
The Whetstone Housing Alternative committee, charged with filling an immediate need for affordable housing brought on by the Brooks House fire and Tropical Storm Irene, held its first public meeting June 7. According to Brattleboro Housing Authority (BHA) Executive Director Christine Hart, Brattleboro needs 250 affordable housing units, and that number does not include housing needs for those not affected by fire or flood. Spurred by Irene's severe flooding and permitting issues at its Melrose Terrace property, and the advancing...
The Preservation Trust of Vermont gave awards to five Wilmington organizations and individuals at its annual conference held on June 8 in Wilmington's Town Hall. The trust commended Friends of the Valley Foundation, Wilmington Vermont Fund, Flood Stock, Deerfield Valley Rotary, and Lisa Sullivan and Philip Taylor of Bartleby's Books for their collective work in rebuilding Wilmington after Tropical Storm Irene. “Sunday, Aug. 28, 2011, is a day that will forever be remembered in many parts of Vermont,” wrote the...
I recently read where a man fried an egg in a skillet placed on his dashboard on a hot day. Within 90 minutes, the egg was completely cooked, and an accompanying photo showed that it even had crispy brown edges. That article and image made me recall how many times I burned the backs of my bare legs when I was a child after jumping onto hot vinyl car seats and how, even on a sunny day in the freezing...
David Chase began his writing career as a columnist for the Brattleboro Reformer in the 1980s, and he self-published his columns as a book, A Peasant of West Brattleboro, in 1987. Now, 25 years later, Chase, a native of Brattleboro who now lives in Keene, N.H. with his wife, Susan Lane Shaw, has published Grants Ferry, a novel about Kenneth Forbes, a man who returns to his hometown 30 years after he ran away. Forbes must deal with the vindictive...
On Friday and Saturday, the Vermont Historical Society (VHS) will be holding an expo themed around Vermont's involvement in the American Civil War at the Tunbridge fairgrounds. The event is intended to examine the role Vermonters played in the war as well as the profound impact the conflict had on the development and history of the state. “It's the 150th celebration of the civil war and most of the towns have done somuch work on their local history in the...
It wasn't only the United Nations General Assembly that declared 2012 to be the International Year of Cooperatives. Brattleboro did, too. The Brattleboro Food Co-op has just taken its own breathtaking leap into the future by moving into a new, state-of-the-art green-built downtown food market. As icing on the cake and in cooperation with the Windham and Windsor Housing Trust, the co-op added 24 affordable apartments on the upper floors of the new building. To continue the dessert analogy, the...
One of the oldest food co-operatives in the nation was started in Putney. In 1941, on the eve of America's entry into World War II, more and more resources were being devoted to the war effort, and growing one's own food became a necessity. Putney residents responded preemptively, and formed the Putney Co-op, making it one of the oldest co-ops in New England. Only the Hanover Consumer Cooperative Society in New Hampshire, founded in 1936, is older. According to the...