December Bag Sale at Worn Again Thrift Shop
SAXTONS RIVER - The Worn Again Thrift Shop at St. Edmunds Catholic Church in Saxtons River is having a Bag Sale Dec. 5-8. In addition to the bag sale, they are offering free books to customers, with a variety of cook books available. Jewelry is not included in the bag sale.
The shop has an excellent selection of clothing for men, women, and children; shoes, boots and sneakers, caps, socks, costume jewelry and other wearing apparel for all ages. In addition, there are sheets and pillow cases, blankets, bed spreads, pillows, and fabrics, many books, coffee mugs, and knickknacks.
The shop is accepting donations of clothing in good condition. With winter approaching, the shop also needs donations of warm winter clothing and boots, plus household items and baking pans, queen, king and full size sheets plus cook books. Donations may be dropped off during regular business hours.
The thrift shop is accepting cans and non-perishable packages of food to be donated to area food shelves.
The Worn Again Thrift Shop is run by volunteers from the West River Mission of Putney with churches in Putney, Townshend, Stratton Mountain, and Saxtons River. Store hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Open house, food drive at Supreme Fitness
BRATTLEBORO - The staff of Supreme Fitness will have a food drive at their open house on Saturday, Dec. 8, from 10 a.m.-noon. Bring in a can of food and receive a free ticket for a SPIN class. All food donations will go to Feed The Thousands.
There will be demonstrations of SPIN class, Zumba, ballet by fitness, and their newest addition, CrossFit. For more information, call 802-257-4944 or visit www.supremefitnessvt.com.
Methodists present drive-though Nativity on Dec. 9
BRATTLEBORO - On Sunday, Dec. 9, from 5-8 p.m., all are invited to the First United Methodist Church, 18 Town Crier Dr., across from the Shell station on Putney Road, to witness the re-enactment of the events that took place on the Road to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.
As one drives through their live nativity and travels back in time, every effort has been made to detract from the modern world so that one may concentrate on what happened at the time Christ was born. There will be hundreds of luminaries and persons stationed along the way to guide visitors through the nativity.
There is no cost for the drive-though nativity, but the church welcomes donations of either cash or non-perishable food for the Brattleboro Area Drop-in Center.
For more information, contact them at 802-254-4218 or fumc@sover.net.
Vermont Tech to host open house at Brattleboro campus
BRATTLEBORO - On Tuesday, Dec. 11, Vermont Technical College will host an open house at its Brattleboro campus, located at 11 University Way in Brattleboro, from 2–5 p.m.
Area residents can come to learn more about the variety of Vermont Tech programs in Brattleboro. Popular courses include the Licensed Nurses Aide (LNA), offered in collaboration with the American Red Cross; the pre-nursing program, offered in conjunction with the Community College of Vermont (CCV); the Practical Nursing certificate; and the associate's degree in nursing.
Attendees will also get a sneak-peak of the new, online RN-to-BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) program, expected to launch in fall 2013. In addition, residents can explore upcoming Continuing Education Workforce Development (CEWD) trainings in the areas of business, agriculture, and health care, all hosted jointly with the CCV.
Representatives from both admissions and financial aid will be on hand to answer questions and provide resources. For more information or to register, call 800-442-8821.
BF Woman's Club to meet
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Woman's Club, a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, will meet at the United Church of Bellows Falls on School Street on Tuesday, Dec. 11, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Entertainment will be provided by the BF Middle School band, directed by Stanley Rumrill. Members are reminded to bring donations of warm socks, hats, mittens, and gloves for the Greater Falls Warming Shelter. Iitems for men, women, and children are needed.
The club is raffling a lace and ladies' handkerchief quilt, made by Barbara Comtois. It is sized to fit the top of a twin bed and is currently on display in a window at Village Square Booksellers. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 and are available at the store or from club members. The winning ticket will be drawn at the Dec. 11 club meeting.
People interested in joining the club and helping with its work, should contact Barbara Comtois at 802-344-0025.
Responsible Beverage Service Training to be held at Marlboro Grad Center
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition (BAPC), in collaboration with the Vermont Department of Liquor Control (DLC), will co-sponsor the DLC's Responsible Beverage Service Trainings to be held at the Marlboro College Graduate Center in Brattleboro.
Two three-hour trainings will be offered. The training for store clerks, cashiers and managers of retail stores that sell alcohol and tobacco products is offered on Wednesday, Dec. 12 from 3-6 p.m. The training for restaurant, club and hotels where alcohol is served is on Thursday, Dec. 13 from 1-4 p.m. All staff and managers are encouraged to attend. No registration is required and all participants are eligible to win a door prize. Late attendees will not be admitted.
The goal of these trainings is to educate around strategies to avoid illegally selling alcohol to underage youth or intoxicated patrons. Evidence shows that a combination of Responsible Beverage Service training and enforcement results in reductions in sales to underage persons as well as service to those who are already intoxicated.
All employees who either sell or serve liquor are required to be trained every two years, either by the DLC or in-house, using materials provided by the DLC. Statistics show that employees that receive their required trainings directly from the DLC, rather than in-house, are less likely to fail a compliance check for selling tobacco or alcohol to minors.
Visit the DLC at www.state.vt.us/dlc or contact BAPC at 802-257-2175 or www.brattleboroareapreventioncoalition.org.
Toastmasters open house, holiday party at Marlboro Grad Center Dec. 13
BRATTLEBORO - If overcoming your fear and shyness around public speaking is holding you back, or is holding someone in your organization back, personally or professionally, then Toastmasters is the answer.
BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro-based chapter of the organization, meets the second and fourth Thursday of every month, from 6-7:30 p.m., at Marlboro College Graduate Center, room 2E, 28 Vernon St. Guests are welcome and refreshments are provided.
The Dec. 13 meeting is the club's fall open house and holiday party. All are welcome. There is no cost.
Some four million people worldwide since 1924 have dramatically improved their confidence, technique, and effectiveness in public speaking through membership in Toastmasters International. The heart of the program is effective evaluation, taught and practiced by members in a series of prepared and off the cuff speaking opportunities.
There is never any pressure to speak, and all members are working at their own pace and with assigned mentors to help them meet their goals. For more information, visit brattleboro.toastmastersclubs.org.
BFUHS music students present holiday concert
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Union High School will present a holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 15, at 1 p.m., at the Bellows Falls Opera House.
The concert, sponsored by the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance and its Shop Local program, is free to the community.
Mary Westbrook-Geha (choral) and Nick Pelton (instrumental) will lead three BFUHS performing ensembles in a program composed of holiday and traditional music repertoire. Both the jazz ensemble and the concert choir are recipients of many awards, including the coveted “Esprit de Corps” and “Best Overall” as part of the Music in the Parks Festival in Agawam, Mass. In addition, several members of the band recently took master classes with The President's Marine Corps Band.
For more information, contact the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance at 802-460-2333.
Artwork available for sale from Windham Child Care Association
BRATTLEBORO - Windham Child Care Association invites the community to visit their new online store.
In October, 100 child and adult artists generously donated artwork for the agency's Fall Into Art benefit. The art that was not raffled off that night can be now purchased on their website, www.windhamchildcare.org.
Artists include photographers Evie Lovett and Lynne Weinstein, and painters Lydia Thomson and Jason Alden.
Also for sale are beautiful note cards designed by young children in local child care programs.
Orders are processed through Paypal (no account required) and shipping is free. Proceeds from the sale go to supporting WCCA's mission which is “to improve the lives of young children and their families in Windham County.”
This includes training and career support for early childhood educators, free child care referrals to families, early literacy activities through their Early Learning Express program and much more. To learn more, call 802-254-5332.
RFPL publishes 2013 local history calendar
BELLOWS FALLS - Each year for the past five years, the rich history of Bellows Falls and Rockingham comes to life in a calendar showcasing historical photographs from the Rockingham Free Public Library's collections.
Emily Zervas, RFPL reference and historical collections librarian, produces the annual calendar with a different theme using images from the library's archives.
“This year's calendar features historical group portraits, both formal and candid, with an emphasis on revealing the community that lived in the old townscapes,” says Zervas.
Calendars can be purchased at the Library, Village Square Booksellers, and Town Hall in Bellows Falls. The cost is $10, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Rockingham Library, an independent nonprofit whose mission is to promote and enhance library services.
Irish language class to start in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - An bhfuil sinsir Éireannach agat? (Do you have Irish ancestors?)
An breá leat teangacha? (Do you love languages?)
Ar maith leat Gaeilge a fhoghlaim? (Would you like to learn Irish?)
The majority of the population of Ireland spoke a language unrelated to English as recently as 200 years ago. Known by some as “Irish Gaelic,” on the island it is simply called “Irish,” or in the language itself “Gaeilge.”
Johnny Lee Conroy's (Irish name: Seáinín Mac Conraoi) mother and her ancestors come from Contae Lú on the East Coast of Ireland. “For the love of them, for the love of languages and for the resurgence of a culture battered by centuries of oppression, I study Irish,” he says. Having been at it for a couple of years now, I want to build a local community of learners.”
He is planning an entry-level class that would meet weekly starting January 2013, with a balanced examination of grammar, vocabulary and Irish conversation. A mix of written and online resources will be used, and there will be guest teachers from time to time. The class will start when there are enough people to keep it going and will be scheduled based on participants' availability.
Those interested should write to seainin.macconraoi@gmail.com, or call 802-254-4609 and leave a message.