Horribles Parade set for Oct. 31
BRATTLEBORO - The annual Horribles Parade will be held on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.
All “ghosts, goblins, witches, scarecrows, and what-have-yous” should meet down in the Brattleboro Food Co-op parking lot. The parade will begin at 6 p.m. sharp and go up Main Street to the Gibson-Aiken Center for costume judging, prizes, goodie bags, and more.
This event is co-sponsored by the Brattleboro Police Department and Brattleboro Recreation and Parks. For more information, or if any special needs must be accommodated, call the Recreation and Parks Department at 802-254-5808.
Day of the Dead celebration
BRATTLEBORO - The 11th Annual Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) Celebration and Community Altar will take place during November Gallery Walk, Nov. 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Experienced Goods Thrift Shop, 77 Flat St.
Inspired by the Latin American holiday, when families gather to honor loved ones who have died, staff and volunteers from Brattleboro Area Hospice create an ofrenda, or large community altar. You're invited to bring an item to lay on the Ofrenda to honor a loved one. (Please use photocopied pictures and objects of no great concern since items cannot be returned.)
Colorful paper and pens will be available to write memorial notes to leave on the altar. Organizers say that this celebration can be a way for people, especially children, to express a connection with and memories of a loved one who has died.
The Hallowell Singers will sing at 6:15 p.m., and light refreshments will be offered.
For more information, contact Brattleboro Area Hospice at 802-257-0775, or email info@brattleborohospice.org.
Flu shots available at Grace Cottage
TOWNSHEND - Grace Cottage Family Health will offer flu shots to the public on Saturday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No appointment is needed.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone older than 6 months get a yearly flu vaccine. According to Grace Cottage, getting the annual seasonal flu vaccine is your best way of avoiding the illness and lessening the chance you'll spread it to others.
People older than age 65 or who live with any chronic disease, such as diabetes or asthma, have a higher risk of contracting the flu and are especially urged to get a shot, which offers protection against three flu viruses, including H1N1 and seasonal flu. The shot takes about two weeks to take full effect.
The flu shot cannot be given to anyone who has an allergy to eggs or latex, or to anyone with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Grace Cottage, at 185 Grafton Rd. (Route 35), also makes flu shots available on weekdays by appointment, by calling 802-365-4331.
Soapstone Hike on November 2
GRAFTON - The history of the soapstone industry and local quarries in Vermont will be the focus of the Pinnacle Association's Soapstone Hike on Saturday, Nov. 2, from noon to 3 p.m.
This free, guided hike will be led by Bill Brown of the Grafton Improvement Society and Andy Toepfer of the Pinnacle Association. Organizers say the “somewhat long, moderate walk” will feature the soapstone history of the area, a look at one quarry, and the remains of related cellar holes of a boarding house and a mill where soapstone blocks were sawed with wire cable.
Hikers and history buffs can read more about features in the Athens Dome trail system on Pinnacle's website, www.windmillhillpinnacle.org. See Athens Dome under Trails & Maps on the site, newly redesigned by Laurie Indenbaum.
Participants should dress warmly, wear sturdy shoes, and bring water and a snack. They should meet at the parking lot opposite the Nature Museum at Grafton, 176 Townshend Rd., to carpool to the start.
For further information, directions, and registration, contact Toepfer at 802-869-3379 or atoepfer@sover.net.
“Self-Compassion” retreat and course
BRATTLEBORO - Self-compassion is the theme of a daylong retreat and seven-week course to be presented in November by the Vermont Insight Meditation Center.
On Nov. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Boston area psychologist Christopher Germer will speak on the themes of his book “The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions” at a by-reservation-only event at St. Michael's Episcopal Church at the corner of Putney Road and Bradley Avenue.
The retreat, open to beginners and experienced students alike, will include instructions and practice of sitting and walking meditation and talks and discussion. Chairs and cushions will be provided.
The registration fee is $15 with an additional donation suggested “to thank the teacher.” Participants should bring their own lunches. Tea will be provided.
On Tuesdays, from Nov. 5 to Dec. 17, Cheryl Wilfong will also offer a course, “Interrupting Busy-ness with Self-Compassion,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Solar Hill Neighbors' Hall at 229 Western Ave.
For more information about either the retreat or the course, visit vermontinsight.org. To register, contact the center at 254-7077 or information@vermontinsight.org.
Spaghetti supper served at Our Lady of the Valley
TOWNSHEND - Our Lady of the Valley Church will hold the first of a series of spaghetti suppers on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Our Lady of the Valley Church on Route 35, with seating from 5 to 7 p.m.
The church's basement area, where the supper will be held, has been redecorated during the past year with new cabinets, a new stove, and a new refrigerator installed by volunteer parish members.
The chefs are not sure how many people to cook for, so the spaghetti supper committee (headed by Dominic Tagerielo) asks those planning to attend to leave a message at 802-348-7008 with how many people are expected to partake.
A $7 donation per person is requested.
Our Lady of the Valley Church is part of the West River Missions, which also includes Our Lady of Mercy Church in Putney, Chapel of the Snows on Stratton Mountain Ski Area, and St. Edmunds of Canterbury in Saxtons River. The West River Missions' rectory is in Putney.
Osher lectures on religion, politics continue
DUMMERSTON - The current series of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) lectures continues on Monday, Nov. 4 with two lecture offerings.
In the morning session, Amer Latif, professor of religious studies at Marlboro College, will discuss recurrent themes in Pakistani mystical poetry.
In the afternoon program, “American Politics through Film,” Michael Krasner, a member of the political science faculty at Queens College, SUNY, considers global warming as seen in two recent movies: “An Inconvenient Truth” and “A Fierce Green Fire.”
Morning lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon; afternoon lectures, from 1 to 3 p.m.
All lectures will be held at the Southeastern Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Vermont Route 5, Dummerston. The facility offers parking and universal access, and light refreshments will be served.
Annual harvest supper, dance
WINDHAM - The annual Harvest Supper and Square Dance takes place Saturday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m., at the Windham Meeting House, 26 Harrington Rd. off Windham Hill Road.
The dinner will offer ham, butternut squash, baked beans, scalloped potatoes, breads and rolls, homemade pies, and cider and coffee.
The meal will cost $10 for adults, $5 for children, or $25 for families. Square dancing for the whole family will begin after supper.
This is also the time to cast your ballot for Windham's photo contest, designed to capture the beauty of Windham.
Toastmasters Speechathon, new-member inductions Nov. 7
BRATTLEBORO - BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro-based chapter of Toastmasters International, meets Thursday, Nov. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St.
The extra meeting will feature a Speechathon and new-member induction night. This Speechathon is designed to help club members knock out more speeches from their Competent Communicator and Advanced Communicator manuals.
Regular meetings take place the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. The group will not meet on Halloween, Oct. 31.
Guests are welcome, and refreshments are provided. There is no pressure to speak, and members are working at their own pace and with assigned mentors to help them meet their speaking and leadership goals.
For more information, visit brattleboro.toastmastersclubs.org.