New Chamber head to address WBA
WEST BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) holds its monthly meeting at The New England House, 254 Marlboro Rd. This is the rescheduled date after the Feb. 13 meeting was postponed due to inclement weather.
Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce's new director, Kate O'Connor, is scheduled to share her goals for the Chamber. She will also listen, learn, and participate in a discussion about West Brattleboro, including some of the initiatives of the WBA.
WBA President Michael Bosworth will share discussion by the trustees at a meeting in January as to plans for the WBA this year. Also on the agenda: discussion of topics for the March Q&A session with the District 1 Town Meeting members, an initiative started a couple of years ago, and this year scheduled for Thursday, March 6 (March 13 is the snow date).
Railroad history presented at Rockingham Library
BELLOWS FALLS - Brad Blodgett will provide insight into railroad history and New England history with “Brad Blodgett Presents: Marium Foster's Boston & Maine Railroad” on Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at the Rockingham Free Public Library.
Marium Foster was an assistant ticket agent and freight cashier for the Boston & Maine. As Fitchburg Division correspondent for B&M's house magazine, she became widely known in the division. Her photography, which supported her contributions to the magazine, transport us back to the way the railroad looked and operated in the mid-1900s, showing once-familiar scenes along the railroad, and everyday railroaders at work.
This program is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Library at 802-463-4270 or rockref@sover.net.
Toastmasters makeup meeting Thursday, Feb. 20, at Marlboro Grad Center
BRATTLEBORO - BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro-based chapter of Toastmasters International, meets Thursday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Marlboro College Graduate Center, second floor, 28 Vernon St. The meeting is to make up for the one canceled in light of the Feb. 13 snow storm. Three speeches and evaluations are planned, as is the meeting's popular off-the-cuff “table topics” challenge.
The group meets regularly on the second and fourth Thursday of the month at the same time and location. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Feb 27.
Toastmasters is the world's leading educational nonprofit organization devoted to helping its members become more proficient, confident, and sought-after public speakers and leaders. The club says you can improve here too. For more information, visit brattleboro.toastmastersclubs.org.
Senior meal served in Halifax
HALIFAX - The monthly senior meal in Halifax is Friday Feb. 21, weather permitting, at the Halifax Community Hall, at the intersection of Brook and Branch roads in West Halifax.
On the menu: meatloaf, potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and dessert. All seniors are welcome.
Community Garden planned for Stone Church
BELLOWS FALLS - The Food Security Collaborative is partnering with the Stone Church of Bellows Falls to establish a community garden on the church grounds for the 2014 growing season.
The garden offers plots to community members who live and work in the Bellows Falls area, and will be built with the help of local experts during hands-on workshops designed to teach gardeners and community participants how to build the soil and get started with planting. Throughout the growing season, gardeners will have the opportunity to attend additional workshops and will have the support of the Food Security Collaborative to have a successful gardening experience.
To kick off the garden planning, a gathering will be held for anyone interested in having a plot at the Stone Church Garden. This will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 1:30 p.m. at the Stone Church Chapel. Light refreshment will be provided.
The Food Security Collaborative is a project of Post Oil Solutions, whose mission is to achieve greater food security through the development of a garden-based local food system resulting in enhanced civic pride, a stronger local economy, and a more sustainable environment. For more information, contact Kari Gypson at 802-282-8669 or kgypson@yahoo.com.
Social media workshop offered at Grad Center
BRATTLEBORO - “Taking Social Media to the Next Level” is slated for Marlboro College Graduate School in Brattleboro on Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The workshop is free, but please register at gradschool.marlboro.edu.
Take your social media to the next level by developing an effective social media calendar strategy optimized for your company and market. It doesn't matter if you have a Facebook business page, Twitter, or LinkedIn, or if your business is on just one of the social sites; you'll learn about the elements of a focused and affordable marketing plan.
This workshop, led by Emily Susan, is for small business owners, artists, communications professionals, and anyone interested in harnessing the power of the Internet. This is a hand-on event, so bring your laptop and enthusiasm.
Center for Cardiovascular Health at BMH to host Red Dress event
BRATTLEBORO - To raise awareness among local women that heart disease is their No. 1 health threat, the Center for Cardiovascular Health at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is hosting a Red Dress breakfast with Phaedra McDonough, APRN.
The free breakfast is Wednesday, Feb. 26, starting at 7:15 a.m. in the Brew Barry Conference Center. McDonough will discuss the risk factors for women's heart disease, its symptoms, and what women can do to prevent or reduce their risk of a heart attack. A Q&A follows.
McDonough has more than 10 years of experience as a nurse practitioner, specifically in cardiology and pulmonary medicine, and has expertise with remote cardiac devices.
To register, or for information on upcoming cardiac related events, contact Marcy Rushford at 802-257-8217 or mrushford@bmhvt.org.
The Gathering Place celebrates 25th anniversary with open house
BRATTLEBORO - The Gathering Place, Brattleboro's only adult day center, at 30 Terrace St., celebrates 25 years of operations with a Silver Anniversary Open House on Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 3 to 8 p.m.
All are invited to visit and meet with friends, caregivers, volunteers, staff members old and new, members of the board of directors, and to tour the facility. There will be an art show, and snacks and refreshments are provided.
The Gathering Place provides specialized adult day services to promote empowerment, independence, and quality of life for elders, adults with disabilities, and their caregivers. Services include nursing assessment, physical therapy, transportation, social activities including arts and crafts, word games, special events, live entertainment, and music and companionship.
Transition Dummerston presents program on 'Identifying Real Community Wealth'
DUMMERSTON - Transition Dummerston holds its monthly potluck and program on Friday, Feb. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Dummerston Congregational Church.
This month's program focuses on “Identifying Real Community Wealth” for local resilience and sustainable wellbeing. Included in the program: an opportunity to learn about the Dummerston Energy Committee resilience survey from Energy Committee Chair Jerelyn Wilson.
After reviewing and discussing the priorities for the coming year, participants will explore Transition models of asset mapping, a tool for inventorying community resources, and together begin creating a map of assets as a community. This will be an opportunity, both personally and collectively, to explore the knowledge, skills, and resources for resilience and sustainable well-being in Dummerston.
The potluck supper begins at 6 p.m., with guests encouraged to include local food in their dishes. The program begins at 7. For more information, contact Susal at 802-275-7449 or Fred at 802-387-2681.
Broad Brook Grange hosts sugar-on-snow supper
GUILFORD - Broad Brook Grange's annual Sugar on Snow Supper is Saturday, March 1, at the Grange Hall in Guilford Center. Always the first sugar supper of the season in Windham County, the meal features ham, baked beans, deviled eggs, coleslaw, potato salad, rolls, pickles, homemade donuts, and Guilford maple sugar on snow.
Seatings are at 5, 6, and 7 p.m., and a half-gallon of Guilford maple syrup will be raffled at each.
This longtime annual fundraiser helps support the many activities of the Grange, Guilford's community center.
Tickets for the supper are $12 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12, and $2 for kids 4 and younger. Reservations for a particular seating are recommended, as the supper usually sells out early. A waiting list will be kept, and those with reservations but who cannot attend are asked to phone in their cancellation. A few unreserved seats usually are left for the 7 p.m. seating, for those who arrive without a reservation.
The Grange Hall is on Guilford Center Road, four miles west of the Guilford Country Store. For reservations, call Thayer at 802-257-5359.