WBA plans meeting with Brattleboro Police on rash of home break-ins
WEST BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday, March 26, the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will host a discussion with the Brattleboro Police Department about recent property break-ins. It will be held in the Hayes Court Community Room on Garfield Drive at 7 p.m.
All residents are invited to pose questions to the police and get pointers on how best to avoid future break-ins. This forum will also provide an opportunity for neighbors to suggest ideas to other neighbors, or to ask questions of or get clarifications from the police department.
“It is important to understand that the police in attendance will not be able to report on any ongoing investigations other than in very general terms,” organizers write.
Greater Falls Connections to host monthly coalition meeting
BELLOWS FALLS - Join Greater Falls Connections for its monthly coalition meeting on Friday, March 27, noon to 1:30 p.m., at Parks Place in Bellows Falls. Staffers will discuss underage drinking and how it affects youth and the community, and ways in which to respond to this issue. Updates on the work of the coalition will also be shared.
“Come learn, share, and be part of the solution,” they write.
Lunch will be available. Find out more about the work of GFC at www.greaterfallsconnections.org.
Transition Dummerston to discuss creative ideas for housing
DUMMERSTON - Transition Dummerston will hold its monthly potluck on Friday, March 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Dummerston Congregational Church, at the intersection of East-West and Middle roads, in Dummerston Center.
Participants will discuss creative ideas for housing, exploring how new visions of housing can provide optimum economic and social benefits for couples, singles, seniors, and start-up families.
“Bring ideas and questions to an open discussion about clustered, shared, or 'tiny' homes, or any other creative arrangement you can think of,” the event organizers write.
The potluck begins at 6 p.m., with local food encouraged, and the program runs from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
For further information, call Bill Johnson at 802-257-1020 or Ken Field at 802-387-5288.
Winter Farmers' Market wraps up season with annual CSA Fair
BRATTLEBORO - Saturday, March 28 marks the final week of the ninth season of the Post Oil Solutions' Winter Farmers' Market with the annual CSA Fair, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the River Garden.
Nearly a dozen CSAs (community-supported agriculture entities) are expected to attend, along with the regular market vendor lineup.
“Take this opportunity to do your CSA research and pick your farmer for 2015,” event organizers write. “You will find farms with weekly CSA shares for vegetables, fruit, flowers and more. Some offer deliveries to central pick-up locations, while many invite you to visit their farms each week and get to know their operation. Some farms even invite you into their fields to lend a hand in picking the week's harvest.”
Market Managers urge 3SquaresVT customers to use all their Market Match Coupons, which expire March 28, and wooden market tokens before the season ends.
For more information, contact the market at 802-869-2141 or farmersmarket@postoilsolutions.org.
Rabies clinic offered in Wilmington
WILMINGTON - The Wilmington Fire Department will sponsor a vaccination clinic for pets at the firehouse at 18 Beaver St. on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Dr. Miles A. Powers will vaccinate dogs and cats.
This clinic is open to anyone.
Fees will be $10 for rabies and $15 for distemper-complex vaccines for either a dog or cat, or $20 for both vaccinations. Dogs should be on a leash and cats in a carrier.
For further information or to ask about additional vaccines, call Goose City Veterinary Clinic at 802-348-7918.
Rec. Dept hosts youth chess tournament
BRATTLEBORO - The Recreation & Parks Department will hold a youth chess tournament at the Gibson-Aiken Center on Saturday, March 28, from 1 to 4 p.m.
This $5 program is for participants in kindergarten through grade 8, and all skill levels are welcome.
Eric Strickland will be running the tournament. Depending on the number of entrants, contestants will be divided into appropriate groups and use the Swiss System, where no players are eliminated.
Game boards will be provided. For more information, call the Recreation & Parks office at 802-254-5808.
Thrift Shop to hold end-of-winter bag sale
WEST TOWNSHEND - On Saturday, March 28, and Sunday, March 29, the Thrift Shop at the West Townshend Country Store, on the second floor of the store at the intersection of Route 30 and Windham Hill Road, will hold a special end-of-winter sale.
Customers can fill bags with items of their choice for $5 per bag. Items include clothing and shoes for men, women, and children, as well as household items.
Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. All proceeds from Thrift Shop sales benefit the nonprofit West River Community Project.
RFPL presents 'Vermont and the Civil War' talk with Howard Coffin
BELLOWS FALLS - The Rockingham Free Public Library will host historian and author Howard Coffin for a special presentation about the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War on Saturday, March 28, at 1 p.m.
Though the battles of the Civil War were fought far to the south, the Civil War required an incredible effort from, and took an incredible toll on, those at home. More than 28,000 Vermonters served in Union regiments in the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, and nearly 6,000 died.
Coffin is a seventh-generation Vermonter and author of four books about Vermont's contributions to the Union cause. His most recent title, Something Abides: Discovering the Civil War in Today's Vermont, was published in 2013.
Coffin will focus his presentation on the final year of the war as it impacted Vermonters in blue uniforms and those left at home to carry on.
This Vermont Humanities Council event is free, open to the public, and accessible to people with disabilities.
Marlboro Graduate School offers free 'Caring for Your Body' Workshop
BRATTLEBORO - “Sitting Tall: Caring for Your Body When You Have a Desk Job” will be held at the Marlboro College Graduate & Professional Studies Center, 28 Vernon St., on Tuesday, March 31, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The workshop is free, but participants are asked to register in advance at www.marlboro.edu/hotmix.
In this practical, hands-on workshop, participants will discuss what constitutes good body alignment in general and for sitting at a desk or computer specifically. They will gain body awareness through a guided relaxation session, and they will learn some easy stretches and some self-massage techniques using a tennis ball.
Rachelle Ackerman, a certified massage therapist for nearly 23 years, will lead the session.
The workshop is free, but participants are asked to register in advance at www.marlboro.edu/hotmix.
Legion Band to host open house for musicians
BRATTLEBORO - The American Legion Concert Band is holding an 0pen house for musicians from 7 to 9 p.m., on Wednesday, April 1, at American Legion Post 5, 32 Linden St.
“This is an ideal time to join the band as it prepares for spring and summer concerts as well as the American Legion National Band competition being held at the end of August in Baltimore,” organizers write.
“You don't need to be a veteran or member of the American Legion to join, and current members range in age from high school students to octogenarians.”
The 50-member band was formed in 1990 and continues to grow in membership and reputation. In a typical year, the band will perform in approximately one dozen concerts. At the two national competitions it attended, the band took fourth place in 2002 in Charlotte, N.C., and more recently took second place in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The band rehearses every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m., at Post 5 and plays a wide variety of concert band music, mostly at the high school or college level.
'Coffee with a Cop' program comes to Co-op
BRATTLEBORO - Members of the Police Department and community members will once again have a chance to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee together.
The next meeting place for “Coffee with a Cop” will be at the Brattleboro Food Co-op, 2 Main St., on Thursday, April 2, from 8 to 10 a.m.
Residents are invited to stop by and learn more about what the department is doing in Brattleboro's neighborhoods.
Officers Ryan Washburn and Adam Pelock are scheduled to attend.
Those with questions in advance may reach them at 802-257-7950.
New adult bereavement support group forms
BRATTLEBORO - A new six-week bereavement support group for adults begins on Thursday, April 9, and will meet each subsequent Thursday until May 14 from 4:30-6 p.m.
The group is free and open to anyone in the community grieving the death loss of a loved one, no matter when or where the loss occurred.
Bereavement support groups offer a safe, mutually supportive environment for sharing experiences through discussion, readings, simple activities, and suggestions for moving through grief.
This group, limited to eight people, is sponsored by Brattleboro Area Hospice and will meet at the hospice office at 191 Canal St. No prior connection with hospice is required in order to participate.
Call facilitator Connie Baxter, bereavement care coordinator, at 802-257-0775, ext. 104 by April 3 for a pre-group appointment if you're interested in joining.
Not too late for United Way's free tax program
BRATTLEBORO - April 15 is just around the corner. But don't panic yet. If you haven't filed your 2014 taxes yet, there is still time, and United Way of Windham County can help.
The agency is offering two programs that provide free federal and state income-tax preparation services to eligible taxpayers: the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program and MyFreeTaxes.
United Way is operating a VITA site in Brattleboro where IRS-certified volunteers provide free tax preparation to eligible taxpayers earning up to $53,000 per year. To schedule an appointment, call 2-1-1.
They are also partnering with MyFreeTaxes.com to provide free federal and state tax preparation and filing assistance to eligible households earning up to $60,000 a year. The program has helped millions of individuals and families claim more than $8 billion dollars in valuable tax credits and refunds since 2009. For more information, call 2-1-1.