Retting Place closure in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - Effective immediately, Retting Place will be closed at Green Street for several weeks. This closure is part of the Green Street Wall Project.
Access to Retting Place will be from High Street. Motorists are advised to use alternate routes while this project is in progress.
Contact the Department of Public Works at 802-254-4255, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for information.
Friends of the Library to hold book sale
BRATTLEBORO - The Friends of the Library's Paperback Book Sale will be held in the Brooks Memorial Library from Thursday, April 21, through Saturday, April 23.
Brand new paperback books will be on sale, as well as a wide range of CDs and DVDs.
The Friends' Paperback Book Sale will be open on Thursday, April 21, from 1 to 5 p.m., on Friday, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. All books are priced to sell.
The proceeds of all sales go to the Library for the purchase of technology updates, Children's Room materials, free museum passes, and digital online resources.
Luthier to talk on violin history, condition and restoration
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Historical Society Quarterly Meeting and Program on Thursday, April 21, at the Historical Society's Schoolhouse in Dummerston Center will feature David Baker of Baker Violin Shop, with a short business meeting at 7 p.m. followed by the program at 7:30 p.m.
Baker will discuss his passion for the violin family, including violins, fiddles, violas, and cellos, and share information about his workshop, where he offers a wide range of services, such as inspection and assessment of instruments, normal maintenance, in-depth repair, major repair and restoration, and rental and sales of instruments.
Prior to spending more than 15 years training under a fourth-generation violin maker and master of authentic and artistic violin restoration, Baker's career was in historic restoration and conservation of old buildings. Bring your instrument to this program should you have questions about its history and condition.
The Historical Society welcomes all visitors; programs are free and accessible. For more information, call 802-254-9311.
Workshop looks at rattlesnakes in Vermont
TOWNSHEND - On Thursday, April 21, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Town Hall, Windham Regional Woodlands Association will present a talk by Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department biologist and rattlesnake researcher Doug Blodgett.
Blodgett will discuss this reclusive, but much-maligned and misunderstood, reptile and its unique contribution to Vermont's native wildlife community.
During his 34-year career as wildlife biologist with the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Blodgett worked as the Vermont Wild Turkey Project Team Leader from 1990 to 2010. He has also assisted on the black bear, deer, moose, fur-bearer, and peregrine falcon research projects. Most recently, his professional interest has focused on reptiles, and specifically on rare-snake research in Vermont.
Earth Night at BEEC
WEST BRATTLEBORO - On the evening of Earth Day, Friday, April 22, the public is invited to the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC) at 7 p.m., to celebrate life on this planet.
If the weather cooperates, the performances will include the rising full moon from the summit of Heifer Hill, the courtship flights of woodcock, and the chorus of spring peepers from BEEC's frog pond.
BEEC staff will be on hand with refreshments and to guide participants to the finest viewing and listening places. This event is weather dependent, so pre-registration is recommended. Call 802-257-5785 or e-mail patti@beec.org. Visit www.beec.org for more information.
Meeting to discussbuilding networks of support for elders
DUMMERSTON - This month's Transition Dummerston potluck and program will focus on “Dummerston Cares: Building Networks of Support for Elders” on Friday, April 22, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Dummerston Congregational Church, at the intersection of Middle and East-West Roads in Dummerston Center.
Come hear about what other towns are doing, discuss the needs of Dummerston elders, and explore ways Dummerston Cares can help meet those needs and can be supported and strengthened.
The potluck (local food encouraged) starts at 6 p.m., and the program begins at 7 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by Dummerston Congregational Church and Dummerston Cares and is free and open to the public. People from surrounding towns are encouraged to come and join the conversation. For more information, contact Fred at 802-387-2681.
Brattleboro Police to host Coffee with a Cop
BRATTLEBORO - On Saturday, April 23, officers from the Police Department and community members will once again come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee.
All community members are invited to attend between 9 a.m. and noon at the Brattleboro Food Co-op café, 2 Main St.
Coffee with a Cop provides a unique opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the department's work in Brattleboro's neighborhoods. It is part of a national initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Contact Detective Ryan Washburn or Officer Adam Petlock with questions at 802-257-7950.
Earth Day concert/celebration with Derrik Jordan, Jed Blume
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 23 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Derrik Jordan and Jed Blume - multi-instrumentalists, composers, and performers of evocative music inspired by cultures close to the land - will bring participants further into harmony with the beautiful surroundings.
The celebration happens rain or shine (tent for the concert if necessary) and is kid-friendly. Tax-deductible contributions help support the artists.
The Manitou Project seeks to foster community with nature on its 235-acre land preserve, located at 300 Sunset Lake Rd. For more information, call Fred at 802-387-2681.
Nature walk focuses on ferns, mosses
PUTNEY - Learn more about the earth's earliest land plants - mosses and ferns- on a leisurely walk with Ramona Lawrence and Sarah Cooper-Ellis through Putney's Beatrice Aiken Conservation Site on Saturday, April 23, beginning at 10 a.m.
The first stop will be the “Weeping Cliff,” a high outcrop of metavolcanic rock that provides a perfect environment for luxurious ferns and mosses. The cliff is visible from Old Route 5. The rest of the walk has two steep slopes but is generally easy.
Meet at the Beatrice Aiken kiosk located on Old Route 5 mid-way between Houghton Brook Road and Carol Brown Road (which runs in front of the Putney Food Co-op). Limited parking is available just past the kiosk. Parking at Carol Brown and walking left on Old Route 5 to the trailhead or kiosk is recommended. Rain date is the next day, Sunday, April 24, at 10 a.m. The walk is sponsored by the Putney Conservation Commission.
Osher Lectures continue
DUMMERSTON - The Brattleboro Chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) will present the fourth in its current series of morning and afternoon lectures on Monday, April 25.
The morning lecture, by Meg Mott of Marlboro College, will consider the physical causes of drug addiction. In the afternoon program, Joy Wallens-Penford, coordinator of Brattleboro's monthly Gallery Walk, will discuss the life and work of poet and Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg.
Lectures are held on six successive Mondays. Morning lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon; afternoon lectures, from 1 to 3 p.m.
All lectures will be held at the Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Route 5. Parking and handicapped access are available, and light refreshments will be served at the lectures. For further information, contact Julie Lavorgna at 802-365-7278 or julielav@sover.net.
Rockingham citizens to discuss merger
BELLOWS FALLS - Voices of Rockingham, a citizens' group, will meet Tuesday, April 26, at 7 P.M., at Windham Antiques on the Square in Bellows Falls and will invite open discussion about the proposed merger of Rockingham and Bellows Falls.
Public and elected officials are welcome to attend and offer information about what the merger would mean for residents. Voices of Rockingham seeks community input to create a list of citizens' hopes for what would come from a merger and/or the public airing of concerns about what might happen with a merger.
The intention would be to present such a list at the first public hearings for village and town. The merger hearings are scheduled for Saturday, April 30, at 11 a.m. for the Village of Bellows Falls, followed by a public hearing at 2 p.m. on the same afternoon.
Invasive plants discussed in Dummerston
DUMMERSTON - The Conservation Commission will sponsor a presentation by ecologist Chris Polatin on removing invasive plants around your home, on Tuesday, April 26, at 7 p.m., at the Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Route 5.
Polatin, a habitat-restoration specialist, will demonstrate tools and techniques for management of invasive plants.
For information, visit www.dummerstonconservation.com.
Active parenting class offered in Londonderry
LONDONDERRY - The Collaborative and Windham County Partnership for Success will offer the new Active Parenting of Teens program for parents/caregivers of children ages 11-18. The five-session video and discussion program will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays (April 27 and May 4, 11, 18, 25). Dinner will be served at 5 p.m. The series will be held at The Collaborative at 91 VT Route 11 in Londonderry, behind Flood Brook School.
Pre-registration is required. Quality childcare will be provided with advance notice. Dinner will be provided.
This program combines entertaining video and discussion to help parents learn how to raise children who are cooperative, responsible, and able to resist peer pressure. It also guides parents in dealing with sensitive issues such as drugs, sexuality, and violence.
For more information about this program and/or to register, visit WindhamParentingEd.org, call The Collaborative at 802-824-4200.
Main Street Arts to hold volunteer info session
SAXTONS RIVER - Main Street Arts is hosting an information session for potential volunteers Sunday, May 8, from 2 to 4 p.m. with the bonus of creating a do-it-yourself garden treasure.
While they learn about volunteer opportunities and enjoy refreshments, participants will be taken through the process of embedding some of their personal treasures in a cement circle to create a garden stepping stone to take home. Materials will be supplied.
The event is limited to 20, and reservations are needed by April 29 by calling MSA at (802) 869-2960 or e-mailing info@mainstreetarts.org.
Further information may be accessed on Facebook or at www.mainstreetarts.org/.
PAX seeks host families for foreign exchange students
BRATTLEBORO - Hoping to continue a valuable program in the local communities, PAX, the Program of Academic Exchange, is looking for families to host students for the 2016-17 academic school year.
These young adventurers will arrive at the end of August from one of over 80 countries. They hope to spend a full academic year here becoming a member of a family, sharing cultures, improving their English, and creating lifelong memories with their new communities. They will bring with them a desire to learn about our culture and share theirs, learn new activities, and participate in holiday traditions.
If you would like to host a student for the coming year, or have questions, contact Kimberly Eckhardt at 802-824-3792 or keckhardt08@gmail.com.