WKVT hosts 'Call to Action' forum on hunger, homelessness
BRATTLEBORO - WKVT Radio will present a live broadcast of a public forum about hunger and homelessness in the community from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15, in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Brattleboro Municipal Center.
The station's “Call to Action” series brings local and state officials together with individuals and organizations to create awareness around critical issues and foster greater collaboration in addressing community needs. Light refreshments will be available. Participants and audience members will have a chance to continue discussion on the topic following the broadcast.
Brattleboro Community Television will tape the forum to air at a later date on their cable channels as well as archive it online at www.brattleborotv.org. For more information, contact 802-254-2343 or visit www.wkvtradio.com.
Senior meal served in Halifax
HALIFAX - The next Halifax senior meal will be Friday, Sept. 16, at noon, at the Halifax Community Hall.
On the menu is meatloaf, baked potatoes, vegetables, rolls, and dessert. All seniors are welcome. A call to Joan is appreciated at 802-368-7733.
Free film on addiction in Wardsboro
WARDSBORO - “The Hungry Heart,” a film about drug addiction and the search for a life of recovery, will be shown at the Wardsboro Public Library, 170 Main St., on Friday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m.
The Hungry Heart provides an intimate look at the often hidden world of prescription drug addiction through the world of Vermont Pediatrician Fred Holmes, who works with patients struggling with this disease.
Running time is 93 minutes and the program is free and open to the public. Sponsored jointly by Wardsboro Public Library and Jamaica Memorial Library. For more information, call 802-896-6988.
Baconfest returns this weekend
GUILFORD - WKVT, The Auto Mall, Keene Auto Body, and the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce present the third annual Brattleboro Baconfest on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Guilford Fairgrounds.
More than 35 vendors have signed up for this year's Baconfest and will be at the fairgrounds from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering tantalizing bacon-related food, drink, and fun.
Admission to the event is free and cost of products will vary from vendor to vendor, with plenty of free samples. Blues music will be provided by the Mark Manley Band and Groove Prophet.
Participants can work up an appetite by running either a 5K or 10K “Hog jog” through the beautiful back roads of Guilford. The $25 entry fee includes a T-shirt and goodies.
Brattleboro Baconfest is also holding the traditional, bacon-related, recipe cooking contest. Contest details, rules, and an entry form are available at www.wkvt.com.
Eco-philosopher Joanna Macy to speak at Centre Church
BRATTLEBORO - On Saturday, Sept. 17, at 7:30 p.m., at Centre Congregational Church on Main Street, Marlboro College will present eco-philosopher and author Joanna Macy in a free talk titled “Teaching at the Edge of Time.”
The talk will be preceded by a community gathering and cheese plate hour starting at 6:30 p.m.
Macy interweaves her scholarship with learning from five decades of activism. Her work addresses psychological and spiritual issues of the nuclear age, the cultivation of ecological awareness, and the resonance between Buddhist thought and contemporary science.
She plans to share stories from three decades with the Work that Reconnects, a framework for personal and social change that has been adopted and adapted widely in classrooms, churches, and grassroots organizing around the world. Her talk will be followed by a Q&A period.
Go wild at Vermont Wildlife Festival
WEST DOVER - Join the Vermont Museum of Natural History on Sunday, Sept. 18, for the Vermont Wildlife Festival, a celebration of all things outdoors.
This year's festival will be at Mount Snow but will continue to showcase outdoor and wildlife-related pursuits. As in past years, live animals and family activities are featured, with a live wolf, coyote, and fox presentation at 3 p.m. Live birds of prey, reptiles, survival demonstrations, and more will be on view all day long.
Over 30 groups will be on hand, along with local craftspeople and artists. Non-animal activities include fly-fishing demonstrations, a Native American exhibit with a full-sized tipi, laser shooting range, gondola rides, and food.
Thanks to the support of the Southern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Mount Snow, and the Zoocademy, admission is still “what you think is fair.” For more information, call 802-464-0048 or visit www.vermontmuseum.org.
Hogback work party continues ski slope clearing for wildlife
MARLBORO - This fall, volunteers are clearing the former Great White Way ski slope in the Hogback Mountain Conservation Area.
The idea is to increase habitat variety on the mountain by “turning back the clock” on forest regeneration to create more young woody growth that birds and other wildlife thrive in. A nice side effect is that for a year or two the views are opened up for hikers and the slopes are cleared for skiing.
The next work party is Sunday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to noon. If you can haul brush, wield loppers, or run a chainsaw, you can help. Meet behind the white A-frame building just west of the gift shop on Route 9 at the 100-mile view. Bring your own favorite tool or borrow one of ours.
Questions? Contact hogbackvt@gmail.com or check hogbackvt.org and click the ESH Project tab.
Chronic pain workshops offered at Grace Cottage
TOWNSHEND - Brattleboro Memorial Hospital offers a free Chronic Pain Self-Management Program at Grace Cottage Hospital in the Holt Conference Room in partnership with Support and Services at Home. This Wednesday workshop series starts Sept. 21, from 3 to 5:30 p.m., and ends Oct. 26.
Living a Healthier Life with Chronic Pain Workshop is a Self-Management Program for people with either a primary or secondary diagnosis of chronic pain (as defined as lasting for longer than 3 to 6 months or lasting longer than the normal healing time of an injury) and focuses on problem solving, appropriate use of medications, and exercise, nutrition, emotions, and communicating with health care providers.
The workshop runs for 2 1/2 hours, once a week for six weeks. Developed by the Division of Family and Community Medicine in the School of Medicine at Stanford University, sessions are facilitated by two trained leaders, one or both of whom may have the same condition as participants.
Space is limited, so registration is required. Call 802-257-8867 for more information or to register.
Death Café to take place in Grafton
GRAFTON - On Thursday, Sept. 22, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Brattleboro Area Hospice will host a Death Café at The Chapel on Main Street.
This free event is part of an international movement begun in Europe (www.deathcafe.com) dedicated to taking death out of the closet to discuss it publicly.
Previous events in Windham County have been described as comfortable, supportive of a full range of emotions - from tears to raucous laughter - easier than anticipated, energy charged, inspirational, and fun.
A Death Café isn't a support group, a counseling session, or even a workshop. It is simply a gathering of people sharing respectful, thought provoking, life affirming conversation about living and dying in a relaxed atmosphere while enjoying warm beverages and delectable treats.
The public is welcome and encouraged to attend, but space is limited, so RSVP's are required. Contact Cicely Carroll at Brattleboro Area Hospice at 802-257-0775, ext. 108, or, local to Bellows Falls, 802-460-1142, ext. 108.