Luskin offers lessons from the Long Trail
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Conservation Commission presents a special program with Newfane resident and writer Deborah Lee Luskin, who will talk about her 2016 through-hike of the Long Trail, the oldest recreational footpath in the U.S., on Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m., at the Learning Collaborative on Route 5.
Between Aug. 15 and Sept. 8 last year, Luskin and a friend walked from Massachusetts to Canada. They had both just turned 60 and decided that a long walk would be a good way to figure out what comes next in what poet Mary Oliver calls “your one wild and precious life.”
Walking and talking, the two women reached the Canadian border with new ideas about how to live more mindfully.
For more information, contact the Conservation Commission at 802-257-0012.
All Souls to hold tag sale
WEST BRATTLEBORO - All Souls Church Unitarian Universalist will hold its annual Tag Sale on Friday, May 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, May 6, from 8 to 11 a.m. This popular sale will feature clothing for women, men, and children, household items, lamps, books, toys, jewelry, and more.
Proceeds will support special projects at the church. All Souls Church is located at 29 South St. up the driveway from the West Brattleboro Fire Station.
Spring rummage, tag, and bake sale in Jacksonville
JACKSONVILLE - The Jacksonville Community Church will hold its annual spring rummage, tag, and bake sale on Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 96 VT Rte. 112.
There will be four rooms of clothing and home goods, plus a huge indoor tag sale. Make sure to stop by the bake sale for some delicious goodies.
Stroll presents Cinco de Mayo 'EGGS-travaganza'
BRATTLEBORO - On Friday, May 5, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., during the May Gallery Walk in downtown Brattleboro, Strolling of the Heifers and Pete and Gerry's Organic Eggs will host a Cinco de Mayo “EGGS-travaganza” at the River Garden, 157 Main Street.
In a news release, Strolling of the Heifers' Executive Director Orly Munzing said that since “May is National Egg Month and May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, we decided to combine the two with an unusual event.”
This free event will feature food samples from local chefs made with Pete & Gerry's Organic eggs, live music, drinks, and lots of exciting kids activities, including a mess-free egg toss.
The EGGS-travaganza will also celebrate the Strolling of the Heifers' Farm to Plate Apprenticeship Program, providing culinary and nutrition skills to underemployed people. Many of the participating restaurants employ graduates of the program, which is in its third year.
Cemetery Association meets May 6
NEWFANE - The Vermont Old Cemetery Association will hold its spring meeting on Saturday, May 6, at 10 a.m., at the Newbrook Fire House on Route 30.
Following the meeting, lunch will be served. Following lunch, there will be an outside program on James O. Follett's Stone Arch Bridges. This program will be at the Stone Arch Bridge Historic District in Townshend. Directions to the district will be available at the meeting. To make reservations for the lunch, call 802-365-7937.
The Association is the oldest cemetery-preservation organization in the U.S. and has sponsored hundreds of restoration projects all over Vermont. It is associated with the Association of Gravestone Studies to allow for a nationwide connection to cemetery preservation and conservation.
Firefighters dish up a spaghetti dinner
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Firefighters Benefit Association presents its sixth annual Spaghetti Dinner on Saturday, May 6, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the new West Brattleboro Fire Station, 16 South St.
The menu includes spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, salad, drinks, and dessert. Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for seniors and children. For information call 802-254-4831
Panel discusses nuclear waste disposal
BRATTLEBORO - On Saturday, May 6, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., in the Brattleboro Food Co-op Community Room, speakers will discuss the issues of high-level nuclear waste and federal policy.
Speakers include Rose Gardner of the Texas chapter of the Sierra Club, a resident of a community affected by both a low-level waste dump and a proposed interim storage site for high-level waste in Andrews County, Texas; Kevin Kamps with Beyond Nuclear, who will address the vulnerabilities of on-site storage; and Deb Katz of Citizens Awareness Network, who will address the issues of decommissioning and hardened onsite storage at nuclear reactors.
Although the nuclear industry and federal government committed to create a solution for high-level nuclear waste disposal, activists say that no acceptable solution exists and that sites targeted for “disposal,” like Andrews County, Texas, and Yucca Mountain in Nevada, are low-income and rural communities inhabited mostly by people of color and Native Americans.
Communities targeted for nuclear waste disposal don't want dangerous nuclear waste in their backyard, particularly given the abysmal record of leaks and inadequate environmental protections. As a result, these communities face unconscionable choices - short-term economic survival or long-term health and safety.
Organizers of the forum say the goal is to get reactor and waste communities to work together to create effective strategies and actions to defeat industry initiatives that target vulnerable communities and to provide protections for reactor communities forced to be guardians of the world's most toxic and long-lasting waste.
Parenting for Social Justice chats at Putney Library
PUTNEY - Parenting for Social Justice Chats will be held at the Putney Public Library on the first Sundays of May and June - May 7 and June 4 - from 10 a.m. to noon.
Come join a conversation that is designed to connect and nurture parents, grandparents, and caregivers, as well as support children and families while addressing some of the most pressing social justice issues in our communities.
In 2016 and 2017, Act for Social Justice collaborated with the Putney Public Library to host the Parenting for Social Justice Chats. More than 40 people have attended this series in Putney. The conversations were so successful and well received that a group of local parents has agreed to continue these conversations in May and June.
Jaime Contois, a local parent and participant in the 2016 and 2017 series, will facilitate the Parenting for Social Justice chat on May 7.
The topics addressed through the chats have ranged from economic justice, racial justice, gender justice, and taking action as families. Each chat starts with highlighting children's books on social justice topics. Small-group breakout time will allow all participants to share their own daily life experiences with oppression and privilege and how they communicate with their children about it.
This is free and open to the public, and snacks are provided, as well as childcare for kids age 3 and up. Childcare will be provided by a local parent. Please RSVP to jaimecontois@gmail.com or call at 603-504-2906 to reserve a spot.
Flowers and moonlight at the Pinnacle
WESTMINSTER WEST - The Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association is offering several spring programs that are free and open to the public.
On Saturday, May 6, from 9:30 to noon, enjoy the annual Spring Wildflower Walk. Libby Mills and Carol Westing will lead this favorite stroll to find delicate ephemeral flowers in the hardwood forest. Meet at Westminster West Church to carpool to the site. Wear waterproof shoes and bring a camera and water. For questions and requested registration, contact westing@sover.net. The rain date is Sunday, May 7, at 10 a.m.
On Wednesday, May 10, from 8 to 9:30 p.m., there will be a Moonlight Hike at Bald Hill. Vanessa Stern, a member of Bald Hill Conservation Committee and Pinnacle Board, will lead this nocturnal adventure. Wear waterproof shoes and meet at the Bald Hill kiosk on Covered Bridge Road in Westminster.
The Bald Hill Reserve links to the Bellows Falls Union High School Forest lands; together they offer over seven miles of trails readily accessible to hikers. Contact Vanessa Stern at 802-463-4948 to register, get information, or check on the weather. For more information, access maps, and directions, log onto www.windmillhillpinnacle.org.
BMH announces diabetic wellness workshop
BRATTLEBORO - Vermonters can sign up now for Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's Helping Yourself to Health self-management program, a series of free workshops focused on helping people manage and improve their health.
The evidence-based program provides a supportive atmosphere for participants to focus on building skills to manage health conditions by sharing experiences and providing mutual support.
Diabetes Healthy Living will meet from 2 to 4:30 p.m., on Mondays, May 8 to June 19, in the Red Clover Commons third floor conference room on Fairground Road.
The program continues six weeks, excluding Memorial Day. The workshop is for those with diabetes or caretakers of a person with diabetes. It is free for eligible participants and preregistration is required. For more information, contact Elisha Underwood at 802-257-8867.
Learn how to be a weather-spotter
TOWNSHEND - The West River Radio Club is sponsoring free Skywarn spotter training on Tuesday, May 9, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Heins Home at Grace Cottage Hospital on Route 35.
This training is open to all, but pre-registration is requested at cstar.cestm.albany.edu/skywarn/Register.htm. The training is being presented in conjunction with the National Weather Service's Albany, N.Y., office.
Skywarn is a nationwide network of volunteer weather spotters who report to and are trained by the National Weather Service. These spotters report many forms of significant or severe weather, such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, heavy snow, and flooding.
The NWS Albany office is responsible for issuing local forecasts and Severe Weather Warnings for Windham and Bennington counties. Skywarn spotters act as the NWS's eyes and ears to help provide better forecasts and severe weather warnings. For more information, visit www.erh.noaa.gov/aly.