Ukulele extravaganza in Jamaica
JAMAICA - On Thursday, July 20, at 7 p.m, join two of Vermont's finest ukulele players at the Jamaica Town Hall on Route 30 for an evening dedicated to the joys of playing and listening to the friendly little stringed instrument. Admission at the door is $10 for adults, $5 for kids and seniors.
Led by seasoned musicians Ben Carr and Jake Geppert, the evening will feature a beginners' workshop, a performance, and an open jam session. All are welcome to participate. Have a uke? Bring it along. Interested in trying but empty-handed? They'll have some on hand to share.
Geppert has been performing all kinds of music for 30 years with his popular local bluegrass band, the Bondville Boys. He teaches music lessons at Burr & Burton and privately. Carr is a ukulele musician, specialist, and educator from Saxtons River.
Dummerston Historical Society hosts open house
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Historical Society's quarterly meeting and program, “Exploring our Collection,” will take the form of an open house at the historic schoolhouse building in Dummerston Center on Thursday, July 20, from 7-8:30 p.m.
The directors, led by Tom Zopf and Chuck Fish, have assembled interesting artifacts from the Society's collections for viewing by members and visitors. Many of the items haven't been on display recently and will be a treat to remember or to visit for the first time. Items such as the Kathan rifle and the bicentennial quilts have been locked away in the town vault for many years.
Special tribute will be paid to Green Mountain Camp as the camp is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. An album of the Homemakers Camp from 1940-1961 may be of special interest. Those who participated in that camp are encouraged to bring memories and memorabilia from those days. A special wall is dedicated to the making of the bicentennial quilts in 1976 with names of the quilters and one of the quilts on display.
A brief 7 p.m. business meeting will be followed by the program, and all will be invited to share memories and inspect the various items in the collection. The public is invited, admission is free, and refreshments will be served; The Schoolhouse is handicapped accessible.
Grafton Library celebrates summer reading
GRAFTON - Celebrate this summer's reading theme, “Build a Better World,” with a free play at the library on Friday, July 21, at 6 p.m. The Summer Encore theatre troupe will perform Mirror, Mirror, Show Me The Fairest World of All, a rollicking tale of villains from folk and fairy tales around the world who have a change of heart and start a crusade to unite the world in peace.
The audience will be invited to participate and to be a part of the solution. There will be keepsakes and a challenge for the audience members to take away with them.
Bring a picnic and dine on the library lawn if the weather is nice. For more information, call 802-843-2404 or email librarian@graftonpubliclibrary.org.
Work group focuses on farm assistance
BRATTLEBORO - The Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District is conducting a local work group on Friday, July 21, at 10 a.m., at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center, 28 Vernon St.
The purpose of the work group is to help with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's ranking process for farmer applications for financial and technical assistance. The Local Work Group is an annual meeting used to get local voices into the decision making process around NRCS priorities and funding. Farmers and partners who work in the natural resources and agricultural fields are welcome to attend.
For further information, contact district manager Eliza Rudegeair at 802-689-3024 or WindhamCountyNRCD@gmail.com.
Guilford Cares hosts trail walk for seniors
GUILFORD - Guilford Cares is sponsoring a guided walk for seniors on the Weeks Forest Carriage Trail on Tuesday, July 25, at 11 a.m. The trail is suitable for all who enjoy walking. It is short, smooth, level, and shaded. Water and snacks will be available. There are benches along the trail and companions who will stay with slower walkers.
The trail head is on Carpenter Hill Road in Guilford, across from the one-room schoolhouse a short distance past the Guilford Free Library. There is limited parking at the trail head, more at the library. Volunteers will drive folks from the library to the trail head. Contact Guilford Cares at 802-579-1350 or gcares@comcast.net for more information.
Estey Organ Museum looking for a few good homes
BRATTLEBORO - Looking for parts to repair your reed organ? Wishing you had a parlor organ for your parlor? In search of well-aged pieces of black walnut? You're invited to Estey Organ Museum's third annual re-homing season.
These events, which began in the fall of 2015, are a way for the museum to get its duplicate and non-museum quality organs into the hands of those who will use and enjoy them. This is consistent with part two of the Museum's mission - “to promote the continued use and enjoyment of Estey organs.”
In 2015, several dozen instruments found new homes and last summer (when the re-homing was by appointment) 11 small melodeons were taken away to be repaired and recycled.
Many of the instruments could be rehabilitated by cleaning and bellows repair, but others are musically unusable. Although purists might decry the idea of turning a musical instrument into a desk or liquor cabinet, that is still a way to respect and enjoy the fine woodworking and craftsmanship of Estey workers of long ago.
This season there will be events each month, beginning July 23 and Aug. 5 and continuing in the fall. Check www.esteyorganmuseum.org for dates, or send an email to info@esteyorganmuseum.org if you want to be notified personally.
Volunteer Meals on Wheels coordinator needed in Saxtons River
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. - Southeastern Vermont's largest social services agency serving older adults is seeking an energetic, dedicated volunteer to oversee Meals on Wheels deliveries for the Saxtons River area.
Senior Solutions needs a coordinator to work up to 10 hours monthly to recruit and manage volunteers for five weekly Meals on Wheels night deliveries. The coordinator compiles monthly meal total deliveries and notifies Meals recipients of schedule changes. This person also would fill in for delivery when regular drivers are unavailable.
The coordinator should have an interest in caring for elders, as well as phone, email, and mail availability, interest in recruiting, supporting, and training volunteers, and basic organizational and communication skills.
Those interested in this volunteer opportunity should contact Catherine Wisniewski, Senior Solutions Nutrition and Wellness Director, at 802-885-2655 or cwisniewski@seniorsolutionsvt.org.