Knitting club meets in Townshend
TOWNSHEND - The Townshend Knit/Crochet Club will meet on April 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Townshend Public Library. Participants can learn how to make a bunny hat, complete with nose and ears, just in time for spring. The project can be made to fit either a child or an adult.
Instruction is free and provided by a professional teacher who will also discuss pattern reading and teaching granny squares for those who want to learn crochet. Crochet hooks will be provided. Seasoned knitters are encouraged to come by and receive help with or just to show off works in progress. Call the library with any questions at 802-365-4039.
Newfane Garden Club kicks off new year
NEWFANE - The April meeting of the Newfane Garden Club will take place on Thursday, April 5, at 2 p.m., at the Newfane Congregational church.
There will be a slide show of plants with Garden club members participating in a team quiz after the presentation.
This is the first meeting of the year and should be a fun time. Guests are always welcome.
Bingo night benefits LGUHS Class of 2018
JAMAICA - The Leland & Gray Union High School Class of 2018 senior class will hold a Bingo night at the Jamaica Masonic Lodge on Friday, April 6, to help raise funds for their Project Graduation celebration.
The Masonic Lodge will donate a generous portion of the night's proceeds to the senior class, so the more, the merrier for everyone. Doors open at 6 p.m., and games start at 7 p.m. Food, beverages, baked goods, and 50/50 raffle tickets will be available for purchase.
Altered books workshop at Putney Library
PUTNEY - Join artist Marsha Bard at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., on Saturday, April 7, at 1 p.m., for a unique, free, book arts workshop. Taking an old book, participants will make a plan to create a new book with art papers, stamping, and fussy cutting.
Bring along an idea of a theme for your book, an old book (with a signature binding), and any small drawings, graphics, ribbons, buttons - whatever makes you happy. Participants will be removing many pages and gluing others together to create their new books.
If you plan to attend and participate, please bring: an X-Acto knife or similar cutting tool, Elmer's glue, small paint brush (for spreading the glue) if you have it, and any other materials you would like to use in re-making your book.
This workshop is a part of the “Nourishing the Inner Artist: Conversations about Art, Creativity, and Imagination” creativity forum series presented in partnership with the Arts Council of Windham County. To view the full series, visit www.acwc.us/forums.
Osher lectures continue
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute continiues its spring series of lectures, “Reading the Qur'an with Rumi,” on Monday, April 9.
Jalal al-Din Rumi, the 13th-century Muslim contemplative who is today one of the best-selling poets in America, considered the Quran a map of the self and the Quranic stories to contain wisdom that can lead to a life of happiness and flourishing.
Amer Latif, a professor of religious studies at Marlboro College, will serve as the guide to the Quran and to Rumi and his thoughts.
The Osher lectures are held on six successive Mondays, from 10 a.m. to noon, at the New England Youth Theatre, 100 Flat St. Parking and handicapped access are available, and light refreshments are served at the lectures. For further information, contact Julie Lavorgna at 802-365-7278, or julielavorgna@gmail.com.
Meeting examines nexus of art and the economy
PUTNEY - The Rockingham Arts and Museum Project and Vermont Performance Lab are convening innovators and leaders who will share ideas illustrating how the arts significantly contribute to the health, economy, and vibrancy of Bennington and Windham county communities.
This event takes place on Monday, April 9, from 10 a.m. to noon - with coffee and snacks starting at 9:30 a.m. - at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill.
RAMP and VPL are hosting the event in partnership with Next Stage Arts, the Vermont Creative Network, the Vermont Arts Council, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Southern Vermont Economy Project.
“This convening offers an opportunity for community leaders, town managers, planners, creatives, legislators, as well as economic development and arts organizations, to reflect on the cultural and economic significance of the creative economy,” Robert McBride, founding director of RAMP, said in a news release.
The event is free, and advance registration is appreciated at www.eventbrite.com or www.vermontperformancelab.org/events. Next Stage Arts is wheelchair accessible, call 802-463-3252 with accessibility questions.
Program to focus on Vermont's changing politics
BELLOWS FALLS - “1964: A Watershed Year in Vermont's Political (and Cultural) History,” will be the subject of a program Monday, April 9, beginning at 6 p.m. at the Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster St.
In 1964, the Republican Party lost its tight grasp on Vermont politics, starting the swing of the political pendulum from Vermont as a bastion of conservative Republicanism to a state with a highly-diversified political climate featuring progressive and even radical politics.
The speaker will be novelist Deborah Luskin, who will discuss the complexities and nuances of Vermont's transformation from red state to blue. Her extensive research into the politics of mid-century Vermont was undertaken in the writing of Into the Wilderness, a love story that takes place during the political and cultural upheaval of that year.
The talk is sponsored by the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission, thanks to a grant from the Vermont Humanities Council. The library is handicapped accessible and the program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact the library at 802-463-4270 or clg@rockbf.org.
Vernon Historians to meet
VERNON - On Tuesday, April 10, at 6:30 p.m., the Vernon Historians will hold a brief business meeting in the lower level of the Vernon Town Offices. Immediately following, at about 7 p.m., town historian extraordinaire Barbara Moseley will present a program describing experiences both ordinary and extraordinary from Vernon's history.
She will share tales about days in the one-room schoolhouse on Pond Road, as well as stories about the sacrifices made by men and women from Vernon on faraway battlefields and on the home front. Refreshments will be served, the public is invited, and the program is appropriate for all ages.
Hospice to offer informal discussion about grieving
BRATTLEBORO - What is your story? We all have stories of loss and grief. Join Brattleboro Area Hospice for an informal conversation and a time for telling and hearing stories of those we remember.
This event will take place on Thursday, April 12, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., in the upstairs meeting room at the hospice office, 191 Canal Street in Brattleboro. Connie Baxter will facilitate. No preregistration is necessary but do call Baxter at 802-257-0775, ext. 104, if you have questions about this gathering.