Water quality report is available
BRATTLEBORO - The Town of Brattleboro Water Department's annual Consumer Confidence Report/Water Quality Report for 2017 is now available.
This report can be viewed online at www.brattleboro.org, or written copies are available at the Brattleboro Municipal Center in the offices of the Town Manager and in the hallway near the Town Clerk's Office.
The Water Quality Report can also be obtained at the Brooks Memorial Library, the Department of Public Works on Fairground Road, and at the Guilford Country Store. Any questions about this report can be addressed to the Department of Public Works at 802-254-4255.
Senior meal served in Halifax
HALIFAX - Friday, May 18, is the next senior meal in Halifax at the Community Hall, located at 20 Brook Road. Lunch will be served at noon, all seniors are welcome.
Affectionately known as the “clean out the freezer” lunch, on the menu is sweet sausage stroganoff, chicken and biscuits, turkey pot pie, and meatloaf with coleslaw, rolls, and dessert. A call to Joan is appreciated at 802-368-7733.
Also, the June senior meal will be held on June 8, a week earlier than usual.
Film looks at Palestinian dairy farm
On Friday, May 18, from 6 to 8 p.m., Brattleboro Solidarity will host a film and discussion of The Wanted 18 in the Brattleboro Food Co-op Community Room.
The film is about a group of Palestinians in Beit Sahour who start a local dairy farm in order to boycott the Israeli dairy industry. They manage to hide a herd of 18 cows from Israeli security forces when the dairy collective is deemed a threat to Israeli national security. For information about the film, and Brattleboro Solidarity, visit www.facebook.com/brattleborosolidarity.
Brattleboro Garden Club hosts plant sale
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Flower Arts & Garden Club will hold its annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 19, from 9 to 11 a.m., at the Green Mountain Chapel's parking lot at 480 Western Ave.
Perennials from members' gardens will be sold at very reasonable prices. This year, the club will also offer great garden gloves, planters, pots, tools, books, and other assorted garden items.
Food and plant sale in Guilford
GUILFORD - The Guilford Historical Society annual Plant and Food sale will be Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to 2 pm, at Richmond Auto, at the corner of Route 5 and Guilford Center Road.
A wide choice of plants, flowers, and shrubs from local gardens will be on sale, just in time for spring planting in your flower beds or yard. Delicious home-baked goods including pies, cookies, muffins, and more, by some of Guilford's best cooks, will also be available. Proceeds from the sale help maintain the town's historical buildings and artifacts.
For more information, call Fred at 802-257-7306 or Nancy Evans at 802-254-8082.
Welcome the spring birds at Hogback
MARLBORO - Welcome this spring's bird migrants back to Hogback Mountain Conservation Area on Saturday, May 19, from 10 a.m. to noon.
Meet at the parking lot on the south side of Route 9 just west of the gift shop and follow trails through a variety of habitats and elevations to look and listen for a variety of migrating and resident birds and learn about the plant communities that attract each species.
Naturalist, photographer, and Marlboro resident Cherrie Corey will lead the walk. Come dressed with sturdy footwear and long pants. Hats, top layers, and insect repellent are all recommended. For more information, go to hogbackvt.org and click the events button.
First Baptist Church of South Londonderry celebrates new building
SOUTH LONDONDERRY - First Baptist Church of South Londonderry would like to invite friends and neighbors to celebrate and dedicate their new building at 62 Crescent St., on Sunday, May 19, from 2 to 5 p.m.
The church has been rebuilding after the previous building was destroyed by a fire in August 2010. The first worship service in the new building was on Jan. 21, 2018.
This event will include tours of the finished main level and unfinished spaces for future use. Finger food and drinks will be provided. There will be a dedication service at 3:30 p.m., with music, a message, and time of prayer. Everyone is welcome.
Worship services at First Baptist Church of South Londonderry are at 10 a.m, on Sunday mornings at 62 Crescent St. in South Londonderry. For more information, visit firstbaptistlondonderryvt.org or call 802-856-7266.
Meet Vermont's Champion White Ash on May 19
WESTMINSTER - By popular request, there will be a springtime hike to the largest White Ash in Vermont on Saturday, May 19, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The rain date is Sunday May 20. The tree is located on Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association property off Headwaters Trail in Westminster, so a guide to it is essential.
This year, the walk will be led by Vermont State Forester Tim Morton. During the free program, Morton will discuss the characteristics of a Vermont forest and the factors that affect the health of this truly remarkable specimen, which should be leafing out after a very long winter.
Re-verified at the beginning of 2014 by Windham County Forester Bill Guenther of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, the tree grew in the 10 years since its last measurement and charted a circumference of 205.2 inches and a height of 113 feet, thereby beating out two other Westminster giants for the honor of being the largest White Ash in Vermont.
Participants should wear hiking shoes, bring water, and meet at the Westminster West Church to carpool to the trailhead. Visit www.windmillhillpinnacle.org for information.
Geranium Fest in West Dummerston
WEST DUMMERSTON - The annual Geranium Festival & Book Sale to benefit Lydia Taft Pratt Library will be held on Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Dummerston Community Center, 150 West St., in West Dummerston Village.
The event includes a silent auction and a food tent. The Windham Morris Dancers will perform at 10 a.m. to open the festival. For more information, call the library at 802-258-9878.
Family Center offers free financial literacy class
CHESTER - The next free Chester-Andover Family Center's Financial Literacy Class will teach attendees how to prepare and follow a personal spending plan. Presented by People's United Bank, the class is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, at 6 p.m., at the Chester-Andover Family Center, 908 VT Route 103 South, in Chester. For further details, call the Center at 802-875-3236.
Lymphedema therapy is available at Grace Cottage
TOWNSHEND - If you are experiencing uncomfortable swelling in an arm or leg after radiation, injury, or surgery to remove a lymph node, you may be suffering from Lymphedema, caused when lymphatic fluid builds up. Half of all breast cancer survivors must deal with this condition.
The bad news is that Lymphedema is chronic, and therapists trained to treat this condition are few and far between.
The good news is that Grace Cottage has two of these therapists on staff. Abby Abbott and Cindy Kenyon provide the gentle massage known as “lymphatic drainage” to their patients, and they teach patients various techniques for living with Lymphedema with the least discomfort possible. To learn more, call 802-365-3637.
River Gallery School offers free art workshops for caregivers
BRATTLEBORO - With the support of a generous grant from the Wolf Kahn & Emily Mason Foundation, River Gallery School is initiating a new series of free workshops for area caregivers.
These accessible art sessions are designed to provide a relaxing, fun, and creative break for people who spend so much of their time and energy caring for those in need, be it children or adults with special needs, aging parents, or partners with failing health.
A monthly schedule of workshops, set for evenings and weekends, will include some printmaking, painting, collage, embossing, and paper arts. No experience or special skills are required, and materials and refreshments will be provided.
Caregivers who wish to be on the notification list may email rivergalleryschool@gmail.com or call 802-257-1577.