Healing walk at Manitou
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold a healing walk on Friday, July 27, from 4-6 p.m. This meditative walk on Manitou's Sanctuary Trail will be led by Mike Mayer, and will include poems or other readings, and chances to share about the experience. Rain or shine. Healing walks will be held every second and fourth Friday of each month until October.
The Manitou Project seeks to foster community with Nature, on its 235-acre land preserve in Williamsville, located at 300 Sunset Lake Rd.
Directions: go 1.4 miles up Sunset Lake Road from Williamsville Village, sign on right. Or approximately 5 miles over the top on Sunset Lake Road from Route 9. Meet at the parking lot at 4 p.m. For information, contact Mike at 802-258-8598.
Marlboro Alliance hosts Summer Benefit Sale
MARLBORO - The Marlboro Alliance, an all-volunteer charitable nonprofit organization, will hold its main fundraiser, the 61st annual Summer Benefit Sale, on Saturday, July 28, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Town Center, 510 South Rd.
High-quality used clothing will be located in the historic Meetinghouse Church. Homemade baked goods, snacks, and beverages will be available on the Meetinghouse lawn. Treasures, books, and toys will be sold from the 1822 Town House. Prices are by donation.
On Sunday, July 29, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., all remaining items are free, but donations are appreciated. All proceeds support the Alliance's many civic initiatives. For more information, visit www.marlboroalliance.com and www.facebook.com/MarlboroAlliance.
West Dover church explores 'The Golden Rule'
WEST DOVER - The West Dover Congregational Church, UCC, will present a special worship and music program on Sunday, July 29, from 10 to 11 a.m, that will engage and interpret Norman Rockwell's painting “The Golden Rule” in response to contemporary social concerns. This service is free and open to all.
The ideal of “The Golden Rule,” a simple but universal phrase that reflects Rockwell's personal philosophy, will be explored through a musical, literary, and scriptural interpretation of Rockwell's work.
Bassist Jim Daggs and drummer Gary Smith join pianist and ethnomusicologist Chris Bakriges in responding to the image that was a precursor of the religious and socially conscious subjects that Rockwell would later famously illustrate.
“At times it is helpful to approach a well-known sacred idea or ethical maxim from a new angle, so that we might be reinvigorated by its power and bearing upon our lives,” Pastor Jeremy Kirk said in a news release. “The careful artistry and passion of these three musical artists engaging one of our nation's most beloved graphic artists promises to do precisely this.”
For further information, contact West Dover Congregational Church at 802-464-1195 or visit www.westdoverchurch.org and www.facebook.com/westdoverchurch.
Free restorative-practices training in South Newfane
SOUTH NEWFANE - Restorative Community Justice of Southern Vermont will hold a free training on restorative practices on Tuesday, July 31, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Old Schoolhouse in South Newfane.
These restorative trainings, held monthly and always free to the community, teach participants useful conflict-resolution skills. For more information or to RSVP, call Dan DeWalt at 802-348-7701 or email rcsjvt@gmail.com.
'Debating Our Rights' series looks at Ninth Amendment
PUTNEY - The Debating Our Rights series continues at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., on Tuesday, July 31, at 7 p.m., with the Ninth Amendment taking center stage.
Meg Mott, professor of politics at Marlboro College, will lead a discussion on this most squishy of the Amendments to the Constitution. Unlike the first eight Amendments, each of which lays out specific protections, the Ninth protects rights that haven't been specified. What exactly are those rights? How do we decide what is a fundamental right?
“When it comes to constitutional issues, citizens generally leave the Big Questions to the experts on the bench,” Mott said in a news release. “The Ninth Amendment throws the biggest question back to the people.
“There are no well-worn judicial decisions, no established parameters of the debate. That's liberating and terrifying. When rights don't get adjudicated, it's not quite clear what they are. Part of our work at the July discussion will be to understand the history of these human rights and what we need of them now.”
The Debating Our Rights series was the brainchild of librarian Emily Zervas and library trustee Janice Baldwin. Each of the Amendments has been considered and debated, from free speech to gun rights to the importance of juries in establishing a civic education. The series is free and open to the public.
Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day is Aug. 4
TOWNSHEND - The 68th Annual Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day will be held on the Townshend Common on Saturday, Aug. 4. This free, all-day, family-friendly event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This annual fair features activities for the whole family: a live all-day auction, a 10 a.m. birthday parade with dancing stork and bagpipes, bargain booths (housewares, books, plants, jewelry, and more), bingo, free pony rides, face painting, and lots of food (fried dough, ice cream, burgers, fried chicken, watermelon, and gourmet options).
There will be a homemade pie sale, an arts and crafts show in the Townshend Church, free entertainment, kids games, kids costumes, raffles, and more. The live auction, led by professional auctioneer Kit Martin of the Townshend Auction Gallery, is an annual highlight, with hundreds of items collected for this year's event.
All proceeds benefit Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital. There is no admission fee and parking is free. For more information, visit www.gracecottage.org/events.
Get buggy on Hogback Mountain
MARLBORO - The Cambridge Entomological Club and the Vermont Entomological Society are coming to the Hogback Mountain Conservation Area to look for insects. They'll roam through the woods, meadows, and marshes around the former ski area looking for six- or eight-legged flying, creeping, crawling, spinning, hopping, or chirping creatures to identify.
This is definitely a family-friendly event. Bring your bug enthusiast to meet with the experts. They'll have two sessions, one from 1 to 4 p.m. to find and identify daytime insects, and another from 8 to 10 p.m., to attract and identify moths and other nighttime insects.
Meet in the field behind the white distillery building on the south side of Route 9 just west of the gift shop. For more information, contact Scott Smyers at smyers@oxbowassociates.com or Hogback at hmca@hogbackvt.org.
Cemetery association to meet
SOUTH NEWFANE - The annual meeting of the South Newfane Cemetery Association will be held on Monday, Aug. 6, at 7 p.m., in the South Newfane Church.
The church is located at 380 Dover Road, South Newfane, VT. Changes to the by-laws will be discussed. Any interested parties are invited to attend.
Rec. Dept. hosts Catamount Choir Camp
BRATTLEBORO - Love to sing? The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department and Brattleboro Music Center will offer a Catamount Choir Camp running Aug. 6 through 10, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, at the Brattleboro Music Center on Guilford Street.
The camp is for 8- to 12-year-olds, and will be led by Kristen Carmichael-Bowers. Learn songs from around the world and explore music through improvisation, sight singing, games, and more.
The fee is $180 for residents and $195 for non-residents. Scholarships are available through the Music Center. For more information, contact the Rec. Dept. at 802-254-5808.
Hospice offers volunteer training in Townshend
TOWNSHEND - Brattleboro Area Hospice's fall Hospice Care Volunteer Training will be held at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend beginning on Sept. 5 and running through Nov. 14. Classes meet once a week on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., and class size is limited to 12.
Hospice volunteers help and support neighbors and their families who are living with life-threatening illnesses throughout Windham County. Help may range from errands and gardening to emotional and physical support. Our volunteers report the work is challenging and very rewarding.
Training topics include Hospice philosophy, nuts and bolts of volunteering, ethical issues, personal attitudes toward death and dying, and grief issues among others. Presenters include professionals from the community as well as Hospice staff and volunteers.
To request an application for this 11-week training, call the office at 802-257-0775 or this fall's facilitator Bettina Berg at 802-387-2723. The application deadline is Friday, Aug. 17.