Windham Orchestra gets spooky for Senior Noon Concert
BRATTLEBORO - The Windham Orchestra presents a concert Thursday, Nov. 1, featuring some “delightfully spooky” works - and lunch - at a noontime concert.
Musical Tricks-n-Treats at the Latchis Theatre is co-sponsored by Brattleboro Senior Meals and the Rotary Club of Brattleboro and is a fundraiser for the Senior Meals program.
Works will include Mussorgsky's Night On Bald Mountain, and the audience will participate as well, singing the children's classic, Ghost of John. Music Director Hugh Keelan explains “This is an enjoyable, informal event the day after Halloween, with all fun and no stress.”
Also performing with the orchestra will be 17-year-old Chinese exchange student Li Yixuan, who will play the bamboo flute. The program includes Haydn's 'Surprise' Symphony.
Concert admission at the door will be sliding scale, with $7 recommended.
Brattleboro VFW serves spaghetti dinner
BRATTLEBORO - VFW Post 1034, 40 Black Mountain Road, will have a spaghetti and homemade meatball dinner on Friday Nov. 2, from 4 to 7 p.m.
The meal is $10, and includes salad, garlic bread, and blueberry shortcake for dessert. Regular menu items will also be available at regular prices.
The public is invited to attend this meal, which will be served in the Post canteen like weekday lunches. Call 802-257-0438 for more information.
Townshend Historical Society to meet
TOWNSHEND - On Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 p.m., at the Town Hall on Route 30, the Townshend Historical Society will have its annual meeting, followed by special guest speaker Michael Weitzner at 2 p.m.
Weitzner, a master stonemason from Brattleboro, is scheduled to give a presentation on the Stone Arch Bridges of Townshend. He was hired by the Townshend Historical Society and the Townshend Selectboard to assess the condition of Townshend's six historic stone arch bridges this past spring.
He will talk about these remarkable treasures and the importance of preserving them for future generations. These ingenious pieces of dry stone architecture were built between 1896 and 1912 and designed by Townshend resident James Otis Follett, a farmer-turned-stonemason.
The bridges, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, were sturdy enough to withstand the gigantic floods of 1927, 1936, and 1938, as well as the more recent flooding from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. Two of them still carry vehicles today.
With proper care and future maintenance, Weitzner says the bridges can continue their reign as proud symbols of Townshend's past for both local residents and tourists.
The Historical Society is working with the town of Townshend, which owns the bridges, to raise an estimated $400,000 over the next several years for the needed repairs.
NEYT announces 2019 Junior Company auditions
BRATTLEBORO - New England Youth Theatre, 100 Flat St., is holding open auditions for their winter and spring 2019 Junior Company productions on Sunday, Nov. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m., at NEYT, 100 Flat St.
The Junior Company spring musical, Dear Edwina, Jr., will be directed by Rebecca Waxman, and auditions are open for all actors ages 11-15.
The story revolves around Edwina Spoonapple, a lovable heroine who assembles a goofy troupe of friends to entertain and inform her neighborhood. Together, they set out to tackle the world's problems in number after hysterical number about everything from overcoming shyness to proper table settings.
The show begins rehearsals March 11 and performs May 3 through 12. Interested actors should prepare a short (one-minute or less) song (something as familiar as “Happy Birthday” can work) and are encouraged to bring sheet music for accompaniment or sing on their own.
Visit neyt.org/programs/auditions for a full listing of characters and additional text to prepare. Auditions are from 1 to 3 p.m. on Nov. 4
A Wrinkle in Time by Tracy Young will be directed by Katrina Spenceman with Julia Tadlock and is open to all young performers ages 9-13. This adaptation of the classic tale is tailor-made for the adventurous storyteller who wants to tell this beloved tale in an unexpected way.
Meg Murry, Mrs. Whatsit, Charles Wallace, Calvin O'Keefe and more will battle the forces of evil, saving Meg's father and humanity, while ensuring that, by the end, we all know two things for sure: love can overcome evil, and there is such a thing as a tesseract.
Rehearsals for this production begin on Jan. 7 and the show runs March 9 through 16. Interested actors should bring a brief (one minute or less) story or poem to share and be prepared to play some group improv games. Auditions for this show are from 3 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 4.
The cast sizes for both of these productions are flexible and newcomers are welcome. Visit www.neyt.org, or contact Michelle at the NEYT front office at 802-246-6398, ext. 101.
Vernon library plans Election Day book sale
VERNON - The Vernon Free Library plans an expanded book sale, beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 6, Election Day, starting at 9 a.m.
The sale will continue until Tuesday, Nov. 20. There will be numerous books available, in addition to their ongoing Book Sale. The library is located at 567 Governor Hunt Rd., above the Town Offices.
Veteran diplomat considers America's isolation in the world
BRATTLEBORO - Veteran diplomat George Jaeger will discuss the drawbacks of America's current relationship with the international community in a talk at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
His talk, “The New World We Face: America Alone?” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council's First Wednesdays lecture series and is free and open to the public.
The current administration's inclination to go it alone, Jaeger contends, risks isolating the U.S. from both allies and adversaries, thus making America less relevant and China more influential.
His talk will consider a world in which America chooses unilateral action but not leadership in the international community.
Jaeger's diplomatic career spanned the Cold War and beyond. After early assignments in Liberia and Tito's Yugoslavia, he served in the U.S. Mission in Berlin, negotiated the nonproliferation treaty in Bonn, and covered east-west relations in Paris.
BAMS presents fall concert
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Area Middle School music department will present a Fall Concert on Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., in the Brattleboro Union High School auditorium. No admission will be charged, and the public is welcome.
The concert will feature the seventh and eighth grade bands and choruses as well as the jazz band and select chorus. Bands are directed by Riley Goodemote. Elyse Wadsworth directs the choruses. For more information, call 802-451-3516.
Londonderry offers weatherization workshop
LONDONDERRY - The Londonderry Energy Committee is partnering with Efficiency Vermont to conduct a Button-Up Workshop on Wednesday, Nov. 7, starting at 5:30 p.m., in the Depot, 34 West River Street, South Londonderry.
Come learn how to air-seal and insulate your home from the experts. Efficiency Vermont's Matt Sharpe will help you understand the basics of building science and how to improve energy efficiency in your home. Lower your energy bills and make your home or business more comfortable. Take home free weatherization tools.
For more information, contact Will Reed at wwreed3@gmail.com or 802-376-4455.