Early voting begins for school merger election
BRATTLEBORO - Early/absentee ballots for the Special Windham Southeast School Merger Election to be held Nov. 19 are available in the Town Clerk's office. Anyone wishing to vote prior to Nov. 19 may apply for an early/absentee ballot until 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18.
Early/absentee ballots may be voted in person in the Clerk's office, mailed to the voter by the Clerk's office, picked up by the voter, or, if necessary, can be delivered to the voter's residence by two Justices of the Peace.
All voted ballots must be received by the Clerk before polls close on election day in order to be counted. For more information or to request an early/absentee ballot, call 802-251-8157.
A sample Brattleboro ballot and meeting warning can be found at www.brattleboro.org, under “Elections.”
Brattleboro voting on Nov. 19 will be held at the Municipal Center, 230 Main St., Suite 105. Polling hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Woodlands Association presents forum on woodlot management
BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday, Nov. 7, at 6:30 p.m., at Holton Hall in the former Austine School complex, 130 Austine Drive, the Windham Regional Woodlands Association will present a program, “Treating Your Woodlot as a Business,” as part of its monthly series.
The forum will provide a number of ways to treat woodlands of all sizes more efficiently and profitably.
Led by George Weir, a private consulting forester with more than 40 years of experience, and Windham County forester Sam Schneski, the discussion will cover Use Value Appraisal, growing timber for profit, state and federal programs for woodland improvement, and tax strategies after harvesting.
Both WRWA and the general public are invited and, as always for WRWA programs, there is no charge. To learn more, visit windhamwoodlands.org.
Hogback Association offers geology talk and hike
MARLBORO - On Saturday Nov. 9, at 9 a.m., Roger Haydock will give an illustrated talk at the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum on “The Geology of Windham County Around Hogback for the Last Half-Billion Years,” then lead a hike in the Hogback Mountain Conservation Area to look at some of the rocky history he has related.
This presentation of local history on a deep scale will touch on land-mass collisions, volcanoes, dinosaurs, and glaciers, and will conclude around noon. Co-hosted by the Museum and the Hogback Mountain Conservation Association, the event is free and open to the public, and kids are welcome. Donations accepted. Meet at the museum on Route 9.
Latchis hosts 'Met Live' performance of 'Madama Butterfly'
BRATTLEBORO - The 2019-20 season of The Met: Live in HD continues at the Latchis Theatre this Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m., with Puccini's beloved, tragic work Madama Butterfly.
Soprano Hui He takes on the heartbreaking title role of the doomed geisha, with tenor Andrea Carè as the American naval officer who abandons her. Paulo Szot is Sharpless, alongside Elizabeth DeShong as Suzuki. Pier Giorgio Morandi conducts Anthony Minghella's sweeping production, a perennial audience favorite.
General admission is $22, $20 for Met Club Forever members, and $10 for students. Running time is 3 hours, 22 minutes, including two intermissions. For questions or advance credit card purchases, contact Jon Potter at 802-254-1109, ext. 3 or jon@latchisarts.org.
Author talks about growing up in postwar Korea
BRATTLEBORO - Shin Freedman will discuss her book, A Doll for a Day: Growing Up in Post-War Korea, on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m., at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St.
The book recounts Freedman's experience growing up in Korea in the 1950s and 1960s, working hard to be useful and worthy while accomplishing her lifetime goal of attaining an education.
Kyung-Shin Choi (Freedman) vividly recalls the first student anti-government demonstration in Taegu and the military coup of May 16, 1961. She recounts her dreams, how she learned to speak up, and how she found a way to finish her education. Readers also meet the people who influenced her early life: teachers and family members.
The program is free and open to the public and accessible to people in wheelchairs. Books will be available for sale and signing. To learn more, contact Brooks Memorial Library at 802-254-5290 or visit www.brookslibraryvt.org.
Gumbo & Soup Fest at the Williamsville Hall
WILLIAMSVILLE - There will be a Gumbo & Soup Fest at the Williamsville Hall on Dover Road in Williamsville on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m.
This fundraising event for the Hall will feature gumbo, squash, vegetable soups, assorted homemade breads, apple and pumpkin desserts, hot and cold cider, coffee, and tea for $8 suggested donation to the Hall. To learn more, email slevine@svcable.net or visit www.williamsvillehall.com.
Windham hosts annual harvest supper
WINDHAM - Windham's annual Harvest Supper and Square Dance begins Saturday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m., at the historic Windham Meeting House, 26 Harrington Rd., on the corner of Windham Hill Road.
The traditional dinner is hosted and prepared by the Windham Community Organization, with ham, butternut squash, baked beans, scalloped potatoes (plus a gluten-free version), salad, sweet breads, rolls, and assorted homemade pies, all for $10 for adults, $5 for children, or $25 per family. A vegetarian Mexican Cornbread casserole will also be available.
After dessert, Sally Newton will direct the youth ukulele players and then call the moves for an incredibly lively square dance. She will be accompanied by talented local musicians (many of whom are Sally's relatives). All proceeds benefit Windham-area residents through WCO.
Chicken and biscuit supper in Westminster
WESTMINSTER - The First Congregational Church of Westminster will host its annual chicken and biscuit supper on Saturday, Nov. 9. There will be two family-style seatings, at 5 and 6:15 p.m.
The menu includes chicken and biscuits, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, squash, green beans, cole slaw, and assorted cakes for dessert.
Dinner is $12 for adults and $6 for children 5-12. Children under 5 eat free. In honor of Veterans Day, Veterans will eat for half-price.
Clift discusses her new book at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - Elayne Clift will read from and discuss her 13th book, Around the World in Fifty Years: Travel Tales from a Not So Innocent Abroad (a collection of selected stories about her global travels told in prose and poetry) at the Rockingham Free Public Library on Saturday, Nov. 9.
Clift has visited nearly 100 countries on every continent for both work and pleasure. Unlike Fodor's Guide, this collection shares personal stories, photographs, and postscripts that range from poignant to hilarious. Scenes range from Indian railway stations to rural Romanian villages.
Along the way, readers meet the people who made travel special, ranging from a professor in Jordan to a desert driver in Dubai to an elderly artist in France.
The library is located at 65 Westminster St. and is wheelchair accessible. To learn more, call 802-463-4270, email programming@rockinghamlibrary.org, or visit rockinghamlibrary.org.
BF Woman's Club to meet
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Woman's Club will gather on Nov. 12 at the United Church, School Street, beginning at 1:30 p.m.
The speaker will be Susan Shapiro of Valley Cares, a senior residential care facility located in Townshend. Members are reminded to bring nonperishable food and personal-care items for the Fall Mountain Food Shelf. Information about the annual Kurn Hattin December holiday concert and meal will be available.
Women interested in joining the club and helping with its many projects may contact Wendy O'Dette at jodette1@comcast.net.
BMAC presents lecture by Holocaust scholar
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents “Legacies of Trauma,” a lecture by Holocaust and genocide scholar Dr. Henry “Hank” Knight, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
This event is presented in connection with “Fafnir Adamites: Interfere (with),” a sculptural installation at BMAC created from felted wool and burlap that focuses on intergenerational trauma and the emotional turmoil inherited from past generations.
In his lecture, Knight will focus on the concept of “historical trauma,” the cumulative emotional harm experienced by an individual or a generation due to a traumatic event, even if the individual didn't directly experience the event. The Holocaust and other genocides provide an opportunity to examine the lasting legacy of trauma on entire groups for generations beyond the tragedy itself.
Knight retired in May 2019 after 12 years at Keene State College, where he directed the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and was recognized as the 2018 Distinguished Teacher of the Year.
He is co-chair of the biennial Steven S. Weinstein Holocaust Symposium, which he and Leonard Grob co-founded in 1996, and he serves on the Church Relations Committee of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Knight earned his B.A. in English from the University of Alabama and his M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Emory University.
To learn more, call 802-257-0124 or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org.
Friends of Brooks Memorial Library seeks books for Holiday Sale
BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library is accepting donations until Dec. 6 for the book sale to be held Dec. 12, 13, and 14.
This is their “like-new” book sale, so they are seeking books in good condition. Books will be reviewed by staff for quality and suitability for the sale.
They will accept hardcover, soft cover, and trade paperbacks in both fiction and non-fiction. Also: audio books on CD, music CDs, DVDs, and puzzles. Children's and young adult books are also happily accepted. Contact the Brooks Memorial Library at 802-254-5290 for more information.