Strolling of the Heifers presents Pop-Up Holiday Gift Shop
BRATTLEBORO - Strolling of the Heifers will offer holiday shopping opportunities with its Pop-Up Holiday Gift Shop at the River Garden, 157 Main St.
The shop will be open for three weekends - Nov. 29 and 30, Dec. 13 and 14, and Dec. 20 and 21. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
Gift items such as specialty foods, pottery, woven and knit wear, jewelry, and more will be available from local artists and artisans.
Contact Vicki Friedman at vicki@strollingoftheheifers.com or 802-246-0982 for more information.
Christmas Bazaar in West B
WEST BRATTLEBORO - First Congregational Church of West Brattleboro, 880 Western Ave., will present its annual Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 30. The doors of the church - now universally accessible - will open at 8:30 a.m.
Booths will feature ornaments and handcrafted gifts, including Christmas greens, balsam wreaths, berry bowls, baskets, hats, wool gloves, and afghans.
The general store will offer fudge, sweet and savory treats, and preserves. Other attractions: a display of doll sweaters and Christmas stockings, a baked-goods table with fresh bread and pastries, and a kids' corner, which will feature pine cone birdfeeders and wooden Christmas trees.
The West Bee Nursery will sell handmade soaps and lotions, and the Cub Scouts will have a booth as well.
Tickets will be available for a raffle of a range of items, including maple syrup, a table runner, a rustic settee, Vermont cheeses, and gift and gas cards.
A secondary drawing will award a queen-size Celtic quilt and a crocheted afghan to the winners.
Both drawings will be held just before closing at 1:30 p.m.
Lunch will feature a hearty corn chowder and various sandwiches. Coffee and cider will be available all day.
Holiday program returns to Wilmington
WILMINGTON - Holiday shoppers are again invited to join in the annual Eat, Sleep, Shop Local holiday shopping campaign, sponsored by Wilmington Works, along with the town's event fund.
From Dec. 1 through Dec. 24, trade any receipt over $25 from any of 30 participating merchants to the Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley Chamber of Commerce at 21 West Main St. for a $5 coupon that can be redeemed from the same group of merchants.
Coupons can be obtained from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends and are subject to availability.
While at the Chamber, participants are also invited to enter a raffle, with one raffle ticket granted for each $20 spent. Prizes - a grand prize of $500, and a second prize, a gift basket of local products and gift certificates - will be awarded following a drawing at 3 p.m. on Dec. 24.
Those wanting to join the giving spirit of the season can enter blank raffle tickets. A winning blank entry will mean that the grand prize will go to the Deerfield Valley Food Pantry.
For more information, and a list of participating merchants, visit wilmingtonworksvt.com.
Santa comes to Gibson-Aiken Center
BRATTLEBORO - Santa Claus will arrive at the Gibson-Aiken Center on Main Street on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1 p.m.
He will arrive on a tractor provided by the Robb Family Farm and escorted by the Police and Fire Departments.
Frosty the Snowman, as well as Santa's elves, will also visit.
Children of all ages can come and meet all the special guests. Everyone is welcome to bring cameras, organizers suggest.
“Santa's Workshop” will be open for children to decorate Christmas cookies, which are donated and made by Mrs. Claus, who plans to use frosting made by Vermont Country Deli.
The Brattleboro Union High School Band will be there playing Christmas tunes.
For more information, call the Recreation and Parks office at 802-254-5808 or through Facebook.
Festival of Wreaths and Greens at All Souls
WEST BRATTLEBORO - The annual Holiday Bazaar at the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church at 29 South St. will once again offer artisan wreaths and greens on Friday, Dec. 6, from 3 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Holiday handmade swags, wreaths, table arrangements made from locally cut fresh greens and “natural wonders to decorate the largest and smallest of spaces” will be available for sale, as will handmade ornaments, organizers write.
On Friday, the café will offer a variety of chili and cornbread. On Saturday, homemade soups, bread, and desserts will be available from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Stollen, fruit cake made with real fruit, and other goodies will be available at the Artisan Bake Table.
This year, the Gift Emporium will offer all handmade gifts, from fabric items, felted bags, and a few bunnies. Theme baskets will be raffled.
The Eco Table features homemade cloth gift bags and DVD movies.
All proceeds benefit the church. For more information, call 802-365-7388.
Holiday bazaar at Guilford Community Church
GUILFORD - Guilford Community Church will hold its holiday bazaar, which will feature handmade crafts, decorated wreaths, holiday cookie platters, white elephants, and other gift items.
The sale takes place Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.,
Children can decorate their own holiday card and have their picture taken with Santa's elves. Breakfast goodies, hot beverages, sandwiches, and soups will also be for sale.
To get to the church, which is universally accessible, take Route 5 to just past the Guilford Country Store, take a left on Bee Barn Road, and a left again to 38 Church Drive.
Friends of RFPL host holiday party
BELLOWS FALLS - The Friends of the Rockingham Free Public Library will host a Community Holiday Party on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Light refreshments will be served at the free, family-friendly event.
The Stringfield Springers will be performing live.
Children of all ages and their families are invited to decorate a gingerbread person in the library's youth department between 11 a.m. and noon.
The Friends' holiday raffle and silent auction will conclude at the library at 12:30 p.m. Prizes are on display at the library, where visitors can make a bid on the silent auction items or buy raffle tickets ($1 each, or six for $5).
All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the RFPL.
In addition, families are invited to contact Youth Librarian Sam Maskell (802-462-4270 or youthservices@rockinghamlibraruy.org) to reserve a free, 10-minute family portrait session with local professional photographer Kristie Lisai at the library from 2 to 4 p.m. on the same day as the party.
Each participating family will receive at least five free digital images.
Sessions are reserved on a first-call basis. Sessions spots are limited with no walk-ins allowed.
Dover hosts holiday craft fair
EAST DOVER - Come celebrate at the fifth annual Dover Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 7 at the Town Hall, 190 Taft Brook Rd., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Local artists and crafts include hooked rugs, jewelry, photography, knit and fabric arts, decorative woodcrafts, honey, balsam and birdseed wreaths.
A bake sale and quilt raffle will benefit the Dover School sixth graders and local charities. Santa Claus will be there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Admission is free. For more information, contact organizers Jeannette Eckert at 802-348-7910 or Linda Sherman at 802-348-6361.
St. Luke's presents its Christmas Tea and Holiday Bazaar
CHESTER - On Saturday Dec. 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the annual Christmas Tea and Holiday Bazaar will be held in Willard Hall at St. Luke's Church, 313 Main St. A festive focus at Chester's Overture to Christmas, this event is the traditional kick-off to the Christmas season for many in Vermont, New Hampshire, and nearby states.
Celebrate the season with friends by eating and chatting at festively decorated tables while enjoying an enhanced high tea (or fancy lunch) featuring light sandwiches and sweets. Fill your plate as much as you like at $8 per person (youth 6–12, $4; 5 and younger, free).
The Holiday Bazaar will include unique (or very limited) handcrafted and quilted items, live evergreen and hand-sewn Christmas decorations and ornaments, original floral note cards and candles, and more.
New this year is a Pet Corner, with treats and gifts for furry friends. The Culinary Classics table offers an array of handmade chocolates, baked goods, jams, soups, and casseroles.
Grandma's Attic offers former treasures and practical items for a modest donation.
For more information and directions, visit stlukesepiscopalvt.org.
Carol sing at Green River Church
GUILFORD - The Green River Church will hold its Annual Service of Scriptures and Carols at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15.
Michael Mario, the leader, will be joined by Seth Phoenix at the organ and by a brass ensemble from Brattleboro Union High School. The service will be recorded by WTSA-FM for broadcast on Christmas Eve.
Refreshments will be served following the service in the vestibule. Donations are welcome.
This will be the 59th annual service at the church, used as the only fundraiser of each year. In 2001, the church became a part of the Green River Village Preservation Trust, a local nonprofit historical preservation group.
2020 Catholic Worker Calendars available
BRATTLEBORO - The annual Catholic Worker calendar featuring the artwork of Rita Corbin has once again been published by the children of the late local artist.
Corbin, a graphic artist and printmaker, became involved in the Catholic Worker movement while living in New York City in the 1950s. Founder Dorothy Day hired her to make illustrations for The Catholic Worker newspaper, and they became friends.
Corbin became a lifelong contributor to the newspaper as one of the three primary Catholic Worker artists, along with Fritz Eichenberg and Ade Bethune.
In 1964, she began publishing the Catholic Worker calendar with her original art and hand lettering, as well as note cards and Christmas cards.
Corbin and her children moved to Brattleboro in 1981, and she lived in the area off and on until her death in 2011.
Her work has appeared in many well-known religious magazines and shown at Rockhurst College in Kansas City, the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, and the Sacketts Brook Gallery in Putney.
Corbin died in 2011 from injuries resulting from in a car accident. Her children, who live in the Brattleboro area, continue to publish the calendar and cards using her artwork.
Although the calendars are primarily sold by mail order through The Catholic Worker, there will be some for sale at Everyone's Books at 25 Elliot St. during the holiday season.
For more information, or to order directly from Corbin's family, visit ritacorbinart.com.