New Year's closings in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - All Brattleboro town offices will be closed on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020, with the exception of emergency services.
Brooks Memorial Library will close at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 31. It will be closed on Jan. 1.
No Recreation & Parks programs are scheduled after 5 p.m. on Dec. 31. The Nelson Withington Skating Facility will be open normal hours on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots on Jan. 1. All other violations will be enforced.
Trash, recycling, and composting won't be picked up on Jan. 1. Collections normally scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday will be delayed one day.
Rec. Dept. offers youth chess class
BRATTLEBORO - The Recreation & Parks Department will offer a new session of beginner, and intermediate chess classes to begin on Jan. 2 at the Gibson-Aiken Center.
Instruction will introduce basic principles of chess to participants, along with simple strategies and tactics, and provide a venue for them to play practice games. The cost of the program is $40 for residents and $55 for non-residents.
Eric Strickland will be the class instructor. Beginner classes will run 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursdays. Intermediate classes, for players who know the basic checkmates and at least a few tactics and strategies, will run 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.
To learn more, call the Recreation & Parks Office at 802-254-5808.
Stroll presents Get the Word Out Nonprofit Showcase
BRATTLEBORO - During January's Gallery Walk, Strolling of the Heifers will present the sixth annual Get the Word Out Nonprofit Showcase at the River Garden, 157 Main St..
Meet representatives of local nonprofits. Discover what the organizations do, how to obtain services from them, how to participate in their programs, and how to volunteer.
This free event takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 3. Gallery at the Garden will also display artistic quilts by Carlene Raper. To learn more, call Vicki Friedman at 802-246-0982.
BUHS music dept. offers Christmas tree collection
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Union High School Music Department is once again offering the Merry Mulch Christmas tree collection service to town residents.
This program, in its 29th year, is endorsed by the Vermont Department of Agriculture as well as the New Hampshire/Vermont Christmas Tree Association. Members of the band and chorus will transport undecorated trees from homes to a community garden in West Brattleboro, where they will be chipped into mulch to be used by the gardeners.
Since the town does not offer curbside pick-up of trees, the service saves residents the hassle of transporting their own trees.
Three Saturday pick-up dates are being offered: Jan. 4, 11, and 18. All pick-ups must be arranged by calling 802-257-8589, 802-254-6757, or 802-380-3980 at least two days prior to your desired date.
The deadline for requesting tree removal is Thursday, Jan. 16.
A $10 donation is requested. Proceeds will benefit a music department trip to New York City in April.
RFPL's Book Club resumes
BELLOWS FALLS - On Monday, Jan. 6, at 3 p.m., the Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster St., will host a discussion about what the monthly book club should read in 2020.
A range of titles will be on display. Each title will also be available in large-print and audiobook format.
Everyone is welcome to join the conversation and enjoy some refreshments. For more information, call 802-463-4270, email programming@rockinghamlibrary.org or go to rockinghamlibrary.org.
Rec. Dept. offers rape aggression defense classes for young women
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department and Brattleboro Police Department will co-sponsor a new session of R.A.D. - Rape Aggression Defense classes for women in 11th and 12th grade led by Officer Amy Fletcher of the Brattleboro Police Department.
Classes will run 4 to 7 p.m. on Jan. 8, 15, and 22, at the Senior Center in the lower level of the Gibson-Aiken Center. The cost is $35 a session (three nights) for Brattleboro residents and $50 for non-residents. Call 802-254-5808 to learn more.