Rec. Dept. still taking registrations for summer camps
BRATTLEBORO - The Recreation & Parks Department is still taking registrations for summer camps: Day Camp, Gymnastics Camp, Voltage Soccer Camp, Flag Football Camp, Tennis Camp, Magical Earth Camp, and Mad Science.
The number of camp participants will be limited and will be accepted first come, first served, with priority given to Brattleboro residents.
All registrations must be made in advance.
Participants needing accommodations for special needs should make such requests at least five days in advance.
Mail registration and payment to Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department, P.O. Box 513, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
Call 802-254-5808 for more details or to make appointments to register in person (masks required) at 207 Main St., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 5 p.m.
For more information on programs and events, visit www.brattleboro.org. Visit the Facebook page or follow on Instagram.
Amtrak set to resume train service to Vermont on July 1
BRATTLEBORO - Amtrak is planning to resume service north of New Haven, Conn. for the Vermonter, its daily passenger train to Vermont, starting July 1.
Amtrak.com is currently accepting ticket reservations for rail travel to and from Vermont, starting on that date.
The Vermonter, which normally runs between St. Albans to Washington, D.C., with stops in Bellows Falls and Brattleboro, suspended service north of New Haven on March 26 because of COVID-19 concerns.
Amtrak also suspended service in late March on its Ethan Allen Express, the train that runs between Rutland and New York City. The train will also resume its service to and from Rutland starting July 1.
Dover Free Library reopens
DOVER - The Dover Free Library reopened to patrons on June 8, although curbside service will continue.
Some restrictions are still in place due to COVID-19. The maximum number of people allowed in the library is 10, face masks are required, browsing is limited to 30 minutes. Computer use is by appointment, limited to 30 minutes and two users at a time. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
The library's temporary hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays and Tuesdays; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays (curbside service only).
For more information or to make book requests, email john@doverfreelibrary1913.org, cynthia@doverfreelibrary1913.org, or karen@doverfreelibrary1913.org, or call 802-348-7488.
Experienced Goods limits donations to one day a week
BRATTLEBORO - Due to an overwhelming amount of generous donations, Experienced Goods, the thrift store for Brattleboro Area Hospice, will limit accepting donations each week to Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., beginning this week.
The storage space at the C.F. Church building, 80 Flat St., the space next to the location for the Winter Farmers' Market, has reached capacity after just two weeks.
The retail store at 77 Flat St. remains closed indefinitely because of the pandemic, and donations must not be dropped off or left at either the store or at 80 Flat St. beyond donation times.
While they are grateful for donations and support of Brattleboro Area Hospice, store staff members say it is vital that donors adhere to their standards for clean and sellable items.
For a full listing of permitted donations, refer to the Experienced Goods section of the Brattleboro Area Hospice website, brattleborohospice.org.
Sheriff's Dept. resumes fingerprinting services
NEWFANE - Windham County Sheriff Mark Anderson said his department has resumed all civilian fingerprinting services by appointments and has reopened the lobby with limited occupancy.
The department will follow cleaning protocols and administer a health screening questionnaire prior to the fingerprinting procedure.
People will need to bring and wear a mask and a pen, as neither will be provided.
Appointment offerings will be expanded to accommodate a backlog.
Anderson said in a news release that deputies “will continue to physically respond to emergencies where life, limb, or property are in jeopardy” and “will continue to handle non-emergency calls via electronic communication when possible.”
Deputies may be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves or masks as a precaution when responding to calls, and may request people meet them outside of their homes or businesses.
“Our office continues to monitor the health of all of our employees,” Anderson said. “Disinfecting and cleaning protocols for our office, vehicles, and equipment are occurring regularly.”
Evening Star Grange presents chicken pie supper
DUMMERSTON - Evening Star Grange in Dummerston Center will be doing a “take-out only” version of the organization's Old Fashioned Chicken Pie Supper on Saturday, June 13, with pickup of pre-ordered meals between 4:30 and 6 p.m.
To reserve a dinner, call the Grange at 802-254-1138 by noon on Saturday. Leave your name, telephone number, and the number of meals you wish to order.
The menu includes chicken pie, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn pudding, marinated carrots, and carrot cake for dessert. Cost is $10 per meal.
Parking is available near the church across the street from the hall. Folks picking up meals are asked to wear masks, practice social distancing, and to “space out pick-up times so that not everyone is there at 4:30,” organizers write. “Form a line and enjoy your neighbors while waiting to have your meal brought to you.”
People with mobility problems or who are unable to stand in line may drive by and park near the hall if space is available; stay in your car and your meal will be brought out to you.
Proceeds from this supper benefit the Grange's Heat Fund.
Food Connects Summer Garden Program begins soon
BRATTLEBORO - Beginning June 22, school gardens in the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union will open to families interested in getting outside and into the weeds of gardening.
Tara Gordon will return as the garden coordinator, hosting open garden hours at Vernon, Guilford, Green Street, Academy, Oak Grove, and Dummerston schools.
“Come help weed, learn from Tara, and possibly take home some vegetables,” organizers write.
Food Connects has newly partnered with RiseVT, the In-Sight Photography Project, River Gallery School of Art, and CircusYoga's Human Art of Play to offer free art activities alongside the garden hours.
All materials will be provided, and parents are encouraged (although not required) to participate with their kids.
New protocols are in place to ensure the health and safety of everyone. Gardeners will need to wear masks, practice physical distancing, refrain from eating in the garden, and use a sign-up form to manage the number of people in the garden at one time.
Child care will not be provided, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Garden hours and locations, information about the art activities, and the new protocols can all be found at www.foodconnects.org/summer-garden-program.
Deadline extended for Crowell Scholarship
NEWFANE - The Moore Free Library Board of Trustees has extended the deadline to apply for the Robert L. Crowell Scholarship to Tuesday, June 16.
Applications can be emailed to moorefreelibrary@gmail.com or sent by U.S. Mail to Moore Free Library, P.O. Box 208, Newfane, VT 05345.
The scholarship fund totals $12,000, funded by the family of the late Robert L. Crowell.
Awards are open to graduating high school seniors and GED recipients living in Brookline, Newfane, South Newfane, and Williamsville who will be entering their first year of college, community college, or trade or vocational post-secondary education in the fall of 2020.
Applications must include a brief autobiography (including plans for continued study and the name of the school to which the student has been accepted), high school transcript (which can be emailed to the library separately by high school counselor), and at least two letters of reference.
The scholarship committee will consider academics, personal growth, and community contributions.
Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts pivots to online format
BRATTLEBORO - Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts (MGFA), 183 Main St., says it is “reconfiguring to fit into a digital and online format.”
“Nevertheless,” they said in a news release, “we are firmly committed to personal contact and presentation and we look forward to your continued real-time visits, conversations and stories.”
MGFA will be open on Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m., with safety protocols in place and artwork to share.
In an effort to recapture the momentum and optimism of the new year and new gallery space, proprietors Petria Mitchell and Jim Giddings said they will exhibit some of the artwork from the abbreviated February group show, MGFA 2020, and introduce new work and artists.
“Art - our universally shared language - is forever,” they said, “and it will outlive COVID-19 as artists find truth in beauty as they selflessly toil amidst tumult and uncertainty.”
For more information about exhibitors and their new online eGift card, visit mitchellgiddingsfinearts.com.
Registration begins for annual Tour de Grace bicycle rally
TOWNSHEND - Registration is now open for the annual Grace Cottage Tour de Grace. For physical distancing, the event has a different route this year. Contestants may start and end any time between 8 and 10 a.m. at Grace Cottage Family Health & Hospital, 185 Grafton Rd.
The event will be held on Saturday, June 27, rain or shine. This year's 15-mile route goes along Route 30 from Townshend to Jamaica, partly on backwoods trails and dirt roads (see website for details).
Helmets are required, and mountain bikes are recommended. Rest stops with water and snacks will be offered along the way and at the end. Then return to Grace Cottage to celebrate your accomplishment.
This family-friendly ride is fun and allows for social distancing while supporting the hospital.
Can't make it to Townshend? You can do a virtual Tour de Grace on your own. Sign up via www.gracecottage.org/events, and organizers will send you a bib to wear. Send in your photo with your bib number and bike, and they'll post it in the 2020 Tour de Grace photo album on their Facebook page.
Preregistration is $30 per rider ($40 after June 25 and on the day of the event). The first 100 in-person riders get a Tour de Grace performance t-shirt.
For more information, email info@gracecottage.org or call 802-365-9109.