Dungeons & Dragons at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS- The Youth Department at the Rockingham Free Public Library invites teens to get out from behind the computer screen, put down the handheld and get your game on every Friday night from 5-9 during the summer reading program with Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games.
The program is for ages 13 and up only and pre-registration is required. Currently there are a few spots open in the summer session for interested teens. The program also welcomes adult tabletop RPG gamers that are interested in volunteering their time and helping out with this teen program.
For more information or to register for the games call the library at 802-463-4270, send an e-mail to bfyouth@sover.net, or stop by the Youth Department.
“Eat Your Weeds!” at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS- On Monday, July 12, at 5 p.m., the Rockingham Free Public Library will host “Eat your Weeds!” This free presentation is part of RFPL's “Feel Great! Nutrition and Your Health” series with educator Cindy Hebbard, and sponsored by Post Oil Solutions.
There are nutritional and medicinal benefits in the wild green plants growing all around us. This program will be a mini-field trip of local weeds; Hebbard will guide a short and easy “walk and talk” helping you to identify these health-giving plants.
She will share herbal remedies made from weeds that benefit common health problems including headaches, knee or back pain, acne, earaches, sore throats, herpes and fragile bones. Historical uses and recent research on dozens of nourishing and medicinal local plants will also be presented.
For more information, call the library at 802-463-4270.
Last chance for BMH Clambake tickets
BRATTLEBORO- The clock is winding down for ticket sales for the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital 25th and Final Clambake & Auction to be held on Saturday, July 17, on the hospital campus.
Many highlights from clambakes past will be incorporated into what the hospital calls “this final, bittersweet event.”
A traditional New England Clambake will include mussels, steamers and chowder, along with a choice of a 1¼-pound lobster, barbecued chicken or a vegetarian dish. Roasted potatoes, onions and corn on the cob complete the meal. Dessert will be blueberry crumb cake. Beer and wine will be available at a cash bar.
Ticket sales close on Friday, July 9.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person, and can be purchased at www.bmhvt.org or by calling the Development Office at 802-257-8314.
Capstone Project Fair at Marlboro
BRATTLEBORO-Marlboro College Graduate School invites the public to its Capstone Project Fair on Saturday, July 10, from noon to 3 p.m.
The Capstone Project is the culmination of a student's work in a program. While it is similar to a master's thesis, the goal of the Capstone is to solve a real problem for a real organization. For many, Capstone Projects are actual, working developments that will be applied by the student's employer or will be used to launch a new business by the student.
This Capstone Fair will feature students from the Master of Science in Information Technologies, Master of Science in Management and the Master of Arts in Teaching with Technology programs. Sponsoring organizations include the Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative, the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, Lynde Motorsports, Asnuntuck Community College and the Hogback Mountain Gift Shop.
Visitors are encouraged to talk with the students about their projects and to critique them, providing the future graduates with objective, supportive feedback that will lead to further refinements.
The free event will take place at Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St. Visit gradschool.marlboro.edu for more information or contact Joe Heslin at 888-258-5665, ext. 209, or jheslin@marlboro.edu.
Soccer camp
BRATTLEBORO-Brattleboro Youth Soccer presents “Challenger Soccer” the week of July 26-30. Open to ages 4-15 and grouped according to age, the camp will once again take place at the Fort Dummer Field off South Main Street.
Half-day and full-day sessions are available, as is a special 1½-hour session for tots. Everyone gets a t-shirt and a ball.
For registration, visit www.challengersports.com, pick up a form at the Recreation and Parks Department, or call Vikki Dunn at 802-257-4428 for information.
Pastoral Counseling Center seeks new members
BRATTLEBORO-The Board of Directors of the Brattleboro Pastoral Counseling Center is seeking new members. Each religious community in the area may be represented on the board, either clergy or lay, as designated by the religious community according to its protocol. Two at-large members may also be appointed.
Founded 27 years ago, the center, on the third floor of the First Baptist Church, 190 Main St., provides counseling service to individuals, couples and families of the greater Brattleboro area.
The service is an extension of the ministry of member religious communities. With a staff of trained and accredited therapists, no one is turned away for lack of financial support.
The Brattleboro Pastoral Counseling Center is the only such agency in the state. Meetings are held monthly on the second Monday at the First United Methodist Church, 18 Town Crier Drive. Doug Reed is president of the board, representing the Methodist Church.
Individuals who may be interested in learning more about the center should contact their clergy or the center's administrator, Janet Goldstein, at 802-254-9071 and leave a message.
Crafters needed
BRATTLEBORO-The First United Methodist Church, 18 Town Crier Drive, will hold its fourth annual blueberry festival on Saturday, Aug.14, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.
All interested local crafters are invited to be a part of the festival. If you are interested in renting a space, call the church office Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at 802-254-4218. The fee will be $20, paid in advance. Checks may be made to “First United Methodist Church” with a notation “table fee.”
Route 5 construction update
PUTNEY- Pike Industries will continue road improvement work on Route 5 this week.
Crews will continue ditching in Dummerston, working south toward Brattleboro throughout the week. They will also continue adjusting manhole covers and drainage inlets in Putney and Brattleboro.
Beginning July 9 in Putney, workers will attempt to get the leveling course done in that area in one day. Parking along the roadways will be prohibited for the day, and businesses and motorists can expect delays throughout the day
On Saturday, paving will continue in Putney and continue south toward Brattleboro.
Traffic control will be present while crews are working and will maintain one-way traffic at all times. Motorists can expect traffic delays in and around the project during daytime work and should plan accordingly for delays.
For a more up-to-date schedule, visit www.roadworkupdates.com.
Chroma named one of nation's top small employers
ROCKINGHAM- Chroma Technology was featured in the June issue of Inc. Magazine as one of the nation's top small employers. Chroma is among 20 companies being honored by Inc. and Winning Workplaces, a an Evanston, Ill.-based nonprofit organization, as one of their Top Small Company Workplaces.
Chroma, which makes precision optical filters and coatings for scientific study, was founded in 1991. It employs 89 people and had $20.5 million in revenue in 2009.
“We're employee-owned, that immediately makes us a good place to work,” Chroma CEO Paul Millman said. “Secondly, we work real hard at being a fair workplace, a place where subjectivism and arbitrary management are frowned upon. We try to give individual employees as much of the decisionmaking as possible. One wants to hire smart people and let them be smart.”
Other companies on the list include outdoor clothing designer and retailer Patagonia, the New York Jets, and another Vermont company, Dealers.com of Burlington.
Free cancer support group
WESTMINSTER- Every week, a group of cancer survivors finds a kind of relief from the disease - not through surgery or radiation, but by talking and listening to one another.
Living Life Now is a healing discussion group for people diagnosed with any form of cancer, no matter what phase of the illness they are experiencing. It offers a comfortable setting for sharing the experience of living with cancer.
Facilitator Cheryl Richards, of Brattleboro, promotes a sense of community among participants, who may visit regularly, or drop in as they wish.
Recent topics have included physical consequences of illness, medical treatments, problems with insurance, relationships with doctors, concerns about the future and medical outcomes, and living with fears. Participants have discussed how cancer has affected their self image, how their attitudes about life affect how they deal with cancer, and how cancer has changed their lives.
The group meets at Sojourns Community Health Clinic at 4923 U.S. Route 5 on Monday evenings from 5:30-7 p.m., through November.
Sojourns is conducting the program thanks to funding from The Fanny Holt Ames and Edna Louise Holt Fund. Westminster Cares can provide transportation.
For more information, contact Jaclyn Sawyer at Sojourns at 802-722-4023 or jsawyer@sojourns.org.
Celebrate Williamsville Hall's 100th anniversary
WILLIAMSVILLE-On the weekend of July 17 and 18, The Williamsville Hall will celebrate its 100th anniversary year.
A multimedia exhibition of Hall history will be on display, and food will be available. Top of the Hill Grill will cater a barbecue dinner at 6:15 p.m. ($10 adults/$5 children under 6). Dan DeWalt will play piano during dinner. Light refreshments will be available from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. All proceeds from food sales go to the Williamsville Hall Fund.
Saturday evening's festivities will also include a performance by The Williamsville Hall Preservation Brass Band from 6 to 7 p.m., punctuated by a celebratory cannon salute at 6:15 p.m. In addition, guests will be invited to ring the bell in the Little Brown Church next door to the Hall for a $1 donation to the Hall Fund.
A 2011 calendar featuring Porter Thayer photographs of Williamsville and its environs will be on sale.
All proceeds will go to the Williamsville Hall Fund, which supports ongoing improvements and maintenance. For more information, visit www.thewilliamsvillehall.com.