In-person dining returns at Brattleboro Senior Meals
BRATTLEBORO - On Thursday and Friday, July 8 and 9, after more than a year and a half providing and delivering up to 200 Meals on Wheels home deliveries daily and weekends, Brattleboro Senior Meals will be reopening for congregate lunches at the Senior Center in the Gibson-Aiken Center on Main Street.
Lunches will be served from noon to 12:30 p.m.
To reserve a place, call 802-451-8296 or email director@brattleboroseniormeals.org.
After July 9, the congregate lunches will continue every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, also by reservation.
Food box program comes to southern Vermont
BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Foodbank's Full Plates VT program, scheduled to run through September, distributes boxes of fresh produce along with other fresh and self-stable products.
A distribution will take place on Friday, July 16 and Thursday, July 29 at SIT on Kipling Road.
The program distributes the food boxes at drive-thru style distributions throughout all 14 counties in Vermont. The July box includes beef stew, macaroni and cheese, tomato soup, canned chicken, and 10 to 12 pounds of fresh produce.
To keep wait times to a minimum, reservations will be required. New dates will be added to the registration website every two weeks.
Your household must register for your own food box and self-certify that you meet the income guidelines. You will not be asked for proof of income. If you are unable to attend the event in person, you may register for a food box and designate another person to pick it up from the distribution.
For more information, visit vtfoodbank.org/gethelp or call 833-670-2254 for assistance.
Vernon Selectboard accepting letters of interest from applicants to fill vacancy
VERNON - Christopher Parker resigned his seat on the Selectboard at the end of June because he is moving out of the area.
The remaining Selectboard members will appoint a qualified resident who will serve until the next town election in March of 2022.
Interested parties may send a letter of interest to the Selectboard, in care of the town administrator, at VernonTA@VernonVT.org or by U.S. Mail to the Town Office, 567 Governor Hunt Rd., Vernon, VT 05354.
Crochet Corner at Moore Library
NEWFANE - Join local crochet superstar Tracy Berchi for Crochet Corner every two weeks on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Moore Free Library, 23 West St.
Berchi will teach concepts to crocheters of all abilities. She is a leftie but can teach left- and right-handed crocheters.
Some yarn and needles will be on hand for beginners to try out.
Participants are invited to bring a project.
For more information, call 802-365-7948. All library events are free.
“Everyone is welcome to share purls of wisdom,” event organizers write.
Senior lunches in Dummerston reopen with limited in-house seating
DUMMERSTON - Senior Solutions and Evening Star Grange in Dummerston will present the Second Wednesday luncheon on July 14 with both inside seating and takeout meals, your choice.
Reservations for both in-house or takeout meals need to be made by Tuesday, July 13, at 5 p.m., to aid with gauging the need for seating and the amount of food.
Call the Grange at 802-254-1138 to arrange for your meal. Please specify whether you want in-house or take-out.
The meal will be either meatloaf or vegetarian loaf, with mashed potatoes and gravy, summer squash and zucchini medley, with ice cream and a homemade chocolate chip cookie.
Meal organizers say they hope that the Lydia Taft Pratt Library will have reopened with books to borrow by August, but for this month, some cookbooks and paperbacks have been donated and will be available.
Organizers ask that those who are not yet fully vaccinated wear masks; masks for others are optional.
All are welcome to participate in this meal; suggested donation is $3 ($4 for those younger than 60).
Putney Library hosts free speech camp
PUTNEY - Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., will offer a free speech camp for high school students from Monday, Aug. 9 to Friday, Aug. 13, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the library.
There is no cost for this camp, but registration is required.
Meg Mott will lead the camp; she has taught debate and constitutional reasoning to high school students through Marlboro College's summer program.
According to Mott, “the First Amendment's protections of free speech is considered the crown jewel of American freedoms. Without free speech, argued Frederick Douglass, there is no liberty at all.”
High school students, however, are in a slightly different category. For example, public schools restrict what students can and cannot say and what they can and cannot wear.
“The Supreme Court plays a major role in deciding which constitutional freedoms apply to students,” says Mott. “In the 1960s, the Supreme Court argued that students needed greater freedoms in order to be better citizens. More recently, the Supreme Court has argued against student rights in order to create more orderly learning environments.”
“Both sides have merit,” she says.
“Over the course of the week, we'll act out the different arguments through fishbowls, role plays, and informal debates,” Mott continues. “By the end of the week, students will better understand the principles and challenges behind free speech.”
Camp will be held outdoors under a tent. Register at putneylibrary.org.