Veterans Day closings in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - In observance of Veterans Day, all town offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 11, with the exception of emergency services.
Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots that day. All other violations will be enforced.
Brooks Memorial Library will be closed all day, but all Recreation & Parks programs after 1:30 p.m. will occur as planned.
Trash, recycling, and composting will not be affected by the holiday. All curbside collections will take place on the regular schedule.
Brattleboro Centre for Children celebrates its 20th
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Centre for Children will celebrate its 20th anniversary on Saturday, Nov. 13, with a program for past or present students, parents, or staff.
The center was started by a group from Centre Congregational Church, led by Amy (Dews) Wall and Cynthia Terzariol, who felt there was a need for more quality child care in the area. It was incorporated on Nov. 13, 2001 and welcomed its first children in the summer of 2002.
Though founded by the church and located in the church building, the Brattleboro Centre for Children is independent and non-sectarian. It welcomes up to 42 children from 3 months to 5 years old. (If you see a group of children walking down Main Street with their teacher, they are probably from the BCC.)
Under the leadership of Director Gretchen Horton, the Centre became certified (four stars) with the Vermont STARS (STep Ahead Recognition System) program, which recognizes quality in staff training, program practices, administration, and other aspects.
It was closed briefly during the pandemic, then reopened for the children of essential workers. For the past year, it has been open to all, following strict Covid protocols.
The celebration, which takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Centre at 193 Main St., will offer tours of the facility, a slide show, a book sale fundraiser, and refreshments.
Newfane Congregational hosts food drive
NEWFANE - On Sunday, Nov. 14, Newfane Congregational Church, on Church Street, will be collecting food items for the Townshend Food Shelf with its Fill Buck's Truck food drive from 9 a.m. to noon.
With the holidays coming, organizers ask donors to keep the following suggestions in mind: canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, cornbread mix, cereal, and scalloped potato mixes.
For more information, call Linda Bastian at 802-365-0100.
Grange serves Thanksgiving luncheon
DUMMERSTON - Senior Solutions and Evening Star Grange will present their annual Thanksgiving luncheon, takeout or eat-in, on Wednesday, Nov. 17, with takeout meals available between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and in-house seating at noon.
Reservations are requested and can be made by calling the Grange at 802-254-1138; leave your name, number of meals wanted, and your phone number. Also indicate if you are eating in-house or taking it home. Call by Tuesday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m., if possible, so organizers can be sure to have enough food (“so you aren't the one who doesn't get enough squash or homemade pumpkin pie,” they warn in a news release).
The menu will include roast turkey, dressing, mashed potato and gravy, winter squash, corn pudding, cranberry sauce, and homemade pumpkin pie. A donation of $3 for those 60 and older and $4 for the younger set is suggested.
Book sale returns to Brooks Library
BRATTLEBORO - The Friends of Brooks Memorial Library will hold a three-day book sale at the library on Thursday–Saturday, Nov. 18–20.
The sale takes place during the library's normal operating hours: Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This will be the first book sale since the pandemic, and the Friends promise “many interesting books sorted in many subject headings,” in “great condition.”
The categories include art and architecture, local writers and local history, politics, biography, self-help, cooking, and spirituality, plus hardcover and trade paper fiction. Books generally cost $2, with some priced higher or lower. Remainders will be available after the sale.
Masks are required inside the library, hand sanitizer is available, and social distancing will be observed.
RFPL holds annual cash raffle
BELLOWS FALLS - The Friends of the Rockingham Free Public Library are sponsoring its 12th annual raffle with one chance to win $500 and two chances to win $100.
Proceeds from the raffle, the Friends' major fundraiser this year, will support programs for children, teens, and adults, along with museum passes, equipment and services such as online research resources, e-books, and audiobooks.
The three winners will be notified on Dec. 13.
Raffle contestants can purchase one raffle ticket for $10 or six for $50 from Village Square Booksellers (35 The Square), the library's front desk, or at rockinghamlibrary.org/folraffle.
For more information, call the library at 802-463-4270.