West Dummerston Covered Bridge closed this week for repairs
WEST DUMMERSTON - The West Dummerston Covered Bridge is closed this week to all traffic, including pedestrians, to replace the decking on the bridge.
The bridge is expected to reopen on Friday, Aug. 2, at the end of the day.
Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day is Aug. 3
TOWNSHEND - The Grace Cottage Hospital Fair Day tradition continues this year on Saturday, Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the Townshend Common.
The event offers a variety of fun and fanfare. The all-day auction begins at 9:30 a.m., and the Birthday Parade is at 10 a.m. Booths will offer homemade pies, jewelry, T-shirts, White Elephant items, fried dough and cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, lunch foods, books, bingo, plants, pictures and frames, kids' games, face painting, and toys, plus there will be pony rides, live music, and more.
This free, all-day, family-friendly event, now in its 74th year, will be held rain or shine. Visit gracecottage.org or call 802-365-9109 for more information.
Join BPD for National Night Out
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Police Department is inviting the public to join them during National Night Out! This family-friendly event will be happening on Tuesday, Aug. 6, from 5 to 8 p.m., on the Brattleboro Common.
The event will include an ice cream truck (and BPD will be distributing coupons for free ice cream cones), a touch-a-truck event, a bounce house, a dunk tank (dunk a police officer!), giveaway items, and other fun games for kids. Officers will be available to chat or answer questions.
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign held throughout America on the first Tuesday in August.
New support groups for people living with serious illness start in September
BRATTLEBORO - The Serious Illness Program support groups provide safe spaces for people to share personal experiences, feelings, coping strategies, and allow for shared learning regarding serious illness and treatment.
They offer free, facilitated, peer support for people living in Windham County and neighboring New Hampshire towns who are experiencing a life-altering illness, with a focus on cancer and heart and organ diseases.
An in-person group will start Sept. 10. The time will be 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Brattleboro at a fully accessible location. The group will run for eight sessions. An online group will also start in September, time and day to be determined.
To learn more, contact Serious Illness Program Coordinator Eileen Glover at 802-257-0775 ext. 106, or eileen.glover@brattleborohospice.org.
Putney Community Center receives grant for electrical system upgrade, new backup generator
PUTNEY - Putney Community Center Inc. recently received a $5,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation's Spark Connecting Community grant program. The grant will help further Putney Community Center's mission of "promoting the well-being of Putney and its surrounding communities through educational, recreational, cultural, and human services, and fostering cooperation and understanding between all individuals, groups, and organizations within the Town of Putney."
"We are so grateful for this Spark Connecting Community grant," Nancy Olson, president of the board of trustees, said in a news release. "This funding moves us substantially toward our goal of being able to update the electrical system and install a new backup generator that will serve the Putney Foodshelf, which we have housed since 2009. The Foodshelf is currently serving 170 households every week."
Donations toward the project are welcomed. Putney Community Center's mailing address is P.O. Box 337, Putney, VT 05346. For more information about the Spark Connecting Community grant program, visit vermontcf.org.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.