Applications sought for FY24 human services funding
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee is accepting applications for fiscal year 2024 human services funding.
The application, as well as instructions and guidelines, are posted on the Brattleboro town website - brattleboro.org. The deadline to submit applications to the Brattleboro Town Manager's Office via e-mail is Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m.
The information session regarding human services funding is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 5 p.m., at the Municipal Center (230 Main Street) in the Selectboard Meeting Room and by an online platform (to be determined and later posted on the town's website). Applicants are encouraged to attend. For more information regarding the application process, contact Jessica Sticklor in the Town Manager's Office at 802-251-8115.
'Parenting 4 Social Justice' book group forms at Brooks Library
BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main Street, will host a monthly book group centered on Parenting 4 Social Justice: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations and Action with Kids.
Published in 2021 by Green Writers Press, this book is authored by the late Angela Berkfield, a social justice educator, organizer, parent, and beloved community member who passed away last year after her journey with breast cancer. The book is co-authored by Chrissy Colón Bradt, Leila Raven, Jaimie Lynn Kessell, Rowan Parker, and Abigail Healey.
The book group will meet monthly on second Wednesdays from October through May, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room. The first meeting will take place on Oct. 12. The focus is on parenting, but all who are connected to caregiving are welcome. The group will be facilitated by local parent, educator, and organizer Abby Mnookin. Jackie MacNeish, Parenting 4 Social Justice educational outreach/curriculum developer, has created the Community of Practice discussion guide.
Each month is an opportunity to dive deep into one of the book chapters about parenting for social justice, with a highlight on race, class, gender, disability, and collective liberation. The goal of both the book and the group is to support parents and caregivers in raising kids who love themselves, who love others, and who are compelled to show up for social justice.
Discussions will support participants in initiating age-appropriate and engaging conversations with kids about social justice issues, as well as ideas for taking action as families - from making protest signs and attending a local march, to trying healing meditations and consciously getting involved with local organizing.
There is no cost for participation, with snacks and childcare provided. The venue is accessible to people in wheelchairs. Copies of the book are available for loan from the library or they can be purchased at Everyone's Books. To sign up or if you have questions, email Abby at [email protected], visit brookslibraryvt.org, or call 802-254-5290, ext. 1201.
Rare books explored at Moore Library
NEWFANE - What makes a book rare? On Thursday, Oct. 13, at 5 p.m., the Moore Free Library, 23 West Street, will welcome E.C. Schroeder, who will answer this question, using actual books as examples.
He will discuss the reasons a book might (or might not) be considered rare, based on criteria such as age, condition, importance, provenance, number of copies, and demand. He also will explain the difference between a scarce and a rare book. There will be an opportunity for attendees to bring a book for evaluation.
Schroeder worked at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library for more than 30 years, including the last 10 as director. He currently splits his time between (1)Williamsville and Omaha, Nebraska, where his wife teaches mathematics at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He is a member of the Grolier Club, a New York City book-collecting club, and was on the board of multiple national and international rare book organizations. For more information, contact the library at 802-365-7948.
Manitou holds healing walk
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold a healing walk on Friday, Oct. 14, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. The walk will be led by Fred Taylor and will include poems or other readings and chances to share about the experience.
The Manitou Project is located at 300 Sunset Lake Road. Directions: go 1.4 miles up Sunset Lake Road from Williamsville Road, sign on right. Road closure does not affect this access. Or 5.6 miles from Route 9 in West Brattleboro over the top of Sunset Lake Road. Meet at the parking lot at 4 p.m. For information, contact Taylor at 802-254-2675.
Big Tree Walk takes place at Putney Great Meadow on Oct. 16
PUTNEY - Join in a Putney Big Tree Quest along the forested edge of the historic Great Meadow along the Connecticut River on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m. An easy walk along the meadow's edge will be interspersed with forays into the woods to measure large trees to submit to the Putney Big Tree Quest. Check out the library's website at putneylibrary.org for more info.
Putney Conservation Commission members Tom Hinckley, Gino Palmeri, and Ann Kerrey will lead the walk and help with tree identification and measuring. They will also give a brief description of the Great Meadow in the early 1700s.
Park at the north end of the Meadow (near the Westminster town line, off River Road South) in the large pull-off area on the right (east). Please wait to cross the railroad tracks as a group.
Take-home Design-A-Plate workshop begins at Brooks Memorial Library
BRATTLEBORO - Stop by the Children's Room at Brooks Memorial Library to pick up a Design-A-Plate packet. Create your drawings at home then return the packet to the library by 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 17. Choose between an 8-inch melamine plate, a 10-inch melamine plate, or 12-ounce melamine bowl.
To make this affordable to everyone in our community, this is a pay-what-you-can event. The suggested price is $6 per item, and participants can include payment when they drop off completed drawings at the library. Cash and checks made out to Brooks Memorial Library are accepted. Plates and bowls will be ready for pickup in early December. For more information, call the Children's Room at 802-254-5290, ext. 1210, or visit brookslibraryvt.org/kids/DAP.
Historical Society hosts quarterly meeting, program
DUMMERSTON - Join the Dummerston Historical Society for its quarterly meeting and program at the Historical Society Schoolhouse in Dummerston Center on Thursday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.
A brief business meeting will be followed by a program by Lynn Levine, a retired consulting forester, author, environmental educator, and creator of interpretive nature trails. She will share her recent love affair with a tract of land off Black Mountain Road, initially looking for red pine on the property. Levine will describe her many findings there, including puzzling dead red cedar trees, various animals, interesting plants, and geological surprises.
The Dummerston Historical Society is handicapped accessible. Programs are free of charge and all are welcome. This program may change from in-person to Zoom, so either check dummerstonhistoricalsociety.org or contact Gail at [email protected] or call 802-254-9311 for more information.
Tour explores route of historic West River Railroad
NEWFANE - On Saturday, Oct. 22, historian Glenn Annis will lead a tour of the West River Railroad's 36-mile route from Brattleboro to South Londonderry, sharing the railroad's history, while seeing firsthand the vestiges of the old railroad line along the way.
Participants will board the bus by Newfane Common at 9:30 a.m. The group will head to Brattleboro and then up the West River Valley to South Londonderry, the terminus of the West River Railroad line. The bus will return to Newfane to the West River Railroad Museum where a bagged lunch will be served.
Glenn Annis is an authority on the West River Railroad and will point out landmarks, historic buildings, structures and other features that still exist along the 36-mile route, as well the location of others that have disappeared over the years.
The cost of the tour is $25 (lunch included). To reserve your seat and order your tickets, visit historicalsocietyofwindhamcounty.org or go to the West River Railroad Tour event at brownpapertickets.com/browse.html.
Leaf collection schedule announced
BRATTLEBORO - Curbside fall leaf collection will take place on Friday, Oct. 21, and Friday, Nov. 4.
Acceptable waste includes leaves, grass, clippings, garden waste, twigs, and branches no larger than 1 inch in diameter and 2 feet long. No other household trash is to be included.
All materials must be contained in brown-paper leaf bags available for purchase at local businesses. No other bags or containers will be accepted, as the materials collected will be used for compost.
The bags must be left at the curb by 7 a.m. on scheduled collection days.
Leaves, brush, and yard debris are also accepted year-round at the Windham Solid Waste Management District on Old Ferry Road. The transfer station is open on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Leaf and yard debris is collected via the curbside program twice in the spring and twice in the fall. For more information, call the town offices at 802-251-8103.
Warm Hands Warm Hearts coat drive begins Oct. 21
CHESTER - The Warm Hands Warm Hearts Annual Coat Drive will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21 and 22, at the Baptist Church Fellowship Hall on Main Street from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This is a free event for those looking for warm coats, winter clothing, and bedding.
Donated items may be dropped off at the church on Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those interested in helping with set up for this event may contact Carla Rumrill at 802-376-4822 or [email protected] for more information.
Join the genealogy group at the RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - The public is invited to join genealogy enthusiast Wayne Blanchard on a quest to discover family roots on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Rockingham Free Public Library. Those who own laptops are encouraged to please bring them along. At the library, researchers will find many free databases available Both beginners and seasoned genealogists are welcome.
This program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 802-463-4270, email [email protected] or go to rockinghamlibrary.org.