Grafton Forge hosts open house
GRAFTON - Grafton Forge, a regional center for the preservation of the art of blacksmithing, announces its third annual Foliage Forge Fest to be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Forge, 72 School St.
Ongoing demonstrations and tutorials will be held both days as well as a tailgate swap meet of blacksmithing tools and related items. The shop's forges will be open to anyone wishing to try their hand under the instruction of the Director and noted blacksmith, Adam Howard.
Registrations will also be accepted for this season's workshop offerings. To register for the tool swap, or for more information, call the forge at 802-843-1029.
Animal Frolics Qigong presented at Manitou
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold an outdoor session of the Animal Frolics Qigong on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to noon.
This system was developed more than 1,800 years ago by Hua T'o, one of China's greatest physicians, modeled on the movements of five animals: the Tiger, the Deer, the Bear, the Monkey and the Crane: this session will focus on the Bear and the Crane. The emphasis of this teaching is on the union of spirit, breath and movement and offers a system for long term health and longevity.
The forms can be practiced by anyone regardless of age or condition of health. The session is appropriate for adults, and for children over the age of 10. All are welcome, whether or not you have any prior experience with Qigong. Joey Carroll is the instructor. For more information, contact Joey at [email protected] or 802-257-8673.
Free tobacco cessation class at Grace Cottage
TOWNSHEND - Ready to quit smoking? Grace Cottage Hospital's “Your Quit. Your Way” tobacco cessation class can help you do it.
This free class will be held on six Tuesdays, Oct. 9 to Nov. 13, from 5-6:30 p.m., in the hospital's Community Wellness Center, 133 Grafton Rd. (Route 35).
If you have tried to quit but are still smoking or chewing tobacco, you are particularly encouraged to attend this class. Free nicotine replacement products are available for any Vermont resident enrolled in this program.
Sindy Hassig, Grace Cottage Physical Therapist and Tobacco Treatment Specialist, leads the classes. Call 802-365-3649 to register.
Turning Point launches Read with Me program
BRATTLEBORO - Turning Point of Windham County is excited to announce a two-part reading program, Read with Me, sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council.
The Winston Prouty Center for Child Development is co-hosting this program. The program is ideal for parents who have children from newborn to six years of age. Child care will be available, and snacks will be provided. Another perk is that parents will receive three books at the completion of the program.
Books include Lady with the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Wescott, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin. Parents learn techniques for sharing the joy of reading with their little ones; at the end of each session, children will join the parents to do some reading.
If you are interested, or if you know some parents who might be interested, pass along this information. The group will meet twice, Friday, Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Participants are asked to preregister, although latecomers won't be turned away. This program is free.
Anyone who would like to attend should contact Turning Point (802-257-5600 or [email protected]). Or stop by and visit at 112 Hardwood Way to speak to a volunteer or facilitator about the program. For more information, call 802-257-8600 or toll-free 866-889-0042.
Beginner and beyond belly dancing classes offered at BMH
BRATTLEBORO - Belly dancing is a fun, gentle way to exercise with others and develop your posture, flexibility and coordination.
Participants will learn belly dance movements and choreography in a fun/supportive environment. This class is for people of all shapes, sizes, and ages.
Classes will be held at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital on Thursday nights, 5:15-6:30 p.m., starting on Oct. 11. The instructors are Dawn Kersula and Robin Rieske.
The cost for the class is $80 for eight weeks or $13 per week. To register for this program, call 802-257-8877.
Long-term care discussion to be held at Senior Center
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Senior Center will host Adele Edelman and Mary Woods on Oct. 11, at 10:30 a.m., at the Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 Main St. to talk about Money Follows the Person, a new state program of interest to seniors and disabled individuals.
This program provides new funds and assistance to any qualified Vermont resident currently residing in a Vermont nursing home who desires to return back to the community. Edleman and Woods will be available to answer questions.
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, you will be interested in hearing what is being offered and how it may help your family and friends. Light refreshments will be offered.
Women business owners' discussion set at SEVCA
WESTMINSTER - Women who run their own businesses or are planning to start one need to set realistic and measurable goals. Join Karen Perlberg and Denise Mason of SEVCA's Economic Development Program in a discussion centered on establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted goals.
This first session of a Women's Business Roundtable series planned for Thursday, Oct. 11, from 9-11 a.m.
The series of informal discussions will be held at SEVCA's main office in Westminster on the second Thursday of October, November, and December. The topics for the next two months will be chosen by participants. There is no charge for the meetings. Contact Mason at [email protected] or 802-722-4575, ext. 150, for more information.
Crosby-Gannett Fund application deadline for Brattleboro nonprofits is Oct. 15
BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Community Foundation in Middlebury has announced that applications from the Brattleboro community are now being accepted for grants from the Crosby-Gannett Fund.
The Crosby-Gannett Fund is successor to the Crosby Foundation, which was founded in 1951 by Brattleboro native Charles R. Crosby to help support endeavors that would contribute to the betterment and vitality of the Brattleboro area.
Following the transfer of Crosby Foundation assets to the Vermont Community Foundation, the fund's local advisory committee added the Gannett name to honor the late Senator Robert T. Gannett, who helped found the Crosby Foundation and guided it as Secretary-Treasurer for over 50 years.
The Crosby-Gannett Fund is interested in supporting projects that rely mainly on local financial support and focus on innovation, capital improvements, and historical renovation/preservation. Grants will range from $250 to $1,000. To be eligible for a grant, an applicant must be a tax exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation or provide a fiscal sponsor.
Interested parties should visit the Community Foundation's website at www.vermontcf.org/crosby-gannett-fund for guidelines and an application. The deadline for applications this fall is Oct. 15; the deadline for the next round of grants is May 1, 2013.
White Cane Awareness Day Celebration to be held on Oct. 15
BRATTLEBORO - The fifth annual White Cane Awareness Day event will take place on Monday, Oct. 15 at the Brattleboro Common across from Park Place to promote recognition of the growing independence and self-sufficiency of blind people in America and the white cane as a symbol of that independence and self-reliance.
The event will begin at 3 p.m. with a brief walk using Brattleboro's accessible and safe pedestrian sidewalks on the roads near the Common. Refreshments and information about community resources will be provided before and after the walk. A limited supply of free tee-shirts will be available to participants.
White Cane Safety Day was authorized by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 after advocacy by the National Federation of the Blind gained congressional approval the year before.
In his proclamation, President Johnson commended the blind for the growing spirit of independence and the increased determination to be self-reliant that the organized blind had shown. The Presidential proclamation said, in part, that the annual reminder would make “people more fully aware of the meaning of the white cane and of the need for motorists to exercise special care for the blind persons who carry it.”
The White Cane Awareness Day Walk is free and open to the public. This event is sponsored by the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (VABVI) and Vermont's Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBVI). For more information, call 802-254-8761.
New beginners Tai Chi, Taoist exercises starting in Putney
PUTNEY - Tai Chi Chuan, otherwise known as Supreme Ultimate Boxing, is an ancient form of martial art that has been practiced for both health and self defense. It can be practiced for recreation, and to increase strength, flexibility, vitality well into old age.
Tai Chi Chuan is not performed in the same manner as most Western calisthenics or sports. It requires a tremendous amount of mental and physical concentration and control, and is often described as a moving meditation. After practice, one feels invigorated, clear-minded, and peaceful.
Medicine for the People will be offering a new 10-week beginner's Tai Chi & Taoist exercise class. This class will meet every Friday morning at 125 Main St., from 9-10 a.m. Thomas Garbarino, licensed acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist, and practitioner of Tai Chi Chuan and medical qigong, will teach classes.
The cost is $150 before class/$175 at door. Call for registration, directions or further questions at 802-387-3028 or email [email protected].