At the recent annual meeting of the Windham County Maple Association, the very existence of the group was called into question.
But, if the rallying during the business portion of the meeting was any indication, the Windham County Maple Association will survive.
To that end, the group, after holding elections, decided to hold a meeting to make final decisions - and hopefully begin planning for Maplerama 2015 in Windham County. It will take place on Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Austine School in Brattleboro. The meeting is open to the public.
Association Delegate Kim Therrien, of Brattleboro's Therrien Sugarhouse, asked attendees if continuing was worth it due to lagging interest among members, decreased state support, and rising insurance costs “just to have a few meetings and be in the cow parade.”...
Thanks for your support on Election Day. I am honored to have been elected to serve as my district's next representative. The election was stunning in many ways. A number of Democrats in the Legislature (including the chair of the House Committee on Health Care) were defeated, and no...
With the conclusion of the fall high school season comes the beginning of awards season. The Marble Valley League selected its All-League teams and coaches of the year last week, and there were not a lot of surprises. After a second-straight undefeated season and a second-straight state title, Twin...
In recent days, the Brattleboro Fire Department has responded to at least two fires that have been caused by the improper disposal of wood ashes. With the start of the heating season, the use of wood stoves, fireplaces, and pellet stoves will be on the increase. The Brattleboro Fire Department would like to remind all residents that even though wood ashes may seem to be cooled, it is common that they retain enough heat to ignite other combustible materials for...
Thank you to all the people who voted in this month's election. I am honored to have been reelected to represent Guilford and Vernon in Montpelier. Being elected is a humbling experience. So is knowing that the people of my district have trust in me to continue working diligently to address their concerns and working with my fellow legislators in moving Vermont forward. I renew my promise to you that I will represent all the people of Guilford and Vernon...
My mother is like the earth - always there and easy to take for granted. Her obvious flaw: she cares. Her robin's-egg-blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, now gone the color of wheat, are highlights of her small yet athletic appearance. She wants only to be liked, so she'll walk your dog, water your garden, pick up your dry cleaning, and then send you a thank-you card. My father presented her to me as a sucker, a “do-gooder,” and worse...
Not long ago, I participated in an event that attracted a good number of young women who are of the generation known as the Millennials. Demographers use this term (or the term “Generation Y”) when referring to the children of baby boomers, adults in their late 30s and early 40s. There are about 80 million of them in the U.S., and they represent the last generation born in the 20th century. Life for them has never existed without the Internet;
Births • In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), Oct. 9, 2014, a son, Kent Grayson Warner, to Tracy Miller-Sweet and David Warner of Athens; grandson to Kent Warner, and Kevin and Polly Gray. • In Keene, N.H., (Cheshire Medical Center), Sept. 9, 2014, a daughter, Jazlyn Jade, to Doris Roberts and Christopher Putnam of Rockingham. Transitions • Susan B. Cay of Brattleboro has joined the Brattleboro law firm of Corum Mabie Cook Prodan Angell & Secrest, PLC as an associate attorney. Cay...
West Brattleboro Association to meet WEST BRATTLEBORO - The next monthly meeting of the West Brattleboro Association (WBA) will be held at the New England House on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. Ongoing items, such as progress on the planned welcome signs for the village and whether to continue to pursue Vermont non-profit status, will be discussed. The group will have a follow-up discussion on the “Revitalizing Southern Vermont's Villages – West Brattleboro” report about which the group recently...
Brittany Maynard passed away Nov. 1. If you don't know who Brittany is, you should learn more about her. On New Year's Day 2014, Brittany, after months of suffering from debilitating headaches, found out she has brain cancer. The 29-year-old has endured various operations and treatments, but in April, the tumor came back more aggressively and she was given six months to live. Brittany quickly acted. She and her husband of less than a year moved from California to Oregon...
For attendees at the recent annual meeting of the Windham County Maple Association, food for thought was served alongside coffee, homemade banana bread, fresh cider donuts, and the requisite big block of Vermont cheddar. University of Vermont Extension Maple Specialist Tim Wilmot and Corse Maple Farm's Jack Dix presented in-depth comparative analyses of the sap-collection portion of making maple syrup. While Dix's portion detailed the results of using different spout treatments on vacuum pumps in six different lots over 10...
Over the weekend of Oct. 18, we were honored to host family and friends for our daughter's wedding. Guests came to Brattleboro as a “destination wedding” from Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Sweden! They arrived on Thursday, giving them time to explore the Brattleboro area, and their comments were all positive about our quaint, picturesque, lovely, friendly town, the magnificent foliage, and opportunities for entertainment. Our planning for...
The Boston Gay Men's Chorus served up a memorable night of song, advocacy, and community spirit before a capacity crowd at the Latchis Theatre on Nov. 1. The sold-out event helped raise more than $25,000 for the Brattleboro Retreat's LGBT Program, now in its fifth year of serving the LGBTQ community. As a part of the evening's program, the Retreat presented Rep. Bill Lippert of Hinesburg with the hospital's 2014 Anna Marsh Award in recognition of his advocacy on behalf...
With Veteran's Day upon us, Americans are reminded of the millions who have served our nation as members of the military. Our government continues to ask its citizens to sacrifice for the good of our country, and tens of thousands answer the call. Some pay the price of service with their lives; others, with permanent disabilities. One disability that is little recognized or understood is homelessness among our veterans. Who are these citizens? Twelve percent of the overall homeless population...
Project Feed the Thousands has begun its 20th annual food drive. Jeff Morse, Project Feed co-chair and president of River Valley Credit Union, said the community goals this year are to raise $100,000 in cash and to collect enough provisions for 200,000 meals. Various businesses and individuals, in conjunction with Project Feed the Thousands, will accept non-perishable food, personal care items, and cash donations. From now until Dec. 31, you can donate items at your local drop-in center or family...
“They” say I made a good showing for a first run for a legislative seat. “They” say incumbents 9 times out of 10 get re-elected. “They” say an appointee to a seat is as good as it gets. Well, that's all well and good. What “they” do not say is why people desperately want change but vote those same incumbents back into office. Why would they expect a different outcome from that of the last two years? What I do...
The work of the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies is the topic of a talk by the center's director, Henry “Hank” Knight, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. in the West Village Meeting House. Located at Keene State College, the center was founded in 1983 by Dr. Charles Hildebrandt and is devoted to the memory and study of the Holocaust and genocide. The program is co-sponsored by the Brattleboro branch of the American Association of University Women,
Next year, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England will celebrate its 50th anniversary. We're proud of our rich history and excited to look ahead to our future. We have a unique opportunity - even a duty - to be the model sexual- and reproductive-health-care provider in our state and in our region. But, first, our health centers must mirror the quality care we provide. More than 1,500 patients come to our health center in Brattleboro for exceptional sexual-, reproductive-, and...
Dance to local musicians on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Brattleboro's Stone Church on Main Street. All proceeds benefit the Windham County Heat Fund. Opening at 7:30 p.m. is Nomad vs Settler, with super-fresh, original rock written and performed by local teenagers. Prepare to be astonished: The musicians in this group take their dreams very seriously. At 8:30 The Fantastic PartnerZ appear: an original band melding funk, pop, and punk for your booty-shakin' pleasure. The band of veteran rockers include Chris...
The Center for Digital Art (CDA) presents Jerry Paper in a night of musical entertainment and gaming. On Thursday, Nov. 20, the Brooklyn-based musician will perform songs from his recently released album, “Big Pop For Chameleon World,” and showcase the interactive game “Dr. Javier Genneheigen's Chameleon World,” which uses the songs from his album for its soundtrack. “Big Pop For Chameleon World,” on Orange Milk Records, is Paper's sixth release in two years and is his second record to be...
A special meeting on Oct. 23 at NewBrook Elementary School saw a record turnout, as Newfane and Brookline voters overwhelmingly approved a two-part energy proposal for the school. One article asked for permission to enter into a solar net-metering credit purchase agreement - in which a solar developer or investor is chosen to finance, install, operate, maintain, and assume all liability for a photovoltaic system on NewBrook Elementary School property, providing discounted electricity for the school. In the second article,
Archer Mayor, author of the bestselling Vermont-based mystery series featuring detective Joe Gunther, will visit Village Square Booksellers, in Bellows Falls on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. to discuss his latest novel, “Proof Positive.” In “Proof Positive,” Gunther and his team leave their standard New England bailiwick for Philadelphia. Two bodies are found in a hoarder's Vermont home; one victim has a Philly rap sheet and may have played a role in the hoarder's demise. Another body turns up...
Beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, the studio of Carol Schnabel will again be filled with fine art and scrumptious treats. In what has become an annual tradition, Guilford artists gather to show their work and meet with friends and neighbors. This year's group includes Nancy Detra, John Dimick, Vicki Houghton, Lois Pancake, Susan Rosano, and Carol Schnabel. Detra, a founding member of this annual holiday event, recently retired from teaching and is devoting her time to children's...
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present folk/rock icon Jonathan Edwards, singer/songwriter Lisa McCormick, and contemporary folk trio The Stockwell Brothers at Next Stage on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Southern Vermont-based Lisa and brothers Bruce, Barry, and Alan already have toured with Edwards and again are adding their voices, guitars, banjo, mandolin, and bass to “Sunshine,” Shanty,” and a handful of his other hits. Edwards has released 15 albums since 1971, collaboraing with the likes of Emmylou...
AfterFab, a tribute to the Beatles' years as solo performers, will play at Next Stage Arts Project on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. AfterFab is not your typical tribute band, and the genius of the Beatles didn't stop at Abbey Road. This is the only tribute band drawing from the vast catalog of the brilliant solo careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr - and AfterFab's [www.afterfab.com] reviewers say they bring it to life with...
Visiting master Senegalese dancer, teacher, and choreographer Caro Diallo offers an intensive weekend of Zumba and dance classes on Nov. 15 and 16 at the Stone Church, 210 Main St. This is Diallo's eighth time visiting Brattleboro. He taught twice a week here in August and September. Organizers say this is the last chance to take classes with him before he heads back to Senegal and Switzerland, where he teaches the rest of the year. Diallo, a certified Zumba teacher...
November will see a different kind of art take center stage at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center: the culinary kind. The inaugural Taste of Southern Vermont will be held Saturday, Nov. 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. Working with fresh ingredients sourced from local farms, area chefs will show off their culinary chops with a series of custom small-plate creations, local beer and cider, and wine pairings from Windham Wines. Featured chefs hail from The Gleanery, The Perfect Wife...
The school board has been trying to close the Westminster West School for years. In 2009, the budget was released for the West and Center schools, and we calculated that the West school cost about half as much to educate a child as the Center School. But the school board always complained that the West School cost too much. The fight over the West school included changing the makeup from 1-2 and 3-4 grades, to K-1 and 2-3 so the...
The Westminster School Board's budget committee canceled its Nov. 4 meeting after receiving a six-page complaint accusing the board of violating Vermont's open meeting law. The complaint was filed by Westminster resident and retired family court magistrate Patricia Whalen. In the complaint, Whalen states: “It is my claim that the Budget Committee of the Westminster School Board and the Westminster School Board have both violated the open meeting law since at least July 1, 2014.” Whalen says the board has...
The Leland and Gray Players open their 19th season with the musical “The Wizard of Oz,” adapted for the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company from the original MGM film. The original story is by L. Frank Baum, with music by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. A perennial family favorite, “The Wizard of Oz” tells of a quest for a better life over the rainbow; it is a testimony to the value of perseverance - and of thoughtfulness, courage, and...
Next Stage Arts Project presents world-renowned slam poet, educator, and performance artist Taylor Mali on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m., in a benefit performance at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill. Mali, who returns to Putney after several highly acclaimed, sold-out performances, studied drama with members of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has put those stage skills to use performing poetry all over the world and serving as the official voiceover voice on all Burger King commercials in 1998. One...
Windham Regional Career Center recently brought a record-breaking 72 high school girls to the 16th annual Women Can Do! Conference at Vermont Technical College in Randolph. The event is sponsored yearly by Vermont Works for Women, an organization founded in 1987 to help women enter, advance, and remain in skilled trades. The daylong event included 35 workshops highlighting careers in architecture, engineering, computer programming, green energy, natural resources, public safety and health, communications, and other typically non-traditional careers for women.
On Sunday, Nov. 23, take a Christmas train ride with Santa and the Grinch, caroling elves, and special surprises on the Green Mountain Railroad in Bellows Falls. The historic Green Mountain Flyer will be filled with holiday cheer as it travels from Bellows Falls to the North Pole (Chester Station) and back again. This scenic route has a long heritage of tourism going back to 1964, when the Monadnock, Steamtown and Northern Amusement Corporation set up Steamtown USA, and Green...
The Bellows Falls Union High School Drama Club presents Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” on Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. This classic love story about a pair of star-crossed teenagers comes to life on the BFUHS stage. When these timeless characters are placed in a contemporary, urban setting, worlds collide as the feud between the Capulets and Montagues ends in fatal tragedy. The players: Romeo: Aja Selbach-Broad; Juliet: Anny Brown; Escalus: Gus Slater-Dixon;
Expanding their cultural view is just one outcome students from Bellows Falls Union High School experienced this summer as they attended the Governor's Institutes of Vermont and traveled to China, Italy, and Spain. School officials and the students themselves say the opportunities for these teens to travel to either a Vermont college campus or abroad for a few weeks has been life-changing. Anna Clark and Nieva Schemm headed to China with Social Studies Coordinator Craig Divis. The two joined 10...
Defying genres, guitarist Scott Sanchez brings his virtuosic and musically passionate performance style to the Stone Church on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. He will perform in the intimate setting of the Chapel at Immanuel Episcopal Church, 20 Church St. Sanchez's three CDs on Intraspect Productions cover a vast repertoire spanning the music of the Baroque era to modern day masterpieces. In addition to his interpretive skill, his recordings also exhibit his masterful skill at transcribing and arranging music...
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) invites creators of all ages to design and build original Lego sculptures and display them at the museum this fall in BMAC's seventh annual LEGO Contest & Exhibit, Nov. 21-23. According to BMAC director Danny Lichtenfeld, the event has grown into a great community affair. “We regularly receive entries from contestants ranging in age from toddlers to senior citizens. Most entries are from the tri-state area surrounding Brattleboro but we always have some...
The River Gallery School of Art has raised $15,000 in matching funds to a pledge of $15,000 from the Doune Trust Fund, which brings $30,000 to the Scholarship Campaign Fund. With half of RGS students receiving scholarship funds, the school says this campaign has increased community accessibility to art-making. Nearly 100 individuals gave $10 to $1,000, with the campaign closing with a major donation from the Brattleboro law offices of Downs Rachlin Martin. Other supportive corporate donors with offices in...
Brattleboro-based professor, sociologist, actor, author, musician, and playwright Jerry Levy celebrates the 10th anniversary of his performing Howard Zinn's “Marx In Soho,” and the premiere of Levy's play, “The Third Coming: Marx Returns,” the weekend of Nov. 20 with special performances of both works at the Hooker-Dunham Theater. All proceeds from the shows will benefit The Commons and its parent organization, Vermont Independent Media. Embodying the persona of Karl Marx is an easy leap for Levy, a recently retired sociology...
It has been a long time in coming, but starting Dec. 29, Amtrak's Vermonter passenger train will stop detouring through Amherst and Palmer, Mass., and instead will speed down the Connecticut River rail corridor on its way to Springfield, Mass. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the new owner of the railroad tracks between East Northfield and Springfield, says that passenger service between Brattleboro and Springfield will return to its traditional route on that date, and that the Vermonter will begin...
For decades, the automobile has ruled American roads. Its reign, however, has wavered on the national level in recent years. This is especially so among “millennials,” the young people born between the early 1980s and before 2000. It is an age cohort that includes 80 million Americans - larger than the Baby Boom generation. Fewer young adults in the United States are making car ownership a priority, and this trend has spurred the seven-member Vermont Transportation Board to ask: Do...
I'm afraid for this country. And beyond. They say the Republicans will now have to show that they can take care of business. I'm afraid that they'll take care mainly of business. I'm afraid they'll do nothing serious about global warming. Or the shrinking access to higher education for the less well off. Or the joblessness of the less well educated. Or about the $7.25 minimum wage. Or the government's obstruction of unions. Or fairer redistribution of wealth (a concept...
Traffic safety is a major concern of and for the people of Brattleboro. The Traffic Safety Committee meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. At these meetings, the committee and citizens work to find remedies for traffic issues the public have voiced concerns about. The public input is very helpful because it comes from common folk who actually experience problematic situations in their respective areas of town, usually daily. I am sure Police Chief Michael Fitzgerald was...
Thank you for painting a quick sketch of Charles Monette, who, after 19 years, is once again presenting his artistic work on the stage. I look forward to seeing “Becoming van Gogh.”
I have to wonder if the hypocrisy of some of the “leaders” of the “climate change/global warming” movement has turned a lot of people off of the underlying message. Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio (who attended the People's Climate March) certainly have no business telling all of us average families - who live in a single home and likely drive a used car - to downsize our lives and conserve more when they do not do so themselves. Who needs...
Staffers like to say that every day is Veterans Day at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in the Exit One Industrial Park. But when the official Veterans Day comes around, the clinic likes to offer a special tribute to its clients. So the waiting room in the clinic was transformed into a buffet line, with staffers and local restaurants contributing entrees and desserts for veterans and their family members. Richard Orlan, the clinic's medical director,