Land managers to learn how to battle invasives
BRATTLEBORO - Invasive plants are becoming all too common in Vermont's forests. They overrun native plants, pose health risks, and damage the region's vital forest ecology.
The Vermont Land Trust is partnering with Polatin Ecological Services to present a free workshop for people who manage private land infested with invasive plants.
According to a news release, the field workshop will happen in West Brattleboro on land owned by the Vermont Land Trust. Participants will learn how to identify common invasive plants, map infestations, and control invasives' growth and spread through demonstrations of tools and techniques.
The workshop will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 17, at 97 Meadowbrook Road, West Brattleboro. The rain date is Wednesday, June 22.
Refreshments will be available at the beginning of the workshop, but participants should bring lunch. Space is limited. To register, contact Pieter van Loon, director of forest stewardship at the Vermont Land Trust at 802-246-1502 or [email protected].
'Fuzzy Baseball' author to visit Brooks Library
BRATTLEBORO - Local children's author John Steven Gurney will discuss his new book, “Fuzzy Baseball,” on Friday, June 17, at 3 p.m., at Brooks Memorial Library on Main Street.
As the book's jacket says: “It's the game everyone has been waiting for, The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies Vs. The Rocky Ridge Red Claws! The Fuzzies, featuring such all-star players as Jackie Rabbitson, Sandy Kofox, and Hammy Sosa, are ready. So are the Red Claws, with players like Gator Gibson, Stetch Giraffolo, and Fernando del Toro. Together they'll make this the greatest game ever played between the two longtime rivals. And you have a front row seat at Fuzzy Field!”
According to a news release, Publishers Weekly wrote that “Gurney's love of the game is apparent, and he fills the pages with visual jokes and other references for fellow fans. It's hard not to see a little Babe Ruth in the Fuzzies' hulking bear of a first baseman/manager, and when the game gets good, fans follow along via radio, television, and even newspapers, which must be doing some very fast reprinting.”
For more information, contact Everyone's Books at 802-254-8160, or [email protected]. As always, this event is free and open to the public.
Windham Child Care Association hosts Magical March
BRATTLEBORO - Do you know a child who likes to dress up? They'll want to join the fun at the first-ever Magical March, a fundraising walk for the Windham Child Care Association on Saturday, June 18, at the Brattleboro Retreat from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Princesses, knights, dragons, kings, fairies, and other magical creatures will delight participants as they march through the woods to the Retreat Tower, followed by a fantasy-filled celebration with a puppet show, a wizard, a bagpiper, a juggler, a knight in shining armor, a face-painter, music, games, pizza, ice cream, prizes, magical crafts and more, according to a news release.
Marchers of all ages are welcome. Costumes are encouraged (but no weapons please!). Participation fee is $8 for adults and children ages 3 and up.
Marchers are encouraged to form teams (up to five people) and gather pledges of support from their family and friends. All teams that raise at least $60 earn a chance to win one of two castle playhouse tents. Create an online team page and learn more details at www.windhamchildcare.org.
Manitou plans summer solstice celebration
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project is planning a summer solstice celebration on Saturday, June 18, from 3 p.m. to dusk. They will be incorporating some of the elements from their inspiring Earth Day celebration to honor the beginning of summer, according to a news release.
Participants will gather at the parking lot at 3 p.m., with a brief stroll to a welcoming place in the woods for a shared circle dance - movements from the ancient tradition of paneurythmy to honor the sun and celebrate the longest day of the year.
At 4 p.m., there will be a short walk to the outdoor concert hall, or forest glen, for Sound Healing on behalf of all nature and human beings present, for soul and heart to soar, with accompanying bird songs. Vibrant Ensemble, with Stephan Brandstatter and Dennis Waring, will provide evocative soundscapes.
The day's celebration will conclude with a walk to Manitou's dramatic “High Place.” There, atop rocky ledges with a view through the trees to the valley below, will be a time for storytelling, singing, and sharing of a picnic supper.
Join us for this outdoor time together, family friendly! Tax-deductible contributions gratefully accepted to help support the artists. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes for hiking and circle dancing in the woods. For more information, contact Mary at 802-246-1152 or [email protected]. Rain date: Sunday, June 19, same time.
Father's Day Brunch in Guilford
GUILFORD - Broad Brook Grange will present its 20th annual Father's Day Brunch on Sunday, June 19, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Grange hall in Guilford Center. The proceeds from the event support maintenance of the historic building, according to a news release.
The all-you-can-eat brunch features eggs and omelettes, any style, made to order. Also on the menu are pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon and home fries, with Guilford maple syrup. Other treats include home-baked coffee cakes and other baked goods, fresh fruit salad, and bread for toasting. A selection of juices will be available, along with coffee, teas and milk.
The Grange hall serves as a community center for Guilford, hosting meetings, general election polling, The Guilford Food Pantry every Thursday, Green-Up Day, and the new theater project, Guilford Center Stage. The organization also provides an annual scholarship to a college-bound Guilford student and a dictionary to every third grader at Guilford Central School.
No reservations are necessary for the meal, which costs $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $5 for ages 2-12. Kids under two are free. Broad Brook Grange is at 3940 Guilford Center Road, four miles west of the Guilford Country Store. For more information, call 802-257-1961.
Compassionate Friends to meet
WEST BRATTLEBORO - The Compassionate Friends (TCF) of Brattleboro, a national self-help organization for families that have had a child die, will hold its next monthly meeting on Sunday, June 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the West Village Meetinghouse, 29 South St.
TCF provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to families who have experienced the death of a son or a daughter, a brother or sister, or a grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family, according to a news release.
Meetings are for all families, regardless of race, religious orientation, economic background, or the cause and age of the child at death, from pre-birth up. All immediate family members, including adult siblings, are welcome. Meetings are held on the third Sunday of the month.
Stream, swimming-hole water testing to begin
BRATTLEBORO - The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SEVWA) will begin the summer monitoring of area streams on June 22.
Volunteers collect samples from some 28 locations six times during the summer months. The results of the e. coli tests are available on the SEVWA website and are posted at various public sites. Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks including field testing and administrative duties, according to a news release.
Visit www.sevwa.org to get more information or to volunteer.
Host families needed for Spanish students
BRATTLEBORO - Host families are urgently needed for a group of Spanish students who will be spending three and a half weeks in southern Vermont this summer to improve their English and experience American family life. These boys and girls, who range in age from 15 to 17, arrive June 25 and depart on July 20.
Among the students eagerly awaiting news about their American families are Iratxe, a 16-year-old girl who likes swimming, bicycling, dance, and cooking, and Itxaso, a 17-year-old girl who enjoys swimming, tennis, basketball, and aerobics.
Several boys also are in need of host families, including Ander, 16, who enjoys tennis, soccer, and basketball, and Jon, 17, who likes swimming, running, and animals. The students are all from the Basque region of Spain.
Host families provide a warm and safe home environment for the student, as well as meals and transportation to a meeting spot on the days there are field trips to Boston, and Six Flags. It's fine for a student to share a room with a host sibling, and students have their own spending money and medical insurance.
Hosting a student from another country is a great way to expand your family's horizons, share some summer experiences with a teen who's eager to learn, and make a lifelong friend from another country. Interested families are encouraged to contact Ann Newsmith at 802-257-4710 or [email protected] as soon as possible.