RAMP to hold Artists' Town Meeting
BELLOWS FALLS - The Rockingham Arts and Museum Project and artists Chris Sherwin, Jeanette Staley, and Clare Adams are hosting an Artists' Town Meeting at 33 Bridge St. in Bellows Falls at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 29. The meeting site is home to WOOL-FM and Sherwin's glass studio.
The focus of these meetings is to bring together artists, artisans, and local growers to share ideas, challenges, and opportunities, and to strengthen the artist constituency.
“The more we know each other and can identify ourselves as a viable constituency, the more strength and credibility we gain,” said RAMP Director Robert McBride in a news release. “There is an ever-growing community of working artists and local growers in our midst, all of whom are contributing greatly to the cultural and economic vitality of our community.”
The meeting is informal and includes a pot luck. RSVPs are encouraged and appreciated: email [email protected] with “Artists' Town Meeting” in the subject line or call 802-463-3252.
Firemen's Auction in Halifax
HALIFAX - The annual Halifax Firemen's Auction will take place on Saturday, July 1, at the fire station at 118 Branch Road in the village of West Halifax, starting at 10 a.m.
Furniture, some box lots, and many antique items will be up for auction. Coffee and doughnuts, hot dogs, and soda can be purchased.
Applicants sought for 2017 Road Pitch
BRATTLEBORO - Strolling of the Heifers and Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation invite local entrepreneurs to apply to participate in the 2017 FreshTracks Road Pitch.
The fourth annual Road Pitch, a gang of motorcycling business investors and advisors, is stopping in Brattleboro at the River Garden on the afternoon of Aug. 2 to hear up to six funding pitches from local businesses that are ready to scale up.
The Road Pitch is an opportunity to tighten up a business model and scale-up plan, get coaching on honing your business pitch presentation, and develop connections to a network of funders and advisors. In addition, the local winners will have a chance to compete at a statewide final event in October for more than $4,000 in cash prizes.
Interested entrepreneurs should apply no later than July 6. BDCC and the Stroll will select up to six finalists who will pitch on Aug. 2. Before the event, finalists will receive several coaching sessions, so they will have the best possible pitch ready for the motorcyclists.
Each pitch is strictly limited to seven minutes, followed by an eight-minute question and answer period. Powerpoints, demonstrations, and samples are encouraged as part of the pitch. If you have questions, contact Jim Verzino at [email protected] or 802-242-1249.
Senior lunch in Chesterfield
CHESTERFIELD, N.H. - The Chesterfield Senior Lunch for July will be held on Wednesday, July 12, at the Ware's Grove picnic area.
Lunch starts at 12:30 p.m., with hot dogs, hamburgers, and potato salad. The suggested donation is $5. To make a reservation, call Joanne at 802-363-8348. The HCS nurse will be available to take blood pressures beginning at 11:30 a.m. In case of inclement weather, the luncheon will be at the town hall in Chesterfield.
Artisans sought for Cotton Mill Arts & Holiday Sale
BRATTLEBORO - The Cotton Mill Arts & Holiday Sale committee is seeking residents of Windham County who have handmade arts and crafts as well as artisan food products made within the county to sell during the Cotton Mill Holiday Sale on Dec. 1, 2, and 3.
To apply, contact Maia Segura at [email protected].
Downtown Brattleboro Alliance offers grants for local projects
BRATTLEBORO - The Downtown Brattleboro Alliance is pleased to announce its latest Economic Development Grant Awardees.
The first award was for $1,000 to support the expanded efforts of BrattRock - the Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival. This award is a matching grant, which helps to leverage other financial resources.
The first BrattRock Festival last fall featured 14 youth bands and drew more than 400 people to the area. This year, BrattRock is set for Sept. 23, and it is expanding its offerings for local youth so they can connect with each other and learn from adult musicians and mentors.
The second awardee was Echo Restaurant & Lounge, which received $1,000 to assist with restoration efforts after an oven fire forced them to close their business.
The grant program was established as part of the mission of the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, to stimulate economic development downtown. Prior awardees have included: Tiny House Festival, CoWorking Plus, Southern Vermont Dance Festival, and Gallery Walk.
The DBA continues to look for more ways to support the many great projects happening downtown. It plans to make an additional round of funding available, totaling $1,000. Anyone is eligible to apply, as long as there is a clear and direct benefit to Downtown Brattleboro. This is a matching grant program, so any funds will need to have a matching source.
Projects of all sizes are encouraged. Applications for this round are due by July 9. To get an application, or for more information, contact DBA Coordinator Jen Austin at [email protected].
Children's Literacy Foundation awards grant to BHP
WATERBURY CENTER - Brattleboro Housing Partnerships is one of 10 organizations in Vermont and New Hampshire to receive an At-Risk Children grant for fall 2017 from the Children's Literacy Foundation.
The grant provides selected organizations serving at-risk children (up to age 12) with resources to encourage a love of reading and writing. Each of the chosen organizations will host a storytelling presentation from one of CLiF's 60 professional authors, illustrators, graphic novelists, and storytellers and receive up to $2,000 in new children's books for an on-site library.
The chosen organizations will also have the option to host a family literacy event to teach skills and strategies for reading with kids, and each child present will choose two new books to keep.
This grant is awarded bi-annually in Fall and Spring through an online application process. Applications for Spring 2018 will be available at www.clifonline.org in the fall.