BRATTLEBORO — “Heating it up with the Ladies of the Rainbow,” on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. at the Eagles Hall on Chickering Drive, will be a joint fundraiser for Vermont Independent Media - the nonprofit publisher of The Commons - and the Windham County Heat Fund.
The drag show has become a very popular local event and usually sells out in advance. This is adult entertainment and is not suitable for children. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the show will begin at 8 p.m.
New to the lineup this year will be emcee Brandi Wine (aka Daryl Pillsbury) who will add a new kind of flavor to the program.
The Commons began as a monthly newspaper in 2006, and started weekly publication in June 2010. As Windham County's award-winning and independent source for news and views, The Commons is made available to everyone, free of charge, at more than 200 locations around Windham County, and online at commonsnews.org.
In 2005, Pillsbury and Richard Davis decided to find a way to help people struggling to pay for home heating fuel who weren't eligible for existing programs. They simply decided to raise money and then figure out who was in need and help those people.
The Windham County Heat Fund, now in its 13th year, is a one-time stopgap for those in need, usually consisting of a minimum fuel delivery. The Fund tries to make sure people have explored all other avenues of assistance first.
They have worked closely with Southeastern Vermont Community Action and the Windham County HELP Fund so that people can be connected with assistance programs. Solid relationships have been created with local fuel dealers and local human service agencies.
The Heat Fund has no overhead and no administrative expenses. All money used to pay fuel bills is given directly to fuel dealers and deposited into the accounts of people and families receiving donations.