Issue #478
Gail Wade Trio comes to Wardsboro Town Hall
The Gail Wade Trio will perform Saturday, Sept. 29, as part of Wardsboro Curtain Call's 2018 Music Series.
Drawing from the deep roots of folk, bluegrass, and classic country music, The Gail Wade Trio presents an eclectic blend of both traditional and original acoustic music.
Applauding VY’s spent-fuel storage methods on site
Since the 2016 announcement that NorthStar intended to buy and decommission Vermont Yankee, Windham County community members have expressed their understandable concern how this accelerated decommissioning will affect the community. Many of these questions regard NorthStar's capability to complete the project within budget and on schedule, the approval from...
WCSU thanks emergency trainers
Windham Central Supervisory Union would like to thank Rescue, Inc. and the Vermont School Boards Insurance Trust for providing an outstanding training for our staff on Aug. 21 at Leland & Gray Middle/High School. VSBIT graciously offered a grant for the training, while Rescue Inc. designed an engaging day...
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Son experiences honest emotional and intellectual depth with Windham Orchestra
This past year, my 10-year-old son, a violin and piano student, has led me to the Latchis to see as many operas, live in HD from the Met, as possible. An unusual interest for a child, yes, but when I read that the Windham Orchestra was looking for choral members for a production of Puccini's Turandot, I asked him if he might be interested in participating. He responded by jumping up and down a few inches from me and nodding...
SEON presents annual Sustainable Home Tour
This summer of excessive heat and humidity was an uncomfortable time for many who are used to a cooler northern climate. However, there are some practical solutions. Homes that have been built or retrofitted with a focus on high performance will not only give comfort and save money, they will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Sustainable Energy Outreach Network (SEON) is holding its third annual Sustainable Home Tour on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and...
Around the Towns
Late opening for Brooks Memorial Library on Friday BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library will open at noon on Thursday, Sept. 27, to accommodate a staff training session. As part of the Library's emergency preparedness plan, library staff will be trained in dealing with aggressive patrons and active shooter scenarios. The public should be advised that as part of the instruction, staff and facilitators will be conducting drills to prepare for emergency situations which will simulate dangerous conditions. Do not be...
Milestones
Obituaries • Alfred William “Al” Adam, 89, formerly of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 19, 2018 at Fairgreen Assisted Living Facility in New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Born on Nov. 22, 1928 in Brattleboro, to Frederick John Adam and Hattie Elizabeth Bruce, he spent his early years in Brattleboro before joining the Army Air Force just before the end of World War II. He married Mildred “Millie” Wright in 1946. After the war, he returned to Brattleboro and worked for D & D...
Deerfield Valley Lions Club hosts bluegrass concert to benefit kids with cancer
On Oct. 6, the Whitingham-Halifax Lions Club will bring the joyful sound of bluegrass to the Deerfield Valley as the Zink and Company Band takes the stage in Readsboro Lions Park from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is $15 per person and $25 for couples. Children under 12 are admitted free. All proceeds will benefit children with cancer, including one local family with a child currently in treatment. Nicole Covey and her family are lifelong residents of the area. A...
Nonprofit welcomes two new asylum seekers
For those who consider Emma Lazarus's “The New Colossus” not a bromide but a call to action, the Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP) offers a way to honor the Mother of Exiles' salutation to the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” The organization recently received two new individuals seeking asylum, and in mid-September, CASP launched a crowdfunding campaign at startsomegood.com/shelter-asylum-seekers. Community Asylum Seekers Project, founded in 2016 by Steve Crofter, is a nonprofit organization with a mission to “provide basic...
Vermont Theatre Company begins its 35th season
Vermont Theatre Company begins its 35th season this weekend. The 2018-19 season features five plays performed at their three regular venues - the Hooker-Dunham Theater on Main Street in Brattleboro, the Evening Star Grange on East-West Road in Dummerston Center, and The Rotary Stage at Living Memorial Park on Guilford Street in West Brattleboro, as well as the BUHS Auditorium on Fairground Road. The season kicks off with the French comedy, Art, by Yasmina Rezi, translated by Christopher Hampton. Art...
Osher lectures return, with a look at the Arctic
The Brattleboro Chapter of the Osher Life-Long Learning Institute will present a six-part lecture - The Arctic: Past, Present, Future. The series will be presented by James Jordan, Jean Kayira, and Alesia Maltz over six consecutive Monday mornings, Oct. 1 through Nov. 5, at the New England Youth Theater, 100 Flat St., from 10 a.m. to noon. According to a news release, this lecture series will review environmental and cultural dimensions of the Arctic in the contexts of its past,
Source to Sea River Cleanup targets fuel tanks, abandoned pipes, thousands of tires, and cars
The Connecticut River Conservancy will host the 22nd annual Source to Sea Cleanup on Sept. 28 and 29. Over the years, cleanup volunteers have removed more than 1,043 tons of trash from the Connecticut River basin. This effort helps solve the problem of both small and large trash in our rivers. “Some really unbelievable things have been pulled from our rivers, including a cement mixer, parking meters, propane tanks, and junk cars,” said Stacey Lennard, the Conservancy's cleanup coordinator, in...
Thanks to school board rep for reflecting town’s will
Despite what was admitted to be a skeleton plan due to limited preparation time, a lack of conclusive data, and financials, and what was cited as a 10-to-1 negative response in the public comments, the West River Education District's unified board voted to pluck sixth graders out of Newbrook, Townshend, and Jamaica elementary schools to place them in Leland and Gray starting in 2019. We would like to thank our town's school board representative, Alecia O'Donnell, for heeding her neighbors'
Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival third edition set for Sept. 29
Fifteen youth rock bands and solo musical artists from around New England will take the stage at 118 Elliot in downtown Brattleboro on Saturday, Sept. 29, for BrattRock 2018, the third annual Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival. Performances will take place on two stages, one indoor and one outdoor, between 5 and 10 p.m. Gates open to the public at 4:30 p.m. In addition to five continuous hours of live music, the festival will feature food vendors, arts and crafts activities,
Marilyn Buhlmann inducted into Youth Services’ Hall of Fame
A glance around Marilyn Buhlmann's Brattleboro home tells you without a doubt two things that drive her passion: creativity and a commitment to her adopted community. But Buhlmann will be leaving Brattleboro in October, splitting her time between Florida and Colorado to be closer to family. Boxes are packed with paintings, her ceramic bowls, and the two-foot tall, ceramic 'Wise Ones,” shamanic figures she has built by hand. Piles of file folders must be gone through before her move. They...
Imposing mergers on school districts that voted overwhelmingly against them is not in state’s best interest
I recently thought of an ad campaign to pitch to the state: “Come move to beautiful Vermont - where your vote on local issues doesn't count!” In June, the state began a campaign to get young “e-workers” who can perform their jobs via the internet to move to Vermont by offering a $10,000 incentive! Unfortunately, one key attraction about living in Vermont is being undermined. I believe that what will really attract young people to Vermont (besides the obvious natural...
Inclusion Center, NEYT Theatre Adventure Program team up for workshops
The Inclusion Center will host a series of workshops with theater teachers and mentors from the Theatre Adventure Program of New England Youth Theatre. The workshops will teach theater exercises that promote a positive group experience and give participants an opportunity to both enjoy and lead group activities. Join us for some introductory theater fun. This is a great chance to learn and practice leadership skills while enjoying a variety of theater activities. These workshops are scheduled for Oct. 12,
Help a vet by listening and caring
September is Suicide Prevention month, and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) empowers communities to take action to support our nation's veterans. Each community across the country plays a collective role in doing so, but as an individual, you might not know what to do or where to start. You don't need special training to support the veterans in your life who are going through a difficult time. Even seemingly small actions can have a huge impact: preventing suicide...
A new model for school meal programs
NewBrook Elementary School Chef Chris Parker has a simple goal: to feed all of his students, regardless of their ability to pay, for free. He's interested in feeding adults in the community, too, such as school staff and the students' parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other caregivers and friends. Adults who can pay for the school's monthly community meals have to fork over $3.75, but that's a suggested donation, Parker said. Nobody will be turned away from NewBrook's “Falcon Cafe”
Domino-toppling event returns to museum
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents its 11th Annual Domino Toppling Extravaganza on Sunday, Sept. 30, at 5:30 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. for audience members to choose their vantage point and inspect the domino course before it all comes tumbling down. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis - free for kids 8 and under, $3 for BMAC members, $5 for everyone else. Audience members will have a chance to guess how many dominoes make up the...
New video streaming services offered at Brooks Library
The popular on-demand film streaming services Kanopy and RB Digital are available for free through Brooks Memorial Library thanks to The Friends of the Brooks Memorial Library. Library card holders can access Kanopy and RB Digital and sign up to start streaming unlimited films by visiting www.brookslibraryvt.org/borrow/digital-media. Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device, or platform by downloading the appropriate apps for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast, or Roku. Offering what The New York Times calls “a garden...
Town to apply for grant for downtown master plan
The plan is to create a plan. Planning Director Sue Fillion received authorization from the Selectboard to apply for a $20,000 grant from the Vermont Municipal Planning Grant program for Fiscal Year 2019. If the town receives it, the money will help pay for technical assistance to create a type of master plan known as a “downtown design plan." At the Sept. 18 regular Selectboard meeting, Fillion described the plan as a document that will look at urban design in...
Brattleboro to support floodplain restoration project
The Selectboard voted 3-0 to support a floodplain restoration project at 250 Birge St. that the town is working on with the Vermont River Conservancy. Sue Fillion, director of the town's planning department, appeared at the Sept. 18 regular Selectboard meeting to describe the project and ask for the Board's support. In 2017, the Vermont River Conservancy purchased the Birge Street property, which lies along the banks of the Whetstone Brook and has been identified as a floodplain. After the...
Challenging the labels that confine us
My wife's Aunt Mary had her 90th birthday not long ago, and we went to Connecticut for the celebration. Aunt Mary is still as quick and spry as anyone could be, except not so mobile anymore. She greeted me like a member of her family. It was a warm and kind gathering. That side of the family has a lot of church people among them, and it was a beautiful occasion, with singing and a wonderful poem from a pastor...
Early voting begins for general election
Early/absentee ballots for the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 6 are available in all Vermont town clerks' offices. Anyone wishing to vote prior to that date may apply for an early/absentee ballot until 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5. Early/absentee ballots may be voted in person in the clerk's office, mailed to the voter by the clerk's office, picked up by the voter or, if a voter is in need, can be delivered to the voter's residence by two justices...
A stomy Wednesday, then autumn flexes its seasonal muscles
Good day to you, southeastern Vermonters! Autumn is most certainly flexing some seasonal muscle as of late, and the majority of the upcoming seven-day period will be no different. However, we will be experiencing a single, breezy, muggy and potentially stormy late-summer day for Wednesday before we drop back down into fall. In fact, after Wednesday, the period of Thursday through Monday looks fair, dry and seasonable overall, with a chance for showers by next Tuesday. Having said that, let's...
Shorthanded Wildcats struggle against Rebels
Twin Valley coach Robert Bolognani knew his team was up against it. Playing host to a deep and talented Leland & Gray squad on Sept. 19 at Hayford Field in Wilmington, Bolognani only had 11 players available, so his team had to play 80 minutes with no substitutes. For the first 37 minutes, the Wildcats held the Rebels scoreless, but Leland & Gray eventually broke the scoreless tie, and scored four more goals in the second half as the Rebels...
Will Democrats repeat the mistakes of the past?
If you're a Democrat worried about the midterm election or simply an American worried about the country's future come 2020, you are not alone. There is mounting consternation about how the Democratic Party will win over voters given the pressing issues before us, and a growing concern regarding how the party's present leadership will ultimately select a viable nominee for president. Pundits, left and right, have begun posing arguments about whether Democrats will again self-destruct before the November election by...
Hinsdale bridge project moves toward reality
With the passing of two agenda items at the Sept. 18 regular Selectboard meeting, the replacement of the Hinsdale Bridge - a project over 40 years in the making - inches ever closer. The bridge - which consists of two bridges, separated by an island - that connects Brattleboro to Hinsdale was identified as having serious deficiencies by the New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) in 1977. Since then, every few years the project seems to build up steam again,
Hanging on to a dream
What are the consequences of obsessing over a dream in order to leave a legacy? Brattleboro-based filmmaker Angela Snow considers this question in her newest documentary, Mortality of Dreams, about a passionate, 81-year-old retired cardiologist who attempts to construct a hospital in Peru in memory of his mother. “Dr. Luis Vasquez dreams of a state-of-the-art and volunteer-run hospital which will provide health care for all,” Snow says. “The catch? It will be over 600 miles from Lima, in his mother's...
Do I keep jumping on planes to seek the unspoiled hidden treasures?
About a month ago, two years after making my reservation, I finally received my deposit back from Cinnamon Bay Campground on St. John. The U.S. Virgin Islands were shattered by Hurricane Irma at the beginning of September 2017. Gusts were reported at 250 mph. I have no idea what happened to the island's birds, fish, and other species. Not many leaves remained on the trees. I can't imagine how much garbage is in the surrounding sea. Cinnamon Bay Campground was...
Craven’s newest film debuts at Latchis
Kingdom County Productions and Marlboro College will present a special preview screening of award-winning independent filmmaker Jay Craven's newest picture Wetware, based on the novel by longtime Putney writer Craig Nova. The screening will take place Sunday, Sept. 30, at 3 p.m., at the Latchis Theatre. A reception prior to the screening will be attended by some of the film's cast and crew, along with Craven and surprise guests. Much of Wetware was filmed at Brattleboro locations in 2016, including...