Issue #508
Vermont Watercolor Society exhibit opens on May 4
The Arts Committee of All Souls Church invites the general public to an opening reception at West Village Meeting House on Saturday, May 4, from 2 to 4 p.m., for “The Flow of Watercolor,” an exhibit by nine members of the Connecticut Valley Hub of the Vermont Watercolor Society.
Showing their works in the foyer and other gallery spaces through the end of June are Carolyn Allbee, Carole-Anne Centre, Maisie Crowther, Nancy DiMauro, John Dimick, Kathy Greve, Steve Lloyd, Molly Martin, and Cath Stockbridge.
Falling short on a progressive climate agenda
In leading the country on climate-change policy, Vermont is far from exemplary
Recently, I had the pleasure of riding my bicycle through Brattleboro. Cycling is my primary mode of transportation and I ride 12 months of the year, through cold, snow, freezing rain, and sunshine alike. What made this particular ride stand out is that it took place in early February,
County Democratic Committee plans public interviews to select Sheriff candidates
The Windham County Democratic Committee has been asked by Gov. Phil Scott to identify candidates for Windham County Sheriff. With the impending retirement of Sheriff Keith Clark, his replacement will be appointed by the governor to serve out the remainder of the four-year term through the 2022 election. Individuals...
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Guide should include camps for kids with disabilities
I searched through Youth Services' recent Summer Camp Guide to see what the community had to offer for children with disabilities. I was very discouraged to see not even a mention. When compiling lists of local camps, it would be wonderful to include information on how each camp is able to accommodate children with disabilities (whether physical or developmental), with perhaps a separate story on those camps that specialize in accommodating such children. A growing number of families are raising...
Around the Towns
Boys & Girls Club kicks off 20th anniversary celebration BRATTLEBORO - On Friday, May 3, at 5 p.m., the Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro will hold a kickoff event for its 20th anniversary celebration. Join past and present club members, staff, volunteers and board members as they begin their celebration of 20 years inspiring youth in the greater Brattleboro area. They will be showing off their 20th anniversary banner and t-shirts, as well as doing tours of the Flat...
Stone Trust presents a guided dry stone wall tour, presentation
On Saturday, May 4, at 6:30 p.m., The Stone Trust invites the public to a free guided tour of The Stone Trust Center located at Scott Farm, 707 Kipling Rd. The tour will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a presentation titled “Sermons in Stone,” given by author Susan Allport, on the history of New England stone walls. The 45-minute tour will take in the dozens of demonstration and training walls and features at The Stone Trust Center. Learn about...
Festival of Fiddlers seeks photos
Vermonters are being asked to celebrate the state's rich tradition of fiddling by documenting fiddlers playing in each of Vermont's 251 towns in the year 2019. “We want to gather at least one photo from every town, whether it's an individual or a group, playing on the town green or at the meeting house, a dance, the farmers' market, the fire station, the Grange hall, or just in someone's kitchen or backyard,” Jill Newton, a member of the Northeast Fiddlers...
Milestones
Obituaries • Claude Gouin, 69, of Dummerston. Died at his home on April 19, 2019, after a long illness. Claude was born Jan. 16, 1950 in Colchester. Soon after, his family moved to Brattleboro. He played baseball and football and became the quarterback of the Brattleboro Union High School football team before graduating in 1968. Claude was an avid athlete and enjoyed skiing, biking, snowshoeing, and hiking. For many years, Claude ran CJ & Sons, a successful homebuilding and remodeling...
Red Door’s concert season kicks off with ‘Spring Blossoms’
St. Mary's in the Mountains kicks off its 2019 Red Door Concert Season on Saturday, May 4, at 4 p.m., with Spring Blossoms at the Red Door, an afternoon of music welcoming spring. According to a news release, vocalists, instrumentalists, and ensembles will offer choral, jazz, folk, Celtic, and even “Sixties” music, to benefit the Southern Vermont Therapeutic Riding Center. The concert will feature Valley Voices, a choral ensemble directed by Sue Maddern, with performers from throughout the region. Performances...
BF Historical Society to host labyrinth walk
The Bellows Falls Historical Society will host a Labyrinth Walk on World Labyrinth Day, Saturday, May 4, at 1 p.m. The walk will happen at the Labyrinth and Poet's Seat located in the Riverfront Park by the Adam's Grist Mill Museum on Mill Street off the Square. This place of contemplation and reflection, surrounded by granite seating, is situated at a peaceful highpoint that overlooks the Connecticut River and valley vistas. Thousands of people around the world will participate in...
Summit to offer hospitality skills for entrepreneurs in ‘sharing economy’
Vermont's first Short-Term Rental Summit will be held in Brattleboro May 19-20. With more than 6,000 Vermont hosts operating short-term rentals, the summit will be an opportunity to learn, be inspired, and connect with other hosts and industry experts. The goals of the summit are to celebrate the phenomenal success of short-term rental homes in Vermont; to support hosts in building sustainable business skills; and to further develop hosts' hospitality skills. “Everyday short-term rental hosts shine as ambassadors in our...
BMC Music School to host Spring Celebration
The Brattleboro Music Center Music School is planning a Spring Celebration Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5. A planned faculty recital is a benefit for the Music School Scholarship fund and the Brattleboro Union High School Music Department. On Saturday, May 4, the BMC will host student recitals throughout the day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The center is located at 72 Blanche Moyse Way, and all are welcome to stop by to enjoy musical selections performed by...
'Just the right amount of weird'
The New England Center for Circus Arts is making its mark on the international performing arts scene. NECCA, the Brattleboro circus school with a professional training program, announced that student Erika Radcliffe won several awards at the recent international VIVAFest competition in Las Vegas. The Vegas International Variety Artists Festival was held from April 17 to 21, and drew almost 300 competitors from around the world. NECCA sponsored a competitor for the first time at a competition, guiding Radcliffe's training...
Brattleboro Women’s Chorus prepares for spring concerts
The Brattleboro Women's Chorus will present their 23rd annual spring concert, “Walk With Me,” twice on Mother's Day weekend at Centre Congregational Church. Joining director Becky Graber and the 80-voice chorus of women will be Cathy Martin on piano and Connie Green on flute. Last summer, a group of singers from the chorus travelled to Grand Rapids, Mich., to participate in the Sister Singers Festival, a gathering of women's choruses from across the country. The “Walk With Me” repertoire was...
Ecological economist to discuss ending dependence on fossil fuels
The community is invited to join a conversation at the crossroads of economy, society, and environment as ecological economist and author Jon Erickson, the Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy at the University of Vermont, offers specifics and perspectives on the Green New Deal and its effort to address climate change at a Brattleboro Town Hall meeting on Tuesday, May 7, at 6 p.m., at 118 Elliot. Erickson will speak from 6 to 6:30 p.m. and will lead a...
Soubrettes celebrate spring with weekend concerts
There are several chances to hear the Soubrette Jazz Choir in the coming days. The choir, based at the Vermont Jazz Center and led by Anna Patton, is a group of 16 women who perform intricate vocal harmony arrangements of swing, jazz, blues, and songs by contemporary songwriters. “Soubrette” is a term from musical theater for the non-leading lady, who is usually more worldly, more instrumental in the plot intrigue, and funnier than the lead. The Soubrettes' spring program includes...
Holocaust remembrance film screening at Next Stage
The documentary film Paperclips will run at Next Stage on Thursday, May 2, 7 p.m., in recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Week, hosted by the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community. Tickets are by donation at the door or at nextstagearts.org. The film shows how, to teach their middle school students about the scale of the Holocaust, a principal and two key staff members at a school in Whitwell, Tenn., devised a class project involving paperclips designed in Norway by a Jewish man...
Diversity Day to be celebrated with downtown block party
The town of Brattleboro and the Windham Southeast Supervisory Union will host the 20th annual Community Celebration of Diversity on Friday, May 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., during Gallery Walk. Students, families, friends, and community members are welcome at this festive event celebrating diverse schools and communities. According to a news release, the theme of this year's celebration is “Voices of the People,” highlighting the perspectives and experiences of marginalized people. This event will feature art and performances by...
Colonel softballers bounce back with 2 wins
After the Brattleboro Colonels softball team lost to archrival Mount Anthony, 12-5, on April 18, coach Kelly Markol made it clear that her team needed to tighten up defensively and play with more intensity if they wanted to have a successful season. The Colonels seemed to get the message as they bounced back with a 15-0 win over Hartford on April 23 at Sawyer Field. Ninth-grader Leah Madore was the winning pitcher, striking out six and walking one batter in...
NEYT's spring musical, ‘Dear Edwina,’ offers advice through song and dance
New England Youth Theatre presents its spring musical Dear Edwina Jr., by Zina Goldrich and Marcy Heisler, directed by Rebecca Waxman and performed at 7 p.m. on May 3, 4, 10, and 11, and at 2 p.m. on May 4 and 11 at NEYT, 100 Flat St. Dear Edwina is an uplifting and heartwarming musical about the joys of growing up. In this slightly shortened “Jr.” version, a lovable heroine and advice-giver extraordinaire named Edwina assembles a charmingly goofy troupe...
Mocktails for May
The Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition's first annual May Day Mocktail Contest and Dance Party will offer what publicist Leah McGrath Goodman describes as “binge drinking without consequences.” The event at 118 Elliot caps a month during which approximately 50 area residents swore off alcohol. The substance-abuse-prevention nonprofit has teamed with five restaurants to create a contest that will permit dance party attendees to award a prize to the one who crafts the tastiest nonalcoholic beverage. Goodman said that the participating...
In Windham County, a desperate need for new dental clinic
When my wife and I moved to Westminster West 20 years ago, one of the first tasks was find a dentist. This did not prove simple. After contacting several dentists who were not accepting new patients, we found one. After my second appointment, I was shown into a small room where I underwent what can only be termed a shakedown. I was asked to take a seat at a table. I was joined by a woman from the front desk...
April’s showers to continue into May
Good day to you, fine folks of southeastern Vermont! Have you had enough wet weather? No? I know, me either. Lucky for us, more rain is on the way! I'm being sarcastic, of course, as this writer is ready for some long-duration periods of sunshine. I wish I had better news for the week ahead, but it does appear that additional rainy periods are on the way as this pattern is stuck for the moment. At least some milder temperatures...
Legislation left languishing for youth looking to stay in state
As the legislative session winds down, three bills that would support young Vermonters hoping to stay in Vermont after high school or college are being left behind. One bill that would support solid workforce development efforts is languishing, hoping for funding. Another that would provide modest tuition support for strong Vermont students to attend our state colleges and university is dead. And a third that would help fund community efforts to extend high-speed fiber to more homes and businesses will...
A new chapter for Shin La
In January 2018, Yisoon Kim broke her wrist after slipping and fall on ice in front of her home. Kim, the co-owner of Shin La, the Korean restaurant and sushi bar at 57 Main St., had to temporarily close the business while she healed, leading her customers to fear that Shin La would be closing for good. Kim did eventually reopen, but she was determined to stick to her plan she had begun nearly three years earlier - to find...
Stroll hires new director for parade, programs
Strolling of the Heifers has a new executive director. Erin O'Connor comes to the Brattleboro-based nonprofit with a deep and diverse resumé, with more than 20 years in secondary and higher education. But she said she felt it was time for a change in her life. “I realized that I loved farms and that I loved agriculture,” O'Connor said. “I realized I wanted to do something that combined what I do well with what I had an inherent interest in...
Crowell Gallery presents the art of Donald Fitzpatrick
The Crowell Gallery at Moore Free Library presents an exhibition by Donald Fitzpatrick, “Pendulum Autographs - Drawing with Harmonic Motion,” during the month of May. An artist reception will be held on Saturday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. According to a news release, the exhibit explores “the relationship between artist and machine.” Fitzpatrick's Pendulum Autographs are expressions of the frequencies and movement of pendulums on paper. The drawings in this exhibit were produced using three machines Fitzpatrick...
Building community by the book
A long-desired community center - with the town's first library - has recently opened in the heart of the village. The idea of establishing the Marlboro Community Center and the Marlboro Town Library has been on the table for several years, but “there wasn't anywhere to put it,” said Gemma Ollis, a Community Center partner and member of the library board. In the Marlboro Meeting House - a large revival-era Congregational Church - an office-sized space adjacent to the main...
‘Amy Bennett: Nuclear Family’ at BMAC explores family and female identity
“Nuclear Family,” an exhibit of new work by Amy Bennett on view at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center through June 16, features small paintings that tackle large topics, including marriage, child rearing, and female identity. The smallest painting in the exhibit, “Problem Child,” is less than 3 inches high and 4 1/2 inches wide. In it, a girl stands near the center of a messy room, her back to the viewer, as a small fire burns in the corner.
Dangerous, ignorant leadership has no place in drug policy
On April 16, a press conference addressed the major drug bust that happened in Brattleboro not long ago. This media event was held, in part, to commend law enforcement for handling this enormous task and a job well done. Commissioner of Public Safety Tom Anderson also wanted to put folks who are selling “on notice” - an effort that we know, from the failed war on drugs, is ineffective. The idea of going after the supply might make us feel...
Dance in the season
It is May Day. The area's farm stands are opening up for the season, and soon we will begin the social ritual of gathering each week at the farmers' markets to share the unique foods, products, and music of our county. After the long winter, we are looking for lighter foods, and if those foods are green, all the better. As soon as the gardens offer lettuce and radishes, perhaps a few chives, we have the makings of a real...
Governor takes aim at rising taxes for fewer people
Like every good politician, Republican Governor Phil Scott opened his speech to members of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce with a joke. “It's always a pleasure for me to come here to Brattleboro,” he said. “Not everybody says that from my party.” In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Scott lost Brattleboro to Democratic challenger Christine Hallquist, 3,391 to 1,408. It was one of the few towns in the state that Scott failed to win on the way to a landslide...
The threat among us
Our communities are at risk - now! In the aftermath of yet another mass shooting - this one at the Chabad synagogue in Poway, Calif. on April 26 during Passover - we are reminded of the need to quell the fear experienced by our Jewish neighbors, our neighbors of color, our LGBTQ neighbors, and immigrants. That fear is domestic terrorism committed by young white men. The burden falls most heavily on white Vermonters to identify disaffected white male, lone wolves...