Auditor's report now available to Brattleboro residents
BRATTLEBORO - The Town Auditor's report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, is available, with copies both online and available to pick up or to receive by email or first-class mail.
The report has been posted on the town's website (brattleboro.org). It is also available by contacting the Town Clerk's Office, 230 Main St., at 802-251-8157 or via curbside service at the Brooks Memorial Library (802-254-5290).
The report will also be available as part of the Annual Town Report, which will be available through the Town Clerk's office or the library no later than Friday, Feb. 19.
Based on a 2010 vote at Annual Representative Town Meeting, the report is no longer mailed to voters.
Windham County Genealogy Interest Group to meet
The next meeting of the Windham County Genealogy Interest Group will be held via Zoom on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. The meeting is free and limited to the first 30 people to register, which one can do at bit.ly/Windhamgen6.
The meeting will address organizing your genealogical research using checklists and logs of your findings - useful tools to create a family genealogy, especially if you intend to create a biographical sketch of an ancestor.
Jerry Carbone of Whetstone Brook Genealogy will present some research logs he has used. Wayne Blanchard, genealogist and genealogy volunteer at Rockingham Free Public Library, will illustrate the purpose of the research log using his work about his 17th-century ancestor who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1639.
“The log helps to pull together a wide variety of information collected from multiple sources. It's important to document the sources of birth, marriage, and death vital records, both for your own benefit and for others who may build on what you have done,” the workshop leaders explain in a news release.
The logs can accommodate additional information from local histories, family journals, probate records, and land records, which can be valuable in developing a picture of the ancestor's life.
The bimonthly Windham County Genealogy Interest Group meetings are sponsored by Rockingham Free Public Library and Brooks Memorial Library. When it is safe to resume meeting physically, meetings will alternate between the two libraries.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Grace Cottage hosts Cabin Fever Auction
TOWNSHEND - Too much time stuck at home? Ready to dream for the future? Grace Cottage's annual Cabin Fever Online Auction, which takes place Feb. 14 to 24, offers a chance to bid on Caribbean trips, an African safari, outings to local restaurants and inns, fun outdoor venues, and more.
Also included are locally made arts, crafts, and foods (cheeses, jams, preserves, baked goods, goat milk caramels, and more), plus an array of gift certificates for hair salons, groceries, auto services, coffee, and other goods and services donated by local businesses.
“You choose to be famous and bid to have a character named after you in Archer Mayor's next book,” the event organizers observe in a news release.
All proceeds benefit the Grace Cottage Patient Care Fund. To view items and bid (starting Feb. 14), visit 32auctions.com/gracecottage2021.
Community Grant Program now accepting applications
Funding is now available for organizations and projects across Vermont through the Spark Connecting Community competitive grant program at the Vermont Community Foundation.
Spark supports projects that nurture community and build social capital. The program prioritizes community resilience and strength, increased civic engagement, and collaboration among organizations.
The first round of 2021 Spark grant funding will prioritize applications whose efforts demonstrate creative strategies for keeping people engaged and connected to one another and their communities while maintaining physical distance as appropriate.
“Propose thoughtful strategies to educate communities on topics of racial equity and justice; and/or facilitate local conversations on topics of diverse and welcoming communities,” the organization advises in a news release.
Spark awards grants of $500 to $3,000. First-time grantwriters are encouraged to apply.
Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Monday, March 29. Visit vermontcf.org/spark to learn more and apply.