Swap Shop re-opens at WSWMD
BRATTLEBORO - The volunteer-run Swap Shop has re-opened for the season at the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) headquarters on Old Ferry Road.
Again this year, the Swap Shop is open some Saturdays for donations only, and other Saturdays for shopping only.
The Swap Shop is the place to find a new home for that household item that is still wonderful, but is no longer needed in your life. Bring it on a donation day, and volunteers will let you know if the Swap Shop can take it. If not, you can look for another outlet, or bring it next door to our transfer station and dispose of it for the regular fees.
And the Swap Shop is the place to find that household item you know is out there, but there is no need to buy it at a store. Come browse on a shopping day.
For the calendar and all the details, visit bit.ly/661-swap.
'Bike to The Box' for National Take Back Day
BELLOWS FALLS - Greater Falls Connections (GFC) and the Bellows Falls Police Department (BFPD) will be hosting its 'Bike to the Box' event for National Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30, from noon to 2 p.m. There will be games and chalk art hosted by Friends for Change, and community liaison officer Thaddeus Buckley will clock biking speed.
Community members are invited to dispose of any unused, expired, or unwanted pills or patches using the Rx Drug Drop Box located in the BFPD lobby.
GFC will be giving away free “Rx Lock Boxes” to secure medications, as well as offering Narcan training to community members impacted by the opioid epidemic. Tips on ways to support, encourage, and keep kids safe will be provided at the event.
“Bike to the Box” provides an opportunity for Windham County families to meet with local community groups and learn more about resources available to them. Families will have the opportunity to connect with members of Friends for Change, Vermont Big Brothers Big Sisters, Vermont 211, Turning Point South Drop-In Recovery Center, and the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont. For more information, visit greaterfallsconnections.org.
Volunteers needed for native tree planting
WEST BRATTLEBORO - Join the Southeast Vermont CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas) and local Vermont Land Trust staff on Saturday, April 30, as they work to improve bird habitat on an important piece of conserved land off Meadowbrook Road in West Brattleboro.
From 9 a.m. to noon, staff and volunteers will be planting native trees, including gray dogwood, red osier dogwood, and nannyberry. Feel free to stop by for an hour or the entire time. Don't forget your gloves and to dress for the weather. Shovels and buckets will be provided. For directions and further information, email [email protected].
Planning Commission hosts cannabis zoning forum
BRATTLEBORO - On Monday, May 2, at 6 p.m., Brattleboro Planning Department staff will be presenting on cannabis establishments and zoning at the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting.
During the meeting, staff will present maps that show where retail cannabis businesses are allowed, accounting for zoning and proximity to specific locations prohibited by state law. They will also discuss where other cannabis establishments, as allowed under state licensing, can be located.
The public is invited to come and provide feedback. The meeting will be held in a hybrid format. The public can attend in person in the Selectboard Meeting Room at the Brattleboro Municipal Center, 230 Main St., or participate via Zoom and join online at bit.ly/661-cannabis. The meeting passcode is 519727. You can also dial in using your phone at 877-853-5247 or 888-788-0099. The meeting ID is 886 7130 9098.
Award-winning organist Tim Pyper performs free concert at Epsilon Spires
BRATTLEBORO - At noon on Wednesday, May 4, organist Tim Pyper will present a recital at Epsilon Spires of music ranging from J.S. Bach to the contemporary composer Zachary Wadsworth. This event, like all performances in the Lunchtime Pipe Organ Series, is free to the public.
Pyper, who is both an organist and conductor, is currently the director of music at Church of the Holy Apostles in New York City. He holds a Fellowship diploma from the Royal Canadian College of Organists and a doctoral of musical arts from Cornell University, where his dissertation focused on the performance practice of early 20th-century organ music.
Described by The American Organist as possessing “effortless technique and sensitive musicality,” Pyper's practice as an organist involves an interest in embodied learning. He is also a certified instructor for the Alexander Technique, which is a method of movement designed to encourage comfort and relaxation in a way that is especially beneficial to performing artists. For more information, visit epsilonspires.org.