Issue #664
Theatre Adventure presents ‘The Curious Child and the Flying Horses’
The Theatre Adventure Wednesday Troupe presents their original story this year, The Curious Child and the Flying Horses, which comes directly from their 2021 summer expressive arts camp, “The Earth Inspires.”
Maia Gilmour, an artist and teacher from northern Vermont, developed three original tales of the Earth that the students explored with puppetry, movement, sound, acting, music, poetry, and singing.
Brooks Memorial Library hosts in-person presentation by rare book specialist Ken Gloss
Kenneth Gloss, proprietor of the internationally known Brattle Book Shop in Boston's Downtown Crossing section, will give an in-person presentation on Tuesday, May 24, 6:30 pm at the Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St., to discuss the value of old and rare books. Gloss, a rare book specialist and...
Laughter is the best medicine for New Age pioneer Laraaji
Celestial sound journey, laughter yoga workshop at Epsilon Spires
On the weekend of May 20 and 21, the musician Laraaji will present an immersive sonic experience in the sanctuary of Epsilon Spires. The following day, a workshop exploring the power of laughter to encourage relaxation, playfulness, and the strength of the body's immune system will take place on...
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Internationally acclaimed pianist to perform benefit concert in Chester
World-renowned pianist Carolyn Enger, who takes periodic southern Vermont breaks from her musical journeys, will bring her talent to the First Universalist Parish of Chester, 211 North Street, on Tuesday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. Enger has performed in venues as nationally familiar as Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center, and as far away as the National Gallery of Oslo and the Felicja Blumenthal Center in Tel Aviv. Her 2013 Naxos recording of music by Ned Rorem, Piano Album I,
For Democrats, business as usual
How many of us on the Left or among the sane have been watching the Democrats with an overwhelming sense of doom? As we observe Republicans daily threatening to behead, hang, dismember, shoot, impeach, and/or jail every opponent who stands in the way of their drive to absolute power, the Democrats continue to act and preach business as usual. As repellent as it is to watch the news unfold daily, if you are interested in a livable future, it is...
Food Connects awarded grant to access, distribute local farm products
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets recently announced $300,000 in sub-awards to five regional nonprofit food hubs, including Brattleboro's Food Connects, as part of a 2021 Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) award. NBRC is a federal-state partnership to advance economic development and infrastructure in economically distressed counties across Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. The Agency of Commerce and Community Development serves as the Vermont side of this partnership, identifying opportunities for NBRC investment that strengthen the...
Breanna Elaine performs at Stage 33
Breanna Elaine will play the Stage 33 Live listening room at 33 Bridge St., on Sunday, May 29, at 7 p.m. Favorably compared to Jewel, Alanis Morissette, and Stevie Nicks, Elaine has been “making waves with her unique sound and strong songwriting: earthy folk with rock, jazz, and occasional punk underpinnings,” say organizers. Born and raised in Brattleboro, Elaine played violin and bass and sang in a band that performed at soup kitchens for the homeless. She moved to Northampton,
Youth Services finalizes play times for new cornhole fundraiser
The deadline for early bird registrations is fast approaching for “Cornstock: Cornhole for a Cause!” according to organizers at Youth Services. For the inaugural year of this new fundraiser, Youth Services is offering space on Saturday, May 21, for 12 teams to play this popular lawn game every hour, between noon and 5 p.m., on the Farmhouse Square at Retreat Farm on Route 30. Each team must have a minimum of four players. For those unfamiliar with the game, players...
Around the Towns
Work begins on South Main sidewalks BRATTLEBORO - The town has contracted with LaRock & Son Inc. to replace the sidewalk on the west side of South Main Street between Cotton Mill Hill and Pine Street. This project will be ongoing for several weeks and, at times, operations will require one lane, alternating traffic, as well as no parking in the area. Residents are asked to be aware of no parking signs, and drivers should be prepared for alternate traffic...
BMC Season Guest Concert Series welcomes Trio Ad Libitum May 21
The Brattleboro Music Center's Season Guest Concert Series welcomes Trio Ad Libitum on Saturday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. Trio Ad Libitum is a newly formed string trio with shared roots at the Marlboro Music Festival. Members of the trio - violinist Elizabeth Fayette, violist Jordan Bak, and cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin - are each “accomplished musicians who have made chamber music a central aspect of their careers,” organizers say. Members of Trio Ad Libitum have appeared as soloists and chamber...
Plant and bake sale benefits Westminster West Library
The Westminster West Library, 3409 Westminster West Rd., hosts its annual plant and bake sale on Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Organizers say this year's featured plant is Rudbeckia goldsturm, commonly known as black-eyed Susan. This hardy perennial blooms on sturdy stalks, producing a golden burst of 3–4 inch daisy-like yellow flowers with large seed heads from late July through September. It is an excellent cut flower for a fall bouquet. In perennials, they will have...
Proposed federal legislation will protect PEG programming
I would like to thank U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch for making Vermont the only state in which its entire congressional delegation has co-sponsored the Protecting Community Television Act introduced by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (Massachusetts) and U.S. Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (California) as S.3361 and HR.6219. The Federal Communications Commission is attempting to redefine franchise fees principles that have been in place since 1984. Without this legislation, the FCC will radically...
Eugene Uman’s Convergence Project returns to Vermont Jazz Center
Composer and pianist Eugene Uman and the original members of the Convergence Project will return to the Vermont Jazz Center for a reunion concert, performing original jazz compositions on Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m. The music of the Convergence Project is described in a news release as balancing “an artistic tightrope between fresh, innovative, and exploratory on one side, and accessible, understandable and visceral on the other.” Members of the Convergence Project joining Uman will be Michael Zsoldos on...
Rescuing Rescue Inc.
As defined in state statutes, “'Emergency medical services' means an integrated system of personnel, equipment, communication, and services to provide emergency medical treatment” (emphasis added). Rescue Inc. is an integrated system of personnel, equipment, communication, and services to provide emergency medical treatment. Rescue Inc. delivers basic and advanced emergency life support, basic and critical-care transport, stand-by services at public events, a technical rescue team, child safety seat installations and inspections, and Covid-19 vaccinations throughout Vermont EMS District 13, plus Stratton...
New book trike coming to the RFPL this summer
The Rockingham Free Public Library's annual summer reading program is expanding like never before - on three wheels. With funding from Vermont Afterschool's Summer Expanding Access grant, the RFPL will be introducing the Mobile Book Trike and a bigger summer reading program. “Unlike many summer programs and camps, the library summer reading program has always been free and open to the public,” said Youth Services librarian Sam Maskell in a news release. “When we started looking at why some kids...
Milestones
College news • Sophia Mark of Brattleboro, a student at Lasell University in Boston, presented at the institution's annual Connected Learning Symposium. Mark showcased work as part of a group installation, “Get a Grip on Injustice: Take a Hand, Give a Hand.” The installation featured plaster hands of each student along with highlighted information on injustices they wish to raise awareness of. • Jonathan Griffin, a freshman business administration major from West Townshend, was named to the spring 2022 President's...
Wendy’s Jazz Soiree returns with Bob Stabach 4tet
On Thursday, May 26, Wendy Redlinger's Jazz Soiree will host the Bob Stabach 4tet. The band describes itself as including artistic director of the Vermont Jazz Center, Eugene Uman, on piano; George Kaye, who has a rich history of playing with New York City jazz luminaries, on bass; Sam Lazzaro, an “up-and-coming local young lion,” on drums; and Bob Stabach, veteran saxophonist, leader, and composer. The band says it is “real excited about playing at Wendy's again after a long...
Economy summit juggles post-pandemic optimism, obstacles
The in-person return of the annual Southern Vermont Economy Summit advertised a post-pandemic, fast-forward theme of “Cultivate Change.” But first came a rewind to all-too-familiar COVID-19 precautions. Before 200 attendees could gather this past week at the Mount Snow resort, they had to take a COVID-19 test, wear a mask, and physically distance themselves in meeting rooms, according to summit health and safety guidelines shared after cases rose nearly 20 percent statewide in the past several weeks. Yet, as the...
Climate survey shows ‘not great’ results at BUHS
Brattleboro Union High School officials have disclosed the results of their internal climate survey from the fall, and they aren't great. “This survey was given in mid-October,” said Curriculum Coordinator Paul Smith. “In some cases this is not surprising. Things were in pretty rough shape in October, coming back to school after extended time to being around other students created some friction. It's not great - no question.” “Nevertheless, the percentile of scores are alarming,” said Windham Southeast School District...
On Robert's Rules, municipal meetings, and diverse views
In the editor's note to this letter, a quote appears from Tim Wessel, a member of the Brattleboro Selectboard, who states “We don't do seconds, ever.” The editor's note states that the Brattleboro Selectboard uses Robert's Rules of Order for Small Assemblies, which makes the process of seconding motions as an option for the organization. As a member and then-chairperson of the Newfane Selectboard for several years, I know that using the Robert's Rules of Order can be used as...
I am angry
On May 3, I attended an impromptu rally/protest focusing on reproductive rights. I was wearing my clergy collar - not by chance. I was interviewed briefly by the Brattleboro Reformer, I suspect because the photographer had just been covering the other gathering across the street from Planned Parenthood. A religious group rallies there weekly to protest the abortions that, by the way, are not performed at that office. I'm here to tell you, if you read what the Reformer printed,
Guilford mailing goes beyond the issue of library expansion
On May 16, the Guilford Free Library hosted a meeting regarding the planned expansion of the library. Except for virulent outbursts by one resident, the meeting was cordial and well-received. In today's mail, town residents received a glossy two-sided mailing that not only expressed opposition to the expansion but called into question the integrity, honesty, and even legality of the actions of one of the members of the library board. The mailing strategically made no mention of where it originated,
‘A mother can’t be in two places at once’
Svetlana Karpenko, 50, and her 12-year-old son, Artem, live in an apartment on the 10th floor of a 12-story building in a part of Kyiv, Ukraine that has not been heavily bombed - yet. But the sirens warning of incoming bombs are still regularly going off. They do not feel safe. They are not safe. Another son, Andrey, 32, now a soldier fighting against the Russians, was able to bring his girlfriend, daughter, and a stepson to Poland, one week...
EMS worker honored for going above and beyond
Each May, the American Ambulance Association honors emergency medicine professionals from across the nation for their lifetime achievement in the field with a banquet and awards ceremony in Washington D.C. each May. “This year, Joe Thompson was one of the honorees,” said Drew Hazelton, chief of operations at Rescue Inc. As described by the association, the Stars of Life awards program - named after the symbol that identifies emergency medical personnel, equipment, and vehicles - “celebrates the contributions of ambulance...
Nobel laureate talks peace to a new generation
Scan Jody Williams' credits in her 1968 Brattleboro Union High School yearbook (Choir 1, Usher 2, etc.) and you won't see any clues she'd grow up to be a Nobel Peace Prize–winning Rebel With a Cause. “In high school, I didn't smoke, I didn't drink, I didn't swear, and most definitely, I did not cut classes,” says the Vermonter, who was barefoot in a tank top and jeans during her award announcement. But Williams learned how to upend the establishment...
Vocalist Elizabeth Rogers kicks off Main Street Arts summer series
Like the phoenix that emerged from the Main Street Arts (MSA) gallery on May Day, MSA's summer season “sparks new energy with diverse music and theater performances,” organizers say. The first event, on Friday, May 27 at 7 p.m., features a “beloved” Vermont singer-songwriter, Elizabeth Rogers, who will also be performing this summer at Carnegie Hall. Born and raised in Manhattan, vocalist Rogers began her professional singing career at the age of nine in the children's choruses of the Metropolitan...
Windham County is home to some of Vermont’s biggest trees
When hiking in the woods, have you ever been wowed by a larger-than-average tree? Perhaps you have a mammoth specimen growing in your own backyard. If so, you may be looking at what is known as a “champion tree,” one worth adding to the state's big tree database. The Vermont Big Tree Program is an ongoing effort to locate, measure, and record the largest trees in the state. Currently 53 species are listed in the database, twice as many as...
Conservation leaders expand Windmill Hill Ridge protected area
More than 600 acres of forestland in the towns of Athens, Brookline, and Townshend have been conserved for wildlife, climate, clean water, and public access, according to the Vermont Land Trust (VLT). The forest spans the three towns and lies west of the Windmill Hill ridgeline. Known as the Lily Pond Highlands, the land is owned and managed by the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association (WHPA). “It is very rewarding to see this exceptional forestland protected,” VLT project director Jennifer Garrett...
With Afghan resettlement, SIT educators once again 'expected the unexpected'
Experiential education has been at the core of all School for International Training/World Learning programs since the start of the organization in 1932. Whether it's spending a summer abroad, attending a semester of studies abroad, or participating in one of our graduate programs here in Vermont, the emphasis has always been on experience, participation, reflection, and discussion. This same approach was evident in a recent training program for our new neighbors, a group of Afghan refugees. When we learned that...
Cheryl Wheeler, Kenny White will come to Next Stage
Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer-songwriters Cheryl Wheeler and Kenny White at Next Stage on Friday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. Wheeler's songwriting includes what organizers describe as both the “most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene,” and ones that “shred the mores of our gossipy, greedy, trend-obsessed culture. “Wheeler emerges as a delightful, gifted and openhearted performer,” organizers state in a news release. “Wheeler always aims enough darts at herself to...
Yellow Barn concert will benefit the Ukrainian people
On Thursday, May 26, at 7:30 p.m., Yellow Barn's summer venue, the Big Barn on Main Street in Putney, will open its doors early for a special concert to benefit the Ukrainian people. Russian pianist Boris Berman will perform works by his close friend and colleague, Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov. Soon after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, Berman called another of his colleagues, Yellow Barn's artistic director Seth Knopp, to relay the story of Silvestrov's perilous escape from Ukraine and to...
Rescue is healthy and ready to serve
The town of Brattleboro will not renew its contract with Rescue Inc., which provides ambulance and EMT services to Brattleboro and 14 surrounding communities. The recent news came abruptly and was followed with presentations that appeared to place the reasons for this decision on Rescue Inc.'s leadership and, to a larger degree, cost. As the board of Rescue Inc., we acknowledge the town's decision, and we want to communicate a few important pieces of information to our communities. * *
Terriers use ‘small ball’ to beat Rutland
Bellows Falls baseball coach Bob Lockerby loves to create offense by being aggressive on the base paths. Stealing bases, going from first to third on a well-hit ball, and the sacrifice bunt are all well-used tools in the Terriers' toolbox. When you have a young and offensively challenged team, such as what the Terriers have this season, executing this “small ball” strategy well is the difference between winning close games, and losing them. Against Rutland on May 12 at Hadley...