BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Humanities 2022–23 season of First Wednesdays lectures continues at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St., on Nov. 2, at 7 p.m., when graphic novelist Marek Bennett presents “Drawing Community: Creating Comics from Shared Stories.”
Using examples from his work with the Vermont Reads 2022 book The Most Costly Journey (El Viaje Más Caro) and his Civil War Diary of Freeman Colby series, the cartoonist explores how the act of cartooning can help us forge connections, build empathy, and challenge set definitions of identity and belonging.
Bennett leads discovery-based Comics Workshops for all ages throughout New England and beyond. He is the recipient of the 2021 New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award for Art Education. His website is MarekBennett.com.
The program is free and open to the public and is accessible to people in wheelchairs. The Brattleboro lecture series is funded through the generous support of the Friends of Brooks Memorial Library. For more information, visit brookslibraryvt.org or call 802-254-5290.
Tuesday, Nov. 8 will be a most significant day in the history of our nation. Though a midterm election, it nevertheless could determine which party controls Congress and, therefore, determine whether we continue as a democracy - or whether we succumb to the undisguised attempts on the part of...
The Brattleboro Music Center's EOS Project, which stands for Educate, Open, and Strengthen, presents “Rising Seed,” on Saturday, Nov. 5. The 7 p.m. concert will feature Junko Watanabe, soprano; Susan Dedell, piano; Greg Diehl, violin; Heather Sommerlad, violin; Ashleigh Gordon, viola; and Julie Carew, cello. Performed works will include...
With less than a week to go before Election Day on Nov. 8, the election season in Vermont has been relatively tranquil, compared to other states. A number of statewide races in Vermont are contested, and in the state House and Senate races, Republicans and some unaffiliated candidates have mounted challenges to Democratic incumbents. Two proposed amendments to the Vermont Constitution also appear on this year's ballot. Here's who and what will be on your ballot in Windham County on...
Seeing the picture of Byron and Lee Stookey reminded of the years of effort this couple has given to the community, and I say “hats off” to both of them.
For those of you who may not know, the Nov. 8 general election ballots are being mailed to all individual voters on all Vermont city and town voter checklists under the control of the Vermont Secretary of State's Office. Town clerks in the state used to have control of the general election ballots, mailing some to those requesting absentee ballots and military ballots. The majority of ballots were held by town clerks for use by voters in individual cities and...
Obituaries • William Joseph “Bill” Callahan Jr., 97, of Brattleboro. Died on Oct. 21, 2022. He was born on March 23, 1925 in Flushing, New York, the son of William J. and Johanna (Talbot) Callahan, Sr. A child of the Great Depression, Billy, as he was known then, lived in crowded flats with various relatives. His mother was ill and spent many years in tuberculosis sanatoriums. As a teen, Bill moved to Brattleboro and graduated from Brattleboro High School. Bill...
The Actors Theatre Playhouse (ATP) is actively underway with plans for its 2023 season and is seeking actors, technicians, production assistants, construction helpers, gardeners, and box office and performance managers for next summer's season. The 2023 season opener in June is the annual Ten Minute Play Festival. According to a news release, “the screening committee is already deeply involved reading over 300 submissions in the next few months to narrow those down to the final dozen to be assigned to...
November is “DINOvember” at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main Street, when children and adults celebrate all things dinosaur. The library is offering drop-in activities and scheduled programs throughout the month. On Saturday, Nov. 12, at 11 a.m. learn how to draw dinosaurs with John Steven Gurney, author-illustrator of the picture book Dinosaur Train and the graphic novel Fuzzy Baseball #4: DiNO-Hitters. Susan Hessey will present a dinosaur storytime for preschoolers and their caregivers on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 11...
During the month of November, the Crowell Art Gallery will present “The Back of Beyond,” an exhibit of paintings by Carrie Gelfan. The public is invited to a reception for the artist on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 1 to 3 p.m. Gelfan is primarily a figurative and portrait painter who says she draws much of her inspiration from her family and friends. The starting point for many of her paintings are photos, and drawing is always a major element in...
Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts, 181 Main Street, presents a gallery-wide solo exhibition, “Brian D. Cohen: A Retrospective,” with an opening and artist reception on Gallery Walk Friday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will continue through Dec. 11 and features more than 100 etchings, engravings, and watercolors by printmaker, painter, and educator Cohen. Cohen graduated from Haverford College and completed his master's in painting at the University of Washington. In 1989, he founded Bridge Press and began collaborations...
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) invites creators of all ages to design and build original Lego sculptures and display them at the 15th Annual Lego Contest & Exhibit taking place Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 10–13. Admission is pay-as-you-wish, and the hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event is sponsored by G.S. Precision, Brattleboro Subaru, and Don Robinson Builder. BMAC will display every entry submitted to the contest. Prizes for creativity and craftsmanship will be awarded in...
A new show by eight local artists featuring drawings made from a live model will host an opening reception during Gallery Walk on Friday, Nov. 4 at 118 Elliot. The show is inspired by Jason Alden's Drawing Studio and most of the artists at one time or another have participated in live drawing at the studio, where many of the drawings in the show were produced. Artists include Jason Alden, Peter Harris, Matthew Beck, Martha Werman, Tina Olsen, Markie Sallick,
During the month of November, Brattleboro Clayworks on Putney Road will be featuring pottery creations to enhance upcoming Thanksgiving and holiday meals. Join them for an opening reception for one of the Clayworks' newest members, Karen Horton, and her “Pottery With a Purpose” on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 5 p.m. All are welcome. Karen Horton has returned to making pottery after a long career teaching music in public school and performing classical music on the French horn (She...
To reduce the increasingly high costs of recycling, the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) has reinstated a program to separate glass bottles and jars from single stream. Starting this week, users of the district transfer station on Old Ferry Road will find a separate container for glass bottles and jars only, without lids. According to WSWMD Executive Director Robert Spencer, the new program is significantly less costly at $40 per ton, plus trucking. WSWMD will haul the 30 cubic...
In response to the ongoing climate crisis, the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) recently created an artist residency program to support artists seeking time and resources to engage with the profound questions and challenges presented by climate change. Over the past year, Elizabeth Billings, Evie Lovett, and Andrea Stix Wasserman, the museum's inaugural Climate Change Artists in Residence, have worked together and separately to create work that Lovett described as “a very deep dive” into the subject of climate...
I am excited to endorse Brattleboro's State Representatives Mollie S. Burke, Emilie Kornheiser, and Tristan Toleno for re-election to the Vermont Legislature. Over the course of my campaign for U.S. Senate in the August Democratic primary, I came to know each of our representatives better, and more fully appreciate their commitment to our community, and their hard work for a better future for all Vermonters. Rep. Mollie S. Burke I have known since I was a child growing up in...
The Vermont Jazz Center's fifth Emerging Artist Festival begins with youth jazz ensembles performing at 118 Elliot on Friday, Nov. 4, continues on Saturday, Nov. 5 with student groups performing, and culminates on Saturday, Nov. 5 with a clinic and a concert by Grammy-nominated guitarist Dan Wilson. The festival celebrates the contributions of up-and-coming musicians who have not yet acquired the name recognition of older artists but who strongly deserve to be heard - like Wilson, a talent whose career...
Voting is now taking place for the Nov. 8 election. There are many voices out there who are instilling fear in our citizens by spreading misinformation about elections. I just read a piece by Nancy Gassett - Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in Guilford and Vernon - that used the tactic of instilling this fear, and I am aware of the same views coming from others. I will say that these views are not necessarily those of Republicans...
A new factor is making the situation worse - a new opioid-cutting agent called xylazine, also known as “tranq.” Xylazine is used by veterinarians mainly as a large-animal tranquilizer, and is not approved for human use. According to Sue Conley of the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, “It can keep people passed out even if we use Narcan [a prescription medicine used for treating opioid overdoses], and we have to go to the next step, which is rescue breathing, until...
I can speak only for myself, but I bet other newspaper editors - and particularly editors of editorial pages and op-ed sections like this one - share my perspective that our political landscape is forcing us to question and re-evaluate how we cover political races and what we choose to present in these pages under the guise of opinion and commentary. My current conundrum: To what extent do readers have the right, and to what extent do I have an...
It has been an honor and privilege to serve as the state representative for the people of Vernon and Guilford over the last four years. I'm running for re-election because I care deeply about the future of our rural communities. I continue to be very concerned about the growing divide in our country and the potential for deeper divides in our community. I believe in these times, we need leaders in Montpelier who can build bridges, not fences, to find...
On Monday, Nov. 14, all members of the community are invited to come together for a free dinner, live music, and the chance to help develop new ideas and focus energy for the future of their town. The Our Future Putney Community Visit is a three-part process of facilitated discussions coordinated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) to engage members of the community, brainstorm ideas for the future, and identify top priorities for Putney. VCRD Operations Director Margaret...
The Boys & Girls Club on Flat Street prides itself on being a safe place for young people, be it through its COVID-19 health procedures, annual facility assessments, or mandatory staff background checks. The municipal Transportation Center three doors down - where vandals left the club van undrivable this month while it was parked in a $1,000-a-year space - is another story. “We can attest to ongoing public alcohol and drug use and sales, intoxication, littering, and loitering,” club officials...
Ask Vermonter Jody Williams about how she won the Nobel Peace Prize for days of tireless effort and she'll instead tell you about how she wound up with it one night in her sleep. It all started Oct. 10, 1997, when a Norwegian television staffer phoned at 4 in the morning to announce that Williams and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines - a global network of individuals and institutions she helped coordinate - had won the world's most prestigious...
Organizers of The Putney Big Tree Quest say recent entries include Jim Olivier, Lena and Eliza Quintal's 166-inch black cherry in Putney near the Putney boat landing and Jim and Carolyn Olivier's 201-inch red oak on Black Locust Road. Annie Kellam and Dan LaBarre submitted a tree they think is a Chinquipin oak and wrote “while this is not a giant tree, it is unusual for this area, although northwest Vermont is mentioned in its range. It looks similar to...
Just off the common, in a gray house with hundreds of consignment items tucked into seven rooms, the Second Chance Shoppe is celebrating 40 years in business. On a recent day, new Vermonters Grace and Brayden recently moved from Buffalo, New York, to Stratton. They arrived at Second Chance Shoppe because they were spending their Saturday “going around to some thrift shops because it's a fun hobby, and it saves money,” says Grace. “And look,” Brayden says, pointing to an...
Gallery in the Woods, 145 Main Street, hosts the opening reception of new works by Lahri Bond on Friday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., during downtown Brattleboro's Gallery Walk. Bond is a designer, illustrator, writer, musician, and teacher, who lives and works in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. He illustrates and designs magazines, posters, books, and CD covers, and has recently completed several environmentally themed murals. Bond says he was profoundly affected as a child by viewing...
Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV) will recognize the winners of its 2022 annual Producer Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 6 p.m. at The Stone Church in downtown Brattleboro. The event is open to the public and will feature the awards ceremony, food and drink, a vintage video gear thrift shop, and the live taping of a mini-episode of one of the award-winning programs. The Producer Awards recognize organizations and individuals that have created outstanding local programming in the last year.
Brenda Siegel of Newfane, the Democratic nominee for governor, spent a recent afternoon walking through Hardwick's downtown with Rep. Chip Troiano, D-Stannard, as her guide. Local business owners chatted politely each time she popped in to introduce herself and hand out campaign pamphlets. But out on the street, one woman immediately recognized her and warmly exclaimed: “Thank you for running!” Buttonholed by a reporter in a flower shop a few minutes later, the woman, Karen Starr, 70, of Danville, said...
Some 3,500 acres of Glebe Mountain forestland will help anchor a new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service management area in southern Vermont. The land in Londonderry and Windham, now owned by The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization, will be transferred to the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge to create a larger federal district, organizers announced on Oct. 26. “Under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stewardship, the property will be made more accessible for expanded and compatible public...
The explosion in opioid use in this region has taken a social and cultural toll - especially the rise in the number of deaths due to overdoses, but also insidious and long-term health issues such as Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. All of these consequences - exacerbated by the COVID-19 outbreak and the social isolation and reduction in services it created - have come at a high cost to families, health care workers, health and rehabilitation institutions, law enforcement, and emergency...
Project Feed the Thousands kicks off its 29th annual campaign against hunger in our community on Friday, Nov. 4, amidst overwhelming concerns surrounding inflation and the impact it is having across our region. According to government data, the annual rate of inflation is currently well over 8% for 2022, more than double compared to a year ago. Inflation has especially boosted food and fuel costs, affecting vulnerable individuals and families. Project Feed the Thousands is a community-wide food drive and...
Northern California–based AJ Lee & Blue Summit and southern Vermont–based The Stockwell Brothers play a double bill of contemporary bluegrass and Americana music from far and near on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill. “This concert has been in the works for 2 1/2 years,” Barry Stockwell, one of the founders of Next Stage, says. “We had Blue Summit booked for the summer of 2020, but due to the pandemic we couldn't make...
To honor the 50th anniversary of the release of the Grateful Dead's album Europe '72, Bearly Dead of Boston will perform the work in its entirety at Historic Memorial Hall on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. “The band's upbeat tempo and deep jams will keep you moving,” says Joe Levy, booking manager of Historic Memorial Hall. “We decided to play the entire album since it was 50 years to the day since it was released,” Bearly Dead guitarist Nick...
Some teams you watch, and you know right away that they are a cut above everyone else. The Leland & Gray girls' soccer team falls into that category. Last year, the Rebel girls lost in the Division III finals against Stowe. This year, Leland & Gray is the top seed in Division IV and is determined to win a state title that has eluded them since 1991. Leland & Gray moved down to Division IV this year, situated among the...