BUHS music dept. offers Merry Mulch Christmas tree collection service
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Union High School music department is once again offering the Merry Mulch Christmas tree collection service to Brattleboro residents.
This program, in its 31st year, is endorsed by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture as well as the New Hampshire/Vermont Christmas Tree Association. For a $10 donation, members of the band and chorus will transport undecorated trees from homes to a community garden in West Brattleboro where the trees will be chipped into mulch to be used by the gardeners.
Since the town does not offer curbside pick-up of trees, the service saves residents the hassle of transporting their own trees. Three Saturday pick-up dates are being offered: Jan. 7, 14, and 21. All pick-ups must be prearranged by calling one of the following numbers at least two days prior to the desired date: 802-579-2362 or 408-693-4588. Proceeds will benefit a spring trip to New York City.
Genealogy Group discusses DNA tests and family trees
BELLOWS FALLS - The Windham County Genealogy Interest Group will meet on Saturday, January 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Rockingham Library and over Zoom. This meeting's focus will be on DNA test results coupled with family trees.
DNA testing companies are heavily promoting their products by offering sales for the holidays, which means that many more matches will be coming to those who have already tested, according to event organizers. Those who are testing for the first time now have many more possibilities than in the past. Testing companies have also made changes to their websites. In this meeting, the focus will be on how to get the most out of test results and talk about how to take advantage of the features offered on each company's website.
To register for this program or to share questions about DNA test results, go to bit.ly/696-genes. Zoom links will be emailed to registrants. Meetings are free and open to all with an interest in family history. For more information, contact [email protected].
Senior lunch served in Dummerston
DUMMERSTON - Evening Star Grange and Senior Solutions present their first senior lunch of the new year on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Grange hall in Dummerston Center, with an in-house meal served at noon and take-outs available between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The menu includes meatloaf, vegetarian meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and marinated carrots with pineapple upside-down cake for dessert.
Reservations for this meal are strongly suggested so that they can make enough food for everyone. Interested diners should call the Grange at 802-254-1138 and leave their name, phone number, and the number of meals they would like. A donation of $3 for those 60 and over and $4 for younger folks is suggested. All are welcome.
Clift leads writing workshop at Putney Library
PUTNEY - Writer and journalist Elayne Clift will present an online writing workshop sponsored by the Putney Public Library this January.
What do heroic literary figures like King Arthur and Harry Potter, or real-life people like Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe have in common? They all have a great story to tell. But it's more than an exciting narrative: Each of them has been on an archetypal journey - a heroic exploration, full of adventure, fraught with risk, and ultimately rich with reward.
As they seek to find meaning in a complex world, these characters or real people are changed forever by experiences that include mentors, villains, jesters, and other archetypes. With that as a framework for memoir writing, participants will explore their own archetypal journeys and reach for the Golden Fleece in their lives while enhancing their writing skills. Participants should come prepared to reflect, write, share, and be awed by the power of narrative.
Clift, a Vermont Humanities Council Scholar, is an award-winning writer and journalist, a writing workshop leader, and an adjunct lecturer. Her work has been widely anthologized and appears in numerous publications internationally. A regular columnist for several New England newspapers and blogs, including The Commons, and a reviewer for The New York Journal of Books, she has written for various publications and is a regular contributor to Artscope magazine.
This workshop will be presented online Tuesday, Jan. 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Register by emailing [email protected].
Guilford park project launches 60-day race to raise $20,000
GUILFORD - According to the Guilford Park committee, the starter pistol has been fired for a 60-day race to raise $20,000 more for the construction of the Guilford Community Park. The committee has been working for over a year on plans to build a park behind the Guilford Country Store, alongside the Guilford Community Church, in the center of Guilford's Algiers Village.
The park they envision is complete with green spaces, a pavilion, a walking labyrinth, a children's play area with a slide and swings, a basketball half-court and net, and a fire pit.
If community members and businesses donate $20,000 by Feb. 28, the park can qualify for a matching $40,000 Vermont Community Development “Better Places Program” grant, which will allow the park committee to have everything on their wish list, according to Dunham Rowley, one of the organizers.
Rowley said the vision for this park is one where community members of all ages can socialize and foster community through shared recreational experiences. The large and artfully designed timber-frame pavilion will accommodate community events such as concerts, weddings, family reunions, and a host of other activities. A labyrinth will be set into the ground for a “meditative walk” using the classic seven-circuit design inspired by ancient mystics and used across Europe and the United States.
The plans received a permit and the blessing of the Act 250 process, the committee says. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of a finished park is the $20,000, which needs to be raised under a tight deadline. To donate, visit Patronicity.com/GCP or mail a check to Community Collaborative for Guilford (CC4G), 475E Coolidge Hwy, Guilford, VT 05301, with Guilford Community Park (GCP) in the memo line. Donations are fully tax-deductible. For more information, call 802)-579-4572 or email [email protected].
Weekly chess club begins at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - The Rockingham Free Public Library plans to host a weekly chess club, led by Mike Sola. All levels of players will be welcomed. Interested parties may contact Sola ([email protected]) with their preference for day and 2-hour time period. Sola will set the schedule once he receives responses.
Available days and times are Mondays, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and Fridays, 1 to 4 p.m.
Rec. Dept. taking reservations for birthday parties
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department would like to announce that it's now taking reservations for skating rink and Gibson-Aiken Center birthday parties. For more information, or to book a party, call the Gibson-Aiken Center main office at 802-254-5808.
Skating rink birthday parties may be booked during any hours that public skating is scheduled. Price includes admission for 10 children, 10 skate rentals, birthday cake and a private room to have the party. The cost is $120.
Gibson-Aiken Center birthday parties may be booked for Saturdays between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m. (includes set up and clean up time). Price includes cake, basketballs, kickballs, wiffleball set and bases, and the use of the large conference room for cake and snacks. The suggested party size is 10 to 12 people. The cost is $120.