Parks Place diaper drive now underway
BELLOWS FALLS - Now through Wednesday, May 31, Parks Place, Edward Jones, and Chroma are conducting their annual diaper drive.
The Parks Place “Time for a Change” Diaper Bank was established in 2016 to support local families. Diapers cannot be obtained with food stamps, and no state or federal child safety-net program allocates dollars specifically for the purchase of diapers. Buying diapers at a local convenience store rather than at a large retailer can double or triple the monthly cost for diapers.
“Many parents are already struggling to pay for rent and food and simply cannot afford the high cost of an adequate supply of diapers for their children,” said organizers in a news release. “Parks Place offers diapers of all sizes, no questions asked.”
Drop-off locations include: Parks Place, Edward Jones, Sonnax, Cota & Cota, Rockingham Free Public Library, Faith's Toyota/Ford, and all local elementary schools. They are accepting diapers, wipes, and monetary donations. The Diaper Bank is specifically in need of sizes 5 and 6 diapers, as well as all pull-up sizes. For more information, visit parksplacevermont.com.
Brattleboro Area Hospice launches Treasured Goods online auction
BRATTLEBORO - Starting on Friday, May 12, Brattleboro Area Hospice will once again host the Treasured Goods Auction. Bidding opens online for ten days, culminating in a live event on Monday, May 22, at Flying Pig Auctions in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. This event is open to any and all. To register to bid, go to bit.ly/714-auction.
Auction offerings range from paintings and antiques to an Emerald Isle, North Carolina, getaway. There's something for everyone, and purchases support the critical services of Brattleboro Area Hospice, which provides a broad range of free services for living and dying well, focusing on end-of-life, bereavement, and advance care planning. To learn more or contact staff, call 802-257-0775 or visit brattleborohospice.org.
Manitou healing walks resume
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold its first Healing Walk of the season on Friday, May 12, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The walk will be led by Fred Taylor and will include poems or other readings and chances to share about the experience. Healing walks will be held, rain or shine, every second and fourth Friday of each month until October.
The Manitou Project seeks to foster community with Nature on its 235-acre land preserve in Williamsville, located at 300 Sunset Lake Road. Directions: go 1.4 miles up Sunset Lake Road from Williamsville Village, note the sign on right. Or approximately 5.6 miles over the top of Sunset Lake Road from Route 9. Meet at the parking lot at 4 p.m. For more information, contact Taylor at 802-254-2675.
Broad Brook Grange offers Mother's Day brunch
GUILFORD - Broad Brook Grange will present its 23rd annual Mother's Day Brunch on Sunday, May 14, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Broad Brook Community Center.
This occasion marks the return of the Grange brunches after a four-year absence due to COVID-19 and building renovation. The Community Center is now fully ADA-compliant, with handicapped parking spaces and ramp access to the dining room, with accessible restrooms.
The all-you-can-eat brunch features eggs and omelettes - many of the eggs from Guilford - any style, made to order. Also on the menu are pancakes, French toast, sausage, bacon, and home fries, with local maple syrup. Other treats include home-baked coffee cakes and other baked goods, fresh fruit salad, and bread for toasting. A selection of juices will be available, along with coffee, teas, and milk.
No reservations are necessary for the meal, which is priced at $15 for adults; $12 for seniors, and $5 for ages 2–12. Admission is free for kids under two. Cash or check welcome. Broad Brook Community Center is at 3940 Guilford Center Road, 4 miles west of the Guilford Country Store. For more information, call 802-257-1961.
Putney Library hosts Community Sing Alongs
PUTNEY - Join us for a series of outdoor Community Singalongs at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main Street, from 7 to 8 p.m., on Thrusdays: May 18, June 15, July 20, and Aug. 17. These events are free and open to the public.
These community sings will feature printed songbooks including many traditions: folk, golden oldies, gospel, Beatles, old pop and rock and show tunes. Participants will take turns choosing what to sing; binders with lyrics will be provided. Putney resident Rich Grumbine will lead the singing and provide guitar accompaniment.
The sing alongs will occur outside behind the library. Singers should dress for outdoors and bring insect repellant as needed. For more information, contact Grumbine at [email protected].
Spring reading series continues at Southern Vermont Natural History Museum
MARLBORO - Join the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum on Saturday, May 20, at 4 p.m. for a discussion of Jennifer Ackerman's book The Genius of Birds. Led by Mary Wright, the group will discuss this 2017 bestselling nonfiction book that celebrates a ton of revolutionary new research into “these feisty and intelligent beings,” according to a news release.
Want to read the book first? Whitingham Free Library, Dover Free Library and, when renovations are finished, the Pettee Memorial Library are all carrying copies. Contact the museum for more information at vermontmuseum.org or follow the event page on Facebook at facebook.com/vermontmuseum. This event is free to the public, but donations to the Museum's educational programming are always appreciated. Refreshments will be served.
This is the second of a three-part Spring Reading Series. The third and final book for the Spring Series is The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry.
Hogback Mountain Conservation Association hosts birding walk
MARLBORO - The Hogback Mountain Conservation Association invites you to join naturalist Cherrie Corey for a morning walk to meet the season's songbird wave and other harbingers of spring on Sunday, May 21, at 7:30 a.m. This walk is in the spirit of Marlboro College biologist Bob Engel, an inspirational teacher to so many, who shared his passion for native birds and his understanding of the environments that sustained them.
On this two-hour ramble, hikers will encounter a variety of returning and migrating warblers, ovenbird, hermit thrush, winter wren, rose-breasted grosbeak, raven, and more. Woodland wildflowers will be in their glory, too, and vernal pools will be teeming with life.
Hikers will stop at the bird banding station to see how the day's tally is coming and watch Eric Slayton and his team in action.
Meet at the Tower Trail trailhead kiosk, behind the Vermont Distillers building. Plenty of parking can be found across Route 9 in the large parking lot. Registration is required and limited to 20; email [email protected].