Three lectures on the history of the Gordon and Mary Haywards's House and Garden will be presented at the Congregational Church in Westminster West at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday evenings, Feb. 18 and 25 and March 3.
On Feb. 18, the Haywards will explore the history of what is, since 1983, their house, originally built by the Ranney family ca. 1790.
First, Westminster historian Jessie Haas will offer context of the early history of Westminster West Village, and start the evening talking about the life and the buildings in the village around 1790. Then, for 40 minutes or so, Gordon and Mary will present an illustrated talk about the history of their house with images of the process of restoring the house and its one remaining attached barn.
On Feb. 25, the Haywards will discuss their three sources of inspiration as they developed the early stages of their new garden. This lecture will focus on how a living garden grows out of the lives of the gardeners as well as the place where they garden: It will include attributes of the original farmyard; discussion of the farms on which Mary and Gordon grew up, in the Cotswolds of England and in Connecticut, respectively; and Hidcote Manor Garden, designed by an American who lived across a field from the hamlet Mary grew up in, recorded in The Domesday Book of 1086.
U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., is set to introduce her first major piece of legislation of her first term: the Community Housing Act (CHA). She outlined the plan on Feb. 12 at the Bellows Falls Garage, an apartment complex run by Windham & Windsor Housing Trust. According to a...
Readers will have much to enjoy about Joyce Marcel's feature, in which she writes about what is widely regarded as a piece of Brattleboro lore. We publish it with that hope and in that spirit. But think about it. A woman came to Vermont with her children in 1974...
The 2024 tax season officially opened on Jan. 29, at both the federal and state levels. This is the date that the IRS and Vermont begin accepting personal income tax returns for tax year 2023. The Department offers the following tips to make filing and getting your refund easier and faster: • Wait to receive all W-2 forms, 1099 forms, or any other necessary tax documents before filing. Filing too early without all your documentation is one of the most...
Four Windham County arts organizations are among the recipients of 12 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grants totaling $217,000 to Vermont arts and cultural organizations and individuals, including two fellowships to Vermont authors. The Vermont awards are part of more than $32 million in recommended NEA grants to organizations in all 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions. "We are grateful to the NEA for its continued support of and investment in the nation's arts and cultural ecosystem, and we congratulate...
How can snow keep us warm? What causes sap to flow in maple trees? What is a macroinvertebrate? The Nature Museum's day camps offer activities designed to educate campers about our regional ecology while providing plenty of outdoor free play, exploration, and hands-on learning. These all-day camps take place outside The Nature Museum in surrounding local habitats. Participants will explore the meadow and garden with native plantings, the newly developed pond, and the Magic Forest Natural Playscape. Each day or...
All Souls UU Church is hosting an exhibit of more than a decade of paintings by Jeremy Aldridge, many focused on Ukraine. Organizers of the show describe the first series, "Processing the World," as "a group of intuitive acrylic paintings on canvas from the decade leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine." The second series, "Witnessing Ukraine," features paintings inspired by media photos of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Aldridge grew up in Brattleboro and is a graduate of...
College news • Vermont State University honored several local students for academic achievement in the fall 2023 semester. Named to the President's list were Claire Holmes of Wardsboro, Denny Hughes of Guilford, Trevor Kipp of Brattleboro, Christopher Leary of Saxtons River, Samantha Martin of Brattleboro, Amy Nelson of Putney, Rebecca Robinson of Saxtons River, and Adam Shard of Bellows Falls. Named to the Dean's List were Stacy Bryck of Dummerston, Rio Coursen of Putney, Sally Densmore of Wilmington, Damian Dierkes...
Next Stage announces the return of the NXT Curators Series, offering an opportunity for audiences to hear from curators in various arts and humanities fields. The intent, organizers say, is "to shine a light on less known styles and genres, providing a behind-the-scenes look at what curators need to consider when working with their medium." Keith Marks, executive director of Next Stage Arts, said in a news release that three curators, all speaking on a different facet of what it...
Vermont Theatre Company announces auditions for the June Shakespeare in the Park production of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, directed by Jessica Gelter. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is a thrilling drama, in which community leaders manipulate each other into assassinating the head of their political system. It explores how that irrevocable choice leads their community into more violence and inevitable fascism. According to Gelter, this year's VTC Shakespeare production will feature gender-fluid casting in this political tragedy, which will...
The Brattleboro Music Center's Chamber Series presents Musicians from Marlboro Group III on Saturday, Feb 17. The 7 p.m. concert at the BMC begins with Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Five Fantasy Pieces for String Quartet or "Fantasiestücke," and concludes with Arnold Schoenberg's "Verklärte Nacht." The program also includes Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90, B. 166, by Antonín Dvořák and Six Bagatelles, Op. 9, by Anton Webern. Performers include Anna Göckel and Stephanie Zyzak, violin; Jordan Bak and Hsin-Yun...
Westminster considers 'Declaration of Inclusion' WESTMINISTER - As part of a statewide effort by the Governor and Chambers of Commerce to engage municipalities in celebrating diversity in Vermont and as a path to policies and planning to enrich all citizens., the following Declaration of Inclusion will be voted on at Westminster's Annual Town Meeting on March 2 Town Meeting: "The Town of Westminster welcomes all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
Drag Queens extraordinaire Anita Cocktail and Friends perform for the Queen of Hearts Drag Ball on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Moose Lodge, 59 Westminster St. They invite everyone to "dress to impress" as their favorite Alice in Wonderland character. There will be prizes awarded for best costumes, as well as the chance to win two tickets to Bianca Del Rio's Dead Inside Tour at the Paramount Theatre in Rutland on March 4. Andrews Inn founder John Moisis originated the...
The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) can help pay overdue water or sewer bills. Eligible households have until Friday, March 15, to apply. The LIHWAP program pays for overdue water and sewer bills, including back charges and fees associated with the outstanding balance. In addition, the program may be able to provide a one-time future payment. Payments are made directly to water or sewer providers. Eligible persons are customers of a public drinking water or wastewater utility in...
NXT Gallery at 15 Kimball Hill hosts an opening reception of "Aldila," an exhibition by painter Nancy Calicchio, on Sunday, Feb. 25, from 4 to 6 p.m. Inspired by the Italian expression "Al di La," meaning "the beyond" or "heaven," Calicchio says her paintings seek to express the vast expansiveness of the sky above Southern Vermont: "The landscapes of rolling hills and meadows are uniquely captured, creating an intimate yet expansive connection between the earthly and the celestial." In her...
Of late, we at The Commons have been receiving an unprecedented number of contributions to the Voices section, a volume that has outstripped the capacity of your editor to keep up. We are committing to adding pages to the section to meet the demand, starting with next week's issue, and we are also taking steps to increase our editorial capacity, at least temporarily. In the meantime, we appreciate our writers, and we are working diligently to get your contributions into...
The Windsor Yellowjackets came into the BUHS gym on Feb. 8 with a 12-3 record and ranked No. 2 in Vermont Division III girls' basketball. Windsor have averaged about 60 points per game and have more than held their own against upper division teams. However, never underestimate the power of a team that is on a hot streak and peaking at the right moment. The Brattleboro Bears recovered from their 36-29 loss to Bellows Falls on Jan. 25 with three...
Spoon Agave, a former member of the Selectboard and Development Review Board in Brattleboro, serves as a Representative Town Meeting member for District 8. Having known Kurt Daims and his organization Brattleboro Common Sense for many years, I have followed with interest the brouhaha he created when he bought, at his own expense, a couple of old RVs and parked them in his driveway to shelter a few of the homeless population. I did see these vehicles and, though they...
Kathy Urffer is the Vermont river steward for Connecticut River Conservancy. As River Steward for Connecticut River Conservancy, I can't stop thinking about rivers. Since the 2011 Tropical Storm Irene, as an organization we have been racing to get projects done to protect communities before the next big flood. Projects like berm removals, which allow our rivers to access flood plains so they can slow down and dissipate the energy of floodwaters. Projects like the removal of deadbeat dams (those...
Conflict between the generations is a given. The February production by the Brattleboro Union High School Players of the musical Mamma Mia! explores, through the songs of the pop group ABBA, the relationship between a single mother and her daughter. The show was a hugely popular 1999 stage hit and an acclaimed 2008 movie. The daughter, Sophie, is about to be married at her mother's taverna on the fictional Greek island of Kalokairi. She really wants to have her father...
Erica Daniels and Tim Wells have almost completed renovations and upgrades on two historic buildings on Rockingham Street after a challenging and expensive - but ultimately rewarding - year. The Shona Grill building at 92 Rockingham St. is now Studio 92 Hair Salon and Fine Art. Daniels, formerly a successful hair salon owner in Boston, has now fully relocated to the new space. Wells, an artist, is finishing up his studio in the building's loft area. The art deco building...
All three open seats on the Selectboard will see races, and both current board members are facing challenges in the March 5 election. Running for the three-year seat being vacated by Selectboard Chair Ian Goodnow are Peter "Fish" Case, who is completing his first one-year term on the board, and challenger Oscar Heller, who ran for a seat unsuccessfully in 2020. Incumbent Vice Chair Franz Reichsman is vying with Richard Davis and Jaki Reis for two one-year seats on the...
The Artful Ice Shanties exhibit returns for the fourth year, presented by the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center and Retreat Farm. Nearly a dozen ice shanties - portable sheds that provide shelter for people who are ice fishing - will be set up at the Retreat Farm courtyard from Saturday, Feb. 17 to Sunday, Feb. 25. According to publicity materials, the competition was launched in 2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic drove people to engage in more outdoor activities. Artful Ice...
Fhar Miess is a resident of Brattleboro, chair of the Conservation Commission, a District 9 Representative Town Meeting member, and bookkeeper at Everyone's Books. He lived in Egypt from 2007 to 2009 and traveled by bicycle around Syria. What is the endgame in Gaza? What does "winning" look like for Israel? As articulated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, its goals are "straightforward: to bring home hostages and defeat Hamas." Let's consider how well Israel is accomplishing these war aims. First,
As someone who has regularly walked and cycled these gorgeous back roads of ours here in rural southern Vermont for over 30 years, I have to say that I've noticed that fresh air is fast becoming a scarce commodity to come by these days. The reason: the increased use of wood stoves for home heating and the increased popularity of fire pits and outdoor campfires during the warmer months. It just seems like so many people don't even see all...
Johanna Gardner is the proprietor of Trollhaugen Farm. Her dispatch from the farm recounting the ups and downs of lambing season appeared in these pages in 2022. Last night, I sat down to struggle through "turning the heel." This sounds like some form of torture, and indeed it is, but probably not what you imagine it to be. There is no prisoner getting his foot wrenched in directions it was not intended to go, forced to spill highly sought information...
In 1974, Brattleboro got a new muse; she may be long gone now, but her legend lives on in poetry and song. Especially in song. Her name was Mary Shiminski, and she became famous because of a fight she had with her boyfriend, Bert Salva. Yes, anyone who has lived in Brattleboro for any length of time knows about the hand-painted message on the railroad bridge over Route 9 leading to New Hampshire - the bridge that for many years...