Newfane Garden Club to meet
NEWFANE - The Newfane Garden Club will hold a meeting and presentation on pressing flowers on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 2 p.m., at the Newfane Congregational Church.
Following a brief business meeting, Ellie Roden, owner of Green Mountain Pressed Flowers, will demonstrate how to create gorgeous pressed-flower artwork using her unique style, and how to use the microwave oven technique to process roadside and woodland flowers.
Guests are always welcome. Hostesses for this event are Christine Gray and Jill Winner.
Toastmasters Speechathon Nov. 7 at Marlboro Grad Center
BRATTLEBORO - BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro-based chapter of Toastmasters International, meets Thursday, Nov. 7, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St.
This is a special occasion, and an extra meeting in the club's calendar. The group's first Speechathon of 2013-14 is designed to help club members knock out more speeches from their Competent Communicator and Advanced Communicator manuals.
Regular meetings are the second and fourth Thursday of the month. Guests are welcome, and refreshments are provided. There is no pressure to speak, and members are working at their own pace and with assigned mentors to help them meet their speaking and leadership goals.
For more information on BrattleMasters and Toastmasters International, visit brattleboro.toastmastersclubs.org.
Pizza and music served in W. Townshend
WEST TOWNSHEND - The West River Community Project kicks off its Friday Night Pizza and Concert series on Friday, Nov. 8, at 5:30 p.m. First concert: Hungrytown, a.k.a. Ken and Rebecca Hall of West Townshend. Music starts at 7 p.m.
Hungrytown delivers original songs with traditional instruments, a traditional sound, and beautiful vocals. Join them at the West Townshend Store and Café on Route 30 for great music and outdoor-oven-baked pizza.
Christ's Church presents annual Christmas Stocking Bazaar
SAXTONS RIVER - The 57th annual Christmas Stocking Bazaar will be held at Christ's Church in Saxtons River on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As always, there will be delicious baked goods and preserves in the Food Pantry. Attic treasures, vintage jewelry, and linens will be for sale, as will a variety of handmade creations: from knitted items (sweaters, hats, mittens, scarves), to fabric items (bags, pot holders, aprons) to Christmas ornaments.
Tickets for raffles of 150 gallons of fuel oil from Cota & Cota, and other surprise items, can be purchased at the Bazaar at $3 each or six for $15. A silent auction of selected items will also be held.
Santa's Land will offer arts and crafts fun for children. Purchase a gift of Time and Talent such as a meal prepared, two hours of handyman time, yard work, or computer assistance. Stop by the Tea Room for a snack or lunch accompanied by Christmas carols from Eric Robinson on piano.
Take a tree walk on Putney Mountain
PUTNEY - Arthur Westing leads a leisurely two-hour tree walk on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. He'll discuss means of identifying the trees hikers will encounter along the way, their characteristics and role in nature, and their uses, past and present.
Westing was trained as a botanist and forester and has taught dendrology and forest ecology.
To join the walk, sponsored by the Putney Mountain Association, meet at the PMA kiosk on Putney Mountain Road.
Osher lectures conclude
DUMMERSTON - The current series of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) lectures winds up on Monday, Nov. 11.
In the morning session, Amer Latif, professor of religious studies at Marlboro College, examines the female voice in the Sufi poetry of Pakistan. In the afternoon program, “American Politics through Film,” Michael Krasner, a member of the political science faculty at Queens College, SUNY, considers the localvore movement in two recent movies.
Morning lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon; afternoon lectures are 1 to 3 p.m. All lectures will be held at the Southeastern Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 Vermont Route 5, Dummerston. Parking and handicapped access are available, and light refreshments will be served at the lectures.
For more information, including concerning cancellations, call 802-257-8600 or toll-free 866-889-0042.
BF Woman's Club to meet
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Woman's Club will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the United Church on School Street.
The executive board will host a noon luncheon. Each officer and director is providing a box of themed items to be sold through a silent auction. The program is provided by Rockingham librarians. Members will sign up to attend the Kurn Hattin holiday luncheon and concert.
The club's fundraiser this fall is a raffle of a 36” x 36” hand-embroidered tablecloth and a $100 Irving gas card. Tickets, at $1 each or six for $5, may be purchased from club members. All fundraisers support the club's community outreach and its scholarship program.
AAUW presents program on sustainable agriculture
BRATTLEBORO - “Today's Farmer: Working Toward Sustainability” is the topic of presentation and discussion by Lisa Holderness of Deer Ridge Farm at the Nov. 12 American Association of University Women (AAUW) meeting held at the Marlboro College Graduate Center on Vernon Street, beginning at 7 p.m.
Holderness will share images of life at Deer Ridge Farm, information she feels is essential to our understanding of cultural and climate change crossroads, educational and agricultural initiatives affecting our area, and opportunities for community action. You're invited to hear some ideas and share your own.
Grad School offers free workshop on conflicts
BRATTLEBORO - “Good Conflict, Bad Conflict: How to know the difference and tap the creative potential in constructive conflict” will be held at Marlboro College Graduate School on Tuesday, Nov. 12, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Constructive conflict strengthens personal and professional relationships and helps teams make better decisions. Destructive conflict damages relationships, de-motivates, and saps energy from more important things. Learn how to distinguish good conflict from bad conflict, how to help without getting in the way, and when to stay out of it.
Leading the workshop is Dr. Tammy Lenski of the New Hampshire-based conflict resolution firm Myriaccord LLC. Since founding the firm in 1997, she has worked with individuals and organizations worldwide as a master mediator, executive coach, speaker, and educator.
This event is part of the grad school's Tuesday lunchtime MIX (Management Ideas Exchange) workshop series. MIX is a free monthly networking opportunity sponsored by the nonprofit, business, and health care management programs at Marlboro College Graduate School.
The workshop is free, but register at gradschool.marlboro.edu.
BF winter farmers' markets begin Nov. 15
BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Farmers' Market holds its first monthly winter market of the season on Friday, Nov. 15. The market will be held indoors at the Train Station, just across the street from their regular location, from 4 to 7 p.m.
The market will host a diversity of vendors and products, and visitors will enjoy a wide variety of vegetables, breads, cheeses, canned goods, meats, prepared foods, crafts, and more.
The market runs from November through March the third Friday of each month. Future winter markets will be held Dec. 20; Jan. 17, 2014; Feb. 21; and March 21. For more information, and to become a vendor, contact market manager Rachel Ware at [email protected] or 802-463-2018.