Three speeches, evaluations set for Thursday Toastmasters
BRATTLEBORO - BrattleMasters, the Brattleboro-based chapter of Toastmasters International, meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of Marlboro College Graduate Center, 28 Vernon St., Brattleboro.
The club's next meeting is Thursday, March 13, at the same time and location. Three speeches are planned, as is the ever-popular one- to two-minute “table topics” challenge. Guests are welcome, and refreshments are provided. There is no pressure to speak. Members are working at their own pace with assigned mentors - and backed by a dramatically effective educational program - to reach their speaking and leadership goals.
For more information, visit http://brattleboro.toastmastersclubs.org.
St. Patrick's Day dinner at St. Mike's
BRATTLEBORO - St. Michael's Catholic Church will hold its annual St. Patrick's Day corned beef and cabbage dinner on Saturday, March 15, at St. Michael's School, 48 Walnut St.
Dinner will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. The Santacroce Family of Keene, N.H., will provide musical entertainment. Tickets, available at the door, are $9 for adults, $4 for children and $30 for families.
Pet vaccination clinic offered in Wilmington
WILMINGTON - The Wilmington Fire Department will sponsor a pet vaccination clinic at the firehouse in Wilmington on Saturday, March 15, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dr. Miles A. Powers of East Dover will vaccinate cats and dogs.
This clinic is open to all area animals. Fees are $10 for rabies and $15 for a distemper-complex vaccine for either a dog or cat, or $20 for both vaccinations. Dogs should on a leash; cats should be in a carrier.
For more information, call 802-348-7918.
Brattleboro AARP chapter meets March 18
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro AARP Chapter 763 meets at the Brattleboro Senior Center on Tuesday, March 18, at 1:30 p.m.
Patti Smith of the Bonnyvale Environmental Center will talk about BEEC's Environmental Summer Camp program and the fascinating tale of her raising seven abandoned baby opossums. Smith writes a monthly column, “The View From Heifer Hill,” for the Brattleboro Reformer.
Other activities of the center are ongoing. Guests are welcome.
WVEW hosts fund-raiser at Backside Café
BRATTLEBORO - WVEW 107.7 FM invites the community to the Backside Café on Friday, March 21, from 6 to 9 p.m. to support Brattleboro community radio.
Meet your favorite DJs from WVEW and enjoy the night. Attendance is free, and Backside Café will make its bar and an abridged bar food menu available for attendees. A portion of drink sale proceeds will go toward the radio station.
For more information, and to donate, visit wvew.org or tune in to 107.7 FM.
Write Action to hold monthly open reading
BRATTLEBORO - Write Action will hold its monthly open reading at the Bluedot on Friday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m.
Read your own work - poetry or prose - or just turn out to support local writers. Each reader has an eight-minute time limit. Donations to Write Action are gladly accepted. Refreshments will be served. This event is held every third Friday of the month.
The Bluedot is at the Hooker Dunham Building, 139 Main St., Room 607, above the Catherine Dianich Gallery.
One Direction fan party at RFPL
BELLOWS FALLS - Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Harry Styles.
To most adults these are just five random names. But to many teenage girls, they are the mighty five-piece music entity One Direction.
And the “What Makes You Beautiful” crooners have not gone unnoticed by the Teen Advisory Council at the Rockingham Free Public Library, which is throwing a One Direction fan party at the library on Saturday, March 22, beginning at 5 p.m.
Aimed at teens and tweens, the “1D Party at RFPL!” features an array of activities meant to unite 1D fanatics throughout the community, including a trivia contest, dance party, and DIY 1D jewelry.
At 6 p.m. the library is screening the Morgan Spurlock-directed 1D documentary, “This is Us."
The “1D Party at RFPL!” is free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 802-463-4270, write [email protected], or visit rockinghamlibrary.org.
Free parenting workshop in Bellows Falls starts March 22
BELLOWS FALLS - Greater Falls Connections (GFC) once again offers its “Guiding Good Choices” parenting workshop. Classes run Saturdays from noon to 2 p.m. for five weeks starting March 22.
This dynamic, fun workshop, led by GFC's parent outreach coordinator, provides support and boosts skills for parents and caregivers of kids 8-13. In focus: setting boundaries, monitoring, communication, and managing conflict.
Childcare and light refreshments provided. Free admission. Workshop is at Parks Place Community Resource Center, 44 School St. To register, contact Deb Witkus at 802-463-9927, ext. 212, or [email protected].
Bereavement Volunteer Training begins April 9
BRATTLEBORO - Spring 2014 Brattleboro Area Hospice Bereavement Volunteer Training is held Wednesdays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., April 9 to May 2, at the hospice office, 191 Canal St.
Bereavement volunteers provide one-on-one emotional support to individuals from our community who are grieving the death loss of a loved one. The ability to be a good listener, the capacity for empathy, the strength to simply be with someone in emotional pain, and the availability to give one hour a week volunteering are the prerequisites for participating in this training.
A pre-training application and interview are required, and must be scheduled by March 27. Contact Connie Baxter, bereavement care coordinator, at 802-257-0775, ext. 104.
Food Security Collaborative offers two community gardens in Bellows Falls
BELLOWS FALLS - The Food Security Collaborative is sponsoring two community gardens in Bellows Falls this growing season for local residents.
The first is the continuation of Atkinson Street Neighborhood Garden, that was begun last year. This is located behind the Meeting Waters YMCA, and consists of 12 raised bed gardens. The second garden is a new one located on the property of Emmanuel Episcopal (Stone) Church.
Groups of interested gardeners have already had initial meetings. However, there is both time and room for anyone who is so inclined to become involved. If you would like to participate, contact Project Manager,Kari Gypson at 802-869-8494.
Indoor BF Farmers' Market wraps up season on March 21
BELLOWS FALLS - On Friday, March 21, the Bellows Falls Farmers' Market will hold its final winter market of the season. 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 continues to host a diversity of vendors and products. As always, the market will offer a variety of vegetables, fresh salad greens, canned goods and preserves, cheese, meat, pies, soaps, herbal products, breads, and prepared foods. The market accepts both EBT and debit cards.
The outdoor market will begin again in May. For additional information, contact them at [email protected].
Timson Hill Preschool hosts open house
WILLIAMSVILLE - Timson Hill Preschool will host an open house and family fun night on Monday, March 24, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Parents and teachers will be on hand to speak with prospective families about what they feel makes Timson Hill a distinctive preschool experience. Join them for a light dinner and snacks, fun games, and art activities. There will be a special performance by Kathy Reid-Naiman from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.
Timson Hill, a family cooperative, is a small, private, nonprofit, fully licensed, NAEYC accredited preschool. The school is located in an historic one-room schoolhouse overlooking the village of Williamsville. The light-filled schoolroom and scenic grounds including trails, fields and even a frog pond, provide a cheerful setting for learning through cooperative and independent play and exploration.
The preschool is currently accepting new enrollment for the fall term. Children ages 3-5 years old are welcome to enroll for 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-day morning programs and also for the afternoon programs. Tuition discounts are available for residents in Williamsville, Newfane, South Newfane, Brookline, Marlboro, Dummerston, and Brattleboro.