Town seeks to fill vacancies
BRATTLEBORO - The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards: Agricultural Advisory Board, ADA Advisory Committee, Arts Committee, Brattleboro Housing Authority, Citizens Police Communications Committee, Conservation Commission, Development Review Board, Development Review Board Alternate, Energy Committee, Energy Coordinator, Honor Roll Committee, Planning Commission, Recreation & Parks Board, Senior Solutions Board, SEVCA Board, Traffic Safety Committee, and Tree Advisory Committee.
Also needed are Fence Viewers (by statute, must be legal voters of the town), an Inspector of Lumber, Shingles & Wood, a Weigher of Coal, and a Rescue Inc. Trustee.
Applications and more information about various committees and boards can be found on the Brattleboro website, www.brattleboro.org, or by calling the Town Manager's office at 802-251-8151.
If you are interested in serving on a Brattleboro committee or board, submit your application online, or send an email to the Town Manager's office - [email protected] - or mail or deliver the application to: Brattleboro Town Manager's Office, Attn: Committee Vacancy, 230 Main St., Suite 208, Brattleboro, VT 05301.
The Selectboard will make appointments at its meetings on June 16 and July 7. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on the Thursday preceding each meeting.
RFPL Board needs new trustee
BELLOWS FALLS - There is currently a vacancy on the Rockingham Free Public Library Board of Trustees.
A new Trustee will be appointed by the Rockingham Selectboard after receiving a nomination from the current Trustees. The appointment will be until the next Annual Town Meeting in March 2016, when a permanent trustee will be elected for a three-year term.
The board consists of nine members who oversee library policies and operations. Regular meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:15 p.m., with additional committee meetings as needed.
Anyone who would like to apply is asked to send a letter of interest by June 19 to: Library Director Celina Houlne, Rockingham Free Public Library, 65 Westminster St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101. For more information call the library at 802-463-4270.
Friends of Brooks Library plan book sale
BRATTLEBORO - The Friends of the Library's June Book Sale will be held in Brattleboro at Brooks Memorial Library on Thursday, June 4, from 1 to 6 p.m., Friday, June 5, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Because of the anticipated high volume of book, CD and DVD sales this year, an extra day, Thursday, June 4, has been added to this event.
A collection of hardback, paperback, and coffee table books will be on sale, as well as a large collection of audio books and music CDs, plus lots of DVD movies. There will be lots of fiction on sale; nonfiction titles will include gardening, travel, sports, science, music and art, biography, history, how-to, and cook books.
Community members have donated all books that are in the sale. Books are screened for good quality and have been sorted into subject areas and shelved by library volunteers.
The Friends of the Library host book sales three times a year. The proceeds of each sale go to the library for the purchase of new books, technology updates, Children's Room materials, free museum passes, and digital online resources.
Summer nature programming begins in BF
BELLOWS FALLS - Learn about the amazing nocturnal world of bats with expert scientists at the summer opening of the TransCanada Bellows Falls Visitor Center, next to the post office building on Bridge Street, on Saturday, June 6, at 11 a.m.
This program, sponsored by The Nature Museum at Grafton in partnership with TransCanada Corporation, looks at the bats of Vermont and New Hampshire and is led by two special guests: Laura Deming and Cynthia Nichols of New Hampshire Audubon. They will teach about bats in our area, and how to help scientists understand and protect these creatures.
Guests will be invited to help local scientists by locating and counting bats at potential maternity colonies and conducting acoustic studies.
The TransCanada Bellows Falls Visitor Center will be open through Labor Day weekend on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission and programs are always free. Rachel Brown, an experienced naturalist educator, will lead hands-on environmental programs most weekends. Programs begin at 11 a.m., and a schedule can be found at www.nature-museum.org.
Pinnacle Association presents June cellar hole walk
WESTMINSTER - On Saturday June 6, at 10 a.m., Tony Coven will lead a walk to some intriguing ruins off Old Holden Road in Westminster. Cellar holes are excavated pits that retain the foundation stones of their previous structures. A favorite key to the cultural history of an area, they also reveal a lot about the people who made them and used them in their daily lives.
A good explanation of them and other cultural and historic resources may be found online at windmillhillpinnacle.org/images/events/2015/stonewall_cellarholes.pdf. This 49-page booklet by Robert Sanford and Don and Nina Huffer is called Stonewalls & Cellarholes: A Guide for Landowners on Historic Features and Landscapes in Vermont's Forests and is published by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation.
Participants at this free Pinnacle Association program are encouraged to wear waterproof shoes and bring along a camera and water. They should meet at Westminster West Church to carpool to the start and contact Tony Coven at 802-387-6650 to register.
For more information about other Pinnacle Association programs and directions to the Westminster West Church, visit www.windmillhillpinnacle.org.
Dummerston Historical Society sponsors walk-about
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Historical Society will be sponsoring a walk-about, led by Carol Bessette, on Sunday, June 7, to the Guilford Historical Society to view and learn about the Dummerston cannon, which was abandoned in Guilford in 1784.
Ebenezer Haven and Isaac Miller had charge of the local ordinance department and with 22 men under the command of Lieut. Daniel Gates, marched to Guilford to help drive the “Yorkers” out of that town. In 1865, this cannon mysteriously disappeared until 1920. Come to the walkabout to discover the rest of the story.
Interested persons should meet at 1:45 p.m. at the Dummerston Town parking lot for car pooling to Guilford. For more information, contact Bessette at 802-254-2409 or 802-579-4311.
Manitou hosts 'Mirroring the Sacred'
WILLIAMSVILLE - “Mirroring the Sacred,” a day of art, contemplative practice and community connection on the healing land of Manitou, will be held Sunday, June 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost will be on a sliding scale, $15 to $25.
Participants will gather “to experience nature with one's whole self, using the powerful tools of Joanna Macy's Work That Reconnects, holistic Goethan science, nature drawing, and contemplative writing,” according to a press release.
“These practices are founded on the belief that when we look deeply into the natural world, we find a sacred mirror of our own inner being. This was one of the core beliefs of Manitou founder Pam Mayer, making her vision of “place-making” an inspiration for the day,” the press release noted.
The Manitou Project is located at 300 Sunset Lake Rd in Williamsville. The workshop is led by Fred Taylor and Emily Ryan. For more information or to register, contact Taylor at 802-387-2681 or [email protected].
Learn about land use and forest stewardship
GUILFORD - Guilford's Planning and Conservation commissions will host a session about Vermont's Forestry and Natural Resource Atlases on Wednesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. at the Guilford Town Offices with Jeff Nugent of the Windham Regional Commission.
Landowners who would like to learn more about how their property fits into large scale patterns of natural resources, land use, and forest stewardship are especially encouraged to attend.
While paper maps aren't disappearing, online mapping sites such as these created by Vermont's Agency of Natural Resources play a big role in how map-based data are now being made available to the public. Knowing the basics of how these mapping sites work will help citizens better access this information in the future.
Salsa-cise class offered at Grace Cottage
TOWNSHEND – A new session of the Latin Dance Salsa-cise class with instructor Judy Rivera Harrigan starts June 9. Classes are held Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., in the Grace Cottage Hospital Community Wellness Center, located at 133 Grafton Road in Townshend.
The fee is $60 for four weeks, or $10 per class to drop in. No experience is necessary; everyone is welcome.
Call 802-365-3649 to sign up; class size is limited to 20.
SeVEDS Young Professionals presents 'Gardening for Renters'
PUTNEY - Southern Vermont Young Professionals is hosting an event Thursday, June 11, at The Gleanery in Putney from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The event is the June offering from a series of programming designed to promote professional development, community engagement, and economic prosperity throughout Southern Vermont.
Many people want to grow some of their own food, but some young people don't have the time or space. That's where Small Space Edible Gardening comes in. By using containers, raised beds, vertical gardening techniques, succession planting and specialized varieties, anyone can grow vegetables, fruits and herbs in a small space, even in an apartment.
Based on techniques described in his latest book, Foodscaping, Charlie Nardozzi from VPR and WCAX will offer ideas on how to grow more, in less space. He'll also be signing and selling his new book after the talk.
The event will also feature a short presentation from The Gleanery owners, as well as complimentary appetizers for all participants. All attendees are encouraged to consider staying after for dinner and community networking. The Gleanery is a B.Y.O.B establishment.