Leaf collection schedule announced
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro's curbside Spring Leaf Collection will take place on Friday, April 21, and Friday, May 5.
All leaves and clippings must be in brown paper leaf bags and at the curb by 7 a.m. on scheduled leaf collection days. Acceptable waste includes leaves, grass, clippings, garden waste, twigs, and branches no larger than 1 inch in diameter and 2 feet long. No other household trash is to be included.
No plastic bags or other containers will be accepted, as the materials collected will be used for compost. Brown paper leaf bags are available for purchase at local businesses. These will be the only days scheduled for curbside leaf pick up. There will be no Saturday pickup.
Town EMS personnel to run training drill at Oak Grove School
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Emergency Services, along with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and other partners, are conducting a training exercise at Oak Grove School on Thursday, April 20. Set up will begin at 8 a.m., and the area will be clear by approximately noon.
Moreland and Parkside avenues will be closed to all but local traffic from Clark Avenue to Home Street. All are asked to exercise caution, as emergency vehicles and personnel will be in the area near the school.
Contact Brattleboro Fire Chief Mike Bucossi at 802-254-4831 with any questions or concerns.
Brattleboro winter parking ban lifted
BRATTLEBORO - The Brattleboro Parking Department says the winter parking ban has ended for the season. Overnight parking will be allowed on all streets, except in the downtown area.
Overnight parking is never allowed on the following streets: Main, High, Elliot (from School to Main streets), Flat, Canal (from the Plaza to #63), Church, Elm, Grove, and Harris Place.
For further information, contact Parking Enforcement Coordinator Carol Coulombe at the Parking Office at 802-257-2305, ext. 178.
BF talk looks at the early days of cycling in Vermont
BELLOWS FALLS - The Rockingham Historical Commission will host the fourth event of our Spring 2017 Historic Speakers Series on Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m., at the Windham Antique Center in the Square.
In his lecture, “Of Wheelmen, The New Woman, and Good Roads: Bicycling in Vermont, 1880-1920,” University of Vermont professor Luis Vivanco explores the fascinating early history of the bicycle in Vermont, a new invention that generated widespread curiosity when it arrived here in the 1880s.
During the 1890s, enthusiasm exploded statewide as bicycles became safer, women took to the wheel, roads improved, and retailers developed novel advertising techniques to draw in buyers.
By 1920, popular interest in bicycles had waned, but it hadn't just been a fad: The bicycle was tied to important changes in industrial production, consumerism, new road policies and regulations, gender relations, and new cultural ideas about auto-mobility and effortless speed.
This is a Vermont Humanities Council event and is free and open to the public. It is also sponsored by the Bellows Falls Community Bike Project.
Thrift Shop bag sale in West Townshend
WEST TOWNSHEND - On Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Thrift Shop at the West Townshend Country Store will hold a special end-of-winter sale.
Customers can fill up bags with items of their choice for $5 per bag. Items include clothing and shoes for men, women, and children, as well as household items and baby equipment.
All proceeds from Thrift Shop sales benefit the nonprofit West River Community Project. The Thrift Shop is located on the second floor of the West Townshend Country Store at the intersection of Route 30 and Windham Hill Road.
Earth Day celebrated with vernal pool walk
WESTMINSTER WEST - On Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, Becky Chalmers, Wetland Ecologist for the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, will lead a family-oriented walking program from 10 a.m. to noon to examine some vernal pools and the fascinating creatures that depend upon them for survival and reproduction. She will discuss the animals found in vernal pools and Vermont's rules to protect those special places and their inhabitants.
All ages are welcome, and all should wear waterproof boots. Meet at Westminster West Church at 44 Church St. in Westminster to carpool to the mystery site. No bug repellent is allowed on the hands of those wishing to handle any creatures found. Register at 802-869-1166 or at [email protected].
For other upcoming programs offered by the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, visit www.windmillhillpinnacle.org. Look under Resources for directions to the church.
Film shows how 1938 hurricane changed region
WALPOLE, N.H. - From Hurricane to Climate Change will be shown on Saturday, April 22, at 7 p.m., at the Walpole Town Hall. This showing will be free and all are welcome to attend.
The film documents how the Monadnock region currently addresses our changing climate and its challenges. It highlights regional responses that will be helpful in the years to come. Experts, local residents, and author and environmentalist Bill McKibben all weigh in on what we can do to best support the environment.
Important from both an environmental and historical perspective, the film includes scenes from the Great New England Hurricane of 1938. That hurricane was the most dramatic meteorological event in recent memory in the region. In its aftermath, towns came together to rebuild streets and construct the McDowell Dam as well as other projects.
Local citizens recently organized the Fall Mountain Alliance to protect the region's natural environment and resources. For more information, contact Diane Nichols at [email protected].
Spring Osher lectures continue
DUMMERSTON - The Brattleboro Chapter of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute continues its spring series of morning and afternoon lectures on Monday, April 24.
In the morning lecture, William Edelglass, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Environmental Studies at Marlboro College, will examine the concept of race today. In the afternoon series, “Solving Conflicts,” Bruce Dayton, professor at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, will consider conflict and peace.
The Osher Lectures are held on six successive Mondays. Morning lectures run from 10 a.m. to noon; afternoon lectures, from 1 to 3 p.m. All lectures are held at the Vermont Learning Collaborative, 471 US Route 5, Dummerston. Parking and handicapped access are available, and light refreshments are served at the lectures. For further information, contact Julie Lavorgna at 802-365-7278 or [email protected].
Emergency preparedness specialist to speak at Inclusion Center
BRATTLEBORO - Pamela Corbett, Emergency Preparedness Specialist at the Vermont Department of Health, will be the guest speaker at The Inclusion Center on Monday, April 24, at 2 p.m., at the Gathering Place, 30 Terrace St.
Corbett will discuss emergency preparedness for people with disabilities and address any health concerns participants may have. In her position at the Department of Health she deals with potential epidemics, floods, and other major disasters.
The Inclusion Center is a no-fee program for all people who have disabilities, whether mental or physical, as well as those dealing with anxiety or depression. It meets on Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Gathering Place and on Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at St. Michael's Episcopal Church. For more information, contact Julie Tamler at 802-387-5285.
Saxtons River Cares to meet April 26
SAXTONS RIVER - Saxtons River Cares is looking to expand its current programs and services offered to residents. An informal meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 26, from 6-7 p.m., in the Fellowship Room of Christ Church on Main Street.
Currently, Saxtons River Cares offers a senior lunch on the third Friday of the month at noon. There also is a regularly scheduled foot clinic at 2 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. All interested volunteers are welcome to attend. For more information, call Donna Anderson at 802-869-3582.
Book Sale in Guilford April 29
GUILFORD -The Guilford Community Church, UCC, will hold its annual Book Sale on Saturday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
An extensive selection of current books will be for sale. This fundraiser aids the church in supporting many human-service organizations, both locally and globally.
Guilford Community Church is located at 38 Church Drive. From Exit 1 on Interstate 91, take Route 5 south 1 mile (just past the Guilford Country Store), turn left onto Bee Barn Road, and bear left onto Church Drive. Contact Pat Haine at 802-257-0626 or at [email protected] for more information.
Hinsdale Historical Society to meet
HINSDALE, N.H. - On Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m, the Hinsdale Historical Society will hold its annual meeting at the Hinsdale House.
The speaker will be Tracy Messer, who will present a program on Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the U.S., and his close ties to the Monadnock region. Dues for 2017 are due at the meeting. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Sharron Smith at 603-256-6133.
Book donations needed for library sale
WEST DUMMERSTON - Lydia Taft Pratt Library in West Dummerston is accepting book donations for its upcoming Book Sale and Geranium Festival, to be held Saturday, May 20. Fiction and nonfiction, paperback and hardback, cookbooks, travel, history, and mystery books are welcome, as are LPs, CDs, and DVDs.
Contact Barbara Clark at 802-254-2514 to arrange for drop-off or pick-up of large amounts. Books may be dropped off at the library, or the collection of large amounts of books can be arranged. No textbooks or magazines, please.