Meeting to discuss village designation status
SAXTONS RIVER - Village residents, business owners, real estate professionals, and property owners are invited to a meeting about the benefits of Village Center designation Friday, Aug. 18, at 1 p.m., at the Saxtons River Inn.
Saxtons River's previous Village Center designation has lapsed and is due for renewal this fall. The program's purpose is to revitalize and help maintain small- to medium-sized historic centers with existing civic and commercial buildings. It supports the historic center and targets training and financial incentives, including tax credits, to bring additional public and private investment to spark village revitalization.
Richard Amore, planning and project manager with the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development, will be on hand to explain the designation and answer questions.
At 10 a.m., Amore will take a walking tour of the village center with village officials to assess the proposed boundaries of the area to be designated the village center.
Further information about the program can be found at accd.vermont.gov/community-development/designation-programs/village-centers.
Meditative 'Vigil of Lovingkindness' at Wells Fountain
BRATTLEBORO - Under a banner that reads “May All Beings Be Free of Pain and Suffering, May All Beings Know Peace and Happiness,” Post Oil Solutions is organizing a series of silent vigils to encourage progress toward what it calls “the loving, compassionate society we are seeking.”
This Vigil of Lovingkindness will be held on Friday, Aug. 18, from 5 to 6 p.m., at Wells Fountain, at the corner of Linden Street and Putney Road.
“Although silent, the vigil is intended to remind everyone that, as important as it is to resist the pain and suffering that human beings inflict on one another, it is equally important to create a caring alternative at the same time,” organizers explain.
One may participate for as long as one chooses. Bring a chair, cushion, mat, or whatever you are comfortable with.
For further information, contact [email protected] or call 802-869-2141.
Townshend Food Shelf plans 'fill the truck' food drive
TOWNSHEND - The Townshend Food Shelf will have a “fill the truck” food drive at Riverbend Market on Route 30 on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organizers are looking for non-perishable food items, as well as school supplies.
Cash donations are always welcome. Send your tax-deductible contribution to TCFS, P.O. Box 542, Townshend, VT 05353.
Windham County History Fair returns to Newfane Common
NEWFANE - Step back in time at the sixth biennial Windham County History Fair on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Held on the Historic Newfane Common on Route 30, the fair is a festival of vintage exhibits, demonstrations, and historic tours featuring Windham County's rich heritage.
Special exhibits by the Vermont Archaeology Society, the Vermont Historical Society, and many of Windham County's town-based Historical Societies will feature pre-European and 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-century life in Windham County.
Visitors can learn how to research family roots at the genealogy presentation. Professional appraisals are available for antiques and for bookbinding and restoration presentations for old books.
The story of the Salmon Hole Massacre, told by re-enactor Rob Rowell, will include musket-firing demonstrations. Colonial cooking demonstrations as well as carding and spinning, quilting, woodworking, and dowsing demonstrations will take place throughout the day.
Dave Allen will present Old Maps of Vermont and have copies available for purchase. John Wesley, retired presiding superior court judge in Windham County, will take visitors on a tour of the county courthouse. Tours of the county jail, the historic Village of Newfane, and a tour of the old Newfane Cemetery on Cemetery Hill are also scheduled.
The day will also include antique cars, including the vintage Vermont State Police cruiser “Old Monty,” antique tractors, and fire engines.
Crafters will be on hand, and the free event will also feature a bargain table, raffles, and food by NewBrook Fire Department Auxiliary.
For more information, visit www.historicalsocietyofwindhamcounty.org.
Eclipse viewing party at Putney Library
PUTNEY - The Great American Eclipse will cause a dramatic 65 percent coverage of the sun in Vermont. Come to Putney Public Library, 55 Main St. to safely view the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m.
While the eclipse will not totalize until about 2:40 p.m., come early to grab a pair of free eclipse-viewing glasses and hear an explanation of the event before the moon, sun, and Earth begin to align.
Local astronomy enthusiast Carl Noe will use his solar-lens-equipped telescope to project the eclipse onto a screen for those not wishing to use viewing glasses.
'Exploring Our Collections' exhibit open in Dummerston
DUMMERSTON - Dummerston Historical Society's current exhibit, “Exploring Our Collections,” featuring artifacts from the collections that have not been on display in recent years, will be open on Wednesday, Aug. 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
A special wall is dedicated to the bicentennial quilts created in 1976 with names and photos of the quilters and one of the quilts on display. A tribute to the Green Mountain Camp as it celebrates its 100th anniversary this year is reflected in the Homemakers' Camp from the 1940-1961 album.
Visitors can see numerous pieces of equipment used in early farming days, as well as a grandfather clock, Edison cylinder player, and numerous photos and albums of town events, people, genealogies, neighborhoods, and history.
All are invited, especially those attending the senior lunch at the Grange.
Admission is free. For information, call 802-257-9358.
'We the People 2.0: The Second American Revolution' screens at library
BRATTLEBORO - The Climate Change Café will screen the film We the People 2.0: The Second American Revolution on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 6 p.m., at Brooks Memorial Library on Main Street.
The film's creators describe it as “a visual essay about the loss of democracy in the United States” and tell the story about how people are taking it back.
Grounded in the understanding that the current system of law makes sustainability illegal, this film describes “a profound change in thinking at the grassroots level” where people are creating a movement, not just in this country, but around the world.
The event is free, and light refreshments will be available.
This film serves as a prelude to the Community Rights Awareness workshop, presented by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund that Post Oil Solutions is co-sponsoring with Rights & Democracy on Sunday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Brattleboro Food Co-op.
The Climate Change Café, a project of Post Oil Solutions, convenes the fourth Tuesday of most months.
For further information, contact Tim Stevenson at [email protected] or 802-869-2141.
Moore Library hosts live wildlife program
NEWFANE - Vermont Wildlife, a program by the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, will be presented at the Moore Free Library on West Street on Thursday, Aug. 24, from 7 to 8 p.m.
A variety of live animals will be on hand to put a face to the challenges Northeastern wildlife must rise to meet.
Museum staff will also bring furs, skulls, and other artifacts for an exploration of local fauna.
This program is paid for by the Friends of the Moore Free Library and is free to the public.
Exhibitors sought for Bondville Fair
BONDVILLE - This summer will mark the 220th year of the Bondville Fair, described as the oldest continuous fair in the country.
The Ailene Capen Floral Hall will once again be the place where local garden produce, cooking specialties, artistic endeavors, and original works are judged and on display.
Contest categories include: vegetables, fruits, eggs, cut flowers, plants, hay, preserves and pickles, baked goods, bread, needlecraft, clothing, and a new category, photography.
Entries for arts and crafts must have been created within the past two years and must not have been awarded a cash prize at the fair.
Entries are accepted Thursday, Aug. 24, from 4 to 7 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 25, from 8 to 10 a.m.
For most categories, three items per adult are allowed.
Unlimited entries for vegetables and fruit are permitted for adults, and all items in all categories for children.
Judging will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Aug. 25.
Ribbons and cash prizes are awarded for first ($4), second ($3), and third ($2) place in each category, with rosettes awarded for outstanding displays.
Entries from children younger than 16 are judged separately in the vegetable and arts and crafts categories.
The hall is open for viewing from noon on Aug. 25 and opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26 and 27. Entries must be picked up on Sunday by 3 p.m.
For more information about entry guidelines and directions, contact Emmett Dunbar at 802-824-4658 or [email protected], or visit the Bondville Fair website at www.bondvillefair.org.
Volunteer meal drivers needed in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - Brattleboro Senior Meals needs volunteers to deliver meals to the homes of senior and disabled residents who are unable to prepare their own food.
Deliveries are divided into routes arranged geographically and usually have no more than 14 stops. Most volunteers commit to one or two routes a week. Others offer to substitute for regular drivers when it is convenient for them.
Routes are available Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, starting the first week of September. Each daily route requires a vehicle and takes approximately one hour, starting at 10:45 a.m.
A background check is required.
For more information, contact Chris McAvoy of Brattleboro Senior Meals at [email protected] or 802-257-1236.