Around the Towns

BFDDA annual meeting June 27

BELLOWS FALLS - The Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance invites everyone to attend their annual membership meeting on Thursday, June 27, at 5:30 p.m., at Windham Antiques on The Square.

At the meeting, the Alliance will discuss all they accomplished in the past year and present their Work Plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1. They will also elect board members and celebrate 20 years as a designated downtown.

For further information, call the BFDDA office at 802-460-2333.

Retreat Farm hosts summer meal kick-off

BRATTLEBORO - Windham Southeast Supervisory Union and the Hunger Council of the Windham Region present Brattleboro's summer meal kick-off event on Friday, June 28, at Retreat Farm on Route 30.

A complimentary lunch will be available to all kids and teens 18 and under, as well as accompanying adults, from noon to 12:45 p.m., with free, family-friendly activities offered by the farm until 4 p.m.

Activities will include a nature walk through the Children's Farm and Forest, pot decorating and seed planting, and meeting the farm animals. The menu will include hamburgers and veggie burgers, alongside fresh salad, watermelon, and ice-cold milk.

Last year, WSESU served more 10,000 free breakfasts and lunches to kids and teens across Brattleboro. This year, it will offer free meals through the summer months until Aug. 16.

These sites provide a safe and welcoming environment for children and teens to connect with friends and neighbors and enjoy a meal together, fueling up for summer fun. No need to call ahead or register - just stop by during the scheduled meal times.

For more information on the June 28 kick-off event or Brattleboro summer meals, contact Kira Sawyer-Hartigan at 802-254-3730.

Strawberry supper served in Dummerston

DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Congregational Church's 50th Annual Strawberry Supper will be held Saturday, June 29, with continuous seatings between 5 to 7 p.m., at the Evening Star Grange Hall, at 1008 East-West Road in Dummerston Center, across the street from the church.

Menu will include baked beans, sliced ham, potato salad, tuna macaroni salad, cole slaw, and various sweet breads, with all you can eat old-fashioned strawberry shortcake garnished with real whipped cream.

Ticket prices are $13 for adults $6 for children 6 to 12, and free for children 5 and under. No reservations are necessary. For more information, call James at 802-451-9591, the church office at 802-257-0544, or the Grange at 802-254-1138.

VTC plans auditions for fall comedy

BRATTLEBORO - Vermont Theatre Company announces auditions for its fall production of John van Druten's romantic comedy Bell, Book, and Candle.

Auditions will be held Saturday, June 29, from 1 to 3 p.m., and Tuesday, July 2, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Brattleboro Union High School auditorium (130 Fairground Rd.; enter through the front of the auditorium). Actors will be asked to read from the script.

Performance will take place the first two weekends in November and rehearsals will begin in September, with a possible read-through earlier. Rehearsals will be three nights per week, dates to be determined based on the availability of the actors.

The play concerns a modern witch who casts a spell to make her old enemy's fiancé fall in love with her. By the time the victim of her spell finds out what has happened, the witch has fallen in love with him.

The five roles include two romantic leads and three supporting characters. Age is somewhat flexible, but of the supporting characters, two (one male and one female) are older than the leads and one (written for a man but could be played by a woman) is younger. There is also a role for a cat, so if anyone has a cat that might be suitable, please contact the director.

If you have questions, or are interested but unable to make the scheduled audition dates, contact the director, Robert Wellington, at 603-357-4491 or [email protected].

Twilight on the Tavern Lawn presents Simba

PUTNEY - Twilight Music continues its 17th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series on Sunday, June 30, at 6 p.m., with funk and world-beat band Simba.

The concert will be held on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain. The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available. For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.

Rec. Dept. offers day camp for kids

BRATTLEBORO - The Recreation & Parks Department will offer a day camp program for children age 5 to 12 at Living Memorial Park this summer.

The camp runs Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and consists of arts and crafts, sports, games, archery, music, hiking, special events, swimming, and more.

The schedule: Week 1, July 1-5; Week 2, July 8-12; Week 3, July 15-19; Week 4, July 22-26; Week 5, July 29-Aug. 2; and Week 6, Aug 5-9.

The cost per week is $90 for residents and $105 for nonresidents; week 1 is $75 for residents and $90 for nonresidents. After-camp care is also available from 4 to 5 p.m. for an additional charge of $5 per day per child.

If special accommodations are needed, please request five days in advance. Visit www.brattleboro.org or the Rec. Dept. page on Facebook, call 802-254-5808, or stop by the office at 207 Main St.

Father-son art exhibit in BF

BELLOWS FALLS - During the month of July, the Flat Iron Exchange Café will host a joint art exhibit of two distinct approaches to faces, with an opening reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m., on Monday, July 1.

Face2Face presents the masks of theater artist Joseph Osheroff alongside pastel portraits by his father, Jonathan Otto. While they work in different media, both artists create intense and compelling faces.

The Café opens at 7 a.m. daily. For more information, email [email protected].

Library hosts preview of 'Chasing the Moon'

BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St., will host a preview of one segment of the new PBS series Chasing the Moon on Tuesday, July 2, at 7 p.m. in the Main Reading Room.

Chasing the Moon, a six-hour documentary series about the space race - from its beginnings to the first lunar landing in 1969 and beyond - will premiere July 8 on PBS. It will also be available for online streaming at pbs.org.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, the film by Robert Stone marks his eighth project for PBS's American Experience. The library will air the third segment, The Big Leap, which shows how crowds in 1969 endured blistering heat in anticipation of the most historic of launches. At the same time, civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy led a peaceful protest, criticizing the priorities of the federal government.

Public discussion will follow the screening. The event is free, open to the public, and accessible. For more information, call 802-254-5290 or visit brookslibraryvt.org.

Subscribe to the newsletter for weekly updates