Issue #522

Winter Farmers’ Market seeks vendors for 2019-20 season

Vendor applications are now being accepted for the 14th season of the Winter Farmers' Market. Interested vendors are encouraged to submit an application prior to the deadline on Friday, Sept. 6.

The Winter Market opens in the C. F. Church Building, 80 Flat St., on Saturday, Nov. 2 for its 2019–20 season.

The market will be open on 22 Saturdays through March 28, 2020. Weekly market hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

A wide array of products typically include locally grown and produced fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, and baked goods, as well as handcrafted items such as clothing, jewelry, pottery, and soaps. Vendors also offer food for lunch.

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Hot Dog Cook-Off to benefit food shelf, youth sports

On Sunday, Aug. 11, the Stone Hearth Inn will host its eighth annual Hot Dog Cook-Off. Proceeds from this family-friendly charitable event will benefit the Chester-Andover Family Center and Chester-Andover youth athletics. The event takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. at the inn and will feature music, prizes,

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NECCA’s Performance Boot Camp presents a circus show

The New England Center for Circus Arts will present an end-of-program showing by participants in their Performance Boot Camp at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, at the NECCA Trapezium at 10 Town Crier Drive. NECCA hosts hundreds of students each year from around the world. Performance Boot Camp...

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Around the Towns

Free yoga for kids at Putney Library PUTNEY - Children ages 5-10 are invited to join Melissa Dawson for a free, three-week session of Childlight Yoga on Thursdays, Aug. 8, 15, and 22, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St. Drop in to any of the three classes or come for the whole session. Yoga class will run from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., with an optional 10- to 15-minute evaluation for parents to complete...

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‘Words on the Water’ features stories of the Abenaki

Since construction of the Vernon Dam flooded the Retreat Meadows 110 years ago, Abenaki petroglyphs - ancient images carved in stone - have rested submerged, unseen evidence of the significant Native presence all around us. A special installment of the monthly Brattleboro Words Project's free Roundtable Discussion series will be held on the waters of the West River/Connecticut River confluence to explore this presence and celebrate ongoing Vermont Land Trust conservation efforts adjacent to the site at The Marina Restaurant...

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Milestones

College news • Phoebe Wolfman of Brattleboro graduated with a B.S. in management in May as part of the Class of 2019 at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. • The following area students recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island: Sanderson G. Kemp of East Dover received a B.S. in marine biology and Owen J. Schneider of Wilmington received a B.S. in electrical engineering. • Evelyn Williams of Brattleboro was named to the Dean's List for the spring...

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Lyrical doorways

The writing in Toni Ortner's Daybook I is lyrical but rooted in present-tense observations deeply felt. It consists of spiritual musings, political messages, musing about life. The writing is unselfconscious, but finely hewn. Many of the passages, though written in paragraph form, read as satisfyingly evocative poetry: The hot cup of coffee you brought to my bed/how you said the dead are always with us/if we listen to the voices in our heads/how in spite of the depth of the...

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Kathan Family reunion to be held in Putney

The descendants of Captain John Kathan (1707-1787) will descend on Putney on the weekend of Aug. 9–11. The reunion will take place at the Putney Inn on the original farmstead and trading post established by Captain Kathan in 1752. John Kathan, who fought in the French and Indian War at the Battle of Lake George in 1755, was a Scotch-Irish settler who came to Boston with his family in about 1729. He settled in Worcester, Mass., with a number of...

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Joining a traditional college with an alternative one can yield fruitful educational results

In a July 31 news article [“University of Bridgeport primed to absorb Marlboro College's campus, programs”] and a Viewpoint [“Eulogy for the college on the hill”], many people associated with Marlboro College view its merger with the University of Bridgeport with considerable trepidation, fearing that the essence of Marlboro will be lost, and eventually disappear, in a much larger entity. This does not have to be so. I once taught in a similar setting, an alternative college that was a...

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Becky Tracy, Keith Murphy to perform as part of BMC/Retreat Farm summer concert series

The Brattleboro Music Center and Retreat Farm “Music Under the Stars” concert series features Becky Tracy and Keith Murphy on Saturday, Aug. 17. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. with the free concert starting at 7:30 p.m. at Retreat Farm, located at 45 Farmhouse Square (next to Grafton Village Cheese). Tracy and Murphy are dynamic performers of traditional music from Newfoundland, Quebec, Ireland, France, and beyond. According to a news release, “Tracy's fiddling pulses through tasteful arrangements of dance tunes and...

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Larry Allen Brown brings his Acoustic Earth Orchestra to Stone Church

Local guitarist Larry Allen Brown and The Acoustic Earth Orchestra will appear in concert at the Stone Church, 210 Main St., on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. The Acoustic Earth Orchestra, created by Brown, features Bill Martin on acoustic bass, Matthew Thornton on cello, Mark Baker on violin, and Ted Mortimer on guitar. Brown's mesmerizing guitar and earthy vocals perfectly capture the original material in the group's repertoire, featuring all the songs from Brown's latest CD, Covered Bridges. Born...

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Trolling in New Hampshire

Sometimes, InTeRnEt TrOlLs WrItE LiKe ThIs. While most people find this practice to be highly annoying and a little bit creepy, it does draw attention, and that's interesting. In fact, the online world contains many things that are at once annoying, creepy, and interesting. Although these would be less than ideal characteristics in, say, a spouse or a pet, it's a great combination if you're looking for something to analyze. That's why I collect information and stories that emerge from...

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Music Together classes now offered at NEYT

A music and movement program for young children from birth to age 6, Music Together for Monadnock Families, has expanded to Brattleboro. Classes will start this fall at the New England Youth Theatre. They will be held on Thursdays at 9:30 a.m., and the 10-week fall session will start on Sept. 12. Music Together classes are 45-minutes and include singing, movement, and instrument-playing activities for children and adults together in a relaxed, playful atmosphere. Every family takes home a CD...

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Gun problem will not be solved by individual states

I often worry about a shooting occurring in my neighborhood or place of work and hope it never happens. But it finally happened on Sunday afternoon - not in my neighborhood, but in my former neighborhood. I lived and worked in Gilroy, Calif., for the better part of 26 years. I worked at the Gilroy Garlic Festival as a volunteer. It's a fun time, seeing friends and families, talking to co-workers, a great way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon.

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For Marlboro College, merger might offer a silver lining

While Shaw Israel Izikson speaks for some alumni in his dismay at his perceived lack of transparency in Marlboro College's merger process, he by no means represents all alumni. I am active on a few different alumni forums, and there are just as many folks expressing support and well-wishes for the college. Is this an ideal outcome? Certainly not, and I suspect any of us would have wished Marlboro could survive as a fully independent institution. Were people surprised? I,

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Mainstream-media misdirections evident in first Democratic Party debates

It's been amazing to watch how rigged and undemocratic the presidential debates have been. I was surprised to finally see CNN allow anyone else to speak besides Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the last debate. And the NBC debates could not have been a more blatant demonstration of censorship, with lesser-known candidates relegated to the edges of the stage and given almost no questions, so that they were forced to yell and interrupt in order to have just a...

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Prisoners are prisoners, but they have rights, too

As we all know, the prisons are full, and Vermont is sending inmates to other states. The remaining inmates are getting to stay, and their families and friends can visit. But is this a good life for the inmates who face anxiety, diabetes, and similar sickness? They don't get their required meds. Diabetics do get insulin, but at inconsistent hours. For example: 4 a.m. for breakfast, 10 a.m. for lunch, and I believe 3 to 4 p.m. for dinner. And...

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Vt. economy creates a paradox for businesses and workers

Before we dive into my conversation with Rep. Tristan Toleno from Brattleboro, I want to provide some context to a part of the conversation that follows. If you've been following Vermont news, you know that in general, employers have been saying, “We can't get enough good workers” and employees are saying, “We can't get good enough wages.” The state has been working on this disconnect, as have been a lot of really good, smart people. In our conversation, I referenced...

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Mid-week showers and thunderstorms usher in a lovely taste of fall

Hello and good day to you, Windham County folks! I hope things are well with you. Fortunately for us, things are going to be good in the weather department by Friday afternoon through early next week. We have a truly lovely weekend on the way, with significantly cooler and drier conditions on the way. However, before that, we are going to see high humidity Wednesday and Thursday as warm and cold frontal passages combine to produce a surge in moisture,

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Marlboro Music finishes season

When Marlboro Music closes its 69th season on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 2:30 p.m., with the traditional performance of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, it will mark the first time that newly-appointed co-artistic director, pianist Jonathan Biss, will play the work that brings together the whole community. Musicians play in the orchestra or sing in the chorus with family members, neighbors, and even some audience members. It is a joyous and emotional summation of seven weeks of living in dormitories and country...

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The conversation

Thank you for creating this space and this opportunity to talk about this moment. To be a community with all of you is why I do this work. We're going to talk about what is happening, what we can do, and how we can ground ourselves in how we get from here to where we want the world to be. Because I think we can do it. * * * This story began more than 50 years ago, in 1965,

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Hands-on training

There's a new lunch spot in town - but it's open only on Thursdays at noon, there's only one meal on the menu at a pay-what-you-can cost, and reservations are a must. This new dining option is a pop-up restaurant that debuted on Aug. 1 at the River Garden, with food prepared by students in the Strolling of the Heifers Farm-to-Table Culinary Apprenticeship Program. The program, in its fifth year, offers a mix of classroom time and hands-on training to...

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The flavors of summer

It's corn season! That means corn on the cob, corn chowder, cornbread, corn pudding, and corn fritters. At this time of year, it is not unknown in our house to have a supper that consists solely of corn on the cob with butter and salt. But we like to play with our food as well, and corn left over from the night before often finds itself in a dish the next day: a soup, an omelet, a frittata, a wrap,

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Show off the fruit

One of my fondest memories growing up in Spofford, N.H., was the annual trek with my mother and grandmother to an old abandoned farm a few roads away from ours. You knew that treasure was to be had because it didn't look like much on the outside. But we knew the way in, overgrown as it was, and the battle with the brambles was worth it because our reward was an endless expanse of blueberry bushes - at least, it...

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Brooks Memorial Library to screen film on Woodstock '94

CX Silver Gallery, in collaboration with Brooks Memorial Library, will present Tobe Carey and his film Woodstock Summer of '94: Not the Music... Just the Scene (57 minutes) at the library on Friday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m., followed by discussion about his work and experience . Presented on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock '69, the film, chronicling the festival scene of the 25th Anniversary, contains images of nudity and is therefore intended for mature audiences. Of...

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Samirah Evans & Trailer Park perform for annual Leo Party

Samirah Evans invites all astrological signs to her traditional “Leo Party” celebration at the Stone Church, 210 Main St., at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10. Since joining forces in 2018, Evans and Trailer Park have offered audiences a repertoire of infectious dance music drawing from New Orleans R&B, rock, blues, and original songs. In addition to last year's Leo Party at the Stone Church, they have performed at area venues including the Shea Theater, Hawks & Reed Performing Arts...

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Lack of housing comes between young workers and careers in Vt.

The lack of public transportation, the high cost of housing, the high cost of child care, and dealing with student-loan debt top the list of obstacles for young people trying to start their working lives in Vermont. Members of the Southern Vermont Young Professionals group recently aired their concerns with U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., at a breakfast meeting held in the warehouse of Mocha Joe's Roasting Co. on Flat Street. Welch told the young professionals that “it's you who...

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Post 5 wins its seventh state Legion title

The state American Legion Baseball crown is back in Brattleboro. A deep pitching staff, timely hitting, and steady defense propelled Brattleboro Post 5 to its seventh state title, and its first since 2016. Post 5 took two games from S.D. Ireland on July 31 to win the double-elimination tournament as coach Eric Libardoni won his second state Legion title. Unlike the 2016 champions, this year's Post 5 did not feature one lights-out pitcher like Leif Bigelow, that year's ace. Instead,

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Moonlight and Magnolias and Bananas and Peanuts

It's 1939. Producer David O. Selznick, unhappy with his efforts to bring Margaret Mitchell's blockbuster novel, Gone with the Wind to the silver screen, has halted production after three weeks of filming. He's unhappy with the script that multiple writers have struggled to tame, and he's just fired the most recent one. He's also fired the film's director, George Cukor. Selznick moans that it's costing him $50,000 a day to idle cast and crew, but he wants to get it...

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We are free, we are told

Two back-to-back mass shootings in the United States within 24 hours. One of them was clearly terror from the white nationalist fringe of Donald Trump's Republican base - if not actually sanctioned, then at the very least, partially motivated by the hatred spewed from the top of the party. In two other countries (Australia and New Zealand) following similar incidents, those democracies enacted a ban on assault rifles. In New Zealand, they did so within six days. Imagine that: six...

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