Workshop looks at home-DNA tests
BRATTLEBORO - Slots remain available for free DNA consultations with genealogists Wayne Blanchard and Jerry Carbone on Saturday, Feb. 1, at Brooks Memorial Library, 224 Main St.
Blanchard and Carbone are teaming up to help family researchers who have taken genetic DNA tests to find out how they are related to the people with whom they match on home-DNA tests.
DNA testing doesn't replace traditional genealogy, but it can be another tool to be used along with other sources. In this workshop, the genealogists say they will “go beyond the ethnicity estimate and search through your best relative matches to expand your family tree.”
Registration is required. Half-hour appointments can be booked through the library reference desk: [email protected], or 802-254-5290, ext. 1220.
Latchis presents Met broadcast of 'Porgy and Bess'
BRATTLEBORO - The 2019-20 season of “The Met: Live in HD” continues on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m., with one of America's favorite operas, George and Ira Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St.
James Robinson's production “transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants,” according to publicity materials for the production.
David Robertson conducts a cast that features Eric Owens and Angel Blue in the title roles, as well as Golda Schultz, Latonia Moore, Denyce Graves, Frederick Ballentine, and Alfred Walker.
Porgy and Bess runs 3 hours and 25 minutes. General admission is $22 ($20 for Met Club Forever members and $10 for students). For questions or advance credit card purchases, contact Jon Potter at 802-254-1109, ext. 3, or [email protected].
Art in the Neighborhood plans poetry/art project
BRATTLEBORO - Art in the Neighborhood recently received a $3,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation for “Image to Page: Art, Poetry, and Books,” poetry and art workshops with poet Verandah Porche.
Porche will help students to draw out language from artwork created during regular art classes. Eventually, the students will collect their poems in books that will be on display at the library.
Since 2008, Art in the Neighborhood has been providing tuition-free art classes to children living in three low-income housing communities in Brattleboro: Westgate Housing, Ledgewood Heights, and Moore Court.
Find out more at artintheneighborhood.org.
Scholarships available for non-traditional students
BELLOWS FALLS - The General Federation of Women's Clubs of Vermont (GFWC-VT) announces the availability of scholarships for Vermont women beyond the traditional college age who seek to further their education or training, or to upgrade their skills in preparation for advancing in the workplace.
Applicants must submit a specific plan for their education or training. GFWC-VT has been awarding this financial aid, which is funded through contributions from the state-federated clubs and from individuals, for 26 years.
Applications may be obtained from Betty Haggerty ([email protected]), Beverley Pallmerine ([email protected]), and Darlene Remy ([email protected]). They are also available at Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College..
Applications are due by March 15. The scholarships range from $500 to $1,500 and will be awarded at the state federation's annual meeting in early May.
VTC seeks directors for 2020-21 season
BRATTLEBORO - The Vermont Theatre Company is seeking directors for its 2020-21 season.
Anyone interested should email [email protected] for a copy of the director's proposal form or with any questions.
All proposals are due by March 1. Visit vermonttheatrecompany.org for more information.
Dosa Kitchen moves from food truck to restaurant
BRATTLEBORO- Dosa Kitchen is about to open the doors to its first brick-and-mortar location.
Established in 2014, the food truck, operated by spouses Nash Patel and Leda Scheintaub and selling cuisine from Patel's native South India, has graduated to space at 34 Elliot St.
The new restaurant will offer an expanded menu and, following the celebration, will be open Monday, Thursday, Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with brunch specials.
The restaurant will be open for dinner during Gallery Walk on the first Friday of the month, and pop-up and special ticketed dinners are in the offing.
Dosa Kitchen will celebrate a grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 1, from noon to 3 p.m. Free samples, music, and “general good fun” will be available, according to Patel and Scheintaub.
For more information, visit dosakitchen.com.
Seminar explores shared housing for aging in place
BRATTLEBORO- Housing costs are high. Aging-in-place alone can lead to social isolation. One option is shared housing. This can be a fabulous solution for both those who struggle to pay for housing and those living in houses with empty bedrooms. Of course, people living together have to be compatible enough to be comfortable. How does someone get there?
On Saturday, Feb. 1 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Annamarie Pluhar will facilitate a workshop designed to address these questions at Holton Hall, Winston Prouty, 130 Austine Dr.
Pluhar, of Dummerston, has founded a nonprofit, Sharing Housing Inc., which works with organizations, housing professionals, the aging network, and local officials who are seeking to develop shared housing in their communities.
This workshop, sponsored by Senior Solutions, offers exercises, group discussion, and a lecture, with light refreshments. The $35 fee includes a copy of Pluhar's book, Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good Housemates.
Participants may register at sharinghousing.org, or by calling Tracy Blanchard at Senior Solutions at 802-885-2655, where scholarships are available.