The Latchis Theatre will be screening a special documentary, Utica: The Last Refuge, May 13 through 19.
“Given that Brattleboro has begun to resettle Afghan refugees, the film offers a chance to see how refugees positively impacted another small town,” the theater said in a news release. “Never before has a film so carefully documented this aspect of resettlement and its contribution to the wider community. The message is clear: If it can happen there, why not here as well?”
Directed by Loch Phillipps of Off Ramp Films, Utica: The Last Refuge follows the Azein family, refugees from Sudan, upon their arrival in the United States in 2017, just as a White House administration hostile to refugees is sworn in.
The film depicts how, over the course of 2 1/2 years, Utica, N.Y.'s venerated refugee resettlement agency will be tasked with helping the Azeins make a difficult transition, while the agency struggles to stay afloat.
The Brattleboro Music Center will host a Musical Salon spotlighting the music of Ukraine. The salon will feature music “by composers you may never have heard of, but the music will go straight to your heart,” organizers say. Hosted by BMC faculty member Moby Pearson, the event is set...
I was shocked to read Liam Madden's letter. I was shocked that VTDigger chose to exclude him from the recent debate that they hosted between candidates for Vermont's seat in the U.S. Congress, and that no one involved with the debate would talk to him about it. I am...
In 1892, the Vermont Legislature, heeding a call from Dr. Henry Holton and other concerned residents in town, incorporated the pioneering Brattleboro Home for the Aged and Disabled. “Physical comfort and care are combined with a social freedom and variety that are unusual,” historian Mary Cabot went on to write in Annals of Brattleboro. “The number of elderly people who look forward to the age at which they can be eligible to this Home is a witness to its happy...
I watched the three-plus-hour Brattleboro Selectboard meeting concerning the Golden Cross Ambulance contract, and at the very end of the meeting, the motion was made and immediately a vote was taken without a second. According to Robert's Rules of Order, a second is a must before a vote is taken. Just questioning a legal vote.
The town has a duty under our charter to “establish and maintain a rescue service, including quarters, vehicles, and equipment, and to provide for an ambulance service and the appointed emergency medical technicians.” The town's precipitous decision to throw Rescue under the bus does not serve “the common good of all its citizens,” and disrespects “the will of the people.” The town refused to communicate with Rescue, our award-winning, nonprofit EMS provider for over half a century, after the Feb.
The current kerfuffle between the town and Rescue Inc. reminds me of the early days in Rescue's history. The Brattleboro Fire Department then had a - shall we say - “competitive” approach to its dealings with Rescue. But both organizations grew out of it and, to my knowledge, no patient suffered as a result. I am sure the same will be true today no matter what happens. But while the EMS professionals in both organizations know how to take care...
Joyce Marcel's column brought back pleasant memories of my own - getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the Newfane Flea Market with my late husband, Jonathan Flaccus, owner of The Unique Antique on Main Street in Putney. But I'd like to add a dark moment to the story. On Sept. 10, 2000, Jonathan wrote a letter to Bill Graham, then the Windham County Sheriff, alerting him to the proliferation of dealers selling guns at the market.
The Windham-Windsor Housing Trust has helped a lot of people in need of affordable housing. Our economy and lifestyles make it so that many people cannot afford the basic necessities of survival even when they are working more than 40 hours a week at minimum wage. In my opinion, this situation is only getting worse. There are also those who simply cannot work and those who have worked their entire lives and need time, deserve time, to not be working.
There were few questions at a May 2 meeting of the Planning Commission, when the town's Planning Department staff members offered a presentation about cannabis establishments and zoning. About 20 people attended via Zoom, with a smattering of people attending in person. Planning Director Sue Fillion showed maps of districts in town reflecting where cannabis can and cannot be sold and/or cultivated. Overall, siting of a cannabis shop cannot be prohibited because, in 2021, voters opted in to retail sales...
Bellows Falls has designated “May, Art Month in Bellows Falls,” a town-wide celebration to build awareness and appreciation of the arts and businesses throughout the village. “We will be highlighting artists, events, shops, and restaurants that contribute year-round to the vital and cultural richness and economic stability of the community,” Robert McBride, founder and director of The Rockingham Arts & Museum Project (RAMP), said in a news release. McBride said designating the month of May was a natural collaboration that...
On Saturday, May 14, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Landmark Trust USA (LTUSA) invites the public to tour Dutton Farmhouse, a historic Greek Revival-style farmhouse at 255 Dutton Farm Rd. LTUSA is a nonprofit historic preservation organization that has beautifully restored this 1845 farmhouse, as well as four other Vermont properties, including the nearby Scott Farm. The open house is free, with light refreshments available by donation. The rain date for the event is Sunday, May 15. “We...
The For Kids' Sake Fun Run is a peer-to-peer fundraiser to support Big Brothers Big Sisters Vermont's (BBBSVT) effort to provide mentors for the more than 100 youth on their waiting list. BBBS mentoring is an evidence-based prevention practice that helps to improve resilience in children and youth by pairing them with a reliable volunteer “Big” who shows up on a regular basis to ensure they feel valued and supported, and provides a safe space for youth to express themselves,
Bellows Falls Union High School senior Shelby Stoodley had two needs: to come up with a senior project and to foster her love of ceramics, so she combined them. After doing some research, she recently delivered 10 handmade bowls to Our Place Drop-in Center to use in their next Empty Bowl fundraiser to support the local food pantry. “People don't really know about my interest in ceramics,” she said in a recent interview, an interest that goes back to middle...
College news • Gabrielle Beal of Wilmington, a member of the Class of 2024 at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., was inducted into Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha) Honor Society, a national honor society recognizing the achievements of first-generation students, alumni, staff, faculty and administrators. Beal was one of 123 students inducted into the honor society's new chapter at Holy Cross named Delta Omicron. School news • Bellows Falls Union High School announces the induction of the newest...
Stamp Out Hunger food drive is May 14 BRATTLEBORO - The Stamp Out Hunger food drive, the largest single-day food drive in the United States, is back this year. The drive is organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers and supported by other postal unions and the U.S. Postal Service. On Saturday, May 14, letter carriers in Brattleboro, Putney, Vernon, and Dummerston will be joining carriers across the nation in once again collecting food to fill local pantries. Neighbors...
Members of the Saxtons River Art Guild will exhibit their work at the Rockingham Library from May 12 to July 29. Each artist will display four or more works in various styles, subject matter, and media. John Dimick paints landscapes from various trails in New England and can be seen painting street scenes around Brattleboro on Gallery Walk nights. Kathy Greves paints a variety of subjects-some plein air and others from photographs she has taken in and around Vermont and...
The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC) will present a free talk by curator Elissa Watters about the exhibit “Louisa Chase: Fantasy Worlds” on Thursday, May 19. Louisa Chase (1951–2016) was an American artist best known for her paintings, which integrate geometric forms, bright colors, and gestural marks. The exhibit showcases Chase's multi-media work, integrating sculpture, drawing, painting, and print, from across her career of 40 years. It includes many objects that have never been exhibited before. After training in...
Postponed due to positive COVID cases among the cast and crew, the Vermont Theater Company (VTC) rescheduled the remaining performances of Rathmines Road at the Hooker-Dunham Theater to May 13 through 15 and May 20 through 22, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. “Everyone is doing okay, and we are very grateful to vaccines for keeping us safe,” the VTC said in a news release. “We are pleased to be able to share this production after...
How will we emerge? This question is central to the new interactive art exhibition, “Emergence,” at Main Street Arts in Saxtons River. This show, the third one since COVID-19 closed the organization in 2020, features the work of 10 artists living and working in southeastern Vermont. They are Anya Bredbeck of Westminster, Vale Burns of Brattleboro, Candace Jensen of Westminster West, Meetra Khamoosh who recently arrived from Afghanistan, Collin Leech of Westminster West, Evie Lovett of Westminster West, Fiona Morehouse...
Want to get something off your chest? Want to advocate for a compelling social issue? Learn how to write persuasive letters-to-the-editors and op-eds and get them published. Hear what the editors of local papers expect for effective editorial writing as part of the Media Mentoring Project, a series of workshops produced by Vermont Independent Media (VIM), publisher of The Commons. Speaking Your Truth: Opinion Writing is scheduled for Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. on Zoom and will feature these...
A few weeks have gone by since the Brattleboro Selectboard decided unanimously to move towards a municipal fire-based EMS system by contracting with Golden Cross for local ambulance service for the next year, ending a long relationship with Rescue, Inc. Understandably, many have expressed a sense of loss, given the excellent care that has been given to residents by the providers at Rescue. Believe me when I say that I have heard plenty from those who feel this loss deeply...
I am furious that the town would put my elderly and handicapped clients as well as myself (I am handicapped) out to park so far from my salon as to make it impossible for them to come in for services. Is the town planning on paying me for the loss of time at work? The town certainly does not pay my rent. I have been here all year every day for the past 23-plus years. This is completely unacceptable. Why...
I am not commenting about the merits of the decision on EMS but solely on the decision-making process. Many problems with the process bear repeating and beg for further analysis and reflection ... hopefully, this board and administration agrees: It appears a position was articulated at the Feb. 9 meeting. That decision resulted in frustration. Now information is being disclosed via the media. I invite the board to reflect on what happened and even bring in a neutral third party...
The emotions that I am now feeling as I let the reality of the closing of Holton Home sink in are frustration, anger, and a deep sense of sadness. For several years, I played music at Holton Home and other Brattleboro area elder facilities. Holton Home stood out in its quality of care. I could see it primarily in the eyes of the residents and caregivers. I'm frustrated and angered because I know why it is closing: because we are...
With a new study finding this town needs at least 500 more housing units, public and private leaders are proposing to add hundreds of new homes and apartments. One plan comes from the nonprofit Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development, which owns the grounds of the former century-old Austine School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing off Maple Street. It is working with the neighboring Omega Optical and its Delta Campus to explore building up to 500...
Audiences of all ages are invited to a screening of Buster Keaton's comedic masterpiece The General (1926) on the evening of Saturday, May 14th. The film will be presented with a live pipe organ soundtrack by Ben Model, one of the nation's leading silent film accompanists. “I'm really looking forward to coming back to Epsilon Spires and to Brattleboro for this silent film event,” Model said in a new release. Model previously provided live soundtracks for the films Metropolis and...
For Sharon Myers, food, fabric and flowers flow in artistic confluence. Myers, 77, who lives in West Brattleboro, recently retired as a professional chef after 43 successful years in the field; she plans to spend more time in her art studio and her garden. “For me, cooking, the garden, time in the studio - they are all art forms,” Myers said. “Making art. Making something beautiful and delicious. Making people happy. What could be better?” When you first meet her,
Green Mountain Camp (GMC) is kicking off “Harness the Sun,” a campaign to purchase solar panels, with an outdoor music event on Sunday, May 15, rain or shine. The “Harness the Sun” campaign is committed to making GMC a green(er) mountain camp by purchasing 51 solar panels in a local solar array to cover 75 percent of the camp's annual electric needs. This is part of the ongoing efforts at Green Mountain Camp to lower its carbon and chemical input...
Join local birders Jean Cannon and Peter Bergstrom for a bird walk at the Bellows Falls Historical Society Riverfront Park on Saturday, May 14, at 8 a.m., at the parking lot just below the Adams Grist Mill at 26 Mill St. (which looks like an alley off the south end of The Square, to the left of Flat Iron Co-op). The rain date is Sunday, May 15, at 8 a.m. Bergstrom says he has recorded 87 bird species at the...
During the month of May, the Crowell Art Gallery at Moore Free Library, 23 West St., presents “Formations” by Vermont artist Mary Therese Wright. A reception will be held on Saturday, May 14, from 1 to 3 p.m. Wright's exhibition explores the relationship between color and mass. The means of visual organization in this installation are paintings of landscape and figuration, and composed of paintings in oil, casein, and charcoal on newsprint, canvas, and rags. Works range in size from...
On May 3, I attended an impromptu rally/protest focusing on reproductive rights. I was wearing my clergy collar - not by chance. I was interviewed briefly by the Brattleboro Reformer, I suspect because the photographer had just been covering the other gathering across the street from Planned Parenthood. A religious group rallies there weekly to protest the abortions that, by the way, are not performed at that office. I'm here to tell you, if you read what the Reformer printed,
The Keene Chamber Orchestra will present its first concert in more than two years, and will feature three student musicians from The Putney School who will perform solos. Tenor Mark Quehl, '22; soprano Zoe Mickle, '23; and trombonist Spencer Tepper, '22 will perform with the orchestra consisting of string and woodwind players. Eric Thomas, virtuoso clarinetist who serves as music director for both the orchestra and The Putney School, conducts. The concert will feature both new and familiar pieces, including...
Of all the days. At first, I thought they might be there to support Planned Parenthood, since the three of them were in front of the clinic, while the rest holding signs were on the other side of the road. “Is this in support of Planned Parenthood?” I asked. Pushing an anti-Planned Parenthood pamphlet my way, she responded, “It's in support of the truth.” The bile in my stomach rose, I fought back the tears of anger and resentment, pointed...
As Dennis Marcom tells it, his friend and neighbor in Walpole N.H., Peter Stolley, arrived in his kitchen at the beginning of April and said, “What do you think about going to Poland and volunteering for World Central Kitchen for a week?” Two weeks later, the two retired friends were on a plane, headed for a town near the Polish/Ukrainian border, spending their time making sandwiches, to the tune of 6,000 to 7,000 sandwiches a day as part of a...
Nobel Peace Prize winner and Brattleboro Union High School graduate Jody Williams, an international political activist most known for her work to ban and clear land mines, will speak to the school community on Tuesday, May 17. Williams helped launch the International Campaign to Ban Landmines in 1991. The ICBL had 1,000 international member organizations from 100 countries working on the issue. In 1997, the Ottawa Treaty, signed by 133 nations, banned land mines around the world. For that work,
The Downtown Brattleboro Alliance's monthly Gallery Walk launched its 2022 season on May 6 and will continue the community celebration on the first Friday of each month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through December. Gallery Walk started as a gallery tour and was originally sponsored by the Arts Council of Windham County. At the beginning of the pandemic, the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance took over the program and created a series of virtual events. The DBA successfully put on six...
Last June, the Champlain Valley Redhawks and Brattleboro Colonels faced off at Centennial Field in Burlington for the Division I baseball championship. The Redhawks ended the Colonels' hopes for a title with a 13-0 rout in one of the most lopsided championship games since the state high school baseball tournament was first held in 1938. Most of that team is back this season and CVU had to like their chances when they journeyed south to play the Colonels on May...