Wellness Fair presented in Wilmington
WILMINGTON - Voices of Hope and Senior Solutions invite the community to attend an Open House and a Health & Wellness Fair, at The Old Firehouse, 18 Beaver St., on Wednesday, June 21, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Gather with friends (new and old), neighbors, and visitors to the area to meet the folks who are offering a variety of support and advocacy for health and wellness. They will be free barbeque, with desserts and more.
Vendors at the event will include the Vermont Department of Health (with a smoothie bike), Deerfield Valley Rescue, SEVCA, Care in Vermont, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, SASH, Deerfield Valley Food Pantry, Valley Vital Needs, Deerfield Valley Community Partnership, and more.
For more information, call 802-490-5645 or 802-275-7232. To learn more about Voices of Hope, visit voicesofhopevt.org.
Dummerston church serves up strawberry shortcakes
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Congregational Church will host their annual Strawberry Shortcake Sale and Picnic on Saturday, June 24, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the church at 1535 Middle Road in Dummerston Center.
Individual desserts are $8 and family-sized shortcakes (serves eight) are available by reservation for $50 by calling 802-257-0544. Attendees are encouraged to kick off the summer by having dessert for dinner and bring blankets or lawn chairs and friends.
School's Out celebration in Brattleboro
BRATTLEBORO - On Saturday, June 24, from noon to 3 p.m., on the lawn of Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main St., there will be a School's Out celebration for kids and families with music, games, and fun for everyone.
The event is free and open to the public, with food for sale.
Public conversation in Newfane on gender diversity, faith, and spirituality
NEWFANE - On Tuesday, June 27, at 7 p.m., Newfane Congregational Church will host its fourth public conversation of the year with a focus on gender diversity.
In 2023 alone, more than 530 bills have been introduced nationwide that seek to limit or restrict gender-affirming care (for trans adults as well as youth), criminalize drag performances, and redefine trans people out of (legal) existence, among myriad other harms.
The Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson, an ordained minister whose credentials are recognized by the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ, and American Baptist Churches USA, will be on hand to help contextualize these developments and better understand the spiritual and theological issues at play.
Dr. Anderson is a visible activist for the transgender community and will be speaking from lived experience, having come out to her family and the world as a transgender woman at the age of 69. She is an educator, counselor, and social activist who received her bachelor's degree in business education from Barrington College, a master's degree in religious studies from Providence College, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Eastern Baptist Seminary, as well as a number of other graduate courses in business and religious studies.
For more information, contact Pastor Matthew Deen at [email protected] or by calling the church at 802-365-4079.
Senior meal served in Dummerston
DUMMERSTON - Evening Star Grange and Senior Solutions will hold their Fourth Wednesday luncheon at the Grange Hall, 1008 East West Road, Dummerston Center, on Wednesday, June 28. Take-outs will be available between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and the eat-in meal will be served at noon.
A reservation for either take-out or eat-in meals is strongly suggested so that they can have enough food. Call the Grange at 802-254-1138 and leave name, phone number, the number of meals needed and whether they are for eating in or taking out. The menu will include Chicken à la King with rice, green beans, and vegetarian quiche, with strawberry shortcake for dessert. These meals are open to everyone, with a suggested donation of $3 for those 60 and above and $4 for the younger set.
Free family dinner and vape education night in Townshend
TOWNSHEND - West River Valley Thrives is hosting a free family dinner and parent education night on Wednesday, June 28, at 5:30 p.m., at Leland & Gray's Dutton Gym on Route 30.
A family meal, will be followed by supervised kid activities while adults attend an education session. The parent education session will focus on kids and vaping, and will also provide info on the transition to middle school. Parents/guardians will receive a handbook appropriate to their child's age which provides guidance on bullying, social media, mental health, substance use, and more, along with how to talk with children about these topics.
All families are welcome. For more information, and to register, go to bit.ly/720-vape.
Strawberry fest in Hinsdale on July 1
HINSDALE, N.H. - The Hinsdale Area Farmers' Market, which operates on Main Street in the Millstream Park each Saturday through October, will host a Strawberry Festival on Saturday, July 1.
This collaboration with the Hinsdale Community Recreation Center will take place at the Millstream River Park in downtown Hinsdale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fest will feature multiple farm and flea market vendors as well as activities for all, games for kids, face painting, live music by Tom Woodbury, and more.
The Hinsdale Farmers' Market has been operating since 2014 and seeks to promote locally grown food and crafts while making fresh food available to our residents. For more information, contact the Market Manager at [email protected].
WSWMD offers free food scrap drop-off
BRATTLEBORO - It's veggie season, and that means even more food scraps in the kitchen. For those tired of backyard composting, having problems with bears, or just looking to get those stinky scraps out of your trash, there's a simpler way.
Dropping off food scraps at the Windham Solid Waste Management District (WSWMD) transfer station on Old Ferry Road is easy and free. In Windham County, every town transfer station, as well as the WSWMD transfer station, takes food scraps at no extra charge. Plus, drop-offs take all food scraps, including meat and bones.
To learn more, check out this 7-minute video the district made at bit.ly/720-compost. WSWMD also has shorter versions, specific to town transfer stations in Stratton, Jamaica, Townshend, Wardsboro, Dover, Wilmington, and Readsboro on their YouTube channel at youtube.com/@WSWMD. To talk to a human, call WSWMD at 802-257-0272.