Late opening for Brooks Memorial Library on Friday
BRATTLEBORO - Brooks Memorial Library will open at noon on Thursday, Sept. 27, to accommodate a staff training session.
As part of the Library's emergency preparedness plan, library staff will be trained in dealing with aggressive patrons and active shooter scenarios. The public should be advised that as part of the instruction, staff and facilitators will be conducting drills to prepare for emergency situations which will simulate dangerous conditions.
Do not be alarmed by the appearance of threatening behavior within the library from 9 to 11 a.m. Emergency personnel are aware that the training and safety protocols are in place internally so that should an actual emergency occur, they will be notified.
For more information, visit www.brookslibraryvt.org or call 802-254-5290.
Healing Walk at Manitou
WILLIAMSVILLE - The Manitou Project will hold a Healing Walk on Friday, Sept. 28, from 4 to 6 p.m., rain or shine. This meditative walk on Manitou's Sanctuary Trail will be led by Fred Taylor, and will include poems or other readings and chances to share about the experience.
The Manitou Project seeks to foster community with Nature, on its 235-acre land preserve in Williamsville, located at 300 Sunset Lake Rd. Meet at the parking lot at 4 p.m. For more information, contact Taylor at 802-387-2681.
Friends of Moore Library host book sale
NEWFANE - The Friends of the Moore Free Library will hold its annual Book Sale on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The giant sale takes place in the Union Hall, just off the Common in Newfane.
Categories are fiction (including classics and a large selection of mysteries), history, biography and memoir, essays, nature, travel, art and music, how-to, health, young adult, philosophy and religion, cooking, gardening, humor, Vermont and New England, children's literature, DVDs, CDs, and more.
To honor the late Targ Spicer, guiding spirit of the sale along with her husband, John, since its inception 26 years ago, the sale is now known as The Targ Spicer Memorial Book Sale. All proceeds go toward helping the library carry out its services to the community.
The Moore Free Library is a private institution that functions as a public library but receives no local, state, or federal funding. For more information, call 802-365-7948.
Chesterfield hosts Old Home Day
CHESTERFIELD, N.H. - The Chesterfield Old Home Day, Artisan Fair, and Farmers' Market is Saturday, Sept. 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Rain date Sunday, Sept. 30).
The fun begins with a parade at 10 a.m. featuring the Celebration Brass Band and kids on bikes! (Kids on bikes, check in at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Winchester Road and Route 63).
After things get officially started with Grand Marshall Kevin White, stay for the classic-car show, pie eating contest, corn hole tournament, sack race, live music from Black Jack Crossing, and more.
The Chesterfield and Spofford Fire Departments will be grilling up some good food, and there will a pie sale by the Friends of Chesterfield Library. For the grand finale, choose your side and cheer at the a tug-o'-war between the Chesterfield Police Department and the Fire Department.
Free admission to Estey museum Sunday
BRATTLEBORO - Jacob Estey's birthday is Sunday, Sept. 30, and the Estey Organ Museum is celebrating by offering free admission to the museum that afternoon from 2 to 4 p.m.
Jacob Estey, born on Sept. 30, 1814, was one of the great entrepreneurs of late 19th-century America. His product, the Estey organ, stands as one of the most popular musical instruments in the history of American musical culture.
Between 1846 and 1961, the Brattleboro-based Estey Organ Company manufactured and distributed more than half a million Estey reed organs worldwide, as well as 3,000 pipe organs.
The Estey Organ Museum was founded in 2002 to save and share the Estey heritage. It is located at the rear of 108 Birge Street, in the former engine house of the historic slate-sided factory complex. Visitors are invited to see, hear, and play the reed organs on display and explore the walk-through pipe organ. Find out more at www.esteyorganmuseum.org.
Shumlin discusses renewable energy policy at Landmark College
PUTNEY - The Landmark College 2018-19 Academic Speaker Series opens with former Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. in the Greenhoe Theater, located in the Fine Arts Building.
Shumlin, who is currently serving as the College's Visiting Lecturer in Politics and Leadership, will discuss renewable energy policies he championed as governor and how students can take a leadership role in addressing climate change.
Initially elected in 2010, Shumlin served three terms as governor and was chair of the Democratic Governors Association from 2010-2014. He served multiple terms in the state Legislature as a member of the both the House and Senate, and was Senate President Pro Tempore from 1997 to 2003 and again from 2006 to 2010.
Shumlin is a founding trustee of Landmark College, and a strong advocate for students who learn differently based on his own experience as a person with dyslexia.
This event is free and open to the public. For directions, a campus map, and more information about the Landmark College Academic Speaker Series, visit www.landmark.edu, or contact Eve Leons at [email protected].
Baby Playgroup, Preschool Story Times resume at Putney Library
PUTNEY - October marks the start of both Preschool Story Time and Baby Play Group at Putney Public Library, 55 Main St. These programs are free and open to the public, no matter which town you live in.
Starting on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m., and continuing on Thursday mornings, Preschool Story Time returns with former school librarian Susan Hessey. She will read and tell stories, do pass-arounds, and lead crafts. Great for ages 2 and up.
Baby Playgroup and Story Time starts on Friday, Oct. 5, and continues on Friday mornings at 11 a.m., for ages birth to 2 years old. Emily Zervas reads simple stories and leads songs to delight and stimulate your baby's senses. Stay afterward to play with other babies.
Saxtons River Art Guild offers pastel classes
SAXTONS RIVER - Registration is available for a full-day pastel workshop with award-winning pastel artist Robert Carsten on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Carsten will focus on a variety of techniques that achieve painterly results in pastel landscapes using exciting colors over a toned ground. Class will also include demonstrations, critique, and lots of painting time.
The workshop will be held at the United Church, Bellows Falls. The workshop is organized by the Saxtons River Art Guild, which is celebrating its 42th year of promoting fine arts with local art exhibits, open studio sessions, and workshops and classes with award-winning artists.
The group is a nonprofit with membership throughout the Connecticut River Valley. Contact Carolyn Berglund at 603-352-7398 for additional information, or to register for the workshop.
Free health coaching service available at Grace Cottage
TOWNSHEND - Liz Harrison and Cheryl Shaw are members of the Grace Cottage Community Health Team. In their role as Health Coaches, they help clients in reaching personal health, wellness, and weight loss goals.
They provide ongoing one-on-one counseling and group support. Services are free of charge and available to all residents within the Grace Cottage service area. Insurance is not billed.
Shaw and Harrison help their clients develop healthy habits and improve self-management skills by using motivational and behavior-modification techniques. They help individuals establish a vision for themselves, set realistic goals, and create action plans that can ultimately achieve lasting results.
Harrison is a board certified Clinical Nutritionist. She provides her clients with information on diet and lifestyle factors that influence weight, glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels. She sees clients at Grace Cottage on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She also leads a weekly Weight Loss Support Group on Tuesdays from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Shaw is a board certified Health and Wellness Coach and certified exercise physiologist. As a health coach, she helps individuals create a wellness vision and draws out the motivation to help them make lasting lifestyle changes to realize their vision of optimal health. She meets with clients at Grace Cottage on Mondays and Fridays.
For more information on the Community Health Team and wellness groups and classes, visit www.gracecottage.org.
Volunteers needed for AARP Tax-Aide program
BRATTLEBORO - AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is looking to expand its team of volunteers for the coming tax season. Tax-Aide offers free, in-person preparation and assistance to anyone, especially those 50 and older, who can't afford a tax-preparation service.
Volunteers make a difference in their communities by assisting many older, lower-income taxpayers, and their families, who might otherwise miss out on the tax credits and deductions they've earned.
Since its inception, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has served more than 68 million taxpayers. The program is seeking volunteer tax preparers, client facilitators, those who can provide technical and management assistance and interpreters.
Every level of experience is welcome. Volunteer tax preparers complete tax preparation training and IRS certification.
Last year in Vermont, 180 AARP Foundation Tax-Aide volunteers helped more than 9700 people file their federal and state tax returns. The program is offered at approximately 47 sites in the state, including senior centers, libraries, and other convenient locations.
In 2018, taxpayers who used AARP Foundation Tax-Aide received $1.3 billion in income tax refunds and more than $213 million in Earned Income Tax Credits. Taxpayers don't need to be a member of AARP or a retiree to use Tax-Aide.
To learn about volunteer opportunities, visit aarpfoundation.org/taxaide or call 888-OUR-AARP (888-687-2277).