This year, we celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday — its semiquincentennial. On July 4, 1776, delegates from the original 13 colonies officially declared themselves as a new, independent nation by signing the Declaration of Independence.
The very meaning of the word “semiquincentennial” implies we’re halfway to 500. Where have we gotten, and what might the next 250 hold?...
Pride began with rebellion. The Kopkind Colony, the living memorial to the late radical journalist Andrew Kopkind, honors both as it begins its summer season of activities. First up, “CineSlam,” Kopkind’s annual Pride Month film fest of LGBTQ+ short films. The screenings will be held at the Latchis Theatre...
PUTNEY-The New Visions Summer Series at Sandglass Theater concludes with a lively theatrical romp when Happenstance Theater presents Death and the Fool: A Medieval Folly Thursday and Friday, June 25 and 26, at 7 p.m. Inspired by medieval mystery plays and tarot imagery, the production combines puppetry, slapstick comedy,
WEST BRATTLEBORO-Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC) invites the community to experience Forest of Melody Thursday, June 25. This “one-of-a-kind micromusic festival and summer solstice fundraiser is where live music and nature intertwine across the center’s hillside trails,” wrote organizers in a news release. Taking place on BEEC’s scenic 60-acre campus in West Brattleboro, the Forest of Melody “transforms the natural world into a roaming concert experience.” Guests move together along a guided gentle woodland path, encountering musicians performing in the...
BRATTLEBORO-Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, D-Windham 7 (West Brattleboro), and Ian Goodnow, D-Windham 9, will launch their re-election campaigns on the Common with a party for the whole community. All are invited to join them Saturday, June 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. for live music, a cookout (burgers flipped by the candidates), and great conversation. Announcing her reelection campaign for Vermont House of Representatives, Kornheiser wrote, “I’m running for office again because this is a crucial moment in the fight for...
BRATTLEBORO-A reminder to readers that, as has been the case since 2023, The Commons will not publish an issue on Wednesday, July 1. Any urgent news and updates will be published on the newspaper’s website. The newspaper will resume regular publication on Wednesday, July 8, with the deadline for submissions of news and advertising on Friday, July 3. The Commons’ sister newspaper, The Deerfield Valley News,based in Wilmington, will publish its usual edition on Thursday, July 2. This News item...
BRATTLEBORO-Mitchell-Giddings Fine Arts, 181 Main St., hosts “Carrying On,” an exhibition of the art of Rona Lee Cohen, from June 27 through Aug. 9. An artist reception is planned for Saturday, June 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. Cohen will also present a walkabout in the gallery alongside her exhibition, where visitors can enjoy an informal gallery talk and conversation on Saturday, July 25, at 4 p.m. “It’s hard to find a true, untrammelled note in this time of electrified...
Food drop in Putney PUTNEY — The next Putney food drop will be Thursday, June 25, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. The Vermont Food Bank and Putney Foodshelf co-sponsor this service, free and open to all, offering a selection of produce and assorted foods. The Putney Food Drop is at 78 River Rd. More details, including a map, can be found at putneyfoodshelf.org/food-drop. AIDS Project teams with Walgreens for National HIV Testing Day BRATTLEBORO — On Friday, June 26, from...
BRATTLEBORO-Vermont Theatre Company (VTC), a community theater based in the Brattleboro area, is seeking proposals from directors for its 2026–27 season. The company is focused on creating accessible and inclusive community theater experiences for actors of all abilities and identities, and seeks directors with values-aligned projects for its upcoming season. The season will include a one-weekend production of four One Act Plays, a winter production in downtown Brattleboro, a 24-hour play-making event, and a summer Shakespeare in the Park production...
LONDONDERRY-Construction on the highly anticipated South Village Wastewater Project has begun. According to town officials, this milestone "marks a significant step forward in modernizing local infrastructure, protecting the local environment, and supporting the long-term economic vitality of the village center. A similar project for Londonderry's North Village is being advanced through engineering and permitting phases." Following a competitive bidding process, the town recently awarded the construction contract to local firm Hunter Excavating of South Londonderry. Hunter will oversee the installation...
BRATTLEBORO-ByWay Books & More, 399 Canal St., will host a special showcase of poets from The Country in the Mirror, edited by Sharon Darrow and published by Rootstock Publishing, Saturday June 27, from 4 to 6 p.m. This evening of poems of protest and witness will be headlined by Martin Espada, a renowned poet and the first Latino to receive the Ruth Lily Poetry Prize. Espada is a professor of poetry at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Other notable...
College news • The following local students were recognized for academic achievement during the spring 2026 semester at Champlain College in Burlington: Named to the President’s List were David Amidon of Vernon, Kaley Mola of West Dover, and Montana Woodruff of West Townshend. Named to the Dean’s List were Griffin Gooch-Breault of East Dummerston, Austin Mallan of Saxtons River, Natnael Mengisteab of Brattleboro, Nash Miller of Putney, Ritter Redfield of South Newfane, and Madison Wood of West Dummerston. Kristen Gouger...
BELLOWS FALLS-Canal Street Art Gallery (CSAG) presents solo shows by artists Edward Kingsbury III, MC Noyes, and Debbie A. Barton through Sunday, Aug. 9. Barton, based in Springfield, Vermont, is CSAG’s current working artist with a studio within the gallery. Barton uses collage, quilting, and journaling to reflect her love of rural New England, nature, train travel, vintage fabrics, and untold stories. Many of the materials have “imperfections” which become an integral part of those stories, “inviting the viewer to...
BRATTLEBORO-A clown is someone who pretends they have just been born, says Brattleboro’s Peter Gould. And he should know. He’s been a professional clown for decades. “A clown is a person who just finds everything interesting because their premise is that they don’t know anything about anything,” Gould explained. “This world is all new to them. And we, the performers, have trained in ways to get the audience, if they want to, or even in spite of themselves, involved in...
Tim Stevenson ([email protected]) is a community organizer with Post Oil Solutions. He is the author of two books and is working on a third. ATHENS-I have recently encountered some polite, yet transparently concealed, expressions of discomfort with the inclusion of the Defend Our Vote (DOV) project of Greater Falls Indivisible in the Saxtons River Fourth of July parade this year. While I take exception, I nevertheless appreciate the concern. In the context of our supercharged polarized context, calling attention to...
Meg Mott (megmott.com) is a professor emerita, former town moderator, and self-described Constitution Wrangler and Good Clash Provider. PUTNEY-Here are some grim statistics. • One in three Americans do not know there are three branches of government. • More than half do not know the number of members in the House of Representatives. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which conducted the 2024 survey, came up with a plan. The Civic Trust is a program designed for the American workplace that...
BRATTLEBORO-After 12 years at the helm, Mary Greene, executive director of the Brattleboro Music Center (BMC), is retiring effective Saturday, Aug. 1. “This has been my dream job,” she said in a recent interview. “I felt that way 12 years ago, and I feel that way now.” Greene and her family moved to Brattleboro in 1991. “We first became involved with the BMC when we were looking for a cello teacher for our daughter,” Greene said. “Three of our children...
BRATTLEBORO-On Saturday, June 27, in the Vermont Jazz Center (VJC) space, Kinetic Theory Theatre will present “A Bissel Borscht Belt: A Yiddish Vaudeville Extravaganza,” promising, according to a press release, to bring “you back to a simpler place and time” in “a fun-filled tribute to the Catskills’ variety shows of yesteryear that truly shaped modern American entertainment.” Under the direction of Stephanie Bass Abrams, Kinetic Theory Theatre has been creating experimental theater and circus productions since 2001. The group produced...
VERNON-After 40 years in operation, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station in Vernon shuttered in 2014, leaving over 100,000 tons of nuclear waste. More than a decade later, the developer that holds the lease, PowerTransitions, is in the midst of envisioning the site’s future. Now, the local community and state are mulling the potential energy, environmental, and economic impacts of the site redevelopment, which could include a data center. After purchasing the 140-acre property, NorthStar, which specializes in facility remediation,
Anita Rafael is a Wardsboro writer whose work has appeared in myriad newspapers and magazines, including this one. WARDSBORO-On Saturday, July 4, Wardsboro is hosting what has become the biggest street fair and Independence Day parade that a small town, population 800-plus, can possibly create. The marvelous thing about it is that Wardsboro likely reached “peak parade” over a generation ago, and since then all the goings-on of the day, including apple pies, strawberry shortcakes, and outdoor-grill chicken BBQ, are...
MARLBORO-On Saturday, June 27, at 7 p.m., Thrush Hill Stage, 314 Upper Houghton Rd., will present “France vs. Italy: A Candle-lit Culinary & Musical Dessert” — an intimate evening combining a gourmet dessert buffet with live baroque music from France and Italy, all by candlelight. Guests will enjoy at least six classic French and Italian desserts — such as Italian tiramisu and French crème caramel — prepared by chef and musician Jesse Lepkoff and staff, alongside elegant 17th- and 18th-century...
PUTNEY-Next Stage Arts presents the Stéphane Wrembel Band Saturday, June 27, at 7:30 pm at Next Stage, 15 Kimball Hill. Stéphane Wrembel returns to Next Stage with his ensemble for an evening of musicianship that blends jazz, Gypsy swing, world music, and original compositions. Hailing from Fontainebleau, France, Wrembel has built an international reputation for performances that are both “technically breathtaking and emotionally compelling.” A prolific composer as well as performer, Wrembel’s music has reached audiences far beyond the concert...
PUTNEY-Next Stage Arts presents Rev. Vince Anderson & His Love Choir Friday, June 26, at the Putney Inn field, 57 Putney Landing Rd., as part of the Bandwagon Summer Series. Gates open at 5 p.m., and the concert begins at 6 p.m. Proclaimed an “institution” by Questlove, Rev. Vince Anderson and his five-piece band, The Love Choir, bring three decades of “Dirty Gospel” to audiences around the world. Featuring musicians who have performed with the group TV on the Radio,
BRATTLEBORO-Perennial favorite Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra (PESO) headlines the return to Retreat Farm of Brattleboro Music Center’s popular Music Under the Stars series Saturday, June 27. The Pan Evolution Steel Orchestra, two-time New York Panorama Competition Winner, is a steel pan band that brings world-class music to appreciative audiences around the U.S. and overseas. Founded in 2015 and based in Brooklyn, New York, the band uses its platform to promote unity throughout the culture and steel pan community. “We cannot...
BRATTLEBORO-As part of River Gallery School’s (RGS) 50th anniversary, they will host an exhibit of the work of local photographer Robert George from July 3 to Aug. 31 at their Main Street gallery. An opening celebration takes place Friday, July 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. “Our mutual love of town, its children and streets, its painters and builders; its small monuments and shifting light, its moments of rest and labor run through his photographs,” organizers wrote in a news...
PUTNEY-Twilight Music and Next Stage Arts Project continue the 23rd Twilight on the Tavern Lawn series of folk, world, jazz, zydeco, bluegrass, pop, and Americana music summer concerts Sunday, June 28, at 6 p.m. with contemporary folk duos Flagship Romance and The Rough & Tumble. Flagship Romance is an alternative folk duo known for their harmonies and original material. Organizers wrote in a news release that the duo delivers “a dynamic live show that leaves audiences feeling like they just...
-The Southern Vermont League (SVL) released their all-league selections for baseball, lacrosse, softball, tennis, track and field, and Ultimate disc last week, with plenty of representation from our local schools. • In baseball, Brattleboro’s Sean Cozza, Kmar Hall, and Cooper LaFlam received honorable mention in the A Division. In the B Division, Division III runner-up Bellows Falls had Jaden Bazin, Jake Tostrup, and Steven Joslyn named to the first team, with Jacob Kissell, Jackson Fletcher, and Tim Fletcher receiving honorable...
Owing to a production error, each of two political news releases ran in last week’s newspaper with the other’s headline. Both events will take place this week as follows. • Democratic governor hopefuls will debate on June 26: The Windham County Democratic Committee will host a forum featuring Democratic gubernatorial candidates Amanda Janoo and Aly Richards. The free forum takes place Friday, June 26, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the International Center on the campus of the School for...
