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Reliable Volunteers Needed for Playground Installation

DATE:  SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2015 (rain date will be Saturday, Sept. 5)

LOCATION: Lower park of the Canal Street School (next to the basketball court)

We need 4 – 5 Volunteers for the morning shift:  8:15 a.m.  – Noon

We need 4 – 5 Volunteers or the afternoon shift: Noon – 3 or 4 (or when complete)

Experience working with tools will be very helpful. 


Pass With Care Signs

Have you noticed these signs around town lately? 

They have been distributed through the Safe Streets Project, a town committee whose mission is to create a culture of respect and increase civility and safety on our streets for everyone through awareness and education activities.
Remember that cyclists only travel around 10 mph and they, like you, have a destination.
 
Give respect, get respect. Safety is a two-way street.

Solar Pioneer Steven Strong To Speak In Brattleboro

Steven Strong, founder of one of the first solar companies in the United States and an acclaimed industry leader and innovator, will speak at the Hooker-Dunham Theater, 139 Main Street in downtown Brattleboro on Friday, September 11 at 7:00 pm.

Strong’s talk will assess the current state of solar in this country, how we reached this point, and what needs to be done in the future to make solar mainstream. It will cover all aspects of solar, from individual residences to large-scale utility solar plants.

There is a suggested donation of $10 for the talk. Light refreshments will be provided.


Vote for Brattleboro – Best Craft Town

Hi, Everyone,

Brattleboro has been doing well in the voting for Top 10 craft towns, but St. Petersburg is putting on a drive that has us more than 200 votes behind them. That was after we caught up to them and passed them briefly. If we want to have a shot at this, we need to share it and remember to vote every day for Brattleboro. Can you do it?

Best,
Greg Worden

Go to www.americancraftweek.com to vote.


I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Week of August 23

Blasting operations on the north side of the new bridge have stopped temporarily, and will resume mid-week the week of the 23rd. The target time for the blasts is weekdays between 1:30-2:00 pm. To ensure travelers’ safety, rolling roadblocks will be implemented on I-91, and the Exit 2 northbound on-ramp and the Exit 3 on-ramps in both directions will be closed for approximately 15 minutes. Sound impacts associated with the blasting will be minimal.

I-91

See above re blasting scheduled for this week.


Fifth Annual “Load The Latchis” Food Drive Takes Place Aug. 20

Brattleboro, VT — (August 19, 2014) — WKVT and Latchis Arts present the fifth annual Load the Latchis food drive this Thursday, August 20.

From 6:00am to 6:00pm, volunteers will be on Flat Street outside the Latchis Building, enabling curbside drop-off of food and monetary donations, which help stock the Groundworks Collaborative food shelf on 60 South Main Street in downtown Brattleboro.

The goal of the food drive is to place a full bag of groceries on each of the 750 seats inside the main theater in the Latchis. Suggested items to donate include such non-perishable items as peanut butter, tuna fish, pasta, boxed meals, canned meats, fruits, and vegetables and diapers.


Selectboard Meeting Notes: Energy Audit SEEDS, A Cell Tower, & A Structure To Climb Upon

Brattleboro’s municipal properties will be receiving energy audits now that an energy-auditing firm has been selected for the task. The Brattleboro Selectboard approved the work to look at 14 different structures, to see what additional work could be done to save money long-term.

The board heard an interesting pair of contrasting presentations regarding a proposed 140 foot cell tower for Putney Road. One presentation showed it to be essential to the life of our community; the other questioned its necessity as proposed.

A new playground structure has been approved for purchase for West River park, town finances are on schedule one month into the fiscal year, and a complaint about a closed pool leads to a discussion of who cut the hours in the first place.


Paul Zaloom to Perform at Puppets in the Green Mountains

Renowned puppeteer, filmmaker, performance artist, and political satirist Paul Zaloom will perform his hit at this year’s festival. Zaloom will be recognized by many as the Bread & Puppet Domestic Resurrection Circus ringmaster. Well-known for his long-running CBS series Beakman’s World, Paul has garnered wide popularity and national acclaim for countless projects over the course of his illustrious career.

Performances o White Like Me will take place on September 11 and 12 at 8 p.m. at the New England Youth Theatre. Additionally, Zaloom will teach an exclusive workshop in object theater on Tuesday, September 15 from 7-9 p.m. at Brattleboro’s newest wheelchair-accessible venue: 118 Elliot Space.


Brattleboro Committee Vacancies

The Town of Brattleboro is looking for citizens to serve on the following committees and boards:

Agricultural Advisory Board
ADA Advisory Committee
Arts Committee
Citizens Police Communications Committee (CPCC)


What Good Did/Does Decriminalization Do?

When Daryl Pillsbury and I met in March 2010 for the first time the meeting came about after I had seen a photo of him in the Reformer holding a “Legalize Marijuana” sign outside of the polling area during the March town elections. That year I was chafing from the awareness that, while Vermont was surely a significant marijuana consumer state, it was clear that a high percentage of Vermonters were caught up in the criminal justice web.The actual statistics didn’t matter to me. Two consenting Vermont adults being arrested for personal use and possession of marijuana were two too many.

If there was any noteworthy marijuana activism in Vermont at that time it was under the radar. In fact, it seemed as if there was no activism at all, which is why the photo of Daryl holding the legalize sign struck a chord with me.


Kickstarter Campaign to Help Light Up Guilford Center Stage

Guilford Center Stage is a new project of Broad Brook Grange in … Guilford Center!  We will be presenting occasional theatrical productions on the little stage there, with the first show scheduled for Columbus Weekend.  Currently, and for the past half century, the stage is lit by a sad trio of 75 watt floodlights: Not real stage lighting!

The Grange is able to absorb the modest costs of the production, which we hope will be covered by admissions.  But one more costly item is the acquisition of a small theater lighting system, which will light up this show and be ready for future events.


The Wrong Guy – Sanders and the Democrats

Somehow I thought that when you ran as say, a Democrat, that Democrats would at least acknowledge that you exist instead of stealing all your platform planks, (watering them down), and then trying to find people to run on them.  But that is exactly what the Democrats are doing in the face of Bernie Sanders’ unexpected popularity.  First it was Hillary, with her student loan program and her sudden concern for the middle class.  Then she got in trouble, so the party players decided to float Biden.  Biden seems to be nibbling, so we may see him in the race.  Then this weekend, the Guardian ran a story saying people wanted Gore to run.  Somehow I don’t think that’s likely but really?  You want to run Gore?  Anyone?


$150 Reward for Return of Computer

Here is the short version.

I will pay $150 to anyone who brings me my computer, no questions asked.

It was removed from my car late Friday or early Saturday , and I need it for work and to communicate with my brother who moved over seas. 

There is work I cannot finish without that computer, including movie scenes shot here in Brattleboro, concerning alcohol addiction.


New ‘Synagogue Outdoors’ Grant Brings BAJC Outside

The Brattleboro Area Jewish Community (BAJC)‘Synagogue Outdoors’ Project has won a $3000 grant from the Gendler Grapevine Foundation for innovative work to connect community life with their 12 acres of land. 

 This Gendler Grapevine Grant enables BAJC to add welcoming, interpretive signs, new trails, benches and outdoor gathering spaces for study, prayer, storytelling, meditation and more. The grant builds on the volunteer labor of BAJC members and friends who have already accomplished planting a vegetable garden, a heritage wheat garden, and a small orchard.  They have built stairs and opened views that overlook woods and a stream. The trails on the BAJC grounds will be accessible to the general public as the Town of Brattleboro links their own nature trails to the site.


Bluesman Guy Davis in a Stroll Fundraising Concert

Strolling of the Heifers presents An Evening with Guy Davis — a fundraising event for Strolling of the Heifers on Friday evening, October 9 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro).

A widely-known American blues musician, Guy Davis last appeared in Brattleboro in a memorable concert alongside the legendary Pete Seeger in 2008 (also a Stroll fundraising event).

Seating is limited to 200, and all seats are priced at $20. There will be no reserved seating. Tickets are available via Brown Paper Tickets at . Davis will have a new album released in September, entitled “Kokomo Kidd.”


Vermont Beer: History of a Brewing Revolution with Adam Krakowski and Kurt Staudter

On Wednesday, August 19, at 7 PM, in the library’s meeting room, join authors Adam Krakowski and Kurt Staudter who will speak about the history of brewing in Vermont, which is told in their recent book, Vermont Beer: History of a Brewing Revolution.  The event is free and open to the public. 

Kurt Staudter is the executive director of the Vermont Brewers Association.  Adam Krakowski is a decorative and fine arts conservator based in Quechee, Vermont.

Adam Krakowski holds a BA in art history with a minor in museum studies and a MS in historic preservation from the University of Vermont. He has worked at museums, historical societies, art galleries and restoration firms all over New York and New England. He was the recipient of the 2010 Weston Cate Jr. Research Fellowship from the Vermont Historical Society for his project A Bitter Past: Hop Farming in Nineteenth-Century Vermont.


Noticed Around Brattleboro – Summer 2015

Ready for another “Noticed Around Brattleboro” list? This is you chance to point out things that have caught your eye in recent months.

To get you started, here are a few things I’ve noticed recently:

– New, large Steve Proctor vases at the front door of Brattleboro Savings & Loan to welcome bank customers.


Conscious Party! Benefit for WVEW-LP 107.7 fm, Brattleboro Community Radio

Conscious Party! A benefit for WVEW-LP 107.7 fm, Brattleboro Community Radio will be held on Saturday, August 29th on the Brattleboro Common from 12 to 5 pm.

Music will be provided by Heirloom Seeds with DJ Thomas and DJ Ray. There will also be vendors, face-painting, and more!

The event is free but donations to WVEW are gladly accepted. Help keep your local, non-commercial, community radio station on the air.

www.wvew.org


Weekend Comedy Series: John Oliver

Let’s give a Brit a chance, shall we?

Here’s John Oliver, former Daily Show corespondent and stand-in host, and current star of his own “Last Week Tonight,” on HBO. This performance is his 2008 show “Terrifying Times.”

He’s been doing comedy just about all of his life, starting with being in a comedy troupe at college with David Mitchell (Peep Show) and Richard Aoyade (The IT Crowd).


SeVWA’s 2015 E. coli Monitoring of Local River Sites Continued August 12th

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had its fifth monitoring day for the summer of 2015 on Wednesday, August 12th. All of our sites, as well as much of the Northeast, received a soaking rain the day prior to sampling and only one of our sites tested below the “suitability for swimming” standard set by Vermont and the EPA. It is generally recommended to wait 24-48 hours after a significant rainfall to resume swimming in lakes and streams, so keep that in mind when making weekend plans on the water.