Recreation & Sports

Are you looking for suggestions on bike rides in the Tri-State region this summer? The recently-released map of bikeway routes along the Connecticut River Scenic Byway can help you out. The map covers parts of three states and shows bike routes from Putney, VT and Walpole, NH in the north to Easthampton and South Hadley, MA in the south.

The map was prepared by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments in Greenfield, MA in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Windham Regional Commission (WRC) in Brattleboro contributed data for the Vermont portion of the map, which shows easier, intermediate, and advanced bike routes, off-road bike trails, bike shops, picnic areas, ice cream stops, and more.

Our Place Drop-In Center in Bellows Falls is hosting a 5K race and walk to benefit its food programs Saturday, Aug. 15 at Vermont Academy in Saxtons River.

The 5K for Food will get under way at 9 a.m. over the trails at VA and will include a cool route through the woods, perfect for an August day. Registration begins at 8 a.m. at the Chivers Center on Shepare Lane.

The registration fee is $15, with a maximum of $30 per family.

The event will raise money to help stock the shelves at Our Place, which serves approximately 175 local families a month. Donations of non-perishable food will be accepted at the 5K.

There is still room for a team to join summer soccer in Brattleboro this year, sponsored by the Putney Soccer Club and held on Wednesday evenings at SIT. Eleven teams are not in place and there is room for one more. The season starts on May 13 and runs to the end of August.

If you are interested in entering a team in the league and serving as captain, please email Edwin de Bruijn at labdeb@sover.net or call 802 254 6965.

Also, if you are an individual player looking to join a team, we may be able to help you find one. You can email us at putneysoccerclub@gmail.com. When you do, please tell us a little about yourself, age, skill level, and so on. Thanks.

Come out rain, mud and/or shine and support Green Street School enrichment programs while you walk or run down neighborhood streets and the scenic Retreat trails behind Brattleboro’s famous ski jump. This family-friendly local 5k is in its third year and gaining great momentum, please join us!

The Saturday, May 2 race starts and finishes at Green Street School, 164 Green Street, Brattleboro. There is also a 1/2 mile Sprout Run for younger children before the 5K.

Registration is now open for the fifth annual Tour de Heifer, which, organizers say, includes Vermont’s most challenging dirt road cycling rides.

The Tour is organized as a fund-raiser for Strolling of the Heifers, and takes place on Sunday of Strolling of the Heifers Weekend, June 7.

The Tour’s 60-mile and 30-mile challenge routes follow dirt roads with mimimal pavement.  Both entail significant elevation change — nearly 7,000 feet for the 60-miler, and over 3,000 feet for the 30-miler.

Brattleboro, VT–Families, friends and teams from work are invited to celebrate the 34th Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit Youth Services’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Saturday, April 4. The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with teams signing up for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road.

Brattleboro, Vt. (January 19, 2015) – The only International Skiing Federation (FIS)-approved ski jump in New England will soon be fully active as the 93rd Harris Hill Ski Jump sets to take off February 14 and 15 in Brattleboro, Vt. The world-class competition will feature more than 40 of the world’s top male and female jumpers from the US, Europe and Canada who will compete on a 90-meter Olympic sized jump.

One of the best kept secrets in Brattleboro is the nifty little ski resort tucked into the side of Living Memorial Park. Just like the big guys, it features a lift, snowmaking and grooming…and it’s open for night skiing too.

It may not be as challenging as some, but it IS fun, and all for the measly sum of FIVE BUCKS!

Historical note: In the early days of skiing, people from New York City used to come by train just to ski here.

The Wilmington Trails Committee is hosting a trail event Saturday, September 27th (Rain date September 28th). The hike will be two of Wilmington’s newer trails: The Shearer Hill Trail and the Raponda Primitive Trail.

Everyone is invited to meet at 10 AM at the entrance to the Shearer Hill Trail, which is at the field on the left hand side of Shearer Hill Road in Wilmington just before you come to the Marlboro Town Line which is at the intersection of Grant Road. You will see vehicles parked along the road. More information about the route will be provided once everyone gathers at the start. The hike will begin at 10:30am.

The Walpole Wild Blue and the Claremont Cardinals kept their hopes alive for for a first place regular season finish in the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League with victories in their most recent games. The team they are chasing, the undefeated Putney Fossils, return to CRVBL action this weekend.

The defending champion Claremont Cardinals beat a shorthanded Walpole Maples team, 13-1 at Barnes Park in Claremont. Veteran pitcher Mike Wells, kept the Maples off balance all day with an assortment of scuffed fastballs and doctored curves. Wells threw 6 strong innings, allowing one run on three hits, with 6 strikeouts. He also helped himself by starting a nifty double play to stop a possible rally in the 4th inning. The offense was paced by the four hit and five RBI performance of Mr. Nate Duford. Todd Bersaglieri raked three hits and Andrew Sullivan had two more.

After a break over the Independence Day weekend, six of the seven town teams in the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League return to action next Sunday, each of them hoping to gain ground on the undefeated Putney Fossils. The Fossils enjoy another week off after running off nine straight victories to start the season. Regular season play will end in early August with two weeks of playoffs to determine the winner of the 2014 CRVBL Cup.

The Putney Fossils remain undefeated in the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League after a doubleheader sweep of the Sunapee Old Lakers, while in other local adult baseball action, the Claremont Cardinals defeated the Brattleboro River Rats, while the Walpole Wild Blue came out on top of its crosstown rival, the Maples.

Putney took the first game of its twin bill by a 6-3 score with RIchard Bissell picking up a complete game win, and Keith Lyman driving in a pair of runs while going two for three at the plate. In the second game, the Fossils romped to an 18 – 6 win that featured a monster offensive performance from Kyle Whitworth who went four for four, including a home run and five runs batted in. Danny Lichtenfeld earned the victory on the mound.

WALPOLE, NH – The Putney Fossils continued their winning ways Friday night, June 6 with a 7-2 victory over previously undefeated Walpole Wild Blue at Hubbard Park.

Hard throwing Fossils right-hander Danny Lichtenfeld was masterful on the mound, scattering six hits and three walks over eight innings while fanning six and allowing no earned runs. Bob “Bullet” Englehart pitched a perfect ninth to close out the game.

In the only game on last weekend’s Connecticut River Valley Baseball League schedule, the Claremont Cardinals shut out the Sunapee Old Lakers, 9 – 0. All eight teams in the region’s adult baseball league return to action this weekend.

Jon Nicholas picked up the complete game win for the Cardinals, giving up four hits while striking out eight. Nicholas was also the team’s offensive star, going four for four, driving in a run and scoring twice.

WALPOLE TEAMS SWEEP CRVBL WEEKEND GAMES

It was a great weekend for the town of Walpole in the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League, as the town’s two CRVBL teams were winners in the most recent league action.

The Walpole Wild Blue remained undefeated and tied with the Putney Fossils for the league lead, as the Wild Blue cruised to a 25-1 victory over Keene in a game played at Dummerston Field. Pitcher Ryan Kohler struck out 9 in four innings to get the win, while going three for four with four runs batted in at the plate. Other offensive stars included Jamie Spence, who went four for four with six RBI, Gary Dennis, who went three for five with four runs scored, and Chris Ballou, who crossed the plate six times.

Have you seen the rowers on the West River this spring? Brattleboro Outing Club’s RowBOC and the Putney Rowing Club have teamed up to offer a Learn to Row Clinic and they are still accepting novice rowers.

Meet other new rowers learning to row under the expert instruction of Tim Whitney, Grahame King, Thom Collins and Kristin Dawley. Clinic sessions take place on the West River and the Connecticut River at both rowing clubs.

The Putney Fossils moved to the top of the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League standings with its second victory, while the Newport Polar Bears picked up their first win of the year in the most recent CRVBL games.

Putney relied on strong pitching by Danny Lichtenfeld and Richard Bissell, to beat the Claremont Cardinals 6 to 4. Offensive contributions were team-wide for the Fossils with Chris Jensen collecting two RBIs and Steve Kapral, Steve Stanley, and newcomer Chris Larro each collecting a hit and two stolen bases respectively. For Claremont, Jon Nicholas banged out three hits and scored a pair of runs, while John Grainger collected two hits and drove in two runs.

The Connecticut River Valley Baseball League got its 2014 season underway as the league champion Claremont Cardinals started their title defense with a 7 to 2 win over the Brattleboro River Rats at Dummerston Field. All eight town teams in the league are scheduled for games this weekend at locations in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Brattleboro, VT–Families, friends and teams from work are invited to celebrate the 33rd Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit Youth Services’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Saturday, April 5. The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with teams signing up for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road.

The 4-5 p.m. time is reserved for teams of teens and “Bigs and Littles” and will have a special “Cosmic Bowling” atmosphere. The financial goal of the event is to raise $65,000 in pledge money and business sponsorship to help cover the cost of running the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.