Upcoming: Bread & Puppet Theater; ‘Jaws’ at Ludlow Auditorium; Wilder Library hosts annual Book Sale; Wild Walking for kids at Nature Museum; Londonderry’s Pingree Park Fun Day; and mushroom foraging classes

Aug. 1: Bread and Puppet Theater events

Bread and Puppet Theater has announced its calendar for August. Shows take place at The Bread and Puppet Farm, Route 122 in Glover, Vt. Performances are open to the public for free or a suggested donation of $10.

Friday, Aug. 1 and 8, 7:30 p.m.
The Situation
A show that sets out to define the situation at hand. There will be a museum tour at 6:30 p.m. Admission is by $10 Donation

Saturday, Aug. 2 and 9, 2 p.m.: Bread and Puppet Community Circus Rehearsal
All ages are welcome. Join the B&P Circus rehearsal. Free admission.

Sunday, Aug. 3 and 10, 2 p.m.
: Bread and Puppet: The Nothing is Not Ready Circus and Pageant
The Nothing Is Not Ready Circus is for the not yet existing upriser masses and their kids who need to practice their upriser skills. There will be a museum tour at 1 p.m.; Sideshows 2 p.m. Circus begins at 3 p.m. Following the show will be a viewing of Bread by Sue Bettmann and a new Woodshed Gallery show and reception for artist Barbara Leber. Suggested donation $10.

Guest Performance: 
Poetry Readings by Burt Porter, and Lindsay Knowlton
Bread and Puppet presents an evening of poetry with two celebrated Vermont poets: Burt Porter and Linsday Knowlton.

July 31 through Aug. 18: The Woodshed Gallery, Barbara Leber exhibit
An exhibition of the work of Barbara Leber will be up in the Woodshed Gallery Opening reception: Sunday, Aug. 2 following the pageant.

Tuesday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m. (and every Tuesday evening through August)
 Shape Note Sing
Early American Four-Part Hymns in the Fa-Sol-La-Mi tradition. All welcome, no experience necessary at the Paper Mache Cathedral. Free.

For more information, call 802-525-3031 or visit breadandpuppet.org.

Jaws thrills at the Ludlow Auditorium

Aug. 2: ‘Jaws’ comes to Ludlow Auditorium

Friends of the Ludlow Auditorium’s next movie is Jaws, the record-breaking film by Steven Spielberg, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium, 37 Depot St., in Ludlow.

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film based on Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name. In the story, a giant man-eating great white shark attacks beachgoers on Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, prompting the local police chief to hunt it with the help of a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter.

Rated PG-13, the movie is free and open to everyone; donations are appreciated. Popcorn will be provided courtesy of Berkshire Bank and water courtesy of FOLA. For more information, visit www.fola.us or call 802-228-7239.

Aug. 9: Library book sale set for Weston Green

Wilder Memorial Library’s Annual Book Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9 on the Village Green in Weston. Shoppers will find books from every genre.

This year, food will be sold along with the books and other library items. Hardcovers will sell for $2 each or 3 for $5, paperbacks $1 each or 3 for $2. Some CDs and DVDs will also be for sale. All money raised will go to support the free services and programs offered to library patrons and all community members provided by Wilder Memorial Library. For additional information, visit www.wildermemoriallibrary.org or call 802-824-4307.

Aug. 12: Wild Walkers gather at Nature Museum

The Nature Museum announced the third gathering of Wild Walkers, a partnership program with the Vermont Wilderness School, 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. on Tuesday Aug. 12. At Wild Walkers, youth from 10 to 14 build self-confidence and resiliency outdoors while learning ancient wilderness skills. Experienced instructors from Vermont Wilderness School guide kids in a safe, fun, respectful experience of living close to the Earth.

Wild Walkers will take place at The Nature Museum at Grafton 186 Townshend Road, Grafton. Participants need to dress appropriately for a day spent outdoors and bring a bag lunch and a refillable water bottle. The cost for those registering by Aug. 5 is $30 per student; after Aug. 5 the cost is $35.

Early-bird registration rates are available through Aug. 5 at www.nature-museum.org or by calling 802-843-2111. Early registration is encouraged, as space is limited.

The Nature Museum offers a different Wild Walker program each season. The next gathering will take place in October.

Aug. 17: Second Annual Pingree Park Family Fun Day

Londonderry’s Town Parks board hosts its Second Annual Family Fun Day event, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Sunday Aug. 17 at Pingree Park, Pingree Park Road in Londonderry. There will be carnival-like games, a dunk tank, music by local artists, a bouncy house and a bouncy obstacle course for children.
Events during the day include:

• 11 a.m. Frog Race: participants must supply their own frogs.
• 11:30 a.m. Alexander’s Tae Kwon Do demonstration.
• .1 p.m. Belly fit demonstration by Felicity Haselton.
• 2:45 p.m. Drawing for the winning raffle ticket for the Pingree Park Pig Raffle.

The general admission is $5 charge per person that includes all activities, excluding the dunk tank and food. Grilled burgers and hot dogs, and a selection of other fun summer snack food will be offered. All funds will continue to support the Pingree Park Revitalization Project. The next goals are to improve the walking trail, build the dog park and to bring power into the park for future family events.

For more information on this or other Londonderry Town Parks activities please contact the Parks Board at 824-3356 or email londonderrytownparks@gmail.com.

Ari Rockland-Miller with morels.
Photo by The Mushroom Forager

Aug. 23: Wild World Of Mushrooms

Join the Nature Museum at Grafton on one of two wild edible mushrooming adventures called the Wild World of Mushrooms on Saturday, Aug. 23. Tour guide Ari Rockland-Miller, co-founder of The Mushroom Forager, will give a presentation introducing the region’s most distinctive species, followed by a walk in the woods conserved by the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association. Participants will also discover how to best cook the mushrooms and will taste their wild finds.

Participants should dress for a hike over uneven terrain and bring a water bottle. This workshop begins at the Nature Museum at 183 Townshend Road in Grafton. Following a presentation by Rockland-Miller, attendees will hike on nearby land that is part of the Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, just a short drive from the Museum.

The Nature Museum is offering two Wild World of Mushroom walks in one day: a morning walk from 9:30 a.m. to noon and an afternoon walk from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 when purchased by Aug. 9, and $25 after. Register at www.nature-museum.org, and pay via the secure online payment page, or call at 802-843-2111 or email Carrie King, director of events, carrie@nature-museum.org. Spaces are limited. Participants are encouraged to purchase their tickets early.

— Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson