Upcoming events: Keller band in Chester; BRAM talk on Mt. Rushmore; author chat at Book Nook; pastor makes a hair-dare; Chester Family Night set; blues band in Cavendish; Londonderry arts exhibit; brass ensemble in Rutland; NYTimes correspondent speaks in Weston

For more upcoming events, click here for The Chester Telegraph calendar. To be included in our Upcoming events briefs, email Susan Lampe-Wilson at calendar@www.chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please.

Dave Keller Band returns

Aug. 7: Dave Keller Band returns
to Chester Summer Series

On Thursday, Aug. 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Chester’s Summer Concert Series welcomes back the Dave Keller Band, sponsored by Newsbank.

Based in Montpelier, the Dave Keller Band’s reputation for dynamic, soul-stirring performances extends throughout New England. Keller is a singer/guitarist who has forged a style uniquely his own — intense and soulful, gritty and sweet.

Next week’s concert on Aug. 14th will be a great southern Vermont band, Joinery, at the same time, same place.

Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and sit back and listen to great music on a summer night right in downtown Chester. In case of inclement weather, concerts will move to the Stone Hearth Inn on Route 11 West. All concerts are free. For more information contact 875-3400.

Aug. 7: Black River Academy Museum to host Mount Rushmore

Controversial author Douglas J. Gladstone will present a program at the Black River Academy Museum at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7 at 14 High St., Ludlow. about his recently released book, Carving a Niche for Himself; The Untold Story of Luigi Del Bianco and Mount Rushmore.

The book criticizes the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service for not recognizing the obscure Italian American immigrant, Luigi Del Bianco, who served as chief carver of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 1933 through 1940. The book takes the National Park Service to task for its failure to recognize Del Bianco, despite the agency’s long-standing commitment to practicing multiculturalism and pluralism.

To order a copy of the book, Vermont residents can call Small Press Distribution toll free at 800-869-7553 or contact the Book Nook bookstore, which is co-sponsoring the event.

For more details, call Book Nook owner Scott Stearns at 802-228-3238 or museum birector Georgia Brehm at 802-228-5050. For directions, visit www.bramvt.org.

VPR commentator Martha Leb Molnar’s new book Taproot: Coming Home to Prairie Hill.

Aug. 9: VPR commentator, author to speak
at Book Nook in Ludlow

The Book Nook hosts VPR commentator Martha Leb Molnar at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 9 at the store 136 Main St. in Ludlow to read from and talk about her first book, Taproot: Coming Home to Prairie Hill.

Molnar describes how she and her husband, both children of Holocaust survivors, strive to overcome their nomadic past through devotion to a place. They buy land on a rugged Vermont hill, build a house and begin a new life, learning to observe the huge bowl of sky, the windstorms, the seasons and the puzzling animal and human neighbors. Part memoir, part nature journal, part observations of Vermonters — along with the amusing saga of building a house — the book speaks to the reader on many levels.

There is parking on the street and at the back of the building. Copies of Taproot will be available for purchase and to be signed by the author.

Chester Baptist in 1872

Aug. 10: A hair-dare for Chester Baptist Church’s 225th anniversary

This may very well be the week to visit the Chester Baptist Church at 162 Main St. in Chester.

Here are two good reasons: The parishioners are celebrating 225 years of involvement in the community. The folks want to invite you to spend part of the day with them on Aug. 10. The service will start at 10:30 a.m. and at 1 p.m. The grills will be hot, music playing and games will be under way under the big tents in the churchyard. The public is welcome to join in any part the celebration.

Also on Aug. 10, Pastor Tom Charlton has dared the congregation to invite enough people that attendance tops 225 that morning. If it does, Charlton would get a Mohawk haircut right after church.  And if 275 people show up, he’ll dye the Mohawk blue.
Chester Baptist Church services are at 10:30 a.m. every Sunday, and grounded4LIFE is open Fridays by 7 p.m.

Aug. 12: Chester Family Night for fun, food and safety

Chester’s Recreation Department and the Chester Police Department are hosting their first Annual Chester Family Night, from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday Aug. 12 at the Pinnacle, Lover’s Lane, Chester.

Free hot dogs and hamburgers will be available. And there will be swimming, a dunking booth and a bouncy house for family enjoyment.

Chester residents also will learn about current crime prevention methods and acquire tools for staying safe while having fun with their local recreation and police personnel.

For more information contact Matt McCarthy at recreationinchester@vermontel.net or Matt Wilson at matthew.wilson@state.vt.us or call the Chester Town Office at 802-875-2173.

Voodoo Alien Blues Band

Aug. 13: Cavendish series hosts Voodoo Alien Blues Band

The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association invites the community and neighbors to the Proctorsville Green on Route 131 for the Voodoo Alien Blues Band at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13. This concert, part of the Cavendish summer music series, is sponsored by the Cavendish Recreation Department.

The Rutland-based all-star rhythm and blues band is led by local blues legend Steve Audsley and appears regularly at a variety of Vermont venues.

Come to Proctorsville and enjoy a warm summer evening with neighbors and friends in front of the gazebo on the green. Relax in the grass on your blanket or lawn chair, have a picnic or just listen to the music.

The concerts are free and open to everyone. For more information please call Robin at 226-7736.

Aug. 14: Londonderry Arts and Historical Society events

Londonderry Arts and Historical Society announces its August show of the work of local artists. It is open every Saturday in August from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Custer Sharp House, 2461 Middletown Road, Londonderry. A reception will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 14. Some of the artwork displayed will be available to purchase.

On Aug. 15, 4 p.m. LAHS is co-sponsoring a talk with Landgrove Historical Society at the Landgrove Meeting House, 69 Landgrove Road, Landgrove. Gregg Sharrow from the Vermont Folklife Center will be speaking on farming in Vermont. All are welcome.

Aug. 15: Killington skier gives back to Rutland veterans

Lifelong Killington skier Steven Behnke will be bringing his nationally recognized non-profit, the Patriot Brass Ensemble, to Rutland. This free concert will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15 at the Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St. This concert is a special stop on its national tour and the only concert being organized and promoted by the Patriot Brass Ensemble.

The concern for the well- being of veterans is at an all-time high, and the Patriot Brass Ensemble has been doing its  part to create a better quality of life for veterans in long-term care. Patriot Bass is the only unit of its kind in the United States, and the non-profit provides concerts for free of charge to veterans in long-term care.

Sanger at Weston Playhouse

Aug. 17: NYT correspondent Sanger returns to Weston Playhouse

David Sanger, national security correspondent for the New York Times, returns to the Weston Playhouse, 703 Main St., Weston, at 7:30 p.m on Sunday, Aug. 17 for a special lecture, “What Happened? Obama and His Adversaries: From Russia to China to the Middle East.”

Sanger, one of the country’s foremost political journalists, will speak on President Obama’s relationships with world leaders and powerful political groups, and America’s challenges and risks in some of the most sensitive and dangerous regions of the world. Weston chair emeritus Wayne Granquist will moderate the event.

Sanger will appear in Weston for one night only, with all proceeds benefiting the non-profit Weston Playhouse Theatre Company. A dessert and wine reception will immediately follow in the playhouse living room. All tickets are $35 (includes reception) and are available by phone at 802-824-5288 (Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), online at westonplayhouse.org, or in person at the Playhouse box office (Tuesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and through intermission on performance nights.)

– Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson