Community events: Nov. 3-Nov. 8, 2016

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@chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please. Notices must be received by noon on Fridays to be eligible for publication the following week.

Nov. 3: Rotary welcomes Kurn Hattin director as First Thursday speaker

The Rotary Club of Chester will welcome Karen Lansberry, Kurn Hattin’s director of residential services, as its First Thursday speaker at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 3. The talk will be held at the Fullerton Inn at 40 The Common in Chester.

Attendees have the opportunity to participate in the annual gift-giving program sponsored by Chester Rotary Club with help from employees of the Vermont Country Store. Light appetizers and conversation begin at 5:15 p.m. and the program lasts an hour. This event is free and open to everyone. Reserve your spot by emailing chestervtrotary@gmail.com.

Nov. 4: Free trivia night for families at Grounded4Life

A family-friendly night of trivia is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4 at the Grounded4Life coffeehouse downstairs in the Chester Baptist Church at 162 Main St. in Chester.

Enjoy an old-fashioned evening of trivia for all ages, with community fellowship, food and warm beverages. Free admission.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with food, coffee, fellowship and conversation. Check out the Grounded4Life Facebook page. Contact Grounded through the grounded4lifevt.org website.

Nov. 5: Encore for MacLoamainn’s Haunted House

Nov. 5 & 12: Donations sought for Chester
Area Coat and Blanket Drive

Support the ninth annual Chester Area Coat and Blanket Drive by volunteering to gather and sort donations of blankets and warm clothing and provide soup and bread to be served at each distribution event.

If you, or someone you know are in need of blankets and clothing for the winter, go to the distribution site – the Buckley Center Parish Hall at St. Joseph’s Church at the corner of Routes 11 and 103 in Chester – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, Nov. 5 and 12. Items will be free for the taking along with free soup and bread.

Call Edie Brown at 802-875-3889 for more details or to volunteer.

Nov. 5: Endangered Alphabets – VT Humanities program at Rock Library

On Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. Vermont Humanities Council presents Tim Brookes discussing “Endangered Alphabets, Cultural Erosion and the Future of the Written Word” at the Rockingham Library at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls.

What does the age of globalization, digital convergence and Facebook mean for the future of the written word? Brookes offers a thought-provoking perspective on this question.

Displaying a carving of a piece of text in each script, he’ll lead a discussion on how technology defines the nature of communication and explores how the story of a culture can be seen in its writing.

This talk is free and open to the public. The library is handicapped accessible. For more information, call 802-463-4270, go to www.rockinghamlibrary.org or stop by the library.

Nov. 5: BRGNS to hold Stick Season Social fundraiser

Black River Good Neighbor Services is holding its seventh annual Stick Season Social at Sam’s Steakhouse 91 Vermont 103 in Ludlow on Saturday, Nov. 5. The silent auction and the bar open at 6 p.m., dinner starts at 6:45 p.m.

“Stick Season is that time between fall leaves and winter snow with not much to do … so it’s a great time to party,” said Peter LaBelle, president of BRGNS. “This is our major fund raiser of the year. It will help the BRGNS’ Food Shelf with program costs, so it can continue to help local people in need of food, rent, utilities and heat assistance.”

In addition to dinner, the evening includes a cash bar, silent auction, raffle items and door prizes donated by the community. Sam’s has planned a full buffet including salad bar and a variety of entrées and desserts.

Tickets are $55 per person, including dinner, gratuities and tax. Tickets must be purchased in advance and seating is limited. They can be purchased at the BRGNS Thrift Store, Peoples United Bank, The Book Nook, and The Wine & Cheese Depot, all located in Ludlow. Purchase tickets online at www.brgn.org. Call 802-228-3663 with any questions.

Nov. 7: Early-bird discount for wreath-decorating workshops

Get ready for the holidays by decorating an evergreen wreath at Willard Hall in St. Luke’s Church, 313 Main St. on Route 11 West in Chester.

The workshops benefit both the church and the Chester Conservation Committee’s youth environmental-camp scholarships.

The group supplies greens, natural materials, bows, and other embellishments, plus wire, glue guns, and equipment necessary to make the decorating fun and successful. Participants should bring clippers if they have them.

Space is limited so participants must pre-register.  Choose from one of four sessions:

• 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17;
• 9–10:30 a.m. or 1–2:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, and
• 9–10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Refreshments will be available at each session.  The fee to participate is $40 and there is an early-bird discount of $5 for those who register and pay for a session by Monday, Nov. 7.

Checks should be made out to St. Luke’s Church and designated for the wreath workshop. Mail payment to Lillian Willis at P.O. Box 318, Chester, VT 05143. For additional information and to register, contact Lillian Willis by calling 802-875-1340 or by emailing lbwillisct@comcast.net.

Nov. 8: Annual CAFC Bake Sale to be held on election morning

Stop by the Annual Chester-Andover Family Center Election Day bake sale after voting on election morning.

The sale is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Nov. 8 on the second floor of the Chester Town Hall at 556 Elm St. Money raised supports the center’s Food Shelf and Emergency Financial Assistance program.

Fall has arrived at the Thrift Shop and winter is on its way. The shop is stocked with warm outerwear in fall colors, winter shoes and boots, scarves, decorative holiday items, glassware, kitchenware, and clothing for men, women, children and infants.

Thrift Shop hours are: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday and Friday; noon to 6 p.m., Wednesday; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Food Shelf hours are 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to noon, Friday for produce pickup. The Center is at 908 Vt. Rt. 103 South, in Chester. Contact the center by phone at 802-875-3236, by email at cafc302@gmail.com, and at the website: www.chester-andoverfamilycenter.org.

— Susan Lampe-Wilson