Community events: March 9 through March 14, 2017

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.

March 9: Local baker shares alternative path to wellness

John McLure, local baker and proprietor of Baba A Louis Bakery, is the guest speaker at the Claremont Area AARP Chapter’s meeting at The Bourdon Center, 67 Maple Ave., Claremont, N.H.,  at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 9.

McLure is a 15-year survivor of cancer and author of a book that describes his alternative path to wellness, A Cancer Treatment. He had his tumor resected and opted out of conventional chemotherapy and radiation.

McLure, whose bakery has been a local institution for many years, is also author of Baba A Louis Bakery Bread Book: The Secret Book of the Bread. Both books and bread will be available for purchase at the meeting on a first-come basis.

Handicap parking is available to the right rear of the building and the meeting will be in the main dining room. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.  For more information, call Kathy Thompson at 603-542-5500.

March 10: Pre-registration deadline for 2017 LEGO contest in Chester

Sponsored by Chester’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the 2017 LEGO Contest takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 18 at the NewsBank Conference Center, 352 Main St. in Chester. This event is open to LEGOmaniacs Pre-K through Grade 8 and their families. Pre-registration date is March 10.

Construct original creations (no kits allowed), with a maximum size of 24-inches x 36-inches, and bring them on March 18 between 9 and 10 a.m. to the Conference Center. Entries will be judged in different grade categories and a separate family team class from 10 a.m. to noon for originality, imagination, and presentation. Motorized LEGOs are considered in a separate section.

At 12:30 p.m., prizes will be awarded in the different classes, with special awards for the Judges’ choice for Best in Show and Most Vermont creations. The Creators’ Choice Award will be given to the entry that the contestants vote as the most outstanding.

Refreshments are available for purchase. Young people may create an additional construction at a special LEGO station.

The registration form may be downloaded by clicking here: www.chestertelegraph.org. Printed forms are available at the Whiting Library on Main Street in Chester, Chester-Andover Elementary School, Grafton Library and Grafton Elementary School.

Entries received by Friday, March 10 are $10. After that date entries are $15. A check for the registration fee should be made out to St. Luke’s Church and mailed, along with the registration form, to the Registrar, Lillian Willis, PO Box 318, Chester, Vermont 05143.
The event will benefit both the church and the Children’s Section of Chester’s Whiting Library. For additional information, contact Lillian Willis at 802-875-1340 or lbwillisct@comcast.net.

March 10: Grow healthy fruit trees and berries

Author Michael Phillips is The Nature Museum’s featured speaker at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 10, discussing Growing Healthy Fruit Trees and Berries, the Biological Way at NewsBank Conference Center, 352 Main St., Chester.

Early bird ticket prices are available until two days prior to the event for $8. After that, Friday tickets are $10 at the door. To register or for more information, go to: www.nature-museum.org or call 802-843-2111.

For more information, find us on facebook.com/naturemuseumatgrafton or www.nature-museum.org.

March 11: One Regiment’s Story program in Mt. Holly

The Mount Holly Town Library sponsors a Vermont Humanities Council Program One Regiment’s Story in the Civil War: The Ninth Vermont, 1862–1865 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 11 at 26 Maple Hill Road in Belmont.

Civil War historian Donald Wickman offers listeners tales of the Ninth Vermont, one of the most traveled regiments in the federal army. The regiment earned a reputation of being well-disciplined and steadfast under fire. Although lacking the renown of other Vermont units, it represented the state well throughout its history. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

This event is free, open to the public, and accessible to those with disabilities. Contact Joan McCallum at 802-259-2318 or the library at 802-259-3707.

March 11: Annual Maple Fest dinner

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s Annual Maple Fest dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 11 in Willard Hall at 313 Main St. in Chester.

A ham dinner with side dishes and dessert, each with a touch of maple, will be served. Wine and beverages will be available. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. Donations for wine will be accepted. Raffle items will be on display and tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Winning tickets will be drawn following dinner.

Make reservations by calling Marcia Clinton at 802-875-3531. The proceeds benefit Partners in Service. For more information visit: www.stlukesepiscopal.org/special events.

March 11: Curling clinic in White River Junction

The Upper Valley Curling Club will hold a Learn to Curl clinic on Saturday, March 11 at 6 p.m. at the Barwood Arena in White River Junction. Sign-in is at 5:45 p.m.

The clinic costs $25 per person and is open to any individual age 12 and older. The club provides all equipment needed to curl; wear warm clothing and shoes with non-skid soles. Participants will start with an off-ice introduction to the concepts and rules of the game and then move onto the ice for hands-on instruction and perhaps play a short game.

There are many local people in the Upper Valley who curl regularly and they want to show you how much fun it is to play the game.

Space is limited at each session so interested participants must register in advance at www.uppervalleycurling.org. Click on “Learn to Curl.” For more information call 603-763-9450 or e-mail uppervalleycurling@gmail.com.

March 11: Wilder Library presents Two Owls and a Hawk

Wilder Memorial Library hosts the Two Owls and a Hawk program from Vermont Institute of Natural Science at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 11 at Weston Playhouse, 703 Main St., Weston.

This first-hand animal encounter enables participants to understand the defining characteristics and adaptations for life as a predator on the wing. Touchable artifacts and hands-on materials round out this special experience.

For more information call the library at 802-824-4307 or email director@wildermemoriallibrary.org.

March 13: Clift discusses women writers

On Monday, March 13 at 6 p.m., Elayne Clift will discuss women writers who dared to tell the truth about their lives, thereby freeing other women to do so. The event will be held at the Rockingham Library at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls. This event is free and open to the public.

This talk reveals the history and meaning of women’s diaries, journals and memoirs as they explore the enforced silence of  “good girls and fine ladies” that kept women marginalized and invisible for centuries — until a few brave women put pen to paper, an opened up opportunities for other female voices heard.

For more information, call 802-463-4270, email programming@rockinghamlibrary.org, log on to rockinghamlibrary.org or stop by the library.

March 14: Rural Vermont hosts community conversation

Rural Vermont brings Groundswell, a statewide community conversation tour, to Putney on March 14 at the Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill. The event is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., and is free and open to all. Farmer and childcare stipends are available.

Local host Kate Bowen of Meadowdale Farm welcomes attendees. Rural Vermont’s Community Conversation Tour is engaging communities in dialogue about land use, livelihood, food and the future of Vermont. At each of the tour stops, Rural Vermont farmer-leaders and staff present a vision for an agricultural economy in Vermont that delivers health and vitality to farmer, eater, soil, environment and community alike.

The community conversation will be punctuated by a light dinner and cash bar, with intermittent live Appalachian old-time music.
Groundswell hosts two more southern Vermont events, including one at the Rutland Free Library on March 20 and another at the Shaftsbury Community Hall on April 4, before heading north to Burlington and Craftsbury Common. For more information, stipend application, and to reserve a spot, call 802-223-7222 or visit www.ruralvermont.org.

March 14: Learn how to have a difficult dialogue

On Tuesday, March 14 at 7 p.m., Curtiss Reed, executive director of Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity, presents a workshop on “How To Have A Difficult Conversation” at Rockingham Library. Parks Place Community Resource Center and Greater Falls Connections will also participate in the program.

The conversations are a powerful way for people across the cultural spectrum to come together to talk about their experiences, listen to each others’ stories and perspectives, then to work together.

This program, sponsored by the Friends of Rockingham Library, is free and open to the public. For more information, call 802-463-4270, email rfplfol@gmail.com or go to http://rockinghamlibrary.org/fol.html.

March 14: Southern Vermont Astronomy Group meets

The Southern Vermont Astronomy Group holds its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14 to discuss basic astronomy optics, including how binoculars and telescopes work. They will conduct collimations — aligning optical axes — of members’ telescopes. They will also determine what binoculars and telescopes work best for them. The meeting is open to the public.

The meeting is in the Community Room at the Whiting Library, 117 Main St., Chester. The venue is ADA accessible and all are welcome. SoVerA helps its members and the public gain, reinforce and sustain knowledge of the physical universe. Meetings are typically held on the second Tuesday of the month. More information may be found at www.sovera.org.

March 14: Ludlow Rotary plans mixer

The Ludlow Rotary Club hosts a mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14 at DJ’s Restaurant at 146 Main St. #1 in Ludlow for people interested in considering membership in the club.

The focus of the mixer will be to explain the mission of the club and its events that help local, regional, and international groups. Those interested in learning more about Rotary and the mixer are invited to contact Jack at 252-944-6859 or any other Rotarian.

–Susan Lampe-Wilson