Community events: May 18 through May 25, 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.

May 18: Six-week Tai Chi course offered in Londonderry

Certified in Tai Chi, Doreen Fabiano begins a six-week course at the Meeting Place at Neighborhood Connections from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 18 at 5700 Mountain Marketplace in Londonderry.

Originally conceived as a Chinese martial art, Tai Chi offers health benefits. The practice aids in fall prevention, diabetes, arthritis, balance and is good for overall healthcare. The program is offered at no charge, but space is limited. Call 802-824-4343 if you would like to attend.

Neighborhood Connections is a community-based non-profit social services agency serving individuals and families in the area mountain towns of south-central Vermont.

May 19-21: BRGNS seeks volunteers for rummage sale

Black River Good Neighbor Services is looking for volunteers to help with its annual Spring Rummage Sale, which is held on Friday and Saturday, May 19 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, May 21 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.at Fletcher Farm, 611 Route 103 S. in Ludlow.

BRGNS holds a spring and a fall rummage sale yearly selling items donated by the community. Proceeds purchase food for the food shelf or aid financial assistance programs in the community. The sale features clothing, housewares, books, linens and furniture. Additional goods are brought in for Saturday morning. This year a grill will be set up with lunch items available for customer purchase including hot dogs and hamburgers.

The group also runs a thrift store at 37B Main St. in Ludlow, behind the Ludlow Community Center, and a used furniture store at 105 Main St. in the old firehouse. The group’s programs serve Ludlow, Cavendish, Mount Holly and Plymouth.

For more information or to volunteer, call Audrey at 802-228-3663.

May 19 deadline: Cavendish Community Fund accepts grant applications

The Cavendish Community Fund is now accepting grant applications for spring 2017 grants. The deadline for applying is May 19. Applications that miss that date will be considered in the fall.

Last year, the fund awarded two grants. The first went for durable equipment to be used in STEM programming for local elementary school students. The second was given to the Cavendish Community Theater for a holiday production.

Grants are available for projects, programs or events that directly benefit the Cavendish community. Application guidelines are available at the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association’s website: www.cavendishccca.org under the Community Fund tab.

Grant hard copies are available at Crow’s Bakery 73 Depot St. in Proctorsville and at the Cavendish town office on 37 High St.

For information on applying, on eligibility or on any other aspect of the program, or for help completing the application, call Barbara Dickey at 802-226-7187 or Peter Labelle at 802-226-7250.

May 20: Hike to Vermont’s champion white ash

Hike to Vermont’s largest white ash at 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 20. The rain date is Sunday, May 21 at 10 a.m. The group will meet at the Westminster West Church, 44 Church St. in Westminster to carpool to the trailhead.

The tree is located on Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association property off Headwaters Trail in Westminster. Since it is not easy to find, longtime Pinnacle Association volunteers Arthur and Carol Westing will lead hikers to it. During this free program, Arthur Westing, a forester, will discuss the characteristics of a Vermont forest and the factors that affect the health of this truly remarkable specimen.

Re-verified at the beginning of 2014 by Windham County forester Bill Guenther of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, the tree grew in the 10 years since its last measurement and charted a circumference of 205.2 inches and a height of 113 feet, thereby beating out two other Westminster giants for the honor of being the largest white ash in Vermont.

Participants should wear hiking shoes and bring water. Visit www.windmillhillpinnacle.org for information about other upcoming programs and look under Resources for directions to the church. Contact the Westings at westing@sover.net for further details and requested registration. Pinnacle is also on Facebook.

May 20: Learn to translate letters of Revolutionary War leader

As part of a grant, the New Hampshire Citizen Archivists Initiative, which facilitates crowd-sourcing transcription of historic documents, and Keene State College present a free workshop from 10:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, in Room 104 of Keene State’s Mason Library at 129 Main St. in Keene, New Hampshire.

Class participants learn to read and transcribe the letters of New Hampshire Revolutionary War leader Meshech Weare. Weare’s correspondents included George Washington, John Jay, Nathaniel Peabody, Benedict Arnold, John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson.

Register by emailing Margaret Orelup at morelup@keene.edu. Call 413-768-9244 if you need more information.

May 20: Kids’ night at the EdgarMay Dive-In

Every month, the EdgarMay hosts a children’s event that provides caregivers the evening off. On May 20 from 5 to 8 p.m. children, ages 6 and older, are invited to attend a supervised evening of swimming, pizza for dinner, water games and a recently released PG-rated Disney animated movie playing poolside. The EdgarMay is located 140 Clinton St. in Springfield.

Call or visit its Facebook page to find out which movie will be playing.

Parents may register their children for three hours of lifeguard and staff supervised fun. Pizza from The Subway restaurant is provided as dinner, popcorn and beverages are also provided. Admission is $10 per child; members attend at half-price. There is only space for 25 youth. Children under 6 are welcome to attend with an adult present.

Register in advance online, in person, or by calling member services by calling 802-885-2568.  Contact Sarah Tilden Gramling at stilden@myreccenter.org or 802-356-1024 with any questions.

May 22: Learn to lower blood pressure naturally

Grace Cottage hosts a presentation — Seven Natural Strategies and Lifestyle Habits to Lower Blood Pressure — on three dates: Monday, May 22 from 3 to 3:45 p.m.; Friday, May 26 from 7:30 to 8:15 a.m.; and Friday, May 26 from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m.

The event will be held in the Holt Conference Room, Heins Building, 133 Grafton Road in Townshend.

Community members are invited to attend this free workshop, which will be led by Grace Cottage Community Health Team members Claire Bemis, RN; Bill Monahan, RN; and Cheryl Shaw, health coach. A blood pressure screening will be included.

Reserve your spot by calling 802-365-3766 by Friday, May 19.

May 25: ‘Night On Fire’ book discussion

On Thursday, May 25, Rockingham Library hosts two community discussions about Ronald Kidd’s novel Night on Fire, one at noon and one at 6 p.m. Night on Fire is accessible to readers age 13 and up, including adults. Stop by the library and pick up a copy of the book today. The discussions take place at the library at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls.

In the book, 13-year-old Billie Simms  doesn’t think her town of Anniston, Ala., should be segregated. But few of the town residents agree. When the Freedom Riders travel through town on their way to Montgomery, angry grumbles soon turn to brutality as residents show just how deep their racism runs. Billie is now faced with a choice: stand idly by in silence or take a stand for what she believes in.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, go to rockinghamlibrary.org, call 802-463-4270, email programming@rockinghamlibrary.org or stop by the library.

— Susan Lampe-Wilson