Community events: March 17 through March 21, 2018

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 17: Cross-Class Dialogue Circles begin

Sign up now for a Cross-Class Dialogue Circle from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays March 17, March 31 and April 7 at the Rockingham Library at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls.

Economic inequality is real and is hurting our communities. Cross-Class Dialogue Circles bring together 10 to 15 community members with a diversity of class experiences, ranging from being homeless, to managing family foundations, and everything in between.

Sign-up for the three-day dialogue circle at www.act4socialjustice.com. Childcare, transportation, and lunch are provided. This program is free. The group asks attendees to come fragrance-free and nut free. For more information, email info@act4socialjustice.com or call 802-254-3400.

March 17:  Artist reception at Winhall Library

Through April 2, the Winhall Memorial Library exhibits the artwork of Christopher Smith at 2 Taylor Hill Road in Bondville.

The public is invited to an artist’s reception from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 17. Enjoy the exhibit and meet the artist. Smith moved to Vermont in 2007, where he works out of his home studio in West Rupert.

For more information, email winhalllibrary@comcast.net or call 802-297-9741. Visit www.winhallmemoriallibrary.org for the latest events, news, new books, and movies.

March 17: Jr Iron Chef VT competition

Jr Iron Chef VT, the statewide culinary competition hosted by Vermont FEED, for middle and high school students, will take place on Saturday, March 17 at Champlain Valley Exposition in the Blue Pavilion at 105 Pearl St. in Essex Junction.

The competition challenges students to create healthy, local dishes that inspire school meal programs, so they understand how they can effect change in the food system. Watch 350 middle and high school students from across Vermont compete in the culinary competition of the year, celebrating the state’s farm-to-table routes. Three teams from Green Mountain Union High School will be competing.

There will be two heats:

Morning heat: 9:30 to 11 a.m.; awards at 12:30 p.m.

Afternoon heat: 1:15 to 2:45 p.m.; awards at 3:30 p.m.

Entry to the competition is $3 per person or $5 per family (up to 4 people).

Swing by the activity room to partake in activities the whole family can enjoy. The 2018 activities include maple popcorn, bike-powered smoothies, butter making, Shelburne Farms cheese tasting, crepe spinning tutorial, food taste tests, photo booth, face painting, and a DJ.

Visit the concession stand to purchase breakfast, lunch, and snack items.

For more information visit https://vtfeed.org/jrironchefvt.

March 18: Vernal Equinox vegan potluck at VINE

VINE Sanctuary invites the public to celebrate all things green at its free quarterly vegan potluck from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 18 at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 21 Fairgrounds Road in Springfield. Door prizes will be awarded anyone who wears green to the event.

Attendees are invited to bring a vegan dish to share. If that’s not possible, VINE’s potlucks always have plenty of food, so attend even if you don’t have a dish to share. The only requirement is that any food brought to the event be vegan, which means free from all animal products, such as meat, dairy, or eggs.

To learn more, visit www.vinesanctuary.org, or e-mail sanctuary@bravebirds.org.

March 19: Chinese auction at Chester Seniors’ meeting

Join the Chester Senior Citizens Club for  its monthly luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, March 19 at the Chester Congregational Church on 469 Main St. in Chester. A Chinese Auction is planned, so take this opportunity to get rid of unwanted items in your home and contribute to the club’s treasury at the same time. Bring your place setting, if possible a dish to share, and a friend. If you need a ride, just call Georgia 802-875-6242.

March 19: Urantia Book Reading Group meets

On the third Monday of every month at Immanuel Episcopal Church, 20 Church St., in Bellows Falls, the Urantia Book Reading Group presents a public reading of the Urantia Book, Part IV, The Life And Teachings Of Jesus.

The readings take place in the chapel and begin at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Visit www.stonechurcharts.org for more information.

March 20: In time for spring, create your own rain garden

The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association sponsors a talk at 6:30 p.m. on March 20 lead by Kelly Stettner, of the Black River Action Team, on Creating a Rain Garden. The event will be held at the Town Office meeting room at 37 High St. in Cavendish.

Learn how you can beautify your yard, increase your property value and protect the local water quality at the same time by planting a rain garden. Helping rain and snow-melt to slow down, spread out, and soak into the soil, you can keep your surrounding lawn greener, divert excess water to an attractive area designed to help it infiltrate rather than run off, and draw pollinators to the blooms of native flowers.

For more information about the CCCA or about the Rain Garden talk, call Robin at 802-226-7736.

March 21: Learn about healing with laughter

It has been said that laughter is the best medicine and now there is science to back that up. A good belly laugh on a regular basis is effective in reducing stress, anxiety, depression and can even lower blood pressure.

he Springfield Town Library invites the public to hear Dr. Linda Thomson, PhD, APRN speak about both the physiological and psychological therapeutic effects of laughter and how to incorporate humor into your daily life. The free, public program is at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 21 at the library at 43 Main St. in Springfield.

This event is part of the Springfield Wellness Week and is sponsored by the Friends of the Springfield Town Library. The building is accessible to people with disabilities. Contact the Springfield Town Library at 802-885-3108 or stlas@vermontel.net for more information.