Community events: April 27 to May 3, 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.

April 27:  Visit Statehouse with Rural Vermont

Rural Vermont hosts  Roadmap to the Statehouse from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, April 27 at the Vermont Statehouse at 115 Main St. in Montpelier.

The event features Statehouse orientation, citizen advocacy training, farm and food legislative briefing, and “meet and greet” with constituents and lawmakers.

This is free and open to everyone, with stipends available for farmers. For information, to make a reservation and for stipend applications, visit www.ruralvermont.org or call 802-223-7222.

April 27:  Rockingham Historic Preservation awards reception

The Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission will open nominations for its 2018 Old House Awards at a reception Friday, April 27, to honor the 2017 winners. The awards are designed to celebrate property owners in town who are maintaining and restoring their historic homes and commercial buildings.

The gathering will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Windham Antique Center, 5 Square in Bellows Falls, and is open to the public. The reception recognizes 2017 winners as well as provides an opportunity for potential 2018 nominees to learn more about the contest criteria and what this past year’s winners did to earn their brass plaques. Awards are available in multiple categories in 2018.

To qualify, properties must be at least 50 years old and can be residential, commercial or industrial in use. Residents may enter their own properties or nominate someone else who has recently improved the appearance of a historic house or building in their neighborhood or the town.

To nominate a property for the 2018 Old House Awards, email clg@rockbf.org, or write to Rockingham Historic Preservation Coordinator, P.O. Box 370, Bellows Falls, VT 05101. All nominations should include the property’s address and the owner’s name. Photographs will be greatly appreciated.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 22. The Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission will select winners at its August meeting.

For more information about the Old House Awards, contact Susan Reing, town historic preservation coordinator, at clg@rockbf.org.

April 27: Masquerade dance to benefit Windsor County Partners

Windsor County Partners holds a Benefit Dance from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, April 27 at the VFW Hall at 92 South Main St. in White River Junction.

Dance to DJ Rick Davis while supporting youth mentoring. The event is for those 18 and older. Tickets at the door are $20. There will be a cash bar and free munchies. Masks are optional, but a prize will be awarded for the best mask. Tickets are available online through the WCP Facebook page link.

Windsor County Partners is a local youth mentoring organization that matches children ages 7 and up with caring adults in the community. For more information, call 802-674-5101 or email windsorcm@outlook.com.

April 28: Drug Take-Back Day drop off sites

On Saturday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Windsor County Sheriff’s Office, local and state law enforcement agencies, and the Drug Enforcement Administration give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The Take-Back Day event is free and anonymous, no questions asked, with drop-off sites located throughout Windsor County.

The following locations in Windsor County serve as drop-off sites on Take-Back Day:

• Chester Police Department;
• Windsor Police Department;
• Weathersfield Transfer Station (operated by the Weathersfield Police Department);
• Springfield Police Department;
• Ludlow Police Department;
• Hartford Police Department;
• Woodstock Police Department;
• Royalton State Police Barracks;
• Norwich Police Department; and
• Rochester Constable’s Office.

The Take-Back Day and Permanent Collection services are free. Powders and patches are accepted in addition to pills and capsules.

At any time throughout the year, households in Windsor County can use the permanent drop-boxes in the lobbies of the following Police Departments: Chester, Hartford, Ludlow, Royalton, Springfield, Windsor, and Woodstock. For a complete listing of locations and hours of operation, click here.

For more information about Take-Back Day, call the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department at 802-457-5211.

April 28: Springfield Area Parent Child Center Family Festival

The Annual Springfield Area Parent Child Center Family Festival takes place from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 28 inside the Riverside Middle School gymnasium at 13 Fairground Road.  The celebration is held in conjunction with the annual national event and focuses on Early Learning, teachers, young children and their families.

The Edgar May Health and Recreation Center hosts a Touch-a-Truck event from noon to 2 p.m. after the morning’s festival at Riverside Middle School. This event gives children and adults a chance to interact with not only the vehicles, but with the people that drive, operate, and maintain them.

All manner of trucks, emergency vehicles, construction equipment, farming, racing, and more are participating. Food vendors will be onsite to offer lunch fare.

The event is still welcoming exhibitors, food vendors, safety volunteers, and in-kind sponsors and donations. Anyone who would like to participate, visit www.myreccenter.org or call 802-885-5046 to learn more. For more information, call 802-885-2568.

April 28: Green Mountain Club hike to Hamilton Falls

On Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m. the Manchester Section of the Green Mountain Club invites hikers to meet at Jamaica State Park at 48 Salmon Hole Lane in Jamaica for a hike on the West River Trail and the Hamilton Falls Trail to Hamilton Falls, one of the highest falls in Vermont.

The hike is a total of 5.8 miles round trip with 500-feet total elevation change. It is an easy hike except for the length. The group advises participants to bring an extra layer, snack, and fluids. Reservations are required. Contact Joe Ninesling at runraft@aol.com or 802-289-2801 to reserve a spot and for more information.

April 28: Mud Season makeover at VINE Sanctuary

VINE Sanctuary invites the public to attend its first Volunteer Day of the year to clean up the grounds from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at 201 Massey Road in Springfield. Attend the annual spring spruce-up party for a day at the sanctuary. Work will be followed by a tour of the sanctuary and vegan snacks with sanctuary staff.

This event is free and open to the public but they ask those interested to let them know at least one day in advance, so that enough snacks are available, at www.facebook.com/VINEsanctuary or email ayeshah@bravebirds.org. Bring a water bottle and wear clothing and shoes suitable for outdoor chores.

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

April 28: Ludlow Rotary holds annual Penny Sale

The Ludlow Rotary Club hosts its 62nd annual Penny Sale at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 28 in the Black River High School Gym at 43 Main St. in Ludlow. Doors open at 5 p.m.

The event features more than 400 prizes plus a cash raffle valued at more than $1,000. Local businesses and individuals donate the prizes. Tickets for each round are $1 each or 6 for $5. There is no admission charge. Proceeds from the Penny Sale benefit the Rotary’s scholarship program.

For additional information, contact Sharon Bixby at 802-228-8823 or Kim Lampert at 802-228-4000.

Visit the club’s web page at www.ludlowrotary.com to see  projects and events.

April 28: Poetry slam, readings in Springfield

The Springfield Town Library and the Springfield Co-op invite the public to an evening celebrating poetry at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 28 at the library, 43 Main St., in Springfield.

Unlike other “poetry slams,” this is non-competitive. Bring up to five poems. Everyone will read at least one poem and more as time permits. Stacy Garciadealba is the evening’s emcee. The Springfield Food Co-op provides refreshments. All ages are encouraged to participate. The program is free, accessible to people with disabilities, and open to the public. For more information, contact the library at 802-885-3102 or stlas@vermontel.net.

April 29: Afternoon of poetry with Fargnoli, Lusk

Join Phoenix Books Misty Valley for an afternoon of poetry with Patricia Fargnoli and Daniel Lusk at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 at the bookshop at 58 Common St. in Chester.

Fargnoli will read from her book Hallowed and Lusk will share poems from his collection The Shower Scene from Hamlet.

The event is free and open to all. Copies of the featured books will be available for attendees to purchase and have signed. For more information, call 802-875-3400 or visit www.phoenixbooks.biz.

May 2: ‘Islandborn’ story time in Chester

In celebration of Children’s Book Week, Phoenix Books Misty Valley reads Islandborn by Junot Diaz.

Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and imagination’s boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves. The free event is at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 2 at the bookshop at 58 Common St. in Chester. Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week—an annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading—is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country.

For more information visit, www.phoenixbooks.biz or call 802-875-3400.

May 3: Master your energy at Rotary meeting

The Rotary Club of Chester announces that Rotary’s First Thursday speaker on Thursday, May 3 is Susan Langley, a certified Donna Eden energy medicine practitioner.

The event, free and open to the public, is at 5:30 p.m. at the Fullerton Inn on the Green in Chester. Langley presents the concept of energy medicine along with many of its basic principles and procedures.

She will show attendees how to move energies to get them to do what they want them to do, from increasing vitality to treating pain, depression, and stress. By learning simple energy techniques, Langley claims energy medicine improves health, sharpens the mind and increases vitality.

Socializing for the event begins at 5:15 p.m. and the program goes from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. For planning purposes and for notification in case of inclement weather, contact the Rotary at chesterrotary@gmail.com.

May 3: Learn about backyard composting and more at The Whiting Library

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 3 in the Community Room at Whiting Library, learn about backyard composting, presented by Southern Windsor/Windham Solid Waste Management.

Many new rules will be in place in the coming years to eliminate landfill waste. See what you can do with your kitchen and garden scraps to make a positive change in your gardens and the environment. Whiting Library is located at 117 Main St. in Chester.

The team at Six Loose Ladies Fiber shop teaches “Learn to Crochet” at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 12. The workshop is free. Enrollment is limited,

May is the month for the library’s annual seed giveaway. There will be several flower and vegetable varieties available on a first come basis. If anyone has seed to share, bring them to the library so neighbors can enjoy them.

For information or registration, call 802-875-2277, email whitinglibrary1@gmail.com or visit Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.