October filled with holiday crafts, blessing of the pets, arts and charity events

Beginning Oct. 3: Holiday crafts workshops in Saxtons River

The River Artisans in Saxtons River invite you to their Make it a Handmade Holiday workshop series. The series consists of 12 workshops, on different holiday crafts or techniques, to be offered on consecutive Thursdays starting Oct. 3. Each class is held from 6 to 8 p.m., and new workshops will be introduced for each week through Thursday, Dec. 19. Thanksgiving week class will meet on Friday, Nov. 29.

The projects and techniques are easy to learn and instructors will offer the students options to create their own unique piece.

Students may sign up for one or as many workshops as they like. Individual class fee is $20. Students who sign up in advance for the full 12 workshops will get a 10 percent discount. Material fees vary per class. Register early, class sizes are limited to eight.

Crocheting a Snowflake Runner kicks off the series. Attendees will learn to make a few of the snowflakes during class, and how to link them together. They will leave confident with their ability to make the snowflakes and assemble the runner. The instructor will be available for additional help beyond the class-time. Students may bring their own materials: 2 skeins of Red Heart® “Holiday” Yarn in cream or gold, 5.5 mm [US I-9] crochet hook, and a yarn needle or kits will be available for $10.

The rest of the schedule is:

• Oct. 10:  Holiday Card Making
• Oct. 17: Calligraphy
• Oct. 24:  Personalized Pendants
• Oct. 31:  Party Favors-ites
• Nov. 7:  Crocheted Ornaments
• Nov. 14: Lip Balms
• Nov. 21: Cookie Exchange
• Nov. 29 (Friday): The Perfect Present- ation
• Dec. 5: Delightful Hand-Painted Ornament
• Dec. 12: Elfish Ornament
• Dec. 19: Christmas Tags

More information for this series and weekly details may be found at: http://theriverartisans.wordpress.com/upcoming-events-classes-workshops/

To register, or for information on the River Artisans Cooperative, visit the shop at 26B Main St. in Saxtons River, call 802-869-2099, email shop@riverartisans.com or visit theriverartisans.wordpress.com.

Blessing of the Pets in 2012.

Oct. 5: St. Luke’s annual blessing of the animals

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s Annual Blessing of the Pets will be held in the churchyard and memorial gardens at 313 Main St., Chester on Saturday, Oct. 5, beginning at 10 a.m., in view of the garden statue of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment.

The Rev. Sanford Johnson will bless all pets, no matter the denomination of the owner or pet. Treats and the St. Francis medal will be given to all furry guests. In case of rain, the event will be held inside Willard Hall. Details are on the church website: http://www.stlukesepiscopalvt.org/special%20%20events.html

Oct. 5 & 6: Magic Mountain Antiques Show premieres

The Bromley Mountain Antiques Show is moving a few miles east on Route 11 to Magic Mountain Base Lodge and will be known as the Magic Mountain Antiques Show. Show dates are Saturday, Oct. 5 and Sunday, Oct. 6. Saturday’s event opens at 8 a.m. with a 2-hour breakfast preview. Show hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on both days. Twenty-eight country dealers will have booths this year.

Managed by Bob and Mary Fraser of Chester, the Magic Mountain Antiques Show is a part of Antiques Week in Vermont. It joins four other shows in Weston, Okemo, Ludlow and Manchester.

Breakfast preview admission is $15 and includes breakfast and a first look at the merchandise. Regular admission is $8. Saturday’s ticket is good for readmission on Sunday.

For more information, email: mbfrasers@comcast.net/ or call 802-875-5944.

Oct. 5-6: Open Studio Weekend

Robert Sydorowich’s studio is just one of a number of local studios open to the public this weekend.

Fhe Vermont Crafts Council Fall Open Studio takes place this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Look for the yellow roadside signs and maps will be available at each stop.

Several Chester-area artists will be participating. Martha Nichols at Howard Hill Road Studio in Andover is opening her studio for the first time this weekend. She presents unique,colorful, dynamic and sometimes meditative reflections on the Vermont
landscape.  The paintings are all oil on canvas and vary in size. There will be drawings to view and prints of some paintings to purchase. Nichols is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Bard College. She teaches at the Community College of Vermont.

Robert Sydorowich of East Hill Road in Andover has been painting the Vermont countryside for three decades. An enthusiastic plein aire painter and an admirer of the Impressionist movement his goal is to apply paint with lively brushwork and glowing colors reminiscent of that movement, capturing the truth of the moment.

Toward Ludlow, Rich DeTrano will be demonstrating and offering his unique woodturnings and hollow vessels at his studio. Janie Marie Dumas, owner of Little Cricket Photography, located at 22 Smith St. in Ludlow, offers bold, dramatic, detailed macro photographs.  South on Route 103 is the Stone Village home and gallery of Bonnie Watters, cloth doll artist. You’ll see dozens of personality-filled dolls to meet and touch, along with craft activities for children and refreshments.

Oct. 5: 2nd Annual Star Wars Reads Day

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, the Rockingham Free Public Library and Village Square Booksellers will join thousands of bookstores and libraries across the country in celebration of the second annual national Star Wars Reads Day, an initiative of Lucasfilm and its publishing partners to celebrate literacy and Star Wars. The event will take place at the Village Square Booksellers at 32 The Square in Bellows Falls.

Reading and Star Wars have gone hand-in-hand since 1976, when the novelization of the original Star Wars movie was released. Over the years, fans have discovered the joy of reading through Star Wars books.

Costumes are encouraged during this event. There will be on-going activities for kids and families throughout the day along with special scheduled events:

• 11 a.m.– Jedi Training Competition to show off your Stars Wars knowledge’
• 11:30 a.m.– Make your own lightsaber (supplies for this activity are limited, signing up in advance is recommended)
• Noon – Star Wars Costume contest
• 12:30 p.m. – Create your Star Wars snacks

“One of the great things about Star Wars is its popularity across a wide range of ages. It’s one of the rare fictional worlds that’s exciting for younger children to discover and still cool for teenagers and adults to enjoy,” says youth services librarian Sam Maskell.

The library’s Star Wars collection will be on display in the temporary library space. The program is free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 802-463-4270, email bfyouth@sover.net, or go online to www.rockinghamlibrary.org.

Oct. 8: Dartmouth researcher on auroral studies

David McGaw, Dartmouth researcher and long-time member of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group of Chester, will be speaking about ground and rocket auroral research in Greenland in the fall, Alaska in the winter and especially Antarctica in their summer time, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 at the Whiting Library, 17 Main St. in Chester.

See how the other side spends its summers (and on this side, our winters), now that ours is waning.  Then mark your calendars for SoVerA’s next meeting: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Whiting Library.

Oct. 9, 16: Beginning knitting classes at River Artisans

TThe River Artisans Cooperative are offering beginner knitting instruction on Wednesdays, October 9 and 16 from 2–4 p.m. at the shop at 26B Main St. in Saxtons River. Co-op member and veteran knitter, Peggy Hadley, will teach the course.

While working on a bow-tie scarf project, students will learn casting on, the knit and purl stitches, increasing, decreasing and binding off. Once registered, students will receive a materials list. They may bring their own supplies or purchase them from the instructor. The 2-week class fee is $20 plus materials (if needed). Class size is limited to 8.

Register at the shop or by calling 802-869-2099 or emailing shop@riverartisans.com.

This course will be the first in an on-going knitting program, named “Wednesdays with Peg.”

More information for this series and weekly details may be found at: http://theriverartisans.wordpress.com/

Oct: 26: Springfield Rotary Club Penny Sale

The 61st Annual Springfield Vermont Rotary Club’s Penny Sale gets under way at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 in the Riverside Middle School gym on Route 11 in Springfield. The club has collected more than 300 prizes valued up to $250 with many others in the $25 to $50 range.

This year’s Grand Prize is $5,000 in cash. There also will be a drawing for a Door Prize from the Grand Prize tickets for $500 cash to someone in attendance. Purchase tickets for the Grand Prize drawing in advance from Springfield Rotarians or contact Bob Flint at 885-3061.

Prizes are on display at the Riverside Middle School gym. Though prizes are increasing in value, it still costs a penny per chance to win. Donate as many pennies as you wish; for each dollar donation you receive 100 chances. All proceeds are given back to the community through donations.

The Springfield Rotary Club has raised more than $490,000 since the inception of the Penny Sale. Every cent of profit is donated to charities, local needs with special focus on youth and college scholarships. Each year the club awards $5,000 to college-bound Springfield High School seniors. The Penny Sale has raised more than $175,000 for scholarship funds.

Rotary International is a service organization with more than 1 million members in more than 200 countries. The Springfield Rotary Club has more than 40 members.

Doors open at 6 p.m. The event starts at 7 p.m.

Windsor County calendar features old train station photos

The Chester depot in the new Windsor County calendar.

This year, the Windsor County Railroad’s 2014 Calendar features Old Windsor county railroad scenes, locomotives and other sights from four Windsor County rail lines including two that no longer exist: the White River and the Woodstock railroads. Scenes featured this year are from Chester, Bethel, Cavendish, Gaysville, Hartford, Ludlow, Quechee, Rochester, Sharon, White River Junction, Windsor and Woodstock. There are 13 photos in all.

The calendar costs $13 and is available at bookstores and gift shops throughout the county, including Misty Valley Books in Chester, Gillinghams in Woodstock, the Chamber of Commerce Gift Shop in White River Junction, Black Mountain Books in Springfield and Village Square Books in Bellows Falls.

For more information, contact Dave Allen at info@old-maps.com, or check the website: www.vhist.com/calendars/railwindsor2014 for more store locations and old maps of the train routes.

Attention artists! Windmill Hill group to stage exhibit

The Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association has announced a call for art submissions for an upcoming exhibit showcasing works created on or about lands on the association’s trail systems. Preparation for this show began in September with the plein-air painting event in Grafton, where artists gathered to capture scenes of the Athens Dome area.

The winter 2014 exhibit is in its initial stages of planning and the association would like to notify as many artists as possible about the opportunity. Interested artists should visit the Pinnacle Association’s website www.windmillhillpinnacle.org under Events to check for updates.

Artists are welcome to attend scheduled walks to visit sites of special interest, or check the website under Trails & Maps for information about potential locations and trailhead access.

Two pinnacle association hikes are planned, on Oct. 19 and Nov. 2, to locations that may inspire artists’ imaginations.

Contact Camilla Roberts at 802-869-1388 or camil@vermontel.net for more information.
— Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson