‘Amahl’ presented at Grafton church; healthy living classes in the New Year

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Dec. 20: ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’

Southern Vermont Lyric Theatre offers its first production, Amahl and the Night Visitors, a one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20, at the Grafton White Church, 55 Main St. in Grafton. Other performances will take place 7 p.m. on Saturday Dec. 21 in the Jamaica Town Hall, 28 Town Office Road, Jamaica.

The play is about a poor widow and her disabled son, Amahl, and how they were changed by a visit of three wise men traveling to pay homage to the baby Jesus. The cast is drawn from Jamaica, Bellows Falls, Springfield and Brattleboro in Southern Vermont and Swanzey, Keene and Hanover in New Hampshire.

Southern Vermont Lyric Theatre was born when local artists came together to create a platform upon which they can bring productions of lyric theater, which encompasses musical works from opera, operetta and Broadway. The company will tour their productions to reach the widest audience possible.

Admission is by donation. All the venues are handicapped accessible.

Sign up now for 2014 free health education classes

Springfield Medical Care Systems is offering a variety of health education classes to promote healthy living goals for 2014. The classes are free and open to the public. They will meet at the Springfield Health Center at 100 River St., Springfield, except for the January session of “Eating Well” which will be held at Rockingham Medical Group, 1 Hospital Court, Bellows Falls. Registration is being accepted for the following programs:

• Eating Well will be held 6 to 7:30 p.m. on five consecutive Mondays — Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Feb. 3 — at the Rockingham Medical Group. A second session will take place from 1:30–3 p.m., Thursdays March 6, 13, 20, 27 and April 3 at the Springfield Health Center. Participants will gain awareness and knowledge about food ingredients and the value of good nutrition. Topics covered will include eating for optimum health, improving blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure through good nutrition, shopping for healthy eating, stress management techniques, and incorporating exercise into lifestyle choices.

• Wellness, Recovery, Action Plan  will run 5–8 p.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 7 through Feb. 5 in the third floor cafeteria at SHC. The program is designed to assist anyone struggling with a combination of mental health, physical health or substance abuse issues. Participants work on a personal plan using a wellness toolbox, daily maintenance plan, identifying triggers, early warning signs and writing an action plan. The program is also recommended for human service providers. Healthy snacks will be provided.

• Learning to Live Well with Diabetes meets 10–11:30 a.m. on Tuesdays Jan. 7 through 28 and again 5:30–7 p.m. Tuesdays Feb. 11, 18, 25 and March 4. A four-week program, offered monthly, is an informative educational series about diabetes and offers an opportunity for newly diagnosed individuals to learn about the best strategies to manage it. A Certified Diabetes Educator will lead the class. Also recommended for those previously diagnosed, as a review. The class will cover all of the comprehensive areas of Diabetes Education.

• Tobacco Cessation Class workshops will meet weekly on Thursday, 5:30 -6:30 p.m. for four weeks beginning Jan. 9. Meetings will be held in the cafeteria on the third floor. Certified tobacco specialists, Michelle Kuusela, TTS, and Sue Norton-Weber, TTS will lead the group.

• Wellness/Lifestyle Change Support Group will meet 5:45–7 p.m. Tuesdays Jan. 14 and March 11.

For more information, or to register for these free education classes, contact Michelle Kuusela at 802-886-8946, or email mkuusela@springfieldmed.org.

– Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson