Upcoming events: Nature Museum hosts preschool programs; ML King celebration at Stone Church; quintet at Grounded4Life; Northern Stage presents new works; Okemo hosts free laser show, fireworks; and Specker and Wood perform at Hapgood store

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@www.chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please.

Mighty Acorn winter classes to feature birds, animal tracking and dinosaurs

Mighty Acorn winter classes to feature birds, animal tracking and dinosaurs

Jan. 15: Preschool natural science programs at Nature Museum

Join a community of parents and budding environmentalists and scientists with the Nature Museum at Grafton’s Mighty Acorns Preschool Explorers Club on the third Thursday of each month now through June.

These creative, exploratory preschool programs celebrate curiosity and encourage a love and respect for the natural world. The programs meet at the museum, located at 186 Townsend Road in Grafton. Pre-registration is advised so the museum will have enough supplies on hand for each child.

The Jan. 15 program,  Who’s At My Birdfeeder?  explores the world of birds through games, puzzles and observations at the museum’s bird feeding station.

During Feb. 19’s Big Feet, Little Feet: Winter Tracking, children will begin indoors with animal movement activities and games. Then donning snowshoes, the adventure will head outside for animal tracking and fun in the snow. (Children’s snowshoes provided, but limited numbers of adult snowshoes available. Bring your own, if possible.)

Dinosaurs Big and Little, the March 19 program, invites children to become archeologists and discover what makes a prehistoric animal a dinosaur. Highlights include a puppet show and a treasure hunt in the Village Park.

Mighty Acorns groups meet from 10 to 11:30 a.m. It is recommended for children ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers and costs $5 per child. Programs often include time outside in The Nature Museum’s grounds and gardens; attendees are asked to dress for all weather. Information about other upcoming events can be found on the museum’s Facebook page and website.

The Nature Museum at Grafton offers hands-on natural history exhibits, nature programs for adults and children, plus tours for schools and community groups.

Mighty Times coverJan. 16: Martin Luther King  Jr. celebration in Chester

In honor of Martin Luther King  Jr., the First Universalist Parish of Chester will hold a potluck, musical presentation and a showing the film “Mighty Times: The Children’s March” on Friday, Jan. 16.

The 40-minute film tells the story of how the young people of Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 brought racial segregation to its knees by standing together to brave fire hoses and police dogs. The film is recommended for students in Grade 6 and older.

The evening begins with a potluck starting at 5:30 p.m. in the social hall of the church, located at 211 North St. in the historic Stone Village of Chester. Laurel Green and Steve Crofter will lead group singing of a number of songs used in the Civil Rights Movement.

Singing starts at 6:15 p.m.. The film starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by a discussion, which will focus on how each of us, can be catalysts for positive social change.

The event is free and open to the public. The facility is handicap accessible. For more information, call Steve Crofter or Laurel Green at 802-275-4646.

From left,  Mark Pomeroy, Andy Brothers,  Beth Brothers, Ron Griffin and Chris Thayer. Photo by JFitzgibbons Images.

From left, Mark Pomeroy, Andy Brothers,
Beth Brothers, Ron Griffin and Chris Thayer. Photo by Jfitzgibbonsimages.

Jan. 16: Grounded4Life hosts musical quintet

Also on Friday, Jan. 16, Grounded 9.67 will bring its musical talents to Grounded4Life, the coffeehouse located in the Chester Baptist Church for an evening of praise and worship.

Grounded 9.67 consists of Andy Brothers on guitar and lead vocals, Beth Brothers on keyboards, Mark Pomeroy on guitar, Chris Thayer on bass guitar and Ron Griffin on drums. Grounded4Life is located in the lower level of the church, 162 Main St., in Chester. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with food, coffee, fellowship and conversation.

The program begins at 7 p.m. and admission is free. Check out the Grounded4Life Facebook page  or contact John Nunnikhoven at john4ns@fastmail.fm

Jan. 16: Northern Stage presents ‘New Works Now’

Northern Stage announces its second annual “New Works Now,”  a showcase and celebration of new plays to be presented Friday and Saturday Jan. 16 and 17 in the Briggs Opera House, 5 S. Main St., White River Junction. New Works Now will include three staged readings over the course of the two days followed by a post-show conversation with the playwrights, actors, and directors. Readings are as follows:

Friday, Jan. 16

7:30 p.m.: “Here Today” by Bob Stevens, directed by Northern Stage’s artistic director Carol Dunne

Saturday, Jan. 17

3 p.m.: “The Land Where the King is a Child” by Henri De Montherlant, adapted by Wayne Lawson and Julian Sancton, directed by Chad Larabee
7:30 p.m.: “The Last Queen of Canaan,” book by Harrison Rivers, lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik, music by Jacob Yandura, directed by Lillian King, Northern Stage’s director of education and assistant artistic director.

Admission is free, but seats are reserved. Contact the box office to secure your reservation at 802-296-7000 or boxoffice@northernstage.org.

“Here Today,” an intimate play by Vermont screenwriter Bob Stevens that brings to life a long forgotten night before Paul McCartney and John Lennon were famous. Stuck in a hotel room in Key West, the two young men bond over drinks and the shared experience of losing their mothers. As their talk turns serious, they find inspiration for two favorite Beatles Songs: “Julia” and “Let it Be.”

“The Land Where the King is a Child” is a new adaptation of a play by Henri de Montherlant. It explores the blossoming friendship between two young boys in a Catholic boys’ school. Their relationship is examined, manipulated and ultimately destroyed by those meant to be protecting and educating them.

The final offering is “The Last Queen of Canaan” a musical about the descendants of slavery living in Depression era Virginia. The story centers on Ginny, who dreams of a better life with the man she has loved from childhood. Ginny’s apprehension about leaving her grandmother, Cora, is the only thing holding her back. When a young white woman from the Works Progress Administration arrives to record Cora’s stories, the past emerges to stake its claim on the present, and everyone must fight to escape its clutches.

New Works Now is sponsored by Clearwater Performance Group, an anonymous grant through a Vermont Community Foundation donor advised fund and the White River Junction Hampton Inn.
Northern Stage is a regional non-profit professional theater that seeks to entertain, challenge, and involve its audiences with ambitious productions.

vcsPRAsset_519621_107908_94e63b86-9748-4e23-b4ee-938aab4d0c3c_0Jan. 18: Okemo to host Let it Glow laser light and fireworks show

On Sunday, Jan. 18, Okemo Mountain Resort at 77 Okemo Ridge Road in Ludlow presents its first free Let It Glow laser light spectacular ending with a fireworks display.

Following the laser light and pyrotechnics show, the Sitting Bull will host a musical performance by singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg. Kellogg’s music has its roots in country and blues with the addition rock ‘n’ roll.

  • 3:30 -6:45 p.m. Après ski party in The Sitting Bull
  • 7 p.m. Laser light Show Bull Run
  • 7:20 p.m. Live Music at Sitting Bull by Stephen Kellogg

The event is free. For more information about Okemo Mountain Resort, call 802-228-1600 or visit okemo.com.

Ida Mae Specker and Faith Wood live at J.J. Hapgood General Store in Peru.

Faith Wood and Ida Mae Specker live at J.J. Hapgood General Store in Peru.

Jan. 18: Specker and Wood perform at Hapgood General Store

Ida Mae Specker and Faith Wood will present an afternoon of music from  4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18, at J.J. Hapgood General Store & Eatery 305 Main St. in Peru.

Specker, a third generation fiddle player, will be joined by singer songwriter Faith Wood on guitar and harmonica and Rio Mueller on washtub bass.

With tight vocal harmonies, the trio plays a fusion of original and traditional music that owes as much to punk rock as Appalachia. For more information visit http://idamaespecker.com or http://jjhapgood.com.

Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson

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Filed Under: Community & Arts in BriefCommunity and Arts Life

About the Author: This item was edited from one or more press releases submitted to The Chester Telegraph.

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