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. Notices must be received by noon on Fridays to be eligible for publication the following week.

Buttercup by Stephanie Whitney-Payne

Watercolorist exhibit at Whiting

Whiting Library at 117 Main St. in Chester presents an exhibit of watercolor paintings of Stephanie Whitney-Payne through October.

Chester resident Whitney-Payne has been painting botanicals for 20 years, an interest that grew out of a love for both gardening and painting. Her work is in collections here and in England. Painting each day as a meditation, she is currently working on a collection of paintings of flowers people consider weeds, considering them to be quite beautiful, when looked at closely and with an appreciative eye.

Her work is on display at the library during open hours: Monday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Wednesday 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Sept. 17: Vermont’s farm legacy discussed
at Neighborhood Connections

In Vermont, the cultural legacy of farming has strongly influenced the identity of Vermonters. It is these distinctive traditions, which have persisted even with the decline in farm numbers, that help make the state unique.

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17 the Vermont Folklife Center’s Gregory Sharrow, drawing on field recordings with farmers who reflect the pre-World War II era, will explore the fabric of Vermont’s past farm culture and probe its relationship to Vermont today. The Meeting Place is located in the Mountain Marketplace, 5700 Mountain Marketplace, next to the Londonderry Post Office.

This Vermont Humanities Council event is accessible to people with disabilities. There is no charge to attend, but reservations are necessary. Call 802-824-4343 to register.

Neighborhood Connections is a community-based non-profit social services agency serving individuals and families in the area mountain towns of south-central Vermont. Check out our website at www.neighborhoodconnectionsvt.org.

Sept. 17: Sketching and journaling class

Bring your friends and join local artist Paul Myers in an informal sketching and journaling class on Thursday Sept. 17. This on-going class meets 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month at the South Londonderry Free Library at 15 Old School Road, South Londonderry.

Myers believes journaling is a common practice of artists seeking almost compulsively to preserve in writing and sketching the full essence of their most valued experiences. The combination of sketching and writing intensifies recollection, and enriches every experience. No prior training or experience is required; attendees will learn from each other. A list of materials and program information will be given at registration. A fee of $10 will be charged for each two-hour session.

Call Myers at 802-824-6626 or the South Londonderry Free Library at 802-824-3371 to register or for information.

Sept. 17: Book Club explores area mysteries with Joe Citro

On Thursday Sept. 17 at 7 p.m., the Rockingham Library’s Book Club will take a walk on the spine-tingling side with a discussion of Joe Citro’s Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls & Unsolved Mysteries at 65 Westminster St., Bellows Falls. Visit the library to pick up a copy.

Read the whole book or just the tales from your neck of the woods. Rick Sharp, a retired environmental lawyer, will join the evening discussion via Skype to talk about his brush with UFOs as a 14-year-old near the Gageville Covered Bridge in Bellows Falls. The photos he snapped in 1966 were recognized by the scientific community and published in Time Magazine. News articles about Sharp’s early claim to fame, his fight to save Lake Champlain’s waterfront  will be on display at the library. This event is free and open to the public.

Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls & Unsolved Mysteries illustrations are by Vermonter Bonnie Christensen. A collection of other books she illustrated and/or wrote will be on display as well.

For more information, call 802-463-4270, email anne@rockinghamlibrary.org or got to rockinghamlibrary.org.

Sept. 18–20: BRGNS Rummage Sale

Black River Good Neighbor Services’ Annual Fall Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm, 611 Route 103 South in Ludlow is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 18 and 19 and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20.

The organization is accepting donations of clothing, housewares, linens and furniture at the thrift store at 37B Main St. in Ludlow. For larger items such as furniture, call 802-228-3663 to arrange a drop off time. If you are unable to drop off a furniture donation, arrangements may be made in advance for pick up.

Proceeds benefit BRGNS’ food and financial assistance programs for qualified individuals and families in Ludlow, Mt. Holly, Belmont, Proctorsville, Cavendish and Plymouth. For details, contact Audrey Bridge at the Black River Good Neighbor Services Thrift Store, 37B Main St., 802-228-3663, or BRGNS@tds.net.

Sept 18: Dwelling returns to Chester coffeehouse

Dwelling returns to Chester coffeehouse.

Dwelling, a Christian band from northern Vermont, will return to Grounded4Life at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 18 in the coffeehouse on the lower level of the Chester Baptist Church at 162 Main St., Chester. Admission is free.

Led by vocalist and songwriter Alison McHugh, the band plays a mixture of original and other current music.

Doors open at 6:30 with food, coffee, fellowship and conversation. Check out the Grounded4Life Facebook page or contact John Nunnikhoven at john4ns@fastmail.fm.

Sept.19: Tour through Ludlow history

The Black River Academy Museum and the Book Nook will host “A Walk Through Vermont History” on Saturday, Sept. 19. The daylong event will start with a historical tour by bus through the village of Ludlow led by sixth grade students from the Ludlow Elementary School in period costume.

At each stop along the route the students will discuss historical information about the homes. The tour bus will return to the museum where lunch will be served and three authors will speak about Vermont historical events.

Doors to the museum, 14 High St. in Ludlow, will open at 9.30 a.m. and visitors will be able to enjoy breakfast snacks before boarding the tour bus. The bus leaves at 10 a.m. taking participants to 15 historic houses. Author talks start at 11 a.m. with Gary Shattuck, then continue in the afternoon after lunch with Bruce Venter at 12:30 p.m. and Michelle Arnosky Sherburne at 1:30 p.m.

Admission is $20 per person, which includes morning snacks and lunch. Call 802-228-3238 or 802-228-5050 to make a reservation.

FALL FESTIVAL EVENTS

Sept. 19: Pie sales for Community Cares

On Friday, Sept. 18 senior citizens of Chester and Andover will get together with friends in the kitchen of the Chester Baptist Church for an old fashioned apple pie baking bee to support a community service that is important in their lives, the Community Cares Network of Chester/Andover, Inc.

Pies will be available for purchase Saturday, Sept. 19 at their tent in front of the Sarah Vail Law Offices during Chester’s Fall Festival on the Green. CCN Inc. is an organization of volunteers whose goal is to help the seniors of our area remains in their homes by providing essential help and services. These tasks range from providing transportation to doctor’s appointments to routine checking in on a periodic basis.

Call 802-875-6341 for more information.

Sept. 19–20: Fiction writers at Misty Valley Books

Three Vermont writers will be at Misty Valley Books, on the Green in Chester, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19 and 20 during the Chester Fall Festival.

Michael Reynolds, author of ‘The Dark Spirit of Moxworth Manor.’

Michael Reynolds, author of The Dark Spirit of Moxworth Manor and Mercy Kennedy McAllister, author of The Wrinkle Ranch, will be outside the bookstore both days from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. to chat with festival visitors about their books. Elaine Clift, author most recently of Children of the Chalet: New and Selected Stories, will discuss her book at the bookstore at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Reynolds, a Bellows Falls resident, bases his fantasy/mystery in Bellows Falls, with a lead character, a Capuchin monkey, that he purchased at Stone House Antiques in Chester. The story is rich in nostalgic references that carry the reader back in time.

McAllister, from the Northeast Kingdom, tells the story of a group of baby boomers who once lived together in a commune in ’60s California. After decades of separation, the group reconnects in Arizona, vowing to care for each other until the end.

Clift, a Vermont Humanities scholar, is a regular columnist in the Keene Sentinel, and a lecturer in literature and gender studies. ‘Children of the Chalet is a set of connected stories based on a year spent by Clift in the ’60s as a residential counselor in a halfway house for troubled teens. A reception and book signing will follow Clift’s presentation.

For more info, contact Misty Valley Books at 802-875-3400 or visit www.mvbooks.com.

Sept. 21: Chester Senior Citizens Club meets

Join the Chester Senior Citizens Club for its monthly luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, at the Chester First Baptist Church at 162 Main St. A Senior Solutions representative will present information on services they offer to seniors. Enjoy good food and fellowship. Bring your place setting, if possible a dish to share, and a friend.

Sept. 21: ‘Growing Up Trans’ documentary at Rock Library

On Monday Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m., the Rockingham Free Library and Vermont PBS will present a screening of “Growing Up Trans” followed by a panel discussion at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls.

Panelists will include family therapist Alexandra Scarlett, Davey Shlasko of Think Again Training and Consultation, Oshee Eagleheart of Gender Diversity & Support Services and Chuck Pizer, Vermont PBS community engagement director.

“Growing Up Trans” explores the transgender phenomenon, focusing on children coming to grips with their own sexual conformity. The film presents a frontier of possibilities and unknowns, and a minefield of high-stakes choices for these youngsters as they also navigate the changes adolescence brings.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 802-463-4270, email anne@rockinghamlibrary.org, go to rockinghamlibrary.org or stop by the library.

Sept. 21: First Universalist addresses racism

First Universalist Parish announces a new initiative to highlight systemic racism, which deepens the racial divide that continues to haunt America, decades after the passage of the civil rights legislation of the 1960s.

At 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 21, a “Conversation on Race and White Privilege” will be presented in the downstairs parish hall of the church building at 211 North St. (Route 103) in Stone Village. The evening will include a screening of portions of “True Colors,” a Primetime Live episode produced by Diane Sawyer in 1992.

An open conversation among the attendees will follow the screening, discussing the subtle racism that the film reveals. The event is free and open to the community. Attendees will learn about, and raise their awareness of, the racial patterns they may unconsciously perpetuate.

The series will continue with a mini-workshop on white privilege, facilitated by Charis Boke on Monday, Oct. 26. Future Monday evening events will be publicized as arrangements are finalized.

Contact Steve Crofter with any questions at 802-275-4646 or at steve.crofter@gmail.com.

Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson