Happenings in Chester Whiting Library to receive STEM collection; Hearse House to open for summer; Sunday Artisans Alley Market to launch

Public invited as Whiting Library unveils STEM book donation

The public is invited to the Whiting Library, 117 Main St. in Chester, at 11 a.m. Monday, May 20 as it unveils a collection of 80 science, technology, engineering and math related books donated by former Chester resident Warren John Mackensen, who lived in Chester from 1948 until he left for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1966.

Also on Monday, Mackensen, who lives and works in New Hampshire, will be presenting a sculpture on behalf of his sister Barbara Ann.

“As a young boy growing up in Chester, I devoured everything Whiting Library had that related to science and mechanics,” he said. “I’d like to give back to Whiting Library for giving me the gift of learning, which contributed significantly to my becoming an engineer.”

The Mackensen family owned the Fullerton Inn in the 1940s, according to Kathy Pellett, chair of the library board of directors.

Mackensen earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and served as an officer in the nuclear submarine service from 1970 to 1975.

For more information about this event and the library, contact Whiting Director Sharon Tanzer at 875-2277.

Hearse House museum to open for summer

The Hearse House, a museum in Chester developed by Chester Townscape that features Chester’s horse-drawn hearse and information about historical funeral customs, will be open to the public daily during daylight hours for self-guided tours during good weather from Memorial Day through Columbus Day.

Free copies of the tour are available next door at Chester Information Booth, across the Green at the Fullerton Inn and Phoenix Books, at the Chester Hardware at Main Street and Route 35 and at Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St.

Chester Townscape recently finished landscaping work on the Chester Information Booth, adding a brick walkway, laid by Scott Wunderle of Terrigenous, planting shrubs, a tree and perennials as well as providing a new bench.

Sunday Artisans Alley Market to launch May 26

Artisans Alley Market, an open-air marketplace in the alleyway leading to Sharon’s on the Common (between the Free Range Restaurant and DaVallia Art & Accents) off the Green in Chester, will kick off at 9 a.m. on Sunday, May 26 and run each Sunday until 1 p.m. on Oct. 13, Columbus Day weekend.

Shoppers can purchase goods from local growers, artists and other entrepreneurs as well as shop and dine at Chester’s brick-and-mortar stores along the Green.

A few vendors’ spots are still available, if you are interested in selling at the market. Contact Sharon Baker at sharons@vermontel.net or 875-3000 for more information. Click here for its Facebook page.

This market is sponsored by local businesses.