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Next Stage Celebrates Celtic and Québécois Traditions at Scott Farm, Sept. 1

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts continues its Bandwagon Summer Series with a vibrant outdoor celebration of Celtic and Québécois music on Monday, September 1st at 3:00 PM at the scenic Scott Farm in Dummerston. The Celtic & Québécois Festival features three powerhouse acts—Cantrip, Keith Murphy & Yann Falquet, and Cécilia—for an afternoon of spirited tunes, rich harmonies, and deep-rooted tradition.

With swirling border pipes, fiery fiddle tunes, and driving rhythms, Cantrip lives up to its name—an old Scots word for a magic spell or charm. Born out of Edinburgh’s folk sessions two decades ago, the band has become a festival favorite for their high-octane arrangements and adventurous musicality. Blending traditional roots with unexpected influences like funk, klezmer, and swing, Cantrip conjures a spellbinding live experience.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – 69A Elliot Street and June Financial Report

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard aug 5 2025

The first regular meeting of the month was relatively short, though the public took full advantage of Public Participation. Many talked about a beautiful space on Elliot Street,  69A, that is part art gallery, part safe space, part… whatever you want it to be.

The board also heard a summary of the June 2025 Finance Report. It is the almost-final report that could change, but is nearing a stage where an auditor can look it over. Except the Town is having a bit of trouble finding an auditor.

Next Stage Hosts Opening Reception for Briony Morrow-Cribbs Exhibit, Quiet Witness

by hahrenholz | Arts

Putney, VT — Next Stage Arts invites the community to the opening reception for Quiet Witness: An Homage to the Flora and Fauna of Vermont, a new exhibit of intricate etchings by Vermont-based artist Briony Morrow-Cribbs. The reception takes place Friday, August 29, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the NXT Gallery, located at 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. All are welcome; RSVPs are encouraged at nextstagearts.org.

Quiet Witness showcases a richly detailed menagerie of real and imagined creatures, rendered through Morrow-Cribbs’s decades-long practice as a printmaker and etcher. A self-described animal empath, she uses her art to explore what it might feel like to experience the world through the instincts and perspective of other species.

Raised on Washington’s Whidbey Island and now based in Dummerston, Morrow-Cribbs brings a deep reverence for both wilderness and craft. Her work has appeared in best-selling books, including Wicked Plants and Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart, and in solo exhibitions across the country. Her prints are created through a painstaking etching process that dates back to her childhood, when she first learned the technique from her father.

Leda’s Kitchen Menu for 8/7

by LedaS | Food

At Leda’s Kitchen, I draw on my adventures as a private chef, cookbook author, and co-owner of Dosa Kitchen Food Truck to offer weekly-ish gluten-free heat-and-eat meals designed to awaken your senses and fit seamlessly into your schedule. My menus feature curries, stews, nourishing soups and stews inspired by diverse food traditions. I cook with high-quality ingredients including free-range meats and focus on local and organic sourcing. You decide when to eat, as all dishes are designed to reheat beautifully, maintaining or even increasing their original deliciousness.

Is Representative Town Meeting Really Representative?

by spoon | Op/Ed

I have called Brattleboro home for the last 37 years, most of which I have been quite civically and socially engaged. Until now I had never heard the claim that Representative Town Meeting was not representative. Has something changed? I’ve given this a lot of thought and done some investigation. Resources include my complete set of Town Reports to 1992 and scattered editions stretching back to 1974. Town Reports contain the agendas and minutes of every meeting as well as the names of all Representatives, elected officials and a rich history of each year.

When my tenure as an RTM member began in the late 90s about two-thirds of the membership were upper middle aged, male, white property and  business owners and professionals. Of the latter they were typically lawyers, finance people, landlords and such. Many of the other third were their wives. On the rare occasion, back then, when a couple did not vote the same way a mirthful chuckle would ripple through the crowd. Most of the decisions in those days were decided by votes in the order of  130 to 10.  There was unity!  

Brattleboro Selectboard Retreat and Meeting Agendas

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a”retreat” to plot and plan their upcoming year. They’ll spend the afternoon coming up with 3-5 refined priorities. Once that is done, they have 10 minutes set aside to hear from the public about what the public might want done. There is 10 minutes set aside for this, after all decisions have already been made.  There is more time in the meeting scheduled for breaks than hearing from the public.

The next day they will hold a regular meeting with just a couple of items.

Brattleboro VTrans Paving Project Construction Update 8/01/2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

Crews are adding an overnight shift tonight – Friday August 1, 2025 – from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. They plan to pave on Vermont Route 9 (Western Avenue) west of Green Street and on U.S. Route 5 (Main Street) north of the downtown area. Additionally, a crew will adjust structures on U.S. 5 (Canal Street) west of downtown. Single-lane closures with alternating traffic controlled by flaggers will be in place.

TRAFFIC IMPACTS:

Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place next week on Monday night through Saturday morning from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Work will continue on Vermont Route 9 (Western Avenue and High Street), U.S. Route 5 (Main Street), and begin on Vermont Route 30 (Linden Street). Flaggers will be present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zones. Parking restrictions will be enforced during working hours. Motorcyclists should watch for grooved and uneven surfaces and all motorists should be aware of raised utility structures in the travel lanes and shoulders.

July 2025 Precipitation

by local | Nature

The rain yesterday and overnight totaled 1.27″ at my location.  I am a CoCoRaHS volunteer and we submit our report each morning at 7am.  So that rain is my August 1st report number.  CoCoRaHS is short for the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, headquartered at Colorado State University.  There are somewhere in the area of 20,000 people reporting across the US and Canada.

Immunopsychiatry – What’s Old Is New

by RDavis | Health

There has been a movement in the psychiatric world to recognize a new medical specialty. The name has evolved from psychoneuroimmunology to immunopsychiatry. What it boils down to is recognizing a link between immune system dysfunction and psychiatric conditions.

This is not a revelation but more of a renewed recognition that there may be strong links between some autoimmune diseases, immune system dysfunction and mental health diseases. In particular, researchers have found links between psychotic disorders and autoimmune diseases. Links have been established between celiac disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus and the development of schizophrenia.

The Glyptodons – Folk Rock Concert August 9

by RDavis | Music

The Seattle-based folk rock group, the Glyptodons, will return to Brattleboro for a backyard concert on Saturday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. at 63 Cedar Street. Band members include Sean Ahern on vocals and acoustic guitar, Diana Rowey, vocals and electric guitar/ukulele and Colin Ahern, bass guitar.

The Ahern brothers are Brattleboro area natives.

Brattleboro Planning Commission Meeting: August 4, 2025 at 6:00 pm

by planning | Town Plan

6:15 – 6:50 Planning Commission Workplan
Discuss and rank new projects that the Planning Commission wants to pursue

6:50 – 7:50 2026 Town Plan
• Town Plan Outreach – Check in on Community Conversations, Survey, public workshop
• Historic Resources – Review first draft
• Arts & Cultural Resources – Review first draft

Gypsy Jazz Meets Balkan Swing in a High-Energy Bandwagon Double Bill: Rhythm Future Quartet and DiTrani Brothers Perform August 23 at Putney Inn Field

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts continues its Bandwagon Summer Series with a twin bill of genre-bending acoustic brilliance: Rhythm Future Quartet and The DiTrani Brothers perform on Saturday, August 23 at 6:00 PM at the Putney Inn Field, 57 Putney Landing Road in Putney, VT. Gates open at 5:00 PM. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 at the gate, and free for children under 12. Food will be available from Smokin’ Bowls.

This all-ages outdoor concert promises a vibrant mix of gypsy jazz, Balkan folk, and early American swing—an unforgettable evening of music under the summer sky.

Kimberly Carmody on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Arts

KIMBERLY CARMODY is “Bringing it all back home”. River Gallery School of Art has been her locus and inspiration, from her first art class in 1976 to becoming Executive Director in 2023. In between, she’s traveled and taught and painted and is back in Brattleboro – a perfectly drawn full circle.

Leda’s Kitchen Weekly-ish Chef-Prepared Meals (10% off first order)

by LedaS | Food

At Leda’s Kitchen, I draw on my adventures as a private chef, cookbook author, and co-owner of Dosa Kitchen Food Truck to offer weekly-ish gluten-free heat-and-eat meals designed to awaken your senses and fit seamlessly into your schedule. My menus feature curries, stews, nourishing soups and stews inspired by diverse food traditions. I cook with high-quality ingredients including free-range meats and focus on local and organic sourcing. You decide when to eat, as all dishes are designed to reheat beautifully, maintaining or even increasing their original deliciousness.

Brattleboro VTrans Paving Project Construction Update 7/25/2025

by Not Signed In | Town News

Nighttime single-lane closures will be in place Sunday night through Friday morning from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Work will continue on U.S. Route 5 (Canal Street), Vermont Route 9 (Western Avenue and High Street), and begin on U.S. Route 5 (Main Street). Flaggers will be present to direct one-way alternating traffic through the work zones. Parking restrictions will be enforced during working hours. Motorcyclists should watch for grooved and uneven surfaces and all motorists should be aware of raised utility structures in the travel lanes and shoulders.