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Bill Holiday on “Here We Are”

BILL HOLIDAY’s teaching style was outside the box and outside the classroom – taking students on Field Studies to the places where history happened. He is the author of two books. Bill also gives tribute to his late nephew Reggie Martell through stories of their travels together.


Silver Circus on NBC TODAY Show

NECCA’s Silver Circus is being featured on The Today Show!  We were originally told it was last week, but we just got a text from the NBC producer (who was off last week getting married) that the show was moved to tomorrow – June 30 in the 9 am hour.

It’ll be on TV on the NBC station, and should be on their youtube channel after it airs.


Join Action Corps Vermont for Bagels on the Bridge, July 4th!

Join Action Corps Vermont for a light breakfast and gathering on the pedestrian/bike bridge from Brattleboro to the island in the Connecticut River — by the Brattleboro entrance to the old Hinsdale bridges, near the Brattleboro Amtrak station.

You’re welcome to then join Action Corps Vermont and Buddhists for Peace in the parade. Action Corps campaigns for U.S. policies to save lives around the world, and Action Corps members will carry signs in the parade protesting U.S. violence in the Middle East.


Some Funky Summer Music – xoxo Xopher – About Time

I have a new album of funky instrumental tunes to share with you.  It was my winter/spring creative project to distract myself when I had bits of free time, which allowed me some fun playing with keyboards, drum machines, bass, guitar, and other toys to pay homage to some of my musical influences.

When you have a bit of time, give it a listen, and share with anyone you think might like it.


Silverback Swing Brings Gypsy Jazz to “Twilight On The Tavern Lawn” – Sunday, July 27

Putney, VT – The enchanting sounds of Gypsy Jazz will fill the air in downtown Putney as Silverback Swing takes the stage for the next installment of the Twilight On The Tavern Lawn summer concert series, presented by Next Stage Arts. The performance takes place Sunday, July 27 at 6:00 PM on the Putney Tavern Lawn, located at 133 Main Street. The concert is free and open to the public, with donations gladly accepted.

Silverback Swing transports listeners to the ambiance of vintage French cafés with music inspired by the legendary Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France. Known for their authentic take on Gypsy Jazz—also called Jazz Manouche or Hot Club music—the group performs classic instrumentals and jazz standards from a golden era of swing.


Paris Meets Brooklyn at NECCA: The Blue Dahlia Brings Global Fusion to Bandwagon Summer Series

Brattleboro, VT — On Saturday, July 26 at 6:00 PM, the Bandwagon Summer Series, presented by Next Stage Arts, continues its vibrant season with a special performance by The Blue Dahlia at the New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA), 10 Town Crier Drive in Brattleboro.

Led by Brooklyn-born singer-songwriter and ukulele player Dahlia Dumont, The Blue Dahlia weaves a colorful tapestry of world music that bridges continents, languages, and cultures. Singing in both French and English, Dumont’s sound fuses the romance of French chanson with Latin rhythms, klezmer violin, ska, reggae, and jazz — all steeped in her unique life journey through New York, France, and Senegal.


Vermont Suitcase Company Presents Whodunnit Puppet Mystery “The Duke Is Dead” at Next Stage Arts

PUTNEY — The Vermont Suitcase Company returns to the stage this summer with an all-new, puppet-filled mystery, The Duke Is Dead: A Vermont Suitcase Mystery, coming to Next Stage Arts in Putney on Friday, July 25 at 7:00 PM.

Equal parts comedy, mystery, and theatrical whimsy, this one-hour, family-friendly show invites audiences to join a cast of colorful characters—and plenty of puppets—as they attempt to solve the curious case of Duke Didi’s untimely demise. When the Duke is found unresponsive the day before his prized art collection is set to be unveiled at the national gallery, everyone becomes a suspect. Is it his sly niece and only heir? The all-knowing butler? The clueless constable? Or could the national curator herself have something to hide?


Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Monday, June 30, 2025 at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room (230 Main Street, rm. 211).

The Brattleboro Charter Revision Commission will meet on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 6:15pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room (230 Main Street, Rm. 212).


Next Stage Arts Presents Armo and JMMR in the Bandwagon Summer Series – July 19 at Putney Inn Field

Putney, VT – The groove is coming to Putney this July as Next Stage Arts presents Armo and JMMR as part of the 2024 Bandwagon Summer Series, on Saturday, July 19 at 6:00 pm at the scenic Putney Inn Field, 57 Putney Landing Road.

An evening of high-energy Afrobeat and futuristic jazz awaits under the open sky, with tickets just $22 in advance, $25 at the door, and kids under 12 always free. Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or fold-up chair, enjoy local food from Smokin’ Bowls, and soak in a night of world-class music and community vibes.


A Cruel Disease – ALS

One of the great inequities in the world of medical research revolves around the lack of progress in finding some degree of cure for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). I have cared for too many people with ALS over many decades, and there has been very little progress in research since I started my nursing career in 1978.

I have been re-awakened to the misery of ALS because a friend was recently diagnosed. I had a close friend who died of the disease about 10 years ago and it is a difficult experience for everyone involved in caring for a person for ALS. As much as we think we can empathize with someone who has ALS, we really will never know what having ALS feels like.


Brattleboro’s Air Disaster of 1922

In 1922, a big flying event was held on the Retreat Meadows, back when it was still a meadow. The World war had ended and Brattleboro was interested in the potential of aviation for civilians.  Pilots flew in for a weekend of events, competitions, and demonstrations at a special aviation event that Governor Hartness, a big fan of flying, helped bring to town. Everything was going  fine until late on a Friday afternoon, when disaster struck.

This is the story as it appeared in The Phoenix August 25, 1922. It isn’t hard to imagine how a tragedy such as this would perhaps sour the local citizenry on any plans of aviation or airports for quite a long time.

….

AIRPLANE MEET HAS TRAGIC END

Three Passengers Lose Lives When Curtiss Oriole Burns

Were Miss Evelyn Harris and Joseph Trahan and Son – Crowd of About 3,000 Sees Disaster – Inquiry Held.


Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 24 at 5:00pm in the Brooks Memorial Library community Room.

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, June 24th at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.


Noticed Around Brattleboro – Summer 2025 Edition

A space for you to add little things you see around town, such as:

– it is hot – hovering around 100 on some thermometers in late June

– Beadniks has a sign up at their new location, and paper on the windows. Looks like they will be re-opening soon  just up the street from their former spot. Near Gallery in the Woods now.


Update on Funding and Timeline for the 2025-26 Brattleboro Town Arts Fund Application Cycle

Program Update: In light of the reduced funding allocation for the Brattleboro Town Arts Fund, we have decided to postpone the launch of the 2025 application cycle until January 2026, effectively combining this year’s and next year’s application process and funding resources.

While the Brattleboro Selectboard voted in April to restore $15,000 for the Town Arts Fund in the revised FY26 Town budget, the finalized budget that was sent to and approved at Representative Town Meeting in May included an additional reduction of $5,000 from the TAF program, for a final award of $10,000 for FY26.