Retreat Farm

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Concerts This Weekend

by bwchorus | Music

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus presents their 27th annual spring concerts, “Sweet are the Days,” on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 at 4 pm outside at the Retreat Farm. Sunday’s concert will also be live streamed via Zoom.

Directed by founder and musical director Becky Graber, the spring concert features an eclectic program of soulful songs. Selections include compositions by Floridian singer/songwriter Velma Frye and former Brattleboro resident Susan Kisslinger; the haunting Estonian piece, “Mis on inimene?” (in English, “What is human?”); and a beautiful rendition of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s well-known song, “In My Life.” Local writer Karen Hesse and conductor Becky Graber collaborated to create “Granny and Bean,” a tale of an adventurous day by the sea. And the chorus will sing the opening of “Let Time Be Your Friend,” a piece composed by Diane White-Clayton as part of the Black Lives Matter Commissioning Project. The Chorus will sing the full piece with soloist Samirah Evans in our spring 2024 concert.

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Outdoor Concerts!

by bwchorus | Music

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus presents their 26th annual spring concerts entitled “Why Not Sing?” on Saturday June 4 and Sunday June 5 at 4:00 pm outdoors at the Retreat Farm. These will be the first in-person concerts the BWC has presented since 2019.

The concerts will feature songs the chorus has been working on this spring and includes some favorites from earlier sessions. Local musician Lisa McCormick will join the chorus on several songs, including “Tiny Lights” by Coco Love Alcorn and “Can You Catch the Moon” by Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell. The chorus will also sing Velma Frye’s “Take Heart” and Terry Garthwaite’s “Shine On.” McCormick and the chorus will be joined by the ukulele orchestra on a premiere of Barbara McAfee’s song (and the concert title), “Why Not Sing?”

Youth Services Is Finalizing Play Times for May 21 CORNSTOCK: Cornhole for a Cause!

by Nanci Leitch | Recreation & Sports

The deadline for registrations is fast approaching for “CORNSTOCK: Cornhole for a Cause!”, according to organizers at Youth Services.   The inaugural year of this new fundraiser, Youth Services is offering space on Saturday, May 21 for 12 teams to play this popular lawn game every hour, between noon and 5, on the Farmhouse Square at Retreat Farm on Rt. 30 in Brattleboro, Vermont.

CORNSTOCK: Cornhole for a Cause! is presented by Chroma Technology. Sponsors for all Youth Services events in 2022 are Pacesetters Brattleboro Subaru, The Richards Group and Headwater Precision.

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Brattleboro Needs 500 Housing Units

by cgrotke | Town News
selectboard december 6, 2021

The Brattleboro Selectboard learned about housing issues and possible strategies for addressing some serious housing needs during their first regular meeting of December . 500 housing units is the low estimate of what Brattleboro needs, now, and the selectboard is eager to make it an actual goal.

The board also approved corrections and updates to a Civil War monument, preserving the original but annotating it with a new plaque and information about the people of color and lower classes of soldiers not named on the original. They won’t name them on the new plaque, but will be directed to further information.

Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Agenda and Notes – December 7, 2021

by cgrotke | Town News

Traffic safety and recommendations for improvements to the Representative Town Meeting will be discussed at the next regular meeting of the Brattleboro Selectboard. New bike lanes, LED stop signs, and a request for a crosswalk are all in the mix for Tuesday.

The board will continue to provide free operating space for some local businesses who’d like to have larger establishments, and they’ll approve a correction to a very old piece of Town information.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.

Brattleboro Traffic Safety Committee Agenda

by Not Signed In | Town News

1. Minutes – August 18, 2021 

2. Public Participation 

3. Monthly Report on Pedestrian and Bicycle Incidents 

4. Monthly Report on Traffic Data Collection 

5. Street and Sidewalk Safety Policy Safety Action Requests 

(a) Speed Concerns on Elliot Street 

(b) Speed Concerns on Grove Street 

(c) Speed Concerns on Pine Street 

(d) Request to Close Bullock and Whipple Streets + Provide Downtown Pedestrian-Only Zones 

Selectboard Meeting Notes – The Dam Plan

by cgrotke | Town News
Brattleboro selecboard july 6

The first “hybrid” meeting using a combination of in-person and zoom participants had no real technical issues to speak of, but many interesting details to discern.

Big news was the agreement being worked out with owners of the nearby Connecticut River dams. They will be changing their operations to create a more natural water flow, which is good news for the river banks, all sorts of critters, recreation, and even the company’s plans for the future.

New land use amendments were approved, as was a mural project. The board also heard of two new places in town to get drinks more easily – Retreat Farm and craft experiment at the River Garden.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda & Notes – July 6, 2021

by cgrotke | Town News

At their first meeting in July, the Brattleboro Selectboard will make it easier to buy liquor downtown and at Retreat Farm with the granting of two new liquor licenses. They will also buy pick-up trucks, approve a new mural for a parking lot, contemplate repairs on the Elliot Street bridge, adopt new Land Use regulations, discuss their summer meeting schedule, review their goals, approve of dams, and more.

You can bring up other items not on the agenda during hybrid public participation.

Puppets in Paradise, Performances, Music, Food and Animals!

by Not Signed In | Family

Puppets in Paradise, Sandglass Theater’s most beloved community event and biennial fundraiser, returns for its 8th edition. Now in partnership with Retreat Farm in Brattleboro, this year welcomes an exciting roster of first-time and returning performers including Joshua Holden, Chad Williams, Finn Campman, Liz Joyce, Faye Dupras, Rose Friedman and Justin Lander, Honey Goodenough, Cynthia Parker-Houghton, Eva Lansberry, Elena Day, Julia J. Slone and Sandglass co-founders Eric Bass and Ines Zeller Bass. Each company will perform four times and the puppet parade will process three times throughout each day. Please allow 2 hours to experience all of the shows.

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – September 18, 2018

by cgrotke | Town News

At their next regular meeting, the Brattleboro Selectboard will take some early steps toward work on the next Hinsdale Bridge. The new bridge begins with relocation of some utility lines near the project and some signing of agreements, at least as far as Vermont is concerned. NH is building it.

Vehicles for hire will again be on the agenda. New vehicles will be purchased, financial reports will be heard, litigation with Retreat Farm will be resolved, Hermit Thrush will get a break on loan payments due to their product recall, bulky waste collection will be discussed, and more. You can bring up other items not on the agenda during public participation.