Springfield VT Steampunk Festival

by Not Signed In | Entertainment

What’s New at the Steampunk Festival This Year
Well, Splendid Teapot Racing for one—and Burlesque for another
Festival Benefits the Springfield Humane Society
Volunteers Still Needed

SPRINGFIELD, VT—The Springfield Steampunk Festival, an official Vermont Arts 2016 event slated for September 23, 24, 25 features new musical performers, more workshops and many more vendors while embracing new intriguing and whimsical ideas from as far away as New Zealand. Splendid Teapot Racing was conceived by Simone Montgomery in Dunedin, New Zealand and premiered for the first time in 2014 at Steampunk NZ Festival in Oamaru. And now it premieres in Springfield, Vt. The Steampunk movement is truly international in scope.

Ukulele Flash Mob Today!

by Ruthie | Entertainment

Whoa, here it comes! 
UKUKLE FLASH MOB, TODAY, Thursday the 25th, at 6pm sharp!
Where? Harmony Place smack in the center of Brattleboro.
ALL ARE welcome! (no need to play – just come enjoy the fun!)

RT 30 Closure Schedule Update

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

The RT 30 Road Closure Schedule has been revised as follows:

Friday, August 26, 2016 – CANCELLED

Monday, August 29, 2016 – ADDED TO REPLACE 8/26

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Wednesday, August 31, 2016 (Backup/Makeup Day if Needed)

Thursday, September 01, 2016 – CANCELLED

VFW Lunch Menu for 8-29 to 9-2

by LisaL | Food

Menu for Aug. 29th to Sept. 2nd

Mon – soup and a sandwich

Tues –  liver & onions w/ mashed potato

Wed – spaghetti w/ homemade meatballs & a salad

Thur – cheese & spinach stuffed pork loin w/ couscous

Fri – baked stuffed haddock w/ rice & veg.

Act 46 Meeting Agenda and Minutes

by Not Signed In | Education

ACT 46 STUDY COMMITTEE

Representing the Brattleboro Town School District, Dummerston Town School District,
Guilford Town School District, Putney Town School District and the Vernon Town School District
http://www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF MEETING

The Act 46 Study Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 25, 2016 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room.

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:00 p.m. – Alice Laughlin, Committee Chair

II. REVIEW, PRIORITIZE AND ESTABLISH DESIRED OUTCOMES FOR MEETING BY CHAIRPERSON.

III. REVIEW COMMITTEE MEMBER ROLES AND PUBLIC COMMENTS BY CHAIRPERSON

Get Out Your Credit Card and Join Our Revolution

by Lise | Activism

Our Revolution is being touted by progressives as the “future of our political movement” and features participation by our own revolutionary sweetheart, Bernie Sanders.  Bernie himself will be speaking at a kickoff forum tonight in Burlington, VT.  This seemed noteworthy, so I decided to stop into the OurRevolution.com web site to see what it was all about.  My first surprise was that it was a dot.com.  I had been expecting a dot.org.  But there you are, everything  is commercial these days, even “our revolution.” (Fine print reveals that “Our Revolution will operate as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.”)

Stroll the Grounds & Join Us for A Community Shabbat Dinner

by BAJC Shir HeHarim | Spiritual

On Friday August 26, come mark the shift from summer to fall with a stroll on the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community’s land followed by a delicious Shabbat dinner with songs, blessings, and a story. Dinner will be supplied by Cantor Kate Judd, Chelsa Roy of Monkey Moon Challah & Catering, and others.

At 5 pm Kate will lead a reflective walk on the land with prayer and song. At 6 we’ll gather to light candles, share blessings, and sit down to eat together. Following the dinner we’ll enjoy our dessert accompanied by a story from Rebecca Golden. We’ll wrap up with Birkat HaMazon (blessing after the meal) and some z’mirot (Shabbat evening songs).

Improve Your Tweets – Actually Write Them

by cgrotke | Sci-Tech

For those who ignore social media, you can ignore this.

For the rest of you, I have a word about laziness. Yes, I’m talking to you, person who has your Facebook feed set to automatically retweet things.

Here is the situation. Twitter allows for 140 characters. It is an art and science to craft messages that fit the space and make sense. Much can be communicated in a good tweet.

Selectboard Crosswalk Drama + NECCA Approval on GMMT

by BrattleboroTV | Media

Get the latest headlines with BCTV’s news show created in conjuction with WKVT, the Reformer, and the Commons entitled Green Mtn Mornings Tonight. See short clips as WKVT’s Chris Lenois talks with the Reformer’s Chris Mays about the week’s news, and catch full episodes at brattleborotv.org/green-mtn-mornings-tonight as well as on BCTV Channel 8 weeknights at 6:00 PM.

Swimming with the Fishes

by Vidda | Philosophy

At the far end of our limbs we have the necessary appendages to propel our bodies through the water. We begin our lives floating in an oceanic body of fluids called the amniotic universe in a symbiotic unity with mother and child where we experience a “lack of boundaries and obstructions” akin to how we feel immersed in open waters.

The origin of our aquatic nature is suggested by Charles Darwin when he asked, “What can be more curious than that the hand of a man?” Our fingers typing on a keyboard began their journey over 350 million years ago when some tetrapod held its head high enough above the waterline to catch its prey. That’s when its evolutionary “modification of gene expression” realized there was another world.

BCTV Schedules For Week of 8/22/16

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 8/22/16

Monday, August 22, 2016

12:00 am AgroForestry Forum in Brattleboro 7/16/15

2:15 am Dan and Jeff Play for Dancing

2:30 am Rosie’s Mom – The Forgotten Workers of WW1

3:27 am WWAC: Dr. John Hagen – Violent Extremism in Niger 5/13/16

5:00 am GMMT: Friday (Full Show)

Town of Brattleboro Invites Public Comment on Comprehensive Review of Town Operations (CRTO)

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Town of Brattleboro is reminding all residents that the draft Comprehensive Review of Town Operations (CRTO) document is posted on the Town’s website and that everyone is welcome to provide input. The deadline for submitting comments and suggested changes is Friday, September 9. The revised draft will be considered at the Selectboard meeting on September 20 or October 4.

The draft CRTO contains an introductory letter from Town Manager Peter Elwell and 50 separate “action items” in categories ranging from “Already Accomplished” and “in Progress” to short term (0-2 years), medium term (2-5 years), and long term (more than 5 years) timeframes for implementation. The draft document was created by the Town’s management team after it completed a thorough review of all Town services and support functions. The 50 action items represent small and large scale changes that staff is proposing to improve the community and/or save taxpayers money
.

Narcissus on Olympus

by spinoza | Recreation & Sports

As the story is presented to us…Not as it comes down, goes down, went down, but as it’s presented..that’s how we remember.  The details are left for each imagination no matter how many renderings, angles or replays. They will resonate within each viewer’s minds eye and take hold, get forgotten, drip slowly, or gush from adrenals as needed. Torch carried and passed, the flame of inspiration fed.

A hunter with unrivaled prowess, and beauty, which includes grace, stamina, inventiveness, perseverance, arrives at last on high at the image of himself. His broadcasted self. Reflected in a hundred million screens and more, he cannot look away. So entranced is he by his victory, by his own ascendance, it’s a transfixing moment, a defiance of time. And the hunter, as hero, he can’t look away. Nor can we without effort.

Strolling of the Heifers Presents an Evening of Cosmic Comedy with Swami Beyondananda – “the Mark Twain of our times”

by MartinLangeveld | Entertainment

Swami Beyondananda, the comedian also known as Steve Bhaerman, has been called “the Mark Twain of our times” by best-selling author Marianne Williamson — because he is not only hilariously funny but also offers sharp social commentary along with a spiritual perspective.

In his first-ever Brattleboro appearance, the Swami will present his cosmic wisdom at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden on Friday, Sept. 9. The show is a fund raiser for Strolling of the Heifers.

For nearly 30 years, the Swami has been a fount of comedy disguised as wisdom — or is it wisdom disguised as comedy? In any case, this heart-opening, mind-expanding show will help you wake up laughing and leave laughter in your wake.

Doggie Doo’s and Don’ts

by DWard | Opinion

Municipalities pass ordinances that require dog owners to pick up their doggie doos with a plastic bag and then throw it into the trash.  Now who the heck thought of this?  It’s actually much worse for the environment than leaving the poop where it is because microbes break down the poop and it’s good for the soil.  That is where poop is supposed to go. That’s the way nature intended. 

Enclosing that natural fertilizer in plastic and disposing it in the trash will prevent it from breaking down and puts more plastic into the waste stream. Dumb, dumb, dumb.  If anything, dog walkers need to have access to a garden trowel and simply scoop up some soil to cover the doo.  Or simply use a piece of a branch or stone that has the right shape for the job.  There is no need to go against nature.  It is easier if we go in harmony with it.  Stupidity is hammering the environment and we all bear the consequences because of someone’s ignorance in office. “Selectmen” – please think before making stupid ordinances. 

Weekend Creativity Series – Better Sandcastles

by cgrotke | Creative

Everyone can make sandcastles, and with a bit of practice and a few simple tools those sandcastles can be quite nice.

One of the best tools to have on hand is a straight edge. They are great for carving, packing, and shaping mounds of sand into walls, stairs, windows and doors.

In this first video, Jenny the Sand Castle Girl, an Australian sand castle making champion, shares some of her tips and tricks for making an enormous beach castle.

SeVWA’s 2016 E. coli Monitoring of Local River Sites Continued August 17th

by sevwa.wqmp | Nature

The Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance (SeVWA) had the penultimate day of our monitoring program for the summer of 2016 on Wednesday, August 17th. Volunteers collected samples from 30 sites on eight rivers and streams and will conclude monitoring on August 31st. This year, we have sites on the West River, Rock River, North Branch Ball Mountain Brook, Williams River (including South Branch and Middle Branch), Saxtons River, Sacketts Brook, and Whetstone Brook.

The drought continues in our area with our entire sampling area remaining under moderate drought conditions and parts of eastern New Hampshire and Massachusetts being upgraded to extreme drought conditions. It’s hard to imagine the contrast in weather to our south in Louisiana where historic floods are devastating the southeastern part of the state. They received over two feet of rain with the most recent storm; it is the second rain event this year that received over 20 inches of rain. Many rivers have shattered previous flood stage records by 4-6 feet. If you are interested in donating to help flood victims in Louisiana, you can visit the United Way of Southeast Louisiana (). Unfortunately, as our climate continues to change, we can expect more extreme weather events throughout the world like the drought in New England and the flooding on the Gulf Coast.

Savings Bank of Walpole Breaks Ground on Fifth Branch

by Not Signed In | Business

SAVINGS BANK OF WALPOLE BREAKS GROUND FOR FIFTH BRANCH
Local builder and tradespeople chosen to build new location

Keene, NH, – Savings Bank of Walpole continues to branch out into the community and recently celebrated its future new Court Street, Keene location with a groundbreaking ceremony. The ceremony was held on Friday, August 5th at the site of the new branch located at 817 Court Street, (across from Dunkin Donuts). Attendees included several SBW executives and members of the bank’s Board of Trustees, along with the president and architect from local design/build firm Bensonwood, who are handling the design and construction of the building.

Twilight on the Tavern Lawn Presents Planet Zydeco on Sunday, August 21

by Not Signed In | Music

Twilight Music concludes its 14th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, August 21 with an evening of high energy accordion/guitar driven dance music of Louisiana by Planet Zydeco.

The seventh and final concert of the 2016 series begins at 6:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain. The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Soundview Paper Company, The Putney Food Co-op, Green Mountain Well, The Stockwell Brothers and many other Putney businesses and organizations. The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available. For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.