Next Stage Arts Project presents The Groovebarbers A Capella Holiday Concert on Friday, December 6

by stobro | Music

Next Stage Arts Project is delighted to welcome back to Putney the international a capella sensation The Groovebarbers for the fifth annual holiday concert, on Friday, December 6 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for 6 years old and up, and $40 for a family. Kids under 6 get in free. The renovated and accessible Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT. Tickets are available online at www.nextstagearts.org, or at the Putney General Store or Turn It Up! in Brattleboro three weeks in advance of the show.

49th Messiah Sing: A Benefit for the Homeless

by fomag | Music

Brattleboro, Vt. – Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG) invites singers and music lovers in the Tri-State region to start their holiday season at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, with the 49th annual Community Messiah Sing, a benefit for the homeless. Centre Congregational Church, at 193 Main Street in Brattleboro, has been home for the Sing since 1982 and for a few prior seasons as well.

Kenneth Olsson, who conducted the Sing in 2017 and 2018, is moving to the organist’s bench this year. A well-known vocalist and performer on piano and organ, as well as music director for opera and musical theater, he has led FOMAG’s Guilford Festival Orchestra since 2012 and in 2014 co-founded the Southern Vermont Lyric Theatre.

Next Stage Arts Project presents Author David Blistein on Thursday, December 5

by stobro | Books

Next Stage Arts Project, the Putney based community non-profit, presents award winning author David Blistein reading from his new book “Opium” on Thursday, December 5 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage. The book, Opium: How an Ancient Flower Shaped and Poisoned Our World, tells the extraordinary and at times harrowing tale of how we arrived at today’s crisis.
Mr. Blistein will be joined for this special event by his collaborator and co-author Dr. John Halpern and the pair will facilitate a Q&A with the audience following the reading. Signed copies of the book will be available for sale. Admission $5 – $35 sliding scale with 100% of the ticket sales supporting Groundworks Collaborative and Next Stage Arts Project. Josh Davis, Executive Director of Groundworks Collaborative said, “In a time when there are a lot of unanswered questions around the opioid epidemic, David and John’s book asks a lot of interesting questions that are poignant and add depth to this complex and difficult topic.”

VFW $6.50 Lunch Specials Open to the Public 12-2 to 12-6

by Not Signed In | Food

The Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served Mon-Fri from 11:30 – 1:30. Specials listed below are only $6.50 a plate. Hand made burger, fries, sweet potato fries, wings, onion rings, soups and sandwiches are also available. Take outs available by calling 257-0438

Mon – spaghetti & meatballs w/ salad & garlic bread

Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – December 3, 2019

by cgrotke | Town News

Municipal authority over commercial cannabis will be discussed for the first time by the Brattleboro Selectboard at their next regular meeting. The last time the board discussed legal cannabis was probably the 1920’s.

The board will learn what “unconscious bias and cultural humility” training is and whether they should accept a proposal to undertake it., continue their discussion of the FY21 proposed budget, and listen to whatever else you’d like to tell them during Public Participation.

WWAC Honors Departing Marlboro College with Talks by Two Seniors

by Rosalyn Shaoul | Education

As Marlboro College takes first steps in leaving Vermont to become the “Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies” on the Emerson College campus in Boston, the Windham World Affairs Council is holding what may be its last “Marlboro event” while the college is still a cherished neighbor. On December 6, 2019, at 7:00 pm at 118 Elliot, 118 Elliot St. in Brattleboro, WWAC will host two Marlboro students presenting on topics related to their senior research projects. We invite you to join us for this special event.

Over the years, WWAC programs have benefited tremendously from proximity to Marlboro College. For years, the college offered the Council the privilege of holding monthly talks at their Marlboro Graduate Center in downtown Brattleboro, never asking for a rental fee. Their Faculty members often served on the WWAC Board. Their students attended its lectures. They shared their prestigious Presidential Seminar Speaker Series with the organization. WWAC will really miss their presence in our community.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Energy Committee will meet on Monday, December 2, 2019, at 5:00pm, in the Community Room at the Brattleboro Food Co-Op (2 Main Street).

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Human Services Review Committee will meet on Tuesday, December 3, 2019, at 1:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room at the Municipal Center.

The Brattleboro Tree Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday, December 5, 2019, at 6:30pm in the Community Room at the Brattleboro Food Co-Op (2 Main Street).

Selectboard Meeting Notes – Opioid Lawsuit Hokey-Pokey, Plus FY21 Police and Fire Budgets

by cgrotke | Town News
brattleboro selectboard nov 26, 2019

At their special meeting this week, the Brattleboro Selectboard decided to reverse a decision they made just last week and instead remain IN a second, national opioid lawsuit. A lawyer told them opting out wouldn’t be so smart.

Health and safety issues at local apartments, an effort to reduce the speed limit in West Brattleboro along Route 9, and discussions of the FY21 Police and Fire budgets rounded out the special meeting.

BCTV Schedules – Week of November 25, 2019

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV Channel 8 schedule for the week of 11/25/19

Monday, November 25, 2019

5:00 am NAACP – Windham County NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner 11/16/19
8:00 am Democracy Now! – Democracy Now! Daily Broadcast
9:00 am Brattleboro Rallies – Impeachment Rally – 11/3/19
10:08 am Addiction Recovery Channel – Drug Interdiction, Law Enforcement and Sex Trafficking
10:55 am Mad River Shorts – A Coral Reef in Vermont

Antje Duvekot and Matt Nakoa at Next Stage on Saturday, November 30

by stobro | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present a contemporary folk singer/songwriter twin bill with Antje Duvekot and Matt Nakoa at Next Stage on Saturday, November 30 at 7:30 pm.

Antje Duvekot is a German-born, American-raised singer/songwriter whose songs have been critically praised for their hard-won wisdom, dark-eyed realism and street-smart romanticism.  Her bicultural upbringing and relative newness to English have helped shape her unique way with a song, giving her a startlingly original poetic palette.  They are the keys to the powerful, even revolutionary, empathy that informs everything she writes.  She has won some of the top songwriting awards including the Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, the Kerrville Folk Festival Best New Folk Award and the Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act.

Another Attack On America

by RDavis | Op/Ed

Millions of Americans have been under attack since Trump and his thugs took power. The list of inhumane, racist and xenophobic actions is long and most of the people who have been targeted are low income, vulnerable because of their health or socio-economic status or because they live in fear of having their families torn apart.

The vulnerable among us are experiencing a type of bullying never before seen in this country, but this kind of cowardly action has become the norm for our rogue government. One of the more recent assaults on Americans who are working hard and trying to get ahead is a proposed rule change that would cut food stamp (commonly referred to as SNAP) benefits to about three million people.

HatchSpace presents Woodturning Workshops in December

by HatchSpace | Creative

Hatchspace, 35 Frost St in Brattleboro, Vermont, is a non-profit dedicated to sharpening an appreciation for the work of human hands through the learning, practice, and teaching of woodworking.

Now one year old, Hatch serves the greater Brattleboro community with shared member workspace and classes for all levels of experience and interest.

Upcoming in December, instructor Blake Johnson offers a two part series in woodturning.

VFW $6.50 Lunch Specials open to the Public 11-25 to 11-29

by Not Signed In | Food

The Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road is open to the public for lunch. Lunch is served Mon-Fri from 11:30 – 1:30. Specials listed below are only $6.50 a plate. Hand made burger, fries, sweet potato fries, wings, onion rings, soups and sandwiches are also available. Take outs available by calling 257-0438

Mon – Salisbury steak, mashed potato, gravy & veg

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Finance Committee will meet on Monday, November 25, 2019, at 5:00pm in the Mezzanine Room at Brooks Memorial Library.

The Brattleboro Citizen Police Communications Committee (CPCC) will meet on Monday, November 25, 2019, at 5:30pm in the Meeting Room at Brooks Memorial Library.

Brattleboro Thanksgiving Day Closures

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, all Brattleboro Town offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 28 and 29, 2019, with the exception of emergency services. 

Brooks Memorial Library will close at 6:00pm on Wednesday, November 27, and will be closed on Thursday, November 28. It will re-open for regular hours on Friday and Saturday, November 29 and 30. 2019. 

Annual Crankie Celebration Week

by Not Signed In | Arts

PUTNEY – This December Sandglass Theater brings you a celebration of the art of the crankie. A crankie, known in the 19th century as a moving panorama, is an old storytelling art form that has found new audiences and enthusiasts with performances and festivals across the country. This 7th Annual Crankie Celebration includes performances, a special event and a crankie building workshop. Experience the mystique and low-tech charm of pairing song and story with scrolling pictures.