Testament of Santa Claus, 1881

by cgrotke | History

Ever wonder where Santa buys his watches, clocks, jewelry and plated wares? In Brattleboro, of course, at the store owned by U. W. Frink at 10 Main Street, opposite the Brooks House. You’ll recognize it by the gilt letters on the door.

This clever ad appeared in December of 1881 in the Vermont Phoenix. Instead of simply listing items for sale, it comes in the form of a testimonial from Santa Claus himself who explains that Mr. Frink is reliable and offers free engraving.

Mr. Claus, we are informed, will make Mr. Frink’s his headquarters for the holidays.

The Compassionate Friends World Wide Candle Lighting

by bevermont | Spiritual

Join in Remembering Children: The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting

The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor the memories of the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, and grandchildren who left too soon. As candles are lit at 7:00 p.m. local time, hundreds of thousands of persons commemorate and honor the memory of all children gone too soon.

45th Community Messiah Sing: A Benefit for the Homeless

by fomag | Music

Friends of Music at Guilford invites singers and music lovers in the Tri-State region to start their holiday season at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, with the 45th 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.

Terry Larsen, a resident of Southampton, Mass., returns for a ninth season to lead the Sing. He brings over twenty-five years of experience as a music teacher, choral singer, soloist, and conductor to his role at the helm. William McKim, who has played the organ at this event for twenty-seven past seasons, and officially “retired” twice from doing so, agreed to step in on short notice when UVM’s David Neiweem, who played for the Sing in 2014, broke a collarbone in late October.

Sanders Announces $1.1 Billion For Vermont in Transportation Bill

by Not Signed In | Politics

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that a five-year, $305 billion transportation bill agreement reached Tuesday by House and Senate negotiators will deliver nearly $1.1 billion to Vermont to improve the state’s roadways.

“While this legislation does not have everything I would have hoped for, I am pleased it includes more than $1 billion for Vermont’s roads and bridges in the coming years,” Sanders said.

As a member of the committee with primary jurisdiction over federal road and bridge programs, Sanders successfully fought for a funding formula that helps Vermont. The final agreement includes a 5 percent increase in funding for Vermont in the first year and a total increase of 15 percent over five years.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: Single Stream Savings Dry Up, Precision Stabilization Offered

by cgrotke | Town News

Major changes to Brattleboro’s trash and recycling were discussed, but decisions were delayed in order to gather more information from the public and solid waste district. And the prospect of savings from a switch to single stream recycling proved elusive.

BDCC and GS Precision received a decade of tax breaks along with loans and some property adjustments as a reward for staying in town, keeping and creating many good-paying jobs, and and supplying grandlist enhancing facilities.

Grants, an emergency compressor, committee vacancies, and more were also up for discussion.

The Stockwell Brothers at Mole Hill Theatre on Friday, December 4

by Not Signed In | Music

Mole Hill Theatre presents contemporary bluegrass and folk music quartet The Stockwell Brothers on Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm.

Bruce, Barry, Alan and Kelly Stockwell’s music spans traditional and progressive styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms and three-part harmonies. They cover straight ahead bluegrass songs, finger picked acoustic guitar ballads, full tilt breakdowns and traditional mandolin tunes mixed in with more unusual fare – Americana melodies riding world beat grooves and Celtic, jazzy, even neo-classical instrumentals.

Jobs, Justice & Climate Rally

by Safe and Green Campaign | Activism

20 times, world leaders have met to discuss climate change. This week in Paris, they are meeting again.

No matter what happens in Paris, we know what we need: real climate solutions that create local jobs and strengthen community power and resiliency. It’s up to us to lead the way — and we’re starting right here in New England with a massive rally on December 12, the day after the Paris talks end!

What: Jobs, Justice and Climate: Rally to Defend New England’s Future
When: Saturday, Dec 12, 1-3 pm
Where: Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common, Boston

Oh, YAY, Dec. 1 Today!

by Andie | Creative

When I awoke today I remembered a certain calendar and ibrattleboro.  Thank goodness the advent calendar is up and running.  Thanks, Chris for doing it each year.  What a nice treat/gift for us.

Act 46 Study Committee 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 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at the Guilford Central School.

AGENDA

I. CALL TO ORDER – 6:30 p.m. – Alice Laughlin, Committee Chair

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

Brattleboro Union High School Board Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS

The BUHS #6 Finance Committee will meet at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 17 in the James E. Kane Conference Room, 53 Green Street.

NOTICE OF BOARD MEETING

The BUHS #6 Board of Directors will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 7, 2015 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room

The Story of Rosa Parks

by cgrotke | Creative

Today people are celebrating the 60th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ civil disobedience.

Long ago, in 1991, while working at the Capital Children’s Museum, a four year old girl came to our Animation Lab with her mother and wanted to make a cartoon. Not an easy task for adults, but this girl was on a mission and got to work. She recorded a soundtrack, created artwork, and directed the animation for “The Rosa Parks Story.”

At the River Garden: Coffee & Conversation – Stories of Homelessness

by MartinLangeveld | Arts

The Gallery at the Garden features a great new show for December: Coffee & Conversation — Stories of Homelessness, by Liz LaVorgna and Wyatt Andrews. Stories of Homelessness is a photography and video exhibit with a community art wall installation that brings together two cross-sections of our community: people experiencing homelessness and people who have stable housing.

The Gallery is located at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, home of Strolling of the Heifers, at 157 Main Street, Brattleboro VT. Normal gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (except during special events at the River Garden). 

The 1876 Christmas Season – Cheney & Clapp Advertisement

by cgrotke | History

Cheney & Clapp ran a bookstore in downtown Brattleboro in the 1800’s. They specialized in books, periodicals, and paper goods, but if you look at their Christmas advertisement in the Vermont Phoenix for 1876, you can see they have a lot of other items.

The ad is a bit hard to read, but you can see items such as Alphabet Blocks, Brushes, Collar & Cuff boxes, Checkers, Dominoes, Drums, Flutes, Easels, Faber pencils, Hymn books, Iron toys, Jerusalem Olive wood, Knife baskets, Mottoes, Microscopes, Necessaires, Puzzles, Pocket Knives, Razors, Rubber Toys, Sycamore goods, Transparent Slates, Teacher’s Bibles, Watch Stands, and Zoetropes.

Holiday Book Sale and Free Gift Wrapping at Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

The 10th Annual Friends of Brooks Memorial Library Holiday Book Sale will be held in the Library on Thursday and Friday, December 3 and 4 from 10 AM to 6 PM and Saturday, December 5 from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Gift quality books and gently used fiction, non-fiction, children’s books and CDs will be on sale. Non-fiction titles include art, cooking and gardening, history, music and more subjects. Book sale discount coupons are now available from the Front Desk of the Library. 

First Wednesday Lecture Series: Glenn Andres The Buildings of Vermont at Brooks Memorial Library

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Join Middlebury College professor Glenn Andres on Wednesday, December 2, at 7 PM in the library’s main room. He will examine the remarkable range, quality, humanity, and persistence of Vermont’s built landscape. Andres’s talk will look beyond Vermont’s pastoral stereotypes to examine the remarkable range, quality, humanity, and persistence of its built landscape.

Andres has taught, primarily in the areas of architectural and urban history, at Middlebury since 1970. His research spans from the Italian Renaissance through 19th century America to postmodernism. He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cornell University and a PhD in architectural history from Princeton University.

His doctoral dissertation on the Villa Medici in Rome was pursued while a fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Underwriter: Crosby-Gannett Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation. The event is free and open to the public. 

Supper/Dance Saturday in Guilford – Barn Collapse Benefit

by DonInGuilford | Guilford

Broad Brook Grange will present a benefit supper and contradance on Saturday, December 5, beginning at 5:00 pm at the Grange hall in Guilford Center.  The proceeds will benefit a local farm which suffered a barn collapse due to a weather event.

On Thursday, October 29, a rare “microburst” hit the town of Guilford, with unusually high wind gusts, bringing down the roof under construction on a new dairy barn at the Clark Farm, injuring a family member and carpenter Tom Henry of Guilford.  Saturday’s fundraiser will assist the Clark Farm, as well as Mr. Henry.

The evening begins with supper served from 5-7 pm, which will include homemade chili, spaghetti, breads, salads, dessert, featuring apple crisp, and beverages prepared by Grange and community chefs.

Brattleboro Winter Parking 2015-2016

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Parking Department would like to advise everyone that the winter parking ban will go into effect, starting Saturday, December 5, 2015. Overnight parking is forbidden on all streets in the town of Brattleboro. Vehicles parked for longer than one (1) hour between 11:00pm and 07:00am may be ticketed and towed at the owners expense.