Main Street Sidewalk Update #9

Once again, this has been a very busy week on the Main Street Sidewalk Replacement Project! Several of the new street lights on the northern end of the project are installed, functional, and the old ones next to them removed. They look great and work into the viewscape quite nicely. By the end of the day today, we will be finished removing sidewalk and the remainder of the curbing (from High Street to the south end of the project) will be installed. The concrete crew will continue to work their way south with the new sidewalks and we anticipate that operation to be complete by next Friday if the beautiful weather holds out for us.


Double Header In Nearby Massachusetts

Richard D. Wolff and Naomi Klein are both appearing in Mass next Tuesday, September 29th. (Wolff, Amherst @ 4pm & Klein, Mt. Holyoke @ 7pm)

It’s possible to see them both.

Anybody want to accompany me? 257-1829


Brattleboro Selectboard Special Meeting Agenda – NEA Our Town, Police-Fire Facilities

The Brattleboro Selectboard will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 in the Selectboard meeting room at the Municipal Center.  It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session at 5:30pm to discuss contracts, pending or probable civil litigation to which the public body is or may be a party, and the negotiating or securing of real estate purchase or lease options.  The Board will reconvene for the business meeting at approximately 6:00pm.

Jan Anderson
Executive Secretary
Brattleboro Town Manager’s Office
(802) 251-8100


Emily Mason The Light in Spring Book Signing at Mitchell – Giddings Fine Arts

On Saturday, October 3, from 4 – 6 pm at Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts, 183 Main Street, Brattleboro, the public isinvited to a book signing of Emily Mason’s new book, The Light in Spring.

Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts is very pleased to host the first public book release of Emily Mason’s most recent monograph, The Light in Spring. The evening will include a one-night exhibit of Mason’s print work as well as a opportunity to meet the artist and have her sign your copy of the book!


Christine Triebert’s Solo Exhibit Through a Glass Dimly Opening at Mitchell – Giddings Fine Arts

On Thursday, October 1, from 5 – 7:30pm at Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts, 183 Main Street, Brattleboro, the public is invited to an opening reception for Christine Triebert’s new solo exhibit,”Through a Glass Dimly“.

Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts is pleased to introduce this unique portrait series including more than twenty subjectsmany of whom will be familiar to area residents. The faces may be recognizable, but the subjects are shown in a novel way; simply, unadorned, and draped only with a crisp white sheet. According to photographer, Christine Triebert, “The white sheet symbolizes the commonality of our human experience.

It is reminiscent of the blanket we’re swaddled in at birth and the burial cloth we’re wrapped in at death.” Using the white sheet also brings us all to an equal place, “By donning the same covering, the portrait subjects are presented in a visually unified way, yet each person’s unique manifestation and expressiveness shines through. My intention with each image is to portray an essential quality of being of the individual self. As a whole body of work, they suggest a view of seeing ourselves as ‘spiritual beings having a human experience’.”


BMH Launches “Mindful Eating For Weight Loss” Workshop Series

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital’s Community Health Team will present a free 4-part workshop series focused on the role of mindful eating for those seeking to lose weight.

Presented by Peg Canal MS, RD, CDE Nutritionist/ Registered Dietitian/Certified Diabetes Educator, Carrie Quimby MS, RD Nutritionist/ Registered Dietitian and Nancy Schaefer, BS Health Coach, the workshop series will help participants identify triggers that contribute to unhealthy eating and learn to develop mindful eating practices.


Brattleboro Literary Festival October 1-4, 2015

The 2015 Brattleboro Literary Festival will take place October 1-4, 2015. The Festival is a four-day celebration of those who read books, those who write books, and of the books themselves. Located in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont, the Festival includes readings, panel discussions, and special events, featuring emerging and established authors. All events are FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! Visit the for more info and a full schedule of events, venues and author listings. http://brattleboroliteraryfestival.org/


iPads at Brooks Memorial Library!

Did you know the library has three iPads available for in-house use? iPads are easy to use, mobile, and lightweight. They are perfect for browsing, reading, and much more. Visit the Brooks Memorial Library circulation desk to try one today!

iPads at the Library!

Eye on the 60’s: A Video Discussion with Videographer Chris Szwedo

Sponsored by the Brooks Memorial Library and the Brattleboro Camera Club members, please join us for an evening with Chris Szwedo, the director of the film Eye on the 60’s: The Iconic Photography of Rowland Scherman, (and watch a trailer) in the library’s meeting room, Wednesday, September 23, at 7 PM.

EYE is an inter-disciplinary, stratified story about a passionate photographer– Rowland Scherman of LIFE magazine, who followed his path to remarkable people and events in the 1960s– from the inception of the Peace Corps and JFK to Dylan, The March On Washington, the Beatles, LBJ, RFK 1968, iconic celebrities, war protests, and the Woodstock Festival.


Quiet Rebel: Lynn Martin’s Story

A special showing of the locally produced film, Quiet Rebel: Lynn Martin’s Story, will be presented at the new arts venue, 118 Elliot. The 80 minute film is produced by Paul Bennett and Vidda Crochetta, and is being presented with the help and support of BCTV and Write Action. Long time Brattleboro resident, Lynn Martin is an activist, poet, and painter and a retired HIV Prevention Specialist of the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont, where she worked as a volunteer for 18 years.

In a Reformer story on Martin, by Becky Karush, Martin describes her turn to poetry, at age 50: “‘I stood there, and in my mind I put all the people I was angry at….at the bottom of the stairs. And I told them off. And then, whatever it was inside me said, ‘Okay, Lynn, you are really angry. There is something missing from your life. Where are you going to be in five years? Are you going to be in the same place?’ And I dragged the typewriter over, and that’s where I started to write poetry. My joy is in giving voice to people who don’t necessarily have it, because that was my story.”


Michaelmas: A Harvest Festival Of Yore

As summer turns to fall, I sometimes look into old traditions to cheer myself up. This year, I discovered Michaelmas. Although it’s been forgotten over the years, it was once celebrated by English and Celtic peoples across the British Isles as the big annual harvest festival. We still hold harvest festivals to this day but they can’t hold a candle to the harvest fests of yore. Here is a sample of what you might have might have experienced if you had to woken up late in September somewhere north of Liverpool:


Brattleboro Literary Festival

Has anyone else noticed the glaring lack of information and/or publicity about this year’s Literary Festival? I’ve seen a couple of postings here but usually by this time I’ve received  not only a plea for money but a schedule of authors and events in the mail and via email. I haven’t seen any posters anywhere – not even at the library. I know a few months ago there was some confusion over the potential dates but since it’s right around the corner you’d think there would be some talk about it somewhere. I hope this doesn’t mean the Festival is beginning to fade out. It’s one of my favorite events in town and generally I have to try to juggle all the many wonderful authors that I want to go hear. I don’t even know who is participating this year.


New York Polyphony Sings “Faith & Reason” on Sunday

Brattleboro, Vt. – As part of its 50th Anniversary Season, Friends of Music at Guilford is presenting a special guest-artist concert combining the Early Music repertoire with recently composed pieces that bridge the centuries of musical expression in between. Considered one of the world’s finest vocal chamber ensembles, New York Polyphony will perform its “Faith & Reason” program on Sunday, September 27 at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of Centre Congregational Church at 193 Main Street in Brattleboro.

They have toured widely in the U.S. and Europe, appearing at major international festivals and prestigious music series. Their 2013 and 2014 CDs were Grammy-nominated, and a number of their albums have made the “Top 10” lists of The New Yorker, Gramophone, and BBC Music Magazine.


YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program To Be Offered At Brattleboro Memorial Hospital

The YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program helps adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduce their risk for developing the disease by taking steps that will improve their overall health and well-being.

The (CDC)-led evidence-based program is delivered over a 12-month period in a supportive small group classroom setting. Sixteen weekly one-hour sessions are followed by eight monthly sessions. Facilitated by trained lifestyle coaches Teri Kneipp and Nancy Schaefer, the class is scheduled to begin October 1, 2015 and will be held at the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital from 3:15 – 4:15 PM.


Where Have All The Comments Gone? The Participation Problem

A few people have noted that iBrattleboro commenting has dropped off a bit recently and wondered why. Usually, iBrattleboro follows the general trends in town, and Brattleboro as a whole has seen community participation dropping off for some time now.

Few people run for the selectboard or school boards, and town meeting struggles to find representatives. Public participation at selectboard and school board meetings is minimal. Few people commented publicly on major zoning changes being debated. Parents barely batted an eye when Common Core was implemented.

Food drives and non-profit fundraising efforts struggle to meet goals. Citizens haven’t been motivated to hold fundraising events for needed police and fire facilities. Skatepark fundraising efforts are quiet. And so on.


Conserving Our Water Resources: Green Infrastructure Workshops

The quantity and quality of water in our region has direct impacts on all of us. Flooding causes a huge financial burden on municipalities, businesses, and individuals while threatening public safety. Droughts lead to crop failures, inadequate domestic water supplies, and stressed ecosystems. Water quality degradation diminishes ecosystem health, domestic water supplies, and recreational opportunities. New Vermont Clean Water Act legislation reinforces the need for all of us to treat water as a valuable resource.

Green Infrastructure (GI) is a suite of design tools and structural techniques that address all of these water issues by employing strategies that help to maintain natural hydrologic processes. GI presents significant opportunities for Vermont municipalities, businesses and individuals to reduce the impacts of stormwater on budgets and assets while protecting vital natural resources. As we adapt to the impacts of climate change, it is essential that we seek strategies to protect life, property, and our region’s natural resources.


Future Of Local Journalism Is Subject of River Garden Panel Discussion

A group of local media business specialists will explore “The future of local journalism” in a panel discussion at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden, downtown Brattleboro, on Thursday, Sept. 24 at noon.

The event is part of the daily Brown Bag Lunch events presented by Strolling of the Heifers, and is the second annual panel discussion on local journalism in the series.

Participants include Ed Woods, CEO of New England Newspapers, Inc. and publisher of the Reformer, Randy Holhut, deputy editor of The Commons, Kevin Moran, group editor for New England Newspapers, Roland Boyden, production manager of Brattleboro Community Television, and Martin Langeveld, retired newspaper executive and media blogger.