Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Next Stage

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present New England’s acclaimed folk/roots quartet Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem at Next Stage on Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 pm.

Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem feature 4-part vocal harmonies, indelible songs, fiddle, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and a homemade percussion kit of cardboard boxes, tin cans, caulk tubes, packing-tape tambourines, bottle-cap rattles, Mongolian jaw harps, and a vinyl suitcase. Over the past 20 years, the quartet has toured its uplifting, healing performances to concert halls, festivals, and residency engagements across North America, and has released seven CDs on Signature Sounds. From the Newport Folk Festival to California World Music Festival and beyond, this band’s steadfast brew of wit, camaraderie, and musicality leaves audiences everywhere humming and hopeful, spirits renewed.


Brattleboro Winter Storm Update

The winter storm continued overnight with additional snow and downed trees. There is an estimated 9% of Brattleboro without power but surrounding towns have as many as 90% of residents without electricity, as of this briefing. Green Mountain Power has been working hard overnight to clear roads and re-establish service.


BCTV Schedules – Week of March 13, 2023

Monday, March 13, 2023

4:00 am League Of Women Voters – The Privatization of Medicare 2/6/23

6:00 am Jamaica Town Meeting – 2023 Jamaica Town Meeting 3/7/23

8:00 am The David Pakman Show – The David Pakman Show – Weekly Broadcast


Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Seeks New Singers!

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus welcomes new singers to sing with us on March 16 or 17. Come join in the singing either in-person on Thursday mornings or evenings, or virtually on Friday mornings. Our first two weeks of rehearsals on March 16 and 23 are open to new singers to come and check out the chorus to see if it is a good fit for them (provided they email us in advance). Advance registration is required for all singers.

The Chorus welcomes anyone ages 10 and up who identifies as female or non-binary, and whose vocal range comfortably includes the A in the middle of the treble staff. All abilities are welcome and no auditions are required. 


The Reward Is In The Doing

When I listen to one of the many talented musicians who live in our little corner of the world in southern Vermont it makes me realize that there is very little difference between them and others who are more well known to the world. I often wonder how fame and fortune, especially in the arts, figure into the overall scheme of things.

I suspect that many of us want to be recognized for the talents we have, whether they be in music, art, writing or any creative field. But some people decide, early in their lives, that they want to put the effort into not only their art but into the pursuit of fame. It requires a special kind of dedication and it is something that most of us will decide not worth doing.


Guilford Stage GoFundMe

Guilford Center Stage announces a GoFundMe campaign to help improve the space it uses at Broad Brook Community Center, in Guilford. The fundraiser will continue the improvements achieved with the recent renovation of the building, with two acquisitions.

First, the theater group is purchasing four air purifiers, to be used both in the auditorium and backstage, to protect the health of actors and audiences. These Oransi brand purifiers have state-of-the art HEPA filters and will recirculate all the air in the auditorium and stage area twice each hour, removing 99.97% of dust, bacteria, even viruses.


Brattleboro Selectboard Agenda and Notes – March 14, 2023

The Brattleboro Selectboard will decide on a way to make decisions about EMS services at their next regular meeting, with decisions expected by September.

The board will also hear some ideas on how to spend some of the ARPA funds, endorse a walking and biking action plan, and more. You can bring up other issues not on the agenda during public participation.


WSESD Budget Information Meeting / Annual Meeting

Brattleboro, Dummerston, Guilford, and Putney Residents Invited to WSESD Budget Information Session on Tuesday, March 14 in the WRCC Cusick Conference Room and Remotely via Zoom.

The Windham Southeast School District (“WSESD”) will hold an information session on the proposed FY ’24 budget on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the Windham Regional Career Center Cusick Conference Room, 80 Atwood Street, Brattleboro and remotely via Zoom


Beautiful Jonas Fricke

Beautiful dean Jonas we are all blessed by your love, creativity, friendship, joy of life. We send our love to his family and all. As we celebrate this beautiful noble spirit.


WSESD Should Report All Vote Totals

On the WSESD site is reported the unofficial results of the March 7 school director election. For the Brattleboro 3 Year term only the vote for Kimberly Price is reported, though Jaci Reynolds was also on the ballot. A footnote indicates that Reynolds withdrew from the race before the election, but she presumably got some votes, and those should be reported.

I got the chance to do some homework on this issue in our Guilford Selectboard contest on Town Meeting Day. One of the three candidates for the 2 year seat announced before the election that she was “withdrawing,” but her name was already on the ballot, and, in fact, in absentee voting she had even already received some votes.


Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Informational Forum and District Caucuses

Brattleboro Town Selectboard will hold 2 pre-town meeting information forums.
Wednesday, March 15 at Academy School beginning at 7:00 PM,Representative Town
Meeting articles will be discussed, including the budget.

Wednesday, March 22 at Academy School beginning at 7:00 PM, Representative Town
Meeting Bond Vote articles will be discussed.


Former Brattleboro Town Manager Peter Elwell Joins Groundworks Staff as Interim Deputy Executive Director

Josh & Peter -March 2023

Executive Director Josh Davis and the Groundworks Collaborative Board of Directors are pleased to announce that former Brattleboro Town Manager Peter Elwell has joined the Groundworks staff as Interim Deputy Executive Director.  Elwell’s appointment is timely as he will assist Davis and the Groundworks team as they continue to navigate a period of significant transition coming out of the pandemic. Additionally, Davis will be taking intermittent leave over the next few months to support his family through a significant health issue. 

“Personally, it’s clear that I need to take some time to support my family; and we are grateful to have Peter stepping into active Groundworks staff work during this critically important time for the organization,” said Davis, who noted the substantive upcoming changes to the emergency motel program converging with Groundworks’ continued innovation to address basic needs in the community. 


WSESD Board Meeting Minutes

Attached are minutes from the February 28th WSESD Board Meeting.

Note: These proposed minutes should be considered preliminary until they are approved by the board at a future meeting.

WINDHAM SOUTHEAST SCHOOL DISTRICT (WSESD) BOARD
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2023
REGULAR BOARD MEETING – 6:00PM
HYBRID MEETING: WRCC CUSICK CONFERENCE ROOM, BRATTLEBORO,
AND REMOTELY VIA ZOOM
DRAFT MINUTES


Superman and Marilyn Monroe – A Literary Cocktail Hour

On Friday, March 10, at 5:00 pm, A Literary Cocktail Hour presents The American Way, a virtual event with co-authors Helene Stapinski and Bonnie Siegler. In this exuberant real-life adventure, the publisher of DC Comics comes to the rescue of a family trying to flee Nazi Berlin, their lives linking up with a dazzling cast of 20th-century icons, all eagerly pursuing the American dream. To register for this free event, click here

https://bit.ly/LitCocktail28

Family lore had it that Bonnie Siegler’s grandfather crossed paths in Midtown Manhattan late one night in 1954 with Marilyn Monroe, her white dress flying up around her as she filmed a scene for The Seven Year Itch. Jules Schulback had his home movie camera with him, capturing what would become the only surviving footage of that legendary night. Bonnie wasn’t sure she quite believed her grandfather’s story…until, cleaning out his apartment, she found the film reel. The discovery would prompt her to investigate all of her grandfather’s seemingly tall tales—and lead her in pursuit of a remarkable piece of forgotten history bridging old Hollywood, the birth of the comic book, and the Holocaust.