Brattleboro Christmas and New Year Closings

by Not Signed In | Town News

In observance of the Christmas holiday:

All Brattleboro Town offices will close at 12:00 noon on Thursday, December 24, and will be closed on Friday, December 25, 2015, with the exception of emergency services.

Brooks Memorial Library will open at 9:00am and close at 12:00 noon on Thursday, December 24, and will be closed on Friday, December 25. It will resume normal hours on Saturday, December 26.

Parking is free at all metered spaces and in the pay-and-display lots from 12:00 noon on December 24 through December 25. Parking enforcement will resume normal hours on Saturday, December 26. All other violations will be enforced.

1888 Advertisement for Ambrose Knapp Horn Blowing

by cgrotke | History

Ambrose Knapp has some business news to share this holiday season. A new partnership has been formed between Knapp and Santa Claus.

The text says that “they expect by their joint efforts to give everybody a good time,” and warn us “Do not let anyone deceive you into believing that Santa Claus is in any way invested in any other stock or store.”

US Media Worships Republicans

by cgrotke | Media

If one looked at recent major media, one conclusion that could be reached is that only Republicans are running for office. There are endless stories about Trump, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, Bush, Graham, and the others. They get headlines and air time for simply existing. They get featured on Sunday political shows, and discussed and promoted by the Washington insiders and elite, as if nothing else was happening. All republicans are “serious candidates” even if they have no visible support.

One might think that Democrats no longer exist. But this is silly. Vermont’s Bernie Sanders just broke a record for having 2 million online donations, more than any other candidate ever. He also just picked up the endorsement of an enormous union, the Communications Workers of America. And poll after poll show that he would trump Trump at the polls.

Forbidding Entry

by tomaidh | Politics

So the Donald wants to forbid entry to the US by Muslims? So much for the First Amendment.

Hardly an original proposal.

Did you know that Jews are forbidden entry to Saudi Arabia by the laws of the Kingdom? Foreigners wishing to work in the kingdom have to sign an affidavit stating that they are not Jewish. I was required to furnish a letter from a clergyman corroborating that fact.

Exhibit of Tom Fels Cyanotypes at MGFA

by Mitchell • Giddings FIne Arts | Arts

will be on view at Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts, in downtown Brattleboro, from January 7 to February 7, 2016. Works on display include large cyanotype prints from the Arbor and Catalpa Series from 2011 to 2014, and a selection of smaller minimalist drawings from the Linea Series of 2014. Concurrent with this exhibition, several of Fels’s large drawings from his recent Classics series are included in the biennial Open Call show at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

Tom Fels’ cyanotype series stem from his lengthy engagement with a single subject: a tree in his garden and its dappled shadows. These’ cyanotypes are cameraless photographs, popularly called “sun prints” or “shadow prints.” There is no negative; each is unique. The prints are life-sized, 1:1 scale renderings of their natural subject matter. The cyanotype is an early process of great simplicity and unique color (a deep blue, cyan). Typically, the method has been employed to produce silhouettes – of leaves, for example, as in the botanical illustrations of the pioneer British photographer Anna Atkins (1799-1871) – but the same process was also used to make photographic prints from negatives, as well as architectural blueprints.

1887 Emerson & Son Advertisement

by cgrotke | History

You will want to get down to Emerson & Son on Main Street this 1887 holiday season to take advantage of the great deals they are offering.

Bargains include rocking chairs priced $1 to $6, an easy chair for $5, a sled for fifty cents, easels, ottomans, work boxes, music racks, and more. Get an entire parlor set for $30 if you have the money.

$1.50 buys you a foot rest and a portable desk can be had for a dollar.

With such good prices, I wonder if this store will be able to last?

I-91 Brattleboro Bridge Replacement Project Update: Weeks of December 20 and 27

by Not Signed In | Town Plan

Best wishes to all for safe and merry holidays!

I-91

Please be prepared for heavy traffic resulting in minor slowing of traffic over Christmas and New Year’s weeks, and especially on December 24th, 28th and 31st.

Northbound I-91 traffic has been relocated onto the southbound bridge. Traffic will remain reduced to one lane in each direction on I-91 until completion of the new bridge. The new bridge will be 104’ wide and is designed to carry all four lanes of traffic –two northbound and two southbound.

Selectboard Meeting Notes: And The Best Bridge Presentation Award Goes To…

by cgrotke | Town News

The Brattleboro Selectboard was impressed by a presentation from Jennifer Fitch of Vtrans regarding the new repairs for Elliot Street bridge, which she said would be done quickly, at high quality, and come at a bargain price for the town. The only thing that could stand in the way of a summer bridge repair now are the bats.

In addition, the board authorized the town manager to negotiate for every other week garbage pickup, Police Fire Facility questions remain, the Green Street retaining wall will be repaired, a new design review committee was formed, and the downtown organization made its annual visit to present their workplan and budget for a delay in approval.

The Bready Machine

by RobertOeser | Food

This post is on behalf of “Loaves & Fishes” community kitchen which serves a hot meal to anyone in need twice a week at Centre Congregational Church, Main St., Brattleboro.

We were gifted with a “Bready Machine” which we would like to see go to someone who could use it. It is suited for individual use, but it is less useful in our larger kitchen. Some pre-packaged bread mixes may also be available.

WBA Names B.E.E.C. Community Leader Of Year

by WBA | Town News

The West Brattleboro Association (WBA) announced its Community Leader of the Year recipient during its annual Holiday Party on Monday, December 14, at The New England House. The winner of this 5th annual award is the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center (BEEC).

Programs and activities BEEC has sponsored in its 24 years of existence include vacation camps attended by more than 100 children each year; various school and classroom programs throughout Windham County including preschool, elementary, and middle schools, both public and private. In addition, BEEC holds the Forest of Mystery at Halloween; organizes the Salamander Crossing Brigades for the first warm rainy nights of the year; and runs other nature-oriented activities (many free) including stargazing for adults and families, tracking wildlife in the snow, watching beavers in their habitats, and Sunday morning walks called AM Ambles. It also leads the Vernal Pool Monitoring Project and collaborates on the Pollinator Awareness Initiative.

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 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 17, 2015 at the Putney Central School.

1883 Advertisement for Van Doorn & Son

by cgrotke | History

Another in our series of old December ads from the Phoenix.

This is for that popular downtown store in the Crosby Block, Van Doorn & Son. Have you been there recently?

This holiday season they are offering special bargains on silverware, as well as decorated tea, breakfast, and dinner sets. They also have fancy wares and novelty items, and both hanging and table lamps.

Winter Solstice 2015

by RCastine | Nature

This year, the winter solstice will occur on December 21st at 11:49 PM EST. It’ll be the shortest day of the year in which Brattleboro will receive about nine hours of daylight. Happy holidays!

Orchard Street Pottery 4th Annual Solstice and Seconds Sale

by slowinski | Arts

Orchard Street Pottery will be offering its 4th annual Solstice and Seconds Sale this Sunday afternoon, December 20th, from 12 noon until 5pm in the studio and showroom at 658 Orchard Street, Brattleboro.  

Potter Walter Slowinski makes wood-fired, salt-glazed stoneware and porcelain teapots, pitchers, bowls, cups, mugs, vases and other ware.  This annual sale features deeply discounted prices on pieces with minor flaws or on discontinued designs.  

BCTV Schedules For The Week Of 12/14/15

by BCTVProg | Media

BCTV channel 8 schedule for the week of 12/14/15

Monday, December 14, 2015

12:00 am North Branch Nature Center Lectures – Living with Black Bears

1:30 am Vermont Humanities Fall Conference 11/14/15

3:00 am Six Figure Farming – Pt 3

4:00 am VT Workers’ Center: Brattleboro Beats, Bluegrass 6/7/15

6:25 am DCC: Chris Schadler – Becoming Wolf 11/13/15

Green Party Caucuses

by Will Stomp | Politics

Dear Friends,

With the Paris Climate conference finally setting the stage for concerted action on behalf of the Earth and Nature, it may very well be time for our local politics to reflect this sea change.   Neil Johnson has written an urgent appeal to help get the Green party registered as a statewide party in Vermont.  Its time has come.  He needs four more town to caucus.  It needs to be done by tomorrow (Monday, 12/14).  Emily Peyton will be organizing the caucus in Putney.

Who said life can’t be exciting, if you wait until the last minute!

Cheney & Clapp 1881 Advertisement – Holiday Bazaar and Christmas Museum

by cgrotke | History

In December 1881 we see an ad for Cheney & Clapp announcing their store as a “Holiday Bazaar and Christmas Museum,” which is quite a boast.

They can make the announcement, though, because of the wide range of items available for you to buy from them, including Teaching Bibles for the teachers out there that you know, a “bewildering variety” of cards from the best makers, diaries, books, statuary (who doesn’t need a statue?) and work baskets. They also have dolls and toys.

“We Choose To Go To The Moon”

by Vidda | Op/Ed

 3:42 minutes
Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon in 1969. There have been six manned U.S. landings between 1969 and 1972. A cursory trolling of the Internet will bring a trove of manned moon landings hoax claims and debunkers of the hoax theory. Did man walk on the moon or not?

One strong indicator against man walking on the moon hoax is that if the 1969 landing was a hoax, then all six manned missions to the moon were a hoax, as well as all of the unmanned vehicles landings and all the manned orbits around the moon. If a hoax is in order, then it would not make sense to create a hoax for just the first manned mission but to create a hoax for the entire array of Apollo missions.

In fact, there are too many indications that the manned landings were for real.