Culture story sections
An artist and printmaker, JAMES PRIMROSE shares his skills, enthusiasm and good will at The Wonky Press. He’s created a retail and maker space here on Main Street right across from the library – it’s also a haven for the underground music scene.
Tune in to hear about this unique and successful combination!
On September 27 at 4 P.M. the Brattleboro Labor Film Festival will screen Strength of the Storm, which tells the story of residents of Weston Mobile Home Park as they organize for their rights after losing their homes in Tropical Storm Irene. This film was an official selection at the Vermont international Film Festival, the Green Mountain Film Festival, and the White River Indie Film Festival. The screening will take place at the Latchis Theatre, 50 Main St., Brattleboro
The Guilford Chamber Singers have openings for all voices for its annual Christmas concerts on December 12th and 13th. Music is mostly older lyrics set by modern composers. Rehearsals are weekly on Mondays from 6 to 8, starting September 21st.
These concerts consist of unaccompanied choral music, a Christmas story, and a carol sing. All musical selections are taught, supplemented by study recordings of each voice part. Director Tom Baehr is in his thirteenth season leading this experienced ensemble of singers.
PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts’ Local & Global Performance Series presents Tony Vacca and Fusion Nomads, with special guest Massamba Diop, on Saturday, October 17 at 6:00 p.m. at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. Doors open at 5:15 p.m.
Led by innovative percussionist and balafon player Tony Vacca, Fusion Nomads brings together musicians whose paths through jazz, global traditions, and improvisation create a richly textured, boundary-crossing sound. The ensemble features Jo Sallins on electric bass and percussion, Charles Langford on saxophone, and John Sheldon on harp-guitar.
PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts invites the community to celebrate 16 years of programming and the 10th anniversary of the major renovations that transformed its historic Putney church building into the vibrant community and performance center it is today.
Next Stage’s Sweet 16 takes place Friday, October 9, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. The free event will feature cake, popcorn and snacks, a live instrumental trio, and a cash bar, followed by an upstairs DJ dance party beginning at 7:30 p.m.
PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present the Alasdair Fraser Band on Thursday, October 8, at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $26 in advance, $30 at the door, and $10 for the livestream.
This new family collaboration brings together legendary Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser with his sons, Galen and Cameron Fraser, and Galen’s Castilian wife, María San Miguel. Rooted in the Scottish repertoire that has shaped Alasdair’s musical life, and enriched by a deep connection to the Iberian Peninsula, the quartet creates a vibrant, contemporary sound that moves between fiery dance tunes, lyrical airs, original compositions, and unexpected musical journeys.
PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present a Singer/Songwriter Showcase featuring The Clements Brothers on Saturday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. The evening begins with an in-the-round set by Charlie Chronopoulos, Leaf Silver & B.E. Farrow, and Talley Summerlin, before identical-twin duo George and Charles Clements take the stage.
The Clements Brothers bring a distinct blend of close vocal harmonies, instrumental virtuosity, and deeply felt songwriting. George, on guitar, and Charles, on bass, first entered the Americana scene in 2012 as members of the internationally touring grassroots band The Lonely Heartstring Band, which released two albums on Rounder Records. Since then, George has portrayed Paul Simon in the national production The Simon & Garfunkel Story, while Charles has performed in the bass section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Next Stage Arts wraps up its 2026 Bandwagon Summer Series with Kotoko Brass on Saturday, September 26, at Putney Inn Field, 57 Putney Landing Road in Putney. The final show of the series begins at 3:00 pm, with gates opening at 2:00 pm.
Described by The Boston Globe as “propulsive, infectious party music,” Kotoko Brass delivers an electrifying sound that bridges continents and traditions. The band blends the intricate rhythms of Central Ghanaian drumming with the deep grooves of Caribbean bass and keys and the exuberant punch of New Orleans-style horns.
Formed by brothers Ben and Brian Paulding, Kotoko Brass brings together master Ghanaian percussionists Attah Poku and Kwame Ofori alongside a powerhouse rhythm and horn section. Every musician plays an essential role, but the heartbeat of the music lies in the drums. Rooted in the Asante tradition, where rhythm and dance are inseparable, the band’s performances invite audiences to feel the music as much as hear it.
Mid Autumn Moon Festival Monday September 28, 6-8pm, Kiwanis Shelter atop Living Memorial Park for further information contact (802) 416-1027 or (802) 579-9008 or visit accvt.org.
Mid Autumn Moon Festival Monday September 28, 6-8pm, Kiwanis Shelter atop Living Memorial Park for further information contact (802) 416-1027 or (802) 579-9008 or visit accvt.org.
On Sunday September 13 at 4 PM, the Brattleboro Labor Film Festival will screen two films depicting the lives of immigrant dairy workers in Vermont. La Liga opens the set, showing how sport fosters community among immigrant workers in Vermont, as well as spotlighting the workers’ struggle for economic justice. It is followed by Hide, which shows the lives of several migrant workers from Latin America who sustain Vermont’s dairy farms as well as organizing for their human rights. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Migrant Justice. They will be joined by a representative from AFT-VT’s Bargaining for the Common Good, and Mac Christopher, co-director of La Liga and a Guilford resident. The panel will be moderated by John Field of Putney.
Faces of Mexico, a photography exhibit by Norm Oakes and Ann Newsmith, is on view at All Souls Church UU in West Brattleboro. The images portray the ordinary people the couple has met throughout Mexico over the past two decades…street vendors, artists, musicians, and families, at work and at play. They hope to convey the warm, open, accepting, dignified, and hard-working character of the Mexican people.
Happy fall! The Brattleboro School Endowment is once again holding its one-and-only fundraiser: the annual mum sale! Order now for pick-up at Lilac Ridge Farm on Saturday, September 19th, starting at 11 AM.
Lilac Ridge will also have their creemee stand open that day, and they have a fantastic selection of cut flowers and all sorts of freshly harvested veggies.
Mums come in yellow, orange, white, red and pink/purple. You choose color and size: 4-inch for $3.50; 8.5-inch for $9, 10-inch hanging for $18, or huge patio pots of 12-inches for $25. The mums are all late-blooming varieties, and will arrive with some color starting to show. Plan on color well into October, potentially into early November still. Mums tolerate temperatures down to around 25F. Many often come back next year, depending on where they are planted and how cold the winter drops.
Windham County’s first ever Labor Film Festival, will open on September 6 at 4 p.m. at the historic Latchis Theater, 50 Main St., in Brattleboro. Running on four Sundays through October 4, the festival will focus on a different theme each week, screening films that show the breadth of the labor movement and address many of the issues facing workers today. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion, featuring speakers engaged directly in these issues.
The festival opens with a screening of Partners, a documentary about the union drive at the Buffalo Starbucks that has grown to nearly 700 Starbucks locations in 40 states, energizing and reshaping the labor movement across the world. The film takes viewers behind the scenes, showing how workers organized in the face of the company’s aggressive and well-funded anti-union attacks.
Check out the Windham County Heat Fund’s new web site created by Muse Arts, the people who run iBrattlboro.
www.wcheatfund.org
Easy to donate or apply.
Follow the Rainbow, Find the Gift, is an exhibit of work created by artists in recovery from cancer and artists who have supported others in their cancer journey. It will be on view for the month of August at All Souls Church UU in the West Village Meeting House, West Brattleboro.
Local artist and founder of the Harmony Collective Kay Curtis, recently diagnosed, is recreating a show she saw in Mendocino, California, 30 years ago, which made a profound impact on her. “I want to transform the conversation for myself and others from being a victim of something beyond our control to an inquiry about how Cancer allowed us to, perhaps, slow down, finally pay attention to my eating habits, connect with people around me, prioritize the things on my wish list, have that conversation with my estranged sister….on and on. In other words, what is the gift?”
PUTNEY, VT — Next Stage Arts presents “METALSUM,” a new exhibition by Putney artist Jane Kolias, with an opening reception on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. The reception is free and open to the public; RSVPs are requested at nextstagearts.org.
“METALSUM” showcases Kolias’ inventive sculptures and metal quilts, transforming discarded objects into compelling works of art that celebrate creativity, sustainability, and the beauty of reinvention.
Inspired by nature and guided by the materials themselves, Kolias creates rustic sculptures from abandoned metal objects gathered from antique shops, thrift stores, scrap yards, rural roadsides, woodland walks, and even the occasional kitchen drawer. Each work begins with an idea but evolves organically as salvaged components suggest new possibilities, resulting in unexpected compositions that reveal the hidden character of everyday materials.
PUTNEY, VT — Twilight Music and Next Stage Arts present The Stockwell Brothers on Sunday, Aug. 23, at 6:00 p.m. for the final concert of the 23rd season of Twilight on the Tavern Lawn. The free concert takes place on the lawn of the Putney Tavern, 133 Main Street, in downtown Putney. Audience members are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket. In the event of rain, the performance will move indoors to Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill.
Brothers Bruce, Barry, and Alan Stockwell have been making music together for decades, creating a distinctive blend of traditional and progressive acoustic music. Their performances combine original singer-songwriter material with inventive banjo work, alternative rhythms, and soaring three-part harmonies.
Patio Concert July 25, 2026
Rich Grumbine and Bill Conley will present a backyard patio concert on Saturday, July 25 at 7 pm at 63 Cedar Street in Brattleboro. The duo plays an eclectic mix of covers from country, Americana, folk, pop/rock, and jazz traditions. Bill plays lead acoustic guitar, dobro, and sings. Rich sings and plays rhythm guitar.
PUTNEY — Next Stage Arts and Twilight Music present an evening of acclaimed singer-songwriters on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 7:30 p.m. at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
The showcase will open with an intimate in-the-round performance featuring Luke Concannon, Midnight Betty, and Lizzy Mandell, before Joy Clark and her quartet take the stage for the evening’s featured set.
Louisiana-born singer-songwriter Joy Clark has earned national recognition for her warm, honest vocals, intricate guitar work, and songs exploring themes of freedom, love, and self-acceptance. Blending orchestral-style fingerpicking with blues-infused lead guitar, Clark creates a sound that is both intimate and expansive.
