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150 Years Ago (1864 5/23)

by BusyMom | History

Philadelphia, May 23, 1864.

Dearest Abiah,

I have been made twice glad today. When I came to dinner I found a letter from you and at supper another. My health is good. I heard from you Thursday. Jacob and Lynn Brooks were here, they came on with some wounded. There has been over 5,000 wounded men brought to the hospitals, but their names have not been published in the Philadelphia papers. I saw some of the men, one from the Vermont 3rd, that was carried off the field at the same time with George Hill.

Organ Barn Recital Celebrates American Composers

by fomag | Music

Guilford, Vt. — Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG) presents its 6th annual Spring Organ Recital at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 25, in the Organ Barn at idyllic Tree Frog Farm in the Guilford countryside. For this Memorial Day Weekend recital, Ken Olsson has chosen a singularly appropriate program: music by 19th-century Americans. Not only does it suit this national holiday; it also reflects FOMAG’s continuing interest in American composers, most specifically those associated with New England. And it suits the organization’s Guilford Chamber Organ, with a console dating back to the late 19th century, when it was installed in a church in Maine.

There were organs in America as far back as the early colonial era, but not many; the Puritan tradition frowned on instrumental music in church services. Still, by 1800, Boston boasted eight church organs, New York and Philadelphia five or six, and many other cities throughout the colonies claimed at least one. Wealthy private households had organs, too. Early instruments were imported, but by the mid-18th century the emerging nation had developed an organ-building industry. There wasn’t much published organ music, since church organists mostly accompanied hymns; interludes were improvised. Organ music for concert use was virtually unknown until decades later.

TOSCA

by Pam Lierle | Music

The Windham Orchestra and PanOpera join forces to bring “TOSCA” to the region. Performances of Puccini’s “Tosca” will be at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, Vermont on Friday, May 30 at 7:30pm, and Sunday, June 1 at 2 pm; and at the Academy of Music in Northampton, Massachusetts on Thursday, June 5 at 7:30 pm. 

“Tosca” tells the brutal truth about what drives us; our passions, and desires. It’s essential Puccini – lurid, ravishing, hugely enjoyable, and not to be missed. There are no gods or heroes, this is raw humanity on display.

“No-one needs to understand Italian or ‘know about opera’ to relate immediately and instinctively to the emotional states of the characters and the horrifying situations they are in,” explains Windham Orchestra Director Hugh Keelan. “Who has not experienced desperation in love, particularly when a loved one is in pain? Who does not know the struggle between the higher and lower self?  Who has not been helpless, overwhelmed in adversity—and tried to pretend they have it all handled?”

Unexceptional History

by spoon | History

I noticed the item in Today in History…in 1892, new boiler installed at the Brooks House.  It’s possible, but I’m not sure, that the boiler is located under the former Frankie’s Pizza.  It may briefly see light of day in the very near future when that building is razed.  I don’t know whether the plan is to bury or remove it.  Speaking of Frankie’s, it looks like his son is opening a restaurant/bar in the old HR Block location next to the former Lawton’s.

Taxation in Brattleboro, 1881

by cgrotke | History

In 1881, Brattleboro taxes, bonds, and debts were an issue. Read on for a letter to the editor on the subject by Levi Fuller, a noted member of the Estey Organ Company and governor of Vermont.…

Taxation in Brattleboro

“What shall the tax of Brattleboro be this year?” is a question asked by many. The completion of the grand list furnishes the necessary information. An examination of the town auditor’s report (page 21) shows the expenses, outside of the reduction of debt or extraordinary repairs upon highways, to be estimated at $8,773, and for this sum the auditors report sufficient resources already provided.

Stamford and Philly Rock Brattleboro — At The Future

by Lise | Music

There’s something about hearing really good bands in tiny spaces.  The intimacy is palpable.  You’re not just watching a band play — you’re two feet away from the guitarist who has just remarked, to no one in particular, that there’s a buzz in his amp, at which half the audience rushes over to help.  And some nights, you wonder if ten years from now, you’ll be thinking “I remember when…”  That’s the calibre of group that The Future Collective is bringing to Brattleboro, and last night the twin treat came from two unlikely places — Stamford, CT and Philadelphia, PA.  Ok, admittedly, Philadelphia has some popular caché but Stamford?

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 5/19/14

by cgrotke | Media

BCTV Ch.8 Schedule for the week of 5/19/14

Monday May 19

12:00 am      Common Good VT: Leadership Vermont 

12:55 am      Jennie’s Joint Ep.2 – Guitarists

2:00 am       FSTV Overnight

4:00 am       Book Talk Ep.6: Richard Duvall

4:35 am       Kurn Hattin 2014 Spring Jazz Festival

Yet Another UFO

by Rolf | Entertainment

Surely, 

I can’t be the only person who is not only seeing these things, but who is getting photos of them. I mean, its kind of like dousing fro water in Vermont. You would be hard pressed to douse for water and find a location that had none. With UFO’s its pretty hard to take a picture and not end up with a UFO in the frame somewhere. See what I mean ?

Weekend Concert Series Double Header: Stereolab and Yo La Tengo

by cgrotke | Entertainment

This week’s concert series is a double header, and a gift to Lise.

First up is Stereolab, live in Danbury, Connecticut on September 21 1994. It’s the full band performing at the Tuxedo Junction just after they released Mars Audiac Quintet.

If you’ve never heard them, it’s worth a listen. It’s rather hypnotic and musical, foreign and familiar, electronic and dancer. I think I may have played a different show by them a long while back, but this is good.

What Brattleboro Needs, 1890

by cgrotke | History

You will enjoy this. The Phoenix of May 16, 1890 featured a story about a meeting held to discuss what is needed in Brattleboro. The following list was published as a record of the event. It isn’t often we get such a clear statement of desires from those who came before us.

Read on to see what they wanted. Some things came to pass, others faded away, and some are things we still talk about wanting today.

Monnica Sepulveda on WVEW

by pockets | Entertainment

Its another experience you won’t soon forget on DJ Pockets’ “buttahmilk” program. On Tuesday, May 20th, we welcome back to the airwaves, Monnica Sepulveda. She is a brilliant intuitive therapist, medium, numerologist and metaphysician.

She has agreed to do readings for the people of Brattleboro and beyond!

20 Years of Song! Montpelier Community Gospel Choir to Perform Concert in Brattleboro May 31

by Not Signed In | Music

The Montpelier Community Gospel Choir, an ecumenical community choir with members from 19 Vermont towns, celebrates its 20th anniversary season with a special spring concert in Brattleboro on May 31. The choir’s mission is to share the joy, hope and inspiration of music, especially during these challenging times. Their concerts are a great time to celebrate spring with family, friends and community.

Plant Trees To Become a Member of the Rural Improvement Association

by cgrotke | History

In May of 1885, Brattleboro formed a village improvement society. They called it the Rural Improvement Association, and many of the big names in town joined the executive committee. Dr Draper of the Retreat was chosen as president, and vice presidents included Gov. Holbrook, Jacob Estey, George Brooks, Edward Crosby and others.

150 Years Ago (1864 5/15 #2)

by BusyMom | History

(To P. Baxter, Derby Line, Vt. M.C. 1stVt. District)

Philadelphia, May 15, 1864.

Honored friend:

I have received yours of the 12th inst. That money came most opportunely as I hardly knew how I was to get through here. I am sometimes fearful that I cannot pass here. If I do I shall be very sure of the other examination. They do not mean to pass a man here that will be rejected by the board. If I cannot pass here, I think I can withdraw from the school. If I do I am determined to keep on with the study until I am qualified to command, whether I ever have that pleasure or not, the time is too short for me. There must be a great many soldiers here that cannot pass. There was hope of getting extensions to their furloughs, but that is gone. There are some that have come merely to pass away the time. There are others, noble fellows, that are working with all their might, but they must fail. One cannot learn the first two volumes in Casey, Geography, Arithmetic, Modern and Ancient History in thirty days.

Open Reading at The Blue Dot Studio in the Hooker Dunham Building Friday May 16

by Rolf | Arts

Every month, on the third Friday, Write Action hosts Open Reading. All readers have about 7 minutes to share their readings of either their own work, or works by authors that they especially enjoy. It starts at 7:30 and is free to all writers and those who enjoy the spoken word. If you want to read, or recite, come a little early and drop your name in the hat. We will draw names at random to determine the order of readers.

A Theory of Everything in Everyday Life

by Vidda | Sci-Tech

The difficulty of simplifying the universe is that the theoretical concepts devised by physicists do not easily lend themselves to most of us undereducated laymen. Yet, from these three interrelated links of spacetime conjectures I have excerpted below, I did find the description of our everyday world to be, as it says, familiar: “In everyday life, there are three familiar dimensions of space (up/down, left/right, and forward/backward), and there is one dimension of time (later/earlier). Thus, in the language of modern physics, one says that spacetime is four-dimensional.”

I found it interesting that four-dimensional spacetime does not contain the defined present. The grand here and now moment that is ubiquitous and perpetual for everyday life.

C.C.C.K.

by spinoza | Education

Over the past few weeks or so, comedian Louis C.K. has kicked up some dust by speaking out against the Common Core. His perspective is that of a parent of NYC public school kids, and there has been a fair amount of controversy, and back and forth in a variety of venues as a result of his take on this. Here’s a screen shot of some of his tweets.

150 Years Ago (1864 5/15)

by BusyMom | History

Philadelphia, May 15, 1864.

Dearest Abiah,

Here I am yet. This is Sunday. Henry Ward Beecher teaches near here, but notwithstanding my anxiety to
hear him I have not done it. There has a large number of wounded arrived in the city this morning. I went to the Baltimore depot to see them, but the crowd was so great that I could not get near. I saw in the ambulances as they passed, some I knew but they were all recruits, and knew but little about the old boys. I had quite a chat with one man, a recruit, who has left Brattleboro since I came from there, wounded very severely in the ankle. I walked by the side of the ambulance. He told me that a great many Vermont boys were with along, but he had not been in the army long enough to know the men.