Culture

Culture story sections

The First Social Security Beneficiary

by tomaidh | History

The First Social Security Beneficiary

The first person ever to receive a Social Security benefit check was Ida May Fuller from Brattleboro
Miss Fuller (known as Aunt Ida to her friends and family) was born on September 6, 1874 on a farm outside of Ludlow, Vermont. She attended school in Rutland, Vermont where one of her classmates was Calvin Coolidge. In 1905, after working as a school teacher, she became a legal secretary. One of the partners in the firm, John G. Sargent, would later become Attorney General in the Coolidge Administration.

Weekend Concert Series – De La Soul in Montreux

by cgrotke | Entertainment

De La Soul has been on my mind lately. They were a refreshing entry into the rap scene, adding some silliness and psychedelia to a sound dominated, at the time, by bragging. De La Soul switched the rules around and broke rap open with others such as the Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest , Shortie, Monie Love and others.

Suddenly there was room for some smarter poetry. Jungle Brothers gave us songs about eating well and respecting women, for example. Tribe lost their wallet in El Segundo. De la Soul rapped about potholes in their lawn, and daisies.

1902 Report on Necessary Fire Department Repairs and Expenses

by cgrotke | History

From April 18, 1902, published in the Brattleboro Phoenix, a discussion of necessary repairs for the fire department:

“Your bailiffs report that during the last year they have thoroughly renovated the engine house on Elliot Street, repainting both its interior and exterior, putting on a new roof, putting in a bath room and improving the accommodations for the men permanently on duty there’ this house had not been painted for six years and the roof had not been renewed for ten, thus making there repairs absolutely necessary. The expense connected with this was about $1400. The repairs from the Estey Organ company’s steamer, which was damaged in the Crosby block fire, was another extra expense in connection with the fire department….

Scrapbooking? Crafty?

by KAlden | Creative

Any scrapbooking/paper crafts fans out there in ibrattleboro land? I’m going through my craft/art supplies and have quite a few nice 12″ x 12″ scrapbook/craft papers. Solids, lots of prints, vellum, ‘linen’- a good variety. I also have a sample book of lace panels – many beautiful patterns- heavy fabric. I’ve used some as bckground when framing old photos and botanicals.

150 Years Ago (1864 4/17)

by BusyMom | History

Guard House, April 17th, 1864.

Dearest Abiah,-

The guard house is my place until tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock. That is the time we change guard now. I have been pretty bad off for some ten days with boils. I was a little better for one day, that was my turn on guard, so I have not missed any duty and have not been on the sick list. I did not want the doctor hold of my boils. I had the management of them myself. I hope that I have had the last one. I did go to the Doctor sometime since and told him I wanted him to tell me whether I had the itch or not. He said that he thought that it was. He says that most of the men in the first company had it. He gave me some sulphur ointment and advised me to get some yellow dock. I have not taken any yet.

Greenwood School and “The Address” Featured Nationwide on PBS

by cgrotke | Education

Putney’s Greenwood School received national attention Tuesday night with the PBS premier of Ken Burns new film, The Address. The film shows how students learn to recite the Gettysburg Address, and how that process impacts them. Viewers get to follow along, watch the struggles and triumphs along the way, and see the results. If you missed it, I have it embedded below.

I never had to memorize the Gettysburg Address (it looks like a tough assignment!), but I do know the relief and exhilaration of mastering something difficult. It can be a life-changing experience to do something that seemed impossible. It makes other, future impossibles possible. This film captures that process quite well.

Brattleboro Union High School Board Meeting Agenda

by Not Signed In | Education

BRATTLEBORO UNION HIGH SCHOOL BOARD
53 Green Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
www.wssu.k12.vt.us

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING

The BAMS Committee will meet at 7:45 a.m. on Monday, April 21 in the BAMS Conference Room.

The BUHS Teacher Curriculum Committee will meet at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 21 in the Cusick Conference Room.

Pierre Bensusan at Next Stage on Friday, April 18

by Not Signed In | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present French-Algerian acoustic guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan at Next Stage on Friday, April 18 at 7:30 pm. If World Music is music that pays tribute to the spirit of a collection of human beings through distinct rhythms, traditional instruments and harmonic colors, Pierre Bensusan can be recognized as one of the most eloquent and diverse world musicians of our time.

Born in Oran, French-Algeria, in 1957, when France was decolonizing its Empire, Pierre Bensusan’s family moved to Paris when he was 4. He began formal studies on piano at the age of 7 and at 11 taught himself guitar. Influenced in those early days by the folk revival blooming in Britain, France and North America, Bensusan began first to explore his own diverse musical heritage and then moved to the horizons beyond. At 17, he signed his first recording contract, and one year later his first album “Pres de Paris” won the Grand Prix du Disque upon his debut at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland.

It’s a Family Affair at Sandglass Theater as Ines Zeller Bass hands down shows to daughters.

by SandglassTheater | Entertainment

On Saturday, April 26th, Sandglass Theater’s Co-Founder, Ines Zeller Bass, will pass the torch as she and her daughters, Jana Zeller and Shoshana Bass, take to the Sandglass stage with “Kasper, Fritzi, and Me”.  

Not just an afternoon of delightful puppetry, this momentous occasion celebrates the work of Ines Zeller Bass’ and the rise of a new generation in Sandglass Theater’s history.  “Kasper, Fritzi, and Me” features three of Zeller Bass’ most cherished puppet pieces: “Punschi”, “Tschokolino”, and “Fritzi’s Flea Circus”. More  

This special presentation is the final event in this year’s Winter Sunshine Series at Sandglass Theater.  Admission is $8 and reservations are highly recommended. To reserve your space, contact Sandglass Theater by phone (802) 387-4051 or email info@sandglasstheater.org. With poetry and song, daughters and mother take to the stage together as Zeller Bass ceremonially hands over her iconic puppets and objects: 

The Vermont Jazz Center Presents: A Tribute to Howard Brofsky

by Not Signed In | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center will be presenting an evening dedicated to the memory of former board president, trumpeter and educator, Howard Brofsky on Saturday, April 19th at 8:00 PM. This special tribute will include performances by his close musical colleagues and family. In every community that Brofsky settled, be it Queens College, the Louis Armstrong House, the Vermont Jazz Center, or Brattleboro, Vermont, the people have benefited from his wisdom, charm and generosity. Like a single pebble in the water, his spirit lives on through the actions of his family, colleagues, students and friends who continue to channel his enthusiasm and his dedication to the spreading of jazz.

This Saturday evening concert will celebrate Howard’s life through music. Performers will include New York-based musicians Jay Clayton, Cordelia Tapping (voice), Alex Brofsky (horn), Tim Armacost (saxophones), Ray Gallon, Jorn Swart, (piano), Curtis Ostle (bass); local musicians will include Scott Mullett, Sherm Fox (saxophone), Draa Hobbs (guitar), Eugene Uman (piano), George Kaye (bass), Jon Fisher, Claire Arenius (drums). It is likely that surprise guests will appear at the last minute. It will be limited to two-hours.

BCTV Channel 8 & 10 Schedules for the Week of 4/14/14

by BCTVProg | Media

Channel 8, Monday April 14

12:00 am        The Cody & Aaron Show: Cody & Aaron: Ep 2 – Awkward Moments

12:10 am        Landmark College Presents: Landmark College -Virginia Prescott 3/31/14

1:30 am          The Artful Word: Irish Heritage Celebration – 3/17/14

2:00 am          FSTV Overnight

4:00 am          That Was The Week That Was: Educational Governance in Vermont

National Library Week: Take a Selfie @ Brooks Memorial Library!

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

Celebrate your library! For National Library Week, April 13-19, 2014, take a selfie in your favorite spot at Brooks Memorial and post it to your social media (or ours) to show the world the truth of the National Library Week slogan: lives change @ your library. Read on for more information on how it works–and to see more fabulous library selfies!

Take a selfie, alone or with friends, in a favorite spot at Brooks Memorial Library. We recommend filling out a National Library Week thought bubble to include in the picture. It will telegraph the important idea to all the friends who spot you on Facebook, Twitter, or your other favorite social media site.

Estey Organ Museum Receives Important Collection

by Estey Organ Museum | Music

Lee Chaney had a life-long love of musical instruments, especially those with keyboards.  Over the years he built a sizeable personal collection of instruments of a wide variety, even setting up a small museum in his home so that others could view his collection.  Formerly a Professor of Educational Psychology at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama for over 40 years, Chaney retired to Clinton, NC. He died there on March 4, 2012.

Recently, his son, John Chaney, decided that the Estey Organ Museum in Brattleboro was an appropriate home for a number of these instruments.  In addition to several Estey reed organs, the collection included instruments by other builders who had a historical relationship with Estey, notably Riley Burdett of Putney, as well as instruments illustrating the development of the American reed organ. Further, the collection consisted of framed posters about organ building and other important archival memorabilia.

Brattleboro Estey Organ Tour

by Estey Organ Museum | Music

The Estey Organ Museum will host a Tour of Estey Organs in Brattleboro, VT on Saturday, May 17, beginning at 1:00 PM. The tour will begin at the First United Methodist Church (home of Estey Opus 1 from 1901) on Putney Rd and conclude at the Museum, 108 Birge Street. Eight pipe organs will be visited, most of which are in playing condition.

The event will include brief demonstration programs on most of the organs. Participants will receive handout sheets describing each instrument and its history. Refreshments will be served at the Museum, and visitors will see and hear the Estey “walk-through” pipe organ as well as other reed organs on display.

1:00 First United Methodist Church, Putney Road
1:30 St. Michael’s Catholic Church, 47 Walnut Street

Weekend Concert Series: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1978

by cgrotke | Entertainment

It’s the very end of 1978, verging on 1979. We’re in Santa Monica, CA at a club. The doors open, and we all rush in to get good spots near the stage. It’s New Year’s Eve and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are touring on their second album. They take the stage and start in on their fresh sounding twist on southern rock.

Tom Petty is one of the few things Florida can be proud of beyond beaches and theme parks. He’s from Gainesville, as any good Floridian will tell you. Bad Floridians will tell you he’s the only good thing about Gainesville, but that’s another tale.

Handle with Care

by spinoza | Education

If you travel to skateparks, as I do, it’s impossible to not notice the trend- younger and younger users are appearing in greater numbers. The prevalence of scooters is undeniable. Many scooter users begin their riding careers soon after they get solid on their feet as walkers.

If you travel to a city, it’s striking how many youth travel the sidewalks, often rolling alongside their parents pushing a sibling in a stroller. There are adult scooters too, and it wouldn’t be exaggeration to speak in terms of an army of scooters flooding a street.

On Exhibit at the Brooks Library: Saxtons River Art Guild & Liza Woodruff

by Brooks Memorial Library | Arts

On exhibit for the month of April at the Brooks Library: Liza Woodruff (In the Children’s Illustrators’ Book Cases, 2nd Floor Hallway, across from the Children’s Room) and t(in the Main Room). 

The Saxtons River Guild was established in 1976 for the purpose of encouraging and stimulating the cultural growth of the arts locally. The Guild is very active and new members are always welcome. Members meet during the fall and winter months at Open Studio to collaborate working in various media of watercolor, oil and pastels, as well as acrylic, collage and drawings in pen/pencil.

Reading and Discussion Series: Muslim Journey: Literary Reflections on Islam: The Arabian Night

by Brooks Memorial Library | Books

The series will begin on Wednesday, April 9, 7 PM  with a discussion of The Arabian Night , edited by Muhsin Mahdi, translated by Husain Haddawy. Please join Marlboro scholar and Professor of Religious Studies, Amer Latif, in a journey through the literature of Islam.

The evening reading and discussion series will focus on five books. The Arabian Nights (anonymous), edited by Muhsin Mahdi, translated by Husain Haddawy; The Conference of the Birds by Farid al-Din Attar, translated by Dick Davis and Afkham Darbandi; Snow by Orhan Pamuk, translated by Maureen Freely;  Dreams of Trespass by Fatima Mernissi; and Minaret by Leila Aboulela. Islam has long provided a source of inspiration through which Muslims experience, understand, and guide their everyday lives.

Top 5 Reasons To Come Out For The Kurn Hattin Jazz Invitational!

by KurnHattin | Music

Kurn Hattin holds its 7th Annual Jazz Invitational TONIGHT at 7 PM in the Higbie Auditorium in the Mayo Memorial Center at Kurn Hattin in Westminster, VT. With performances by several special guests and area youth jazz ensembles, it’s sure to be an amazing evening of swinging entertainment! AND…admission is FREE with a canned food donation for Our Place Food Shelter in Bellows Falls.

Need more encouragement? Here are our top 5 reasons why you ought to be there!

1) You’ll enjoy the sultry New Orleans sounds of local jazz singer, Samirah Evans, up close and personal!

2) Scott Mullett and the Keene Jazz Orchestra really know how to bring the swing!

3) Master of Ceremonies, Eugene Uman of the Vermont Jazz Center, makes everything go down smooth.