Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department Offers Mini Camp

The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department is pleased to announce they will be offering a Mini Camp for children 5-11 year old (maximum 25 participants).  The camp will be held on Wednesday – Friday, December 26th – 28th from 8:30am to 1:30 pm at the Gibson Aiken Center. (Children may stay for Open Gym at 1:30 which is also a supervised program). 


16th Annual Heirloom Apple Day at Scott Farm Orchard

Heirloom Apple Day at Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston, VT beckons apple lovers of all ages to celebrate its many varieties of heirloom apples at this free annual event on Sunday, October 7 from 10am-4pm. Come visit the 571-acre historic farm and orchard and experience heirloom apples fresh, baked and squeezed!

In addition to the popular apple talks and tastings, hard cider tastings by Whetstone Ciderworks of Marlboro, VT, and food vendors, new activities are in store for families. Enjoy fiddle music by Molly Durling of Putney from 10AM-2PM, an art station for kids, and dry stone wall tours, at 11AM, 1 & 3PM, led by The Stone Trust of the Master Features Park and the stonewalls that enhance the grounds.


Mid-Autumn Moon Festival of China, Korea and Vietnam

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents the 20th annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) which is celebrated in China, Korea, Vietnam and other places around the world. Celebrate the Autumn Moon Festival with crafts, songs, food, t’ai chi, paper lanterns, Chinese exercises, the Korean rope tug and more. Hear the story of The Goddess of the Moon, Chang’e; the great archer Hou-Yi; and the Elixir of Immortality.


Brattleboro Food Co-op Announces 2nd Annual Ice Cream Social

The Brattleboro Food Co-op Staff and Board of Directors are pleased to announce the 2nd annual Ice Cream Social, to be held on Saturday, July 28th on the Whetstone Pathway, across from the Co-op, from 12 – 3 p.m. This community-building event was a great success last year, generating awareness and support of local kid-centered organizations. Stop by for a free bowl of ice cream from Walpole Creamery, and enjoy some family-friendly entertainment.


The Compassionate Friends of Brattleboro

The Compassionate Friends (TCF) of Brattleboro, a national self-help organization for families that have had a child die, will hold its next monthly meeting Sunday, June 17th, at 2:00 PM at The West Village Meetinghouse, 29 South Street, West Brattleboro, VT. Meetings are held each month the third Sunday of the month at the same time and location.


Windham County Childcare Survey

Child Care Counts is a task force dedicated to stabilizing and increasing the number of available slots for high quality child care in Windham County. Recognizing that access to child care is a critical economic and workforce development issue, we seek to engage a broad range of partners invested in the issue. We are seeking input from our community members on their experiences as a employers, employees and caregivers.


April Break Week Events for Kids at Brooks Memorial Library

Looking for something fun for the kids to do over spring break? The Children’s Room has a full week of free events for kids of all ages.

The events kick off on Monday April 16 at 1:00 p.m. with our Monday Movie Matinee. Bring a lunch or snack for and enjoy the movie based on a bestselling book. (Copyright laws prohibit us from advertising the movie title in the paper. Please call the Children’s Room for movie information).


Youth Services’ Summer Camp Fair Held During April Gallery Walk

Brattleboro, VT- Youth Services will host their Annual Summer Camp Fair on Friday, April 6, on Gallery Walk Night from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro.

Many summer camp providers will supply activities and entertainment for the children. The public is encouraged to take advantage of this great opportunity to arrange a fun-filled summer while being entertained. To entice the public to stop in, Youth Services is holding a free drawing for $100 credit toward a camp of the winner’s choice and giving out free balloons.


Childcare Will Be Provided At This Year’s Representative Town Meeting

Town Meeting representatives, WSESU officials, and Town officials have collaborated to offer free childcare services at this year’s Representative Town Meeting on March 24. This is intended to remove a barrier for parents of children between the ages of 4 and 13 who had previously declined to participate in Representative Town Meeting due to childcare concerns. Plans are still being finalized and this year’s service is considered a “trial run” for potentially providing this service for future meetings. Here are the details:


Lunar New Year of China, Korea and Vietnam

Asian Cultural Center of Vermont (ACCVT) presents Lunar New Year of China, Korea and Vietnam. Sunday, Feb 18th, 1-3:30 at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center (10 Vernon St) . It’s the 16th annual celebration of its kind in southeastern Vermont. It’s a potluck. This year we feature Li Fei Osbourne who will share a dance of the Yi people (one of the Chinese ethnic minorities) and then teach us all a Yi dance. Join us to dance with the Dragon, do group calligraphy, join in a Korean tug-of-war, make a paper lantern or some origami, and sing a New Year’s song from East Asia. You don’t have to be Asian or know anything about Asia to participate! 


What A Way To Start A Day

I was up early today. Too early. Our old cat woke me up at about 5:30 am and got me up to feed her and give her some attention. After a few hours, I was ready to start working. I was really tired from a lack of sleep, but have done this sort of effort before.


Bagels and Blocks Playgroup April 2nd

Make new friends while having fun with your child! Brattleboro Area Jewish Community is excited to
offer a Jewish-based drop-in playgroup for parents/caregivers and their infants and toddlers (0-5 years).


A Father’s Letter To His Son

A Jewish friend of mine gave me permission to share recent communication that he had with his son about their ancestry. The correspondence began when my friend asked about his son’s results from DNA testing:


Parenting for Social Justice at Brooks Memorial Library

Parenting for Social Justice Chats will be happening at Brooks Memorial Library for three Wednesdays from 6:00pm-8:00pm: March 8th, April 12th, and May 10th. This initial series will focus on race and racial justice.

Parenting is beautiful and it is challenging. One of the things we struggle with as parents is having hard conversations with our kids. Many of us are seeking support and ideas for how to have the hard conversations with our kids about racism and police brutality, about transgender issues, about hatred for Muslims and many other social justice issues. And we are looking to turn those conversations into action.


Tracey Madigan, MSW, Joins InnerWell Integrative Counseling Services

InnerWell is delighted to welcome Tracey Madigan, MA, MSW, to join InnerWell Integrative Counseling Services in Brattleboro. Tracey brings a natural warmth and strong empathic presence to therapy with couples and individuals. Her approach focuses on client strengths, rooted in the belief in resiliency and potential for positive change. 

Tracey’s work as a therapist draws deeply on her extensive experience as a grief counselor, as well as her training in mindfulness-based and trauma-informed treatment approaches, and in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy. Supporting clients through the unique experience of grief has allowed her to bring an authentic presence supporting clients as they face a variety of difficult life transitions. Tracey delights in helping clients – both couples and individuals — to meet life right where they are, and to discover new possibilities for how things might unfold moving forward.