Tag sale
MANCHESTER — The First Congregational Church will host a large tag sale on Friday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 7 p.m. and again on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Featured items will include antiques and collectables, white elephant items, children’s toys, books and clothing. A special bag sale will begin on Saturday at12:15 p.m.; shoppers can fill any number of bags for $1 each. Information: 802-362-2709.
Outreach coordinator
NORTH BENNINGTON — Park-McCullough House Association Inc. has announced that Mary Ann Caraco of North Bennington has been hired as educational outreach coordinator.
Caraco has degrees in history and elementary education and taught for six years at the elementary and middle school level. She will help the Park-McCullough Education Program offer elementary-school students a firsthand means of experiencing Vermont's Victorian past. This year's newly expanded program includes three interactive outreach programs to the classroom, each with on-site visits to the museum. Caraco, who plays the roles of both Lizzie McCullough and Laura Park, will provide a link between the education program and local schools.
She replaced Cindy Johnson, who helped develop the education program with volunteer Mary Feidner and Trustee Cathy Brawer.
Haitian caregiver
BENNINGTON — The Green Mountain Christian Center will host Chris Nungester, caregiver for Haitian orphans, at a covered dish supper on Saturday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m., and on Oct. 24 for Sunday services at 9 a.m.
Nungster provides care for more than 40 orphans at the H.I.S. Home for Children in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The children, newborns to teens, receive food, medical care, clean water, clothing and nurturing while awaiting permanent homes. The center is at 1506 Harwood Hill, Route 7A (Exit 2 off Route 7). Information: 802-447-7224.
Halloween parade
NORTH BENNINGTON — Vermont Arts Exchange will celebrate Halloween with the 12th annual North Bennington Halloween Parade on Friday, Oct. 29.
The parade will begin at 3:30 p.m. Participants should gather at the arts exchange, at the Sage Street Mill at 3 p.m. They will parade down Sage Street through North Bennington and back to the mill for drumming, dancing, storytelling, cider and doughnuts from the Apple Barn and a bonfire. Revelers of all ages can compete in a Halloween Costume Contest; prizes will be awarded for imaginative ensembles.
Activities are free and open to the public; a suggested donation will be appreciated and will support similar events. Last year’s Halloween parade and festivities drew more than 500 people, a record-breaking crowd.
Artist-in-residence and percussionist Michael Wingfield with his students and friends will drum in the parade and around the bonfire, and professional storyteller Cynthia Payne-Meyer will share tales of mysterious creatures and things-that-go-bump-in-the-night.
The night before the parade, Wingfield will lead an Afro-Caribbean percussion workshop for teens and adults. The workshop, on Thursday, Oct. 28, from 6 to 9 p.m., will introduce rhythms and songs of the African New World. Students are encouraged to share their rhythms in the parade. Information: 802-442-5549.
Halloween festivities
BENNINGTON — The Bennington Museum will present its annual Halloween Community Open House on Sunday, Oct. 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Paresky Museum Court and Education Center.
The free open house will feature games, crafts and a Masquerade Parade. Young children can enjoy the "Munchkins' Corner" for supervised play, while older children can try their hand at "Bean Bag Bowling," "Button, Button" and scavenger puzzles. Light refreshments will be served.
Visitors can also browse through the newly redesigned Sloane Gallery and museum exhibitions such as “Independence of Thought,†“Freedom of Speech†and “Impressions of the Green Mountain Boys.†The museum is at 75 Main St., Route 9, 1 mile west of the intersection of Routes 7 and 9. Information: 802-447-1571 or www.benningtonmuseum.org.
Haunted maze
BENNINGTON — The Apple Barn’s Spooky Haunted Cornfield Maze will open Halloween weekend, Oct. 29 and 30, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Named an Editors’ Choice in the “Yankee Magazine 2004 Travel Guide to New England,†the seventh annual maze is crafted of 225,000 stalks of corn, challenging participants to make their way through as dozens of performers, scream, howl and spook. Prior mazes have been featured on The Food Network’s “$40 A Day,†“Good Morning America,†Ron Hazelton’s “House Calls†and other media. Admission is $7.
On Saturday, the Wild Things, produced by the Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York, will exhibit live creatures of the night — including owls, reptiles and amphibians — and explain the adaptations that equip those animals for night survival.
The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop is south of Bennington on Route 7. Information: 802-447-7780 or www.theapplebarn.com.
Halloween weekend
NORTH BENNINGTON — Park-McCullough will celebrate Halloween with two events during the holiday weekend: evening lantern tours and an afternoon Halloween family party.
Halloween celebrations will begin on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 6 to 8 p.m., with tours of the Park-McCullough house and grounds. Tours will begin with a winding lantern walk through the carriage barn and around the grounds, and guests will be led inside for special tours of the house. The tours are appropriate for children of all ages; regular admissions prices will apply.
On Sunday, Oct. 31, the museum will host an afternoon Halloween party for children and families with pumpkin painting, face painting, games and snacks in the carriage barn. Horse-drawn hayrides will be offered, and children trick-or-treating at the house will receive a treat from “Mrs. Lizzie McCullough.†Visitors are encouraged to dress in costume. Information: 802-442-5441.
Telescope workshop
MANCHESTER, Vt. — Hildene’s Astronomy Club will present a “Drag out your telescope, dust it off, and learn how to use it!†workshop on Friday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m.
The club invites the public to bring their telescopes or merely their curiosity to a free workshop in the new meeting room at Hildene’s Visitor Center. Club members will explain the various features of the telescopes brought in and share suggestions on using them. If weather conditions permit, attendees can try out their own telescopes on the Hildene grounds or view the night sky through club members’ telescopes.
The club will hold a free public observing session at the observatory on Wednesday, Oct. 27, to view the full lunar eclipse — the last one that will be viewable in New England for three years. Visitors can view the eclipse through Hildene’s historic 1909 Warner & Swasey 6-inch refracting telescope. Skywatchers should meet at the observatory by the main house.
Both events are examples of the public outreach efforts being organized by the club, which was recently selected to join the NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-sponsored “Night Sky Network,†an affiliation of astronomy clubs organized to perform educational public outreach activities. The club is interested in hosting outreach events for school groups, scouting-type organizations and other groups with members curious about astronomy. Information: E-mail astro@hildene.org or visit www.hildene.org/HAC.
Museum meeting
BENNINGTON — The Bennington Historical Society’s annual meeting will be held at the Bennington Museum on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
The evening's program will focus on Patsy Santo, a well-known local artist who came to the United States from Italy in 1913 and settled in Bennington in the 1920s.
Santo was noted for his street scenes of Bennington. He painted during a period of several decades into the 1960s. Examples of his work will be on view. The public is invited to the free event.
The historical society is interviewing long-time residents of the Bennington area, recording their local history, memories and stories. Anyone interested in sharing historical information about Bennington or memories of the people and local events may contact Joe Hall, historical society president. Information: 802-442-2923 or e-mail joe.hall21@verizon.net.
The historical society is also looking for material, photographs or anything pertaining to the Bennington Generals baseball tean of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s for a window display in a downtown store. Depending on the availability and type of material received, there could be other events on the subject of the team.
The second floor of the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is home to a permanent display of photographs and medical artifacts pertaining to the history of the hospital and Henry W. Putnam. The display is the result of the historical society's display about Putnam developed this summer for the Vermont History Expo in Tunbridge. Information: 802-447-1571 or www.benningtonmuseum.org.
Art exhibit
NORTH BENNINGTON — The Vermont Arts Exchange is exhibiting at the Corridor Art Gallery at the Southwest Vermont Medical Center.
The show will run through Tuesday, Oct. 26, and the gallery is open 24 hours a day. The exhibit celebrates a decade of community artwork and is an introduction to the arts exchange's programs and partnerships over the years. An exhibition of posters featuring events such as the Paran Creek Festival, Halloween Parade, and recent concerts of jazz and Latin music adorn one wall.
Also exhibited in the gallery are two rugs crafted in the arts exchange’s Handhooked Rug Program, which began during the arts exchange’s inaugural years. Photographs of other rugs demonstrate the skill and interests of former students.
A final exhibit will feature handmade paper created in the arts exchange’s Paper Studio with artist/instructor Jeanne McWaters. McWaters’ work, as well as work by local artist Kitty Farnum, is for sale. Information: 802-442-5549.
Reading group
BENNINGTON — The John G. McCullough Free Library will present a reading-discussion group with Professor Geraldine Pittman-Batlle of Marlboro College [on Aristophanes' play “The Birds†on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m.
The book is available for loan. The library is on Main Street. Information: 802-447-7121 or e-mail mfl@sover.net.
School clinician
BENNINGTON — United Counseling Service of Bennington County has hired Joanna Barnes of Arlington as a school-based clinician at Manchester Elementary/Middle School.
Barnes will work in the middle school's alternative education program classrooms with students experiencing behavioral challenges. Her primary role is to support and counsel students directly, helping them learn successful alternatives to inappropriate behaviors.
"Counseling in the classroom is a great way for students to make progress," Barnes said in a news release. "It enables the staff to meet the multiple needs of the students directly, and it provides a supportive and nurturing learning environment."
She added, "I like connecting with students to motivate them and to organize classroom activities that promote the improvement of social skills. I am happy to be working with these students because they have so much potential and because I also grew up here in Bennington County."
The service is a private, nonprofit mental health center serving Bennington County since 1958.
Hours change
BENNINGTON — United Counseling Service of Bennington County has changed the hours of operation for the Family Emergency Services.
Access to emergency services will continue to be provided 24 hours per day, seven days a week, but mobile outreach services are now available 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
"At this time, UCS can no longer meet the cost of providing outreach services during the night and on weekends and holidays," Lorna Maki, director of specialized children's services, said in a news release. "The vast majority of crisis calls occur during the weekday and evening hours, and mobile services will continue to be available then."
Bennington County families in crisis can contact the service at 1-800-360-6621 or 802-442-1700. Families will also continue to be able to access shelter beds if the need arises, according to the news release. Service at Battelle House is still available 24/7 at 802-447-0860.
Family Emergency Service offers support groups for parents and caregivers on Wednesdays at 9 a.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at its offices in Bennington. Staff will provide ideas on how to maintain safe and nurturing environments for children. Information: 802-447-8270.
Education initiatives
BENNINGTON, Vt. --—The Bennington County School and Workforce Partnership’s will hold it’s annual meeting, “Celebrating People in Partnership,†in the Mount Anthony Union Middle School on Friday, Oct. 29, from 8 to 10:30 a.m.
The event will begin with breakfast and keynote speaker Charles Johnson of the Vermont Department of Education, followed by round-robin presentations by students and business/community partners highlighting new initiatives. Members can provide input on the partnership’s work plan, and awards will honor the people who have made notable contributions to the school and workforce development efforts in the past year. Tours of the new school building will be available after the meeting.
The Bennington County School and Workforce Partnership is an organization of educators, employers and human-service providers dedicated to strengthening workforce quality in the region. It identifies local workforce needs and through member collaboration, grant-seeking and program development. Registration is $10. Information and reservations: Noelle Murphy, 802-447-1112.
Childbirth preparation
BENNINGTON, Vt. — Pregnant women with due dates in December and January are invited to enroll in "HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Love," a childbirth preparation class offered by Women's and Children's Services at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.
The U.S. blueprint for health, Healthy People 2010, recommends that all pregnant women take a formal series of prepared childbirth classes conducted by a certified childbirth educator.
"HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Love" will begin on Thursday, Oct. 28. A four-class series, HypoBirthing promotes relaxed, natural birthing. Participant will learn the stages of labor, visualization and imagery skills, ways for the woman's birthing companion to be part of the birth and how to design a birth plan. Participants also receive a book and practice tapes. Registration is required. Information and registration: 802-447-5277.
SVHC board
MANCHESTER — The Board of Trustees of Southwestern Vermont Health Care has announced the appointment of members to its new Northshire Regional Advisory Board.
Appointees are Perez Clay Ehrich, Robert G. McCafferty, Keith Michel, M.D., Barbara W. Powers and Alan N. Wiegand. They will serve along with SVHC Trustees Brian Knight and Greg Smith.
Regional Advisory Boards are designed to bring the regional health system closer to the communities it serves, said SVHC Board of Trustees Chairwoman Laraine Smith.
"We can ensure the strongest possible local health-care system only with the strongest possible local input,†Smith said in a news release. “The knowledge and wisdom of community members such as these Northshire advisors will help us better achieve our vision of making our communities we serve the healthiest in the nation.â€
Ehrich, publisher of Market and Tech Guides Magazines and a trustee for Vermont Law School, Southern Vermont College and First Day Foundation, said, “My interest in this initiative by the hospital is to help provide one way for people who rely, or will eventually rely, on the hospital for health care to tell the hospital what they need or want."
McCafferty, project manager for LandVest Inc. and a member of the boards of directors and executive committee for Merck Forest and Farmland Center and Dorset Field Club, said, “Our son was born in the hospital in 1961, and our family members and friends have been treated at SVMC since that time. SVHC is extremely important to our family and the community."
Sgorbati honored
BENNINGTON — Susan Sgorbati, a member of the Bennington College faculty for more than 20 years, has been named the first recipient of the David G. Rahr Vermont Community Service Award from the Vermont Community Foundation.
Sgorbati, a teacher of dance and mediation, was honored for her development of and work with at-risk youth in the college's Quantum Leap program, her founding of a Vermont choreographer's workshop, her contribution for the Governor's Institute on the Arts and her mediation skills for Vermont's attorney general's office and Human Rights Commission, among other initiatives.
"I am so honored to receive the David G. Rahr Award. It is only because the Vermont Community Foundation's work is so important to the people of our state, that I feel comfortable accepting this honor on behalf of all the citizens of Vermont," said Sgorbati in a news release.
She accepted the award at the foundation’s annual meeting in Rutland.
"This honor recognizes a Vermonter who works behind the scenes, is guided by a sense of purpose, and adds value and vision to community-building," said Vicky Young, Vermont Community Foundation board chairwoman. "Sgorbati has exemplified these values since she first arrived in Vermont to earn her degree in dance from Bennington College, which she did in 1972."
The Vermont Community Foundation award, named for the organization's founding president, recognizes an individual or group that has made a significant and creative contribution to their community. Nominees will be accepted from a different Vermont region each year. This year's nominees were from Rutland and Bennington counties.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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