Meet your legislators at the RPFL
BELLOWS FALLS - On Saturday May 17, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., drop by the Rockingham Free Public Library's top floor meeting room to chat with Windham County Sens. Nader Hashim and Wendy Harrison and Windham-3 (Brookline, Rockingham and Westminster) House Reps. Michelle Bos-Lun and Leslie Goldman.
All are invited to bring questions to this informal conversation about current issues.
Putney Library holds book sale fundraiser
PUTNEY - The Putney Public Library will hold its annual Book Sale Fundraiser on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday, May 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The library will close at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 16, to set up for the book sale.
Books are priced to move at $2 for paperbacks and $4 for hardcovers on Saturday and half price on Sunday. There will also be an array of items for raffle. Payment is accepted in cash, by check, or via Paypal (for a small additional fee).
Book donations are still being sought and will be accepted during library hours up until Friday, May 16, at 1 p.m.
Internet safety tips offered in Halifax
WEST HALIFAX - On Saturday, May 17, at 1 p.m., DVFiber and AARP will host "Staying Safe on the Internet," a free program at the Halifax Community Hall at 20 Brook Rd. It will be accessible to all community members.
During this informative session, attendees will learn critical strategies to safeguard their personal information from scams and fraud. Alan Baker, AARP representative and former member of the DVFiber Governing Board, will cover three key areas:
• Privacy, security, and identity theft: Attendees will learn how legitimate companies (and criminal organizations) collect and share personal information, and receive practical advice on how to minimize risks and avoid identity theft.
• Scammers' methods: Delves into tactics employed by scammers who attempt to defraud individuals through phone calls, messages, websites, and social media. Participants will gain insights into recognizing and countering these deceptive practices.
• Safeguarding your online credentials: Practices for creating, storing, and securely entering online credentials to prevent unauthorized access to personal accounts.
'Bills Lumber' at Next Stage
PUTNEY - The final community screening of Bills Lumber will be a Saturday matinee at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Admission is by donation, with a suggested amount of $8. All donations will be split evenly between Next Stage Arts and Brattleboro Community Television, which made this film possible.
The 45-minute video follows octogenarian brothers Alan and Everett Bills and their co-owner niece, Debbie Bills Bauer, after the mill sold along with 433 adjoining wooded acres, as they prepare to demolish the working sawmill that their late father, Melbourne Bills, had established in 1936.
Storytellers Alan and Everett talk about what it was like to grow up on "Bills Hill," their family compound on Route 100 in Wardsboro, recounting with equanimity and a laugh harrowing tales of fire and flood. Both Alan and Everett plan to be at the Next Stage screening for a discussion after the movie.
Yard sale and community market at Compass School
WESTMINSTER - Compass School on Route 5 is having a community market and yard sale on Saturday, May 17, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you would like a spot, the cost is $20. Vendors and artists are welcome. Contact [email protected] or call 802-463-2525 for more information.
Plant Sale benefits Athens Brick Meetinghouse
ATHENS - The Athens Brick Meetinghouse Committee, in conjunction with the Athens Historic Preservation Society, will hold its eighth annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at the 1817 Brick Meetinghouse on Meetinghouse Rd., just off Route 35.
Visitors will find a variety of perennials, annuals, and vegetable seedlings on the Meetinghouse lawn, as well as raffle prizes. Experienced gardeners will be there to answer questions and offer gardening advice.
The Meetinghouse will be open for visitors during the Plant Sale. For more information, to make plant or other donations, or to help out on the day of the sale, contact Sherry Maher at 802-275-2835 or follow Athens Meetinghouse on Facebook.
Contra and square dancing in Wardsboro
WARDSBORO - Hosted by Wardsboro Curtain Call, contra and square dancing are featured at the Wardsboro Town Hall, 99 Main St., on Saturday, May 17.
Live music and calling will be provided by the Newton Family Band. They'll guide new and experienced dancers through every step.
An all-ages dance workshop begins the evening, followed by more challenging dances (with instruction) at 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be available. Admission is free, and donations are encouraged.
'Schoolhouse Attic Treasures' featured in new exhibit
DUMMERSTON - The Dummerston Historical Society presents a new exhibit from its ever-growing collection of framed and unframed artwork, posters, and ephemera, "Schoolhouse Attic Treasures," on Sunday, May 18, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the society's schoolhouse in Dummerston Center.
Visitors can see historical documents and photographs from deep, deep in the archives. Admission is free and the schoolhouse is accessible. Board members will be present to answer questions and share stories regarding several items in the collection. This is an opportunity to review earlier exhibits, memorabilia, and genealogy as well. For information, email [email protected] or call 802-490-0728.
Library talk looks at tourism, land use in Costa Rica
BRATTLEBORO - On Tuesday, May 20, at 7 p.m., Brooks Memorial Library and the Southeastern Vermont Audubon Society (SVAS) team up to provide an accessible, illustrated exploration of the life history of the resplendent quetzal - a bird of the highland forests of Central America. Aztec and Mayan cultures revered quetzals, and thousands of birdwatchers visit quetzal forests each year.
Alan Poole, who holds a doctorate in ecology from the Boston University Marine Program in Woods Hole, is the author of Quetzals: Icons of the Cloud Forest (Cornell University Press, 2023). He will describe the nesting ecology of this species, its role in Mayan and Aztec religions, and how it fits into the increasingly threatened cloud forests that sustain it. The talk will also examime what lies ahead for these (and other) quetzals - how conservation efforts are giving them a boost, and what threats Mesoamerican cloud forests are facing.
Above all, this talk will describe land use in Central America, especially Costa Rica, through a quetzal lens - "no species does more to bring current land use trends in this region into focus," says Poole. "Understanding these trends is key to maintaining the viability of highland tropical forests in the Americas, and the quetzals that depend on them."
Guilford Cares resumes its Senior Walks
GUILFORD - Guilford Cares Senior Walks are back for the 2025 season. They will take place monthly on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., May through October. The first walk of the season will be on May 20 at Green River Meadows. Linda Lembke and Karen Murphy will offer observations about the role conservation has played in the history of this floodplain and other lands along the Green River.
Although Guilford Cares sponsored a walk through this meadow a few years ago, there is much more to see and learn this year. Community volunteers recently planted 560 trees to improve flood resiliency and benefit wildlife, the walking path has changed to accommodate these trees, and new stone steps have been built to improve access to the river.
This is an easy, 1-mile walk on a grassy path along the river. Meet at the kiosk at Green River Meadows (0.7 miles south of the Green River covered bridge). A small parking area near the kiosk has room for four cars. Another option is to park on the west side of the covered bridge and walk or carpool to the Meadows. For more information, call 802-579-1350 or email [email protected].
New Putney Food Drop location
PUTNEY - For the next year, while construction occurs along Alice Holway Drive, Putney Food Drops will be located at 78 River Rd., in the parking lot of what used to be Five Maples Corp. More details, including a map, can be found at putneyfoodshelf.org/food-drop.
The Vermont Food Bank and Putney Foodshelf co-sponsor this service, offering a selection of produce and assorted foods. The drive-thru service is on the fourth Thursday of every month, from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Free and open to all. The next food drop is Thursday, May 22.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.