BRATTLEBORO-Neighborhood Schoolhouse, 231 Western Ave., announces the return of its kindergarten program for the 2025–26 school year.
An independent school since 1980, Neighborhood's nature-based learning philosophy "is inspired by the wonder and intellectual curiosity of its young learners," school representatives said in a news release.
Ana Williams, a Neighborhood teacher of 5 years, will be leading the pre-K/Kindergarten classroom. Williams says she shares Neighborhood's belief that the focus of learning should be on meaningful play and fostering a sustained curiosity in a child's environment - whether in the classroom setting or the natural world.
"The experience has to be meaningful and genuine, not only for them, but for the teachers." Williams said. "Everyone has the capacity to be a teacher and a learner," she said, adding that parents can expect their kindergarteners to learn the value in being part of a community, and the importance of being kind and respectful.
NEWFANE-Throughout the month of June, local artist and teacher Lynn Zimmerman presents "Watercolor Discoveries," a group show at the Crowell Gallery of work by her students. Twenty-seven women artists who have studied with Zimmerman in her online classes will share their watercolor paintings. Most of the artists are local.
BRATTLEBORO-"Prepare for lift-off!" said organizers of The Bandwagon Summer Series in a news release announcing the "cosmic voyage" led by Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber. The event takes place at West River Park on Route 30 on Sunday, June 8, at 6 p.m. Founded by Greg Tate and rooted...
S'mores and stories around the fire at Putney Library PUTNEY - On Thursday, June 5, at 6 p.m. at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., join storyteller Trish Roberts to toast marshmallows and make s'mores around the fire in the library's stone seating area. S'mores supplies will be provided, but participants can bring a story to share with the group. This is an all-ages program, so bring your friends and family. This event is free. Since this program is...
Obituaries • Winona S. Courcelle, 101, of Vernon. Died peacefully on May 27, 2025, at Vernon Green Nursing Home. She was born in Northfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 15, 1923, the daughter of Carl and Beatrice (Willard) Scherlin. She was raised and educated in Vernon and graduated from Brattleboro High School with the Class of 1941. Winona had been employed as an office clerk at the Holstein Association in Brattleboro, which she retired from in December 1986 following 38 faithful years...
BRATTLEBORO-Academy School received a Community Schools Foundation Grant from the Vermont Agency of Education and, as a result, is partnering with Brattleboro Food Co-op to create take-home cooking kits for kids to use with their parents or caregivers. The co-op has previously provided mobile cooking classes to a number of classrooms at the Academy School, a public elementary school off Western Avenue. However, this time, students will take home edible homework. Students bring the kits home on a Wednesday and...
PUTNEY-The land where the Putney Farmers Market and Putney Community Garden have been located for nearly 16 years has been permanently protected as open space. Green Commons of Vermont Inc. purchased the one-acre parcel from the Windham & Windsor Housing Trust (WWHT) after a successful campaign to raise more than $160,000, reported representatives in a news release. The effort included a significant grant from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) with additional support from the Windham Foundation and numerous...
BRATTLEBORO-Former Vermont Poet Laureate Chard deNiord and former Brooklyn, New York, Poet Laureate D. Nurkse will read from their collections and share new poems at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center (BMAC), on Wednesday, June 11, at 5:30 p.m. DeNiord served as poet laureate of Vermont from 2015 to 2019. He is the author of nine books of poetry and is working on a new collection, Westminster West (Tupelo Press, 2025). He has also written two books of interviews with...
GUILFORD-Former U.S. climate diplomat Elliot Diringer will examine questions about the global climate crisis in a talk presented by the Windham World Affairs Council on Wednesday, June 11. "Climate Diplomacy: Are We Making Any Progress?" will take place at 6:30 pm at the Broad Brook Community Center, 3940 Guilford Center Rd. Diringer was until a year ago a senior adviser to John Kerry in his role as U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and he continues to lead international climate...
MARLBORO-Juno Orchestra presents "Juno in June!" on Sunday, June 8, at 2:30 p.m. at Persons Auditorium, Potash Hill. Works will include J.S. Bach's Overture No. 1 in C major, BWV 1066; Haydn's Symphony 49, "La Passione"; and Mozart's Symphony 29 in A major, K. 201. "I'm eager to present these compelling works to our audience," said Juno Orchestra Music Director Zon Eastes in a news release. "I find that these three pieces share remarkable powers. Listeners will be invited to...
BRATTLEBORO-"Leonard Ragouzeos: Works on Paper 2005–2025" opens at CX Silver Gallery, 814 Western Ave., with a reception for the artist on Saturday, June 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. "All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography." Ragouzeos attributes this quote in his artist statement to Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini, and adds to it: "I've adopted this view that the work people do and the things created can represent who that person is, where they've been and what...
-The regular season for high school sports in Vermont ended on May 31 the way it began in early April - with lots of rain forcing the cancellation of games. It was frequently soggy and cool this spring, but our local teams managed to get most of their scheduled games played. Now, they are preparing for the postseason. Boys' lacrosse • Brattleboro had its Senior Night on May 29 at Natowich Field as Nathanial Domina, Alexander Dick, Justin Packard, Marco...
The Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) presents a new hands-on seminar with Brittany Winfield of The Winfield Creative, titled "Social Media Around My Schedule." The workshop, offered at two times and locations on Wednesday, June 11, is designed to help time-strapped entrepreneurs build a consistent and manageable social media presence. Two free sessions will be offered: 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the BDCC Office, 76 Cotton Mill Hill, Brattleboro, and 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Old School Community Center,
BRATTLEBORO-In honor of Women's Fiction Day 2025, ByWay Books and More, 399 Canal St., hosts Montpelier novelist Roberta Harold on Sunday, June 8, from 2 to 3 p.m. Harold is the author of two historical mystery novels, the IPNE award winning Heron Island and Murdered Sleep. At this event, Harold will read from her new novel, Portrait of an Unseen Woman: A Novel of Annie Shaw, published by Rootstock Publishing. Kirkus Reviews describes Portrait as "...intriguing and enjoyable, with an...
PUTNEY-Sandglass's Summer Series presents artists working in interdisciplinary performance techniques. This series celebrates the crossroads of art forms and the connection between puppetry and other art forms like clowning, magic, and music. The Book of Stars will be presented at 7 p.m., on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at its theater on Kimball Hill. The Book of Stars is the folktale of the Light Queen, written and performed by musician and folk artist Georgia Beatty. The show combines original music with...
BRATTLEBORO-Becky Graber is putting together the Good Trouble Street Choir, which will be involved in protesting through song in the "Let Freedom Fly" protest march to the Common on Saturday, June 14. "Dan DeWalt, of the People's Resistance Marching Band, asked if I would like to join them with some singers and my heart immediately said yes," Graber said in a news release. Citing a lack of respect for people's rights, due process, and care, she said, "Money, power, and...
BRATTLEBORO-The Women's Leadership Circles (WLC) of Vermont announces the successful completion of its 16th Circle, held in the Northeast Kingdom - a milestone as the program has now served all 14 counties across the state. Founded in 2011 by Kerry Secrest of Watershed Coaching in Brattleboro, WLC is a nationally recognized leadership development program designed to support women in leadership roles across sectors. Over the course of six months, each Circle convenes up to 12 women from a specific region...
BRATTLEBORO-The "By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth" organizing committee seeks parade participants as it prepares to celebrate the town's 52nd Independence Day event on Friday, July 4. The all-volunteer citizens committee will begin the day at 10 a.m. with a parade from Flat Street to Main Street and the Common. The shorter route comes after requests from older marchers and challenges finding enough volunteers and public safety patrols to monitor a longer distance. Perennial participants, including bands from the local...
BRATTLEBORO-June is recognized by the Alzheimer's Association as "Alzheimer's and Brain Health Awareness Month" (ABAM) and Brooks Memorial Library and the Vermont chapter of the Alzheimer's Association are collaborating to raise awareness in Brattleboro. Beginning Wednesday, June 4, and running through June 24, "Moments in Time: Works by Vermonters with Dementia," will be on display in the library. The exhibit consists of 23 pieces from 13 individual artists and two collages created from art submissions from residences and adult day...
BRATTLEBORO-The Housing Coalition of Southeastern Vermont invites residents of the region to its first Housing Action Fair, to be held on Monday, June 9, from 4 to 6 p.m., at American Legion Post 5, 32 Linden Street. This free event is supported by a grant from Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) and will be an opportunity for attendees to connect with local and statewide organizations, learn about housing unit development resources, and explore funding, programs and services, and...
BRATTLEBORO-Vermont's non-commercial low-power community radio stations, including WVEW-LP 107.7 FM in Brattleboro, got a big boost from the state Legislature with the inclusion of a one-time $150,000 grant in the fiscal 2026 state budget. The grant will be divided between the state's seven current community radio stations and three more stations that are under construction and will be on the air in the coming months. The funds will be used to help these volunteer-run broadcasters to upgrade equipment such as...
BRATTLEBORO-Brattleboro Memorial Hospital is seeking $4 million in expense reductions and new revenue in the next four months to balance its $119 million annual budget. "Like rural hospitals here in Vermont and across the nation, BMH faces significant financial challenges that have been imposed on us in large measure by both the state and federal governments," President Christopher Dougherty wrote to the hospital's 150 community corporators in an email over the Memorial Day weekend. The hospital is exploring 40 "strategies"
BRATTLEBORO-Great-great-grandmother Shirley Squires is also a great, great fundraiser. The 94-year-old Guilford resident arrived at the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont charity walk on May 31 with four generations of family, including the newest member born just two weeks ago. Though rain forced organizers to cancel the annual outdoor stroll, Squires still shined, raising $22,291 in contributions this year to reach a lifetime fundraising milestone of $500,298. "Your unwavering commitment is nothing short of extraordinary," U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vermont,
BELLOWS FALLS-Founded in 1995, Parks Place Community Resource Center is celebrating its 30th anniversary still focused on its original mission - "to create opportunities by connecting people and resources in the Greater Falls area." The nonprofit is marking its 30th anniversary with a celebration at its 44 School St. location at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 7. The event will include pizza, birthday cake, games, and music, with special guests Troy Wunderle and Wade Garrett, a.k.a. DJ Wade the Great.
BRATTLEBORO-Representative Town Meeting members met in a special session on May 27 and approved a fiscal year 2026 budget of $24,971,305. Approval came on a roll call vote of 110–4 near the end of a two-hour meeting in the Brattleboro Union High School gymnasium, the site of the annual Representative Town Meeting on March 22 which rejected the first version of the FY26 budget, 76–57, and sent it back to the Selectboard. The newly reconstituted board, with three new members,
BELLOWS FALLS-With a career spanning more than 50 years, Jorma Kaukonen has done it all. A singer songwriter and guitar virtuoso who plays American roots music, blues, and rock, Kaukonen is one of the founders of two highly influential bands: Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. He's recorded dozens of albums, toured the world, received a Grammy award, been inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2016 he and bandmate Jack Casady were officially recognized for their...
BRATTLEBORO-For 25 years, Westgate Housing in West Brattleboro has been a rare example of resident-controlled affordable housing, where tenants are not just residents but active decision-makers. On May 13, the community celebrated this anniversary by dedicating its community center to Julie Maloof, a beloved board president and community activist who transformed the community through her leadership and compassion. Maloof died on Jan. 1. The dedication ceremony honored Julie's remarkable contributions, with speakers highlighting her profound impact on the lives of...
Michael Gigante, the clinician at the Brattleboro AIDS Project (now the AIDS Project of Southern Vermont) from 1990 to 1992, writes: "During the height of the Covid pandemic, I was reminded of my experiences in a previous epidemic, HIV/AIDS. So I wrote. I wrote a series of vignettes of my very personal experiences of those times." 1. In the beginning The day was sunny and warm when the news hit. The bay was frigid, as usual, and the Golden Gate...
MANCHESTER-The Vermont-based fly-fishing company Orvis is now facing pressures "at a pace that we haven't faced in our 170-year career," company president Simon Perkins said at a May 28 roundtable on tariffs hosted by U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vermont. At Orvis's flagship rod shop and factory, Perkins said the Trump administration's shifting policies have not given businesses enough time to adapt their sourcing and manufacturing models to absorb the shock of tariffs. "It's really hard for a business to respond...
WEST CHESTERFIELD, N.H.-This weekend's opening of 2025's Ten Minute Play Festival (TMPF) at Actors Theatre Playhouse (ATP) in West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, marks the start of the theater company's 50th season. "Sort of 50 years," Artistic Director Sam Pilo explains. It was a peripatetic journey with a couple of fallow years. The season also marks a transition from Pilo's singular artistic direction. "In the last two or three years, we've gotten a new board," chaired by Bob Kramsky, Pilo says.