The Commons

Brattleboro unveils proposed charter changes Town learns about issues of democracy — and its unintended consequences

By Olga Peters The Commons

BRATTLEBORO—The Town Charter Commission presented 19 proposed recommendations in three categories entitled “increasing citizen participation in the governing of Brattleboro,” “greater

accountability through transparent responsibility that is clear” and “housekeeping” in a public meeting on Sept 28 and 29.

A thorough and spirited discussion touched on numerous issues, but the theme of balancing open and engaged democracy against unintended consequences wreaking havoc

on the town rose to the surface.

Although open to the public, Town Meeting Representatives and officials comprised the majority of audience members.

Selectboard Vice-Chair Dora Bouboulis, who felt the commission needed to do more soliciting of public input asked, “When are we going to have the

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public dialogue in which we ask what we want to see in our town government?”

The purpose of the meetings was to allow the audience to ask clarifying questions of the nine commission members and for the commission to gather information.

Kerry Secrest of Watershed Coaching, LLC, facilitated the meeting.

A public forum will be held Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in Suite 212, second floor of the Municipal

Center where the public can ask “We are a deliberative body,” questions or make suggestions to said commission member Spoon the commission on any aspect of Agave. the charter.

Ensuring the power of the people and engaging the commuWhy a charter? nity, explained Agave, guided the A town charter acts as a mu- commission’s decisions. nicipality’s code of governance Agave said the changes replaying out the scope of pow- resent three years of work and ers for its town officials and the more than 70 meetings. rights of its citizenry. Otherwise, In most cases, he said, most of Vermont statutes govern towns, the changes resulted from a 9-0 except when they contradict a or 8-1 majority vote, with an octown’s charter. In this case, the casional 7-2 vote. charter trumps state statute. n SEE CHARTER, PAGE 3

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Brattleboro, Vermont Wednesday, October 6, 2010 • Vol. V, No. 23 • Issue #70

WINDHAM COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING, INDEPENDENT SOURCE FOR NEWS AND VIEWS

Police: No ‘gang activity’ in Bellows Falls

IN THIS ISSUE

Fall Foliage &Festivities

Supplement to

October 6, 2010

Festivals and fundraisers — Recipes for the season — Calendar of fall fun

Chief Lake debunks claims

• Foliage tours • Fall recipes • Events listings

By Allison Teague The Commons

News BRATTLEBORO

BaBB takes stock of a challenging time for town page 2 DOVER

A celebration 200 years in the making page 14

Voices VIEWPOINT

A room of her own page 6

Life and Work ROAD TRIP!

Thompson House gets a new bus for its residents

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page 9

Close Call

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS

Roy Burns reaches for a cluster of Empire apples at the Scott Farm in Dummerston.

County apple growers face challenges this season, from late frost to immigration delays

n SEE GANGS, PAGE 3

A chill in the air, more need for warmth

By Thelma O’Brien The Commons

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s bad as the May 11 hard frost was for apple growers in Windham County, they faced a bigger problem when surviving varieties ripened two weeks early.

Two such growers, Harlow Farm in Westminster and Scott Farm in Dummerston, use a combination of local partand full-time workers, plus a crew of laborers from Jamaica.

Another, Dutton Berry Farm, depends on imported workers, all from Jamaica.

These farms’ imported laborers held visas that were valid for the customary ripening period — about two weeks later than what actually occurred.

Jamaicans, many of whom have been coming to Windham County for more than 20 years through the federal H-2A temporary visa program, are a familiar sight in orchards and fields in Newfane, Westminster, Dummerston, West Brattleboro and other locations. Most of the men come in March and go home in October; some stay through December.

But getting to know these workers is another, more elusive, matter.

Two visits to Dutton workers in their large old farmhouse in Brookline achieved very little other than friendly greetings

BELLOWS FALLS—“I can’t in good conscience state that there are gangsters operating in Bellows Falls.”

That’s what Police Chief Ron Lake said in response to rumors that had been circulating online about alleged members of a “White Russians gang” in recent arrests as part of a drug raid, and other allegations that some young people in town have joined gangs.

Lake cautioned that one can’t judge on looks alone whether someone is a gang member or not. In the case of young residents people might see around town, he said, “they’re not.”

“We know who the bad guys in Bellows Falls are,” Lake said.

“We know who they are, and we

know where they are.”

Recent media reports of gang activity in southern Vermont have fueled people’s fear that gangs are present in Bellows Falls as well.

Gang activity has been confirmed with arrests in Rutland and Bennington. According to a Sept. 19 article in the Barre-Montpelier Times-Argus, “Most of the drug trade is controlled by the Bloods in Albany and Schenectady [N.Y.],” Urbanowicz said. “They’re active here [in Bennington] and I tend to think everywhere in Vermont.”

Chief Lake disagrees with the latter.

“We had one guy who came up from New York City last year …who we arrested several times for minor infractions,” he said.

Heat fund provides emergency fuel for dozens

By Jeff Potter The Commons

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS

Keith Goodsen picks Empire apples at the Scott Farm in Dummerston. and polite, but firm, refusals to talk about themselves and their work.

A visit around the dinner hour found a half-dozen of them cooking what looked and

smelled like savory combinations of vegetables in a large kitchen. Others watched television in another room, and still others chatted in several n SEE APPLES, PAGE 8

BRATTLEBORO—As Daryl Pillsbury tells it, the idea for the Windham County Heat Fund came somewhat out of the blue in the fall of 2005.

“I went to Richard Davis’s house to watch the Red Sox game,” said Pillsbury. “I remember he said, ‘Man, it’s awful cold — there’s got to be lots of people out there who don’t have heat.’”

So Pillsbury, then a state representative, and Davis, a registered nurse and executive director of Vermont Citizens Campaign for Health, decided to hold a fundraiser.

The idea was simple, he said.

Programs for fuel assistance already provided a safety net for the poorest of the poor, but “we thought people who were falling through the cracks would need help, too,” Pillsbury said.

That first year, with the help of a jamboree at the local VFW, the Windham County Heat

Fund earned about $10,000, Pillsbury said.

Since then, the fund, which has recently incorporated as a federally recognized tax-exempt nonprofit, has raised almost $150,000 with the help of 4,000 donors and several foundations.

“We give every dollar back,” Pillsbury said, noting that he and Davis spend about $400 a season out of their own pockets.

“We don’t care,” he said.

“This is a classic case of two people who just want to help out.”

Hard to ask

Approximately 350 families last year received help from the fund, Pillsbury said — people in need.

“The real tear jerkers are the calls that come in the middle of the night,” he said.

One elderly woman in Jacksonville was buying kerosene five gallons at a time and lugging it in a bucket back to her trailer.

The breadwinner of a family n SEE HEAT FUND, PAGE 4

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Saturday, Oct. 9

9 a.m.-12 Noon Baked beans and potato salad too!

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Sat., Sun. & Mon.

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Concession stand ~ Southern BBQ ~

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Serving breakfast, lunch & dinner every day.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Dummerston Center Fire Station Sunday, Oct. 10, 7-11:30 $8; $4 child Benefit W. Dummerston Volunteer Fire Dept.

CAPITOL STEPS Sat., Oct 16 at 7:30 pm

Latchis Theatre, Brattleboro, VT A sassy, musical political satire to benefit programs of Windham Housing Trust.

6 pm: “Comfort Food by Men Who Cook” Seating $25-$42

bhall@windhamhousingtrust.org

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Saturday, October 9 7:30pm

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w/ Russell Kaback

Vaudevillian ragtimejugband-blues-hillbillyswing stringband

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15 Kimball Hill, Putney Tickets & info: 802-254-9276 www.twilightmusic.org

Visit www.windhamchildcare.org for details. No phone calls please.

It’s time to exercise inside!

TAG YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

COLONIAL MOTEL & SPA Indoor 75’ lap pool Outdoor hot tub Saunas and steam rooms Water aerobics both a.m. & p.m.

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30th Annual ~ 12 noon to 4 p.m.

Oct. 9-10; 16-17; 23-24 5 Varieties of trees

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ELYSIAN HILLS TREE FARM “KNOWN FOR THE BEST TREES” Dummerston ~ 802-257-0233 Follow signs on Rte. 5 OR from Dumm. Ctr.

NEWS

2

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

BR AT TLEBORO

139 Main St. #604, P.O. Box 1212 Brattleboro, VT 05302 (802) 246-6397 fax (802) 246-1319 www.commonsnews.org Office hours by appointment 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday Jeff Potter, Editor

THE COMMONS

Going downtown

Betsy Jaffe, Manager

• Randolph T. Holhut, News Editor Olga Peters, Staff Reporter • David Shaw, Photographer • Nancy Gauthier, Advertising Manager Nancy Roberts, Advertising Sales Adrian Newkirk, Ad Composition • Cal Glover-Wessel, Distribution Deadline for the Oct. 13 issue Friday, Oct. 8 ABOUT THE NEWSPAPER

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by Vermont Independent Media, Inc., a nonprofit corporation under section 501(c)3 of the federal tax code. We now publish weekly.

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The Commons presents a broad range of essays, memoirs, and other subjective material in Voices, our editorial and commentary section. We want the paper to provide an unpredictable variety of food for thought from all points on the political spectrum.

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Building a Better Brattleboro looks back, ahead at annual meeting

By Olga Peters The Commons

BRATTLEBORO—Building a Better Brattleboro, the organization designed to support the economic, cultural and residential environment of downtown, hosted its annual membership meeting at the River Garden on Sept. 30.

“This one [meeting] felt particularly good,” said BaBB Executive Director Andrea Livermore.

Over the past year, BaBB’s downtown designation from the state earned town businesses $230,167 in benefits, said Livermore. Two property owners received tax credits totaling $180,567 to help with updating safety features. Also, $47,000 in Downtown Transportation Funds came to town through the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation, and a free business training for members brought $2,100 in benefits.

According to one audience member, the $230,167 represented a 300 percent return on the downtown businesses’ contribution.

Livermore and members serving on various committees highlighted BaBB’s successes over the past year.

Livermore said she appreciated the numerous partnerships forged over the years with the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce and the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, and she complemented Lane Construction for making the Main Street reconstruction project easy on local businesses.

She also pointed to the poster sponsored by the museum hanging in the River Garden’s portico listing the month’s activities.

“We love the One and Only Brattleboro [brand],” she said.

“For a small community, there’s a huge amount of quality stuff happening here.”

Bob Stevens, head of the design projects committee, said the committee has applied for grants, and the town will see improvements to the sidewalks downtown once Lane completes repaving Main Street.

The committee is in the process of applying for grant monies to provide wayfinding signs — signs to direct visitors to parking and other destinations — and bike racks.

The Agency of Natural Resources has also approached BaBB about providing funds to

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improve stormwater treatment website. facilities downtown.

Bob Prohaska, of the River Garden committee, said the goal Branding is to make the River Garden a and business source of revenue, or at least matchmaking revenue neutral. There is more Dan Yates, president and work to do, he said, but this year, CEO of Brattleboro Savings & money from rentals increased by Loan, discussed two projects 141 percent over last year. in the hands of the Economic Restructuring Committee.

Strengths and The first, a marketing and weaknesses branding assessment conducted Livermore and BaBB board

by Arnett Muldrow & Associates, president Gail Nunziata, manwill take place later this fall. aging director of the Brattleboro Representatives from Arnett Arts Initiative, guided memMuldrow will visit town Oct. 12 bers through a brief exercise for a meeting. listing the town’s strengths and “It’s critical we get a wide vari- weaknesses. ety of people participating. This On the strengths side, memis about getting businesses to bers listed Brattleboro’s national come [to Brattleboro] and get- recognition, a courageous retail ting people to come,” Yates said. center, historical buildings, good The committee also plans to mix of indoor and outdoor activicomplete a database that will ties, an active and loved downtrack the rental status of down- town, its proximity to Interstate town properties to help potential 91 and the people. tenants find landlords.

For challenges, members Yates shared a story from a re- listed lack of cell phone and cent trip to Silver City, N.M., an broadband Internet coverage, a “arts town” with a monthly gal- need to attract and maintain a lery walk and downtown busi- younger population, a need for ness program comparable in size better quality jobs and wages, to Brattleboro. It also has a Main the potential economic impact Street with one out of four store- of Vermont Yankee’s closure, fronts vacant. opportunities to buy what peo“It helped put things in ple want elsewhere — such as perspective of how great Keene, N.H., and not enough Brattleboro’s downtown is,” feet on the street to support busisaid Yates. nesses adequately.

Peter Johnson, economic reMembers also recognized restructuring committee member tiring BaBB officers and directors and owner of Emerson’s furni- Peter Blackmore, Peter Richards ture store, talked about BaBB’s and Don Webster. continuing work on Elliot Street.

Prohaska, Grotke and Sean “We’ve noticed serious Conley were elected to the Board changes. This summer was much of Directors. more pleasant,” he said.

Yates received the Larry L. But, he cautioned, merchants Cooke Memorial Service Award. are seeing some troubling behav- He received a standing ovation ior return, and they expect to from the membership. see more as the police presence After the meeting, Livermore eventually dwindles. He said the said BaBB is looking to increase restructuring committee is work- its membership. ing on budgets for items they can Downtown property owners take action on. automatically receive memberChristopher Grotke, of the ship in the organization, but she promotions committee, said the hopes other people become incommittee has not spent money volved, such as tenant businesses on promotions lately, opting in- and downtown residents. stead for research and strategy Residents have a “huge stake” building. in downtown, she said.

“We don’t want to spend “They would do well to get money without knowledge,” more active, and we’d love to he said. have them,” she said.

In the meantime, the comIn conversations with business mittee is working toward an ad owners, said Livermore, it is clear campaign. the old patterns of business are BaBB has also increased its changing. Weeks once busy see use of electronic media with no customers, while traditione-mail announcements and ally slow weeks can have wallelectronic postcards to people to-wall people. making enquiries to the BaBB “We’re [Brattleboro] staying afloat. We have a lot, but we need more,” said Livermore.

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Delicious Artisan Breads, Cakes & Pastries Gourmet Coffee, Daily Lunch Specials Enjoy the River View from our Café

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DISTRIBUTION

The Commons distributes 5,000 copies per issue to almost every Windham County town weekly. Get in touch if you would like us to consider adding your business.

Introduction to Braille class 0ffered in Brattleboro, Whitingham BRATTLEBORO — A free three-session class to introduce the Braille code will be offered in Brattleboro and Whitingham from October through December.

This class is designed for parents, family, educators, and friends of Braille readers, or those who are just curious and is funded by a grant from the Vermont Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Participants will experience using their other senses using blindfolds or low-vision simulators as well as a chance to read and write Braille. They will receive several free books, Braille playing cards, a slate and stylus, and other materials.

The classes will take place in Whitingham at the Whitingham Elementary School on Route 100 and Brooks Memorial Library on Main Street in Brattleboro. The

BRATTLEBORO — On Tuesday, Oct. 12, Brooks Memorial Library will present a program called “The Affordable Health Care Act & You.” The program is part of the Fall 2010 Wellness in Windham County series put together by Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, the Brattleboro Retreat, Grace Cottage Hospital, Brooks Memorial Library and Brattleboro Area Hospice.

The program will feature a panel made up of representatives from Vermont’s Congressional delegation who will present information on the practical impact of health care reform for individuals, families, and small businesses. Participating in this event are Susan Elliot, community liaison for Congressman Peter Welch; David Reynolds,

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To create a forum for community participation through publication of The Commons and Commonsnews.org; to promote local, independent journalism in Windham County; and to promote civic engagement by building media skills among Windham County residents through the Media Mentoring Project.

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senior health policy advisor for Sen. Bernie Sanders; and John Tracy, advisor in the office of Sen. Patrick Leahy. Prudence MacKinney will serve as moderator of the panel, which has presented this program in numerous venues.

These members of our Vermont representatives’ offices will explain important features of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and will answer questions about health care reform and how this new legislation is likely to affect Vermonters.

The program will be held in the Library Meeting Room at 224 Main St., and is free and open to all. For more information, contact the Library reference desk at 802-254-5290, ext. 109.

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Despite our similar name, The Com­ mons is not affiliated with Vermont Commons, a statewide journal that is strongly linked with a movement advocating Vermont’s secession from the United States.

dates for the Whitingham classes are Thursdays, 4-5 p.m.: Oct. 7, 14, and 21. The Brattleboro class will meet on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 on Oct. 28, Nov. 18, and Dec. 2.

Braille is a code developed by Frenchman Louis Braille in the 1700s using six dots to express each letter of the alphabet. The Braille code gives children and adults with visual impairments the ability to read and write.

Ninety percent of legally blind children don’t have access to Braille. Those who are learning Braille benefit immensely when family and friends understand the code and can read, at least by sight, and write Braille. In addition, knowing something about Braille will help you to understand more about living with visual impairment.

For more information or to register, contact Melinda Underwood at 802-254-8761 or munderwood@vabvi.org.

Brooks Library to host health care reform panel

Builders LLC

SINCE SOME HAVE ASKED LATELY...

Barbara S. Evans, Barry Aleshnick, Alan O. Dann, Dan DeWalt, Peter Seares, Bob Rottenberg, Curtiss Reed Jr. ————— Without our volunteers, this newspaper would exist only in our imaginations.

Special thanks to: Distribution coordinator: Barry Aleshnick Editorial support: Joyce Marcel, David Shaw Special projects development: Allison Teague, Olga Peters Operations support: Simi Berman, Chris Wesolowski, Diana Bingham, Jim Maxwell, Bill Pearson, Andi Waisman, Doug Grob, Dan DeWalt, Tim Chock, Barbara Walsh, Menda Waters, Mamadou Cisse

Anyone wishing to become a member may contact BaBB at babb@sover.net or 802-257-4886 or stopping into the office in the River Garden. Property owners within the Downtown Improvement District (DID) are automatically enrolled, although Livermore said this year the organization asked for an additional $50 for promotional projects.

The fee for downtown businesses for one-year membership is $100 ($50 yearly membership fee, plus a $50 contribution to promotional campaigns). For downtown residents, it’s $25 for a year. Residents with a Section 8 voucher pay only $10.

OLGA PETERS/THE COMMONS

Dan Yates, president and CEO of Brattleboro Savings & Loan, was honored as Building a Better Brattleboro’s Larry L. Cooke Memorial Service Award at BaBB’s annual member meeting last Thursday.

Builders LLC

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Jonathan Morse h. 802.254.5791 c. 802.258.0902 morse@sover.net

THE COMMONS

NEWS

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

n Charter “We pretty much worked things through until we saw the strongest piece,” said Agave.

Brattleboro’s original charter from 1753 pre-dated Vermont and was part of the New Hampshire Charter. In 1853, Brattleboro established the first charter in the state. Its next overhaul came in 1927 and Brattleboro and West Brattleboro were merged into one town. 1959 saw the next revamp to include authorization for the Representative Town Meeting-form of governance, and received its most recent update in 1984.

Under Vermont statue, towns can choose to have a charter or not, but the state requires towns with charters to give them a spring cleaning every 15 years.

Better access to state and federal funds is one benefit to having a town charter.

Making increases

The first two proposed changes, increasing the Selectboard from five to seven members and eliminating the one-year term, solicited numerous questions from the audience and Selectboard members in attendance.

According to commission member Larry Bloch, the commission’s reasoning was to distribute an increasing workload between more people, increase the diversity and participation of the board, enlarge institutional memory, even out board turnover and reduce the likelihood of single-issue candidates.

“We cannot legislate diversity. We can’t legislate participation. We can’t legislate what you want to implement,” Selectboard Chair Dick DeGray said.

In a memorandum to the commission, Town Manager Barbara Sondag highlighted the facts that competition for Selectboard seats “has not been great in the past 10 years” and it “increases the line item for board salaries and expenses.”

Commissioner Harold Dompier, a former Selectboard member, said not all the commissioners agreed with expanding the Selectboard.

“There are some serious questions we need to answer regarding this particular question,” said Dompier.

“It’s [the charter] an experiment. Living democracy that is constantly changing. Nothing is cast into stone. We have the tools in the charter to change things back,” said Bloch.

Selectboard member Martha O’Connor asked why similar changes to the Selectboard were not also suggested for the School Board. The commission members said they would look into it.

FROM PAGE 1

current language has been “cut off at the legs at the result of legal maneuvering.”

The new language, explained Bloch clarifies the pathways of advisory initiatives, binding initiatives and referendums from petition to vote. It also allows for referendums on any action taken during Representative Town Meeting.

The meaning of “any action” in the charter lead to the recent debate over the contested pay-asyou-throw referendum petition brought before the Selectboard

by Moss Kahler.

Regarding advisory initiatives, Sondag wrote in her memorandum to the commission, “Allowing petitions on items that are not town business is a waste of Town resources both financial and human. The Bush-Cheney article several years ago resulted in staff spending many hours reviewing e-mails and correspondence from around the country.

Due to safety concerns, extra staff was hired on election day.”

DeGray said he partially agreed with the changes but described the revisions as “usurping” the Selectboard’s authority and said he thought the 5 percent of voters’ signatures required to validate the petition should be raised.

He added that past petitions like the Bush-Cheney question were accompanied by bomb threats and that other petitions have made Brattleboro the butt of political jokes on TV. “The citizens usurp the board?

The board usurped the people’s authority,” said Bloch.

He added that the pathways set up in the charter only require the Selectboard to warn the article and the vote but the voters take action on the question.

Dudman said 500 Town Meeting Representatives versus five Selectboard members was a far clearer expression of the town.

Town Meeting Representative Fric Spruyt said the Selectboard served at the pleasure of the voters.

“Of course democracy is messy. I think that’s part of the beauty of democracy,” Spruyt said.

Dompier said he took a different position to the rest of the commission and referenced a book about California politics called Democracy Derailed: Initiative Campaigns and the Power of Money.

“Unintended consequences can turn out to be a terrible scourge in the community. I think that’s a terrible thing,” he said.

Bloch said it seemed everyone was a little bit afraid of democracy’s messiness.

“We’re the people who have to figure it all out at the end of the day,” answered Sondag.

Town Meeting Representative Moss Kahler said, “I have full trust in the citizens and voters in this town that they’ll make a reasonable and intelligent decision [on petitions and votes].”

Other changes

The meetings also covered re-organizing the town clerk and town treasurer, usually autonomous departments, under the town manager and making them department heads. They discussed clarifications to the town manager’s job description and establishing a Department of Assessment in order to ensure the people who assess property values are not the same people hearing owners’ grievances.

On the second night, members discussed the commission’s changes to the charter’s preamble. The commissioners attempted to clarify the charter’s purpose and help citizens understand its importance by adding, “encouraging public service and charity among all its residents.”

This addition met with many questions, namely “how do you legislate volunteerism?”

According to Bloch, the commission has taken steps to link the charter and Town Plan. By linking the “visionary” town plan to the “shall” charter, the commission hopes to raise the status of the town plan in the people’s consciousness.

“If the plan is more in the consciousness of the citizens perhaps more citizens will hold their elected officials feet to the fire,” said Bloch.

Also touched on, requiring write-in candidates to declare to the town clerk one hour before the close of polls to help insure accuracy of votes and decrease the workload on the poll workers.

To read the proposed changes in full visit www.brattleboro.org, and click on the the town charter box in the center of the home page.

Another public meeting will be scheduled for early 2011.

Powers of the People

A heated question and answer session broke out when the meeting reached the proposed changes for Chapter 3 of the charter, “Powers of the People.”

In his preamble to the questions and answer, Bloch said Chapter 3 represented a necessary part of government checks and balances reflected in the charter.

But, he said, recent court rulings had “trumped” the local charter’s authority and the commission sought to re-establish this power.

“It is the feeling of the commission that over the years there’s been a bit of an erosion of these powers [of the people],” he said adding the charter’s

BELLOWS FALLS n Gangs “He told us he was a member of a gang in New York but we could find no evidence of that when we did a background check.”

“He was more of a ‘wannabe’ and came up here looking for something different. When he didn’t find it and couldn’t get anything going here, he went back,” Lake continued. He described the man as “practically homeless” and while he wasn’t a gang member, he was arrested for vagrancy and vandalism.

Lake said he understands that citizens can be fearful of anyone they don’t know, or someone who looks different from that which they are used to, but he is reassuring that the town is too small and the police presence too prevalent for anything to go on here without his knowledge, let alone gang activity.

“We’re very fortunate that way,” he said

The look that alarms

Many young people, especially males, in the past decade or so, have adopted what is called a “gangsta” style of dress — the low-riding loose-fitting pants based on the ill-fitting clothes issued in prison. Gang members copied the style as a statement, not very different from “hippie” clothes in the 1960s — albeit from very different perspectives.

Prison tattoos became a status symbol on the inner city streets and morphed into what is now called ‘body art’ which includes excessive body piercing. This has widened the generation gap, playing on fears based on association with how someone is dressed, tattoos or body piercing.

The assumption that “if someone is dressed like a gangsta — they must be a gangsta” is often erroneous in today’s Gen-Y fashion world, where young boys to men in their early 30s affect the gangsta clothing style. Bellows Falls and other Vermont communities are not exempt from this trend.

FROM PAGE 1

The truth is closer to a style of clothes than that the person sporting droopy drawers that shows underwear, tattoos or body piercing, is a gang member, at least in Bellows Falls, Lake said.

“If you stop and talk to any of these kids, you’d be surprised,” Lake said. “I talk to them. My officers talk to them. They’re not gang members.”

Lake advocates educating someone before he resorts to an arrest for a violation.

He said that an officer seen talking to residents on the street — whether a young citizen who follows the style of his generation or a woman walking a dog — is “good for everyone involved.”

“It lets people know who we are, and lets people see us out in their community and so we are familiar to them,” he explained.

“If we need to tell someone they are doing something wrong, we’ll do that first,” Lake said.

“Then if it comes to an arrest, they’ll know and have made the choice.”

Lake said the visible police presence on foot and in cruisers in a village the size of Bellows Falls should reassure people that he knows exactly what’s happening in his village. Between neighborhood watches that have been established, people’s willingness to report suspicious activity, and most residents knowing one another, little goes unnoticed, he said.

Drug issues exist in the Village, but they are of the homegrown variety, he noted.

“We’ve put a big dent [in that issue] in the past year with the drug initiative [begun a year ago],” Lake said.

As in the rest of the nation, the biggest drug problem exists around narcotics and opiates purchased legally at a pharmacy, then sold on the street.

“The medicine cabinet isn’t usually locked,” Lake told The Commons last year.

Lake refused to talk about

ongoing drug investigations but acknowledged his officers are working on several. While coverage has not decreased in the village, investigations take a little longer now as a result of cutbacks in overtime.

But “if I need the overtime, my boss [the town manager] okays it,” Lake said. “The safety of our residents is our first priority. That will never change, and we will do what it takes to keep it that way.”

‘Digestion for Health’ program at RFPL BELLOWS FALLS — It is said that digestion is the foundation of health. On Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m., come to the Rockingham Free Public Library to find out more about this basic health topic. This free presentation is part of RFPL’s series “Feel Great! Nutrition and Your Health” with educator Cindy Hebbard, and sponsored by Post Oil Solutions.

Digestion equates to good health and vitality, while bad digestion sets us up for chronic poor health. We may think that digestive issues are just nagging little problems, but they can be warning signs of more serious health issues. These signals may indicate nutrient deficiency, lack of assimilation, dehydration, poor elimination of toxins-- all of which can burden our body’s organs and systems, making them more susceptible to disease.

Learn to choose and use herbs and nutritional supplements for many digestive disorders including acid reflux, ulcers, stomach ailments, IBS, constipation, gas, bloating and bowel disease. Space is limited, so register by calling the library at 802-463-4270.

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Majority rules?

Another proposed charter change to garner numerous questions involved clarifying the procedure regarding potential conflicts of interest.

If approved, the charter would forbid board or committee members participating in discussions when a conflict of interest existed. The new procedure would have board members pointing out who had a conflict of interest and then voting on whether the member with the conflict would be allowed to participate in discussions.

DeGray said state statute understands that conflicts of interest “effects everyone equally.”

Sondag pointed out that the new procedure contradicts Robert’s Rules of Order.

Bouboulis said she didn’t think the change achieved what the commission hoped. “[The vote] still allows for a majority. It still allows for the corruption to rule,” she said.

Commission member Richard Dudman said, “You just gave another argument for expanding the board – less possibility of a cabal to take control of the town.”

Commission member Orion Barber said by voting, the board or committees takes public the conflict of interest discussion, making it part of a public record and increasing transparency.

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NEWS

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n Heat fund lost a job, and this “big family, full of kids” didn’t want to ask for help. A neighbor alerted Pillsbury and Davis to their plight.

“It’s hard for some folks to ask,” he said. “But it’s not just going outside and it being a little bit chilly.”

In the bitter cold Windham County winter months, Pillsbury said, they have provided funds to young people with babies living with no heat.

And with many houses heating their hot water with fuel oil or kerosene, the need is not entirely seasonal.

After a summer of water heating, “some people are running out of fuel now, just as it’s getting to be the cold time of year,” Pillsbury said.

Pillsbury said the fund will need extra support this season because the Thompson Trust, which had provided funding for several seasons, has declined to do so again this year.

The trust, a charitable foundation that distributes income from the fortune of 19th-century philanthropist and art dealer Thomas Thompson, has a policy of not funding charities continuously, “in order to permit other worthy organizations an opportunity to benefit from the limited resources at the

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THE COMMONS

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FROM PAGE 1

Trust’s disposal,” according to its website.

That means a setback of $4,000 to $8,000, Pillsbury said. Right now, the fund is low — to the extent where Pillsbury has made personal appeals to longtime donors to keep cash on hand.

But earlier this year, the fund raised $10,000 from The Marina’s sixth annual Plunge for Charity.

“Deirdre Baker — what she did with that was amazing,” Pillsbury said of one of the organizers of the event sponsored by the restaurant, which is rebuilding from a fire that destroyed it only weeks after the fundraiser.

That money has gone to prepay for fuel at lower per-gallon costs, he said.

Pillsbury said the fund has established good relationships and trust with local fuel companies, including Barrows and Fisher, Merrill Gas, and Cota and Cota. But “far and away,” Fleming Oil has provided “very big donations” to the program, Pillsbury said.

“When we were starting with nothing but a passion to help people, Rick Fleming gave us a line of credit,” Pillsbury said.

“He didn’t have to do that.

‘A godsend’

The people receiving help from the Windham County Heat Fund run the gamut from the working poor to those in unusual

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life circumstances. The one common factor? They have no fuel and no money to get a delivery.

“We provide emergency relief only,” Pillsbury said. “We provide 150 gallons of fuel, one time a year per family.”

Pillsbury said that when he and Davis take calls from people in need, they find some qualify for other fuel assistance programs. The heat fund works closely with Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), a nonprofit resource for anti-poverty that helps people transcend their hardships and circumstances.

“It’s been a godsend for us,” said Pat Burke, family services director for the agency, who supervises several state programs, which in turn receive federal funding.

The state’s supplemental fuel program provides funding that SEVCA can disburse to eligible families to buy less than 125 gallons of fuel oil, and the state seasonal fuel program provides funds directly to fuel dealers on behalf of families who qualify for long-term aid.

These programs won’t begin until November, and they’re eligibility programs, Burke said.

“We’re going to screen people.”

For example, as criteria stand now, households of two people with monthly income of less than $2,430 “may be eligible for crisis fuel and seasonal fuel” through the two respective programs, she noted.

That will likely change, with a federal budget for the program still up in the air and with changing criteria for the program itself, said SEVCA Director of Planning and Development Lisa Clarke. One likely outcome: more people will likely become eligible for less money for the entire program.

Clarke urges people who think they might be in need to make an appointment with the family

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

JEFF POTTER/THE COMMONS

Local activist Kurt Daims takes the microphone during an Oct. 2 rally following a march for peace that took dozens of participants on a walk through downtown Brattleboro to the Wells Fountain on Main Street. services department.

“Part of our job is service coordination,” she said. “We help people walk through a minefield of different funds. It’s challenging, and not everyone is eligible for these particular programs.”

The difference with Windham County Heat Fund? “Me and Richard do this,” Pillsbury said.

“We just need to know their stories.”

The formal application is simple, and the two founders have huge discretion to extend help to people who can adequately demonstrate that they simply can’t afford to stay warm.

Though both men have their hands in politics — Pillsbury now serves on the Brattleboro Selectboard and Davis has thrown his hat in the ring in the race for state representative for Guilford and Vernon — Pillsbury said the fund has always transcended any partisanship or ideals.

“For me, it’s all about helping people,” he said. “This is the best thing I do in my life.”

If you have a crisis with fuel oil, contact Daryl Pillsbury at 802-2544285 or Richard Davis at 802-2542240. To make an appointment JEFF POTTER/THE COMMONS with SEVCA, call 800-464-9951.

Tax-deductible donations to the A participant in the peace march stands head and Windham County Heat Fund may shoulders above the rest of the crowd. Her sign: be sent to 679 Weatherhead Hollow “Stand tall for peace.”

Rd., Guilford, VT 05301, or donations can be deposited at any branch of Brattleboro Savings & Loan.

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THE COMMONS

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Post Oil Solutions hosts lactofermentation workshop SAXTONS RIVER— Continuing with its theme of eating out of our gardens 12 months of the year, Post Oil Solutions will conclude its fall series of (Re) learning to Feed Ourselves workshops of teaching various ways to to preserve and put food by with its annual lacto-fermentation workshop.

This event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 1 p.m., at Christ’s Church on Main Street.

The fee is a $10/$70 sliding scale, with no one refused for lack of funds. They request, however, that people be as generous as possible to help support Post Oil’s projects. Pre-registration and payment are required: call 877-886-7397. Payment at the door is $20, firm, and only if there is room. For this workshop, they will have no more than 15 participants.

Lacto-fermentation happens when the starches and sugars in vegetables and fruit convert to lactic acid by friendly lacticacid producing bacteria. Using seasonably available produce, participants will prepare some vegetables to take home and ferment. Participants will also leave with some simple recipes.

Cabbage, salt and canning jars will be provided. Vermont’s Local Banquet publishers, Meg Lucas and Barbi Schreiber, will conduct the workshop.

‘Listening to Your Business’ workshop in Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO — Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) with sponsorship provided by TD Charitable Foundation, in partnership with Building a Better Brattleboro, is presenting a dynamic half-day workshop “Listening To Your Business” for business owners, managers and key employees on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 6 to 10 p.m., at TD Bank Conference Room at 215 Main St. The workshop will help participants evaluate and measure personal as well as business strategies. It will guide you in answering the question, “What do I really want from my business and how do I get it?” Learn how to assess, plan and manage your business to achieve your long-range vision. The workshop highlights the four steps necessary to maximize the growth and profitability of your business, through hands-on activities and facilitated interactive discussions.

If you are a downtown business owner, this course is offered at no cost. Other interested business owners, managers and key employees may attend for a special reduced price of $125.

To register, contact Heather Gonyaw at hgonyaw@vtsbdc.org or call 800-639-5861.

[

NEWS

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WhAT $5 BuYS

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or most of us, $5 will put a little bit of gas in the car or get you a sandwich for lunch. It will buy a cup of coffee or two or a few lottery tickets. It might be lying around the floorboards of your car, or it might be caught in the lint trap of the dryer.

It will also buy you a month’s membership in Vermont Independent Media (when you join online at donate.commonsnews.org).

Only you can decide whether you can afford this expense. The last thing we want to do is take food out of your mouth or gas from your car.

But if you value what we’re working to bring to you every week in the pages of The Commons, we hope you’ll consider joining the fast-growing VIM membership.

What does that buy you?

As we’ve mentioned before

in these ads, it buys you a free newspaper in the mail — a tough sell, to be sure.

But it buys you so much more.

VIM membership supports our other programs: the Media Mentoring Project, which lets professional journalists share their knowledge and skills with interested people in the community, making them better writers and more critical readers.

It also supports our work to support teachers throughout the county who work with their students to create school newspapers.

And, of course, it supports this newspaper, helping us pay our staff, train our reporters, get deeper into the community.

Your membership also makes this newspaper available to all, regardless of means — a price anyone can afford, for a newspaper everyone should read, think about, learn from, and enjoy.

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THE COMMONS

VOICES

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

OPINION • COMMENTARY • LETTERS Join the discussion: voices@commonsnews.org

E S S AY

A room of her own For one young woman, a chance for stability, privacy, and a home Brattleboro LASSE J. SCHMIDT works as case manager and coordinator of the runaway program at Youth ran away, my parents told me to come Services. back,” Sarah said.

“But it didn’t take me long to realize that nothing had where I can lock the door and, changed. They still didn’t care you know, just be myself,” she about me. Three months later, told me.

I ran away again.”

For Sarah, privacy was an “I left them a piece of paper unknown. Growing up, she with a phone number so they had never had her own room, could get hold of me, but they always sharing with her older never called. Not once in four siblings. The last three years years,” the 20-year-old young before running away, she had woman added. been a full-time nanny for her It was my first meeting with baby sister, feeling abused and Sarah, and I was trying to get a unappreciated. clear understanding of her situSince running away, she had ation. Why was she here? What been a spectator to other peowas she looking for? ple’s family life, sleeping on She had walked in from the a mattress on the floor in her street one day last week and friends’ rooms, at the mercy of asked for help finding a place their parents: four years withto stay. She was couch-surfing, out ever being at ease, without she explained at the front desk, ever feeling at home. and had been told by the family Officially, the type of work I she was staying with at the mo- do is called case management. ment that she needed to be out I like to call it life coaching. in a couple of weeks.

Basically, it’s about helping “I would like my own place, youth figure out what they

T

HE FIRST TIME I

EDITORIAL

Learning from the Woodward case

T

he debate over the appropriate use of force by police has raged in Brattleboro ever since Robert A. “Woody” Woodward was fatally shot on the morning of Dec. 2, 2001 at All Souls Church.

Accounts of what happened that morning varied widely.

According to police, Woodward refused to comply with the police requests to drop the knife he was holding. When he advanced toward the police with the knife in his hand, Brattleboro Police Officers Terrance Parker and Marshall Holbrook shot him seven times as he continued his forward movement.

According to some witnesses, Woodward posed no danger to the group of parishioners who were seated by the altar consoling him.

They said police made no attempt to negotiate with Woodward or use non-lethal methods to disable him.

No criminal charges were filed, and the Vermont Attorney General’s office exonerated Parker and Holbrook in 2002.

But the incident, and public pressure afterward, prompted the police to reexamine its policies and consider less-than-lethal ways to deal with aggressive suspects.

The Woodward case immediately came to mind last week when similar incident happened in Brattleboro.

According to Vermont State Police, Brendan Houston, a 19-year-old Montpelier man with a history of mental illness and criminal behavior, threatened Brattleboro Police officer Amy Hamilton with a knife on the lawn of the Municipal Center.

Hamilton, who only recently joined the force, used her Taser on Houston.

When he continued to threaten her and refused to drop the knife, Hamilton shot Houston in his left

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Information: www.highlowproject.org.

However, the school year had just started, and the weather was still warm. He planned to spend his savings fixing up the car and then sleep in it.

THROUGH MY short time as a case manager for homeless Another client, a young feyouth, I had heard several sto- male seven months pregnant, ries similar to Sarah’s. had been couch-surfing with a My first client, four months neverending list of friends for earlier, was abandoned by his the last 18 months, staying with parents at the age of 14. By the each somewhere between two time I got to know him, he had and three months on average. lived with various friends’ famiShe had run away from her lies for three years. Now, as a mother and stepfather, who high school senior, he had been were very strict, and she never told by the mother where he wanted to return. She hadn’t was staying that he needed to seen or heard from her fafind another place. He came to ther since that court hearus because he had no one else ing six years ago where he was to turn to. charged with sexually abusing He worked 20 hours a week her for a prolonged period of and had an old, beat-up car time. that was no longer drivable.

USUALLY, WHEN meeting a homeless youth the first time, there is one moment in our conversation that stands out for me.

This moment doesn’t have to be something that seems especially significant to my clients. Often, it is just one painful sentence among many.

But for me, it shapes how I see and understand them, and it sticks with me for a long time.

With Sarah, that moment came when I realized that she had lost not just her biological family, but also her family of choice.

“The first two years, I lived with my best friend and her family,” she said. “I would never have graduated from high school had it not been for her mother.”

But then, “we got into a want to accomplish and actively supporting them in the process of getting there.

fight over her boyfriend, and she told me to leave. I haven’t talked to her since,” said Sarah.

Since graduating two years ago, Sarah’s life had been at a standstill. She had held no job and had no real hobbies.

“I’m a gamer,” she said.

I looked puzzled.

“I play video games,” she explained.

EVEN THOUGH Sarah’s goal was independent living, we quickly realized that we needed to start somewhere else. She needed a job.

With no income whatsoever, it’s hard to afford a place of your own. With help from another agency, she soon started working part time as a dishwasher.

Shortly thereafter, Sarah and I went to look at a shared living arrangement — a so-called single-room occupancy, or SRO — where she would have her own room (with a door she could lock), her own fridge and cupboard (also with locks), and shared kitchen, dining room, and living room with eight other tenants.

For Sarah, the prospect of getting her own place was so exciting that she saved up the $800 needed for first month’s rent and security deposit in just two months. I have funds available to help qualified youth pay up to two-thirds of these start-up costs when moving into their first place, but Sarah wasn’t interested. Despite parttime and minimum wage, she wanted to do it on her own.

“I would love a Subway

sandwich,” Sarah would say to me at almost every meeting during those two months. “But I need to save up my money.”

And so she did. In that short time, she spent no unnecessary money, and every other week she would cash her paycheck and go to the landlord to pay off a bit more of the startup costs. I had already promised her that when she was moved in, our agency would help her access a rent stipend of $100 a month. That would cover onethird of her rent.

THEN ONE DAY, 3½ months after our first meeting, Sarah and I sat, staring at the Connecticut River, eating Subway sandwiches. We were celebrating.

It was a sunny day in early spring, and Sarah had just moved into her own place.

“It’s strange, having my own place. It’s nice and kind of lonely at the same time. But I think I can get used to it,” Sarah said with a smile and took another bite.

It has been four months now, and Sarah and I have been meeting at least once a week. And, let me tell you, it has not been all been just a picnic for her.

She lost her job two months ago and has been struggling paying her rent since then.

Had it not been for the active support from Youth Services, she would have lost her home also and been back to couchsurfing. n

LETTERS FROM READERS DIGITALDOORWAY.BLOGSPOT.COM

Robert “Woody” Woodward, whose controversial death in 2002 yielded lawsuits and new police protocols. hand. A second officer, John Frechette, used his Taser to successfully subdue and arrest Houston.

Reading the accounts of this incident, one can see that the Brattleboro Police is more mindful than ever about how force is used and is more diligent about training its personnel.

Brattleboro Police have had Tasers since 2002.

Taser is a brand name for a weapon that, according to the company’s website, www.taser.com, transmits “controlled pulses of electricity” of up to 50,000 volts that “affect the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system and cause incapacitation.”

More than 14,000 law enforcement agencies use the devices, the company says.

Supporters of the socalled “stun guns” say that these weapons can reduce injuries to officers and suspects and that the mere threat of their use can help de-escalate a tense situation.

But while they are marketed as “less lethal” weapons by the company, Taser opponents say hundreds of individuals in the United States have died or suffered permanent physical damage after Taser use.

The key to Tasers being a successful law enforcement tool is training and clear guidelines on when

Who really cares about the company you work for if it can’t tell the truth?

O

VERMONT STATE POLICE

Brendan Houston, 19, of Montpelier — shot, but not fatally, on Sept.

28 by Brattleboro Police Officer Amy Hamilton. and how to use them.

A 2007 incident, when Brattleboro Police used Tasers on two nonviolent protesters during their arrest for trespassing, led to a lawsuit and the formulation by Brattleboro Police of clear policies on Taser use.

By all accounts, what happened on Sept. 28 was a textbook example of when and where the use of a Taser is necessary, and how to react in the rare instance that a Taser doesn’t work.

A young police officer just out of the police academy was able to coolly defend herself, and do so without threatening the safety of the public or inflicting serious bodily harm on the alleged assailant.

That shows that the Brattleboro Police has learned a great deal from its past missteps.

n the letter “The company I work for” [The Commons, Sept. 29]: err, arrgghh! Was it really written by a person or by a PR team?

Electricity that you and your company make is not emissions free. I believe the Vermont Attorney General ruled that your company stop declaring such nonsense.

Issues I have with your letter, Manu Sivaraman, include your reference to “low-cost electricity.” Your company has not yet offered the state a power deal for after March 21, 2012. The only reason the state has had affordable power until 2012 is due to the pay-to-play deal Entergy and the Department of Public Service made at the Public Service Board level on June 13, 2002. Whatever deal Entergy offered back in the end of 2009 was not cheap, or not as cheap as the power secured in the Hydro-Quèbec contingency plan deal.

Entergy lawyers have stated under oath to the Public Service Board that the workers at VY range from 450 to 650 workers, not including the contract workers.

The $400,000 in donations you refer to from you and Entergy pales in comparison to the contributions the old state-owned Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. used to make.

You attempted to spin yourselves as problem solvers, not as the problem. Radioisotopes in the public groundwater beneath the reactor are a problem. Pipes corroding from the inside out are a problem. Slow reaction to repair

radiation from leaking pipes is a problem.

The NRC has agreed that it makes no distinction between the buried and underground pipes. This reminds me that Entergy trying to differentiate between buried and underground to the Public Service Board is an example of Entergy as problem, not a problem solver.

Who really cares how many days Entergy operated if the result is leaking radiation into the public soil? Who really cares if Entergy is a good corporate citizen if they have trouble telling truth to Vermont electricity regulators and to the public?

No amount of letters by employees can change that.

Entergy is trying to win its media blitz by repetition of points that are not truthfully based.

Yet Entergy accuses the unpaid anti-nuclear activists of spreading untruths.

It was up to Entergy to offer a power contract to the state.

It was up to Entergy to do that years ago, and they have yet to do so. The state Senate voted not to send the issue to the Public Service Board. Now Entergy is in scramble mode to change the state, and the state’s attitude toward the old reactor in Vernon.

My hope is that no amount of repetition of spurious pseudo-facts can do that.

Gary Sachs Brattleboro Got something on your mind? Send contributions (500 words or fewer strongly recommended) to editor@commonsnews.org; deadline is Friday to be considered for next week’s paper. When space is an issue we give priority to words that have not yet appeared elsewhere.

• Letters also appear this week on the facing page.

White to supporters: Dust off those lawn signs

O

ver the years my campaign has had a number of yard signs printed and distributed. During the 23 months between elections they have many uses: yard sale or garden produce signs, roofs for pet shelters, boot trays, kids play structures, and on and on. But now they need to revert to their original intent.

So if you still support me, and I hope you do, go find that

sign in your barn, shed or basement, dust it off and stick it back up in your yard. On Nov. 3, it can to back to its other life.

Thanks so much. And everyone, don’t forget to vote Nov. 2. (Early ballots are now available.)

Jeanette White Putney The writer is an incumbent candidate for state senator.

THE COMMONS

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

VOICES

7

RESOLUTION

Happy birthday, Dover!

The legislature makes the town’s bicentennial official

W

Dover This Concurrent House Resolution — H.C.R. 355 — was adopted by the state House of Representatives and the Senate in April. It was permanent settler sponsored by Rep. John Moran (D-Wardsboro), Sen. Peter Shumlin (D-Putney), and Sen. Jeanette White (D-Putney). in the area that today encompasses the town of Dover was Captain Abner Perry who miand Whereas, despite the reand Wardsboro, subject to grated north from Holliston, quest of local residents to each town’s approval, but deMassachusetts in 1770, and name the new southern town spite Dover’s official vote of Whereas, in 1780, the Palmyra, the legislature desigacceptance, many Dover resigeneral assembly granted a nated it as Dover, and dents remained opposed, and charter to William Ward of Whereas, even before Dover the handle was annexed to Newfane for a 26,464-acre was born, residents of an adWilmington, and parcel that was incorporated joining section of the town of Whereas, in 1868, the legas the town of Wardsborough Somerset, known as the hanislature, through Act 195, of(Wardsboro), and dle, were petitioning to join fered Dover another chance to Whereas, in response to a lo- what would become the town accept the handle, more forcal petition, and in accordance of Dover, and mally described as “that part with Chapter 59 of the Laws Whereas, after over oneof the town of Wilmington lyof 1810 that became effective half century of pleading, in ing west of the town of Dover, on October 30, the general as- 1851, the general assembly ad- and north of the north line of sembly divided the town of opted Act 72, providing that Wilmington,” subject to voter Wardsboro into two municipal- portions of Somerset be anapproval in each town, and in ities separated by a mountain, nexed respectively to Dover 1869, after Dover ended its resistance, the general assembly passed one last measure, Act 156, that finally merged the handle into Dover on March 1, 1870, and Whereas, a community of subsistence farmers and 10 school districts in the 19th century, Dover in the first half of the 20th century consolidated its school districts and transformed itself into a major summer tourist destination, and WHEREAS, an entirely new era was started in 1953 when Walter Schoenknecht purchased the Reuben Snow farm COURTESY DOVER BICENTENNIAL COMMITTEE and turned it into the Mount Parishioners gather at the East Dover Baptist Snow Ski Area, and in the folChurch in bygone years. lowing decades, Mount Snow HEREAS, the first

RESPONSE

Anti-global-warming writer responds to rebuttal

I

am a little confused by Ned Pokras’ purported “rebuttal” (Viewpoint: “Hot Enough for You?,” The Commons, Sept. 15) to my op-ed, which cited the many ways in which Warmists’ inherently racist and herd mentality serves neither science nor the best interests of the human population.

The cause of my confusion is that, despite claiming to rebut my claims, Mr. Pokras unambiguously affirms every one of them, albeit using that affirmation as a springboard from which to arbitrarily decontextualize the facts he stipulates to, so that they serve a pro-anthroprogenic global warming (AGW), Warmist agenda, rather than the objective science that generated them.

The only discernible points of contention I am able to note — and I remain open to correction — in Mr. Pokras’ “rebuttal” are: 1. Mr. Pokras’s condescending and implicit ad hominem claim that I am somehow anti-intellectual, and 2. That I am basing my revulsion at the global-warming agenda on information disseminated by (presumably) right-wing talk show hosts and similar media outlets.

For the record: 1. I am not anti-intellectual. I am anti-junk science, anti-herd-mentality, and anti pro-Warmist faux science. I have a master’s degree in cultural studies from Dartmouth College, with a concentration in media studies, including aspects of propaganda, media manipulation, and how media affects culture.

I currently teach those subjects, along with media law and writing for the media, at Franklin Pierce University.

2. I believe that Limbaugh, Beck, Coulter, Malkin, and the rest are morons whose main value is showing us that, even in this day and age of ready information, you really can fool some of the people all of the time.

The fact that Mr. Pokras’s two foundational claims in his “rebuttal” are wild assumptions, which he runs with as though they were fact, is entirely in line with what passes for scientific process within the pro-Warmist community.

I would also note that Mr. Pokras’s implication that the IPCC is merely an impartial “clearinghouse” of sound scientific climate research is as reliable as his bald claims regarding my alleged

anti-intellectualism.

Specifically, the IPCC, which has never questioned the existence of AGW, but whose mission statement, rather tellingly, declares that its sole purpose is, nevertheless, to mitigate it, has a long and documented history of concocting shrill apocalyptic AGW scenarios, based on lies regarding melting glaciers, dying forests, and severe weather patterns.

The IPCC also has a documented history of doctoring scientific data, rewording scientists’ research reports, omitting research and data that is adverse to its proWarmist, pro-carbon credit exchange agenda, as well as including on its list of consensus of scientists any scientist who has ever worked with the IPCC, irrespective of whether those scientists agreed with the pro-AGW agenda.

Indeed, the IPCC adds to its list of scientists supporting the reality of AGW those scientists who have demanded to be removed from that list because the IPCC had mangled, manipulated, and misrepresented their research.

Mr. Pokras also cites Dr. Phil Jones of East Anglia University, even though Dr. Jones is most famous for releasing a slew of pro-AGW data that has been adopted and unquestioned as gospel by the Warmist herd even though Dr. Jones admitted that he had “mislaid” and, therefore is unable to produce, the original data sets on which his alleged “research” is based, and which represents the keystone of the AGW lie.

A recent and oft-cited investigation of Dr. Jones’s claims and behavior concludes that Dr. Jones was not guilty of scientific fraud, but merely of sloppy scientific process.

Despite the fact that sloppy scientific process is more than enough reason to discount a scientist’s alleged findings, it is notable that this “investigation” was an internal one carried out by – you guessed it – the University of East Anglia, which employed Jones at the time he allegedly conducted his research, and which suffered the same black eye because of it.

It is hard to imagine that any credible scientist would consider Jones and his alleged research a reliable source on which to base any argument, the implications of which include massive geopolitical re-engineering from

a nation-based to a regionaltrading-and-banking-based global “civic” configuration.

My final confusion is regarding Mr. Pokras’s representation of NASA satellite data, which, when read in a mundane and non-exotic manner, actually shows a very minor global warming — a little in the Southern hemisphere and almost none in the Northern hemisphere — over the period that he cites.

Of course, other, more novel, interpretations can produce other claims, particularly when they walk backward from the assumption that significant warming must have occurred.

I thank Mr. Pokras for his response.

It is surely pleasing to have someone qualified in Earth sciences confirm the major claims in my op-ed.

But it is disappointing to see what, for Warmists, apparently passes for dispositive scientific evidence of the presence and dangers of alleged AGW, particularly when none of that alleged evidence actually and affirmatively supports any part of Warmists’ absurd and cynical pro-AGW claim.

By the way, Warmists take note: Matthew Penn and William Livingston of the National Solar Observatory in Tucson, Ariz., who have been studying sunspots for the past two decades, recently presented a paper to the International Astronomical Union Symposium that suggests that the magnetic field strength of sunspots appears to be waning.

This ongoing waning, the researchers say, could well result in ... global cooling by 2016.

Les Kozaczek Brattleboro Editor’s note: The writer adds: “It will serve little purpose to get into a protracted exchange here on this issue; however, I do feel the need to set the record straight regarding Mr. Pokras’s response, and I am grateful to The Commons for giving me this opportunity to do just that.”

We will welcome one final response from Ned Pokras, if he chooses, and then we’ll call it a day on this thread. We appreciate the back-and-forth and hope this exchange does what we ultimately intend for this section — get people thinking and expressing their opinions forcefully, yet intelligently and respectfully.

Kudos to both writers.

COURTESY DOVER BICENTENNIAL COMMITTEE

An aerial photo of the Mount Snow ski area from the late 1950s or early 1960s. became a four-season resort and Dover one of Vermont’s major vacation hubs, and Whereas, as the resort industry was developing in Dover, the town developed one of the best public works departments in the state, modernized its school system, and shaped town government to meet the municipality’s specific needs, and

Whereas, unlike in 1910, when the centennial passed quietly, on Friday–Sunday, Oct, 1–3, 2010, Dover will mark its bicentennial with a weekend of celebratory events, including fireworks; a street fair; dramatic, musical, and educational presentations; a church service; and a harvest brunch, now therefore be it Resolved by the Senate and

House of Representatives: That the General Assembly is pleased to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the town of Dover, and be it further Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to the Dover town clerk. n

LETTERS FROM READERS

What would make us truly happy?

T

he main thing, the most important thing, is that most people are unhappy in this country.

The politicians, presumably charged with ameliorating the issues and problems we struggle with in this country, do not talk about that. They seek to be our representatives, but they don’t represent what we are going through and what most of us in this unhappy nation are experiencing.

The politicians speak almost exclusively about money and money-related matters. Well, it is true that a lack of money is stressing most people, and having more money would relieve

a lot of stress for most people.

But money is not the same thing as happiness. It is a piece of the puzzle but does not deal with core issues of happiness and unhappiness. For instance, if people did have more money, they would probably spend most of it and come back to the same stress of not enough money. For instance, read the stories of most people who win lotteries.

What would make people more happy and what is making most people unhappy?

Most politicians do not talk directly about this, if at all. And they are missing or avoiding the main point.

If I am right about this, then nearly every politician and representative in the United States of America is not representing us in terms of maintaining a discussion about the unhappiness in this country, the experience of living in this “Prozac Nation.” In so not doing, they encourage and practice denial about what is the most important fact of our lives.

So, I guess, my possibly useful point is to ask our politicians and representatives to bring into open dialogue what is most important in our lives.

Michael Marantz Jamaica

In support of Obuchowski, Partridge

I

’m writing to support Carolyn Partridge and Michael Obuchowski as our Vermont state representatives.

Obie and Carolyn have been doing a great job for a long time and I plan to continue to vote for them. I encourage others to do the same.

I run a small nonprofit organization, Making the Most of I, which serves low-income women in transition. We provide a free 14-week course that addresses self-esteem, stress reduction, communication skills, conflict resolution and many other topics that make a challenging life easier.

Funding a program like ours has been difficult and has

become more so over the past few years. Several of our regular funding organizations have had to withdraw their support.

Our fundraisers are fun, but they often make less money than we hope for. Our end-ofyear appeal gets lots of praise from our supporters, but again, brings in less money than it has in previous years.

I have turned to Obie and Carolyn in hard financial times, and they have both taken the time to find a little stash of cash somewhere in someone’s budget that would be appropriate for our educational program.

They both care very much about service programs to the community and keep their

fingers on the pulse of small organizations like ours. They take the time to attend receptions and make sure they know who is doing what, which helps the networking they are both so good at.

I appreciate the work they do. They support the “little people” in the community. To me, that means a lot.

I hope you remember Obie and Carolyn when it’s time to vote!

Nancy Clingan Saxtons River The writer serves as executive director of Making the Most of I, Inc.

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8

THE COMMONS

property.

Scott Farm has a multi-layered web site (scottfarmvermont.com) that describes in detail the 70 varieties of “ecologically grown” apples, including many heirloom varieties such as Roxbury Russet, Belle de Boskoop and Cox’s Orange Pippin. The farm also produces other tree fruit, including peaches, nectarines and quince, as well as berries and table grapes.

Pick of the crop

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS

The finished product. Freshly picked apples sit ready to be bagged and packed at the Scott Farm in Dummerston.

n Apples of what appeared to be tidy bedrooms in the multi-room house.

No amount of effort to interview the men proved effective, including agreement from their employer, Paul Dutton, who said the men could do whatever they wanted. Liaison officers in the Connecticut branch of the Jamaica Central Labour Organization (JCLO), based in Washington, couldn’t break the silence. Neither could further conversations and e-mails with the senior liaison officer in Washington, nor the Jamaican Embassy in Washington.

Joseph Young, the executive director of the New England Apple Council, said he is not surprised by the workers’ wariness.

According to Young — whose association represents about 190 New England farms and, among other things, helps owners navigate the temporary visa process — the Obama administration has recently changed the rules, intending to discourage an imported work force in favor of using local workers.

But these same changes have snarled the already-tangled bureaucracies of labor and immigration agencies, Young said.

The new regulations, he believes, were in part responsible for the inflexibility shown by immigration officials when growers needed workers to harvest an apple crop that ripened early due to a hot and dry summer.

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over immigration issues, was asked to intervene. He did, temporarily solving the problem with a telephone call to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Alejandro Mayorkas.

“USCIS now is expediting the process for all apple growers with pending H-2A petitions for workers from Jamaica to have their visa applications settled,” Leahy spokesman David Carle wrote on Aug. 26.

But the thornier issues of a homegrown work force and its relationship to unlawful immigration remain.

Change in the weather

Earlier ripening crops were successfully harvested, but the midseason crops were decimated by cold weather.

Harlow Farm on Route 5 in Westminster lost most of its midseason apple crop when, on the night of May 11-12, temperatures dropped to 27 degrees.

Doug Harlow, a third-generation member of the farming family, said the hard freeze killed off most McIntosh, Macouns, Cortlands, Northern Spy and Empire apples, among others varieties.

Some early crops that had already pollinated, such as Jersey Macs, survived.

“Cold air runs downhill, and it fills up the valley like a pond,” Harlow said. “When you have a

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FROM PAGE 1

frost in the valley, especially on a clear, cloudless night, you get radiational cooling (when the surface of the earth and nearby air cool off more quickly). Clouds are like a blanket.”

He also explained that the farm’s strawberry crop was saved because it’s irrigated, and the act of freezing created enough warmth for the berries to survive.

Harlow said the farm, which has 15 acres in apples, employs local part- and full-time workers and some Jamaicans under the H-2A temporary visa program.

Certified organic in 1985, the farm runs a popular farm stand and cafe on Route 5, south of Bellows Falls.

A family affair

The Dutton Berry Farm began business in 1983. The farm is run by Paul and Wendy Dutton, and sometimes their four children, ages 7, 13, 17 and 20, when they’re not in school.

The family lives in Brookline where, Dutton says, their huge greenhouse operations account for a third of the farm income, he said.

Apart from the greenhouses, the Duttons run farmstands and nurseries in West Brattleboro, Manchester and Newfane, where they sell their field crops, fruits and berries. They also manage 40 acres of tree fruits and 100 acres of, as Dutton says, “the other stuff, everything from asparagus to zucchini.”

Dutton has a 15-acre apple orchard in Windham, and a 35acre orchard in West Brattleboro.

He lost some apples in the frost, mostly from his small trees, he said. He grows 30 varieties, with McIntosh his customers’ favorite and Cortland coming in second.

The Newfane farm stand and nursery is generally jammed from

early spring onward, attracting locals and travelers who come to buy plants, pies, cakes, cookies, bread (all made onsite), the field crops and bags of apples.

Dutton employs an all-Jamaican workforce, about 15 or 16 men, many of whom have been working for him for 20 years or more. He houses them in a large old farmhouse in Brookline.

“We have two new guys this year,” he said. “The first foreigners who ever worked for me, back in 1988, were Scots.”

The farm is not certified organic, but Dutton said his farm uses “low-spray integrated pest management.”

Apples with a history

Scott Farm, 571 acres on Kipling Road in Dummerston, is the upscale boutique of local apple growers. The property has been a farm since 1845, when it was owned by Rufus Scott.

“Our mission is to rescue historical properties in distress,” explained David Tansey, president and manager of Landmark Trust USA, which has owned the farm since 1991. Landmark is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that, besides managing 45 acres of orchards and other crops, rescues dilapidated historical properties.

Once repaired, the buildings are rented for vacations and events.

The trust owns four properties for rent in Windham County.

Its holdings include Naulakha (“jewel beyond price”), Rudyard Kipling’s house, built in 1892 in Dummerston; the 1802 Amos Brown House, the oldest house in Whitingham; the Scott Farm Sugarhouse on the farm property, and the Asa Dutton House, built around 1840, also on the

Typically, Tansey said, laborers from Jamaica work the Scott Farm crops.

On this particular morning, a quartet of laborers ride out from the Scott Farm on a pair of tractors and wagons to the section of the orchard they’ll be picking.

It is a job that requires a combination of gentleness and strength — gentleness to handle the apples without bruising them, strength to climb up and down ladders while lugging a heavy pail of apples.

The pickers use wooden ladders that narrow into an arch shape at the top. Carefully balancing the ladders in the crooks of the trees, they climb upward and pluck the ripened Empire apples off the branches.

They use a special plastic pail with a canvas bottom and a shoulder harness to keep it secure across their chests. When the pail is full, they descend the ladders and walk over to the large wooden crates on the wagons and gently empty their freshly picked apples into the crate.

It’s a process that is repeated dozens and dozens of times over the course of a day.

It’s a process that most apple lovers never see.

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

USDA designates several counties as primary natural disaster areas WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated four counties in Massachusetts and two counties in Vermont as natural disaster areas because of losses caused by unseasonable late frost and freeze that occurred between April 28 and May 17.

All qualified farmers in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties in Massachusetts, Bennington and Windham counties in Vermont, and Cheshire County in New Hampshire will be eligible for low-nterest emergency (EM) loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met.

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from Sept. 29 to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

FSA also has a variety of other programs to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

storage space for his apples, which keep well at 32 degrees.

“Growers can live with a He said that people are always smaller crop as long as the prices asking him what’s his favorite are reasonably strong,” he said. variety of apple — a dilemma, a “The fact that the national crop little like asking who’s your fa- is shorter than normal has helped vorite child. keep prices high enough for the Despite all the trials for grow- growers, but still very affordable ers this year, most are optimistic for Vermont consumers.” that 2010 will yield a profitable crop. According to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, growers are finding prices holding steady or increasing slightly in response to the national crop forecast, which is down about 6 percent Townshend, VT from 2009. www.gracecottage.org Vermont projects 786,000 802-365-7357 bushels, a 17 percent drop from last year and 14 percent below “Grace Cottage Hospital is the state’s five-year average. a great place - the patient “Conditions in the spring made us a little nervous, but care is incredible!” we’re delighted with how Ilene Wax Fewer apples, the crop is turning out,” said Wilmington, VT better quality Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Dutton said that the safest Roger Allbee. path for growers “is to grow varieties, some new and some oldtimers like Spy and Baldwin.”

“Apples are tough to grow,” he said. “Deer love them, and you have to use mouse guards, otherwise the mice girdle the trees,” chewing off a ring of bark and in so doing starving the tree Warm Front Brand of nutrients.

Dutton emphasized that it’s all • High Heat about retail: a grower can’t make any money selling wholesale ap• Low Ash ples, he said. He has significant

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Wednesday, October 6, 2010 • page 9

LIFE & WORK

horizons

Expanding Thompson House residents travel to Maine, with the help of a new van

By Fran Lynggaard Hansen

B

The Commons

RATTLEBORO—“Just because someone is old doesn’t mean their life is over,” said Carolyn Garland, a nurse who accompanied residents of Thompson House to York Beach in Maine in late August.

“I wish there was a Make a Wish foundation for older people.

Some of them get stuck in their homes and just don’t get out as they age, especially when they live alone.”

Sandy Ware, activities director at Thompson House, couldn’t agree more. That’s one of the many reasons why she

coordinated an outing to York for the residents at Thompson House.

“Every day in our lives, no matter our age, can’t possibly be magical, but I tell you, on this day, there was magic in the air,” said Ware. “For this one special day, we were taking a trip to the ocean. They weren’t residents of a nursing home; they were just going on a road trip, hanging out together. We were smiling and laughing and having a ball.”

Dane Rank, a licensed administrator for Thompson House was also along for ride. In fact, he drove the van that Thompson House recently purchased, to Maine for the day.

“Between the government,

The new Thompson House bus poses by historic Nubble Light in Cape Neddick, Maine.

businesses, local sponsors, individual donors and the help of our Board of Trustees, we raised about $50,000 to purchase the van,” said Rank. “The community spirit that showed for our residents was certainly heartwarming. Little kids gave spare change so that their grandparent could get out into the world, so many people gave. I’m still amazed thinking about it. And to get to be the person who had the pleasure of driving these folks to the ocean, well, that just made it that much more special.”

According to Ware, this was the second voyage for the group in the new van. The first was to the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut, back in July.

“It was a day trip, we had lunch there, and we got back by supper time. One of the residents won $20 on the penny machines,” she said, with a smile.

Rank added, “One of the residents who made that trip has since passed. The reason I got into this business was to improve people’s lives. I’m so happy that COURTESY PHOTO Thompson House nurse Carolyn Garland, left, and the resident who is no longer activities director Sandy Ware, led a field trip for with us got the opportunity to

residents to York Beach, Maine, in August.

COURTESY PHOTO

Trip re-awakens World War II memories for former sailor

By Fran Lynggaard Hansen The Commons

BRATTLEBORO—Ken Laughton of Dummerston, currently residing at Thompson House, was glad to be along on the trip to the ocean.

“Looking out at the sea, as a sailor, it was good to think about it again.”

Laughton was 17 and living in Dummerston as World War II was winding down. It was a time when you either enlisted in the armed services, or you got drafted.

A good buddy stopped by one day and said, “Hey, we’re going down to enlist in the Navy.

Why don’t you come with us?” he remembers.

“My mother was sick in the hospital. My brother had been killed in the Battle of the Bulge. My father knew I had to enlist, but he didn’t want to upset her with the news, so it seemed like a good time to join the Navy.”

COURTESY PHOTO Laughton drove to Greenfield, Mass., to Ken Laughton, formerly of enlist.

“Prior to my enlisting, I’d never been in any- Dummerston, enjoyed his trip to thing other than a row boat. All of a sudden, I York Beach, Maine, on the Thompson n SEE MEMORIES, PAGE 10

House’s new bus.

n SEE TRIP TO MAINE, PAGE 10

A philosophy of

service

Tutored by a local legend, new pharmacist emphasizes building relationships

By Fran Lynggaard Hansen

B

The Commons

RATTLEBORO— “I’m in a people-oriented profession, says Andy Miller, co-owner of the new Brattleboro Pharmacy, located at 413 Canal St. “I am a pharmacist.

Customers will share things with me. I can see when they walk in the door how they’re feeling. I like doing business in person. That’s the way it should be. I keep a sign in the store that says, ‘Mail order pharmacists can’t see that anything is wrong with you.’”

Miller grew up in Melrose, Mass., and earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire. He went on to the University of Rhode Island to earn his pharmacy degree. t - bigger “I started in Claremont, N.H., GTP pro- deferred to Brattleboro and just never left. Brattleboro is my community,” shares Miller.

A friend of Miller’s, now retired fellow pharmacist, Ken

Carpenter of Dummerston, knows what it’s like to work in a local pharmacy. His career spanned 44 years at the Town Rexall Pharmacy on Main Street.

At the time of the stores closure in 2006, it had the distinction of being the longest running, continuously operated, locally owned pharmacy in the state of Vermont. The store’s roots went back to its opening in June of 1862.

Carpenter grew up in Brattleboro. His uncle, Robert J Carpenter, purchased the store in 1940 from Frank P. Barber.

“Mr. Barber took a liking to my uncle, so he got him educated as a pharmacist. In those days you could get your degree via correspondence course and through apprenticeship,” Carpenter said. “My uncle wasn’t one to jump right in and take a risk, but his wife suggested he give it a go. Mr. Barber told him not to worry about money; instead he suggested that if business were good, to send him a check, and if it wasn’t, well, he could wait until it was good again.”

“When I started in 1962, they were using the same drugs they used 40 plus years before. In those days, one new drug came out about every generation.

Now, you’re not using the same stuff as you were the last month,” RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS said Carpenter.

Pharmacist Andy Miller and pharmacy technician Cindy Forbes of Brattleboro

All about people

Miller and Carpenter agree that times have changed, but one thing hasn’t. When asked what each of them considers the most important thing about their job, they quickly and easily reply, “People.”

Carpenter feels sad when he thinks about mail order pharmacies. Especially when he acknowledges what the customer isn’t getting.

“The public might think mail order is wonderful, but people getting things that way still came into my store to ask me questions about their medication,” he said.

“They knew when they wanted to know something they could call me up.”

“The thing is, if you start looking at records, let’s say you take 16 medications, and you get 5

Pharmacy on Canal Street.

of them from one place and 11 of them in the mail,” Carpenter continued. “Doctors aren’t always forthcoming about giving other prescriptions and the patient is even less forthcoming about it. Let’s say, you go to the dentist and get a painkiller and you’ve got a drug that interacts with it and that’s not a farfetched example. You won’t have to call for instructions because you might not be breathing anymore.”

“If the pharmacist doesn’t know anything about the other drugs, you could be on the bathroom floor. Who is responsible for that?” asked Carpenter. “If people would just go to their local pharmacist and take all your COURTESY BRATTLEBORO HISTORICAL SOCIETY medications to whomever you The Town Rexall Pharmacy on Main Street, where n SEE PHARMACISTS, PAGE 10

Ken Carpenter of Dummerston spent 44 years.

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10

THE COMMONS

VERMONT CHEDDAR

By Silvio Graci

n Pharmacists like and get everything from that one person, they will know all about you and your situation. When you bounce around, you might think you’re going to save a quarter, but you can also do yourself in,” Carpenter says.

Miller suggests it’s also about living together in a small town.

“In a community, we work together and we share our knowledge,” says Miller. “When I go into Brown and Roberts with my chain saw, I might not know why it isn’t working correctly. The man who works there has that knowledge, and because it’s a local store, I know I’ll get good service and he’ll be there to help me.

Maybe a month or two later, he’ll come into Brattleboro Pharmacy, and I’ll have the knowledge to help him.”

“In a local town, those roles get reversed all the time,” Miller explained. “We need each other.

Waiting on your neighbors, that’s what business is all about. It’s about pride and doing a good job. The drugs are the same as the pharmacies in town, and the

FROM PAGE 9

co-pays for the drugs are going to be the same. The algorithm has moved towards convenience and getting something done quickly.

But I think people still want to visit a store with exceptional service, a place where we will greet you by name and take the time to tell you about your medication and answer your questions. For me, that’s the whole ballgame, service.”

The new pharmacy has sunshine streaming into its many windows. At the customer service counter, Linda Corliss, greets most folks with a big smile, calling many by name. Miller and Corliss worked together for many years at the former Brooks Pharmacy (now Rite Aid) on Canal Street.

“Linda is the first person that I went to,” said Miller. I said, ‘I need you to work for me,’ and she replied, ‘of course!’ We built this store wide open and we intentionally made it so that I can get out and walk around. People have to be able to say what they need to their pharmacist. They

are our customers. They’re important to us.”

Why did he start his own pharmacy instead of continuing to work with a chain store?

“In some chain stores they pit people against each other.

The feeling of teamwork is lacking. There can be chaos because workers are asked to move quickly however moving quickly can also lead to errors and oversights. The business becomes about volume and not about service to the customer. I don’t like working in that environment,” said Miller.

The idea of running a locally based store was also on the minds of former Brooks employees in Montpelier at the time of the Rite Aid buy out of the Brooks stores.

Carl Michaud was the manager of the Montpelier store, and his wife Lauren, was a technician. Jocelyn Depaolis and her business partner, Rich Goslin started a new store, across the street from their former workplace. Michaud managed it.

Climate action events set in Brattleboro BRATTLEBORO—Several events will going on around Brattleboro in connection with 350.org’s 10/10/10 Day of Climate Action.

Brattleboro Climate Protection and Artists for a Cool Planet have teamed up to expand on the 350.org Work Day to include the entire month of October.

Check out their art exhibit, The End of the Romance: Getting Over Oil, at Amy’s Bakery Arts Cafe, 113 Main St., which will include art work from 25 plus local artists that will inspire action on climate change. This exhibit will run through Nov. 2.

Contact Mollie Burke for more

information at 802-257-4844 or mburke@sover.net.

On Sunday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m.-3:50 p.m. in Pliny Park at corner of Main and High streets, the Brattleboro 10/10/10 Team will be offering garden and compost demonstrations, bike and pedestrian infrastructure displays, candidate speakers, musical performers John Ungerleider and Bill Conley and a post event celebration.

Volunteers will also be assisting residents of Morningside Commons that day to insulate their hot and cold water pipes in order to save energy. This event is kid friendly and free to everyone. Contact Jessica Tanner at brattleboromobility taskforce@gmail.com or 802-8258331 for more information.

A free solar Hot Water Workshop will be offered to interested residents at the Marlboro College Graduate

Center, 28 Vernon St., from 9 a.m.– noon on Saturday, Oct. 23. The benefits of solar power will be discussed, as well as the various solar power options available. Pre-registration is recommended. Contact Paul Cameron at 802-251-8135 or pcameron@brattleboro.org for more information.

Finally, the musical duo of Ungerleider and Conley will perform on Saturday, Oct. 30, at the River Garden, 157 Main St., from 7–9 p.m. They will present an interactive co-opera performance that will stimulate audience members to address their relationship to global warming and climate change. They will be performing their original global climate change songs from “Save the Secret of the Seasons.”

Contact Ungerleider at 802-258-3334 or John.Ungerleider@sit.edu for more information.

n Memories BIG NIGHT OUT words & music @ The Book Cellar

Thursday, October 13th @ 7pm Novelist Jon Clinch & Cellist Adam Hurst Following up Finn—his muchheralded and prize-winning debut whose voice evoked “the mythic styles of his literary predecessors...William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy and Edward P. Jones” —Jon Clinch returns with a powerful and haunting story of life, death, and family in rural America.

Influenced primarily by Middle Eastern, Indian Raga and European traditions, the original music of Adam Hurst is at once haunting, ethereal, evocative and romantic. Using the cello as a solo melodic voice, Hurst creates passionate and emotive musical poetry that digs straight to the soul.

was on a big carrier out 40 days in the North Atlantic. I was real sick then.

“After boot camp, the Navy decided I had brains enough to become a cook and they sent me to cook’s school. It was post war, but we still had to spend time on the ocean. The Captain had a thing for the Caribbean, so we saw Cuba, Trinidad, and Puerto Rico. We’d be out at sea doing maneuvers, shooting 45 millimeter guns for practice. It was

FROM PAGE 9

quite an experience for a young guy from Dummerston,” says Laughton with a chuckle.

“This summer, I sat outside and watched the swimmers at York Beach, and thought about the fact that I never did get used to being on the water.” He smiles as he remembers. “It was nice to be there to look at the ocean, but I’m glad I never have to be out on it in a ship again. I was just as happy to walk away and go get that ice cream.”

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802-257-5419

Company products, and all the things that you want to find at a pharmacy, from first aid supplies to home health products to assist people with living at home.

There is a new line of lotion, soap and shampoo made from grape seed extract called Seeds, and we carry Marion Health greeting cards, made in New England.

It’s all at a reasonable cost. We’re doing everyday products, with prices that are going to be competitive regionally.”

“Two independent pharmacies is strength in town,” said Miller. “Competition is a good and healthy thing. We all support each other in Brattleboro.”

How does Ken Carpenter think his friend Andy Miller will do with his own store?

“I’m glad that Andy is starting his own place. He has always been an independent pharmacist.

It’s a tough business to be in; it’s not like working for a chain. He spends his time counseling his clients and not worrying about the cash register ringing. Andy quietly does a lot of volunteer work in the community too. He’s put in hours and hours at the free clinic in town. A local bank, a local pharmacy, local businesses, I believe that’s always the best way to go. I really wish him well.”

n Trip to Maine pull that slot machine one more time. If life is no longer fun, why would you want to stick around?” he asks, as he glances out the window, clearly moved by the memory.

The mechanics of the trip to Maine went like clockwork.

Ware had the plan.

“We left at 8:30 a.m., and loaded up the van. Now we can take four people in wheelchairs and 10 additional people, including staff. We had lunch at the Weathervane in Concord, then drove on to York Beach and had the chance to visit the Nubble Light Lighthouse. From there we headed out for Brown’s Ice Cream, a real highlight of the trip. It was late August and it was 93 degrees at the beach,” said Ware. “We were all just little kids enjoying ice cream.”

As the van rolled along the residents kept cool inside. The van features a fine air conditioning system and also has a DVD player. One of the residents shared a personal highlight for him, “We watched Bonanza on our way there,” Rank said. “The trip was a real hoot.”

Ware and Garland are old hands at travel with the elderly.

“We worked together way back in the 1980s at Linden Lodge,” remembers Garland, “and we took the residents to Maine then too. A lot of people think that going into a nursing home marks the end of someone’s life. That is not true, and it never should be true. Sandy is wonderful about dreaming up great ideas. She’s very enthusiastic about life. Who, at any age, doesn’t like to get out and eat a little ice cream and see the world?”

“We had one resident who suffers horribly with depression. To see their face light up that day, well, it made my day,” Garland adds. “Living an everyday life, getting out into the community is so incredibly important.”

FROM PAGE 9

The van has large windows to allow the passengers to watch the world go by, each seat has its own reading light, and there is a loudspeaker so that anyone on the trip can give a narration as they travel along.

“Dick Guthrie is a great narrator when we take weekly trips out into the community,” said Rank, “Sometimes Dick drives and we visit sugarhouses, farms, chickens. Our residents like a good trip out in the country on the rocky back roads.”

What was the most striking part of the trip for him?

“It was the joy factor,” Rank said. “We were at a restaurant and I watched two people sitting down enjoying their whole belly calms. He had a beer, she had a coke, and it was just normal, everyday life, happy and relaxed.

Most of the time, my workday has me in a different setting. It was wonderful to get a glimpse of the everyday part of our resident’s lives.”

“People tend to isolate when they get older, and sometimes families are sad when their loved one come into the nursing home,” Rank continued.

“But often great things happen.

Where people might have been living alone in a more isolated way, when they come to live at Thompson House, they have the opportunity to socialize again.

Sandy is attentive to the good times; the fun, laughter companionship and activities. It’s so important.”

As for the residents, they had a lot to say about the day.

“It brought back memories of years gone by.”

“The sights, the food, the laughter, it was fantastic.”

“I ate too much, but everything was so good.”

And for Ware, it’s never just another day at work.

“When I go on trips like that, I feel like I’m just hanging out with my friends. I love my job.” n

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“Montpelier Pharmacy has done well from its first day in January of 2007,” said Michaud.

Once Miller and his partner decided they wanted to open their store in Brattleboro, they got together with the owners of the Montpelier Pharmacy and combined forces.

The Michaud’s are in town to help Miller and his staff open and merchandise the Brattleboro store.

“It is such a pleasure to work for Andy,” says Michaud. “If I want an answer to a question, I go to Andy, and I have the answer right away. And if he doesn’t agree with me, he’ll tell me why or he’ll say, ‘Let’s talk about it, Carl.’ I just can’t emphasize how different things work at a chain store. I don’t have to go to the top of the food chain of some corporation in another state. Having a local owner for our store allows us to make decisions very quickly.”

Michaud has been setting up the merchandise in Brattleboro Pharmacy.

“I like a tight presentation, reasonable prices and as many local items as possible in the store,” said Michard. “We carry Emu products, out of Brandon, and Burt’s Bees. We also carry New Chapter vitamins, and they are 20 percent off every single day. We stock Vermont Soap

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THE COMMONS

11

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MILESTONES

Births, deaths, and news of people from Windham County Obituaries Editor’s note: The Commons will publish brief biographical information for citizens of Windham County and others, on request, as community news, free of charge.

• Calvin J. Alexander, 102,

of Vernon. Died Sept. 28 at home.

Husband of the late Doris Clark for 62 years. Father of Joyce Stevens and her husband Richard of Wakefield, Mass.; and Cynthia Hill of Haddam, Conn., and his daughter-in-law Lucy Alexander of Pottstown, Pa. Brother of Cesarine Stoddard of Brookfield, Vt.; and Lucille Knowles of Plainfield, Vt. Predeceased by a son, Robert, and siblings John, Mabel, Sadie and Stella.

Born in Williamstown, Vt., he was employed by the New England Power Co. at the Vernon Dam for 32 years prior to retiring. He loved his farm and farming in general, and was a handyman who could fix anything. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service will be held Oct. 9 at 11 a.m. at the Vernon Union Church. Interment will follow in Tyler Cemetery in Vernon. Donations to the Vernon Union Church, P.O. Box 111, Vernon, Vt. 05354. Condolences may be sent to the family at Kidder Funeral Home at www.kidderfuneralhome.com.

• Robert Ashcroft, 92, of Bellows Falls. Died Sept. 26 at McGirr Nursing Home in Bellows Falls. Husband of Jean Frances Lucier for 64 years.

Father of Robert R. Ashcroft of San Antonio, Texas; James W. Ashcroft and Mary C. Ashcroft and husband Harold Billings, all of North Clarendon; Meg A. Ashcroft and husband Donald Conklin of Albuquerque, N.M.; and Ann M. Ashcroft of Bellows Falls. Graduate of Bellows Falls High School, Class of 1936. Served in the Navy during World War II. Was a special duty officer for the Bellows Falls Police Department, a truck driver for Gay’s Express, and retired from Green Mountain Railroad. Was a founding member of the Bellows Falls Historical Society, served on the Board of Directors for the Bellows Falls Senior Center, was a trustee of the Rockingham Free Public Library and was curator of Adams Grist Mill.

Was honored as State of Vermont Library Trustee of the Year in 1996, and the Greater Falls Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year in 2000.

MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service will be held Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. at Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls, with burial in St. Charles Cemetery in Westminster.

Donations to Bellows Falls Senior Center, Hyde Street, Bellows Falls, VT 05101.

of Putney. Died Sept. 25 at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Husband of Joanne Brickley.

Father of Lois Sleeper and her husband Skip of Hinsdale, N.H.; and Peter Brickley and his wife Annette of Mattapoisett, Mass. Born in Providence, R.I., and attended local schools and St. Dunstan’s School in Providence. Graduated from Rhode Island College, then went on to receive both his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in American history and international relations from Clark University in 1949. Eager to complete his degree requirements before an August graduation, he was unable to take time to look for employment in the fall.

One of his professors suggested he apply for a one-year position at The Putney School. He did so and found the school’s ideals and practices so much to his liking that he spent the next 37 years teaching and serving in a number of administrative duties. In 1986, he retired as Dean of Faculty.

Also was the founding Director of the Telluride Association’s summer programs at Cornell University in the early 1950s and in the early 1970s, he was an adjunct professor at Antioch New England’s Graduate School.

M E M O R I A L I N F O R M AT I O N : A private memorial service will be held at the convenience of his family. Donations to Rescue, Inc., P.O. Box 593, Brattleboro, VT 05302.

Condolences may be sent to the family through Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.

• Duane R. Comstock, 95,

of Bellows Falls. Died Sept. 28 at Mt. Ascutney Hospital in Windsor.

Husband of the late Gladys Judd.

Father of David D. Comstock and his wife, Frances (Sue) Parrott, of Bellows Falls; and Gary F. Comstock and his partner, Edward “Rafe” Foley of Port St. Lucie, Fla. Predeceased by siblings Madeline Comstock and Elwin Comstock. Born in Westminster and graduated from Bellows Falls High School in 1933. Worked at Jones and Lamson in Springfield for 40 years, retiring in 1980. Enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping with his family and belonged to numerous outdoorsman groups. MEMOR I A L I N FOR M ATION : A memorial service was held at the Fenton & Hennessey Funeral Home in Bellows Falls, with burial in the new Westminister Cemetery.

Donations to Mt. Ascutney Hospital, 289 County Road, Windsor, VT 05089 or to Cedar Hill Activity Fund, 49 Cedar Hill Drive, Windsor, VT 05089.

• Mary A. Creek, 92, of Brattleboro.

Died Sept. 27 at Thompson House in Brattleboro. Wife of the late R. Glen Creek. Mother of Julia Merrigan of Brattleboro and James R. Creek and • Charles Newton Brickley, 86, his wife Diane of Falling Waters, W.Va.

Sister of Rose Codogni of Readsboro, Olga Simonotti of North Adams and Carl Andognini of Scottsdale, Ariz.

Born in Wilmington and graduated from Drury High School in North Adams, Mass., Class of 1936. A resident of Brattleboro since 1969, she had been employed as a sales associate at the former Cindy’s Store on Main Street working for Norman Tinkle.

Previously, she had worked for Sprague Electric in North Adams from 1958 to 1969, and at Deerfield Glassine in Monroe Bridge, Mass. Following her retirement, she served for 20 years as a volunteer at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital working in the transportation department. Enjoyed crocheting, knitting, gardening, cooking and time shared with her family, and was an avid Boston Red Sox fan. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A funeral Mass was held Oct. 5 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Brattleboro, with burial in Meetinghouse Hill Cemetery.

Donations to the Nicholas Giamartino Scholarship Fund, c/o Brattleboro Union High School, 131 Fairground Road, Brattleboro, VT. 05301-3698 Attn: Kathy Rouleau. Condolences may be sent to the family through Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www. atamaniuk.com.

• Peter D. Ford, 55, of Westminster.

Died Sept. 2. Husband of Mary “Peg” Stuart. Son of Francis and Suzanne (Bohain) Ford. Brother of Michael Ford and his wife Linda; and Jacquelyn Timmons and her husband Kevin.

Born in Hingham, Mass., he is a graduate of Hingham High School and attended Massasoit College and Community College of Vermont.

Served in the Marine Corps in the early 1970s. Was an avid fisherman, both fresh and salt water, and was a former member of the Polish American Club in Bellows Falls. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A memorial service was held at his home on Oct. 2.

Reunions

COURTESY PHOTO

Members of the Brattleboro Union High School Class of 1961 recently met for a barbecue in Dummerston at the home of Ken Carpenter. “Three came from Florida, one couple was in the area visiting from Oregon and one was in the area from Colorado,” Gail Thomas writes. “Many others travelled for up to 2.5 hours from all over New England to participate. Including “classmates-in-law”, 61 spent the day together.” The class maintains a website at www.classof1961.org, the only BUHS class to do so. held at the convenience of the family.

Donations to the SHINE Program, in care of Franklin County Home Care Corp., 330 Montague City Road, Turners Falls, MA 01376.

• E l a i n e Fr a n c e M ay n a r d , 84, of Whitingham and Wicomico

1963, and was active in the Newfane Congregational Church, the Newfane Garden Club and such fundraising events as the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital Auxiliary Holiday Show house. As coordinator of the Valley Health Council between 1976 and 1994, Dorothy worked to expand its services to West River Valley residents and was instrumental in attracting young physicians such as Dr. Timothy Shafer to the Valley. MEMOR IA L INFORMATION : A private memorial service will be held at the convenience of the family. Donations in memory may be made to the Newfane Congregational Church, Moore Free Library of Newfane, NewBrook Fire and Rescue, Grace Cottage Hospital, Thompson House or other charities of your choice. Notes of sympathy may be sent to the McNeary Family, Post Box 6, Newfane, VT 05345, or through Atamaniuk Funeral Home at www.atamaniuk.com.

Church, Va. Died Sept. 26 at her home in Virginia. Wife of Reginald Leo Maynard for 56 years. Mother of Gregory B. Maynard of Gardnerville, Nev., and Karen D. Maynard and her husband, James B. Maland, of Brattleboro. Born in Elizabeth, N.J., her family maintained a summer home in Whitingham and throughout her life, she and her husband and family spent considerable time in Whitingham.

Graduated from Bryn Mawr College.

For 50 years, she volunteered with the Red Cross, the last six years of which she held the position of director of the Concord, Mass., chapter.

M EMOR I A L I N FOR M AT ION : A memorial service will be held at the Whitingham Community Church on • Douglas Wellington Newton, • Rose E. (Hescock) Joslin, 91, Sunday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. Donations 98, of North Westminster. Died of Greenfield, Mass. Died Sept. 24 to a charity of one’s choice.

Aug. 30 in Maitland Fla. Husband at the Charlene Manor Extended • Dorothy (Scofield) “Dot” of the late Mary McCarthy and the Care Facility. Wife of the late Earl McNear y, 91, of Newfane. Died late Dorothy Cobb. Father of James G. Joslin. Mother of Earl R. Joslin Sept. 25 at the Thompson House in Newton of Alstead, N.H. Stepfather of Warwick, Mass.; Evelyn Dresser Brattleboro. Wife of the late William of Billy Cobb of Longwood, Fla. of Northfield, Mass.; Carol Smith “Bill” McNeary for 48 years. Mother Predeceased by a daughter, Marylou of McConnellsburg, Pa.; and Gloria of Carol McNeary and her husband, Pelton; and a stepson, David Cobb.

Kahle of Plano, Texas. Sister of Carroll John Pharr, of Blackshear, Ga.; Peter Born in Greenfield, Mass., and was a Hescock of Norton, Vt.; and Alice McNeary and his wife, Suzanne, of 1931 graduate of Charlestown (N.H.) Joslin of Brattleboro. Predeceased by Brattleboro; Brian McNeary and his High School. Organized and played a daughter, Vivian Lee. Born in West wife, Jeannie Ng, of Manhasset, N.Y.; with his 12-piece orchestra throughWardsboro and attended local schools Priscilla Cotton and her husband, out the area in the 1930s. Worked for in Wardsboro. She had been a resident David, of Newfane; John McNeary the Wayne Feed Store in Bellows Falls of Warwick, Mass., prior to moving to and his wife, Patricia Newman, of for 31 years and owned with a partner Greenfield in 1974. Was a homemaker Portland, Ore.; and Jane Martin and and operated North Walpole Feed who loved her family and loved to walk. her husband, Eric, of Milton, Mass. Store in North Walpole, N.H. He was She enjoyed gardening, crocheting and Born in Park Slope in Brooklyn, N.Y., a 67-year member of the Bellows Falls embroidery. MEMORIAL INFORMA- she was a graduate of Far Rockaway Elks Club and loved fishing and huntTION : A memorial service was held (N.Y.) High School in 1927 as ing. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A Oct. 1 at the Kostanski Funeral Home Salutatorian. Moved to Newfane in graveside memorial service was held in Greenfield. A private burial will be

Oct. 2 at Oak Hill Cemetery in Bellows Falls. Donations to the Cole Welch Fund, BPOE No. 1619, Attn: George Bennett, P.O. Box 367, Bellows Falls, VT 05101-0367.

• Rosemarie Shaughnessy, 72,

of Bellows Falls. Mother of Craig Stanley Shaughnessy and wife, Mary of Dracut, Mass.; and Garth Michael Shaughnessy of Wakefield, Mass.

Sister of Mary M. Barber of Bellows Falls and Stanley Marino Jr. of Keene, N.H. Predeceased by a son, Scott Joseph Shaughnessy, and a brother, Joseph S. Marino. Graduate of Bellows Falls High School, Class of 1956, and attended Fisher Junior College in Boston. She was a top salesperson at JN Phillips Glass Co. where she had been employed for the past 31 years.

She brought her small-town upbringing to all that she successfully accomplished in city life, never forgetting her roots. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A graveside memorial service was held on Oct. 1 at St. Charles Cemetery in Westminster. Donations to a charity of one’s choice.

• Robert A. Smith, 71, of Vernon.

Died Sept. 23 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Son of the late Robert L. and Claire Pluff Smith. Stepson of Virginia Kelleher of Greenfield, Mass.

Husband of the late Marion Burnett.

Father of Clayton and wife, Christine, of Wilmington; and stepdaughter Susan and husband, Raymond, of Gill, Mass. Predeceased by brothers Richard and Ronald. Held a GED and a blasting license. Blasting was his profession, and he also worked at various other jobs in the area. Served in the Air Force from 1956 to 1960.

Was a member of Kingdom Hall in Brattleboro. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A service was held at Kingdom Hall on Oct. 6.

• M u r i e l We i n m a n n , 7 1 , of Brattleboro. Died Sept. 9 at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital.

Former wife of Lionel Weinmann.

Mother of Lissa and son-in-law John Loggia of Brattleboro; and Robyn and husband Skip Weiss of Cleveland, Ohio. Predeceased by a son, Kurt.

Born in Manhattan, she grew up in Queens, N.Y., and spent most of her life there before moving to Brattleboro two years ago to be with her youngest daughter. Single-handedly supported and raised three children after being diagnosed with severe rheumatoid arthritis and seeing her marriage dissolve.

Managed busy photography studios for much of her life, and had impeccable style, a flair for the dramatic, sharp intelligence and a good sense of humor. MEMORIAL INFORMATION: A graveside memorial service was held at Maple Grove Cemetery in Queens.

A local memorial service was held Oct. 2 at Hilltop House in Brattleboro.

Donations to the Arthritis Foundation.

Births • In Montour Falls, N.Y. (Schuyler Hospital), Sept. 23, 2010, a daughter, Fiona Nancy Ettershank Brown , to Elizabeth E. Henry and David E. Brown of Groton, N.Y.; granddaughter to Lindley Speers and R. Scott Henry of Putney, and Susan J. and Kenneth S. Brown of Ithaca, N.Y.; great-granddaughter to Joyce and Richard Henry of Harwich, Mass., and Ruth K. Brown of St. Louis.

• In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), Sept. 22, 2010, a daughter, Aleigha Rayne Riendeau , to Shannon McGivney and Stephan Riendeau of Brattleboro; granddaughter to Carlie McAllister of Brattleboro, William McGivney of Athens, and Serge and Ida Riendeau of Pittsburg, N.H. • In Brattleboro (Memorial Hospital), Aug. 25, 2010, a daughter, Peyton Riley Williams , to Chrysta (Whitney) and Jeffrey Williams of Lakewood, Wis.; granddaughter to Timothy and Kathy Whitney of Marlboro, and Chuck and Barb Williams of Lakewood; great-granddaughter to Jackie Durant of Dummerston, and Harold and Dorothy Whitney of Marlboro.

School news • Melissa Soule of Leland and Gray Union Middle and High School has been named a Commended Student in the 2011 National Merit Scholarship Program. Commended Students are students who have placed among the top 5 percent of more that 1.5 million students who entered the 2011 competition.

• Jonah Bolotin, Hayden Noyes, Tori Bissell, and Rachel Greenberg were the winners of an essay contest at Bellows Falls Union High School held in conjunction with the school’s Literary Kick Off program.

The essays were about the book, First They Killed My Father, A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, by Luong Ung, and how the book affected their lives. The winners shared their essays with the community, had dinner with Ung during her recent appearance at BFUHS and received a copy of Ung’s latest book, Lucky Child, Daughter of Cambodia Speaks.

12

THE COMMONS

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ARTS CALENDAR • Rhonda Larson and Tim Ray in Bellows Falls: Grammy

Music • The Wiyos come to Putney : Twilight Music pres-

ents vaudevillian ragtime-jugband-blues-hillbilly-swing trio The Wiyos with roots singer/songwriter Russell Kaback at The United Church of Putney on Saturday, October 9 at 7:30 pm.

Back from a coast to coast, 24-state tour with Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, the internationally acclaimed, Brooklyn-based Wiyos feature Michael Farkas, Teddy Weber and Sauerkraut Seth Travins on vocals, washboard, harmonica, kazoo, steel and acoustic guitars, banjo, ukulele and upright bass. Drawing from a vast spectrum of traditional American rural and urban roots music, The Wiyos transport listeners back to the days when acoustic, handmade music could be heard on live radio and at community dances, juke joints and house parties.

The United Church is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney. Tickets for the show are $16 General/$14 Students and Seniors. For ticket reservations and information, call 802-2549276. For more information, visit www.thewiyos.com and www.twilightmusic.org.

• Dave Liebman Quartet at VJC: The Vermont Jazz Center

presents Dave Liebman, who will perform with his quartet on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 for general admission; $15 for students with valid ID. Call 802-254-9088 for reservations or more information.

Three of the four members (Liebman, Vic Juris on Guitar, Tony Marino on bass) of the quartet have performed as a unit for 19 years, and the fourth, drummer Marko Marcinko joined in eight years ago.

Liebman is considered a renaissance man in contemporary music with a career stretching over 40 years. He has played with many of the masters, including Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, McCoy Tyner and others. He has authored books and instructional DVDs, which are acknowledged as classics in the jazz field, and recorded as a leader in styles ranging from classical to rock to free jazz. He is a recipient of the NEA Masters of Jazz award.

Award-winning flutist Rhonda Larson, a former member of the Paul Winter Consort, and Tim Ray, best known as a pianist for Lyle Lovett, Jane Siberry, and Eugene Friesen, will be appearing at the Immanuel Episcopal Church, 20 Church St., Bellows Falls, on Sunday, October 10, at 4 p.m.

Larson and Ray will present an intimate duo performance that will be a journey around the world through music. Tickets are available at local bookstores or online at www.brattleborotix.com.

• A night of words and music: The Book Cellar presents ac-

claimed novelist and Vermonter Jon Clinch and cellist Adam Hurst on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m.

Clinch will read from his newest novel Kings of the Earth, a powerful and haunting story of life, death and family in rural America. Hurst will play selections from his seventh album Elegy and other pieces.

Both Clinch’s novel and Hurst albums will be for sale at the event.

Kings of the Earth is Clinch’s follow up to Finn, his much-heralded and prize-winning debut whose voice evoked “the mythic styles of his literary predecessors . . .

William Faulkner, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy and Edward P. Jones” Told in a chorus of voices that span a generation, Kings of the Earth examines the bonds of family and blood, faith and suspicion.

Hurst has performed throughout the United States and in Europe and has been commissioned to compose and perform original work for ballet, belly dance, and contemporary dance.

His recordings have been used in independent films, documentaries and art films.

The Book Cellar is located at 120 Main St. in downtown Brattleboro. For more information about this and other events contact the store at 802-254-6810 or www. bookcellarvt.com.

• WOOL announces onair Karaoke competition:

Pioneering community radio station WOOL, 100.1FM, announced today their upcoming karaoke competition. Beginning on Oct. 23, at 8 p.m., Black Sheep Radio will bring the community together in a contest of singing talent called RADIOKE. The station is offering cash

Meet Archer Mayor Friday, October 8 at 7 p.m.

Catch the latest installment in the continuing saga of Joe Gunther with Red Herring.

For those who have not attended one of Archer’s free-wheeling discussions, you are in for a real treat. Seating is limited; reservations are suggested.

Mystery on Main Street bookshop 119 Main Street Brattleboro, VT (802) 258-2211

prizes, donated by the public for this purpose: $350 for first prize, $100 for second prize and $50 for third prize. The contest will take place live on the air, every other Saturday, from 9 to 10 p.m.

Competition will take place in front of a studio audience. Judges for this competition are Sharon Boccelli, Jayson Munn and Dickie Colo. Tickets for are $4 per person, whether singing or not, and all proceeds benefit the nonprofit, member-owned radio station.

The first night’s contestants will gather at Black Sheep Radio headquarters at 33 Bridge St. in Bellows Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 23, and register for the competition by submitting song selections from the contest repertoire.

There will be no advance screening of the available songs until that time. Competition will take place over five nights: Oct. 23, Nov. 6, Nov. 20, and Dec. 4 and 18. Ten finalists, culled from the previous rounds of the contest, will compete for the $500 in prizes on Dec. 18.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m., with karaoke just for fun until 9 p.m., at which time the broadcast of the contest will begin. There will be a cash bar and snacks. Competition is open to all ages include soloists and duets. Full rules for this contest, directions, and info about WOOL are available at the station website at www.wool.fm.

Renowned landscape painter asks: ‘Can Art Be Taught?’

BRATTLEBORO—In a public lecture on Saturday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the New England Youth Theatre on Flat Street, renowned landscape painter Wolf Kahn will ask: “Can art be taught?”

Kahn, whose career has spanned more than six decades, is a leading figure in American art. Since 1968, Kahn and his wife, Emily Mason, have spent summers and autumns in southern Vermont, where the hills, barns, woods, and skies have inspired his art.

His “rich and expressive body of work represents a synthesis of his modern abstract training with Hans Hofmann, the palette of Matisse, Rothko’s sweeping bands of color, and the atmospheric qualities of American Impressionism,” according to his website (www.wolfkahn.com).

Kahn has received a Fulbright Scholarship, John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is a member of the National Academy of Design and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

For more information on any of five men. these events, call Librarian Meris This play addresses mature • U p c o m i n g eve n t s a t Morrison at 802-365-7948. themes, such as adultery, oppresM o o r e Fr e e L i b r a r y : The sion, and mass hysteria. It is not monthly Good Books Discussions appropriate for young children. continues at the Moore Free Purchase advance tickets online at Library, 23 West St., in Newfane. www.neyt.org, or at the NEYT box The next discussion will be on • The Crucible at NEYT: office on Wednesdays from noon-5 Friday, Oct. 15, at noon.

New England Youth Theatre pres- p.m. For more information about Bring a bag lunch and be pre- ents The Crucible, directed by Peter their programs, call 802-246-6398. pared to talk about Wild Swans: The Gould, on Oct. 15-24 – Friday • Halloween Parade open Real Life Saga of a Chinese Family and Saturday evenings at 7, and call: If you are a designer, cosOver Three Generations by Jung Saturday and Sunday afternoons tume maker, musician, street Chang. Copies are available for at 2. performer, dancer, percussionfree loan at the library. All who Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a ist, circus artist, stilt walker or enjoy reading are welcome. haunting story of witch hunts that any other artistic or creative maOct. 27 is the next edition of occurred around Salem, Mass., in ven, you are invited to participate Local Authors Read What They Write. the early days of colonial America. in the second annual Brattleboro Area writers are invited to read In our current time of growing Halloween Parade on Sunday, and/or listen to unpublished works. political polarization and intoler- Oct. 31.

Sign up at 6:45 p.m. Reading be- ance, Gould is bringing back this The theme for Halloween 2010 gins at 7 p.m. and usually ends passionate piece of cautionary art is XS RED. The parade begins at around 8. Elizabeth Macalaster created during the tense era of the corner Grove and Main streets (emacalaster@svcable.net) will McCarthyism. at 7:30 p.m. Afterwards, there will facilitate the group. The group The story begins as a teen- be the grand costume party and will meet again on Dec. 1 to share age Abigail attempts to resur- competition at the Stone Church. work and to set the dates for spring rect her lost love affair with the Bring your excess, bring your red meetings. married, and much older John and most of all, bring yourself, Paul Madelinski, well-known Proctor. When words and pleas your friends and family.

Brookline artist, is exhibiting his are not enough, Abigail condemns The first festival last year feapaintings at the Crowell Gallery Proctor’s wife Elizabeth by ac- tured a truly spectacular costume of the library during the month of cusing her of the capital felony party and prizes were awarded by October. An opening reception of witchcraft. Abigail convinces a many of the businesses in town. is planned for Saturday, Oct. 9, gaggle of young girls to play along This year, organizers anticipate from 1-3 p.m. The show will run with her. The girls are then manip- a bigger parade, with more revthrough Oct. 30 during library ulated by adults hungry for fame, elers and more cohesive parade hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 1-5 p.m. power, land, and revenge. music. For more information, and Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Spurred on by a community contact Richie Richardson at The library will be offering consumed with suspicion and mis- 347-995-1819. its annual “Design-A Plate” trust, Abigail and her friends conworkshop during the week of demn dozens of innocent people November 9-13 during library to imprisonment and death. The hours. Children and the young community of Salem goes “witch at heart are invited to drop in to crazy” – and those who mete • New Exposures ar ts produce a design to be transferred out justice enable and encour- program: This fall, area youth onto a melamine plate or bowl that age them. In reality, the colony will have the opportunity to crewill be delivered in time for holi- of Massachusetts imprisoned 150 ate and exchange artistic projects day giving. The cost per item is $6. people and killed 15 women and with their peers in communities

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across the country. Through The In-Sight Photography Project’s Exposures Cross-Cultural Youth Arts Program, Brattleboro participants will be able to share their photographs and perspectives of their lives and local community with youth in Chicago and on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Beginning this month, youth participating in the Exposures Exchange Program will meet for 10 weekly classes at The In-Sight Photography Project. They will learn to use digital photography, Photoshop, writing and other creative skills to develop and collaborate on projects exploring their sense of identity, place, community, and culture.

Students from Shannon County Virtual High School and Little Wound High School and Middle School on the Pine Ridge Reservation, and participants at Street-Level Youth Media in Chicago are excited to exchange images and connect with Vermont youth in this fall’s interactive, webbased Exchange Program, which will give youth from the three locations an opportunity to work with local facilitators, learn to use creative tools to look more deeply into their own experiences and cultures, and use the Web to share their work with participants from other sites.

The local Exposures Exchange group will meet Thursdays from 6-8 p.m. at the In-Sight Photography Project beginning Oct. 14. Spaces are currently available. Visit www.insight-photography.org or call 802-251-9960 to register.

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“Deep Purple Landscape,” available exclusively through BMAC. The event will benefit the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, of which Kahn is an honorary trustee. Tickets are $8 ($6 for seniors, students, and museum members).

Seating is limited, and reservations are recommended. Call 802-257-0124, ext. 101, or visit www.brattleboromuseum.org for more information.

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His work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the Hirshhorn Museum, and the Los Angeles County Museum, among many others.

“Wolf is a great speaker — funny and irreverent, yet always substantive and thought-provoking,” said museum director Danny Lichtenfeld.

Kahn will also sign copies of his limited-edition 2009 print,

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Wolf Kahn’s “Deep Purple Landscape” (2009).

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THE COMMONS

13

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

SPORTS & RECREATION Colonels roll toward boys soccer playoffs

A

Brattleboro t 6-1 heading into the home stretch of the season, the Brattleboro Colonels boys soccer team is looking more and more like a team that will make some noise in the playoffs this year.

The test of a good team is how it responds to adversity.

For example, Brattleboro suffered its first loss of the season with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Rutland on a rainy home game last Tuesday night.

The Colonels had plenty of alibis to fall back on — poor playing conditions, a 10-day layoff and 22 shots on goal that never found the back of the net. Instead, they bounced back with a 3-2 win over Monument Mountain the next day. Senior forward Travis Elliot-Knaggs scored two goals and assisted on the third goal.

Brattleboro built upon that win with a 3-0 defeat over Burr & Burton in Saturday’s homecoming game at Sawyer Field.

Sophomore midfielder Jackson Batchelder scored in the 13th minute, and only stellar goalkeeping by Burr & Burton’s Michael Nolan kept the Bulldogs in the game. But continued pressure by the Colonels resulted in a pair of insurance goals in the 62nd and 64th minute. The first was an own goal by a Bulldog defender, the second came off the foot of junior midfielder Cesar Moore.

Goalkeepers Evan Darling and Galen Finnerty combined on the shutout as the Colonels outshot the Bulldogs, 34-5.

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT Sports Roundup just 14 seconds left in regulation, and then scored the game winner just 36 seconds into overtime.

• It was a rough week for Brattleboro as the Colonels got shut out by Minnechaug Regional, 4-0, on Tuesday, and then were shut out 2-0 by Rutland in the homecoming game on Saturday, • Bellows Falls, now 0-7-1, is still looking for its first win after losing to Arlington 3-0 on Saturday.

Field hockey

• Windsor scored three goals in the second half to break open a close game in a 4-0 home defeat for Bellows Falls. The Terriers managed only two shots on goal.

• Brattleboro dropped a 2-1 decision at Rutland on Wednesday. Karley Fortier scored an unassisted goal and goalie Caroline McCarthy made eight saves.

Football

• Bellows Falls scored on eight of its 10 total possessions as the Terriers crushed the Montpelier Solons, 53-6, on Saturday at Hadley Field.

Running back Ryan Hayward led the attack with 115 yards of rushing and two touchdowns on just seven carried.

Boys soccer Quarterback Jeremy Kilburn • Twin Valley started last ran for one touchdown and week with a 2-0 win over Black threw to Brendan Hackett for River in Ludlow on Monday, another score. Joe Aslin, Leo the first victory for the Wildcats Barnett and Bruce Wells also at Dorsey Park since 2004. found the end zone as BF took Nick Birch and Eli Park were a 40-0 lead at the half. the goal scorers. Tony Bernard In the second half, Ethan made five saves to earn his Amidon recovered a fumbled third consecutive shutout. kickoff and ran it in 20 yards • Windsor beat Bellows for a touchdown, and then Falls, 3-1, in a home game last ran in another score. Hackett Tuesday. Alfredo Jaikel was converted five of his eight exthe only goal scorer for the tra points, and the BF defense Terriers. held the Solons scoreless until the reserves came in to end Girls soccer the game.

• Freshmen Savannah Bellows Falls is now 3-2, Nesbit and Sammy with all their wins coming Cunningham were the goal against Division III foes. The scorers as Twin edgedSurvey Terriers travel to Windsor this

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Natowich Field. Essex scored 20 unanswered points before the Colonels got on the board with a 14-yard touchdown run by Ivan Jackson and a 38yard touchdown catch by Josh LaValley.

The Colonels then tried an onside kick after LaValley’s score, but couldn’t come up with the ball as time ran out.

While the Colonels fell to 0-5, the second-half comeback is certainly something the team can build on. The Colonels travel to Barre to take on Spaulding this Saturday.

Cross country

• As a team, the Brattleboro Colonels had a tough time of it on an extremely muddy course at the Thetford Woods Run on Saturday as the girls and boys each placed 42nd. Individually, Jacob Ellis finished 18th out of 1,044 male runners with a time of 17:49, the fifth-best Vermont time in the competition. Hannah Reichel was 147th of 810 female runners with a time of 23:40 and earned a medal for finishing second in her race.

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS

Brattleboro’s Jason Batchelder, left, dashes after the ball as Burr & Burton defender Ethan March (19) slides in during first half Saturday at Sawyer Field.

and second grade. The fee is $25 for Brattleboro residents and $40 for non-residents. The season runs from November through March. Players will have a practice once a week and all games are on Friday evenings.

The kindergarten program is for children who are currently enrolled in kindergarten and are looking to learn the fundamentals of basketball.

Rockingham Kindergarten basketball will wrestlers begin at 5 p.m. on Mondays hold raffle from Jan. 3 to 31. The cost is • Want to win a Jeep? The $10 for Brattleboro residents Rockingham Area Wrestlers and $25 for non-residents.

(RAW) are selling 250 raffle All athletes are asked to wear tickets at $100 each for a masneakers and bring a water roon 2004 Jeep Wrangler. bottle.

Money raised from this raffle The boys youth basketball will help pay for new wrestling league is for boys in grades 3-6. mats and remodeling of RAW’s There will be two divisions: the new location on 15 Barker senior division will be for boys Street in Bellows Falls. in grades 5 and 6 and the juRAW is in its 10th year as an nior division will be for boys in independent wrestling club. It grades 3 and 4. The program’s has produced many past and fee is $40 for residents and $55 present Vermont state champi- for non-residents. The season ons, as well as high-place finruns from November through ishers at both the New England March and there will be one and the Northeast National practice and one game per competitions. week. Games will be held on Raffle tickets will be on sale Saturday mornings. every Sunday at Hadley Field The girls youth basketball during the Sunday morning league is for girls in grades 3-6.

Pee-Wee football games from There will be a senior and junow until Oct. 17. You can nior division split up just like also call Kim Record at 802those of the boys league. The 843-2579 or Laura Lober at fee is $35 for residents and $50 802-722-4889. The Jeep draw- for non-residents. The season ing will be held Nov. 1. runs from November through February. Players will have Youth basketball one practice and one game a signups in week. There will be an all-star Brattleboro team selected from the senior The Brattleboro Recreation division to compete in tourna& Parks Department will offer ments at the end of the season. an instructional co-ed basketRegistration for all programs ball program and kindergarten will be from 1:30-6 p.m. on basketball, as well as a youth Wednesday, Oct. 13, at the league for boys and one for Gibson-Aiken Center, 207 girls this winter.

Main St. Volunteer coaches The instructional co-ed pro- are also needed. If there are gram is for children in the first special needs required for

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the boys or girls leagues, or if more information is required, call the Recreation & Parks Department at 802-254-5808.

Claremont Cardinals join CRVBL

The Claremont Cardinals, an over-40 team that has played in the New Hampshire Baseball League for the past several years, are joining the

Connecticut River Valley Baseball League for the 2011 season. They play their home games at historic Barnes Park in Claremont, N.H. To celebrate their new league affilation, the Cardinals will take on the Putney Fossils in an exhibition game on Sunday, Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at Dummerston School Field.

RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMOINS

Brattleboro’s Greg Reuter (8) takes a center pass in front of Burr & Burton defender Joseph Keefe (5) during first half action at Sawyer Field on Saturday.

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LIFE & WORK

14

THE COMMONS

• Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Dover celebrates bicentennial SARAH SHIPPEE/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS

Thousands turned out to watch the bicentennial parade.

LYNN BARRETT/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS

Grand marshals lead the way: Dover’s oldest resident Frank Smith, 94, and Leonard Hall, the town’s oldest lifelong Resident, 84, ride in an M38 1951 Willys Army Jeep owned by Mike Eldred.

SARAH SHIPPEE/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS

The Alfonso Family was the winner of $500 for the residential category of “birthday cakes” to celebrate Dover’s bicentennial. Rentals Only won the commercial category.

LYNN BARRETT/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS

Nearly 125 people turned out for the dedication of a refurbished war memorial, enlarged to honor the 22 veterans from town who served in Vietnam and the five who served in Korea. “This special ceremony is a key component of the Dover Bicentennial Celebration to honor our veterans, our troops presently serving, and those who died in action,” said Mary Lou Raymo, who chaired the bicentennial committee.

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LYNN BARRETT/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS

West Dover Postmaster Mike Collier stamps letters and postcards with a special pictorial postmark created by Dover artist DeAnna Asborno. The image is the likeness of longtime resident Sonny Brown.

Friday, Oct. 1 was the only day folks could walk into the post office to have mail stamped with the special postmark. Stamp collectors will have 29 days to mail LYNN BARRETT/SPECIAL TO THE COMMONS in mail they’d like to have stamped with the special Dover Elementary students created birthday cakes postmark; after that, the stamp is destroyed. to help celebrate the town’s bicentennial. They also performed a play about the town’s history.

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Fall Foliage &Festivities Festivals and fundraisers — Recipes for the season — Calendar of fall fun

Supplement to

October 6, 2010

2

THE COMMONS

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

Forty years of apple, pies and community Newfane hosts annual Heritage Festival Oct. 9 and 10

By Olga Peters The Commons

N

EWFANE— Artisans, food booths, children’s games and more than 200 apple pies will grace the town green as Newfane hosts its 40th Heritage Festival on Oct. 9 and 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“It really is a quintessential fall event. It has a homecoming feeling,” says co-organizer Rehama Grip.

The festival does not charge admission to enter or listen to the live entertainment.

Visitors can enjoy shopping at the over 80 vendor stalls with homemade crafts and food booths on the green or the “Deli” in the Church.

A “super raffle” with items donated by the vendors and local

businesses will be set up in the Union Hall.

“Although sponsored by the church, this is truly a community event with volunteers from the [whole] community,” Grip says.

Festival proceeds support the Newfane Congregational Church and its charity work.

“It’s significant to our missionary work,” says Grip of the Church’s only major fundraiser.

Grip says the funds support a “big handful” of international, national and local individuals and programs from area food shelves, the Women’s Crisis Center, local fire departments and Grace Cottage Hospital. The congregation votes monthly on which programs to send funds to.

Organizers also reserve four vendors’ spots for nonprofits free of charge.

“We think of ourselves as a community church and we serve the community,” says volunteer and church member Merrilyn Van Gelder.

Rev. Bill Clark started Heritage Festival 40 years ago as a fundraiser for the Church, says Grip. The festival consisted

of small booths with food, kids’ games, and crafts from local groups like the Ladies Aid. “It was a very small, very local event,” says Grip.

Grip volunteers as a way of giving back. She moved to Newfane from New Jersey in 2002 and says she loved the event, experience and what it did for the community spirit when she first attended the festival.

“I love it. It’s a lot of fun and a lot of fellowship,” says Van Gelder.

The pie recipe used by the festival bakers came from Van Gelder 15 years ago.

She says her previous church in Hamden, Conn., used the pie recipe for 35 years before she shared it with Newfane. Van Gelder doesn’t remember the name of the original cook who developed the pie recipe, but says she was a “very good” cook at the local high school.

“Everyone loved her cooking,” says Gelder.

The festival uses Paula Red apples from Green Mountain Orchard in Putney. Van Gelder says the key to a good pie is not

over working the dough.

She remembers telling the volunteer pie-bakers, “When you roll out the dough, I don’t care if it looks like a map of the African continent, you can always cut it to fit [the pie pan].

It’s not Play-Doh.” “A lot of hands are involved,” says Nissa Petrak, a volunteer of 10 years.

Petrak has rolled up her sleeves year after year, she says, because the festival is a “rewarding experience.”

Grip, and her cohorts Ted Colligan and Chris Petrak, start work on the festival in January obtaining commitments from vendors and planning.

Come September, the serious work begins. Grip credits the elbow grease of roughly 200 “amazing” volunteers for loaning refrigerators, peeling potatoes, scrubbing the church, and baking pies.

“This week, the church is buzzing,” she says.

Approximately 3,000 people visit the festival each year, which was voted one of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s “10 for the Road”

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Iva and Bruce Yates peel and cut up apples for pies at the Newfane Congregational Church. events from the mid-Atlantic to New England in 2005, says Grip.

Weather has the biggest impact on the rain-or-shine event.

Grip recommends visitors take in the sights and sounds of the festival first. Then, check out the flea (market) tent and vendors. Bring a blanket to spread on the grass and listen to local musicians.

“Visit with the vendors. They all have a story to tell,” says Grip.

Don’t forget the “homemade goodies,” she says. Grip likes the baked potatoes with toppings.

Then indulge in cookies, donuts, pies or apple crisp.

The NewBrook and Leland & Gray schools will provide activities for the young ones.

Grip says the kids historically love the festival’s caramel apple and popcorn tent.

“The festival is a nice way to connect with people. The coordinators would like to send a big ‘thank you’ to all the volunteers.

We wouldn’t be able to do this without them or their community spirit,” Grip says.

For more information, visit newfaneheritagefestival.blogspot.com

or call Grip at 802-365-4366.

Parking will be available across from the green in front of the Windham RANDOLPH T. HOLHUT/THE COMMONS County Sheriff’s Department on Joe Slater mans the autoJail Street. peeler at the Newfane

Congregational Church.

THE COMMONS

3

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

A celebration of apple pie in Dummerston Pancakes, crafts, bikers and more than 1,400 pies make this town the place to be each October

By Joyce Marcel The Commons

D

UMMERSTON— What does it take to make 1,400 apple pies?

According to the volunteers at the Dummerston Congregational Church, it takes about 100 bushels of Cortland apples, 550 pounds of sugar, 850 pounds of flour, 400 pounds of shortening, seven pounds of cinnamon and three pounds of nutmeg.

It also takes dozens of volunteers two weeks, working two, three-hour shifts each weekday, to peel the apples, mix and roll the pie crust, fill the pie tins and bake them all 1,400 pies and store them for the big Sunday when thousands converge on this little town to celebrate the simple joy of a homemade apple pie.

The Dummerston Apple Pie Festival, now going into its 41th year as a fundraiser for the Dummerston Congregational Church, is held each year in Dummerston Center. This year’s edition starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10.

If there’s a “queen” of the pie festival, it’s Gladys Miller. She and her late husband, Dwight, of the Dwight Miller Orchards, always provide all the apples.

And she’s been making pies since Day One. “We started with a need for a church fundraiser,” Miller said last year. “It was just a few pies

The

being made at home.”

Over the years, the event has grown into a pie festival, a crafts fair, an all-you-can-eat breakfast at the West Dummerston Volunteer Fire Department — and, for reasons no one can adequately explain — a Mecca for bikers in leather and chrome.

While much of the focus is on the hard work that takes place in the Congregational Church’s basement kitchen, there is other hard work going on in other kitchens. Like Mary Hickens, the matriarch of Hickens’ Mountain Mowing Farm on Black Mountain Road, who makes the homemade ice cream for the apple pies in her kitchen.

The West Dummerston Volunteer Fire Department, which serves breakfast from 7-11:30 a.m. as a prelude to the pie fest, works overtime making the fresh apple sauce, baking powder biscuits and sausage gravy that’s on the menu. And the maple syrup for the plain, apple, raspberry, and blueberry pancakes served up by the firefighters is donated by some of Dummerston’s many sugar houses.

On Pie Fest Sunday, the griddles go full blast inside the firehouse, while outside, two grills cook up hundreds of sausage patties. Upstairs are long tables and the butter, apple sauce, biscuits, gravy, coffee and freshpressed apple cider. The line for the pancakes routinely stretches

out the firehouse and onto the East West Road.

It takes a lot of discipline to not stuff yourself silly with breakfast and have no room for pie.

Not having room for pie, however, would be criminal on a day like this.

Under a big tent, they’re selling single slices of pie with ice cream and cheddar cheese.

There’s also a tag sale and a book sale jammed in under there.

And, at a long table in front of the church, volunteers are selling the whole pie as fast as they can move them.

And in the parking lot next to the Town Office, you’ll find hundreds of motorcycles and bikers milling about with their stylish leathers, their suspenders with skulls and their eclectic facial hair. They have become almost as big a tourist attraction than the pies. The bikers come from all over New England, and the ride to Dummerston is usually the highlight of the fall season for many motorcycle clubs.

Over at the Evening Star Grange, you’ll find a crafts fair from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.. This is the place to fill all your needs for knit booties, crocheted toilet paper roll holders, mittens, sweaters, Christmas stockings with Red Sox insignias, men’s ties and sweet pickles.

One important piece of advice.

If you want a pie, come early. On a nice day, the church routinely sells out by 2 p.m.

Fall Foliage & Festivals, a supplement to The Commons, is published by Vermont Independent Media, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to local, independent journalism and community access to media. For more information about the newspaper and our other nonprofit activities, visit www.commonsnews.org.

The Met: Live in HD | 2010–11 Season Das Rheingold, Wagner – New Production Saturday, October 9, 2010, 1:00; Sunday, October 10, 11:00 Two unparalleled artists join forces to create a groundbreaking new Ring for the Met: Maestro James Levine and director Robert Lepage.

The cycle launches with Das Rheingold, the prologue to Wagner’s epic drama. (Expected running time: 3 hours) Boris Godunov, Mussorgsky – New Production Saturday, October 23, 2010, 12:00; Sunday October 24, 11:00 René Pape takes on one of the greatest bass roles in a production by Stephen Wadsworth. Valery Gergiev conducts Mussorgsky’s epic spectacle that captures the suffering and ambition of a nation. Aleksandrs Antonenko, Vladimir Ognovenko, and Ekaterina Semenchuk lead the huge cast. (Expected running time: 5 hours) Don Pasquale, Donizetti Saturday, November 13, 2010, 1:00; Sunday November 14, 11:00 Anna Netrebko revives her sensational turn in this sophisticated bel canto comedy, opposite Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecien, and John Del Carlo in the title role. Music Director James Levine conducts. (Expected running time: 3.5 hours) Don Carlo, Verdi – New Production Saturday, December 11, 2010, 12:30; Sunday, December 12, 11:00 Director Nicholas Hytner makes his Met debut with this new production of Verdi’s profound, beautiful, and most ambitious opera. Roberto Alagna leads the cast, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, Marina Poplavskaya, Anna Smirnova, and Simon Keenlyside also star. Yannick NézetSéguin conducts. (Expected running time: 4.5 hours) La Fanciulla del West, Puccini Saturday, January 8, 2011, 1:00; Sunday, January 9, 11:00 Puccini’s wild-west opera had its world premiere in 1910 at the Met. Now, on the occasion of its centennial, all-American diva Deborah Voigt sings the title role of the “girl of the golden west,” starring opposite Marcello Giordani. Nicola Luisotti conducts. (Expected running time: 3.5 hours) Nixon in China, Adams– New Production Saturday, February 12, 2011 1:00; Sunday February 13, 11:00 “All of my operas have dealt on deep psychological levels with our American mythology,” says composer John Adams, who conducts the Met premiere of his most famous opera. “The meeting of Nixon and Mao is a mythological moment in world history, particularly American history.” Acclaimed director Peter Sellars makes his Met debut with this groundbreaking 1987 work. Baritone James Maddalena stars in the title role. (Expected running time: 4 hours) Iphigénie en Tauride, Gluck Saturday, February 26, 2011 1:00; Sunday February 27, 11:00 Susan Graham and Plácido Domingo reprise their starring roles in Gluck’s nuanced and elegant interpretation of this primal Greek myth.

Tenor Paul Groves also returns to Stephen Wadsworth’s insightful production, first seen in 2007. Patrick Summers conducts. (Expected running time: 2.5 hours) Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti Saturday, March 19, 2011, 1:00; Sunday March 20, 11:00 Natalie Dessay triumphed as the fragile heroine of Donizetti’s masterpiece on Opening Night of the 2007–08 season in Mary Zimmerman’s hit production. Now she returns to the role of the innocent young woman driven to madness, opposite Joseph Calleja, who sings her lover Edgardo. (Expected running time: 4 hours) Le Comte Or, Rossini -New Production Saturday, April 9, 2011, 1:00; Sunday April 10, 11:00 Rossini’s vocally dazzling comedy stars bel canto sensation Juan Diego Flórez in the title role of this Met premiere production. He vies with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, in the trouser role of Isolier, for the love of the lonely Countess Adèle, sung by soprano Diana Damrau. Bartlett Sher, director describes the world of the opera as, “a place where love is dangerous. People get hurt. That can be very funny and very painful. Rossini captures both—with the most beautiful love music Rossini ever wrote.” (Expected running time: 4 hours) Capriccio, Strauss Saturday, April 23, 2011, 1:00; Sunday, April 24, 11:00 On Opening Night of the 2008–09 season, Renée Fleming dazzled audiences when she sang the final scene of Strauss’s wise and worldly meditation on art and life. Now she performs the entire work, in which the composer explores the essence of opera itself. Joseph Kaiser and Sarah Connolly also star, and Andrew Davis conducts. (Expected running time: 3 hours) Il Trovatore, Verdi Saturday, April 30, 2011, 1:00; Sunday, May 1, 11:00 David McVicar’s stirring production of Verdi’s intense drama premiered in the 2008– 09 season. James Levine leads this revival, starring four extraordinary singers—Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick, Marcelo Álvarez, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky—in what might be the composer’s most melodically rich score. (Expected running time: 3 hours) Die Walküre, Wagner - New Production Saturday, May 14, 2011 at 12:00; Sunday, May 15, 11:00 A stellarcast comes together for this second installment of Robert Lepage’s new production of the Ring cycle, conducted by James Levine. Bryn Terfel is Wotan, lord of the Gods. Deborah Voigt adds the part of Brünnhilde to her extensive Wagnerian repertoire at the Met. Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek star as the twins, Siegmund and Sieglinde, and Stephanie Blythe is Fricka. (Expected running time: 5 hours 15 minutes)

Tickets are available at www.brattleborotix.com More information at Brattleboro Arts Initiative, 254-1109 and Brattleboro Music Center, 257-4523.

BMC B R A T T L E B O R O MUSIC CENTER

4

THE COMMONS

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

Leaf tour Revisiting a historic foliage loop through Windham County

By Allison Teague The Commons

The great flood of 1927 wiped out many roads and bridges around Vermont. The reconstruction work that followed this disaster gave the state better, smoother roads and made driving hilly, sometimes mountainous byways, more comfortable and accessible by car.

As roads were paved, touring families loaded into their cars and viewed “the best foliage” on routes that appear in the Federal Writers Project’s 1937 guidebook Vermont: A Guide to the Green Mountain State.

In southern Vermont, one “loop tour” from Brattleboro along Route 30 to the junction with Route 11 near Bromley Mountain in Peru, then east along 11 to Chester and then Springfield, to meet with Route 5 again, was the recommended

tour through the region.

Our amended leaf tour runs from Brattleboro northwest along Route 30, following the West River through Williamsville Station, north to Newfane and Townsend, northeast to Athens, then Saxtons River, and south to Putney, and back to Brattleboro.

The tour includes surprising and unique small Vermont villages along winding, comfortable two-lane paved roads, and some well-maintained dirt roads. It will take about 2-3 hours to complete in a loop, with stops.

Along the road, rivers reflect the flaming hillsides, fields corralled by ancient stone walls provide perspective on brilliant maple and birch trees up a hillside or across a meadow, and weathered wood gates lean against posts, latched only with old baling wire.

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ALLISON TEAGUE/THE COMMONS

A mother and child relax in the shade of a maple tree near the Newfane Congregational Church. shade of a tree with an impossible combination of green and orange as raiment in the last rays of warmth for the year.

The creative nature of 21stcentury Vermonters is evidenced along the loop by pottery studios, small restaurants providing home-style cooking and uniquely Vermont epicurean delights, bed and breakfasts, and inns, along with many farmstands and greenhouses that sell late harvests and colorful mums.

Tasting rooms for Vermont maple syrup liquor and a wine, as well as cheese factories, delight epicurean visitors.

You’ll find plenty of places to let the kids run off steam beside riverbeds or on village greens, and they can see farm animals intermittently. If you don’t want to take a picnic, plenty of restaurants offer a sit-down late breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The loop can, of course, start at any point and followed in either direction.

by several picturesque bridges, including the second-longest covered bridge in the state.

At 267 feet, the 1872 West Dummerston covered bridge is the “longest covered bridge still open to traffic…wholly within Vermont,” according to the National Register of Historic Places.

Newfane is home to the majestic 1825 Windham County Courthouse, several war memorials and a lovely fountain that graces the green in front.

A stop at Dutton’s Farm Stand for fresh-baked pies and bread — and fresh apples — should be penciled in. Rick’s Tavern, across Route 30 from Dutton’s, offers a quick lunch.

Townshend has been home to politicians, temperance and sufferage leaders and authors, as well as the setting for books and films nearby. It, too, has a lovely fountain and places to sit among the brilliant maples that dot the green.

The Townshend State Park The 2010 leaf tour has hiking and biking trails, as The West River is spanned well as swimming and picnicking

opportunities. Bald Mountain has a 1,600-foot elevation trail suitable for a family hike that includes waterfalls, chutes, and pools. Tent platforms are available for campers.

Lawrence’s Smoke Shop in Harmonyville offers smoked ham and cheeses.

Take a right onto Route 35 in Townshend and through the notch east of Rattlesnake Mountain, heading toward Athens (pronounced “A-thens”).

Be sure to stop at the 1817 Athens Brick Meeting House on the left. It was the site for community worship and Town Meetings as well as many militia training sessions, Old Home Day celebrations and fairs.

Just before the Meeting House road, Route 35 turns to a wellmaintained dirt road for several miles before descending into Athens, where pavement begins again.

The forested drive nto Athens reveals huge white pine amidst stone walls that tell of early Vermont sheep and cattle farmer

fields, now grown into pine forests, uncut for almost half a century.

The winding cross-hill drive to Athens, then Cambridgeport, takes about a half hour; stop, then turn right onto Route 121.

Just outside of Cambridgeport is a unique distillery, Sapling Vermont Liqueur. Call ahead for a tour of this all-Vermont distillate.

Traveling east about 10 minutes, one may stop at the Inn at Saxtons River to eat or stay overnight, or pick up deli food and homemade baked goods next door at the Saxtons River Village Market.

In the last leg of the loop, turn west back to the Saxtons River Historical Society Museum, formerly the Congregational Church, which overlooks the junction of Route 121 and Westminster Street, which becomes Westminster West Road.

This leg of the journey provides the most bucolic aspect of the loop, as one rises up the rolling slopes of Hartley Hill with fields edging the roadside,

THE COMMONS

5

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

ALLISON TEAGUE/THE COMMONS

High Meadows Farm, a certified organic farm in Westminster West, is one of several farm stands on this leaf peeping route. and down to Westminster West, where the Westminster West Church overlooks the tiny village.

Arrival in Putney, and Route 5, a distance of about 16 miles, will take about 20 to 25 minutes, depending upon your speed.

Colonial and Federal style architecture and some grand old homes are scattered along the road. Working farms, family homes and a horse farm give glimpses into sustained rural life.

Putney is home to hiking trails, and the annual hawk count atop Putney Mountain each September and early October, as well as the Medieval Faire at the Putney Central School.

You’ll find restaurants, artisans’ shops and retail stores, as well as the Putney Food Co-op and Basketville, also the home of Putney Mountain Winery and tasting room.

Try the Maple Pecan Pie at the Putney Diner on Main Street and Curtis’ BBQ near the Interstate 91 interchange for chicken and ribs that have

garnered national attention.

Take I-91 south if you’re in a hurry; otherwise, follow Route 5 south to Brattleboro. Both highways follow the Connecticut River.

Cabins and camping are available at a KOA campground in Dummerston, where just next door the Walker Farm provides Vermont-grown products.

Final notes

ALLISON TEAGUE/THE COMMONS

A four-mile spur to Grafton The Westminster West Road between Putney and at Route 121 is not included in Saxtons River is a hidden gem among the foliage this tour, but many attractions rides in Windham County. await the inquisitive tourist there as well.

This route can be easily reversed, amended, or for the joy of adventure, abandoned ALLISON TEAGUE/THE COMMONS completely.

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THE COMMONS

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

FA L L F O L I A G E C A L E N D A R Easy trip from Townshend to Grafton and back, with lunch.

Free. Information, Joe Cook, • Artsy-Craft Fair: Saturday, 802-257-0609.

Oct. 9, 10 a.m. -3 p.m. Bric-a• Dave Liebman Quartet: Brattleboro Artsy-Craft Fair is Saturday, Oct 9, 8 p.m. The an artsy-craft event held all day Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton in River Garden at 153 Main St. Mill Hill, presents the Dave There are over 20 local artists Liebman Quartet. Liebman is and crafters with their beauti- an honored recipient of the 2011 ful wears and there is live music NEA Jazz Masters Award. Critic throughout the day. Adults: $3, Leonard Feather writes that Kids: Free.

Liebman is “among the most • W o l f K a h n l e c t u r e : important saxophonists in conSaturday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. temporary music.” Liebman was Brattleboro Museum & Art a member of Miles Davis’ elecCenter presents a lecture from tric ensemble and toured and esteemed painter Wolf Kahn recorded with Coltrane’s drumat the museum on 10 Vernon mer, Elvin Jones, for 11 years. He St. “Can Artists be Taught?” is will be performing with guitarist the theme and Kahn will share Vic Juris, bassist Tony Marino his thoughts on the importance and drummer Marko Marcinko. of innate ability and the extent Tickets are $20 general adto which artists can be taught. mission and $15 for students.

Admission is $8 for adults; $6 Reservations: 802-254-9088. seniors, students, and BMAC members. Information: 802-2570124, ext. 101.

Dummerston

Brattleboro

• Fo l i a g e b i k e t o u r :

Saturday, Oct 9, all day. The Brattleboro section of the Green Mountain Club and the Windham County Bike Tour are sponsoring a foliage bike tour in Windham County.

• A p p l e P i e Fe s t i v a l :

Sunday, Oct. 10, 9 a.m. until sold out. The Dummerston Apple Pie Festival is held on the common in Dummerston Center. This harvest festival kicks off with a

Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast from 7-11:30 a.m. A craft fair is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The pies go on sale at 10 a.m., but don’t wait too long, they are usually all gone by early afternoon. The event is held rain or shine, indoors or under a tent. Information: 802-254-9158

Grafton • Fall foliage festival:

Saturday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Oct. 10. The annual Grafton Firefighters Fall Foliage Festival will be Columbus Day weekend at the firehouse on Route 121 just east of Grafton Village.

Featured will be a huge tag sale that will offer toys, linens, books, housewares, small appliances, furniture, jewelry, hardware and most everything else. Food will be available in great variety as well. Hot coffee, pastry, fresh cider, hand-cut fries, hot apple fritters, hot dogs, hamburgers, and baked goods will all be served by the Grafton School PTG. The sale begins at 9 a.m. and goes until 3 p.m. on Oct. 9 and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Oct. 10, when everything at the tag sale will be half-price.

• Bike and hike tours:

BAPC invites area businesses to participate in

Drug-Free Work Week

Friday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 10. Bike tours at Grafton Ponds Outdoor Center. The two-hour tours are tailored based on the group’s ability. Bike tours can be road or trail rides. and start at 10 a.m.

Hiking tours start at 2 pm. All

tours meet at Grafton Ponds’ lodge. Admission, $10 per person. Reservations appreciated.

Information: 802-843-2400.

Guilford • Apple Brunch: Sunday, Oct. 10, 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Broad Brook Grange’s all-you-can-eat Apple Brunch at the Grange Hall in Guilford Center. Featuring eggs made to order, pancakes, sausage, French toast, bacon, home fries, maple syrup and, of course, apple muffins, apple coffee cake, apple pie and fruit salad loaded with apples.

• Cor n maze: Weekends, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Gaines Farm Corn Maze on 6343 Coolidge Highway (Route 5). The 5½acre corn maze on a 200-yearold working farm, with hayride wagons, pumpkin bowling, a corn cannon, hay jump, baby animal barn, a cow train and more. Refreshments available.

Information: 802-257-0409 or www.gainesfarm.com.

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Jacksonville • Annual grape stomp:

Saturday, Oct. 9, noon–4 p.m.: Come on down and jump in a barrel full of grapes and give them your best stomp! Dancing, food, wine and hot apple cider.

Many other activities include Vineyard, 201 Vt. Route 112. pumpkin decorating station, Information: 802-368-2226; and a haypile jump. Rain or www.honorawinery.com. shine; free. Honora Winery and

Marlboro

October 18 - 24

• Music for a Sunday Afternoon: Sunday, Oct. 10,

Review your workplace policies on substance use and its impact on your business.

Does your business have: A written policy statement Supervisor training Employee education and awareness Drug and alcohol testing

Employee assistance for providing help A continuing drug and alcohol abuse prevention program

Free information for employers and employees is available at

www.brattleboroareapreventioncoalition.org Questions? Contact Terri at (802) 257-2175 or BAPCwork@sover.net

Help support the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center at the annual Empty Bowls dinner at Landmark College in Putney on Saturday, Oct. 9. For a $20 donation, guests will be served a simple, nutritious meal of soup, bread, cheese, apples, beverage and dessert. Afterwards, guests are invited to keep the bowl from which they eat, handmade and donated by local potters and ceramics artists.

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3 p.m. Music for a Sunday Afternoon honors Luis Batlle at Cynthia Ragle Hall, Serkin Center at Marlboro College.

Retiring music professor Luis Batlle has hand-picked some of his favorite musicians to perform during the 2010-11 Music for Sunday Afternoon Concert Series, beginning with a recital of Bach, Schubert and Chopin by pianist Cynthia Raim, who was unanimously chosen as the First Prize winner of the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition and has been acclaimed for her concerto and recital appearances throughout the United States

and abroad. Marlboro College president Ellen McCullochLovell will offer remarks on behalf of the college and a reception will follow the performance.

Reservations are recommended.

Information: www.marlboro. edu.

Newfane • 40th Heritage Festival:

Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Newfane Heritage Festival draws thousands of visitors from throughout the Northeast.

The festival includes more than 85 juried arts, crafts and specialty exhibitors, the Newfane Congregational Church’s famous homemade apple pies and apple crisp, church deli, outdoor food tent, super raffle, flea tent, community groups, children’s activities, live music and the peak of

THE COMMONS

7

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

Vermont’s fall foliage on the surrounding hills.

Townshend • P u m p k i n Fe s t i v a l :

Putney • Medieval Faire: Saturday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at The Grammar School, 69 Hickory Ridge Rd. Enjoy the village as King Arthur and his royal court preside over games, feasts and peasant frivolity. Join players gaming on the glen, merchants minding the village market, cooks tending a feast fit for a King, and musicians leading the festivities. Traditional highlights include Merlin the Wizard, climbing walls, archery, a candy throwing catapult, haunted dungeon, dunking booth, pony rides, slay-the-dragon piùata, scavenger hunts and knightings by King Arthur himself. Admission is free, with all-day or individual game and ride passes are available with proceeds benefiting The Grammar School Student Scholarship Fund. Information: 802-387-5364. • Harvest Festival: Sunday, October 10, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 418 Houghton Brook Rd.: The Putney School’s annual Harvest Festival is a fun-filled day of music, entertainment, art shows, an International CafÊ and booths from local artisans and nonprofits. A school tradition for 75 years, this free event is a celebration of community and school spirit. All-day arts and crafts fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., a farm parade at 12:45 p.m. and a contra dance at 1 p.m. A 5K cross-country running race starts at 9 a.m (registration opens at 8:30 at the Field House) and a kids’ mountain bike race at 9:45 a.m. (9:15 registration).

Community Sing with the Putney Community Orchestra at 2 p.m. in the Michael S. Currier Center’s Calder Hall. No admission or parking fee. Information: 802-387-6273.

• Empty Bowls Dinner:

Saturday, Oct. 9, seatings at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Empty Bowls Dinner at Landmark College’s dining hall is a benefit for the Brattleboro Area Drop-in Center. For a $20 donation, guests will be served a simple, nutritious meal of soup, bread, cheese, apples, beverage and dessert, and will enjoy live music. Afterwards, guests are invited to keep the bowl from

Saturday, Oct 16, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The 26th annual Townshend Pumpkin Festival will be held on the Townshend Common on Route 30, rain or shine. The festival includes a craft sale and art works sale, pumpkin pies on sale, scarecrow decorating contest starts, free pony ride, pumpkin decorating contest, Halloween preview costume parade and raffle drawing. There is free admission, free parking, pumpkin pies, food vendors, and locally grown apples and cider. Information: 802-365-4246.

West Dover • Best Seat in the House:

COURTESY PHOTO

The 23rd Medieval Faire will take place at The Grammar School in Putney on Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Individual tickets will be available, as well as all-day passes, for the rides and games that raise money for the school. which they eat. Tickets can be Cellar in Brattleboro. For reserpurchased at the Shoe Tree, vations, call 802-257-2005, ext.

Everyone’s Books and the Book 108, or 800-852-4286, ext. 108.

Saturday, Oct. 9, 7 p.m. Auction of “Best Seat in the House� chairs, with proceeds to benefit local charities (Deerfield Valley Community Cares, Deerfield Valley Food Pantry, Deerfield Valley Health Care Volunteers, and Make-A-Wish of Vermont) and art education programs at local schools: Readsboro, Halifax, Whitingham Elementary, Twin Valley Middle School, Twin Valley High School, Deerfield Valley Elementary School, Dover Elementary School, Leland &

Pa t i o s

Gray High School, Marlboro Elementary School, Wardsboro Elementary School as well as future Chamber events and marketing. Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce. Event at Grand Summit Resort & Conference Center, Grand Summit Way. $65; $125 per couple; $500 per table of eight.

Information and tickets: 802464-8092; www.vermontseat. com • Oktoberfest: Saturday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Celebrate fall and all things German at the 13th Annual Mount Snow Oktoberfest on Columbus Day Weekend. German food, beer, and music with the Oberleander Hofbrau Band take over the Mount Snow base area under the beautiful backdrop of the Southern Green Mountains during peak foliage. Kids activities and adult games all day long. All paid adult admissions receive a complimentary souvenir stein and the first beer free. At the same time as the Oktoberfest, the “37th Annual Harvest Arts & Craft Showâ€? will be taking place inside the base lodge. This has been a staple at Mount Snow for 35 years and it’s a great way to get a head start on your holiday shopping. Crafters and Artisans from across New England are set up in our base

lodge featuring everything from honey products to fine art to unique gifts to fudge. There is no charge to attend the Harvest Arts & Craft show inside the base lodge. Information: 800-2457669 or www.mountsnow.com. • Gondola rides at Mount Snow: For views of four states

from the 3,600-foot summit at Mount Snow Resort, summit chairlift rides are available Oct. 9 and 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. To purchase your lift ticket, visit Mount Snow Sports in the Grand Summit Hotel. Cost is $10 round trip, $5 for seniors and free for children under 12. Directions to Mount Snow and other information: 802-464-4040 or www.mountsnow.com.

Weston • Craft show: Friday, Oct. 8 through Sunday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 27th Weston Craft Show, located at Weston Playhouse on the Green, Route 100, Weston, has been called one of Vermont’s top 10 fall events by Vermont Chamber of Commerce. There are 48 juried artisans from Vermont and New England. Admission $7.

Free parking and food available.

Information: 802-824-3576 or www.westoncraftshow.com.

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8

THE COMMONS

• Fall Foliage & Festivals 2010

Fall recipes from the newsroom

F

all in southern Vermont brings with it, by degrees, certain changes — in the quality of the light, in the crispness of the air, in the smell of the apples on the trees, waiting to be picked, and eaten, and used in the recipes of the season. Fall brings the smell of donuts, of pumpkin pie, of other foods that bring us back to a place and a time.

Following are a few favorite fall recipes we’ve accumulated from staff.

sauce. And then for six months, I alternated between eating spaghetti and cube steak.

After a few months of this diet, during which I probably contracted scurvy, I bought a paperback cookbook and made an apple pie. “If you know how to cook three things,” I explained to friends, “one of them might as well be pie.”

This pie is fantastic and easy enough for a clueless guy to make.

—Jeff Potter FOR THE CRUST

2 cups all-purpose flour 2/3 cup vegetable Apple Pie shortening I’m privileged to have a mother 6 Tbsp. ice-cold water whose love of good food and good FOR THE FILLING cooking shines. The only dark con6 apples, peeled, cored, and sequence is I graduated from college chopped into chunks the size without the slightest bit of cooking of which you’d like to see in ability. the pie The first day I lived on my own, 1/8 tsp. cinnamon I stopped by the local market and 1 dash nutmeg bought a cheap cube steak for din1 cup sugar ner. The next day I stopped by the 1 Tbsp. flour market, picked up a box of spaghetti and bought the ingredients for Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the filling by mixing the apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and flour in a big bowl and set aside. Taste and adjust spices, adding more if you like a spicier pie.

Prepare the crust: Cut the shortening into the flour and mix thoroughly until the shortening moistens the flour and turns into small, pea-sized clumps.

With clean hands, add the water, about a tablespoon at a time, and mix thoroughly. At a certain point, the dough will stick, but will not feel sticky or tacky.

Put several sheets of waxed paper onto a smooth work surface and dust with flour. Put half the dough onto the center. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper, take a rolling pin and roll smoothly and confidently in one direction away from you, starting from the center of the dough. Work clockwise until you have a more-or-less circular disc of dough.

Peel the top sheet of waxed

paper from the dough and invert into a 10-inch pie plate. Peel the bottom sheets of waxed paper.

Fill the pie. Repeat the dough procedure for the top crust.

Crimp the dough with your thumb and forefinger, adding scraps to fill in any holes or gaps so the pie is sealed. Slice some horizontal vents in the center of the top crust.

Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top crust is light golden-brown.

Makes 8 servings.

apples. Dot the topping with 1/4 cup (a half-stick) of butter, cut in small pieces and distributed evenly.

Take 1 cup of apple cider and drizzle it over the topping, making sure it is soaked with the cider.

Put the pan in a oven preheated to 350F, and bake 3040 minutes or until the crust is browned.

Eat plain, or serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Apple Crisp

Beverly Cable, my mom, is an alchemist in the kitchen transforming mundane ingredients into culinary gold. Flour transmutes into flaky pie crusts, eggs and cocoa powder whip into gooey brownies.

Milk becomes lehtüs, a Finnishstyle crêpe.

Mom’s early training took place at the elbows of her Nana, Mumu, and Ma. She received formal education through high school home economics classes that she took at the urging of a guidance councilor after she accidentally released chlorine gas during a chemistry class.

These baked, not fried, donuts are a recent addition to the family.

Mom says she saw a donut pan at the King Arthur store in Norwich.

This recipe is adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. It’s so easy, even a newspaperman can make it. —Randy Holhut Grease a 9x13 rectangular baking pan with butter and fill it with cored, sliced apples (5-6 cups of any variety you like). I leave the peels on, you can take them off if you wish.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of oatmeal, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. A fork will do for mixing.

Sprinkle the flour, sugar and oat topping mixture over the

Baked doughnuts

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The recipe also came from King Arthur — the only flour mom uses because it’s the only flour her Mumu used. —Olga Peters 1 cup pastry flour or 7/8 cup flour (use pastry flour for a lighter doughnut) 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. baking powder 1/8 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 3 Tbsp. buttermilk or buttermilk powder (if using powder, add 2 Tbsp. water or yogurt) 2 large eggs 1 Tbl. vegetable oil Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil, and water or dairy until foamy. Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the dry and stir until just combined. Grease doughnut pan and fill half full.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

Doughnuts are done if they spring back when touched lightly. Remove from oven and from pan. Allow them to cool on a rack. When cool, glaze with icing or shake in a bag containing cinnamon and sugar.

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