TriState Pennysaver by Hersam Acorn

pennysaverNEWS www.tspennysaver.com • FREE • Volume 50 • Number 90 • March 11, 2009

Community Events Inside

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ily for decades, to Walter Berry, who ran it during its heyday and whose descendants still own it. Sanford was also responsible for building “The Priory” just northeast of the Battle Monument, and owned other notable properties. She was active in and financially supportive of the efforts to create Bennington College. Sanford was indirectly responsible for the creation of the Bennington Museum. In 1909, Sanford moved the seriously ill

John Spargo (the driving force behind the creation of the museum) to Bennington and allowed him to live in a rent-free house that she owned. At this time, Spargo was a Socialist organizer, and despite her great wealth, Sanford was a Socialist activist. Spargo went on to recover, and later broke with the Socialist Party to become a conservative Republican. It is said that (Continued on page 2)

POSTAL PATRON

Mary Robinson Sanford in Troy, New York on “Tom”

IN THIS ISSUE: Arts, Entertainment .......... 10 Antiques & Auctions .......... 15 Auto....................................21 Business/Service Dir .......... 17 Classiﬁeds...........................16 Crossword.......................... 10 From my Corner ................... 6 Horoscope...........................11 Jobs.................................... 23 Mind & Body ........................ 4 Telly’s Take ........................... 3 Creatures/Environment........ 9 Real Estate..........................19 Weather................................ 9

Permit No. 102 Bennington, VT 05201

On Thursday, March 19, Tony Marro will explore Mary Sanford’s Bennington through her photographs. View pictures taken by Sanford as Marro discusses her place in the history of Old Bennington. Working as a volunteer at the museum digitizing and cataloging Sanford’s glass plate negatives held by the Bennington Museum, Marro became interested in Sanford, and set out to learn more about her, the times in which she lived, and her life. Join the members of the Bennington Historical Society at the March program being held at 7:00 p.m. at the museum. The program is open and free to the public. Born in Troy, Mary Sanford lived most of her adult life in Manhattan. When she wasn’t traveling in Europe or Africa, she spent every summer of her eightyeight years (from 1859 to 1947) in Bennington Centre, now Old Bennington. Largely forgotten today, Sanford’s impact on the village was important and longlasting. She sold the Walloomsac Inn, which had been in her fam-

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Mary Sanford’s Bennington

109 South Street Bennington, Vermont 05201 802.447.3381 800.234.1432 Fax 802.447.3270 editorial email psnews@hersamacornvt.com

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advertising email ads@hersamacornvt.com Editorial Deadline: Thursday at noon the week before publication. Classiﬁed Deadline: Thursday at 5 p.m. Display Deadline: Thursday at 5 p.m.

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109 South Street, Bennington, Vermont 05201 802.447.3381 • 800.234.1432 Fax 802.447.3270 editorial email psnews@hersamacornvt.com advertising email ads@hersamacornvt.com ■

Renee Tassone, General Manager Angie Leonard, Business Manager Linda Devlin, Circulation Manager Susan Coons, Editor Sheryl Gibson, Advertising Sales Brian Maroney, Advertising Sales Melissa Miller, Art Director Mary A. Garcia, Artist Jen Hathaway, Artist

Chris Sobolowski, Artist ■

The TriState Pennysaver News, a weekly advertising newspaper since 1958, is owned by Hersam Acorn Newspapers, publishing on Wednesday. ■

Editorial Deadline*: Thursday at Noon Classiﬁed Deadline*: Thursday at 5 p.m. Display Deadline*: Thursday at 5 p.m. *Deadlines will change due to Holidays. See special deadline notices published before major holidays. ■

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The TriState Pennysaver News is published weekly in Bennington, Vermont. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement or news content for any reason. Neither the publisher, the editor, the retail advertiser nor the individual advertiser is responsible for errors contained herein. The publisher retains all distribution rights. ©2008, Hersam Acorn Newspapers. All contents of the TriState Pennysaver News are copyrighted, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Martin Hersam, Chief Operating Ofﬁcer Thomas B. Nash, Publisher

Meals on Wheels

Suggested donation of $3.00 per meal For reservation or cancellation in Bennington: 442-8012 Manchester: 362-3714 Wednesday, March 11 Macaroni & Cheese w/Ham, Yellow Squash, Buttered Green Beans, Bread, Mandarin Oranges and Milk. Thursday, March 12 Chicken w/Gravy over Biscuit, Roasted Red potatoes, Spinach, Jello w/Fruit, and Milk. Friday, March 13 Turkey Frankfurter w/Bun, Baked Beans, Sauerkraut, Peaches and Milk. Monday, March 16 Crab Cakes, Cabbage, Carrots, Bread, Applesauce and Milk. Tuesday, March 17 ST. PATRICK’S DAY Corned Beef, Boiled Potatoes, Creamed Spinach, Bread, Lime Jello w/Pears, and Milk. ___________________

Hoosick Falls Senior Center

Wednesday, March 11: Cards, senior exercise class, 1 p.m. Thursday, March 12: Cards; local grocery shopping with van transportation available; Bocci at 10 a.m. Special dinner, St. Patrick’s Day! Friday, March 13: Cards; crafts. Monday, March 16: Mystery Bingo, 10 a.m.; cards; senior exercise class, 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 17: Card Party, 10:30; Health Dept. available; local grocery shopping with van transportation available. SHARE meeting, 9:30 a.m., Bloomiknggrove Dr. The Hoosick Falls Senior Center is located at 69 Church St., Hoosick Falls, New York. Dinner is served at noon daily. Please call Director Kathy Bugbee with your reservation at 518-686-7561.

Service Notes

Army Spec. Evan J. Lourie has been decorated with the Army Achievement Medal. The medal is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces, who while serving in any capacity with the Army have distinguished themselves by meritorious service or achievement while serving in a combat or non-combat area. Lourie received the medal for his service while deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a heavy equipment operator with Alpha Company, 46th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) at Fort Polk, Leesville, La. He has served in the military for more than two years. The specialist is a 2004 graduate of Washington Academy, Salem, N.Y

Air Force Airman Stephen C. Dunlap has graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. During the six weeks of training, the airman studied the Air Force mission, organization, core values, and military customs and courtesies; performed drill and ceremony marches, and received physical training, rifle marksmanship, field training exercises, and special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate in applied science degree relating through the Community College of the Air Force. He is the son of Carey Niemeyer of Sharon Drive, Fair Haven, Vt. Dunlap is a 2008 graduate of Fair Haven Union High School.

(Sanford, cont.) many years later, Sanford was still “incensed” about that departure from the party that she continued to embrace. It was Sanford’s pictures however, that offered a lasting look into the world of wealth and privilege that marked Bennington Centre in the late 19th century. Sanford never set out to document her world in Bennington, nor anywhere else. She mostly photographed family, neighbors and friends; photographs that showed a woman’s world and a world of wealth and leisure. Her images were primarily of tightly corseted women, fashionably attired, with elaborate hats, relaxing on porches, playing pianos, pouring tea, among other activities that were engaged in by the wealthy women of the time. It was through these images that history is recorded. Marro, who retired in 2003 after more than forty years as a reporter and editor, now lives with his wife, Jackie, in what used to be the Old Bennington

Schoolhouse on West Road. Marro began his newspaper career while still in high school, covering high school sports for the Rutland Herald. He later covered state government, and spent ten years as a Washington reporter for Newsday, Newsweek and the New York Times. He was a member of reporting teams that won two Pulitzer Prizes for Newsday, and later became the paper’s Managing Editor (1981 to 1987) and Editor (1987 to 2003). It was during this time that Newsday was one of the ten largest newspapers in the country, and repeatedly rated one of the best. The Bennington Museum is located at 75 Main Street (Route 9), Bennington in The Shires of Vermont. The museum is just a short ride from Manchester, Williamstown, and eastern New York. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum is closed on Wednesday. Visit the museum’s website www.benningtonmuseum.org or call 802-447-1571 for more information.

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Next HFCS PTA Meeting

Telly’s TAKE ■ Freedom to Heal By Telly Halkias

Dr. Richard Dundas hears everyone telling him that he realized a dream at the recent opening of the Bennington Free Clinic, a not-for-profit medical facility for the poor and uninsured. “To the contrary, my dream was that I never had to open a free clinic, because we would all have health insurance,” Dundas said Last year, Dundas happened upon Sue Andrews, manager of the Interfaith Council Emergency Food and Fuel Fund. Already coordinating one of the area’s largest philanthropies, Andrews saw an opportunity to expand the scope of the council’s mission. So the Interfaith Council partnered with Dundas to start the clinic. Forty Bennington area physicians and other personnel volunteered to help staff the facility. The clinic’s funding is through grants and private donations. As presently configured, it has one exam room, furnished with donations from the local medical community. The clinic is open from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, at the First Baptist Church on Main St. in Bennington. Patients must be uninsured adult residents of

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Julie Bowen, RN, checks a patient’s blood pressure while volunteering at the Bennington Free Clinic on a recent Thursday evening.

Bennington County and the surrounding area whose income is within 250 percent of the federal poverty level. An air of optimism surrounded the clinic at its recent opening. Charlie Jingo, speaking on behalf of Governor Jim Douglas, summed it up by recognizing a worthy community endeavor. “This is a difficult time, but it’s also a time of hope, because of the people in this room who

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e-mail community news to: psnews@hersamaacornvt.com

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Telly Halkias, owner of Now and Then Books in Bennington, is a freelance writer and editor. E-mail: tchalkias@aol.com

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have made this clinic a reality,” Jingo said. “You are all a beacon of hope.” For more information on the Bennington Free Clinic, call 802-447-3700, or e-mail bennfreeclinic@gmail.com.

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Photo courtesy of Sue Andrews

The next business meeting of the HFCS PTA will take place on Wednesday, March 18, 2009, in the Elementary School Library beginning at 6:30 p.m. In addition to other business items, the group will discuss Family Fun Bingo (Saturday, March 28); the May 1 deadline for Founders’ Day nominations; and the Spring Spin and Fall Festival annual events. Nominations for 2009-10 officer positions will also be accepted. As always, members and nonmembers are encouraged to join meetings to find out what the PTA is doing for our children and to share ideas for special programs and events to benefit the children and families of our school district. If you’d like to become a member or to learn more about the PTA and its programs, please attend this meeting or contact membership chair Shannon Wickenden at 518-686-7133.

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MIND

& BODY ■

Women’s Support Group Forming

The first meeting of Woman Quest in Bennington will be held on Wednesday, March 18th at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 108 School St., from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Woman Quest is a monthly growth and support group created to help women make a commitment to themselves. If you are in the midst of change or need more support, consider becoming part of Woman Quest. $25.00/woman. Call Teresa King (802)442-4488 for more info. ________________________________________________

Free Rides in Northern Berkshire County

The Tutorial Center, Where Learning Becomes Success!

Have you always been curious about how to use Microsoft Excel or do you need Excel skills for a new job? Then, we have the class for you! A new Beginner Excel Class is being held from March 17-26, at the Bennington Tutorial Center, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Fee:$65. For more information call The Tutorial Center, 447-0111. Juliana Simpson, Tutorial Coordinator will be happy to answer your questions. ________________________________________________

Vendors Wanted!

The lack of transportation in Northern Berkshire County often prevents community members from taking advantage of local services. Target Hunger, in conjunction with the Louisan House, will provide free rides to North Adams residents to pick up food at Berkshire Serve, formerly Berkshire SHARE. Reservations need to be made by March 25 for food delivery date of March 28. Participants will be picked up and dropped of at their residence. Call (413)664-0300 to make ride reservations. The deadline to order for the March delivery day is March 12. To place a food order call 413-6647400 or drop in at St John’s Church in North Adams, through the red door on the parking lot side of the building. The office is only staffed on Thursdays between 2-6.

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A Spring Bazaar will be held April 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Criste Room at the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington. You will find towels, potholders, jewelry, lamps, hats, candles and more. Organizers are seeking vendors. If interested, please call Ann Carmichael at 442-4991 after 3 p.m. This event is to benefit the Veterans Home.

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1-888-633-0333 ��

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Continuing our publication geared toward our seniors in the community. Great editorial, great news, packed with information on local events and local people!

PUBLISHES: APRIL 9, 2009 AD DEADLINE: MARCH 30, 2009

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Lunch & Learn Series at The Triplex Cinema

The Triplex in Great Barrington is proud to partner with the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce to bring a new Brown Bag Lunch series to downtown called “Lunch & Learn”. Each program will feature a prominent area expert discussing timely issues. Members are invited to listen as speakers share their thoughts, insights, and perspectives about “hot topics” of interest to the business community. Christine Ludwiszewski, Executive Director of the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce will launch the series on Friday, March 13, at noon at the Triplex when she introduces Great Barrington Town Manager, Kevin O’Donnell. He will discuss how the business community can partner with the town on a variety of issues. The public is invited to attend this session. Participants may bring their own lunch or order a brown bag lunch in advance from downtown restaurants. The series will continue on Friday, March 27 featuring Lawrence Davis-Hollander of Fruition Dynamic Change; Friday, April 3, featuring Keith Girouard of the Massachusetts Small Business Development Network; Friday, April 24, featuring Ann O’Dwyer of Bard College at Simon’s Rock; and Friday, May 1, featuring Terrence Webb of RBC Wealth Management. For more information, please call Kristin Cherin at 528-4284. ________________________________________________

March 14 Extravaganza at Mount Anthony Union Middle School

This event is an opportunity for your child to enjoy an activity-filled day with our talented MAUHS Seniors. The day will consist of activities of your child’s choosing. The admission fee of $15 covers activity supplies and fees as well as a Pizza Lunch. Any proceeds go towards our Dollars for Scholars scholarships. Permission slips will be available in your child’s school office.If financial assistance is necessary for your student’s participation, please check the scholarship request box on the permission-slip, and you will be contacted. Please drop your child off at Mount Anthony Middle School at 9 a.m., and pick him/her up at 1 p.m. Please ensure that your child wears sneakers and appropriate clothing for activities.

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Southern Berkshire Chamber Launches Let’s Connect

The Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce has launched a new young professionals program called “LET’S CONNECT”. Its mission is to develop the region’s young workforce and entrepreneurs into the next generation of leaders. “LET’S CONNECT will provide young professionals with the tools and resources that they need to stay, develop and prosper in South County,” said Christine Ludwiszewski, Executive Director of the Southern Berkshire Chamber. The group will meet for the first time on March 24 at Route 7 Grill in Great Barrington from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. to network and to determine the future directions it will take. Ludwiszewski stated that similar groups in other Chambers provide both networking opportunities and programs geared to the younger worker. She also hopes that the group will consider getting involved in a service project to benefit the larger community. Membership in the group is free to any employee of a Chamber member but reservations are required. In addition to attracting and retaining young professionals, the Chamber hopes to assist them in their professional and personal development. Future events include a wine tasting class at Grape Finds in Great Barrington in May and opportunities to hear talks by Chamber members on how to succeed professionally and how to prepare for your next job today. “This is a highly engaged and educated group who clearly has a positive impact on our economy”, said Donna Condon, President of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, “and we look forward to having them more involved in the Chamber.” For more information, please call Kristin Cherin at 413-528-4284. March 11, 2009

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From my Corner

— Susan J. Coons uniform... I have a winter uniform and summer uniform. During the w inter, when I’m not at work, I wear a turtleneck and sweatshirt with jeans and two pairs of socks. That’s it. And winter work days, when I come home, the first thing I do is put my flannel pajamas in the dryer to warm them up, feed the dog, take out my P.J.s and dress for bed! I don my heavy robe, and that’s my attire for the evening.

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I’m writing this on Wednesday, March 4, and it’s unseasonably cold outside. There’s still snow on the ground, but at least the sun is out! About this time of year, all of us are sick of winter, except maybe Jim. He’s a little nuts and he snowboards. My friend Michael is tired of bringing wood in the house twice a day. The gloom bothers me. I turn on the ‘happy lights’ in my house, and light all the candles. The rooms seem cozier that way. I like my summer uniform better. It’s just a simple bathing suit. Sometimes I swim before work; always swim after work; do my chores and clean the house in my bathing suit. I have tops that I can wear for the sake of modesty, should someone drop by to visit. Ah, the freedom of warm summer days! You’ll never hear me complain about the heat or humidity! My imagination is running away with me as I sit here, in a somewhat chilly room, next to a cold window...I kept telling my son, when he was visiting here from Naples, Florida a couple of weeks ago, that spring is just around the corner! I forgot to mention that the block is very long!

Student Wind Quintet Recital at Williams College

The Williams College Department of Music presents the Student Wind Quintet who will perform on Saturday, March 14, at 8 p.m. in Brooks-Roger Recital Hall on the Williams College campus. This free event is open to the public. The ensemble, coached by Studio Instructor of Bassoon Stephen Walt, is made up of Matthew Wollin ‘09, flute; Elise Piazza ‘09, clarinet; Zina Ward ‘12, oboe; Libby Miles ‘09, bassoon; and Peter Gottlieb ‘11, horn. They will perform Carl Nielsen’s Wind Quintet, opus 43 and Paquito D’River’s Aires Tropicales. _________________________________________________

Upcoming Events for Pownal American Legion Post #90

Karaoke Night will be held on Saturday, March 14 at the Post beginning at 7:30 p.m. Music will be provided by El Folio Entertainment with DJ Even Folio. There is a cover charge of $5 per person. Light refreshments will be prvided. An After St. Patrick’s Day Dinner Dance will be held on Saturday, March 21, offering an all you can eat corned beef or ham dinner buffet. Social hour begins at 6 and dinner will be served from 7 to 8 p.m. Entertainment is by DJ Mark Denning. Tickets are $10 per person, dinner and dance; $5 per person, dance only. Break out of the winter blues! Enjoy a Spring Fling with Bud Willette and fellow musicians as they provide music for all ages. This will be a jam session you won’t want to miss, on Sunday, March 29, beginning at 2 p.m. and lasting until ??? This event is free and open to the public. Families are welcome. Light refreshments will be provided. The bar will be open. For further information on these events, please call the American Legion at 823-4626.

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North Bennington Youth Accept Competitive Grant

Left to Right Mary Morrissey, Isaac Sprague, Secretary of Administration Neal Lunderville, Jamie Johnson, Josh Morin, Sean Bird, and Nate Benner pose with the big check from the Vermont State Recreation Facilities Grant, which helps to assure the renovation of Lions Memorial Park in North Bennington.

Youth from North Bennington went to the State Capitol in Montpelier recently to accept a competitive grant award of $25,000 to help renovate the Norshaft Lions Memorial Park. Many youth and adults from North Bennington and Bennington have been at work behind the scenes for months, planning the renovations, fund raising to support the project, and talking to businesses and residents in the community to determine how the project should proceed. The Vermont State Department of Buildings and General Services

considered the renovation of Norshaft Lions Memorial Park to be a top priority. It awarded the park renovation project the maximum support available this year. Construction is expected to begin this spring and phased redevelopment plans are now being shaped so the park will remain usable as much as possible during the warmer months. The park project has so far raised about 75% of its goal, so additional contributions and support are welcome and can be sent to Norshaft Lions Memorial Park Renovation, PO Box 101, North Bennington, VT, 05257.

United States Census Tests Will be Given in Hoosick Falls

Town of Hoosick Supervisor Marilyn Douglas announces that arrangements have been completed with the U. S. Census Bureau for testing for employment opportunities for the 2010 Census to be given at the Town Offices in the New York State Armory on the following Tuesdays in April 2009: April 7, April 14, and April 28. The testing sessions will occur at 10 a.m and 2 p.m. daily for approximately 20 persons. Douglas said the “U.S. Census is recruiting for temporary part-time census takers for the 2010 Census. Census taker jobs are excellent for college students, retirees, and anyone who wants to earn extra money while performing an important service for their community. We are pleased that the U.S. Census Bureau in Albany is willing to come to our area to administer the test.” For more information, including qualifications, applications, and practice tests, please visit the Census Bureau web site at www.census. gov/2010census jobs. There is also a link to the site from the Town of Hoosick’s web site www.townofhoosick.org.

Strutting their stuff

The second graders at St. Mary’s Academy took time out to celebrate the 100th day of school with a fashion show. Each student designed an item that they could wear with 100 things on it. The whole school turned out to see their fashion show which included a lighted hallway runway. The second graders each took turns on the catwalk showing off their shirts, hats, outfits, and fashion accessories. It was a great way to end their 100th day of school.

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CREATURES

& ENVIRONMENT ■

Disposal of Livestock

— Stuart Bartow, Chair,The Battenkill Conservancy The disposal of livestock mortalities in Washington County is a serious problem, particularly in Greenwich where there is a carcass dump on Ryan Rd. Although a “special use permit” for a carcass composting operation on the property was denied, the problem persists. It is likely that carcasses continue to be disposed of in unknown quantities, from unknown locations, deceased from unknown causes, in a haphazard way, in Greenwich, possibly Jackson, and who knows where. Unfortunately, the Town of Greenwich has not insisted the dump be cleaned up. The situation will get worse when spring reveals a rotting mess. The Town needs to act now to avert this potential disaster. Navigating the laws regarding the disposal of livestock mortalities in New York is difficult. Cross-referencing between DEC, Agriculture & Markets, county and town planning or zoning reveals no resolution. The best interests of public health and safety are caught in a collision between regulations, exemptions, and the pit-falls of individual interpretation. State regulations are obsolete, do not accommodate for today’s reality, and leave our wetlands and water supplies exposed to environmental threats. These shortcomings in oversight need instant attention locally and statewide. Fortunately, DEC, Ag & Markets, Cornell Waste Management, and Farm Bureau are developing valid guidelines for large-scale livestock mortality disposal. They plan to redouble their efforts to encourage farms to compost their own carcasses. Our local officials should support this effort and insist farms do not send their mortalities off-site to be dumped in our backyards. Cornell Cooperative Extension offers assistance on proper carcass composting. Many farms are already doing it. The Greenwich situation is worrisome because of its proximity to the Battenkill and its tributary, Trout Brook, but this issue is statewide. Please contact your local officials. Tell them you are concerned and expect immediate action.

March Bird Walk at Hildene

The monthly census of birds at Hildene will be Saturday, March 14, meeting at 8 a.m. There is still plenty of snow on the ground and day time temperatures are not climbing much, but there are songs in the air! The cardinals, chickadees and Tufted Titmice are all tuning up. Redwinged Blackbirds and Turkey Vultures have been reported statewide. The days are longer and increased daylight is the actual trigger for migrations, so there is much more to come. Please meet at the parking lot at the Visitor’s Center. All ability levels are welcome. Binoculars will be available. Contact Randy at the VT Bird Place & Sky Watch at (802)362-2270 or online at http://thevermontbirdplace.com for more information.

Tracking and Animal Signs workshop

Join the naturalists of the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS-Manchester) on Saturday, March 14 from 1 to 3 p.m. for an afternoon exploration on the Equinox Preserve. We will spend the afternoon sharpening our detective skills as we search for signs of the animals living in the forests on the slope of Mt. Equinox. Tracks, bird nests, deer runs, sapsucker holes and gnawed branches are some of the clues we will be looking for on this hike. Dress warmly and be prepared to hone your observation skills! There is a fee, with special rates for families! Pre-registration is required for this hike. Contact the VINSManchester office at 362-4374 to register. Programs are open to nature enthusiasts of all ages!

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ARTS

& ENTERTAINMENT ■

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“Sunspots! II” oil, Judy Knifﬁn

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Bennington Arts Guild: Focus On “Green” For March

Spring arrives in March, and it is fitting for the Bennington Arts Guild, located at the Four Corners intersection in downtown Bennington, to focus on “Green.” Shades of green include the palest green to chartreuse, fluorescent greens, to the deepest shade of hooker’s green. It inspires thoughts of grass, leaves, budding trees, and the Atlantic Ocean. Green even inspires some members to think of poetry. Kathy Kosto describes the inspiration for her framed mirror collage, My Nest, “...as the birds seek nests outside my window at this time of year, I am reminded of Anne Bradstreet’s poem, In Reference To Her Children, in which her maternal metaphor encompasses both newhatched chicks and bold fledglings. She reveals that motherhood, then as now, is a balance of protectiveness and pride.” Green makes many of us think of the festivities of St. Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations, the green patches of Ireland’s land, and the joy of Irish music. Stained glass artist, Joseph Tracy, shares the inspiration for his window, Flight From Glen Bolcain. “My brother-in-law sent the poem, Sweeney Astray: A Version from the Irish by Seamus Heaney, sure that I would like it. I have kept it close to me for two years now and it has drawn from me much thought, many drawings, and this window. I see the poem, about an Irish warrior chieftain named Sweeney, who is cursed, or transformed into a bird, by a cleric. As a result, Sweeney’s life is turned into suffering and loss, yet the beauty he sees is all the more piercing because of his hardship. His banishment from humanity is wildly offset by the fact that he becomes a creature of flight, a bird of the air, unbound from gravity.” Judy Kniffin’s green offering is an oil painting, entitled Sunspots! II.

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ARTS

& ENTERTAINMENT ■

Her signature style lends its customary grace to a soothing composition evoking the long-awaited coming of spring. Photographs of green leaves, scarves, paintings, pottery, and jewelry all round out the focus on “Green.” The Bennington Arts Guild Gallery is a cooperative run by artists from Bennington and the surrounding communities with the common goal to bring public attention to, and provide a viable market for, fine art and fine craft, locally produced. Membership is open to artists throughout the greater Bennington Area. The Gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.; and closed on Tuesdays. For more information contact B.A.G. at 442-7838 or at www. benningtonartsguild.org. ________________________________________________

“Clark After Dark: Planet Clark” Grab your space boots and take a quantum leap to “Clark After Dark: Planet Clark” at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. The extraterrestrial fun takes off at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 20. Admission is $10 ($8 per member) at the door, and you must be 21+ to enter. No costume? No problem. Supplies will be on hand to outfit your inner alien. Defy gravity and stir up the planets with sounds by DJ Tigerbeatz who will spin a celestial mix of music. Tigerbeatz’s Fembot Sound System weekly radio show on Martha’s Vineyard Community Radio “boldly goes where no beat has gone before.” In addition to playing on Martha’s Vineyard, she has also played in Brooklyn, and at The Enormous Room and The Good Life in Boston. Hooping Harmony will light up the night with LED hoop demonstrations and lessons. Dancers will twirl their brightly colored LED-lit hula hoops on the dance floor in an out of this world demonstration. Sign up for a lesson and learn the art of using these hoops, which are light years away from their 1950s predecessors. Teleport to the Lunar Lounge cash bar for planetary punch, wine, and beer. Enjoy cosmic treats such as falafel moon balls with yogurt and cucumber dip, little dippers (chicken nuggets with dips), flying saucers (mini pitas with a variety of fillings), and moon rocks. Complimentary soft drinks and water will be available. Visit the print room to see celestial-inspired images, including prints that highlight the Clark’s connection to deep space. A raffle will be held with prizes provided by Blue Q of Pittsfield, MA. Blast off early with a pre-event lecture at 7 p.m. by glass artist Josh Simpson. Simpson, from Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, will discuss his life and work, including his inspirations from space and the natural world. The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and younger, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303 or visit clarkart.edu. March 11, 2009

Mid-Week Music at Williams College

The Williams College Department of Music will present their weekly lunchtime recital series featuring student and faculty performers on Wednesday, March 18, at 12:15 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus. This free event is open to the public. All are invited to bring a lunch and listen to wonderful performances of classical, jazz and world music. Seating is on the stage of Chapin Hall. Check music.williams.edu for specific program details. For building locations on the Williams campus, please consult the map outside the driveway entrance to the Security Office located in Hopkins Hall on Main Street (Rte. 2), next to the Thompson Memorial Chapel, or call the Office of Public Affairs 413-597-4277. The map can also be found on the web at www.williams.edu/home/campusmap.

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ARTS

& ENTERTAINMENT ■ Pittsﬁeld Baseball Poster Design Contest

Viva Quetzal Returns to Meetinghouse Cafe Viva Quetzal, a high-energy, multi-cultural musical group made up of members from North and South America, was a hit at the Meetinghouse Café in last January. They will be returning on Friday, March 13, for a concert at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased at the door or by calling 440-9816. Fair trade coffee and desserts will be available for purchase. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Emergency Food and Fuel Fund. Viva Quetzal performs music of the Americas as it truly is today: an eclectic mixture of traditional, folkloric and pop themes performed on a fascinating array of ancient and modern instruments. Viva Quetzal emphasizes the contributions of the

four major cultural influences that have shaped modern Latin American music; the indigenous, the West African, the Iberian, and of the United States. Traditional rhythms and melodic forms from these diverse cultures fused over the centuries, creating that which is today’s South American popular music. Viva Quetzal uses that music as a base with which to blend North American Jazz and Rock with the music of South America. Viva Quetzal members include long time members Roberto Clavijo from Chile (vocals, pan pipes, charango, cuatro, harmonica), Jon Weeks from USA (flute, sax, EWI, quena, congas), Juan Carlos Carpio from Ecuador (acoustic/electric bass, vocals), Jeff Nissenbaum from USA (drums) and Abraham Sanchez from Venezuela as lead singer (piano, guitar and Venezuelan cuatro).

Inkberry, Papyri Books Present Wordplay with Joe Manning On Saturday, March 14, at 7:00 p.m. Wordplay, a monthly reading series co-sponsored by Inkberry and Papyri Books, 45 Eagle Street, will feature author Joe Manning, who will read a selection of his poems, some of which are in his book “Gig at the Amtrak”, and a short story about 12

North Adams. Joe Manning is an author, historian, freelance journalist, poet, photographer and songwriter. His book, “Steeples: Sketches of North Adams”, is in its third printing. It has been required reading for several courses at Williams College and Massachusetts.

Gail Burns of Williamstown will host the event for Inkberry. A brief intermission and Wordplay will follow the reading. Refreshments will be available. The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 413- 664-0775 or visit www. inkberry.org.

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The City of Pittsfield, in the heart of the culturally rich Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is known for its rich baseball history and its creative arts celebrations, including The Art Of The Game, a two year community art project that celebrated baseball through innovative public art. This spring we are issuing a call for creative outof-the-box designs for a poster commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first ever baseball game played between two colleges (Williams and Amherst) right here in Pittsfield. The winner receives a $1,000 honorarium and season tickets to Wahconah Park, and the deadline is Friday, March 27. Call Ryan Weightman for more information: 413-449-9348.

New Downtown BCC Gallery Looking for Alumni Artists

Berkshire Community College is opening up a much-anticipated downtown gallery to feature exhibitions of work by artists who are alumni of Berkshire Community College. If you attended BCC and would like to exhibit your work there, please send an email that includes images of your work and an exhibit proposal to Lisa Yetz, BCC Professor of Art, at lyetz@berkshirecc.edu. And don’t miss the grand opening of the gallery next Friday, March 13, featuring the work of artist Grier Horner!

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Don’t Miss the Aurora Dance Party!

Bennington, Vermont’s Annual Aurora Dance Party will be held March 28 at the old Bennington Brush Co. Building. Applejack Realty has generously given use of the building for this fund raising event. H. Greenberg & Sons, Energizer Battery and Plasan USA, Inc. have donated materials to help create the ancient Roman theme. There will be lots of music for dancing as well as a live band to accompany an evening full of fun! This year the Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce Aurora Dance Party is pleased to announce that part of the proceeds will go to the Center for Communication in Medicine which is operated by Bernard M. Bandman, Ph.D. The Center produces programs that bridge the communication gap between patients, families and healthcare professionals. The Center emphasizes the role of patients and families in communicating their questions and concerns to help their doctors better understand and care for the whole person. Their philosophy is that good communication is good medicine. We hope many of you will attend the Aurora Dance Party. Stay late and dance the night away! Dress for fun! A toga is always suitable. This is a community-wide event that draws hundreds every year. Tickets are reasonably priced at $13 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 447-3311 for more information. Check www.bennington.com for more information and other events.

Juried Pittsﬁeld Art Show Call for Artists

The Pittsfield Art Show is a high quality, juried and affordable outdoor art show held Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, in the culturally rich Berkshires every summer during the height of the visitor season. Don’t miss this opportunity to exhibit your work, whether it is fine art or fine craft, in a very well marketed (over $10,000 in advertising and promotion) and well attended (5,000-10,000 art lovers and buyers) show. The application fee is just $10, and if accepted the booth fee is only $75 for the whole weekend! Application deadline is April 1, 2009. Call Ryan Weightman for more information: 413-449-9348.

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AARP Monthly Meeting

AARP Bennington Chapter #269 will be holding their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 12, at the Elks Club, Washington Street, at 1 p.m. The speaker will be Paul Brundage, professional chimney sweep, who will discuss care and maintenance of chimneys. Members and guests are welcome. Refreshments will be served. Please remember food for BROC, as there is a great need in the area. ________________________________________________

Bennington Public Access TV production captures “The Many Faces of St. Peter’s” St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 200 Pleasant St., Bennington, is one of the first of the Bennington area Non-Profit Organizations to utilize the local public access television station’s (Catamount Access Television “CAT-TV”) offer of producing a program to spotlight that organization’s focus and mission. “The Many Faces of St. Peter’s” will be shown on the local Public Access Channel 15 on Wednesday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. and at 3 p.m.; Monday, March 16 at 5 a.m.; Saturday, March 21 at 1 p.m.; Wednesday, March 25 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, March 28 at 11:30 a.m. and at 9:45 p.m. Against a musical background of “Ave verum Corpus” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sung by St. Peter’s Choir and directed and accompanied by Organist-Choirmaster Randall Krum, the photographs of the many faces of St. Peter’s are shown as a collage of many of the myriad people who make up the congregation of the Episcopal Church in Bennington as well as visitors to the church and its programs and events. The program then features host Peter Bulterman leading a short question and answer period with four parishioners (Michelle Peattie, Emily Adams, Donna Maroney, and Dick Bower) who explain some of their beliefs and the strong, caring, and inclusive hospitality that they have found at St. Peter’s. “The Many Faces of St. Peter’s” was organized by St. Peter’s parishioner and CAT-TV producer Peter Bulterman. The program was edited by Daniel �� May of CAT-TV. It is with grati�� tude to CAT-TV that St. Peter’s �� Parish invites all in the commu�� nity and beyond to experience �� “The Many Faces of St. Peter’s.” �� The Evangelism co-chairs are also planning for the program to eventually be made available for viewing through a link on St. Peter’s web site www.stpetersbenningtonvt.org.

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Stephentown Historical Society Seeks Old Pictures

As part of the ongoing celebration of Stephentown’s 225th anniversary, the Stephentown Historical Society wants your vintage images of Stephentown people, places and events to illustrate their 2010 calendar. Search your albums and attics for interesting photographs showing life in town over the years. All pictures will be returned after being carefully copied for future use by the society. Your reward could be the publication of your image in an attractive commemorative calendar. Entry forms are available at Stephentown Memorial Library, which is open every day but Sunday. The albums published by the society in previous years have included many photographs of people working, playing and celebrating, farms, homes and businesses, the railroad, floods and big snows, parades, and portraits of past citizens. Please feel free to resubmit these as well as any others you may have. The entry deadline is May 1. For further information, please call Bev McClave at 518-733-5170. ________________________________________________

Thrift Shop Can Help in Tough Times

The Christ United Methodist Church in Johnsonville, NY, is holding a huge, on-going sale of very good clothing, shoes, sheets, other linens, housewares, furniture, toys, books and more. All for only $.50 a bag. Open every Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon, weather permitting. Look for open flag sign on Route 67. ________________________________________________

Stephentown Historical Society Launches Notecard Sales

The Stephentown Historical Society has created notecard sets illustrating three historic buildings of Stephentown as part of the town’s celebration of its 225th anniversary. The three designs are reproduced on quality card stock from original artwork. The Vanderbilt House watercolor was painted by Lillian Dette of Stephentown. This 1871 building was a hotel and tavern serving railroad customers traveling between Lebanon Springs and Bennington. It served as the meeting hall for the Stephentown Volunteer Fire Department for over 45 years until its demolition in 1998. The Cranston Mansion is depicted surrounded by autumn splendor in an oil painting by Julie Cranston of Discovery Bay, California. This 17-room mansion was built around 1850 by Hiram Cranston, keeper of the New York Hotel, and was destroyed by fire in 1933. The only building still standing is the Stephentown Hotel, depicted in a pencil drawing by Richard Fiske of New Lebanon, New York. Built in the fashionable Second Empire style in the 1870s, it also served as a railroad hotel and as a tavern to this day. The cards are sold in boxes of twelve, four of each design. The cost is $10. They are available in Stephentown at the Heritage Center, the library, Sykes Store, and Split Ends; in Berlin at the library and Hair Care; and in New Lebanon at Angel’s Trumpet. Individual cards are only sold at the Heritage Center and are $1 each. The Heritage Center, on Garfield Road, is open Friday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m.

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March 11, 2009

Ornate Fountain Restored

The ornate Victorian fountain that once stood in front of the Bennington Graded School has been largely restored, and plans are proceeding to have it placed in the small village park on South Street between the Court House and the old stone blacksmith shop that now houses the Better Bennington Corporation. Jerry Albert, the chairman of the committee overseeing the project, said the expectation is that the fountain will be in place and operating by mid to late summer. Most of the restoration work — which included rust removal and four coats of paint — has been done by volunteers from the Bennington Rotary Club, which also donated $10,000 to the project. The total cost of the project, which will include a large fountain basin, a retaining wall, a paved plaza, ornamental trees, flowers, benches and lighting, is expected to be approximately $80,000. Stu Hurd, Lisa Byer and John Shanahan are heading the fund-raising effort. Once in place, the town will maintain the fountain and assume the costs of lighting the park and running the water pump. The park already includes the 9-11 Memorial Bench. A piece of twisted steel from the World Trade Center site will be added nearby. It was obtained by Rich Ryder, the host of the WBTN “Daybreak” radio show, who got it from the son of his friend, the late William Harris, of Pearl River, N.Y. Harris, who had been a volunteer firefighter for forty years, spent nine months at the site with his construction crew, first as a volunteer in the rescue efforts and then as a contractor helping with the demolition work. He contracted mercury poisoning and died last year. The new design for the park was developed by Michael McDonough, a local architect long involved in historic preservation and local planning. In addition to the Bennington Rotary, the planning group included representatives from the town, the Better Bennington Corporation, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Master Gardeners Association, and Bennington in Bloom. Bennington Cooling & Heating will donate the piping and the pump for the fountain. The fountain itself is about eight feet tall, with two ornate spill basins, a pineapple top, and a base decorated with cattails and otters. It originally was on the grounds of the Bennington Graded School, a large Renaissance style building on School Street that was built as part of a school consolidation project in 1874 and razed in 1954. Until 1914, the Graded School building also included the high school. It also included a Normal School where high school graduates could return to be trained as school teachers. The fountain was donated by A.B. Valentine, who owned a knitting mill behind the school, and it was saved by Milton Surdam just as it was about to be hauled off to the dump by demolition workers. Surdam installed the fountain at his home, and his son, also named Milton, donated it back to the community after his father died. Both of the Surdams had attended the graded school, and the younger Surdam recalled the demolition workers being both amused and bewildered when his father asked for the fountain. “They asked him, ‘What do you want that thing for?’,” Surdam said. His father replied: “I’ve always liked it.” Such fountains were common in the Victorian era, and often were mass produced, like Civil War monuments. This one may have been a unique design, which McDonough describes as “whimsical,” rather than classical, one bit of whimsy being the otters peering through the bullrushes at the base. Anne Bugbee, a member of the planning committee, says that Bennington once had a number of ornate fountains. In addition to this one from the Graded School, there was a large fountain March 11, 2009

at the Vermont Veterans’ Home; another at the Henry Putnam mansion, which was torn down to make way for a shopping center; a horse trough later converted into a drinking fountain for pedestrians in Old Bennington; a cobblestone fountain at St. Francis de Sales Elementary School; and another Victorian-era fountain at the far east end of Main Street, where Stewart’s is now located. The fountain at the Vermont Veterans Home still exists but hasn’t operated in years. The drinking fountain in Old Bennington was restored and enhanced with a bronze sculpture of a lion’s head by Elaine Franz Witten. The Graded School fountain, which was restored with advice on rust removal from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, is now painted black, which Bugbee thinks may have been its original color. Old photographs show that at one point it was painted white. At another point it may have been painted green. Surdam says that when his father saved it from the scrap heap it was mostly rusted, but his family cleaned it up and painted it white, except for brown and green to highlight the otters and cattails at the base. Anyone wanting to contribute to the project can send donations to the Town Manager’s Office, P.O. Box 469, Bennington, Vermont, 05201, with a notation that the money is for the fountain fund.

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Berkshire Symphony Orchestra to Perform “Paris”

The Williams College Department of Music presents the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Federico Cortese on Friday, March 13, at 8 p.m. in Chapin Hall on the Williams College campus. There will also be a pre-concert talk with Maestro Cortese at 7:15 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall. These free events are open to the public. The Symphony will be presenting a program called “Paris” with Stravinsky’s Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra, Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, K.297 (“Paris”), and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, opus 64. The Berkshire Symphony includes nearly 70 members, half of whom are students and half of whom are professional musicians. The ensemble presents four major concerts each season. In addition to performing the great standards of orchestral repertoire a recurring theme each year is the performance of contemporary works. Championing the works of living American composers has been an integral part of the mission of the Berkshire Symphony.

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