Weathersfield Weekly Blog January 1 edition.

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I'm not the only one thinking about doing a SNOW DANCE.


Oh and WELCOME to 2024!


Mark Your Calendars

Weathersfield Garden Club
Meets January 16
Weathersfield Proctor Library at 6-8 p.m.


Introduction to Acupuncture
hosted by Springfield Town Library,
Jan. 17


Springfield Town Library is hosting an "Introduction to Acupuncture" on January 17 at 6-7 p.m. at the library, 43 Main St, Springfield, Vermont. This event is free and open to the public call (802) 885-3108 with any inquiries.

Have you thought about trying acupuncture, but are unsure how it can help?
Have your friends told you about acupuncture, but you want to know more?
Come to a presentation by Kerri Casey Lic. Ac. from Black River Acupuncture and hear a brief history and description of acupuncture. Kerri can answer your questions so you may determine if acupuncture is right for you, or just to learn more about something unfamiliar.

Kerri Casey is a licensed Acupuncturist with the VT Medical board, and nationally certified by the NCCAOM. Kerri received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Boston College, and a Master's degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from Northwestern Health Sciences University in Minnesota in 2006.

Classes at the Co-op
Tickets



Location: Coop Food Store, Lebanon
12 Centerra Parkway Lebanon, NH 03766

Wednesday, January 10
Lunch 'n' Learn: Bahn Mi Sandwich

Thursday, January 11
Wok 101: Singapore Noodles

Wednesday, January 17
Lunch 'n' Learn: Italian Wedding Soup

Thursday, January 18
Neapolitan Pizza Party

Saturday, January 20
Pasta 101: Pasta Rotolo

Thursday, January 25
Arroz Con Pollo

Tuesday, January 30
Lunch 'n' Learn: Green Curry Beef with Snap Peas

Wednesday, February 7
Lunch 'n' Learn: Rigatoni Alla Zozzona'

Monday, February 12
Risotto with Winter Greens & Pancetta

Wednesday, February 14
Valentine's Day Chocolate Soufflé

Friday, February 16
Knife Skills 101

Monday, February 19
Lunch 'n' Learn: JFK's New England Fish Chowder

Wednesday, February 21
Braised Halibut

Tuesday, February 27
Taco Tuesday: Fish Tacos

News You Can Use
ICYMI (In case You Missed It)


Town/School/Regional News

School Announces Auditions for "Beauty and the Beast Jr."

Disney's Beauty and The Beast Jr. auditions will be held on January 8 & 9 from 2:45-4:00. Please prepare 16 bars (a short selection) of a Broadway or Disney song to sing from memory. If you have questions or would like recommendations of songs, see Mrs. Yuengling or Ms. Towne. This is open for 4th - 8th grade students.

Housing, mixed uses considered for former Windsor prison

Officials are gathering resident feedback and plan to present the concept to the state this legislative session.
By Ethan Weinstein

Six years after the closing of the Windsor prison, regional leaders are considering a mixed-use concept for the unused, state-owned property, including roughly 100 housing units.

The latest idea proposes about 50 apartments in multi-unit buildings and almost 60 single-family units, all of which would spread across more than 30 acres.

usiness, light industrial, and dormitory or dining uses would take up 57 acres in the proposed concept and require the demolition of some structures. Recreational space would take up the remaining 27 acres.

In a series of public meetings this month, Thomas Kennedy, the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission’s director of community development, and Emily Bell, principal of Bell Design Studios, which crafted the design on behalf of the state, presented Windsor residents with a planning study that includes the housing proposal.

Bell said she would modify the plans based on feedback before presenting them to legislators this session. Depending on where the project goes, it could require approval from the state, town or both.

READ MORE

A year into retail sales, Upper Valley cannabis industry growing

Vermont is now home to hundreds of licensed growers and just under 80 retailers.
By Valley News
This article by Frances Mize was first published Dec. 24 in the Valley News.

An old-timer might plant potatoes in accordance with phases of the moon. To best suit his cannabis plants, 31-year-old Sean Trombly carefully times his LED grow lights.

This winter, Trombly is growing hydroponically, which for him means that his product blooms out of a mixture of finely ground coconut husks, fed with nutrient-enriched water in his garage, rather than from soil.

When the plants are young, he’ll set his lights to 12 hours on, 12 hours off, in order to “flip” the budding plant “into flower,” he said.

Once that happens, it’s roughly eight to nine weeks until Trombly is ready to harvest.

He works against the backdrop of a complex tangle of water pipes and the persistent drone of dehumidifiers. When it comes time to turn the light up to full throttle, it’s so bright Trombly has to leave the room.

“That’s when we’re really cooking,” he said.

Off a Chelsea back road, rocket science has gone to pot.

Trombly has grown cannabis, at increasing levels of sophistication, for a decade. He started in the black market before any form of legalization. Like the other growers that gave Vermont its reputation for some of the best illicit pot in the Northeast, Trombly could have found himself answering to criminal charges for growing even just a few plants.

Then in October 2022, the first retail cannabis stores opened in Vermont for anyone age 21 and older. In the first full year of legalization, cannabis topped $87 million in sales and brought in more than $17 million in tax revenues.

Vermont is now home to hundreds of licensed growers and just under 80 retailers.

READ MORE

A $50 million modernization project is underway at the DMV

Last month, the Department of Motor Vehicles rolled out the first phase of a two-part project aimed at overhauling its entire IT infrastructure while expanding online services.
By Habib Sabet

After years of trying to update decades-old IT infrastructure, the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles has started a massive $50 million project to overhaul its computer systems and expand online services for customers.

The DMV rolled out the first phase of its two-part modernization project in mid-November, introducing a new online portal for digital services and beginning an update of the department’s internal IT infrastructure.

The transition included the first steps in completely replacing the department’s 50 year-old core mainframe system. The department also changed its point-of-sale system, where payment transactions are processed.

“Really what we’re trying to do is to automate a lot of manual activity, resulting in more efficiency for the department, better service for our customers and for businesses,” said DMV Commissioner Wanda Minoli, in an interview.

Phase two, set to roll-out in mid-2025, will primarily feature internal changes related to services for the Vermont’s drivers as the department completes its shift to the new mainframe system.


Vermont’s rates of homelessness are still among the worst in the nation

As of the January 2023 count, Vermont also had the highest rate of unhoused people who were sheltered. But experts and service providers worry that could soon change.
By Carly Berlin

This story, by Report for America corps member Carly Berlin, was produced through a partnership between VTDigger and Vermont Public.

For the second year running, Vermont has the second-highest per-capita rate of homelessness of any state in the country.

That’s according to an analysis of the 2023 point-in-time count, a coordinated, nationwide tally of unhoused people taken on a single night each January. The annual report on the count was released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in mid-December.

The federal government found that about 51 out of every 10,000 Vermonters were unhoused at the time of the tally.

That puts Vermont’s rate of homelessness behind only neighboring New York, where about 53 out of every 10,000 residents were unhoused. Oregon and California followed close behind, with about 48 and 47 people facing homelessness per 10,000 residents, respectively.

Across the country, the annual tally registered the highest number of people experiencing homelessness ever recorded since the point-in-time count began in 2007. Over 650,000 people nationwide were unhoused at the time of the count: a 12% jump from the 2022 tally.

The year-over-year increase was even more pronounced in Vermont, where 3,295 people were counted as homeless in January 2023 – an 18.5% increase over the prior year.

READ MORE

Music

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Academy of Music, Northampton Ma

We made the trip down to Northampton, Ma. last week to see "the greatest bar band in the world" (New York Times). We've been following Southside since 1980 when I photographed the band at the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center for the UMASS Daily Collegian. (see photo below). I was hooked. 


Southside is from New Jersey and was the second Jersey Shore bar band to hit it nationally following Bruce Springsteen in the 1970s.


In 1982 Rolling Stone voted the album Hearts of Stone among the top 100 albums of the 1970s and 1980s.


Southside and the band have this energy that just gets a joint rocking. 

Maybe it's Southside's voice or on-stage antics; or maybe Jeff Kazee on keys, and his antics; or the crazy good horn section: John Isley on sax, Chris Anderson on trumpet, Neal Pawley on trombone, or maybe is the cool guy on guitar-Glenn Alexander. 
It could be Tom "Goose" Seguso on drums or quiet but mighty John Conte on bass.
Whatever it is they are an awesome LIVE band.


The band played for two hours and had the audience on their feet by the end of the show.

I really needed this Southside fix!

Flashback to to 80s...


More photos: CLICK HERE



Town Volunteer Vacancies
The vacancies are as followed (updated Dec. 4, 2023):
Appointments
 a. Budget Committee (5 Vacancies) 
b. Conservation Commission (1 Vacancy) 
c. Energy Coordinator (1 Vacancy) 
d. Green Up Coordinator (1 Vacancy) 
e. Lister (2 Vacancies) 
f. Parks and Recreation (1 Vacancy) 
g. Veterans Memorial Committee (2 Vacancies) 
h. Village Wastewater Committee-Ann Marie Christensen, John Arrison, Mark Richardson 
i. Zoning Board of Adjustment (3 Vacancies)-Andrea Murray

Anyone interested in serving should contact the Town manager Brandon Gulnick at 802-674-2626

Select Board

FY25 Budget discussion has begun. Follow along in the meeting minutes posted on the Selectboard page of the Town Website.


All regular meetings are broadcasted live on Comcast channel 1087, VTEL Channel 161, and SAPA.org on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Selectboard Members  and Term as listed on the town website
Mike Todd Chair 2024

August Murray Member 2026

Kelly O'Brien Clerk 2025

Wendy Smith Member 2024

David Fuller Member 2025

Select Board Meets 1st and 3rd Mondays of the Month 6:30 p.m. 
January 2, 2024 (Monday is a holiday) Agenda Packet
January 16, 2024 (Monday is a Holiday)

December 18  (minutes were not posted within 5 days, a violation of the Open Meeting Law)
September 5  Canceled no explanation given
August 21 (published in a Word document)
May1 (minutes were not posted within 5 days, a violation of the Open Meeting Law)

*Vermont Open Meeting Law
Minute posting: Minutes of all public meetings shall be matters of public record, shall be kept by the clerk or secretary of the public body, and shall be available for inspection by any person and for purchase of copies at cost upon request after five calendar days from the date of any meeting. Meeting minutes shall be posted no later than five calendar days from the date of the meeting to a website, if one exists, that the public body maintains or has designated as the official website of the body. Except for draft minutes that have been substituted with updated minutes, posted minutes shall not be removed from the website sooner than one year from the date of the meeting for which the minutes were taken.

Weathersfield Police Blotter


Weathersfield School





Weekly Newsletter: December 15

Save the Dates
December 21st - January 2nd Winter Break No School for Students

Weathersfield School Board

Meeting Agendas may be found HERE
January 9

Weathersfield School Board meets on Tuesdays
In Person at Weathersfield School (135 Schoolhouse Road, Ascutney)
Location: 135 Schoolhouse RD Ascutney 

School Board Meetings Minutes
December 12
November 14
October 10
September 12 
August 8
June 20
May 9
April 18 
March 14
February 14
January 10, 2023  
December 13 
November 8
October 11

Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union


Weathersfield Proctor Library
Route 5 (5181 US-5 Ascutney VT 05030)


WPL Drop in Scrabble Mondays at 1 p.m.

Please call Maureen Bogosian for details
@ 603-252-0936


Weathersfield Historical Society
Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weathersfieldhistoricalsociety


Weathersfield Garden Club

The Weathersfield Garden Club meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at The Weathersfield Proctor Library from 6-8 p.m. 

They will reconvene on January 16th at Weathersfield Proctor Library. 
New members and guests are always welcome.  
Any questions? please email weathersfieldgardenclub@gmail.com

Weathersfield Center Church and Meeting House
Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeathersfieldCenterChurch

Things to Do In and Around Weathersfield
Get Outdoors, Entertainment, Classes, Workshops


Lebanon Opera House

The opera house in Lebanon is CLOSED for renovations but schedule to reopen in February 2024.


All shows are at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise stated.

2024 Season
Silent Film: Gold Rush, February 8 at 7 p.m. TICKETS

Mike McDonald's Comedy Extravaganza, February 9  TICKETS

Recycled Percussion, February 10 at 3 and 7:30 p.m.  TICKETS

2024 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, February 16 at 7:00 pm TICKETS

Sasha Velour-The Big Reveal Show, March 4, 2024 TICKETS

The Capitol Fools, March 9, 2024 TICKETS

Red Barat-Festival of Colors, March 16, 2024 TICKETS

Comedian Bib Marley, March 23, 2024 TICKETS

The String Queens, April 4, 2024 at 10 a.m.  TICKETS (YES-Youth Education Series)

Tom Papa: Good Stuff Tour, April 5 TICKETS

Paula Poundstone Saturday, April 6 TICKETS

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, April 8 TICKETS

Fly Fishing Film Tour, April 11 at 7 p.m. TICKETS

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP , May 14 TICKETS




Summerfest 2024

Enjoy performances of the highest quality each summer at Blow-Me-Down Farm, a beautiful, outdoor setting on the banks of the Connecticut River in Cornish, NH.

Opera North is an American opera company based in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and is the region’s oldest professional opera company. The company presents an annual summer season of three fully staged and orchestrated productions ranging from classical and contemporary opera to musical theater.

Summerfest 2024 Subscriptions-TICKETS

Summerfest 2024 productions include:
Orpheus in the Underworld
Thursday, July 11 at 7pm
Friday, July 12 at 7pm
Sunday, July 14 at 5pm

Rigoletto
Sunday, July 21 at 5pm
Wednesday, July 24 at 7pm
Saturday, July 27 at 5pm

Thursday, August 1 at 7pm
Friday, August 2 at 7pm
Saturday, August 3 at 5pm
Sunday, August 4 at 5pm

Recycled Percussion, January 27 , two shows 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. TICKETS

Heartless,  New England's Tribute to HEART, February 10 7:30 p.m. TICKETS

Yoga 

Yoga

Whole Roasted Tro

Within Reach Yoga 

at the 1879 Schoolhouse in Perkinsville

You must Register for each class at least a day ahead by emailing Lisa. 

Tues. Mornings 
Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, 9-10am ~REGISTER NOW~

Tues. Evening Candlelit
Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, 5:30-6:30pm ~REGISTER NOW~


Class Fee: Buy the whole morning or evening session for $40 to guarantee your spot for the month. Or, drop in (space available and registration required) for $12 per class.

Please arrive to class between 5-10 minutes early. Earlier than that, and you may find the door locked while Lisa is prepping our space. 

If you've prepaid for a spot but can't make it, please let Lisa know since someone may be on the waitlist. 

And if you want to try to switch from the morning to evening class or vice versa, please ask Lisa if there's room so she can try to accommodate you.

Total Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024



April 8, 2024Vermont’s location within the path of totality makes it an ideal place to take in the wonder and spectacle of this natural event. 

Time to start planning,  sign up for solar eclipse updates by email.

The last time Vermont had a “front row seat” for a total solar eclipse was in 1932, when it was hailed as a “grand celestial spectacle.” 

Road rules were changed to allow for the minutes of darkness and bulletins advised drivers to pull over and turn off headlights so as to preserve the natural phenomenon.

Volunteers in Action (ViA) is seeking volunteers

Volunteers in Action (ViA), a neighbor helping neighbor organization, is seeking immediate volunteer support for two Meals on Wheels routes in Windsor. Details:
  • Open shifts available Monday through Friday, help when you have time
  •  Roughly 2-hour commitment (10am – Noon) on volunteer days
  • Individual training available upon sign-up
  • Minimal driving, low mileage routes.
  • There are additional needs in Weathersfield as well, if people are interested.
For more information: Call (802) 674-5971 Email via@mahhc.org
Melanie P. Sheehan, MPH
Director of Community Health




Local trails to explore: CLICK HERE

Also Hiking Close to Home: CLICK HERE

Workshops Online

 

Vermont Online Workshops

Lots of events and movies online. Contact: AARP Vermont Email: vtaarp@aarp.org with questions.



Visit Our Local Restaurants

The Copper Fox 56 Main St., Ste. 1 Springfield, VT 05156 (802) 885-1031
Dinner 5:00pm - 9:00pm  Sunday Hours 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Wednesday through Sunday (Closed Monday and Tuesday)

Daily Grind Café 
Call ahead for take out (802) 674-9859
93 Pleasant St. Claremont, NH (in the space formerly occupied by Dusty’s Café)
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Harpoon Beer Garden and Brewery 802-674-5491
336 Ruth Carney Drive
Windsor, VT 05089

Inn at Weathersfield (802) 263-9217 
Dine inside or outside Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, call for a reservation 802-263-9217. 1342 VT Route 106 Perkinsville, VT 05151

Maybelline's (802) 591-4311
12 Clinton Street, Springfield, VT Open for breakfast and lunch, daily except Sundays.

Outer Limits Brewing (802)-287-6100
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays;  Wednesdays and Thursdays 3-8 p.m.; Saturdays noon-8 p.m. with LIVE MUSIC; Sundays noon-6 p.m..
60 Village Green, Proctorsville, VT 05153 

Springfield Diner-seating inside/outside daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Ice cream shop open Thursday-Sunday 1-7 pm. Daily specials.

Villagers Ice Cream Restaurant-(802) 795-0063 CLOSED for the Season
Tuesdays-Sundays 11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. (they stop cooking at 7:30 p.m.)
4261 Route 106 in Perkinsville, Downers Four Corners to the locals.
Unicorn Sundae at Villagers Rtes. 131 and 106, Downers Four Corners, in Perkinsville

Food Assistance

Weathersfield Food Shelf in Perkinsville.
The food shelf is open 2:00 pm-4:00 pm on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. 
 The Weathersfield Food Shelf is located in the 1879 Perkinsville Schoolhouse at 1862 Route 106 in Perkinsville. The Food Shelf has lots of good food to offer!

Call the Weathersfield Town Office to be refereed to a volunteer, visit the Weathersfield Food Shelf Facebook page and leave a message, email weathersfieldfoodshelf@gmail.com
Donations of non-perishable food are always welcomed and may be dropped off at the facility during open hours or placed in the collection box at Martin Memorial Hall. For more information, call 802-263-5584 or email weathersfieldfoodshelf@gmail.com.

Hartland Food Shelf in Hartland. 4 Corners UU Church Fridays 8-10 a.m., Saturdays 10 a.m-2 p.m.

Reading-West Windsor Food Shelf in Reading. Mondays 2-4 p.m. and Thursday 4-6 p.m. Stone School 3456 Tyson Rd, Reading.

Winter Tips




Be Ready for Winter Storms

Steps you can take now, to prepare for storms:
Keep your cellphone charged
Download the GMP app to help you report an outage and track restoration times
Have some bottled water and non-perishable food on hand
Have flashlights and fresh batteries where you can easily find them
Make a plan for where you can go if power is out for an extended time

Storm safety reminders:
Pay attention to the weather forecast and changing conditions
Stay far away from any downed lines
Always assume downed lines and trees are energized – you cannot tell by looking at them
Call GMP to report downed lines
Call 911 for medical emergencies
Call Vermont 211 for help with emergency housing and more

More storm preparation and safety tips are available on GMP's website at: https://greenmountainpower.com/safety/

Vermont State Resources and
COVID-19 Response Information

GET VACCINATED
and GET YOUR BOOSTER
Do it for Yourself, Your Family, Your Community


Vermont Department of Health COVID-19 Information Page.

VT Digger Coronavirus Report: CLICK HERE

Mt. Ascutney Hospital Open for Walk-Ins M-F 1-5 PM

Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center is now offering walk-in service on weekday afternoons for people ages 2 and older, according to a news release.

The visits are available for urgent, but non-emergency medical needs Monday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. Patients can check in at the hospital’s central registration, through the main entrance.

Some of the conditions appropriate for care through walk-in services are minor cuts and burns; urinary tract infections; strains and sprains; minor fractures; rashes; and ear, sinus and eye infections. In addition, X-ray and lab services are available on-site.

A nurse will be on hand to determine if a patient’s condition calls for transfer to the emergency department.


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Nancy Nutile-McMenemy is an Upper Valley freelance photographer and writer who loves paddle, hike, attend concerts and local events in and around Weathersfield and the Upper Valley.

Scan this QR Code to see all the latest  photos in my Galleries



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