Weathersfield Weekly Blog, March 18 edition
File photo-Spring Arrives!
The sun will cross the celestial equator, a line directly above Earth’s equator at 3:06 UTC on March 20, 2024 (11:06 p.m. EDT on March 19)
The sun will cross the celestial equator, a line directly above Earth’s equator at 3:06 UTC on March 20, 2024 (11:06 p.m. EDT on March 19)
More Spring photos from the 2023 Vermont Flower Show
Mark Your Calendars
School Vote Tuesday, April 2,10 a.m.-7 p.m.Martin Memorial HallInformational Meeting March 30, 10 a.m. at the School
Revised Budget
School Warning
Meet the School Candidates (on the ballot)-in their own words
CLICK HERE for their responses
School Director Candidates postponed until April 2
Deborah Richardson-1 year
Mark Yuengling-1 year
Sara A. Steele-3 year
Upcoming Events
Selectboard Meets March 18
for regular meeting and public hearingThe Selectboard meets tonight, March 18 at 6:30 in Martin Memorial Hall in Ascutney. Listed on tonight's agenda are the following: Public Hearing regarding Article 2-Zoning Districts and District Standards and Article 7-Definitions. Details may be found in the Selectboard Packet
It's also liquor license renewal time for Ascutney Market, Jiffy Marts (131 and 106) and Sunoco Gas Stations. The board will also discuss the Classification and Status Old Bow Road and ARPA, and town volunteer appointments.
At their reorganizational meeting on March 7th, following the March 5th vote, Mike Todd was elected board chair, Nathan McNaughton was elected Vice Chair and Rika Henderson was elected board Clerk. The board also voted to move their meetings to the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. Board Meetings is listed as an agenda item for tonight's meeting as well. The board is considering holding only monthly meetings and possibly having the Town Manager approve the Warrants (expenses incurred by the town to various vendors and payroll).
Selectboard Meets March 18
for regular meeting and public hearingThe Selectboard meets tonight, March 18 at 6:30 in Martin Memorial Hall in Ascutney. Listed on tonight's agenda are the following: Public Hearing regarding Article 2-Zoning Districts and District Standards and Article 7-Definitions. Details may be found in the Selectboard Packet
It's also liquor license renewal time for Ascutney Market, Jiffy Marts (131 and 106) and Sunoco Gas Stations. The board will also discuss the Classification and Status Old Bow Road and ARPA, and town volunteer appointments.
At their reorganizational meeting on March 7th, following the March 5th vote, Mike Todd was elected board chair, Nathan McNaughton was elected Vice Chair and Rika Henderson was elected board Clerk. The board also voted to move their meetings to the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. Board Meetings is listed as an agenda item for tonight's meeting as well. The board is considering holding only monthly meetings and possibly having the Town Manager approve the Warrants (expenses incurred by the town to various vendors and payroll).
for regular meeting and public hearing
Weathersfield Garden Club March 19 at 6 p.m.
The Weathersfield Garden Club meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at The Weathersfield Proctor Library from 6-8 p.m. New members and guests are always welcome. Any questions? please email weathersfieldgardenclub@gmail.com
PTO March Madness is Back
You can purchase your calendar anytime up to March 31!!!
$10/each! Unlimited available to purchase. When you purchase a calendars, you are purchasing chances to win, not an actual calendar. Purchaser's names will be added to a master list, and we use RANDOM.ORG to select winners each day in March.More info: PTO on Facebook
Email the PTO: WSPTO@wsesu.net
Town Challenge This Saturday
Weathersfield Proctor Library hosts Annual Easter Egg Hunt March 30,
Needs Candy and Egg Stuffers, March 23
Easter Week Services 2024 at The Brownsville Community Church Announced (In Person & Live Streamed)
- Saturday, March 23 at 9 a.m. join in the fun at the Great Brownsville Community Church Easter Egg Hunt. This will happen in Tribute Park adjacent to the church and will continue until all 1,500 eggs are found. Each egg will contain a treasure or two special to youngsters.
- Sunday, March 24 at 9:30 a.m. there will be a Palm Sunday Service.
- Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a Maundy Thursday Service.
- Friday, March 29 at 1:30 p.m. Good Friday Concert followed by the Good Friday Service at 2:30.
- Sunday, March 31 at 7 a.m. The Sunday Sunrise Service at Ascutney Outdoors where the morning view will provide a dramatic back drop for those attending this special service. There will be warmth from the fire pit, weather permitting.
- Sunday, March 31 at 8 a.m. Community Easter Breakfast in Fellowship Hall at the church where volunteers will be serving up quiche, bacon, sausage & fruit. Donations welcome.
- Sunday, March 31 at 9:30 a.m. The Easter Sunday Service follows breakfast in the Sanctuary which will be adorned with beautiful spring flowers
ALL ARE WELCOME
The Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday concert & service and Easter Sunday service will also be available via FaceBook Live at https://www.facebook.com/brownsvillecommunitychurch/.
Questions? Email bcchurchvt@gmail.com. And you can visit the Brownsville Community Church at https://www.facebook.com/brownsvillecommunitychurch/.
Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival May 5, 2024, 9:30 AM-4 PM
Where: 4 Herricks Cove Road, Bellows Falls, VT
Join online: https://amasvt.org/herricks-cove-wildlife-festival
The day starts with a pre-festival bird walk led by Don Clark and Ken Cox. The programs and exhibits open at 10 am. Come learn about birds, bats, turtles, butterflies and other insects, plants, and more. There will be live-animal exhibits by Vermont Natural History Museum, Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, Squam Lake Natural Science Center, and Wildlife Encounters. There will also be kids' activities throughout the day with Wonderle's Big Top Adventures, Lindsay and her Puppet Pals, face-painting, and crafts. Plus food, book, and nature-craft vendors. Updates are listed on the Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society web page: https://amasvt.org/.
Suggested donation at the gate is $2 per person or $5 per family.
More photos: CLICK HERE
Lace up for Laura 2024 Announced
Saturday, June 29, 2024
Registration for Lace Up for Laura 2024 is LIVE
A couple of fun additions this year. You can register a team this year, be creative and lets have fun with it. Also, for an upcharge at cost, you can obtain a sweatshirt in addition to the t-shirt or tank top, or for a smaller up charge just grab a sweatshirt in place of the t-shirt.
More info about the race: https://www.laceupforlaura.com/
Races and Concerts
Shamrock Shuffle
Lebanon, NH
Almost 1200 runners had registered for Saturday's 23rd Annual Shamrock Shuffle, hosted by Lebanon Recreation and Parks. Paul Coats, the race director, said it was one of the largest field's the race has had.%20copy.jpg)
The weather was perfect for a 5K run and folks were in the mood to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, a day early.
The race was set to start at noon but a long bathroom line postponed the race for a few minutes.
The start went off 10 minutes late, but no one seemed to mind.
The 1-mile fun run started at 11 a.m. And Coats said he had a hard time keeping up with some of the young runners.
Thomas Hue, #594 from Beaune France (second from the right), finished first in the Men’s
Division and Cara Weiner #50 from Enfield, NH, finished first in the Women’s
Division. Hue had a time of 16:12 and Weiner had a time of 19:46.
Enjoying their run are Ashley Coccomo from Charlestown NH and
Gabriela Sapp from Weathersfield VT. Congratulations to both Ashley and Gabriela for finishing the race.
Race results can be found at: http://www.iresultslive.com/?op=summary&eid=5947
More photos: CLICK HERE
Red Baraat-Festival of Colors
Lebanon Opera House
Lebanon, NH
Red Baraat performed at the Lebanon Opera House on Saturday evening.
Festival of Colors celebrates the Hindu holiday of Holi with a colorful array of South Asian sounds. Traditionally, Holi is marked by public gatherings of families and strangers sharing songs, dance, and the exchange of ‘colors’ – colorful dry powder or colored water playfully thrown amongst the crowds of revelers. (Sadly, no powder was shared at LOH on Saturday night)
More photos: CLICK HERE
Next up for LOH-Comedian Bob Marley march 23 for two shows at 5:30 and 8 p.m..
News You Can Use
ICYMI (In case You Missed It)Town/School/Regional News
Dick McCormack to retire after 3-decade Senate career
Dick McCormack with Peter Welch more photos
“You want to leave while at least some people will be sorry to see you go,” the longtime Windsor County Democrat told VTDigger.
By Sarah MearhoffAfter more than three decades representing Windsor County in the Vermont Senate, Dick McCormack plans to retire next January at the conclusion of his term.
The veteran Democrat disclosed his decision to constituents on Town Meeting Day last week and explained his thinking to VTDigger in an interview Monday. On the one hand, McCormack said, he will be 77 years old at the end of this term, 12 years past what he called the “traditional retirement age” of 65. On the other, he still feels energetic and sharp — though not as much as he once did, he concedes — and wants to go out on a high note.
“That’s the good time to retire,” he said. “You want to leave while at least some people will be sorry to see you go.”
McCormack was first appointed to the Senate in 1989 and served until 2003, four of those years as majority leader. He then left office (“I needed to straighten out the finances in my non-Senate life”) before returning in 2007, and there he has remained.
He’s departing a chamber that has historically valued seniority and institutional knowledge. It has also in recent years seen a wave of generational change. Ahead of the 2022 election, roughly one-third of the 30-member Senate opted to retire, and a new class rose to fill the open seats.
READ MORE
‘There just isn’t any money’: Phil Scott signs mid-year budget update despite spending concerns
The Republican governor said he was “deeply concerned” that the final version of this year’s Budget Adjustment Act exceeds his proposal by almost $15 million.
By Sarah Mearhoff
Despite expressing concern for weeks over the Legislature’s proposal to spend millions more state dollars in the next three months, Republican Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday signed into law this year’s mid-year budget update.
The Budget Adjustment Act, or BAA, is an annual affair which balances the state budget through the conclusion of the current fiscal year on June 30. This year’s bill, H.839, was shaped by hot debates over state aid to flooded municipalities, the future of the state’s emergency motel housing program and concerns over giving private organizations direct access to public after-school program funding.
Scott signed the spending plan into law Wednesday afternoon, he said in a press release, “because of important initiatives included, some of which are time sensitive.”
“However,” he said, “I’m deeply concerned this bill exceeds my proposed budget adjustment by almost $15 million. As the House Appropriations Chair has said herself, this leaves a $15 million gap in the fiscal year 2025 budget.”
At a press conference Wednesday before he signed the bill, Scott pointed reporters to the House Appropriations Committee’s discussions on Tuesday. The House panel has until March 22 to craft its first draft of the fiscal year 2025 budget — or, as lawmakers often refer to it, “the big bill.” After a House floor vote, the bill will head to the Senate, then almost assuredly a conference committee to reconcile the two chambers’ differences.
READ MORE
By Ethan Weinstein
In 2021, court rulings gradually opened the door for religious schools to receive money through Vermont’s school tuitioning program, which allows students in districts without a designated public option to attend the school of their choice.
Then, a landmark June 2022 Supreme Court decision pushed it wide open.
Since the 2020-2021 school year, the public dollars going to explicitly religious schools has increased more than six-fold, reaching more than $1 million in 2022-2023, according to a VTDigger analysis of data provided by the Vermont Agency of Education. And the number of schools receiving the funding has more than doubled over that period, from six to 13, all self-identifying as Christian institutions.
The agency does not categorize certain schools as “religious,” so VTDigger used the schools’ self-identification on websites and other promotional materials to identify which individual private schools had a religious affiliation.
The 2022 Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin focused on Maine’s public tuition program, which, much like Vermont’s, gave families public dollars to send their children to schools, both public and private, elsewhere — if their area did not operate a public school.
READ MORE
By Sarah Mearhoff
Despite expressing concern for weeks over the Legislature’s proposal to spend millions more state dollars in the next three months, Republican Gov. Phil Scott on Wednesday signed into law this year’s mid-year budget update.
The Budget Adjustment Act, or BAA, is an annual affair which balances the state budget through the conclusion of the current fiscal year on June 30. This year’s bill, H.839, was shaped by hot debates over state aid to flooded municipalities, the future of the state’s emergency motel housing program and concerns over giving private organizations direct access to public after-school program funding.
Scott signed the spending plan into law Wednesday afternoon, he said in a press release, “because of important initiatives included, some of which are time sensitive.”
“However,” he said, “I’m deeply concerned this bill exceeds my proposed budget adjustment by almost $15 million. As the House Appropriations Chair has said herself, this leaves a $15 million gap in the fiscal year 2025 budget.”
At a press conference Wednesday before he signed the bill, Scott pointed reporters to the House Appropriations Committee’s discussions on Tuesday. The House panel has until March 22 to craft its first draft of the fiscal year 2025 budget — or, as lawmakers often refer to it, “the big bill.” After a House floor vote, the bill will head to the Senate, then almost assuredly a conference committee to reconcile the two chambers’ differences.
READ MORE
Since 2021, Vermont’s religious schools have received an increasing amount of public education money
Several religious schools are charging public districts a per pupil tuition rate that is much more than their advertised ‘sticker price.’By Ethan Weinstein
In 2021, court rulings gradually opened the door for religious schools to receive money through Vermont’s school tuitioning program, which allows students in districts without a designated public option to attend the school of their choice.
Then, a landmark June 2022 Supreme Court decision pushed it wide open.
Since the 2020-2021 school year, the public dollars going to explicitly religious schools has increased more than six-fold, reaching more than $1 million in 2022-2023, according to a VTDigger analysis of data provided by the Vermont Agency of Education. And the number of schools receiving the funding has more than doubled over that period, from six to 13, all self-identifying as Christian institutions.
The agency does not categorize certain schools as “religious,” so VTDigger used the schools’ self-identification on websites and other promotional materials to identify which individual private schools had a religious affiliation.
The 2022 Supreme Court decision in Carson v. Makin focused on Maine’s public tuition program, which, much like Vermont’s, gave families public dollars to send their children to schools, both public and private, elsewhere — if their area did not operate a public school.
READ MORE
Black bears are emerging from their winter dens early, in search of food
The Fish & Wildlife Department expects that this year will be “a hard year in the world of bear-human coexistence,” based on previous patterns.
By K. Fiegenbaum
Reports have been coming in from around the state: Bears are leaving their dens after a shorter-than-usual winter sleep — and they’re hungry.
Late last week, the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife began urging Vermonters to take down their bird feeders, secure their garbage and put up electric fences to protect chickens and bees — almost a month earlier than the typical April 1 start of “bear aware” season.
According to Jaclyn Comeau, black bear project leader and wildlife biologist with the department, bears are emerging early from hibernation because of the state’s warmer-than-normal temperatures and general lack of snow.
Comeau explained that bears — who go into hibernation only once the landscape is rendered barren of food sources — are relatively “light sleepers.” Throughout the winter they will occasionally rouse themselves and step out of the den to assess what’s going on outside.
“In a year like this — where it’s been mild, there’s not a lot of snow for the most part — there’s not a lot constraining them to stay in those dens,” she said. “Some will go on brief walkabouts and if they just start finding food, and can consistently keep finding food, they will stay active.”
READ MORE
March 25th-29th Student Led Conferences
March 28th Early Release Day for Students
March 29th No School for Students
March 30th School Budget Meeting at 10:00 AM
April 2nd VTCAP testing Starts
April 5th Kindergarten Registration
April 5th No School for Kindergarten Students
April 8th-12th Spring Break
April 26th and 27th Beauty and the Beast Jr. at Weathersfield
Kindergarten Registration, April 5
No School for Kindergarten Students on April5th
Upcoming State Testing Dates for Students in Grades 3-8
State testing begins April 2nd. Testing starts each day testing at 8:15 in the morning and students will test primarily in the morning.
Make-Up Week-April 29-May 3
Baseball (K-2 T-ball/coed) (3rd-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/628479970
Coaches application: https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/299461426
Weathersfield School Board meets on Tuesdays
(the eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8, 2024)
-10:30 Story time (ages 0+) Listen to an eclipse story and create some eclipse art
-11:00 Make a pinhole eclipse viewer (ages 4+) This will allow you to view the eclipse without looking at the sun. It will cast an image on a piece of paper that you can safely look at.
WARNING-NEVER, NEVER look directly at the sun without approved solar glasses.
What is a Solar Eclipse?
The Koran mentions an eclipse preceding the birth of Mohammed, and some religious historians point to a three minute and 17 second total eclipse in 569 CE as signaling that event. And on January 27, 632 CE, the day when Mohammed's 18 month old son Ibrahim died, a partial eclipse occurred. Muhammed himself, however, is said to have stated that the Sun does not eclipse to signal human events.
The son of William the Conqueror, King Henry the First of England died in 1133 CE, and on that day there was a total eclipse which lasted slightly over four and a half minutes. Historian William of Malmesbury (1080-1143) wrote of the event that “hideous darkness agitated the hearts of men.”
Setting aside these attempts of non-scientific ancients to make human sense of the movements of the cosmos, the 1919 eclipse is of historical and scientific importance. Four years earlier, Albert Einstein had published his Theory of General Relativity, which was received with some skepticism by much of the scientific community. One of its assertions was that the gravity of massive objects like the Sun curves space time in their vicinity, and this curvature must affect the trajectory of light as it passes near.
An eclipse, by darkening the daytime sky, would allow for observation and photography of stars in the area surrounding the Sun. By then observing and photographing the same stars in the night sky, any effect of the Sun on the apparent position of the stars could be observed and measured. Expeditions sponsored jointly by the Greenwich and Cambridge Observatories were mounted to Sobral, Brazil and to the island of Principe off the coast of Africa, and when the results of the observing and photography were studied and analyzed, Einstein's predicted degree of curvature of the path of light was confirmed and he became an overnight celebrity.
How to Observe the Upcoming Eclipse
Even at 90% obscured, the Sun will not be safe to look at directly, and ordinary sunglasses do not provide nearly enough protection.
With eclipse glasses, which are inexpensive and available from a variety of online sources, you will be able to observe the Sun directly during the entire two and half hours that it will take for the Moon to pass in front of the Sun. Get the ones with black polymer lenses; glasses made from mylar are not recommended, as they can be scratched and even a tiny pinhole can allow a dangerous amount of light through.
Welding glasses of shade #14 are safe. Anything less than #14 is not safe.
You should hold your glasses up to a bright light source and check them for any light leakage. If they are compromised, do not use them. Cut them up and put them in the trash.
One trick which some observers use when they are experiencing a total eclipse is to wear an eyepatch over their dominant eye for twenty minutes or so before totality, so that when the Sun is hidden and the stars emerge, they will be light-adapted and able to see more of the stars in the sky.
The safest way to observe an eclipse is by indirect viewing, which is both easy and fun.
With a thumbtack poke a hole in the center of a piece of paper or cardboard, and hold another sheet of cardboard or paper below it. Position the papers so that sunlight passes through the hole and onto the lower surface. And if you poke two holes, you can project two images. Or get a colander and project dozens of images at a time. You can also stand under a tree and look down at hundreds of images of the eclipse on the ground as light passes through the spaces between the tree's leaves.
Where to Observe the Upcoming Eclipse
The April 8th eclipse will be the last eclipse in the United States until 2045. So, it's worth thinking about whether or not you should travel a couple hours to see the eclipse in its totality. Those who have experienced a total eclipse often use terms like "awe-inspiring" and "life-changing" to describe those two or three minutes in which day will become night, birds will fall silent, and the stars will come out.
If you do opt for the total eclipse, consider that you will not be the only car on the road. In fact, it might be wise to think of the eclipse as being like foliage season, if the colors only lasted for a couple hours and only occurred in two or three counties.
Once you decide to head north, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of good viewing sites. A ball field, a parking lot, the green in a small town, any public open space will do, any public open space will do; just make sure there will be no light pollution during the minutes of darkness.
If you decide to stay here, where we will see a 92 or 93% eclipse, viewing should be very easy. Most of us can probably find a place on our own deck or front lawn which will work fine. All that is needed is a clear view to the south and west.
If you want to experience the eclipse with friends and neighbors, you are invited to come to Hoisington Field. We have reserved the field from 1 to 5 pm, but the actual eclipse will begin at about 2:15, and will end a little after 4:30. This is a joint event of The Weathersfield Proctor Library, the Reading Public Library, and the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (SoVerA). There will be at least two telescopes equipped with solar filters for safe viewing, and there will be a limited number of free solar viewing glasses available. As I write, a new solar telescope is on its way to Weathersfield. This is the result of a nearly $5,000 grant awarded by the American Astronomical Society. For the technically inclined, the scope is a Coronado 70 SolarMax III Solar Telescope with a SolarQuest tripod and motorized alt-azimuth mount. The filter is an H-alpha filter, which will allow for clear views of the granular surface of the Sun including sunspots, and also the solar prominences which radiate visibly outward at the perimeter of the Sun’s disk.
Here's a fun fact: despite being 93 million miles away, the Sun is so large that the distance from us to the closest part of the equator of the Sun is so much greater than the distance from us to the outer edges of the sun, that we have to change the focus of our viewing telescopes when we go from the center to the edge of the Sun.
And wherever you choose to view the eclipse, bring a folding chair and remember to dress warmly, including your warmest boots. Staying outdoors in April is a cold business, and you will want to be able to enjoy yourself while you do it.
Roderick Bates is a member of the Weathersfield Historical Society, a Trustee of the Weathersfield Proctor Library, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group. He lives with his wife Lynda Tallarico on Chimney Ridge, where he edits the poetry journal Rat's Ass Review.
Sources:
Burlington Free Press: "A look back at Vermont's solar eclipse history, and a look ahead to the next total eclipse" by Ella Ruehsen June 11, 2021
Space.com: "The 7 Most Famous Solar Eclipses in History" by Tia Ghose, November 13, 2012
Brittanica.com: "9 Celestial Omens" by Erik Gregersen
Airandspace.si.edu: "The Death of a King, End to a War, and the Solar Eclipse" May 12, 2017, by Zachary Hullings, The Smithsonian Institute The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science: "The 1919 eclipse results that verified general relativity and their later detractors: a story re-told" by Gerard Gilmore and Gudrun Tausch-Pebody, October 21, 2021
Tom Papa: Good Stuff Tour, April 5 TICKETS
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, April 8 TICKETS
Tommy Emmanuel, CGP , May 14 TICKETS
Satisfaction – International Rolling Stones Tribute May 18, 8 p.m. TICKETS
Tues. Mornings
Tues. Evening Candlelit
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:
Melanie P. Sheehan, MPH
Director of Community Health
The Copper Fox 56 Main St., Ste. 1 Springfield, VT 05156 (802) 885-1031
Inn at Weathersfield (802) 263-9217
Maybelline's (802) 591-4311
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.
By K. Fiegenbaum
Reports have been coming in from around the state: Bears are leaving their dens after a shorter-than-usual winter sleep — and they’re hungry.
Late last week, the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife began urging Vermonters to take down their bird feeders, secure their garbage and put up electric fences to protect chickens and bees — almost a month earlier than the typical April 1 start of “bear aware” season.
According to Jaclyn Comeau, black bear project leader and wildlife biologist with the department, bears are emerging early from hibernation because of the state’s warmer-than-normal temperatures and general lack of snow.
Comeau explained that bears — who go into hibernation only once the landscape is rendered barren of food sources — are relatively “light sleepers.” Throughout the winter they will occasionally rouse themselves and step out of the den to assess what’s going on outside.
“In a year like this — where it’s been mild, there’s not a lot of snow for the most part — there’s not a lot constraining them to stay in those dens,” she said. “Some will go on brief walkabouts and if they just start finding food, and can consistently keep finding food, they will stay active.”
READ MORE
Town Volunteer Vacancies
The Town of Weathersfield is seeking volunteers to appoint to various available positions. The application can be found at this link.
Alternatively, you can contact Susanne Terrill at weathersfield@weathersfield.org to obtain a copy via email, or stop by the Town Office at 5259 US Route 5, Ascutney, VT 05030 to obtain a paper copy.
The following positions are vacant:
The following positions are vacant:
Animal Control Officer – 1 Vacancy
Budget Committee – 7 Vacancies
Connecticut River Joint Commission Representative – 1 Vacancy
Conservation Commission – 1 Vacancy
Energy Coordinator – 1 Vacancy
Board of Listers – 2 Vacancies
Fence Viewers – 3 Vacancies
Green Up Coordinator – 1 Vacancy
Health Officer – 1 Vacancy (Current Health Officer not Seeking reappointment but will continue to serve until the position is filled).
MMH Board of Trustees – 3 Vacancies
Parks and Recreation Commission – 7 Vacancies
Planning Commission – 2 Vacancies
Mount Ascutney Regional Commission – 1 Vacancy
Southern Windsor County Transportation Committee Rep – 1 Vacancy
Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Mgmt. District Rep – 1 Vacancy
Surveyor of Wood and Lumber – 1 Vacancy
Veterans Memorial Committee
Weigher of Coal
Tree Warden – 1 Vacancy
Zoning Board of Adjustment – 5 Vacancies, 2 alternates
Budget Committee – 7 Vacancies
Connecticut River Joint Commission Representative – 1 Vacancy
Conservation Commission – 1 Vacancy
Energy Coordinator – 1 Vacancy
Board of Listers – 2 Vacancies
Fence Viewers – 3 Vacancies
Green Up Coordinator – 1 Vacancy
Health Officer – 1 Vacancy (Current Health Officer not Seeking reappointment but will continue to serve until the position is filled).
MMH Board of Trustees – 3 Vacancies
Parks and Recreation Commission – 7 Vacancies
Planning Commission – 2 Vacancies
Mount Ascutney Regional Commission – 1 Vacancy
Southern Windsor County Transportation Committee Rep – 1 Vacancy
Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Mgmt. District Rep – 1 Vacancy
Surveyor of Wood and Lumber – 1 Vacancy
Veterans Memorial Committee
Weigher of Coal
Tree Warden – 1 Vacancy
Zoning Board of Adjustment – 5 Vacancies, 2 alternates
Select Board
Select Board
Select Board Minutes: The minutes can now be found at https://www.weathersfieldvt.org/node/586/minutes
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 websiteChair
2027
Vice Chair
2026
Clerk
2027
Member
2026
Member
2025
Select Board Meets 2nd and 4th Mondays of the Month 6:30 p.m.
Meeting Minutes https://www.weathersfieldvt.org/selectboardTown Meeting March 2
Select Board Minutes: The minutes can now be found at https://www.weathersfieldvt.org/node/586/minutes
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
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Select Board Meets 2nd and 4th Mondays of the Month 6:30 p.m.
Meeting Minutes https://www.weathersfieldvt.org/selectboard
Town Meeting March 2
*Vermont Open Meeting LawMinute 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
Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeathersfieldPoliceVT
Weathersfield School
March 28th Early Release Day for Students
March 29th No School for Students
March 30th School Budget Meeting at 10:00 AM
April 2nd VTCAP testing Starts
April 5th Kindergarten Registration
April 5th No School for Kindergarten Students
April 8th-12th Spring Break
April 26th and 27th Beauty and the Beast Jr. at Weathersfield
Kindergarten Registration, April 5
Kindergarten Registration/Screening for the 2024-2025 School Year will take place on Friday, April 5, 2024. If your child will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2024, it is time to enroll them at Weathersfield! Please call the school (802) 674-5400 to schedule an appointment for this year’s screening. We look forward to hearing from you.
No School for Kindergarten Students on April5thUpcoming State Testing Dates for Students in Grades 3-8
State testing begins April 2nd. Testing starts each day testing at 8:15 in the morning and students will test primarily in the morning.
Please try to schedule any appointments or other activities around the testing dates, because it is important and easier for the students if they are here.
If you have any questions about testing, please feel free to reach out.
VTCAP Testing Dates:
5th and 8th Grade Science-April 2-3
April 4 Make-ups
3rd-8th Grade Math-April 16-18
April 19 Make-ups
3rd-8th Grade ELA-April 23-25
April 26 Make-Up
VTCAP Testing Dates:
5th and 8th Grade Science-April 2-3
April 4 Make-ups
3rd-8th Grade Math-April 16-18
April 19 Make-ups
3rd-8th Grade ELA-April 23-25
April 26 Make-Up
Make-Up Week-April 29-May 3
Spring Sport Registrations are OPEN
Track & Field (5th-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/215736963
Softball (3rd-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/240357635
Softball (3rd-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/240357635
Baseball (K-2 T-ball/coed) (3rd-8th): https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/628479970
Coaches application: https://weathersfield-athletics.sportngin.com/register/form/299461426
Meeting Agendas may be found HEREMarch 12
Weathersfield School Board meets on TuesdaysIn Person at Weathersfield School (135 Schoolhouse Road, Ascutney)
Location: 135 Schoolhouse RD Ascutney
Location: 135 Schoolhouse RD Ascutney
Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union
Weathersfield Proctor Library
Route 5 (5181 US-5 Ascutney VT 05030)
Route 5 (5181 US-5 Ascutney VT 05030)
Weathersfield Proctor Library Seed Catalogue
WPL Drop in Scrabble Mondays at 1 p.m.
Please call Maureen Bogosian for details
@ 603-252-0936
Please call Maureen Bogosian for details
@ 603-252-0936
@ 603-252-0936
Vermont's Total Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024
Weathersfield Proctor Library Announces an Eclipse Program for Children
April 6 beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Eclipse Programs for Kids at the Weathersfield Proctor Library Saturday, April 6, 2024(the eclipse will take place on Monday, April 8, 2024)
-10:30 Story time (ages 0+) Listen to an eclipse story and create some eclipse art
-11:00 Make a pinhole eclipse viewer (ages 4+) This will allow you to view the eclipse without looking at the sun. It will cast an image on a piece of paper that you can safely look at.
-11:30 Make Universe Slime (ages 4+) Make some glittery slime to take home.
WARNING-NEVER, NEVER look directly at the sun without approved solar glasses.
NEVER, NEVER, try to photograph the sun with a camera or a phone or use binoculars without a special filter!
April 8, 2024 Vermont’s location within the path of totality makes it an ideal place to take in the wonder and spectacle of this natural event.
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.”
Time to start planning, sign up for solar eclipse updates by email.
The funding was part of an effort by the American Astronomy Society to provide opportunities for people to observe the upcoming solar eclipse, which will occur on April 8, 2024 and which will pass through parts of Vermont and adjacent New York state.
152 grant applications were submitted to the Jay M. Pasachoff Solar Eclipse Mini-Grants Program, of which 35 received grant funding. The joint Weathersfield Proctor and Reading Library and SoVerA proposal was among the top 35, and was awarded 100% of the requested amount of the grant.
With the grant, the groups will purchase a solar telescope with hydrogen-alpha filter, a tripod and motorized mount, and assorted eyepieces. The total cost of these items is $4,819.96. The grants were awarded to coincide with the upcoming eclipse, but the equipment will be used by the libraries and SoVerA for many years to come.
The telescope is equipped with a motorized tracking mount which will find the sun and then track it as it passes through the sky.
The reason this equipment is so costly compared to shade 14 welders’ glass or cardboard and mylar viewing glasses, is that it has a very specific and costly filter which permits only a very narrow portion of the visible spectrum to pass through. This results in a very clear view orange of the textured surface of the sun and the spectacular coronal flares around the perimeter of the sun. The less expensive equipment protects the viewer’s eyes, but only affords a dull, more or less black and white view peppered with black dots of sunspots and no coronal flares.
The telescope will be set up on Hoisington Field in Perkinsville, VT on the afternoon of April 8, 2024, to observe the eclipse, which will begin at 2:14 p.m. The eclipse will be at its darkest around 3:26 pm. The total eclipse will only last about three minutes, and the sun will be fully visible by 4:37 pm.
As with every visible spectrum telescope-related event since Galileo first aimed his device upward, this one will be dependent on cooperation from the weather.
You are invited to join us at Hoisington Field in Perkinsville, VT. If you have solar viewing glasses, bring them with you. A limited number will be available at the event.
Eclipse Events around Vermont
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.”
Time to start planning, sign up for solar eclipse updates by email.
Weathersfield Proctor Library, Reading Public Library and Southern Vermont Astronomy Group to Host Eclipse viewing.
The Weathersfield Proctor Library, in a joint effort with the Reading Public Library and the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (SoVerA) has been awarded a nearly $5,000 grant for the purchase of a solar telescope.The funding was part of an effort by the American Astronomy Society to provide opportunities for people to observe the upcoming solar eclipse, which will occur on April 8, 2024 and which will pass through parts of Vermont and adjacent New York state.
152 grant applications were submitted to the Jay M. Pasachoff Solar Eclipse Mini-Grants Program, of which 35 received grant funding. The joint Weathersfield Proctor and Reading Library and SoVerA proposal was among the top 35, and was awarded 100% of the requested amount of the grant.
With the grant, the groups will purchase a solar telescope with hydrogen-alpha filter, a tripod and motorized mount, and assorted eyepieces. The total cost of these items is $4,819.96. The grants were awarded to coincide with the upcoming eclipse, but the equipment will be used by the libraries and SoVerA for many years to come.
The telescope is equipped with a motorized tracking mount which will find the sun and then track it as it passes through the sky.
The reason this equipment is so costly compared to shade 14 welders’ glass or cardboard and mylar viewing glasses, is that it has a very specific and costly filter which permits only a very narrow portion of the visible spectrum to pass through. This results in a very clear view orange of the textured surface of the sun and the spectacular coronal flares around the perimeter of the sun. The less expensive equipment protects the viewer’s eyes, but only affords a dull, more or less black and white view peppered with black dots of sunspots and no coronal flares.
The telescope will be set up on Hoisington Field in Perkinsville, VT on the afternoon of April 8, 2024, to observe the eclipse, which will begin at 2:14 p.m. The eclipse will be at its darkest around 3:26 pm. The total eclipse will only last about three minutes, and the sun will be fully visible by 4:37 pm.
As with every visible spectrum telescope-related event since Galileo first aimed his device upward, this one will be dependent on cooperation from the weather.
You are invited to join us at Hoisington Field in Perkinsville, VT. If you have solar viewing glasses, bring them with you. A limited number will be available at the event.
More info: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/
What is a Solar Eclipse?
Rick Bates, guest contributor
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves in front of the sun from our point of view, blocking the light of the Sun and casting a shadow over a part of the surface of the Earth. If we are directly in that shadow, we experience a total eclipse. If we are nearby but not completely in the Moon's shadow, we experience a partial eclipse.
There are two types of total eclipse, depending on the distance that the Moon is from the Earth when it passes in front of the Sun. The Moon's orbit of the Earth is slightly elliptical, and thus at its closest, the Moon is 225,623 miles away, and at its furthest is 252,008 miles away. We notice this when we experience a "Super Moon" when the Moon is close to us and, particularly when it is at or near the horizon, looks much bigger than usual. A normal solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is near enough to us that it covers the entire disk of the Sun. If the Moon is more distant, it does not cover the entire surface of the Sun, and there is an outer band of the Sun's perimeter still visible. This is called an annular eclipse. You probably won't be surprised to learn that an annular eclipse is also known as a Ring of Fire.
Total Eclipse, as will be visible in northern Vermont Partial Eclipse, as will be visible in Weathersfield.
Eclipses in History
Although there is no historical record of any significant event in Weathersfield connected to solar eclipses, the 1932 annular eclipse did generate considerable media and scientific interest throughout Vermont. An article in the August 19, 1932 edition of the Vermont Phoenix discussed some of the questions posed by the scientific community: "It would be of great interest for physiologists to know whether the regular supply of milk and eggs was in any way upset by the eclipse. There are many cattle and chicken farms throughout the area where the eclipse is total and reports by farmers would be much appreciated by the society and would provide material for studies which may eventually prove helpful to the farmers themselves."
Elsewhere there have been eclipses which are of historical interest. As early as 1302 BCE, Chinese observers recorded a total eclipse which blocked the Sun for nearly six and a half minutes, and in 763 BCE a total eclipse darkened Assyria (now Iraq) for five minutes. Both of these events caused superstitious reactions; the eclipse in China was propitiated by the Emperor performing rituals and eating vegetarian meals; the Assyrian eclipse was mentioned in early records in connection with an insurrection in the city of Ashur.
Eclipses in 29 CE and in 33 CE in Jerusalem have been cited by various Christian historians as explaining the New Testament assertion that the sky darkened when Jesus was crucified. The 29 CE eclipse had a period of totality of just under two minutes, and the one in 33 CE lasted just over four minutes.
A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves in front of the sun from our point of view, blocking the light of the Sun and casting a shadow over a part of the surface of the Earth. If we are directly in that shadow, we experience a total eclipse. If we are nearby but not completely in the Moon's shadow, we experience a partial eclipse.
There are two types of total eclipse, depending on the distance that the Moon is from the Earth when it passes in front of the Sun. The Moon's orbit of the Earth is slightly elliptical, and thus at its closest, the Moon is 225,623 miles away, and at its furthest is 252,008 miles away. We notice this when we experience a "Super Moon" when the Moon is close to us and, particularly when it is at or near the horizon, looks much bigger than usual. A normal solar eclipse occurs when the Moon is near enough to us that it covers the entire disk of the Sun. If the Moon is more distant, it does not cover the entire surface of the Sun, and there is an outer band of the Sun's perimeter still visible. This is called an annular eclipse. You probably won't be surprised to learn that an annular eclipse is also known as a Ring of Fire.
Total Eclipse, as will be visible in northern Vermont Partial Eclipse, as will be visible in Weathersfield.
Eclipses in History
Although there is no historical record of any significant event in Weathersfield connected to solar eclipses, the 1932 annular eclipse did generate considerable media and scientific interest throughout Vermont. An article in the August 19, 1932 edition of the Vermont Phoenix discussed some of the questions posed by the scientific community: "It would be of great interest for physiologists to know whether the regular supply of milk and eggs was in any way upset by the eclipse. There are many cattle and chicken farms throughout the area where the eclipse is total and reports by farmers would be much appreciated by the society and would provide material for studies which may eventually prove helpful to the farmers themselves."
Elsewhere there have been eclipses which are of historical interest. As early as 1302 BCE, Chinese observers recorded a total eclipse which blocked the Sun for nearly six and a half minutes, and in 763 BCE a total eclipse darkened Assyria (now Iraq) for five minutes. Both of these events caused superstitious reactions; the eclipse in China was propitiated by the Emperor performing rituals and eating vegetarian meals; the Assyrian eclipse was mentioned in early records in connection with an insurrection in the city of Ashur.
Eclipses in 29 CE and in 33 CE in Jerusalem have been cited by various Christian historians as explaining the New Testament assertion that the sky darkened when Jesus was crucified. The 29 CE eclipse had a period of totality of just under two minutes, and the one in 33 CE lasted just over four minutes.
The Koran mentions an eclipse preceding the birth of Mohammed, and some religious historians point to a three minute and 17 second total eclipse in 569 CE as signaling that event. And on January 27, 632 CE, the day when Mohammed's 18 month old son Ibrahim died, a partial eclipse occurred. Muhammed himself, however, is said to have stated that the Sun does not eclipse to signal human events.
The son of William the Conqueror, King Henry the First of England died in 1133 CE, and on that day there was a total eclipse which lasted slightly over four and a half minutes. Historian William of Malmesbury (1080-1143) wrote of the event that “hideous darkness agitated the hearts of men.”
Setting aside these attempts of non-scientific ancients to make human sense of the movements of the cosmos, the 1919 eclipse is of historical and scientific importance. Four years earlier, Albert Einstein had published his Theory of General Relativity, which was received with some skepticism by much of the scientific community. One of its assertions was that the gravity of massive objects like the Sun curves space time in their vicinity, and this curvature must affect the trajectory of light as it passes near.
An eclipse, by darkening the daytime sky, would allow for observation and photography of stars in the area surrounding the Sun. By then observing and photographing the same stars in the night sky, any effect of the Sun on the apparent position of the stars could be observed and measured. Expeditions sponsored jointly by the Greenwich and Cambridge Observatories were mounted to Sobral, Brazil and to the island of Principe off the coast of Africa, and when the results of the observing and photography were studied and analyzed, Einstein's predicted degree of curvature of the path of light was confirmed and he became an overnight celebrity.
How to Observe the Upcoming Eclipse
Even at 90% obscured, the Sun will not be safe to look at directly, and ordinary sunglasses do not provide nearly enough protection.
With eclipse glasses, which are inexpensive and available from a variety of online sources, you will be able to observe the Sun directly during the entire two and half hours that it will take for the Moon to pass in front of the Sun. Get the ones with black polymer lenses; glasses made from mylar are not recommended, as they can be scratched and even a tiny pinhole can allow a dangerous amount of light through.
Welding glasses of shade #14 are safe. Anything less than #14 is not safe.
You should hold your glasses up to a bright light source and check them for any light leakage. If they are compromised, do not use them. Cut them up and put them in the trash.
One trick which some observers use when they are experiencing a total eclipse is to wear an eyepatch over their dominant eye for twenty minutes or so before totality, so that when the Sun is hidden and the stars emerge, they will be light-adapted and able to see more of the stars in the sky.
The safest way to observe an eclipse is by indirect viewing, which is both easy and fun.
With a thumbtack poke a hole in the center of a piece of paper or cardboard, and hold another sheet of cardboard or paper below it. Position the papers so that sunlight passes through the hole and onto the lower surface. And if you poke two holes, you can project two images. Or get a colander and project dozens of images at a time. You can also stand under a tree and look down at hundreds of images of the eclipse on the ground as light passes through the spaces between the tree's leaves.
Where to Observe the Upcoming Eclipse
The April 8th eclipse will be the last eclipse in the United States until 2045. So, it's worth thinking about whether or not you should travel a couple hours to see the eclipse in its totality. Those who have experienced a total eclipse often use terms like "awe-inspiring" and "life-changing" to describe those two or three minutes in which day will become night, birds will fall silent, and the stars will come out.
If you do opt for the total eclipse, consider that you will not be the only car on the road. In fact, it might be wise to think of the eclipse as being like foliage season, if the colors only lasted for a couple hours and only occurred in two or three counties.
Once you decide to head north, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of good viewing sites. A ball field, a parking lot, the green in a small town, any public open space will do, any public open space will do; just make sure there will be no light pollution during the minutes of darkness.
If you decide to stay here, where we will see a 92 or 93% eclipse, viewing should be very easy. Most of us can probably find a place on our own deck or front lawn which will work fine. All that is needed is a clear view to the south and west.
If you want to experience the eclipse with friends and neighbors, you are invited to come to Hoisington Field. We have reserved the field from 1 to 5 pm, but the actual eclipse will begin at about 2:15, and will end a little after 4:30. This is a joint event of The Weathersfield Proctor Library, the Reading Public Library, and the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group (SoVerA). There will be at least two telescopes equipped with solar filters for safe viewing, and there will be a limited number of free solar viewing glasses available. As I write, a new solar telescope is on its way to Weathersfield. This is the result of a nearly $5,000 grant awarded by the American Astronomical Society. For the technically inclined, the scope is a Coronado 70 SolarMax III Solar Telescope with a SolarQuest tripod and motorized alt-azimuth mount. The filter is an H-alpha filter, which will allow for clear views of the granular surface of the Sun including sunspots, and also the solar prominences which radiate visibly outward at the perimeter of the Sun’s disk.
Here's a fun fact: despite being 93 million miles away, the Sun is so large that the distance from us to the closest part of the equator of the Sun is so much greater than the distance from us to the outer edges of the sun, that we have to change the focus of our viewing telescopes when we go from the center to the edge of the Sun.
And wherever you choose to view the eclipse, bring a folding chair and remember to dress warmly, including your warmest boots. Staying outdoors in April is a cold business, and you will want to be able to enjoy yourself while you do it.
Roderick Bates is a member of the Weathersfield Historical Society, a Trustee of the Weathersfield Proctor Library, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group. He lives with his wife Lynda Tallarico on Chimney Ridge, where he edits the poetry journal Rat's Ass Review.
Sources:
Burlington Free Press: "A look back at Vermont's solar eclipse history, and a look ahead to the next total eclipse" by Ella Ruehsen June 11, 2021
Space.com: "The 7 Most Famous Solar Eclipses in History" by Tia Ghose, November 13, 2012
Brittanica.com: "9 Celestial Omens" by Erik Gregersen
Airandspace.si.edu: "The Death of a King, End to a War, and the Solar Eclipse" May 12, 2017, by Zachary Hullings, The Smithsonian Institute The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science: "The 1919 eclipse results that verified general relativity and their later detractors: a story re-told" by Gerard Gilmore and Gudrun Tausch-Pebody, October 21, 2021
Weathersfield Historical SocietyFollow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weathersfieldhistoricalsociety
Weathersfield Historical Society
Weathersfield Garden ClubMarch 19 at 6 p.m.
Weathersfield Garden Club
March 19 at 6 p.m.
The Weathersfield Garden Club meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at The Weathersfield Proctor Library from 6-8 p.m. New members and guests are always welcome. Any questions? please email weathersfieldgardenclub@gmail.com
The Weathersfield Garden Club meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at The Weathersfield Proctor Library from 6-8 p.m.
New members and guests are always welcome.
Any questions? please email weathersfieldgardenclub@gmail.com
Weathersfield Center Church and Meeting HouseFollow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeathersfieldCenterChurch
Weathersfield Center Church and Meeting House
Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeathersfieldCenterChurchWeathersfield Parks and RecreationFollow them on their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550836741096
Things to Do In and Around WeathersfieldGet Outdoors, Entertainment, Classes, Workshops
Lebanon Opera House
All shows are at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise stated.
Comedian Bob Marley, March 23, 2024 TICKETS
Shrek (movie), March 30 10 a.m. TICKETS FREE but you need to register
The String Queens, April 4, 2024 at 10 a.m. TICKETS (YES-Youth Education Series)
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
Pride Second Chance Prom, April 13, 6 p.m. TICKETS
Singing in the Rain (movie), April 18 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. TICKETS FREE but you need to register
Kinky Boots (movie), May 9 7 p.m. TICKETS FREE but you need to register
Zach Nugent's Dead Set, June 7 TICKETS
LOH on Location: Pride Picnic, June 14 6-8:30 p.m. Learn More
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
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
Summerfest 2024 productions include:
Orpheus in the Underworld
Thursday, July 11 at 7pm
Friday, July 12 at 7pm
Sunday, July 14 at 5pm
Friday, July 12 at 7pm
Sunday, July 14 at 5pm
Thursday, August 1 at 7pm
Friday, August 2 at 7pm
Saturday, August 3 at 5pm
Sunday, August 4 at 5pmJesse Agan -The Music of Queen March 23, 7 :30 p.m. TICKETS
Friday, August 2 at 7pm
Saturday, August 3 at 5pm
Sunday, August 4 at 5pmJesse Agan -The Music of Queen March 23, 7 :30 p.m. TICKETS
Yoga
Yoga
Whole Roasted Tro
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
March 19, 26 at 9-10am ~REGISTER NOW~
Tues. Evening Candlelit
March 19, 26 at 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.
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.
Follow-Within Reach Yoga facebook page, website
The Eye of Senator Patrick Leahy:
Photographs of a Witness to History
Photo Exhibit Feb. 1-March 29
On February 1 (4:30 pm to 7:00 pm), Senator Leahy and his wife, Marcelle, are expected to appear at the opening reception for The Eye of Senator Patrick Leahy: Photographs of a Witness to History, the first art exhibition at the Vermont Supreme Court Gallery since the July 2023 flood.
The Eye of Senator Patrick Leahy is an extraordinary collection of his photographs that showcases the unusual access and unique perspective enjoyed by Vermont’s beloved longtime senator—with images captured throughout his career at the center of the nation’s political spotlight. The exhibition will be on view from February 1 to March 29, 2024.
A second reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, February 2, 2024 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm in conjunction with Montpelier’s Art Walk.
The Vermont Supreme Court Gallery is located at 111 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont.
More photos from Leahy's exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum &Art Center in 2014: CLICK HERE
The Eye of Senator Patrick Leahy is an extraordinary collection of his photographs that showcases the unusual access and unique perspective enjoyed by Vermont’s beloved longtime senator—with images captured throughout his career at the center of the nation’s political spotlight.
The exhibition will be on view from February 1 to March 29, 2024.
A second reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, February 2, 2024 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm in conjunction with Montpelier’s Art Walk.
A second reception will be held at the gallery on Friday, February 2, 2024 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm in conjunction with Montpelier’s Art Walk.
The Vermont Supreme Court Gallery is located at 111 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont.
More photos from Leahy's exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum &Art Center in 2014: CLICK HERE
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.
Melanie P. Sheehan, MPH
Director of Community Health
Vermont Online Workshops
Lots of events and movies online. Contact: AARP Vermont Email: vtaarp@aarp.org with questions.
UPCOMING EVENTS FROM AARP VERMONT:
Click the event title for more information and to register.
3/20, In-Person - AARP VT Lobby Day: "A Better Place to Live & Age"
3/20, Virtual - All You Ever Wanted to Know About Growing Tomatoes
3/20, Phone - AARP VT Tele-Town Hall Event about Social Security
3/20, Virtual - Painting Class
3/28, Virtual - Elevate Your Google Calendar Skills
Events for Perkinsville/Weathersfield (online) https://local.aarp.org/perkinsville-vt/aarp-events/
Click the event title for more information and to register.
3/20, In-Person - AARP VT Lobby Day: "A Better Place to Live & Age"
3/20, Virtual - All You Ever Wanted to Know About Growing Tomatoes
3/20, Phone - AARP VT Tele-Town Hall Event about Social Security
3/20, Virtual - Painting Class
3/28, Virtual - Elevate Your Google Calendar Skills
Events for Perkinsville/Weathersfield (online) https://local.aarp.org/perkinsville-vt/aarp-events/
Visit Our Local Restaurants
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.
Exit Ate Reopened January 11
Route 5 in Ascutney
Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Inn at Weathersfield (802) 263-9217 Daily Grind Café
Call ahead for take out (802) 674-985993 Pleasant St. Claremont, NH (in the space formerly occupied by Dusty’s Café)
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
Route 5 in Ascutney
Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Dine inside or outside Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, call for a reservation 802-263-9217. 1342 VT Route 106 Perkinsville, VT 05151
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
Sundaez-CLOSED Monday and Tuesday; Open Wed. & Thurs 3-7 p.m.; Fri, Sat Sun noon-7 p.m.
West Pleasant St Claremont, NH 03743 and have winter hours:
4261 Route 106 in Perkinsville, Downers Four Corners to the locals.
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.
West Pleasant St Claremont, NH 03743 and have winter hours:
Villagers Ice Cream Restaurant-(802) 795-0063 Reopens April 27th at 11 a.m.!!
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.
Weathersfield Food Shelf in Perkinsville.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
or visit: www.photosbynanci.com
Have an Event/Announcement you want Advertised?
Drop me an Email (at least two (2) weeks before)
and you'll get your Event Listed Here.