Weathersfield Weekly Blog March 25 edition

After the storm, the locals were mighty hungry.

Heads up No WFLD Weekly Blog on April 8
I'll be chasing Vermont's Total Solar Eclipse!


Mark Your Calendars

School Vote Tuesday, April 2,
10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Martin Memorial Hall
Informational 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

PTO March Madness is Back

Last Week to get Your Calendar

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 


Weathersfield Proctor Library hosts Annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, March 30 



Easter Week Services 2024 at The Brownsville Community Church Announced 
(In Person & Live Streamed)

  • 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/.


Vermont's Total Solar Eclipse April 8, 2024

VT Tourism FAQs




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!

Eclipse Events around Vermont


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.


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.



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.

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


VINS Owl Festival  April 13  9 a.m.-5 p.m.



Saturday, April 13 / 9 AM – 5 PM
$19.50 Adult / $16.50 Youth (4 – 17) / Free for Children 3 & under
FREE for VINS Members**

Get Your Tickets!
Advanced ticket purchase is recommended for this event.

Join VINS for a day of all things owl! Meet live owls that range from Vermont’s forests to habitats all over the world and discover their life stories. Join in a craft inspired by owls, and play games to test your own owl skills. Learn all about the amazing world of owls and how you can help the ones in your backyard.

**VINS Members: No pre-purchase is necessary. Bring your VINS Member ID Card to the Admissions Window upon arrival on Saturday, April 13. As long as you have your Member ID Card in hand, you will be able to bypass the General Admission line. VINS Members without their Member ID Card in hand will have to wait in the General Admission line.

Station Schedule:

9 AM – 3 PM / New England Falconry
Meet falconer Jessica Snyder and the owls of New England Falconry. (Hawkfly)

9 AM – 4 PM: / Southern Vermont Natural History Museum
Visit with the educators of the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum with up close encounters and artifacts to explore. (Popup Corner)

9 AM – 4:30 PM / Owl Games
Can you hear as well as an owl to catch your dinner? Can you find your way home in each habitat? Find out with our fun games that challenge you to test your owl-senses! (Arch)

9 AM – 4:30 PM / Owl Crafts
Craft, color, and create a work of art inspired by your favorite owls. (August Pavilion)

9 AM – 4:30 PM / Raptor Chats
Chat with an educator about our resident owls and the amazing adaptations of their wild counterparts. (Raptor Exhibits)

9 AM – 4:30 PM / Hoot-enanny – Whoooo’s that calling?
Think you can recognize owl calls? Or even call like one? Learn about owl calls and how you can help wild owls! (Forest Canopy Walk)

9 AM – 4:30 PM / Owling
Wildlife Photographer Mark Wilson will be autographing, personalizing and offering for sale with his best selling books Owling and The Snowy Owl Scientist. He and his wife Marcia will have some live owls on hand for you to see up close while chatting at the book table. (Standing Wave)

10 AM – 4 PM / Artist Betsy Smith
Meet local artist Betsy Smith as she draws inspiration from VINS’s resident owl ambassadors to create beautiful artwork. (Raptor Exhibits)

11 AM – 3 PM / Frankfurters Family Catering
Enjoy some local hot dogs & hand-pressed lemonade for lunch! (Meadow)

Program Schedule:

9:15 AM – 9:30 AM / Raptor Encounter
Meet a live hawk or falcon up close and learn about their natural history! (Hawkfly)

9:45 AM – 11 AM / Owls Up Close
Join the Wilsons from Eyes on Owls to learn about the diversity of owls that call North America home, delight in Mark Wilson’s exceptional owl photography, and then get to see 6 owls up close! (Neale Pavilion)

10 AM – 10:30 AM / Hawk v.s. Owl
What’s the difference between these predators? Uncover the unique adaptations of each as we meet a live owl and a hawk. (Hawkfly)

10:30 AM – 10:50 AM / Activities for Owlets
Come and enjoy owl puppets, songs, feathers and movement. All welcome, suggested for ages up to 5 years. (Indoor Classroom)

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM / Owls of New England
Meet the naturalists from Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and learn about the owls that live in our backyards. (Hawkfly)

11:15 AM – 11:45 AM / Branching Owls Storytime
Come join us for an interactive story time with music and a live bird. All welcome, suggested for ages 5 to 8 years. (Indoor Classroom)

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM / Owls in Flight
Did you know owls fly silently? Come watch them in action and learn about the physics of flight. For the safety and comfort of the owls, the program hall will be closed to latecomers once the program has begun. (Neale Pavilion)

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM / Owls in Myth & Legend
Join Mike Clough from the Southern VT Natural History Museum as he discusses the cultural role of owls with stories and some live owls. (Hawkfly)

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM / Northern Saw-whet Owls with Sean Beckett
Join researcher Sean Beckett from the North Branch Nature Center to highlight recent Northern Saw-whet Owl migration research done here in Vermont and across the nation. See how they capture and study the owls, and learn about what’s been recently discovered about this mysterious little predator. (Neale Pavilion)

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM / Owls of New England
Meet the naturalists from Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and learn about the owls that live in our backyards. (Hawkfly)

1 PM – 1:20 PM / Activities for Owlets
Come and enjoy owl puppets, songs, feathers and movement. All welcome, suggested for ages up to 5 years. (Indoor Classroom)

1:30 PM – 2 PM / Hawk v.s. Owl
What’s the difference between these predators? Uncover the unique adaptations of each as we meet a live owl and a hawk. (Hawkfly)

1:30 PM – 2:45 PM / Owls Up Close
Join the Wilsons from Eyes on Owls to learn about the diversity of owls that call North America home, delight in Mark Wilson’s exceptional owl photography, and then get to see 6 owls up close! (Neale Pavilion)

1:45 PM – 2:15 PM / Branching Owls Storytime
Come join us for an interactive story time with music and a live bird. All welcome, suggested for ages 5 to 8 years. (Indoor Classroom)

2 PM – 3 PM / Owls in Myth & Legend
Join Mike Clough from the Southern VT Natural History Museum as he discusses the cultural role of owls using live owls and storytelling. (Hawkfly)

3:15 PM – 4 PM / Owls in Flight
Did you know owls fly silently? Come watch them in action and learn about the physics of flight. For the safety and comfort of the owls, the program hall will be closed to latecomers once the program has begun. (Neale Pavilion)

3:15 PM – 3:30 PM / Raptor Encounter
Meet a live hawk or falcon up close and learn about their natural history! (Hawkfly)

4 PM – 4:15 PM / Hawk on the Walk
Explore the Forest Canopy Walk and watch as one of our Harris’s Hawks glides through the trees. Weather permitting. (Forest Canopy Walk)

For more information, contact us at 802.359.5000 or info@vinsweb.org.


Weathersfield Garden Club announces Spring Clean up at Martin Memorial Hall
April 21, 9 a.m.-noon

Weathersfield Garden Club is getting ready for spring at Martin Memorial Hall. They will be weeding, pruning, planting, and sprucing up for spring. Bring your garden tools - rakes, hoe, buckets, and join in the fun. Any questions please reach out to the garden club at weathersfieldgardenclub@gmail.com




News You Can Use

ICYMI (In case You Missed It)
Town/School/Regional News


Weathersfield Proctor Library receives grant for Solar Telescope

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 purchased 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 system which permits only a very narrow portion of the visible spectrum to pass through. This results in a very clear orange view 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 but with no coronal flares.


Eclipse Event at Hoisington Field

Weather permitting, the telescope will be set up on Hoisington Field in Perkinsville, VT on the afternoon of April 8, 2024, to allow the public to observe the eclipse, which will run from roughly 2 p.m. to 4:30 pm. The total eclipse will occur at 3:26 p.m. and will only last about three minutes.

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.

If the skies cooperate, we will have an opportunity to watch as the moon slowly moves toward and across the disk of the sun, briefly covering nearly all of it (from our perspective in Weathersfield), then as slowly passing off of the disk, revealing the sun again. It will look rather like watching the moon move from a full moon through to new moon and back again to full, in the span of a couple hours, except that in this event what we will be seeing will be a full sun, a half sun, a quarter sun, a crescent sun.

If the skies do not cooperate, we will still experience an eerie near darkness at mid-afternoon, and we will meet at the 1879 Schoolhouse, adjacent to Hoisington Field, where at 2:30 guest speaker Claudio Véliz, will give a presentation on eclipses (If the skies look like they may be clear, Claudio will be further north, in the path of totality).

So, join us at Hoisington Field on April 8th for the eclipse. You can arrive as early as 2:00 pm, with the darkest moments of the eclipse occurring a little after 3:15 pm. If you have solar viewing glasses, bring them with you. A limited number will be available at the event.

Clear skies or not, hot chocolate will be provided.

Other Eclipse Events in coming weeks

If you are looking for more eclipse-related activities, astronomer Claudio Véliz will also be speaking at the following places and times:
Springfield Public Library, 6:00 PM, Tuesday, 2 April.

Submitted by Rick Bates


FREE COVID Home Test Kits at the Library


Weathersfield Proctor Library has received 420 FREE COVID Home test kits. You can pick up your kit anytime during regular library hours. 


Wellwood Orchards Announces Annual Strawberry Fest for June 29

Looking for Vendors

Make it a day filled with the fun of Pick Your Own (PYO) Strawberries and free wagon rides during the festival.

Pick your own (PYO) STRAWBERRIES! While you're there, take a visit to our petting zoo, shop our country store, eat at the food booths, sit a spell and listen to the free live music and visit the vendors galore.

Bring your camera and enjoy the views.

The Country Store will be open 8-6, 7 days a week during strawberry season and freshly stocked with baked goods, homemade canned goods, gift items, candies and fresh picked Strawberries for your convenience.

Cider Donuts will be for sale while they last (and every weekend during Strawberry Season) as well




NO CARS ALLOWED in the strawberry fields on this day.
NO DOGS ALLOWED at Wellwood Orchards all year please.

This is an outdoor event. RAIN DATE: June 30

Scammer alert! 
Please do not correspond with anyone except: livefriedmanordie@gmail.com or wellwood@tds.net

Looking for activity/ craft/food VENDORS email livefriedmanordie@gmail.com

More photos from Wellwood Orchards: CLICK HERE


Citing safety concerns, school districts plan for closures and early dismissals on eclipse day

State officials have said that up to 200,000 visitors could swarm Vermont to experience the phenomenon and have warned of hectic traffic conditions and increased strain on emergency response systems.
By Habib Sabet

With the April 8 solar eclipse approaching, schools across Vermont are planning on early dismissals or outright cancellations to give students the opportunity to experience the celestial event and avoid anticipated crowds.

The eclipse will occur in parts of the Green Mountain State on a Monday from about 2:15 to 4:30 p.m., with total darkness expected to occur at approximately 3:26 p.m. — close to the time at which many schools would be getting out for the day.

State officials have said that up to 200,000 visitors could swarm Vermont to experience the phenomenon and have warned of hectic traffic conditions and increased strain on emergency response systems. Hoping to spare students the chaos, most school districts in the state are trying to keep kids off the roads for the afternoon.

“Different plans are in place depending on the school district and I would say largely — and logically — on their proximity to the path of the eclipse,” said Jeffrey Francis, executive director of the Vermont Superintendents Association. “It also may be that plans are evolving as people gain more information about what other school districts are doing and they hear from other entities”

READ MORE


Windsor woman avoids jail but must pay more than $135,000 in restitution in credit union fraud case

Tracy Thibodeau was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Burlington by Judge William K. Sessions III.
By Alan J. Keays

A Windsor woman who served as a branch manager for the Vermont VA Federal Credit Union will avoid jail time but have to pay more than $135,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to a charge of credit union fraud.

Tracy Thibodeau, 47, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Burlington on the felony conviction, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont.

Judge William K. Sessions III ordered Thibodeau to serve three years of supervised release and to pay $136,937 in restitution, the release added.

Thibodeau, according to charging documents, started working at the credit union in 2015 and was promoted to branch manager in White River Junction around 2016.

Thibodeau misused her authority to open a personal credit card at the financial institution without obtaining the proper authorization from her superiors, according to the court filings.

Between April 2019 and February 2021, Thibodeau used the card to make more than $140,000 in purchases, during which time she made only small monthly payments toward her large account balance, according to investigators.


Sanders, Welch, Balint announce $75 million in earmarks for Vermont

“This is Vermont taxpayer dollars coming back to Vermont,” said U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.
By Shaun Robinson

Vermont’s congressional delegation drew down about $75 million in earmarks for projects across the state from the first round of 2024 federal spending bills signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month, they announced on Monday.

The earmarks — known more formally by the term “congressionally directed spending” — are set to support some 60 projects from Burlington to Bennington and St. Johnsbury to Townshend. The funding allocations were included in six of the 12 appropriations bills that Congress needs to pass by the end of the week to avert a government shutdown.

The delegation would have additional earmarks to announce once the remaining six bills passed, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said at a Monday afternoon press conference at his Burlington office. U.S. Sen Peter Welch, D-Vt., was also in attendance, though U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., could not make it, a representative from her office said.

“This is Vermont taxpayer dollars coming back to Vermont,” Welch said. “It’s really tough on our property tax payers right now … school budgets are going up. And to the extent that we can help — Bernie, Becca and I — by bringing some resources back to communities to do projects that are really essential, we think that is really, really important.”

Sanders’ earmarks include $2.5 million for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to support manufactured housing communities statewide and another $2.5 million for the Washington Electric Cooperative to purchase and install thousands of new, more advanced electrical meters.

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: 
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


Select Board



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

Chair

2027

Vice Chair

2026

Clerk

2027

Member

2026

Member

2025




Select Board Meets: WHEN? 
1st and 3rd, 2nd and 4th Mondays, once a month 6:30 p.m.
Not sure when they will be meeting. The Minutes from the March 18th meeting say there was more discussion about meeting only once a month but there was not indication that this was approved.

*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 meetingMeeting 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: March 22
Save the Dates
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 Grades 5 and 8 Science
April 5th Kindergarten Registration
April 5th No School for Kindergarten Students
April 8th-12th Spring Break
April 16th-April 19th VTCAP Testing Math Grades 3-8
April 19th Family Movie Night
April 23rd-April 26th VTCAP Testing ELA Grades 3-8
April 26th P.R.I.D.E. Assembly
April 26th and 27th Beauty and the Beast Jr. 
May 1st Early Release Day for Students
May 24th Leadership Day/Early Release Day for Students

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 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. 
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

Make-Up Week-April 29-May 3

Spring Sport Registrations are OPEN


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 HERE
March 12

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

School Board Meetings Minutes
March 12

Windsor Southeast Supervisory Union



Weathersfield Proctor Library
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



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



Weathersfield Garden Club
Annual Meeting
April 23 at 6 p.m.

The Weathersfield Garden Club will will host it's annual meeting on April 23 at Martin Memorial Hall 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


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


Weathersfield Parks and Recreation
Follow them on their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550836741096







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

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 Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival will be held May 5, 2024, the first Sunday of May. We hope to see you there, enjoying a special day of nature, programs, and activities for young and old. The event is organized by the Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society, VT Fish and Wildlife, and Great River Hydro.

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 

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/


Lebanon Opera House

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


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)

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

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

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP , May 14 TICKETS

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 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

Satisfaction – International Rolling Stones Tribute May 18,  8 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 
March 26  at 9-10am ~REGISTER NOW~

Tues. Evening Candlelit
March 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. 

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

LAST WEEK


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



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.

UPCOMING EVENTS FROM AARP VERMONT:
Click the event title for more information and to register.
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

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.

Exit Ate 
Route 5 in Ascutney
Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-2 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.

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:

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.


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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