Upcoming events: Maggie Lake’s work in Putney; Holy Week at St. Luke’s; Discussing affects of VT marijuana legalization; Nepalese teacher speaks at Chester Rotary; West River Montessori School open house; SMCS Advisory quarterly meeting; Grounded4Life Good Friday Celebration; New Palma Poetry seminar; ‘Songs for a New World’ at Northern Stage; Wilderness programs at Grafton Nature Museum

For more upcoming events, click here for The Chester Telegraph calendar. To be included in our Upcoming events briefs, email Susan Lampe-Wilson at calendar@www.chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please.

Artwork by local resident Maggie Lake to be exhibited at Putney Library.

March 30: Putney Library exhibits work of Maggie Lake

In honor of the life and work of local artist Maggie Lake (1954-2015) the Putney Public Library 55 Main St., Putney will be the venue for a show of her botanical artwork March 30 through May 30.

Lake loved the natural world and lived in it as long as she could with energy, humor and care. She brought to the public’s eye (and walls) her vision of the shapes and colors of plants she found in the Vermont woods, the Alaskan tundra or the Alps.

The exhibit will include enlarged giclée prints and some original compositions from preserved plant specimens. From 3–5 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, the library will host a reception of appreciation, with a short program to honor Lake’s work at 4 p.m.

The exhibit can be seen during library hours: Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. For more information, call the library at 802-387-4407 or email putpub@svcable.net.

March 30: Holy Week at St. Luke’s

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church invites the public to attend services during Holy Week and Easter, March 30 to April 5 at its sanctuary at 313 Main St., Chester. Here is their Holy Week schedule:

At 6:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday evening will be Evening Prayer. The service from the Book of Common Prayer features prayers, Scripture readings, and Psalms that relate to Jesus’ final week in Jerusalem.

Wednesday evening at 6 p.m. a Seder Meal will beheld in Willard Hall. For more information, contact Bonnie and Lew Watters by calling 802-875-2114.

Maundy Thursday’s liturgy begins at 6:30 p.m. with foot washing and vigil watch afterward. This service remembers the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples.

Good Friday Stations of the Cross will be held at noon. At 6:30 p.m., the Good Friday liturgy will be a somber service with prayers, psalms, dramatic readings and Communion from the Reserved Sacraments.

Great Vigil of Easter service begins quietly at 7 p.m. with chants, prayers and extra Scripture readings. The service concludes with a joyful celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter. A reception will follow the service.

Sunday’s Easter Service will be held at 10 a.m.  April 5. The family service will include children in worship. An Easter egg hunt for the children and a reception will follow.

April 1: Affects of Vermont marijuana legalization to be addressed

Mt. Ascutney Prevention Partnership will present an informational presentation around how marijuana legalization may affect the community and the whole landscape of Vermont from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1 at Martin Memorial Hall, 5259 Route 5 in Ascutney.

Dinner and childcare will be provided with RSVP to: Courtney.Hillhouse@mahhc.org or call 802-674-2900 x 25.

April 2: Nepalese teacher at Chester Rotary

On Thursday, April 2 at 5:30 p.m. Chester Rotary will hold another in its series of First Thursday events at the Fullerton Inn, on the Green in Chester.

This month’s speaker will be Dorje Gurung a former international chemistry/science teacher from Kathmandu, Nepal. He currently runs a not-for-profit organization in Kathmandu, which is devoted to providing free, quality education to Nepalese children from marginalized and poor background. The program is free and open to the public.

West River Montessori School to host open house

April 2: Open House at West River Montessori School

The West River Montessori School is accepting enrollment for its toddler and preschool program for the 2015/2016 school year.

Both programs are based on the Maria Montessori teaching method and philosophy. WRMS will be hosting an open house on Thursday, April 2 from 6 to 7 p.m. at 3650D Route 100N, South Londonderry. The public is invited to visit the school, experience the Montessori method, and meet teachers and families. For information, email wrmsabc@gmail.com or call 802-824-5033.

April 3: SMCS Advisory Group quarterly meeting open to public

Springfield Medical Care Systems’ Community Advisory Group will hold its quarterly meeting, open to the community, on Friday, April 3 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the Springfield Hospital Library on Level D.

Anyone wishing to participate is invited to attend the meeting and share input regarding ongoing assessment of community health needs and possible solutions.

Comments are also welcome at any time by e-mailing CHT@springfieldmed.org or calling 802-886-8998.

April 3: Grounded4Life Good Friday Celebration

Join Grounded4Life for a Good Friday Celebration on Friday, April 3. It will be a quiet evening of acoustic music, prayer, reflection, conversation and meditation. Bring friends and talk about hope and new life.

Doors will open at 6:30 and music will begin at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be available at the coffee bar. Grounded4LIFE is located in the coffee house at the First Baptist Church at 162 Main St., Chester. The program is free.

Check out the Grounded4Life Facebook page or contact John Nunnikhoven at john4ns@fastmail.fm.

April 7: Everything is Changed, a new Palma poetry seminar

Local author, editor and critic Michael Palma returns to discuss poetry at Misty Valley Books at 58 The Common St, in Chester, this time with Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet, Carolyn Kizer (1925-2014).

Professor Michael Plama to discuss the work of poet Carolyn Kizer, pictured.

Professor Palma’s series titled Everything is Changed is taken from an autobiographical poem called “Twelve O’Clock,” one of Kizer’s best-known and most highly regarded works.

On four Tuesday evenings, beginning April 7 at 7 p.m., he will introduce this poet whose verse, overtly political and bitingly satirical, came, as she fondly put it, with “a sting in the tail.”

Kizer, who died last year at 89, was the author of eight collections of poetry — one of which, Yin (1984), was awarded the Pulitzer Prize — as well as a book of poems in translation and two volumes of essays. Her work’s subject matter ranges from the personal to the social and political.

The sessions are offered free of charge. Copies of Kizer’s book, Cool, Calm, and Collected: Poems 1960-2000, will be available at the bookstore. For more information call Misty Valley Books at 875-3400 or visit www.mvbooks.com.

April 8: Northern Stage to present ‘Songs for a New World’

A musical revue, “Songs for a New World” by Tony-winning composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown runs April 8 through May 3 on stage at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction. For tickets and information, call 802-296-7000 or visit www.northernstage.org. Tickets start at $15.

Performances are Tuesday through Sunday; sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Chippers Inc. and Domus Custom Builders. A companion event Athena Lecture “The New World for the American Musical” will be held at the Briggs Opera House on Sunday, April 12, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. This conversation is free and open to the public.

Discounted tickets are available for preview performances April 8–10. New this season is a $20 Tuesday on April 14, a $15 Anytime Student ticket, available for any performance, and lower top ticket prices. A complimentary post-show reception with the cast follows the opening night performance on Saturday, April 11.

April 21: Young adventurers vacation wilderness programs

According to the Nature Museum of Grafton, time in nature increases happiness, health and wellbeing in kids. This April, the museum is offering three outdoor adventures for young Vermonters during local school vacation. All of the camps meet at the Nature Museum at 186 Townshend Road in Grafton. Participants should bring a bagged lunch, water bottle and appropriate, warm clothes to all programs.

The Nature Center of Grafton offers adventure camps for students during April vacation.

On Tuesday, April 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. a partnership between The Nature Museum and Vermont Wilderness School brings Wild Walkers: Wilderness: A Way of Life. The camps will be daylong outdoor experiences for youth ages 10 to 14 in the woods and fields around the museum. Campers will explore the time of “pre-contact” and learn how to live like Native Americans did by foraging, fire building, shelter building, and more. Early-bird registration fee by April 7 is $30 per camper for this five-hour program. After April 7 the fee is $35.

On Wednesday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Brave Bears: Free Spirits begins a series of natural science programs geared for youth ages 6 to 9. The children will learn how the Native Americans lived through games, exploration and activities. At the end of the day we will gather tinder, light a fire, roast marshmallows and tell stories. Early-bird registration by April 8 is $25 per camper for this five-hour program. After April 8 (if space remains) the fee is $30.

Brave Bears: Be An Eco-Hero begins on Thursday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this is another of the Nature Center’s natural science programs for youth aged 6 to 9. They will celebrate Earth Day by encouraging the children to become their own “evergreen” hero. They will learn about recycling, reusing, and reducing with indoor and outdoor pro-planet activities, group nature games, and the chance to create eco-art. The Center invites participants to become Eco-Heroes by putting on a super hero cape and join them for this green vacation camp. Early-bird registration by April 9 is $25 per camper for this five hour program. After April 9 (if space remains) the fee is $30.

To register for the camps, visit www.nature-museum.org or call 802-843-2111. These programs fill quickly; register early to ensure a spot.
Information about other upcoming events can be found on The Nature Museum at Grafton’s Facebook page and on its website at www.nature-museum.org.

Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson