Operation Christmas; Nature museum events; Windham Orchestra premier in Chester and more

A workshop to benefit Operation Christmas Child will be held in Willard Hall at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main St. in Chester, Friday, April 19, from 2 to 7 p.m. Toys, games and learning pieces will be created with glue and scissors and recycled objects to send to Operation Christmas Child. No special skills required. Come for a short time or the full workshop. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, call the church office at 802-875-6000 or visit www.stlukesepiscopalvt.org.

Nature Museum events

The Nature Museum’s announced its next speaker in the Connecting the Drops series about water. Author, educator and ecologist Amy Seidl will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 25 at NewsBank Conference Center, 397 Main St., Chester. The program will focus on opportunities for resilience and adaptation on both the ecological level and the level of human culture as we experience being part of our new climate.
From 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 27, the museum offers a workshop called Rainwater Harvesting. Learn about rainwater catchment systems and discover ways to make use of rainwater at home. The workshop will be held at the Davis home, 1162 Lovers Lane, Chester, where a system of rain barrels, gutters, a cistern and a man-made pond with a solar-powered pump supply their extensive vegetable gardens and greenhouse.
Experts from Erskine’s Feed and Grain and NetZero Renewable Resources of Chester and Your Best Rain Barrels of Springfield will demonstrate equipment and answer questions.
The Connecting the Drops series is free, although donations are welcomed.
The following Saturday, May 4 at 9 a.m. to noon Antioch University New England Professor Emeritus Tom Wessels will lead a Spring Ephemeral Wildflower Walk to find short-lived blooms at the Putney Central School Forest, 182 Westminster Road. Fee is $13 for Nature Museum members and $15 for non-members. Pre-register on-line at http://www.nature-museum.org/Register-for-Wildflower-Hike.html by April 26; space is limited.
For more information or to register visit http://www.nature-museum.org or call (802) 843-2111.

Windham Orchestra presents a prelude to Chester

Musicians from the Windham Orchestra will perform A Chester Prelude beginning at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 28, at the First Universalist Parish (Stone Church) on North Street in Chester.
Under the direction of Maestro Hugh Keelan, the program includes music by Edvard Grieg played by the orchestra’s string section, and two songs by Richard Strauss for voice and piano, Secret Invitation and Set Free, sung by Stan Norsworthy of Chester.
The orchestra will premiere Chester composer and musician James Adams’ Concertino for Tuba, written for tuba player Sue Lemei, in advance of the full orchestra version that will premier in May.
A reception will follow the performance at which audience members will have the chance to interact with the composer and soloist.
The concert is sponsored by local businesses including Lisai’s Market, Misty Valley Books, First Universalist Parish, Chester Hardware and Chester Family Medicine, a service of Springfield Medical Care Systems.
Admission is by donation. For more information call (802) 875-3400 or go to the Windham Orchestra website.

Parks Place’s gardening celebration

Parks Place Community Resource Center in Bellows Falls will host its Third Annual Gardening Celebration from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 28, preceded by a silent auction preview beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the picturesque Alyson’s Orchard, 57 Alyson’s Lane, Walpole, N.H.
Landscape designer and award winning author Julie Moir Messervy will speak on Your Garden Style: Making a Landscape that Fits You and Your Property. There will be refreshments and a cash bar. Admission is by donation. Parks Place was founded in 1992 to address the health, education and human service needs of families, particularly children, of the Greater Falls Region and surrounding area. Parks Place’s mission is to connect people with the information, education and resources that they need to move their lives forward. For more information call (802) 463-9927 or visit www.parksplacevt.org.

Proctorsville concert a cupful of great music

At 4 p.m. Sunday April 28, the acappella group House Blend will perform in Gethsemane Episcopal Church chapel, 89 Depot St. in Proctorsville.
This second concert in the Raise the Roof series features House Blend’s 20 veteran singers presenting songs from musical traditions across time and around the world. House Blend is known throughout Vermont for its eclectic choices, exuberant singing, rhythmic precision and close harmonies. A suggested donation of $10 at the door will help sponsor upcoming events in the Raise the Roof series.

– Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson