Parenting course begins; Rockingham Library temporarily closed; poetry stars at celestial event; BRAM walk & FOLA series

Free course for parents of older children

The Collaborative is offering a free, six-session Positive Parenting course at 7–9 p.m., on consecutive Mondays through June 24 in the SongYard, above the Moondog Café, 295 Main St.
 The course began on May 13. The next classes will be held on May 27, June 3, June 10, June 17 and June 24.

The course is recommended to parents and guardians of children in grades 6 through 12 and facilitated by Nancy Pennell of Chester.
Pennell will teach strategies to improve family communication and family bonding that will include specific skills for attitude, language and discipline strategies that help a family become more respectful and cooperative. And learn how to help your child make good choices for themselves during a time when they are faced with big decisions about friendships, academics, risk taking, social temptations, freedom and responsibility.

Participants receive a family guide workbook providing activities and discussion topics, as well as skill-building exercises and information on positive parenting techniques. Enrollment is free. Snacks and childcare provided. For more information or to register, contact The Collaborative at (802) 824-4200 or email nancy_pennell@alohafoundation.org.

Rockingham Library closes for asbestos abatement

The Rockingham Public Library, located at 65 Westminster St. in Bellows Falls, will be closed Wednesday, May 15 through Saturday, May 18 for asbestos abatement as part of its ongoing renovation.

No library items will be due and borrowers will receive immunity from late fees during the brief closure. Library users can call 802-463-4270 with questions or may connect with a librarian on Facebook, instant messenger or by emailing rockref@sover.net for help with downloadable books, online resources, reference questions, or reading recommendations. For more information the Rockingham Library’s website is www.rockinghamlibrary.org.

Poetry with the stars and stargazing

From left, Kate Gleason, Patrice Pinette and Becky Sakellariou will read poetry at Misty Valley Books

Inspired by the stars, astrophysics, and science, three poets will present an evening of celestially inspired poetry at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at Misty Valley Books, on the Green in Chester.

Poets Kate Gleason, Becky Sakellariou and Patrice Pinette will share their work, after which the group will move outside, weather permitting, to view the heavens using telescopes of the Southern Vermont Astronomy Group.

A reception, booksigning and stargazing will follow the readings. The evening is open to the public and free of charge.

For more info call (802) 875-3400 or visit www.mvbooks.com.

BRAM 5K Fun Walk

The Black River Academy Museum opens its summer season on Saturday, June 1, with a 5K Fun Walk.

The walk will begin and finish at the museum, 14 High St., Ludlow. Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the museum and the walk sets off at 10:30 a.m. Entry fee is $20 for adults and $10 for students and seniors (65 plus) and includes a BRAM T-shirt. Shirts are in limited supply and will be given out as long as they last. Funds raised will benefit the museum.

This year, BRAM will share the revenues from the walk with seven student winners from the History Day Competition to help fund their expenses to the June 9-14 National History Day Competition at the University of Maryland.

Refreshments will be available after the walk and all are invited to explore the museum, which is fully ADA compliant with an elevator and ADA restroom.

For more info, call 802-228-5050 or email director@bramvt.org.

The film “Guys & Dolls” stars Marlon Brando, center.

FOLA summer musical series announced

Friends of Ludlow Auditorium is introducing a new movie musical series in the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium, 1 Whispering Pines Road, this summer. The series will consist of three well-loved Hollywood musicals.

On June 16, the series kicks off with Guys and Dolls, the story of the Runyonesque underworld of New York as seen through the eyes of Nathan Detroit, the gambler running the “the oldest established, permanent running crap game.”

The Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim award winning film West Side Story, a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet, follows on July 21. The film won 10 Academy Awards and is included in the American Film Institute Top 100 Hollywood movies.

For its final offering on Aug. 11, FOLA will choose a hit from Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers’s iconic productions.

All movies are on Sundays, and begin at 7 p.m.  The movies are free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated to underwrite the cost of the program. For information, call 802-228-7239 or e-mail info@fola.us or visit www.fola.us.
— Susan Lampe-Wilson