TARPS fund-raiser at Pizza Stone; ballet recital; blood drive; cookbook author at Misty Valley; learn about ponds at Nature Museum; Whiting Summer Reading program and host families sought

The Pizza Stone will host a fundraiser for The Animal Rescue and Protection Society Chester’s animal shelter 6:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, June 10. The restaurant, at 291 Pleasant St., will offer a special menu for the evening. Josh and Beth Adams from DV8 will perform their Southern outlaw country rock to entertain diners, and a raffle will be held.

This event is family-friendly. Admission is $10 donation at door, children under 12 free.

For more information about the event, or to donate something for the raffle, call Pizza Stone at (802) 875-2121, TARPS at (802) 875-7777 or email: shelter@TARPSAnimalShelterVT.org.

Debra Fish Diette, front, with her students at the Town Hall recital of her dance school. Click to enlarge photo. /Photo by Lee Gustafson.

Fish Diette ballet school holds recital

Students of the Fish Diette Academy of Ballet took to the stage of the Chester Town Hall on Sunday May 19 for their annual spring recital.

This year’s performance was danced to Vivaldi’s well-loved The Four Seasons. “Spring” dancers, led by Hannah Gustafson, were Riley Barton, Sofia Bianconi, Layla Eames and Alexis Northrop. “Summer” dancers, led by Ashley Dahl, included Sally Chapman, Sophia Cherubini, Amelia Garfield, Jada Grisczenkow and Zoey Perry. Performing to “Autumn” were Aliza Allen, Kayley Boissonnault, Jasmine Burton, Falisha Maly, Calleigh Perry, Megan Powers and Tiffany Smith. “Winter” was danced by Ashley Dahl, Hannah Gustafson, Falisha Maly and Tiffany Smith. Hannah Gustafson and Ashley Dahl also danced solo performances.

Debra Kay Fish Diette, who started her dance training at the age of 4, is the owner and artistic director of the academy and has been teaching classical ballet for more than 30 years. She is accepting students for the fall and can be reached at 875-2881. – Heidi Gustafson

  Blood drive at Newsbank

The American Red Cross is holding a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. on Monday, June 10, at the Newsbank Conference Center on Main Street in Chester. All presenting donors will receive a coupon entitling him or her to a free day pass to a Vermont state park.

 Aussie hunter-gatherer at Misty Valley Books

Australian Rohan Anderson, author of the cookbook, “Whole Larder Love” will speak 5 p.m. Saturday, June 15 at Misty Valley Books 58 Common St., Chester. A book signing and reception will follow.

Anderson lives off the land and provides for his family with fresh, local food. He’ll share his secrets and experiences to help move people away from unhealthy eating habits and toward a more environmentally sustainable food industry.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit Misty Valley Books website at www.mvbooks.com.

Preschool pond program

From 10 to 11:30 a.m., Thursday, June 20, the Nature Museum 186 Townshend Road in Grafton, will hold the Mighty Acorns Preschool Explorers Club program titled “Who Lives in My Pond?” Environmental educator Lynn Morgan will lead a morning of pond exploration and frog catching for children ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers.

Participants should dress appropriately and wear waterproof boots for pond play. The program will begin at the museum with some indoor pond activities, then head across the street to a large pond just down the hill.

The program is free to museum members and costs $7 per child for non-members. Parents and guardians attend at no additional charge. Pre-registration is advised so there will be enough supplies on hand for each child. To register, visit www.nature-museum.org or call the Nature Museum at (802) 843-2111.

The Mighty Acorns Preschool Explorers Club, a series of hands-on science programs for preschoolers, is held on the third Thursday of each month.

Dig Into Reading this summer at Whiting Library

Readers of all ages explore all things underground as Whiting Library, 117 Main St. in Chester presents its Summer Reading Program “Dig Into Reading.” Reading throughout the summer helps children maintain their reading abilities. The 2013 reading program features many activities that include: reading for rewards, prize drawing, story times, events and hands-on crafts.

The “Dig into Reading” program is open to young people, preschool through young adult. Registration begins on Monday, June 17. The program begins June 24 and events will be held each Wednesday in July from 3 to 4 p.m.

Projects include:

• Crafting at a family craft day to decorate the library to set the theme
• Discovering burrowing animals such as the Honey Badgers, prairie dogs and worms
• Investigating things that grow in dirt
• Digging up trouble with fairies and gnomes and other underground pranksters
• Traveling deep into the Earth and viewing cave drawings, learning about minerals and rocks
• Creating at the annual tie-dye party

For more information, call the library at 875-2277 or stop by. Library hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Host families needed for Spanish students

Host families are needed this summer within an hour radius of Brattleboro for a group of Spanish students who will be spending 3 ½ weeks in New England to improve their English and experience American family life. These boys and girls, who range in age from 14 to 17, arrive June 26 and depart on July 21.

The students are from the Basque region of Spain and have excellent grades, attendance and behavior in school, and pass an English conversational interview to be accepted into the program.

Host families are asked to provide safe home environment for the student, as well as meals and transportation to a meeting spot when students have field trips. The student may share a room with a host sibling. The students will have their own spending money, phone cards and medical insurance.

Interested families are encouraged to call Ann Newsmith at 802-257-4710 or email exchangevt@gmail.com.

— Compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson