Jazz comes to Chester; Springfield Hospital kicks off centenary; French lessons at Misty Valley; Chester nonprofits offered digital workshop; Speckers at Andover Town Hall

Aug. 1: Jazz at the Academy Building

Gerry Grimo and the East Bay Jazz Ensemble return to Chester bringing big band sounds, jazz, pop and R&B music to the area, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1 on the lawn of the Academy Building across from the Green on Main Street.

The concert, part of the Chester Summer Concert Series, is free and open to the public. Bring your blankets, lawn chairs and refreshments.

In case of rain, the concert will be held at the Stone Hearth Inn, Route 11 West in Chester. For more information call 875-3400.

This fourth concert in the series is thanks to the generosity of the Fullerton Inn, Vail Law Offices, Springfield Auto Mart, the Vermont Country Store, Motel in the Meadow, Lisai’s Chester Market and Black River Produce.

Also supporting the concert series are Newsbank, Dakin and Benelli Law Office, TD Bank and Chester Family Medicine/part of Springfield Medical Care Systems, Chester Hardware, Peoples United Vermont Hardwoods and The Chester Telegraph, and the Friends of the Chester Music Series; Barrett and Valley Real Estate, Andrew Ladd Builders, Ulbrich Law Offices and Misty Valley Books and Rotary Club of Chester.

Aug. 3: Springfield Hospital begins centennial celebration

On Saturday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to noon, a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new sidewalk will kick off Springfield Hospital’s six-month celebration of its 100th anniversary. The sidewalk is being built with funds raised in the hospital’s Annual Giving drive and the new centennial logo “100 Years of Caring” will be imbedded in to its curbing. The event is free and open to the public.

After the ribbon cutting, guests will gather in the hospital cafeteria, where a 160-page, full-color hardcover history book will be showcased, along with a celebratory video, and a permanent wall display of the hospital’s history.

Springfield Hospital will release a list of centennial events that continue throughout the next six months, ending with the burial of a time capsule on March 4, 2014, the 100th anniversary of the hospital’s first patient.

For more information, contact Larry Kraft, director of development at the hospital, 885-7644, lkraft@springfieldmed.org.

Aug. 5: New French courses begin at Misty Valley Books

Misty Valley Books is offering two 6-week sessions of Learn French classes beginning in the first full week of August at the shop, next to the Fullerton Inn on the Chester Green.

Open to students of high school age and older, the intermediate level of Learn French starts Monday Aug. 5, and the beginner’s level class Tuesday Aug. 6. Both classes run 7 to 8:30 p.m. Instructor for the courses is Bill Reed, co-proprietor with his wife, Lynne, of Misty Valley Books.

Course fee is $95 for the six sessions and includes materials. Workbooks and dictionaries will be available for purchase.

Register by calling Misty Valley Books at 875-3400 or email billreed@vermontel.net.

Aug. 6: Digital workshop for Chester-area nonprofits

During August, representatives from community nonprofit organizations in Chester, Plymouth, Randolph and South Royalton are invited to participate in online skill building discussions aimed at using digital tools to build stronger and more effective organizations. The discussions are being organized by the Vermont Digital Economy Project, a project of the Vermont Council on Rural Development.

According to Rob Fish, the project’s nonprofit advisor, “Vermont’s strength is a direct result of the strength of the community organizations that step up in time of need, or provide ongoing assistance to members of the community in need. These free events are a great chance for local nonprofits to get to know each other, share ideas, and learn about online tools that will assist them to better communicate their message, fund-raise and collaborate.”

Since late spring, Fish has been working with nonprofits in Bethel, Rochester, Woodstock and Ludlow. Assistance has included helping groups to create Facebook pages, sign up for Google Apps for Nonprofits, integrate online fundraising and, for a few organizations, assistance in building or significantly upgrading their websites.

The workshops are followed by a series of free trainings and one-on-one consulting opportunities designed to assist local nonprofits in harnessing the revolutionizing potential of digital technology, from social media to cloud computing and more.

Nonprofit Digital Skillshare Workshop Schedule

• Chester – Tuesday, Aug. 6 to 7:30 p.m., Chester Town Hall, 556 Elm St., Chester;

• Royalton – Thursday, Aug. 8, 5 to 6:30 p.m., Building A Local Economy (BALE), 35 S.Windsor St. S., Royalton;

• Plymouth  – Wednesday, Aug., 6:30 to 8 p.m., Old Plymouth Elementary School, Route 100 just north of Plymouth Town Office;

• Randolph – Thursday, Aug. 15,- 6-7:30 p.m., Vermont Tech Enterprise Center Business Incubator: 1540 VT Route 66, Randolph

Organizations attending the workshop or requesting one-on-one advising help are requested to fill out a short needs assessment survey prior to the meeting. The survey and information on future workshops can be found at http://vtdigitaleconomy.org/

Created by the Vermont Council on Rural Development in response to the 2011 floods, the Vermont Digital Economy Project’s mission is to construct more resilient communities, by helping Vermont communities, businesses, and nonprofits better use online tools as a way to speed flood recovery, spur economic development and job growth, and improve community resilience to disasters.

For more information, please contact Rob Fish at 802-488-5143 <tel:802-488-5143>  or rob@vtrural.org. Additional information on nonprofit advising and other services offered by the project can be found at http://vtdigitaleconomy.org/

Aug. 13: Specker family fiddlers to perform at Andover Town Hall

The Speckers will be playing traditional fiddle music at Andover Town hall.

The Specker family of Andover will be playing fiddle music from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13 in a free and family-friendly concert at the Andover Town Hall at 953 Weston-Andover Road, Andover.

John Specker and his daughters, Lila and Ida Mae, are known for their high-energy traditional fiddle and banjo music.

Admission is free and the public is encouraged to bring their children. For more information and concert schedule visit www.thespeckers.com.

— compiled by Susan Lampe-Wilson