SAPA-TV airs new shows, seeks community participation;
Chester hosts July events during 250th celebration;
Prevention Partners targets parents for prom season safety;
Hearing Loss organization sets up website for Vermonters

SAPA-TV urges community to participate in two new shows

SAPA TV, the Springfield area’s public access TV station, invites the community to join in on its two new regular programs, “Tuesday Talk of the Town” and “Ask Nymar the Uncharitable.”

“Tuesday Talk of the Town” is a half-hour live talk show that runs each Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on Comcast Channel 10. Those with a non-commercial cause to promote are invited to come and be their own hosts. The program has a call-in feature, allowing hosts to connect with the public in real time. Those interested in booking a slot should call SAPA at 802-885-6248.

“Ask Nymar the Uncharitable” is a comedy/advice program in the style of the local “horror host” programs of old. The host is a space warlord (played by SAPA staff member Kevin Paquet) who takes time out of his busy schedule of interplanetary oppression to answer questions sent in to him from viewers. Each episode has a theme, and showcases either a single feature-length public domain film or a collection of related public domain shorts. “

Ask Nymar” runs on Comcast Channel 8 Saturdays at 1 p.m. and Mondays at 2 a.m. during the Lunavision block. Questions for Nymar can be sent to asknymar@sapatv.org. “Ask Nymar” is suitable for all ages.

Chester hosts 250th anniversary events

Chester will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the New York charter this year during a variety of events from July 14 to 17.

The celebration will provide guests with a historical perspective, while offering fun events and activities for the whole family. Full details to be announced as they become available, and can be found here: www.facebook.com/Chester250th.

THURSDAY, July 14th kicks off the celebrations with a free concert sponsored by the Chester Music Series at the Academy Building where Gypsy Reel plays acoustic tunes from Ireland, Scotland and early American. Concert begins at 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY July 16th join the community at the Pinnacle on Lover’s Lane Road for BBQ style food, non-alcoholic beverages and music, various games, activities and contests. You can also enjoy a softball tournament put on by the Chester Recreation Department, a game of horseshoes, swimming at the pool and along with popular traditional games.

Saturday’s festivities will wrap up with a fireworks display beginning at dark, near the American Legion, Route 103 South.

SUNDAY July 17th, start the day off with a community breakfast, visit one of the area churches that will be offering historical sermons. Walking Tours of the Village will continue (self-guided and guided) at the Hearse House, Town Tomb and Cemetery. The Chester Historical Society will be offering tours and an encampment of 1766 re-enactors and demonstration (out behind Historical Society) with storytelling in the evening.

Donations for the fireworks are also being sought. Please send your donation in to: Chester Fireworks, c/o TDBank, PO Box 446, Chester, VT 05143. If you would like to volunteer, email us at ChesterVT250@gmail.com.

Prevention Partners urges parents, children to have a safe prom season

May and June are prom and graduation season, a time for our young adults to celebrate. It’s also a time when many parents worry about their teens and drinking. The Windsor County Prevention Partners and local law enforcement, want our youth to have a fun and safe prom and graduation.

To help with this, police will be conducting extra patrols and encourage anyone with information on an underage drinking party to notify your local police department or text-a-tip at 1-802-417-2332 to report the party before it happens via an anonymous text message.

WCPP has also published a small brochure to help parents deal with the issue of underage drinking. The brochure is brief and to the point, with information about the hidden risks of underage drinking and the Vermont laws and penalties for providing to teens and hosting parties with alcohol. It also lists four important steps parents can take to deal with the question when it comes up.

For example, it explains that human brains aren’t fully developed until a person is at least 25, and that alcohol damages developing brains more easily. A person who starts drinking at age 18 is two times more likely to abuse alcohol than a person who waits until 21.

You can be imprisoned two years and fined $2,000 if you sell or furnish alcohol to a minor, even in your own home. If someone is injured or killed as a result, you will be charged even more, up to manslaughter, and face up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

If you obey the law yourself, then your child will be more willing to as well. You can also download a copy of Parents Guide to Graduation, Proms, and Parties from www.mappvt.org or call Mt. Ascutney Prevention Partnership to request one: 802-674-7089 or cho@mahhc.org.

Hearing Loss Association sets up Vermont Chapter website

The Hearing Loss Association of America announces the launch of the official web site for the Vermont Chapter of HLAA: http://vthearingloss.weebly.com.

HLAA, founded in 1979, is the leading national organization, which advocates for people challenged by all degrees of hearing loss. It focuses on providing assistance and resources and advocates at the national, state and local levels to impact access, public policy, and research.

The founding members of the Vermont Chapter began their work about two years ago and, after a few attempts to organize meetings for the chapter, decided that communicating via the internet was the way to go. Gathering people for meetings from throughout our rural state did not seem to be a viable option, especially when the weather during so many months made traveling long distances difficult, if not impossible.

People throughout the state are invited to contribute to the website by sending suggestions for additions to the site, writing articles, listing additional resources for the resource section, sharing personal stories, or anything else that would be of interest on the site.

In the state of Vermont with a population of 630,000, approximately 90,000 people experience some form of hearing loss from mild to profound. If you have felt frustrated by the challenges of hearing and communicating in a variety of situations in your daily life, or if you have a child challenged by hearing loss, we invite you to join us in building this virtual chapter that will be able to reach out to people throughout the state.

You can communicate with us at VermontHLAA@yahoo.com to share your thoughts and suggestions. With your permission, Carol DeVine, who manages this email account, will add you to the group to receive periodic updates and notifications of interesting new items on the web site.