Grace Cottage Fair Day seeks artists, crafters;
CAFC gets new board, new Thrift Shop hours;
Family Center donates $500 to CAES playground effort;
Windham Hill Nature Reserve adds 70 acres

With its 2017 Fair Day, the Grace Cottage Hospital Auxiliary Fair is continuing a 66-year -ld tradition. And this year, the Aug. 5 event will again include a community arts and crafts show.

Area artists and craftspeople are encouraged to display their works in this show, which will be held in the Townshend Church on the Townshend Common throughout Fair Day.

The artwork and crafts pieces in the show will be for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Grace Cottage Hospital.

Those interested in exhibiting should contact Kathy Greve (874-4403, kgreve23@yahoo.com), Patty Jerez (365-9266, dimedame@gmail.com), Pokey Lyman (365-7964; shotsie@svcable.net), or Lauri Miner (365-4194, ldm@svcable.net) as soon as possible, as space is limited.

In addition to being one of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s Top 10 Summer Events, the Grace Cottage Hospital Auxiliary Fair Day is a major fundraiser that helps the hospital purchase needed equipment.

The 67th fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5 on the Townshend Green.  For more information about Fair Day, call 365-9992 or 365-9109.

CAFC gets new board, new Thrift Shop hours

The Chester-Andover Family Center Board of Directors thanked outgoing board members Nancy Lindsay and Derek Suursoo for their contributions to the organization.

The board also recognized Dee Robinson for her service as board president for the past four years. The board accepted the resignation of Sherry Willumitis from the board and as Thrift Shop Manager. Willumitis played a major role in the center’s growth, working with Food Shelf manager Sandra Vincent to help the center expand and move from Depot Street to its building on Route 103 S.

The board elected Nena Nanfeldt as president, Stephanie Mahoney as vice president, Mariette Bock as treasurer and Georgia Ethier as secretary for 2017-18.

Beginning on July 6, 2017, new Thrift Shop hours will be:

• Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thrift Shop hours for the remainder of June will be posted on the sign outside the shop or call 802-875-3236.

Family Center donates $500 to Chester-Andover playground effort

The Chester-Andover Family Center helped the Pennies for the Playground fund raiser by donating $500, the amount generated by Thrift Shop sales on a recent Saturday.

The funds are being raised to replace the 26-year old playground equipment at Chester-Andover Elementary School.

The equipment has been declared unsafe for children due to broken chains and splinters among other problems. The goal is to raise $150,000. Thus far the fundraising committee has raised about $22,000.

 

 

 

 

70 acres added to Windham Ridge Nature Reserve

The Vermont Land Trust and Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association, a private, non-profit that protects lands on the Windmill Hill Ridge and surrounding areas for wildlife habitat and public recreation, recently acquired 70 more acres in Athens, Westminster, and Rockingham for the Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve.

The newly protected land was originally two parcels. WHPA purchased the Bemis parcel in 2014 and the Brelsford parcel as part of this transaction. This land was an un-conserved gap in the otherwise protected reserve. With the addition of the new parcels, the Windmill Ridge Nature Reserve now encompasses 1,934 acres in Athens, Brookline, Putney, Westminster, Rockingham and Grafton.

Now that these 70 acres have been permanently conserved, public access is ensured to the entire 24-mile trail system. The conservation of this forestland will protect wildlife habitat and public recreation. It also protects an interesting historical site: the Hazen Farm homestead site (circa 1870). This is an intact cultural feature of a late-19th century Vermont hill farm. The Bemis Hill Trail runs along the southern and western boundary, and connects to other WHPA trails. These trails are open for non-motorized public use.

A grant from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board helped to support this conservation project. These lands will be owned and managed by WHPA, with a conservation easement co-held by Vermont Land Trust and VHCB. The Vermont Land Trust will perform stewardship duties by checking in on the property annually.