Community & Arts Events: Feb. 2 – March 8

For a full listing of upcoming events, click here for The Chester Telegraph Calendar.

To find out how to become a Calendar Partner, email or call Cynthia Prairie at cprairie@chestertelegraph.org or 802-875-2703.

To be included in events briefs, email Susan Lampe-Wilson at calendar@chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please. Notices must be received by noon on Fridays to be eligible for publication the following week.

March 8: Pre-registration deadline for LEGO contest

The 2019 LEGO Contest takes place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 16 at the NewsBank Conference Center, 352 Main St., Chester. The event is open to LEGO maniacs Pre-K through Grade 8 and their families.

The registration form may be downloaded by clicking here. Printed forms are available at the Whiting Library, 117 Main St., at Chester-Andover Elementary School, the Grafton Public Library, and the Grafton Elementary School.

Entries received by Friday, March 8 are $15. After that date, entries are $20. A check for registration should be made out to St. Luke’s Church and mailed with the registration form, to the Registrar, Lillian Willis, P.O. Box 318, Chester, VT 05143.

Participants should construct original creations (no kits allowed), with a maximum size of 24″ x 36″.  Bring them between 9 to 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 16 to the NewsBank Conference Center. Entries will be judged from 10 a.m. to noon by grade categories for originality, imagination and presentation. If a structure is a team entry, the age of the oldest member will determine the grade category. There is a family team class for collaborating children and parents. Motorized LEGOs are considered in a separate class.

At 12:30 p.m. prizes will be awarded to winners and runners-up, with additional awards for the judges’ choice for Best in Show and Most Vermont creations. The Creators’ Choice Award will be given to the entry that the contestants themselves vote as the most outstanding creation.

Refreshments will be on sale. Visitors are encouraged to stay and view the entries, as well as to share ideas and techniques during the judging.

Sponsored for the eighth year by St. Luke’s, the event benefits the church and the Children’s Section of Chester’s Whiting Library.

For additional information, please contact Lillian Willis at 802-875-1340 or lbwillisct@comcast.net.

Feb. 2: Hike to Little Rock Pond

On Saturday, Feb. 2, 8:30 a.m. meet with Green Mountain Club Manchester section at the south side of the parking lot at Shaw’s, 64 Equinox Terrace, Manchester, VT 05255.

The group will carpool to the trailhead. Participants then will snowshoe up the Homer Stone Brook Trail to the northend of Little Rock Pond and return the same way they came. A moderate hike, at approximately 5 miles, with a 1,400 feet elevation gain, come prepared. We suggest bringing extra clothes, snacks, lunch, fluids, snowshoes, and poles.

Register by contacting Bob Fish at 802-384-3650 or onebobfish@gmail.com.

Feb. 2: Family program focuses on winter animal tracking

From 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, discover a winter world and the animals that inhabit it, as the Whiting Library hosts Finding Clues of Animals in Winter Through Tracking at 117 Main St., Chester, VT 05143.

The groups will handle real animals pelts and learn basics of animal tracking. Then, they will caravan to nearby Chester Pinnacle, don snowshoes and test out their winter animal detective skills.

The event is open to all ages. Admission is by donation. Reservations are appreciated, and drop-ins are welcome. Let the group know if you need to borrow snowshoes. For more information, visit www.nature-museum.org, or call 802-843-2111.

Feb. 2: Ludlow Auditorium screens sports drama ‘Downhill Racer’

At 7 p.m., on Saturday, Feb. 2, the Friends of the Ludlow Auditorium screens Downhill Racer at Heald Auditorium at Ludlow Town Hall, at 37 S. Depot St., Ludlow, VT 05149.

PG rated, Downhill Racer is a 1969 American sports drama film starring Robert Redford, Gene Hackman and Camilla Sparv. The film is about a talented downhill skier who joins the U.S. ski team to compete in international skiing competitions, in Europe.

Admission is by donation. Popcorn will be provided by Berkshire Bank, and water by FOLA. For more information, call 802-228-7239, visit www.fola.us or email info@fola.us.

Feb. 7: Chester Rotary celebrates women Rotarians

On Feb. 7, Chester Rotary First Thursday meeting features a panel discussion led by Chester Rotarian Nancy Davis on the History of Women in Rotary.

Participating in the discussion will be Sandy Walker and Joan Morey, former members of Chester Rotary. Walker served for many years as Town Clerk of Chester, and Morey is a real estate broker with Barrett & Valley Associates.

Also expected to join in the discussion is Barb Lemire, a Chester resident and one of six women Rotarians currently serving as co-presidents of Ludlow Rotary. Women Rotarians from Chester Rotary and Ludlow Rotary are expected to attend as well.

Open to the community, the meeting is held at the Fullerton Inn, 40 The Common, Chester, VT 05143. The program starts at 5:15 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and cash bar and ends at 6:30 p.m.

For planning purposes, please register at chestervtrotary@gmail.com. Contact Bill Dakin at 802-875-4000 for further information.

For a complete listing of events, please see The Chester Telegraph Calendar.