Williston Observer

By Kim Dannies

This time of year, I am craving color and clean, wholesome foods. There is still a lot of winter to endure, but it is possible to eat a nutrient-dense diet that leaves us fueled up and feeling brighter and lighter. This recipe for carrot soup “just happened” last week in my kitchen and delighted me with its warming flavors and vibrant colors.

 

I purposely kept the spicing to a minimum so that the intensity of the organic carrots would shine through. Wilted baby kale adds a powerful nutritional punch and another color blast of gorgeous green. The baked turkey meatballs are very lean and flavorful. They hide at the bottom of the serving bowl to surprise eaters as they dive into delicious goodness.

 

Turkey meatball carrot soup

In a large soup pot add: 3 pounds of organic baby carrots; 1 large chopped onion; 1 large chopped apple (skin on); 3 quarter-sized slices of fresh ginger; and 8 ounces of chopped daikon radish (a fat burner). Cover ingredients with cold water and simmer, covered, on medium heat until carrots mush easily with a masher, about 40 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°. In a mini-chopper, combine the zest of 1 orange, 4 garlic cloves and several fresh mint and rosemary leaves. Pulse until finely minced. In a prep bowl, add 1 pound ground turkey, 1 egg, ½ cup finely chopped onion and the zest mixture. With clean hands, mix well and form into golf-ball sized meatballs. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Yield: 16 meatballs.

 

Mash the soup as much as possible. With an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Add 6 ounces of butter, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste. Blend an additional 60 seconds.

 

You’ll have a huge pot of soup. To serve, reheat desired amount of soup in a smaller saucepan. Add a few handfuls of fresh baby kale to the pot and cover for 1 minute. The kale will wilt perfectly. Place three turkey meatballs in a wide-bottomed soup bowl. Ladle desired amount of kale-studded soup over the meatballs and serve.

 

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston with her husband, Jeff; they have three twenty-something daughters who come and go. For archived Everyday Gourmet columns go to kimdannies.com.

LOUISE EMMA DUBOIS

Louise Emma Dubois, of Williston, formerly of Crescent Lake Road in Acworth, N.H., died Feb. 11, 2014. Louise was born on Sept. 16, 1919, in Gilsum, N.H., to parents Leon and Angeline (Secord) Alexander of Gilsum, N.H. Louise was the eldest of six children. Louise was a dedicated wife to Antonio Dubois for 56 years. They were married April 24, 1937, in Claremont, N.H., where they settled. For many years, Tony and Louise ran “the block,” a small apartment complex between Spring and Elm Streets. They also ran Tony Dubois Garage and Texaco station located adjacent to “the block,” where Louise could be found pumping gas in her high heels and green Texaco jacket. In 1949, Louise and Tony adopted their son, Joseph Antonio Dubois. In 1977, Joseph married Rebecca Towne, they have two daughters, Elizabeth (b.1981) and Ashley (b.1983). Tony and Louise retired permanently to their cottage on Crescent Lake in the 1970s. They spent many years enjoying square dancing, snowmobiling, fishing out on the lake in their motorboat and watching the sunsets over the lake. Louise remained in that house after being widowed in 1993, later she relocated to Newport, N.H., and eventually in 2010 moved to Williston, to be closer to Joseph, Rebecca and Ashley. Louise always led a very devoted life to her God. She frequently could be heard saying, “Let Go and Let God,” or “sorry I keep Him so busy helping me, He might take some time to get to you.” She and Tony were also very devoted to their siblings and extended families. Louise, being the eldest daughter, took on much of the responsibility of caring for and raising her younger siblings. As the families grew older, they shared many fun-filled adventures with both the Alexander and Dubois families. Louise was always a very busy woman. If she wasn’t cooking soup or working at Sullivan County Nursing Home, she was crocheting. Louise made and sold many dolls, donated scarves for the Special Olympics, and with her sister, Liney, made preemie hats and blankets, which they donated to the hospital. She crocheted many afghans to keep her family and friends warm over the years. Louise at 94 never lived in a nursing facility because she didn’t want to live with the “old people,” she remained young at heart until her last day. Louise is survived by son, Joseph Dubois and wife, Rebecca; granddaughters, Elizabeth and Ashley; sister, Liney Bleau of Keene, N.H.; sister-in-law, Fannie Dubois of Newport, N.H.; sister-in-law, Pat Alexander; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Leon Alexander Jr.; sisters, Irene Underwood, Lillian Gagne, and Theresa Whitney; and many in-laws. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at St. Mary’s Church, with the Rev. Shawn M. Therrien, pastor, officiating. A reception followed at the Claremont Senior Center. You are invited to share a memory of Louise with the family or leave a message of condolence in the family guest book at www.royfuneralhome.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Roy Funeral Home and Cremation service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Williston Food Shelf, P.O. Box 1605, Williston, Vt. 05495.

STRATTON HARRY LINES

On Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, Stratton Harry Lines died peacefully at his home in Williston. He was born on Aug. 20, 1929, the third child of Harry and Jane Lines who had emigrated from Sparta, Greece, at the turn of the century. He grew up in the Queen City, graduating from Burlington High School in 1947. He served in the U.S. Armed services in Germany as an MP from 1951 to 1953. He married Beverly Milo in 1962, and they had four children, Jon, Gary, Maria and David. He worked for a brief time for General Electric, but in 1954 took over the family business, the Oasis Diner, from his father. Over the next 42 years, Stratty established the Oasis as a hub of vibrant discussion regarding affairs of community, politics and sports. He was predeceased by his parents; wife, Beverly; brother, Chris; and brother-in-law, Nick Kustas. He is survived by brother, George; sister, Calliope Kustas; his four children, their spouses, Nancy Lines, and Sarah Kenney; and five grandchildren, Nicholas, Alyssa, Meghan, Galen, and Harper. The family welcomed all to a celebration of Stratty’s life at Corbin and Palmer Funeral Home in Essex Junction on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. A brief service was held Friday at 10 a.m. in the same location. A private interment for family followed. The family would like to thank the Williston Police Department and the State Medical Examiner’s office for the dignity and respect shown on a very difficult day. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Department of Veterans Affairs, 162 Hegeman Ave., Colchester 05446; and Essex Meals on Wheels, PO Box 8442, Essex, VT 05451.

Madine B. Simpson

Madine Norma Buker Simpson, 91, slipped away on Feb. 15, 2014 after a six-plus-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on March 13, 1922 in St. Albans, Vermont, the eldest child of Walter Wood Buker and Mildred Keenan Buker. Part of her childhood was spent on the family farm in Colchester, on land later developed as Canyon Estates.
In order to attend Bellows Free Academy, she went to St. Albans to live with her beloved maternal grandmother, Mama Nan Keenan and her dear Nanty Bea during the school year. Madine was a member of the BFA tennis team and a forward on the BFA basketball team, which won the Vermont State Championship in 1939, her senior year.
After graduation, Madine moved to Burlington and worked for the American Mutual Insurance Company. On June 28, 1942, she married James E. “Ed” Simpson, another St. Albans native, who was nearing graduation from UVM’s School of Medicine. Ed’s U.S. Army Air Corps assignments and other obligations took them out of Vermont for a time, and they moved back to Burlington in 1951, the year Ed went into private practice as an orthopedic surgeon. Once their children were school-aged, Madine assumed the role of office manager and bookkeeper. After retiring, Madine kept her hand in bookkeeping, working part-time until shortly before dementia started to steal her away.
An avid sportswoman, Madine amassed a collection of trophies and mementos from competing in tennis, golf, bowling and skiing. She and Ed were charter members of the Burlington Tennis Club and competed in both singles and doubles. She played great games of bridge and cribbage, learned to ski a beautiful slalom on the slopes at Stowe, and played on the Ethan Allen Club Bowling Team.
It was in golf that Madine found the most fun and camaraderie. She had a good long shot and an outstanding short game, shown by trophies won at various state days and tournaments throughout New England. She shot three holes-in-one in her lifetime. A long-time member of the Burlington Country Club, Madine also served as an advisory board member. During their retirement years, Madine and Ed enjoyed golf trips to Scotland and Ireland. Their foursome matches with their sons—the so-called Family Feuds—are still the source of endless humor.
Madine volunteered for the Grey Ladies at the Bishop DeGoesbriand Hospital Emergency Department. She was an advisor to the Fanny Allen Hospital & School of Nursing and to the Jeanne Mance School of Nursing, and served on the Hospital Auxiliary at the Mary Fletcher and the Bishop DeGoesbriand hospitals. In 1968 she chaired the launch of the Fanny Allen Hospital Volunteer Service. Among many other beneficiaries were Christ The King Church, Mount St. Mary Academy, the Chittenden County Medical Auxiliary, and the Vermont Medical Society.
Madine converted to Catholicism and made her First Communion on her 11th wedding anniversary in 1953. She was a member of Christ the King Parish for many years, and joined St. John Vianney Parish after she and Ed moved to South Burlington in 1971, remaining in the same parish when they moved to Williston in 1994.
A lifelong affinity for reading came from Mama Nan, who taught Madine to read at an early age. As she described it, a reader can be transported into the story by using the words on the page to visualize the scene and sense it in every possible way. Trips to the Fletcher Free Library were a frequent treat. In later years, “Mrs. S.” was a frequent borrower from the South Burlington Library and the Dorothy Alling Library.
We especially miss the beautiful alto voice that Mom brought to the family chorus.
Madine was predeceased by her husband, James E. Simpson, MD, in March 2008. She leaves her four loving children: Patricia S. Chapman of Cedar Falls, Iowa; James Y. and Gail Simpson of Advance, N.C.; Carolyn S. and Sal DeFrancesco of Williston; and Richard M. Simpson of Williston; six grandchildren: Kimberly (Patrick) Grimes of Tucson, Ariz.; Kristine Klever of Coralville, Iowa; Kellie (Christopher) Leasure of Cedar Falls, Iowa; David (Angela) Simpson of Burlington; Allison Simpson of South Burlington; and Sara DeFrancesco of Portland, Ore.; and nine great-grandchildren: William and Philip Grimes; Emerson and Tosh Klever; Christopher, Annabel, Elise, and Chelsea Leasure; and Trent Simpson; and special friends Joan Rizio and Marilyn Trepanier.
Madine leaves her siblings Gwenyth Shepard of St. Albans; Jean and Rodney Mears of Chesapeake, Va.; and Walter W. Buker Jr. of Hartford, Conn.; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her sister Joan B. Wilson in April 2012 and niece Leigh-Ann Byrd in 2011.
Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to Eugene Moore MD, and to the staff of Burlington Health & Rehab, especially Seth and Chris, for taking such good care of our Mom.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Feb.21, 2014 at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in South Burlington. Interment followed in Resurrection Park Cemetery in South Burlington. Online condolences may be sent to www.readyfuneral.com.

There was no stopping the Essex High gymnastics team as it rolled to its ninth consecutive state championship Saturday at Essex High.

Where in the past few years, the Champlain Valley Union high team had given the Hornets some anxious moments, the Redhawks this time around squeezed into second place just ahead of South Burlington High, which was second seed to CVU’s third seed.

Essex was mighty, taking the first three places in all-around and first in all four disciplines, led by all-around winner Karyn Svarczkopf.

Essex compiled 145.225 points to 127.65 for the Redhawks and 126.675 for South Burlington.

Top CVU performer was senior Sarah Kinsley with an eighth on the bars.

—Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

The second season for the Metro Division’s top-seeded 17-1-2 Champlain Valley Union High boys hockey team began Wednesday night (after the Observer’s press deadline) with a home Cairns Arena quarterfinal contest against 4-13-4 Spaulding High of Barre.

A victory over the Crimson Tide would put coach Mike Murray’s skaters into the semifinals against either fifth-seeded South Burlington High (12-8) or fourth-seeded Colchester High (13-7) who also played Wednesday night.

The CVU semifinals would be played Monday at 5 p.m. at the University of Vermont’s Gutterson Field House, according to CVU athletic director Kevin Riell.

In the regular season finale a week ago Wednesday, the Redhawks played to a scoreless draw at Essex High, which is the Metro Division’s second seed.

Goalie Greg Talbert made 19 stops for CVU, which fired 26 shots on the Hornets’ net.

—Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

Nordic teams sweep second straight title

Highlights of a big Tuesday for Champlain Valley Union high athletic teams were the Nordic boys and girls skiers sweeping to a second straight state title and the South Burlington-CVU girls cooperative hockey team going into a second overtime period before bowing to Spaulding High in Barre.

The CVU boys’ basketball team bowed to powerful St. Johnsbury Academy in a playdown game while the Alpine ski team girls claimed third place in a district meet.

 

NORDIC TEAMS WRAP UP TITLE

The girls team took their honors by 23 points over runner-up Mount Anthony Union while the boys got pushed hard by the Patriots before clinching their crown with a close victory in the classical relay.

“There was a lot of competition and it pushed us to do well,” CVU relay anchor Thomas Clayton told WCAX-TV.

Clayton had finished fourth in the individual five-kilometer run with teammates Charlie Maitland fifth and Cooper Wilsey 13th.

The girls were led by second place Autumn Eastman, who anchored the winning relay team. Cally Braun was third, Tatum Braun 12th and Rachel Slimovitch 14th.

CVU’s Nordic ski teams went to Mountain Top (outside Rutland) Tuesday with solid leads for the second of the two State Championship meets.

The Redhawks swept to boys and girls Division 1 victories in the individual and relay events last Thursday at the Ricket Touring Center in Middlebury. Only Div. 2 Woodstock Union High kept the Redhawks from a double division triumph.

“We had a wonderful day,” said coach Sarah Strack via e-mail.

Autumn Eastman was the overall girls winner, posting a time of 15 minutes and 11.6 seconds to outpace Div. 1 runner-up Chloe Levins of Rutland High by 59 seconds.

Div. 2 winner Carmen Barigo of Woodstock was 26 seconds behind Eastman.

“My goal was to stay calm and do what I can do,” Eastman told WCAX-TV after the event.

With Redhawk teammates Cally Braun taking third place and Rachel Slimovitch 10th, the CVU girls took team honors with 33 points to 46 for runner-up Mount Mansfield Union in the 11-school competition.

Eastman anchored the relay team, which took the Div. 1 crown by some 18 seconds, with only Div. 2 Woodstock posting a better time. Cally and Tatum Braun along with Slimovitch made up the rest of the victorious quartet.

The CVU boys took a 12-point triumph in the individual event with 39 points to second place Mount Anthony Union’s 51 and third place Essex High’s 100.

The Redhawks were paced by third place Cooper Wilsey, captain Thomas Clayton in seventh and a determined Charlie Maitland in eighth despite a fall.

Clayton, Casey Silk, Wilsey and Maitland skied the relay team to an eight-second win over runner-up Mount Mansfield.

ALPINE TEAMS IN TWO-DAY EVENT

The CVU Alpine girls team was led by runner-up Emma Putre in the giant slalom at Sugarbush Resort Tuesday while Emma Owens had captured a fifth place in slalom at Stowe Monday.

Overall, the girls finished third to South Burlington High while the boys came in ninth behind winner Mount Mansfield Union.

Ted Hadley (sixth) and Trent Smith (eighth) in the Monday slalom were the top CVU guys.

GIRLS HOCKEY TEAM GOES OVERTIME

The Champlain Valley Union-South Burlington High cooperative girls’ hockey team, seeded sixth in the playoffs, took third-seeded Spaulding High into the second overtime period before falling 5-4 on a wrap-around goal.

Reb-Hawks goalie Courtney Peyko had 37 saves while her teammates launched 30 shots on the Spaulding net.

The Reb-Hawks closed the season with a 9-10-2 record.

BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM OUT OF PLAYOFFS

A strong fourth-seeded St. Johnsbury Academy hoop quintet unloaded a 70-32 licking on 13th-seeded CVU as 6-8 center Vlad Cobzaru notched 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Lucas Aube led the 7-14 Redhawks with 13 points. The Hilltoppers move on to the quarterfinals with a 17-4 record.

In the closing contest of the regular season, the Redhawks got nailed 55-34 at Bremner Gym Friday by a Mount Mansfield Union High team coming off a victory over defending Division 1 champion Rice Memorial High the previous night.

The visiting Cougars hiked their record to 16-4 while CVU awaited playoff pairings with a 7-13 mark.

Mount Mansfield, using a 2-3 zone to maintain order (read that keep lanky Lucas Aube under control inside) popped out to an early 9-2 edge and 15-6 by the end of the first period in which the Redhawks, denied inside operations, hit just one of 10 shots.

Fueled by Richard Baccei’s four points, Ryan Schneiderman’s two hoops and two rebounds and Matt Howell’s triple pointer, the Redhawks closed to within seven points twice in the second quarter, but MMU went on a 15-3 bash to open the second half to put the game away.

Guard Sean Springer had a game-high 18 points for the winners while Kyle Adams up front got 13. Alec Eschholz contributed nine points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Schneiderman and Baccei each got 8 points for CVU while Aube, hampered by foul trouble, fired in seven.

Coach Seth Emerson’s junior varsity finished its season 19-1 after a crackling 27-23 win over the MMU juniors.

—Mal Boright, Observer staff

By Becka Gregory

Observer staff

Over 50 percent of U.S. adults own a smartphone, according to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. While playing games like Candy Crush or checking in with friends on Facebook is a popular use for these high-performance mobile devices, there are many apps that can help you “green” your life on the go. The follow apps are available for free through the iTunes store.

PaperKarma can help cut down on your junk mail with a quick photograph of your unwanted mail. The average American adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year, which equates to the carbon footprint of six gallons of gasoline consumption.

GoodGuide can help you navigate the grocery store or pharmacy with confidence. This app allows you to scan the UPC of a product and see a rating of 1-10 based on factors of health, environmental, and social impact. The ratings are generated by scientists and technology experts and available for a variety of products from baby food to T-shirts.

Go Green is like training wheels for sustainability. Every time you open the app it provides a lifestyle tip to help you help the planet. Free and easy to use, Go Green eases you into making sustainability a priority.

My Carbon Footprint is a carbon footprint tracker disguised as a game. Learning how to reduce your emissions is fun and kid-friendly with this app. Swap out Flappy Bird for My Carbon Footprint and green your game time.

Dirty Dozen takes the guesswork out of the produce department. Created by the Environmental Working Group, this app ranks produce from safe to risky depending on the amount of pesticide residue typically found on an item. Knowing when organic methods make the biggest difference and when it’s OK to buy conventional can help your wallet and ease your mind.

 

By Becka Gregory

Observer staff

At the inaugural Vermont Town Hall Meeting series held at Spruce Peak Center for the Arts in Stowe earlier this month, activist and author Bill McKibben pushed for Vermonters to take action against fossil fuel businesses.

The call for action came in the form of a request for divestment, a financial strategy which involves revoking funds from particular companies or industries. Divestment was most notably used in the United States during the 1980s to increase pressure on South Africa to end apartheid.

According to 350.org, an environmental organization founded by McKibben, Vermont has invested $7.7 million of the $3.8 billion Vermont State Pension fund in the top 200 fossil fuel companies. The pension fund is comprised of public pension funds for participating municipal employees, state employees and Vermont state teachers. Managed by the Vermont Pension Investment committee, “the three pension systems diversify assets across a broad group of asset classes, which enables each portfolio to maintain stability through market cycles,” according to the Vermont state treasurer’s website.

For the ten years prior to June 30, 2012, the pension funds achieved an average return rate of 6.53 percent, compared to the average return of 6.4 percent for median public retirement plans. Investments in alternative energy such as solar or wind power have been suggested as substitutes for the funds that would be divested from fossil fuel companies. The financial return for these technologies can be slower than that of fossil fuels, but are less environmentally detrimental, McKibben said.

McKibben called the need for divestment necessary for Vermont to live up to its perception as an environmentally progressive state.

“Our image as an environmental powerhouse dates back to Kunin, but we’re not doing anything right now to deserve this accolade,” he said.

Vermont has shown environmental commitment in many ways, including the Comprehensive Energy Plan goal of providing 90 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2050, but McKibben said it’s not enough.

“Corporations are writing the rules. They have enough power to dominate the system unless we are planning movement against them,” McKibben said.

Two bills covering divestment were introduced in Vermont last year, S.131 and H.271, and nine colleges and universities around the country, including Vermont’s Green Mountain College and Sterling College, have divested endowments from fossil fuel companies already. Seventeen foundations, including the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, committed to divesting almost $2 billion earlier this year, and many cities, counties and religious organizations have also pledged to divest money from fossil fuels.

For more information on divestment, visit www.350.org.

Consultant offers sustainability services to small businesses

By Greg Elias

Observer correspondent

To small Vermont businesses struggling to survive, a sustainability program can seem like a luxury reserved for big corporations.

But for John Antonucci Jr., owner of Williston-based consulting firm Srise, sustainability has moved beyond multinationals to a practice that even small businesses must embrace.

“Your consumer, your client base, is demanding sustainability,” he says. “They are voting more and more with their dollars. If you want to keep your customer base and you want to pull in a new market, this is an area you can’t afford to ignore.”

Sustainability can be defined many ways, but usually involves creating a system that minimizes waste and mitigates environmental impacts. Sometimes mandates, such as Act 148, Vermont’s new universal recycling law, push companies to implement sustainable practices.

But most small businesses deal with things like recycling and energy use in an ad-hoc manner, Antonucci says. They pay someone to collect the trash and write a check when the electric bill arrives. What’s often missing is a plan that saves the planet—and saves money.

That’s where Srise (short for Sustainable Resource and Innovation Solution Exchange) steps in. It can recommend changes and handle the logistics of an ongoing sustainability program. Services are geared toward the small and mid-sized businesses that Antonucci says simply don’t have the time, expertise and manpower to implement their own program.

Antonucci founded Srise last fall. The startup came in response to what he saw as a demand for sustainability efforts that would be both effective and profitable.

The most common sustainability issues Antonucci says businesses face are recycling, packaging and energy use. He says he can recommend improvements in each.

Srise is paid by taking a percentage of the value or cost savings of sustainability programs. Antonucci says he charges an hourly fee for smaller, more routine projects.

Rick Sklena, owner of Chicago-based Reusable Logistics Solutions, is among Srise’s clients. Sklena says Srise did a “phenomenal job” of redesigning his company’s website, which promotes product sustainability.

The company makes a reusable mesh that replaces the disposable plastic used for securing products on pallets during shipping. So Sklena well understands the challenge of selling sustainability.

“We tell them about the savings and the waste reduction right away,” he says, “because you don’t know which one they will want.”

Businesses are increasingly implementing sustainable practices, says Scott Buckingham, development and communications manager for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Like Antonucci, he notes that companies are being pushed to become more sustainable by regulation as well as by customers or suppliers.

Studies back the idea that sustainable practices produce more profitable businesses, Buckingham says, allowing them to “perform better over the long haul.”

Srise promotes “profficient sustainability,” which is not a misspelling but instead a way to express the idea of “profit derived from sustainability.” That means doing more with less, Antonucci says, not simply “greenwashing” or making empty marketing promises about environmentally friendly products and practices.

Antonucci says he often looks at how his clients interact with other businesses. For example, a restaurant paying to haul away food waste could instead band together with other restaurants and start their own composting operation, thus converting an expense into revenue.

Antonucci grew up working for his family’s produce and seafood distribution business in Upstate New York. He attended college at the University of Vermont, where he earned an economics degree. He later received a master’s degree in education.

He teaches high school social studies at U-32 in Montpelier in addition to working on the new consulting business. “There’s not a lot of sleeping these days,” he wryly notes.
For now, Antonucci is his company’s only employee. And his clients are all from out of state. But as he adds local customers, he wants to grow the businesses enough to hire help.

He says his experience and education gives him the kind of insight that dovetails with the needs of small businesses looking to join the push for sustainability.

“I came from a background with a small family business,” he says. “It was a blue-collar business, so I’m a blue-collar guy at heart. It just so happens that I have an economics degree.”

For All Ages

Maker Space

Wednesday, March 12, 6 p.m. Presented by “Laboratory B,” Burlington’s member supported hacker-space. Build a unique mini-electronic project and learn how to solder, a necessary skill for a variety of electronic and DIY projects, by working with kits from SparkFun. Pre-registration required.

 

Youth News

Russian Playgroup

Saturday, March 1, 10:30 a.m. – noon. Non-Russian speakers welcome. Music and puppet show with Natasha. Birth to age 5. Sponsored by Building Bright Futures.

Evening Playgroup

Wednesday, March 5, 6-7:30 p.m. For children birth to 2 years and their caregivers. For information call 876-7555. Sponsored by Building Bright Futures.

Food For Thought Teen Group

Thursday, March 6, 4-5 p.m. Grades 7-12. Teens meet for pizza and discussion. New members welcome.

Toddler Time: I Spy Under the Sea

Friday, March 7, 10:30 a.m. Early literacy program for children ages 1-3. Includes books, rhymes and a simple craft.

Pajama Story Time with Abby Klein

Monday, March 10, 6:30 p.m. Come in PJs with a favorite stuffed animal for stories, a craft and snack. Sponsored by Building Bright Futures.

Celebrate Teen Tech Week

March 9-15. Teens may enter to win prizes each time they visit the library. Drop in during the week to make a duct tape iPhone or iPod case. Friday, March 14, 4-5 p.m.: Online games with Delan Chen, CVU student. Grades 7-12.

Make a Leprechaun Trap

Thursday, March 13, 3 p.m. Grades K-5. Pre-register.

Stories and Crafts

Tuesdays at 11 a.m. March 4: Monkeys; March 11: Math Story Time “Outer Space”; March 18: Science Story Time with Kristen Littlefield; March 25: Fun with Food. For children ages 3-5.

Count Me In! Exploring Math With Your Preschooler

Wednesday, March 19 or Monday, April 7, 5:15-7 p.m. (5:15-5:45 p.m. optional free pizza dinner, 5:45-7 p.m. workshop). Learn hands-on activities you can use in every day life. Open to any parent or caregiver and their preschool child. Pre-register.

Read with Frosty & Friends Therapy Dogs of Vermont

Tuesdays, 3:30-4:30 pm. All ages. Pre-register for 10-minute sessions.

 

Programs for Adults 

Gentle Yoga with Jill Lang

Saturdays, March 1, 8, 22, 29 from 1 to 2 p.m. and Monday, March 3, 10, 17 and 31 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. With Jill Lang, teacher certification candidate. Bring your own mat.

Shape and Share Life Stories

Monday, March 3, 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. Learn storytelling using your real life experiences. Led by Recille Hamrell.

Secrets of the SAT

Saturday, March 8, 10:30 a.m. Learn how to avoid the traps and ease test anxiety from local author and SAT Bootcamp founder Lauren Starkey.

Knitting

Tuesday, March 11, 1 p.m. A monthly drop-in group for adults. All levels of knitting or needle point are welcome.

Tech Tutor

Thursdays, March 13 and 20, 3 to 6 p.m. Stop by anytime during tech hours for one-on-one technology help from our teen tutor. Guarantee a time by making a 15-minute appointment, 878-4918.

Brown Bag Book Club

Friday, March 21, 12:30-1:30 p.m. “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein. Copies available for loan. Bring your lunch, beverage and dessert provided.

Technology Open House

Monday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. Learn about the technology that the library has available, including video conferencing equipment, introduction to databases, Playaways and laptops.

Concert

Classical guitarist Peter Fletcher at the Old Brick Church to benefit the Friends of the Library Friday, April 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets at Town Hall and Library. $10 each in advance, $8 for children and seniors.

The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library is located at 21 Library Lane in Williston, and can be reached at 878-4918. All events are free. www.williston.lib.vt.us