Berlin Community News

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Sent by Corinne Stridsberg and also posted at: http://socialenergy.blogspot.com 
(if you're new to the send list, this is where to find previous postings)
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Please share this with you Berlin friends and neighbors.  If you're not already receiving this news by email, send an email to request this to corinnestridsberg@gmail.com
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Check out the Berlin, Vermont Community News page on facebook to find bits of current news:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Berlin-Vermont/205922199452224
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TODAY!!! Sunday, September 15th - No Strings Marionettes
TODAY! Sunday, Sept 15 BARN DANCE & FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL
POTATO PICKING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
BERLIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY "EXPLOSION AT BENJAMIN FALLS" 9/25/13
3 VERMONT CAMPGROUNDS OPEN THROUGH COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND
PHONEBLOKS
NORTH BRANCH NATURE CENTER
CAPITAL CITY GRANGE CONTRA DANCES
FLOOD-RESISTANT MOBILE HOMES IN THE WORKS
REFLECTIONS: PORTRAITS OF THE ELDERLY AS THEY ONCE WERE
SOME EMPLOYERS SEE PERKS OF HIRING OLDER WORKERS
SING FOR PEACE 9/22 , FREE ADMISSION, DONATIONS TO PLANTING HOPE

TODAY!!! Sunday, September 15th - No Strings Marionettes,  performing "Treasure Hunt" at 11:30, 1:30 and 3:30 at the Adams Apple Orchard in Williston, Vermont.


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TODAY! Sunday, Sept 15 BARN DANCE & FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL
3 PM - 6 PM 9/15/13 is the 23rd Annual Barn Dance and Harvest Festival, presented by The Children's Room will be held at the Beard’s Barn on Barnes Hill Road in Waterbury Center.
A great family event, the Barn Dance includes refreshments, live music, hayrides, games, and a silent auction. Silent auction items include Green Fees at Stowe Mountain Resort, Lift tickets to Bolton and Mad River Valley, a set of Dynastar skis, family passes to the Ice Center and the Waterbury Pool for 2013 and much more! There is also a raffle with a variety of prizes including gift cards to local restaurants and recreation destinations.
Cost: $20 for the entire family! Parking is in field across from barn
1601 Barnes Hill Road, Waterbury Center.  Barnes Hill Road is an extension of Maple Avenue, north of Waterbury Center. Follow the signs along Route 100 directing you to the barn. 

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Please share the following information about pick-your-own potatoes with your neighbors, friends and family. It is a fantastic way to support a local farmer and get some delicious low cost food!
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POTATO PICKING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Chappelle's pick-your-own potatoes is next Sunday! Signs are always posted no matter which direction you're coming from. The fields are up on South Hill in Williamstown. Fantastic prices. Last year I think it was 35 or 40 center per pound. Bring some buckets and burlap bags (or some kind of containers). Wear shoes or boots that can get dirty. Pick as few or as many as you want (you pay buy the pound) and whatever size you prefer. You can also buy bags of prepicked potatoes if you don't want to get your own. Questions? Just ask. We've been doing this for over 20 years. Pick for yourself, for friends and family, for an upcoming fundraiser dinner or breakfast, or maybe your kids want to resell them as a school trip fundraiser. It's my favorite day of the year. See you there! They will have some large bags there at the field.  NOTE: Although there is only one pick-your-own potatoes day, you can contact Barbara & Bob Chappelle 802-433-5930 as they sell 50lb bags of pre-picked potatoes on a seasonal basis from their warehouse there in Williamstown. Cost varies depending on what class of potatoes you choose - the cheapest are the UNCLASSIFIEDS and they go up in price for UNCLASSIFIED CHEFS, #1s, CHEFS and finally, BAKERS.
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BERLIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY "EXPLOSION AT BENJAMIN FALLS" 9/25/13
Berlin Historical Society Program Announcement September 25th, 2013 7 PM at the Berlin Town Hall, The Tragic Death of Mary Jane Neill On August 1932 the dynamite shack located on the Benjamin Falls farm exploded and created a huge crater. This was just downhill from the present Central Vermont Medical Center and towards the Barre - Montpelier Road, Maudean Neill of the Berlin Historical Society will tell us a lot more of the details of this accidental incident and its consequences. We think you will enjoy finding out more about this big bang in Berlin.
Please join us on September 25 to find out more about this tragic event that took place in Berlin
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3 VERMONT CAMPGROUNDS OPEN THROUGH COLUMBUS DAY WEEKEND
AP - 9/14/13
   ROCHESTER, Vt. (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says three popular Vermont campgrounds in the Rochester and Middlebury area will stay open through Columbus Day weekend this year.
   The Chittenden Brook, Moosalamoo, and Silver Lake campgrounds will close for the season on Oct. 15.
   Officials say extending the season will give the public an opportunity to camp during the fall foliage season and attract visitors the area.
   Chris Mattrick, district ranger on the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger District, says autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year on the Green Mountain National Forest.
   All three are primitive campgrounds with no electric hookup or sewer provided. Water is available from hand pumps at the Moosalamoo Campground.
   Silver Lake is a hike-in campground.
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PHONEBLOKS
This week, Dave Hakkens introduced his design for Phonebloks, a smartphone that has detachable components on its front and back so that everything from the processor to the camera can be easily upgraded without discarding the rest of the phone
Have you seen the video about Phonebloks?  What a concept!! Take a couple minutes to check it out!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/12/phonebloks_n_3908611.html
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NORTH BRANCH NATURE CENTER
Always wonderful activities going on down the at the North Branch Nature Center.  Is your family aware the Family Birding Quest?  The Family Birding Quest (FBQ) is a fun way for families to discover the joy of birds. Complete activities to earn points, and keep track of your progress throughout the year. Activities are specifically designed to engage birdwatchers of all experience levels and provide stepping stones for families that are just learning about birdwatching to develop their skills. At the end of the year, points can be redeemed for prizes!  For more information go to: http://www.northbranchnaturecenter.org/fbq.html
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CAPITAL CITY GRANGE CONTRA DANCES
Contra Dances are held at the Capital City Grange on Northfield Road (Rte 12) in Berlin, 1/2 mile south of Montpelier.  They are on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Saturdays at 8pm
Contra dancing is done to live music - guitar and fiddle and other instruments, playing jigs and reels. A caller teaches each dance, and tells you what to do. You just need to know how to walk! No need to bring a partner--men and women ask each other to dance.
Next Dance: September 21, 2013 - STEVE ZAKON-ANDERSON
Randy Miller, David Cantieni, Julie Vallimont
Annual Challenge-Grant Fund Raiser to Benefit the Grange. Donations Appreciated!
Instruction for newcomers at 7:30! We'll teach some of the basic "figures" that will be called when the dance begins at 8:00. No partner needed, just bring a willingness to smile and have a good time!
For more information on the Contra Dances visit http://capitalcitygrange.org, you'll also find an event calendar
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FLOOD-RESISTANT MOBILE HOMES IN THE WORKS
AP - 9/15/13
   WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A new, more durable mobile home is being manufactured in Vermont after about 560 mobile homes were destroyed or damaged in the state by Tropical Storm Irene.
   The Aug. 28, 2011, flood prompted housing advocates, energy specialists and others to analyze the quality of mobile homes being sold, said Peter Schneider, an energy consultant with Efficiency Vermont.
   “Tropical Storm Irene really showed us how vulnerable our mobile home communities are,” he said.
   Mobile homes are a critical part of Vermont’s low-income housing options but they depreciate over time, he told Vermont Public Radio.
   “They are poorly built structures for the most part,” he said. “Many of them are very old structures that people are still living in and (the homes) are sort of beyond their life span.”
   Mobile home residents also spend a greater portion of their income on energy than other homeowners do, he said.
   Now a pilot project is under way in White River Junction to build a more energy-efficient and flood-resistant mobile home.
   The new home is expected to have about a third of the energy costs of a typical mobile home.
   “We’re really well insulated,” said Steve Davis, who is building the first of 10 mobile homes.
   They also will be tied to either frost-protected piers or to a frost-protected foundation and will not be built on flood plains, Schneider said. “So none of our units are going to be sitting on cinder blocks and up in the air where they could literally float away.”
   But the new high-quality homes are more expensive than typical mobile homes, selling for about $90,000, which is roughly $30,000 more than other new mobile homes.
   That price is justified by the energy savings, said Craig Peltier of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, which is offering a $20,000 subsidy on each of the first 10 homes.
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REFLECTIONS: PORTRAITS OF THE ELDERLY AS THEY ONCE WERE
There is a wonderful set of portraits you can view on line where Tom Hussey portray the elderly as they reflect on their younger selves in the mirror.  Check it out:
http://fstoppers.com/pics-reflections-portraits-of-the-elderly-as-they-once-were
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SOME EMPLOYERS SEE PERKS OF HIRING OLDER WORKERS
By Matt Sedensky, Associated Press PUB 9/15/13
Older people searching for jobs have long fought back stereotypes that they lack the speed, technology skills and dynamism of younger applicants. But as a wave of baby boomers seeks to stay on the job later in life, some employers are finding older workers are precisely what they need.  For the complete article go to: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/employers-perks-hiring-older-workers-20247920
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SING FOR PEACE 9/22 , FREE ADMISSION, DONATIONS TO PLANTING HOPE
The 6th annual SING FOR PEACE, Sunday, September 22, 2012, 4 pm, Bethany Church, 115 Main St, Montpelier.  Featuring five of Vermont's finest choruses:  Counterpoint;
Members of the VT Symphony Orchestra Chorus; The VT Choral Union; Village Harmony and Anima Women's Chorus.  Admission is FREE. Donations will be collected for Planting Hope, a Montpelier-based organization that supports community development in communities in Nicaragua and the U.S. by enhancing educational opportunities, supporting grassroots initiatives and fostering cultural exchanges.