by Bobette Scribner

Sept. 1 from 1- p.m., there is a food fest with music and more in what many of us call the Merchants Parking Lot. In cooperation with this event, BCDC had scheduled the annual Celebrate Bradford event in the Boch Memorial Park. However, last week, the board decided to reschedule that event because the dignitaries were tied up over Labor Day and many of the BCDC Board and workers were not available. If you’re in town, come on down on Sept. 1 to the Harvest Fest to support those who have worked hard to make this happen.
Thanks to the work crews who helped clean up the Andrew and Ida Boch Memorial Park at the Bradford Falls. Visitors and local people are seen at the park 12 months of the year.
How many trees went down in Bradford during the last wind storm? The Lower Plain has seen several old and large trees topple this summer—the most recent at Don Morgan’s property across from the P&C.
On a recent trip to Colorado, this reporter had an opportunity to visit two towns that have done a lot of downtown work. They were very different approaches with mixed results. The next meeting of the Downtown Designation Committee is Sept. 19. Come and hear about this material and participate in discussions about Bradford’s Downtown.
The Barton Street Project is moving along—watch for the completion of the sidewalk this week and the moving of the utility lines very soon. The light poles are on order. Thanks to the construction firm for keeping access to the post office open during this challenging project.
The Bradford Conservation Commission is looking for photos of Bradford. The photos would need to be in digital format, at least 300 dpi at 100% which would be 8.5 x 11 (landscape) preferably burned on a disk. The photos can be dropped off at the town office to the attention of Nancy Jones, or if they need to be picked up, call 222-4409 or 439-3562.
The Bradford Food Shelf is in need to cereal. Donations may be left off at the Bradford Academy in the box in the front hall. Cash donations are always appreciated.
Advance notice: Sept. 15 is trail maintenance with the Conservation Commission at Devil’s Den. Call 222-9675 for more information. Sept. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. is the Frank Lloyd Wright Gallery Open House at Copeland Furniture Store. Sept. 29 is the annual Penny Auction at the BRCC from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—watch for Silent Auction items around Town, during the month of September.
Orange East Senior Center menus for Aug. 30 and 31: Aug. 30—taco salad, diced tomatoes, corn on the cob and cookies and Aug. 31—macaroni salad, salad, carrots, garlic bread and fruit salad.

by Louise Sandberg

News from the weather. Early Monday morning last week, Cookeville thermometers registered between 38 and 40 degrees, while one on Turkey Hill said 33. But the days were sweet, and the crickets played their peaceful rhythms through the nights and into the days.
The weekend brought hot and very humid weather, and Saturday evening a violent thunderstorm caused power outages throughout central Vermont, but not in Cookeville.
News from town hall. The addition to the town hall has made great progress. It’s very nice, looking almost like a home, and fine details are the posts along the handicap ramp that have brackets just like the ones along the piazza.
News from the historical society. Last Saturday’s Academy Café featured several tables with tablecloths and flowers, and dozens of people circulated from the table where Dina was making her delicious cornmeal pancakes to seating areas to Dan’s adobe oven and his delectable sourdough loaves and back to Dina’s table, etc. It was a grand next-to-the-last Café as the only one left will be on Labor Day morning at the Agricultural Museum in East Corinth.
Some of the guests came from as far away as Massachusetts, Connecticut and even Milwaukee, and found themselves warmly welcome as they chatted with the many locals at this Café Extraordinaire.
Many thanks are due to each of the hostesses who on these enjoyable Saturday mornings supplied great refreshments, and especially to Ruth Patrick who has taken over Dolly’s task of getting the big coffee pot going and assisting the hostesses in setting up. The Corinth Museum was open to visitors each time, also, thanks to the dedicated and knowledgeable guides. They’ve kept the place sparkling clean, which every time is quite a job in itself, as it involves carefully covering all the displays with large sheets.
News from the theater. Both on stage and behind the scenes quite a few members of Corinth’s former Tabor Valley Players are part of “The Diary of Anne Frank” now playing at Old Church Community Theater in Bradford. It’s an impressive production. Thanks to good acting and many authentic details, the long-ago tragedy and dangers of those bleak, claustrophobic and increasingly untenable two years in hiding come back to life in gripping ways.
News from the Waste Reduction Committee. This committee, which last spring sprang into action with a mandate from the Selectboard to help us keep money in our pockets and garbage out of the landfill, is in the process of creating a large bulletin board to be placed at the transfer station. Being hard-core recyclers loathe to throw away anything that could be used again in one way or another, some of them had been collecting corks for years, and so they decided to create the board itself with corks cut in half. But frankly, they just haven’t been opening enough wine bottles in their years of recycling and they don’t have enough corks yet, so donations of used corks (including the new, plastic ones) will be gratefully accepted. Please call Lois Jackson at 439-4804 or Bob Sandberg at 439-5563.
News from the “Treesome Threesome.” The Corinth Conservation Commission, the Orange County Headwaters Project and Northern Woodlands magazine announce three more events for the rest of this summer. On Sept. 8, they offer Forest Fungi: Identification and Ecology of Mushrooms and Other Forest Recyclers by way of a 10 a.m. - noon walk with a forest pathologist; on Sept. 13, it’s Part I of Winged Migration; and on Sept. 15 or 16, it’s Part II of Winged Migration. For details, see next week’s column.
News from Thurston Hollow. Recent callers on Olis and Clarence Thurston were Alice Payne from Topsham, Bruce Comstock from Braintree, Berna Carter from Bradford, and John and Juanita Claflin from West Topsham.
Other news. Who knows.

by Lois Sherwood

This has been a cloudy but rainless week. The short bursts of sun have been appreciated, but not the 40 degree mornings. It's not time for fall.
Dr. Alan and Sandy Antoine, former East Brunswick, NJ neighbors, spent the afternoon and evening with Lois and Ed Sherwood on Aug. 23. Sandy has retired after 25 years of teaching science in a North Jersey high school, and Alan plans to retire from the Microbiology Department at Rutgers University at the end of this year. It was fun to catch up on their travels and family and show them pictures of the growing Sherwood family.
Debbie Bergholm Petka and family from Chelmsford, MA spent a week recently with her parents, Carol and Don Bergholm. Day trips took them to the Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne, the Echo Aquarium in Burlington, Ben and Jerry's in Waterbury and the Alpine Slide in Stowe. In the evenings they made a bonfire with Grandpa for the roasting of marshmallows and making s'mores.
Charlotte Hansen is at home after several weeks at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Brookside Nursing Home in White River Junction.
Library news
Story hour is at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday for pre-school aged children.
Church news
Steeple lighting this week is in memory of Wendell and Stella McLam and the Rev. Gary McLam, given by Alan and Louise McLam.
Worship is held at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Welcome back to the Rev. Michael Caldwell. The sanctuary and vestry are handicapped accessible, and all are welcome.

by Marilyn Hatch-Ruiter

Bonnie Stewart of Dover, NH was in town in Aug. 17, and she also went to St. Johnsbury to see her aunt, Ida Dennis at the St. Johnsbury Health and Rehab Center. Later in the day, Mrs. Stewart and Ruby Tinkham of town left for Missouri. Together the women traveled by car to see Bonnie's mother, Minnie Tinkham, in Alton, MO. Minnie, a former Groton resident, recently took a bad fall at her home and broke a rib and dislocated a shoulder. After visiting Minnie, Ruby went on to Fordland, MO to spend time with her daughter, Paula Hernandez and family.
Peggy Burgin ususally spends one afternoon a week visiting her mother, Sadie Burgin Bruleigh, a resident at the Riverglen House, in Littleton, who was a former Clarks Landing tenant. Her new address is: Sadie Burgin Bruleigh, 55 Riverglen House-Lane, Apt. 307, Littleton, NH 03561. She lives quite near her brother and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Derosia.
Melvin and Linda Nunn were in Bethel, ME from Wednesday through Sunday last week attending a "Trapper's Rendevous" where they had an opportunity to meet and get re-acquainted with many trappers and their families. Linda reported trappers from Canada and several states were among those who attended this event. Melvin and Linda love to trap, and she also serves as the Groton Town Clerk, the town service officer and the selectboard secretary. She had a three day vacation from her town office duties.
April Hannett and Kristi of Walden were visitors of their mother and grandmother, Avis Royston, at Clarks Landing. Together they all went to Littleton on business. Occasionally, Mrs. Royston spends a day at the Riverside Enrichment Center in Lyndonville where she enjoys her hobby of painting and various crafts. She is a talented artist.
The Groton Selectboard will have its regular meeting schedule in September with meetiings to be held the first and third Thursday of each month.
United Methodist Women
The Groton United Methodist Church Women's group will meet on Sept. 10 (the second Monday) at 7 p.m. at the church. The usual date is the first Monday of the month but due to the Labor Day holiday, the date for this meeting was moved.
All the women are encouraged to attend as this will be the planning session for the Lumberjack's Breakfast which is always held as the opening event for Groton's Annual Fall Foliage Festival to be held this year on Oct. 6. The breakfast begins at 7 a.m. and runs through 10 a.m.
Groton Historical Society
The Groton Historical Society will meet Sept. 11 at 10 a.m. at the Peter Paul Historical House on the William Soctt Memorial Highway. They will be making arrangements for the locals and tourists to view the 1840's restored home and its many artifacts and exhibits for the ususal Open House from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 6.
Tickets are still available for the 52nd annual famous all-you-can-eat chicken pie supper to be held that day. Tickets can be obtained through Diane Kreis, who is chair of the festival and also the secretary for the Historical Society and the secretary for the Groton Community Club, which annually sponsors the all-day event. Her phone number is 802-584-4748.
Emergency Food Shelf
The Groton Emergency Food Shelf continues to see increased use by those individuals or families who are in emergency need of food and some other types of non-food items (when available). The site is located at the Groton Community Building. Town Clerk Linda Nunn and Treasurer and Current Tax Collector Roberta Dana are the co-directors of the food shelf. All information concerning those who receive the food is kept confidential.
Both Nunn and Dana like to have those who need the food to call either of them at their offices at 584-3276 or 584-3131 or drop by their offices, or you can make an appointment so your food box can be put together and prepared for pick up when it is convenient and in a private manner for everyone. The office hours are: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Because of the increase in those needing the food, the food shelf is in need of non-perishable items such as canned and boxed items like, soup, tuna, pastas, peanut butter and items you might want if you were to feed yourself or your family. Monetary contributions are always accepted and receipts will be given.
Thought for the week: Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever. You seldom see a person out of breath running from temptation.
About town
Pauline Oliver of town is one of the drivers for Rural Community Transportation (RCT) with offices located in St. Johnsbury. She provides transportation for various eligible individuals to get to medical appointments and sometimes for grocery shopping. Her sister, Mary Grant of Groton is the Executive Director of RCT. The RCT phone number is 802-748-8170.
Sadie Burgin Bruleigh of Littleton was a surprise visitor of some of her friends in town Aug. 22.
Edna Blanchard was in St. Johnsbury Monday. While there she went to the St. Johnsbury Health and Rehab Center to see Ida Dennis who is a patient there. She reports the former town clerk is feeling better after a recent hospitalization at Cottage Hospital in Woodsville. Also, Ruby and Paul Tinkham visited Mrs. Dennis last Thursday
Blue Mountain Union School opened its doors for students for the 2007-08 school year on Aug. 29. The BMU School Board hosted an early breakfast for all staff members, administration and school directors on Aug. 24—the staff’s first day for orientation, workshops, seminars and preparing for the arrival of students. No school for anyone on Monday in observance of Labor Day.
I need your news for this "Talk of the Town" column for Groton. My phone number is 802-584-3976. My e-mail address is: mhr@kingcon.com. The news for the following week has an earlier deadline due to the Labor Day weekend.
Kate Davie and "Fifth Business" of North Ryegate had a real cool evening to present a musical performance, when approximately 40 adults and children listened to the music under real cloudy skies at the bandstand at Veterans Park in the Village of Groton last Thursday evening.
The group sang a collection of Celtic songs and shanties—many a capella in clear distinct tones. The group also accompanied themselves with a violin, banjo, guitar and a hand held drum called an Irish Bodhran. Kate, the BMU librarian, and her husband, Stephen and their daughter Hannah, all musically talented, were joined by Heather Alger, vocalist, and Nick Anzalone on the violin. The Ad Hoc Committee to Restart the General Store served free ice cream cones to all those in attendance. The event was free as usual was planned by the Groton Recreation Committee.

by Penny Parker

The Newbury Food Shelf, located in the Bible Church on Pine Street, will only be open twice monthly beginning Sept. 1. The Food Shelf will be open every second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. for Vermont residents in need. If an appointment is needed at other times, call Penny at 429-2116.
The supplies are getting low at the Food Shelf, and any and all donations would be greatly appreciated. There is a major need for canned vegetables, canned fruits, peanut butter and jellies, canned meats, pasta and sauces, crackers, and children's meals. A freezer is available for breads, meats or any foods that can be frozen.
Donations may be brought to the Food Shelf, left at The Tenney Memorial Library or the Mustard Seed Thrift Shop during their open hours.
St. Eugene's Church in Wells River collects food and monetary donations for the Newbury Food Shelf every third Sunday of the month.
The Newbury Congregational Church is gearing up for the 27th annual Fall Festival to be held on Sept. 29. The Festival will be held on the Congregational Church grounds this year instead of on the Newbury common. The ever popular Silent Auction will be held in the Church Vestry.
The Silent Auction donation collectors are beginning to visit local businesses in hopes of obtaining a donation for this major fund raiser for the church. Anyone wishing to make a donation of an item may call Penny at 802-429-2116 to arrange for pick-up.
Donations are also being sought for the white elephant sale at the Fall Festival. This sale consists of yard sale type items that are in good condition and are sellable. For more information on pick up or drop off, call Bayley at 802-222-5866.
Marion Chamberlin is also seeking donations of plants of all types for the plant sale at the Fall Festival. Marion may be reached at 802-866-5652.
Recent birthdays were celebrated by Thump Griswold, Joyce Powers, Alma Royston, and Steve Peck.
A wedding anniversary was celebrated by Steve and Alice Peck.

by Helga Mueller

After a three week sojourn in Germany visiting with my mother and my family, I have returned Last weekend Mother Nature once again unleashed her fury and awesome beauty when a series of spectacular thunderstorms rolled through Piermont and the Upper Valley causing widespread damage and extensive power outages.
News from around town
A social will be held on Aug. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Old Church building to say farewell to Lou Hobbs and to honor him for his many services to our town.
”Parents meeting the Challenge,” an eight-week educational program for parents and care givers for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, will be held Monday evenings from 6:30 to 9 p.m. starting Sept. 24 through Nov. 12 at the Piermont Congregational Church.
School board news
At their Aug. 21 meeting, the board accepted at first reading a change in the Entrance Age Policy moving the date for children entering kindergarten from the present Sept. 1 date to Sept. 30. The subject will again be on the agenda at the September meeting.
Principal Jonann Torsey was asked to evaluate the school’s Discipline Policy and give feedback to the board after a month.
To prevent the playground mulch being washed out after heavy rains, the board discussed increasing the size of the present pipe which diverts the runoff into Eastman Brook. They authorized an expense of up to $3,500 for excavation and materials.
Senior luncheons
Following are the luncheon menus served at the Horse Meadow Senior Center in North Haverhill for Aug. 30 and 31: Aug. 30—hot turkey sandwich, stuffing, squash, juice, almond bars; Aug. 31—baked fish, rice Pilaf, tomato cheese crunch, broccoli bacon salad, birthday cake.

by Tammie Dunbar

by Linda Duxbury

David Pierce was guest speaker at the Topsham United Presbyterian Church on Aug. 19. Guest pianist was Natania Sewall. This was Natania’s first experience in playing for congregational singing, and folks say she did very well. Special music was provided by members of the Franz, Peck, and Penney families.
Choir rehearsals resume Sept 6 at 7 p.m.

by Lois Butler

Several members of the Butler family went to Middlesex last Sunday to the home of Ann Butler for a birthday party for her friend Cliff. Sheri and Jubilee provided music, and a pot luck meal was enjoyed by all. The weather was nice as well.
Sharon and Neil Osborne have been enjoying the visit this week of their grandson Billy, who is here from the Cape Cod area.
Genevieve and Bill Fleming are visiting the area from Romney, WV. While here, they have been looking to buy a place so they can move here before winter. If all goes well, they will be living in Bradford. They have relatives here and in Maine and want to be closer to family.
Nine members of the Butler family met at Warners Gallery Aug. 22 to celebrate the anniversaries of Bill and Genevieve Fleming and Lois and Lawrence Butler. At the end of the meal, a cake was brought out with the singing of happy anniversary.
New Hope Methodist Church will be celebrating its 150th birthday in October. There will be a special church service taking place. More about that at a later date.

by Eunice Cahill

Lucille Santaniello, of Old Stagecoach Road, had her sister Marion of Old Saybrooke, daughter Lynn of Bristol and son and wife James and Nancy of New Britain, CT as visitors for a recent weekend. The weather was cool, so not much for outside activities were enjoyed. While they were sitting on the deck, 10 to 12 bluebirds appeared and then flew along their way. This was the first time in may years for Lucille, and the first time ever for the others, to see a bluebird.
On Sunday, Lucille’s brother and wife, Fred and Joyce Churchill of Bradford, joined the group for a visit.
Three loons were observed on Halls Lake recently. One has been there most of the summer, but two more have appeared more often lately. Their call has been heard many times.
The summer festival committee had a post festival meeting with the turkey supper committee at Sue Hanewald’s home. The turkey supper date has been set for Oct. 6.
Jeff MacQueen reports that the last water clarity test was not as good as in the past. The reason for this is not known at present.
On Sept. 2, a collection of non-perishable foods will be taken at the church for the Newbury Food Shelf. There is a shortage, so let’s all be as generous as possible.
There will be no Bible study on Sept. 3.
The Vermont Conference UCC Women’s Fellowship will hold their 80th annual meeting on Sept. 15 at the Warren, VT UCC. Registration deadline is Sept. 6. To register or for more information, contact Rev. Batten at 802-429-2869 Tuesday through Saturday.
On Aug. 30, Bob and Ruth Fowler will observe their 63rd wedding anniversary, which is also Bob’s birthday.
Happy birthday to Bob Fowler, Megan Putnam and Christopher Wilson.