Thetford Town Newsletter
No.
50 APRIL 2008
RECREATION
NOTES
Baseball/softball schedules will be as follows:
Majors:
Mon/Wed/Thurs 3:15 or 5:30, Sat. mornings
Minors: Tues/Fri 5:30
PM, Saturday mornings
Rec Ball:
Mon/Wed 3:15 PM - TES field
T-Ball: Tues/Thurs 3:25 PM - TES field
Softball 5/6: Mon/Wed 5:30 - TES field
After school Karate will be held Wednesdays from
3:15-4:15 PM in the TES gym.
Open to
grades K-6.
Cost is
$30 for all six sessions.
Saturday afternoon spring soccer
clinics will be
held Saturdays between 1-4 PM at the TES field.
Open to
grades 6 and up, including adults!
Cost is
$60 for all 7 sessions, or sign up individually for $10 per session.
Bowling nights will run Mondays 5-7 until April
break.
Contact
the Recreation Director to reserve your spot.
You will
pay for your bowling at the alley.
Look for adult pick-up volleyball and more next
month.
As
always, download registration forms at www.thetfordvermont.us/recreation.htm
or contact the Rec Director with questions or to get forms by e-mail.
Submitted by Hilary Linehan,
Theford Rec Director
Free
Vegetable Gardening Classes by Janet Taylor of Crossroad Farm, Post
Mills, VT.
Beginner Class on Wednesday, April 9 at 7pm.
Advanced "Season Extension" Class on
Wednesday, April 16 at 7pm.
Peabody Library, at the junction of Routes 113 and
244 in Post Mills.
Submitted
by Laurie Kinne
CHOWDER
SUPPER
Any time is a good time for
CHOWDER!
The
Post Mills Congregational Church on Route 244 will host a Chowder Supper on Saturday,
April 12 beginning at 5:30pm.
Included
will be Fish or Corn Chowder, salad, breads, beverages and desserts.
There
will be no ticket price. Donations will be appreciated.
For
information call 333-9803
Submitted by Barbara
Condict
American Red Cross Swimming Lessons:
Registration
is Saturday, May 17 10AM-12:00PM at
If
you miss the above dates, please come to the Treasure Island beach on June 14
or later and speak to a lifeguard to register (telephone registrations are not
accepted). Lessons are available for ages 4 and up, the fee is $10, classes run
for 30 minutes daily and take place every weekday for 2 weeks. Keep in mind
that the swim program includes Level 6 (pre-lifeguard skills) and serves middle
and high school students, in addition to younger children. This year's swim
lesson session dates are: June 23-July 3 // July 7-18 // July 21-August 1 //
August 4-15.
Community Work Day, Saturday, May 10 at 10 AM at
For more information, please call
Submitted by Ann and Scott
O'Hearn
SHAKESPEARE AT TES
Shakespeare is returning to
On Wednesday and Thursday, April 9th and 10th, the Thetford Elementary
5th and 6th Grades are presenting "The Shrewd", an adaptation of
"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare, produced and
directed by artist-in-residence, David Kelman. Students have been working hard
for months with the help of many adult volunteers. The performances are at 7:00pm in the TES Theater/Gym.
Come share in this inspiring
community event!
Submitted by Pam Kneisel
SOUP & DESSERT TO-GO
Friday May 2nd from 2:30-6:30 at the First Congregational Church in Thetford Hill
(on Rt 113 across from the green)
Get a quart of hearty soup,
stew or chili and two scrumptious desserts "to-go" for $10.
Submitted by Susan Kowalsky
LATHAM LIBRARY NEWS
Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m., Let's
Talk Baseball! Author James Collins will read and sign copies of his
book, The Last Best League. Here's Book List's
description: “The Cape Cod Baseball League is not well known except to New
Englanders and professional baseball scouts (one of every six major-league
players competes in it). The summer league, which attracts many of the best
collegiate and amateur players from around the country, provides young
players an opportunity to play in a competitive environment…[Collins’] profiles
of the players, coaches, and local citizens who come together in the Cape Cod
League offers a captivating, timeless brew of scuffed baseballs, white sand,
and pristine dreams.”
Thursday, April 17, 7 p.m., Vernal
Pools: Wicked Big Puddles or Critical Wildlife Habitat? Join ecologist
Steve Faccio of the
*Thank You* to Rick Hoffman
and
Submitted by Elise Tillinghast
NEED INFORMATION? Need an answer to a question? Are you new to Thetford, or just
curious? Do you need help? Community resources are many!
Ask your neighbor or a friend -- Read the Thetford Town Report -- Call the
Library --
Consult the new blue-covered
Thetford Phone Directory ($5 at the Library) --
Call
Submitted by the Thetford Elder Network
BEGINNER WALTZ WORKSHOP
Learn the basics of social waltzing plus a few
variations
APRIL 12th 11am-12:30pm
Barrett Hall, South Strafford
WALTZ WORKSHOP
For Experienced Dancers / Learn cross step waltz/
tango waltz and more as time allows
APRIL 12TH 1:30pm- 3:00pm
Barrett Hall, South Strafford
Taught by Susan de Guardiola, Social Dance Historian/
Teacher/ Waltz D.J./ Based in
Singles welcome
Registration requested ~ $15
Submitted by Gina Sonne gsonne@sover.net, 785-4220
TA NOTES
*
*All staff and students will
enjoy a break during the annual Spring Recess,
which this year will be April 14-18. Hopefully the snow will be gone
and winter will be a fading memory.
*"Talk with TA" will be held on Thurs., April 24, at 6pm
in the TA Library. The question and information session is followed
by the Trustees' Quarterly Meeting. The public is welcome at both of
these meetings.
*TA will host a Parent Orientation for the New Grade 9
(the Class of 2012) at 6:30 pm on Monday, May 5. Later in the month
an orientation for the New Grade 7 will be held and info will be released
as it gets nearer to the date.
*Students in the Operation Day's Work Program at TA are
soliciting employers for the annual work day, this year scheduled for
Wednesday, May 7. If you can employ one or more students for part or all
of the day, please contact coordinator Cindy Perry at Cindy.Perry@Thet.Net ASAP with job
specifics and requirements. All monies raised this year will benefit a
clinic for women and children in
Submitted by Wendy Cole
WELLS RIVER SAVINGS BANK
Your Community. Your Branch. Your Neighbors.
Banking is better when
you do business with your neighbors, especially when the hours are so
convenient:
Lobby& Drive Up:
Mon.-Fri
8am-6pm, Sat. 8am - Noon
Stop
by to see our new branch in
802.757.2361
or 800.371.2361
Bank online at www.wellsriversavings.com
Submitted by Lorenzo Wilhite, Branch Manager.
Time for Spring- and Fleas
Even though we're still wallowing in seemingly endless snow there are signs
that life outdoors is waking up. My post-hole footprints, left by slogging
about to do chores on a recent sunny day, were alive with hopping, black specks
on my return trip. Strangely, these tiny creatures were not to be found on
the surrounding snow surface. And how come they were moving, and not
freezing from contact with the snow?
These mysterious life forms are commonly referred to as 'snow fleas' due to
their superficial resemblance to the hated, leaping bloodsuckers of cats and
dogs. However, while fleas are insects, 'snow fleas' have defied easy
classification. Scientists place snow fleas into a group named
Collembola. However, they are unlike insects in having a mere six segments in
their abdomen, whereas insects boast eleven such segments. They are also
wingless and have a unique appendage hanging down from the first segment that
is used to glue the creature to a surface. They owe their acrobatic
performance to a pair of 'tails' that are hooked under tension into the
abdomen. When the tails are released they whack against the ground, driving the
creature up into the air. There is however, a lack of directionality, and often
the hopper falls back where it started. This mode of propulsion gives
Collembola their other name - springtails.
Springtails are not insects, nor are they crustaceans, the group that includes
shrimp, crabs and lobsters. One thing that they are, however, is ubiquitous.
While we are aware of them only in early spring when we can see them against
the snow, they are in fact everywhere in soil, moss and leaf litter. Part
of a vast army of life forms known as decomposers, springtails feed on decaying
matter and also on fungi, algae, bacteria, roundworms and tiny soil animals
called rotifers. Why they climb through snow to hop about in hollows such
as footprints or the depressions at tree bases is not clear. However, they are
well-equipped to do it. Researchers at Queen's University found that snow fleas
are permeated with a special type of protein that acts as an anti-freeze. This
allows them to endure sub-freezing temperatures with impunity. Now medical
scientists are interested in harnessing 'snow-flea protein' as a means of
preserving human organs without damage at very low temperatures for
transplant. No mean feat for a snow
hopper.
Submitted by Li Shen
Thetford Conservation Commission
The deadline for submissions
is the 20th of each month. Send news including contact name and telephone
number to Cathee Clement at 785-2668 or turtlepond@netzero.net.
Please list Thetford Town
Newsletter in the subject line.