THETFORD TOWN NEWSLETTER

NO. 73         MARCH 2010

 

TOWN CLERK IMPORTANT DATES:

 

Rabies Clinic will be held March 20, at the town garage from 10-2pm.  Licensing is available at Town Hall.

 

Animal License Renewal is due by April 2, 2010, late fees apply April 2.

 

Submitted by Tracy Borst

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THETFORD ACADEMY NEWS AND NOTES

 

*  Thetford Academy’s Winter Sports Awards Evening will be held Wednesday, March 3, starting at 7:00 pm in Anderson   Hall.  We will recognize all our winter season athletes and coaches.

 

*  The TA Board of Trustees will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 11, at 7:00 pm in the TA Library.  The meeting is open to the public and folks are welcome to attend.

 

*  Calling all TA Alums!  We need you for the annual Co-ed Varsity-Alumni Basketball Game, Friday, March 12, at 6:00 pm.  Sneakers are needed; basketball skills are optional.  Join us for a night of Fun, Food, and Fine Family Entertainment.  The evening is a benefit for TA Project Graduation.

 

*  A dance to benefit the 7th Grade Trip to Washington, D.C., will be held on Friday, March 19, from 6:00-9:00 pm.  Music will be provided by the Thetford/Norwich band “Loco Parentis”, with guest appearances by TA students, both instrumental and vocal, and the band “Dry Rain”, featuring  TA’s own Tate Buttrey, Max McCabe, and Paul Moses.

 

TA and TES students and their families and community members are invited to attend.  Admission is $10/family         $5/individual-$3/student.  Don’t miss this great evening!

 

**** The Thetford Academy Board of Trustees would like to hear from TA alumni and community members who are interested in contributing to the success of the Academy and its mission by serving as trustees. For more information about what it means to be a trustee, and the process for becoming a candidate, please contact Faith Alexandre (333-3291 or falexandre@gmail.com).

 

Submitted by Wendy Cole

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LAST TWO TAKE HOME DINNERS IN THETFORD CENTER

 

Thursday, March 4 - Chicken Pot Pie, Cranberry, Cole Slaw

Thursday, March 11 - Beef Stew, Biscuits, Cole Slaw

 

Assorted Pies and Cakes for Dessert

Price:  $6.50 each; 5 or more $6.00 each

To reserve meals, call 785-2687

Walk-ins Welcome

 

Sponsored by Thetford Center Community Association

 

Thanks to everyone who has supported us this winter!!

 

Submitted by Bev Slack

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THETFORD RECREATION DEPARTMENT

 

Baseball & indoor soccer registration:

  • Little League youth baseball registration March 4th all day 7:30-8:30am & 3:30-5:30pm at TES, and 9am-2:30pm at Town Hall.
  • 3-6 girls softball registration March 4th same times as baseball.
  • K-2 baseball and t-ball registrations due by March 26th.
  • Spring Soccer  - Session 1: Sundays 1-3 pm registration March 4th same times as baseball.

 

Adult Program:

  • Old School PE - For adults 18 & up: Friday nights 6-8 PM at TES gym beginning March 5th.  Drop in fee $3 per person of $5 per pair.

 

Coming up in April:

  • Spring tennis -Fridays after vacation
  • Karate Wednesdays after vacation
  • Biking club - Saturdays after vacation 
  • Spring Soccer - session 2 Sunday afternoons 1-3pm
  • Practices begin for Little League baseball and 3-6 softball April 5th
  • Athletes United sports program for 4-6 graders begins April 11
  • Practices begin for K-2 baseball after vacation

 

Details for ALL programs and registration available on-line at www.thetfordrec.com.  Contact Hilary Linehan for questions 785-2922 x6 or recreation@thetfordvermont.us

   

Submitted by Hilary Linehan

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THETFORD ELDER NETWORK (TEN)

 

Senior Meal will be held  March 24th @ 11:30AM -2PM  at North Thetford church.

 

TEN volunteer corps is available to help with rides and chores of all kinds.  Please contact Inge Trebitz at 802-785-2129.

 

Submitted by Gina Sonne

 

 

 

DON’T MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR CHILDREN’S EDUCATION!

 

Friends of Thetford Education will be holding its next meeting on Wednesday, March 10 at 7PM in the Thetford Elementary School Special Education Conference room.  We will be discussing the proposals received and allocating funds.  All are welcome!  Come hear about some of the great projects we hope to fund!

 

FTE is an organization consisting of parents who are dedicated to raising funds for the purpose of enhancing the educational enrichment of our children.  Nearly 100% of the money we raise goes toward funding projects, field trips, special equipment, student performances, and other educational opportunities that are not covered by the school’s operating budget.  FTE uses a very small amount to cover postage and minor operational expenses.

 

Attending a meeting will not commit you to anything!  Just come along and see what we do.  If you have questions, feel fre to call marty Jacobs (Chair) at 785-2606 or email at marty@systemsinsync.com.

 

Submitted by Marty Jacobs

 

 

 

Thetford Yoga Classes – Open to All

 

Mondays 6:00-7:30PM

Thetford Community Center, Rte 113

 

 

Thursdays, 6:30-8:00PM

Thetford Community Center, Route 113 

 

Submitted by Carole Petrillo, carole.petrillo@gmail.com or 802.785.4605

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new to the thetford community? 

 

Come meet the friends of Rices Mills, a one room school house in Thetford Center.

 

Join us for potlucks once a month which will start up April 4th at 6PM. We are a pretty laid back group that enjoy gathering for conversation and recreation once a month.  Anyone is welcome to join.  We always appreciate donations for membership to keep up the building and pay for utilities.  $10/ individual $15 family/yr.

 

If you'd like to rent the space contact Gina Sonne 802 785-4220

 

Submitted by Gina Sonne

 

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STORY TELLING EVENT TO BENEFIT MAPLE LEAF CHILDREN’S CENTER

 

Come one, come all to a special St. Patrick’s Day story hour in Thetford, featuring award-winning storyteller Simon Brooks!

 

Simon performs tales with energy and wit, telling folktales, myths and legends from around the world.  His tales take listeners to far away times and places, and delight children and adults alike.  In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, on March 20 he will be spinning tales from Celtic folk and faerie legends.

 

The event is a fund-raiser to benefit Maple Leaf Children’s Center.  Located on Thetford Hill, Maple Leaf has been caring for the Upper Valley’s children for nearly 40 years.  Over 1,000 boys and girls have played, learned, and made friends at

 

Maple Leaf; your support will help us to do so for years to come. 

Date:                March 20, 2010

Where:             First Congregational Church, Thetford Hill

When:              4-5:30pm

Admission:      Donations are voluntary.  All proceeds will support Maple Leaf Children’s Center.

 

Refreshments will be provided.

 

Submitted by Sarah Holzer

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OPEN WALTZING

 

Wednesday,  March 24th 6:30PM - 8:30PM    

Rices Mills Community Center  .  802 785-4220

 

Submitted by Gina Sonne

 

 

 

THETFORD ENERGY COMMITTEE

 

Energy Tip of the Month: If you have an outdoor light (on your porch, garage, or barn), reduce your energy use (and related carbon emissions) with a motion-sensor fixture. If you can afford it, consider upgrading to an LED bulb in your outdoor fixture -- LEDs work well with motion-sensor and automatic daylight shutoff fixtures. But be sure to invest in an Energy Star-qualified lighting product, which has passed several tests. Energy Star-qualified LED lighting can be 75% more efficient than incandescent lighting, lasting a minimum of 25,000 hours or 22 years with normal household use. LED bulbs, while not yet widely available locally, can be ordered through lighting stores and some hardware stores in the Upper Valley. 

 

Sunday, March 7, 7 p.m. First Congregational Church on Thetford Hill. Clean Coal: The Hype and the Reality. Vermont Law School professor Pat Parenteau will present on the life-cycle hazards of coal, including mountain top removal, air pollution, climate change, toxic ash disposal, and the potential risks of geologic sequestration of CO2. As Vermont debates extending the license of Vermont Yankee, the state needs to think about the alternatives, including whether to buy power generated by coal-fired power plants. This event is sponsored by the Thetford Energy Committee as part of its annual Warmth in the Winter series. Free and open to the public, refreshments will be served. 

 

Introduction to Homemade Window Insulation with Nancy Limbaugh, Scott Stokoe, and Ann Wickham. Saturday, March 13th, 10 am-12 noon, Thetford Center Community Center. This workshop will cover the fundamentals of heat loss and discuss several options for making your own window insulation. These will include window quilts, interior storm windows, and rigid insulation panels. We'll have samples of each type, including window quilts in various stages of construction. Bring your questions and share your own window insulation ideas.

 

Submitted by Alice Stewart

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Financial Caregiver  

 

Carole Petrillo provides bookkeeping and other helpful tasks for people that have lost their partner or for children that are Caregiving their parents and need financial support.  For more details, please view http://carolepetrillo.com.

 

Submitted by Carole Petrillo, carole.petrillo@gmail.com or 802.785.4605 

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THETFORD HISTORY…DID YOU KNOW?  

 

I had an empty spot this week so decided to add a little fun history… I researched a variety of books on the history of Thetford.  (Would love to hear more from some of our historians for future publications.)  Did you know that back in the 1800’s, Thetford Center had numerous mills and businesses? 

 

Did you know there were three dams at the Thetford Center falls?

 

At one time or another in the 1800’s, Thetford Center had a gristmill, a sawmill, a cabinet shop, a blacksmith shop, a sash and blind factory, a sleigh and carriage factory, a tool/trip hammer shop, a shingle mill, a cloth mill, a clover mill, a starch mill, a cobbler, a wheelwright (for wagons), and an instrument maker.  And I’m sure there were more.  Most, if not all of these mills, were located on the Pompanoosuc by the falls near the current Thetford Center Bridge.  There were additional mills further down in Union Village.

 

Did you know that East Thetford had a hotel where Merchant’s Bank now sits?  North Thetford had a hotel too!!  Who knew?!

 

And did you know that before the bridges were built, there were ferries in both North and East Thetford that carried people back and forth across the river?  With the hotel, ferry, railroad station, a mercantile and a few other businesses, East Thetford must have been a bustling little area.

 

Submitted by Sheila Fifield

 

 

 

 

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION INFO

 

The deadline for submissions is the 20th of each month.  Send news including contact name and telephone number to Sheila Fifield at Sheila.fifield@aol.com.  Please list Thetford Town Newsletter in subject line.