THETFORD TOWN NEWSLETTER

NO. 78 AUGUST 2010

THETFORD TOWN OFFICE

Election News:

State Primary Election Day and Solid Waste Bond balloting

Tuesday, August 24

Polls open 8am to 7pm at Town Hall.

Deadline for NEW voter registration is August 18, 5pm

Absentee Ballots now available.

Please call the Town Clerk’s office for more info at 802-785-2922 - ext. 10

Submitted by Tracy Borst

THETFORD ACADEMY NEWS AND NOTES

*Sports practice for Thetford Academy students in grades 9-12 begins August 23.  Practice for junior high athletes starts September 1.  Go Panthers!

*TAAA will hold its August meeting on Tuesday, August 24, at 7:00 pm in the Alumni Room in the newly renovated science building.  Contact Jessica Eaton  802-333-9491 for more information.

*New Student Orientation will be held on Thursday, August 26.  Tours start at 6:30 pm.  Incoming students and their parents and guardians are invited and encouraged to join us.

*Classes at Thetford Academy begin on Monday, August 30.  (Note: the start date for students at Thetford Elementary School is September 1.)  Please be aware of increased traffic and new student drivers on Thetford Hill.

Submitted by Wendy Cole

football sign-ups

· Sunday, August 8 from 11am until 1:00pm @ Thetford Elementary School

· Players from K-8 are invited to sign-up for the Jaguars Football Program.

· Jaguars field K-2 instructional, Grade 3-6 Snowbelt and Grade 7-8 competitive teams.

· High School Players are encouraged to play at their respective high schools,

· Thetford Academy students are eligible for the Oxbow Varsity Team (please see Dave McGinn for more details)

· The Jaguars have welcomed student-athletes from 18 area towns for the past 5 seasons and look forward to your continuing support!

Contact (802)785-4404 for more information

Submitted by Thetford Jaguars

AFTER SCHOOL CHILDCARE

Are you looking for after school care for your child?  Sunrise Child Care has openings for the 2010 - 2011 academic school year.  We would love to have your child join our small family style group. 

Please call or email me at: (802) 333-9802 or geoffreysa@gmail.com.

Submitted by Sheila Geoffrey

TREASURE ISLAND BEACH PARTY

BEACH PARTY! 

Friday, August 13, 12-4pm. 

Come celebrate the last day of swimming lessons with a party!

Dress tropical, and bring a dish for a 12Noon potluck cookout.  We'll supply drinks, hot dogs and burgers.  Dancing, lifeguard-led games, contests and more!   Hope to see you there!

Submitted by Scott and Ann O’Hearn

Discounted amusement Park Tickets for sale at town hall

Discounted Tickets are available for purchase from the Town Clerk’s office during normal business hours.

Tickets may be used for any age/height. Thetford is able to offer the tickets at this price through a Vermont Recreation and parks Association (VRPA) program and the proceeds benefit this organization, of which Thetford Rec is a member.

Bromley Adventure Park in Manchester, VT. (www.bromley.com) Our price $22. Regular price $29 for Mon-Fri; $39 for weekends.

The Great Escape in Lake George, NY. Our price $25. Regular price $40.99 + tax over 48” tall; $29.99 + tax under 48”

Six Flags New England in Agawam, MA. Our price $27. Regular price $41.99 over 54” tall; $31 under 54” tall.

Submitted by Sheila Fifield

Story Walks, Croquet, Weight Training, Plus Info on Fall Program Registration

Story Walks—On-Going through September

On the Thetford Center Common:

"Corduroy" by Dan Freeman

At Treasure Island:

"Great Day for UP" by Dr. Seuss

Summer Croquet lessons and friendly tournament games co sponsored by Thetford Elder Network: Saturday August 21 at 1 PM.  Instruction from 1:00-1:30 pm followed by games.  FREE, but please register in advance to ensure we have enough equipment. Will be held in Post Mills.

Building Bones continues to increase the number of participants.  We meet for weight training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9am at the Thetford Center Community Association building.  Please bring hand and ankle weights, as we have so many participants we are running out of weights!

Fall program registration will open August 15.  Look for brochures and on-line (www.thetfordrec.com) for details about upcoming fall programs, including: youth soccer, karate, biking, babysitting class, home alone class, basketball skills camp, Athletes United, Old School PE and more!

Submitted by Hilary Linehan, Recreation Coordinator

Contact Info: 802-785-2922 x6 or recreation@thetfordvermont.us

BENEFIT YARD SALE

A group of students from Thetford Academy is holding a yard sale on Sunday August 15th at Thetford Elementary School from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

All items will be very reasonably priced and there will be face painting and a bake sale as well.  All funds raised will go towards the group's Trip to Peru in April, 2011. Please come support these hard working students.

Submitted by Lisa Swett

Car Roof Racks Can Lower Your Gas Mileage

Back from vacation? Take that empty carrier off the top of your car. Better yet, remove the roof rack if it's not attached. Consumer Reports notes that "At highway speeds, more than 50 percent of engine power goes to overcoming aerodynamic drag. So don't carry things on top of your vehicle when you don't have to. Installing a large Thule Cascade 1700 car-top carrier on our Camry dropped its gas mileage from 35 mpg to 29 at 65 mph. Even driving with empty racks on the car reduces its fuel economy."

Submitted by Alice Stewart for the Thetford Energy Committee

DID YOU KNOW? THETFORD HISTORY

Did you know that Thetford has a connection to the Pony Express?  Henry Wells was born in Thetford in 1805.  His family moved to upstate New York when he was a boy and he went on to found both the American Express Company and the Wells Fargo Company, which delivered mail all over the country, and which took over the Pony Express for a few months before it was replaced by the telegraph in 1861.  In the years that followed, Wells Fargo expanded its operations to western Canada, Mexico, the West Indies, Central America, Japan and China.  Henry Wells became very wealthy, and founded Wells College in Aurora, New York.

And it all started in Thetford!

Submitted by Charlie Buttrey

THETFORD YOGA CLASSES – OPEN TO ALL

Mondays 6:00-7:30PM

Thetford Community Center, Rte 113

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

 
SLIDE PRESENTATION
 
Thursday, August 12th at 7:00 PM
At the Latham Library, Basement Meeting Room
 
A SLIDE PRESENTATION by Gary Pelton, the Natural Resources Manager of the Union Village Dam Park and other dams on the Upper Connecticut River.
 
WHY BE CONCERNED? Non-native, introduced plants like bush honeysuckle, buckthorn, knotweed and the common reed (phragmites) are spreading rapidly along roadsides and into fields, woods and wetlands. They choke native wildflowers and Seedling trees, preventing the regrowth of forests and disrupting ecosystems.
 
HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE THEM?
This workshop will introduce us to 21 plants that are invasive in Vermont, including posters and handouts.
 
WHAT DO WE DO? Control methods will be discussed.
 

Submitted by Heather Carlos

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION INFO

The deadline for submissions is the 20^th 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.