Thetford Town Newsletter

No. 42                                                                                                                                                 August 2007

SELECTBOARD NOTES

There are currently vacancies on the town's Historic Preservation Committee and Budget Committee. Anyone interested in volunteering to be on either of those committees, please contact a Selectboard member. Thanks in advance for participating.

**Mark your calendars for the annual Labor Day Parade and Barbeque in Post Mills, on Monday, September 3, sponsored by the Thetford Fire Department.**

 

SENIOR/AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE

The Committee will be holding monthly forums for input and concerns. These forums will be held at Latham Library on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7pm. 

 

Forums are open to all residents to voice ideas and dreams for Senior Affordable housing concerns and to hear updates on progress of the Town Committee. 

Contact: Dale Gephart , 333-9748 Dale.S.Gephart@Dartmouth.EDU            

Submitted by Gina Sonne

 

PLANNING COMMISSION NEWS

There is an opening on the Planning Commission and we are looking for a volunteer to join our team. We meet the First and Third Tuesdays of the month at 7:15pm at the Town Offices. The meetings are usually over by 9:15pm.

If you are interested in planning the future of Thetford please contact:

Wayne Parks, Chair Planning Commission at 333-9761.

 

PARISH PLAYERS
Last call for Thimble Theatre -- Parish Player's pilot project to bring community theatre to children in this area.  Five morning sessions devoted to improv and acting exercises with a mini showcase at the end. 

**August 6-10th.  9am-noon. $125 ($100 each if two friends/siblings sign up together).** **For kids entering 1st to 4th grade.**

Leaders: Laura Shepard, lawyer and mom to two children (ages 2 and 7), has acted and performed on stage since childhood, throughout college and beyond; and Milo Cramer, a fun and creative high school senior who has a background in improv, physical comedy and Shakespeare. 

Drop the kids off in the morning; Treasure Island in the afternoon!

Enrollment application is at Latham Library or call Laura Shepard at 785-9806. 

 

LATHAM LIBRARY NEWS

At Latham Memorial Library in August:
From Casting Call to Opening Night: Producing a Play at Northern Stage
On Tuesday, August 21, at 7 pm, Northern Stage's producing director Catherine Doherty will describe the many creative processes involved in staging a professional theatrical production. This is your chance to see examples of scenery mock-ups, costumes and other working design pieces and hear what it's like for Doherty to turn all that creative chaos into something ready for an audience. We're hoping for a sneak preview of the upcoming season, as well...so bring your family and tell a friend!
Founded in 1992, Northern Stage has operated out of the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction since 1997. The award-winning theatrical company greatly contributes to the arts in the Upper Valley, offering touring performances and educational outreach programs in addition to its usual productions.
Did You Know? How To Request A Book From Latham

If you're looking for a book and can't find it at the library, don't despair. Just write down the title and author of the book you covet on the request list at the front desk; we'll do our best to obtain it for you.

Submitted by Elise Tillinghast

 

TA NOTES

*Fall sports practice for Thetford Academy students begin Monday, August 13, in the evening. Please be aware of student drivers going to and from the Academy.
*Orientation for students new to TA will be held on Thursday, August 23, starting at 7:30 pm in Anderson Hall. Students and their parents and/or guardians are welcome to tour the school, visit their classrooms, and learn more specifics for the coming school year.
*Wednesday, August 29, marks the official start of the 2007-2008 school year. Traffic on the hill will be much busier, with school busses and student and staff drivers going to and from both TA and TES. Extra vigilance is very much appreciated.

Submitted by Wendy Cole

 

PEABODY LIBRARY NOTES

CHEESE TASTING WITH VERMONT AUTHOR ELLEN OGDEN AT PEABODY LIBRARY
Well known author Ellen Ogden is coming to Peabody Library, August 25th, 5:00 until 6:00pm to talk about and sign copies of her new book, Vermont Cheese Book. Ellen Ecker Ogden is a Vermont food and garden writer, author of From the Cook's Garden cookbook with recipes for cook's who love to garden, and co-founder of “The Cook's Garden” seed catalog.  Her latest book is about Vermont artisan cheesemakers.  Come hear this knowledgeable presentation and sample some of Vermont's finest cheeses. (Brought to you by the Friends of Latham Library.)

Submitted by Nancy Hughes

 

BEAN HOLE BEANS

Featured at the Chicken Barbeque!

Saturday, August 11th – 5:00pm - $9.00/ticket

at the Post Mills Church (Thetford, Route 244)

Homemade pies! Music by the Lyme Town Band!

Submitted by Cathee Clement

 

BECOME A HOSPICE VOLUNTEER

Would you like to help your neighbors and their families in the Hospice Program? The gift of your time can make such a difference for people who are in the final stages of their lives.

The Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire needs volunteers to provide emotional support and practical help to Hospice patients and their families. Volunteers provide companionship or read to a patient, prepare a meal, run errands, assist with Hospice mailings or sit quietly with a patient so the family caregiver can have a break.

New volunteers are asked to commit to trainings on Thursdays from Sept 6 - October 11 at the VNA and Hospice office at 66 Benning St. in West Lebanon from 5:30-8:30pm Training is free, with no obligation, to all interested in learning more about the Hospice Program. Light refreshments will be available.

For more information or to register: 

Judy Adams, Coordinator of Hospice Volunteer Services

at (603) 298-8399 Ext. 2063 or email jadams@vnavnh.org

 

TAI CHI

A new series starts September 7th at the Thetford Community Building. The eight session class will be on Friday afternoons from 1:00 – 2:00pm. Cost: $35.00.

To register, please contact Lynne Miller, 785-4410.

 

THETFORD CONSERVATION COMMISSION

 

Honeybee alternatives “the buzz on native bees”

There has been much publicity of late about the alarming plunge in numbers of honeybee colonies. An estimated 30% of hives have been lost nationwide, bringing large-scale agriculture close to a pollination crisis. Even in Thetford our local bee keeper Alden Palmer has all but suspended operations under the mounting toll of honeybee diseases and parasites. 

But all is not lost. I see the blossoms in my asparagus patch constantly visited by bees - not the familiar brown and yellow honeybee, but a variety of smaller insects, unrecognizable as bees but for the bright yellow clumps of pollen on their legs.

It is surprising to learn that there are about 4,000 species of native bees across the US. The most recognizable are the large, hairy bumblebees. In common with domestic honeybees, bumblebees form colonies with workers and a queen bee. However the bumblebee colony is small, dozens of bees compared to thousands, and lasts but one season. It is only the new queen bumblebees that will survive the winter to start new colonies the following spring.

The vast majorities of native bees do not form colonies and are known as solitary bees. Their common names often reflect their nesting habit, for instance there are leafcutter bees that line hollow stems or other ready-made tunnels with leaf fragments, carpenter bees that bore into dead wood, mining bees that dig into the ground and mason bees that build mud nests in pre-existing holes. So-called sweat bees derive their name from their attraction to human sweat.  There are many different species within each of these groups and many of these bees are smaller than honeybees. For instance leafcutter bees are 3/8 to 3/4 of an inch long, and black with silvery hairs. Sweat bees are 0.1 to 0.4 inches long, and black or metallic whereas carpenter bees resemble bumble bees with a hairless, shiny abdomen.  The diversity of native bees defies concise description. However a notable feature they all have in common is extreme reluctance to sting.

All solitary bees share a common lifestyle. The female mates and constructs several nesting chambers, which may be divided into individual cells.  Each cell is stocked with nectar and pollen, packed together to form a “loaf.” An egg is laid in the cell, which is then sealed. After filling all the cells and covering the entrance to the nest, the bee dies.  The eggs hatch and the larval bees feed, grow, pupate and finally emerge as adult bees.  Their development takes about eleven months in all, while adult bees may live as little as three or four weeks.  The different species mature at various times throughout the season.

During their short adult lives native bees are nonetheless very active pollinators. In fact they are in some ways superior to honeybees. They fly in cool spring weather when honeybees will not leave the hive. Fast-moving native bees also visit more flowers per hour than do honeybees. One study found that 150 leafcutter bees could do the work of 3000 honeybees. Solitary bees are also very efficient at pollinating certain crops like blueberries, in which 40% of flowers set fruit after a single visit by a native bee.

Like many insects, native bees have suffered declines as a result of large-scale pesticide spraying by corporate agriculture and on industrially managed forestland, as well as garden pesticide use. Loss of wild lands, the natural habitat of these pollinators, is another major factor. Bee nests in the ground are easily obliterated by tilling, and nests in dead wood destroyed by clean-up operations.

Native bees do not require much in return for their pollination services. These sun-loving insects like to nest in dry locations. For ground-nesting bees, a sunny slope with areas of bare soil can be left uncultivated. For bees that nest in wood or stem cavities, dead snags and bundles of hollow bamboo or reeds will offer nest sites. Some companies even sell wood blocks drilled with various sized holes (1/8, 3/16, 1/4 and 5/16”) to attract a variety of solitary bees.  Stems of shrubs such as elderberry, sumac and box elder can also be cut to expose the hollow interior. For mason bees a source of water and mud is required.  Many bee species are attracted by untilled, weedy areas left along hedgerows. It is also important to provide a food source for the bees when crops or gardens are not in bloom. Suitable food plants include early flowering willows for spring, clover in summer and asters in the fall.  A diversity of native plants along hedgerows will almost certainly supply food season-long. Finally, to ensure that native bees will pollinate our crops, nest sites and plantings for bees should be within 600 ft of crop areas, since these bees do not fly long distances from their nests.

Submitted by Li Shen
Thetford Conservation Commission

 

TREASURE ISLAND NOTES

BEACH PARTY:  Friday, August 10, 12PM-4PM.  Save the date for this fun festival with DJ music, children and adult games and races, arts and crafts, and a 12PM island potluck cookout. Come with your beachwear on!  Please bring a dish. Celebrate summer & the last day of swimming lessons. Hope to see you! 

 

Treasure Island is open seven days a week from 10AM-8PM - come as your schedule allows. 

Also, Peabody Library Story Hour is on THURSDAYS at 10:30AM, and Arts and Crafts take place weekly on TUESDAYS from 10-12PM. 

 

For any questions or more information, please contact the park at 333-9016.

Submitted by Scott and Ann O’Hearn

 

RICES MILLS COMMUNITY CENTER EVENT

AUGUST MOSTLY WALTZ  
7pm - 9:30pm Saturday, August 11th
Bring Clean shoes and water to drink!

Information:  Gina @ 785-4220 or email gsonne@sover.net.
Submitted by Gina Sonne

 

COVER Home Repair and Reuse Program Pickup Day

Wednesday, August 15th
Once again, volunteers from the nonprofit COVER will come to Thetford to pick up old stoves, refrigerators and other household items. Many donated items are tax deductible. COVER addresses urgent home repair needs of low-income, disabled and elderly Upper Valley residents. 
Please contact Frank Orlowski at 802-359-5900 to schedule a pickup time on August 15.

Submitted by Elise Tillinghast

 

UPPER VALLEY RIDESHARE: Consider Carpooling

if you are interested in significant saving on gas costs while generating less carbon emissions. Upper Valley Rideshare, the local broker for Vermont Rideshare, is a free service working to connect commuters in 170 Vermont and New Hampshire towns in the Connecticut River region.

For more information, or to register, visit our website at www.UpperValleyRideshare.com or telephone extension 206 at either 802-295-1824 or 800-571-9779.

 

 

THETFORD TOWN NEWSLETTER SUBMISSION INFORMATION 

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.