Author Story Time

Listen to picture book author, Ioana Stoian read her book, Begin One Way. Enjoy a walk through an urban neighborhood guided by a child eager to share their love of road signs. By the end of this journey, children will be familiar with many common road signs and their meanings.

This book encourages children to be curious about the world they inhabit, inspires them to explore their own neighborhoods on foot, and empowers them to participate in daily activities like crossing the road safely. The rhyming text and whimsical hand-drawn illustrations will engage and appeal to children and adults alike.

Storytime with Susan Hessey

Join Susan Hessey for stories, songs and crafts. Preschoolers and their siblings and caretakers are welcome to attend. Tuesdays at 11 am.

Mushroom Journaling Workshop

Join artist Madge Evers for a mushroom journaling workshop. The class will begin at the museum, where participants will make their own nature journals using a simple paper fold. Next, participants will go on a walk across the river to the Wantastiquet trails, where Evers will lead a nature observation and journaling program focused on finding and identifying mushrooms and recording them as drawings or spore prints.

Foraged materials inform the work of Madge Evers. She has been paying close attention to signs of fungi since 2015, when she began making mushroom spore print art. Learning of and seeing the Herbarium that Emily Dickinson created as a student inspired Evers to see the plants all around us with new eyes.

This event is presented in connection with the exhibit Madge Evers: The New Herbarium.

This program is for participants ages 14+, or child and parent pairs if children are ages 10+. All materials provided. Participation is limited to 15 people. Rain date: Sunday, October 30.

This is an in-person program.

ADMISSION: $50, $45 BMAC members

Kids Outdoor Exploration

Southern Vermont Natural History Museum
Hogback Bush-wack

Meet Museum educators at the VAST parking lot across from VT Distillers on the north side of Route 9, Hogback

We’re going off the trail and seeing what we can find. Not much more to say- the kids will follow their noses and the adults will try to keep up! This activity is kid-directed and we never really know where we’ll end up!  Be sure to dress for the weather and for likely muddy trail conditions. Kid’s Explorations are free to attend but donations towards the Museum’s Educational programming are accepted and appreciated.

 

 

 

Bandwagon Summer Series: Genticorum + Gadan

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series and Twilight Music present a double bill featuring popular traditional Québécois musical trio Genticorum, and Gadan, the new project created by four experienced and well-known musicians in Irish trad and European folk/rock scenes.

Over the past 18 years the trad Quebec group Genticorum has become a fixture on the international world, trad, folk and Celtic music circuit. The band’s six albums met with critical acclaim in Canada, the United States and Europe, assuring the band a brilliant future. Known for its energy and its stage presence, Genticorum has given more than 800 concerts in more than 15 countries. Firmly rooted in the soil of their native land, the energetic and original traditional ‘power trio’ also incorporates the dynamism of today’s North American and European folk cultures in their music. They weave precise and intricate fiddle, flute and accordion work, gorgeous vocal harmonies, energetic foot percussion and guitar accompaniment into a big and jubilant musical feast. Their distinctive sound, sense of humor and stage presence makes them a supreme crowd pleaser.

Gadan is the new project created by four experienced and well-known musicians in Irish trad and European folk/rock scene, with years of touring in the major European and US festivals of traditional and contaminated folk music. An impactful repertoire with a powerful live appeal and a sound comparable to new-trad acts such as Talisk, WeBanjo3, The East Pointers or Rura, but with a unique identity thanks to years of experience in several folk scenes, from Appalachian & Old Time to Scottish and English folk and traditional music. Two banjos – tenor & clawhammer – fiddle, mandolin, bouzouki and guitar for a “strings-only” sound with a hint of electronics and driven by a powerful rhythmic pulse. A loop of building energy, taking the audience to ecstasy with the wide spectrum of refreshing yet traditional tones.

The Bandwagon Summer Series is a family-friendly outdoor cultural performance series running from early May through mid-October. More than 20 performances ranging from a diverse group of musical styles, circus arts, dance, and theater will take place at ballfields, farms, and parks throughout Windham County. Kids under 12 always get in for free, and a dedicated play area will be available at all shows. Refreshments are sold onsite, including the return of last summer’s hugely popular Barr Hill cocktails, and the new addition of some selections from Mad River Distillers. Food at this concert from Tandoori Cuisine by David’s Catering. Bring a blanket or lawn chair for outdoor seating.

Support for the Bandwagon Summer Series is provided by VTDigger, Brattleboro Reformer, Oak Meadow, Whetstone Beer Co., Landmark College, Barr Hill, Mad River Distillers, The Porch Café and Catering.

Tony Trischka and Robot Plane, plus Hot Mustard

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series and Twilight Music present an afternoon of banjo and bluegrass with banjo legend Tony Trischka and his brand new quartet, Robot Plane. Bluegrass quartet Hot Mustard reunites after an eight-year hiatus to open the show.

Steeped in Bluegrass, while stretching out into Celtic, Americana, and Progressive music, Tony Trischka & Robot Plane includes acoustic music all-stars Jacob Joliff (mandolin), Jared Engel (acoustic bass), and Hannah Read (fiddle). These extraordinarily versatile and talented musicians are alumni of bands such as Country Cooking, Breakfast Special, Joy Kills Sorrow, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Bela Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart.

“The father of modern bluegrass” (New York Times), Tony Trischka began playing in NYC in the early 1970s with a peer group of extraordinary musicians who saw American roots music as a thriving, living language that could be expanded and combined with other influences and sensibilities. In his 50-plus year career, Tony has pushed the boundaries of the banjo, performing with everyone from Pete Seeger to John Denver to Miley Cyrus to his most prominent former banjo student, Bela Fleck. He is a three-time Grammy nominee, most recently for producing Steve Martin’s “Rare Bird Alert,” featuring Paul McCartney and the Chicks.

Hot Mustard features two couples – Putney’s own Bruce and Kelly Stockwell, and Bill and April Jubett. From 2008 to 2014, the band played traditional bluegrass throughout New England with an unconventional instrumental lineup centered around Bruce and Bill on double banjos. For this reunion concert, Bill adds fiddle to Bruce’s banjo, April’s guitar, and Kelly’s acoustic bass.

The Bandwagon Summer Series is a family-friendly outdoor cultural performance series running from early May through mid-October. More than 20 performances ranging from a diverse group of musical styles, circus arts, dance, and theater will take place at ballfields, farms, and parks throughout Windham County. Kids under 12 always get in for free, and a dedicated play area will be available at all shows. Refreshments are sold onsite, including the return of last summer’s hugely popular Barr Hill cocktails, and the new addition of some selections from Mad River Distillers. Bring a picnic and a blanket or fold-up chair to enjoy our concerts.

Support for the Bandwagon Summer Series is provided by VTDigger, Brattleboro Reformer, Oak Meadow, Whetstone Beer Co., Landmark College, Barr Hill, Mad River Distillers, The Porch Café and Catering, and People’s United, a Division of M&T Bank.

Glen David Andrews Band

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents Glen David Andrews, The Crown Prince of Treme and New Orleans’ most charismatic live performer!

Glen David Andrews, a native son and a beloved musician of New Orleans, is a warrior for cultural preservation at a time when indigenous traditions are being threatened in the city.

His commanding voice and fierce trombone sound – both a powerful, emotional, and resonant blend of smoothness and grit – as well as his disarmingly honest manner provide a musical experience that never fails to meet the moment.

Glen’s music is packed with beauty, hard-earned truths, compassion, humor, anger, joy, and – most of all – hope.

Glen comes from a storied and extended family of musicians. He was born in New Orleans’ historic Tremé neighborhood, which many consider to be the oldest Black community in the United States. Transfixed by the magic and mystery of the city’s second-line parades, Andrews and his older brother, Derrick Tabb of the Rebirth Brass Band, along with their younger cousin Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, learned the history of the brass band tradition firsthand from iconic figures like Tuba Fats.

Glen has been touring since the age of 14, performing in cities around the world. He has played in New Birth, Lil Rascals, and Tremé brass bands, bringing equal measures of musicianship and showmanship to each.

He now fronts his own high-powered ensemble that expertly fuses traditions ranging from jazz to gospel to rock to blues and to funk, all in the same show, sometimes in the same song!

In recent years, he earned fame and began making headliner status at the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, considered the world’s biggest block party.

Glen has also made notable appearances at the Voodoo Music Experience, Chicago Folk and Roots Festival, Houston International Festival, The Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, House of Blues Nola, Tipitina’s, and Kansas City’s American Jazz Museum.

Glen has released several recordings under his own name including the popular “Redemption” and “Portrait of the Treme Prince” and is featured on the Galactic hit “You Don’t Know” from the album “Ya-Ka-May.”

The Bandwagon Summer Series is a family-friendly outdoor cultural performance series running from early May through mid-October. More than 20 performances ranging from a diverse group of musical styles, circus arts, dance, and theater will take place at ballfields, farms, and parks throughout Windham County. Kids under 12 always get in for free, and a dedicated play area will be available at all shows. Refreshments are sold onsite, including the return of last summer’s hugely popular Barr Hill cocktails, and the new addition of some selections from Mad River Distillers. Bring a picnic and a blanket or fold-up chair to enjoy our concerts.

Support for the Bandwagon Summer Series is provided by VTDigger, Brattleboro Reformer, Oak Meadow, Whetstone Beer Co., Landmark College, Barr Hill, Mad River Distillers, The Porch Café & Catering, and People’s United, a Division of M&T Bank.

Tears By the River: Krystal Puppeteers

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series and Sandglass Theater’s Puppets in the Green Mountains festival present a musical folktale about courage in relation to the modern-day themes of migration.

Many stories from Africa have traditionally been passed down by word of mouth. Tears by the River is one of these stories. Krystal Puppeteers sing, drum, puppeteer and dance in this vibrant and joyous performance. A brave monkey, LIBENDI, leaves his land after a great famine has killed many of his fellow monkeys. His adventurous “safari” takes him far off to a river where, after losing his energy from days of walking through valleys and mountains, deserts and barren land with no food and water, he dies beside the river before he can taste the life-giving water. Animals from the forest come to honor him by naming the river after Libendi. This prompts the “bigger” animals and “kings” of the jungle to be jealous to the point of doing crazy things to become famous as well.

Traditional theater in Kenya is distinguishable by its masks, drums, chants, and narratives. The Giriama people of the east coast of Kenya often perform with gigantic wooden figures. Turkanas, Maasai and Kamba tribes use fertility clay and wooden dolls called ikideet or gnide dressed in leather and decorated with coloured glass beads and costume jewelry. All of these elements can be found in Tears by the River, a contemporary puppet theater show that unfolds through images, sound and movement. Celebrating the oral traditions of Africa, these kinds of traditional stories are meant to prepare young people for life, and so, each story teaches a lesson or a moral.

Krystal Puppeteers is a dynamic, innovative and creative theater company that uses puppetry, participatory educational theater in life skills promotion, community education, and cultural communication to engage people in interactive discourse. It was founded by a team of puppet theater practitioners for the purpose of harnessing puppetry and folk media theater experiences for socio-economic and environmental change. Krystal Puppeteers helped to establish puppetry as an artistic and cultural medium in Eastern Africa.

Krystal Puppeteers was founded 1995 by Fedelis Kyalo and Chrispin Mwakideu, as a theater company that exists to contribute to the improvement of the livelihoods of the youth and the larger community through promoting, performing and addressing issues like, HIV/Aids, Gender based violence, Girl child education, Conservation, and Corruption. The Members through Kenya Institute of Puppet theater have created projects for community involvement, awareness, growth and development. One of the member of Krystal Puppeteers- Fedelis Kyalo is also the Head Puppeteer for Kenya’s favorite political satire The XYZ show.

The Bandwagon Summer Series is a family-friendly outdoor cultural performance series running from early May through mid-October. More than 20 performances ranging from a diverse group of musical styles, circus arts, dance, and theater will take place at ballfields, farms, and parks throughout Windham County. Kids under 12 always get in for free, and a dedicated play area will be available at all shows. Refreshments are sold onsite, including the return of last summer’s hugely popular Barr Hill cocktails, and the new addition of some selections from Mad River Distillers. Bring a picnic and a blanket or fold-up chair to enjoy our concerts.

Support for the Bandwagon Summer Series is provided by VTDigger, Brattleboro Reformer, Oak Meadow, Whetstone Beer Co., Landmark College, Barr Hill, Mad River Distillers, The Porch Café & Catering, and People’s United, A Division of M&T Bank.

Turning Point Sponsored Brattleboro Museum and Art Center Tour and Craft Making Event

September is National Recovery Month! Come celebrate with Turning Point’s Family Program Tuesday, September 20 at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center. This event is for kids of all ages. Enjoy a free private tour of the exhibits-some you can even touch and then make some crafts. This is for those in recovery, allies, and those impacted by a loved one’s substance use. Everyone in our community is welcome to join in connection.

 

 

 

Bandwagon Summer Series: Chinobay

The Next Stage Bandwagon Summer Series presents an evening of pan-African roots music with Ugandan musician, educator and creative arts producer Chinobay.

Chinobay’s work has been described as “some of the most exquisite music coming out of Africa today.” Since his youth, he has captivated audiences with world-roots rhythms and melodies that emanate from the diversity of the many traditional instruments he customized to develop his unique sound. The diverse textures of Chinobay’s music make it soothing, pulsing, meditative, invigorating, and intimate —much of it a mix of original and traditional with global influences—but the sounds are uniquely his.

Chinobay’s pan-African quartet brings together Cameronian producer and bassist Jonas Yologaza, Nigerian drummer Olaolu Ajibade, and duo national keyboardist William Pefok from Cameroon and Nigeria. Led by Chinobay’s voice African traditional instruments i.e. Kora, Kalimba, Endongo and Tama, this band has created a unique sound of their own tapping into various global influences with a strong foundation in African roots.

Chinobay’s education and outreach programs provide global audiences with a knowledge gateway into Africa through cross-cultural experiences and learning journeys that introduce Africa’s cultural arts, social studies and stories rarely covered by mainstream media, to lead a unique understanding of how we connect as humans across cultural and national lines.

Chinobay uses his music and voice to empower children and youth living in underserved communities to find purpose, restore dignity, develop talent, and build transformation. He founded Dance of Hope, an initiative that uses the transforming power of music, dance, and storytelling to educate and empower young people to become independent global citizens.

The Bandwagon Summer Series is a family-friendly outdoor cultural performance series running from early May through mid-October. More than 20 performances ranging from a diverse group of musical styles, circus arts, dance, and theater will take place at ballfields, farms, and parks throughout Windham County. Kids under 12 always get in for free, and a dedicated play area will be available at all shows. Refreshments are sold onsite, including the return of last summer’s hugely popular Barr Hill cocktails, and the new addition of some selections from Mad River Distillers. Bring a picnic and a blanket or fold-up chair to enjoy our concerts.

Support for the Bandwagon Summer Series is provided by VTDigger, Brattleboro Reformer, Oak Meadow, Whetstone Beer Co., Landmark College, Barr Hill, Mad River Distillers, The Porch Café and Catering, and People’s United, a Division of M&T Bank.