AUG. 2011 (begin-month)
COMMUNITY &
CHAMBER NEWS  
CHINESE VISITING STUDENTS
If you have been around Brandon or Pittsford the last week, you might have noticed any one or more of 30 Chinese teenagers with local families or OVUHS student ambassadors. The students are staying in the area for a total of ten days and have been staying with families, traveling around Vermont, and improving their English.

At the August 1 (that's tonight) Brandon Town Band concert (scheduled for 6:30 pm in Brandon's Central Park or at the Town Hall in case of rain), the students will be selling lemonade and baked goods to benefit the Town Band. This is a great way for the community to meet the students and for the students to practice their English. Plus, the Town Band is always a delight to hear so come on down!

 

NEXT FREE CONCERT IN THE LINE-UP: 

Enerjazz
Friday, Aug. 5 at 6:30 pm
in Brandon Green Park

The 19 members of EnerJazz are dedicated and committed to performing authentic arrangements by their original artists whenever possible. EnerJazz plays tunes made famous during the big band era as well as charts by contemporary artists. Whether you are dancing or just listening, you will be entertained by this group of hard working, fun loving musicians. Sponsored by Casella Waste Management.   

 

 
BRANDON'S ANNUAL YARD SALE DAY: AUG. 6:

On Saturday  morning, August. 6, Official Yard Sale Maps will be available starting at 7:00 a.m. on-line at www.brandon.org and at the Visitor Center at the historic Stephen A Douglas Birthplace, located next to the Baptist church at the corner of Routes 7 and 73 West.  Sales will be held rain or shine.    

 

 


LAUREL & HARDY SILENT COMEDIES
WITH LIVE MUSIC
BRANDON TOWN HALL
SATURDAY, AUG. 6

Program also includes feature-length comedy starring unjustly forgotten actor Raymond Griffith

Laughter for the whole family is on tap at Brandon Town Hall, where classic silent comedies starring Laurel & Hardy will be screened with live music on Saturday, Aug. 6. The show starts at 7 p.m.; admission is free, donations are encouraged.

The program, the latest in the Brandon Town Hall's summer silent film series, also includes a feature-length movie, 'Paths to Paradise' (1925), starring Raymond Griffith, a neglected master of silent film comedy.

Music will be provided by Jeff Rapsis, a New Hampshire-based composer who specializes in improvising live accompaniment for silent films.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were already successful comic actors when they were teamed in 1927 during the twilight years of the silent film era. The pair, sporting derby hats and a unique gift for slapstick incompetence, began starring in a series of short comedies that quickly rocketed them to worldwide fame.

Three of the duo's best early films are on the Aug. 6 program in Brandon. 'Double Whoopee' (1929) finds Laurel & Hardy wreaking havoc at a posh downtown hotel; in 'Early to Bed' (1928), Ollie inherits a fortune and hires Stan as his butler, with unexpected results; and in 'Angora Love' (1929), the pair take custody of a stray goat, leading to disastrous complications.

"The Laurel and Hardy silent comedies are fun to revive because they're so simple and basic," said Rapsis, who will accompany the films. "Audiences still love them, and it's refreshing, because their style of comedy is so timeless, and also so different from what's on television and in today's movies."

Also on the program is 'Paths to Paradise' (1925), a feature comedy starring Raymond Griffith, a comic actor who at his peak rivaled Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton in the 1920s. Most of Griffith's films have been lost, however, which has caused him to be nearly unknown today.

'Paths to Paradise,' one of his few surviving movies, gives audiences a chance to see why Griffith was one of the most popular stars of the era. The picture, a fast-moving jewel heist caper filled with clever gags and plot twists, is climaxed by a wild car chase that at the time set new standards for high-speed Hollywood action.

Griffith, nicknamed the 'Silk Hat' comedian because he often wore one on screen, was a silent film actor who really couldn't talk in real life. Due to a childhood vocal injury, he could only speak in a hoarse whisper. Griffith's impaired vocal chords forced him to become an expert pantomime artist, a skill that he put to good use on screen in his many starring silent films.

"In his movies, Griffith's character was that of a worldly, shrewd, and quick-thinking gentleman, usually dressed in a top hat and a cape, who enjoyed outwitting con artists and crooks at their own game," Rapsis said. "He was like a human version of Bugs Bunny, always able to find a clever way out of a jam, and 'Paths to Paradise' shows off his talents really well."

The Aug. 6 comedy program is the latest in the Brandon Town Hall's Summer Silent Film Series, which features monthly screenings of classic silent films with live music. All proceeds of the series will be used to support the historic town hall's ongoing renovations.

"All of these films were designed to be seen in theaters by large audiences, not on a small television screen by people sitting at home," Rapsis said. "In showing silent films, the Flying Monkey aims to recreate the lost magic of early cinema comedy by bringing together crucial elements for its success-the best available prints, projection on the big screen, a live audience, and, in the case of silent films, live music."

Three Laurel & Hardy short comedies and 'Paths to Paradise' will be shown on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at Brandon Town Hall and Community Center, Route 7, in Brandon, Vt. Admission is free; donations are encouraged, with proceeds to support ongoing renovation of the town hall. For more information, visit www.brandontownhall.org. For more info on the music, visit www.jeffrapsis.com

 

 
LAST CALL TO REGISTER
YARD SALE

SIGN UP UNTIL
5 PM ON THUR., AUG. 4

SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS E-NEWSLETTER FOR YARD SALE REGISTRATION FORM

 

 


HAPPY 250th BIRTHDAY BRANDON
Brandon 250 Vermont
NEXT CHAMBER MEETING

The Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce will next meet on Monday, Aug. 15 at 6:30 pm in The Cliver Room at the Stephen A Douglas Birthplace.

 

CONTACT INFO
Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce

PO Box 267
Brandon VT 05733

802-247-6401

info@brandon.org
www.brandon.org
 
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BRANDON YARD SALE CONTRACT - AUGUST 6, 2011

NEW THIS YEAR: ENHANCED LISTING OPPORTUNITIES

    

Name and address listing: $7               

 

Enhanced listing: $15 buys you 25 words to describe your yard sale plus your name and address in a boxed ad. For example, your enhanced listing can say:   

 

John & Mary Brandon - 1 Park St.: Multi-family sale, kids clothes, games, toys, books, old records, furniture, some antiques, tools. Good items for college students including dishes and pots & pans.   

       

For ALL LISTINGS:

               

 

NAME: ________________________________________________________

 

ADDRESS: (Yard-salers - please be very descriptive so we can mark your place on a town street map)                               

 

 

______________________________________________________________

 

_______________________________________________________________

   

 

PHONE: ____________________         EMAIL: _________________________

 

For ENHANCED LISTING:

 

25 WORDS: ______________________________________________________

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

   

_________________________________________________________________

 

MAIL TO BACC, PO BOX 267, BRANDON OR DROP OFF AT CARR'S FLORIST or THE INSIDE SCOOP

 

DEADLINE FOR GETTING IN YARD SALE FORMS: AUG. 4, 2011

 

WE WILL TRY TO GIVE YOU A YARD SALE STICK AT EITHER CARR'S OR THE INSIDE SCOOP WHEN YOU REGISTER. IF YOU DON'T GET ONE AT THAT TIME, ONE WILL BE DROPPED OFF AT YOUR YARD SALE LOCATION ON FRIDAY, AUG. 5, 2011