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SPECIAL ORDERS NOW AVAILABLE FOR NEW BRANDON T-SHIRTS - DEADLINE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 13
THESE SHIRTS MAKE GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS
AVAILABLE IN LONG-SLEEVE
Have you seen the new Brandon T-shirts the Chamber is selling? Shirts are on display in the windows at the Brandon Inn. There have been a number of requests for this shirt but in a different color or in long-sleeve. This is the opportunity to place a special order for the size, color and sleeve length you would like.
Orders MUST BE PRE-PAID
- Short sleeve shirts are $15
- Long sleeve shirts are $18
See all the colors available on the manufacturer website
Would you like the commemorative "250" logo on your shirt? (requests without stipulation about the"250" logo will be printed without it)
CONTACT Janet with details (size, color, sleeve length, and 250 logo). The order is going in Tuesday, September 13.
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LEAF PEOPLE
A creative and energetic crew met last Wednesday, September 7 and fixed up +50 of the town's leaf People. They are looking fine!
Please Contact Us If You Can Help!
The Hanging: Can you spare 1-1.5 hours on Monday, September 19 for The Hanging? No experience necessary.
Make Your Own Leaf Person Day: Saturday, October 1 in Central Park. Volunteers needed for 1-1/2 hour shift (or longer) starting at 9:30 am through clean-up, approximately 1:30 - 2 pm. No experience necessary.
NEEDED: We are in most need of bright colorful children's clothes and accessories. No infant or short sleeves / shorts please. Long sleeve ladies dresses and long sleeve men's dress shirts. Needed accessories include HATS (esp. ladies), handbags, backpacks, shoes, socks, boots, belts, beads, and gloves. Please feel free to leave neat boxes or bags of clothes at the Visitor Center at the Stephen A Douglas Birthplace or call the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce at 247-6401. |
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ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY
The Chamber is putting together a color co-op ad in the Vermont Vacation Guide 2012. This is the magazine which the State of Vermont and the state Chamber of Commerce use as fulfillment. There are 200,000 printed and they bring them to trade shows - both industry and consumer.
If you would like to advertise in this premier tourism-based magazine, please contact the Chamber with your interest. The ad is in the development stage at this time. Each participating business pays $275. The Chamber subsidizes the cost of the ad. The more advertisers we get, the larger the ad we can place! Contact the Chamber if you are interested.
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| UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE BRANDON TOWN HALL
Saturday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. join us for another entertaining evening with Jeff Rapsis as he accompanies the silent movie Way Down East," (1921). Thrill to director D.W. Griffith's legendary melodrama. Will wronged woman Lillian Gish be rescued from the ice floes before she meets her doom? Filmed partly in Vermont and New Hampshire in the Connecticut River Valley!
 Friday, September 30 at 7:30 p.m. --- Enjoy "Laugh In for Brand-Aid" - an evening of comedy with local funny man Tony Bates and other comedians from all over Vermont. 16+ year old audiences, It is a free will offering with a suggested donation of $10 per but anything (more or less) will help. ALL proceeds will go to Brand-Aid. The comedians are donating their fee and the Friends of the Town Hall will be donating the venue. This is a 100% fundraiser for Brand-Aid to help area businesses and people who suffered damage from Tropical Storm Irene.
And in October:
October promises to be a busy month with the Lion's Auction on October 1 of its Reflections of Brandon to benefit the Boys and Girls Club and the Brandon Town Hall.
October 8 brings the annual BAG Auction of its clocks.
October 15 will be the celebration of Brandon's 250th Birthday at the Town Hall. Events will start early afternoon with a presentation of a Proclamation by the Vermont Legislature and continue with music, "cake," and much more. The celebration will conclude with the last Silent Movie Festival of the season. "Chiller Theater" will have you shaking in your boots -- be it from the chilly fall weather, or the Halloween themed films to be shown with Jeff Rapsis providing his musical accompaniment. But more about that next month!
Any questions --- e-mail us at "info@brandontownhall.org" or call Mei Mei Brown at 247-3971.
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NEWS FROM THE
FRIENDS OF THE BRANDON TOWN HALL
In Their Own Words:
Officials from Catamount Environmental recently arrived at the Town Hall to "tent" the basement wall that includes the double-doors leading to the main floor and lift. A building inspection found that the wallboard contains asbestos and we decided to remove the last of the asbestos from the Hall before the bathroom project commences in a few weeks.
This expense of this project, $4,500, was not calculated in our fundraising, but we felt that it was important to address this issue now and not "cover it up" for others to deal with down the road. I am confident that we will find the money "somewhere" to pay the bill.
Meanwhile, our fundraising continues. To date we have had 119 plates for the plaque purchased by so many of you. When we sell another 31 plates we will receive the final $5,000 payment from our anonymous donor who pledged $15,000 towards this fundraiser!
If you haven't purchased your plate yet, or would like to do "one more," our 150 Dollars for 150 Years application for the plates. An application can be downloaded from our website brandontownhall.org; Click on the word "here" at the end of the first paragraph.
Donations of any size are always appreciated. If you would like to be an anonymous donor - our lips are sealed! And remember, all donations are tax deductible as we are a 501(c)(3) organization.
At tonight's Friends of the Brandon Town Hall meeting the board "passed" the hat and collected enough money to buy one more plate for the 150 Year plaque. It will read "Hurricane Irene, August 28, 2011." We all felt that Irene impacted everyone in town and needed to be recognized. (Even the Town Hall received minor damage with water seeping into the basement and plaster damage to the ceiling from water finding its way through our slate shingles.)
Any questions --- e-mail us at "info@brandontownhall.org" or call Mei Mei Brown at 247-3971.
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SUDBURY ROAD RACE & FUN DAY
28th Annual Sudbury's Country School
Road Race & Fun Day
Saturday, September 17
9:45 am -- 5K Run and Walk
11:30 am -- 1.2 mile Fun Run
Entry Fee: Adults:$16 (by 9/10) and $20 (9/11til race day)
Under 18: $9 (by 9/10) and $10 (9/11til race day)
Entry forms are available at www.sudbury.k12.vt.us
For information: Sudbury's Country School; 802-623-7771; sudburyroadrace@rnesu.org
BRANDON AMERICAN LEGION:
SUPPORT BRANDON RECOVERTY
Saturday - September 17OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Pig Roast - 6:00 to 8:00 pm (Hamburgers & Hot Dogs also available) Music @ 8:00 w/ Carnival Hill Band Donation of only $10.00 per ADULT Under 12 - $5.00 per CHILD Proceeds go to the Town of Brandon and local businesses damaged by Hurricane Irene CONCERT OF CELTIC MUSIC GRYPHON & CO. Saturday, Sept. 24 at St Thomas Episcopal Church at 7 pm With harp, guitar, bouzouki, flutes, pennywhistles, recorders and voice. Free will offering. Suggested donation $8. Regina Christianson & Steve Whiteley with Bonita Lubinsky Light refreshments in rear of church will follow
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NEW ENGLAND MAPLE MUSEUM
Maple Sugar Candy Making Demonstration. Visitors can watch maple syrup boiled into yummy maple candy and, of course, sample it fresh from the mold. Every Wednesday thru September, 10:30 AM- 1:30 PM. No Charge. New England Maple Museum, Rt 7, Pittsford. 802-483-9414. info@maplemuseum.com.
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UPDATE FROM MEGAN SMITH
Commissioner, VT Department of Tourism & Marketing
Agency of Transportation Update:
Route 9: Opening this key route less than two weeks after the storm illustrates our commitment to restoring critical east-west travel corridors, which are vitally important to our economy, commerce and tourism. Reopening Route 9 combined with the last week's reopening of both Route 103 between Rockingham and Rutland and Route 11 between Chester and Manchester, goes a long way to restoring mobility in southern Vermont.
Route 4: The remaining major east-west corridor is Route 4 between Woodstock and Rutland. Unless we experience some unforeseen setback, we anticipate this segment opening by next weekend, which is well before the height of foliage season. Travelers, however, need to understand that open does not mean back to normal. Like along Route 9, motorists will encounter work zones and gravel segments that will slow travel.
Temporary bridges are being ordered and we will have news on those next week.
Links to Resources for Recovery:
Marketing Update:
- VDTM has activated the Vermont Foliage Force, a group of industry leaders who will be concentrating their time and effort into promoting Vermont during the upcoming foliage season. We will launch a campaign titled "See Vermont like a Local" in the early part of next week.
The strategy of the campaign is to gather content from Vermonters about favorite foliage locations and scenic drives currently open. We will keep the consumer in the forefront about places to visit - including places that may be off the beaten path due to Tropical Storm Irene, but well worth the effort and additional time that may be required to get there.
The Vermont Foliage Force is a collaborative effort of the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing, Vermont Ski Areas Association, Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont Convention Bureau, Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation and Vermont Agency of Transportation.
We are inviting Vermonters share their favorite leaf-peeping routes via video or upload scenic photos. These images and stories will be used to share the vibrancy of our state events, resiliency and character in a See Vermont Like a Local campaign directed by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.
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NATIONAL BANK OF MIDDLEBURY DISASTER RELIEF LOAN FUND In the wake of Hurricane Irene's path of destruction throughout west central Vermont, G. Kenneth Perine, President of National Bank of Middlebury, has announced the formation of a Disaster Relief Loan Fund. According to Mr. Perine, "Loans will be made available to quickly aid in the clean-up and repairs that will be necessary due to the tremendous storm damage. Our friends and neighbors in the region need assistance, and they need it now."
All loans requests must stem directly from Hurricane Irene-related damage to homes, businesses, or municipalities in order to be eligible for consideration. These loans will carry a very low interest rate in order to aid neighbors to rebuild their lives.
TO APPLY FOR A DISASTER RELIEF LOAN: Call National Bank of Middlebury TOLL-FREE at 1-877-508-8455
Or, visit our local office: BRANDON, 5 Carver St. 802-247-8510.
"We're not just in the banking business, we're in the community-building business. This is a chance for us to help our neighbors" said Ken Perine, "We hope that everyone, in their own ways, will reach out and assist their fellow Vermonters in any way they are able to."
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MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS
FOR CHAMBER MEMBERS ONLY:
Your award- winning local newspaper, The Reporter, (now on-line!) believes a strong local economy benefits everyone. We support the efforts of the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce and our local business community by offering special discounts on our already favorable advertising rates for new and existing members of the Chamber.
*Get a 4.25"x 4" ad as low as $38.25 per insertion - Contact us for details *Special discounts on subscriptions for Chamber members too.
As always, advertisers in The Reporter receive free graphic design services, general marketing assistance and high visibility to your core market, our readers.
The Reporter is a paid weekly publication that focuses on balanced, timely news coverage for the communities we cover, from Brandon to West Rutland and everywhere in between.
Contact Alyssa Zollman at 247-8080 or email ads@brandonreporter.com. Offer expires September 30, 2011.
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HUBBARDTON BATTLEFIELD
STATE HISTORIC SITE:
September 18 is the final Third Sunday program at the Hubbardton Battlefield State Historic Site for 2011.
A Hubbardton resident of 1777 comes back to life to talk about the Revolutionary War battle of Hubbardton and what it was like to live in the path of war. Site interpreter Carl Fuller, dressed in period attire, offers the program at 1 p.m. rain or shine. He'll tell battlefield tales, talk about how the residents sought safety, how they came back to the area after the war to continue work on their farms, and what it was like to live in the new Republic of Vermont.
The Hubbardton Battlefield is the site of the only Revolutionary Battle fought on Vermont soil. The successful American rear guard action here on July 7, 1777, saved the American northern army from the British, and eventually led to the successful American battle on August 16 to save the supplies located at Bennington and the battles of Saratoga in October.
Please call (802) 273-2282 for details and for road conditions. The site is located in Hubbardton on Monument Hill Road, seven miles north of US Route 4 from Castleton or six miles east of VT Route 30 in Hubbardton. Regular hours are 9:30 to 5:00 p.m., Thursday through Sunday and Monday holidays, through October 10.
For information about Vermont's State-Owned Historic Sites: www.historicvermont.org/sites.
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THE BRAND-AID FUND currently has more than $15,000 in pledges and donations. Keep reading for a BIG upcoming fund-raiser at the Brandon Town Hall. This fund will put money directly in the hands of Brandon and Forest Dale business owners who suffered out-of-pocket expenses in the flood. THANKS to everyone who has contributed to date. DONATE NOW
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POST-IRENE RESOURCES
FEMA DISASTER RECOVERY CENTER NOW OPEN IN RUTLAND
1 COMMON ST
RUTLAND
OPEN DAILY
8 AM - 6 PM
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TAX RELIEF INFO
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=245058,00.html
http://www.state.vt.us/tax/pdf.word.excel/misc/Hurricane%20Irene.pdf
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POST-IRENE ARCHITECTURAL ASSISTANCE
The Brandon Historical Commission, at its meeting of Sept. 7, voted to offer free architectural advice and initial design services to any owners of historic structures that have suffered damage in the recent flood. Please call commission member Max Ferro, FAIA, a licensed architect, at 247 6924, if you wish for such assistance.
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WE WANT YOUR FLOOD STORIES / PHOTOS
A good time to capture memories of major life events is right after they happen. At the Brandon Museum we've been sharing our old photos of flood damage from 1900 and 1939 with local people and visitors alike. The similarities are uncanny. We would like to gather any current thoughts and anecdotes of the recent flooding, and save them for future generations to ponder. Send your stories, while they are still fresh in your mind, to the Brandon Museum, P.O. Box 246, Brandon, VT and we will include them in a notebook of Irene Stories, 2011. Call the museum and leave a message if you'd rather do an audio recording, and we will schedule a time. If you have photos you would like to share, please email us at info@brandon.org to talk about the best way to transfer them. Especially needed are Forest Dale photos.
The Brandon Museum and Visitor's Center at the Stephen A. Douglas Birthplace has welcomed nearly one thousand people so far this season. We are located at 4 Grove Street, next to the Baptist Church, and will be open every day from 11 A.M. until 4 P.M. through October 15. Please stop by and see us.
John Dilts, Brandon Museum Steward
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FLOOD ART
Brandon photographer Anthony Albarello has some very cool Flood Art posted on his website. |
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CROB MOB AT CHAMPLAIN ORCHARDS
Champlain Orchards, Shoreham
9am-1pm Saturday, Sept. 24
CONTACT: Emma Paradis - eparadis@uvm.edu, (802) 249-3415
UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Calling all Mobsters! Join us, Saturday, September 24 for a Crop Mob at Champlain Orchards. Workday is from 9 am-1 pm.
A crop mob is an event where a group of volunteers converge for a few hours to help a farm complete a project or group of projects. Work will be helping Champlain Orchards collect apple drops that will be made into delicious cider.
Bring comfortable clothing and friends! Light refreshments and apples to take home will be available. Live music benefitting farmers impacted by Hurricane Irene starting at noon. Come join the fun and help out our farmer friends!
Meet in front of the farm market at 9 am or come find us in the orchard: 3597 VT Route 74 Shoreham
Contact Emma for further information at eparadis@uvm.edu
Established in 1994, UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture provides timely information to Vermont communities and the UVM campus. The Center cultivates understanding, innovative practices and policies to advance sustainable food and farming in Vermont and beyond.
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A MESSAGE FROM FEMA
"I am a Private Sector Liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and I am here in Vermont to serve as a resource to the private sector in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene. I look forward to continued dialogue and information sharing while we are here in Vermont. My contact information is listed below should you need assistance.
We want to ensure that your members and employees have the information they need to apply for disaster assistance. To that end, I have included information below that you may want to post on your employee Web site or in other communications channels.
On Sept. 1, 2011, the president signed a major disaster declaration for the state of Vermont due to damage caused by Tropical Storm Irene. This declaration allows eligible families and individuals in the designated counties to receive grants to cover temporary housing and serious disaster-related needs and reimbursement for expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs.The designated counties for Individual Assistance are Chittenden, Rutland, Washington, Windham, Windsor, Orange, Addison and Bennington.
Those in the counties designated for assistance to affected residents and business owners can begin the disaster application process by registering online at
www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov , or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
Additional Information
Additional Assistance: http://www.fema.gov/assistance/process/additional.shtm
What to do After a Flood: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/fl_after.shtm
Rebuilding Resources: http://www.fema.gov/rebuild/recover/resources.shtm
Fixing Flood Damage: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/coping.shtm
Respectfully,
Kysa George"
Private Sector Specialist
Office of External Affairs
Federal Emergency Management Agency
US Department of Homeland Security
FEMA-4022-DR-VT
C: 808-679-7200
O: 571-409-4436
Kysa.george@dhs.gov
www.fema.gov/privatesector
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LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER
OMYA AND CAFE PROVENCE present "Dinner with Friends"
to benefit the Rutland County United Way
Wednesday October 5th; Cocktails at 5:30pm and Dinner at 6:30pm
50/50 raffle. More details coming soon
SMORGASBORD SUPPER at the Brandon Congregational Fellowship Hall, RT 7 Main St, OCT 8 from 5-7 PM. Adults $12; youth 5-12; $6 under 5 free. Baked Turkey-Ham--Meatballs--Vt. maple bake beans,-- scallop potatoes,-- mac/cheese,--pastas/lasagna, --variety of salads/slaws,-- vt.. squash/veggies,-- rolls/fruit breads,-- condiments,--- hot/cold drinks, ---baked Vt. apples/ice cream.
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VERMONT GET YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE CAMPAIGN
What is Vermont Get Your Business Online? A Google-led program dedicated to helping to drive economic growth by providing Vermont local businesses the tools and resources to get online and succeed.
Why is Google doing this? Small businesses are vital to America's economic future; the nation's 27.5M small businesses comprise half the US GDP and create two-thirds of all new jobs. While 97% of Americans look online for local products and services, 63% of American small businesses do not have a website or online presence. That's a lot of small businesses that are virtually invisible to potential customers looking online.
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GET YOUR BUSINESS LISTED
Do you have a business in which you rely on tourists, the traveling public, or good reviews? TripAdvisor is one of the largest on-line review websites. Any business owner or site manager can list their property. Then all you have to do is encourage your guests, customers or patrons to go on-line and provide positive reviews!
Click here to get yourself listed
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MOONLIGHT MADNESS
SAVE THE DATES
The Chamber's popular Moonlight Madness dates for 2011 are:
- Thursday, December 1 &
- Wednesday, December 14
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HAPPY 250th BIRTHDAY BRANDON
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NEXT CHAMBER MEETING
The Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce will next meet on Monday, September 19 at 6:30 pm in The Cliver Room at the Stephen A Douglas Birthplace.
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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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