Brandon was recently seen on Boston's WCVB Chronicle's Main Streets and Backroads. Click to watch Segment One, Segment Two, Segment Three and Segment Four. 

Brandon is a perfect location for meetings and small conferences. Assets include being centrally located, having a variety of venues for choice, and having options for food (always important, right?) Brandon is easy to travel to from all directions and is a half-way point between Burlington and Bennington on the western side of the state. Between Brandon's inns, restaurants, and the Town Hall, there are a number of choices for every size and budget. Expanding that choice further, organizers can decide if they want a full-served meal or bag lunch brought in, and no one has to go far to find tasty options.

In the past week, there have been two small meetings in town and another is being organized for  September. The Rutland County Democrats held their "Women Making a Difference" brunch at the Brandon Inn last week, bringing county leaders to their northern-most town for the afternoon. Last Friday, the State of Vermont Downtown Program quarterly roundtable brought in a group of about 20 downtown managers for the day who met at the Town Hall and enjoyed a bag lunch prepared by Plan-It Sheri Catering. In September, the Vermont Council of the International Association of Insurance Professionals is holding a two day meeting in Brandon bringing in about 40 industry professionals. Thanks goes to Barb Watters, former Brandon resident and Director of the VCIAIP, for scheduling their 2012 event here.

What's great about these events is that they pack a financial punch to our local businesses while exposing our terrific assets to people who might otherwise never have come to town. At last week's downtown manager meeting, a few said they had never been to Brandon before and in fact, didn't really know where the town was located until they got in the car and turned on their GPS unit. These groups are of the right scale and size for most of our venues and our business community is accommodating and eager. For more information about scheduling an event or meeting in Brandon contact the Chamber at 802-247-6401.

SUMMER FESTIVAL OF FOWL IN VERMONT VILLAGE

Brandon, where community art projects originated in Vermont with the Really Big Pig Show in 2003, is revisiting the barnyard this summer, and celebrating its 10th annual such event. Plans are underway for What's Hatching in Brandon?, a free-range collection of Roosters, Hens, and Other Barnyard Fowl, to be found at the Brandon Artists Guild, 7 Center Street, beginning May 25.

The 2012 theme reflects the energetic recovery -- some of it yet to come -- in this small community, which suffered downtown damage as the Neshobe River waters tore up Route 7 on August 28th and seriously damaged a number of buildings.

In a business-as-usual mode, the fifty artist-members of the successful Brandon Artists Guild co-op (known as the BAG) will each create and donate to the Guild a piece of art, in celebration of all birds that cluck, scratch, and crow. Expect the town to be "painted" rooster-red, figuratively speaking, as the artists install interactive barnyard displays around the village, for the summer enjoyment of passersby and serious visitors. The festivities will start to "hatch" at the end of May.

In the past, the season-long fundraiser culminated in a rolicking auction in October. However, for the upcoming year, the donated art will be for sale throughout the summer. In addition, raffle tickets for Fowl Art by local artists Judith Reilly, Dolores Furnari, and Stacey Stanhope will be sold all summer, with winner announcement at the gala ending on September 30th weekend.

Tourists and onlookers have been delighted each year following the 2003 Pig Show as Brandon Artist Guild painters, sculptors, and craftspeople continued to mount a town-wide frolic every year, donating their own time and hand-created or hand-decorated objects, many of them substantial in scale. There was a Birdhouse year ("Brandon Is for the Birds"), "Brandon Rocks" (rocking chairs), "It's Raining Cats and Dogs," and, more recently, "Art Makes Brandon Tick" (functioning clocks).

"What's Hatching in Brandon?" carries on the popular tradition and gives Brandon something to crow about. All proceeds of the four-month event will support student scholarships, promote the arts in our community, and help supplement the Brandon Artists Guild gallery.

Check BrandonArtistsGuild.org later for updated information; Brandon Artists Guild, 7 Center Street, Brandon, VT 05733 (phone: 802 247 4956).

BRANDON MUSIC PRESENTS SAXOPHONIST BENNY SHARONI on May 20 and SWING NOIRE TRIO on MAY 25

Brandon Music at 62 Country Club Road will host saxophonist Benny Sharoni, on May 20 at 7pm and the Swing Noire Trio on Friday, May 25 at 7:30 PM. The Swing Noire Trio will feature David Gusakov on violin, Rob McCuen on guitar, and Jim McCuen on double bass. Tickets are $15 per person and may be purchased by calling 465-4071 or emailing info@brandon-music.net.

Benny Sharoni is an Israeli-born tenor saxophonist, band leader, composer and arranger and is now a mainstay on the U.S. jazz scene. After emigrating to the United States to study at the Berklee College of Music, Sharoni studied with masters Charlie Banacos, Jerry Bergonzi and George Garzone before exploding onto the scene with his own unique brand of music. Fusing together classic influences of Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Steve Grossman, Sharoni flavors his music with Latin rhythms and an energetic drive that delights audiences worldwide.   

Based in Vermont, Swing Noire plays Gypsy Jazz in the tradition of the world-famous Hot Club of France. Their sound is reminiscent of the early days of jazz with a unique take on hot swing in the spirit of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Reinhardt and Grappelli are credited with bringing this unique music into the world during the early 1930's and creating some of the first jazz based outside of the African American tradition. Swing Noire builds on that energetic and exciting musical tradition to entrance and delight audiences around the state.

Surrounded by gracious countryside on the edge of the downtown community of Brandon, Brandon Music is home to a range of attractions, including the Music Café, recently named "Best Classical Lunch" by Yankee Magazine in their "Best of New England 2012" Travel Guide edition. The Music Café serves lunch and afternoon tea from 11:30am until 5:30pm every day. Closed Tuesday.   

Brandon Music offers an Early Bird dinner special, which includes a ticket for the jazz performance, for $25 per person. Enjoy the chef's award-winning chili and cornbread as well as dessert before listening to world-class jazz. Reservations are required for dinner.

For Tickets Contact Brandon Music: (802) 465-4071 / info@brandon-music.net

www.brandon-music.net/sundayjazz

Compass Music and Arts Center will feature a 250-seat performance hall, expandable to 450, available for live music and dance performances, as well as installation art exhibits. The artists' wing will offer studio space to local artists, who will be encouraged to showcase their artistic talents in gallery spaces around the Center. The musicians' wing will likewise feature studio space where musicians can offer lessons in various musical disciplines.

Upcoming Sunday Jazz Shows:

5/27 Sharon Jones (Swinging and Sultry Vocals)

6/03 Judi Silvano (Celebrated Vocal Artist)

6/10 Michael-Louis Smith (NYC Jazz Guitarist)

6/17 The Soul of a Man (Blues & Jazz)

6/24 Harvey Sorgen & Esa Pietila (Adventurous Duo)

And Congratulations are in order to Brandon Music: 
 

Brandon Music Named a 2012 "Best of New England-Editors' Choice" Winner by Yankee Magazine

 Brandon Music Café in Brandon, Vermont, has been recognized as a 2012 "Editors' Choice" winner in Yankee Magazine's Travel Guide to New England, on newsstands now. This designation is awarded by Yankee's editors and contributors, who name select restaurants, lodgings, and attractions in New England to the exclusive list. For 36 years, Yankee Magazine's Travel Guide to New England has been the most widely distributed and best-selling guide to the six-state region, providing readers with a comprehensive vacation-planning tool and daily reference.

Termed the "newest British invasion" by Yankee Magazine, Brandon Music Café is open for lunch and afternoon tea from 11:30am to 5:30pm every day, except Tuesday. In addition, the Café now offers an Early Bird dinner special on Sundays, which includes a ticket for the Sunday Jazz series, for $25 per person. Enjoy the chef's award-winning chili and cornbread as well as dessert before listening to world-class jazz. Reservations are required, and dinner is served from 4:00pm until 6:00pm, with final seating at 5:30pm. Sunday Jazz concerts begin at 7:00pm. Brandon Music Café is managed by Penny Powers. The Café's head chef is Donna Towle. 

"This special travel issue highlights 'The Best of New England' (p. 85): more sights to see, things to do, places to eat or spend an overnight than most of us could possibly fit into even the most jam-packed vacation," says Yankee's editor Mel Allen. "Wherever you may travel this season in New England, there's certain to be a Yankee 'Best' nearby."

Yankee Magazine's May/June 2012 Travel Guide, on newsstands April 24, features 287 "Best of New England-Editors' Choice" selections, which include the region's best dining and lodging venues, attractions, adventures, local secrets, and bargains. This special issue also names 120 top events around New England and shares 15 walks-form strolls on Martha's Vineyard, and inn-to-inn trek in Vermont, and a cliff walk in Maine. Treat yourself and celebrate the season with fresh recipes for summer's first fruit-strawberries. Plus, feast at the best 12 lobster shacks in our six state region.

Brandon Music Café will also be recommended on YankeeMagazine.com.

FREE HEALTH CARE INFORMATION FORUM

Join the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and MVP Health Care as they bring together a panel of experts and stakeholders to explore the complex issues surrounding state and federal health care reform and how they relate to your coverage, business or practice. Topics to be discussed will include: 

• How a "single-payer" system will change Vermont's health care market  
• How a health benefit exchange will impact benefits and employer relationships
• How Supreme Court deliberations could impact state efforts
• How cross-border issues will impact coverage and provider reimbursement.
  
  
  Wednesday, May 16 
  12:00 noon 
  at the Holiday Inn,
  Rt. 7 South 
  Rutland 
  
  A complimentary lunch will be served. Details: http://mvprutland.eventbrite.com/ 
   

• The town with the highest average energy saving resulting from completed improvements.
• The town with the highest percent of completed improvements per capita.
• Improvements must be completed, with test-out, between June 15, 2012 and
• May 31, 2012 to be counted for a grand prize.
• Towns are only eligible to win one prize.
• Only homes with completed energy improvements that have had a test-out by a BPI certified Home Performance with ENERGY STAR ® contractor /auditor will count toward towns' tally.
• Money must be used for an energy-related item(s) or services(s) for the town.

NEXT CHAMBER MEETING