Brandon's Moonlight Madness event is for shoppers looking for unique gifts, one-of-a-kind items, and exceptional customer service. The event brings friends and neighbors together as people pour into town bringing holiday cheer and spirits.

   Moonlight Madness specials and discounts begin at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, December 3 and repeated on Thursday, December 18. Shops will stay open until 9:00 pm. Downtown Brandon has new shops, so come for a shopping and dining experience which can't be found at the mall or over the Internet! All throughout town, there will be bargains, sales, specials, drawings, exceptional refreshments and a terrific shopping experience.

   Many shops offering 20% off storewide and a chance to win $100 in Brandon Bucks!

See the deals from many of our business here  Moonlight Madness offerings

For more information, contact the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce at 247-6401.

MOONLIGHT MADNESS !!!!!

SunCommon invites you to visit our "Pop-Up" Art Gallery featuring wonderful works of local art in our downtown Rutland storefront space this holiday season. We've filled our bare walls with beautiful sun, nature or sustainability-themed artwork while also giving you the opportunity to purchase local art and crafts!

Where: SunCommon store within Small Dog Electronics, 116 West Street, Downtown Rutland.

When: 10 am - 5 pm, Wednesdays - Fridays (December 3^rd-5^th, 10^th-12^th & 17^th- 19^th). The gallery will stay open until 9 pm on Friday, December 12^th for an art event & solar party!

All artists, family, friends & members of the public are welcome!

Contact: Els Van Woert, 802-318-1809 or els@suncommon.com 

Vermont is a place of beauty and wonder in every season. The cycle of life continues with secrets hidden under blankets of snow, and trees revealed as sculptural form. Artistic inspiration is
everywhere!

This new collection of winter themed work will feature a variety of styles and media including framed original art, prints, jewelry, wood, clay and glass with prices no more than $200.  A collection of handmade ornaments will be featured as well.

The show will continue through the end of January 2015.

The Brandon Artists Guild is located at 7 Center St. Brandon, VT, 05733.

Open daily, 10am to 5pm. 802-247-4956. www.brandonartistsguild.org.

   Come to the Compass Music and Arts Center (CMAC) on December 6^th from 12-5pm for some holiday cheer, art, tea and shopping! Enjoy complimentary Christmas tea and freshly baked holiday scones while browsing the recently expanded gift shops and the new Art of Giving - : - The Giving of Art holiday show. Café CMAC will also be open, serving lunch, coffee, and tasty desserts.

   The CMAC book shop offers a wide range of new and used music, literary, and art related books, while the classical music store supplies you with the wide collection of CDs from the international classical recording company, the Divine Art Recordings Group. Divine Art produces everything from easy listening to the avant-garde, featuring orchestral, vocal and instrumental music and specializes in the rare and rediscovered. Christmas collectibles, note cards, candles and music ephemera are also bountiful within the Compass stores.

   Support your local creative community by shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts in the Art of Giving - : - The Giving of Art holiday show. Featuring the works of local artists, you will find fine art, distinctive paper creations, beautiful jewelry, photography, textiles, holiday ornaments and decorations, all at affordable prices. 

   Spend some time at Compass and get to know one of your local businesses while checking items off that holiday shopping list!

   The Compass Music and Arts Center is open seven days a week from 10-5pm and is located in Park Village at 333 Jones Dr. Brandon VT, 05733 (Park Village used to be the Brandon Training School, located 1.5 miles north of downtown Brandon off of Arnold District Rd.) . www.cmacvt.org

  Sarah Stone and Fred Barnes are bringing holiday jazz to Brandon Music on December 13, at 7:30pm. The duo will perform holiday classics with a jazz twist as well as some great jazz standards that are new to their repertoire.

   Since meeting and forming an immediate musical connection in 1998, Stone and Barnes have developed their performances to include musical standards from the 1940's to the present. Theirs is a musical relationship formed in Jazz, Blues, Broadway and even contemporary selections that make their audiences want to sing along and get up and dance! After a recent performance, an audience member observed, "With this jazz team, the melody is never sacrificed, it's embraced!"

   Sarah Stone began her professional career in musical theater in her home state of Florida and eventually toured nationally, singing and dancing her way from Maine to Montana.  Stone can often be found on stage locally at Middlebury Town Hall Theater and Vergennes Opera House.    She has played parts in productions such as Company, Guys and Dolls, Smokey Joe's Café, Oliver!, Cinderella and Shrek the Musical, as well as locally debuting her own one woman show, "Laverne DeVoe: Isn't She Dead?".

   Fred Barnes has performed throughout the Northeast in venues such as New York City supper clubs, nightspots and even the Sheraton Russell Hotel. He and his piano have brought their style of jazz all over Vermont to large and small audiences, as well as aboard cruise ships (yes, folks, the Countess & QEII!). Douglas Anderson, Executive Director of the Middlebury Town Hall Theater, says Barnes "is a master. In Fred's hands even the oldest standard becomes as fresh as the day it was written."

   The singer and pianist duo will most certainly serve up a program of music that will get everyone in a holiday frame of mind!

   Tickets are $15 with a pre-concert dinner available for $20.  Reservations are required for dinner and recommended for the show. Venue is BYOB.  Call (802) 247-4295 or e-mail info@brandon-music.net for reservations or more information. Brandon Music is located at 62 Country Club Rd. Brandon, VT 05733. www.brandon-music.net 

NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 31 - ANTIQUES BY THE FALLS - Closing timetable: Open every day except Thanksgiving & Christmas from 10 am  -  6 pm. No ice cream. All non-edible items will be sold at discounted prices. As the weeks progress, the discounts increase. The longer you wait, chances are that "special something" might be scooped up by someone else! Starting at 25% storewide from Nov. 15  -  23 and building up to 50% off storewide from Dec. 26 - 31.

Sundays, Dec. 7 & 14: Gingerbread Decorating Events.
Pre-registration required.

The Inside Scoop & Antiques By The Falls

Hours: 10 am  -  6 pm. Questions? 802-247-6600

Matthew Dickerson and Susan Nop join us here at Brandon Music on Saturday, December 20th at 7:30pm to present a concert celebrating their Christmas CD "The Brilliant Whiteness of Snow".  This harmony-rich lyric-oriented Americana music duo brings together influences of folk, bluegrass, blues, gospel, country and the singer-songwriter tradition with a unique mix of their originals.  They will perform a variety of other songs and covers of their favorite artists such as Over the Rhine, Pierce Pettis, Buddy and Julie Miller.  Nop (piano, accordion, vocals) and Dickerson (guitar, bass, harmonica, vocals) will be joined by Dutton Smith (bass, violin, percussion, vocals).

Dickerson, prior to his collaborative efforts with Nop, received national radio airplay as a songwriter, bassist, and one of the original members of the blues band Deep Freyed.  Dickerson appeared solo with Deep Freyed and more recently with the band Zephyr.  He has performed music at clubs, colleges, and festivals around New England as well as in venues in Texas, British Columbia and New Jersey.  Dickerson is also the author of numerous books.

Susan Nop is a musician and teacher in Middlebury, Vermont.  She is lead vocalist, pianist and songwriter behind the Americana musical quartet Zephyr.  Tapping into her southern roots, she brings both passion and authenticity to her work.  Jeff Rehbach, conductor of the Middlebury Community Chorus, notes that "Susan weaves a wonderful tapestry of melody and harmony as a pianist.  Her singing brings lyrics to life with sincerity and spirit".  Nop currently enjoys solo performance and collaborations with other musicians, both in the classical and Americana traditions. Susan notes that, "playing music has always been a delight for me.  Whether it is the simple beauty of an Appalachian tune or the fire and fury of Beethoven, performing evokes the sense that I'm a small part of a long tradition.  I hope to communicate that sense of belonging to others when I play."

Tickets are $15. A pre-concert dinner is available for $20.  Venue is BYOB. Reservations are required for dinner and recommended for the show. For reservations or information call (802)247-4295 or e-mail info@brandon-music.net  Brandon music is located at 62 Country Club Rd., Brandon, VT 05733. www.brandon-music.net 

Otter Valley's Walking Stick Theatre Group has been invited to attend the world renowned Fringe Arts Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland in August of 2015. They are one of 40 schools nationally to be selected to perform there. This selection is a tremendous honor for our school and the theatre department, however now they have to get there.  

Donations to support this wonderful educational opportunity can be made online at http://www.gofundme.com/OtterValleytoFringeFest. Any contribution will be appreciated. The total cost of the trip is over $60,000.

 Multiple fundraisers will also be taking place throughout the school year.

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

LifeBridge Christian Church- Pastor Roger Foster- Located at 97 Frog Hollow Lane (the old Sportsman Club) 802-247-5433 find out more at www.lbccvt.com

NEW BUSINESS MEMBERS 2014