RUTLAND—Phoenix Books celebrated Independent Bookstore Day along with hundreds of other indie bookstores throughout the country on Saturday, April 28. Some special guests showed up: Party-goers in Rutland and Essex got to meet The Lorax and Elephant and Piggie, respectively. These events also kicked off Children’s Book Week, which runs through May 6. Visit phoenixbooks.biz.

Friday, May 4, 4 p.m.—RUTLAND—The Chaffee Art Center announces the opening of its annual K-12 Student Art Exhibit on May 4. This annual exhibit favorite features the talents of K-12 students from across Rutland County. It is the Chaffee Art Center’s pleasure to give young artists from dozens of Vermont schools, as well as homeschool students,…

Friday, May 4—KILLINGTON—The Vermont Foodbank will hold its annual Hunger Action Conference on Friday, May 4 at Killington Grand Resort Hotel 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The conference is a full-day educational event that will provide over 300 attendees from the charitable food sectors with training regarding poverty and hunger, food systems, health, and best practices to…

Friday, May 4, 7 p.m.—GRANVILLE, N.Y.—In honor of Mother’s Day coming up, the Slate Valley Museum will host Pizza and Paint for local kids and their families on First Friday, May 4 from 7-9 p.m. Families will be led through a nature-themed painting class on their own slate “canvases.” Granville Pizzeria will be providing pizza to…

Saturday, May 5, 7 p.m.—SOUTH POMFRET—ArtisTree and Woolen Mill Comedy Club are excited to present “Just Blame Collen,” an evening of stand-up comedy with Collen Doyle and Friends on Saturday, May 5. This one night only show will take place at the newly renovated Grange Theater at ArtisTree in South Pomfret. The evening will start…

By Stephen Seitz LUDLOW—Voters in two of the school districts that comprise the Two Rivers Supervisory Union will soon be asked to approve budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. On May 8, voters in Ludlow and Mount Holly will be asked to support $7,210,463 to fund the elementary schools. They will…

Wednesday, May 2, 7 p.m.–RUTLAND—Middlebury College Professor Emeritus Eric Davis will consider the U.S. Constitution’s importance and vulnerability in today’s world in a talk at Rutland Free Library on May 2 at 7 p.m. His talk, “A Republic, If You Can Keep It,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series and is free and open…

Saturday, April 28, 7:30 p.m.—RANDOLPH—The powerful contemporary dance theatre work “Passing” – a creation of acclaimed Vermont dance artist Tracy Penfield and her California-based collaborator, dancer/choreographer Tamara Hurwitz Pullman – will have its world premiere performance at the Chandler Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. The dance artists will be accompanied by live music…

Friday, April 27, 5 p.m.—POULTNEY—In the short and thankful words of poet Rupi Kaur, “Look down at your body, whisper, there is no home like you.” On April 27, “Dew of the Sea” by artist Rosemary Connelli will explore the celebration of self-love and the appreciation for the whales that exist in the Atlantic waters…

Saturday, April 28, 7 a.m.—WEST PAWLET—This Saturday, April 28, from 7 a.m.-2 p.m., the Bennington-Rutland Supervisory Union in collaboration with Casella Waste Management and ACE Carting Service will hold its third annual Community Clean Up for Currier Memorial School and the communities of Danby, Mount Tabor, as well as the Mettawee Community School and the communities of…

Saturday, April 28, 8 a.m.—RUTLAND—The Education Division of College of St. Joseph will host a one-day autism conference on Saturday, April 28 providing workshops, resources and support for families, caregivers and professionals dealing with autism. The conference is being presented in conjunction with the Adirondack Autism Conference. The Rutland Autism Conference will take place from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. in Tuttle…

Saturday, April 28, 8 a.m.—RUTLAND—The 26th annual Vermont Sports Medicine Center’s (VSMC) 5K Run/Walk will be held on Saturday, April 28. All proceeds from the event will benefit Kids on the Move and Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. The annual event has become a staple among the “first 5Ks of the season,” where all ages…

Saturday, April 28, 6 p.m.—LUDLOW—The Ludlow Rotary Club will hold its 62nd annual Penny Sale on Saturday, April 28 starting at 6 p.m. in the Black River High School gym. The event will feature over 400 prizes plus the annual cash raffle valued at more than $1,000.  The prizes, generously donated by local businesses and individuals, will be selected…

Friday, April 27, 5:45 p.m.—WELLS—The Wells United Methodist Church Ladies’ Aid will present its giant teacup auction on Friday, April 27 at the Modern Woodman Annex Building, West Main St. (Route 30), Wells. Viewing and bidding start at 5:45 p.m. Bid drawings start at 6:45 p.m. Over 400 items of collectables, knick-knacks, glassware, jewelry, photos,…

Friday, April 27, 7:30 p.m.—RANDOLPH—Che Apalache, a four-man string band based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will combine the sounds of bluegrass and jazz-inflected Latin American acoustic music in concert at Chandler Center for the Arts on Friday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. The performance is the concluding event in the 2017-18 “Live & Upstairs!” music series in…