Bridge Staff
Berlin Church Celebrates 225th Anniversary
On Sunday Oct. 13, the First Congregational Church of Berlin celebrated its 225th anniversary with a special service, potluck lunch, concert and exhibitions of pictures and artifacts from across the years.
The service featured historical costumes worn by members of the congregation and music dating from the founding of the church in 1798. There were also “Stories of Old Berlin” shared by Jeanine Kelley and a guest appearance by the first minister of the church, Reverend James Hobart (enacted by council member Rob Griffin).
The lunch was a sumptuous feast provided by chuch members, enlivened by laughter and reminiscences. Everyone took time to enjoy the displays of photographs from the church’s long history. In the afternoon, music director Christopher McWilliams led the choir and guest musicians Kailea Silvers (cello) and Lotta Suter (violin) in a concert of works by Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart, Handel, and others. The 225th celebration was a great day for The First Congregational Church of Berlin, which looks forward to many more years of service and celebrations.
—Rob Griffin Suter
Haunted Cinema
Ready for some chills, and laughter, too? On Monday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. at the Savoy Theater, Rick Winston will present “Haunted Cinema: Films About Ghosts and the Supernatural.”
“The depiction of the paranormal can be portrayed for straight chills, romantic drama, or lively comedy,” says Winston, the former co-owner of the Savoy and an instructor at the Montpelier Senior Activity Center. “I’ll show and discuss twenty clips that illustrate the elastic nature of the supernatural genre.”
There will be old Hollywood classics (“The Uninvited” and “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir”). current indies (“A Ghost Story”), adaptations of novels (“The Innocents”), and international films such as “The Devil’s Backbone” (Mexico), “The Orphanage” (Spain), “The Dybbuk” (Poland), and “Kwaidan” (Japan).
Tickets are available at savoytheater.com or at the door.
Nominate a Vermont Book
The public is invited to nominate books for the 2024 Vermont Book Awards. Nominations must be received by Dec. 31. Qualifying titles must have been published in 2024 and must be written by a Vermont author, defined as someone who lives in Vermont for more than half the year.
Awards will be in four categories: children’s literature, fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Self-nominations are welcome. Self-published books are not eligible, nor are anthologies containing work written by multiple authors.
Annually, a rotating panel of judges reads and reviews the nominations before selecting the finalists and the winners in each category. Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony in the spring of 2025. Winners receive a $1,000 cash prize and an art object trophy crafted by a Vermont Artist, commissioned by the Vermont Arts Council.
The award, established in 2015 by the Vermont College of Fine Arts, is now produced in partnership between the Vermont Humanities Council (VHC) and the Vermont Department of Libraries. Miciah Bay Gault has joined the VHC staff as development officer and continues to administer the awards program.
More information can be found at vthumanities.wufoo.com/forms/vermont-book-award-nomination.
—Phayvanh Luekhamhan
Four State Troopers Help with Helene Recovery
Four members of the Vermont State Police are in North Carolina to assist in the response to devastation caused by Hurricane Helene last month.
Lt. Thomas Mozzer, Sgt. Christian Hunt and K-9 Loki, and Troopers Clay Knight and Zachary Trocki left Vermont in their cruisers at about 4 a.m. Oct. 16, for the 14-hour drive to Newton, North Carolina. The Vermont State Police members will be supporting local law enforcement in providing safety and security in the region.
The deployment came in response to a request from North Carolina Emergency Management via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which provides for the sharing of assets between states in times of need.
Vermont Women’s Rally
Vermont will host a women’s rally on the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier on Nov. 2, at 10 a.m. It is planned as a sister event to the national women’s march in Washington, D.C., on the same date. State parking lots will be open and free for public parking.
Melinda Moulton is the master of ceremonies; Taiko drummers will be performing, as will singer-songwriter Patti Casey. Beverly Little Thunder and her daughter Lushanya Echeverria will speak together to honor the original Indigenous inhabitants with a land acknowledgement; Vermont Poet Laureate Bianca Stone will deliver a poem.
Former governor Madeleine Kunin and Rep. Becca Balint will address the gathering. Charity Clark, Vermont Attorney General; Jessica Barquist, director of Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund; and Ann Pugh, retired state representative and women’s rights leader will be speaking along with Kiah Morris, Kennedy Jensen, Christine Hallquist, and Jayna Ahsaf. Rebecca Ellis will be speaking on behalf of Sen. Peter Welch.
To close out the rally, singer-songwriters Dwight and Nicole will perform.
This event highlights the power of women to fight against discrimination and to support women’s human rights. Additional event information may be found at vermontwomensrally.com.
Unless otherwise noted, news on this page is compiled by Bridge staff through press releases.
