Memos to me: First, the weather in Vermont is not like the weather in the Bahamas. Second, the sun at 25-degrees latitude is much more intense than the sun at 43-degrees latitude. Third, don't go on vacation to a place with warm weather and intense sun without being armed with SPF 1000 sunblock.
Last week, Bill and I went on a four-night cruise with his family to celebrate his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. I was not excited about the idea of going on a cruise, concerned about an overabundance of food, people, high seas, and boredom. Yes, there was plenty of food and plenty of people, but the seas were calm, and there was lots to do, including relaxing. It ended up being great fun, even with a third-degree sunburn! By the time you read this, I hope to have stopped peeling.
Despite the nice time, I am happy to be back in a part of the country that is slowly shedding its winter coat. I never want to wish away days, but May is just four weeks off! In the meantime, I know a lot of sap will be tapped, a lot of mud will have been made, a lot of swerve-filled rides around town will have tried the nerves of drivers, mine included. I will marvel every day as the amount of sunlight increases, the patches of visible grass grow and connect with other patches, and the signs of spring multiply.
While Mother Nature provides all of this, here are a few people-made events to be aware of. The final performance of the now-misnamed Winter Concert Series happens next Saturday, April 13, at 7pm at Town Hall. This month’s show will be a bit different. The first half will feature Monkey Pudding Face, which is Reading Recreation Commissioner Gerry Marletta’s band. The other member of this duo is Kyle Marshall, who is coming from Maine to perform. Monkey Pudding Face describes their sound as alternative rock/electronica. You can check them out on YouTube or Spotify.
After the band’s set, there will be dancing. Yes, it's no longer winter, and yes, it's more than just a concert, but yes, it will be a great time.
As a reminder, admission is $10 for adults. Children 15 and under are free. Also, don’t forget to bring non-perishable food items to the event. We’ll donate them immediately to the Reading-West Windsor Food Shelf. That organization is one of the beneficiaries of the series. The others are Upper Valley WISE, the Reading Green Spaces Committee, and the Reading PTO.
And speaking of the PTO, they’ll be providing food for dinner for this show! Also, on that night, the Reading Recreation Commission will unveil how much money you helped raise for the beneficiaries. Why don’t you plan on attending what will be a fun night and help make that number as big as we possibly can? At the same time, you’ll be showing your support to another one of our town’s talented musicians.
Not taking a week off, the Reading Recreation Commission will be sponsoring the Reading Bunny Hop! That happens on April 20 at 10am. Since Easter is so late this year, I’d wager a whole bunch of carrots on the commission’s ability to hold the event at Bartley Field. The snow should be gone, and the field won’t be too muddy. However, if it rains, the event will happen at the school. The Rec Commission will let you know.
As in prior years, there will be an Easter Egg hunt and games such as egg toss, sack races, and spoon-on-egg races. And of course, we’ll have a visit from Peter Cotton Tail!
The Reading Recreation Commission will be stuffing the eggs with chocolates and prizes on Tuesday, April 9, at 7pm at the library. They could sure use some help. From past experience, I can tell you it goes fast if there are a lot of people lending a hand. If you can spare an hour or even a half hour, we can get it done in two shakes of a bunny's tail. This is open to anyone who wants to help—adults, teens, tweens, even kids. For more information, you can contact me.
A couple of other things to keep in mind. As it gets warmer, you may be thinking of your garden, or maybe you're actively working on it. The Reading Public Library's Seed Library is open! Stop by and pick out vegetable and/or flower seeds to start now.
Tony Pikramenos describes the process as borrowing the seeds. Of course that is how the librarian would describe it. However, you don't need to return anything unless you want to. When you bring in the harvest, you can save some seeds and donate them to next year's library. For more information on how the seed library works, you can visit the library or call Tony at 484-5588.
Also, don’t forget that the RES after school programming fundraiser is still seeking support. Twenty-seven donations have generated $3,635 to this worthy cause. The goal is $4,000. Every little bit helps! If you want to donate or learn more, visit https://www.mightycause.com/story/Kbvfhg.
Happy Birthday to Christian Crowley (April 8).
That’s the news from Reading! See you next week!
This column originally appeared in The Vermont Standard on April 4, 2019.