West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department Pancake Breakfast, Sunday, April 7, 7:30 – 11 AM:  All are welcome; the fire department is a handicap-accessible site on Main Street in West Pawlet. Enjoy regular, chocolate chip, blueberry and cranberry pancakes, waffles – served with local maple syrup – and West Pawlet’s world-famous home fries, scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon. Beverages are coffee, tea, milk and orange juice. Breakfast prices are $10 for 12 years and up, $8 for seniors 65 years and older, $5 for 6-11 years and free to children 5 years and younger. All profits are used for the department’s equipment and training needs. Department members extend a sincere thank you to the many patrons of our pancake breakfasts, which are held the second Sunday of each month, September through April.

Favorite Poem Reading, Pawlet Library, April 7, 3 PM: We are celebrating Poetry Month with our 19th annual Favorite Poem Reading. You are invited to read or recite one of your favorite poems or to join the circle as a listener. Each participant will have about 7 minutes to read and talk about their poem. Adults and children welcome; refreshments will be served. To read a poem, please reply with your name, the poem’s title and author to anita.pomerance56@gmail.com or 802-325-3786.

Upcoming Pawlet Town Government Meetings: All meetings are open to the public and are held at the Pawlet Town Hall on School Street.
– Select Board, Tuesdays, April 9 and April 23, 7 PM.
– Pawlet Planning Commission, Monday, April 22, 7:30 PM

Scholastic Book Fair, Mettawee Community School, April 5 – 10: Books will be available for purchase during school hours, and on Monday, April 8, the book fair will be open until 7 PM so families can browse. You can also shop the book fair online at https://bit.ly/2uNWn62. All book fair proceeds go to fund author visits for our school!

Mettawee School Board Regular Meeting, Wednesday, April 10, 6:30 PM, Mettawee Community School

Town Clerk’s Office closed all day Thursday, April 11 and Tuesday Morning, April 16:  I will return to the office at 12:30 pm for the remainder of the day on April 16. Thank you, Deb Hawkins, Town Clerk, 802-325-3309 x1

2019 Unclaimed Property Report: The Vermont State Treasurer list includes over 1,200 individual instances of unclaimed property just for Pawlet; several cases involve more than $100-$200 in unclaimed property. To view the list and learn how to pursue a claim, visit: https://www.vermonttreasurer.gov/content/unclaimed-property. The list is also posted at the Town Hall bulletin board.

Pawlett Historical Society Monthly Meeting, Thursday, April 11, 7 PM: Our monthly board meetings are held every second Thursday at 7:00 PM and are open to the public. From September through April we meet at the Pawlet Public Library on School Street in the Pawlet village center; from May through August we meet at the Chriss Monroe Chapel on Cemetery Hill Road in the Pawlet village center. Visit us online at http://pawletthistoricalsociety.org or see our Facebook page.

Mettowee Makers Farmers Market, Saturday, April 13, 10 AM – 3 PM, Pawlet Town Hall Auditorium: Mettowee Makers and friends will be sharing what their local farmers and artisans have made and grown. Local catered lunch available. Facebook Mettowee Makers or call 802-325-3478.

Meet with Representative Robin Chesnut-Tangerman, Saturday, April 13, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM, at the Pawlet Library: Robin is holding regular “office hours” monthly, every second Saturday during the legislative session, at the Pawlet Library. Come visit, share your concerns, ask questions, or just chat with your State Representative. The last meeting is scheduled for May 11.

West Pawlet Volunteer Fire Department Easter Market, Saturday, April 20, 9 AM – 3 PM: The WPVFD Ladies’ Auxiliary will hold its annual Easter Market at the West Pawlet Fire House, 2806 VT Rte. 153 (Main Street). Coffee and donuts are available for breakfast; lunch is served from 11 AM on and features the famous Auxiliary Corn Chowder. Shoppers can also enjoy a lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers at family-friendly prices. The Easter Bunny arrives with treats for children at 1 PM. Auxiliary raffles include a 50/50 drawing, a complete ham dinner and a variety raffle of a table filled with gifts donated by vendors and auxiliary members. Raffle drawings begin at 2:50 PM. Vendor spaces are available for arts, crafts, various merchandise and baked goods sellers at a prepaid, non-refundable price of $10 per table until April 24; subsequently, unreserved tables can be rented for $15. Please call Anne at (802) 645-2682 to reserve your space or for general information, call JoAnne Reid 802-645-0244.

Thursday, April 25, 7 PM, Pawlet Town Hall, Pawlett Historical Society Program: Join us for this return visit of one of our favorite speakers! Author and Civil War Historian Howard Coffin presents “Vermont’s Remarkable Sharpshooters and Gettysburg.” During the Civil War Vermont sent far more sharpshooters to the Union armies than any other state, on a per capita basis. By the hundreds, Vermont marksmen passed the rigorous marksmanship test to join one of three Vermont companies. And sharpshooters from this state played a little-known but major role at Gettysburg, the great Union victory that changed the Civil War’s course. This program is free, open to the public, and is accessible to those with disabilities. It is sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council and the Pawlett Historical Society.

Community Potluck Dinner, Pawlet Library, April 28, 5-7 PM: The library inaugurates its 2019 Community Potluck Dinner Series by sharing what it has learned from the community in its strategic planning process. Since October 2018, the library’s Strategic Planning Committee has met with 13 community organizations and several individuals to understand what matters most to the community it serves. The library will announce three service priorities it has gleaned from this community engagement that will guide the library’s Strategic Plan over the next four years. Bring a dish to share and your own place settings. This event is free. The library will provide tables and chairs, and, more importantly, a place to gather, meet your neighbors, share conversation, and work together toward common community aspirations. For other Library programs and events, visit www.pawletpubliclibrary.wordpress.com 

2019 Play Group, Pawlet Public Library, Fridays, 10 – 11 AM: Free for parents and children, birth through K. Arrive as early as 9:30 AM to network with other families. Educator Joni Lee presents a fresh array of activities each week that focus on play, reading, and socialization. This is a great networking opportunity for parents of young children. Joni is a Waldorf-trained elementary and early childhood educator who specializes in nature and place-based education and hands on learning. She lives in West Pawlet with her husband and three little girls.

Healthy Meals at the Pawlet Food Pantry: Frozen prepared meals, healthy and free, are available at the food pantry for those in need every third Friday of each month, 9 AM-12 PM, at the Pawlet Community Church, junction of Routes 30 & 133 in Pawlet Village. Know someone in need who can’t make it to the pick up? We can help! Call: 802-867-2409. Meals are provided by The Grateful Hearts non-profit food program.

Food Pantry Seeks donations: Monetary donations can be mailed to: The Pawlet Community Church, PO Box 116 Pawlet, 05761. Attention: Tim Bryant. The Pawlet Community Church is deeply grateful for your support.

Rutland Area Visiting Nurse offers monthly community health clinics: The Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice sponsors a wide range of clinics for area residents and businesses, including health education, screening, testing, and adult immunizations. For more information visit http://vermontvisitingnurses.org/events/categories/rutland-area/ to learn about their flu and foot care clinics; cholesterol, diabetes and blood pressure screenings; and many other important services.

Notice from the Vermont Department of Health – Test  Your Home for Radon: Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas present throughout Vermont, estimated to kill 50 Vermonters a year due to radon-related lung cancer. Because you can’t see, smell or taste radon, there is no way of knowing if radon is present in a home unless you test for it. Homes with elevated radon levels are found throughout the state. The Vermont Department of Health recommends all Vermont homes be tested. You can obtain a free long-term radon air test kit by calling 800-439-8550 or emailing radon@vermont.gov.