Reminder from the U.S. Postal workers: Please remove snow from around your mailboxes to help mail carriers in their appointed rounds. Winter walking and driving are never easy, especially when days are at their shortest and carriers find themselves working more in the dark. The USPS also reminds people to watch for letter carriers on foot, as well as for slow-moving postal vehicles. Homeowners are encouraged to clear snow and ice from sidewalks, walkways, porches and steps to help prevent falls.
 
February is Black History Month, and the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh will be open Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. throughout the month featuring special programs for youth and adults to explain Vermont’s role in the Underground Railroad that helped fugitives from slavery. On Feb. 10, from 2 to 3 p.m., children ages 7 to 12 will be given the opportunity to become “History Detectives” as they meet Simon, Jesse, Jeremiah Snowden, and others — all fugitives from slavery who were sheltered at Rokeby. Children will examine the evidence — letters from the museum collection — to discover what these people felt, what was important to them, and what they did to make their lives better. The museum houses “Free & Safe,” the only permanent exhibition in New England that addresses slavery, abolition, and the Underground Railroad. It is located on Route 7 in Ferrisburgh.
 
Make sure to test your home for radon, an invisible, harmful gas that can enter your home from the surrounding soil and bedrock. More than 48,000 Vermonters have already tested their homes for radon, with an easy-to-use, free kit from the Vermont Department of Health. Request your kit today by emailing your name, mailing address, physical address and phone number to [email protected] or by calling 1-800-439-8550. One out of every seven homes in Vermont has elevated levels of radon and an estimated 50 Vermonters die of lung cancer related to radon every year.
 
Devotees of great films will have a chance to enjoy that experience during a locally organized trip to Prague in eastern Europe that will include a seven-day cruise along the Danube River to Budapest. The trip is being co-organized by the representatives of the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival and the Addison County Chamber of Commerce. Award-winning filmmaker and MNFF co-founder Jay Craven will be a leader of the tour, during which travelers will enjoy special events and screenings onboard and off-ship of European Cinema. For more information, call Robin Bentley at Milne Travel at 388-6600. A portion of receipts will benefit the non-profit MNFF and Chamber organizations.
 
Joyce and Cary Marshall, who celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary Jan. 6, passed on many thanks for all of the lovely cards and messages the Middlebury couple received on the occasion of their diamond anniversary. Joyce told us that the cards and messages are all treasured and bring back many happy memories over the years of friends and family. She said she and Cary feel very lucky to be able to celebrate this event and hope many others are so blessed.