Spring forward — it’s worth the tradeoff. Don’t forget to move your clocks forward one hour before going to bed this Saturday night, since Daylight Savings Time starts Sunday morning. You may loose an hour of sleep, but you will appreciate the extra hour of daylight in the late afternoon.
A large collection of slightly used donated books will be available for purchase at very low prices at the “Friends of Ilsley Library Sale,” to be held this Saturday, March 7, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Middlebury library. The sale will include offerings from all genres for all ages, including board books, sophisticated adult fiction and works based on popular TV series. All profits will support library programs.
Patricia A. Hannaford Career Center officials are looking for feedback from Addison County residents on how they’d like their vocational-technical center to change during the next decade. To that end, the center is offering an online survey at  bit.ly/pahccvision. Organizers are hoping to gather 500 responses by March 11 to help inform the center’s mission and vision. Your participation would be much appreciated.
The Addison County River Watch Collaborative will hold spring training for volunteers at the Addison County Regional Planning Commission in Middlebury on Saturday, March 21, from 9-11:30 a.m. The classroom session will be followed by a guided field trip to Meeting Place Pastures, an organically pastured cattle and sheep farm in Cornwall from noon to 1:30 p.m. The farm visit will include information about Required Agricultural Practices, many of which are in place to protect water quality. Training in standard water quality sampling techniques will be offered, as well as new methods and parameters dealing with turbidity-tube sampling and chloride (salt) sampling. The River Watch Collaborative will need a lot of volunteer help this spring and summer. Those interested may contact River Watch Managing Director Matthew Witten at 802-434-3236 or [email protected].
An informational meeting about a proposed new Addison County bike loop will be held at the New Haven Offices (78 North St.) on Thursday, March 26, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Learn about the proposed bike loop, which would pass through parts of New Haven, Middlebury, Bristol, Vergennes, Waltham, Weybridge and Ferrisburgh. Community input is needed. Offer your ideas for improvement priorities and help name the route. More information is available at acrpc.org/triangle-bike-loop.
End of Life Services’ Annual Dream Vacation Raffle Event to support hospice and bereavement services will be held March 28 at the Middlebury Inn from 4 to 6 p.m. This year’s grand prize is a trip for two to Costa Rica. Raffle tickets cost $25 apiece, or five for $100. Raffle party admission tickets will also be available for $25. It will feature delicious food from local providers and silent and live auctions — with all proceeds supporting volunteer care for those at the end of life, and bereavement care for those grieving the loss of a loved one.
5 Town Friends of the Arts, known by some as 5-TFA, is now accepting grant applications for its spring round of community grants. The community grants program helps fund activities and events in the fine arts, performing arts, history and other cultural experiences to enrich the lives of people living in Monkton, New Haven, Bristol, Lincoln and Starksboro. The goal of 5-TFA is to expose children and teens to arts and culture. Preference will be given to projects that meet that goal. Previous recipients have been libraries in the five towns, schools seeking funding for special events or artists in residence, theater programs and other community groups with great ideas in need of funding. Applications are due on or before March 15 and can be downloaded from the organization website: 5townfriendsofthearts.org. Please remit to: 25 main St. Bristol, Vermont 05443. For more information email: [email protected]