Make It Together: Book of Letters. Make your own memory book, to read now and later.
Materials:
•  3 envelopes 
•  Paper
•  Glue
•  Scissors
•  A piece of string or ribbon
Directions: 
You can glue your envelopes together like a fan or you can keep them separate and just put them in a pile. (You can use as many as you wish/need.) To glue them together, lay them out and glue the flaps of each envelope to the front side of another envelope. You can also just use the sticky part of the envelope. If you glued or stuck them together, let them dry.
Cut 3 pieces of paper, one for each envelope. Make sure the pieces are big enough to write or draw on. On each piece of paper, draw a picture or write a note about what your time at home has been like. Here are 3 idea starters:
1. What I do during the day is…
2. Some things that I like and dislike are…
3. The people I spend time with are…
Put one piece of paper in each envelope. If you glued or stuck your envelopes together, fold them like a fan. If you did not glue them, you can put them in a pile. Draw on the front of your book or pile of envelopes. Any side can be the top. Remember to put your name and the date on it. Tie it closed with string or ribbon.
Save your book to look back on years from now.
 
Book Club Zoom. The Community Bridges Project, a program designed to bring people out of isolation and into the community, is hosting a weekly book club Zoom meeting starting Tuesday, July 14, at 7 p.m. They will start with the author Nora Roberts. What have you been reading during the Stay Home/Stay Safe era? The group welcomes book club veterans to give voice to structure, format, and what works and what doesn’t. Contact Tom Randall at  [email protected] for the Zoom online meeting link and password. Free and open to the public.
 
Addison County Persons of Color Plus (AC POC+) lawn party in Bridport. Saturday, July 11, 12-4 p.m., outdoor lawn, Késin Gardens, 932 Forrest Rd. If anything, the current moment tells us we need each other. Self-identified POC plus family members are invited to join this safely distanced lawn party and socializing with fellow Addison County folks of color, hosted by Lacewing at Késin Gardens. Share conversation and laughs (but not germs.) Kids are welcome. BYO masks, drinks, snacks, games, sunscreen, blanket/lawn chairs. 
Come and go whenever it works for you. There is an outdoor composting toilet and hand washing station. Organizers ask that everyone follow Vermont’s health and safety guidelines by wearing a mask when arriving, when moving about or when closer than six feet to other people. Please set blankets/lawn chairs at least 10 feet from other groups. 
Parking is on the road (please do not block intersections). Rain date is Saturday, July 18, 12-4 p.m. More info at [email protected] or facebook.com/groups/addisonctypoc
 
Take an Age Well “How-To” class. Age Well is offering engaging and informative “How-To” videos to the public at no cost. Learn about nutrition, food shopping and more, all from the comfort of your home. Age Well’s registered dietitian and wellness coach, Brigitte Harton and other subject matter experts provide tips for getting and staying healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as how to benefit from federal nutrition programs.
These short videos are jam packed with information on topics such as:
•  Managing diabetes with the plate method.
•  Healthy cooking for one or two.
•  How to become a nutrition facts label expert.
•  Resources for people 60+ through Age Well’s helpline.
All videos are available on Age Well’s YouTube account at bit.ly/AgeWellYouTube.
 
Take in an outdoor concert. Brandon’s Music at the Riverbend concert series is back. The open air concerts, performed each Wednesday night at 7 p.m. behind the Brandon Inn, will be following social distancing guidelines. Performers include:
July 15: Plumb Bobs Rock. Folk, eclectic. 
July 22: Will Patton Ensemble. Seamless blend of gypsy jazz and Brazilian choros. 
July 29: The Tom Caswell Blues Band. One of the hottest blues bands in Vermont.
Aug. 5: Double-header treat — The Handy Men and The Silverbacks. The Handy Men are a Vermont trio playing blues, classic rock and New Orleans funk. The Silverbacks play authentic blues and classic rock. 
Aug. 12: The Larkspurs. Eclectic American roots.
Aug. 19: Hard Scrabble. Blend of bluegrass, blues and acoustic covers.
Aug. 26: The Dave Keller Band. Some of the finest soul and blues around.
 
Have mask, will yard sale. Brandon will hold it’s town-wide yard sale on Saturday, Aug. 1. Even a pandemic can’t keep a good town-wide yard sale down. Have your masks with you and use social distancing, please. 
Sign up now and start getting your goodies and treasures together to tempt the treasure seekers who’ll travel Brandon’s streets. For a fee of $10, sellers get their name and address on the official listing. $15 will buy an enhanced listing, which gets the seller an extra 25 words to describe specialty items that will grab buyers’ attention and increase traffic flow. 
Fill out a registration form at Carr’s Florist or print one online at brandon.org. Mail completed form to PO Box 267, Brandon, VT 05733. Registration deadline is July 28.
 
Virtual support. Al-Anon offers help and hope to anyone who has been affected by a loved one’s drinking. While Al-Anon in-person meetings are suspended until further notice, a list of virtual meetings is available at vermontalanonalateen.org.
Middlebury hosts one Sunday nights at 7:15 pm. If you’d like to speak to an Al-Anon member, call their answering service, tool-free, at 1-866-972-5266 and an Al-Anon member will call you back.