FERRISBURGH — Ferrisburgh Day is Coming! The event celebrates our town’s history, culture, local talent, rural life and landscapes. Events will take place on both Saturday, Sept. 25, and Sunday, Sept. 26.

Activities and displays are scheduled at sites all over town between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. A few of the organizations working to make Ferrisburgh Day a great celebration of our town with open houses, workshops, crafts for sale, food to eat and live music include: Ferrisburgh Central School; Selectboard and Town Offices/Community Center; Ferrisburgh Volunteer Fire Department; Town Highway Department; Friends of the Union Meeting Hall; Ferrisburgh Historical Society; The Rokeby Museum; and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.

Fun activities in the planning are an arts and crafts exhibition at the Town Community Center, a Farmers’ market, a walk through the Town Forest led by Craig Heindel of the Conservation Committee, live music at the Union Meeting Hall, and free ice cream by Cookie Love for kids who visit at least four of the day’s events.

Businesses and other groups can choose to participate on a level that works for their organization, whether it be special offers or an open house. The Planning Committee is also seeking donors to support marketing expenses — donors will be listed on the Ferrisburgh Day participant list, which will be available to the public. Contact the Planners for more information on how to participate: Gail Blasius, [email protected], and Ashley LaFlam, [email protected].

The Bixby Library has a great variety of events lined up for September. School is back in session and the Bixby has compiled several educational resources for both students and parents, such as Going Back to School: Articles, checklists, crafts, and more provided by PBS; Khan Academy: Free educational videos and lessons; and the Vermont Online Library: K-12 resources. The Outdoor Movie Series will feature the film “Matilda” on Friday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. On Sept. 21 at 3:30 p.m. youths ages 8-12 can learn how to write a poem based on their favorite picture book. Also, there will be yoga for teens on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. For more information on all these offerings, call the Bixby at 802-877-2211. 

The Bixby is also offering a Homebuyer Education Workshop on Thursday, Sept. 9, 5-7 p.m. If you are new to homeownership and want to learn more about mortgages, loans, credit, budget, and everything that goes into purchasing a house, come to this two-hour workshop with Andrea Heller, the Money $ense Program Manager at Opportunities Credit Union. The workshop will be held in the Bixby Library Half Round room.

Check the Bixby Calendar for additional financial counseling opportunities in September on such topics as car buying and also financial mentoring. To register to attend please email Laksamee at [email protected]. 

The Friends of the Bixby have organized a series of used book sales at the library on the Saturdays of Sept. 11, Sept. 25 and Oct. 9, from 9 a.m.-noon. The sales feature adult fiction, biographies, history, self-help, cookbooks, gardening and much more. There are also children’s books, from baby board books to young adult. This is a great way to financially support the library and also to enjoy a good read.  

Rokeby visitors can explore the Museum’s grounds, hiking trails and the permanent exhibition of Free and Safe: The Underground Railroad in Vermont. The Museum’s exhibits, nine historic farm outbuildings, and trails are open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from mid-May to late October. In addition, Rokeby will hold several ongoing special museum days.

Rokeby Museum’s Second Sunday’s session is on Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. The presentation, “Demystifying the Creative Process,” will be a virtual (no in-person options) discussion with former Artist in Residence Courtney Clinton. Clinton will describe how, before the final illustration, an artist makes dozens of sketchbook studies. In these studies, they gather reference material and work out a creative image design.

Clinton will present how illustrators, such as Rokeby’s Rachel Robinson Elmer, build and develop their creative ideas through the sketchbook process. Clinton will discuss her research and images from the sketchbooks and studies that informed Elmer’s iconic postcard series, “Art Lover’s New York,” in addition to Clinton’s own postcard series of the sites and monuments of her hometown, Montreal. For more information, visit www.rokeby.org.

The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is welcoming visitors through the fall with free admission. The Museum will be open until Oct. 17 for seven days a week from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Museum offers select indoor exhibits along with the extensive outdoor activities on its three-acre campus. Visit www.lcmm.org for more information on September’s special events and how to best enjoy the LCMM through the fall.  

The Hope for TomorROW will be held on Saturday, Sept. 4. Join your community friends and neighbors on the water for the event, which raises awareness about teen suicide, fosters connection through rowing, and encourages communication and courage. This annual two-mile row-a-thon across one of the narrowest points of Lake Champlain is open to all — no previous rowing experience is necessary. Boats, life jackets, and an experienced coxswain will be provided for all participants.

Saturday, Sept. 11, will be busy at the Museum. The Challenge Race is everyone’s favorite annual summer fun race on Lake Champlain. All human-powered vessels are invited to the Lake Champlain Challenge Race to try to set the new fastest time on a three-mile triangular course.

Participants compete in race categories such as six- and four-person rowing gigs, individual rowers, kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and more to win their group. Additionally, all are invited to participate in Celebrating Sacred Waters, a day of community celebration of Lake Champlain. Choose your preferred way to connect with the lake such as paddling a canoe upriver or exploring on nature trails, guided by field naturalists, educators, artists, and others, including the Museum’s Director of Education, Elizabeth Lee. 

We all send best wishes to our area students, teachers, and school staff for a successful 2021-2022 school year. Ferrisburgh families and residents are encouraged to keep updated on school events by Facebook, school-based websites, and other communications. The community can support our schools by keeping abreast of events and activities such as concerts and sports by visiting the website at www.anwsd.org.

NOTE: We are always interested in including a variety of Ferrisburgh-related news in this column, so if you have events that would be of interest, contact Sally Kerschner at [email protected]. You are also able to access these columns and other information about Ferrisburgh news and events by viewing the Ferrisburgh Town Website at www.ferrisburghvt.org.