December Activities at the FML

Weekly Preschool and Toddler Story Time

Wednesdays 10:30-11:30am.

Each week features a theme, music, stories and a craft.

No Stories on the 23^rd and 30th

Read With Oreo

Thursday December 17th

3:00-4:00pm

School aged students are invited to come to the library and read a story with Oreo the Reading Dog.

Monday Family Movie Night

Illumination Entertainment© Minions

December 28th 5:00-7:00pm

All Ages Welcome- Refreshments will be provided

       

Holiday PJ Story Night

Monday December 21^st 5:30-6:15pm

Join us in the activity room for an evening of special holiday stories followed by milk and cookies. Everyone is encouraged to wear their PJ’s or comfy clothes.

Twas the night before,the night before Christmas Movie Matinee

Sony Pictures © Arthur Christmas (PG)

Wednesday December 23^rd 1:00-3:00pm

School is out and you’re looking for something to do. Come to our special holiday movie matinee! There will be snacks, hot cocoa and fun!

Crafty Tuesdays

Grades K-6

3:00-4:00pm

1^st- Kindness Elves-Make a cute elf to give to someone to brighten their day!

8^th- Light up Snowmen- Using electric tea lights we’ll make some magical ornaments perfect for the winter season.

15^th-Cinnamon Spice Ornaments- This week crafters will use some unusual materials to create wonderful smelling ornaments, perfect for gift giving or hanging on the tree.

22^nd- Washcloth Reindeer- Come learn a cool way to fold a washcloth into a cute reindeer.

29^th-Build a Mini Winter Animal Den- Using toothpicks and marshmallows we’ll design and create some mini-sized cozy dens for pocket sized critters.

Drop In Craft

Make a holiday card   for a family staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington, Vermont. The Ronald McDonald House provides a home away from home for families whose children are undergoing care at the University of Vermont Health Center.   You can drop into the library at any time to make a card, or bring one from home to add to those we will be sending. Deadline for cards is Monday December 21^st.      

**The library will close early on December 24^th and 31^st and will be closed on the 25^th, and January 1^st.

MOUNT HOLLY COMMUNITY HISTORICAL MUSEUM SILENT AUCTION AND DINNER

MOUNT HOLLY COMMUNITY HISTORICAL MUSEUM SILENT AUCTION AND DINNER

You are invited to The Festival of Lights Silent Auction and Dinner, presented by The Mount Holly Community Historical Museum. This annual event will be  Sunday, December 6th. It's a fun and festive way to begin the Holiday Season.

Beautifully decorated one of a kind wreaths, creative gift baskets and a array of donated items will be auctioned. The monies raised will support the development of new exhibits and contribute to the upkeep of museum facilities. Most importantly it supports the educational programs for Mount Holly students and other local communities and schools.

This year's event will be at Harry's Cafe in Ludlow.  The silent auction and Hors d'Oeuvres begin at 6pm with a bountiful buffet dinner to follow.  In addition to the silent auction there will be a raffle for wine and cheese baskets plus door prizes!

There is limited seating so paid reservations are required. $45 per person/cash bar. For more info and to make a reservation visit www.mounthollyvtmuseum.org or call Linda Guerrera at 259-2136 or Doris Reiser at 259-2722.

Important Meeting About your Taxes and Mount Holly School

Important Meeting

About your Taxes and Mount Holly School

At 6pm, December 9th at Mount Holly School

The new Education Act (Act 46) is proposing some sweeping changes to the way our Supervisory Union and School operates.  This law will effect everyone in Mount Holly.

Please be there.

Mount Holly School Board

Mount Holly Putting Finishing Touches On New Star Lake Dam

By AMY KOLB NOYES • OCT 21, 2015

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  Star Lake is refilling after a dam replacement project this summer.

  RON UNTERMAN FRIENDS OF STAR LAKE

A new dam to contain Mount Holly's Star Lake is in place and, as of this week, approved by state dam safety regulators. The Friends of Star Lake Committee is reporting that a few finishing touches have also been approved that will improve lake access, but more donations are needed to complete the project.

Friends of Star Lake Committee Co-Chair Ron Unterman reported via the Mount Holly Newsflash listserv that officials from the Dam Safety Section of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources conducted an on-site inspection on Monday and gave the dam final approval.

"At this meeting we also asked Dam Safety if we could make two modifications to the Odd Fellows berm to improve access," Unterman reported. "The State said yes to both ... Of the five alternatives that we had evaluated with our engineering firm (including ramps, stairs, etc.), these two were by far the best choices. We’re delighted that the State agreed!"

Unterman detailed the two modifications:

1. Cut away the left side of the berm for about 42” to create a direct access to the beach from the driveway.
2. On the right side, extend the concrete parapet wall for 14’ and backfill down to its base. This will decrease the grade of the rear slope, take the side hill out of that slope, and get rid of the angled drop off on the back right side of the berm.

The project includes large berms along Lake Street and by the Odd Fellows Hall. In an earlier Mount Holly Newsflash email Unterman explained the berm heights were prescribed by the state.

The old Star Lake Dam, prior to reconstruction.

CREDIT RON UNTERMAN / FRIENDS OF STAR LAKE

"As massive as both berms are, the height was mandated by the State to prevent flood waters from going down Lake St. and to protect the Odd Fellows Hall," Unterman wrote. "We personally, and our engineers professionally, pushed hard for compromise on the necessity and height of both berms, but to no avail. Their locations and height were set to hold back the '1,000-year flood' – this was the required standard for the new dam design. As crazy as that sounds, South Carolina just had a 1,000-year flood, and the U.S. has had six 1,000-year floods since 2010."

Unterman went on to explain the requirement was based on the damage potential should the dam be breached. "The Star Lake Dam is a 'High Hazard Dam' because it poses a level three risk to life and property and therefore requires this level of safety," he explained. "For the record, all new 'High Hazard Dams' in the state need to be built to twice that standard! As an existing dam we were grandfathered."

The new Star Lake Dam was constucted over the summer.

CREDIT RON UNTERMAN / FRIENDS OF STAR LAKE

Meanwhile, the lake is refilling and may take until spring to reach its eventual height, which Unterman said will be about a foot and a half above where the lake has been for the past decade.

Unterman noted the timeframe for the remaining berm work will be dependent on construction schedules as well as incoming donations. He also thanked the 280 families, individuals, businesses and town organizations that have contributed to the project to date, as well as the late Patricia Nye who gave $500,000 to get the effort underway.

Space Weather News for Nov. 5, 2015

Space Weather News for Nov. 5, 2015 http://spaceweather.com INCOMING CME: Sunspot AR2443 erupted yesterday, producing a CME that could deliver a glancing blow to Earth's magnetic field on Nov. 7th. G1-class geomagnetic storms and high-latitude auroras are possible when the CME arrives this weekend.  Visit http://spaceweather.com for more information. TAURID FIREBALLS: The annual Taurid meteor shower is underway--and it is unusually good.  Observers around the world are reporting bright fireballs in the night sky as Earth plows through a swarm of gravelly debris from parent Comet Encke.  Forecasters say the display could continue until Nov. 10th. Above: A flurry of Taurid fireballs over the Czech republic on Nov. 4th.  Photo credit: Martin Popek.