Friends of the Brandon Town Hall

Press Release
August 4, 2008:

The Brandon Town Hall to re-open to the public with
the premiere of Gene Childers's Vermont Sketches

After many years of work by dedicated community members, the historic Brandon Town Hall will re-open to the public on August 16, 2008 with the premiere of Vermont Sketches, a comic, family-friendly musical revue of 19 original songs written and directed by Brandon's own Gene Childers and featuring virtuoso saxophonist Nathan Childers. The premiere of Vermont Sketches will mark the return of the Brandon Town Hall to seasonal service as an accessible, dynamic and multi-purpose community center. The Friends of the Brandon Town Hall, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization leading the restoration effort, hopes to return the hall to year-round service, and its role as the civic and cultural center of Brandon, by 2011--when the people of Brandon will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the hall and the 250th anniversary of their town.

Don't miss the re-opening of the Brandon Town Hall and the premiere of Gene Childers's Vermont Sketches on Saturday, August 16 at 7 p.m. and Sunday August 17 at 2 p.m.! Admission is $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets may be purchased at Carr's Florist & Gifts (247-5727) and the Briggs Carriage Bookstore (247-0050). All profits will go to the Brandon Town Hall restoration project.

To date we have raised well over $400,000 for the Brandon Town Hall restoration project through grants, fundraisers and donations. Of this, $134,000 has come from the Walter Cerf Community Fund, $70,000 has come from Senator Patrick Leahy and the Preservation Trust of Vermont through the Village Revitalization Initiative, $50,000 has come from the State of Vermont, $40,000 has come from the Freeman Foundation and the Preservation Trust of Vermont, $35,000 has come from the Town of Brandon, $10,000 has come from the Vermont Community Foundation, $20,000 has come from the Vermont Arts Council, $7,500 has come from the National Bank of Middlebury, $6,000 has come from the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and over $50,000 has come from individual donors.

If you would like to learn more about the plans for our Town Hall, or help us reach our goal, please visit our web site at www.brandontownhall.org.  In addition you can contact Mei Mei Brown at 247-3971 with any questions.