Big Brothers - Big Sisters provides mentors for children kindergarten through middle school in Bennington County, Vermont. Children are matched with a caring adult through three different programs. The adults and child then spend time together each week. Valuable lessons are learned, the most important being friendship. For more information on the program please contact Megan Brooks at 4425491 You may also visit the website at www.ucsvt.org/bbbs.php. Please consider becoming a mentor!

The Bennington Center for the Arts is a full spectrum visual and performing arts complex located in the beautiful southwest corner of Vermont. Founded and built by local philanthropists Bruce Laumeister and Elizabeth Small in 1994, the Arts Center is home to seven fine art galleries, two large instruction spaces, a concert series, Oldcastle Theatre Company, and the country's only Museum of the Covered Bridge. The mission of the Bennington Center for the Arts is to offer access to world-class artists from all disciplines to residents and visitors in the tri-state area. With a focus on representational and wildlife art, the Center is home to an exceptional collection of the works of the late, great painter Eric Sloane as well as the single largest collection of bird carvings by world champion carver Floyd Scholz. An extensive collection of Native American art and artifacts, a mesmerizing wind-sculpture forest, and workshops in fine art make the Bennington Center for the Arts a rich cultural resource and a 'must see' when in Bennington.

The Bennington Young Professionals Group is working towards creating a more inviting environment for an oft-overlooked demographic in our community. We target individuals and families who are in their 20’s and 30’s and looking for a greater connection with the Bennington community. Through our monthly socials we provide a setting for folks to meet both new and old friends, socialize, and network in a casual atmosphere. At the same time, our website www.bypforum.com provides a forum where folks can connect on a daily basis at any time and on any issue. So, even if you can’t make the monthly social because of your recent newborn baby, you can certainly connect with the community on-line at three in the morning when that same newborn can’t sleep! The goal of the Bennington Young Professionals Group is to create an environment that encourages young people to both come to Bennington, and more importantly stay here once they’ve arrived through friendships, a sense of belonging, and most importantly a sense of community.

The Bennington Free Library was established in 1865 by Trenor W. Park and Seth B. Hunt, on the second floor of a brick building on the corner of Main and Silver Streets, gradually expanding to include the entire first floor. In 1936 a new library was built, replete with architectural details copied from area historic buildings, and library operations were transferred to the new structure. As library patronage increased, the library was renovated to provide much needed space in the 1980s. A bridge between The 1865 and 1936 structures was added, handicapped access was provided, and many more structural changes were incorporated, in order to continue to serve our community's needs.
The Library has long been a transformational force in the community and strives to offer programming that satisfies the educational, cultural and recreational needs of our patrons throughout their lives. Story hours for infants and toddlers, speaker and author events, educational workshops on a variety of topics are just some of the many programs we offer in addition to our print, video and talking book collections. The library offers high speed internet access and current technology resources to all who walk through the door. Whatever you are looking for: current information and news, great reading material, current and classic movies or state-of-the-art computing facilities, the Library has it all, free of charge. Check out our website at www.benningtonfreelibrary.org or come to the Library in person to see what we can do for you.