Volume 1, Number 1 July 17, 1981
The Essex Reporter
Community news for the people of Essex
DRINKING BANNED IN VILLAGE PARKS
Ellen Meier at Cake World holds one of the many wedding cake tops available at her store in Essex Junction.
Mrs. Meier Takes The Cake In Essex
by Kit Wright A party means a cake, and 40 people a week to turn to Ellen Meier and her shop, Cake World for their special occasions. Many more find just what they want to decorate that special confection at the chock-full store of delicious-looking fancies. Mrs. Meier has been baking cakes for 25 years. She and her family moved to Essex 15 years ago and she opened the shop three years ago. In addition to
baking 40 cakes a week at her home and running the store with her son Mike, she also teachescake decorating classes. Linda Thibault was in the store to pick up decorations for a cake she had been commissioned to bake for a man from the West who worked for the WElls Fargo Bank. Linda asked for a stagecoach, and sure enough, Mrs. Meier had one. That combined with a fence, a cow-
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Introducing The Essex Reporter An introduction is obviously in order. As you can see by the flag we are the Essex Reporter. The name tells the story. We intend to provide the community news to the community of Essex. We will be distributed on Fridays for at least the next six weeks by carrier to over 4,000 homes in Essex Junction and Essex Center, and made available through pickup at stores to those of you who live in the outlying areas, where carrier service would be unrealistic. Our goal is to maintain an eight page paper with enough advertising to pay for itself, and to have a circulation base of 4,800 homes. We also want to stay where a hometown, community-oriented newspaper belongs – in our hometown. Therefore we are relying on the people and businessmen of Essex alone to help us make a go of it and provide you, the reader, with what you want to read about your community. Our efforts over the past few weeks have convinced us that what the community of Essex wants is a community newspaper. The local businesses have been more than generous in their support of our concept, and the public has provided us with valuable information on what they think a newspaper in Essex should be. We thank them all. As residents of Essex, myself for over twenty years, we will do our best to serve the community in which we live. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions concerning The Essex Reporter please feel free to contact us at 879-1738 or write to P.O. Box 116, Essex Junction, Vt. 05452. Once again, thank you.
by Tim Callahan The village trustees approved Tuesday an ordinance drawn up by the prudential committee banning the consumption of alcoholic beverages and the possession of glass bottles in village parks, recreation areas, and school grounds. The prudential committee approved the ordinance at its June 8 meeting. The ordinance also states that all parks will close at 11:00 p.m. daily, no horses or motor vehicles will be allowed on the actual grounds, and camping and fishing on the grounds are not permitted. The drinking ban was imposed as a result of a series of complaints from residents living near the Maple Street Park, the scene of late night beer parties and early morning rowdiness, according to the Maple Street residents. The residents brought their complaints to the trustees originally in May and then talked to the selectmen, the school board, and the recreation department. Confusion over who was empowered to act on the complaints arose because although the trustees are the designated landlords of the parks, the prudential committee has the management responsibility of the village recreation department and therefore of the parks. The complainants subsequently were bounced from board to board, with each one claiming it was the other board’s problem. The boards and the residents finally reached an agreement that an ordinance was the quickest and most effective means of cuing the problem. It can also be enforced by the police, whereas before there as no written ordinance governing behavior in the park. The “technicality problem” between the
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Soules, Trotier To Wed Mike Soules, playground supervisor, is getting nervous. He has three weeks left of bachelorhood, then on August 8 he will marry lifeguard Michelle Trotier, also of Essex. Get the rice ready kids!