The CharloTTe News
Volume lX Number 20 | wedNesday, april 18, 2018
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Vol. 60, no.20 April 18, 2018
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UPDATE: Vermont Environmental Court rules for the Old Lantern Barn in zoning case The court to hold hearing on possible sanctions in June
On Monday, April 2, Superior Judge Thomas S. Durkin of the Vermont Environmental Court held that the Old Lantern Barn and property continues to qualify as a legal pre-existing nonconforming use as an event facility. The court’s decision upheld the action of both Charlotte’s zoning administrator and Zoning Board of Adjustment in denying an appeal by Alison and Adrian Wolverton and other neighbors of the Old Lantern that the facility was operating in violation of applicable town zoning regulations and should be required to secure applicable zoning approvals for its continued operation. In dismissing the Wolvertons’ complaint, the court asked and answered three specific questions: First, “Did the Old Lantern operations change from offering off-site or catered meal preparation to on-site food preparation and, if so, was that change so substantial as to cause Old Lantern to lose its grandfathered status?” The court concluded that “the Old Lantern Barn has historically relied upon on-site food preparation. There was no evidence presented of an alteration
Old Lantern Barn to this use that would justify a change in the Barn’s classification as a lawful, preexisting but non-conforming use.” Second, “Is the Old Lantern Barn now or had it ever been operated in the past as a restaurant, so as to cause it to lose its grandfathered status?” The court concluded that “there was no evidence presented at trial that the Old Lantern Barn had been
Persist 5k takes place on Mother’s Day
Photo contributed converted to a restaurant. The Regulations define a restaurant as an ‘establishment of which the primary function is to serve food and beverages to the public . . . on premises.’ The sole evidence presented at trial was that the Barn continues to be used as a wedding and events facility that primarily serves food and beverages only to wedding and event customers and their
guests.” Third, “Did the Old Lantern Barn cease operations for six months or more, resulting it in losing its grandfathered status?” Again the court concluded that “there was no evidence offered that Old Lantern ceased to be used as an event facility at any time for a period of up to six months. In fact, there was no evidence offered that the Barn had ceased to be used as an events and wedding facility for any measurable period of time.” Shortly after this ruling was handed down, the Court reviewed evidence in regard to the Old Lantern’s requests for sanctions against the Wolvertons and their attorney, James Dumont, for “taking the appeals and after two years of motions and discovery and trial preparation, coming to the trial and declining to offer any evidence and standing mute.” The Court concluded that the Wolvertons and their attorney abused the judicial process and plans to hold a hearing on Monday, June 11, to receive evidence on a potential monetary penalty. The rulings can be read in their entirety at: charlottenewsvt.org/category/top-stories/
Selectboard Profiles: Lane Morrison The second in a series of profiles of Charlotte Selectboard members Meghan Neely
Selectboard Chair Lane Morrison is
Event organizers, members of the Charlotte Bootcamp, pose with their Skida headgear. The Vermont-based hat company is giving a pink race headband to the first 500 to register. All monies raised go to aid vulnerable women in Vermont through The Vermont Women’s Fund. Register now at persist5k.com Photo contributed
currently in his sixth year of service to the town of Charlotte. A long-time Vermont resident, Morrison received both his B.S.M.E. and M.B.A. from the University of Vermont. After college, he served as an engineering duty officer for the U.S. Navy and later took a job with General Dynamics. When asked why he wanted to join the Selectboard, Morrison said he’d previously served on the town school board and was looking for a way to remain active in his community after retirement. He felt that the Selectboard would be a good fit and decided to run for election back in 2012. The rest, as you know, is history. For Morrison, resolving conflict has been the most rewarding part of the job. “There’s two sides to everything,” Morrison said in a phone interview with the Charlotte News. As chair, Morrison feels he has a chance to help fellow residents find solutions to their problems, many of which have been going on for years.
But Morrison’s community involvement doesn’t stop there. He’s also the treasurer for the Charlotte Congregational Church. On the off chance he’s not busy with meetings and site visits, Morrison enjoys doing the things that many retired Vermonters do. He loves to ski, play bridge, and, in the summer, he said he can be found boating on Lake Champlain. Without a doubt, Morrison is happy to be serving the town he loves so much.
2 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
Editorial The story never dies: thoughts on editing the Charlotte News Brett Sigurdson FORMER CHARLOTTE NEWS EDITOR
I prepare my weekly lesson plan for the freshman writing course I teach at the University of Minnesota every Sunday. An integral part of the Ph.D. in English Literature program, teaching the basics of writing and research to students majoring in economics, agriculture and biochemistry can be an exercise in dues-paying, the kind of academic scrub work meant to inspire us to become scholars qualified to teach literature courses. The vacant looks my students give me manifest the skepticism I confront: Why do I need to know about credible sources? The bored expression on their faces convey. Who cares about writing and reading? This class doesn’t matter to my major anyway. Then I tell them about Pete O’Connor, a luthier I profiled in the Charlotte News when I served as editor in chief of the paper from 2012 to 2014. O’Connor was building guitars at his home on Greenbush when I wrote the story in 2013, and I still recall the way he talked about the guitars he built as he held one, how he used it to show me how a cut that’s off even 1/64 of an inch can taint the sound of the instrument. “Trying to get all those little things worked out is knocking down the barriers between what is preventing the player from falling into those moments of deep bliss,” O’Connor told me. “I’d like to share with people a guitar that has no barriers between them and exactly what they want to be hearing and playing.” This is why we write, I tell my students.
Because words, carefully chosen and mindfully written, can break down barriers within us and among us. This is how we make stories last. I wrote that piece five years ago. Four years have passed since I served as editor in chief of the News and two years have passed since I left Vermont for Minnesota. Still, the stories I wrote and the people I knew and Charlotte itself linger with me, as present and immediate as the computer keys that record these words. There’s the story about Dirk Bergquist creating new signs for Martha Perkins and the Pie Ladies after vandals stole them. There’s the story about Bunky Bernstein’s retirement from Charlotte Family Health Center after 38 years of healing town residents. There’s the story of Caroline Cole playing “Taps” at nearly 300 military funerals using a trumpet that once belonged to her grandfather, a WWII vet. There’s stories about businesses opening and closing, the Tractor Parade and Community Beach Party, and numerous school and Selectboard budget discussions. Something of all of these stories lingers with me. Of course, the lows of the position have stayed with me as well—the errors I made, the readers I vexed, the spelling mistakes I missed. (And I can still remember Larry Hamilton, Charlotte’s former Tree Warden, chiding me for the length of my stories.) No editor or writer is perfect—a lesson I try to impart to my students. We do our best and hope our readers trust us to keep telling stories. When you oversee a community
newspaper, you tend to think of time differently. Time normally adds distance between days; memories collapse into generalities and flickers of remembrance. But, in my experience, the ink from each issue might as well be printed from the proverbial blood, sweat and tears of the editor and the staff. Even when the paper is relegated to the recycling bin, there’s still some quintessence of the people who created the issue and the stories they tell in its pages. All this is to say that each issue of the News serves to flatten the ridges of time, connecting Charlotters to the people and events and ideas across the last 60 years. Charlotters may forget a story, or an event, or a person, but the News won’t—this paper keeps the history of this town alive in its pages. This week, I’m teaching my students about media literacy. I plan to cite a recent article by journalist Sandra Fish. “Frankly,” she writes, “virtually any journalist who works at a for-profit operation [remains] at the mercy of the bottom line. It’s profits first, news last. That’s bad not just for journalists, but for citizens who need a reliable source of information more than ever before in our democracy.” I’ll certainly reference the News when I discuss this article with my students. I believe strongly that this paper’s mission and model represent the future of newspaper publishing in rural communities: nonprofit, hyper-local, published by readers for the benefit of the community. It’s why, I’ll tell my students, I believe the News will continue to tell Charlotte’s stories for the next 60 years.
Letter to the Editor To the Editor:
I want to thank Peter Trombley for his excellent article, “CVU students travel to Washington to join March for Our Lives.” He captured the tone, the message, the scope and the importance of this very stirring gathering. In addition to the 38 students and five chaperones on the CVU bus, there were hundreds of other Vermonters there, including more than a few Charlotters. Senator Leahy hosted a reception in one of the Senate conference rooms, but the true leaders of the day were under age 18. They were very powerful, and I look forward to supporting their leadership in the years to come. Edorah Frazer Charlotte
To the Editor:
There is something wrong with this picture. Gone are the days of “Ozzie and Harriet” and “the Sound of Music.”Our children are glued to their electronic devices nearly every waking moment. They have access to television, movies and video games that are filled with violence, murder, pornography and immorality. It has been nearly 20 years since Columbine and still the wrong questions are being asked. We have taken God and prayer out of the public schools and the public marketplace. America seems to have an identity crisis. The four essential life questions have been made
irrelevant by a pluralistic society and morass of relativistic answers that leaves the human heart longing for true truth. The four questions are: origin (Where did we come from?), meaning (What are we here for?), morality (What is right?), and destiny (Where are we going?). Is it any wonder that our children have lost their moral compass? They are taught that they have evolved from primordial ooze instead of being unique human beings designed by a loving Creator-God in His image. The result is a devaluing of human life that leads to a meaning, morality, and destiny that is futile. They are taught sex is free and you can have it whenever and with whoever you want instead of saving themselves for marriage. They are even taught to question the wonder and identity of the special gender they have been created to be. We live in a culture of hate and anger as people look out for number one. Mainstream media only serves to fuel the flame of polarization of us all. We should know better. A few days after the tragic Parkland, Florida, school shooting, CNN staged what appeared to be a well rehearsed and orchestrated “Town Hall” meeting in the name of school safety which served to incite hostility against firearms and those who own them. Their solution? Stricter gun laws and “ban guns” as some said. Common sense gun laws need to be in place, many already are but have not been enforced appropriately and
our Second Amendment rights should not be infringed. Vermont Law Enforcement Against Gun Control is opposed to the present legislation as S.55 has morphed into an overreaching document. Law enforcement personnel in Vermont say S.55 is not enforceable. Ninety percent of mass shootings have occurred in “gun free zones.” There are 27 deaths a day caused by illegal firearms but there are 2,129 lives saved by the lawful use of firearms. The Parkland, Florida shooting would see
LETTERS page 3
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The Charlotte News The Charlotte News is a nonprofit, communitybased newspaper dedicated to informing townspeople of current events and issues. It serves as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and celebrates the people, places and happenings that make the Town of Charlotte unique. Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs pertaining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encouraged. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor at news@thecharlottenews.org. The Charlotte News is published in Charlotte by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domestic 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation. Distribution is made every other Wednesday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to more than 50 outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes and Burlington. The Charlotte News relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations. Publisher: Vince Crockenberg Editorial Staff News Editor: Melissa O’Brien (melissa@thecharlottenews.org) Managing Editor: Anna Cyr (anna@thecharlottenews.org) Contributing Editor: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg Proofreaders: Edd Merritt, Mike & Janet Yantachka Archives: Liz Fotouhi Business Staff ads@thecharlottenews.org / 343-0279 Ad manager: Monica Marshall (ads@thecharlottenews.org) Bookkeeper: Jessica Lucia Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg (vince@thecharlottenews.org) Secretaries: Rick Detwiler, Carol Hanley Treasurer: Patrice Machavern (treasurer@thecharlottenews.org) Board members: Rachel Allard, Bob Bloch, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli Website: thecharlottenews.org Subscription Information The Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Subscriptions are available for first-class delivery at $40 per calendar year. Want a subscription? Please send a check payable to The Charlotte News, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445. Postmaster/Send address changes to: The Charlotte News P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 Telephone: 425-4949 Circulation: 3,000 copies per issue. Copyright © 2018 The Charlotte News, Inc. Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.
ON THE COVER: Charlotte Town Beach
By Jan Cannon
The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 3
Report from the Legislature A Profile in Courage In 1957, three years before he was elected President, Senator John F. Kennedy wrote his best-selling book Profiles in Courage. In Mike Yantachka it he described CONTRIBUTOR events in the lives of eight U.S. Senators who bravely cast votes in defiance of their party and public opinion, thereby jeopardizing their chances for re-election. These were acts of personal integrity that they believed were the responsible thing to do in those circumstances. I was privileged to witness a similar act of courage on the front steps of the Vermont Statehouse this past Wednesday. At 2:00 in the afternoon, Governor Scott, accompanied by his wife, stood at a podium with news cameras, legislators and members of the public both in support and against the action he was about to take: signing three bills that would impose regulations on gun sales, prohibit certain gun accessories, and provide law enforcement with the authority to confiscate guns when responding to domestic violence incidents and under court order from individuals who pose a threat to themselves or others. The scene in front of the statehouse was alive with tension as opponents dressed in hunter orange and carrying signs that read “One term Governor,” “Traitor” and “See you in court” vied with signs saying “Thank you Governor Scott” and “March for our Lives.” As the governor stood at the podium, he was greeted with chants of “Traitor! Traitor!” which were countered by chants
of “Thank you! Thank you!” He began his speech over the shouting, speaking carefully, deliberately and directly to those in front of him. He endured constant interruption by opponents yelling their disagreement almost continuously during his speech while supporters clapped enthusiastically when he made points supporting his decision to sign the bills. At one point Governor Scott said, “I understand I may lose support over my decision to sign these bills today, but those are consequences I’m prepared to live with.” As I stood behind the governor with dozens of my colleagues and members of the governor’s staff, I felt I was witnessing history in the making and an event that was clearly a profile in courage. My positions on many issues differ from those of Governor Scott. We have different perspectives on issues like raising the minimum wage, finding a way to pay for cleaning up the waters of our state, and looking for a way to price in the true costs of fossil fuels while incentivizing conversion to renewable energy sources. On other issues, like the opioid crisis or helping businesses use energy more efficiently, the governor and the Legislature have been able to work collaboratively toward a common goal. It is my hope that differences can be overcome to achieve results that benefit Vermont and Vermonters. Governor Scott is correct in saying that “public safety is the top priority of any government.” He should not become a one-term Governor simply because he did the right thing to improve the safety of Vermont citizens. As always, I can be reached by phone (802-233-5238) or by email (myantachka.dfa@gmail.com).
LETTERS
continued from page 2
have been prevented if law enforcement, the FBI, and school security personnel had done what they were supposed to do. California, Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington DC have the strictest gun laws in the nation, yet they have the most gun related deaths. Not all firearms are used for self defense or hunting. There are many biathletes in Vermont and a few who represented the U.S.A. at the recent winter games. Biathlon tests one’s cardiovascular system while cross-country skiing and then precision shooting requiring the slowing of heart rate and breathing to shoot at targets 50 meters away the size of a CD or silver dollar with a semi-automatic 22 rifle. The March for Our Lives was another tour de force of protesters who, when interviewed, weren’t even sure what the difference between an automatic and a semi-automatic firearm was. Many were parroting mantras they didn’t even understand saying AR15s were “assault rifles” when the “AR” actually comes from the original manufacturer “ArmaLite.” It is a semi-automatic firearm, meaning one round discharges with each trigger pull, used for hunting and recreational shooting. The law enforcement and military personnel protecting the March for Our Lives were carrying firearms. Indeed we have a schizophrenic society. We bemoan the opioid crisis yet legalize the recreational use of marijuana. We bemoan teen suicide yet allow physicians to prescribe a lethal dose to a patient so they can end their life. We cry for school safety and protection for our children yet allow Planned Parenthood to abort 320,000 unborn children a year. Why is there no outcry to disarm Planned Parenthood and protect our most vulnerable children? Laws won’t change hearts. America needs to navigate by a moral compass based on the preciousness of life. We need to teach our children to
love, honor, and respect all lives. Our Constitution’s foundation was based on the Ten Commandments. We can talk all we want about common sense gun laws, school safety, bulletproof glass, and magnetometers, but these won’t change the human heart. Perhaps the Ten Commandments should be posted once again in our public schools and venues since they outline how to love one another and God. A return to our moral moorings is the best way to cure our nation’s identity crisis and heal the mental and emotional confusion of our citizens. There is comfort and a hope to know where we came from, why we are here, doing what is right and knowing where we are going. Sincerely, Lynne Caulfield RN, CRNI Charlotte
Selectboard meeting and gun control
My motion on gun control passed with an enthusiastic response at Town Meeting. But in a video of the March 8 Selectboard meeting you can see for yourself how empty a motion can turn out to be. https://www.vermontcam.org/show/ march-8-2018-cs Fifty-one minutes into the Selectboard meeting, you will see that the motion was neither read nor discussed by the Selectboard, other than Carrie Spear saying, “I don’t like it and I didn’t like the one last year either.” At least she spoke her mind. The rest was silence. And they moved on to other matters. Motions passed at Town Meeting survive at the whim and fancy of the Selectboard who keep silent during Town Meeting but vote their own beliefs at some later date. I speak for more than my own small motion when I note that something important is gone. If we have a dictatorship by Selectboard, then why do we bother with Town Meeting? Susan Ohanian Charlotte
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Town
Selectboard tackles waste water ordinance, mowing contract and pesky lighting situation Meghan Neely
The Charlotte Selectboard hit the ground running this past week at its April 9 meeting. Selectboard member Lane Morrison kicked off the two-hour session with discussion concerning amendments for the wastewater disposal ordinance at Thompson’s Point. The ordinance, which was put into place in 1993, is supposed to be updated every five years. The last update, however, was in 2007. Based on a recommendation from member Carrie Spear, the Selectboard went through the ordinance updates line by line for the first hour of the meeting. They were joined by members of the Thompson’s Point Wastewater Advisory Committee, who provided more specialized knowledge on the residences at Thompson’s Point. Most of the changes to the wastewater ordinance concerned the tightening of preexisting language. The Selectboard held lengthy discussion on what would be
defined as “garbage” under the updated ordinance and ultimately decided that organic waste would be included as such. Other topics covered the placement of new pumps and the existing wastewater services at Lane’s Lane. Seasonal occupants will not be required to hook up to the public sewage system for another 10 years. Discussion of the ordinance will continue at the next Selectboard meeting, and Morrison stated it will be another two or three months before the updated document becomes official. The cost of hookup for Lane’s Lane residents to the public sewage system has not yet been discussed. The Selectboard then shifted gears for the awarding of lawn mowing and brush hogging contracts. The $25,750 bid from landscaping company Mow Mow Mow was approved by the board. A $5,360 cemetery bid and $2,595 brush hogging bid from were also approved. All bids included an additional hourly cost of $35
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per hour if needed by the landscaper. Jen Holliday of the Chittenden Solid Waste District then spoke to Selectboard members about the Rover collection event scheduled for July 28. The Rover event will provide Charlotte residents with a safe method for removing any hazardous waste that they may have in their homes. Holliday spoke to safety protocol and potential locations for this summer’s events. The board ultimately approved the hosting of the event at the town salt shed rather than the Charlotte Central School due to safety concerns. Road Commissioner Hugh Lewis Jr. later presented a paving plan to the Selectboard. The plan covers Church Hill Road from Hinesburg Road to Route 7 North, Ferry Road from Route 7 North to the train station, Greenbush Road from Common Way to Thompson’s Point Road, Spear Street from Bingham Brook Road to Robert Marble’s house, Spear Street from Guinea Road to Green Acre Farm, and Lake Road from Ferry Road to Whalley Road. Lewis said he would like to have the roads paved before the first of July and that the scale of the project will be determined by its budget. He encouraged Selectboard members to forgo choosing the cheapest bid based on previous experiences. The Selectboard agreed with Lewis to award bids for road paving on a same-day basis to speed up progress. The Selectboard also oversaw several interviews for various town boards,
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committees and commissions. David Ziegelman was reappointed to the Trails Committee for a two-year term ending in April 2020. Rebecca Foster and Bill Kallock were reappointed to the Energy Committee for a two-year terms ending in April 2020. Kevin Burget stepped down from the Trails Committee and was appointed to the Conservation Commission for a four-year term ending in April 2022. Bill Fraser-Harris and Greg Smith were reappointed to the Recreation Commission for three-year terms ending in April 2021, and are joined by new appointee Bill Pence. Stuart Bennett was reappointmed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment for a three-year term ending in April 2021. Following interviews, the board approved updates to the Local Emergency Operation Plan. Town Administrator Dean Bloch then gave an overview of an ongoing situation with a building owned by Reset Properties. The lights on the Ferry Road building have been a subject of complaint among neighbors since before 2006. The property owner currently owes the town $4,525 in legal fees regarding a lawsuit involving the lights, which he still has not removed. The Selectboard agreed to send an electrician and police officer over to the property to remove the lights, charging the property owner for the labor. Before adjourning, the Selectboard approved minutes from its two previous meetings.
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Around Town Congratulations: to Sara Jean Whelan and Charlotte’s Three Chimney Farm for being recognized as one of the expanded CSAs reviewed in the April 4 Seven Days. Sara Jean says that what is different about Three Chimney Farm is that it is a digital alternative to the standard CSA model. Customers, who work at three co-working sites around Burlington, place a digital order (usually on a weekly basis) and can pick it up or have it delivered to their sites, or if they don’t work, have it delivered to Foam Brewers on the Burlington waterfront. to Victoria Pane and Travis Titus on the birth of their son Austin John Titus on March 13 in Superior, Colorado. Austin’s grandparents are The Charlotte News’ own Elizabeth Bassett and her husband, John Pane. to Ned Castle, formerly of Charlotte and now the gallery director and media producer at the Vermont Folklife Gallery in Middlebury. Ned recently completed a film documenting what his collaborator Charlotte Barrett calls “the essence of the Grange” in Vermont. The film is titled Rooted:Cultivating Community in the Vermont Grange. It looks at the history of the Grange going back to its founding nationally in 1867 and focuses primarily on two granges in our state, the Riverside in West Topsham and the Middle Branch in East Bethel. Ned says these particular ones were selected because they fall at either end of the grange spectrum. Most of Middle Branch members are from farm families with some descending from its founding members. Although it hosts meals for the community, its meetings follow the formality and rituals of the early Grange, down to the wearing of blindfolds by initiates. The Riverside Grange meetings are more casual, and its membership spans a variety of work and professions. It sponsors a farmers market and a gardening program to help it reach out into its community. again to former Charlotter, Leath Tonino, who has an article in another major magazine, this time in the March-April
issue of Yankee New England Magazine. In his article on George Perkins Marsh, Leath cites two authors who lived 150 years apart, Marsh and Bill McKibben. Leath Tonino He says they were and are “both passionate Vermonters who helped shape today’s environmental movement with their clarion calls to respect and protect the natural world.” George Perkins Marsh was born in 1801 in Woodstock, Vermont, and his most often cited book is Man and Nature: Or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action. His biographer calls it the most influential text of its time next to Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, written just five years earlier.
Sympathy: is extended to family and friends of Marilyn P. Heilferty of Shelburne who passed away April 3 at the age of 80. Marilyn and her husband, Marilyn P. Heilferty Robert, retired to Charlotte in 1992 after living in New York and New Jersey for much of their married life. When Bob passed away in 2005, Marilyn moved to Shelburne. According to her wishes, her burial will be private. is extended to family and friends of Joseph Lacombe of Rutland who passed away March 31 at the age of 93. His surviving family includes Susan Ann Mahren of Charlotte. The family will hold a graveside Joseph Lacombe
service later this year. is extended to family and friends of Robert Granger of Belvidere who passed away March 21 at the age of 86. A member of the Green Mountain Boys for 40 years, he lived in Charlotte before moving to Belvidere in 1974. is extended to family and friends of John Milne, M.D., of Shelburne who passed away March 14 at the age of 87. His surviving family includes his daughter, Mavis, and her partner, Jamey Gerlaugh, of Charlotte. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in John’s name be made to Community Health Centers of Burlington. is extended to family and friends of Joseph A. Provetto of Ferrisburgh who passed away April 14 at the age of 92. Joseph retired to Vermont in 1996 and became an active member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parrish in Charlotte. The family asks that those wishing to make donations in his memory do so to St. Peter’s Church, P.O. Box 324, Vergennes, VT 05491.
Town Bites Nordic Farms, from milk to beer?
In an article in the April 11 Seven Days on the status of dairy farming in Vermont, Charlotte’s Nordic Farm was cited as one of several dairy operations that was undergoing major changes. Nordic was a particularly forward-focused operation when its owner, Clark Hinsdale installed the first robotic milking machines in New England in the large, red-roofed barn adjacent to Route 7. Robotic milking allowed the cows to determine when their udders were full, and an electric collar, personalized for each cow, placed the milking machines directly on the udder formation of the particular cow. The problem, however, arose not from the technology but from lowering milk prices. In 2014, Hinsdale sold the cows and dairy business to his herd manager and returned the land and barns. Unfortunately, dropping prices forced manager Mike LeClair into bankruptcy, and he had to give the herd and farm equipment back to Hinsdale. Despite initial interest from the
Claflins, whose family had been farmers down the road in North Ferrisburgh, but who decided not to purchase Nordic because of the debt load it carried, Clark was faced with what to do with it. The robotic milk machines went to New York, and the herd of cows were removed by truck, leaving Nordic with barns and not much else. However, still the optimist, Clark says he is working out a deal for a new type of agriculture – craft beer brewing. Hinsdale was quoted as saying, “People are consuming less milk and paying less for it.” On the other hand, “People are consuming more beer and paying more for it.”
Regional Bite Governor Scott’s approval of gun law gives rise to criticism from the right
Speaking as the vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party, Charlotte lawyer Brady Toensing was quoted in Seven Days as saying, “A sad day in Vermont. Repub Gov breaks repeated pledge: will sign bill taking rights from law-abiding citizens with no increase in safety.” Toensing feels that laws similar to S.55 should not be driven by politics and emotion rather by constitutionality--referring to the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment that protects the right of people to keep and bear arms.
UPCOMING MEETINGS IN THE TOWN OF CHARLOTTE Planning Commission: Thursday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Conservation Commission: Tuesday, April 24 at 7 p.m.
Dr. Katie Sarah Manges Smets
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6 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
Region
Vermont mentoring: Where magic happens
Jim Hyde Chances are if you are like many of us, there was someone you met along the way growing up who made a major difference in your life. Perhaps it was your aunt, a soccer coach, a neighbor or a teacher at school. Whoever it may have been, you likely felt transformed, motivated or excited in ways that you hadn’t experienced before. More than likely that person changed the arc of your life in ways that you might not have guessed possible at the time. Formal education is a wonderful and empowering thing, but for many of us it is not where the magic happens. The magic happens when we meet someone during our formative years whose insights, imagination and belief in us makes a difference in how we feel about ourselves. I have spent two thirds of my adult life teaching. One of the things I have learned from speaking to countless former students is that it was the chance encounter with an individual in their formative years that made all of the difference in how they felt about themselves, their interests and their careers. Not that this cannot, and does not, happen in formal educational settings—it does. However, more often than not, it happens through informal encounters with people we meet in our daily lives. Vermont’s youth mentoring programs are about not leaving these encounters to chance. Rather they are designed to bring a diverse group of adults into the lives of our kids— enhancing the likelihood that the “magic” will happen. Currently there are more than 140 mentoring programs based at schools and youth service agencies in the State of Vermont, serving more than 2,300 kids from elementary school through high school. April is National Volunteer Month, and while it is a great time to celebrate the service of
current mentors, there is still a significant need for additional volunteers. Mobius, a statewide organization that supports youth mentoring programs, estimates that there are still more than 15,000 kids in the state who are in strong need of mentoring services. Have you ever thought about becoming a mentor for a young person in your community? Let me tell you a little more about what’s involved, based on my experience. School-based programs, like Connecting Youth, the program I’ve been mentoring through for the past four and a half years, are all slightly different. However, each is staffed by a coordinator and is integrated into the curriculum offerings of each school. Here’s how the program works. Children may be nominated for mentoring in a number of different ways--by their teachers, school administrators, parents or even by the students themselves. Perhaps they are shy or anxious at school. Perhaps they would just like to hang out with an adult and not have to concern themselves with peer pressure. Or, they just want to get out of the classroom for an hour and not feel compelled to answer questions. Regardless of the reason, just about any young person could benefit from having another positive adult in their life. Mentors usually spend about an hour a week with mentees. They are not there to teach. They are not there to give grades, nor are they there to ask questions. Their role is to listen, talk, play games, work on projects, cook—just about anything a child wants to do. It is in the context of these weekly encounters that the “magic” sometimes—not always—happens. Some mentors begin their relationships with a child in say 5th grade and then continue on through middle school and high school—but not always. Many people question whether or not they can be mentors if they don’t have any special expertise or
skills to bring to the table. The answer is that most of us who make it to adulthood have a lot more experience and expertise than we give ourselves credit for. You are not there to teach; you are not there to turn your mentee into a nuclear scientist; you are there to be another adult in a child’s life and, along the way, vicariously share a bit of that experience. The only real qualifications are an ability to listen, to be non-judgmental and to be consistently there. The rewards of mentoring are many. In exchange for spending about an hour a week over the course of nine months, you will have a chance to re-visit some of the highs and lows of growing up. You will learn all sorts of new stuff that kids are doing, thinking, and talking about today that you knew nothing about. (This is especially true if you are about my age and at least 60 years removed from elementary school). But most importantly, you will have a chance to follow a child, your mentee, along a longitudinal path of growth and maturity. Sometimes you may question where that path is leading, but sometimes you will see that path following an arc influenced by your presence. That is when you will know that the magic happened. I hope that you will contact your local mentoring program today and consider becoming a mentor yourself. If you’re not sure what the mentoring options are in your community, I encourage you to visit Mobius’ statewide program directory for more information: mobiusmentors.org/agencyselection-page. Jim Hyde is a resident of Charlotte and a volunteer mentor for two students through the Connecting Youth programs at Charlotte Central School and Champlain Valley Union High School. He was recently named the 2018 Vermont Mentor of the Year by Comcast and Mobius.
Seth Zimmerman and Keagan Bothwell (grade 8)
Woody Keppel and Jadin Brown (grade 7)
Mike Walker and Ryan Byrne (grade 5)
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The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 7
Town Cherie was born in Harper Woods, Michigan, a city of about 14,000 residents located about 15 miles from Detroit. Her father worked as a tool and die maker. Her mom, who had a professional background as a draftsman for Bausch & Lomb, chose to stay at home to raise Cherie and her two brothers. Cherie’s fondest memories of growing up are about being on the water with her family on Lake Saint Claire. Her parents actually built one of their boats using an old steel hull and crafting the rest of the boat themselves. She spent a good deal of summer time on the Great Lakes of Michigan. At the end of her freshman year in high school, the family moved to Pompano Beach, Florida. Directly out of high school, Cherie simultaneously went to work at Sears and to Broward County College. She received an associate degree in psychology and pursued further studies in environmental biology. Remarkably, at age 19, Cherie took a trip with her best friend for six weeks touring Europe. She quickly learned how to drive a standard transmission while renting a Renault 4 in the heart of Paris. They stayed in youth hostels throughout France, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Germany. This trip was life changing and created an endless love and fascination with travel and experiencing other cultures. It also began her passion for inspiring others to see the world as well. Cherie returned to the U.S. and began work on her B.S. degree at Florida International University in Travel Tourism Management. While there she also managed to play varsity softball and took up fencing. During her university studies, Cherie spent a summer backpacking in Europe with some new adventures including a trip to the Artic circle in Norway. After graduation she returned to Germany for two years where she worked in Bavaria for Steingenberger Hotels and as an au pair for a family in Berlin. She lived within walking distance to the Berlin Wall that surrounded West Berlin from communist East Germany at the time. Cherie returned to Florida and married a gentleman who shared her passion to explore new places—they both enjoyed motorcycles and took several cross-country trips. During the era of the newly formed Equal Rights Opportunity Commission, Cherie was employed as one of the first female installation repair technicians for Southern Bell Telephone.
Florida began to be unappealing, so Cherie and her husband started to explore other places to live. They found a home in Sutton, New Hampshire, and settled in. She worked at two local firms as an inventory control manager. In 1989 she moved to Burlington and returned to her passion in the travel industry. She ultimately ran a travel agency in South Burlington and during that time developed a huge following of clients due to her enthusiasm for travel, especially in eco/adventure travel. When 9/11 happened, the travel industry changed drastically overnight and this closed a huge chapter in her life. Not long after, Cherie saw an advertisement in the Shelburne News for an ambulance driver position. She began volunteering there, and 15 years later she still remains an active member with Shelburne Rescue. Cherie joined Charlotte Rescue in 2011. If you come in on the weekends you are apt to see her there. She comes in the door smiling and brings a great attitude every day! Cherie has pursued and attained both EMT and AEMT credentials and does a great job for her patients. She is an important part of our organization. Favorite Meal: Shelburne Meat Market house marinated steak tips and ravioli! Last Concert: Dan Foggerty Favorite Spot so far: The Galapagos Islands Favorite Season: Spring—new adventures await. Most Proud of: Inspiring people to travel and see the world whenever possible and to visit new destinations while exploring the different cultures, languages and foods.
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Volunteers needed for Earth Day weekend The Charlotte Park and Wildlife Refuge Oversight Committee invites volunteers to work on a spring project at the park. Last year we had a great time planting disease-resistant elms. This year we will be working to restore a hedgerow by cleaning up old fencing and other material and preparing the soil for planting grasses and wildflower seeds. Native trees and shrubs will be planted in the area. We are hoping for a good weather day on Saturday, April 21, but will have Sunday, April 22, as our rain date. Meet at the Thorp Barn on Route 7 at 10 a.m. Bring a picnic lunch. Contact: Susan Smith, Park Oversight Committee co-chair, at ssmith@gmavt. net,or 802-373-7942.
Photo contributed
Get involved in town government! The Selectboard is looking for interested citizens to fill the following vacancies: • Chittenden Solid Waste District Board—representative and alternate representative with terms ending May 31, 2020. • Trails Committee—three vacancies, one with a term ending in April 2019 and two with terms ending in April 2020. • Recreation Commission—one vacancy with a term ending in April 2020.
information. Dean Bloch, Town Administrator, Charlotte Town Office, P.O. Box 119 Charlotte, VT 05445, E-mail: dean@ townofcharlotte.com, Phone: 425-3533.
Interested applicants should e-mail, call or stop by the office for more
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8 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
Town
Charlotte Rec Department Beach Rules
Hello, Charlotte Residents! As I look forward to some warmer temperatures, I wanted to provide beach information for the upcoming season. The Charlotte beach is open to the community to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the amenities it offers. The beach will be open daily starting Saturday, May 26, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Weather permitting, there will be beach attendants present from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to maintain the facilities and assist with parking. Parking passes are required during the regular season (Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend). All season and day parking passes are available for purchase at the Charlotte beach during the beach attendant’s shift. Save the dates for our upcoming summer beach events! All events are FREE with day or season parking pass Town Beach Party at 4 p.m.: Saturday, July 14 Mozart Concerts at 7 p.m.: Thursday, July 19, Thursday, July 26, and Thursday, August 2. *All concerts are FREE with day or season parking pass Season Parking Pass Resident Season Pass: $20 Non-resident Season Pass: $40 Additional Parking Pass for Nonresidents: $5.00 (Additional parking passes must be purchased at the same time as the first pass is purchased.) Daily Parking Pass Residents: $3 Non-residents: $6 Please help us enforce the beach rules listed below to create a fun and safe environment at our beach:
1. A current beach pass MUST be displayed at all times. The beach pass must match the license plate of the vehicle. 2. There is no parking permitted on either side of Lake Road. 3. Town of Charlotte does not employ lifeguards at the beach. Swimming is unsupervised and at the risk of the individual user. 4. Dogs and other pets are NOT allowed at the town beach or any facilities around it which include park area, tennis courts, playgrounds and ball fields. 5. Boats are prohibited in the swimming area. Please use the southern section of the beach front when launching small boats such as canoes and kayaks. 6. Open fires are permitted ONLY in the picnic area barbeque grills. 7. Firearms and/or explosives are prohibited. 8. Please follow our carry-in/carryout procedures to help minimize trash at our beach. Glass bottles are not allowed at the beach. 9. Tennis court facilities are available on a first-come, first-served basis for tennis, unless it has been reserved for a recreation program. Please allow rotation for the next players in line to use the court after one hour of play. The beach attendants have been trained to politely intervene if any of the policies are not being followed. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I look forward to another great summer at the beach! Nicole Conley, Charlotte Recreation Director
Public invited to Open House to comment on Mt. Philo State Park Draft Plan On Thursday, April 19, from 6 to 8 p.m.
the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is hosting a meeting at Charlotte Central School to provide an opportunity for public input on the draft long-range management plan for Mt. Philo State Park. The format for this meeting will be an open house. At 6 p.m. participants will have the opportunity to review the draft plan, view maps, discuss goals and strategies with staff from the departments of Forests, Parks & Recreation and Fish and Wildlife, and provide written comments. At 7 p.m. there will be a brief presentation providing a planning overview, highlighting portions of the plan and outlining next steps. Following the presentation, participants can continue to meet with agency staff and provide comment. Visitors are welcome to arrive and depart at any time during the two-hour meeting. Drafted and reassessed periodically with collaboration among agency experts and public input, long-range management plans for ANR lands represent an important framework for providing responsible stewardship of public land. The Mt. Philo plan sets a long-term outline for management, but also takes into account the nature of this unique state park and incorporates some short-term considerations not typically included in other plans. Careful stewardship of Mt. Philo State Park supports a healthy forest that provides for a range of high-quality
recreational activities, especially hiking; supports functioning natural communities; and strives for a careful balance and integration of public uses. Written comments may also be submitted online or through the mail to the following address until close of business on June 1, 2018: ANR.MountPhilo@ vermont.gov or Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, 271 North Main Street, Suite 215, Rutland, VT 05701. The Mt. Philo State Park draft LRMP and a FAQ document created to answer common questions about the draft plan can be viewed at http://fpr.vermont.gov/state_ lands/management_planning/documents/ district_pages/district_2/mt_philo.
View from Mt. Philo.
Photo by Lee Krohn
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The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 9
Schools Common educational approaches across CVSD and Act 77 The CVSD Board of Directors In this article, we want to explain Vermont’s Act 77, a far-reaching legislation that mandates that we put student learning at the center of curriculum, instruction and assessment. At CVSD, we are in full implementation of Act 77 and are finding that it holds great promise for our students to succeed and pursue excellence as they become college and career ready. We sought out the Agency of Education (AOE) and Jeff Evans, our Director of Learning and Innovation, to help answer some of the questions we have heard you ask about Act 77. Q: What is Act 77? A: Act 77 became law in July of 2013, and was designed to foster a system of public education in which every student graduates, and every graduate is college and career ready. There are three pillars to Act 77: proficiency- based learning, personalized learning plans and flexible pathways. Source: AOE Q: Do other states have similar legislation or initiatives? A: While Vermont is considered to be on the cutting edge of implementing proficiencybased learning, personalized learning plans and flexible pathways, as of April 2016, only five states did not have any related policies in place. Source: Innovative Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL). Q: What does proficiency-based learning mean? A:oficiency-based learning is any system of academic instruction, assessment and reporting that is based on learners demonstrating proficiency in knowledge, skills and abilities they are expected to learn, before progressing to the next level or challenge. Proficiency-based learning may also be referred to as mastery learning, competency- based learning or standards based learning. Source: AOE Q: What are the implications of proficiency-based learning? A: Proficiency-based learning shifts attention away from what teachers teach, or cover in a class, to what students are actually learning. This shift requires teachers to focus their instruction on the specific elements of what a student is expected to know and be able to do from the state standards, and to clearly communicate these expected targets. Neuroscience has found that the brain is highly responsive to this level of focus and allows for better outcomes in student learning. Q: How is student assessment and reporting impacted by proficiency-based learning? A: Proficiency-based assessment provides a more accurate means of measuring student learning. Student learning is no longer measured as “seat time,” or the amount of time a student sits in a class, but is instead measured by a student’s demonstration of proficiency on specific learning targets.
As a result, proficiency-based assessment systems require a shared understanding, by teachers, students and families, of the depth of learning necessary to demonstrate proficiency. In addition, proficiency-based assessing and reporting systems require a transparent method to determine where a student is along the continuum of reaching proficiency, and a simple method to report this information. Q: Does proficiency-based grading look different in practice than what we have been accustomed to? A: A proficiency-based grade is a more accurate reflection of what the student knows and is able to do. As such, a proficiency grade is not based on participation, timely homework and effort. These skills are valued as work habits and are assessed separately with a separate grade. In addition, instead of an A–F scale, grades are reported on a four- point scale of 1 to 4 representing approaching proficiency, nearing proficiency, meeting proficiency and exceeding proficiency. Q: Are colleges receptive to proficiencybased grading and reporting systems? A: Colleges, including the most competitive institutions, have made it clear that they are open to proficiencybased grading and reporting systems, and that proficiency-based diplomas do not disadvantage students. Furthermore, they say that they are accustomed to a wide variety of ways that schools report out on student skills and knowledge. Source: Great Schools Partnership: https://www. greatschoolspartnership.org/proficiencybased-learning/college-admissions/. Q: With proficiency-based learning, are students limited in how much they can learn? A: On the contrary, since proficiencybased learning requires that teachers use differentiated instruction, teachers are expected to meet every student where they are, and move them along the continuum, which includes exceeding proficiency. The Vermont AOE defines differentiated instruction as instructional strategies designed to help students meet or exceed proficiency that are based on individual learning needs and styles. The teacher provides choice, and exercises flexibility in methods of support, feedback, assessment, grouping and instruction to create the best learning experiences for all student. Proficiency scales, also known as learning progressions, created by teachers, define what a student should be able to do and know as they begin to approach proficiency, near proficiency, meet proficiency and exceed proficiency. These scales are used as tools to enable students to know exactly where they are on the continuum towards meeting or exceeding proficiency, and what they need to know and be able to do to move forward. Q: What are proficiency-based graduation requirements? A: Proficiency-Based Graduation
Requirements are the locally delineated set of content knowledge and skills connected to state standards that, when supplemented with any additional locally developed requirements, have been determined to qualify a student for earning a high school diploma. Vermont’s Education Quality Standards (EQS) require that schools’ graduation requirements be rooted in demonstrations of student proficiency, as opposed to time spent in classrooms. This requirement will take effect in Vermont beginning with the graduating class of 2020. Source: AOE Q: What is the implication of proficiencybased graduation requirements (PBGRs)? A: The implication of PBGRs is that beginning with the class of 2020, instead of students earning a minimum number of credits, based on “seat time” in a class, as the requirement to graduate, students will be required to demonstrate evidence of their proficiency in numerous academic areas, and in Vermont’s transferable skills. The transferable skills include clear and effective communication, creative and practical problem solving, informed and integrative thinking, responsible and involved citizenship and self direction. These are lifelong skills that cut across all academic areas and have been identified as necessary for success in college and modern jobs. Q: What is a personalized learning plan? A: The AOE defines a personalized learning plan as a blueprint that defines the scope and rigor of academic and experiential opportunities necessary for the student to successfully complete secondary school and attain college and career readiness. The AOE further defines that it will be created by the student no later than in the seventh grade, with the support of staff and family. Source: AOE Q: What are the benefits of our students making personalized learning plans? A: Creating a personalized learning plan is an enriching process that engages students
in planning, connecting, reflecting, and sharing of evidence towards meeting their goals. Students are given voice and choice in determining meaningful and relevant pathways to reach and demonstrate proficiency. Through this process, students learn to understand themselves as learners, including their preferred education style, where their interests lie, and in what areas they need to grow. The most significant outcome of the personalized learning plan process is students becoming empowered to own their learning. Q: What are flexible pathways? A: Flexible pathways are any combination of high-quality expanded learning opportunities, including academic and experiential components, which build and assess attainment of identified proficiencies and lead to secondary school completion, civic engagement, and postsecondary readiness. Flexible pathways allow students to apply their knowledge and skills to tasks of personal interest as part of their personalized learning plan, to meet proficiency based graduation requirements. Source: AOE Q: How do flexible pathways support student learning? A: No longer is the time and place for student learning limited to being in a class at school. Instead, flexible pathways open up the possibilities of where, when and how students learn. This means that students can choose to meet proficiencies through an authentic work experience, a service learning project, travel, an online class or a college course, and still be meeting the requirements required to graduate from high school. To learn more, please visit the CVSD Proficiency Based Learning Site, https:// sites.google.com/cvsdvt.org/cvsdpbl/home.
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10 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
CCS’s students perform the classic show
CCS students from grades 6–8 put on several wonderful performances of the classic show Annie Jr. between Thursday, April 12, and Saturday, April 14. CCS drama students have been rehearsing since January, under the guidance of Director Allison Talis. Claire Sigmon starred as Annie and featured Ben Fox as Daddy Warbucks, Finnegan Mittlestadt as Miss Hannigan, Chloe Silverman as Lily, Jacob Russell as Rooster and Innogen Naylor as Grace. There were many scene-stealing moments by lead characters, who were well supported by a fabulous ensemble cast. Photos contributed
The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 11
Charlotte Library News specimens.
Margaret Woodruff, Library Director
Charlotte Library Board Of Trustees: Katharine Cohen, Nan Mason, Danielle Conlon Menk, Jonathan Silverman and Robert Smith.
Saturday, April 21, 10:30 a.m. ART IN APRIL: Poetry in Motion. Celebrate National Poetry Month by creating some interactive poetry! For families & kids 9+.
Next Library Board Meeting: Thursday, May 10, 6 p.m.
Programs for Kids of All Ages
Charlotte Library Information:
Tuesdays, May 1–May 9, 9 a.m.: Baby Time. Meet other caregivers and the littlest ones in our area. We’ll chat, sing songs, and read to Baby.
Margaret Woodruff, Director Cheryl Sloan, Youth Services Librarian Susanna Kahn, Tech Services Librarian
Wednesdays, May 2–May 30, 3:15 p.m. : Charlotte Junior Chess Club The Charlotte Junior Chess Club is for students grade 2 to 12 with any skill level. Each meeting will consist of learning the game of chess (if a beginner) and chess strategies. It is hosted by the Charlotte Library and mentored by Ajat Teriyal. Thursdays, May 3-May 31, 3:15 p.m.: THINK Tank—a new tech challenge each week. Sign up for one or all! May 3–THINK Tank–Strobe Goggles: Learn about visual perception with motorized goggles made by you! For 4th–8th grades. May 10–THINK Tank–Design a Shoe: Take the shoe design challenge! We’ll design, create and test some footwear. Can your creation make it through the obstacle course in style? For 4th–8th grades.
Thursday, April 19, 7 p.m. Wearing Our Heritage: Join Don Stevens, chief of the Nulhegan Tribe, Abenaki scholar Melody Walker Brook, chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, and Lake Champlain Maritime Museum curator Eloise Beil for a discussion about the meaning of garments, accessories and regalia in their own lives and in community and tribal identity. Developed by the Vermont Abenaki Artists Association in partnership with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and Flynn Center for the Arts, this program and the traveling exhibit “Alnobak: Wearing Our Heritage” were designed to deepen public understanding of how the vibrant Abenaki culture continues into the 21st century. Supported in part by a grant from the Vermont Humanities Council. (Rescheduled from original March 8 date.)
HOURS: Mondays & Wednesdays: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Reach us on the web at charlottepubliclibrary.org Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/charlottelibraryvt Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @CharlotteVTLib
Patrick Kearney, PA-C
May 17–THINK Tank–Cryptography: Learn the science of decoding messages and its importance in history. Solve some cryptography puzzles and create your own secret messages. For 4th–8th grades.
May 24–THINK Tank–Clean it up: What does it take to make water safe for drinking? Work with your team to design and create a water filter. For 4th–8th grades. May 31–THINK Tank–Paper Circuits: Make light-up circuits on a piece of paper! Conductive tape, a battery and LEDs will light up your card or folded paper creation. For 4th–-8th grades.
Interest & Information for Adults
Tuesday, April 24, 7 p.m. Great Decisions: Since 1945, Pax Americana has promised peaceful international relations and an open economy, buttressed by U.S. military power. In championing “America First” isolationism and protectionism, President Trump has shifted the political mood toward selective U.S. engagement, where foreign commitments are limited to areas of vital U.S. interest and economic nationalism is the order of the day. Geopolitical allies and challengers alike are paying close attention. Please call the library to sign up Reading materials available at the circulation desk.
Evergreen Family Health
Wednesday, April 18, 7:30 p.m. Book Discussion Group: If Not Now, When? In this gripping novel, based on a true story, Primo Levi reveals the extraordinary lives of the Russian, Polish and Jewish partisans trapped behind enemy lines during the Second World War. Wracked by fear, hunger and fierce rivalries, they link up, fall apart, struggle to stay alive and to sabotage the efforts of the all-powerful German army. A compelling tale of action, resistance and epic adventure, it also reveals Levi’s characteristic compassion and deep insight into the moral dilemmas of total war. Copies available at the circulation desk.
Acce P
Cliffs
Ollie Beerworth, Grade 6
Skiing is life... I started skiing when I was 2 and a half. Skiing has always been my favorite sport. When I started to get into cliffs and freestyle I asked my dad what´s the biggest cliff he did. He said Corbet’s Couloir in Jackson Hole. I am training to do Corbet’s Couloir in Jackson Hole too, working on cliff jumping at Jay Peak and Stowe. It is a famous ski trail. I am skiing Corbet’s Couloir next year with my dad. Corbet’s Couloir is kinda’ a family tradition now. Once I do it, I am going to train my baby brother how to ski it.
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Wednesday, April 25, 12:30 p.m. Wendell Berry Conversations: Join us at Shelburne Farms for a showing of Look & See:Wendell Berry. Shot across four seasons of farming, this documentary features interviews and observations about writer Wendell Berry’s agrarian lifestyle.
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The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 13
On Books
The tyranny of memory and the just-right book club
There is a fire in the fireplace and two dogs not so subtly reminding me that dinnertime is upon us. If they wore wristwatches, they Katherine Arthaud would be glancing down at them, tapping the glass faces with their toenails. Snow is falling on the lawn outside. Easter has come and gone, and the first day of spring was weeks ago. But here we are. And what have I been reading? Maybe it is age, but when people ask me what books I have read lately, I frequently draw a total blank. It is rather unsettling, as there are (usually) several good books that I have read quite recently, and one would think that their titles would leap immediately and enthusiastically to mind. But they usually don’t. Thus, I have taken to snapping photos with my iPhone of the books I have read, so as to have some kind of record. So, if you happen to run into me and ask me what I have been reading and I start scrolling through my phone, please know that I am not being rude or ignoring you. I am trying to remember and to give you some kind of answer. Please forgive me. One of the photos on my phone (actually it isn’t a photo on my phone, because I forgot to photograph this one) is (or should be, or might be) After the Eclipse by Sarah Perry. I read it on the plane going down to Florida and really liked it. It is haunting, thoughtful and very well written—a memoir about losing a mother to homicide, about growing up motherless, about family and resilience
and longing and beauty and violence and sadness and a desperate, compelling craving for closure, resolution and healing. I left my copy on a shelf in the reading room of the club where I stayed for part of my visit south. I wonder who is reading it now. It is excellent—and probably filled with a little sand. I have, since we last spoke, joined a small book group, assembled by a friend of mine from the gym. We had a really great first meeting, very simple and low key, not too much focus on food or extra-literary chatter. It was just right. And it isn’t easy to get just the right book club. Sometimes it clicks, sometimes it just doesn’t. Our first read was Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, which unfortunately I had read too long ago to be extra sharp with detail and commentary. The discussion was good, though, and I marveled once again at what a complex, textured, evocative tale this is. Much of it takes place in the Brooklyn Naval Yard, where, during World War II, women were allowed to hold jobs that once belonged only to men, and where my son Tristan happens to have spent last summer working for a drone company, the primary activity of which at that time was creating (via drone photography) a visual map of the entire shipyard, which is large: 225 acres (I just looked it up). I visited him once and found the place to be magical. Part thriving and chic, part battered, faded and abandoned, there is such a strong sense of deep history there—and yet also the
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sense of new life blossoming quietly and somewhat mysteriously behind windows and faded brick facades. I know I mentioned Manhattan Beach before, but it is worth another shout out. I reread a quarter of it for book group this week (in hopes that I might have something to offer the group), and was riveted a second time around. Beautifully written and such a good story. I recently finished The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, and an Oprah pick, as well. It is a compelling story of a runaway slave, but I don’t know…it struck me as unnecessarily confusing, and (this is unusual for me) a bit of an effort to finish. I am glad I read it, though. It is profoundly important and profoundly troubling to face the violence and horrors of slavery and racism, and almost physically painful to reflect on the cruelty humans have inflicted on
their sisters and brothers in this world and in this country (which I used to think of as a great country, but lately have had some serious doubts). I hope to God we are evolving, but anyway, I would be curious to hear your thoughts on this book. Again, I am glad I read it, but as I said, mixed feelings. Oh…make SURE you read The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook. It takes place in Civil War-era Texas, narrated by a teenage boy struggling to survive and care for his traumatized half sister. Together, they face hunger, hardship, and then…well, there is this panther. I don’t want to tell you too much (I hate when reviews do that), but much of the narrative involves a long, harrowing panther hunt, involving canyons and horses and chases and bullets and flooding rivers and caves and thunderstorms, villains and heroes. It is fantastic. I could not put it down. Go out and buy it immediately, or find it in the library, or borrow it from a friend. I LOVED this book. Okay, I just looked up and it is still snowing. The dogs are growing more intent in their dinner requests. I will throw another log on the fire and wish you happy reading and happy spring, if it ever gets here.
14 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
Sports Winter sports close; spring sports open
Looking out at my snow-covered lawn, it’s hard to believe that winter is over and spring has sprung. However, I pick up the newspaper each day and read the lacrosse, tennis and track scores, countered by the lists of winter sports’ all-stars. The transition from season-to-season this year seems rapid. Let’s begin with all-stars from CVU.
Three Redhawks named Nordic ski stars
Three CVU cross-country skiers were named to the all-state team for their combined times at the state meet. Emma Strack was named to the Division I AllState women’s team, Jared Leonard to the Division I All-State men’s team, and Gus Lunde, a Charlotter, received honorable mention.
CVU hoop Hawks make allstate teams
Graham Walker was named by the coaches in the Metro Division to that division’s all-star roster. The Burlington Free Press sportswriters also named a number of Redhawks to their all-state selections. In women’s basketball, Shannon Loiseau, a senior forward made the second team, and Harper Mead, a junior guard, received honorable mention. Among men, Graham Walker, a junior forward gained all-state honorable mention.
Two Hawks on skates receive honorable mention in hockey One of the strong CVU players on the combined MMU/CVU women’s hockey team, Lydia Maitland, a senior forward received honorable mention from the Free Press as did Jennings Lobel, a senior forward from Charlotte for the men.
Muriel Spell skis on a national level
Lake Champlain Waldorf School eighth grader from Charlotte, Muriel Spell, competed in the Northern Vermont series of the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association championships. After the time trials, she was ranked tenth. However, she moved up in the rankings only to fall just short of coming in second place and being one of two finalists. She later went to Copper Mountain, Colorado where she competed in the USASA Nationals in the Skier Cross. Muriel trains with the Green Mountain Academy’s snowboard and freeski club in Stowe.
CVU spring sports open with wins
Tennis, track and lacrosse all opened their 2018 seasons on strong performances. Bella Rieley led CVU scorers with five goals to propel the Hawks to a 16-6 women’s lacrosse victory over Burr and Burton. Lydia Maitland barely had time to remove her skates and put on spikes before the LAX season began. In the opening 10-7 victory over South Burlington, Lydia added two goals to the leading scorer Cate Noel’s four. Against B & B, Maitland followed Bella Rieley with a hat trick and three assists. In that game CVU goalie Ali Wainer stopped 7 shots to the Bulldogs’ 11.
won both doubles matches.
Three schools fall to Redhawk men’s lacrosse in the early season
Rice Memorial, Hanover, N.H. High and South Burlington all went down to the Redhawks without an opponent reaching double figures in goals. A strong attack with goals spread among a number of players, coupled with a stingy defense that maintained much of the play around midfield gave the Hawks the advantage they needed. Rice fell 10-5, Hanover lost 10-2, and the Hawks dropped the Wolves 12-4. Charlotte names abound among CVU’s goal scorers, and Andrew Tieso has been tough in goal. Traveling across the Connecticut River, the Braun brothers, Will and Walter, along with Max Gorman were the leading scorers for the Redhawks. Will Braun led with five goals followed by Gorman’s hat trick and two assists, while the Braun brother, Walter, had a goal and an assist. Walter moved up among the scorers against South Burlington, hitting the net four times. He was followed closely by Sam Sturim’s hat trick, with single goals coming from Will Braun, Max Gorman, James Bernicke, Charlie Averill and Sam Buzzell. The game was a rematch of last year’s
Division I state championship contest.
Men’s and women’s track head to South Burlington for a dual meet
CVU men and women runners, throwers and jumpers went against Montpelier and South Burlington in a dual meet last week. The men defeated both Montpelier and the Wolves. The Hawks won seven of 15 events, beginning with the 100-meter dash and ending with the javelin throw. Charlotte’s Alden Randall won the 400-meter dash, and Seamus Higgins the high jump at 5 feet, 8 inches. The women split their meets, topping Montpelier but losing closely to South Burlington. Charlotte’s Elizabeth Jacobs and Carolina Sicotte were part of the winning 4X100 relay team, and Annaliese Kramer won the high jump, clearing 4 feet, 6 inches.
Lions Cup sets its rosters
The 44 th edition of the Lions Cup allstar soccer match between teams from New Hampshire and Vermont is not scheduled until July 21, but the men’s and women’s rosters are set, and needless to say there are Redhawks on each. Natalie Durieux and Hanna Swett are on the women’s squad; Nate Coffin and Sawyer Miller-Bottoms on the men’s.
Women’s tennis travels to Essex for a win
Another strong CVU women’s tennis team left Essex without a singles or doubles match victory as they beat the Hornets 7-0. Stephanie Joseph continued in her sister Kathy’s footsteps, leading the singles group and winning her match 6-0, 6-2. Sophie Dauerman, Kendall Blanck , Renee Dauerman and Corina Gorman won their singles matches, and partners M. Watson and J. Murphy plus M. Huber and E. Kenney
Lining up for a referees stick check before the season opener. Photo by Al Frey
Muriel Spell earlier in the season at Smugglers Notch where she took first place. Photo Contributed
Redhawk long stick gets the ground ball.
Photo by Al Frey
The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 15
Out Takes
Don’t give me your heart. I’m on my computer.
Edd Merritt Come on baby do the juke box jive Just like they did in nineteen fifty five Come on now hold me tight Baby, can’t you see I’m gonna wait around all night Juke Box Jive --The Rubettes I was in Panera on Shelburne Road the other day, and while I was waiting for my coffee, I looked around at the other customers, many of them sitting two or three to a table. There probably were 15 to 20 people there, of which more than half were devoting their time to some sort of mechanical device—iPhone, iPad, Mac or other portable computer. And many had sound plugs in their ears. Direct human interaction was limited. Particularly in my younger days, I remember going to neighborhood food joints to meet friends over lunch, Coke or coffee and build face-to-face relationships. Weber and Judd Pharmacy served food at one end of the counter and medicines at the other. I often wondered if there was a connection. I know that many of us youngsters went there for their homemade root beer floats, because you could watch them being made on top of the counter, and you could ask that they be blended to your own special taste. If your girlfriend commented favorably about her float, you knew you were in good stead, and you both headed to the table in the corner where the store kept the lights set on dim. The dimmer the better we felt. The large medical organization I worked for had its own cafeteria filled with mostly doctors and nurses and an occasional famous patient (Sean Connery and I shared tables one day.). There were also hotels nearby, but they did not have cafes in which local kids could hang out. Away from the downtown area was a root beer stand next to where we played football. It
Stock image was a favorite hangout because we didn’t have to leave our car in order to chat with the girl parked next to us. And the girls who delivered hot dogs and root beers on roller skates were cuties, selected as much for their attractiveness as for their skating ability. Our parents felt safe in letting us hang out there, too, because the manager was like a substitute parent, kicking out those of us who misbehaved or simply not serving us and telling his waitresses to leave the tray attached to our side window for the rest of the afternoon with no refills. And, of course, Wi-Fi was still beneath the technical horizon as were Twitters and the Ethernet. For us, the ether was in an adjoining galaxy, as, “You must be lost in the ether.” Or it was something that allowed the adjoining of particles with dark mass, but those who had any knowledge of it were mostly astrophysicists. My friend Eddie had a little trouble with his pronunciation of certain sounds; “th” was one, so his choice of ice cream was “ether vanilla or fudge.” Where is this leading, you ask? It leads me to ponder how we have changed in terms of human interaction that we seek in the community food joints. Some of the duos I saw sitting together at Panera were obviously connected romantically, but you would never know it looking at them. They only talked to
each other when showing their partners something on their device. Otherwise they were hard into the device itself. Plus, they each had their own devices, which led me to believe that they were not working on the same algorithm. Algorithms, though, help the user select data out of a large mass of information, and if it’s encrypted, it is coded so only the right people can read it. Do you suppose that that was what was happening at these Panera tables? Were these pairs putting each other on their encrypted list for romance? If so, they may have been doing something that in my day was done face-to-face and verbally, not in
the bowels of machines. They certainly did not look, however, as though they were pouring emotion into their work. They were exploring which button to push rather than which ear to tickle. In my old pharmacy cum root beer parlor I was a king because I could play the Jukebox without looking at its big screen that showed all its songs. I was proud that I could push the right buttons without looking where I pressed. Pet Sounds now comes on Spotify, not off of jukebox fingers. Demonstrating my jukebox abilities was how I thought I was impressing one of the lovely young lurkers. As a result I got really good at connecting eye-to-eye as she sat in the corner while I hit the right song while looking at her and not at the jukebox. Finding one’s way through the jukebox jungle was not in my high school curriculum. It was learning done under the overhanging palms of emotion, an entirely different setting for education, but one that held just as many opportunities to learn as I got from my teacher in “shop class.” Nowadays, it appears that emotion has shifted to the machine, and the brain feeds fingers instead of heart. The heart has to cook for itself and be careful that the product is not overdone. Maybe Alexa, or one of these other talking cones, has the answer to what I need to know to make this new mechanism work. As long as she doesn’t begin her answer with, “Oh, Edd, you’re so dumb.”
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16 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
Sacred Hunter
Finding a connection to nature
Bradley Carleton My wife and I attended a film festival in Middlebury recently. It was the 10th Annual Fly Fishing Film Tour on Friday the 13th. For almost a decade now I have been attempting to educate the public— both the hunting/fishing sector and the non-hunting/fishing sector—about the healing qualities of participating in the outdoors. As Richard Louv said in his book Last Child in the Woods- Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, “the principle holds that a reconnection to the natural world is fundamental to human health, well-being, spirit, and survival.” As my wife and friends watched the gorgeous cinematography we were enraptured with the values of a couple of the films, most vividly by the shorts Landsick and Chandalar. Landsick followed a rebellious young man from his childhood as an angry teen who fell in love with fly fishing, to his career as a successful musician and how his time on the water brought him to a peaceful adult state where his greatest joy was to share his reformed life with his wife and son. Chandalar is a powerful story about how veterans with PTSD teamed up with inner-
PLANTS RO CKS ER P L AW NAT TS
RO CKS W AT E R
city troubled youth to learn survival and flyfishing on a trip down a remote Arctic Circle river. They learned teamwork, survival skills and, most importantly, they discovered a sense of belonging with a group and with the landscape as they navigated through some of the roughest territory known. They bonded with the country and the veterans as they had a chance to show them how nature has healed their spiritual wounds and how nature, when applied to adolescent struggles, can also strengthen the spirit and teach respect where our society’s education may be lacking. Finding a connection to nature in a way that we feel included and belonging to the earth helps us all to treat our land and its people with greater respect and care. Richard Louv has said that when a child learns the name of a plant and what benefits it might hold for our health, the child often feels as though he/she has been introduced to a new friend. There is value created from the knowledge of the relationship. For the rest of that child’s life, he/she is likely to feel connected to that plant and share with everyone who will listen about how important it is to our planet. We develop empathy, compassion and a sense of belonging when we connect on
Bradley Carleton
Photo contributed
this level. And don’t think for a minute that fishermen or hunters kill randomly. The majority of them, like me, feel deeply connected to their quarry, wanting to learn everything about its life, the energy it possesses and the qualities that comprise the core of its spirit. Although it is increasingly common to practice catch and release for fishing, the harvesting of life for the purpose of nurturing our own species is not cruel. Does the forager or gardener who harvests wild asparagus or mushrooms have the same connection to their life form as At Church Hill we love the hunter to the deer? When we harvest to combine plants, rocks and fiddleheads from a favorite spot, we don’t water in ways that transform take them all—typically we harvest no morelove than 10% of the population out of home Hill and inspire At we Church Atyour Church love Hill we respect for a limited resource. Nature how you live. We have a to combine plants, rocks to combine plants, rocks teaches usand respect and balance. steadfast dedication to true
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We are, whether we deny it or not, a species that requires consumption to survive. We must consume some form of nutrition to survive. And if you think that eating only vegetables or legumes is not consumptive, I invite you to consider that every living being on this planet deserves the same respect for its life. How is the life energy of a cultivated and nurtured plant any less deserving of the respect for life than a wild turkey or goose? If we can just consider our intent and consume what we need with the care and love we all deserve, perhaps we can all live more peacefully. Bradley Carleton is Executive Director of Sacred Hunter.org, a non-profit that seeks to educate the public on the spiritual connection of man to nature.
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The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 17
Gardening
First harbingers of a new growing season Now you see them, now you don’t. I’m speaking of spring blooming ephemerals that will be showing along Vermont’s Joan Weed roadsides and, if MASTER GARDNER we’re fortunate, in our own gardens very soon. These are some of the favorite plants that I grow. I am speaking of primarily native early bloomers that disappear for the summer after a bloom period. Many have particular requirements and symbiotic relationships with other growing things. There are those which prefer damp or shade or full sun and chalk outcroppings. If you wish to try to grow some it’s best to study their needs before you invest. Many are pricey to purchase, so you want to offer the best chance for success. Please don’t ever dig them in the wild. The chances of the transplant being successful are slim and you will add to the destruction of a habitat. Some are endangered. There are many nurseries that offer starts or dormant roots of these gems. Some that I have purchased and had a degree of success with are Trillium grandiflora, Erythronium americanum (trout lilies), Uvularia grandiflora(merrybells), Aquilegia canadensis (colombine), Hepatica americanum, Sanguinaria canadensis (blood root), Mertensia virginica (bluebells), Smilacina racemosa (false Solomon’s seal). The various Arisaemae (Jack-in-thepulpit) are also native to our part of the country. Another favorite that has some difficulty becoming established in my
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garden is Anemone sylvestris. Others to look for a Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s breeches), Geranium (cranesbill) and Rue Anemone. I usually look for these delights beginning around the first week of May. Good spots to walk, hike or even drive by for viewing are Thompson’s Point, Mount Philo, Kingsland Bay, along Greenbush Road (south), Spear Street heading north and near Wake Robin on Bostwick Road. A favorite reference book for wildflowers including the ephemerals is William Cullina’s Growing and Propagating Wildflowers. Cullina was formerly horticulturist at The Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Massachusetts, and is now director at the Maine Botanical Garden. It’s exciting to see these first harbingers of a new growing season. I hope you’ll get out and about to view them and perhaps be inspired to plant a few in your own borders.
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18 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
What is the Charlotte Grange and what do they do? Dorthy Hill, Heather Manning, Trina Bianchi THE CHARLOTTE GRANGE #398
The Grange was slow in coming to New England, and Vermont’s first grange was the Green Mountain Grange #1 in St. Johnsbury, formed in 1871. Vermont, however, became the first state in New England and only the seventh state in the U.S. to form a State Grange, which happened in July of 1872. Several granges were formed during that time throughout Vermont although not in Chittenden County. The first Charlotte Grange #47 was formed in 1873 and was only the second grange to be organized within Chittenden County. This first grange in our town ran from 1873 until 1879 when, for reasons unknown to us, it folded. Fast forward to 1908. The Charlotte Grange #398 was chartered in 1908 with 62 charter members. Originally housed in the Methodist Church, Breezy Point Library on Greenbush Road, the Grange moved in 1910 to the Congregational Church Vestry until 1939. From 1939 until 1958, when the Grange purchased the Lyceum Hall, it used the Town Hall in Charlotte as the meeting place, and by 1940 the membership had grown to include 190 members. Today we have 19 members, less than 10 active—a small but very energetic group! What does the Charlotte Grange # 398 do? The mission of the Grange as an organization includes an education component, a service component, a legislative component and opportunities for fellowship. All of our annual and monthly activities tie into the mission. Each year, we hold two rummage sales, which are our only fund raisers and allow us to maintain the Grange Hall so that it can be used not only for the Grange but also by the community. One sale is in the spring; the other in the fall. Although the sale itself runs now for only 1.5 days, it requires many hours prior to the sale for acceptance and sorting of donations and setting up for the sale. This is a very popular event in our community, both from the donations we receive and from the number of people who come from the surrounding area and beyond to shop! The second day is always a “bulk rate day” meaning that for the $5 entry fee for an individual (or $8 for a family) you can come to the sale and fill as many bags or boxes as you want! In addition to the rummage sales, the Grange also donates and presents dictionaries each year to every 3rd grader in Charlotte, including all the 3rd graders actually attending Charlotte Central School and any others whose names we are given who are home schooled or attend an alternative school. All the flags that are placed each year on the graves of Charlotte war veterans are donated by the Grange and replaced each year by Grange members in the four cemeteries in our town prior to or around Memorial Day. Meet the Candidates Night is held annually prior to Town Meeting, giving the voting residents of Charlotte an opportunity to meet, hear and ask questions of the individuals running for public office in our town. Originally held in the Grange
Hall each February, we now hold this at the Senior Center, as we no longer heat the Grange Hall during the winter months. The Grange has in the past selected someone in Charlotte to receive the Citizenship Award for outstanding service to our community and has hosted a public reception to honor that individual. Last year, the Grange hosted a potluck dinner for local farmers, inviting all the Charlotte farmers to join us for dinner and fellowship. The goal of that dinner was to learn what the Grange could do to help our local farming community. A few local farmers and their families joined us that evening and one of the challenges they all shared was how to market themselves, which led two of our members to interviewing, photographing and writing articles for the Charlotte News featuring our Charlotte farmers. Six farmers were interviewed, and articles were published from June until December of this past year. It is our hope that other farmers will agree to be interviewed so that we can continue to feature our local farms in the paper. In addition, Grange members have for several years provided cookies for the local blood drawings and have in the past, provided different Grange and local charities with donated meals, knitted or crocheted items, pillow cases, etc. Currently, the membership of the Charlotte Grange meets once a month, sometimes to share a potluck, fellowship and have a meeting; other months, strictly for fellowship and a meeting. The current goal is to figure out how to continue to do what we do for the community with our limited membership and, more importantly, whether or not we can raise enough money and find grants that will allow us to maintain and restore the Grange Hall so that it can be actively used by our community for individual, family and community events.
Charlotte Grange! The Grange Hall, could be a wonderful community resource if we can find the funding necessary to rehabilitate and restore it. It is a historic building with beautiful, unique features but it is in need of some major work. If you agree that the Grange Hall is an important piece of Charlotte history that should be maintained and used, consider how you could help us achieve that goal. Contacts: Dorothy Hill 425 -4140 windytop2@aol.com Heather Manning 734- 9416 heatherlgmanning@gmail.com Trina Bianchi 425- 3691 alchemy@gmavt.net
The Charlotte Grange #398 will hold its annual spring rummage sale on Friday, April 27, and Saturday, April 28. DROP-OFF
Saturday, April 21, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Sunday, April 22, 2 p.m.–4 p.m. Monday, April 23, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, 4 p.m.–7 p.m.
SET-UP
Wednesday, April 25, 9 a.m.–noon Thursday, April 26, 9 a.m.–noon (if needed)
SALE
Friday, April 27, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, April 28, 8 a.m.–noon
How to get involved We are always looking for new members to join us! If you are interested in supporting your local Charlotte Grange, but don’t have the time or interest to become a member, we have a group of “Friends of the Charlotte Grange” who volunteer to help us at the rummage sales or other events or work days. Please feel free to contact one of the people listed below for more information about the
Farmers’ Spring Potluck! Great food and conversation!
Grange Hall is located at 2858 Spear Street.
The Grange supports local organizations and efforts that help our community thrive. Here’s our contribution to CVU’s Refugee Outreach Club’s school supplies drive. Photos contributed
The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 19
Accidental Pastor My son, Sam, posted a video to his Instagram account the other day. It’s what he and his tribe call an edit, I think, a compilation of pieces of footage Melissa O’Brien of him skiing NEWS EDITOR this winter, put to music. A short little clip that shows him flying through the air, doing flips and spins and such. Sam has been like this as long as I have known him. He laments in the post that he has a broken bone and his season is over. It’s the first time in 19 years of cliff jumping, freestyle skiing, trampolining, motor crossing, tree climbing and roof jumping that he’s broken anything—which is really remarkable. His brother, Nate, who is the most gentle creature to walk this earth, has suffered a broken arm, hernia repair, breakage of his front teeth... five times, a severe injury from a sledding accident, and appendix removal. I may have forgotten something in that lineup, there have been so many hours spent in hospitals with Nate. In the video Sam is wearing a sweatshirt—hoodie, sorry—with the word Broken on it. It’s a very cool logo for a company he’s working on with some of his
Broken, sort of
friends in school in Lake Tahoe. Sam is studying in a program for ski area management at Sierra Nevada College, and he chose that school after thinking about his options and working hard for two years after he graduated from high school. He waited until he had a better sense of what he wanted to do with his life, which was no easy feat during the time when his buddies were yucking it up on campus with beer bongs on the weekends while he was parking cars at the Stowe Mountain Lodge. He found the school for him with the program he wanted, applied, got accepted along with a substantial scholarship, and off he went, into a life that suits him very well. I watched this video over and over. If Sam knew that about 100 of the 300 or so views were from his mom, he’d cringe. I really couldn’t believe that Sam is the guy he is, that he can do those things with his body, that he has a heart that wants so much
for him to be in motion, soaring, in places where it’s winter. He hates summer. Sam and his friends are no slackers as is commonly the sense folks have of his generation. They study, ski, compete in freestyle skiing events, make films and have started a clothing manufacturing company. Many of them have jobs, too, supporting themselves through college. Who is this guy and Photo Dylan Jerz where did he come from? Well, in part, he came from here. Sam spent a significant chunk of his growingup years here in Charlotte, influenced, no doubt, by the close proximity to the lake, the nearness of the woods, the short drive to the mountains, and the good people who became his friends. I have been thinking a lot about this lately, about the amazing things that our Charlotte kids are doing out in the world. I keep track of the kids who grew up in our little Whalley Road neighborhood, but I know full well that lots of our young ones
are now out there making music and building things and helping people and racing cars and climbing mountains and starting nonprofits. There is a very brief moment in the video of Sam when he’s actually skiing, both skis on the ground, and he is carving a turn, his hand is touching the snow. He’s headed, no doubt, for his next launch, but it’s a rare bird of a moment when I can see him skiing in the way that’s familiar to me. I wish I could still that moment, it’s grace in motion, and it fills me with awe. And I know that all of you who are parents of kids who are out in the world doing beautiful things have felt similar moments, when you look at these kids, now young adults and wonder...how did that happen? I want to start writing about our Charlotte kids and the ways they’re manifesting their gifts in the world. Take a moment, please, and drop me a line at melissa@ thecharlottenews.org and let me know where your son or daughter is, what they’re up to and if we could profile them in a future issue. As a brief aside, the Samuel bird broke his wing skiing and had surgery on Tuesday. I asked him if he needed me to go out to help him in recovery. He said no, “my friends have my back and my teachers are being super helpful.” Bitter. Sweet. Amen.
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20 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
To Advertise in
Charlotte News
The
Contact ads@TheCharlotteNews.org Dottie Waller FERRISBURG BUILDING LOT
Right on the Charlotte border, a 2.7 Ac. lot. Pleasant flat, open land, bordered by tree line, with leach field already in for a 4 bedroom home. Road and power are at the lot. This is a good inexpensive opportunity to build with most of the infrastructure completed. $97,000
CHARLOTTE AFFORDABLE BUILDING LOT
3.25 acre with about ½ of the lot hardwoods and ½ open meadow. State waste water permit for 4 bedroom home. South and east exposure, privacy and walking distance to elementary school. Easy access to highway and 20 minutes to Burlington or Middlebury. $150,000
Real Estate Rain, sleet, snow or shine buyers and sellers are ready Despite unfavorable weather for spring the real estate market is warming up with over 420 new listing in Chittenden County alone in the last 60 days— Heather Morse and over half of CONTRIBUTOR those are already under contract or closed. The homes that have closed have been selling for on average only $300 under the average asking price. What does this mean for sellers? It means they are getting strong offers on their properties fast. Why? Well, we are still seeing in this area very low inventory for the number of buyers shopping. Buyers are not risking writing lower offers because they know there is a good chance of another offer being written on the property. A well-priced home in good condition will bring in many
buyers. You might be thinking if it’s such a great sellers’ market isn’t that bad for buyers. Certainly, it isn’t ideal for buyers, but with interest rates as low as they are right now, it still makes more sense to buy now even if you’re paying top dollar. This is because you can afford so much more house when you have a low interest rate. Many buyers are dealing with the dreaded bidding war situation and might have to write an offer on more than one house before getting one. The best way for buyers to be prepared for this market is to be pre-approved before house hunting so they can make a quick offer when they find the right house. In conclusion, come rain, sleet, snow or shine, buyers and sellers are ready for the summer market. As a seller, make sure to take care of those last-minute fixes to make your home irresistible, and buyers, make sure all your finances are in order so you are a strong buyer is a busy market.
PROPERTY TRANSFERS
802-846-7849 | dottie.waller@fourseasonssir.com 3/1/18
3/5/18
3/7/18
Judith J. Rowe Trust to Maria Wicker, .51 acres with dwelling, 281 Ten Stones Circle, $357,500. David Duffy and Shelia Duffy to Lawrence and Nicole Parente, 5.97 acres and dwelling, 1220 Church Hill Road, $445,000. William Michaud to Michael Dorsey and Justine Morrison, 10.28 acres and dwelling, 1408 Ferry Road, $555,000.
3/12/18 Hergenrother Construction to Jay and Kari Rehbein, .81 acres and dwelling, 149 Partridge Lane, $506,029.
acres, land only, 1824 Hinesburg Road, $300,000. 4/2/18
22 Common Way LLC to Annie Rosenthal and Doug Todd, condomium, 22 Common Way, $325,000.
4/2/18
Christian and Marie Berg to Gregory and Chantal Pilon, 6.76 acres and dwelling, 158 Windy Ridge Road, $480,000.
4/5/18
Bryan Yves Chicoine to Jerry Pienemara and Donna Elber, 4.28 acres and dwelling, 7981 Spear Street, $305,000.
3/29/18 Clark W. Hinsdale Jr. Testamentary Trust to Charlotte Solar LLC, 14.651
4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bath Home in Charlotte
Private country setting yet convenient to everything! Spacious home with 1stfloor master suite & sitting room or 2nd-floor master suite! Total of 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, large country kitchen, loft area over garage & partially finished basement. MLS# 4676632 | $569,500
Kieran Donnelly, REALTOR® Call: (802) 846-9509 kieran@Vermont-Properties.com Vermont-Properties.com
The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 21
Taking Care
What IS that? What did you say? Sight and hearing loss
I’ve begun to realize changes are happening to my eyes. A few years ago I had two separate cataract operations, both of which were successful and Alice Outwater greatly improved my vision’s clarity. These compromises are considered normal changes with advancing years. The number of older Americans who have visual impairments or are blind is projected to double by 2050, as 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 each day. Good news: Up to 80 percent of visual impairment cases are considered preventable. I find going into or coming out of a dark movie theater difficult; I must get up from my seat slowly, then move carefully to let my eyes adjust to the brighter light (or vice versa). My slow light adaptation puts me at risk for misjudging distances and feeling
disoriented. Extra time and special care must be applied when I navigate theater or arena stairs. At dusk, as the light is changing, I must be cautious about seeing the surfaces on sidewalks and streets—no more fast walking or skipping along without paying attention. Especially tricky are our changing temperatures. One stretch of the path may be smooth, then suddenly icy. Beware! It’s best to find a place indoors to walk such as a mall, or if outside, walk near stores whose walks are shoveled and sanded. You can also attach rubber grippers to the soles of your shoes that grab the ice. Boots are also available with ice cleats permanently installed on the soles. As a precaution I keep a cane and a walking stick in the car to help with balance. In winter I use one of them daily. Hand in hand with the above is loss of hearing. 80% of people over 85 years struggle to hear. In another century people held a horn
to their ears to catch the words. Today’s hearing aids are better than ever, yet they can be a nuisance to put on, especially if you do not use them every day. Some of us forget how to adjust the settings or change the batteries when needed. They may be uncomfortable or difficult to use and easy to lose. And they can be expensive when not covered by insurance. So is all the effort required to improve hearing worth it? Loss of hearing may prompt social isolation, loneliness, even depression. Friends and family may get impatient with having to repeat and repeat what they’ve said. Or the hearing-impaired person may appear to have dementia, lose the ability to follow a conversation, and give up asking the other person to say it again. Large groups and dinner parties can be stressful because of louder background noise. Some people become adept at reading lips or ask others to speak more slowly and keep good eye contact. One cannot be lazy dealing with hearing aids. I just returned from an all-day
Are you ready to get off the diet seesaw? If there is anything I have learned in my life, it’s that diets do not work. As a teenager I watched my mother try diet after diet. Whether it was Ginger Lambert the Carnation or the grapefruit diet, she always had the best of intentions, but whatever weight she lost always came back. If my mom had practiced moderation in her eating habits would she have been more successful at managing her weight? Good question—and I’ll try to give you some guidelines that have helped me to maintain a healthy weight throughout my adult life. Something that has worked for me is to stop eating by 7 to 8 p.m. This gives your food time to digest before you turn in for the night. Eating right up until bedtime can disturb your sleep and make for a restless
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night. If you must have a snack, fruit is easily and quickly digested. Don’t skip breakfast! This is the most important meal of the day. If you feel satisfied you will be less likely to pick up a fatty, high- calorie snack, and a healthy breakfast will fuel you for the rest of the day. Eating a combination of protein, fats and carbohydrates is optimal. If you like waffles or pancakes, throw in some ground flax seed for its anti-inflammatory, omega-3 fatty acids, blackstrap molasses for iron, and whole grain flour for B vitamins. Spread a little bit of peanut or almond butter on waffles to give you protein and a little bit of fat. You can freeze the waffles for a quick and easy breakfast later in the week. Read labels! Two of the killers in processed food are hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Ever wonder why you are always hungry? If you tend to snack on processed foods, then there is your answer. The combination of fat and sugar keeps you reaching your hand into
ic
Pr
First Floor Master & Lake Views
Chris von Trapp, REALTOR® (802) 343-4591 ChrisvonTrapp.com
Set on 4 private acres, this custom home offers a great room, new kitchen & master suite on main level with 2 bedrooms + bath upstairs. $469,00 | MLS# 4677560
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the bag for just one more bite. Fish is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and good for your body. Aim to have fruit and/or vegetables at every meal. If you like salads, try adding chopped apples and cranberries for some extra flavor. Spinach or broccoli added to an omelet will get you a couple of servings of antioxidants. If you love fried foods, try roasting or baking your favorite dishes. You will still enjoy the flavor of these foods while reducing the calories and trans fats. Next time you think about jumping on the diet bandwagon, instead of going cold turkey and cutting out everything you love, give moderation a try. You may be surprised at the results, your body will feel more satisfied, and you won’t feel deprived. Ginger Lambert is a personal trainer and fitness instructor. Check out her website, gingerlambert.com, for information on fitness boot camp classes for any level.
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Likeness Only
Three Homes in One!
Sited on 11.4 acres of glorious lake shore is this 4 bedroom Contemporary with 2 bedroom Cottage and fully equipped studio apartment. $1,349,000| MLS# 4646221
Renovated Vermont Barn to Home
Affordable 2 bedroom & Lake Views
If you always dreamed of renovating a sturdy barn into a cool eclectic home, start living that dream today in this ultracool home.
Easy Lakeshore living is yours in this cute 2 bedroom bungalow with lake views! Large 2-car garage and sprawling lawn too!
$519,000 | MLS# 4312672
$119,000 | MLS# 4682151
Chris is an award-winning Realtor® and a proud member of the von Trapp family, depicted in the movie, The Sound of Music.
professional conference having heard little. I had put my hearing aids in hastily; when I returned home and took them off, I noticed the batteries had dropped out. Fortunately I managed, thanks to slides and written handouts. Using hearing aids daily helps the brain adjust, and the clarity of one’s speech improves. When these aids are correctly operated and the person is used to them, they can be a miracle, restoring that person to a previously full social life. Hang onto your vision and hearing with all your might. After all, our senses create our world.
Providing Repair, Refinishing, Restoration and Transport
George & Pam Darling P.O. Box 32 Ferry Road, Charlotte, VT gdarling@gmavt.net
22 • April 18, 2018 • The Charlotte News
Charlotte Senior Center News Carolyn Kulik SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR
It’s hard to believe, but I fell for that old Vermont spring scam once again. After decades here, I really knew that it was not going to get warm anytime soon, but I just could not face it. So here we all are, still waiting for the crocuses; I bought a bouquet of tulips to get me through. What is the Senior Center? Recently, some local folks who have never visited the Senior Center asked me what kind of place we are. The Senior Center is not a residential facility—nor are we an adult daycare service. I would say we are kind of like a golf club— without the golf. It is a comfortable gathering place to have good food and conversation, share activities, and make new friends. Who comes to the Senior Center? Center participants are people who are engaged—interested in keeping active, learning new things or polishing neglected talents. Of course, Charlotters make up a large percentage of visitors, along with residents from all the surrounding towns. There are people who grew up in Vermont, and others who moved here decades ago for the skiing, sailing and gorgeous Vermont seasons. Others recently moved here to be near children, or grandchildren, and have left their old communities behind and are looking for new connections. Folks come from dozens of states across the country, as well as from several other nations: Spain, France, Italy, Chile, Germany, The Netherlands, England, Australia and Brooklyn. Some have spent many years living abroad— from Europe to Asia—but returned to Vermont after they retired. So, you can see, we are a very varied group that has somehow formed itself into an open, welcoming community of its own. _
“I live in Shelburne and
was surprised to find out that people from outside Charlotte could come
here. I have made many new friends.”
- Ruth
COURSES If the weather cooperates, Road Hike #1 will be on Tuesday, April 24, to Red Rocks Park. Road Hike #2 will be on Tuesday, May 1, to Jonesville. Registration required. No fee. Acrylic Adventures with Lynn Cummings has a few spots left. Class begins on Tuesday, May 8, and will focus on layering with several acrylic mediums with iridescent and metallic paints. You’ll also pour paints to create organic shapes for backgrounds, then finish with representational shapes and objects. It runs for four sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and is $120 for the course. Registration and pre-payment are required. Pastel Painting with Shirley ReidThompson has been cancelled as the request of the instructor. It was set to begin on May 1 and will probably be offered again in the fall. Call in August to check. HEALTH Reminder: If you have already signed up, Wednesday, April 18, at 9:15 a.m. is the Foot Clinic. At 11:30 is the Blood Pressure Clinic; walk-ins are fine. WEDNESDAY PRESENTATIONS April 18 at 1 p.m., there will be Irish Music and other songs with our own Marty Morrissey and Robert Resnick of
Chris’s Lawncare & Mini Excavating Complete Property Maintenance
Spring Clean-ups Bark mulch Sales & Delivery Lawn Mowing & Trimming Hedge Trimming Topsoil Sales and Delivery Mini Excavating Lot clearing Complete tree & stump removal Stump Grinding Small foundations Complete Driveway Installation And Much more Fire Wood For Sale $250.00 per cord delivered
Grass-Fed Ground Beef For Sale $5.00 per LB buy 10 or more pounds for $4.50 per LB Free Estimates, competitive rates and fully insured.
Chris Fortin (802)425-3846
SENIOR CENTER MENUS
Monday Munch
Wednesday Lunch
11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. No reservations required.
All diners eat at noon. Reservations required.
April 23 Tortellini & zucchini soup Green salad Rice custard dessert
April 18 Oven-fried chicken Baked potatoes w/sour cream Carrots, Homemade dessert
April 30 The Old Lantern’s Chef Roland will create a special Surprise Lunch for the Senior Center.
April 25 Spinach & mushroom lasagna Tiramisu May 2 Smoked sausage w/sauerkraut Baked potatoes Birthday cake, Ice cream
Thursday - Men's Breakfast 7:30–9 a.m. Reservations required. April 26 Menu and topic TBA Suggested donation for all meals: $5 the Highland Weavers Band. Sponsored by Friends of Charlotte Senior Center. [The CCS Ukulele Band, originally scheduled for this date, will now perform on May 9.] April 25 at 1 p.m. will be Croatia, Jewel Of The Adriatic with John Hammer. This presentation focuses on the Dalmatia coast, with trips inland to Mostar, Bosnia and the Plitvice Falls. Beautiful beaches are backed by a history of the Greeks, Romans and Venetians. The architecture is exquisite and the people friendly. May 2 at 1 p.m. is a presentation on the Feldenkrais Method® with Mischul Brownstone. He will introduce how this somatic approach uses gentle, mindful movement to bring new self-awareness and improve function. It can increase your ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and positively influence other aspects of your life. SPECIAL JUNE EVENT “A Celebration of Peonies:” On Friday, June 1, join the Full-Day Trip To Hildene by Premier Coach. We will meet at the Center at 8 a.m. for a trip to visit Hildene, estate of Abraham Lincoln’s son in Manchester, VT. If we are lucky, the peonies will be in bloom in this spectacular setting. A visit to the restored Pullman car on the grounds and a self-guided tour of the mansion are followed by a private look at the archives collection. The pre-ordered, buffet lunch in the Hildene Beckwith Room features a horticultural presentation. Trip cost is $80 and includes travel, lunch, admissions, all expenses and gratuities. If time and energy permit, there will be a short stop at the Northshire Bookstore. Return arrival time will be approximately 5 p.m. Registration and prepayment are required no later than May 7. PLEASE NOTE: Some walking is necessary.
MAY ART SHOW Enjoy the group show featuring acrylics with ink by Jenny Cole, watercolors by Anne Gordon, waterscapes in oil by Judy Tuttle, pastels by Jill Kleinman, and both pastels and watercolors by Beverly Goodman. Note: Art show pieces are hung in the foyer and in the Great Room (It’s really big.). The foyer is always accessible, but because the Great Room is utilized for many classes, the best times to see the art shows are: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons after 12:30; Wednesdays after 3. Call the Center during the week to check on availability on Sunday afternoons. Do stop in to say hello and check out the Center. We all look forward to meeting you. See you soon! P.S. Did you notice in the Menus section that the Old Lantern’s Chef Roland will be creating a Surprise Lunch on Monday, April 30, at the Senior Center?
“I’ve dabbled in different things at the Senior
Center. And sometimes I discover one which becomes an abiding interest.”
– Rebecca
The Charlotte News • April 18, 2018 • 23
Classifieds
Baking for the Charlotte Senior Center
Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue. (Payment must be sent before issue date.) Please limit your ad to 35 words or fewer and send it to The Charlotte News Classifieds, P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 or email ads@thecharlottenews.org. Interior and Exterior Painting If you’re looking for quality painting with regular or low voc paints and reasonable rates with 35 years of experience call John McCaffrey at 802-999-0963, 802338-1331 or 802-877-2172.
Does your home need a fresh coat of paint or brand new color? LUPINE PAINTING can help with any of your painting needs. 20+ years of stress-free painting. Call for a free consultation 802-5989940.
Mt. Philo Inn-A unique hotel with panoramic views of Lake Champlain and private road to Mt. Philo. 1800 sq. ft. 3-bedroom suites with 2 bathrooms and a complete kitchen. By the day, week and month. $2,500-$2,800 monthly rates this winter. Privacy, space, tranquility. Bigger on the inside. MtPhiloInn.com, 425-3335.
LAFAYETTE PAINTING is ready to provide a great custom paint job for you. Allow our professionals to enhance your space with a fresh look. Call 8635397 or visit LafayettePaintingInc. com for your free and accurate estimate.
CCS students Sawyer Carr (right) and Morgan Keach (left) with senior center friends Susan Ohanian and Jim Lovejoy. Together they baked Sawyer's grandmother's famous carrot cake for the Center's Monday Munch. Photo by Stacy Fraser
Calendar of Events April 20
PUZZLE ANSWERS ON PAGE 3
FOUND - Ski and poles in Mt. Philo area. Call 802-233-8012 and describe via voicemail.
Jukebox: A Warehouse Chamber Music Project, 7:30 p.m. at ArtsRiot in Burlington. Brooke Quiggins, John Dunlop and Mary Jane Austin bring our first-ever piano trio to Jukebox for an evening that promises to be extra special. With the piano taking center stage (literally) at ArtsRiot, the audience will get a chance to enjoy the musicians from every angle… including above! Our passionate and exhilarating program features Shostakovich’s second piano trio, an incredibly moving work that transcends both time and history, plus works by Arvo Pärt, Jennifer Higdon and Astor Piazzolla. This innovative chamber music series, co-presented by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and ArtsRiot, and curated by Vermont composer Matt LaRocca, features a sliding-scale payment option and a unique concert experience. 7 p.m. doors open, 7:30 p.m. show.
May 5 Hooves and High Rollers: A Kentucky Derby Casino Royale, 5-9 p.m., in the Atrium of the Double Tree by Hilton in Burlington. AFTER the Track’s annual Kentucky Derby fundraiser combines the thrills of Churchill Downs with the excitement of Las Vegas. All proceeds support AFTER’s programs. Tickets can be purchased at http:// hoovesandhighrollers.evenbrite.com. AFTER the Track, a nonprofit based in Hinesburg, rehabilitates retired
thoroughbred racehorses, and its outreach programs provide hands-on experience to student interns and to veterans. Vermont Old Cemetery Association spring meeting - Brown Public Library, 93 South Main Street, Northfield,VT, Coffee hour: 9-10, Meeting: 10-12, Lunch: 12-1, Lunch will be salad, garlic knots, shepherd’s pie, dessert and beverages provided by O’Maddie’s. Cost is $13 per person. Please RSVP to Dianne Leary, 4670 Greenbush Rd, Charlotte, VT 05445. Presentation: 1-2, The afternoon presentation is a talk by Linda DeNeergaard on the Richardson Cemetery Restoration Project, which has an exhibit at the Northfield Historical Society building next door to the library. Jack and Wendy Cashman will also lead a tour of the ongoing restoration projects at the Roxbury Cemeteries.
Ongoing Webby’s Art Studio is every Saturday in April from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come create! Specialized art activities for all ages, inspired by temporary and permanent exhibitions. Webby’s Art Studio activities are offered in the Pizzagalli Center for Art and Education classroom. Free with admission. Shelburne Museum, 6000 Shelburne Road, 985-3346; info@ shelburnemuseum.org.
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