The Charlotte News | July 11, 2018

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Charlotte News Wednesday, July 11, 2018 | Volume lXI number 1

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Vol. 61, no.1 July 11, 2018

Vermont’s oldest nonprofit community newspaper, bringing you local news and views since 1958

Festival of Fools, a long-running local tradition, has deep Charlotte roots

Charlotters open new restaurant in beloved old location

Melissa O’Brien and Woody Keppel

By Melissa O’Brien

The Festival of Fools is a celebration of street theater, music and circus arts all rolled into one magical weekend, August 3, 4 and 5, in downtown Burlington. Now in its 11th year, the Festival has showcased some of the most eye-catching circus and variety artists from around the world and can boast of being the best attended and longest running busking festival in the United States. (Busking is a British term for playing for tips.)

The FOF was co-founded in 2007 by Charlotter Woody Keppel and Burlington City Arts, but the earliest seeds were planted some 20 years earlier when Woody and pals Paul Burke and Ron Labbe, performing together as “The Waldo-Woodhead Show,” came through Burlington on their way to the Montreal Jazz Festival. “We did a kind of guerilla street show on Church Street and realized right away this was a busking-friendly town. Audiences were generous and I knew at once this would be a great place for a festival—and Vermont a great place to live,” Keppel said.

Though there wasn’t really a local busking scene in town, the idea for a festival stayed with him, and after 20 years of performing in street-theater festivals around the world (and befriending his favorite acts), Keppel’s vision for Burlington, the public’s thirst for familyfriendly comedy and BCA Executive

Johnny Helzer took the circuitous route to Peg and Ter’s, the restaurant he and his wife, Tina, recently opened in Shelburne.

“I grew up in Charlotte, went to CVU and UVM, spent some time working in the medical field in California, then lived in New York for a couple of years until I was finally able to convince my wife to move back to Vermont,” he explains, telling the story of the many who started life here on the shores of Lake Champlain and eventually ended up back home.

“I grew up in a home where there was an emphasis on food,” he says. “My mother is French and my dad was a true Francophile. They loved to cook and they loved to eat,” is how he tells the story of his early influences. “Whenever we traveled, the day was always planned around what we were going to eat,” he says. The same was true of Tina’s parents, Peg and Ter, for whom the restaurant is named. “Our hope is to embody their spirit here.” Johnny says, describing his in-laws who passed away 15 years ago. “They loved to entertain, they were the perfect hosts in their Greenwich, Connecticut home.”

While he was living in New York Johnny took classes to earn his Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) certification. He worked in a wine shop, a cheese shop and a wine bar. “I wanted to pursue my passion for food and wine,” he says. “I went full steam into the food

Street performers on Church Street in Burlington at the 2017 Festival of Fools

Photo contributed Director Doreen Kraft’s interest for a new city festival coincided perfectly.

With Kraft and Keppel, the FOF has deep roots in Charlotte. In addition, Zach Williamson, BCA’s events manager and the managing director of the Festival, was raised here, and Charlotte’s Alex Lalli, co-owner of Signal Kitchen, cultivates the see

FESTIVAL page 6

Tina and Johnny Helzer flank the painting of Tina’s parents, Peg and Terry Thatcher, for whom their new Shelburne restaurant is named. world.” Then, when the couple and their two young daughters (They now have three—their third daughter was born this past January, two weeks after they bought the restaurant building.) moved to Vermont in 2016, Johnny went to work for Dedalus Wine Shop and Bar in Burlington.

“It was at a time when they were opening in a new location,” he explains, “so I got to learn that whole process and I made see

PEG & TER’S page 6

David Baird receives a Presidential Award for excellent teaching Jacqueline Flynn Charlotte Central School’s very own David Baird has been honored with a national award for his outstanding teaching in math and science.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are awarded to 140 teachers from around the country each year for outstanding teaching lessons in their fields.

Baird is the only one from Vermont to receive the honor this year.

Baird was nominated for the award

by CCS Principal Stephanie Sumner in 2016. Baird and Sumner have had a close working relationship at CCS, beginning with Baird as Sumner’s mentor when she first got to the school. Baird has been teaching at CCS for 12 years and is currently the fifth-grade mathematics and science teacher. “When my principal first

David Baird

Photo contributed

nominated me, I at first was very flattered.

Then I went and looked up what I needed

to do to apply. I was teaching and coaching full time and didn’t know if I could take on all of this,” said Baird.

“I think it’s a neat honor, but I like to think that I got this because I applied for it,” Baird said. He explained that it took over 40 hours of paperwork to submit the application and nearly two years for it to process since it has to cross President Trump’s desk.

“I try to—no matter what I’m teaching—make it fun. I believe that if you can make it fun, the learning kind of just happens,” said Baird.

It was his fun ideas for teaching that were highlighted in his application. Part of the application process is filming a 50-minute lesson plan. Baird created a game show to teach students the difference between the sharing and grouping models of division. “I designed this lesson for the kids to focus on the difference between

when you share and when you group divide, and I made it into a game show. I asked, ‘Is it sharing or grouping?’ and the kids had to explain their reasoning,” Baird said. “When you embed learning into a game, the kids are more invested in it and it’s a lot easier to learn.”

The award included a three-day trip to Washington, D.C., to celebrate all the recipients, which Baird turned down in order to run his annual Rube Goldberg Machine summer camp.

Baird closed his application with “An Open Message to the Selection Committee” expressing his love for his students and the growth he sees in them every day. At the end of this letter, he said, “Most of all, I love that I change student’s perceptions about math and that many students leave fifth grade loving math and truly believing that they are the incredible mathematical thinkers that they are.”

2 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Editorial

That summer feeling

Now that the graduations are behind us, school is out and most of us are well into our summer activities and ways of life, it becomes clearer Melissa O’Brien just how diverse the opportunities NEWS EDITOR of this season are.

The local music venues are filled with great acts; the restaurants with outdoor seating are overflowing many nights; friends and family come to visit and many of us head out on the road, in search of that great American summer adventure, that summer feeling that Jonathan Richman once sang about.

When I was freshly out of college I spent those early working years as a teacher and so I had my summers free to travel.

And travel I did. I had a little Toyota pickup truck back then, and I threw my tent and mountain bike (still a novelty in the late 80s) in the back and hit the road.

Sometimes I stayed in youth hostels—a terrific way to travel on the cheap. I shopped in health food stores, attended a few (maybe more than a few) Grateful Dead shows, camped on beaches, hiked the National Parks and got an education

that can’t be taught from a textbook in the incredible diversity of this country – diversity in terms of people and geography.

You get a real appreciation for what a place is when you spend most of a day traversing South Dakota or driving through the desert heat of New Mexico. Getting to the top of a mountain in Colorado (those peaks turn every Vermonter into a flatlander), riding a raft down the Rio Grande, taking the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge, wading through the Everglades, hopping a small plane from Fairbanks into the Arctic Circle, drinking a huckleberry milkshake in Glacier National Park. There’s a lot to do out there; it’s a pretty great place, these states, united.

As mired as we seem to be these days in divisive sensibilities, mind-bendingly weird and sometimes deeply sorrowful events, summer is a good time to leave the familiar and go out to do some poking around. To remind one’s self that this place is actually really great. In size and in humans. There are lots and lots of good people out there.

People who are willing to help you when you have a flat tire, people who are willing to let you pitch a tent on their lawn, people who will feed you when you’re hungry.

People who want to hear your story.

But you have to see it from ground level and you have to take your time. If you are a traveler who most often gets on a plane and

goes somewhere far away, I recommend you take it down a notch this summer. Get in a car and drive somewhere you’ve never been. Find the most local diner there, settle in and start talking to the folks who eat there and live there. I think what you’ll find is that we have more in common with each other than not. It’s a good way to build the bonds of community and we need that now more than ever.

I have been to every state now, except Hawaii, and I’ll get there eventually – many of the states several times. My wanderlust seems to have worked its magic; when my son Nate described for me his solo drive back to school in Montana last summer he told me this: “I stopped in Winona (Minnesota) and went back to Bloedow’s Bakery again (we went there together in 2012). I hiked around the lake, sat for a while and had a burger and a shake …” That is the way to travel, savoring the local landscape, finding the good donuts, really having a look around. Later this summer I’ll be on the road, wandering through Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky, looking for evidence. Evidence of good people, evidence of history, of sense of place, of reverence. I will take pictures and collect stories, and I promise to let you know what I find.

Board deals with Old Lantern (again), over-budget paving bill, open-water lake swim and a proposed addition to the Charlotte Library Megan Neely Public comment for the evening began with concerns for the Old Lantern Inn and Barn, which serves as a wedding and event space. The Selectboard was asked to make a summary of the venue’s permissible events public. The Old Lantern has previously run into legal troubles with neighbors who did not understand the property’s function as a legal year-round event space.

Selectboard member Fritz Tegatz said he would be leery of setting such a precedent for the town, stating that it has never been the Selectboard’s job to warn buyers about their property. “It’s my impression that Vermont has always been a buyerbeware state,” Tegatz said. A decision was ultimately made to include the legal summary of the Old Lantern’s functions in the public land record instead.

Public comment was followed by updates from the Selectboard. Tegatz presented a road paving invoice that was $72,000 higher than expected, stating that the paving company worked with an estimate different from the one they were given. Despite the paving company’s claim that the extra cost was included in its bid, footage from VCAM shows the Selectboard never received the second letter they supposedly were sent.

“We still signed off on it,” said Selectboard member Lane Morrison.

“And there’s not much we can do now that the product has been delivered.” The Selectboard voted three to one to approve the new paving cost of $307,000.

The Selectboard also voted to approve a corrected hourly rate of $68.17 for a State Police Contract 4-0.

Following Selectboard updates, Race Director Christophe Lissarrague presented plans for the 2018 Lake Champlain Open Water Swim. The swim will take place August 18, starting in Essex, New York, and finishing at Town Beach in Charlotte.

The 3.76 mile swim will likely see 30 to 40 swimmers, according to Lissarrague. The event is scheduled to go from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lissarrague said Charlotte Fire and Rescue have already signed off on a safety plan.

The Selectboard then heard plans for a proposed addition to the Charlotte Public Library. The addition would allow for new dedicated program space and an increase in the size of the children’s room. Library officials say they’ve seen an increase in the use of the library as a public work space and have received several requests to expand tutoring programs. Library officials said that the Friends of the Charlotte Library have already conducted a feasibility study for the addition and were met with positive response.

Without the 30-page feasibility study available, however, the Selectboard decided

to delay any questions or decisions about the proposed addition.

Hourly rates and pay for town employees were approved for the 2019 fiscal year. An agreement with Sullivan, Powers, & Co. for a financial audit of municipal accounts was also approved for the 2018 fiscal year.

Water operator proposals were delayed, and four proposals for computer network support and the other the replacement of the Charlotte Town Office computers were opened.

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ON THE COVER: Summer’s here.

By Melissa O’Brien

The Charlotte News • July 11, 2018 • 3

Report From The Legislature

Session epilogue A state budget, finally I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July and successfully survived the Mike Yantachka record-setting STATE REP. heat wave that accompanied the holiday. My final Legislative Report usually occurs in May. Last year, the veto session led me to write a report in June. This year, because of another budget veto, the special session of the Legislature lasted until the last week of June before the budget controversy, which included two vetoes, was resolved.

While still disagreeing with the fiscal policy of the Legislature, which had been supported by many Republican lawmakers, Governor Scott allowed the final budget passed by the Legislature to go into law without his signature.

Because the Republican minority chose to uphold the governor’s vetoes rather than stand behind their original support for the budget, the special session required lawmakers on the Appropriations, Ways & Means, and Education committees to try to negotiate a compromise with the administration over several weeks. When those efforts failed in the House, the Senate Finance committee, with the unanimous support of the Senate, drafted language that incorporated essentially what the House had presented on its third attempt at compromise but which had been again rejected by the administration. With the deadline approaching for a government shutdown on July 1, this version passed both the House and Senate, giving the governor five days to make a decision.

Fortunately, he decided to let the budget become law without his signature rather than plunge the state into default.

While the Legislature ultimately agreed to use about $30M of one-time (windfall) money to keep the residential property tax rate level and hold the nonresidential rate to a 4.5 cent increase, the budget keeps Vermont on a fiscally responsible

path. Revenue we can count on receiving annually is used to pay for ongoing expenses. Windfalls, like receipts from the recent tobacco settlement, are invested in paying down state debt and building our savings. This protects us from the uncertainty brewing in DC and the possibility of a recession, and ensures we can continue to make the kind of investments that support our working families.

And higher gasoline prices Everyone is aware by now that the price of gasoline has increased about 50 cents/gallon during June and has remained around $3 per gallon since.

In one of my reports back in January, I introduced the ESSEX (Economy Strengthening Strategic Energy EXchange) Plan, a proposal to put a price on carbon pollution to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and promote energy transformation. The plan was criticized for placing an additional burden on hard-working Vermonters. That proposal would have raised the price per gallon by 40 cents over eight years at the rate of about 5 cents per gallon per year. One hundred percent of the revenue raised would be returned to Vermonters as a credit on their electric bills, with larger rebates aimed at low-income and rural Vermonters.

Now, prices have risen in a single month more than the maximum projected carbon tax, and that same amount, 40 cents, leaves the state and goes into the pockets of the oil companies. Higher prices, whatever the cause, will probably reduce consumption. Unfortunately, the current increase will not provide any revenues to help Vermonters insulate their homes, convert to electric vehicles or take other measures to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Perhaps we should send letters of protest to the CEOs of the oil companies. Do you think they would listen? Probably not; but, as always, I can be reached by phone (802233-5238) or by email (myantachka. dfa@gmail.com), and this article with links to others referenced can be found at my website, MikeYantachka.com.

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the Chittenden South Supervisory Union, Charlotte Central School intends to destroy the special education records of all students who exited from any special education program during the 2012-2013 school year that were developed to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) at Charlotte Central School. This notice is in compliance with Federal, State and local policies.

A parent, legal guardian or student (18 years old or older) may request records prior to destruction by contacting the Student Support Services Office at 4256677 by July 31, 2018. If no student, parent or guardian responds to this public notice prior to or by July 31, 2018, the school district will assume consent to destroy the entire record specific to the student. You will be required to produce identification or provide verification data to acquire these records.

Destruction of these records will begin on August 3, 2018.

Charlotte Democrats to nominate justice of the peace candidates Mike Yantachka STATE REP.

The Charlotte Democratic Committee will convene a caucus at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, at the Charlotte Town Office for the purpose of nominating candidates for justice of the peace. All residents of Charlotte who consider themselves Democrats are welcome to participate, and refreshments will be provided.

Nominations will be open; that is, any Democrat willing to faithfully serve as a JP and conscientiously perform the duties of this office can place his or her name into nomination at the meeting. The candidates elected at the caucus will appear on the November ballot as Democrats.

Justices of the peace serve on the Board of Civil Authority and the Board of Tax Abatement in their municipality. As members of these boards, along with the

Board of Selectmen and the town clerk, JPs hear appeals of tax assessments and requests to abate or dismiss taxes for specific legal reasons, as well as oversee elections. JPs also have the authority to preside over wedding ceremonies.

The Election Perspectives booklet, published annually by the Secretary of State’s office, states that “Given the occasional unwillingness of Justices to appear at Board of Civil Authority meetings, party officials should take this responsibility [of confirming the consent of all candidates to allow their names on the ballot and to serve] very seriously before signing the nomination statement.”

Charlotte’s justices of the peace have had a good record of service and welcome candidates who will continue in this fine tradition. Contact Committee Chair Mike Yantachka (233-5238) with any questions.

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4 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Around Town Congratulations: to Kristopher and Sarah Larson of Charlotte who recently purchased Otter Creek Awnings of Williston, a locally based company that provides customized solutions to outdoor and shading needs. They make deck canopies and retractable awnings, window and commercial awnings as well as solar shades. Kristopher has worked with Otter Creek for five years, while Sarah has been with the UVM Medical Center for 10. He says it has long been a vision of his to own a small Vermont company “with a strong legacy of quality,” and he feels this is an excellent opportunity to bring that vision to fruition. to Charlotte’s Mt. Philo Inn, which was selected by Yankee Magazine as one of five “Wag-Worthy Overnights” for four-legged guests. Yankee’s “Travel Guide to New England” listed five premier lodging options for dogs as selected by the magazine’s editors. The article says that while many lodgings list themselves as “cozy,” they are, in fact, cramped for pets. Not at Mt. Philo, however, where many apartment-style suites

and ample porch space provide plenty of room for owner and canine companion. It is easy to see, the article says, how this place earned the name, “Mt. Fido.” to Courtney McDermott of Charlotte whose “Poems vs. stories” was featured in the Burlington Free Press’ Young Writers Project on July 6. Courtney wonders why poems flow out of her mind full-fledged, whereas stories take “time, tears, and more patience than I am willing to give.” She concludes that, while her “heart is open to poetry,” “stories hurt my head, no matter how hard I try.”

Sympathy: is extended to family and friends of James Wilbur Brown of Charlotte who passed away June 29 at the age of 90. Jim moved his family to Charlotte in 1970 where he raised his children, flew his airplane and sailed on Lake Champlain. His five children attended CCS and CVU High School. His wife, Helen, of Charlotte, Helen’s daughter, Deborah, also of Charlotte, plus three of his own sons and daughters survive him.

The family asks that those wishing to make

a contribution in his memory do so to the VNA Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, VT 05446. is extended to family and friends of Avery Skilton of Derry, New Hampshire, who passed away June 26 at the age of 91. A fourth-generation dairy farmer in northwestern Connecticut and later employed by the State of Connecticut, he moved to Derry to be closer to family.

His survivors include his daughter, Beth Merritt, and her husband, Edd, of Charlotte and his grandsons, Chris and Ian Merritt, who spent much of their youth in Charlotte before moving out of state. The family asks that those wishing to make donations in his memory consider doing so to Amedisys Foundation (a hospice, home health and personal care organization), 3854 American Way, Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70816 or to a charity of one’s choice.

Regional Bite:

Former Charlotter to run for county assistant judge Suzanne Brown, Esq. announced her candidacy for Chittenden County assistant judge. Currently a South Burlington resident, Suzanne has been practicing family law for over 30 years in this area and was a Charlotte resident for part of her tenure. She is the only attorney running for one of two openings for assistant judge, and she is on the Democratic Party ticket.

Suzanne believes that over the course of her 30 years of practice, she has built a familiarity with family law and its statutes, as well as recent Vermont Supreme Court case law that constantly changes. Her experience as a lawyer, she feels, would put her in good stead for the position. She has also done pro-bono work and served as a partner with the South Burlington firm of Perry and Schmucker.

Rotary Scholarship Awarded to Charlotter Hana Coutre

Hana Coutre, recipient of one of the Charlotte-Shelburne-Hinesburg annual scholarships plus the Denny Bowen Memorial Scholarship. With her is Bowen’s brother Charles (center) and Club Scholarship Chair Trafton Crandall (right).

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The Rotary Club of CharlotteShelburne-Hinesburg (CSH) annually awards four scholarships of $2,000 to applicants who best demonstrate an uncommon commitment and service to their community. This year, Charlotter Hana Coutre, a Rice High School graduate, received one of these scholarships. She was also presented with a second one, a special scholarship that has been established in the memory of Mr. Denny Bowen, a former CSH member who exemplified the Rotary Motto of “Service Above Self.” He and his wife were frequent and popular attendees of events at the Charlotte Senior Center. He was a well-liked member of Rotary-supported events at the Center, where he ran the kitchen staff. The scholarship funds will be forwarded to Salve Regina College where Hana will matriculate this fall.

Other winners of scholarships were

Shelburne students Peter Trombley, Robert Branagan and Willow Goldberg, all graduates from CVU. The scholarships are administered through the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) and are open to any resident of Charlotte, Shelburne or Hinesburg who will be attending a Federal Title IV (financial aid) funded institution. Ten applicants from the three towns applied in February, and the scholarships were announced in May. The CSH Rotary Club has a long tradition of supporting local youth and residents with these scholarships.

Funds are raised from donations and Rotary fund-raising events throughout the year. The club draws its members from anyone who lives or works in the three towns. It meets every Wednesday morning at 7:30 in the Parish Hall of Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne.

The Charlotte News • July 11, 2018 • 5

Cooking With Coco One of my earliest food memories is of eating fresh lobster at my home in Charlotte and also in West Chop on Martha’s Vineyard.

I can still remember Coco Eyre being a little bit scared of lobsters, with their weird-looking eyes and big claws, but after eating lobster for the first time, it was kind of life changing. It’s so delicious, I can still hear myself say. Not only did the lobster meat taste good, especially dipped in warm butter, but the memories of the times when I had lobster with my family stick with me.

I think of the times when we went to John’s Fish Market in Vineyard Haven to pick up the freshest lobsters. I remember eating with all of my family: cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and siblings, at Homeport in Chilmark on the Vineyard.

Eating lobster is messy, but that is what makes it so much fun. Wearing the lobster bib, getting butter everywhere, and cracking the lobster open are the best parts.

When I look back now I can see that being open to eating something that at first seemed so weird made me more comfortable eating other things I otherwise might not, like oysters and mussels, and it made me open to the great adventure of

food. I have never really been a chicken fingers and French fries kid. I hate it when the server asks if I need a kid’s menu when I go to a restaurant.

When we are fortunate to travel, I like to try the foods of the places we visit.

Several years ago we went to Sweden, and I ate reindeer meatballs there. They were amazing! When we go out west to see my brothers I eat the bison burger with Nate in Montana, and I eat a lot of citrus when we’re in California. Once,when I was in the Caribbean we caught fish and ate them for dinner. That’s a great feeling; getting your own food with your own hands.

There was a time in history when lobster was considered food for the poor, the servants and lower members of society.

Lobster was served in prisons and was used as fertilizer until well into the 20th century.

In recent times, the price of lobster (as high as $15 a pound this spring) has made it more of a special treat and certainly out of most people’s food budget range.

It’s not something I get to have very often, and I wouldn’t want to because lobster is for special times with my family.

I’m grateful that I gave it a try when I was younger because it really was my early experience with that weird creature, the lobster that started me down the road to being an open-minded eater and eventually to becoming a chef and to competing on Chopped, Jr., a competitive cooking show.

Here’s how to cook a lobster: Fill your large lobster pot with water. Put in about three quarts of water per 1.5 pounds of lobster. The lobster should be totally submerged in water.

they’re done.

Place boiled lobsters in cool water or let stand for 3-5 minutes before serving.

Add 1/4 cup of salt for each gallon of water. I think sea salt adds more flavor, but whatever you have is fine.

Bring the salted water to a boil.

Put your live lobsters in one at a time.

Do not cover the pot.

The lobsters will be bright red when

Put butter in a saucepan and let it melt. Add your melted butter to a bowl to have with your lobster.

Make a really big mess and enjoy!

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6 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Charlotte Library News Margaret Woodruff LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Summer Story Time Reading Fun at Adam’s Berry Farm: Tuesdays, July 17, 24 & 31, at 9:30 a.m.

Meet us at the farm for a summer of berries, great stories, gardening and busy activities.

All ages are welcome.

Rock Out at Preschool Story Time: Fridays to July 27 at 10:30 a.m. Drop in for stories, songs and crafts. For ages 3-5.

Reading Rocks: Mondays, July 9, 16 & 23, at 10:30 a.m. Discover all things “rock” from rockets, rock music and geology, the study of rocks! For grades 3 & up.

Rock ‘N Read: Wednesdays, July 11 & 18, at 10:30 a.m. The same fun as our Monday group, for the early elementary set. For grades K-2.

Instrument Petting Zoo: Friday, July 20, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Mark Sustic of Young Traditions Vermont, with support from the Mockingbird Foundation, will bring a collection of instruments for the express purpose of exploration.

PEG & TER’S

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a lot of great connections in the wine and food world here.”

“Every day I would pass the empty Café Shelburne building,” he says. “The Greek restaurant that had been there had closed down and it was so empty and sad, in a

Microscopic Geology: Rocks and Minerals from around the World. Wednesday, July 25, at10:30 a.m.

Jan Schwarz of Project Micro shares the wonders right beneath our feet, from quartz to crystal and more.

Ages 7 and up.

LEGO Club: Thursdays to July 26 at 10 a.m. Build your own creations and test your imagination and LEGO skills in the weekly challenge. A drop-in program for grades 3 & up.

STEAM Challenge Camp: Monday– Thursday, July 30-Aug. 2, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Explore all parts of the science, tech, engineering, arts & math world. A new hands-on project each day! Sign up for one day or all four. For rising 4th-8th graders.

In partnership with RETN and supported by STEAM grants from local donors.

Summer of Numbers. Can doing math in the summer be fun? Yes, with the Summer of Numbers and a daily math problem. Just pick up a constellation chart and star stickers

state of disrepair.” The couple imagined what it could be; they knew they wanted to start some kind of business, “and we knew we wanted it to be in the town where we live.” Thus Peg and Ter’s was born.

The restaurant opened on June 26 and has been running full-tilt since then. Jesse Luberoff manages the bar, overseeing with ease and expertise the spirits, cocktails and beer. “He not only makes a great cocktail,” Johnny says, “he can tell you everything about it, too.”

Johnny oversees all of the wine bought

to track your progress. For all ages.

Adult Interest

Mystery Book Group: Bloodhounds by Peter Lovesey. Monday, July 16, at 10 a.m. As he investigates a rare-stamp find and murder, Inspector Peter Diamond discovers that both the person who found the stamp and the victim belong to the Bloodhounds, an elite group of mystery lovers. But there’s a hitch: The body lies inside a padlocked houseboat, and the only key is in the pocket of a man with an airtight alibi. Copies are available at the circulation desk.

Summer Book Group at Senior Center: Mondays, August 6–20, at 10:30 a.m. The Handmaid’s Tale became a dystopian TV hit last fall. Join us to read the Margaret Atwood novel on which it was based. The story is set in a near-future New England, in a totalitarian, Christian theonomy that has overthrown the United States government.

The novel focuses on the journey of the handmaid Offred and her role in a commander’s house as servant and surrogate.

and sold and Corey Perkins is the magician in the kitchen. Most recently at the exclusive Twin Farms Resort in Barnard, Vermont, Perkins now does all the food at Peg and Ter’s, including the desserts, the area he majored in in cooking school. Tina takes care of the business end of things: accounting, payroll, human resources.

“We have a great professional team here,” Helzer says, “and things are going really smoothly.”

“It feels great,” he says, “it’s really satisfying to see the community’s response,

festival

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Providing Repair, Refinishing, Restoration and Transport

George & Pam Darling P.O. Box 32 Ferry Road, Charlotte, VT gdarling@gmavt.net

music aspects for the Festival.

“It’s been a collaborative effort with BCA from the start, and they produce a world class event,” added Keppel. “We did a preview sort of trial run on a summer day in 2007, then launched the first FOF a year later.” Festival goers support the performers with their generous tips, and the city and corporate sponsors pay for the production cost of staging the weekend revelry, which includes providing lodging, meals and travel for dozens of international acts.

“All of us love putting on ‘Fools.’ We get to immerse ourselves in a weekend of laughter and music with a multicultural audience of young and old who have all come together to celebrate comedy and music. It’s a good vibe, all around. I’m certain that during Fools weekend, we have more laughs and defining applause than any other place in the world. People need a reason to laugh, and we try to serve it up in big portions,” said Keppel.

Last year it was estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the Festival of Fools over the weekend. This year over

Copies of the book available at the Charlotte Library and Charlotte Senior Center prior to the first meeting.

Tech Time at the Library: Wednesdays in July, 10 a.m. to noon. Want to download a book or learn a language online? Need a little help with your smartphone? Drop in and get some personalized help with our Tech Librarian.

Hammock-Nappers Book Club: A Book a Month! Hop in your hammock for the second year of our laidback book group! You can pick up copies of our monthly selections and then settle in for a leisurely read. July: The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. August: As Lie Is to Grin by Simeon Marsalis. Join us on Facebook at Charlotte Library Hammock Nappers Book Group!

Charlotte Library Board of Trustees: Katharine Cohen, Nan Mason, Danielle Conlon Menk, Jonathan Silverman and Robert Smith.

Next library board meeting: Thursday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m.

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.

to see everyone enjoying this space.” A space that meant a lot to Helzer when he was young “and my folks would bring us here for special occasions.”

“We love the soul of this building,” he says, “it’s got great history and it’s been a joy to renovate and reinvigorate this place.”

Located across the street from Shelburne Museum, Peg and Ter’s is open Tuesday through Thursday from 4 to 10; Friday and Saturday from 3 to 11 and on Sundays from 2 to 8. Their menu can be viewed at pegandters.com.

50 entertainers from the world of circus, comedy and music will do it all over again. Highlights include contortionist and stuntman Alan Millar (aka Alakazam) from Australia, the Kif-Kif Sisters and trampoline greats FLIP École de Cirque from Quebec, world yo-yo champion and juggler John Higby (aka the Yo-Yo Show) from Boston, and funnyman Michael Trautman from Portland, Maine. Music acts include What Cheer?, Brigade, Marco Benevento and Grammy Award winners Flor de Toloache from New York City.

This year there will be a special dedication to world-renowned performer Rob Torres, a crowd favorite at the Festival, who passed away suddenly in early July. Rob performed at the Festival of Fools on three occasions, most recently in 2017. “All of us at the Festival of Fools are saddened by the death of this great clown and are forever grateful for the good vibes he shared with us in Burlington. Rob will forever be a part of our ‘Fools’ family,” added Keppel.

The Charlotte News • July 11, 2018 • 7

On Books

Good books for hot times

Wow, it’s been a hot few days. It’s very nice to have the temperatures back to a more livable range, don’t you agree? Today I hiked Camel’s Katherine Arthaud Hump for the first time (I’m embarrassed to say – not that I hiked the mountain, but that it is the first time—I won’t tell you how long I’ve lived here.), and it was out-of-town friends who lured me up there. I’m a bit exhausted, but it’s time to talk once again about books, so here goes.

What have you been reading?

I finally finished Anna Karenina, thank God. Not that I didn’t love it. I did. As stated in previous issues, the book is indeed a great one (most would agree), but it is a mighty long one—and wonderful, textured, evocative and riveting as it is, there are a few parts that, rather like parts of Melville’s Moby Dick, are a bit dry. Detailed, specific, scientific, political, time/place-specific, these moments are a bit like, well…like hiking up the more difficult parts of the Monroe Trail.

Like my trip up and down the mountain today, I loved Anna Karenina, will remember it fondly and forever, but am glad to be done. Also, I just have to say (spoiler alert), once Anna has thrown herself in front of a train, after all those pages and pages about her dramas, her passions, her sufferings, her dark thoughts, her love, her hatred, her pain, her trials, it’s kind of like…well, like…how do I put it?…out

with the old, and onward. She is scarcely mentioned again for the rest of the book. I found this odd, but maybe that’s how life is sometimes, or the way Tolstoy saw it, or wanted us to see it. I mean, this tremendous life force…this magnetic, fascinating, complicated, passionate, tortured, significant person…done…smushed…and the world moves on and forgets. Almost as though she never existed at all. I found it surprising and sad and peculiar.

As I mentioned before, I read this book when I was very young. It was a totally different experience to read it again as an adult. Who knows…maybe I’ll read it again before I’m through. But not anytime soon.

Highly recommend.

On a totally different note, I’m still loving Sue Grafton. I don’t allow myself to read too many in a row. It’s a bit like eating chocolates. You don’t eat the whole box at once. Or you try not to. You pause once in awhile. Give it a rest for a day or two. I am on O now. O is for Outlaw. I am such a fan. I can’t believe I waited so long to read this amazing series. I really don’t want to be done. I only have eight more, and Sue Grafton is, alas, no more, so I’ll have to pace myself. If you have never read her and you like mysteries and a strong, quirky, loveable, snappy protagonist, you are in for a treat.

Have you read Educated by Tara Westover yet? It’s a memoir. Very powerful.

About a young woman raised by survivalist Mormons in the mountains of Idaho. She is home-schooled till the age of 17, which mostly means working salvaging in her father’s junkyard and pretty much teaching herself to read with only the Bible and the

works of Joseph Smith.

At one point, when finally she is sitting in a real classroom in a real school, the Holocaust is mentioned, and she has never heard of it.

This is very well written, sometimes violent and disturbing—a testament to the strength, determination, resilience and courage of the human spirit and what it means to forge on through crazy family love/belonging/loyalty to truth, freedom and self-actualization.

And (spoiler alert #2) it’s not easy. Not easy at all. This is riveting, vivid and at times difficult to read. I can’t think of a book that better brings home the struggle to reconcile the powerful pull of biological family and the love that we can’t help but feel for them (even if they’re bat-s*&t crazy) with the desperate need to find one’s true self and one’s real place in the world. Excellent read.

I heard about Mrs. Fletcher on VPR when author Tom Perotta was being interviewed. I really enjoyed this one.

Sometimes comic, sometimes right-on and sweet, sometimes a little outlandish, this book really works on the whole. I love

Patrick Kearney, PA-C

Integrating compassion, expertise and service

Acce P

the parallel stories of Eve the mom and Brendan the son—the empty nester and the college freshman. Very clever, quite touching at times. I am so glad I read this. A good book for the #metoo generation.

I also recommend The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer. It’s a compelling story with interesting, welldrawn characters that does a great job taking on some of the nuances of feminism and some of the challenges of living a life of integrity in this crazy, complicated world. This book is kind of a blockbuster. I recommend you give it a whirl. I liked Wolitzer’s other book, The Interestings, but liked this one even better.

It’s been a long day and the day is dimming.

I hope you are finding some time to enjoy these beautiful summer days, staying cool, making new friends, spending times with old friends, hiking hills, swimming in the lake, rocking in hammocks, reading good books, getting outside under the moon and stars now and then, and savoring every minute.

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8 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Curbing Our Way Across Ameri ca In the Age of Innocence

By Norm Riggs

Part 1 Times have changed. Really changed. In 1964 I embarked on an adventure that would today result in a trip to the hospital if not the morgue. This is a true tale of my escape from despair into a meandering saga that played out beyond my wildest dreams.

Despair Bracing for the summer of 1964 I’d hit bottom. I was twenty-one years old and had just finished the second semester of my sophomore year at Drake University.

And I was in a slump funk: jilted in love, too much partying, a precipitous slide in grades and the looming prospect of another year with a summer job straight from a frozen Dante’s Inferno. There did not appear to be any viable escape route, so I resigned myself to enduring the inevitable grim reality.

The previous summer I’d worked as an ice cream stacker for Beatrice Foods under the brand name Meadow Gold. My job was to take ice cream cartons off a chattering conveyer belt in The Box, a minus 20-degree gloomy, cavernous room. I would stack the cartons on racks where they would harden from slush to granite.

After parking my car and walking through the sultry summer air I’d punch a clock and enter the dressing room, where I’d change into insulated boots and layered thermal underclothing encased in a parka. The Box was brutally unforgiving: dark and forbidding with eerie mists wafting and drifting about as if in a polar medieval dungeon.

The onslaught of cartons marching off the assembly line was as relentless as the brooms carrying endless buckets of water to Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer’s apprentice in Walt Disney’s Fantasia. Occasionally I would fall behind and hear the dreaded splattering of ice cream hitting the floor. Then Dutch, the most irascible tormenting boss on the planet, would appear on the scene. Dutch was hard-fisted blue collar to the core and held a seething grudge against west side college kids. He would launch into a screaming, profanity-laced tirade and order the line shut down while I scraped the goo off the floor. He was borderline legally blind, and I took some consolation in grinning as I flipped him the bird through a veil of fog.

There were other mortifying aspects to the job. While my friends sported suntans, my face, being exposed to the bitter cold eight hours a day, was ruddy with

frostbite. My nose glowed red, prompting my friends to nickname me “Rudolph.” And twice a day I had to slide the frozen racks onto a manual forklift and haul them out to the semi-trucks. The trucks pulled into the loading docks from Ingersoll Avenue, one of the busiest streets in Des Moines, and were clearly visible from the street. It was a traffic stopper for people who drove by to see me wearing a parka in scorching July heat. Once a carload of greasers—sixties duck-tailed hoodlums from the other side of town—slammed on the brakes and stared at me incredulously. One of the guys pointed and yelled “Look, it’s Sergeant Preston!” (Sergeant Preston of the Yukon was a popular TV series of the late fifties, starring Dick Simmons as an intrepid Canadian Mountie who, accompanied by his horse, Rex, and faithful dog, Yukon King, battled the harsh Arctic elements to bring criminals to justice.)

All this for $1.65 an hour.

Hope Mark Thompson listened with feigned sympathy as I lamented my fate over a beer at Peggy’s, the local pub near the Drake campus. Empathy was not one of his strong suits. We were in the same fraternity but only casual friends, and meeting that evening was happenstance.

Mark possessed some quirks that would irritate a Labrador retriever. While a great guy, at heart he was stubborn as a mule and had this annoying habit of constantly telling jokes, staring at the listener, and if there was any hesitated reaction, lapsing into animated laughter. He would always precede his jokes with a patented Cheshire cat grin, which, for those who knew him, set the stage for our pokerfaced reaction. But this never seemed to faze him; he reveled in telling the joke.

He was a swashbuckling entrepreneur in the purest sense, a guy who could never take orders and always had a better way of doing things. But to his credit he always had a scheme for making money and landing on his feet. And he had a driving work ethic. The previous summer he bought an old school bus and recruited three friends to ramble their way out to California where they picked fruit alongside migrant workers. Despite frequent bickering there were no altercations and they returned intact as friends.

After I’d bemoaned my fate Mark squinted, cocked his head and stroked his forefinger on his chin. “Did you hear about Bob Peterson’s older brother?” “No,” I said.

“Well, he’s a member of the Rockford, Illinois, Jaycees.

Bob told me that as a fundraiser they made a s*&t-load

The curborator always drew a curious crowd. of money painting house numbers on curbs and collecting Riggs donations.” I perked up.

21-year-old u c Mark went on. “I’m thinking in his rb ire. … why couldn’t we do the same painting att thing? We could do this in Des Moines and collect donations as enterprising college students trying to pay for our education. People would love it.” And so the idea was hatched.

I had reservations about launching into any joint endeavor with Mark but considered giving it a gander.

He was not one to be deterred by obstacles or, for that matter, reality and was willing to take the plunge if I agreed to join him. Being by nature cautious I began to think about the downside of such a venture, bottom line being, what if we failed? Like most fervent entrepreneurs he wouldn’t entertain a negative side of any idea and predictably threw caution to the wind. He asked me the ultimate question: “What have we got to lose?”

A fleeting image of Dutch slinked across my mind. I was in.

Mark called Peterson’s brother who laid out the details of the Rockford project. The Jaycees put articles in the Rockford Register Star, touting the laurels of their fundraiser, and followed up with fliers in neighborhoods listing a phone number to call for a donation. There was no set price, but most people donated fifty cents and a few a dollar—a hefty return back in ’64.

We were off and running.

Stubbornness spawns invention Plato wrote that necessity is the mother of all invention. Mark wouldn’t quarrel with that maxim but would carry it one step further. Bullheadedness and perseverance had always propelled him through life. I think he always regretted that Henry Ford beat him to

The Charlotte News • July 11, 2018 • 9 the punch.

The mechanics of painting curbs was still vague, and I argued that we should research how previous entrepreneurs pulled it off. Why reinvent the wheel?

Mark wouldn’t hear of that. I held my ground and did a little research at the library but couldn’t find much; apparently curb painting was an undefined profession. So I begrudgingly handed him the reins.

The first challenge was how to apply the paint. We heard from Bob that the Jaycees used aerosol cans to spray fast-drying white paint over a rectangle cut out of a slab of cardboard, followed by black paint over the interlocking numbered metal stencils. Marv argued that we’d save considerable money if we used a compressor to apply the white paint.

So we invested in a paint compressor and mounted it on a Red Ryder wagon powered by a small Briggs and Stratton engine. His contraption was a sight to behold. It would shimmy, lurch and hiss, so we dubbed it Stanley Steamer.

We also had to come up with a way to carry our supplies and access the interlocking #1-10 numbered stencils.

Our solution was the curoborator, a large wicker basket with a styrofoam slab that covered the top of the basket.

We positioned and inserted tongue depressors to align and hold the respective interlocking stencil numbers. Supplies were stored inside the basket, including gloves to protect our hands while painting, water bottles, snacks and a transistor radio.

We did a dry run on Mark’s block in Des Moines to test how our procedure worked. I took the lead, using Stanley to spray an 8x18-inch rectangle on the curb. Mark followed, spraying glossy black paint over the stencils. Stanley was a comical traffic stopper. Drivers would slow down and cock their bemused heads. And before long a crowd of little kids gathered around, jumping and pointing in convulsive laughter.

Predictably there were some bugs to work out. The biggest problem was that about every half hour the nozzle hole would clog up, and we’d have to insert a skinny screwdriver to free it up. Also, as the black paint accumulated it initially turned from sticky goo to a hard thick shell that was almost impossible to remove.

Again, Mark’s ingenuity to the rescue. He experimented with black lacquer gloss paint, and to our great relief we discovered we could easily peel the paint off after it dried. The cardboard wasn’t a problem because when the white paint accumulated, it could easily be replaced. We wore cheap cotton work gloves to protect our hands. They would quickly become gummed up, so we purchased replacement gloves in bulk.

Down but not out Step one was to gain permission from the Des Moines City Council. How could they turn down such a heartwarming beneficial service from enterprising college boys? We reserved a spot on the docket, donned our suits and made our appeal. The council’s initial reaction was one of patronizing praise. But after a few minutes some members squinted and cast sideline glances at one another. As the discussion progressed, doubts began to surface. Some people might not be happy having college kids solicit them for donations. Were there liability issues? Was such a project legal under city ordinances?

They queried the public works director, who stammered and said he’d have to look into it. The mayor picked up on the vibes and tabled the discussion. The council patted

us on our heads and kindly showed us the door. Lesson number one learned: Never go to an elected political body and expect a timely decisive answer.

Soldiering on We didn’t tuck our tails for long. There were suburban pastures in the metropolitan area to be tapped, and from now on we wouldn’t make the mistake of asking permission from city government.

We designed and printed a flier promoting our enterprise that would be slipped in the front screen door of every house. We planned to revisit those households the next evening and jot down the addresses of those who wanted to have their curbs painted and accept donations. The flier read: As A Service to You and Your Community You Have an Opportunity to Have Your House Number Newly Painted on Your Curb

Besides Being Clearly Visible During the Daytime If at Night …

1. The Doctor or Ambulance 2. A Delivery boy or Taxicab 3. Out-of-town Guests 4. The Firemen or Police Seek your home, they will find your house number QUICKLY AND EASILY WITH NO MISTAKE This service is being sponsored throughout the community by college students who help earn their school expenses this way. There is no charge for this service. However, contributions will be accepted.

We think this project is a benefit to everyone – don’t you? Please save a donation or smile for the college student who will be stopping by in the next few days to ask if you are interested in participating in this community safety program THANK YOU THE COLLEGE STUDENTS

While we struck out asking permission in the City of Des Moines we decided to give it another shot in Windsor Heights, my west side suburban hometown. At the time Windsor Heights was the most well-heeled suburb in the metro area, graced with late 1950s/early 60s brick ranch homes that conjured up visions of Hollywood ,with streets like Sunset Terrace, Bryn Mawr Drive, Bellaire Avenue, El Rancho Drive and Marilyn Circle. I was a known quantity there, and the mayor and several council members knew and liked me. So again we dressed up and gave our pitch to the city council. They embraced us warmly and gave their stamp of approval. We gained credibility with an article in the weekly newspaper, the Windsor Heights Times. We left the council chambers in a euphoric state, ready to excavate a veritable gold mine in waiting.

The day of reckoning was now upon us. Early the first afternoon we jogged across lawns in a six-block area, leaving slips in screen doors. This was 1964 and most women were homemakers tending their children during the day. If they saw us and opened the door, we would hand them a flier and explain our project. Most were intrigued and supportive but not ready to give a donation until they could consult their husbands when they returned home from work. A few, however, offered to donate on the spot. We thanked them and jotted down their addresses in our notebook, explaining that we would be returning within several days to paint their curbs. After completing our rounds we retired to Peggy’s for beer and pizza.

We anticipated the possibility of encountering mean dogs and filled our pockets with dog biscuits as a gesture of friendship and appeasement. This worked about half the time, but if there was a standoff, the first rule was to stand our ground and stay cool, facing Fido as we slowly backed off into neutral territory. Toy poodles were a major headache. They were the most popular breed of the day, and their incessant yapping would set off every other dog in the neighborhood, and sometimes the din would spread to neighboring blocks. While this was an annoyance, the ones that really scared us were larger dogs that didn’t bark, at least much, but glowered at us with piercing eyes and a murmuring growl. Doberman Pinschers were the most hair-raising of all.

The following evening we returned to the area, knocking on the doors of every household. We started at 6 p.m. when we could count on Ozzie Nelson to have pulled into the driveway and eased into his recliner. Hearing the evening news on TV was a sure signal that someone would almost always come to the door.

After calling on a few houses we realized that this approach was going to be a long slog. Many people are by nature curious hagglers. First we had to explain what the painted curb would look like since no curbs on their block had yet been painted. Our explanation was vague and tedious, and we realized that a photograph would say a thousand words. We took immediate action and always carried a Polaroid print after that first day.

The first two questions most asked were, “What do you recommend as a donation?” or “What are most people giving?” Since it was out first evening we didn’t have a precedent and replied, “Whatever you’d like to give.”

One guy reeking of booze told us it was a good idea and to go ahead and paint his curb. We asked what he would like to donate. He swayed and slurred, answering, “Your flier didn’t name a price. It’s a good deal, so I’ll take it for free.” A good number of people wanted to bargain. Our lowest donation was a dime, but most offered 50 cents and a few a dollar.

We finished our first block at twilight, counted the change and split $21.50. I told Marv I got a better rate of return on my paper route when I was 12.

Norm Riggs retired from Iowa State University in 2006 as a rural community development specialist and now lives in North Ferrisburgh with his wife, Sandy, and three dogs. This is his first piece of published writing. Part II will appear in the July 25 issue of The News.

10 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Young Charlotters Sabrina Davis

Adelaide Toensing

Morgan Magoon Sabrina Davis is passionate about her college experience.

She is a rising junior at Adelphi University in Nassau County, New York, where she is a history major with a concentration in American history. Sabrina lived in Shelburne before moving to Charlotte; she attended Champlain Valley Union High School. Sabrina’s decision to become a history major was based on her experiences at CVU. “The teachers who taught history made the content interesting and approachable,” she says. Sabrina had always enjoyed literature and the humanities in school, but ultimately she settled on a history major in college.

Sabrina’s favorite classes are her honors classes, which focus on the humanities with an emphasis on cultural exposure and experience. Each semester the honors college students attend three cultural events. In April, Sabrina went to see the play Angels in America, parts one and two, on Broadway. “It was priceless and relevant to current issues,” she said.

Sabrina is involved in the Scholar Teacher Education Program at Adelphi. This is a dual degree program that enables students to obtain an undergraduate degree with a primary major and to minor in education.

The students take education classes throughout their four years, then complete one year of graduate school.

After this, the student will graduate with a master’s in education and be licensed to teach in New York. Sabrina plans to become a high school history teacher.

Sabrina recently joined the history

honor society, Phi Alpha Theta. For the induction ceremony, there was a faculty and department dinner. “I had dinner with the history professors as well as my fellow history majors, and it really fostered a wonderful community. I probably had some of the most engaging social conversations I’ve ever had at that dinner.”

This summer Sabrina is working with Benjamin Recchia at the summer musical camps at CVU. This is their second annual show. Last year’s show was The Lion King, and this year the group will be performing The Little Mermaid. The shows are on August 10, 11 and 12th. Benjamin is the director and Sabrina is the assistant music director, working closely with Carl Recchia. Her work includes preparing the orchestra books and being a camp counselor. Sabrina will also be a member of the orchestra, playing clarinet and saxophone, with her dad, Jeffrey Davis, who will be in the orchestra playing clarinet.

Jacqueline Flynn Adelaide Toensing is one talented equestrian. From growing up in Charlotte riding ponies at the barn, she now finds herself competing at the highest level of show jumping at just 18 years old.

“It sounds really corny, but it’s always been my dream to compete in Grand Prix,” said Toensing.

Grand Prix can have jumps as high as 1.6 meters (5 feet, 3 inches) and usually has a large cash prize attached to the winning riders. The challenging courses and high stakes take a special horse and rider combination to complete a course.

Her equine teammate, Blue, has been with her only since January. When she first got him, Toensing said she didn’t expect him to be able to move up so quickly.

“We got him expecting to do the High Amateurs by the end of the year and just seeing how it would go, but it ended up going much better than we thought because he’s just so good!” Toensing said.

Toensing and Blue are trained by Mark Jungherr and Kristi Smith. After only a few months together, they competed in their first Grand Prix competition in Aiken, South Carolina, where they placed sixth in the $25,000 class.

“It was definitely a surprise in Aiken.

Mark just came up and asked me, ‘You want to try it?’ and I said yes!” Toensing said.

Toensing and Blue have competed in three Grand Prix classes so far. In June, they placed fifth in the $25,000 Grand Prix in Saratoga Springs. Toensing leaves for the Manchester Summer Festival next week where she hopes to compete in three more grand prix classes.

But that’s not the only exciting milestone in Toensing’s career. She recently signed with the University of Georgia equestrian team, the most decorated collegiate team in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association.

Toensing said the recruitment process took a while and that she is very excited for the fall and to compete on the team.

The Charlotte News • July 11, 2018 • 11

Health Matters

Recreational water use, part 2

Jim Hyde Vermont is blessed with over 800 lakes and ponds, more than 284 of which are larger than 20 acres. Many are available and accessible for recreational use by swimmers, boaters, fishermen and even divers. However, Vermont lakes and ponds face environmental challenges from bacteria, pesticides and phosphorusrich agricultural runoff. We’ve also seen recent cases, for example in Burlington, in which sewage treatment systems have been overwhelmed by torrential rains and equipment failures and have dumped raw sewage into Lake Champlain. According to a June 20 story in Seven Days, eight million gallons of sewage and wastewater have been released into the lake so far in 2018, triple the amount for all of 2017.

These events, combined with environmental changes, increased rain fall, rising temperatures and air pollution, are threatening our water quality today.

Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation (VDEC) along with a number of private sector partners have been actively engaged in monitoring these threats to the state’s lakes, ponds and streams. The Inland Lake Score Card as well as the Lake Champlain monitoring program provide valuable up-to-date information for all concerned with Vermont water quality. (dec.vermont.gov/watershed/ lakes-ponds/data-maps/scorecard).

These developments are also having an impact on the health of recreational users.

Let’s look at three important biologic risks.

Swimming Aside from obvious threats—concealed objects, hidden rocks and logs, and drowning—use of open waters poses certain biologic risks. A range of bacteria, parasites and viruses, as well as toxins and chemical agents, can be found even in Vermont waters. Some are introduced through surface and ground water pollution, some by natural processes, but most of these hazards are the result of human activity, including intensive development near watersheds, and through the careless disposal of human and industrial waste products.

Vermont-specific data are scarce.

However, on July 1 of this year, the CDC reported on 140 recreational waterassociated outbreaks representing over 5,000 cases from 35 states. Eighty-seven percent of the cases were caused by enteric pathogens (“bugs” from the gut) from either humans or animals (one reason dogs are often not allowed at town and park beaches). Two percent of cases were from chemicals and toxins, while in 35 percent of cases the cause of illness was unidentified. Three findings are especially relevant for Vermonters: 1) the majority of outbreaks occurred from June to July; 2) 36 percent and 32 percent of the outbreaks occurred at public parks and beaches respectively; 3) and interestingly, many of the pathogens that caused these outbreaks rarely cause outbreaks in treated recreational settings, such as pools, due to the effectiveness of chlorination.

What does this mean?

Swimming in one-of-a-kind secluded or open spots—such as the center of Lake Champlain—is likely to pose little risk.

However, public beaches and other places

“

Summertime in Vermont is a magic time in part because of the opportunity to get out and enjoy our lakes, ponds and streams. As with most of the enjoyable things in life, however, it comes with risks.

”

where groups of people are swimming may pose risks from fecal contamination from other swimmers, storm water runoff or blue-green algae blooms (more on this later). Fecal contamination can come from other swimmers recently or currently suffering with a diarrheal illness, diapered children swimming nearby, pets and wildlife or even malfunctioning septic systems. Be especially careful about swimming shortly after torrential or tropical-type rains, which have occurred in recent weeks. These events have the tendency to flush all sorts of material into streams, ponds and lakes.

The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) as well as common sense suggest the following guidelines for swimmers: 1) make sure that animal waste is properly disposed of near beaches; 2) do not go swimming if you have recently had diarrhea; 3) do not feed birds and wildlife near swimming areas and beaches; 4) do not swallow beach water, and instruct your children not to do so as well; 5) it’s a good idea as well to wash off if at all possible after swimming in areas used by large numbers of people; and 6) check the health status of beaches at lakes and ponds prior to swimming (see below).

Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria).

Cyanobacteria are naturally occurring organisms that are found in fresh water ponds and lakes. Some of these bacteria produce toxins that can cause a wide range of symptoms, such as sore throat, skin rashes, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms. These symptoms can affect both humans and pets. Children have been shown to be at a special risk as they have a greater tendency to swallow contaminated water.

(Vets also warn that pets can lick and swallow cyanobacteria caught in their fur). Blue-green algae “blooms” are enhanced by phosphorus-rich runoff, and they tend to occur more commonly in the late summer and fall.

The good news is that there is active weekly monitoring of conditions at many (but not all) beaches and public

Photo by Jim Hyde

swimming areas around the state. For a regularly updated interactive map of blue-green algae conditions on Lake Champlain, including Charlotte, Shelburne and Ferrisburgh, see apps.health.vermont. gov/vttracking/cyanobacteria/2018/d/. If you are planning on visiting one of the state parks check out vtstateparks.com/ swimming.html for an up-to-date report.

Finally, visit the Lake Champlain Basin Program website for additional information on beach and swimming conditions on the lake (lcbp.org/water-environment/ human-health/swimming-concerns/beachclosures/).

A word of caution: Observational reports or lab reports may lag behind by two or three days the appearance of an algae bloom or a pollution event. This is why it’s important to understand the conditions that pose the most risk to swimmers and act accordingly. A terrific video produced

by VDH will provide you with important information you will need to recognize blue-green algae (healthvermont.gov/ health-environment/recreational-water/ cyanobacteria-blue-green-algae). see

WATER page 15

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12 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Sports Seattle sees the best of Vermont in the Special Olympics Representing Vermont in the interscholastic unified basketball tournament Edd Merritt played last week in Seattle, Washington, the Green Mountain team was undefeated and carried home the gold medal. Moving from second to first division as a result of four wins in pool play, Vermont won two more games, one of them being the championship game over Connecticut, 3829. Wayne Elias and Gary Whalon helped the team overcome a one-point deficit going into the second half. Gary opened the second half hitting from three-point range.

The team was made up of 10 members, some with special needs, others called partners. Four of the ten played on CVU’s men’s and women’s teams. They were Lindsey Albertelli, Shannon Loiseau, Paul Keen and Graham Walker. In a Free Press article, Coach Peter Booth said that he was a friend of CVU coach Ute Otley and very pleased to follow in her footsteps nationally.

Vermont men’s hockey takes a “gutt”wrenching win It is difficult enough to keep the ice on rinks—even indoor rinks—from melting in 90-degree weather. However, Gutterson managed to hold its ice for the annual Make-A-Wish Twin State Hockey Classic.

This was the 26th tournament for the men and the 21st for the women. A goal in the last 25 seconds sealed a victory for Vermont on the men’s side. Woodstock’s Cullen McCarthy scored the game-winner from just outside the crease to ensure a 2-1 victory for the Green Mountain Boys.

Essex partners Maverick King and Sam Couture assisted him. The goals for the men came from Woodstock alone, as Cullen’s teammate Steven Townley, on a pass from Milton’s Cam Goodrich, flipped in the opening goal for Vermont, which, at the time, was down 1-0. There were no Charlotte or CVU grads on the men’s team.

Vermont women aren’t as lucky as their brothers Vermont Women’s Make-a-Wish squad held on to a single-goal lead for the first period, but New Hampshire came back in the second with three goals to Vermont’s one, winning the contest 4-2. Middlebury’s Andi Boe and Rutland’s Meaghan Hamilton scored the Green Mountaineers’ two tallies. Charlotte’s Arielle DeSmet, a student at the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, shared goal-tending duty with Rutland’s Amy Howard. The women’s team included CVU’s Lydia Maitland and Jacqueline Ryan at forward.

S.D. Ireland’s American Legion baseball team struggles this summer Made up of many players from CVU baseball, the summer Ireland Legion team has been struggling for wins, although on Saturday they managed to split a doubleheader at Saratoga Springs, New York, losing the opening game to the Hayner Barnstormers 6-2 but coming back in the second contest to top North Country 10-3.

The week before was tougher, as they posted a one-win, four-loss record, losing to their Hayner, New York, rivals and the Saratoga Stampede, as well as to the home-state Colchester Cannons. Facing the north-of-the-border Montreal Titans, Ireland lost 6-3, with its runs driven in by Redhawk JV prospect Lars Jensen plus upcoming seniors Jacob Murphy and Tyler Skaflestad. The lone win that week was a 2-1 squeaker over the Schenectady Indians.

Good pitching by Jacob Murphy earned him a nearly complete game. He gave up only three hits and one run in six innings before he was relieved by Calvin Wuthrich who earned the save.

TOP: First baseman Ryan Canty tags out Essex runner.

BOTTOM: Kyle Rivers delivers.

Photos by Al Frey

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Sports Machavern wins prestigious 6 hours at Watkins Glen Staff Report With ambient temperatures in the upper 90s and track temps reaching well into the triple digits, teams and drivers had to dig deep in the oppressive conditions during International Motor Sports Association’s 6 Hours of The Glen on July 1.

The Turner Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 was not the fastest in the GTD (Grand Touring Daytona) field but finished the endurance race in the lead. Having started in 13th place, the No. 96 moved through the field throughout the race. Drivers Don Yount, Dillon Machavern and Markus Palttala, along with the crew of Turner Motorsports, proved to be a race-winning strategy.

Yount started the race, handed off to Machavern who advanced several positions before handing back to Yount. Thereafter Palttala and Machavern took over driving duties, with Machavern making a pass on the #73 Park Place Motorsport Porsche, and the team short-filling Palttala to advance positions.

With Palttala, Turner has a driver capable of winning at any time. With Machavern, who is in the early stages of his career, Turner has a young prospect whose experience has been gained in Spec Miatas, Trans-Am cars, and in IMSA’s Continental Tire Series tin-top category and 2017 Driver Champion. In Yount, Turner has a late bloomer whose introduction to IMSA came to define the “Am” driver in its former PC category.

After the race, Will Turner said, “I watched Dillon last year in Conti and was really impressed and was confident he could come through the field, and when I saw him pass Patrick Lindsey, I knew he was good.

So I had a better feeling for my [Ams] than maybe some others would from the outside looking in.”

The previous day, in similar conditions, the duo of Machavern and Pumpelly drove RS1’s GS Porsche GT4 MR in the Continental Tire 240 to a 7th-place finish but retained the championship points lead heading into the busy summer schedule.

Dillon Machavern (center) with co-drivers Markus Paltalla and Don Yount on Sunday, July 1, 2018.

Photo by IMSA

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14 • July 11, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Charlotte Senior Center News Carolyn Kulik

SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James.

When it is really hot and humid, imagine that you have been transported to somewhere far away: New Orleans, Singapore, Hong Kong. The scene is set; go with the flow and have some gumbo, satay or sweet and sour pork. And speaking of food, the Charlotte Senior Center is happy to be collaborating with Executive Chef Arnd Sievers from The Residence at Shelburne Bay, who will be with us on Monday, July 30, to prepare a lunch of his choice.

It is nearly the middle of July and summer is picking up steam (literally). Visiting friends and family helps us remember how very fortunate we are to live in this beautiful and inviting place. So many choices things to do and wonderful spots to show people.

Rounding out July On Wednesday, July 11, the Foot Clinic at 9:15 a.m. is followed by the Blood Pressure Clinic at 11:30 a.m. The Foot Clinic (formerly Footnoters) does require pre-registration, but walk-ins are welcome for the Blood Pressure Clinic. The Center is grateful to long-time volunteers Martha McAuliffe, R.N., Julia Jacques and Samantha Wendel who will be on hand to take care of visitors. The next clinics will be on Aug. 1 and Sept. 5.

The Kayaking Trips for Women continue on Fridays in July (13 & 27), August (10 & 24), and September (14 & 28). For destination information and to register your interest, please respond by email directly to Susan Hyde at susanfosterhyde@gmail.com.

Paddlers need to provide their own boats for all trips (except on 8/24). No fee.

On July 18 at 10:30 a.m. visit the Charlotte Volunteer Fire Department.

Meet at the Senior Center to walk over to the CVFD. See those big, red vehicles and gear; learn about procedures for fighting fire and rescuing people. Registration required.

Maximum 12. You are invited to bring a young friend if you wish.

The Bake For Good event on Thursday, July 19, is full. If you missed out on signing up, do call and let us know if you might want us to hold something similar soon

COOLING OFF IN A HEAT WAVE. The Senior Center plans to be open as a cooling center in the late afternoon and evenings if we experience another heat wave as we did earlier this month. In the event of multiple days of 90+ temperatures, please call 425-6345 to let us know you want to come. that involves baking or cooking. There are many possibilities, and your input is always welcome.

Shakespeare comes to Charlotte. A Performance Of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It will be given on Friday, July 27, at 1:00 in the Senior Center’s Great Room.

The Hour-Glass Youth Theatre returns to stage one of Will’s classics. The play follows a young woman and her best friend as they flee a society in ruins from a government run on wealth and an imbalance of power.

Registration is required. No fee.

NEW! On July 29, from 1-3 p.m., the Senior Center will begin hosting a monthly gathering of singers of shape-note music, Charlotte Sacred Harp. Newcomers and experienced singers are welcome—no auditions. Shape-note singing is a traditional style of music with roots in the 18th and 19th centuries of the United States. Singing is four-part a cappella and is sung for the moment... not for performance. Song books (1991 Dennison) are supplied, instruction given, and there is no charge. Come and find your voice or just listen. Call Carolyn at the Senior Center with any questions.

Dream Day on Lake Champlain boat trips continue with Al and Nancy Martin as hosts. The trip on July 12 is already full, but you might squeeze in on Thursday, Aug. 16 or Sept. 13. Fraya Smith, Bosun’s Mate, and Greg Smith, Swab, lend crucial support to make this all possible. Registration is required, with a limit of one trip.

There are two Birding Expeditions left for the summer, on Wednesday, July 18, and August 15. Hank is the best person to introduce you to the feathered life. (And yes, there will be two more in the fall.)

It is a different way to look at the world.

Registration required. No fee.

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.

July 16

Crustless broccoli & cheddar quiche Orange & arugula Salad Homemade dessert

July 23

Mediterranean farro salad Parmesan roasted carrots Homemade dessert

July 11

Seafood salad Birthday cake & ice cream

July 18

Cajun chicken & mushroom salad Homemade dessert

July 25

Sloppy Joes Homemade dessert

Thursday - Men's Breakfast July 12

7:30–9 a.m. Reservations required.

Menu and topic – Frittatas, fruit and juice and a discussion of cybernetics

Suggested donation for all meals: $5 Coming in August Discover the fun of collaging! Collage, using bits of paper to create an artwork, has been called a very democratic art form. Learn how to juxtapose, overlap, organize, and play with negative and positive space with artist Linda Finkelstein, whose collages were on display in April at the Senior Center. The course, called Collage Experiences, is on Thursday mornings, 9:30-11. Dates are 8/2, 8/9, 8/16, 8/23. Each date will have a specific focus; some materials are provided.

You may also bring your own treasures of memorabilia, papers and artifacts.

Registration is required. Maximum is 12. All four classes are $35; or each class is $10.

Join Library Director Margaret Woodruff in the Senior Center’s August Book Group discussing The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood on Monday mornings, 10:30–11:30. Dates: 8/6, 8/13, 8/20. This is the novel on which last year’s popular TV series was based. The novel set in a near-future New England, a totalitarian, Christian theonomy. The story focuses on the handmaid, Offred, and her role as a servant and surrogate. Copies will be available at the Senior Center & the Charlotte Library. Group meets at the cool, cool Senior Center. Please do register; there is no fee.

Did you know you can exercise your brain in just five minutes a day? While working to commit a poem to memory your brain will be energized—but will not break a sweat. Look into joining Poetry by Heart with Ginger Lambert, Tuesday mornings, 10:15-11:15.

Dates: 8/7, 8/14, 8/21. She will share her tips

and memorization methods, as well as the reasons to learn poetry. Really, memorizing poetry doesn’t have to be hard! Some poems will be provided, or you can bring your own.

Registration required; fee is $10 per class.

Has anyone given any thought to the Senior Center’s BBQ on August 17?

More info to follow next time. Mark your calendars: you will not be disappointed.

About Art JULY Art Exhibit: Diane Bell, watercolors. “My paintings are bold and colorful impressions of the places I visit and the vistas I capture around my home and beyond.”

Viewing Art Shows: The Center is utilized for many classes and events, and the best times to see the art shows are: Tuesdays after 2:30, Wednesdays after 3:00, and Thursdays and Fridays after 12:30 p.m.

Volunteering The Senior Center is made possible because many, many folks participate and also lend their time and expertise. Consider volunteering as a host at our front desk and meet the interesting folks who come through our door. Become part of a vibrant community with just a few hours a month.

(Of course, there are many other volunteer opportunities, as well.) Stop by or give us a call to find out more.

See you soon.

Dr. Katie Sarah Manges Smets

The Charlotte News • July 11, 2018 • 15

Food for thought at the Senior Center Peggy Sharpe VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR CHARLOTTE SENIOR CENTER

The Charlotte Senior Center is happy to be collaborating again with one of our local chefs on an upcoming Monday Munch.

In April, Chef Roland from the Old Lantern generously donated his time and culinary expertise to provide a delicious meal for one of our Monday lunches. It was enjoyed by all who were lucky enough to participate.

We are happy to announce that Executive Chef Arnd Sievers from the Residence at Shelburne Bay will be with us on Monday, July 30, to prepare lunch. Chef Arnd has an extensive

culinary background, ranging from executive chef to food and beverage director at Trapp Family Lodge, The Essex Resort and innumerable German kitchens. He enjoys the distinction of being one of 200 European Certified Master Chefs in the world. Chef Sievers began working at the Residence at Shelburne Bay in October of 2017. He has transitioned the dining experience to be available from7 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering great flexibility to the residents.

We are very pleased that he will be sharing his time and talents with us at the Senior Center.

We look forward to featuring more of our local chefs at future Monday lunches.

Chef Arnd Sievers

WATER

continued from page 11

Fishing Sadly, one aspect of this wonderful pastime and sport, namely eating fish that are caught, needs to be mentioned. The problem stems from the tendency of fish to ingest and concentrate methylmercury into their flesh. Mercury in its various forms has serious adverse health implications for humans and animals, causing developmental and neurological damage of varying degrees depending on exposure levels. The sources of mercury include industrial waste, air pollution and naturally occurring mercury compounds. Children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to these effects. Importantly, mercury once ingested tends to accumulate in the body. Researchers are still intent on understanding the effects of varying levels of mercury in the body, but as with lead there appears to be no “safe” level.

VDH provides a very thorough and specific listing of which fish species at which locations in Vermont pose the highest risk. For example, pregnant women and children under 15 are advised not to eat lake trout from Lake Champlain, whereas yellow perch pose far less risk (healthvermont.gov/health-environment/ recreational-water/mercury-fish). Further complicating matters is the fact that storebought and restaurant fish meals also contain mercury, resulting in the need to include those meals in your calculations.

Summertime in Vermont is a magic time in part because of the opportunity to get out and enjoy our lakes, ponds and streams. As with most of the enjoyable things in life, however, it comes with risks. Be mindful of, rather than paralyzed by, those risks.

Jim Hyde is professor emeritus of public health at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He lives in Charlotte.

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