The Charlotte News | November 14, 2018

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Vol. 61, no.10

November 14, 2018

Charlotte News

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Route 7 Spear property under contract

Melissa O’Brien

Peter Carreiro, owner of Rise ‘n Shine, a grocery delivery service based in Charlotte and serving 11 local communities, is poised to take ownership of the Spear family property on the corner of Route 7 and Church Hill Road. “We are currently under contract with plans to close in January,” says Carreiro. “Soon after we will begin the process of un-developing the space.”

By “un-develop” Carreiro means returning the property to its agricultural-use origins as a means to supply his business with product and the community with healthy local food. The asphalt will be removed to be replaced by grass where cows and chickens will graze, and the former gas station building will be gutted to become a barn to house the farm animals.

Carreiro has owned the property directly behind the Spears’ for many years. “We have a good working relationship with the family,” he says.

The old bingo hall next to the gas station will become a farm stand, where the meats

Looking East you’ll notice that the there are no longer access cuts from Route 7. All traffic will enter and exit from Church Hill Road.

and dairy goods raised and produced on the farm will be sold. It will also house the bottling plant where milk for Carreiro’s delivery service will be processed and bottled. And the long-shuttered and beloved Uncle Sam’s will be reopened as an ice cream stand, Carreiro says, “offering the

Strong showing for incumbents in Vermont statewide races Juliann Phelps Cool, seasonal weather welcomed residents to the polls at Charlotte Central School on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Shaking off rain showers, 73.70 percent (2,382 of 3,232) of current registered voters cast their votes for several contested statewide races. Incumbents defeated challengers in most contests, and the incumbent candidate for state representative for Charlotte ran unopposed.

In the U.S. senator race, Bernie Sanders has been elected to a third term representing Vermont. Sanders’ popularity carried forward as he was declared the winner shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m., Photo by Sylvie Miler, CCS journalism club student according to the Associated Press. Charlotte voters cast said, “We spark well,” and in thanking her 1,745 votes for Sanders and 494 votes for family and campaign volunteers she said, Lawrence Zupan. Peter Welch will serve a “This is the beginning.” Scott received seventh term as Vermont’s representative 150,761 votes statewide to Hallquist’s to Congress. In Charlotte, Welch received 110,136, according to unofficial election 1,837 votes to Anya Tynio’s 440 votes. results.

In the race for governor, incumbent Phil Incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Scott received 1,237 votes from Charlotte Zuckerman defeated Don Turner Jr., voters and Christine Hallquist received receiving 1,552 votes to Turner’s 754. State 1,056. With slightly half of the state’s Treasurer Beth Pierce defeated Richard precincts reporting, Hallquist conceded the Morton, 1,692 to 553. race to Scott around 10:20 p.m. in a brief televised speech. About Scott, Hallquist see VOTING page 2

ice cream we make right here on the farm.”

“This is an idea I’ve had for a long time,” Carreiro explains, “and when the Maplefields plan fell through, it really kicked into high gear for me. We struggle to have the meats and eggs and milk we need to supply our customers. We’re

driving long distances for our milk now, and there are times when customers want not just local eggs but local organic eggs, and now we’ll be able to offer those kinds of products.”

If all goes as planned, de-construction will begin in January. “We want to have the ice cream stand up and running by next summer,” Carreiro says.

Helena Spear, whose family ran the Uncle Sam’s for 38 years, who saw generations of Charlotte kids work at the stand, grow up, raise kids and return, calls the transition the end of an era. “It’s been a long, slow process,” she said, “and we have many happy memories of running businesses in that space, but time marches on.”

“Will you be the first in line when the new cremee stand opens next summer?” this reporter wanted to know of Mrs. Spear. “That depends on what flavors he has,” replied the grand dame of Charlotte’s summer ice cream scene.

Community members are welcome to engage Carrerio with questions and comments at risenshine.farm.

Francesca Blanchard wins a contest to remember

Pictured left to right: Zeb Norris (The Point), Rick Cusick (finalist), Francesca Blanchard (winner), Paige Thibault (finalist), Lucy Chapin (finalist), Mike Trombley (Advance Music) and Karl Bissex (White Light Fund).

Julia Beerworth A line of live music seekers made their way into the dimly lit room at Higher Ground on Oct. 30 to hear a collection of local singer-songwriters.

The Advance Music Singer Songwriter Contest was presented by The Point Radio Network and Founders Brewing. The owners of Advance Music Center, Mike Trombly and Jeff Wheel, have supported musicians in the contest for 20 years. This year’s winner was Francesca Blanchard, who grew up in Charlotte.

Francesca won a $500 cash prize from the Rachel Bissex White Light Fund, two days of studio time at Meadowlark Studio in Williston, and a Taylor guitar from Advance Music. Andrew James, from Citizen Bare, was the lucky crowd winner of a Washburn guitar.

Blanchard silenced listeners with her intimate and delicate melodies. Her soulful voice and poignant lyrics transported the crowd to another time.

Blanchard is no newbie to see

CONTEST page 4

2 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

VOTING

continued from page 1

In the secretary of state race, five-year incumbent Jim Condos received 1,753 votes and H. Brooke Paige received 467. Doug Hoffer will remain auditor of accounts with 1,542 votes to Richard Kenyan’s 563. In the

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race for attorney general, T.J. Donovan will serve again after defeating Janssen Willhoit, with 1,814 votes to Willhoit’s 410.

Michael Yantachka will remain the Charlotte state representative, receiving 1,925 votes and running unopposed. In the probate judge race Gregory Glennon received 1,476 votes and William “Bill” Norful received 648. State senators receiving the majority of the votes cast include Tim Ashe with 1,527 votes, Virginia “Ginny” Lyons with 1,495 votes and Debbie Ingram 1,401 votes.

Other races included sheriff, high bailiff, and state’s attorney, in which all candidates ran unopposed. Kevin McLaughlin received 1,849 votes for sheriff, Daniel L. Gamelin received 1,783 votes for high bailiff, and Sarah F. George received 1,902 votes for state’s attorney. The only race considered close was for assistant judge slots where Suzanne Brown and Connie Cain Ramsey, were elected with 1,395 and 1,142 respectively.

Comparing voter turnout to previous years, this year’s almost 74 percent general election turnout was lower than the 2016 general election, where 79 percent (2,617 of 3,324) of registered voters cast votes. Only 24 percent (764 of 3,152) of voters cast votes in the August primary election.

Charlotte, Vermont 2018 General Election Results: Source: https://vtelectionresults.sec.state. vt.us/Index.html U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent): 1,745 / 73.26% Lawrence Zupan (Republican): 494 / 20.74% Others 143 / 6.01% Representative to Congress Peter Welch (Democrat): 1,837 / 77.12% Anya Tynio (Republican): 440 / 18.47% Others 105 / 4.41% Governor Phil Scott (Republican): 1,237 / 51.93% Christine Hallquist (Democrat): 1,056 / 44.33% Others: 89 / 3.74% Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman (Prog/Dem): 1,552 / 65.16% Don Turner Jr. (Republican): 754 / 31.65% Others: 76 / 3.19% State Treasurer Beth Pierce (Democrat): 1,692 / 71.03% Richard Morton (Republican): 553 / 23.22%

Others: 137 / 5.75% Secretary of State Jim Condos (Democrat): 1,753 / 73.59% H. Brooke Paige (Republican): 467 / 19.61% Others: 162 / 6.80% Auditor of Accounts Doug Hoffer (Democrat): 1,542 / 64.74% Richard Kenyon (Republican): 563 / 23.64% Others: 277 / 11.63% Attorney General T.J. Donovan (Democrat): 1,814 / 76.15% Janssen Willhoit (Republican): 410 / 17.21% Others: 158 / 6.63% State Senator Tim Ashe (Dem/Prog): 1,527 Virginia “Ginny” Lyons (Democrat): 1,495 Michael Sirotkin (Democrat) 1,405 votes Debbie Ingram (Democrat): 1,401 Phil Baruth (Dem/Prog): 1,369 Christopher A. Pearson (Prog/Dem): 1,078 Others: 7,422 State Representative CH-4-1 Michael Yantachka (Democrat): 1,925 / 80.17% Sheriff Kevin M. McLaughlin (Dem/Rep): 1,849 / 77.62% High Bailiff Daniel L. Gamelin (Dem/Rep): 1,783 / 74.85% Probate Judge Gregory J. Glennon (Democrat): 1,476 / 61.96% William “Bill” Norful (Republican): 648 / 27.20% Assistant Judge Suzanne Brown (Democrat): 1,395 / 29.28% Connie Cain Ramsey (Democrat): 1,142 / 23.97% Others: 2,227 / 46.75% State’s Attorney Sarah F. George (Dem/Rep): 1,902 / 79.85% Justice of the Peace (Top 12) Michael Krasnow (Democrat) 1601 Greg Cluff (Democrat) 1,472 Lorna Jimerson (Democrat) 1315 Jill Abilock (Democrat) 1,305 Seth Zimmerman (Democrat) 1304 Leo Laberge (Democrat) 1277 Robin Reid (Independent) 1103 Carrie Spear (Republican) 1103 Heather L.G. Manning (Republican) 856 Ed Stone (Republican) 851 Moe Harvey (Republican) 835 Peter Trono (Republican) 818

The Charlotte News Mission Statement The mission of The Charlotte News is to inform our readers about current events, issues and topics, and to serve as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and community volunteer organizations on matters related to Charlotte and the experiences of its residents.

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Publisher: Vince Crockenberg Editorial Staff Managing Editor: Anna Cyr (anna@thecharlottenews.org) News Editor: Melissa O’Brien (melissa@thecharlottenews.org) Contributing Editor: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg Proofreaders: Edd Merritt, Mike & Janet Yantachka Archives: Liz Fotouhi Contributing Photographers: Lee Krohn and Ramiro Garay Business Staff Ad manager: Elizabeth Langfeldt ads@thecharlottenews.org Bookkeeper: Jessica Lucia Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg (vince@thecharlottenews.org) Vice President: Rick Detwiler Treasurer: Patrice Machavern (treasurer@thecharlottenews.org) Board members: Bob Bloch, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli, Tom Tiller 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.

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Copyright © 2018 The Charlotte News, Inc. Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

ON THE COVER: Water droplets on leaf.

Photo by CCS student Sylvie Miler.

The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 3

Letters To The Editor

Thank you!

I am extremely honored to once again have the opportunity to serve my community of Charlotte and our neighbors in southwest Hinesburg as their representative in Montpelier. I will continue working for a clean environment, renewable energy, faster internet access and a more affordable Vermont for working Vermonters. I look forward to working collaboratively with my colleagues in the House and with Governor Scott to address these issues and others that challenge Vermont.

Thank you to everyone who voted for me.

Rep. Mike Yantachka Charlotte-Hinesburg (Chit 4-1) District House Energy & Technology Committee mikeyantachka.com (802) 233-5238

Be aware. Trapping started on Oct. 27

The official trapping season in Vermont starts on the fourth Saturday of October each year and runs through March 31.

Due to the indiscriminate nature of traps, dogs, cats and countless other non-targeted animals, including protected species, find themselves trapped each year.

Traps may be set on private land (with the landowner’s permission) and on public lands, including National Wildlife Refuges that are home to federally protected species, such as Canada lynx. Trappers aren’t required to erect signage as to where they’re trapping or to set their traps away from trails.

Various baits, including fish and even marshmallows, are used, so a trap

set for a raccoon can just as easily trap a dog or cat. Be sure to know where you’re walking with your dog, and if possible keep cats inside only. While we cannot protect wildlife from suffering and dying in traps, we can protect our pets.

Brenna Galdenzi Stowe, Vermont 802-768-9862 President, Protect Our Wildlife POW

News from The News Remembering Alice Outwater Vince Crockenberg PUBLISHER

On behalf of the board of directors and the staff of The Charlotte News, I want to express our deep sorrow at Alice’s death and our lasting appreciation for the extraordinary contributions she has made to the paper over the past decade.

Alice began writing her Taking Care column for The News in 2008. In that first column, which appeared on April 3 of that year, Alice recommended a good night’s sleep as an effective way of dealing with stress. Over the next 10 years, as she moved into her eighties, she counseled us about how to take good care of ourselves as we age, how to make wise choices and remain open to new possibilities, despite declining eyesight, faltering balance and increasing frailty.

And she enthralled us with her stories.

How her Grandmother and Auntie Pasco, on a tramp steamer tied up to a dock to load cargo, sicced their pet cockatoo, Heems, on a knife-wielding intruder and watched the bird drive the intruder out of the room by biting him on his nose. How Jackie Kennedy Onassis drifted in and out of her life back in the late 1940s when they were both students at Vassar. And the day the family bulldog, Duke, rode home in a New York City taxi, alone.

In her final two columns, she told us about her Grandfather Hooker—who “loomed like a giant at 6 feet 6 inches tall with size 15 black shoes that laced to the ankles”—and his famous magic act, Impossibilities and Miltiades, which was a mystery when she assisted her grandfather in performing it in 1934 and remains a mystery to most magicians today.

Over the decade she wrote Taking Care, she became one of our most-read and beloved columnists. Her contributions to The News, however, went well beyond writing a monthly column. She was also uniquely generous in her financial support of the paper. Because of her support, we were able in 2016 to build and launch an

Vince Crockenberg PUBLISHER

Alice Outwater

entirely new and far more modern and easily maintained website and, in addition, to create a searchable digital archive that includes every issue of The News published since 1958. Alice, in her eighties—and still sending us hard-copy photos by FedEx because she didn’t have a scanner—helped bring The Charlotte News digitally into the 21st century.

And there’s more. Alice also provided the funds for an internship program that has over the past four years brought 11 young people, including our newest intern, Violet Bell, into our newsroom as paid apprentice journalists and archivists.

Speaking just for myself, my favorite bit of perspective and advice from Alice is this: “I realize it’s downright ridiculous I can enjoy the small things in life so much. Be alert to untapped amusement!”

Whenever I repeat that last sentence to myself, I chuckle—and crank up my alertness level.

You can read all of Alice’s stories— on the website she made possible—at charlottenewsvt.org/category/voices/ taking-care.

To Advertise in

Charlotte News

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Elizabeth Langfeldt joins The News as new ad manager

Contact ads@TheCharlotteNews.org

We are pleased to announce that Elizabeth Langfeldt has joined The News team as our new ad manager.

Elizabeth comes to us from the Kelly Brush Foundation where she was the director of development and operations. During her time at the foundation Elizabeth managed the annual Kelly Brush Ride and helped expand the scope of fundraising through national events. Before KBF, Elizabeth worked at several other Vermont organizations including Burlington City Arts and Vermont Public Radio. Elizabeth’s career has focused on organizational development, events, sales and fundraising.

Elizabeth is the youngest of four siblings (three brothers) and was raised just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. She moved to Charlotte in 2008 with her husband, Evan Langfeldt, who is in real estate development and was born and raised in Middlebury. Their daughter, Louisa, a graduate of Charlotte Children’s Center, is currently enrolled in 1st grade at Charlotte Central School and loving it.

When Elizabeth isn’t having her heart broken over the performance (or lack thereof) of her beloved Cleveland sports

Elizabeth Langfeldt

teams you can find her on Mt. Philo, at the Charlotte Library with her daughter, out sailing on Lake Champlain or skiing at Sugarbush. She is pleased about this opportunity and said “The Charlotte News has the ability to bring our community together in an engaging and thoughtful way. I look forward to playing a part in helping to generate greater awareness of all the interesting people and the events that take place in our wonderful town.” Contact Elizabeth at ads@ thecharlottenews.org.

4 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018

Charlotte Town Hall - 159 Ferry Road For information please call the Planning and Zoning Office at 425-3533.

Application materials are available online at www.charlottevt.org.

7 p.m. Public Meeting Call to Order Approval of Regular Agenda Public Comment Period Review of the previous Planning Commission meeting minutes Consent Agenda 7:05 p.m. Town Plan Amendment — Public Hearing — The Planning Commission has updated the Town Plan to make provision for “substantial deference” with regard to Act 174 of 2016, Section 248 energy generation siting process. The current draft may be reviewed at: https://is.gd/kneEkS. 7:35 p.m. PC-18-166-SA Stearns-Cole — Minor Subdivision Amendment for property located at 6889 Spear Street Extension. Project information is available at: https://is.gd/ bkpEF0.

8:05 p.m. PC-18-172-SD Snow — Final Plan for a 3-Lot Major Subdivision for property located at 6069 Ethan Allen Highway. Project information is available at: https://is.gd/ fdvJDE. 8:35 p.m. Next Steps: Land Use Regulations (LUR) — Review proposed changes, updates and comments for the “Proposed Amendments to the Charlotte Land Use Regulations.” To review the current list of proposed changes, please visit: https://is.gd/ nmxdyd.

9 p.m. Other business Upcoming agenda Adjourn All times are approximate.

Notice: To appeal any decision of the Planning Commission, interested parties must participate in the regulatory proceeding (24 V.S.A. section 4471). Reasonable accommodations shall be provided upon request to ensure this meeting is accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

Planning Commissioners: Peter Joslin (chair); Charlie Pughe (vice chair), Marty Illick, Gerald Bouchard, Dick Eastman, David Kenyon and Shawn Coyle Staff: Daryl Benoit, town planner; Kathy Furr, recording secretary

Charlotte Selectboard draft agenda Tuesday, November 13, 2018 Charlotte Town Hall - 159 Ferry Road Agenda is subject to change. Check charlottevt.Org on Friday prior to meeting for final agenda. Reasonable accommodation shall be provided upon request to ensure this meeting is accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.

TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE 6:00 PM Public Meeting for State Park Road Path 6:30 PM Review of FY2017 Audit Report 7:00 PM Adjustments to the agenda 7:01 PM Public Comment 7:05 PM Open bids for generators for Town Hall and Senior Center 7:15 PM Budget Review

Charlotte Park & Wildlife Refuge 7:15 pm—7:30 pm

Cemetery Commission 7:30 pm—8:00 pm

CVFRS-preliminary

8:00 pm—8:30 pm 8:30 PM Reappointment of Ken Spencer and Kim Findlay as

Green-Up Day Co-Coordinators for 2019 8:35 PM Discussion of permit appeal process with Planning Commission 8:45 PM Selectboard updates 8:40 PM Minutes: October 22, 2018 8:55 PM Approve warrants to pay bills 9:00 PM Adjournment Members: Matthew Krasnow, Lane Morrison, Carrie Spear, Fritz Tegatz, Frank Tenney, Town administrator: Dean Bloch Minute taker: Kathy Furr

CONTEST

continued from page 1

Blanchard is no newbie to performing and composing music. The French-American singer-songwriter has released an album, EP and popular singles, such as “Free,” which was featured on Grey’s Anatomy.

She was also selected Best Vocalist in 2015

by Seven Days.

Fifteen performers earned their spotlight on the stage after competing in a round of semifinals held at the Monkey House in Winooski, Club Metronome in Burlington and The Old Post in South Burlington. This year proved a tight competition for the finalists. The judges evaluated performances on a confluence of criteria: overall feel, instrumental talent, songwriting talent, lyrical effect, voice, and stage presence. The judges included Carrie Henry from The Point, Karl Bissex from the White Light Fund, Steve Hartmann, a previous winner of the competition, Yasmin Tayeby from Meadowlark Studios and me (Julia Beerworth).

Paige Thibault, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School, graciously opened the show and set the bar high for her fellow musicians. She walked on stage with poise and confidence and delivered a strong set of original tunes on her piano.

Her last song, laced with jazzy overtones, told a tale of female empowerment and was met with loud applause. Thibault tied for third place with Lucy Chapin. Chapin, also a midwife, has an angelic voice and showered fans with a set of powerful songs. Rick Cusick from Charlotte placed second in the contest. He was recently featured on the Local Music Spotlight with Carrie Henry.

The night ended with music by contestant Chad Conant from Vergennes.

This indie-folk artist showcased a solid set of tunes. His influences include the Avett Brothers and Gregory Isakov. He opened and closed his set with a banjo, dedicating his last tune to his wife, Amy. The 20th annual singer songwriter competition finale was a night to remember. Congratulations to all the winners.

Burn permits and fireworks reminders Rob Mullin DEPUTY CHIEF, CVF&RS

Please remember to call Shelburne Dispatch at 985-8051 (7:30 a.m.–5 p.m.) for a burn permit before burning any brush or yard waste.

Then when a neighbor or passing motorist spots smoke or flames and calls 911 to report a fire, the dispatcher will see that a burn permit has been issued for the area in question and will not dispatch the fire department.

Have plenty of water at the fire site before igniting the fire and do not leave

the fire unattended for even a short time. Always extinguish the fire with water and stir the ashes to be sure it is completely out before leaving the fire site.

And remember, too, that all fireworks displays must have a permit (this is a state requirement), which must be applied for at least 15 days in advance of the event and will be approved by the fire chief or his designee only if the fireworks are being done by a professional pyrotechnics company. Finally, when considering a fireworks display, consider the winds and the intended audience and have an extinguishing agent nearby.

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Charlotte Planning Commission regular meeting agenda

The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 5

Around Town Edd Merritt

Congratulations: to the following local musicians who played at the “18th birthday party bash” at Radio Bean on November 3: Francesca Blanchard, Swale with Tyler Bolles, Lowell Thompson. Nearly 100 acts were featured for the occasion. to Annika Gruber of Charlotte whose poem “Storm Girl” was featured in the Young Writers section of the November 2 Burlington Free Press. Responding to the category of General Writing, Annika places a girl named Summer in a field when, out of nowhere, “the sky opens up. Rain breaks loose, the raindrops pelting the little girl’s face.” A man (sounding very much like her father) yells at her to come in “before the lightening starts.” She stays put, looking at him with a “gaze full of too much emotion for a child to carry.” Her final words tell him why she can’t move. to Jessica Lahey of Charlotte whose article on “Why parents need to be patient with their school-age kids” appeared in the October 31 Boston Globe Magazine.

Titled “Adobe Stock,” Jessica describes a conversation she had with a group of middle-school students last May in which she used questions about what they wanted their parents to learn from them about themselves. It is something called “individuation,” a necessary process by which young people become their own persons, by which they construct a “sense of self that’s theirs and no one else’s.” As an English teacher in an inpatient drug and alcohol facility for adolescents, Jessica often asks students to write about people who “impact their lives in a positive way.”

Without fail, she says, “they describe adults who make the effort to see them and hear them, who take the time to discover what makes them special.” In addition to teaching, Jessica has written The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed. to Michael Metz whose photographic show, “One Degree of Separation,” ran through November 3 at the Village Wine and Coffee in Shelburne.

to North Ferrisburgh author Judy Chaves who recently had her book about Mt. Philo published by the Vermont Historical Society. Titled Secrets of Mount Philo: A Guide to Vermont’s First State Park, the book gives a historical account of the area, plus a first-hand account from Judy’s many trips up the mountain, more than 20 years’ worth. According to an article by journalist Tom Slayton in the October 31 Seven Days, about 10 years ago Chaves’s regular exercise up the mountain turned into research. She is quoted as saying, “When you learn about the history of Mount Philo, you’re learning about the landscape history of all of Vermont—all of New England, actually.” She says the mountain’s history is “not dead, or even static, but a continuing expression of the spirit of the mountain.” to Gretchen Morse of Charlotte who received the Howard Center’s Help Is Here Award as an individual whose “contributions personify the Howard Center’s mission.” Gretchen has long supported the Howard Center as the Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, Executive Director of the United Way of Chittenden County, and member of the Vermont House of Representatives.

Previous winners have included another Charlotter, Whit Smith, a partner in the law firm of Mickenberg, Dunn, Lachs and Smith. to Charlotte resident Andrew Gay for joining the firm NPI Technology Management as its scheduling coordinator.

In addition, Andrew will continue to attend Andrew Gay Champlain College in its business administration program.

Sympathy: is extended to family and friends of Rodney Dolliver of Charlotte who passed away November 1 at the age of 93. In addition to his wife of 72 years, Betty

Jean Root Dolliver, a son Richard and Richard’s wife, Diane, of Charlotte survive him. There will be a celebration of his life on November 17 from 1–4 p.m. at the Stephen Gregory Cremation Service, 472 Meadowland Drive, Suite 7 in South Burlington. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations in his memory be made to the VNA, 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446. is extended to family and friends of Taihlynn Caron-McLaughin of Charlotte who passed away November 3 at the age of 3 weeks. Taihlynn is the daughter of Dan Mclaughin and Heather Caron, and her godparents are Christina Beltran and Jeremy Estevez also of Charlotte.

The family asks that donations in her

memory be made to her parents or on her GOFUNDME page. is extended to family and friends of Susan Callis Raabe who passed away October 29 at the age of 77. She and her husband, Daniel, moved to Charlotte in 1975 where they raised five children; she worked as a nurse, ran the Lilliput Children’s Theatre and sold antiques. After earning her B.A. in fine arts at UVM, she traveled between Vermont and New York where she joined the Art Students League as a painter, returning to the Green Mountains on weekends. She enthusiastically joined the Women’s March last year. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the University of Vermont Home Health and Hospice.

6 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town

Beach planning open meeting Bill Fraser-Harris

Greetings from Charlotte Recreation.

I think we can all agree that living where we do is a privilege and having access to the lake is a wonderful resource.

Charlotte is blessed with a 20+-acre waterfront parcel we affectionately call “the beach,” and the Recreation Department is charged with managing this and other parcels for the town, including the rink, Whiskey Bay and Lanes Lane access.

Use of “the beach” has grown exponentially over the last few years, with warm summers, parties, concerts, picnics, tennis, pickleball and disc-golf, and it is this growth that has initiated the conversation in Recreation of what is the future of “the beach.” What is our vision for “the beach” property, and more important, what is yours? In this vein, Recreation will be holding an open meeting for public

comment on Monday, Nov. 26, at Town Hall at 6 p.m. We are also developing a survey to distribute online to solicit your input and opinions.

If you are unable to attend the meeting on the 26th, please send an email to billandeva@ gmavt.net with any ideas or suggestions, or fill out the survey that will be available by Nov. 16, 2018.

It is with great pleasure that we announce a benefactor who also recognizes the tremendous resource we have at “the beach” and who is willing to help initiate the installation of a new playground. We hope others may step forward to contribute to this exciting development.

Thanking you in anticipation and recognizing that engaging our wonderful community in this process will be rewarding for all of us.

Thank you.

Bill Fraser-Harris is the chair of the Charlotte Recreation Commission.

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Words matter: Civility Café held at Charlotte Congregational Church On Monday, Oct. 29 about 40 neighbors gathered in the evening at Charlotte Congregational Church (CCC) for dessert and Kevin Goldenbogen conversation CONGREGATIONAL with James Calvin CHURCH MINISTER Davis, Middlebury College Professor of Ethics and Christian Studies (jamescalvindavis.com). The event, made possible by a partnership between Charlotte Library, Rokeby Museum and the Social Justice Ministry of CCC, focused on the timely topic of civility.

For some time now, Prof. Davis has wondered: Is civility dead? “A lot of people,” he asserts, “are lamenting the death of civility in American politics.

But some social critics argue that civility is overrated at best and dangerous at worst, because standards of political decorum stifle political protest just when it is needed most.” During his time at the Civility Café, Prof. Davis invited us to consider “what the concept of civility really means, why we need it, and where we should look for it if we are going to bring health to our democracy.”

As we drank tea and coffee and ate dessert, Prof. Davis lectured for about 40 minutes before inviting the group into conversation. For over an hour, we discussed what civility is (Prof. Davis’ definition: the exercise of patience, humility, integrity and mutual respect in public life, even with those with whom you disagree), what it isn’t (it’s not mere niceness!), and how our libraries, schools

and religious institutions can be, and often are, training grounds for healthy civil discourse. Throughout our conversation we challenged one another, disagreed some, agreed often and expressed real emotions along the way. We shared a deep concern for the unhealthy patterns of communication we seem to be learning from our national politics and then repeating locally. We shared laughter too!

As our time came to a close, I asked Prof. Davis to answer this question: “What reason do we have to hope that we can change the prevailing incivility and become more civil with one another?”

Without missing a beat, he replied that hope is to be found in our local relationships. We can’t be civil in general; civility is always enacted personally and with those with whom we are interacting directly (online or face to face). If we are ever to be more civil as a country, we must first learn to be more civil with our immediate neighbors. Helpfully, he added that humor is always needed!

I was so grateful for the challenging and hope-filled words of Prof. Davis and for the wisdom from all the neighbors who ventured out on a rainy Monday evening to engage in the topic of civility.

I left our Civility Café having learned much, with a desire to learn more and with a renewed commitment to the ways of civility. I also left with deep thanksgiving for the partnership between the library, the museum and the church that made this important event possible. I look forward to an ongoing partnership between these organizations and to future events that bring neighbors together for the sake of the common good.

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The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 7

Town Registration open for the 12th annual Jr Iron Chef VT competition Registration opened on Nov. 14 for Vermont schools and organizations to sign up a youth team for the upcoming Jr Iron Chef VT competition that will take place on March 16, 2019, at the Champlain Valley Exposition. Up to 70 teams will be accepted. Last year, all team spots filled before the registration deadline, so registrants are encouraged to act soon.

Early-bird rates ($130) are available until Dec. 12, and registration closes (regular rate = $150) Jan. 18, 2019.

Jr Iron Chef VT challenges teams of middle and high school students to create nutritious, local dishes to inspire school meal programs. Teams of three to five students are coached by local educators, chefs, farmers, school nutrition staff and parents to prepare their dishes in under 90 minutes. Teams practice for months to hone their recipes, with their dedication and skill evident during the spring competition.

“Jr Iron Chef VT brought out the culinary geniuses in my students!” says 2018 Edmunds Middle School team coach Alissa Church Smith. “It exposed them to new careers and passions they didn’t know were possible. My students are more familiar with local agriculture and think critically about the food system and how it affects their families and communities.

Throughout practices, I saw a change in their confidence: in decision-making, group discussions and culinary skills.

Their joy and focus are the hallmarks of the true learning that happens during this program.”

Every dish is judged by a panel of foodsystem professionals and advocates, with winners determined in three categories: best use of local ingredients, teamwork and professionalism, and best overall dish.

Since 2008, over 3,500 Vermont kids have participated in Jr Iron Chef VT. Through the program, students get

involved with their community, learn how to work in a group, commit themselves to a team and hone their culinary skills, all while proudly representing their school.

What’s more, they experience the power of food—how it affects their health, the health of their school and the health of their community. Participating students truly are our future chefs and food system changemakers.

To register, go to jrionchefvt.org/register.

Jr Iron Chef VT is a statewide culinary competition organized by Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day), a project of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) and Shelburne Farms.

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8 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town Novak family wins award in the Fresh Air Fund’s annual photo contest 11/9/2018

The Novak family participated in the Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program this past summer and were among the winners of the 2018 Photo Contest. All winners were selected from the hundreds of photos submitted by volunteer host families along the East Coast and Southern Canada. The photos capture the funfilled experiences our volunteer host families shared with Fresh Air children this past summer. Categories include “Backyard Fun,” “Friendship,” “New Experiences,” “Exploring Nature,” “Swimming,” “The Beach” and “Ice Cream.”

The photo was selected as a winner in the “Sunsets” category and features Fresh Air child Mikai (7), enjoying a beautiful sunset at the beach, with his host family, the Novaks, in Charlotte.

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877.

To learn more about hosting a Fresh

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Air child next summer, please contact Marion Sullivan at 802-877-3028 or visit freshair.org.

Mikai, of Brooklyn, enjoyed a beautiful sunset at the beach with his host brother Theo.

Mikai visited the Novaks in Charlotte this past summer as part of The Fresh Air Fund’s Friendly Towns Program. Photo by Alison Novak.

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The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 9

Charlotte Library News facts about its true nature emerge, Bottando sends Flavia and Jonathan to investigate— little knowing that the pair will be on the run for the truth... and for their very lives, in this first book by Iain Pears. Copies are available at the circulation desk.

Margaret Woodruff DIRECTOR

November is a month for readers! Starting with World Communication Week and following with National Young Readers Week and then National Book Awards Week, there is plenty of motivation to pick up a good book in November. Moreover, research continues to support the importance of reading in young lives. As quoted in Fortune Magazine, “Some people will lie, cheat, steal and back-stab to get ahead... and to think, all they have to do is READ.” If you and your family would like to get more involved in reading, either alone or together (both are great!), stop by the library. We love to help find books that spark interest in readers of all ages. Other tips to consider include these guidelines from “10 Ways to Instill a Love of Reading in Your Child.”

1) Start at the very beginning, read from day one 2) Put books around the house 3) Be a reader to grow a reader 4) Take your kids to local library (that’s us!) story times 5) Learn from a librarian: “They are…caring, invested members of your community and want to see your child grow and learn and thrive,” and…

6) As soon as they can write, get your child a library card.

We hope to see you and your families at the library soon!

Adults & Families

New Date! Tuesday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m.

Great Decisions: Global Health Progress & Challenges. The collective action of countries, communities and organizations over the last 30 years has literally saved millions of lives around the world. Yet terrible inequalities in health and well-being persist. Join us for a discussion of this worldwide concern that hits close to home.

Reading packet available at the circulation desk.

Monday, Nov. 12–Saturday, Nov. 17: Agricultural Literacy Week. Join us for displays and programming to highlight the history, traditional practices and contributions of native agriculture in Vermont.

We’ll feature a film festival of creative videos and books and other info to learn from and enjoy. Take home a sample of Abenaki-heritage seeds to try in your own garden next spring.

Monday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m. Mystery Book Group: The Raphael Affair. English art scholar Jonathan Argyll was amazed to find himself arrested for vagrancy while searching for a long-lost Raphael in a tiny Roman church. First vandalism, then murder, surround the painting. And as new

Thursday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m. Library Book Group: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. The story of “a man who has returned from the hell of the battle-grave at Passchendaele in World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross and destined to be caught in a no man’s land where memory, history, and myth collide.” Join us for refreshments and conversation about Davies’ first book in the Deptford Trilogy.

Coming in December Computer Science Education Week: Dec. 3–8 Tuesday, Dec. 4: Play-based Story Times with STEAM Skills. A fun hour of stories and games that use kids’ own math and pattern talents. 10:30 a.m. Preschool Story Time, 2:15: Kindergarten and 1st Grade

Thursday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 15: Open Enrollment for Vermont Health Connect. 2019 Open Enrollment starts Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 15! This is the time when any Vermonter can sign up for 2019 health coverage, or make changes to an existing plan. We have plan information and guided directions for enrollment at the circulation desk.

Thursday, Nov. 1–Friday, Nov. 16: Lund Family Center Heart Gallery Exhibit.

It is displayed at libraries, community events, transit hubs, workplaces, any place that people might gather or pass through in order to put real names and faces to the children in need of homes. Not only does it introduce the particular children to the public, it also raises awareness of the need for more foster and adoptive families in the state.

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Story Time (registration required).

Thursday, Dec. 6: Hour of Code. Learn about the fun of coding with a Global Foundries engineer and Google’s Computer Science First games as well as books that tell the tales of coding past and present.

3:15 p.m. For grades 4 through 8 (registration required).

Wednesday, Dec. 12: Wrapping Up a Good Read. Library staff bring their top ideas for the holiday season in this rapid-review session. From mysteries to early readers, biography to bestsellers, you’ll get a brief synopsis and a chance to look through book selections for every reader on your list. Enjoy a relaxed afternoon of gift shopping and good cheer. Refreshments served. Book copies available for purchase thanks to the Flying Pig Bookstore. This program takes place at the Charlotte Senior Center.

Please note: The Charlotte Library will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21, and remain closed on Thursday, Nov. 22, and Friday, Nov. 23, for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will open at our regular time of 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 24.

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

Next Library Board meeting: Thursday, Dec. 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.

10 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Town

Gather up your broken, ripped, wobbly, squeaky, dull, unworkable and otherwise unhappy items….

The Repair Café is returning to the Charlotte Congregational Church for its third round on Saturday, Nov. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

So you’ve never been and are wondering what is a Repair Café? It’s the brainchild of Martine Postma of the Netherlands.

She organized the very first Repair Café in Amsterdam in 2009. The idea was picked up by our local group, Transition Town Charlotte, which creates projects supporting local economic, social and environmental health and sustainability.

Repair Cafés are an easy and inexpensive (often free) means for folks to keep many of their belongings repaired and in working order. From our talented towns, a group of skilled repair folk are asked to volunteer their handy skills for four hours on a Saturday.

Anyone with broken stuff is then invited to bring it to the Repair Café and watch the handy folks fix it for no charge.

Besides keeping our stuff in working order, other benefits include reducing our carbon footprint, building our community and learning new skills. These are fun events where the fixees and fixers chit chat and learn from each other. The fixee is expected to at least stick around and offer moral encouragement to the fixers.

Ruah Swennerfelt, who has helped organize Repair Cafés in Charlotte, notes that “I have so enjoyed the joy I see when several

fixers, after having labored over something broken that is a challenge, find the solution – watching them, with their heads together, collaborating, using their skills and putting their heart into finding a way to do the repair. The recipients of the repairs to their items are as joyful—the repair of a valued cuckoo clock, a lovely music box, a cherished sweater or a needed humidifier, even an old pants presser!”

Jamey Gerlaugh, who coordinated the last Repair Café, notes, “The goal is not to replace local business offerings but to fill in the gaps by providing repairs that are too small for a local business to tackle or too mysterious for an owner to even know where to begin. For many unusual and older items there is no longer an official shop handling their maintenance. This is where local handy people get creative and put their brains together. Some local business folk may even come and offer some minor services for free in the hope of making connections and attracting business down the road.”

Every Repair Cafe’ is different as the mix of fixers changes. At the café last spring in

Hinesburg we tackled clothing, holey knits, curtains, small electric appliances, small office equipment, clocks, DVD and CD players, furniture, toys, dolls, lamps, watch bands and bicycles, and we tuned small engines, sharpened tools, replaced watch batteries and repaired jewelry. This time we might offer bicycle tune-ups, smartphone repairs and simple computer fixes depending on our mix of volunteers. Some attendees just want to know what to do with some items. If a job is too big for the Repair Café they may be directed to a local shop for repair.

What do the attendees say? Lollie Krawitt attended the spring Repair Café in Hinesburg and noted it was “a friendly place [where] volunteers of varied backgrounds and talents

happily took on all sorts of items needing repairs. One fellow fixed our old 8mm movie projector. Another fellow threaded the film through the projector.”

All attendees are asked to preregister so the fixers know what to expect. To preregister please email Jamey Gerlaugh at gerlaugh@ gmail.com. If you want to be a fixer, contact Jamey to volunteer. We welcome your broken, your ripped, and your problematic stuff.

The event is being sponsored by Transition Town Charlotte, the Charlotte Library, the Charlotte Grange and the Charlotte Congregational Church.

The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 11

Schools

Pumpkin Man visits CCS Wednesday was a big day at CCS, with the annual visit from Pumpkin Man! There was an amazing turnout of parents, grandparents and special friends to cheer on the parade of students and staff as they made their way toward the Pease Mountain Hill.

Congratulations to CCS

student and journalism club member Sylvie Miller, whose Charlotte voting booth photo (picture on the front page) was noticed by former State Senator and VPR commentator Dennis Delaney and was used to accompany his election commentary, online.

Photos by Jennifer Bora

Providing Repair, Refinishing, Restoration and Transport

Below: Mr. Baird, fifth grade CCS teacher, joins in the fun.

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

Ballots > Bullets Hadley Stockwell

Annual Carnation Ceremony at CCS

CCS kindergarteners and eighth grade students share in the annual rite of passage, the Carnation Ceremony. In the fall eighth grade students welcome kindergarteners and in the spring the kindergarten student bid graduating eighth graders farewell with a carnation.

Photo by Ruby Flinn

Impeach him Rebel We shall overcome Our nation is speaking, screaming, yelling but no one is listening Everyone is talking but there is no one there to hear them Is this what we have come to?

Our nation is marching protesting howling for change But who will be the one to bring it about?

Many have tried, but few have succeeded Parkland Santa Fe Lexington Park Our nation is fighting shooting killing but they say they are calling for peace Who will put their guns down first?

Hadley is a student at Charlotte Central School.

12 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Alice Davidson Outwa

I

Alice and John stand by her tiny house she had built behind their camp at Thompson’s Point. She spent time here doing her studies.

n 1947, at the age of 17, Alice traveled to France with the Experiment in International Living on the S.S. Marine Tiger, a converted troop ship from WWII. She spent the summer as a counselor in southern France at a camp for boys whose fathers had been killed. Their assignment was to bring the boys back to health. The next year, she spent a summer hiking in Swedish Lapland and leading a climbing group near Annecy, France.

She was the fifth of six children born to Alice Hooker and Sidney Wetmore Davidson in Brooklyn Heights, New York. She graduated from Packer Collegiate Institute and then Vassar College. Later she received her M.A. from the University of Vermont and finally, at the age of 60, her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Union Institute.

After Vassar, she spent over a year at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. While there, she met and married a dashing mechanical engineer, Dr. John O. Outwater Jr., a Cambridge University graduate with many interests. He had been brought up in wartime England and served in the British Indian Army. During most of their life together, he was a professor and conducted research with UVM in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Alice and John lived on Overlake Park, in Burlington, Vermont, for nearly 50 years, and they summered on Thompson’s Point, Charlotte, in a 100+ year-old-camp on Lake Champlain.

After having four children, she got her M.Ed. and joined the Counseling and Testing Center at UVM; after she earned her Ph.D. she opened her own practice specializing in marriage and family counseling. She taught nurses up and down the state before the era of the internet, as well as at the Plattsburg Air Force base. Any new experience interested her.

Community involvement was important to both John and Alice. They helped start Overlake Day School and were instrumental in starting the Mozart Festival, whose concerts continued for 35 years, often attended by 2,000 on the lawn of Shelburne Farms. Through the decades, they hosted many receptions at their gracious home.

She especially enjoyed encouraging, starting and helping new enterprises, most recently The Charlotte News, for which she wrote a monthly column on aging to encourage elders to get out, find new interests and keep trekking.

She was a member of the Chilton Club in Boston. She was active to the end in her beloved Vassar College where she served on class committees, valued her classmates and kept in touch with a wide array of them. Her recent energies were spent at the Shelburne Museum and the Inn at Shelburne Farms with their many extraordinary programs.

She wrote two books: 82 Remsen Street, Growing up in Brooklyn Heights and Remsen Street Revisited depicting her early life in the large double brownstone with live-in help. Her enthusiasm and interest in other people’s stories fascinated her. Her aging energies could not encompass all she wished to do.

She felt immense gratitude for her educational opportunities, worldwide travel, a beloved husband, and supportive children and friends. Her children and grandchildren living all over the world kept in close touch with her, leading interesting lives themselves and constantly amazing her.

She loved living during this remarkable time in history, and given good health would like to have hung around much longer.

She was predeceased by her husband, Professor John Ogden Outwater Jr., her parents, and four of her five siblings. She has left behind her sister, Louise Davidson Heynemann, and brother-in-law, Prof. Donald Heynemann. She has left four children: Anne Hooker Outwater of Dar es Alice circa 1949 Salaam, Tanzania; Catherine Boe Colby of West Covina, California; Alice Brookfield Outwater and Robert Brennan Lang of Ignacio, Colorado; and John Ogden Outwater and Eileen Lang Outwater of Boston, Massachusetts.

She has left three grandchildren: Samuel Outwater Lang, Arthur Boe Colby and John Jacob Outwater, as well as beloved nieces and nephews.

To honor her rich and varied life, a memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, at All Souls Interfaith Gathering Center on 291 Bostwick Farm Road in Shelburne. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Anybody who would like to make a memorial contribution may consider supporting the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (P.O. Box 420, Norwich, VT 05055, vtecostudies.org/give/) or Alice’s Rejuvenation Fund, which has been reviving the ecosystem of coastal East Africa (P.O. Box 105211, Msasani, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania or anneoutwater@yahoo.com).

Larry and Alice blessing the trees at the town beach in 2016

A

lice gave the Rutter Tree Fund a substantial donation in 2016 specifically for planting trees around the playground equipment at the Town Beach. The shade the trees provide not only makes the area more pleasant in summer for adults and children but also more useful, since the exposed metal equipment was sometimes too hot to touch. At a planting ceremony, she and Tree Warden Larry Hamilton officially dedicated and blessed the trees that her funding made possible. On a broader scale Alice also created the Rejuvenation Fund that is working to restore native tree species in coastal East Africa.

Alice holding grandson Sa and grandson Arthur Colb

The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 13

A tribute to Alice Outwater

ater

Mary Van Vleck

Brunches and belief, with Alice Alex Bunten The first time I, as the editor in chief of The Charlotte News, exchanged words with Alice Outwater, it was about some photos. She emailed some very grainy images, and I asked if she had any better. She said she did and would send them forthwith. A few days later I received similarly grainy, hard-copy photos at the office.

When I read and edited Alice’s column, it was clear her life trajectory was unique. I got to know her through some of our events, and she invited me a few times to brunch at Shelburne Farms—a treasured place for her.

She saw something in The Charlotte News and something in me. When she offered to fund a five-year paid internship program, I was honored to have her support and driven by her enthusiasm and belief in our efforts—a belief that the future of The News was in the local youth.

When the archive project started to develop, at first she said she wanted nothing to do with it. Too much technology, she said, or something to that effect. It surprised me a bit, but she was strong willed and I didn’t mention it again.

Months later, as the plans started to take shape and we talked about the archive project more in the paper, Alice asked me to brunch at Rustic Roots.

She grilled me about why the archive project was so important. Why did the community need this? Why I felt the need to work so damn hard on preserving some old rotting newspapers?

I answered her questions to the best of my ability, and she asked what kind of funds it might take to bring this project to fruition. I gave her the number I knew would get us close. She looked at me as if she saw right through me and slowly pulled out her checkbook.

Alice believed in The Charlotte News and loved this community. I’m proud to have known her and will miss her columns, her joi d’vivre. I hope her enthusiasm, albeit reluctant, for the archive project serves to render our small community and Alice’s life in better resolution than her sometimes grainy images did. Take care, Alice.

Alex Bunten was editor in chief of The Charlotte News from 2015 to 2016.

John, Alice, Mom and Anne in Holland 2009.

Writing Dawn is on the horizon The light is breaking through the night And brings with it, new possibilities New ways of seeing and doing things.

Today I will start anew New surprises, ways of looking at things And arranging my day.

Alice and John 1994.

am Lang, husband John by.

Look what I might create – wonders I Never imagined Helping others Sharing my joys and successes Giving pleasure to those I know and don’t know Books to read, topics to investigate Letters to write Questions to ask and answers to find Creative ideas I never knew I had To be investigated and questioned.

-Alice D. Outwater

was now facing life alone, after a strong, 56year marriage to John, who adored her, and the dispersal of her children, who have gone on to lead productive lives around the world. Alice was courageous. She didn’t whimper; she wasn’t a “poor me” kind of person. After John died, she sold their beloved camp on Thompson’s Point, which had become too much for her to care for, much to the dismay of the children. Later she sold their lovely Tudor home of almost 50 years in Burlington’s Overlook Park and moved into a spacious, twostory condo in South Burlington.

Alice tackled her new life with gusto, coming regularly to yoga class, maintaining a demanding social schedule, often of her own creation, and writing a monthly column for The Charlotte News, titled “Taking Care,” focused on the challenges of aging as well as the opportunities that emerge during those years. Like everyone, Alice had difficult times, which she described in her column, along with how she had faced up to them, offering us an opportunity to learn from her experiences.

Yes, I admired Alice—increasingly over the years, as I saw her everywhere—at the Flynn Theater in Burlington, frequently at Shelburne Farms, or wherever there were social events open to the public. I admired her for getting into her car and driving to be with others and to be seen, even when it was difficult, when perhaps she didn’t feel like going out.

At Thanksgiving and Christmas, she created lovely parties of 10 or 12 people in her new home to which I was often invited, including this past Christmas, 2017. Alice did as much as she could to prepare food before the holiday, then hired a woman who served us. She accomplished this with her son John’s help (I still want to call him Johnny), who drove up from Cambridge, Mass., most recently with his new wife and infant son, to be with her and us. It was he, I suspect, who cooked the turkey and oversaw the preparations, until it was time to sit down at the table for another elegant and joyous meal with all the trimmings. Nothing was forgotten.

From my perspective, Alice led an enchanted life. She had a beautiful home, a devoted husband and children, and enough funds to travel and to do what she wanted. I will always remember her courageous and adventurous spirit, the tremendous effort she put into living each day as fully as possible and to presenting herself in the most positive, loving and generous way she could to the very end. She died just short of her 89th birthday as her body, but not her mind, was giving out.

I shall miss seeing her each week, and I am grateful for the time we had together over the years.

I just wish I’d been able to say a last adieu, to let her know how very special I thought she was.

Alice Outwater left us without saying good bye.

When I heard the news, I was upset not to have had a last few parting words with her, to say good bye and to tell her how very much I have appreciated and been inspired by her over the past eight or nine years. I was not alone in that feeling, but in truth Alice departed just as she wished—no sentimental talk for her, no sympathy about growing old with all of its challenges.

I saw Alice most Mondays at our 11 a.m. yoga class at the Charlotte Senior Center. She drove the 12 miles to Charlotte from her home in South Burlington for our class, always placing her yoga mat in the back-left corner of the room where most of the time the rest of the class couldn’t see her.

We knew she didn’t want help or sympathy—not one bit! Alice had difficulty hearing the leader and often did her own “thing” when the class got a little beyond her. Plagued with arthritis, she had trouble getting up from or down to the mat, but she continued to come and to struggle through the class right up until three weeks before she died. If Alice hadn’t entered before the class began, we’d leave a space for her mat, always in the same place next to Tiny Sikkes (when Tiny wasn’t teaching the class).

After each yoga class, a simple soup and salad lunch is served at the Center. Still in our yoga clothes, half of us hurry to the buffet line, then carry our trays across the entry hall to a small conference room with a table large enough for at least 10. That is, all except Alice, who opted to change her clothes before lunch, appearing some time later, dressed to the nines in vibrant colors, a handsome skirt and top, and around her neck an eye-catching necklace, something she’d picked up in her travels. Did I ever see her in the same outfit twice? Not often. Alice was a true “Grande Dame.”

When she arrived at the already full lunch table with her tray (she declined assistance carrying it), we’d shift our chairs to make room for her. Once seated Alice would initiate her own conversation with whoever sat beside her, asking about their recent travels, their children and grandchildren, their opinion on some timely issue. She remembered who was traveling where, and she often asked me about my “beau,” Dave, or more specifically whether we were still together and how our most recent bicycle trip had gone. Alice also asked about my children, Peter and Heather, whom she had known as small children, and on the one or two times I shared some of my parental challenges, she offered wise advice.

I loved seeing Alice every Monday, as she was a link back to my early adult life and motherhood.

In 1966 Bruce and I purchased a house three doors down from the Outwaters on Overlake Park, at the southern end of Summit Street in Burlington. We arrived with our infant son, a second child on the way. The Outwater daughters, Anne, Catherine and Alice, then called Leecie, were our teenage babysitters, lovely girls who we were very grateful to have caring for Peter and later newborn Heather as well, Alice and John close by in case of emergency.

Our family contact during those early years revolved around that babysitting. They and we were each busy with our growing families and our own active social lives. However, each Christmas season the Outwaters hosted a grand holiday party for the Overlake Park neighborhood, which we loved to attend. What I remember most about those parties were the lovely decorations, the bright orange, stylized Scandinavian horses embellished with bridles, saddles and flowers, and the Christmas tree, 10 or more feet high, that graced their living room.

We lost touch with the Outwaters after Bruce and I divorced in 1978 and both moved away from the neighborhood. When I returned to Vermont in 2006, this time to Charlotte, I was delighted to meet up with Alice again in our Monday morning yoga class. We caught up on each other’s families and our whereabouts during the last 20 years. I learned that, after her four children went off to school or college, Alice, then in her fifties, went on Tiny Sikkes, Polly Price and Alice Outwater celebrating for a Ph.D. in psychology and became a respected Tiny’s citizenship at the Naturalization Ceremony in therapist. I looked forward to seeing her every Oct. 2018. week. She became a deeply satisfying link to my past even though we’d not been close back then.

I appreciated that Alice, in her early eighties,

14 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Food Shelf News Susan Ohanian Giving thanks November is the month for drawing people close, and the Food Shelf gives special thanks for all our nurturing neighbors in Charlotte who reach out with such helpful hands and hearts. As you read this list of separate activities, note how Charlotte Central School, the Grange and our churches join with the Food Shelf to celebrate our community. And then think of the dozens of people whose names you never see who volunteer at the Food Shelf in a myriad of ways.

Holly Rochefort, who heads up the Hunger is Hard, Baking is Easy program, reminds us that home-baked goods are a special treat this time of year and that goods baked for the Thanksgiving baskets should be dropped off at the Congregational

Church or at 86 Spear Street no later than Wednesday, Nov. 14.

A thank you to Kris Gerson, Charlotte Central School teacher, for coordinating the Thanksgiving baskets program at the school.

Thank you to the teachers, students and parents in Grades K-4 for putting together 12 baskets. Children learn through doing, and collaborating to help others is a skill and a spirit that will enrich their lives. Forever.

Thank you to Irene Horbar for her donation of delicious baked goods, and thanks also to Charles and Liz DesLauriers, Susan and Jim Hyde, and Anne Castle for their financial support.

Holiday baskets: Important dates Thanksgiving baskets: Please join us in a very festive activity—preparing Thanksgiving baskets. Volunteers meet in the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry

on Friday, Nov. 16, at 8 a.m. Coffee is available along with the great vibes provided by the good company. This lively gathering usually gets the job done in about an hour, though conversation often lingers.

ANNOUNCEMENT The holiday wish trees go up at the Congregational Church and Our Lady of Mount Carmel the weekend after Thanksgiving, Nov. 24 and 25. An ornament representing each child under 18 contains that child’s holiday wish. Participants return the wrapped gift with the ornament attached on Dec. 9. People who don’t pick up an ornament can also participate. There is special need for gifts for teenagers: T-shirts, hair ornaments, nail polish, aftershave. Talk to a teenager you know for ideas. Just get those gifts in by Dec. 9.

Special assistance Winter clothing: Food Shelf volunteer shoppers Diane Cote and Josie Kaestner, with help from the Charlotte Grange and an anonymous donor family, supplied 18 children with needed winter jackets, snow pants and boots. Thank you, community members, for keeping all our children warm this winter!

Gym shoes: The Food Shelf provided $475 to the Shoe-In program, which operates in collaboration with Charlotte Central School to provide gift certificates for students in need of gym shoes.

Utilities assistance: $2,599.58.

Important ppcoming 2018 Charlotte Food Shelf distribution dates Wednesday evenings, 5 to 7, Nov. 28, Dec. 12.

Thursday mornings, 7:30 to 9, Nov. 29, Dec. 13.

Thanksgiving baskets Baskets set up by volunteers: Nov. 16, 8 to 9:30 a.m.

Basket distribution: Saturday Nov. 17, 11 a.m. to noon.

Financial assistance As a reminder, the Food Shelf has some funds available for emergency assistance

with fuel and electric bills. You may contact Cindi at 425-3234 if you need assistance.

We are available to all community residents. Privacy is very important and respected in our mission of neighbor helping neighbor.

For emergency food call John 425-3130.

For emergency assistance (electricity, fuel) call Cindi at 425-3234.

For more information call Karen at 4253252.

Wish list Needed items: aluminum foil, plastic wrap, toilet paper, spaghetti sauce, fruit pie mix, kid-healthy cereal.

Donations We are a volunteer organization, so all donations you make to the Food Shelf go directly for food or assistance to our local neighbors in need. Should you wish to honor someone with a donation, a special acknowledgement will be sent to that person. Checks may be mailed to Charlotte Food Shelf & Assistance, P.O. Box 83, Charlotte, VT 05445. Thank you.

Donated food drop-off locations All nonperishable food donations may be dropped off at the Charlotte Library, the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (main entrance) or at the Food Shelf during the distribution mornings. Please check the expiration date. We request that all fresh foods be dropped off at the Food Shelf before the Wednesday distribution hours or before 7:30 a.m. on the Thursday distribution mornings.

The Charlotte Food Shelf is located on the lower level of the Charlotte Congregational Church vestry. Distribution days/times are posted on bulletin boards in the Charlotte Congregational Church Hall, at the Charlotte Library and at the Charlotte Senior Center. You may also call the Food Shelf (425-3252) for a recording of the distribution times.

Facebook page You can “Like” us at our Facebook page (Charlotte Community Food Shelf and Assistance) and see photos and get updates on Food Shelf activities.

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The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 15

On Books Restorative reading: The Soul of an Octopus I don’t know about you, but I think one of the worst days of my life was Nov. 8, 2016. It felt like Sept. 11, 2001.

Or that’s what it Katherine Arthaud felt like to me, anyway. Like the world as I had loved it would never be the same again.

We had a new president. And it was unimaginable to me that America had made such a choice. As it happened, I had a flight that morning to Detroit, where I was registered for a conference. The plan was that my friend Susan and I would fly out together, and our friend Sheila would meet us the next day. Susan was as devastated as I and, though much more politically savvy and prescient, equally shocked and blindsided by the results of an election it seemed to just about everyone on the planet Hillary had in the bag. It was a dark day. It actually surprised me that planes were running as usual, that the world hadn’t needed to stop, take a deep breath and moan a collective WTF. And this conference—a women’s conference—was it still going to happen? (So much for the opening night Celebrate-the-First-WomanPresident dance party…)

But somehow, strangely, the world seemed not to be stopping or pausing but rather going about its business. The conference was on, and flights were (I checked) taking off per usual. Once in Detroit, we checked into our hotel, and as nothing conference-related was scheduled till evening, set about thinking up something to do.

Luckily for me, Susan, though seriously debilitated by post-election malaise, is a whiz at travel and was able to rally her spirits enough to decide that our best bet was probably the Motown Museum. So off we went. I won’t go too much into the details of this excursion, because it would take up the whole word-count, but suffice it to say, it was just what the doctor ordered. The exuberant tour guide, the diverse, friendly handful of our fellow tourmates (including a group of sympathetic, charming architecture students from the Netherlands), the never-ending music, the photographs, the history of Motown itself, and the legacy of passionate, talented, inspired, indomitable human beings who overcame tremendous obstacles to give birth to the Motown phenomenon. Well, somehow, miracle of miracles, my spirit returned to me. I could feel it seeping back into my cells with every minute we spent on that tour, with every step we took with our buoyant, radiant and often dancing guide.

Whatever disaster had just occurred,

whatever our country was in for in the days to come, there was magic in this place. I don’t know why, or how, but hope, love and a sense of resiliency was in the air, and it was contagious. It’s hard to put into words. But when we walked out and clicked a few last photos of the house on West Grand Boulevard in the slowly dimming late afternoon light, I was better.

Much better. I don’t know how it happened, but after our excursion, I felt deep in my bones that somehow we were going to get through this, and we were going to do it together. I believed that, no matter who we had elected president and what hard times might lie in store for our nation, human beings are inherently good and friendly, and in the end, mostly just want to dance and listen to really great music. Together.

Maybe I’m wrong and maybe there are exceptions, but I’m holding onto this basic premise and choosing to believe that… well, that we shall overcome, one day.

And now, here we are, two years in.

And yes, there have been some tough days. A few weeks ago I wrote about how a trip with my son to the New England Aquarium restored my soul after the Kavanaugh hearings. Standing with a big group of animal-loving human beings, mostly children, waiting our turn to touch the slippery, gray back of gliding stingrays with the palm of one’s hand is (take note, if you ever need it) highly restorative. ~~~~ All of which brings me to this book I’ve been wanting to tell you about: The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness.

Just as I didn’t know when I walked in through the wooden door of the Motown Museum, or through the glass-paned one at the New England Aquarium, how healing these places would be, so too did I not guess how comforting and mind-expanding would be the pages of this slim volume by Sy Montgomery. Perhaps I should have, as my daughter’s friend Lucy has been trying to get me to read it for years, but I had no idea. (Sorry, Lucy.) But perhaps books come to us when we need them most.

What is this book about? Well, it’s about octopuses. But not just octopuses; we’re talking specific octopuses, like Athena, Octavia, Kali and Karma. “Octavia’s one visible eye, coppery now, not silver, faces us. I can’t tell if she is looking at us or staring into space like a person lost in thought.” “It is possible that Athena, in fact, knows I am female. Female octopuses, like female humans, possess estrogen; she could be tasting and recognizing mine.

Octopuses can taste with their entire bodies, but this sense is most exquisitely developed in their suckers. Athena’s is an exceptionally intimate embrace. She is at once touching and tasting my skin,

“

What is this book about? Well, it’s about octopuses. But not just octopuses; we’re talking specific octopuses, like Athena, Octavia, Kali and Karma.

”

and possibly the muscle, bone, and blood beneath. Though we have only just met, Athena already knows me in a way no being has known me before.”

The Soul of an Octopus isn’t just about octopuses. It is about the aquarium, and other ocean animals, and about some of the people who work with, befriend and protect them. You will not believe some of the things you read about octopuses— how smart they are, how intuitive and creative; how they have a sense of humor and different personalities; how strong they are, and how sensitive and curious and mind-bogglingly intelligent. We live in an amazing, wonderful, fragile, resilient, crazy-beautiful, heartbreaking, joyful, beleaguered, irrepressible world.

I so recommend this book. Lucy was right. It will do wonders for your spirit. It will fill you with awe and wonder. It exudes curiosity, humility and great kindness. And you will learn so much from it. And it’s really not very long. And there are pictures, too—glossy color photographs—which I can’t stop looking at. I want to go back to the aquarium and commune with these magical creatures. I think I need to. Soon.

Come with me. It will do us good.

Two more very worthy books are Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered and Tara French’s The Witch Elm. They have very little in common with each other except that both are very good, very worth your time. I am a huge fan of Tara French and have been waiting for a new book by her for some time.

~~~~ The Witch Elm begins with a haunting inscription from Hamlet: “Lord, we know

what we are/but know not what we may be.” I guess you would categorize this book as “crime fiction,” but it is so much more. It is suspenseful, beautifully written and a bit dark, and of course there is a body. But as this novel reveals itself, as the plot and various histories and motives become unveiled, the nooks and crannies of its characters come increasingly to light, along with the complicated ways they relate to each other. At times, as I read, I found myself remembering Donna Tartt’s A Secret History, another dark, rich, brilliant, haunting “crime drama.” I don’t want to say more, don’t want to risk spoiling one single second of your enjoyment of this book. Try it. You will like, and probably love, it.

Unsheltered worried me at first.

Kingsolver has set such a high, high bar with The Poisonwood Bible, which I consider a masterpiece. Though Unsheltered didn’t quite live up to The Poisonwood Bible, it is a very good book.

I really admire and respect Kingsolver for the way she took on some of the big issues here (like climate change, death and dying, and the untraditional family) and skillfully and artfully braided them into a fine story with characters you want to stay in touch with well beyond page 464, which is where this novel comes to a close. I will be among the first in line for the next books by both French and Kingsolver. They are masters, and I bow to them. Encore!

Oh, and speaking of encores: I know this column is about books and reading, but if you haven’t yet seen Bohemian Rhapsody or The Hate U Give, go see them! And, meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving!

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16 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Sacred Hunter Bradley Carleton As I sit in my treestand, 20 feet above the ground in a mature maple, I am in awe of the beauty around me. The light filters through the gold and red canopy above me, spilling onto the musky forest floor. It feels like I am in a cathedral. I am sitting here practicing being still and mindful only of my surroundings, but I am overcome with gratitude and wonder.

I begin to think ancient thoughts.

Thoughts about how mankind has connected to nature and how in the beginning man learned everything he needed to know from animals. He learned to make calls imitating birds and studied the movements and patterns of four leggeds. He learned to hunt by watching larger carnivorous animals. And ultimately, he learned that he needed them to survive.

This need translated to a closer connection. In order to eat, he had to understand the animals or plants that he could use to nurture himself—and often times learned from experience which organisms could make him sick or kill him, either with tooth and fang or simply through his stomach.

I hypothesize that primitive man was in some way “grateful” for his successful hunt, although he probably didn’t sit around and pray about it. He just felt it. Food is good. I need food to survive. Therefore, I need animals and plants so they become important to me. I rely on them.

As I am pondering these possibilities I drift into my own analysis of why I hunt

Mankind’s connection to nature now, when it would be so much easier to go to the grocery store and purchase the vegetables and meat I need. But do I feel any connection to this food? Am I grateful for it? I may be grateful that I have enough money for the purchase, but am I grateful for the animal or plant? Have I studied its habitat and patterns? Do I honor and respect its life?

When I hunt, I feel love. Love for the woods. Love for the breeze. Love for the sunset and the trees. Love for the sound of the geese flying high overhead. Love for the animal I am seeking.

I am filled with an appreciation of all that surrounds me and for who I am as a part of it. I am both insignificant and valuable at the same time. My value is no greater than and no lesser than that of the animals, the plants, and the sun that warms my face. I am at one with my universe. It is then that the universe rewards me with what I need.

A doe steps into the open space beneath my stand. She looks over her shoulder with a maternal glance. Following her is a smallish fawn, no doubt delivered late in the spring. The fawn follows its mother directly under my tree. I watch in utter amazement as they work their way past my ladder. I am invisible.

They sense no threat from me and thus their sixth sense accepts my presence as something natural. They wander off behind my stand, and I say a prayer of thanks to the Great Spirit for their visit.

At the edge of the field that abuts the woods, a gray squirrel squeals loudly at something I cannot see. A twig snaps. My

Deer camp. heart races.

I practice breathing like I had never done it before. In through the nose. Out through the mouth. Conscious of every breath.

Through the tangles that envelop the ditch leading to the field, I catch a glimpse of motion. Brown motion. Then suddenly a stomp and a loud blowing sound. The wind has switched direction, and this animal, this deer, smells something that is unfamiliar in these woods. Behind an old oak, I see a head lift and the sun glints off of a set of gorgeous antlers.

Another stomp and blow. The buck is looking right at my tree. He is out of range for my bow.

He lifts his head up into the pillar of light and scans up the tree until our eyes are locked on one another.

I wait. Measured breathing. Not blinking.

We are joined in a primitive moment.

PLANTS RO CKS W AT E R

Photo by Bradley Carleton I can see his chest expanding and contracting with mine.

Suddenly, his tail swishes from side to side. He turns his head to the west and begins to slowly walk away from me toward the field.

The sun sets and the birds get quiet. I sit down in my seat and take a deep breath. I say out loud “Thank you Great Spirit for my brother’s visit.” I have received a gift of beauty and wonder this evening that will remain as a memory for the rest of my life.

And I am grateful.

Bradley Carleton is executive director of Sacred Hunter.org, a nonprofit that seeks to educate the public on the spiritual connection of man to nature and raises funds for Traditions Outdoor Mentoring.org, which mentors at-risk young men in outdoor pursuits.

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The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 17

Into The Woods Ethan Tapper

“

Believe it or not, every big tree was once a little tree and, before that, a seed. Yes, those massive trunks and branches that took decades or centuries to grow were once acorns lying on the ground or aspen seeds blowing in the wind.

While we value our big trees, we often forget the small trees and seeds we see today are what will become the massive maples and oaks that our great-grandchildren will admire.

When foresters or loggers make the sometimes unpopular decision to harvest large trees in order to release existing small trees or to create space for new trees to grow, it is important to remember this.

Encouraging the growth of new trees is usually the most difficult and finicky part of growing healthy forests and one that requires a robust understanding of how our native tree species reproduce, establish and grow.

How trees of different species reproduce, and how the resulting seeds and young trees (“seedlings”) capitalize on disturbances (the death of trees) to establish and compete for growing space, is the process of “regeneration.” Vermont’s tree species have several prominent strategies for regenerating, which I will divide into several categories here. And within these categories are many nuances based on species, site and situation.

The easiest way for trees to reproduce is to use an existing root system. Once a tree dies or is cut, several tree species are skilled at sprouting aggressively from their roots or stem, reproducing “asexually” by producing clones of the parent tree. Prominent root-sprouters include aspens (poplars, cottonwood) and beech; stump-sprouters

A regeneration story

While we all admire the large trees that punctuate our forest, take a moment to appreciate the regeneration down at our feet.

”

include red maple and red oak. In both cases, this means that small trees of these species may be much older than they appear. Utilizing an established root system allows these young trees to grow quickly and outcompete other young trees who have to start from scratch—growing from seed.

Several of our tree species take the tactic of producing an abundance of small, “cheap,” very mobile seeds. While these seeds are not very rugged, they blanket the landscape, some of them invariably finding somewhere suitable to grow. Species that employ this strategy include birches and aspens, which are often the first trees to regenerate in highly disturbed environments. In winter yellow and black birch produce seeds like this, which are blown across the surface of snow.

Another strategy is to lie in wait. Anyone

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who has tried to walk through a forest three to five years after a natural or humancaused disturbance has probably noticed an abundance of blackberries and raspberries.

The seeds of these species are not introduced to the site after the disturbance; rather they had been collecting in the soil for years, courtesy of the birds and bears that eat and pass their fruits. These seeds are resistant to germination—sometimes remaining viable in the soil for 60 to 100 years before

germinating—but when they sense a disturbance they grow aggressively. Once thought to interfere with our native plants, it is now understood that blackberries and raspberries enrich disturbed environments through nutrient-cycling and shelter young seedlings.

A fourth strategy is to produce large, “expensive” seeds, which sprout and persist in the understory of the forest, waiting for a disturbance. Red oak, red spruce and sugar maple are among the species that invest a lot of energy in their seeds, producing a glut of them at irregular intervals (called “mast years”). The resulting seedlings spend years establishing a deep root system, feeding off the energy in their seeds. These seedlings are very shade tolerant and are sometimes able to remain in this condition, as advance regeneration (regeneration that exists in advance of a disturbance) for decades, waiting for the trees above them to fall. Once they do, these seedlings quickly shoot skyward with the benefit of an established root system. Unfortunately, when these seedlings are waiting around in the understory they are extremely vulnerable to browsing and competition from invasive plants. Their energy-packed seeds are also often preferred wildlife food, and so just being able to sprout can be challenging.

While we all admire the large trees that punctuate our forest, take a moment to appreciate the regeneration down at our feet. The towering trees that will shade our grandchildren’s grandchildren are down there, just trying to catch a break.

Ethan Tapper is the Chittenden County forester. He can be reached at ethan. tapper@vermont.gov, by phone at (802)585-9099, or at his office at 111 West Street, Essex Junction.

18 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Sports Edd Merritt

CVU fall sports end dramatically

It has been a full fall sports schedule that is finally closing down with great success for many of the Champlain Valley Union teams and individuals. To call it “Redhawk Nation” on the basis of three months’ worth of wins and titles may be a bit excessive. However, at least four state championship trophies will rest in the CVU trophy case: men’s and women’s soccer, men’s volleyball and women’s cross country running, with women’s volleyball and field hockey reaching the playoffs (volleyball losing the final match to Essex, the only team to beat the Hawks this year).

This happened to be the third Essex/CVU final in the three years volleyball has been a varsity sport. Each school won one prior to this season.

The rest of New England falls to the CVU women

The Redhawk women’s cross-country team won the 84th New England high school cross-country running championship in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Saturday. Again, sophomore Alice Larson led the way for Hawks, placing fifth, followed by Ella Whitman, Alicia Veroneau, Cate Noel and Jasmin Nails.

This is the team’s fifth regional title in the last 15 years. The season is not over, however, as CVU travels to Bowdoin Park (on the Hudson River) in Wappingers Falls,

Above: CVU Soccer women - “We’re #1.”

Right: Charlotte’s Rayona Silverman is on the ball in the state final.

New York, for the Northeast Regionals on Nov. 24.

Charlotte middle-school crosscountry runners do well at Trapps Mater Christi’s Matthew Servin from Charlotte led this area’s runners at the Vermont Middle School Cross-Country Run Championships at Trapp Family Lodge on Oct. 28. He beat 188 other boys

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in the three-kilometer race. Three other Charlotte runners crossed the finish line among the top 25: Owen Deale (13), Ethan Morris (22) and Thomas Murphy (23).

On the girls’ side, Shelburne Community School placed first among teams. Kate Kogut of Charlotte was 18th individually, and Audrey Neilson finished 22nd. Ava Rohrbaugh rounded out the Charlotte contingent of top-25 runners. Running for Mater Christi she finished 23rd among the 182 girls.

Ex Redhawk wins honors in NESCAC

Sophia Gorman of Charlotte was named the Most Outstanding Women’s CrossCountry Performer in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). A sophomore at Colby College, Sophia led all individuals in the conference meet at Boston’s Franklin Park, and this past Saturday she finished third in the New England Division III Championships at Bowdoin College, a race that also happens to be an NCAA qualifier.

Volleyball men spike it down to victory

Women first

A former CVU soccer player himself, Coach Stan Williams has been at the head of the women’s program for six years.

During that time, his teams have won 97, lost 5 and tied 2. This year’s championship game against Colchester at Burlington High’s Buck Hard Field last Saturday was an extension of that winning record, as the Hawks topped the Lakers 1-0 and held on to the trophy. With Charlotte junior Maryn Askew in goal, a strong CVU defense helped her gain a 14th shutout of the season having to make only two saves, both in the first half. The lone goal of the game came on a header from Catherine Gilwee in the 47th minute on a corner kick assist from sophomore forward Olivia Zubarik. She and Gilwee were two of six sophomores in the starting lineup, an underclass group that bodes well for future teams.

Men reverse a state title drought

Lyndon Institute was the runner-up to the Redhawk men this year. With the match tied in the third set, the Hawks went for the kills, with junior co-captain and mid blocker Noah Allen hitting down for three in CVU’s last 10 points. The victory gave the Redhawks an unblemished 14-0 record this year and a third straight title. Men’s volleyball has won 40 games over the three-year varsity span and lost only once.

Men’s and women’s soccer both hoist state cups

when it comes to soccer, both men and women Redhawks fill the bill.

There may not be that much to do in the Kingdom during the fall, but soccer at St. Johnsbury Academy goes against that grain. Ranked number 2 behind the Redhawks, the Hilltoppers started the scoring less than five minutes into the state championship game. Quoted in the Free Press, CVU coach Rob Cole said he thought it was “like we started the game down 1-0.” However, CVU scored the equalizer later in the first period on a goal

by James Schmidt, and three more goals came in the second half to solidify the 4-1 win.

The Burlington Free Press headline on Nov. 4 read “Trophy Hawks.” And, indeed,

Email your news and photos to news@ thecharlottenews.org

The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 19

Youth Hunters Youth hunting started Saturday, November 2 and 3 was a great success for these great hunters.

Young hunters in Vermont enjoy three special youth hunting seasons each year. These seasons increase hands-on use of sporting arms, reinforce hunting safety principles, improve understanding and interest in hunting and wildlife conservation, and emphasize the involvement of family and friends. Youth seasons always include direct, adult supervision.

1. Brian Bora, age 10, and his 120 pound deer.

2. Hunter Pizzagalli, age 11 and his 202 pound deer.

Last years hunters: 3. Coleton Pizzagalli age 10. It was his first year hunting button buck here in Charlotte.

2

4. Angela Fortin age 15 and her 8 pointer 184 pound deer. Angela started hunting and got her first deer at age 8.

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3

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20 • November 14, 2018 • The Charlotte News

Cooking

Turkey day game plan

A make-ahead guide to hosting the big feast Stacy Fraser For the past 20 years, my sister Mary, her husband and three sons (as they came along) were hosted for Thanksgiving by our aunt Kay and Uncle Jim or Mary’s in-laws, alternating every other year. This year was their year to head to Mary’s in-laws. On a whim, she invited them to come spend Thanksgiving with her family in their new home. They finally have a dining room and a table for hosting, so she thought (for a minute) that it sounded like a good idea.

She called me last week in the middle of her already hectic day to tell me in a panicked tone, “My mother-in-law called to say they are actually coming to our house for Thanksgiving. I didn’t actually expect them to say yes! They always host. I was just trying to be nice.”

So, Mary is hosting Thanksgiving for the very first time next week. Sounds like so much fun to me—I love to cook and host family and friends for big meals—but to her it feels more like an insurmountable list of tasks and to-do’s.

I got another call the next day. “How in the world am I supposed to know how big of a turkey to buy? Do I need to order ahead?

You have to help me, sister! And how do you get everything cooked and ready at once? What I can make ahead? Should I make stuffing from fresh bread or buy those dried-up cube things?” The list of questions went on.

If you’ve never hosted a Thanksgiving meal before or even if you always host, but it’s a chore that leaves you in an exhausted puddle by the time the turkey is carved, here’s a timeline and planner to help you (and my sister Mary) feel some ease and maybe even enjoy preparing for the big meal.

About 1 week ahead 1. Finalized your menu. And gather the recipes. Maybe you don’t need a recipe for mashed potatoes, but having one on hand helps with planning for quantities and making a shopping list.

2. Order a turkey. The general rule of thumb for size is about 1 pound of bone-in turkey per person; if you want leftovers, plan for 1 1/2 pounds turkey per person.

3. Decide what you should hand off. Most guests are happy to contribute to the meal and don’t expect the host to prepare every dish. Let guests know now what you’d like them to bring so you can cross those things off your list.

4. Make your dessert plan. If you’re not a baker, call up your favorite bakery and order the pies now.

Or, if you’re hosting a baker, ask them to bring the pies.

5. Shop for beverages.

Wine, beer, spirits and bubbly water all hold Stacy’s daughter, Mavis, is in charge of making salad dressing. She’ll well in the basement or be whisking up the dressing for the Thanksgiving salad. an extra refrigerator—if you have one—or even week list. Even in you don’t like lists, push outside in a cooler. (But be sure you don’t through and really do it. Getting it all onto leave them outside in cold temps without a paper really does take away some stress. cooler or you’ll have an exploded mess on You can do it! your hands.)

5 Days ahead (Saturday): 6 Days ahead (Friday): 1. Do the big shop. Get up early, have a 1. Make your shopping list. Almost good breakfast, grab a hot mug of coffee or all of the ingredients you need to make a tea and head to the store. Buy everything Thanksgiving meal will keep for about a on your list except the fresh vegetables that week. I am a list maker, so I like to make you’re planning to get later in the week. lists. I recommend a couple. Make one list Enjoy the crowds, smile and just keep of things that you’ll shop for this weekend breathing. and another list of things that you’ll wait 2. Make pie crust(s). Pat each batch of until Tuesday or even Wednesday to get—I dough into a flat disc, wrap separately in know, crazy, right? Put things like fresh plastic wrap and pop them in the freezer. vegetables (Brussels sprouts, green beans If making crust from scratch makes you and salad greens) on your later-in-thesweat, but you’re okay with making the rest of the pie, go ahead and just buy some premade crusts. It’s okay. There are several available locally that are almost as delicious as homemade.

3. Crisp bread and toast nuts. If you’re making stuffing/dressing from scratch, cut the bread into cubes and bake them

in the oven until crisp and dry. Toast any nuts you’ll be using on salads or in pies.

If toasting nuts is usually a step to skip for you—try it for this special meal. It makes them taste so much better and, since you’re planning ahead, you have time to do it. Cool and store airtight.

4 Days ahead (Sunday): 1. Make cranberry sauce. It keeps well for a week in the refrigerator. So, the extras will still be good for leftover turkey sandwiches.

My favorite.

3 Days ahead (Monday): 1. Pick up the turkey. If you’re to planning to make your own gravy—I highly recommend it (!)—remove the giblets and neck from the turkey and turn them into a stock for the gravy: Simmer the giblets and neck in 4 to 6 cups water with onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and a big pinch of peppercorns for 1 to 2 hours. And, Voilà!

Homemade stock. Strain and refrigerate.

2. Get the serving dishes ready. Take the stress out of last-minute digging in the cabinets for the serving dishes while you’re trying to get the meal on the table. Gather them ahead of time, label them and set them aside. If you’re the polishing silver and ironing napkins type, do those tasks on Monday too.

2 Days ahead (Tuesday): 1. Defrost pie dough. If you made your own dough, put it in the refrigerator Tuesday morning so it’s ready to roll out on Wednesday.

2. Buy fresh veggies. Head back to the store for any last minute items and the fresh vegetables. Grab a bunch or two of flowers for the table too.

3. Prepare stuffing. Assemble your stuffing in a baking dish, but don’t add any broth or stock. (Actually stuffing the bird while it roasts is a big food safety no-no. I know, some of you will probably still do it, but, just saying.) Cover and refrigerate until Thursday. Add the broth about 30 minutes before baking on Thursday.

1 day ahead (Wednesday): 1. Make pies. Remove pie dough from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before rolling out to soften up a bit. Make and bake pies.

Pumpkin, pecan and apple pies will hold well at room temperature for 1 to 2 days. see

TURKEY DAY page 23

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In The Garden Readying for winter The forecast mentions snow and I’m hoping I’ve done all the necessary tasks to relax and forget gardening for a few months. This is a good question: Joan Weed what is required to set the garden to bed for another season? This very day I placed the last of my spring bulbs in their snug homes for the winter. The last of the leaves have pretty much all come down. Fortunately, I have helpers to clear them up.

Back in the days when that was my job, I often ground them to use as leaf mulch. The very best! This practice not only fed the soil but added a layer of protection for overwintering perennials and small shrubs. Of course other living things overwinter as well and might use my leaf mulch as a cozy home for the next few months. That means your plants might become a source of food for voles, mice, rabbits and chipmunks. One has to choose and weigh the odds. You could leave an area free of the mulch surrounding the plant.

Another choice to make in autumn is whether to cut back perennials, grasses, and other herbaceous plants. I select which will be trimmed with a variety of criteria: if the plant tends to produce and drop too much seed so as to overtake a bed I try to cut it back before it can do this.

Phlox, Blue lobelia, Gooseneck loosestrife and Siberian iris are good candidates.

Some seed heads are grand food sources for birds and so they are left standing till spring. This group might include

Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’, Echinacea, and rosehips on shrubs. Hostas, lilies, daylilies and many other perennials turn mushy and just need to be trimmed. This clean-up will make the spring chore list shorter.

Some plants make the garden interesting if left to emerge through the snow or sway in the wind. I like to leave ornamental grasses till spring for their beauty and the sounds they make. Also having discovered bumble bees, in spring, coming out of hibernation from a cluster, gives me one more reason to leave them.

We need to protect all the pollinators we can. Astilbes can be quite lovely with snow as a backdrop.

Generally autumn is not a good time for pruning. For trees and woody shrubs, it’s best that they are dormant.

If pruned before dormancy they might try to send out new foliage and waste their resources. One shrub that I prune in December is Ilex merservae which is that pretty berried holly so useful for holiday decorations.

The hollies will send out new shoots, next growing season right below where the snip is. Every tiny bump is potentially a new branch.

Other chores involve turning off water in irrigators, bringing in and cleaning out pots as they will freeze and burst.

Wooden or metal garden furniture should be stored or covered. I leave my resin Adirondack chairs out in the weather. A blessing to not have to move or replace them so often. Soon the pumpkins will be replaced by evergreens and wreaths. I think I’m ready.

Watercolor by Joan Weed

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well as the three-month daily calendar. The winter schedule will be posted on Nov. 28.

The new winter schedule, which covers the months of December, January and February, will be inserted the next issue of The Charlotte News on Nov. 28. There will be the popular travelogues (Galapagos, Cuba II, Iceland), local history, an ancestry workshop, iPhone help, music performance, a new fiber-arts group, comedy, advice on hearing loss from a UVM audiologist and clinical professor, ongoing courses (of course) — and more, more, more.

Carolyn Kulik SENIOR CENTER DIRECTOR

“When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised change, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness?

Gratitude? Openness? Whatever it is, it's welcome.” ~ Kristin Armstrong There are so many wonderful quotes on gratitude and thankfulness that it is hard to choose from among them: “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer “Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” ~ Lionel Hampton “Sometimes we should express our gratitude for the small and simple things like the scent of the rain, the taste of your favorite food, or the sound of a loved one's voice.” ~ Joseph B. Wirthlin Some of my grateful moments are these: Driving by the two teenaged girls jogging down the road with their ponytails swaying in unison. The colony of seagulls widely spaced out on the field, strutting around in different directions and looking as though they forgot why they had come. The daily courtesy of a driver letting you into traffic.

So, the season of thanksgiving is upon us, but why should it be just a day – or a

season?

About courses Origami for the Holidays will be ending tomorrow, but it is another great example of how a bunch of strangers can get together and just have a good time. You would think they were all well acquainted beforehand.

It’s the students, the topic at hand—and a terrific instructor in the person of Gail Martin. After a winter break, perhaps she can be persuaded to give another course in the spring.

French Conversation Circle (for those who are reasonably fluent) will not be held on Nov. 20. The last day for this class is Nov. 27 at 2:15. This course is not being offered during the winter since Alysse will be away, but it will hopefully return in the spring. Her students say she is really a special instructor and give her glowing reviews. Stay tuned after the winter, and check out our spring schedule, which will be out about Mar. 27.

Want to test the water? You are invited to come by to sit in on any class (at no charge) to see if you might like to join it. This is a good chance to meet the instructor, the other participants, and ask questions. Newcomers are always welcomed—everyone is really friendly.

For more background, you can always visit the town website at charlotte.org and click on the Senior Center tab for descriptions of all the course listings, as

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Events On Sunday, Nov.18, from 12:30-2:30, Shape-Note Singing will be held in the Great Room.

This traditional style of singing began in colonial New England and was featured in the movie Cold Mountain. It is a cappella, four-part harmony and has been called “fullbody, shout-it-out singing.” (Unsurprisingly, there are no auditions.) Open to newcomers and experienced singers. Songbooks provided. Stop by to listen or sing, and leave whenever you wish. No fee.

In addition, on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m., Chief Don Stevens, of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, will give a talk on the teachings of the Native American Circle of Life. If you can, stop by beforehand to view the Abenaki tribal artifacts that are on display in the Center’s Great Room. (Note the best times for viewing in the box below.)

On Nov. 28, the Senior Center’s Annual Tree Trimming will take place at 1 p.m. in the Great Room after the Wednesday luncheon. Stop by and lend a hand to help make the Center more festive.

Art News Continuing throughout the month is the November Art Exhibit of Native American artifacts and photography. Chief Don Stevens, of the Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, is displaying artifacts both from the tribe and his own collection that include ceremonial dance staffs, bone needles, breast plates, gourds, contemporary saw paintings, jewelry, fur bags and more. Award-winning photographs by Don’s wife, Diane, enhance the exhibit. This spectacular display is not to be missed — it is truly museum quality.

Kudos to everyone involved with hanging, and especially to Judy Tuttle, the Center’s volunteer art exhibit coordinator. Be sure to note the art viewing times in the box below.

Viewing Art Shows: Since the Center’s Great Room is utilized for many classes and events, the best times to see art shows in November are Tues. after 2:30, Wed. after 3:00; Thurs. and Fri. after 12:30. Call the Center during the week to check on Sunday availability. NOTE: With new classes, these times will change for the winter.

Openings and closings The Senior Center will close on Nov. 21 after the Wednesday luncheon and will reopen on Monday, Nov. 26, at 9 a.m. We wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travel.

Now that the time has changed, the dark is descending, and wintery weather is fast approaching, remember that the Senior Center follows the school closures of Champlain Valley School District. You will find closings posted on local TV and radio stations, as well as at CVSD.org under Delays & Closures Coming soon is our new website with information about the Senior Center— as well as answers to frequently asked

SENIOR CENTER MENUS Suggested donation for all meals: $5

Monday Munch

11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

No reservations required.

November 19

Schawarma Lebanese chicken Caesar salad Chocolate chip carrot cake

November 26

Curry butternut squash soup Greens w/ Mandarin oranges Pumpkin-cranberry-chocolate muffins

Wednesday Lunch All diners eat at noon.

Reservations required.

November 21 Lasagna Mixed greens Pumpkin bars

November 28

Smoked sausage w/sauerkraut Baked potatoes Homemade dessert

Thursday Gents Breakfast

7:30–9 a.m.

Reservations required.

Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, the next breakfast will be Dec. 13.

(Keep up to date on Menus with Front Porch Forum, as they sometimes change.)

questions, some history, a useful section on food and nutrition, volunteer opportunities and more. The official unveiling date and web address will be announced on Front Porch Forum very soon. Many thanks to Susanna Kahn for her patience and technical help and to Susan Hyde for information gathering and coordinating the whole effort.

It will continue to grow and evolve in the future.

Our new website is LIVE. It is: charlotteseniorcenterVT.org Check it out for with information about the Senior Center – as well as answers to frequently asked questions, some history, a useful section on food and nutrition, volunteer opportunities, and more. Many thanks to Susanna Kahn for technical help and patient advice, and to Susan Hyde for information gathering and coordinating the whole effort. It will continue to grow and evolve in the future. ~~~ “Gratitude, warm, sincere, intense, when it takes possession of the bosom, fills the soul to overflowing and scarce leaves room for any other sentiment or thought.” ~ John Quincy Adams _____________________ Charlotte Center (802)425-6345 CharlotteSeniorCenterVT.org

The Charlotte News • November 14, 2018 • 23

TURKEY DAY

continued from page 20

2. Prep fresh vegetables. Trim green beans and Brussels sprouts. If you’re serving salad, wash and dry salad greens, prep salad vegetables, make salad dressing.

3. Prep potatoes. Peel potatoes for mashed potatoes, cut into cubes and store in water in a covered container in the refrigerator.

4. Assemble any casseroles. Most casseroles, like green bean casserole, can be assembled and refrigerated for a day. Get yours prepped and ready.

5. Brine the turkey. It does take a tiny bit of extra effort, but brining the turkey will guarantee an extra juicy, flavorful turkey— no dry, bland turkey on your table. Look up a recipe for turkey brine and you’ll find two options: wet or dry. “Wet brine” means soaking the turkey in a flavorful salted water solution overnight. “Dry brine” means rubbing the turkey under and over the skin with a flavorful salt rub. (See my dry brine recipe.)

The Big Day (Thursday) 1. Get some fresh air. Start your day with some outside time, even if the weather isn’t great. Take a short hike, run in a Turkey Trot or just take a stroll around the yard. You’re about to spend the rest of the day indoors, so

fortify yourself before you start cooking.

2. Get the turkey roasting. In a 350°F oven, plan to roast the turkey for 13 to 15 minutes per pound. So, for a 20-pound bird, that's about 3 hours 40 minutes. Add another 20 to 30 minutes to let it rest out of the oven, plus 15 to 20 more minutes to carve before serving. So, if you're serving at 5:00 p.m. and have a 20-pound bird, it'll need to go in the oven about 4 1/2 hours before serving or around 12:30 p.m. At a higher temperature, say 425°F, you can shave off about 2 minutes per pound.

3. Finish the sides. This is the hard part.

Shortly before the turkey is ready to come out the oven, prepare the mashed potatoes, green beans, Brussels and/or other vegetable sides. Do as much of this on the stovetop as you can, then hold everything in covered pots while the turkey rests. For things that need to go into the oven, squeeze them onto the top rack while the turkey is finishing up if you can, or pop them in the oven right after the turkey is out. You’ll have 40 to 50 minutes after the turkey is out but before it’s time to serve, so most things like stuffing and casseroles can heat through in that amount of time.

4. Assign a carver and gravy maker. You’re almost there! Once the turkey is out of the oven, carefully transfer it to a large cutting board and tent with several layers of foil— or a small comforter wrapped in a clean garbage bag like my friend Hilary’s mom

does—she really wants warm turkey! While you (or your assigned “carver”) work on the turkey, someone else can make the gravy.

Use all of the drippings left in the pan and make it right in the roasting pan set over two burners if you have enough space on the stovetop.

5. Give thanks. Assemble around the table.

Pause. Reflect. Bless. And give thanks for the glorious meal. You did it.

Garlic-Herb Dry Brine for Turkey For a 15- to 20-pound turkey: Add 6 cloves fresh garlic, 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup fresh thyme, 1/4 cup fresh chopped sage, 1/4 cup kosher salt, 2 tablespoons black peppercorns and 2 tablespoons sugar to a food processor; pulse until finely

chopped. Add 1/2 cup Loosen the skin of the breast and legs. Evenly spread the dry brine mixture under the skins, over the skin and into the cavity. Refrigerate uncovered for up to 1 day.

Stacy Fraser was the Test Kitchen Manger at EatingWell in Shelburne, Vermont for 13 years. She’s roasted (or helped roast) more than 200 turkeys, including one that caught fire and blasted open the oven door in a recipe test gone wrong. (No one was injured!) This year, she’s sharing a Thanksgiving meal in Vermont with dear friends and family. Send her your Thanksgiving meal questions at stacy.lee.fraser@gmail.com.

Classifieds Reach your friends and neighbors for only $7 per issue.

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Mavis, and Stacy's son, Sawyer, both love to do the pie crusts and their family favorite, pecan tart for Thanksgiving each year.

Calendar All Souls representatives attend Parliament of World Religions All Souls Interfaith Gathering representatives Sue Dixon and Mariko Middleton were among 10,000 persons from 80 nations and more than 200 unique faith traditions at the Parliament of World Religions in Toronto this past week. The focus of the global gathering was “the promise of inclusion, the power of love: pursuing global understanding, reconciliation and change.” Indigenous communities were a vital part of the global gathering of faith leaders.

Sue and Mariko will share inspiration

from this powerful and connective interfaith experience at the Music & Spirit service on Sunday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. at All Souls. All are invited to join in a community potluck and silent auction following the service.

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CCS explores the outdoors at Shelburne Farms

T

Charlotte Central School third graders came to Shelburne Farms on Wednesday, Nov. 7 to explore the outdoors and reinforce some of their the wildlife studies in the classroom.

Students spent the day outside in the forest learning about turkeys and beavers. They played a scavenger hunt game to find food that turkeys eat and built kid-sized ‘beaver dams’ in the forest out of fallen sticks and logs based on how beavers design their dams in waterways.

Photos by Shelburne Farms

Students soar up from the Farm Barn with SF educator Lindsay Whitaker as they make their way to the forest.

Students take a break from dam-building and carefully investigate a newt with SF educator Lindsay Whitaker.

Shelburne Farms educator Lindsay Whitaker and students look into the fields for signs of wildlife tracks.

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presorted standard

Shelburne Farms educator Lindsay Whitaker and students find examples of what wild turkeys eat, including berries, green leaves, insects, and nuts.