The Charlotte News | July 12, 2017

60 Volume LX Number 1 | Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Charlotte News

The

Charlotte’s award-winning community newspaper

DIAMOND JUBILEE

th

VOLUME

As The “Voice of the Town”

- page 2

PHOTO: Stunning summer PETS: Four-legged comREAL ESTATE: For sale by flora catches the eye panions take center stage owner with Heather Morse page 6 page 18 page 19

CharlotteNewsVT.org

Charlotte News

The

Vol. 60, no. 1 July 12, 2017

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

Charlotters celebrate Independence Day with adjoining town

Local rotary heralds new name and leadership Rosalyn Graham CHARLOTTE SHELBURNE HINESBURG ROTARY CLUB

Many people from our Charlotte community participated in and observed the Hinesburg Independence Day Parade on July 4.

More photos on page 16.

Photo by Lee Krohn

Trails of Resilience conquers the day and Mt. Philo

Megan Manley TRAILS OF RESILIENCE FOUNDER

We hiked Mt. Philo on June 11 in memory of Chris Desjardin of Colchester. About 35 of his friends and family attended. We took photos with the chair that is in his name, and we had a picnic while toasting his favorite Stella Artois at the top. There were so many smiles, and people came together to show their love for him. We talked and shared memories while making new ones.

One of our most important goals is to get the growing Trails of Resilience community to set up its own hikes and reach out to others. Whether it’s a memorial hike or a hike to battle a bad day, we want everyone to be involved.

And we are here to help plan anything out. What we do is raise awareness of addiction, depression, anxiety and PTSD. We want to let others know they are not alone.

Trails of Resilience originally started with the idea of raising awareness for opiate abuse until I realized that it was much more personal for me than that and that there were many more people out there who could benefit. Laura Stull has been my biggest help through this entire project. There is so much I never would have been able to do without her help and support.

In June 2010 I married Chris Desjardin, a man who was funny, outgoing, energetic and who loved his family. He absolutely loved to be outdoors, especially hiking. And let

me tell you, I hated it. The only way he could get me to go was to make a deal with me. If I went on 10 hikes, we could try for a baby! I got about three hikes in before my depression and his addictions ran their course on our relationship, and we were apart within the year. The friendship we had never died, though.

The love was always there.

In March 2014 we lost him to his battle with addiction, and I lost myself deeper into depression. With every loss it seems my depression would get harder, but with the loss of Chris, it was just too overwhelming. So I decided that I needed to grieve in a way that worked for me, and that was to do something

that he loved. Hike. And so it began. I started hiking all the places we hiked and then some.

This is how Trails of Resilience came alive. If you’re feeling sad, reach out to someone in the community. Plan a hike! Get to the top of that mountain and conquer the day, those feelings, that loss. If you know someone is suffering, ask them to go on a hike. I know with every hike, Chris is with me. And even if it is only one day, it’s better at the top with a friend and a view than at your bottom, home alone.

For more information email trailsofresilience@gmail.com.

A Trails of Resilience team hiked Mt. Philo on June 11 in memory of Chris Desjardin of Colchester.“There were so many smiles, and people came together to show their love for him. We talked and shared memories while making new ones.”

Photo submitted by Megan Manley

Since it was founded in March of 1971, the Charlotte Shelburne Rotary Club has been active in the towns from which it draws its members, recognizing that members may live in Charlotte or Shelburne and work in other municipalities, or live in other towns but find the Charlotte Shelburne Rotary Club meeting time and location convenient for them.

Hinesburg is a neighboring town with a close relationship to its Chittenden County neighbors as part of the union school district. This year, in recognition of that relationship and of the Hinesburg residents who have been active members of the club for years, and to encourage Hinesburg residents to know they are welcome to join Rotary, the name of the club has been officially changed to Charlotte Shelburne Hinesburg Rotary Club.

When Vermonter Paul Harris founded Rotary in 1905, one of the primary tenets of the organization was its diversity. In fact, in those early years a club could only have one member from any career path or profession.

That strict guideline has been gone for many years, and the membership is now diverse (women have been members since 1989) with 1.2 million members around the world, young and old, continuing the original goals of bringing together people from many backgrounds to exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships and give back to their communities.

That diversity is embodied in the Charlotte Shelburne Hinesburg Rotary Club that meets every Wednesday morning in the Community Room of Trinity Episcopal Church on Route 7 in Shelburne. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary (and enjoying a good breakfast, an interesting speaker and lively conversation) is welcome to attend.

And new members are always a cause for celebration.

The latest group of new members certainly personifies the diversity

Champion Trees 7• Library News 9 • Sports 13• Community Events 16

see ROTARY page 16

2 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Editorial

Join us for The Charlotte News Diamond Jubilee year Welcome to the first edition of our 60th year in production. I have been editor for just under a year and am still steadying my legs. There’s a Lynn Monty tremendous amount EDITOR IN CHIEF to do, with people to meet, events to cover and, of course, the actual editing and producing of this healthy local biweekly newspaper. Add into this mix the weight of getting it all right. This takes a high level of passion and perseverance. It’s no secret I stand on the shoulders of giants, starting with the paper’s founder (and 14th editor), Nancy Wood, and continuing through 16 other editors in chief. It seems each editor here at The News has left a legacy—his or her own special mark of success which led to the next. I hope to do so as well.

The year ahead will be packed with celebrations honoring The Charlotte News’s legacy in town. Editors past will contribute regularly. (See Nancy Wood’s commentary on page 3.) Usually a jubilee is an anniversary associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of years, so it’s quite fitting The News will have a jubilee year since we have always reigned supreme with the finest local news in town. We will host a number of events to mark this momentous occasion.

Stay tuned—I will keep you posted.

From a typed newsletter to a fullcolor print and digital newspaper format today, much has changed. The newspaper industry has always transformed itself to adapt to an ever-changing media culture, but the fastest and most distressing changes have occurred over the past two decades.

The Charlotte News was once the only local news source in town. Today there are so many avenues an information seeker can travel, most of which begin right inside of a cell phone. From Front Porch Forum to Craigslist, what people seek locally they will find right in the palm of their hands. It’s a new world.

Somehow picking up a newspaper seems rather archaic, especially to youngsters under the age of 30. How will we ever compete?

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, they say. Competition is healthy because it forces us to work harder, to do our best and to make positive change. But I have to tell you, Charlotters are contributing regularly, as always. We have about 7,000 dedicated readers of the print publication, and digitally we have almost 4,000 online readers monthly. That number continues to grow since the implementation of our new website in January. I have worked diligently to make our digital footprint deeper and wider, creating a bridge for The News to travel seamlessly into the hands of the next generation of data

hunters.

As the sun sets on print in the decades to come, I am hoping my legacy will be one of opening a grand digital doorway for Charlotters to arrive effortlessly onto new media’s grand foyer. Until then, my own love of newsprint will reign supreme. Because, to be honest, if I have my druthers The Charlotte News will be the last nonprofit newspaper on stands in the state. Who is with me on that?

While we have embraced the digital age out of necessity and because it provides a broader and more contemporary response and reach to readers of The Charlotte News, we also know that content is critical to the quality of any news forum and to the reader’s connection to our community, whether that news is delivered in print, online or through another medium.

We think you’ll agree that local news is the best news. Another way to think of The Charlotte News is much like you do our volunteer fire department. We’re here when you need us. We know our job and can locate all of the nooks and crannies in town. We have traveled every bumpy road and have met almost every home and business owner. In other words, we’re invested in a way that only locals care about. While others can drop a good story every now and then, it’s not likely that they’ll stick around for long. We will and we have.

The Charlotte News will continue to champion everything that makes Charlotte newsworthy. If it’s meaningful to you, you can bet it holds the same importance to us. So, thank you for celebrating with us and for continuing to support a truly local institution that still has stories to tell and will for years to come.

Let me ask you, how do you read your news? Email me at Lynn@ TheCharlotteNews.org. I would love to hear from you. And send along your own contributions. I am always looking for photos, videos and, of course, your stories. See you at a jubilee event this year! Whatever shall we wear?

The Charlotte News

The Charlotte News is a nonprofit community-based newspaper dedicated to informing townspeople of current events and issues. It serves as a forum for the free exchange of views of town residents and celebrates the people, places and happenings that make the Town of Charlotte unique.

Contributions in the form of articles, press releases and photographs pertaining to Charlotte-related people and events are accepted and encouraged. For submission guidelines and deadlines, please visit our website or contact the editor at news@thecharlottenews.org.

The Charlotte News is published in Charlotte

by The Charlotte News, Inc., a Vermont domestic 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation.

Distribution is made every other Thursday to all households and businesses in Charlotte and to more than 50 outlets in Shelburne, Hinesburg, North Ferrisburgh, Ferrisburgh, Vergennes and Burlington. The Charlotte News relies on the generous financial contributions of its readers, subscriptions and advertising revenue to sustain its operations.

Editorial Staff news@thecharlottenews.org / 425-4949 Editor in chief: Lynn Monty Layout manager: Anna Cyr Staff writers: Keith Morrill, Heather McKim Outwater intern: Sarah Wolverton, Morgan Magoon Contributing editor: Edd Merritt Copy editors: Beth Merritt, Vince Crockenberg, Carol Hanley, Edd Merritt, Janet Yantachka Business Staff ads@thecharlottenews.org / 343-0279 Ad manager: Monica Marshall Business manager: Jessica Lucia Board Members President: Vince Crockenberg Secretaries: Rick Detwiler, Carol Hanley Treasurer: Patrice Machavern Board members: Rachel Allard, Bob Bloch, Rick Detwiler, Carol Hanley, Gay Regan, Louisa Schibli Contributors Meg Berlin, Jorden Blucher, Makayla Bonilla, Peter Demick, Chris Falk, Rosalyn Graham, Lee Krohn, Megan Manley, Nancy Menard, Heather Morse, Laurie Thomas, Genevieve Trono, Alice Outwater, Sarah Soule, Kathie Wagner, Nancy Wood and Margaret Woodruff Subscription Information The Charlotte News is delivered at no cost to all Charlotte residences. Subscriptions are available for first-class delivery at $40 per calendar year. Want a subscription? Please send a check payable to The Charlotte News, PO Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445.

Email your news announcements to news @thecharlottenews.org

Postmaster/Send address changes to: The Charlotte News P.O. Box 251, Charlotte, VT 05445 Telephone: 425-4949 Circulation: 3,000 copies per issue.

Copyright © 2017 The Charlotte News, Inc. Printed in Burlington, Vermont, by Gannet Publishing Services Member of the New England Newspaper and Press Association and the Vermont Press Association.

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 3

Commentary

Questions and concerns about the new town trail Peter Demick of Charlotte I like trails. Calm reflective strolls listening to birds in the trees. What I don’t like are bad trails shoved down our throat.

Recently the Trails Committee received 10 minutes in the Selectboard to approve a half million dollar “Part A of Phase 1” request for funding that was not the funding that the public voted on.

In fact, it was $65K short. You see, the actual matching grant needed to be put up by the Town (our money) was not the $40K but $105K. Really, and no one saw this coming, a clerical error? Ten percent, 25 percent, aww, it is just money. Lots of money.

And, the money was to remove the entire tree line down the north side of State Park Road. Fifteen feet in a 400 plus foot long retaining wall to protect the wetlands after going through it. A mini road off the side of the road. We are talking about over a hundred mature trees of all kinds, hardwoods and softwoods, virtually stripping away the canopy that now covers the road. How do you think that would look from the overlook of Mt. Philo?

The “study” suggested this to be the best route. That firmly goes against the Trail Mission statement to minimize disturbance. Three people during the meeting wanted to know how much the three parts of Phase 1 would cost. No answer. How many phases?

Now the Trails motto is not a trail for residents, but for visitors and residents, especially with the (wait for it) future park-and-ride behind the Town Hall with the CCTA transit bus bringing them in. For whom? Not the residents, that is for sure.

This intermodal transportation model was taken from big cities where trees aren’t so prevalent, it does in no way meet the character of Chittenden County’s most rural town.

Cutting huge swaths of trees and building roads through the woods is not Charlotte. I am sure the animals don’t like it. There need to be clarity of the scope of the project, and a lot more public input.

That half million dollar per section funding is adding up while you’re not looking.

It all started with a horse named Sox Nancy E. Wood FORMER EDITOR

With this issue of The Charlotte News, the yearlong countdown begins for the 60th anniversary of its initial publication on July 18, 1958. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and the same applies to birthing and nurturing a local newspaper that endures this long. Hundreds of Charlotters over this 60 years have contributed thousands of hours to keep it vital. But in the beginning, it all started with one recalcitrant horse.

Her name was Sox. Fun to ride, easy to care for, her one fault was a fear of trailers.

Obviously she had been persuaded to enter them before she became my horse, but it was beyond my ability (or my parents’) to coax her in. And we did not own a trailer. I could ride her anywhere I needed to go in Charlotte, including from my home at Cedar Beach to the Schermerhorn Farm across from CCS. That’s where she was boarded in the winter while I attended boarding school in Maine.

By the spring of 1958 it was clear it was time to part with Sox. I would be a senior in high school in the fall and then off to college.

I needed a summer job and would have less time for leisurely summer days of riding with my friends.

My father, Lyman Wood, was an advertising man. He considered the options for finding a buyer who lived close enough so we didn’t have to use a trailer. Remember, this was 1958. No email, no Craigslist, no Front Porch Forum. And most significant to this story, no local newspaper. The Burlington Free Press covered Chittenden County and the state. Classified ads were expensive, and what would we do if a buyer popped up in St. Albans? I loved to ride, but not that far.

My father was hospitalized with a heart attack that spring and received a visit from Reverend Neill from the Charlotte Congregational Church. I wasn’t there when they met, but knowing my dad, I suspect he shied away from talking about his condition and mortality. Instead, he proposed that the church start a newspaper for the town. I don’t know if he mentioned the need to run an ad about the horse.

He recovered and Reverend Neill ran with the idea. He commandeered the gaggle of teenagers who were sometime participants in the church youth group. I suspect Dad had volunteered me to help. And so it began, with an energetic crew of 33 kids as the volunteer staff and a few adults guiding our efforts. A chicken barbecue was held to raise money to buy the first mimeograph machine, paper, stencils, typewriter and ink. And staples. For years The News was two or three legal-size sheets of paper stapled together by hand. As now, it was published every two weeks and

Nancy Wood tries to load her horse, Sox, into a trailer. This is about as far as she would go without a lot of help.

Thirty-three teenagers made up the original staff of The Charlotte News, includingbestfriendsJaneButler,Connie Waller and Nancy Wood.

Courtesy photos mailed for free to every home in Charlotte.

I served as the first editor until leaving for school in September. My friend Connie Waller took over and ably served as editor through the next year. The youth group continued to write stories, find advertisers, staple and mail the papers. But as we all grew older and went our separate ways, the adults took over.

I’ve been asked if we ran an ad in the first issue and found a buyer for Sox in Charlotte.

But no, word of mouth brought us a buyer on Spear Street in South Burlington before the paper was printed. It was a long ride on horseback, but I delivered Sox to their door.

In 1958, there was little traffic on Spear Street.

However, my father, who spent much of his time experimenting with garden equipment, did run an ad for a different kind of “horse” in the first paper. I reread that issue this week and noticed a little handwritten ad at the bottom of the last page for a 3-horsepower rototiller.

The telephone number listed in the ad was VAlley 5-2761. That got me thinking about how things are both the same but different after 60 years. Over the years the “VA” for the Charlotte exchange became “82” and eventually today’s “42.” I still use the same but slightly different number as then: 4252761.

In 1958, the original Town Hall was being converted into a museum memorializing those who served in World War II. It continues today as the home of the Charlotte

Historical Society. Sixty years ago dairy farming was the major business in town.

Today’s farming has dramatically diversified with dairy, beef, berries, sheep, wine and CSAs all contributing to the burgeoning local foods economy.

In 1958, the community gathered in a variety of ways. The PTA held an annual bazaar at the school each August, with games of chance, food and more. Now the PTO sponsors a Champ Run and barbecue, and the town has the annual library sale and town beach party. A favorite summer recreation was water skiing, with speedboats prominent on the lake. Sailing was just becoming popular, mostly in small day sailboats like Lightnings. Today, the lake continues to be dominant for summer recreation, with 30- to 40-foot sailing yachts not uncommon.

And then there are the horses. In 1958, we were just a few kids who raced bareback around town for fun, while a handful of farms still used draft horses. Over time, the Charlotte Pony Club was formed, and for several years there was an annual Converse Bay Horse Show. Today, horses have become a major business in town, with what seems like more horse farms than dairy farms, helping to keep our beautiful landscape open and productive.

It pleases me to know that my one stubborn horse contributed to starting this paper that now, 60 years later, still chronicles the stories of our town.

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4 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Commentary

Facts about the Town Link Trail Laurie Thompson Co-Chair, Trails Committee The town voted twice for the $40,000 for trails. We explained at Town Meeting and on Front Porch Forum that we wanted to use that money as leverage for a grant. That is what we’re currently doing.

Silent majority: Now is the time to let your voices be heard. Please write to all the Selectboard members, to voice your support for the Town Link Trail and this grant.

Fact: Dean Bloch sent the grant application to the Selectboard members, but inadvertantly only page 6 came through. All Selectboard members have the full grant application at this time.

Fact: The tree warden has visited the site of the potential Town Link Trail section on State Park Road. and he told several Selectboard members that there are 6-8 trees of value that may need to be taken down. The Trails Committee, Conservation Commission, and the Selectboard looked at ways for the trail to go around the trees, if possible, on Monday night during the site visit.

Fact: Part of this VTrans grant application includes getting the wetlands permit and any other permits we may need.

Construction can’t happen until all permits are received.

Fact: The State Park Road section of the trail is a stand-alone section. When completed we will have a 2 1/4 mile trail that starts at Mt. Philo State Park and ends at Greenbush Rd. via Common Way. Residents and visitors can walk/bike from Mt. Philo all the way into West Charlotte Village via the trail, underpass, and a short ride on Greenbush Rd. Even without the section from co-housing to West Charlotte village, we will still have a great path and a great connection between East and West Charlotte under Route 7.

Fact: This grant has received a letter of support from Peter Keating of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. I refer you to the commission’s website, ccrpcvt.org, for the full plan of what they do. The financial section of transportation notes a shift in transportation funding from roadway investments and into more transportation alternatives like walking and cycling projects.

Fact: The reason the State is choosing to invest in transportation alternatives is that our future generations, the ones who will be buying our homes and our businesses, are looking to walk and bike within their communities and to and from work.

A Brookings Institute report states, “Based on the latest Census data from the 2013 American Community Survey,

changes are underway for younger and older commuters alike … By and large, millennials and Generation X are leading the charge toward a range of alternate modes, including public transportation and walking, while baby boomers continue to use their cars at high levels. Young millennials also represent the commuters who most frequently take public transportation (5.8 percent) and walk to work (6.6).

They’re not only ditching the car in traditional multimodal hubs like San Francisco, but in smaller metros as well.”

“Yet, driving dips aren’t simply limited to younger millennials; older millennials and Generation X commuters are shifting away from private vehicles in nearly equal numbers. Workers ages 25 to 54 saw their driving rate fall by 0.9 percentage points between 2007 and 2013.”

And should you think that this doesn’t apply to Vermont: A VPIRG report from October 2014 titled “Millennials in Motion” states: “Over the last decade, Young Americans have experienced the greatest changes: driving less; taking transit, biking and walking more; and seeking out places to live in cities and walkable communities where driving is an option, not a necessity. Now is the time for the Nation’s transportation policies to acknowledge, accommodate, and support Millennials’ demands for a greater array of transportation choices.”

If you are part of the silent, or not so silent, majority, write emails to Selectboard members, to show your support for Charlotte trails and this grant.

Email your news announcements to news@thecharlottenews.org

Around Town Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Congratulations:

to Sara and Brandt Nelsen of Charlotte whose daughter Vivian Page Nelsen was born May 24. to Adam Hamilton of Charlotte who earned placement on the University of New Hampshire dean’s list for the Spring 2017 semester. to Delanie Cynewski and Ethan McDonald of Charlotte who graduated from Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island this spring. Delanie earned a B.A. in international relations, Ethan a BS in architecture. to Beth Sachs of Burlington who with her late life-partner, Blair Hamilton (son of late Charlotte Tree Warden Larry Hamilton) founded the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC), a leading promoter of energy efficiency and passive solar production. Sachs recently received the Terry Erich Award for lifetime Achievement from the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Sachs and her organization were recognized for their contribution to Vermont’s fight against climate change, their advocacy for social justice and creation of a progressive and flexible workplace. to James Hebert, M.D. who was named as the 2017 recipient of the A. Bradley Soule Award by the University of Vermont College of Medicine. The award is the Medical Alumni Association’s highest honor, recognizing an alumnus whose “loyalty and dedication to the Larner College of Medicine most emulates those qualities as exhibited by the award’s namesake and first recipient, A. Bradley Soule, Jr., M.D.” A surgeon and member of the medical school class of 1977, Dr. Hebert stayed on as a surgical resident and has built his career at the Larner College of Medicine. He was described by colleague David Pilcher, M.D. as a “jack of all trades and master of many” in Pilcher’s book, Catamount Surgeons. During his tenure at UVM Hebert has held many leadership positions in the department of surgery including division chief for general surgery, vice chair for education, program director for the Surgery Residency and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education. Outside of his UVM positions, Hebert served on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons and as a director of the American Board of Surgery. He continues his philanthropic support of the college of medicine and serves on the UVM Leadership Council in addition to being a longtime resident of Charlotte. to Tyler Bolles, the bassist for the musi-

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 5

Around Town continued from previous page cal group Swale that released its new album, “There’s No One Here.” Tyler and his also musically-inclined brother, Dan, spent many of their formative years in Charlotte where their father was pastor of the Congregational Church. Swale introduced its new music Friday at the Light Club Lamp Shop on Intervale Avenue, Burlington as part a “Sumervale Food and Music Event.”

Sympathy:

is extended to family and friends of Janice Armell of Charlotte who passed away June 26 at the age of 80. A native of New Hampshire, she moved to Charlotte and worked here for many years at Eating Well Magazine. Her husband, Lester Armell and their son Eric predeceased her.

Her surviving family includes seven sons and daughters, 18 grandchildren and 34 great grandchildren. The family asks that those wishing to make donations in her memory consider doing so to the Shriners Hospital, 51 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114 or to the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Vermont, University of Vermont Medical Center Clinic, 790 College Parkway, Colchester VT 05439. is extended to family and friends of William Graham, M.D. of Charlotte who passed away June 29 at the age of 87.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Bill attended Harvard University before earning his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Having done a residency at Dartmouth, Bill served in the Air Force but wanted to return to northern New England. He met his wife, Valerie, while she was a medical student at Dartmouth, and they later lived in Washington, D.C., Boston and Albuquerque, New Mexico, before Bill accepted a professorship at UVM Medical School in 1971. Valerie survives him in Charlotte. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made

to Shelburne Farms or to the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival. There will be a celebration of his life at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne on Sunday, July 30, at 2:30 p.m.

Sympathy:

is extended to family and friends of Judy Rowe who passed away June 30 at the age of 84. After living in various sections of the country from Colorado to Connecticut as well as Vermont, Judy felt a pull to return and came to Charlotte in 1988.

While here she started North Country Journeys, a magazine for women looking for outdoor adventures. She was an early member of Ten Stones Community in Charlotte where she lived for 24 years.

The family suggests that those wishing to make a donation in her memory, consider doing so to the Charlotte Land Trust or to the Vermont Audubon Society.

Regional Bite:

National Politics hits the local scene Charlotte resident Brady Toensing, a state Republican Party official and Vermont campaign chair for President Trump, filed a complaint suit against Jane Sanders a year ago, alleging that she made fraudulent claims while looking to get $10 million for a real estate deal that would provide Burlington College with significant funds. Brady said that although Sanders left her post five years before the college closed in 2016, well in debt by that point, it was her doing that placed it in that position. Sander’s husband, Bernie, said that when his wife left in 2011, the school was sound both financially and academically. The issue did not disappear over the past year, and the Justice Department and FBI continue to look into the land deal.

The Charlotte, North Carolina Observer newspaper has one of the lengthier articles about the issue and quotes Toensing several times, saying that his complaint was of national interest because he says Senator Sander’s office “improperly pressured” the bank to approve the loan.

Town Request for planning and zoning fee reimbursement denied Wh en S co tt Hardy of New Haven wanted to subdivide a 10acre parcel of land on Mt. Philo Road into two five-acre lots, he applied for the proper permits, and the Planning Morgan Magoon C o m m i s s i o n NEWS INTERN approved it in 2015. But Hardy neglected to file an important document within the required 180 days and had to pay the $1,200 subdivision fee a second time for an identical plat.

A plat is a plan or map of a proposed subdivision. The subdivision fee covers the work of the Planning Commission as well as the town clerk. According to Vermont law, “The approval of the appropriate municipal panel shall expire 180 days from that approval or certification unless, within that 180-day period, that plat shall have been duly filed or recorded in the office of the clerk of the municipality.”

Charlotte Land Use and Development Regulations also states that the applicant has 180 days to file their plat.

Hardy asked to be reimbursed for the planning and zoning fee he had to pay a second time, arguing that miscommunication was an obstacle to meeting the original deadline. At a Selectboard meeting on June 12 there was confusion about when Jeannine McCrumb, the town planner during the time of Hardy’s original plat submission, had ceased working for the town. Her departure caused a lapse in coverage of the position and perhaps a subsequent lack of communication with Hardy about the plat.

Town Planner Daryl Benoit said McCrumb’s tenure was irrelevant to the circumstances. He also said that, in March, Hardy had claimed in an email that he had no decision in his records and was wondering

if the town had ever sent it to him. “We went through the records and found a copy of a certified mail slip confirming his receipt of the decision with his signature,” Benoit said. “This may exemplify the reasoning behind the State’s requirement to send decisions to the applicant by certified mail.”

When asked if there was a town policy on reimbursing fees, Benoit said, “It’s entirely up to the Selectboard, but it is a state law to file a plat in 180 days.”

On June 26, a second Charlotte Selectboard meeting heard Hardy’s reimbursement request. Hardy reiterated what he said in the previous meeting, which was that it was a mistake and that both plats submitted and paid for were identical.

Selectboard member Fritz Tegatz did not want to shift the applicant’s responsibility to the town. The concern was that if the application fee was refunded it would create complications and establish a precedent for similar cases.

A motion to refund part of Hardy’s second planning and zoning fee and keep $200 for clerical fees and time was voted on and failed; therefore Hardy will not be receiving a refund. Hardy declined to comment on the Selectboard’s decision.

Both of Hardy’s lots are for sale at this time. Recently a prospective buyer applied for permits to turn an old barn on one of the lots into a wedding event space. That was ultimately denied. Hardy said he is looking for creative solutions to save the old barn and is open to ideas.

Morgan Magoon is a Charlotte resident and a 2016 CVU graduate. She is currently a student at the University of Rhode Island where she is a communications major and is thinking about pursuing writing and/or gender studies as a minor. She also spends her time reading and sketching. She is passionate about physical fitness and wants to use her internship to gain experience as a writer to aid her in her studies and strengthen her voice as a journalist.

Photo of the week

Stone Foundation Repair Restoration

A crawfish escaping the endless water by coming up the lawn.

Photo by Peter Demick

Dry Stone Walls Beautiful Seawall Construction

6 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Town

Town purchasing process to have stricter oversight Heather McKim STAFF WRITER

Town purchasing practices—more specifically, the way purchasing paperwork is handled—were a matter of concern at the June 26 Selectboard meeting. The Selectboard voted to amend the policy to shift toward greater oversight. Committees and departments are now required to submit all purchasing documentation to the town clerk.

The move was prompted by a request from Town Clerk/Treasurer Mary Mead. She suggested all bid paperwork should reside in Town Hall rather than held by various members of committees and departments. This would ensure that when committee members leave the paperwork won’t go with them.

Mead also said, after describing the requirement of obtaining three quotes for projects, that often, when the town gets a bill for a project, there is no supporting documentation that the steps necessary under the purchasing policy have been completed.

Board members voted unanimously to amend the policy to require the

town’s committees and departments to submit all purchase documentation to the Town Clerk/Treasurer’s office. This will include “a list of vendors contacted, date, and copies of all quotes, vendor correspondence and a copy of any agreement and/or contract documents executed after accepting the quote.”

Documents will need to be submitted when an agreement authorizing work to be done has been reached.

While this change is a small one in terms of policy language, it does mark a fairly notable shift from the previous process, which had documents residing with various members of committees and departments. “It was a minor change that requires the town to maintain a history of quotes for various projects bid,” Selectboard Chair Lane Morrison said, noting that it was undertaken at Mead’s urging. “[It is] good to have this history as a reference for budgeting in future years.

Heather McKim is a freelance writer who spent a half decade covering Shelburne for The Shelburne News.

She has a passion for books, cooking and municipal affairs.

Summer flora springs forth vibrant sparks of color

Summer flora springs forth vibrant sparks of color on Charlotte’s nature trails. “I took this photo while on a nature walk with my mentor, Sarah Soule. I enjoy taking photos.”

Photo by Makayla Bonilla, 14, of South Burlington

VBSR honors Charlotte’s Milk Money with Innovation and Inspiration Award Staff report

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Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility is proud to announce the awardees of their 2017 awards, which will be given out at the organization’s 16th annual awards ceremony and dinner on Sept. 14 at Basin Harbor in Vergennes.

VBSR is a statewide, nonprofit business association that is 750 members strong. This year, Beth Sachs, co-founder and director emerita of Vermont Energy Investment Cooperation (VEIC), will receive VBSR’s Terry Ehrich Award for Lifetime Achievement (see Around Town, on page 4.)

In additional, Benjamin Adler, founder and owner of Skinny Pancake, Inc., will receive the organization’s Young Changemaker Award, and Milk Money and SunCommon will be recognized with VBSR’s Innovation and Inspiration Award in the categories of small and large VBSR member.

“We are so pleased with this year’s group of award winners,” said Jane Campbell, VBSR’s executive director. “Beth Sachs’ contribution to our state’s focus on the reduction of fossil fuel consumption and the importance of workplace equality and

flexibility cannot be overstated. Benjamin Adler’s focus on a secure local food system has sent positive ripples throughout the state’s agricultural economy, and Milk Money and SunCommon continue to innovate, bringing Vermonters’ products that were once considered too expensive or elitist to regular Vermonters. Vermont is a better place because of these people, their values and their organizations.”

Milk Money of Charlotte was launched in July 2015 with a vision to connect Vermont investors with Vermont entrepreneurs to fill a gap in the early-stage capital market. VBSR’s nominating committee chose to recognize Milk Money for its work to bring investment opportunities to regular Vermonters, while strengthening the local economy.

Campbell said both the Young Changemaker Award and the Innovation and Inspiration Awards will be given out for the first time at this year’s award ceremony.

She expects the event to draw nearly 200 attendees because of the location of the event, networking opportunities and the caliber of awardees.

For more information visit vbsr.org/ events.

Local Church Services

Charlotte Congregational Church, UCC 403 Church Hill Road, 425-3176 Regular Sunday service: 10 a.m.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church Spear Street, 425-2637

Sister parish: St. Jude’s, Hinesburg Regular schedule of masses: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., at St. Jude’s Sunday, 8 a.m. and 11 a.m., at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Sunday, 9:30 a.m., at St. Jude’s, Hinesburg

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 7

Town New champion big trees in Charlotte Vince Crockenberg

TREE TRIBE MEMBER

Since the publication of the Charlotte Big Trees roster in the May 31 issue of The Charlotte News, we have crowned several new champions. They include a new Black Maple with a circumference of 87 inches on Lake Road Extension, a new Sugar Maple of 211 inches on Ron Purdum’s property on Fox Run Road and a new Bur Oak of 182 inches on Hills Point Road.

Matt Krasnow has checked in with a successor to the Charlotte and New England champion Slippery (Red) Elm that died last year of Dutch elm disease.

The new champ measures in at only103 inches, less than half the 232-inch girth of

Champion sugar maple.

the previous champion, but it’s still young with, we hope, a lot of growing to do. And Dale Garvey’s champion White (European) Poplar of 93 inches on Baldwin Road is a new entry on the Big Tree roster.

The News maintains a complete list of Charlotte’s champion trees on our website at www.CharlotteNewsVT.org. The list will be updated whenever a new champion is certified.

If you have a candidate for champion status, including one for a species not yet on the roster contact Vince Crockenberg at vince.crockenberg@gmail.com, and a member of Charlotte’s Tree Tribe will set up a visit to confirm the tree’s identity and circumference.

Photo by Vince Crockenberg

Photo by Meg Berlin

Champion bur oak.

Tree Warden Mark Dillenbeck with the champion white poplar.

Photo by Deputy Tree Warden Sue Smith

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8 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Town Milk truck rollover on Route 7

Naptime on the farm

Charlotte Assistant Chief Rob Mullin said a single-axle box truck rolled over onto its side in the ditch off Route 7 in Charlotte Friday afternoon. The cause of the accident is unknown. All occupants were evaluated by Charlotte Rescue and refused transport to the hospital. Charlotte units remained on scene for more than three hours to assist Rick’sTowingwithadifficultrecovery,Mullinsaid.EthanAllenHighwayremainedopen with two-away traffic for the entire incident.

Photo by Chris Falk

Letter of intent for Town Link Trail grant approved by Selectboard Staff report Talk of potential development of the Town Link Trail section on State Park Road sparked lively discussion at the Charlotte Town Selectboard meeting on July 10. Miscommunication arose prior to the meeting when Selectboard members received only one page of a six-page grant application. All Selectboard members have the full grant application at this time.

The Selectboard voted unanimously to approve a letter of intent to apply for the $676,620 VTRANS grant to develop the State Park Road section of the Town Link Trail. This in no way obligates the town to accept the grant if it is awarded in December, nor will the town incur any financial burden at this time.

The project is slated to connect East and West Charlotte under Route 7.

Piglets snuggle in for a midday nap at Fat Cow Farm on June 23. This Charlotte farm is located at 800 Bingham Brook Road. Stop by to visit with the animals.

For more information email fatcowfarmstore@gmail.com.

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The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 9

Town Preschool Story Time: Fridays through July 28 at 10:30 a.m. Drop in for stories, songs and crafts. For ages 3–5.

Let’s Build A Better World. Mondays through July 31 at 10:30 a.m. Join us to create and investigate all kinds of construction, including robots, marble runs, slime and Lego blocks creations. For ages 9 and up.

Margaret Woodruff LIBRARY DIRECTOR

Summertime fun!

Children’s programs: Building a better future

Summer is on and we’re here with fun programs and activities to entertain all ages at home as well as books of the audio and text variety for entertainment while you travel. There’s still time to sign up and be part of our official Charlotte Library Summer Reading venture and try out our new marble run for 2017.

Story Times and Project Sessions Reading fun at Adam’s Berry Farm.

Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. Meet us at the farm for a summer of berries, great stories, gardening and busy activities. All ages are welcome.

Let’s Build a Better World. Wednesdays through July 26 at 10:30 a.m. The same fun as our Monday group, for the early elementary set, for ages 5–8.

S T E A M Encounters for All Ages Minecraft League. Tuesdays at 10 a.m. starting July 11. Bring your Minecraft mania to the library and help build new worlds each week. Please bring your own device loaded with Minecraft pocket edition. For ages 7 and up with basic knowledge of Minecraft.

Biomimicry: Viewing Nature’s Patterns & Strategies. Monday, July 24, at 6 p.m.

Presented by Jan Schwarz of project micro.

For ages 7 and up.

Drop-in Coding Club. Thursdays at 10 a.m. through July 27 (except July 20). Build your own code to animate and create. For ages 9 and up. All levels of coding welcome.

Materials provided.

STEAM Challenge Camp. Tuesday– Friday, August 1–4, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Do you love science, math and art? Discover the possibilities in this fun exploration camp! Sign up for one day or all four. For ages 8–11. Funded by the Tinkerbelle’s grant from John & Alice Outwater.

Solar Eclipse Celebration. Monday, August 21, at 1 p.m. Lunar activities and viewing of the eclipse. Viewing glasses provided. All ages are welcome.

Summer of Numbers. Can doing math in the summer be fun? Yes, with the Summer of Numbers and a daily math problem. Just pick up a constellation chart and star stickers to track your progress. For all ages.

Summer Slate for Adults Berry Farm Book Club. Wednesdays, July 19 and August 23, at 6:30 p.m. Share a sample of food-related reading and discussion while enjoying a potluck of local food and drink at Adam’s Berry Farm. Reading selection for July 19 from Bringing It to the Table: On Farming & Food by Wendell Berry.

Bake for Good. Thursday, July 20, 9 a.m.– 1:30 p.m. With sponsorship from King Arthur flour, seniors and kids bake together, then enjoy and share what they make with the Senior Center and the Food Shelf. Lunch provided. Seniors of all ages, and children ages 9 and up.

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

Hammock Nappers Book Group. Pick up the selection the first full week of each month and take to your favorite summer reading spot. You can join in on our online discussion or just enjoy that glass of lemonade as you read. Pick up a copy of Spice: The History of a Temptation by Jack Turner, “a brilliant, original history of the spice trade and the appetites that fueled it.”

Gardening Gigs. We need help tending the library garden. If you’ve got horticultural energy to spare, sign up to weed, water and prepare the harvest. Information and garden tools available at the library. Check the library website to sign up.

Check out some summer fun!

Grand kits. Take home a bin full of fun to entertain your grand-friend!

Makey makey kits. Turn everyday objects like bananas into a touchpad with this kit and your computer!

Museum passes. Echo, Shelburne Farms, Birds of Vermont, Maritime Museum, VT state parks and more!

Online options. Learn a language.

Take an online class. Go to our website, charlottepubliclibrary.org, to find out more!

10 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Town

Education

“E Pluribus Unum” celebrates the great American melting pot

PUBLIC NOTICE: Charlotte Central School to destroy special education records Submitted by Kathie Wagner Notice is hereby given that the Chittenden South Supervisory Union, Charlotte Central School intends to destroy the special education records of all students who exited from any special education program during the 20112012 school year that were developed to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) at Charlotte Central School. This notice is in compliance with federal, state and local policies.

A parent, legal guardian or student

At Shelburne Farms on July 4, The Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s 2017 TD Bank Summer FestivalTour highlighted the diverse cultural heritage that has shaped our nation’s history.“E Pluribus Unum”celebrated the great American melting pot. For more dates visit VSO.org.

Photo by Lee Krohn

Propane tank leak on Garen Road in Charlotte Staff report

Charlotte Fire Department Assistant Chief Rob Mullin said Charlotte Fire and Rescue was dispatched to a reported leak in an underground propane tank at a residence at 553 Garen Road in the early evening on June 28.

Fire officers found a strong smell of propane at the road and down the driveway, Mullin said. Fire personnel met with the homeowner, and the tank was shut down with a hand line to suppress any vapors coming from the tank until the gas company was able to isolate the leak.

About 20 responders were on the scene. Responding agencies were Charlotte Fire Department, Charlotte Rescue, Ferrisburgh Fire Department and the Hinesburg Fire Department.

I Am a Cow I am a cow.

If we were in a French-speaking country, I would be referred to as a vache.

Anyway, I live a good life. My name is Vivian, and I have other cow friends.

I eat grass that is not sprayed with pesticides and I am loved by my owners.

I also give fresh milk to my owners. I am not raised to be slaughtered, because here on the farm my owners want our animals to live and to be raised well. I will just live on the farm until my day comes. I am a happy cow, and I sleep in a barn that is heated with warmth on the cold winter nights.

My owners are Vivian and Bob. I was named after my owner Vivian, because she loves me very much, and so does Bob. But my life isn’t always great. There is a rat that always comes and tries to eat my friend’s food. Her name is Sally; she is a duck. My other friends are Patty, the chicken, Rooper, the dog, Sandy, the horse, Mr. Pig, the pig, and Star, the lamb. We are all different, but we are all friends.

I am a cow. A happy cow.

Coco Eyre, grade 6

Providing Repair, Refinishing, Restoration and Transport

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

Martha’s Vineyard It’s that time of year again.

Every night I have dreams about my ocean home where the shells and seaglass are everywhere where my family and friends are.

The ocean is blue and wonderfully salty.

We bike everywhere from coast to coast smelling the fresh air.

The people are wonderful and the seafood is oh so fresh.

My friends and I go everywhere.

We bike to the chop shop, we walk to

(18 years old or older) may request records prior to destruction by contacting the Student Support Services Office at 425-6669 by July 31, 2017. If no student, parent or guardian responds to this public notice prior to or by July 31, 2017, the school district will assume consent to destroy the entire record specific to the student. You will be required to produce identification or provide verification data to acquire these records.

Destruction of these records will begin on Aug. 3, 2017.

the piers.

We all hang out in the tennis town.

Here we are on wonderful Martha’s Vineyard, in a tiny town, West Chop, our second home.

We come every year, and we eat good food, we stay up till 12, and hunt for skunks.

I see my loving family, and we have lots of outdoor barbecues.

We have smores under the stars and sing the wonderful songs that make us feel happy.

Less than two months till I’m back with the people I love and miss.

I can’t even wait to have lobster on my face, and to enjoy being in the place I love.

South Beach is calling my name.

I say “I’m coming, just you wait!”

I’ll be back soon, and I truly can’t wait to have tennis balls hitting my face.

Don’t worry, Martha’s Vineyard, I’ll be back soon.

Coco Eyre, grade 6 Ephemera The love was an ephemera that wouldn’t last.

It came in a warm then icy blast.

The love was an ephemera, it wasn’t meant to be.

In each other’s eyes, love they couldn’t see.

The love was an ephemera, short but enjoyed.

But, now each other, they shall always avoid.

The love was an ephemera, it wouldn’t last.

It came in a warm then icy blast.

Hadley Stockwell, grade 6

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 11

Education Reunited and it feels so good Charlotte Central School alumni reminisce about decades passed Sarah Soule CONTRIBUTOR

A group of Charlotte Central School graduates hosted a summer picnic to get together and reconnect. The 1970s class reunion was informally planned on Facebook. Forty students who had attended and/or graduated from CCS gathered at the town beach on Friday, July 7, for a pot luck picnic dinner. The primary organizers were Mary Jane Mack Gentes and Cheryl LaClair Martin. Friends gathered and enjoyed delicious food, conversation and laughter about memories of times spent at Charlotte Central. One attendee made homemade rolls as a tribute to Ethel Atkins, a mainstay at the school for years.

Mrs. Atkins made fresh rolls each day and served them at lunch to the students!

Cheryl LaClair Martin, Deb Patenaude, Sandy Paquette, Sarah Soule, Ellen Crane Lane, Mary Jane Mack Gentes, and Julie Jacques Mellish

The rolls to honor Ethel Atkins!

The people in this photo all grew up together on Route 7 and were childhood neighbors! Harrison Corse, Brenda Corse, Carol Varney, Julie Corse, Eric Folsom, and Dorothy Varney Hill Courtesy photos Peter Ferdinand, Gary Therrien, Gisele LaClair Hathaway and Alan Bean.

12 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Wherethefencelinetravels

Chris Falk

CONTRIBUTOR

Charlotte’s fences serve their function quietly; they flash past our car windows inconspicuously like trees and telephone poles. That these borders of fields and front yards are inconspicuous might be a blessing— we forget that fences can’t be so easily disregarded in cities or on our country’s borders. In these places they’re an inescapable presence—a reminder of freedom’s boundaries.

What I’m saying is we should appreciate the humble charm of our local fences. Even with their gaps and rust and knotholes they’ve got a utilitarian beauty. Notice them, admire them or photograph them—but don’t be on the fence about them.

Photos by Chris Falk

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 13

Sports Edd’s Sports Report Edd Merritt CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

It’s the all-star season

From twin-state games to in-state stars, sports and individuals have taken the form of all-star prowess in the last month.

Ute Otley “Coach of the Year.”

CVU women’s basketball coach, Ute Otley led her charges to a fifth straight state championship last winter with a three-point win over a tough Saint Johnsbury team. It did not happen without serious sweat and determination, however, having lost her top scorers and team leaders for the last four years. Annabelle Pugliese, Laurel Jaunich and Ute’s daughter, Sadie, had never played for a losing team as long as they were at CVU. They didn’t know the meaning of the word. Having gone four seasons without a loss in the state’s top division, the Redhawks set a record in Vermont for consecutive wins at 96. This past season was slightly more strenuous, however, its toughest point, perhaps, being a loss to BFA St. Albans on CVU’s home court. However, the BFA loss seemed to turn things around as Otley managed to step in with some game preparations that led her team to its fifth straight state title and earn her “Coach of the Year” honors from the Burlington Free Press. Her assistant coach, Dick Carlson, is quoted in Friday’s Free Press saying, “This year she had to make adaptations and changes. She didn’t have the big-name players, and maybe there’s more credit this year from when she had star players.” She had to go back to basics, build left-handed play and work strongly with guards whose outside moves and passing started moving the ball toward the basket in the Hawks’ offensive zone, producing the needed scoring plays.

CVU’s Tyler Marshall Vermont Athlete of the Year

Cross country running, Nordic skiing, outdoor track. You put Tyler Marshall, a senior at CVU, in the starting spots for any of these sports, and his legs do the rest.

They do so well, in fact, that he earned the title of “Male Athlete of the Year” from the Burlington Free Press, joining his woman counterpart, South Burlington’s Annika Nielsen who also starred in three sports for the soon-to-be Wolves. Alpine skiing brought her major victories, including the Eastern high school giant slalom championship that she earned in her fourth year as a member of Vermont’s regional team.

Marshall’s records included a fall victory with a record time in the Northern Vermont Athletic Conference (NVAC) Metro championships. He then went on to set the Division I 3,000-meters record and coupled it with victories at 800 and 1,500 meters.

His final competition came at the New England Meet when, despite not letting his coach know he would be competing, he finished seventh in a school record time.

CVU’s Parento scores winning goal in Make-A-Wish Hockey

Joe Parento knocked in Vermont’s winning goal in the third period to gain a 3-2 victory over New Hampshire and earn a split in the day’s Twin-State hockey games. It was Vermont’s first win in five years and only the second since 2004. New Hampshire gained the split by winning the women’s game 7-5 in the afternoon. The 25th annual tournament was played this year at UVM’s Gutterson Rink.

Coaches name all-star teams in lacrosse, baseball and softball

Let’s begin with the state champs in men’s lacrosse, the CVU Redhawks. The coaches named a number of them to Division I allstate teams in addition to Charlie Bernicke cited as an All-American and Walter Braun as a Vermont Lacrosse Coaches’ Green and Gold Outstanding Player. The high scoring Bernicke made Vermont’s D-I first team at attack with Walter Braun at midfield and Sam Comai as a long-stick midfielder. Ryan Trus earned second team at defense.

Buccaneers proudly march with championship trophy

The Buccaneers youth football team proudly walked the Williston Fourth of July parade while holding the NorthernVermontYouth Football League trophy.

Photo by Jill Diemer On the women’s ledger, the coaches selected Lydia Maitland and Bella Rieley at midfield on the Division I first team. Throughout the year the Redhawk middies played as strong a defense as they did offense, keeping the ball in the opponent’s end of the field through a large portion of many games. Cate Noel, a second-team all-stater, provided an offensive punch at attack, and Becca Provost, another midfielder, was also named to the second all-state team. Fiona Love made the second team on defense.

In addition to all-state status in lacrosse, Lydia Maitland was named by the Burlington Free Press in its July 9 issue as one of the athletes who left her mark in 2016-2017 in a number of sports. Writer Austin Danforth said she was a “midfield lynchpin” in field hockey, an “influential forward” on the Mount Mansfield/CVU women’s hockey team and earned a “coaches’ nod for her

PLANTS RO CKS W AT E R

exploits leading CVU to the D-I semifinals in lacrosse.”

The baseball diamond was the site of some strong play by CVU this year as well. The team earned a trip to the state tournament, making it through a playdown before losing to South Burlington in the quarterfinals.

Pitchers Hunter Anderson and Kyle Rivers were named first and second team Metro All-stars respectively. Liam Reiner, an infielder, made the second team as well.

Jacob Bortnick and Chris O’Brien received honorable mention.

A second team Metro star and three players receiving honorable mention were where CVU softballers fell this season. First-base person Natalie Gagnon earned a place on the second-team roster, while Shayla Lawrence, Paige Niarchos and Hattie Roberts all received honorable mention.

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14 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Sports

Machavern earns first podium in CTSC the halfway point Machavern, who exited the pits in P6, would show determination in a four-way battle for Three races in a week’s time in two the final podium position. With 12 series makes for a busy summer schedule, minutes remaining, Machavern would but for Dillon Machavern, switching pass for P3 and set his sights on the then gears between the single-driver purpose P2 McLaren. A pass on the last corner built race car of the TransAm Series to of the final lap secured the second the sports car, co-driver, pit stop format step on the podium, finishing 6.462 for IMSA–Continental Tire SportsCar seconds behind the No. 57 Stevenson Challenge–showcases his versatility.

Motorsports Camaro driven by Lidell/ CTSC requires a mandatory driver Bell. change and minimum drive time for each The pit stop by the RS1–The Race driver. The qualifying driver begins the Development Center / YouRulz crew– race and drives the first stint, turning the got the No.28 back on track in P6. The car over during a pit stop where crews patience to top the tank off proved to be change tires and refuel the race car. a pivotal decision in the outcome of the

Machavern’s co-driver, Dylan race. The final 54 minutes of the twoMurcott, qualified the No.28 RS-1 hour format race went the distance under Porsche Cayman GT4 MR in P3 and green flag conditions; taxing the fuel ran inside the top five throughout his capacity of the Porsche Cayman GT4 opening stint behind the wheel. During MR. Machavern would radio the team the race’s only full-course caution, just in the final two laps with fuel readings. before 50 minutes had elapsed, the team The response: Lift, coast, push harder. pitted for a driver change, fuel and tires. For Machavern and co-driver On the ensuing restart just past

Staff report

Photo by Halston Pitman, Motor Sports Media Dylan Murcott, the runner-up result was a career-best in Continental Tire Challenge competition. Their previous best run was fourth in May’s race at Circuit of The Americas. The strong

Many costs come with buying a home…

finish tightens the championship points with Machavern/Murcott only 10 points out of first.

Upcoming Public Meetings Planning Commission: July 13 Town Plan work session at 7 p.m.

July 20 regular meeting at 7 p.m.

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The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 15

A Midsummer Night’s Dream brought to you by Hour-Glass Youth

Arts

Mozart in Charlotte John Hammer CONTRIBUTOR

The name Mel Kaplan, of Charlotte, is synonymous with that of Mozart in Vermont. He founded the Vermont Mozart Festival (VMF) in 1974 along with Professor William Metcalfe of UVM. The festival lasted 36 years until it succumbed to bad weather and financial stresses in 2010. Kaplan has refused to let die his vision of producing high-level classical music in northwestern Vermont and is now presenting performances under the name of The Kaplan Soirées.

For the most part, the soirées have been performed in the intimacy of the Kaplan home at Fox Horn Farm on Spear Street in East Charlotte. They consist of chamber music, which is heard at its best in small spaces where the nuanced scores can best be appreciated. The performances are free to the public but are limited to 35, which makes for an even more intimate setting. The concerts will take place on July 14 at 8 p.m., July 16 at 3:30 p.m., Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. and Aug. 13 at 2 p.m.

The August 13 program will feature the works of the wildly popular Gilbert and Sullivan. Included will be works

Staff report Do you enjoy a good laugh and want an entertaining evening? Join the HourGlass Youth Theatre for its production of Shakespeare’s classical, heart-felt play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Performed by a small group of local youths, this comedy will explore all the colors of the imagination and the power of the imagination to transform and change.

Come join Puck as he works his mischief on the pairs of unsuspecting lovers, and witness these magical events as they unfold with unintended disaster and humor. The only question left: What is real?

Appropriate and entertaining for all ages.

All performances are by donation.

Performances are Thursday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes, and Friday, July 14, at 1 p.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center.

For more information please visit hourglassyouththeatre.weebly.com.

from The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore. These concerts were considered some of the most anticipated during the original VMF series. They were, and will be, performed by members of the Oriana Singers and instrumentalists from the New York Chamber Soloists, led by Metcalfe.

This year’s event will be held in collaboration with William Racolin and his family. It will be held at their beautiful farm on Lake Road just west of Orchard Road in Charlotte.

The final event of the series is not a soirée but a full-blown orchestral concert featuring an all-Mozart program at 8 p.m. on Aug. 20. This too will be held indoors in the beautiful Club Room at the Basin Harbor Club. Members of the New York Chamber Soloists will be performing. There will be a nominal entrance fee of $25.

Questions regarding locations, tickets or details of each performance may be obtained from Kaplan at melvinkaplan29@gmail.com or 425-2209.

It is only fair to add that the sequel to the original Vermont Mozart Festival is one similarly named and produced by Michael Dabroski. His performances are scheduled for the Charlotte Beach on July 20 and 27 and August 3.

Charlotte community Beach Party & POT LUCK Saturday July 15th 4-8pm Beach Free admission & parking with POT LUCK dish** Free Misty Knoll chicken & Fat Cow Farm burger BBQ Stony Loam Farm salad & Adams Berry Farm dessert Live music with the Mystic Party Band

Photos contributed

** If no pot luck please consider a $5.00 donation

Bouncy House / Volleyball / Tennis / Soccer / Petanque Playground / Disc golf / Horseshoes / Pickleball For more information contact: Bill Fraser-Harris billandeva@gmavt.net Please NO DOGS No trash: Carry-in/Carry-out

16 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

ROTARY

continued from page 1 of Rotary: a realtor, an audiologist, a recently elected member of the Legislature and a financial advisor. At the June 14 gathering at Fisher Brothers Farm for the annual Changing of the Guard, when officers for the next year take the reins, President Judith Christensen, a psychology professor at University of Vermont, was succeeded in the leadership role by Eric Kolomaznik,

Community Events

a holistic financial advisor.

The new president leads a board and a 75-member organization that continues the commitment to the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self,” a motto that is embodied in service projects in the communities of Charlotte, Shelburne and Hinesburg, ranging from organizing the popular annual Halloween Parade in Shelburne, to tackling construction projects at CVU and Charlotte Central School, serving breakfast at Camp Ta Kum Ta and presenting scholarships to local students to support their continuing education.

Youth theater: A Midsummer Night’s Dream brought to you by Hour-Glass Youth Theatre on Thursday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m. at Bixby Memorial Library in Vergennes, and Friday, July 14, at 1 p.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center. For more information visit hourglassyouththeatre. weebly.com.

Beach party: Charlotte Community Beach Party and Pot Luck from 4 to 8 p.m. on July 15. Free admission and parking with pot luck dish. Misty Knoll chicken and Fat Cow Farm burgers, Stony Loam Farm salad and Adam Berry Farm dessert. Live music with the Mystic Party Band. Outdoor Gear Exchange stand-up paddleboards, Suncommon Solar bouncy house and more! For more information email Bill Fraser-Harris at billandeva@gmavt.net.

Prayer: The Charlotte Congregational Church is sponsoring the workshop, “An Introduction to Centering Prayer,” at 8:30 a.m. on July 15. Centering prayer is a very simple meditation technique rooted in the Christian tradition. There are but two requirements: be able to sit in a chair for 20 minutes, and have some curiosity about your inner life. That’s it.

Free. Please RSVP to (808) 386-3644.

CVU reunion: Champlain Valley Union High School Class of 1972 will host a reunion from 3 to 8 p.m. at Cedar Knoll Country Club in Hinesburg on Saturday, July 15. Light fare. Golf is available. Please RSVP to Gary Shepard at gshep18@yahoo.com.

The newest members of Charlotte Shelburne Hinesburg Rotary are, left to right, Eric Kolomaznik, Keith Walsh, Irina Norrell and Jessica Brumstead.

Photo by Jane McKnight

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Mozart festival: The Vermont Mozart Festival will hold concerts at Charlotte Town Beach on July 20, 27 and August 3, each at 7 p.m. There will be a parking fee. For more information email info@ vermontmozartfestival.org.

French-Canadian heritage: Honor our town’s French-Canadian heritage by joining the Charlotte Historical Society as it presents Va-et-Vient, a trio of Vermont women who will be performing traditional French-Canadian music at the Charlotte Grange Hall on Spear Street on Tuesday, July 25, at 7 p.m. Refreshments will follow.

This group is highly recommended

by Alliance Française and recently performed for American and Canadian dignitaries at the City of Burlington’s French Heritage Festival. Come and enjoy. For further information contact Dan Cole at (802) 425-3105 or email colelogcabin@gmavt.net.

Red Balloon reunion: A Red Balloon reunion will take place on Aug. 5 at 4 p.m. at the Red Balloon on 3998 Greenbush Road. It is a potluck; please

pass on the word to Red Balloon students, parents, families and teachers.

RSVP to barbara.jean.lawrence@gmail. com or call 425-3068.

Free market: Spear’s Corner Store is having its first “Free Market on the Green” from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 19.

This once-a-summer event will be a yard sale/free market for anyone wanting to sell anything from jams and crafts to the last bit of goods that didn’t make your spring yard sale. To register email Emily at ejadsit@gmail.com. Twenty spots are available, and the deadline is Aug. 12.

Summer tai chi: Open to all adults whether beginning or advanced students. Designed to keep you engaged and current in your practice.

All programs offer a falls-prevention component and are safe for persons with inflammatory joint conditions. These will be held on Mondays from 10 to 11 a.m. through Aug. 14 at the Charlotte Congregational Church. To register please contact Mary West at (802) 9220498 or email igolflikeagirl@gmail.com.

Museum: The Charlotte Museum, on the corner of Church Hill Road and Hinesburg Road, will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. each Sunday through Aug. 26.

New exhibits this year include a recently acquired portrait of Henry and Elizabeth (Palmer) Thorp, who at one time owned the Thorp Barn in the Charlotte Park & Wildlife Refuge, and information and early photographs of the Prindle family, one of Charlotte’s significant early families. This includes Cyrus Guernsey Pringle, renowned botanist who chose to use the old-fashioned surname spelling.

For further information, contact Dan Cole at (802) 425-3105 or email at colelogcabin@gmavt.net.

Farm Tour: Tour of “A Place For All People” exhibits and Historic Barn House at The Clemmons Family Farm on 2122 Greenbush Road through Oct. For more information call (802) 3100097 or email ClemmonsFamilyFarm@ gmail.com.

Bake-off: A maple-themed bake-off is scheduled to happen at the East Charlotte Tractor Parade on Oct. 8. This is hosted

by Spear’s Corner Store. Bakers are urged to sign up now. Visitors are the judges and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. will vote on their favorite baked good. Maple syrup (or flavor) must be an ingredient in the baked good. Please register with Emily at ejadsit@gmaill.com. Deadline is Oct. 1.

Please email Lynn@TheCharlotteNews. org to list your community event.

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The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 17

Charlotte parades in Hinesburg on the Fourth of July

Many people from our Charlotte community participated in and observed the Hinesburg Independence Day Parade on July 4.

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18 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Pets Best in show with Crangold Kennels Staff report Crangold Kennels in Charlotte is owned by Kathleen and Daniel Kehoe.

The two grew up in South Burlington and started married life owning a duplex home in Shelburne. After five years, five golden retrievers and two children, they wanted to move where they had more land.

They used to come to East Charlotte to train their dogs to retrieve on land and water and fell in love with a piece of property on Bean Road, Kathleen said.

Eventually they purchased 21.6 acres and built the home they live in today.

“Our life has always been centered around our dogs, so pretty much everything we do is because of the dogs,” she said. “A vacation for me is probably going to Golden Retriever Club of America National Speciality.”

The last National Speciality she attended was in Asheville, North Carolina, which had an entry of more than 1,000 goldens from all around the country. “I brought two dogs, Scout and his daughter Lola, and both came home with ribbons,” Kathleen said. This year she will be going to Maryland in late September with two dogs.

Breeding goldens keeps Dan and Kathleen busy year around, from researching a proposed future breeding to raising a litter of puppies, training a puppy for competition, and owning a stud dog that is actively used for siring litters.

“Our Scout recently had litters born in Colorado and Tennessee as well as here in Vermont and Canada,” Kathleen

said. On a smaller scale, they also do all-breed boarding, mostly sporting and mixed breed dogs, and limited grooming, mostly golden retrievers.

Dan as a teenager bought his first golden retriever female puppy and named her Rusty. Shortly after Dan and Kathleen married, Rusty was hit by a car and killed at the age of two. The couple wanted another golden and found a litter of six-week-old puppies in Hyde Park ready to go. “We paid $100,” Kathleen said, “and brought home a male puppy and named him Shanon.”

By the time Shanon turned two they found out that he had hip dysplasia.

“This is when my passion for learning everything I could about golden retrievers began,” Kathleen said. “I started learning about health issues and learned most golden breeders in this area were not X-raying the breeding stock. We started buying our golden puppies from golden breeders out of state that had hip clearances done on both parents.”

And after eight years of learning about goldens Kathleen and Dan bred their first litter. Today they have seven goldens that are from seven months to almost 11 years of age. They have two to three litters a year and have people from all parts of the country contacting them for a puppy or for breeding to Scout.

Since then they have bred and owned several golden retrievers that earned their American and Canadian champion titles. Kathleen has received the AKC Breeder of Merit. She bred and owned both parents of a female that has become a certified New England search and rescue dog on land and water.

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Kathleen tells people that there is more to a golden then the color or the fur, that it should be health, longevity and temperament over color (goldens range in color from almost white to a very dark reddish gold). For health clearances you will want certification from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals that the parents have hip, elbow and heart clearance, as well as get yearly updated eye clearances on dogs used in a breeding program.

Only sound-tempered dogs should be used in a breeding program. “I study pedigrees on health, longevity and temperament and choose a male for a proposed litter that I hope could complement my female and hopefully produce some outstanding, beautiful healthy puppies,” Kathleen said. “My philosophy is to better the breed, and I only want to produce goldens that are healthy, well-tempered and have that true majestic look of a golden retriever. I want to produce a puppy that could easily become a therapy, hunting, agility, obedience, conformation or a companion family pet. The sky’s the limit on what you can do with a golden.”

Plan ahead if you are considering a golden puppy in your future. Crangold Kennels is already being contacted for puppies in 2018. Once you take your puppy home from a breeder, continue that relationship with your breeder throughout the life of your dog. Many breeders offer things well past the sale of the puppy, whether it is puppy rearing advice, grooming or a place for puppy to stay if you go away, Kathleen said. Finding a good veterinarian is as important as finding a good breeder

Five-month-old Emmie with Kathleen Kehoe at her first show winning Best Baby Puppy in Speciality show.

Courtesy photo because they will now be taking care of your pet’s health. It should be a team of the breeder, veterinarian and you, the dog owner for a lifetime.

For more information visit Crangoldgoldenretrievers.com or email Crangold@hotmail.com.

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 19

Real Estate

To list or not to list, that is the question Options to consider before selling your home

So, it’s time to sell your home.

Will you use a realtor, or are you planning to navigate the sale on your own?

Here are some things to consider before you decide.

Heather Morse Are you tech CONTRIBUTOR savvy? Without the ability to market online or keep up your online profile you are hindering your chances of selling your home. About 90 percent of homebuyers use the internet in their home search at one point or another. Hundreds of sites, including Zillow, Trulia and Craigslist, provide the ability to search for real estate with specific criteria in mind.

They also allow homeowners to purchase and create their own listings and maintain them without the help of a realtor. If you choose to market your property on one of these sites, you will need to create each listing individually and maintain the information separately. If you want to change the price, description or status of your listing, you will need to log onto each site and change it manually.

Real estate agents pay to have access to these sites, as well as to hundreds of others that the real estate Multiple Listing Service (MLS) automatically populates. This offers an online presence where information is updated throughout the day. Beginning the day a listing goes into the MLS, and including any change an agent makes to the data, information is automatically updated on all other sites from a single change in the MLS data.

Realtors pay dues and purchase services to help provide the best marketing plans for their clients. Online presence is one of the perks that benefits sellers when using a

realtor.

Selecting the perfect price point to get a quick and acceptable offer is important. Overpriced homes tend to stay on the market longer than well-priced homes. Stale listings can also lead to low-ball offers as buyers perceive sellers as getting “desperate.” Realtors have the tools, knowledge and experience to help you pick and understand the best starting price for your home.

Homeowners can try to select a price on their own, but for an accurate price it would be in their best interest to hire an appraiser to help them understand the market. Remember that the home has to appraise at or above the sale price for a buyer to obtain financing. When you list too high you are eliminating many potential buyers who are qualified to purchase the home at fair market value.

Underpricing is also a risk. According to Realtor.com, “The typical FSBO home sold for $185,000 compared to $240,000 for agent-assisted home sales.”

Selling a property on your own requires diligence by the homeowner.

The owner has to be present to show the house. Buyers can be uncomfortable opening up in front of sellers and closely examining the property. Sellers can be uncomfortable checking with potential purchasers to make sure they are qualified. Realtors act as third parties, screen potential buyers to see if they are qualified and are present at the showings or provide secure access through a

computer-monitored lock box for other realtors to show the home. Having other realtors bringing buyers to your home also increases activity and showings far more quickly than if each buyer contacted you directly.

Selling your property on your own can save you from paying a commission, but it can be a full-time job— and you will still incur costs by involving an attorney to create and review contracts, an appraiser to help with pricing of your home, and a home inspector who can do a pre-listing inspection to reveal maintenance issues that may need attention prior to marketing our home.

These professionals would still be involved on a transaction if your property is listed with a realtor. However, their involvement will be far less complicated.

The forms that are provided by a realtor within a transaction are written by an attorney and are designed to have protections for both the buyer and the seller. Listing your property with a realtor gives you access to their pricing tools to come up with a price for your home without an appraisal, and they can point out many maintenance issues that should be corrected prior to listing. The appraisal and the inspection would then take place after an acceptable contract is signed— and then they would be paid for by the buyer.

Selling on your own is not for the faint of heart. Even with an agent a real estate transaction is stressful. One of the best things to do is to interview a realtor before you make your decision and ask them how they earn their commission. They are happy to help, and remember, a realtor is

not paid until your house closes—even more incentive to work hard for the sellers who are their clients.

Heather Morse of Charlotte is a Greentree Real Estate agent. For more information email heather@ vermontgreentree.com.

Property transfers June 12 Tyler and Tess Gauthier to Martin and Brenda Dion and Joseph Dion, 1.1 acres with mobile home, 30 Upper Old Town Trail, $175,000.

June 12 Adam and Sarah Hergenrother to Stephane Hardy and Veronique Gagne, 10.32 acres with dwelling, 435 Dorset Street, $1,317,500.

June 13 Howard J. and Barbara L. Seaver to Stephen Berns and Joseph Ingram, 10 acres with dwelling, 576 Whalley Road, $632,000.

June 26 Robin Coleburn to Robert R. Herrington IV and Heather Herrington, 17.8 acres with dwelling, 1052 Whalley Road, $1,380,000.

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20 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Parenting

Quietly making noise: “The memories are fuzzy. The details are sordid.”

My brother, Tycen, is six years older than I am, and for obvious reasons he did not want me tagging along with him and his friends when we were growing up.

One summer Jorden Blucher day, though, he CONTRIBUTOR had no choice, and so I found myself crawling down the middle of a cold river fully clothed and pretending to be on a military mission.

Tycen and his friend Josh had a ‘“mission” of high importance planned for the day Mom told him he had to watch me. My brother had been fascinated with the military since he was young, and in turn so was I. (Unlike me, he turned his fascination in to a 20-plus year career.)

Undeterred by my presence, he told me to go get ready. I asked what the mission was, but they told me it was top secret. I went and put on my Army fatigues.

We quickly moved across the

openness of the backyard to the cover of the pine forest planted by our neighbors’ ancestors years before. As quietly as two teenagers and an eight-year-old can, we moved along the hillside making our way down to the back of the neighbors’ pole barn at the edge of the forest. Here we paused to check the area for hostiles.

One at a time we darted across the open lawn, jumping over the bank and sliding out of sight on a cushion of rust-colored pine needles. Once we regrouped, we proceeded the last 20 yards to the river.

Where we entered the river marked a fairly dramatic change in the landscape, and the last easy access point. Upriver the land came down gently to meet the banks, and you could see the bridge where the road crossed over. Downriver hundred-foot cliffs rose up from the water’s edge, and the left was a steep embankment, covered in stinging nettles and thorns, that led to the backyards of the houses along the road. The river was strewn with rocks ranging in size from pebbles to boulders. We waded into the cold rushing water up to our ankles, and

I was briefed on what the mission was.

We were going to crawl down the river approximately a half-mile to the local swimming hole, which was known as The Dam. I protested about the crawling, but only briefly. With that Tycen and Josh lay down in the water and started crawling. Luckily the river was deep enough and the current swift enough that I mainly floated using my hands to propel and at times steer me along.

We floated through a narrow tranquil pool that had a strip of sandy beach between the water and the nettles. A little farther down the river, the water moved in a tight frothing ribbon closer to the base of the cliff, then disappeared over a waterfall. We slipped out of the water and made our way along the shore to the edge of a 20-foot high horseshoe-shaped waterfall. Tycen scouted around to see if there was an easy way for me to climb down, but it was determined that that was not an option. I would have to jump.

Once you hit the water,” he told me, “swim as hard as you can to me. Your pockets will fill up with water and it will feel like your shoes are pulling you down. Just swim as hard as you can to me.”

Then he turned around and jumped off the waterfall. I stood dumbfounded for a moment. Then I saw him pop out of the water and swim to the edge of the pool below. I took a deep breath and jumped.

The section of the river after the waterfall and before The Dam has faded with time. But my first trip down the rock slide into the clear pool of The Dam is one of my strongest childhood memories.

The Dam was the place to swim; it was the place that you got to go to when you were older. Just a short walk up the hill

from the center of town, it was tucked below an abandoned house and accessed by a steep narrow trail that opened onto wide area of rock that had been formed into something akin to stadium seating.

On the far side, a cliff, covered with moss and a few scraggly pine trees, rose out of the pool. The downstream section of the pool was shallow. The upstream section was eight to 10 feet deep, ringed partially by a ledge that reached four to six feet above the water.

The rock slide at The Dam is its main attraction. About a hundred feet in length it takes you from the top of a fairly steep pitch and propels you down off a waterfall into the clear pool below, where the current pushes you towards the shallows. We stood at the top of the slide, and my brother again gave me the same instructions about swimming. Then he sat down on the sun-warmed rocks and eased himself into the slipstream of the river. I waited until he had swum to the shallow end, and then I sat down and slowly slid my body in to the water.

I felt the current begin to take me, and then I was rocketing downward. I saw my brother on the far side of The Dam watching intently, and then I was airborne for a moment before splashing into the water, feeling the current pushing me down. I opened my eyes and looked around the underwater world. Feeling the weight of my pants and shoes pulling at my legs, I pushed towards the surface and began to kick with all my might. It seemed I had such a long way to go, but then my feet touched the rocky bottom and I turned around to look back at what I had just done.

Mission accomplished.

Pas

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The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 21

Love surfaces while canoeing the Potomac Washington had numerous exclusive clubs, and I was delighted when a current beau, an aspiring correspondent, invited me to the F Street Club for dinner. Ten of us sat at a round table. Jackie was opposite me with her date. We smiled and we nodded to each other. As the evening proceeded, her Alice D. Outwater, Ph.D. whispery voice meant every single male had CONTRIBUTOR to stretch across the table to hear her. She mesmerized them. There wasn’t a chance Following my Vassar graduation the lively of being part of the conversation. I had to pace increased. Jackie Bouvier (Kennedy acknowledge there was no question: Jackie Onassis) drifted in and out of my life. Her was out of my league. job as a roving photographer meant rushing After she married JFK, I always felt a around town wearing huge sunglasses while close kinship with her. She was suddenly lugging her oversized black camera. Stores thrust into the limelight, losing her privacy, did not have many ready-to-wear clothes. yet handling it with quiet grace. She took My friends and I stumbled upon a talented her duties seriously, managing her many dressmaker who could whip up all manner of losses and widowed in an untimely way. And items. We would buy material, bring a pattern crafted a life for her remaining years. or a photo and make an appointment.

I had many one-of-a-kind experiences that It was pesky that Jackie had already year and was fortunate to have known or discovered the seamstress. We realized if brushed against a variety of people. It was her fancy car was there our orders would as if we all had two degrees of separation be put on hold. John F. Kennedy had come between us. My sister Kitty and her husband into Jackie’s life, and they attended big to- often invited me to their gatherings. They dos. One elaborate evening dress had layers were 13 years older than I, so their friends of fabric circling the skirt and needed to be were professionally established. I was completed by the dressmaker SOON. A few fascinated by Potter Stewart, who later days later she and JFK were on the front became a Supreme Court Justice and once pages of the Boston papers, she looking famously said about the press: “I’m not gorgeous in that very dress. a part of the furniture and I’m not a part

Taking Care

of the family.” I became enamored with Washington and became acquainted with peers who later became prominent in the government and on the international scene.

It seems just as apt today.

I soon met my John, and he began courting me, adding to the excitement but also containing serious decisions, including marriage. I had spent months studying for the Foreign Service exams and longed to work in an overseas embassy, grandly picturing myself as an ambassadress. I wished for a few more years of being single as I was just beginning to take off. But in my heart I knew I would never meet the likes of John. Being six years older, a Ph.D. and having a job at Dupont, he was ready to settle down—and was not willing to wait. He wanted to teach and do research at a university and was so captivating and bright. He never stopped overflowing with ideas.

John had been brought up in England of American parents, had gone to Cambridge University, majored in engineering and was in the British India Army during World War II. He spoke with the most engaging British accent. He implored, “Oh Ali, I’ve been introduced to every eligible girl from Oslo to London to New York and not one holds a candle to you. That first evening we met, I wanted to marry you. I know what might happen: You’ll meet someone else . . . I

Puzzles 3. Eyelashes 4. Norse goddess of fate 5. “Aeneid” figure 6. Plastic ___ Band 7. When haroseth is eaten 8. Bloviates 9. Surgeon’s tool 10. À la mode 11. College grind 12. Ryan and Tilly 14. Resolution 18. Car ad abbr.

Across 1. Quirk 4. Classic opener 7. La lead-in 10. Cirque 13. Symbol of purity 15. Diamond stat 16. Ground breaker 17. Tango, e.g.

20. Negative particles 21. Small valves 22. Large amounts 23. Matched 24. Wrinkly fruit

27. In a consistent manner 31. Ancient Spaniards 35. Carnaval site 36. Two-step, Latin American style 41. Part of a balance 42. Botanical gardens 43. Positions 47. Growing room 48. Vacillate 51. J.F.K. postings 55. Old counters 58. Cruelty

60. Jarabe tapatio 62. Close one 63. River to the North Sea 64. Muscle ache 65. “So ___ me!”

66. Bishop’s jurisdiction 67. “___ Blues” (Beatles tune) 68. Elton John, for one Down 1. Big brass 2. Cockeyed

can’t bear to let you slip away. We’ll have a superlative life together and I promise, we’ll travel the world. I’ll always take good care of you.”

Underneath my angst I wondered if I was the best mate for him. Of course, the more time we had together, the more deeply I fell in love. We spent weekends at the museums, canoeing on the Potomac, hiking with picnics and attending concerts. For suppers we discovered Georgetown bistros where we danced into the night. Nothing too fancy but always magical. He was also full of kindness.

So I finally decided to follow my heart and we married. My family was thrilled.

Through our 56 years together I knew my decision had been right—and still feel blessed. Our format from those days followed through our marriage. We wove an extraordinary life together until he died in his 85th year. We had four children.

The marriage continues to sustain me even though he’s no longer here.

Whatever you do, please don’t hunker down. Keep your eyes open, as you may surprise yourself. Perhaps a few hidden memories will surface that help restore some of your energies. Someone special may be in your future. And off you’d fly on an unexpected swashbuckling adventure. Who would want to miss that?

SOLUTIONS ON PAGE 23 19. Conclusion 23. Hokkaido native 25. Kind of mill 26. Delay 28. Mold-ripened cheese 29. Fluff 30. Eastern discipline 31. Pucks 32. Vanquished 33. White-tailed eagle 34. Swell place?

37. Ring result 38. Fox competitor

39. Easter preceder 40. Relating to a sytem of belief 44. Fungal spore sacs 45. Tennis ties 46. Halvah ingredient 49. Intuit 50. Havana residue 52. Metallic sounds 53. Japanese publisher 54. Makeup woe 55. Concert array 56. Squire

22 • July 12, 2017 • The Charlotte News

Health Matters Vince Crockenberg CONTRIBUTOR

Cycling is one of the best forms of outdoor exercise available to us. It’s good for the environment, saves money and provides the same health benefits as walking, jogging, swimming and other aerobic activities. It also offers the sheer joy of riding close to nature, especially with the wind at your back, unencumbered by a cage of plastic, steel and glass.

Bicycling is also dangerous.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2015 more than 1,000 bicyclists died in the United States, and there were almost 467,000 bicycle-related injuries, many of them the result of bike-car collisions.

Data from 2010 show fatal and nonfatal crash-related injuries to bicyclists resulted in lifetime medical costs and productivity losses of $10 billion.

As an avid bicyclist myself—and as one who has been seriously injured while riding—I’d like to suggest both a perspective that might help drivers share the road with cyclists and three ways motorists can help cyclists ride more safely. (Cyclists, of course, need to do their part and ride safely and in accordance with the law, but that’s a subject for another column.)

Give us a brake, and turn your lights on First, the perspective.

One of the oft-made arguments is that bicyclists do not pay for road construction or maintenance, as motorists do through tolls, gasoline taxes and license fees, and therefore cyclists are not entitled to “share the road” or to any special deference from motorists. According to the Tax Foundation, however, in FY 2013 (the last year for which state data are available), in Vermont user fees and fuel taxes paid for only 25.4 percent of road funding; the rest came from general revenue, primarily income and sales taxes.

At a more local level, road maintenance and repair in Charlotte is paid for largely by property taxes. Charlotte’s road budget for 2017 is $903,000 a year.

The state contributes approximately $195,000 to partially offset that budget.

All the rest—$708,000, or more than 78 percent—comes from local property taxes, paid in equal measure by bicyclists and their families who own property in town.

Moreover, cyclists and their bikes, unlike motorists and their cars and trucks, impose no damage on roadways.

As I write this I’m looking out my window at a recently repaved section of Thompson’s Point Road, watching cars and heavy trucks pass by, musing that my bicycle—indeed all the bicycles in town—was responsible for none of the damage that made repaving necessary.

Three ways to help us ride more safely 1) Avoid going three abreast when passing us. A routinely dangerous situation for cyclists is when we get three abreast with two cars, one coming up from behind in our lane and the other from in front in the oncoming lane. There

Courtesy photo is no good outcome for the cyclist if one of the motorists misjudges, by even a foot or two, the space available for passing.

If you’re coming up on a cyclist and another car is coming toward you and all three of you are going to meet at the same point in the road, slow down and let the oncoming traffic get clear before passing the cyclist.

2) Turn your lights on. Most cyclists ride with a small mirror attached to their handlebar or bike helmet. It’s far easier for us to see you coming in our mirrors and to make the appropriate adjustments in our riding, like getting into single file, if your lights are on. This is particularly true if your car is dark colored. Darker cars often blend into the asphalt and are often invisible in our mirrors until they are fairly close behind us. Not so, however, if their lights are on.

3) Wait for us on blind curves and hills.

I was hit by a hay wagon being towed behind a pickup truck when the driver passed me on a short hill that curved left at the top; the driver pulled in front of me

too quickly, and the hay wagon ripped me off my bicycle, onto the pavement and into the hospital with broken ribs, a punctured lung and a mild concussion (I’m convinced my bike helmet saved my life). It also resulted in a legal judgment against the driver and a cash settlement that, even after my lawyer took his cut, was enough for me to buy a new car. If the driver of the pickup had slowed down and waited for an extra 20 seconds or so, I would have crested the hill and the curve at the top and he would have been able to pass me safely—and avoided the time and hassle of the ensuing legal procedure and the multiple years of increased insurance premiums.

In short, give us a brake, especially on hills and curves, and turn your lights on.

And remind yourself as you slow down and delay your arrival somewhere by a few seconds, or even a few minutes, that the cyclist in front of you is someone’s child, parent or grandparent doing something that contributes to their health and well-being on a road that they helped pay for.

The Charlotte News • July 12, 2017 • 23

Farewell to the circus

In Our Words . . .

“Submitted by Nancy Menard of Charlotte Editor’s note: This new column features the memories of those who remember a different place in time. The world is changing rapidly.

As we all scramble to keep up, it’s important to slow down and remember days gone by with our Charlotte neighbors. Do you have a memory to share? Send your submissions to Lynn@TheCharlotteNews.com.

I love the circus. I have always loved the circus. When I read that the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus was folding its tents, I knew I had to see them one more time.

“Get up, girls! We’re going to the circus!”

It was a summer morning in the 1950s, and the Barnum and Bailey Circus was coming to Montpelier, where I grew up. My sister and I couldn’t believe it. We had read about the circus in our Weekly Reader, but certainly nothing that wonderful had ever happened to us in rural Vermont. We hurriedly dressed, grabbed some breakfast and headed off with our dad.

The circus was playing in the big field where Montpelier High School is now. Back then, it was an empty farmer’s hayfield, recently mowed for this event. When we arrived we could see a bustle of activity— many circus train cars on the siding, what seemed like hundreds of people running around, and lots of enormous elephants. Kids from town were perched on their bicycles around the edge of the field. We parked and joined them, eyes wide so not to miss a thing.

The massive white tent was spread out on the grass, covered with a spiderweb of ropes.

As we watched, the elephants picked up the ropes with their trunks, and with verbal cues from their handlers they slowly backed up.

The tent rose into the air and was magically transformed into the big top. All around us, the train cars were being unloaded. Colorful, painted circus wagons pulled by beautiful horses held monkeys, exotic birds, and lions and tigers. To a child from the country, it was all wonderful.

That evening we returned for the performance, which once again exceeded all expectations. We had good seats on bleachers, but it was frustrating to have three rings of action as I could not give each one the attention it deserved. The lights dimmed, the band played a drum roll, and the spotlight shone on the top of the tent, where women in sparkly swim suits and men in shiny leotards literally flew through the air. At that moment I was hooked, and I knew it was my destiny to be an acrobat.

Eventually, I became a nurse, not an acrobat, but over the next 60 years the thrill of the circus never left me. Various events continued to fan the flames. In the late 50s, the movie The Greatest Show on Earth drew

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, say goodbye to the greatest show on earth! my sister and me to the local theater at least three times. Each time, I wiped tears from my eyes when Cornel Wilde fell from the trapeze and was left partially paralyzed. In the 1970s, my sister-in-law and I took our children to New York City. Included in that visit, in addition to the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Towers, was a Barnum and Bailey performance at Madison Square Garden. Everyone bought little flashlights for a quarter, and when cued by the ringmaster the lights went down and thousands of fireflies lit up all over the stadium. It was magic.

The kids and I also took in some lesserknown circuses, such as the Moscow Circus in Montreal. The muzzled bears made us sad, but the horses were magnificent. Our son, who was about 10 at the time, was very impressed by the horses’ linguistic talents.

We sat close to the entrance to the arena, and he could hear the riders directing their mounts. He turned to me in awe and said, “Mom, they taught those horses to speak Russian!”

I saw the circus once more in Boston Garden in the 90s, but my life and that of Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey has not crossed paths again. Then I read that it would soon all be over, and I knew that I needed to see one more performance for “closure.” I wasn’t sure I could find a traveling companion, since I had never shared my secret circus love with any of my adult friends. My husband would much prefer a Civil War battlefield, so I crossed him off my list. I casually mentioned it to a friend who loves theater, and she said that although she’d never seen it she’d like to go.

The nearest show was in Manchester, New Hampshire, an easy down-and-back trip for

a matinee. Once I had the tickets, I looked forward to the show just as much as I did as a child.

Having to pass through a metal detector at the entrance to the arena was a jarring reminder of our new reality. But once inside the stadium, I felt like that little kid again.

The music, the strobe lights, the fireworks, the clowns and the incredible costumes all carried me back to a time when a child’s entertainment did not depend on a hand-held device.

The ringmaster for this unit was a woman (perhaps another small crack in the glass ceiling). She was dressed in a beautiful red, white and blue sequined gown and entered astride a majestic black horse. When the band finished playing the National Anthem, the horse bowed to the flag and then carried his rider around the ring. The next two hours were filled with amazing acts of skill and beauty. One aerial act was done in almost total darkness, by performers wearing red, white and blue glow-in-the-dark costumes.

As they turned and twirled near the ceiling, it was like watching a heavenly garden of flowers, swaying in the breeze from the angels’ wings. I held my breath as the tightrope walkers went back and forth high above the crowd, each incredible trick preceded by a drum roll, with a clap of cymbals when it was completed.

After two glorious hours, it was over, with a huge parade for the finale. Performers from many different cultures had shared their best talents with an audience that appreciated the gift. When the last performer had left the ring and the house lights came up, my friend turned to me and said,” I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon!”

Neither can I.

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T HE C HARLOTTE N EWS

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