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Preserving the history of Cabot, Vermont · Founded 1965

The Cabot Chronicle

October 2010 · Issue Record

← From the Cabot Chronicle

The community record for this issue of the Cabot Chronicle, extracted from the original pages. Reprinted with permission from the Cabot Chronicle.

Original issue: Download the October 2010 pages (PDF)

Automated extraction, spot-checked. Advertisements, the business directory, and puzzles are omitted; obituaries appear as individual entries.

In This Issue

By Irene Nagle

A gathering of about 40 Cabot residents turned out for a community planning forum hosted by the Cabot Planning Commission on September 13 at the Willey Building. This was the second in a series of events designed to gather input from the community that will help define the goals and objectives contained in the 2011 Cabot Town Plan. The first was the community-wide planning survey conducted this past June that gathered the opinions of 85 Cabot residents. As people entered they were directed to a map of the town, where they marked the location of their residence with a pin. By the end of the evening, it was evident that attendees came from all areas of Cabot. A buffet dinner was followed by a presentation by Gary Gulka, Planning Commission Chairman, on the purpose of and benefits to Cabot of having a Town Plan. Irene Nagle, assistant to the Cabot Planning Commission, presented highlights from the recently conducted community planning survey followed by Bill McMaster, Community Resource Specialist with UVM Extension, who provided insight into to the characteristics of Town residents, including age, level of education and income. Copies of the presentations are available for viewing through the Town’s website, www.cabotvt.us. All residents at the meeting were then given the task of describing the

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draft a town parking

The Select Board will be appointing make recommendations about parking looking for interested community members lect board in preparation for town meeting est known to the Town Clerk's office

DEADLINE: 15th of the month prior Publisher: Cabot Coalition Executive Editor: Jeannie Johnson Coordinator: Cia Considine Editor: Anne Nadel Pagination: Todd Jones Find current news, great links to your community, discussion forums and more about our paper

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Focus

ideal and desired Cabot of the year 2030. After breaking into smaller groups to brainstorm, and then reconvening to share what had emerged from each group, the attendees began the task of identifying themes that were evident in the various vision statements. Sentiments expressed included the desire for a vibrant village center, a strong local economy, a quality educational system, effective local governance, and greater self-reliance in energy and food. There was also debate concerning growth, and whether realization of the various visions may or may not be dependent on growth. result was a list of the many describing the ideal Cabot of The end statements the future, organized by theme. This collection of statements will provide the raw material for the Planning Commission to craft a vision that will serve as a guide for the goals and plans of action contained in the 2011 Cabot Town Plan. The Planning Commission plans to host additional issue-specific forums beginning in the fall and continuing throughout the winter. They will focus on topics such as housing, energy, transportation, economic development, land use and recreation. Visit the Town website for notices of these future events, or e-mail cabotplanning@gmail.com and ask to be placed on the Planning Commission’s e-mail list.

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By Tara Rogerson

A General Election will be held at the Cabot School Gym on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, from 10 am to 7pm to vote on a proposal to the Vermont Constitution and to vote for candidates for the following offices: US Senator Governor State Treasurer US Representative Lt. Governor Secretary of State Auditor of Accounts Attorney General State Representative(s) State Senator(s) Probate Judge State’s Attorney High Bailiff Assistant Judge(s) Sheriff Justice of the Peace To see if the voters will amend the Vermont Constitution by amending Chapter II §42 to read: §42. [Voter’s Qualifications and Oath] Every person of the full age of eighteen years who is a citizen of the United States, having resided in the State for the period established by the General Assembly and who is of a quiet and peaceable behavior, and will take the following oath or affirmation, shall be entitled to all the privileges of a voter of this state:

Fresh Produce, Fresh Meats, Delicatessen

Homemade

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The Searles

3109 Main Street, Cabot, Vermont

is distributed the first is provided locally free of charge. ~ Mission Statement ~ is to regularly publish local news that will help readers become better

~ Copyright 2010 by The

without express written permission from Cabot of advertising is contingent upon editor’s and loss or expense on claims based upon contents beyond the cost of space occupied by individual

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ELECTION

You solemnly swear (or affirm) that whenever you give your vote or suffrage, touching any matter that concerns the State of Vermont, you will do it so as in your own conscience you shall judge will most conduce to the best good of the same, as established by the Constitution, without fear or favor of any person. Every person who will attain the full age of eighteen years by the date of the general election who is a citizen of the United States, having resided in the State for the period established by the General Assembly and who is of a quiet and peaceable behavior, and will take the oath or affirmation set forth in this section, shall be entitled to vote in the primary election.

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Due to the Primary Election re-

count, absentee ballots for the General Election will not be available in the Cabot Town Clerk’s Office until October 4, 2010. If you are unable to attend the General Election, please

tee ballot mailed to you, or stop in to pick up or fill out your absentee ballot in the office at the Willey

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Revised August 2006

Living in Vermont, we expect openness in government. Any day the legislature is in session citizens can sit down in either chamber, or in the various committee rooms, and see laws being made. Any day, we can walk into the county courthouse and attend any hearing or trial, or watch the arguments being given before the Vermont Supreme Court. We can attend Act 250 hearings and meetings of the local zoning board, and any other public body, and we can expect to see notices of those meetings in the newspaper or on public bulletin boards. We can review and copy public documents in state and local offices. One important foundation of openness in Vermont is the Right to Know laws, including those related to open meetings and public records. Together they are the most important public laws we have because they allow us direct access to the decisions that affect us. A full understanding of these laws makes everyone a better citizen. This is an introduction to the open meeting law. You can read the open meeting law for yourself. A copy of the document is found in every town clerk’s office, in Title 1 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, in the first volume of a set of green law books that include all of the statutory laws of the state. Look for sections 310 through 314, and make sure you check the pocket part to see if there is newer law to review for each section. You can also find this law on the internet through the Vermont Automated Library System (VALS) at http:// www.leg.state.vt.us/statutes/ statutes.htm. Among other things, the law states that meetings of a public body must be

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Dear Editor,

Chef David Hale and a group of local residents are hard at work planning the sixth annual "New Traditions Supper" to be served Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Cabot Church. I am writing this letter because folks come as far as Waitsfield and Waterbury to take advantage of this nice meal at a great price, but there never seem to be many folks from Cabot there! What's with that? This meal is a gourmet buffet prepared by Hale and the culinary students from St. Johnsbury Academy. It's a great opportunity to enjoy great food close to home and support a good cause. Tickets for seniors are $10. Proceeds from the effort go to the church oil fund. Many of us involved are not members of the church, but appreciate its hosting local activities which include seniors' meetings, community Homemakers, etc. chorus, AA,

There are three settings. If inter-

Thank You.

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Meetings

in compliance with Vermont’s open the Secretary of State’s office, as a service organizations charged with conducting activities. open to the public, the public must be given notice of the meeting, allowed to attend the meeting and be heard, and minutes of that meeting must be taken. This open meeting law applies to all boards, councils and commissions of the state and its political sub-divisions (i.e. municipalities), including subcommittees of these bodies. This means the open meeting law governs meetings of select boards, planning commissions, boards of civil authority, recreation commissions, municipal public library trustees, auditors, listers, etc. Whenever a quorum (a majority) of a public body meets to discuss the business of the board or to take action, the open meeting law will apply. This means that if a majority of a board find themselves together at a social function they must take care not to discuss the business of the board. A board schedules regular meetings by adopting a resolution setting the time and place of the meeting. This information must be made available to the public. A board holding a special meeting must, at least 24 hours before the meeting, publicly announce the time, place and purpose of the meeting by notifying the board members and the local news media and any other media that has specifically requested notification, and by posting notice of the meeting in or near the clerk’s office and in two other public places in the municipality. An emergency meeting may be held in the event of a true emergency without public announcement as long as some public notice is given as soon as possible before the meeting. See future Chronicle editions for additional guidelines on conducting open meetings in compliance with Vermont law.

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Dear Editor,

I am in total support of Kitty Beattie Toll for State Representative for Caledonia/Washington Counties. Kitty is somewhat unique in that she really is there solely to serve the people. I have never heard or seen her use any negative ploys. She is dedicated and determined to find out how her constituents are feeling about issues. She researches those issues carefully and relentlessly before she votes and then she votes her conscience, always with an eye to serving. If you communicate questions to her, you can count on her to respond, to get back to you. She is present at an incredible number of public functions, not to be seen, but to interact and find out where peoples’ hearts and minds are. I am a resident of Cabot and she reliably has an article in the Cabot Chronicle every month, detailing what has been going on in the Legislature. She reports back thoughtfully and well. I wholeheartedly hope that you all will consider casting your vote along with me for Kitty Toll.

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By Julia Shipley

This time last year, I parked my car by the cemetery on Cabot Plains Road. It was stinging cold, and a peach -fuzzlike frost covered the hillside. I cut the engine and watched wind shuck leaves and toss them to the road while I waited for historian and former Cabot School Principal, David Book to show up. In order to help me write a piece on Ghost Roads for the Chronicle, we had planned to trace vestiges of the Bayley Hazen Military Road, a road built in 1779 through the “unappropriated Lands” of what is now Cabot, preceding the town’s charter by two years. While I waited, a truck pulled over, a man got out and began cleaning debris away from the headstones, righting the tilted flags, removing the frost- scorched flowers. Mr. Book finally arrived in a suit coat and dress shoes, fresh from leading a tour at the State House-- he refused my offer of mittens and a scarf, so we went off looking for monuments road men had made with saws and shovels more than two hundred years ago. As the sun softened the frost, we bushwhacked into the woods, which were silent, except for the gusts of wind crashing into leaves. Book seemed confused, “It should be somewhere near…” he said as we climbed down a gentle ravine, and then “Aha!” he said triumphantly, pointing to a monument so small and simple it reminded me of an infant’s grave. Curled leafs covered the top inscription: “Hazen’s Camp.” All I think of, as we stood observing the small stone, was the fact that we were standing where men had dug and pulled stones, cut trees, and rested and worked some more. In the quiet of the woods, the trees arced over us like a flaking ceiling, and maybe those roadbuilding men went on to build homes nearby. I wondered if they considered who would come after them, along this road, to live in Cabot and the surrounding areas. Could they have imagined us standing here now? Recently, in the Willey Building at the Cabot Visioning meeting, I watched as about 45 Cabot residents struggled to imagine what life would be like here even 20 years down the road, never mind 200. The activities of the event stressed building a shared vision, a focus on the common values. At the most fundamental level, the shared denominator was: concern for This Place.

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MAPPING WORKSHOPS AT THE

To inspire potential mappers, Julia will lead three mapping workshops this fall. One will be offered as an after-school program for students ages 9-14. The other two are open to the public and will be held at the the Cabot Public Library from 10 am to 12 noon on Saturday, October 23rd, and again on November 13th (same time). We ask that children age 12 and under be accompanied by an adult. All materials will be provided. (But if you have some favorite markers, bring them.) If any readers have already made a map of their favorite sliding hills, the best trick or treating routes or the home place, and would like to share it with Chronicle readers please send a copy (not the original!) via email to jshipley@pshift.com or by snail mail to

245, Cabot, VT 05647, along with your contact information.

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Town

Sue Clifford is the founder of a Common Ground, a nonprofit organization in the UK that encourages people to become actively involved in their own places. In her book, from place to PLACE, she asserts , “Many of us understand ourselves in the world as much through relationship with a small patch of ground (or more than one) as with people, indeed it is hard to separate them.” She continues, “We understand a place in close up, through stories retold, meanings shared, accumulation of fragments and identities. In the charter of Cabot, there’s one paragraph describing the entire six mile by six mile parcel. It reads like this (I’ll only quote a small portion), “Beginning at the stake and Stones near a Maple Tree marked No. 21 standing on the north side of a hill; thence running south 54 D East six miles to a beach Tree marked Cabot Corner…” Basically, the entire surveyed tract of Cabot was defined by four corner trees: a Maple, a Beech, a Hemlock and a Birch. And now, all that’s left of those trees are their names. As Cabot begins to imagine what it might be like twenty years from now, the Chronicle is going to run a monthly feature over the next year of maps made by Cabot citizens of all ages, showing places that are special, distinct and personally significant. These maps, like the one I’ve made showing my one day with David Book retracing the Bayley Hazen Road, will document the small and large patches of this place that matter, so that perhaps in the future, down the road, those that come after us will know who we were, and where we were, by our charting of the fields, woods, hills, riversides, roadsides, barns, garages, and kitchens, churches, and schools where we worked, where we played, where we lived.

Julia Shipley has her B.S. in Environmental Education and an MFA in Creative Writing. Her work has appeared in the Cabot Chronicle, Vermont Magazine and Vermont Life, and Vermont’s Local Banquet. She teaches writing, including sense of place activities, to all ages and abilities through programs at nature centers, arts centers, senior centers, schools, and summer camps.

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ONFIDENTIAL

A note from the Chronicle staff about this the most distinctive and well-received features Shipley wanted to take the idea one step further. same question and collecting their answers, member and ask him or her three to five questions. help readers realize, recognize, and get to know

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By Julia Shipley

Martha Foster is the owner of the Old Crow Craft Farm, a store in her home full of decorative signs and furnishings with an old time country flair. She graciously agreed to be the first subject of the column.

Cause they’re country. What’s your favorite item in the store? Well, I like the dolls a lot, and my signs, and the penny rugs. [The penny rug is a decorative table runner or wall hanging made of felt pieces sewn together].

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By Bill Cobb

We are now settling into our Food Share and small office space in the former Cabot Masonic Building where the first floor is slowly being transformed into a Community Center for Cabot. The new kitchen is in with two new electric stoves, a three-bay sink and quality wooden oak cabinets. Both the kitchen and Food Share/office rooms have been insulated with foam in the ceilings, aluminum coated insulating boards added to the existing blown insulation in the outside walls, with new 5/8-inch, fire-coded sheetrock throughout. In addition to Faith In Action’s $5,000 cash investment in the project, 12,000 to 15,000 hours of skilled Volunteer labor and a portion of the UDAG funds approved by voters at Town Meeting, has gone into this first round of interior projects. new feature: The Cabot Cameos are one of of this newspaper, but cub reporter, Julia Instead of asking three to five people the she wanted to focus on one Cabot community The purpose of this new column is to a little bit more about their neighbors.

How did you come up with the name “Old Crow”?

I wanted to name it “As the Crow Flies” but someone already had that name. I didn’t want to keep submitting names to the state to register. I knew nobody would have taken the name “Old Crow.”

Why are they called penny rugs?

Because they used to use a penny to cut out the penny sized pieces that go on them.

Why did you locate your Craft Farm in Cabot?

Well, we owned the hardware store here [in Cabot] for 12 years. My husband’s father went to Cabot School, my husband went to Cabot School, my kids all went to Cabot School and my grandkids graduated from Cabot School! I guess we’re Cabot people.

Join us for a free Community Dinner on Monday, October 4 th from 5pm to 7pm giving everyone a chance to see the improvements and enjoy a time of fellowship. We hope, also, to have some local musicians to help enliven the evening. Owing to fire laws, we can only sit 50 people at a time, so will stagger servings to see that everyone has a chance to enjoy this meal. The seating restriction will be lifted once a second egress is installed. Meantime, we are on the lookout for a decent, low-backed piano (but not spinet) or a small baby Grand Piano for the Community Center, as well as additional stackable cushioned chairs, a good scanner and a color printer. Thanks for your help and continuing and support please do come check out our new facilities and enjoy some good food and fellowship.

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By Lela Jones

As a Halloween Treat, young Lela Jones queried her fellow celebrants about their Halloween plans. She also answered the same questions they did. Her questions included, “What are your plans for Halloween?, “What is your favorite Halloween treat?” and “What are you going to be (dressed up as) for Halloween?” Their answers follow.

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hronicle

Caleb Blair was vague in his plans, saying, “Um, I don’t really know if I am even going to go to Halloween, but I am still going to celebrate.” His favorite treat? “That is easy...chocolate bars.” As for his costume, he said, “I would say I’m going to be an army dude.”

Lela Jones said, “We’re going to put out musical skulls and tombstones and I am going to collect candy with my daddy.” Her favorite treats are “toys and chocolate,” and Lela plans to dress up as “a vampire.”

As for his costume, Damon Dunham said, “I’m probably going to be like the guy on Friday the 13 th . I’m going to be a scary person.” Twix bars are his favorite treat, and his plans are very specific; “We’re going to carve our pumpkins the Rachel Younce answered the quesnight before Halloween. Then on Haltions by saying, as far as her plans, “I loween night we’ll get dressed and drive don’t know yet.” Her favorite treats are down to Cabot. After that we’ll go over gummies, and as to her costume, “I don’t to Plainfield maybe.” know, maybe an Egyptian princess.”

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Is The Chronicle Now?

On September 18th, Julian Dicks reads the Cabot Chronicle on a street corner in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where he awaits a bus to take him to the Dusseldorf Airport. He is on his way to visit Cabot, the U.S. town where he graduated High School in 2003

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Southworth

Tristan Howard Altman Southworth, 21, died on August 22, 2010 as a result of injuries sustained in a battle in Afghanistan. Tristan was born on October 19, 1988 in Denville, New Jersey. He moved to Walden, Vermont in August of 1990 with his mom. He went to Walden Elementary School and graduated from Hazen Union H.S. in 2007. He played soccer, basketball, and baseball throughout high school. He joined the Vermont Army National Guard during his junior year. Upon graduation, he spent one year at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 2009, he was activated for deployment to Afghanistan. Tristan enjoyed all aspects of life. He loved to be around family and friends. He was always willing to help anyone in need. He loved children and German shepherds. He had a special love for the game of baseball and a strong need to serve his country. Tristan is survived by his mom and dad, Julie and Michael Southworth; brothers Matt and Robert Southworth; grandparents Zollie and Maren Altman of South Wheelock; Keith and Kathleen Southworth of West Pawlet; aunts, uncles and cousins, who held a special place in his heart; he also leaves behind his “Brothers,” still deployed in Afghanistan. Funeral services were conducted in the Hazen Union gym, followed by internment with full military honors in Main Street Cemetery in Hardwick. Contributions may be made, in memory of Tristan to a charity of ones choice. Arrangements were in the care of des Groseilliers Funeral Homes, Church St., Hardwick.

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Townsfolk Pay Tribute To Southworth

Vietnam Veteran, Ken Gokey, just steps from his own front porch, respectfully and

grievously salutes as Tristan’s procession passes by.

By Staff Writer

proximately 10:30 am. As word spread On Sunday, August 29 th the remains about the procession, townsfolk began of Vermont National Guard Soldier to line Main Street. Rita Durgin, who’s Sargeant Tristan Southworth of Walhusband is currently serving in the miliden, were delivered via a procession of tary overseas, together with her son, Army Honor Guard, police, family and Matt, walked the length of Main Street, veterans on motorcycles. Those who handing out small flags to the onlookwere aware of the procession came out ers. to pay tribute to this young soldier from The procession finally passed through Vermont, who gave his life in Afghanitown with a somber climax well after 11 stan last month. am, while the flags that line Main The Southworth procession was Street were flying at half-mast. expected to pass through Cabot at ap-

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By Peter Dannenberg

Tiny Vermont has its share of yearround and seasonal residents whose achievements influence life beyond our borders. On Aug. 22, we lost one. Dorothy Sucher, a renaissance woman— mystery writer, journalist, essayist, writing teacher, watercolorist, feminist, champion of freedom of the press and psychotherapist, died at her home in Silver Spring, Md., at age 77. Until 2009, Sucher and husband Joseph, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Maryland, owned a home in Cabot, Vt., where they spent half the year. In her 19 collection of essays, “The Invisible Garden”, she wrote about transforming the old blue farmhouse by a stream and its 10 overgrown acres into a summer home with flower gardens. Sucher knew nothing of gardening when she started. She wrote with humor and a psychotherapist’s insight about the hard work and the people she met. Rural ways were new to an urban woman. With the help of her Cabot neighbors, she learned gardening was both harder and more rewarding than she imagined. Sucher wrote two mystery novels, “Dead Men Don’t Give Seminars” in 1988 and “Dead Men Don’t Marry” in 1989. The strong, smart female detective hero echoed her own outspoken nature. She also published articles and short stories in Vermont Life , The Washington Post Magazine and Mystery Readers Journal . For four years, she was treasurer of Sisters in Crime, an international group of female mystery writers. She founded a Maryland chapter. Sucher taught creative writing in the late 1980s and early 1990s at Duke University, Georgetown University and the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md. She also led a summertime memoir-writing workshop at Twin Valley Senior Center in Marshfield, Vt. Her insights and coaching helped many new writers. Both Dorothy and Joseph were members of the Cabot Historical Society. Sucher was most widely known for a freedom of the press lawsuit that became a U.S. Supreme Court test case. She was a $5 a week columnist for the weekly Greenbelt News Review in 1965. She covered a Greenbelt (MD) City Council meeting. The city wanted to buy land from a developer to build a high school. The developer rejected the offer, but said he would reconsider, if the city

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Sucher

would rezone two other properties he owned. Several people said that was “blackmail,” and Sucher quoted them. The developer, who was a state delegate, sued for libel. A county court ruled against the paper. The Maryland Court of Appeals agreed. In 1970, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the verdict unanimously. Justice Potter Stewart wrote that readers would know that “blackmail” was “a vigorous epithet” made in heated debate. The newspaper could use the word, because there was no intent to accuse the developer of being a criminal and journalists may report events that happened at a public meeting. Sucher started a book about the four years she spent fighting the lawsuit, but as of now, it remains unpublished. Sucher continued with the Greenbelt News Review until 2004. She was editor in chief for two years. She practiced as a psychotherapist for 12 years in Washington, D.C. and Maryland. At age 70, she returned to an early love, art, and exhibited and sold watercolor landscapes and paintings of flowers. Sucher was active in the women’s movement in the 1970s. She and her husband were delegates to the National Organization for Women’s State Council. She donated a collection of publications about the Maryland women’s movement in the 1970s to the University of Maryland. Joseph, her husband of 58 years, two sons, Gabriel and Anatol and a granddaughter, survive Sucher. Two other children predeceased her.

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Great Vermont Corn Maze , Danville,

admission. This year’s haunt will include wagon rides, a ½ mile walk of terror through a haunted cornfield and buildings including animatronics, the mostly live residents of Dead North and special effects. Not recommended for young children or persons with health concerns. Occurs rain or shine, so dress

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The Mellow Yellow Experience , The

Hardwick Town House, doors open at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:00 p.m., $12 /$10 seniors. Musical theater featuring music of "Baby Boomers" generation. Live music, costumes and multi-media video

www.nekarts.org . 27th Annual Fall Foliage Craft Fair , Hardwick Elementary School, 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. Featuring jewelry, candles, quilts, pottery, prints, fiber art and more.

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Book Discussion Series , Cabot Pub-

lic Library, 6 p.m., An Island Like You: Stories Of The Barrio. Book Reading , Jaquith Library, 7 p.m., Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson's spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men--the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America’s place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

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Volunteer Work Day at Kingdom

Trails, t he first Sunday of every month (June-October) we meet at the Darling Memorial Park at 9:00 a.m. for a day of trail maintenance. You can get to the park by driving through the village of East Burke, north on VT Route 114, about 1/4 mile past the village on the left you will see the playground and parking area. Dress appropriately and bring plenty of water. We supply tools, but bring along one of your own if you want. We usually wrap up the day around 1:00 p.m., or so. Phone: 802-6260737.

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Danville Farmer’s Market , every

Wednesday 9:00 a.m. through noon through October. Many local gardeners and farmers will be set up every week with fresh vegetables, most picked that day. Others sell donuts and bread they have made, yarn they have woven, maple syrup they have processed and goat’s cheese they have made. This year the new product is Vermont made wine, you can even sample it before you buy. New vendors and new shoppers always welcome. Town Green, Danville, VT Climate Meetings, Tuesdays, Center for Agricultural Economy (next to Claire’s on Main St.), Hardwick. If you are unable to attend, but would like notes, email Nancy Notterman, nancyn@together.net. Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future movie series, Addams Family film, Taxi television series), has been starring as Willie Loman in the Weston Playhouse production of the classic "Death of a Salesan" from August 26 through September 11, and will tour theaters throughout New England. But, first, there are a few remaining opportunities to see the performance in Vermont this month: ♦ 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7-8, $29

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CELEBRATE RED RIBBON WEEK

October 23 - 31, 2010 Find out at the next Cabot Coalition meeting.

The coalition’s evaluator, Monika Baege, will join Show your personal commitment to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in us to discuss data from the mentor program and middle school prevention curriculum. John Searles from the VT Department of Health Mexico City murdered DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a will join us to discuss Cabot's Youth Risk Behavior Survey data and how it compares to other Pre K-12 schools.

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for 2011 Belize Trip

Planning has begun for the multi-grade trip to Belize in April 2011. Costs are covered by fundraising and the students and their families. Any assistance you can provide will be deeply appreciated. Bottle drives are scheduled for the following weekends: November 28 ~ January 2 ~ Saturday after Super Bowl If you'd rather not stockpile returnables, another option is to drop them off at the Cabot For more information or to RSVP for dinner,

Child care available upon request. Village Store in a bag marked “Belize Trip”. Bob Searles has kindly agreed to accept bottle donations, and he's already begun a “Belize Fund”. There will also be an auction in December, and students will begin requesting donations soon. Please watch for items you no longer need and set them aside to support the Marine Biology and Cultural Anthropology students. Your support is greatly appreciated by students, parents and teachers alike.

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2010 County Trails Coordinator Award

Ted Domey received the 2010 County Trails Coordinator Award at the VAST (Vermont Association of Snow Travelers) Annual Meeting on Saturday, August 28, in Dover, Vermont. Ted represents Washington County snowmobile clubs within the statewide organization. Here is what Alexis Nelson, VAST Trails Administrator, had to say about the award: “ County Trails Coordinator: This is a special position within the VAST family as the direct contact between the club trailmasters and project directors to the VAST Trails Team. Trails Coordinators are meeting with the clubs The County responsible for to look at trail projects and have a good understanding of what happens on the trails year round. They also serve on an important committee that crafts and reviews trail policy. This County Trails Coordinator has overcome some hardship in recent times and has put forth the extra effort in continuing his duties and responsibilities by making himself available to look at projects in all sorts of inclement weather and addressing issues around the county. When he’s not traveling all over the state for his job, he is actively involved in his community and in his local snowmobile club. This year’s

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By Libby Hale

Soccer season is under way and Recreation Department volunteers are very excited about our teams and coaches. This year, the teams are playing smaller numbers on the field so each player actually plays more and has more ball “touches” to gain increased experiences and skills. The 5-6 grade team is led by Niels Larsen, who has years of excellent experience to share with his team. The 3 -4 team has been split into two smaller teams so participants can also gain more experience with the ball and stay more focused. The Green Team is led by Rebecca Nally and the White Team is led by Bonne Dunham. Steve Towne is leading the preschool through second grade group in a

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Tues. Twinfield Away

10/12 3/4 Red 5:00pm TBD 7on7 fun soccer skills development program on Saturdays. Please see the game schedules in the paper and around town and come support these teams. We owe many thanks to the many folks who helped to bring about the first Recreation Department soccer season. All those who stepped up to coach, help the coaches, produce the paperwork and forms, discuss and approve the forms, create beautiful posters and flyers, order equipment, supply uniforms, coordinate fields and schedules, assist and allow communication and organization through the school, drive your kids and others’ to games, officiate games, offer expertise and advice; thank you. To all who have helped and continue to help, it truly does take a town.

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News From The Cabot

Our numbers are in from the Summer Reading programs. It was a huge success this summer as 53 children and young adults participated in reading more than 880 books. There were also 244 children and adults who enjoyed the variety of story hour and evening programs. Thanks for coming out to our programs and reading lots of books. We look forward to next summer. Tuesday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m., Poetry Reading: Lorrie and Barry Goldensohn, both widely published poets whose work has appeared in Poetry, The New Yorker, the New York Review of Books , The Yale Review, Salmagundi , and many anthologies and in their own books, will be reading their poems on October 12 at the Cabot Public Library. Barry and Lorrie spend their summers in Cabot and have written a poem entitled “East Long Pond” based on their experiences here. Book Group: This year’s Fall Book Discussion Group is doing the Vermont Humanities Council series Immigrants Coming to America . The program is being moderated by Fran Cerulli and will be held on Monday evenings at 6:00 p.m. in the Library. This is free and open to everyone. The second book is In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. A brief summary states: In 1947, a Chinese child comes to Brooklyn where she becomes Americanized at school, in her apartment building, and by her love for baseball. The schedule for the Book Group series is as follows. October 4 , In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson ; October 25, An Island Like You : Stories of the Barrio ; November 15, Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear . Together, the Cabot Public Library and the Cabot Public School have applied for and been awarded 50 copies of Barre author Katherine Paterson’s new book, The Day of the Pelican , by the Vermont Humanities Council’s 2010 Vermont Reads program. Vermont Reads brings communities and people of diverse ages, abilities, and experiences together in reading and discussing a book of high quality and acclaim. The program promotes community building, open dialogue, intergenerational exchange, a focus on the humanities, and literacy. Stay tuned this fall for a listing of events for the entire community/ school to enjoy together. The Adventure Book Club starts Tuesday Oct 12, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Come read tales of courage and adventure. This Adventure Book Club is great

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Friends of Cabot

Autumn has come to Cabot after a wonderfully warm (albeit dry) summer season. With September’s cooler weather came the daunting task of reviewing and clearing out old boxes of outdated and outmoded books to get ready for our upcoming book sale at the Apple Pie Festival on October 16. If you have any books, movies, or music you wish to donate, please contact the library soon to arrange a review and pick up date with us. In addition to the upcoming book sale, we are busy getting ready for our Annual Meeting, to be held Saturday, October 9, at 9:30 in the Willey Building Meeting Room. The Annual Meeting is where we vote on officers for the board, as well as plan fundraiser events for the coming year. If you’d like to be considered for one of the positions and/or be a part of this terrific group, please let us know. Being a Friend of the Library normally requires minimal time and effort overall for what we accomplish, and we’d really love to hear some fresh ideas on how we

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Public Library

for any interested adventurers. book we’ll read is My Side of the One Mountain by Jean Craighead George. We will discuss the book and go outside for adventures. The Amazon review states: “Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going--all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York…sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival...and grows up a little in the process. Blizzards, hunters, loneliness, and fear all battle to drive Sam back to city life. But his desire for freedom, independence, and adventure is stronger. No reader will be immune to the compulsion to go right out and start whittling fishhooks and befriending raccoons.” Game Club takes place on Wednesdays, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., starting October 6. Back by popular demand, bring your own game or come play ours. All are welcome. Light snacks will be provided. Computers will be turned off during Game Club. If you have Library materials hiding in a corner, under a bed, or in a closet, please return them. We are trying to get our books, magazines, and movies back to the Library. We need to get them into the automation system. Thank you. One final note: Many thanks to Janet Whitlock for helping with preschool story hour art project ideas. Also, thanks so much to Lorrie and Barry Goldensohn for their generous gift of time for the poetry reading this month and for their donation of American War Poetry: An Anthology.

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Cabot Library Reminders:

• Story Hour on Tuesdays, at 10:30 am • Fall Hours Tue 9-6 , Wed 2-6, Thu 11-6, Sat 9-2 Closed Sunday, Monday, and Friday • State Parks, Historic Sites, Echo, and Historical Society Passes available to borrow • Listen UP! Vermont! Online, downloadable audiobooks for free • MP3 Players to borrow (thanks to the Friends of the Cabot Public Library) We will load the audiobook for you from the Listen UP! Vermont! Website.

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Library News

can best serve the library’s needs next year. Won’t you come join us? Don’t you want to be our ‘Friend’? ;-) And lastly, the recent (and painstaking) review of our stock helped us decide that we need to keep only the categories that sell easily – thus enabling us to eliminate unnecessary storage for unwanted and unsalable books. We found the books that are especially desirable are recent novels (within 5-6 years), children’s books, craft and hobby books, cookbooks, and those considered ‘New Age’. Unfortunately, books we can no longer consider for donation (due to limited sales) are school text books, old travel guides, instruction manuals, unusual language, science, or religious books, and those topics most likely to have limited readership. All others will be considered for salability at the discretion of the reviewer. We hope this helps everyone as much as it did us.

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in Guatemala

Palmer Legare, a 1998 graduate of Cabot School, was filming the illegal burning of a building last month in northern Guatemala when he was attacked, beaten and robbed of his camera. The Times Argus reported: “A member of a rich Guatemalan family took out a pistol, held it against Legare's chest and said he was going to kill the 30-year-old Vermont native.” “That was the first time I felt I might be killed,” Legare said. “People were running over the hill to come and protect me, but it was a scary moment.” He has since been told that an arrest warrant has been issued for him and that the wealthy family has put a bounty on his head. “We tried to meet with authorities, but they refused to see us,” Legare said. “And when we tried to report the assaults to the police, they threatened the victims with arrest.” The newspaper report continued: “Legare is alive, but still in danger and possibly in trouble with Guatemalan police – all because he videotaped the organized destruction of a poor farming community caught in the middle of a violent land dispute in the lawless, northern part of the Central American country. Legare has been working with two charitable organizations, the Guatemalan Solidarity Project (which he cofounded) and the Committee of Peasant Unity, and he has helped poor farmers build homes, schools and irrigation systems. Legare’s mother, Amanda Legare of Amanda’s Greenhouse, explained that Palmer first went to Guatemala to learn Spanish. “Palmer appreciates their culture and says it’s more about having a positive relationship with nature than about accumulating money,” she said. “It reminds me of what happened to the native Americans.” She explained that he has been working with a community of 30 families which purchased their land 20 years ago. One of the original owner’s daughters is now claiming her father never sold the land and it belongs to her. The last time members of that wealthy fam-

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the Globe

which helped to fund a school in with destruction. Here he visits

ily visited the village they poured gasoline on a home and torched it while a 9month-old boy was sleeping inside. Members of the community got the boy out of the home. “Guatemala is a poor country so people of wealth have power,” Amanda Legare, Palmer’s mother, said. “Palmer tells me that the police and legal authorities have turned a blind eye to their attempts to intimidate the farmers to leave the land.” Legare is especially worried that the family will run the community off the land just in time for the harvest of the cardamom crop, a popular spice, which takes four or five years to grow. A new crop of the plant is expected to be harvested in the next several months. “Of course I am worried silly about him,” his mother continued,” But in typical selfless Palmer fashion, he doesn’t want people to be concerned about

In a recent e-mail to his mother he wrote: “People shouldn’t worry about the "problem" that Palmer won't come home.This is not the problem at all - the problem is that violent criminals are being allowed to continue their crimes.” He gave his mother a list of reasons why he will not return soon to Cabot. 1. The US Ambassador told me that he can't guarantee that I wouldn't be arrested while boarding the plane - so by trying to leave I may actually be taking a larger risk than staying with friends inside Guatemala. 2. I believe US citizens have the right to travel, work and volunteer abroad. 3. I believe that the people in the community are in great danger and I want to work with them to support their rights. 4. I love Guatemala and have many friends here and I want to continue living here. 5. I am the coordinator of the Guatemala Solidarity Project and have committed to this work until next year. 6. I believe I am gaining a lot from the situation, much more than I am giving. I am learning a lot, and my life has improved greatly because of it.” If anyone cares to support Palmer’s work

using PayPal to PalmerinGuatemala@yahoo.com. He would be thrilled with a $5 donation, as he can make that money go a long way.”

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OU IDN T EAR

Collected commentary from about town. According to a native German speaker, Theron Lay-Sleeper speaks excellent German, without any American accent! Wunderbar! (Translation: “Kudos” - “Wonderful”.) The Lower Cabot Store is being spiffed up – a painter has been spotted on-site. Rumor is that a sale of some sort is on the horizon. Inquiring minds have wanted to know! How do you recognize equality? Do we really want to be treated identically? There seems to be a buzz about what kids can be allowed to wear at the recreation field in really hot weather. At soccer practice, should the boys be allowed to take off their shirts if the girls can’t? If the girls are allowed to wear just their sports bras, should the boys be allowed to play in their undergarments? What is the goal? Are girls’ sports bras equal to boys’ shirts? Or to jock straps and underwear? What’s the real problem here; and, if there is a problem, what is a fair solution? A well-dressed man was spotted prowling around the Cabot Inn property. Upon investigation, it turns out he is the insurance agent for Gary Smith of Hyde Park, the new owner, who was doing a property assessment. The insurer opined that the property owner hoped to re-open the restaurant, and rent out two apartments upstairs. It is believed the building went for $99,000 at the auction on July 18. Blanche Lamore is recovering quite well from her recent surgery and bout with pneumonia. She was transferred to rehab on September 27. You can send your get well wishes to: Blanche Lamore, RFD 1, Marshfield, VT 05658. Congratulations to new grandparents, Caleb Pitkin and Mary Miller and Bob and Peggy Miller and of course, to the proud parents of baby Bella, Brock Miller and Lydia Pitkin. A little birdie heard that Cabot elementary teacher, Janet Byrd, was stranded on one of the Champlain Islands one Sunday in September, due to six foot waves. She could not get back to shore until the next day! What an adventure. Thanks and kudos to Helen Morrison, Shelby Maurice and Lori Augustyniak for putting together an active and engaging Healthy Start, backto-school initiative. An interactive, positive beginning for the school year. Thanks, also to Karen Stewart, new Principal, and Nancy Thomas, new

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T ROM E

Superintendent, for participating in the Freshman welcome and orientation ice cream social at the recreation field. That kind of participation is meaningful and appreciated. A tip of the hat, also, to Cathleen Maines and Lars Torres for opening their home to parents and teachers for a gathering at the beginning of the school year. Thanks, again, to the Principal and Superintendent for being part of it. A pat on the back to Linda Savoca for keeping the ball rolling, greasing the skids, and a variety of other axioms, in a much-appreciated effort to maintain continuity in the transition to a new school year with new school leadership. Sorry to see the creemie stand close for the season. It was a welcome addition to Main Street, and a nice opportunity for a few teens to have a job right in town. Congratulation to Ken Christman for winning his 10th Junkyard Warriors race of the season. The Library staff thanks the community for their patience while transferring over to a new automated system. The improvement in operations should make it worthwhile. When driving to town from Cabot Plains, be mindful that Burtt’s Farm is now open. Visitors are at the roadside stand, many of them children picking apples. Driving slowly past the farm is greatly appreciated. With the afternoons growing darker, remember to wear appropriate reflective clothing when riding your bike or walking. Long Field Farm, with a mix of goats, friends and family witnesses, was the site of a beautiful Fall wedding on September 25th. Best Wishes to Stephen and Sarah. Gwen Considine, along with other Food shelf volunteers, picked over 1200 ears of corn for the September 8th food distribution in Cabot. Richie and Connie Hourihan, owners of the Smith Farm on Thistle Hill, were generous in donating corn to the Food Shelf and also to the volunteers who helped pick.

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WNESU Superintendent

School is off to a great start in Twinfield and Cabot. All staff of both schools gathered together for a joint kick-off to the new school year at the Twinfield cafeteria with opportunities to learn, work and have a fabulous pot-luck lunch together. This collaborative day set the stage for the direction of the new school year. The new Washington Northeast Supervisory Union Leadership Team (principals and central office administrators) worked together to plan the activities for the three staff days prior to the students’ arrival on August 31. In preparing for the year, the Leadership Team attended the Vermont Principal Association’s annual summer Leadership Conference in early August. Tony Wagner, author of “The Global Achievement Gap”, spoke powerfully about the need for American schools to focus on preparing our students for the global knowledge economy . Our students will enter careers we have not even thought of yet. Future employment will require problem solving, innovation, excellent communication and team work skills. He spoke of the “4 C’s that will set students up for success: Critical

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Collaboration.

Teaching these 21 st century skills uses content to help students develop these important competencies. While success in reading, math and other content areas remains essential, our students must be also be problem solvers and life -long learners in order to be productive citizens in this global economy and in our rural communities.

For more pictures related to our stories and the Cabot Community, check the online Photo Gallery at

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By Julia Telm

I live in a German city with approx. 260,000 inhabitants and I am studying at a University with nearly 25,000 students. To the next supermarket it is a two minute drive, the bakery is just a walk over the street and the way to my Elementary School was a five minute walk. As I got to know that I would get the chance to do some observing at Cabot

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Update

Given the continuing need for students to be competent in reading, writing and math, what about the NECAPs (Vermont’s state-wide student achievement tests)? In addition to education spending, the NECAP results get the most press, (outside of sports). Are they really that important? We know that reading, math and scientific inquiry are essential skills that are foundational for our students. Our students must be competent in these areas. NECAPs are just one of many ways of helping us to know if the instruction we are providing is having the results we want. They are not the end and be-all, but they provide information to inform instruction. Good instruction requires good data; indicators of how we are doing. Is our instruction working? Day to day formative assessments are also crucial in knowing what's working for groups of students as well as individual students. But NECAPs do provide useful information and they are an important component of the accountability measures for education. Our students are now off and running. I have had the chance to participate with them in the Cabot First Day ceremony on the green, eat ice cream with students and staff at Twinfield’s First Friday celebration and the Community Corn Roast. I’ve seen great beginnings as I have visited many classrooms. Both schools have committed and talented staff who are working together to foster these 21 st century skills that our students will need as they grow into adulthood. I am very excited to work with them as we continue to move ahead.

out

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School

more than 200 pounds of squash from fourth grade class planted the squash. students, and Julia Telm, a visiting stuPhoto from Julia Telm.

Elementary School my first thought was “How can I get to school in the morning?” because I knew that the family I would stay with is not living in the village. I heard that even the Elementary School students go there by School bus. That was really unusual and new for me. We don’t have that special bus, if you have to take one, you must take the public transport but not if you are that young.

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Rural School and Community Trust

Note: The Cabot Chronicle created ‘ Concerning Education’, as a monthly feature to stimulate ongoing discussion about the future of education in Cabot. The issue of school and school district consolidation has been recurring since the early 1920s when nearly every state passed laws providing authority for school districts to pay to transport children to school and to consolidate schools. The number of schools nationally fell rapidly from nearly 250,000 to fewer than 100,000. School districts began to close most rapidly in the 1930s, dropping from nearly 120,000 to about 14,000 today. Whenever states are in fiscal distress, or under court order to make their funding systems more equitable or more adequate, or whenever rural population is declining, especially when urban areas in the same state are prospering, political talk turns to the subject of closing rural schools. Nationally, there is now a perfect storm of these conditions, and in many states, the central rural education issue has become whether rural communities have a right to good schools close to home. The Rural School and Community Trust is a national non-profit organization that tracks this issue very closely. You can learn a lot about small schools and school consolidation on our website at www.ruraledu.org. Very briefly, here are six lessons learned from experience nationally with state-mandated or state-led school or school district consolidation. Lesson 1: It is always about money; not saving it, but redistributing it between communities and among functions. Lesson 2: Because it is about money, the real purpose of the move to close districts is to dismantle the political apparatus that protects schools. The only real way to cut costs is to close schools, reduce teaching force, and increase class size. Closing districts is always but a prelude to closing schools. After solving that problem I got to know I could visit the fourth and fifth grade. That would be the third and fourth grade in Germany because we start school a year later than you do. So I went to school the next morning and got my visitor pass, I did not know that there was something like that. On my way to the fourth and fifth grade classroom I had that feeling of being in a little village because of these different little buildings which are looking so beautiful. I was introduced to the kids and I told them a bit about Germany. Some students even told me that they have German ancestors or relatives. I was really surprised because that was a little group. And that is the thing I realized when I entered the classroom, it was only a group of 12 students. That would be a dream of every teacher at my school; the classes there consist of 25 students or more. I got the chance to see how both teachers create and construct their teaching and was really impressed how teachers work with students and how early they are taught to work on their own nearly without help; for example, with creative writing or the weekly changing jobs. There are two things that really fascinated me. First, harvesting the squash and second, the music lesson with the fourth grade students. They harvested the squash that they sowed some time

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Consolidation

Lesson 3: Consolidation plans ignore the reality that small schools are more efficient when measured on a per graduate basis rather than annual per pupil basis. That is because they have higher graduation rates. Lesson 4: Consolidation is something the more powerful force on the less powerful. From Maine to Arkansas to West Virginia, everywhere states force consolidation, it is the more economically distressed communities that lose their schools. Lesson 5: Forced consolidation has a blind eye about the lives of kids. One result of school consolidation is more hours on buses for students. Lesson 6: Democracy matters to people. If you think it is difficult to get people to run for the school board, wait until you tell them that they can still come to the meetings, they just don’t have any power. “Local control” may be a cost driver, but it is also a driver of public support for education. People often make hard choices before bureaucracies do. They also look harder for alternatives. Better use of technology to share both students and faculties within a cluster of small schools and districts that maintain their autonomy. More shared services, including transportation planning and management, food services, and pooling risks associated with high level special education needs students. If the time has come to close the school, the decision to do so will have many ramifications far beyond the school and the children. It will affect business, work place options, commuting patterns, child care arrangements, access to social services now provided by or in the school, and many other community activities. When these choices are made, they should be made with broad participation and fair and transparent procedures. This is an abridged printing of the original article, by permission of the author. The article can be read in its en-

ago. Finally, they got more than 260 pounds and every fourth and fifth grader really loves to do that. I have never been to such a brilliant music class before. It was so awesome to see the students playing these African drums and dancing to that music I could really see how much they enjoyed it. For me it was such a wonderful experience to spend these days at Cabot School. I am really fascinated that in a small school all these things can happen. Vielen Dank für die tollen Tage an dieser wunderschönen Schule!

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VOTING SYSTEM

The Vote-by-Phone system is designed to enable people with disabilities to vote privately and independently at the polling place. This coming election, in addition to all of the other ways you can vote, people with disabilities will be given the option of voting by phone at the polls using the Vote-By-Phone system. In 2008, 29 people statewide voted by telephone in the General Election. For more details go to www.sec.state.vt.us/ publications.html

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By Amy Hornblas

The results of the Cabot School Lunch Family Survey are in. Thank you to everyone who turned one in. There were 33 surveys returned, representing 52 students at the school (approximately 20 per cent of the population). Thirty-nine of the students responding eat breakfast at school, as well as lunch. The survey asked about how often students eat, why they do or do not participate in the school meal programs, and what they like most. We also asked for suggestions. little of what we found out. Here’s a

The main reasons families participate in the program are convenience and cost. The most popular breakfast items are (in order of preference): muffins made from scratch with local ingredients, juice, Cabot Berry Yogurt, and Vermont Applesauce. The least popular (with 13 votes) are the donuts. Grilled cheese and tomato soup was the most popular lunch item (pizza was not a choice, because we assumed it was the obvious favorite for most people), seconded by chicken fajitas and taco salad. When given choices between processed, pre-packaged foods and similar choices made from scratch, most folks chose the latter. For example, baked chicken breast from scratch received 29 votes, while breaded and fried chicken (arrives processed and frozen) received four. A new idea that was very popular was fresh berries, with 29 respondents saying they would eat it frequently. Other new ideas received more of a lukewarm, though positive, response. They are, in order of preference: soup more often, hummus, zucchini sticks with dip, and corn relish. General praise included gratitude for the great selection that has always been offered in the school lunch program. Folks were also appreciative of the chef, the Farm to School program and the inclusion of more fresh, local options. Many people gave praise to the salad bar, and some even wanted it to be offered more than twice a week. One respondent encouraged us to remember that “you can’t please all the people all of the time.” Popular suggestions included chop suey, homemade pickles, salad bar choices (such as cottage cheese and fruit salad), and other hints about what kids do and don’t like (such as “no onions or mushy vegetables”). All in all, the support and enthusiasm reflected in the survey are encouraging. Thank you again for responding.

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Update

The $10 gift card donated by the Cabot Store was given out to a lucky family who responded by the deadline. If you missed the survey but would like to share your feedback, feel free to pass it on to the Food Service Director or the Farm to School Coordinator directly. We are always open to suggestions. The Fresh Fruits and Vegetables program is up and running, being offered on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to the elementary students. After a few weeks of working out the bugs, the foods being offered will be posted ahead of time through the weekly bulletins. This way families and teachers can encourage the students to try it, explain the health benefits and other features of the food (where it comes from, how it grows,) and students with dietary needs can be prepared to participate. Please be looking for these announcements below the lunch update in the weekly bulletins. On September 14, 2010, the Cabot community bread oven initiative took a huge leap forward into reality. A group of about 15 students, faculty and community members came together for a meeting with Joseph Keiffer of Foodworks to make a plan. Over yummy baked bread and cheese, the group discussed the possibilities and challenges that face us. The purpose is to create a functioning oven that can serve the entire Cabot community, to be used for gatherings, fundraisers and to spur entrepreneurship. The timeline is to build the foundation for the oven this fall, and finish the oven in the spring. We agreed to meet in another month to continue. If you would like to be added to the mailing/email list, please contact the Farm to School coordinator. Cabot’s Farm to School meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of every month from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. in the Cabot School Library. The next meeting is on October 27. For more information, the coordinator can be reached at Cabot School or amyhornblas@gmail.com. Happy Harvesting.

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By Stacey Sharp

On October 15 th , Twin Valley Seniors, along with Central Vermont Council on Aging (CVCOA) and COVE (Community of Vermont Elders), is bringing to the Old Schoolhouse Common in Marshfield the Vermont Legislative Forum. Twin Valley was honored to be chosen to host this important forum for Central Vermont residents. A moderator will introduce a panel of Vermont legislators who will discuss the upcoming session in Montpelier and seek input from the community about what they would like to see in upcoming legislative activity. There will be plenty of time for a question and answer period. The forum will take place on October 15 th at the Old Schoolhouse Common in Marshfield from 10 to 11:30 am. Everyone in the community is invited to join us for this exciting chance to learn what our legislators have planned and to provide valuable input about upcoming legislative topics. Morning refreshments will be served and there is a dinner after the forum at noon. You’ll need to RSVP for

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Healthy Start

Cabot High School’s Healthy Start included a full day workshop with Calvin Day, a noted speaker on Diversity and Inclusion. He led small and large group-work throughout the day. Each group created a puzzle piece that depicted an aspect of inclusion. The pieces were then put together and displayed.

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Forum

the dinner by October 11 th at 802-4547750 - just let us know how many will be attending. There is a suggested donation of $4.00 for the dinner. We look forward to the community participation! Twin Valley recently received a boost to our Meals on Wheels program with a donation of a new packaging machine from Wal-Mart. During this time of volunteer shortages, the machine allows the volunteers packing the meals to eliminate an entire step in the process. Antonio Flores, Berlin Wal-Mart manager, joined TVSC Director Rita Copeland in delivering meals to the center’s Meals on Wheels homebound clients. Twin Valley is grateful to Wal-Mart for helping us to do our part to end senior hunger in our six towns. Our goal is that no six towns senior will go hungry or be alone. It’s getting to be flu season again, and TVSC is sponsoring a flu shot clinic on October 25 th . The flu shots are free for those on Medicare, $12 for those who are high risk without Medicare, and $31 for those under 55 and healthy. Please call

TVSC wants to thank everyone in the community who came to our yard sale, cheered us in the Plainfield parade, and made and signed cards for our deployed troops at Old Home Day in Plainfield. Special thanks go to our cadre of volunteers who made it all happen - Wanda Berte, Joyce Fowler, Fred Ducharme, Jackie DiMatteo, Tori Hodgkins, Paul Bicica, John Taylor, Karen Taylor, Waneta Mayhew, Shirley Boardman, and a special big thank you to Linda Fowler for her time on Sunday packing and cleaning up!

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← From the Cabot Chronicle