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Preserving the history of Cabot, Vermont · Founded 1965

The Cabot Chronicle

January 2023 · 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 January 2023 pages (PDF)

Text extracted from the original pages and checked for reading order. Advertisements, listings, the calendar and puzzles are omitted. Where part of a story could not be converted cleanly, it is marked and the full story is in the PDF.

In This Issue

Cabot’s Other Cheese Factory

The Kurz family struggled financially. “We put every penny we could scrape up into the factory. It worked out eventually we couldn’t produce $3,000 we owed to pay for some milk. The business was sold on that basis,” Eva explained in her interview. The name was changed to Vermont Cheese Products Company. That business did not thrive and an auction of the building and equipment was held in 1964, the receipts going to the creditors. Cabot Farmers’ Co-op took ownership of the building. Warren Alexander remembered in a 1992 interview: “The first day they started tearing it down . . . it caught fire and burned that night. They bulldozed it into a hole and covered it up.” Roman Kurz (1887-1953) was living in New York when he died. The local obit wrote: “He was a loyal citizen and contributed generously to all community enterprises.”

The taint of being German remained in Cabot. Marion Griggs remembers that her step-father was a member of Green Mountain Lodge, No.68 F. and A.M., “… but there weren’t many Masons at his funeral.”

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January 8 & 14

by Karen Mueller Harder

Cabot Community Theater is seeking enthusiastic performers for our spring 2022 musical: Chitty Bang Bang! We need kids, teens, and adults for parts both large and small in this delightful show! We hope to have performers of all ages involved in the show, and plan (as always) to have flexibility in our casting in terms of age and gender, to offer performing opportunities to as many participants as possible. Everyone is welcome to audition, whether you’re from Cabot or a nearby town. Make it a family activity! Get your best friend to do it with you! Auditions will be held in the Cabot School Performing Arts Center (CSPAC) 2-5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 8, and Saturday, January 14. Please prepare a song you feel comfortable singing--if you’re not an experienced performer, a song your family likes to sing in the car, or your favorite silly song makes a great choice! If you’re nervous about singing alone, you could sing with someone, and we can help, if needed! We can provide piano accompaniment if you bring sheet music. We’ll also have you read from the script if you’re interested in a lead role. There are several small speaking parts in the show, but we hope those folks will sing in the chorus as well! No appointment is needed, but plan to be there for about 30-45 minutes, depending on how busy it is at the time. Most roles are available, though a few are already spoken for by folks who were in the 2020 cast, plus there’s plenty of room in the chorus! Rehearsals will mostly be on weekend afternoons, with some early evenings (though not for younger kids). Major leads will have 2-3 rehearsals per week, smaller leads 1-2, and chorus folks will average one rehearsal a week; schedule details will depend on cast availability. Performances will be May 5-7 in CSPAC. If you’re interested in helping out with sets, costumes, or props, or have any questions about auditions, please email [email protected] or call 793-5617. And please come watch our Mummers’ play at Cabot’s Twelfth Night celebration on Saturday, January 7, at 3:45 p.m. during the community activities on the Common!

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Want To Have A Say in Marshfield’s Future?

by Anne Wallace Allen

Marshfield was chosen for a national recreation planning grant we can use to strengthen our village core, attract new residents, and maintain our rural character. One of just 25 communities nationwide that qualified, it provides expert planning consultants who will help us reach our goals. Our next job is to decide what those goals are – and work on strategies to meet them. We’ve discussed new recreation facilities such as trails, signage, the skating rink, and benches that will serve residents and visitors. We’d like to make recreation more inclusive, perhaps by adding a more accessible trail at the Old Schoolhouse Common.

We’re holding a planning workshop on January 27 and 28 to develop priorities in a grassroots resident-based process, and hope you’ll come to share your insights and wishes for our community’s recreation future. The meeting is in the Old Schoolhouse Common gym, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, and 9 to 4:30 on Saturday. The village store will provide pizza on Friday evening, and the community supper crew will provide lunch on Saturday. Look for information on Front Porch Forum in January, and email questions to [email protected].

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GREAT BIG THANK YOU CABOT COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS DINNER

Thank you to the many cooks, bakers, organizers, couriers and helpers who made the dinner possible, as well as the generous donors that help keep this event free.

And very special thanks to the delightful community members who participated and made our day! We had fun, and we hope you did, too.

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Naughty or Nice He Checked it Twice in Cabot!

Cabot Fire Department held its first annual CFD Santa Dooryard Visit lottery in December. Members of the Cabot community were able to enter a free lottery to win a chance to surprise their kids with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus right in their own dooryard. Dean Deasy, Chief of the Cabot Fire Department, and the fire department's members wanted to spread a little holiday spirit around Cabot and help get the word out about fire safety. After the lottery opened to enter a visit, emails started rushing into Cabot Fire Department for people to enter. There was tremendous interest, more than what was expected, and Santa had a lot of stops to make. So, Santa, with the help of Mrs. Claus, loaded up the Cabot fire engine with candy canes and sleigh bell ornaments and other goodies. Chief Deasy also reached out to Micheal Greenia, Assistant State Fire Inspector of the Vermont Department of Fire and Safety for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Mr. Greenia with Fire Safe 802, a community risk reduction program, donated several boxes of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, coloring books, and many other items that help Santa and Mrs. Claus help children learn about fire safety. Chief Deasy was very happy to have such a nice donation from the State: “It allowed us to make sure everyone had multiple working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors for their homes before we left for the next stop.”

Santa and Mrs. Claus even swung by the Cabot Commons Senior Citizen Center, where gifts were handed out, holiday songs were sung, and pictures were taken. We were all happy to see the kids enjoy the surprise visits of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Some even saw what coal looked like, but according to Santa and Mrs. Claus, not one child was on the naughty list in Cabot! Cabot Fire Department urges you to take a moment in the new year and check your smoke detectors and CO detectors for proper operation, and have a safe and happy holiday. Be Safe! Chief Deasy Cabot Fire Department while helping to support a great

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 3 onward.

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Are These Skates Any Good?

by Susan Socks In my time as a skater, coach, and volunteer coordinator of the Cabot Rink, I’ve seen a lot of skates, and been asked a lot of questions. There is a mantra I learned nearly 40 years ago, posted on the wall of our local skating shop, and it bears repeating: GOOD SKATES WILL NOT MAKE YOU A GOOD SKATER, BUT YOU CAN’T BE A GOOD SKATER WITHOUT GOOD SKATES. So then, how can you tell if you have good skates?

Ankle support: This is the most common problem in skates. Many people think they can’t skate because of “weak ankles”, or that you’re supposed to be uncomfortable, with your ankles tilted in a crazy angle. Nope! Good skates do most of the work of keeping your ankles in a normal, comfortable position. To test skates for adequate support, hold the skate horizontal to the ground, with your hands around the uppermost part of the ankle cuff, and the blade away from you. If the skate sags, or worse, bends right over, and can’t support the weight of the boot and blade, it’s ready for the trash. Sometimes even brand new skates (usually figure skates, at the lower price range) have inadequate support; I recommend a used pair of good skates rather than brand new flimsy skates.

Blade connection: Blades need to be firmly attached to the boot. For hockey skates, check that the blade holder does not have cracks, and it’s firmly riveted to the boot. For figure skates, check that the blade is firmly screwed or riveted in place.

Fit: Skates need to be the right size AND the right shape for your feet. Many people have skates that are a size or two too large, to compensate for the shape being wrong. To check size, put on skates and stand up. Your big toe should just barely miss the front of the skate, and your heel should be snug in the back. Toolarge skates can cause a variety of problems, including ankles falling inward, even when skates have good ankle support. Shape is a little harder to define, but they shouldn’t hurt or pinch. You may have to try different models or brands to find the right one. For instance, my feet have never fit into a pair of Baeur skates, but CCMs are fine. And don’t forget sharpening! Blades need to be sharp in order to carve edges without slipping. Most beginners have a tough time feeling whether their blades need sharpening, so as a rule of thumb, have them sharpened at least once a season. It’s pretty cheap, around $6 at most rinks or sports shops. If you have to walk anywhere in your skates, always put on blade guards to preserve your sharpening. Also keep in mind that skates used on outdoor ice get dull much faster than ones used in arenas, due to dust and grit in outdoor ice. Are the loaner skates at the Cabot Rink good? Yes! While we can’t guarantee that they fit every foot, the Cabot Rink skates are checked for ankle support and blade connection, and sharpened each season. If you have skates to donate, please contact me at 802.498.7785 or [email protected].

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Education Grants Available from the Cabot Community Investment Fund

The CCIF Education Fund was established in the 1990’s to promote lifelong learning for all Cabot residents. There are two types of grants available: Post- Secondary Degree Program grants which are awarded annually to individuals pursuing a degree, and Professional Development grants which are awarded quarterly to individuals for continuing education. Cabot youth and adults who have been Cabot residents for at least a year are eligible grant recipients. Learning opportunities eligible for grants include post-secondary technical and college education; educational institutes, courses and workshops; trade apprenticeships and skills training, and continuing education in a chosen career. Grant funds may be used to buy books and equipment, tuition and/or fees for degree programs, courses, seminars and workshops. More specifics on the application process may be found in the Cabot Community Investment Fund Plan located on the Town of Cabot website (https://cabotvt.us) or by contacting the Cabot Town Clerk at 802-563-2279. Grant amounts can range up to $500 depending on the funds available in a given year. The deadline for the annual Post- Secondary Degree Program grants is May 1, while the deadlines for the Professional Development grants (awarded quarterly) are January 1, April 1, July 1, and September 1.

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OBITUARIES & MEMORIALS

Kyle A. Hartman Abbott e A. Hartman Abbott Kyle Anthony Hartman Abbott, 33, of Cabot, died unexpectedly on December 8, 2022, in East Montpelier from injuries sustained in a tragic motor vehicle accident.

He was born October 2, 1989, in Morrisville; the son of Cindy Lou Hartman. He graduated from Cabot High School in the class of 2007. Kyle was first employed at the Allen Wood Horse Farm in Plainfield. He later started his own logging and carpentry business. He was a hard worker and great outdoorsman, a lover of horses and dairy farming. Kyle enjoyed hunting, fishing, dirt biking, four wheeling and arm wrestling. Survivors include: his mother, Cindy Abbott of South Burlington; father, Daniel Abbott of Cabot; his step-mother, Valerie LaMonda of Stowe; maternal Joanna Lyn ("JoJo") Houston Rachel G. Hood Joanna, loving wife of Jim Houston, left us on December 6, 2022, in Taylorsville UT, smiling in the face of early-onset Alzheimer's to the end. Born Joanna Lyn Carleton on March 14, 1956, in Springfield VT, the second child and oldest daughter of Donald Herbert Carleton and Neoma Lynn (Bowen) Carleton. Joanna first married Thomas Lee Bracamonte on August 18, 1984 in Incline Village NV, adopting a son, Timothy Joseph, in 1989. They divorced in 2007. She moved back to Vermont in 2007, where she married James Dennis Houston on November 3, 2007 in Walden VT. Jo and Jim lived on the family farm in Cabot, tending cows and haying. She also became an assistant City Clerk in Barre, forced by early-onset Alzheimer's into retiring in 2016 at age 60 (too JohnEdwardMulens

John Edward Mullens, age 78, of Cabot and Hartford, VT, died at home on December 3, 2022. John was a teacher and mentor, an environmental steward, a dreamer yet thoughtful planner. He was born in Omaha, NE, in 1944, the youngest child of Victor and Bettye (Moan) Mullens. He attended Omaha Central High School and the University of Nebraska, graduating with a business degree and thoughts of a military career. In 1966, he married Susan Shannon Field, whom he first met in 7th-grade dancing class. They moved to Germany, where he was stationed with the Army for two years. In the early 70s, John moved with his young family to rural New Hampshire to an old house with no central heating or plumbing. They were back-to-the-landers

- raising animals, tending a large garden, and connecting with nature.

John Edward Mullens grandmother, Nancy Huard of Barre; paternal great grandmother, Barbara Prue of Walden; paternal grandmother, Grace Cookson of Cabot; two brothers, Logan Posey of Barre, Daniel Abbott Jr. of St. Johnsbury; a step brother, Larry J. St. Cyr of Morrisville; two step-sisters, Mariya St. Cyr and Elizabeth St Cyr, both of Burlington; as well as aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Visiting hours will be held from 6-8:00 p.m.. on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, at Northern Vermont Funeral Home, 60 Elm Street, Hardwick. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Central Vermont Humane Society, P.O. Box 687, Montpelier, Vermont 05601. Arrangements are in the care of Dian R. Holcomb of Northern Vermont Funeral Service, 60 Elm Street, Hardwick. Online condolences are welcomed at: northernvermontfuneralservice.com. ardwick. Online condolences are welcomed at: northernvermontfuneralservice.com. young!) until they moved to their final home in Walden. In September of 2022, Jo and Jim decided that she should be moved to a memory care facility in Taylorsville to be closer to her mom and her other family members in Utah. Joanna and Jim continued to video chat several times a week after she moved, staying in touch as best they could until the day before she passed. Per Joanna's wishes there will be no service. She will be cremated and her ashes interred at the Durant Cemetery in Lower Cabot VT. Feel free to toast her memory with anything made with Baileys Irish Cream! She'd like that, we think. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to Alzheimer's research. The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (alzdiscovery.org) seems like a good one. More information is available at: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/joanna-houston-obituary? id=38374503.

John soon realized his calling for educating children. He received his Masters in Education from UNH and taught for many years in Moultonborough and Hanover, NH, inspiring young minds with his creativity, patience, and intellectual curiosity. Mid-career, he expanded his educational interests beyond the classroom and pursued a doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. His dissertation on teacher preparedness in Belize offered him opportunities to visit remote villages and connect with rural teachers. Back in the US, working for firms in Washington, DC, and Portsmouth, NH, he conducted large-scale educational studies for federal agencies. John loved the out-of-doors - hiking, biking, paddling, and working the land. He became involved in the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), not only hiking the trails but working to maintain them and to build remote campsites in the northern Maine woods. He served in several positions for the Maine AMC chapter and went on to serve on the AMC Board for three terms, bringing his wisdom and experiences to further AMC's environmental mission. His love for the woods also led him to Cabot, where he built an off-grid, energyefficient cabin with a view of the Vermont hills. He worked to clear the land, rehabilitate an old apple orchard and build cross-country skiing and hiking trails. He loved being there in all seasons of the year. John was a teacher at heart, never more important than with his children and grandchildren, building memories with them and instilling lifelong values. John is survived by his loving family: his Jerrie Nash of Northern Vermont died unexpectedly on November 23. In her vast library of books were tucked hundreds of four-leaf clovers that she had found over the years. Truly, she was a lucky and well-read woman. Born in 1943 in Spokane, Wash., with “blue baby syndrome” Tetralogy of Fallot, Jerrie (Greene) was not expected to live past age twelve. A then-revolutionary heart surgery saved her life in 1956 at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. William Hardy Hendren III performed the Blalock -Thomas shunt surgery that allowed Jerrie to live into adulthood, where she continually defied the odds and defined her own life. She loved growing up on Doherty Street in Fall River, MA, where she felt deeply tied to her three brothers Al, Roger, and Danny and to her parents Hyalie and Leo Greene (Z”L). Her fondest memories were of summers at their cottage on Stafford Pond. There, Jerrie enjoyed learning the constellations, cooking food on an outdoor fire, swimming constantly, and picking blueberries. Summers on Stafford Pond shaped Jerrie’s lifelong love of nature. Jerrie graduated from Durfey High School in 1961 and went to Marlborough College in 1961-1963 and met Pat Nash, whom she married. The two moved to Eden where they built a log house and had a daughter, Sarah. Jerrie enjoyed the rural life: raising goats and chickens, making bread and yogurt, knitting and sewing homemade clothes, growing a big garden, appreciating nature, and reading literature. From Eden, they moved to Walden and had a son, Eben. When Jerrie and Pat parted ways, Jerrie continued to live in Central Vermont, raising her kids with deep ties to nature. While living in Cabot, she met Peter Sherwin, and they had a daughter, Rosemary. With her three children, Jerrie shared a deep love of nature, wild foods, folk art, poetry, and stories. She deeply valued education and earned her BA from Johnson State College while working and being a single mother. She loved literature, had an incredible talent for memorizing and reciting poems. She loved to read aloud and had a great reading voice. In addition to finding four-leaf clovers, she had a knack for finding chanterelles and wild blueberries. She knew hundreds of woodland flowers and especially liked identifying the spring ephemerals. She held local farm jobs and also did seasonal harvest work, picking apples in southern Vermont and blueberries in New Hampshire. In doing seasonal work, wife, Susan; brother, Russell (Liz) Mullens; children, Shannon (Jeremy) Wallis and Brook (Molly) Mullens; and grandchildren, Avery, Isabel, Amelia and Beck. A memorial service at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College in Hanover will be held on January 21, 2023. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in John's memory to the Appalachian Mountain Club. Gifts, which will support AMC's Maine Wilderness Initiative, can be mailed to 10 City Square, Boston, MA 02129 or made via its website: www.outdoors.org/donate/tribute-gifts.

Jerrie lived communally with the other workers, a lifestyle that aligned with Jerrie’s aspirations for society. Jerrie also helped start a local flour mill cooperative and was a founding member of the Plainfield Food Co-op. She enjoyed contributing her part as a parent in Plainfield’s cooperative preschool, Center School. She had a strong belief in community, despised greed and anything she saw as bourgeois, and truly believed in a more egalitarian, cooperative society. She loved watching and acting in community theater. She was a member of the Beth Jacob Synagogue and enjoyed her role as Haiku Laureate, writing a haiku for High Holidays for many years. Jerrie enjoyed music and had an appreciation for a wide variety of music. She played in the Plainfield Village Gamelan. She loved to dance to Klezmer music. She liked Tuuvan throat singing and Sephardic music, polka tunes and protest songs. Though her heart condition prevented her from dancing as much as she’d like, she had a dancing heart. Jerrie had two additional open-heart surgeries at Boston Children’s Hospital, performed by Dr. Pedro J. del Nido and Dr. Prem Shekar in 1996 and 2010. Her family is deeply grateful for their work on her heart. Jerrie lived in Cabot, Plainfield, and Marshfield for close to 50 years, and moved to Greensboro and Craftsbury in recent years to live near her daughter Rose’s family. Wherever she went, she gave long hugs, recited poetry, and showed her intellectual curiosity. She had a quick wit and lively sense of humor. She delighted in wordplay, especially malapropisms, feghoots, and Spoonerisms. She loved playing Scrabble and particularly relished using obscure words that her opponent might not know. She had a childlike quality and was happiest sitting on the floor or the ground, playing or reading with children. She leaves behind her three brothers, Al, Roger, and Danny Greene, and nephew Jacob Greene, her three children Sarah Nash, Eben Nash, and Rose (Nash) Modry and their spouses, Scott Schafer, Joanne Nash, and Jay Modry, her first husband, Pat Nash, and her four grandchildren, Dylan DiPentima, Rory Nash, Tobias Nash, and Fox Modry. In Jerrie’s honor, “Touch the earth, love the earth, honor the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places” (Henry Beston). There will be a summer memorial gathering for friends and family from near and far. Contributions in her memory can be made to Beth Jacob Synagogue or Craftsbury Community Care Center.

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Neighbors in Action’s Community Events in 2023!

by Elizabeth Vitale 2023 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Neighbors in Action! In November of last year, we negotiated and finally settled on a purchase and sale agreement with the Town of Cabot to purchase the building we’ve been renting for over a decade. The Masonic Hall, or, 3339 Main Street, has been Neighbors in Action’s homebase for all of our food share distributions and programs over the years. We’ve become so fond of it we couldn’t let another year go by without making the effort to make it our permanent home! We invite you to a Community Information Meeting at 3339 Main Street in Cabot on Saturday, January 14,, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Here we can answer any questions or concerns you may have about the purchase and also share with you information on our fundraising campaign we are launching! Also starting this month, Neighbors in Action will host a monthly Maker’s Space on Saturdays, 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. All are welcome to bring their new or current craft to work on. Coffee, tea, and conversation will be provided! If you are looking to start a new craft or hobby, Christina Markwell will offer tutorials on sewing projects. Christina has been making and selling her crafts through her business, Two Hearts 1 Love, for several years, and she recently led a workshop at Neighbors in Action this past fall. If you have a sewing machine, please bring it – or if not, you may reserve one of hers. Christina will also provide materials for the tutorials, and asks for a donation to cover her costs. You can RSVP for the Maker’s Space at www.NeighborsinActionVT.org. Over three days in December of 2022, Neighbors in Action distributed over 1,000 gifts to families in Cabot, Plainfield, Marshfield, Woodbury, Stannard, Walden & Greensboro. Our volunteers put in countless hours receiving, sorting, organizing and overseeing the event. It was all worth it, though, to know that we were able to distribute more gifts this year than ever before – gifts were given out to 317 children this holiday season! Every person who came through our doors was extremely grateful. Some commented that they wouldn’t have been able to have Christmas this year without this event, and for others, tears came to their eyes as they looked at the wonderful selection of gifts and clothing. We want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to all the generous donors for our 2022 Toy and Warm Clothing Share. Toys for Tots, Woodbury Mountain Toys and the Cabot Community Association all gave in-kind donations or grant money. In addition, Sue and Bill Schwab, Jeannie Johnson, Kaitlyn Muller, Lori Augustyniak, Diane Jeger and many other community members gave toys, clothing, and funding to make this year special. Neighbors in Action is thrilled to be able to provide the Toy and Warm Clothing Share to our community each year and we are already looking forward to next December’s!

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From page 5

It is with great sadness that the family of David J. Nichols announces his passing after a long battle with Alzheimer's on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at the age of 75. He was born on May 5, 1947, to Lawrence and Edith (Menard) Nichols in Northfield. He graduated from Cabot High School in 1965. After graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force where he was stationed at Otis Air Force Base in Bourne, MA. During his four years of service, he spent time in Texas, Mississippi, Colorado, and Thailand where he fought in the Vietnam War. Dave was honorably discharged on September 27, 1969. David married Cheryl Blondin on November 5, 1966, in Cabot. He was a people person first and foremost and he spent his life serving others. First as the owner/operator of Dave's Texaco in Barre. He also spent time ferrying friends and family to Lake Ontario where he captained fishing charters off his boat, the Silver Lady. In 1989, Dave moved to St. James City, Florida, where he owned The Waterfront Restaurant and the Double Nichol Pub with his wife of 30 years, Nicole Nichols. In 2005, they returned to Vermont. Dave spent the next six years of his retirement working at the State House as a security guard and spending time with his grandchildren, whom he loved to play tricks on.

Norma Tebbetts Beadie

Norma Tebbetts Beadie died on December 11, 2022, in Greer, SC. Born on February 3, 1927, to Herbert John Tebbetts and Marjorie Parsons Tebbetts, she grew up on the Tebbetts dairy farm in Cabot, where her father Herbert was a founding member of the Cabot Creamery Cooperative. Graduating in 1944 as one of twelve members of the senior class at Cabot High School, Norma went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in business administration and accounting in the School of Business and Public Service of Michigan State College in 1948. After college, Norma kept the books for Granite City Tool Co. in Barre before moving to New York City in 1949. nThere she worked at the accounting firm Touche, Niven, Bailey & Smart and as a reservation agent for Eastern Airlines before IBM recruited her into a cohort of twelve women trained in early computer programming in 1951. In 1952, IBM assigned her to the office in Patterson, NJ, and later to World Headquarters in New York City, where she designed new computer systems for business applications. She continued working for IBM after moving to Schenectady, NY, with her husband in 1957. Married for 65 years, Norma and her husband Thomas Noble Beadie lived in Schenectady, NY, Cleveland, OH, and White Plains, NY, before moving to Ft.

David was predeceased by his parents, siblings Larry and Lloyd Nichols, Dorothy Fitzsimmons and Dawn Balzanelli, father-in-law Andre Ducharme and granddaughter Olivia Reed. He leaves behind his wife Nicole Nichols, and children Dana Nichols, fiancee Renee Orvis and their child Bailee, Darin and Nancy-Lynn Nichols and their children Christina and Amber, Christy Ross and her children Nicholas and Cassandra, Kelley and Ryan Reed and their children Dylan and Zachary, and Jen and Jeremiah Trombly and their children Lauren and Sawyer. David also leaves behind several greatgrandchildren. He was a lifetime member of the VFW and the Knights of Columbus. The family would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the staff at the Barre Gardens and Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice for the support they provided Dave during his long battle. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund (https://curealz.org) or Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (www.cvhhh.org). A Mass of Christian Burial to honor and celebrate David's life will be on Friday, May 5, 2023, at 10:30 at St. Monica's Church in Barre. Burial will follow at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Randolph. Arrangements are by Pruneau Polli Funeral Home in Barre.

Wayne, IN, in 1967. They continued to live in Ft. Wayne until 2021, when they moved to Greer, SC, to live with their son and daughter-in-law, Douglas and Rosemary Beadie. Norma was predeceased by three weeks by her husband Tom, who died on November 20, 2022; her sister Roberta Tebbetts Dawson, of Rockland, ME, (May 8, 2020); and her brother, Arnold Rollin Tebbetts, of Cabot (August 12, 2001). She is survived by her daughter, Nancy Beadie (Donald W. Argus, Jr.) of Seattle, WA; son, Douglas Beadie (Rosemary Morken Beadie) of Greer; grandson Tom Beadie (Joanna Daniels Beadie) of Greenville, SC; and granddaughter Sophia Rose Beadie of Portland, OR. Also surviving her are ten nieces and nephews, including Rollin Tebbetts and Anson Tebbetts (Vicky Parra Tebbetts) of Cabot, and a number of grandnieces and grandnephews. Over more than fifty years in Ft. Wayne, Norma served many social service, church, and arts organizations. Known for her quick wit and dry humor, Norma had a sharp critical eye for pretension and hypocrisy. She was also a generous person who could be counted on in a crisis, knew how to get things done, and had a strong commitment to public service. Raised in Cabot, yet also a lover of New York City, Norma appreciated good people, good faith, and the good things in life wherever she found them.

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Building Demolition Bids (Part 1)

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

The Chronicle detailed the Selectboard discussion regarding the demolition of 2466 Main Street as the proposed site for a new public safety building, also referred to as a new firehouse. At the November 15 meeting, the board announced they had resealed the bids they had opened under executive session and put the project out to bid again. At the December 6 meeting the board opened the bids that they received from the advertisement. It should be noted that Fred Ducharme was not present at this board meeting. Mike Hogan started the discussion by reading the ad that was placed regarding demolition of 2466 Main Street. R.D. Eno asked if the original three bidders were contacted and it was said that some of the original bidders did not respond to the new criteria. The board reviewed five bids, and Mike summarized each bid: 1.Ben Ackermann bid $41,350; 2.Blue Mountain Trucking and Excavating bid $39,835, subject to change for hazardous materials; 3.Lajeunesse Construction bid $40,650 and did not include abatement of hazardous material, remediation of contaminated soil; 4.All Metals bids $49,500 and also did not include removal of hazardous materials; Steve Hogan bid $39,000 and noted it was subject to change.

Dean Deasy, Fire Chief, informed the board that all bidders took the opportunity to walk through the place. He added that Lajeunesse Construction had an environmentalist come along. He added that the buried tank was measured and holds about seven inches of oil and several inches of sludge. Dean went on to note that every contractor was concerned about the unknown in the garage bay. He felt they all thought they had a handle on the oil tank, but were worried about the drains in the garage bays which pose an unknown risk. Eric Lajeunesse was on Zoom and was invited by the board to speak. Eric said he asked the environmentalist to do some soil samples, but the floor drains are cemented in. He added that to do an asbestos sampling takes about $1,500 and a week to get the results. Eric went on to explain their bid included removing the tanks and doing the subsurface soil sampling, but did not include any abatement because they don’t know what is needed. He said they can’t test beneath the floor without ripping the building down. Ben Ackermann spoke about his bid, and said he had included $7,500 for asbestos removal, and agreed that testing runs between $1,000 and $1,500. He added that if there is no asbestos, then the town can subtract $7,500 from his price. Steve Hogan was also present on Zoom and spoke to the fact that this would be his fifth demo of the year. He said he included asbestos in his bid. Ben suggested the town test for asbestos, and test the soil, to reduce the unknowns. R.D. agreed that they should reduce the unknowns. Ian said they could drill through the floor to test underneath it. Dean chimed in and said he had the opportunity to talk this over with Eric and the environmentalist. He said that it was cheaper to test in an open pit than to drill down to take samples. Ian then suggested the town tear down the building, then test the soil. R.D. continued his thought and suggested breaking the project into two. Dean stated that wasn’t probably the best thing to do, since the pit would have to be covered while they went through the whole bid process again. Ian then noted that all the bids were within a couple grand of each other, and the dirty soil is an adder for all of them, and they are all really close. He speculated that they would also be close on the removal of contaminated soil. R.D. said that normally they would accept the low bid, but since the town has worked with Lajeunesse before, he would be inclined to go with them. R.D. moved to accept Lajeunesse’s bid and Skip seconded it. Mike said he was abstaining from the vote, and so did Ian. Without Fred in attendance, they could not have a majority to approve the motion. Mike suggested they put off the decision until Fred could be involved, and that he wanted to do it in executive session.

Dean also noted that every contractor that bid on the demolition expected to do it this winter. Mike said he thought they could rely upon a surplus, but that all depended on the winter. He speculated that it could be paid for with $19,000 from ARPA funds and $20,000 from the fund balance (surplus at the end of the fiscal year). He went on to mention that the general fund is fairly static, and that it’s the highway fund that is up or down each year. Fred Ducharme said that he didn’t know where they would get the extra $20,000 in the current fiscal year, and Mike said he can only assume there would be a surplus. Ian asked why they couldn’t postpone it to next year and Fred noted that the bids would all change. Fred said they asked for these people to bid with the expectation that the town would act upon the bids. Ian then asked why they put the project out for bid if they didn’t know how they were going to pay for it. The board then speculated about taking back ARPA funds that weren’t already spent, meeting was announced. Dean said it was posted on the town web page, and posted at the post office, the school, the firehouse, and at the Willey Building. Tricia asked if Dean was going to call them each time there is a meeting scheduled because they are not out and about to see the postings. R.D. Eno mentioned Front Porch Forum, to which the Scribners were not subscribed. The Chronicle has not found a record of the building committee meetings being posted on Front Porch Forum. At the end of the meeting, the board decided to go into executive session to discuss the bids for the demolition of the building. Eric asked if they could be involved with the discussion and they were told no. It was explained that Dean was being invited so the board could get his input before they deliberated. Mike explained the reason for executive session was to discuss and approve the bids for the demolition of 2466 Main Street. At the time of this writing, December 14, the minutes are not available on the town website, so it is unknown if the board took any action to accept a bid after executive session.

(see ‘Building Demolition Bids (Part 3) , page 7)

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Building Demolition Bids (Part 3)

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

The bids for the demolition of the house at 2466 Main Street to clear the lot for a new firehouse was again addressed at the December 13 Selectboard meeting. The topic was first broached during public comment when Tricia and Dean Scribner spoke about the article they read in the November edition of the Chronicle. Tricia said the article stated she had been invited to a public meeting, and she wanted clarification because she had not been invited to any meeting. Dean Deasy was present to respond to her remarks. He went on to explain that he stopped by their house, and believed someone was home, but no one came to the door. Eric said that they work from home and don’t go very far. He asked why Dean didn’t leave a note. He said that Dean misrepresented to the town that they had decided not to attend the public meeting. Dean’s response was that he attempted to reach out to them, but Eric said that it was a sad attempt. At this point Dean asked for their contact information, and the discussion turned to how the building committee and Ian said he doesn't think they can just start taking people’s ARPA money. Mike said that the board has the authority. R.D. mentioned that they needed to consider the imponderables, and what if contaminated soil was found under the building. Ian said that could cost another $100,000. Mike responded by saying life is full of “what ifs.” Then Ian asked why they were giving the school $5,000 if they needed the money for demolition of this building. R.D. noted that the board made a covenant with the organization we allocated money to, and they rely upon the board’s good faith. Michelle Leclerc brought up the point that the board had set aside $10,000 in the budget in case the fire department's dispatch costs increased and that wasn’t used. Mike then asked Dean if the fire department could come up with $10,000 if the board put $19,000 from ARPA and $10,000 from the budget towards the project. Dean said they would do whatever they have to.

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Building Demolition Bids (Part 2)

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

The bids for the demolition of the house at 2466 Main Street to clear the lot for a new firehouse was again addressed at the December 13 budget meeting. During the budget meeting the board started to try and figure out how to pay for razing the building at 2466 Main Street. At times, the conversation became confusing because they had been talking about the FY24 budget, yet the demolition project was to occur in FY23, the current fiscal year. Mike Hogan projected they needed to find $40,000 to pay for the demolition. Dean Deasy, the Fire Chief, said that the fire department's secretary was trying to figure out how to rearrange the budgeting to put some money towards the project. He mentioned they had some fundraisers next summer that could be used to return money to the town.

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Building Demolition Bids (Part 3)

(continued from page 6)

The board moved to the general budget and Michelle summarized the appropriations: Total $93,750; Ambulance $40,000; Cabot Arts $750; Cemetery $25,000; Chronicle $15,000; Senior Citizen $500; CCA $10,000; NIA $2,500. Mike asked Michelle to reduce the cemetery commission to $20,000. He also mentioned there was only $40,000 left of ARPA funds, which he was hoping to keep for wastewater plant repairs. The budget discussion continued at the December 6 meeting, where the board discussed paving projects. Ian had gotten prices from Pike Industries, and said that a two-inch shim overlay is $130,000. He noted that a shim won’t take out bumps. He then added that to grind down the pavement four inches and then build it up was $280,000/mile. He estimated that from Cabot Plains Road to the Walden Line on Route 215 was 2.2 miles, and back down to the bridge was 1.1 miles. They discussed the Mack Mountain Bridge and Old Route 2. Ian said the bridge would be $550,000, plus another $300,000 for a temporary bridge. He suggested that if they did Old Route 2, they could just grind it up and lay it back down at a cost of $20,000 a mile. The board went on to discuss the various paving grants and which project to budget with no clear answer before the discussion turned back to health insurance and then on to the general fund and the library budget. Beth Wade was in attendance on the 6th and spoke of comparable wages, and that the library trustees were going to discuss the librarian’s salary at their next meeting. Ian asked why the librarian’s increase was higher than the other town employees, and wanted to know how much an hour the librarian was making. Beth answered that it was around $23.70 per hour. Ian went on to say that everyone does their stuff and no one should be paid more than anyone else. He expressed that the increase should be the same for everyone. Beth pointed out that the librarian is required to have a bachelor’s degree plus additional education. Ian countered that the road crew needs to know how to run the equipment. Mike interjected and said he would be devil’s advocate by saying nothing is ever going to be equitable. He said that there is always going to be differences in salaries based upon the job specification. Mike wanted to continue this discussion at the budget meeting the following Tuesday. The Selectboard finished their budget deliberations at a December 13 budget meeting. Mike brought up a new addition to the budget. He spoke about witnessing the fire in Marshfield the previous day and how long the guys are out there. He said they don’t get a cent. He suggested the board add a stipend to the fire department budget. He wanted something that tells these guys that the town appreciates what they are doing. Ian added that he knows Walden volunteer firemen get something. Skip said that most towns do that now, and mentioned that Woodbury has a “whole setup” where something is given per call. The board agreed that $5,000 would be appropriate to add into the budget. Next Kathleen Hoyne spoke to the board about the library budget. She talked about comparative salaries and reports that show the average librarian salary is about $10 more an hour then what she makes. She said she is making $23.89 per hour and the average is close to $34 per hour. R.D. said that from his perspective, the problem with the library budget was the youth program. He suggested that he would be more comfortable if the funding for that was broken out into a separate article. Mike suggested that the board level fund the library and have the trustees petition for a separate article. R.D. said he would personally support the article and felt it was the more responsible avenue to follow. The board reduced the library budget by $25,000. The board finalized the two budgets with the general fund at $701,629 and the highway fund at $925,863. Michelle calculated the combined tax rate to be 0.7070 per $100 of appraised value, and if the library youth program article were to pass, the tax rate would be 0.7208 per $100 of appraised value.

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From page 7

State Statute: 1 V.S.A. § 313(a)(1) Executive Sessions A public body may not hold an executive session except to consider one or more of the following: (1) after making a specific finding that premature general public knowledge would clearly place the public body or a person involved at a substantial disadvantage: (A) contracts; (B) labor relations agreements with employees; (C) arbitration or mediation; (D) grievances, other than tax grievances; (E) pending or probable civil litigation or a prosecution, to which the public body is or may be a party; (F) confidential attorney-client communications made for the purpose of providing professional legal services to the body; (2) the negotiating or securing of real estate purchase or lease options; (3) the appointment or employment or evaluation of a public officer or employee… (4) a disciplinary or dismissal action against a public officer or employee… (5) a clear and imminent peril to the public safety; (6) records exempt from the access to public records provisions of section 316 of this title… (7) the academic records or suspension or discipline of students; (8) testimony from a person in a parole proceeding conducted by the Parole Board… (9) information relating to a pharmaceutical rebate or to supplemental rebate agreements… (10) security or emergency response measures, the disclosure of which could jeopardize public safety.

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Town Budgets Approved

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

The board had been discussing the town general and highway budgets for several meetings. At the November 28 meeting, the discussion started with Mike Hogan telling the board they need to decide upon a salary increase. He said they had talked about how high the library is setting their increase, and they need to set the increase for the town clerk, road crew, and everyone else. Mike suggested they plug in 5% and see what that did to the budget. Mike also mentioned that Rusty was talking about retiring next spring, and they would move Sid to foreman, and they would have to hire someone, and every town is having trouble hiring road crew. Fred Ducharme asked if the budget included anything for the road commissioner. Mike answered no, and noted that Ian does spend a lot of time in that role, and agreed that they should give Ian a stipend. Fred suggested $1,000 a month, and Mike agreed to put it in the budget. Michelle Leclerc did the calculations and provided the new totals. Mike said they are looking at an increase of $100,000 in the highway budget. He also said the highway budget hadn’t been increased during the time he has been on the board. Mike and Fred then started to look at where they could cut. Mike suggested cutting the gravel back from $100,000 to $80,000. Fred suggested changing the salt back to $55,000 and noted that sand was a 25% increase. The board discussed health insurance and that Sid is considering taking coverage since he may not be able to get coverage through his wife. The board reviewed the town personnel policy to better understand what would be required and Mike pointed to a passage that read: “shall be the sole determination of the Selectboard.” Betty reminded them they do need to pick a plan. They agreed to put a placeholder amount of $36,000 in for health insurance.

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School Playground

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

Representatives from Cabot School were present at the December 6 Selectboard meeting to present a request for ARPA funds to support the building of a new playground. Rory Thibault, Cabot School Board chair, introduced himself and quickly turned the floor over to the third and fourth graders that were present: Stella, Cody, Max, and Kaylee. The students lead the presentation about the proposed school playground. They started by saying they hadn’t had a playground in three years (the old one had to be torn down). They told the board they were going to talk about the natural playground they want the board to support. They described how the natural playground would be built into the environment and how they were working with the designer to determine what would be in the playground. They said they had read an article that stated it was good for kids to get outside. They passed out pictures of what would be in the playground and a description of the design process in which they had been involved. They also discussed how they visited natural playgrounds to see what they looked like. The students concluded by expressing what part of the playground they are excited about, and then asked the board if they had any questions. R.D. Eno asked the students when they started planning the playground, and Cody answered they has started in March of 2022. R.D. also asked if the playground would be accessible through the summer and the students answered yes. Mike followed up by asking the students what was there before, since they hadn’t had a playground for three years. The students described that there was a playground, but it had rotting wood and a beehive that was attacking kids. Mike wondered if there were other playgrounds like the one they were proposing. The students said there were some all over the country, and Becca Tatistcheff, the school principal, pointed out there was a playground in Woodstock that Natural Playgrounds had built. Rory thanked the students for making the presentation on behalf of the school, and highlighted that the project is a student lead design process, and part of their effort is to solicit community support. He went on to explain that the school was well served by a playground that probably served two generations. He added that the old playground had run its course and was removed during COVID. Rory then spoke to school funding and referenced that the school had a significant one time drop in enrollment, but enrollment has stabilized and is back to pre-ACT 46 numbers. He noted that until the school district gets some tax relief from the State, which is expected in the following tax year, not this one, the available resources are limited. He mentioned that this year the school board is focused on PCB mitigation, and that means looking for alternative sources of income. He described that the overall cost of the playground is projected to be $100,000, but that cost can be reduced by local resources and volunteer labor. He said that unlike other playgrounds, this playground is modular. He added that the hope is that this would be an enduring structure that doesn’t cost much to maintain. Rory concluded by noting the school didn’t get very much COVID relief money, like ARPA funds, and very little was available for infrastructure. He mentioned that most of it funded afterschool programs and things like intervention. He asked the Selectboard to authorize us to support the student Cabot School playground. R.D. asked about other funding sources, and Rory mentioned the students started a go-fund-me web page. Shannon Smith from the Cabot School PTO said that effort had raised $1,890 so far. At this point, one of the students turned to the Selectboard and told them to “give us however much you want.” Mike went on to describe that the town had received $430,000 in ARPA funds and has been spending on various projects over the past few years. He listed CVFiber and the Willey Building, and said a lot of money went into water and wastewater. He summarized by saying they only had about $17,000 left. Shannon added to the discussion by saying that although this is for the school, it's also for the community. She described that with the after school program, a lot of kids in the community would be touching this playground, including those that are homeschooled. Mike told everyone that the board was not going to commit to anything that night, and told the students that he thought the presentation was awesome. The students received a round of applause. After the school playground presentation was completed, Cabot Ambulance presented an ARPA fund request. Kris Schmidt spoke about a piece of equipment that is failing which is used for blood pressure, EKG and other measurements. She went on to describe that the ambulance had bought it used about ten years ago, and it would cost $33,000 to replace. She added that the cost could be spread over three years with $11,000 installments. Mike said that the board wishes they had double the amount of ARPA, and related it to the playground. He said the board would need to discuss it at a future meeting. The Selectboard finished their budget deliberations at a December 13 budget meeting. Even though ARPA funds were not on the agenda, they discussed the school’s request regarding a new playground and the Cabot Ambulance’s request to replace a failing piece of equipment. Mike recalled that Cabot Ambulance came in and talked about a piece of equipment that costs $11,000 a year for three years. He listed the options for paying for it: the board could take money out of ARPA, or Ambulance could take it out of their savings, or the board could include it in the budget and raise the tax rate. Skip Bothfeld said that Cabot Ambulance should pay for it. R.D. pointed out that their request should be for $11,000, not the total $33,000, and how they pay for it in the following two years is for another discussion. Mike noted that they are a non-profit that gets an appropriation from the town each year. He expressed that people should have come earlier when they were allocating ARPA funds. He then proposed $5,000. Mike then turned to the school request presented the prior week, and stated that they are a little late to the game. He said he was thinking of a smaller amount out of ARPA and noted that the spreadsheet shows only $29,000 left of ARPA funds. R.D. suggest $20,000 be allocated for the playground. Mike said he was thinking less, more like $1,000 to $2000. Mike expressed his belief that the AOE received a lot of money that the school could have accessed, and that the ARPA funds were for the whole town. He said that with the other needs we have, he doesn’t think they could offer the amount R.D. proposed. Fred agreed with Mike. Ian said he was thinking $5,000, and Fred said he would be willing to go to $6,500. Mike said he thought $5,000 was fine, and that he would not support more than that., R.D. relented and said if everyone was going to support $5,000, then he would not oppose it. The board allocated $5,000 of ARPA funds to the school playground and $5,000 of ARPA funds to Cabot Ambulance. ,The board expressed that Cabot Ambulance would have to cover the additional money to obtain the $11,000 needed for the first installment to buy the piece of equipment.

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All Free - 12th Night Celebration Presents Rusty Dewees and Clash of the Tartans Contest

Friday, January 6, 7:00 p.m. Willey Building Auditorium

On Friday, January 6, 12th Night Celebration will present Rusty DeWees.

Actor/Comedian DeWees is known for his beloved THE LOGGER persona through which he offers his stellar, hard earned talents as full-on comedian, musician, ad libber, and story-teller. Rusty's one-man comedy shows are best described as Blue-Collar Comedy meets Prairie Home Companion. To open the program, there will be the first-ever, "Clash of the Tartans" fashion show and contest! Audience members are invited to model their most clashing plaid shirts, hats, pants, socks, kilts... whatevever you've got. Be fearless and pile on the layers for cash prizes! To the sound of Scottish dance music, participants will walk from the back of the auditorium to the front, turn around and walk back. The audience will be encouraged to applaud, hoot and cheer for the best-worst ensemble. Prizes go to those who get the biggest applause. The Clash of the Tartans is intended to be good, clean, silly fun for everyone!

First Place will receive $100. Second Place: $50. Third Place will have a choice between $20 cash, or a prize from the "Mystery Box." Spaces are limited. Sign up now at direct o r @ cabotarts . orgorvisit www.cabotarts.org.

The Cabot Village 12th Night Celebration is a free event for all! See the full schedule at www.cabotarts.org and click on “12th Night Celebration” tab.

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Childcare Initiative seeks part-time Project Coordinator

The Cabot Child Care Initiative (CCCI) is seeking a part-time (approximately 40 hours per month) project coordinator to support the creation of a new, evidencebased 5-star licensed childcare facility for ages infant to three years in Cabot.

The project coordinator is a grant funded position that will work closely with the CCCI board and Vermont State agencies to draft plans for creating a childcare facility with the goal of opening in June of 2023.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of licensing rules for Early Childhood Centers in Vermont, experience in program budgeting, outstanding facilitation and project management skills, and the ability to work with various town stakeholders to build a sustainable program. They will be responsible for drafting the plans and organizing the business aspects of the new facility. A retired early childhood educator who already has experience in 5-star programs would be ideal.

Send resume, letter of interest and 3 references to [email protected]. Please contact Lori Augustyniak at the CCA for more information, 802-279-4309.

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Road Reclassification Hearing

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

On December 5, the Selectboard visited five of the Class 3 roads that they had approved to reclassify to Class 4 at the October 19 Selectboard meeting. The site inspection is part of the process for reclassifying roads, specified by state statute. There are no minutes available for these meetings on the town website, and since no one from the Chronicle was in attendance, nothing can be reported. The next part of the state-prescribed process involved a hearing, which was held on December 13. At this meeting, the board involved the public in discussions of each of the five roads they had visited as listed in the agenda: Cow Hill Road, Ducharme Road, Jug Brook Road, Walbridge Road, and VT Route 215 North. Mike Hogan started the hearing by telling everyone that they would hear from each of the road residents and then make a decision at the end. No one was present in the public to talk about Cow Hill Road and that was skipped, and Mike later said the Goodrich’s didn’t have an opinion one way or the other. The first road discussed was Jug Brook Road, and Simon Villa spoke as to why he thought the subject came up in the first place. He related his issue with the propane company being worried about driving over the bridge. He said he didn’t want to be responsible for the bridge that also services his neighbor. He also said he didn’t know what being a Class 3 road means. He went on to say that the letter he received stated the road wouldn’t get plowed anymore, but it doesn’t get plowed now. Ian Ackermann responded that he was under the impression that Simon wanted to rebuild the bridge and that is why the board was looking at “throwing up” the road (reverting it to the land owner). Simon reasoned that if he pays taxes to have the bridge maintained, then he doesn’t want to do anything. He mentioned that he wasn’t able to get answers on who owned the bridge, and who was in charge of it. Simon added that he would like to know the load limits of the bridge. Mike noted that if the road was Class 4, the town would still be responsible for the bridge. The next road discussed was Walbridge Road, and Dave Pike spoke about what he had already said at a previous board meeting. He went on to declare that “You haven’t given me a good reason yet.” Dave continued by noting that for all the roads that dead end, the last person gets the same benefit as I do on my road. He said that when people move onto a Class 4 road, that's where they want to live. He added that if people move onto a Class 3 road, then that's where they want to live. He emphatically said it should stay a Class 3 road. Ian responded to Dave's question by saying he had been thinking about it since the previous meeting. Ian relayed that when he first got onto the board, there were people asking why the town was maintaining the road out to your house. He added that he started looking around at what other roads are the same. Ian said the way he looks at it, “why are the taxpayers paying to plow the road to your house?” Lee Blackwell spoke from the public and said when he heard this was happening, he felt that it seemed unfair. He related that on his road he lives at the end, and that it is at least 1,000’ longer than Dave’s road. Mike said there is no other traffic that goes up to the one house, and that highways are usually going from one destination to another destination. He added that the town is plowing driveways. He continued to say that these roads are not truly Class 3 roads anymore, they are driveways. Ian added to the conversation that they had a meeting with the whole road crew, and the road crew agreed that if they reclassify one road, they should reclassify all of these roads. Dave responded that he didn't think any of them should be reclassified. He went on to say that there are worse places to turn around on dead end roads that are a lot longer than these roads. He gave Saw Mill Road and Bolton Road as an example, and said his point is that the road crew plows all the way to the end just for one house. Up next was Ducharme Road, and Susan Carpenter spoke about the lack of guidelines. She wanted to know what policy the board was working from. Ian responded that these roads are just driveways and there is one taxpayer on each of these roads. Sue pointed out that she has a farm and that is why it hasn’t been developed. She speculated that maybe she should put up trailers, or have an Air B&B. She expressed that she felt anything she was going to say wasn’t going to make a difference and said she felt Ian had been dismissive when they came out to visit the road. Ian responded that he wasn’t dismissive, and that she had told him everything and he didn’t need to hear any more. He went on to say it is his opinion that the town does not have time to maintain these roads. R.D. Eno interjected, in Ian’s defense, to say that these are the only Class 3 roads with one taxpayer. He also made it clear that the board had not deliberated yet, and that Sue was making the assumption a decision had been made. Sue then asked about summer maintenance if her road was Class 4. Ian answered that the board is talking about that. too, because of a few of the existing Class 4 roads. He said they want to maintain the culverts and bridges. He added that the policy currently says the town will gravel and grade Class 4 roads as needed, but they may change it. Sue explained how the change would personally affect her and encouraged the board to table the reclassification until they have a good policy. The next road discussed wasn’t named and the agenda only listed it as “Robert Rathbone – VT Route 215 North.” Robert took the floor and said it only takes 45 seconds to plow the road and went on to explain how he can’t plow the road from his house to 215, and that it needs to be plowed from 215. He also explained how he has added a culvert and tripled the size of the turn around for the plow truck. Ian asked Robert, what was the difference between his road and his neighbor’s driveway. Robert responded that his property does not extend all the way to 215, and that the road has been maintained for at least 60 years. He added that it would be too much of a burden for him if they reclassified the road. Ian turned the discussion of Class 4 roads and how those taxpayers don’t get the same services, yet these roads have fewer houses and the road is maintained to their driveway. Dave noted that these Class 3 roads do not require much maintenance. The board proceeded to deliberate on each road individually in the order they were on the agenda. The discussions started with Cow Hill Road, Fred Ducharme said he thought it should stay Class 3. He said the road was moved under an agreement between a previous road foreman, Gus Perry, and Walter Goodrich. He felt the town should honor the agreement. R.D. also said he sees a covenant between the town and the property owners in each of these cases, except Simon’s road. He added that the residents on these roads rely upon the classification. Sue for business, Dave for his residence. There is a public interest in honoring those covenants, that balances whatever public interest there might be in reclassifying them. The board proceeded to vote on each road and unanimously approved reclassifying Jug Brook Road as Class 4. The vote on the other roads failed to approve reclassification and those roads remain Class 3. Those votes were Mike and Ian for reclassification, and R.D, Fred and Skip against reclassification.

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Lawn Maintenance

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

At the September 6 Selectboard meeting, the Town Clerk, Betty Ritter, brought to the Selectboard’s attention that Tommy would not be doing the lawn care for the Town next year. Ian Ackermann said there was a ton of lawn mowing people around and the board agreed they needed to put out an advertisement for bids. At the November 21 Health Board Hearing and Selectboard Meeting, the bids were opened and reviewed by the board. The board reviewed the bids and determined the total amounts for the summer, as some bids were based upon weeks: DR Property Maintenance bid $13,800; Patriot Landscaping and Propbut nothing that would support walking or ice fishing yet. That will change soon. Tickets are printed and the website (www.joespondvermont.com) is up and ready for ticket sales. Again this year, paper tickets will be available to purchase for $1 each in Cabot at the Cabot General Store and the Walden Corner Stop Inn Shop, in West Danville at Hasting’s Store, in Danville at Marty’s First Stop, in Barre at Dente’s Market, in Marshfield at the Marshfield Village

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2023 Joe’s Pond Ice Out Contest

by Michelle Walker Happy Holidays to the residents of Cabot and the readers of the Cabot Chronicle from your neighbors on Joe’s Pond. It is time to start thinking about when the ice will go out on Joe’s Pond. This will be the 36th year of the contest. As of early December, there is very little ice on the pond. There is a skim of ice on the middle and small ponds, with some ice around the islands on the big pond, erty Maintenance bid $16,800; Cutting it Close bid $28,125; Derrik Salls bid $17,005. Mike then added that it wasn’t just the numbers, but the other particulars that needed to be checked on the bids. Michelle was asked how much it cost the town for Tommy to mow in a year, and she responded that it was $12,000 not including insurance. The board approved accepting the bid from DR Property Maintenance & Lawn Care, Inc., for a contract of one year, to be evaluated at the end of the year. R.D. Eno asked what recourse does the town have if the contractor does not perform? Mike answered that they will cross that bridge when it comes.

With our recreational grant from Vermont Forests, Parks & Recreation, we plan to be busy over the next two years expanding trails, adding informational kiosks, improving parking, adding benches, and acquiring tools and equipment for trail maintenance. We hope to involve more residents in volunteer work in the coming year to help maintain our trails. We are currently addressing liability issues at the town level before we proceed on this. The Vermont Agency of Transportation announced today that it will award an $80,000 Lamoille Valley Rail Trail (LVRT) grant to the six towns between St. Johnsbury and Hardwick (including Cabot) to develop trail parking options, an amenities plan, a safety plan, and signage and a web and phone app to direct trail users to businesses and points of interest off the LVRT.

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Cabot Trails Update

by Gary Gulka The Cabot Trails Committee encourages you to get out this winter to snowshoe or ski some of the trails in the Cabot Trail network. The McQueeney trails are accessible from Brickett’s Crossing and McQueeney Road, as well as Cabot Plains Road near the cemetery. The Talbert Farm Trails are accessible from Elm Street Cemetery and the Talbert sugarhouse on Bothfeld Hill Road. The Cabot Winter Trail network is accessible from the end of Taylor Road, the end of Dubray, Danville Hill, and Menard Roads. Maps are available online at cabotvermont.org and paper copies are available at information kiosks at trailheads. Town Forest trails have been expanded, cleared, and marked this fall. Currently, parking in the winter is not convenient and we hope to work on that in the future.

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Winter Educational Events

by Gary Gulka The Conservation Committee is planning educational events this winter and early spring that should be of interest. More details will be posted on Front Porch Forum.

January 15, 4:00 p.m.: Vermont’s

Forests in a Changing Climate. A very informative presentation by Ali Kosiba, UVM Extension Forester. Learn about how our forests are changing due to increased temperature and precipitation and how we can practice climate adaptive management techniques in our woodlands. Also learn about programs and funding sources available to landowners to sustainably manage woodlands. The presentation will be in the Cabot Library.

January or February – Animal

Tracking in Winter. Join us for an outing on snowshoes to look for signs of animals in winter. Appropriate for all ages, especially children. We will snowshoe on one of the trails in the Cabot Trails Network.

March – Bear Aware Vermont. Learn about our bear population in Vermont, which now numbers between 4500 and 5500, at the time of year when they are becoming active again in early spring. It is important that we understand how these animals live and behave so we can minimize human conflicts. Bring your questions and your observations.

Store, and in Montpelier at Capitol Imports (Barre Montpelier Road), Perry’s Gas, Meadow Mart, Bob’s Sunoco. Check the Joe’s Pond website for other vendors. Buy your tickets early. All completed tickets and money need to be returned to the Joe’s Pond Association before midnight on April 1, 2023.

In 2022, over 13,000 tickets were sold. The official Ice Out was on April 19 at 4:51 AM. That is when the block fell through the ice, stopping the clock. Three people made guesses within four minutes of that date and time. They split the pot of just over $6,000.

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Exciting times for the Cabot Harvest Hub

by Sarah Spletzer-Welters

2022 has been an exciting year for the Cabot Harvest Hub! The Hub was established in 2021 as an online farmer’s market. Thankfully, we could start in-person events again in 2022 and hosted monthly Pop-Up Markets from April to November and joined the annual Holiday Market at The Den/ Harry’s Hardware in December. Other highlights of the Hub’s year were participation in the 4th of July parade and market on the rec field and the Harvest Hub community dinner in October. The Harvest Hub is a great platform for new businesses who want to “get their name out” in the community. SoulHoney Bakery (Marshfield) is a good example of a business that started selling at the Harvest Hub online store and is now regularly selling out at our Pop-Up Markets. More established businesses can profit from the Harvest Hub, as well. Back Roads Farm (Cabot) and Broadfork Farm (Greensboro) love using the Hub as a way to introduce new products and services to existing customers.

In total the Harvest Hub generated more than $20,000 in sales for about 50 local small business owners, farmers and artists. We are looking forward to another series of regular Pop-Up Markets and inperson events in 2023. We will also tighten our connections with other organizations in town, such as Neighbors in Action and the Cabot school. If you are interested in becoming a member-customer or producer at the Harvest Hub please email Sarah Spletzer -Welters at cabotharvesthub@ gmail.com.

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Cabot School Seeking Support for Playground

Third and fourth graders have been working hard to finance their dream of a playground for Cabot School. The class launched a GoFundMe campaign late this fall that had raised more than $2,000 for the playground as of mid-December. The student-written GoFundMe page explains that Cabot School has been without a playground for nearly three years — long enough that some children in the combined third and fourth grade class have never had access to one. The school's former playground was removed in 2020 for safety reasons. "A playground is important to us because it gets kids moving and helps kids be more creative, focused, and happy," wrote Aspen, a fourth grader, on the GoFundMe page. At a town selectboard meeting in early December, four third and fourth graders tooks turns describing the project and why they were excited about it. School Board Chairman Rory Thibault then asked the selectboard to contribute ARPA (federal pandemic relief money) toward the playground, whose total cost of $100,000 could be significantly defrayed by in-kind donations of labor and materials. Although board chairman Michael Hogan said that members would need time to consider the funding request, he had high praise for the students' presentation, which he called "really impressive."

Fundraising is the most recent example of the third and fourth graders' involvement in bringing a new playground to Cabot. Since last year, they have been working with Ron King, owner of Natural Playgrounds, to help him design a playground that would be built with natural, rather than manufactured, materials. The playground plan, which will be shared with the community once finalized, calls for natureinspired elements such as climbing structures, stepping stumps, and shallow caves. The playground would serve as a community resource in addition to being available for Cabot School students.

If you would like to make a donation toward materials and construction for a playground at Cabot School, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/cabotschool-3rd-and-4th-grade-naturalplayground. Or you may write a check payable to Cabot School, with the words "playground fund" in the memo line. The third and fourth graders, and everyone at Cabot School, appreciates your support.

In the photos, Cabot School Principal Rebecca Tatistcheff and a third grader listen to questions about the playground at a selectboard meeting on December 6 (left), and School Board Chairman Rory Thibault asks the selectboard for financial support for the project (right). Photos courtesy of Erica Fucello.

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Cabot School Enjoys Food and Connection at Harvest Meal

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Curschmann, Carolyn Zuaro and Angela Ward.

On the day before their Thanksgiving break, Cabot School students and staff sat down for a family-style Harvest Meal. The event was a true community effort that brought together students and staff from across campus and gave everyone an opportunity to reflect on what they were thankful for. Clockwise from bottom left in the photo collage: Students help prepare food for the meal, including sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, stuffing and apple crisp; centerpieces and decorations, created by art teacher Carolyn Zuaro's students, await placement on tables; and high school social studies teacher Anthony Christiano serves his buddy crew, which consists of high schoolers, third and fourth graders, and several staff members. The Harvest Meal would not have been possible without Cabot School's incredible kitchen staff, led by Brock Miller, who made an hour-long round trip to a supermarket early in the morning when turkey didn't arrive as expected on the delivery truck. We are grateful to them, and to all the members of our community, and we send everyone our best wishes for the new year.

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Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service

On this day we honor Dr. MLK, Jr., by continuing his fight for a just and equitable world. Help build relationships and communities where people feel heard and valued. Join us in this work right here in Cabot at www.CabotMentoring.org.

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Events at the Jaquith Public Library

All events are free an held at the library (unless noted otherwise) 122 School St. RM 2, Marshfield, VT. For info call: 802-426-3581 or email: [email protected] or visit our website: www.jaquithpubliclibrary.org Story Time and Playgroup: For kids Birth to Age 5 Fridays at 10:30 a.m.

Get ready for some fun with Sasha during story and activity time. This science, art, and nature- based program will encourage creativity, exploration and time for parents and caregivers to share child rearing practices and challenges. We will start with outside programming, eventually moving inside when it is safe to do so.

Monday Book Group For copies of the book, please stop by the library. New members are always welcome, Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. January 23 - Born a Crime: Story of a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Just Food Hub Fundraiser for the Jaquith Library The Jaquith Library is raising

money by collaborating with Just Food Hub, a profit-free, volunteerrun coop in Marshfield that helps raise funds for organizations and groups. When you go to jaquithlibrary.justfoodhub.us to order, the Jaquith gets 30% of all purchases.

You can pick up your food at the Jaquith during library hours two days after your order or any time thereafter, or have it shipped to you, or have it delivered for free if you live in Marshfield or Plainfield. Just Food Hub enables you to order regularly so eating healthy, ethically sourced food becomes second nature.

Wood Moisture Meter is available to borrow at the Jaquith Library The Vermont DEC’s Air Quality & Climate Division (AQCD) and the Department of Libraries have co-sponsored the state-wide wood moisture meter loan program. Hand-held wood moisture meters are available at 63 public libraries for patrons to borrow for free to check the moisture content of their firewood. Wood burning is an economical way to heat homes. However, proper burning practices are necessary to prevent poor air quality and protect public health.

How to Borrow Audio Books and Ebooks Libby and Green Mountain Overdrive (also known as Listen-up Vermont) are both downloadable audio and e-book programs brought to you by member libraries of the Green Mountain Library Consortium. You can borrow up to 3 e-books or audios for up to 2 weeks. Selections include material for all ages and interests. If you have a Jaquith Public Library card, you have access to thousands of ebooks and audiobooks Libby is an app for accessing digital content from the library's Over- Drive collection. This free app, created by OverDrive, is available for Android and iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch) devices. Libby is highly recommended if you're new to digital borrowing.

Do I need Libby and OverDrive? Which app should I use?

If you use one iOS or Android device to browse, download, and read or listen to digital books, we recommend trying Libby. It's a great one-device experience. If you like to read books on many devices, or prefer to browse for new titles on your computer, stick with the Over- Drive app for now. Whether you decide to use Libby or Green Mountain OverDrive you need to: 1-Enter Jaquith Library 2-Enter the numbers 5658, followed by your 4-digit patron number 3-NEW: enter a password. The password is the first four letters of your last name (all caps).

If you forgot your number or need help, just give the library a call 802-426- 3581 or email: [email protected].

Want to go solar? Want to get involved? Upper Winooski Community Solar, an offshoot of the Marshfield Energy Committee, would like to know if you are interested in going solar but find installing a photovoltaic system on your roof or property is not practical or possible? With community solar you don’t have to! Community solar allows multiple unrelated customers to share in clean energy generation and can make solar power accessible without huge upfront costs. By becoming a subscriber, folks receive credit on their electric bill for their share of the energy produced. We are a small group of local residents in the beginning stages of creating a community solar project. Have questions or comments? Contact us! www.upperwinooskicommunitysol ar.com.

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What do USDA Plan Hardiness Zones Mean?

Generally speaking, plant hardiness means how much cold and heat a plant can tolerate. Being Vermonters, we’ll focus mostly on cold tolerance. The US Department of Agriculture creates handy maps for gardeners and farmers, like these:

Cabot is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4A, while some folks in Marshfield are 4B. Burlington is zone 5A. But what does this mean, exactly? The zones are a measurement of average minimum temperatures over a 30 year period. The most recent USDA maps cover the 30 years of 1976-2005. This gives you decent information on the lowest temperatures your gardens are likely to experience, and therefore which plants will do well, but there are limitations:

Freak winter weather: temperatures can drop lower than what is shown in the zone, with the potential to kill plants that have done well for years.

Sudden temperature shifts: an unusually quick change from warm to cold weather (such as a January thaw followed by a cold snap) can stress and kill plants, even if the temperature is within those predicted by the zone map.

Microclimates: the small temperature variations in landscapes caused by water, stone, hills, and hollows. You may have pockets on your land that are warmer (a garden bed on the south side of the house, bordered by a paved driveway) or cooler (a hollow with little sun, where cold air pools) than the zone you are in.

Wind, soil type, sun exposure, plant health: all of these factor into plant hardiness. That said, USDA maps are a pretty handy guide when looking through the garden catalogs, or visiting nurseries. Most plants have a range of tolerance, and you just want to be sure the range includes your zone. If a plant is listed as zone 3-6, it will happily tolerate the winter in Cabot (zone 4a), Marshfield (zone 4b), or Burlington (zone 5), but not the heat in South Carolina (zone 8).

When checking plants for their USDA zone, have as much information on the plant as possible. For instance, it isn’t enough to know that it’s a viburnum (there are over 150 species); is it Viburnum lentago (zone 3-7, will do great even in the coldest NEK hollow), Viburnum davidii (zones 7-9, fine in Georgia, but not a chance of living through a Vermont winter), or Viburnum cylindricum (zone 5-9, probably okay in Burlington but not Cabot). Most local nurseries can help you with zone questions: just ask. You may need to be more proactive with online or catalog nurseries, especially large ones serving the whole US; they aren’t necessarily checking that your order makes sense for your zip code. You can find USDA plant hardiness zones at https://planthardiness.ars. usda.gov/pages/view-maps. This garden article is brought to you by Susan Socks, aka the Garden Goddess. Stay tuned for upcoming articles on lawn care, pruning, garden tools, edible landscapes, homesteading, and more. Forgar de n in g h el p , v i si t www.SocksFamilyFarm.weebly.com or call 802.498.7785.

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SENIORS NEWS UPDATE

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." -Edith Sitwell We at the Twin Valley Senior Center think enjoying a home cooked meal along with the fellowship of fellow Vermonters can be better than staying home. We also have volunteers who will bring a meal directly to you or a loved one if you find yourself in need. Do you play Cribbage? Enjoy working on a puzzle? Why do activities or prepare and eat lunch alone when you can join us in person or receive an in-person delivery of a hot delicious meal three times a week from one of our volunteers. We are grateful to all our volunteers, especially through the holiday season. We are also grateful to you for your generosity. Twin Valley is in need of donations to help cover the cost of the meals we serve. Would you consider donating today or even regularly to help us continue to provide this vital resource to folks in our region? We provide approximately 9,400 meals a year to our service areas of Cabot, Calais, East Montpelier, Marshfield, Plainfield and Woodbury. Including our in-house meals program, we deliver over 10,300 meals a year. While we receive some funding and appropriations, we still need regular donations from you in order to combat the rising costs of inflation. Thank you for your contribution to your community. Please stop by today. We are open Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. or call us at (802) 223- 3322 and we can set you up on the GMTA bus with free transportation provided to and from the center year round. Interested in some of the classes we offer via Zoom or in person? Here is what we have upcoming:- Bone Builders with Cort Richardson; via Zoom on Mondays, Wednes days and Fridays from 7:30- 8:30 a.m.

P.O. Box 152 East Montpelier, VT 05651 802-223-3322 [email protected] Bone Builders with Sue Carey; in person on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00-10:00 a.m.

Tai Chi with Pat Boyle; in person on Tuesdays from 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Tai Chi with Susan Crampton; in person on Fridays from 10:00-11:00 a.m.

SASH sponsored Bingo with prizes is held every 1st and 3rd Monday at 1:00 p.m. in person

Blood Pressure Clinics are on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Mystery Book Club is held in person on the first Thursday of each month

Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice provides Foot Clinics on a monthly basis

In-person Art Classes are advertised periodically as well Stay warm friends and hope to see you soon, Eugene Troia, Executive Director P.O. Box 152 East Montpelier, VT 05651 Telephone (802) 223-3322 [email protected]

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Cabot Triple Cream Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Earns Best Yogurt and Reserve Chairman’s Awards

Cabot wins 11 awards at national cheese and yogurt contest

Cabot's Triple Cream Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt earned the Best Yogurt title and the Reserve Chairman's award at the National Milk Producers Federation's (NMPF) Annual Cheese & Yogurt Contest held in Aurora, Colorado. The local cooperative had nine top-three awards for its cheeses and yogurts. The annual contest recognizes the best cheese and yogurt products produced by NMPF's member cooperatives. This is the first year that yogurt was included in the competition. Overall, the contest received 216 entries in 24 classes submitted by 13 NMPF member cooperatives. "What an honor it is to have the top placing yogurt in the first year that yogurt has been a part of the contest, and to then add the Reserve Chairman honor on top of that," said Rachael Richards, cultured product manager for Cabot. "We're proud of the Cultured Team at the Cabot plant and the yogurt they make. Our Greek yogurt is the flagship of our cultured category. It's rewarding to see the Triple Cream Vanilla take off and grow since we first launched it in 2019 and for it to win awards like this." In addition to yogurt wins, Cabot had five awards in the four cheddar categories. "Cheddar is what we're known for," remarked Earle Elliott, cheese grader and inventory manager for the cooperative. "It means a lot to win first and second place in both the medium and sharp cheddar categories." Elliott noted that all three of Agri-Mark's cheese production facilities had a cheddar that placed in the top three. Outside of the standard cheddar groupings, Cabot's Habanero Cheddar took first place in the Hot or Spicy category. Those who like heat will enjoy Cabot's fieriest cheddar. It is a fan favorite among the hot chili-loving crowd according to Elliott. "These awards show we're not just good at cheese, we're good at cultured products too," said Elliott of Cabot's success at the NMPF Cheese and Yogurt Competition.

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CV Fiber Subscription Rates Unveiled

From CVFiber.org website

After months of careful planning and financial review, CVFiber has established subscription rates for high-speed Internet service. Residential service will offer symmetrical upload and download speeds at the following rates:  100 Mbps at $79/month  500 Mbps at $99/month  1 Gbps at $129 /month  2 Gbps at $199/month VOIP phone service will cost an additional $29/month Commercial enterprises will be able to get symmetrical speeds of 1, 2, 5, and 10 Gigabit. Commercial pricing has not yet been finalized. Additional details will be published on our website when available.

Rates were set as low as possible while ensuring financial stability for the network. Numerous factors were considered including projected pace of construction, rate of subscriber buy-in, network expenses, and borrowing costs. We are working on arrangements for those who cannot afford the full price. Cost should not be a barrier to high-speed broadband.

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Sicely Family Musical Roots Endure Jeremy Sicely Releases First Solo Album

by Jeanne Johnson “Buck Fever”, Jeremy Sicely’s first solo album. Buck Fever” is available in iTunes & Spotify and most streaming apps.

The Rutland Herald reviewed Jeremy Sicely’s first solo album, “Buck Fever,” in November, reporting it “firmly establishes him as a talented singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist on this 13-track CD.” Art Edelstein, Arts Correspondent, writes, “Sicely, of Cabot, is country music through and through. With this album he moves closer to what we think will be his final goal, a shot at the Nashville scene.” The Cabot Chronicle reached out to Jeremy to ask him a few questions.

Cabot Chronicle: Congratulations on your first solo album, "Buck Fever." Did you write all thirteen songs?

Jeremy Sicely: I did, except for Poor Farm Road, which I wrote with the producer on the album, Colin McCaffrey.

Cabot Chronicle: Who backed you up?

Jeremy Sicely: There is some great talent on this album that I am humbled to have. For starters, my uncle Rich Sicely, who is a tremendous electric guitar player. On backing vocals we had Patty Casey and Geoff Goodue. Patty is someone who I have greatly admired from her solo work and work with the Bluegrass Gospel Project. Geoff is my band mate in my Bluegrass Band, Beg, Steal or Borrow. We have been on the road for almost ten years now singing together so we have that brothers style harmony telepathy thing going on. Colin had a connection with Eric O'Hara who played pedal steel and he is in the Gibson Brothers as a dobro player, so I knew of him through the bluegrass world. We run in the same circles and it was nice to get to know him through this. There is a tune on here entitled "Starline Rhythm,'' a tribute to the Starline Rhythm Boys, and I was fortunate to have their frontman, Danny Coane, play guitar and sing harmony vocals to add that real rockabilly know-how. And lastly, Colin McCaffrey, who also produced the album, has a core presence with many instruments and vocals throughout. Colin is a blast to work with and he can play almost any instruments; in the liner notes I refer to him as a swiss army knife in the studio.

Cabot Chronicle: How long have you been working on it?

Jeremy Sicely: This started pre pandemic in January of 2020 and took over two years to complete. I was on no real schedule and I even wrote about half the material as we were making the album. The first sessions we had in person at Colin's studio, so I got a glimpse of his process, and when the pandemic hit, I was able to recreate some of his methods in my studio. We exchanged tracks digitally then met over facetime to collaborate about arrangements. In the end, it was recorded at three studios: my studio in Cambridge, The Green Room in East Montpelier, and Lane Gibson Studios in Charlotte.

Cabot Chronicle: The artwork for your cd is striking. Who designed it and what is the inspiration?

Jeremy Sicely: That was all Mike Lorenz. Mike is a Mandolin Player that I have been in bands with over the years. He is also the Art Director for Height of Land Publications, so his main forte is design and picking Magazine Covers. I actually gave him three song titles to choose from and let him loose on it. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw his work, to say the least. One thing I have learned over the years in music is that having someone that has graphic design skills is a must.

Cabot Chronicle: Please fill in the blanks about your Cabot roots for people who don't know you or your family.

Jeremy Sicely:

Like many folks that settled in Vermont, the Sicely family was of Irish descent and came down from Canada in the Early 1800's and settled in Calais, Vermont. The earliest known musician was Joseph Sicely, who Doc Sicely recalls would be asked to play the Fiddle at what was called a Kitchen Junket, where people would gather in a home for music and dancing. Mary (Lapan) Sicely, Joseph's wife and Doc's grandmother, was French Canadian and taught the traditional dance style Clogging to Doc Sicely. Later on, William (Bill) Sicely, Joseph's son, formed a group called the Sicely Orchestra, with his wife Gladys, that played out locally at places like The Capital City Grange in Montpelier, and Scribners Barn in Calais. Doc Sicely would attend and dance with his wife, Alice, and Doc recalls, "being able to buy a six-pack of beer for a dollar!" Richard "Dick" Sicely got his start at a young age with The Sicely Orchestra, calling square dances for two dollars a Jeremy with his Dobro - personal photo.

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 16 onward.

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