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Cabot Historical Society

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The Cabot Chronicle

September 2024 · 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 September 2024 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 Newest School Board Member

As told to Jeanne Johnson 1. Congratulations on a successful write-in campaign for the school board seat. Can you tell us what inspired you to do this? Thank you! I was inspired to join the school board because I truly value the central role the school plays in our community. The success of the school has a direct impact on the overall well-being of our town, and I believe that by strengthening the school, we can strengthen the community as a whole. As a parent of two students, I've experienced both the opportunities and challenges within the school system. I felt compelled to step up, help shape solutions, and create a more supportive environment where all students can thrive. Running a write-in campaign felt like the right way to contribute meaningfully to this effort.

2. Please tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? Go to school? What was your first job?

I grew up in Arizona and lived along the West Coast before relocating to Vermont in 2021. During my high school years, I was an active member of our student council and served as Senior Class President. Organizing events, fundraising, and playing an active role in shaping the school were all things I was passionate about then—and I still carry that desire to contribute today. Though those years were long ago, I've always appreciated the value of being actively involved in the school community, and that's something I now bring as a parent and community member.

3. Please tell us a little about your family and what you are doing now. My kids are heading into 5th and 7th grade at Cabot School, and they're active in sports, which has helped us integrate into the community. The warm welcome we received made Cabot feel like home right away. Professionally, I've worked in marketing throughout my career, and I've just accepted a position with the State of Vermont in the Department of Tourism. Our decision to move to Vermont was driven by the state's beautiful scenery and access to outdoor recreation, and we love the community we've found here in Cabot. I'm also excited to be contributing to Vermont's economic development through my work in tourism.

4. What are your goals for your tenure on the school board?

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Cabot Carriage and Sleigh Company

In 1886 the Cabot Carriage and Sleigh Company was built on Elm Street Cabot Carriage Company Shop on Elm Street Cabot Carriage Company sleigh designs in the village. They “… manufactured a strong buggy wagon and single seated sleighs with a wonderful curve in the dashboard.” (Blodgett)

Cabot Carriage Company employee photo Cabot Carriage Company sleigh descriptions My primary goal is to enhance communication and transparency between the school, the board, parents, and the broader community, ensuring that decisions reflect the needs of everyone involved. I'm also focused on preserving the unique aspects of our K-12 school while making sure we're preparing our students for the future, no matter which path they choose. It's equally important to me to find a balance between supporting the school and being mindful of how our choices impact the town overall. I'm committed to working collaboratively to address issues that affect both students and staff, and ensuring that our school evolves to meet the needs of tomorrow while staying true to its strengths.

5. What does your family think of your new responsibilities? They've been incredibly supportive! My kids are excited to see me more involved in their school, and my family is proud that I'll be serving the community. It feels like a shared effort because everything I'll be doing on the school board is done with our family and the community's future in mind.

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Town

Will the voters of the Town of Cabot adopt and direct the Selectboard to sign the following Declaration of Inclusion, written by the Declaration of Inclusion Initiative of Rutland and so far, adopted by 150 Vermont towns and cities: The Town of Cabot condemns racism and welcomes all persons regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age or disability, or socioeconomic status, and wants everyone to feel safe and welcome in our community. As a town, we formally condemn discrimination in all its forms, commit to fair and equal treatment of everyone in our community, and will strive to ensure all our actions, policies and operating procedures reflect this commitment. The Town of Cabot is and will continue to be a place where individuals can live freely and express their opinions. Yes 173 – No 32 – Blank 92 – Total 211

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OBITUARIES & MEMORIALS

Donna J. Dubray Donna J. Dubray, age 80, of Deer Avenue, St. Johnsbury, Vt. passed Sunday evening, Aug. 4, 2024, at her home surrounded by family following a brief illness. Donna was born in Burlington, VT., on October 20, 1943, daughter to the late William and Ella (Rock) Payette. She grew up in East Burke attending White School and graduating from the Lyndon Institute in the Class of 1961. She retired from EHV Weidmann where she worked as a Group Leader. Donna loved spending time with her husband Peter, her children, grand and great-grandchildren. She loved and adored her dog, Loki, who brought her so much joy. Donna and Peter spent their winters in Floral City, FL. She enjoyed walking, bike riding, kayaking, gambling and traveling. She loved playing cards with her family as well as her many friends in Cabot and Floral City. Donna is survived by her beloved husband of over 41 years, Peter, her son William P. Sargent (Pamela) of Springfield, VT, three daughters: Susan Hayes of Waterford, VT, Connie Lumbra

Patricia E. Foster Patricia Ellen (Cronin) Foster, 84, of Cabot died peacefully on Friday, July 26. 2024, at home comforted by her family and her faith. She was born July 15, 1940, on the Mead Farm in Center Harbor, NH, to Robert and Freda (Perkins) Cronin. The family moved to Marshfield, VT, and then to East Hampton, CT, where she attended high school. In 1957 she married Calvert Foster of Cabot and had six children. They returned to Vermont and settled in Hardwick.

(Dennis) of St. Johnsbury, Jean Marie Johnson (Brian) of Leominster, MA, step -son: Paul Dubray (Alain Lecloux) of Monte Rio, CA, step-daughter: Sara Strine (Bill) of Glendale, PA, her sister: June Mitchell (Leslie) of Lyndonville, VT, eight grandchildren: Benjamin Lumbra, Morgan Lumbra Gallerani (Nick), Jordan Lumbra, Cameron Lumbra, Shelby Hayes (Connor Lalonde), Connor Hayes, Parker Johnson, Jayson Sargent, step-grandchildren: Amber Haberman (Monty), Kelsi Strine, greatgrandchild: Theodore Gallerani, stepgreat-grandchildren: Logan, Piper & Owen. She was predeceased by her parents, her brothers: William, Albert, Reg and Dennis Payette, her sisters: Agness Dickerman and Cappy Mitchell. A special thank you to Dr. Emily Oleson and Caledonia Home Health & Hospice for all their care. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Donna’s favorite charity: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 A graveside service was held on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at the Woodmont Cemetery in East Burke, VT. There were no calling hours. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.saylesfh.com.

While lending support to her husband whose machine shop grew to be Caspian Arms, Patricia was an Avon Lady, winning awards for her door-to-door sales. She also worked in the hot lunchroom at Hazen Union School and operated Riverside Beverage. Pat liked country music, line dancing, playing the guitar, song writing, auctions, antiques, fashion and chocolate. However, her greatest joy was her family. Pat was a member of the Kiwanis Club and the Historical Society, both in Hardwick and the Society of Mayflower descendants. She will be remembered by all who knew her for being thoughtful, loving and kind. Survivors include: four children, Julie (Walt) Ackermann of Cabot, Jayne Fradette of Morrisville, Scott (Ruth) Foster of Hardwick, and Amy (Kevin) Smith of Woodbury; 15 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; two brothers, Wayne (Donna) Cronin and Larry (Yelena) Cronin; three sisters-in-law, Martha Foster, Mary Shatney, and Lynn Cronin, as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents, a brother Bobby, her husband Calvert Foster Sr., two sons: Eugene Foster and Calvert Foster Jr. and two grandchil-

Nicholas J. Johnson Nicholas Joel Johnson, first child of Joel and Heather Johnson has left us too soon, struggled too long, and will forever be in our hearts. Born December 9, 1981, he died on July 7, 2024.

"The last leaf of the oak has fallen Twenty-six or more seasons have come and gone Since you first penned on paper your hope for yourself You loved, you worked, you shared, you Michael D. Maxwell Michael Dean Maxwell, “Coach Max,” 76, of Cabot, Vermont, passed away peacefully on Aug. 4, 2024 from cancer at McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt. Born in Lebanon, N.H. on April 21, 1948 to Darrell and Janette Maxwell, Mike grew up on numerous Army bases. He always spent his summers in Vermont at his grandparents Herbert & Erlene Martin. In 1966 he graduated from Bradford Academy and met the love of his life Deborah (Beamis) Maxwell and wed in 1967. He went on to graduate with honors from Lyndon State College and pursued a career in physical education. Mike was a voracious reader, a runner (until two hip replacements), a summer golf course groundskeeper, a bird lover (especially cardinals & hummingbirds) and a generous crafter. He loved nothing more than creating something that he could give away for a smile on the recipient’s face. The impact of his generosity has touched many lives through sharing his love of sports and his passion for quilting and woodworking. Mike adored teaching the art of basketball and could be found at sporting dren, Joseph and Carol Fradette. Interment will be in the Durant Cemetery in lower Cabot. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made Lamoille Area Cancer Network, P.O. Box 828, Morrisville, VT. 05661. 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.

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 5 onward.

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West Hill Pond Dam

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

The West Hill Pond Dam was discussed again at the July 23 meeting of the Selectboard. Mike Hogan said he had talked to Mike Tarrant and his colleagues about the dam (legal counsel). He told the board that the property next to the dam had been purchased by Kyle and Natasha Erickson, a couple from Connecticut. He said they are having issues with the property but didn’t want to talk about them publicly. Mike said that after the flood in early July, pictures were taken that show some damage to the dam. He added that he is concerned about the culverts they are putting in downstream and stated that the Ericskons are not happy they own the dam, but he said that the law states it. Mike did not offer any further explanation as to why the new owners of the house also own the dam. At meetings earlier in the year, he had stated no one was sure who owned the dam. Mike then talked about what can be done. He said the state engineers provided a flood inundation map showing where the water would go should the dam fail (available on the town website). Mike also said the condition level of the dam has been creeping to the worst rating possible. He then talked about how important the pond is to the town, noting that a lot of folks are around the pond and that “we all use the pond.” Mike pointed out that the people who bought the house do not have the financial wherewithal to fix the dam. He concluded that the state engineers were going to do more analysis. R.D. Eno asked if the town could compel the owners to perform remediation of the dam. Mike responded that it's a tricky question, and that there are many privately owned dams in the state. Karen Larsen said there are a considerable number of homes that would get flooded if the dam failed, and she was thinking about eminent domain. She noted that the pond had been drained in 2003. Mike added that the draining was accidental. Karen asked if there was a controlled way to draw down that pond. Skip Bothfeld said that the sluice gate had been replaced with concrete blocks. Karen pointed out that the value of many properties surrounding the pond are based upon the pond. She speculated that perhaps it should be thought of as a community property. Mike said the town doesn’t have the financial capacity to take over the dam, and he added that the state would not suggest the town do that. The board revisited the topic of the West Hill Pond Dam at the August 6 Community Update meeting. Mike expressed that he has been concerned about the West Hill Pond Dam for years. He said that an inspection was done in May of 2023, prior to the flood event of July 2023, and the dam was rated in poor condition. He said it was reinspected on July 12 of this year and the condition was changed to unsatisfactory. Mike went on to talk about how the people who bought the house next to the dam didn’t have any idea what they were getting into, and noted that the state has met with them once. Mike noted that there is more funding available to remove the dam than to fix it. He expressed the need to draw down the pond, repair the dam, and have a system in place to draw down the dam for expected events. At the next meeting, on August 20, Mike proposed some money for the West Hill Pond Dam. Mike told the board that the town had been given $30,000 from the state for preventative measures related to flooding. He proposed that the town set aside $20,000 to address repairs on the West Hill Pond Dam. Mike said he didn’t know how much it would cost to repair the dam, but the state was willing to work with the town. He expressed that the town should do whatever it can to fix the dam. Dean Deasy, the Fire Chief, noted that the pond was also the location of a dry hydrant. He noted that Woodbury also relied on the hydrant, and it is a vital firefighting resource. Mike suggested the remainder, $10,000, be used to clean up the debris piles on the south tributary behind the Willey building. He asked the board to chew on the ideas.

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Wastewater Plant Performance Improved

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

Betty Ritter informed the board at the August 6 meeting that the new membranes for the wastewater plant had arrived and had been installed and were doing “excellent.” Roger Sheldon of H2O Innovations was present at the August 20 meeting to discuss the subject more. Roger told the board that the membranes are working well, and the plant is more than keeping up with demand. He added there were times at night the system wasn’t even running, noting that there is as much as two-to-three hours between pump cycles. Roger said that before they installed the new membranes, they were lucky to get 20-25 gallons per minute, but after the second set of membranes were installed the plant was outputting 100 gallons a minute. Roger also talked about the preparation underway for the arrival of the new permeate skid. He said they are going to eliminate all the bends and twists in the piping and reduce the tripping hazards at the plant. At the August 6 meeting, Betty also addressed a request from Fred Jagel, who wanted to know about the town policy regarding connections to the town water and wastewater lines. Fred Jagels asked the board if it was possible for the town to contribute money towards a line extension to hook up his house. His summer house is located at 42 Elm Street. Fred Jagels said when the system was put in place, his house was beyond the distance for homeowners to be included in the original system installation, and therefore his house wasn’t hooked up. He pointed out that by making the cost of connecting the responsibility of the homeowner, the town was disincentivizing development in and near the village. Fred added that if the town would pay for the extensions, it would promote smart growth. He also said that Brittany Butler told him that no new line extensions had been done for 20 years. Mike responded that currently there are no provisions in the ordinance for the town to pay for extensions. Fred Jagel said that is why he was there asking for the town to change the policy. R.D. Eno said he agreed with Fred Jagels, and he recalled that when the system was installed the town voted UDAG funds to hook up homes at no expense to homeowners. R.D. added that it is not a policy, but rather it is an ordinance, which requires going through a process to change it. (Policies apply to employees, town facilities or the town itself, and ordinances are legally enforceable local laws that apply to the residents of the town.) R.D. said he wasn’t sure the town was financially capable of supporting the expense, and noted he had recently advocated for the church to be reimbursed for an expense due to a poorly designed sewer connection. He agreed that the idea made sense, but wasn’t sure there would be community support.

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First School Board Meeting with New Administration

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer

On July 22, the School Board held its first meeting of the new school year with the new administration present: Superintendent Matt Foster, Assistant Superintendent Mike Moriarty, and Interim Principal Jennifer Blake. At the beginning of the meeting, the board discussed the minutes to the last meeting where several members of the public spoke regarding the previous Superintendent's recommendation for the interim principal. The board informally agreed that the names of school staff should not be in the minutes, and that at future meetings the public will be asked to refrain from naming staff or students directly. The Superintendent, Matt, reviewed his report and discussed an ongoing analysis about the current state of the supervisory union, which he said was being paid for with ARPA money. He also talked about flipping the campus and spoke of a walk through he and a number of staff members performed, and that they were in the process of figuring out where all the students would be located. He also mentioned that he reached out to the Agency of Education (AOE) to make sure they abided by any licensure or building codes required by the state. Matt went on to say that they need to think about the process, and proposed two alternatives. The first being a process using a traditional architect, and the latter being more of a design-build process. He said an architect would handle the process, whereas using a design manager process oversees the project. He reiterated that he is working with the AOE to make sure they do things correctly, and stated that at the next meeting the board should consider making a decision. Chris Tormey noted that there are people that already understand the nuts and bolts of our school, and suggested that even if the architect was more expensive, there might be some advantage to having their skills available to the project. He also pointed out that there are past studies done on the facilities of the campus. Chris acknowledged that the time frame would consist of finishing the work next summer. Next the board discussed the work of the School Sustainability Committee and Chris reminded the board that when they were trying to persuade the public last winter to support the budget and not close the high school, the board asked for a chance to do more research. Chris noted that the committee started with eleven people, and said a few have left the committee, but added that the current mix of people has been valuable. He reviewed the results of the first public forum where they asked three questions, and said that the format encouraged conversation. Chris said at the second committee meeting, they decided to focus on challenges. He added that the group felt it would be more productive to exclude school climate, so the subjects include:

 How does the curriculum work and how does PBL work to give skills;  How to read a report card, how does the report card reflect what the kid knows, and;  How does a parent get feedback from a teacher since conferences are now student led.

Chris went on to relay that the committee drafted a road map and intended to have an expert present at the next public forum to give a 5-10 minute presentation on Project Based Learning (PBL). The board then turned to the climate survey and reviewed a pie chart that was not displayed on the overhead screen due to technical problems. Chris described the results and his comparison against the previous year’s results. He said the first two questions showed some improvement, but the downside was that all the other metrics either stayed the same or went down. The Chronicle could not find the survey, or results, on the school website so can’t identify the content of the questions. Chris added that last year there were about 30 responses, but this year it was 47. Jason Monaco suggested the name of the survey be changed from climate to behavior intervention. Matt suggested that it might be better to just call it climate and behavior. Ellen noted that they really want to get responses and need to determine how to market the survey. She also suggested they survey the staff. The board finished the meeting with the review and approval of a policy regarding community use of school facilities. Ellen recalled that the issue arose the previous year when there was an insurance issue related to use of the school cafeteria for the annual Christmas Dinner. The details of the policy and how it affects the Christmas dinner were not directly discussed, but Matt did mention he had heard about other options for insurance coverage, possibly through the school. The board unanimously approved the updated policy, E20 - Community Use of School Facilities, which can be found on the CCSU website at https://w . csuvt . n e t / comunity /policies_and_procedures

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 6 onward.

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Interim Assistant Principal

by Frank Kampf, Staff Writer The School Board held a special meeting on August 21 to review a hiring recommendation from the superintendent for the position of assistant principal. Before entering executive session, Ellen Cairns acknowledged that the creation of the position of assistant principal had never been brought to the board. She said the position was in the budget for the current year and said that when the board looked at the budget for next year it would be a conversation to have with the administration. Ellen went on to express that the position of assistant principal in a number of schools is not always based upon the number of students, but based on a large age range. She continued to say that having an assistant principal gives more flexibility to have the principal focus on part of the school, like the high school, and the assistant focus on the other grades. Ellen also expressed the opinion that the board needed to give the new administration every chance to be successful. She then stated that the position they were considering was only for a one-year interim assistant principal, and the board was not making any long-term commitments. She added that the board could revisit the position during the budget process. Matt Foster, the new superintendent, noted that he was not aware of how the position had been created in the past, and the position had been advertised as it had existed. Jennifer Blake, the new interim principal, also expressed her views on how an assistant principal might fit into the school organization in the future. The board moved to enter executive session in accordance with 1 V.S.A. § 313 (a)(3) to discuss the appointment or employment of a public officer. After a short executive session, the board returned to open session and approved the hiring of Eric Nelis as the interim assistant principal.

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LANGONE TRAIL REPAIR CABOT TRAILS COMMITTEE TOWN OF CABOT

The Cabot Trails Committee is seeking bids for repairing stormwater damage to the Langone Trail on the old Langone Road, which is situated between Menard and Dubray Roads on the property of Dawn Andrews. Work will involve diversion ditching to move stormwater off the trail and grading to fill in existing gullies to promote proper drainage. The damage area is approximately 900-1000 feet. It is anticipated that any needed fill material will come from on-site. The agreement between the Cabot Trails Committee and the contractor will be a not-to-exceed, reimbursable contract. The contractor will be required to carry general liability insurance of no less than $1 million per occurrence and $2 million in aggregate in accordance with town policy. Project completion date will be no later than October 25, 2024. A site visit will be conducted on Thursday, September 5, at 5 pm. Any potential bidder is required to attend the site visit unless other arrangements are made to view the project area. Meeting location: at the end of Dubray Road.

Submission Requirements:

The proposal submission deadline is September 13 and should include total costs for labor, materials, and equipment. Bids and questions should be submitted to the Cabot Trails Committee at [email protected].

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The Great Meadow and West Hill Pond

Fishing access. Photo courtesy State of Vermont Fish and Wildlife website The succession of ownership of the mill and water rights at the millpond is complicated. Ira Haines, who owned a large woolen mill in Lower Cabot, had an interest in the waterpower from the dam. True Town depended on West Hill Pond’s water for his small mill near his home. In 1885, Town went bankrupt and lost everything, including his water rights at West Hill Pond, according to the late historian Leonard Spencer. Albert May rembered that Charlie Utley and Harry Clark shared water rights from West Hill Pond in the 1900s. Utley’s mill was located further down the brook from the dam, and when they wanted to run the mill, they would release water from West Hill Pond. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Clark bought Utley’s half of the water rights at the pond. Water flow from the pond fluctuated according to the weather. When there was plenty of rain and the pond stayed full, mills would sometimes operate well into the night to take advantage of the power. Sometimes, during a dry summer, just a little brook ran through mud flats and the mills had to shut down. A more dependable resource at West Hill Pond was the generous supply of ice it provided each winter. Nearly every farm and some homeowners had icehouses where large blocks of ice were stored in sawdust or straw for use during warm months to cool milk and butter going to market, or to cool beverages, or make ice cream. Cabot Creamery built a large icehouse on West Hill Pond in 1938. It stood just left of the dam, on the road to Hemenway’s Vermont Historical Gazetteer states that the site of West Hill Pond was once called the “great meadow.” Thanks to the efforts of indigenous tribes who regularly spent summers in the area and planted crops there, it was one of the few open spaces available in the wilderness at that time, and settlers like David Lyford, Dave Blanchard and John Edgerton shared the hay from the fertile meadow for their livestock and planted flax to be harvested and spun for a course linen fabric. Early settlers cleared land and built homes along streams where they could harness waterpower for sawmills and gristmills. In 1820 Avery Atkins built a stone and wood dam on the brook that cut through the great meadow and built a small sawmill there. The millpond created by the dam became West Hill Pond and provided power for Atkins’ mill and others further down the brook. Cabot, Vermont, Memories of the Century Past, published in 1999 by the Cabot Oral History Committee, preserved some of the memories of local citizens about their town. West Hill Pond and the comunity around it came up often in those conversations. The late Geraldine Noyes Bickford credited her father, Albert Atkins, with having built the dam. However, information uncovered in a 2005 search by Lisa Ginett of Sunrise Surveyors indicates that True Town, a local builder in Lower Cabot at the time, in 1884 conveyed to Noyes the right to raise the dam by two feet. Today West Hill Pond covers about 48 acres and is normally between 10-12 feet deep.

West Hill Pond, circa 1900. Photo courtesy Cabot Historical Society From the Ann Peck Harding collection. Probably around 1964 when it was sold to Ann’s parents, Raymond and Ruth Peck. Photo courtesy Cabot Historical Society Home and waterfall. Photo courtesy Zillow (at the time of house listing).

Woodbury. Before refrigeration was available, the creamery used ice to cool milk in their tanker trucks and the big vats in the plant. Cutting ice by hand was hard, cold work, and the creamery employed a large crew of men for the job. When Walter Bothfeld’s grandparents in Shelburne, Massachusetts, shut down their ice cutting business, Cabot Creamery bought their machinery and that made the job much easier. When they were ready to begin harvesting the ice, the town cleared snow with the town plow truck. The ice was scored and sawed into large blocks with the cutting machinery. A channel was cut in the ice so the blocks could be floated to the big icehouse on the shore, and there the blocks were guided onto a conveyor and carried up to the men inside, who grabbed them with big ice tongs and stacked them. Packed in sawdust or straw, the ice blocks lasted all summer. The creamery’s icehouse was bought in 1964 by Raymond and Ruth Peck, who took it down and used the lumber to build their house located nearby on Bothfeld Road. West Hill Pond has been a popular recreational spot over the years. Winters when the ice was free of snow and available for skating were rare, but sometimes, after the town plowed the ice ready for harv esting , neighborhood kids got a chance to skate there. For a few years there was an active pond association that had sand hauled to a popular swimming spot to make a beach where members could swim. Fish were abundant, and locals like Bert Lyford fished there regularly. Albert May claimed that the horned pout at West Hill Pond were “so thick you had to take a paddle to scare them off before

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 8 onward.

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From page 8

…you could put your boat in the water.” According to state Fish & Wildlife, today there are bullheads, chain pickerel, largemouth bass, and yellow perch in the pond. A former teacher and principal at Cabot High School, Edmund Vachon, told us that he and a friend were fishing from a small wooden rowboat at West Hill Pond when they caught a large, very active pickerel. The fish dropped off the hook into the boat and was thrashing around. To prevent it from escaping over the low sides of the boat, Vachon’s friend tried to stun the fish by stomping it with the heel of his boot. He missed the fish and kicked out a board in the boat’s bottom and they slowly sank. Fortunately, they were in shallow water. With time, the West Hill Pond community has changed. The shores of the pond and the dam are private property, but access is provided by the state for fishing. The bare hills that surrounded the area in the late 1800s are now reforested and there are few surviving farms. The sawmill has long-since been silent, but the mill house remains, renovated into a charming private residence with the soothing sound of water spilling over the dam onto the rocky brook bed below, where it gurgles its way to join the Winooski River almost would gradually be drained and the land would return to being mud flats - and then, perhaps, become again the “Great Meadow.”

The beginning of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 8.

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From page 8

West Hill four corners, looking east. Photo courtesy Cabot Historical Society two miles away. We were told that the dam is unsafe and if it were to fail, homes and roads downstream would be severely damaged or washed away. There are no mills left that depend on the millpond. Abandoning the dam would mean that West Hill Pond

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Cabot Trails Opens new Burtt’s Orchard Trail

The newest member of the Cabot Trails Network – Burtt’s Orchard Trail.

Cabot Trails expands its trail network with the grand opening of Burtt’s Orchard Trail on Sunday, September 8, with a free event including music, food and family-friendly activities. The new Burtt’s Orchard Trail adds one-and-a-half miles to the Cabot Trails network and promotes area economic vitality by promoting Cabot businesses. “Our family is thrilled to launch this new partnership with Cabot Trails and the Town of Cabot. Burtt’s Orchard is a working farm, orchard, and sugaring operation that attracts many seasonal visitors to our area. This trail will provide an additional attraction to bring more folks to our farm and to Cabot, as well as provide an all-season recreational opportunity for Cabot residents,” said Greg Burtt, owner of Burtt’s Orchard. Burtt’s Orchard Trail is made possible by the VOREC Community Grant Program, a grant program of the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) administered by the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Grant funds have provided trail building supplies, parking improvements at trailhead and trail signage.

Cabot Trails will host a grand opening celebration of Burtt’s Orchard Trail at the new parking area trailhead on Cabot Plains Road on Sunday, September 8, from 1 pm to 3 pm. There is no charge to attend this event which includes live music, a scavenger hunt, cider and doughnuts and trail walks with Cabot Trails members. “This new trail at Burtt’s Orchard is a great public/private partnership to provide more outdoor recreation opportunities for Cabot residents and visitors,” said Cabot Trails Chair Dana Glazier. “I’m excited because visitors and residents will not only experience Cabot’s beautiful outdoors, but also a bit more of what makes our town special – collaborations like this.” The Cabot Trails committee is proud to offer trails for people and families to spend time together, enjoying the beautiful vistas and landscapes of Cabot, while fostering a love of the outdoors and outdoor recreation. The Cabot Trails Network is composed of almost twelve miles of trails, mostly on private land, for Cabot residents and visitors to enjoy. For a trail map, visit https://cabotvt.us/trails-committee/For more information, email [email protected]

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We are Hiring a Teacher

This full time (Monday-Friday), year round position offers a competitive salary and ongoing professional development.

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

A strong understanding of child development. Dedication to exploring nature and the natural environment with children. Ability to plan fun and engaging activities. Strong knowledge in developing and implementing a developmentally appropriate curriculum for children. Excellent time management skills and ability to handle multiple tasks. Ability to work well with others (staff, children, and parents) and to foster a team environment.

Must clear full background check.

Benefits include:

Paid vacation and sick time. IRA plan with 3% match. Paid Professional Development opportunities Employee Child Care discount, Gym Membership. Paid planning time.

Educational counseling and support to further your education and many other benefits.

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Diane Jejer: Saving the Post Office One Postcard at a Time

Diane Jejer retired from her position with the Cabot Post Office after 27 years with the USPS and eight years at Cabot. A celebration was held for her at the Den on August 22. The Cabot Chronicle caught up with her before she rode off into the sunset.

What was it like, moving from the Cabot Post Office Building to the Marshfield Post Office? What work was involved, and how did you work out sharing another community’s space? The move occurred in one day! Maintenance staff moved everything and set it up to become the cooperative Cabot/ Marshfield post office. I think Lisa Coache, who staffs the Marshfield Post Office, might have felt invaded at first, but she was incredibly accommodating, and we became good friends and learned to work together very well. We do what we need to do to make it work for our customers. We do our own jobs then support each other with what’s left over. We try to minimize the inconvenience to customers. Every Post Office has an emergency postal plan, and we got to exercise ours!

Tell us about you. Where did you grow up, go to school? What was your first job? I grew up in New Milford, CT – I went to high school there junior and senior years and in Manchester, Vermont at Burr & Burton Seminary freshman and sophomore years, graduating in Connecticut in 1975. My parents were true entrepreneurs, owning a number of businesses, including a restaurant, a fresh fish market, grocery store, marina, and a ski area (Winhall Ski Bowl )- so I worked retail from a very young age. My first real job (earning a paycheck) was at Grand Union grocery store in New Milford. I worked there 15 years, doing every possible job in every department – I knew customer service and how to count change back to customers! I worked part-time for a mail order firm – used my first computer there. All employees did every job at that company, and I liked the mailroom best – I was fascinated with canceled stamps, and they let me keep interesting ones. I’ve been infatuated with stamps since the 1980’s.

How did you meet your husband? Tell us about your family.

I met my husband at the Grand Union! My best friend Evelyn worked with me at Grand Union, and she was dating Bruce, and Phil was his best friend. They came into the store together and I spied Phil from the service desk. The rest is history. Two best friends married two best friends in 1977 – Bruce and Evelyn in September and Phil and I in October. And we’re all still married. In 1987 Phil and I bought property in Peacham. Our son, Jason, was born in 1992. We built a BIG garage with a LIT- TLE apartment on the Peacham land and moved there in 1995, then we built our house in 1997. Within two weeks of moving to Peacham in 1995, Garey Larrabee recruited me to work at the Hastings Store. He was the Postmaster, and in 1996 he asked me if I’d like to also work in the West Danville Post Office located in the store. Naturally, I said yes! Eventually I came to work at the Cabot Post Office, and that was the icing on the cake for my postal career. And now I’ve worked for USPS for 27 years. I’ve loved my job, but now it’s time to retire.

During your 27 years, what kind of changes did you experience? When I started with USPS, records were kept in great big paper ledgers, training was by TV/VCR with VHS tapes, and first-class stamps were 32 cents. And then, they invented the scanner . . . ! I’ve collected stamps since they were five cents, and I still have the first letter I mailed to my grandmother when I was about eight years old – I mailed her our family’s “shoe” playing piece from our Monopoly game! My mother never figured out where it went.

What are some of the craziest things you’ve seen people do? Odd things mailed? Times you questioned your career choice!? Best moments?

The strangest thing I saw mailed was a bear carcass. I’ve never questioned my career choice

– it felt like it was meant to be, and I’ve enjoyed every year of it. The customers make it a great job that I’ve really enjoyed. The best moments were always the time with customers. I collect postcards with cancellation marks from Post Offices all over, and treasure it when someone sends me one. I have quite a collection and I really value them. What’s next for you and your family? Do you have a bucket list? We look forward to each and every adventure. Right now, there are so many things we want to do around the house and property that just can’t be done working six days a week. Beyond that, I’m thinking maybe a cruise on the Great Lakes, perhaps a train trip, and always Maine – that’s our special place.

Do you have any advice for others who might be interested in working for USPS? It’s a great career with plenty of benefits. I recommend it highly. Where else can you stay with the same company and work anywhere from Maine to Alaska?

Do you think we’ll get our Cabot Post Office back?

I really don’t know, but I’m guessing it might be ready by the end of September.

Cake by Nibbles of Love.

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Cabot School Welcome Back and Open House - September 13

Please join us on Friday, September 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM for a Welcome Back and Open House event on the CSPAC lawn at Cabot School. All are welcome: in addition to introductions of Cabot School staff and an opportunity to visit classrooms, the PTSO and Recreation Committee will be there to provide information on their activities. Dinner will be provided - we hope to see you there!

The Cabot School Sustainability Committee: Stef Burtt Theresa Lay-Sleeper Rebecca Nally Melissa Pratt Amy Richardson Shannon Smith Johanna Thibault Chris Tormey

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Community Dancing in Cabot

by Karen Mueller-Harder The Cabot Community Contra Dance will be re-starting in September, with dances on every second Friday through June! We are moving the start time a bit earlier to better accommodate families with kids, as well as anyone else who fades early, and the dances will now be 7:00-9:30 p.m. The dances will feature live music by our amazing house band of talented musicians (you can just come and listen if you like!), and everything you need to know will be taught by a variety of Vermont callers! Here’s the line-up for the year, so you can mark your calendar now: September 13 Robin Russell October 11 Don Stratton November 8 Luke Donforth December 13 Lausanne Allen January 10 Luke Donforth February 14 Erin Smith March 14 Karen Mueller-Harder April 11 Lausanne Allen May 9 Don Stratton June 13 Erin Smith We will also be scheduling a few family dances on weekend afternoons, featuring dances especially well-suited to the youngest members of the community. Dates will be announced in later issues of the Chronicle and on FPF. Everyone is welcome, and anyone can dance with anyone, generally changing partners with each dance. You can come to the dance alone, with a friend or sweetheart, or your whole family! All dances are taught, but if you’ve never been to a dance, you are encouraged to arrive right at 7:00, as we will start with the simplest dances, and then we’ll build upon what you learn throughout the evening. No special footwork is needed, and the dances are easy to pick up, and are taught by the caller for the evening. (If you’ve ever done a square dance, that’s very similar, except in contra dances, you stand across from your partner, in a longways group.) Admission is on a sliding scale, $5-10, but nobody is turned away for lack of funds! Bring your water bottle, or water and cups will be provided. Masks are welcomed but not required, and we’ll continue to open the lovely large windows in the hall for good ventilation! Hope to see you at the dance!

Many have asked the question: who is mentoring for? My simple answer is that it is for everyone. Or everyone with the desire to serve their community by being a friend to a youngster. Not that I expect everyone to sign up for the program. Most of us have very busy lives and it can be quite difficult to carve out extra time in our schedules. Just how much time does it take to be a mentor? Well, the program asks for a minimum of four hours a month of time spent with your mentee. There is some time involved at the beginning to get trained and do some paperwork (references, background checks, fingerprinting, etc. All to keep our kiddos safe). And there is some time required in communicating with the child’s parent or guardian to schedule activity time. Probably not that much time if you totaled up the hours but it can be a significant expenditure of one’s energy just planning and thinking about how you’ll spend your time with your mentee and what you’ll talk about. The commitment is not to be taken lightly. After all, it’s another human being that you are committing to having a relationship with on a regular basis. The kids in the program usually seem to really look forward to their time with their mentors and so we ask for a minimum one year commitment to insure that they will have a stable relationship for at least that long. Those who’ve committed to mentoring give glowing feedback about how it has enriched their lives. Not that there are not challenges. There is often the impulse to want to “fix” the things that they are struggling with (much like parenting). As facilitators, we counsel that your role as a mentor is not to try to fix things for them but simply to be there as a friend, a listener, a trusted unbiased companion. Next month I’ll write about: Who can have a mentor? The answer is everyone. Or in the case of Cabot Mentoring, it’s every Cabot youth regardless of social or economic status. All can benefit. If you have any interest at all in mentoring a Cabot youth, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Mark Christensen, Coordinator Cabot Mentoring Program [email protected] 802-595-1130 The Angell/Wheeler Family Trust invites you to help find and mark The Town of Danville is looking to fill a vacant crew member position for its

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 11 onward.

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September 16: Understanding Project-Based Learning

One of the large take-aways from our first Community Forum in June was the need for families and community members to have a better understanding of how the “project-based” way of learning being used at Cabot School actually works. Our next Community Forum (scheduled for September 16) will tackle that issue by having Cabot School teachers from three different grade levels (elementary, middle school and high school) make brief presentations about how a specific project at their grade level proceeds from start to finish while helping students build essential skills in literacy, math, communication, collaboration, etc. After each presentation, forum attendees will have the chance to discuss their impressions and to ask specific questions of the presenters. Please join us at the CSPAC on Monday evening, September 16th to find out from school staff about how Cabot School students are learning through projects. Our Town Meeting moderator Jeannie Johnson will again facilitate the forum, which will run from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Refreshments will be provided- hope to see you there!

Chris Tormey Cabot School Sustainability Committee

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From page 11

ANGELL/WHEELER GRAVESITE DETECTIVE INVITATION gravestones of our grandparents buried in Robinson Cemetery on Robinson Cemetery Road in Calais on Sunday, September 15, beginning at 2 PM. We hope you will find a grave, obtain a marker and stone from me, place it on the gravestone, research that person’s life and write an essay and submit it to me. The stories of that person’s life only need to be whatever your research or your memory come up with. We will not fact check, and it will be stored on Family Search forever. Maurice Cerutti, Historian: Angell/Wheeler Family Trust ~ [email protected]

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TOWN OF DANVILLE HIGHWAY

Highway Department.

Duties include road maintenance tasks such as plowing, sanding, equipment operation, equipment maintenance and labor. CDL preferred. This position is full time (40 hours) and comes with an excellent benefit package including year-round off call paid time off, health insurance, retirement, paid holidays and more. A complete job description and application can be found at: https://danvillevt.gov/highway-department/job-description-for-road-worker/ or picked up at Town Clerk’s office M-F 8-4 pm.

Return completed applications to:

This position is open until filled.

Town Hall at 36 Route 2 West, or mail to P.O. Box 183, Danville, Vermont, 05828.

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RFP for 2025 Cabot Lawn Maintenance

The Town of Cabot is looking for someone to mow, weed whack, and maintain the Town of Cabot properties through the mowing season of 2025. The successful bidder will provide their own equipment and insurance. A list of all areas to be maintained may be obtained at the Town Clerk’s Office. The person would report directly to the Cabot Select Board. Please submit your resume, references and bid to [email protected] or drop off at the Town Clerk’s office by September 16, 2024.

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Dean Deasy Named Vermont Fire Fighter of the Year

To the Members of the Cabot Fire Department and the Cabot Community. I know many other Chiefs throughout the State were also recommended for this award. All were highly qualified…..I am truly humbled to be the one selected to receive this honor. Within the last four years, the Cabot Fire Department has undergone major changes. I would like to just pause for a minute and talk about one of the key elements - membership within the department. After rising to the Chief rank, I started a membership team to restructure and energize the membership program. We have grown to 30 - yes, all active - with another application that just arrived on my desk this past Wednesday. Each member is assigned a task within the department to encourage ownership and pride. All receive the utmost respect from their leadership. These dedicated men and women, like in other fire departments, are the backbone of the emergency organizations. Three years ago, I also started a JR membership program that brought six cadet members aboard from the local school between the ages of 15-18. During that time all completed the “Rookie Classes” and some continued to Fire Fighter 1 and Firefighter 2. Of that group of six, five are also VEFR certified, three advanced to be EMT certified, and one now is a professional Firefighter in Maine, working towards a fire science degree and soon to be a paramedic. These cadets, as well as ALL firefighter cadets, when they walk into the station bay for the first time, stand for the future of all departments. As Chief, we need to continue to mentor them. We overcame the loss of our station to the flood of 2023 that also devastated our town. and for a year we operated out of milk crates with the apparatuses parked out in the elements in folk's door yards. Yet you, the members of CFD, even without a station, never missed a beat with training, meetings or responding to the call of someone in time of need. Thankfully, we are now in a temporary station with a new station on the horizon designed to deal with carcinogens and decontamination of equipment and personnel after a call - properly. As Chief, (like in other departments) it is our full responsibility to protect the welfare of our members before, during, and after a call - physically and mentally. This has allowed me also to integrate a licensed therapist into our membership staff to help my members decompress after a “tough call.” We all have seen one, or assist families that experience trauma at a scene. I'm happy to say she is now enrolled in FF1. The restructuring of our bylaws, SRRs, SOPs, and SOGs formed a department structure and set goals charting a course of clear, precise guidance for my membership to follow. The administration members aid me in driving this force behind the curtain. We also started the development of a Cabot Fire EMS First Aid Stabilization Team also known as a “FAST Squad” to serve our community better, driven by Cabot Fire Department EMS members. In Closing - In each of the 236 fire departments in Vermont (with Cabot Fire included), the Chiefs have that special group behind them that fills each department's roster. These dedicated men, women, and JR firefighters carry the weight of the departments without question. As acting Chief of Cabot Fire Department, I, like so many other Chiefs throughout Vermont, only carry the weight of the Bugle. Thank you to the Members of Cabot Fire, the Cabot Community, and the Vermont State Firefighters Association. Be Safe. Dean D. Deasy Chief, Cabot Fire Department [email protected]

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Fall Garden Cleanup: Yes or No?

Most of us were taught to clean up gardens in the fall. Our parents, grandparents, and the neighbors who hired us as kids would tell us to cut everything to the ground and rake out any remaining debris. Lately, you may have seen articles saying the opposite: leave everything standing, don’t rake, and touch nothing ‘till next spring. So, what’s the right answer? As with most things, it isn’t straightforward “yes” or “no”, but rather “it depends”. Here are some basic guidelines to help guide your fall garden work.

LEAVE IT Mulch: mulch provides insulation for your plants over the winter and helps reduce weed pressure in the spring. Perennials and spring bulbs will push right through; no need to do anything with it.

Small or sparse leaves: the leaves of trees such as honey locust and pine can be left where they fall. Most of the leaves will decay, and those that don’t aren’t large enough to smother emerging plants in spring. The same goes for a thin cover of larger leaves such as maple or beech. Leaving your leaves adds nutrients to the soil and provides overwintering habitat for insects and other arthropods who are critical to a healthy ecosystem.

Stems and leaves of healthy perennial plants: any plants that were in good condition during the growing season and exhibited normal senescence (the regular yellowing and dying-off at the end of the season) can be left in place. There are three benefits to leaving perennials standing. First, the seeds make great winter bird food. Coneflower and black eyed susan are especially appreciated by birds. Second, the upright hollow stems provide space for native stem-nesting bees to overwinter. Third, the stems and foliage help protect the crown of the plant from winter damage, especially when we experience cold snaps with little or no snow cover.

REMOVE IT Weedy plants: in late summer, do a thorough weeding to remove unwanted plants. Many plants that are not wanted in your garden may have taken up residence while you were busy canning tomatoes or going on summer trips. Plants such as dandelion, clover, and grasses will continue to grow roots through late fall and early spring and be really difficult to remove next season. That said, don’t wait too long to do this last weeding. By October, perennial garden plants are settling in for a long winter and will not appreciate having their roots disturbed by enthusiastic weeding. If you’ve waited too long, just skip it. Better luck next year!

Vegetable plants: veggie plants are particularly susceptible to diseases and pests, so if you don’t have time to monitor every plant, play it safe and remove all plant material.

Asparagus fronds, if you have asparagus beetles: if beetles trouble your asparagus, be sure to cut the fronds to the ground and dispose of the plant material far from the asparagus patch. Asparagus beetles overwinter in the standing stems, so fall removal will reduce their hiding places.

Stems and leaves of obviously diseased or pest-infested perennials: if you know your perennials were diseased, remove the plant material and dispose of it away from the gardens. Don’t compost these materials; backyard compost piles rarely heat up enough to kill off disease organisms. If the plants were troubled by insect pests, you may want to follow the same protocol, as some insect pests will overwinter in the dead plant material. Note that Japanese beetles overwinter in soil, not in plants; if your plants were chewed by them this season (very likely), you don’t need to cut those plants back.

Very thick leaf litter on early spring

garden spaces: if your garden has lots of spring bulbs, or other spring ephemerals (trillium, hepatica, dutchman’s breeches for example), you may want to remove thick leaf litter. These delicate early-spring plants will have a hard time emerging through a thick layer of leathery oak leaves.

A thoughtful fall cleanup will give you a clean and tidy garden, while providing food for birds, protection for your perennial plants, and habitat for beneficial insects. Enjoy these last warm weeks, and happy gardening!

This garden article is brought to you by Susan Socks, aka the Garden Goddess. Stay tuned for upcoming articles on green lawn care, pruning, garden tools, edible landscapes, and more. For gardening help, visit www.SocksFamily Peacham, Barnet & Groton) provide a varied menu of

Part of this story may be missing here. See the original pages, page 13 onward.

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Mary Bothfeld Golden

by Amanda Legare Mary Bothfeld Golden recently celebrated her 100th birthday. She came from her home in Maine in August for the annual Bothfeld reunion at the family farm in Cabot. Mary graduated from Cabot High School in 1942, in a class of 11 students. She now has great grandchildren who enjoy hearing stories about her days growing up in Cabot and how things have changed. For instance, there were no school buses, so Mary, her brothers and neighborhood children would walk about a mile and a half from Bothfeld Hill down to school in the village and back each day. “It wasn’t so bad,” she recalled, “We had a shortcut that took us straight to the cemetery.” Sometimes in the winter they could ride down with the milk cans on a sled pulled by a horse from the nearby Paquin farm. In the classroom she remembered one teacher, Virginia Brown, who seated the students alphabetically. Her brother Dick was behind her and started pulling on her pigtails. Mary turned and “batted” at him. The teacher saw them and made them stay after school. Mary recalled that she had to write: “I will not swat my brother” multiple times. “We were worried our parents would find out,” she said. “And they did.” Some of the students had classrooms at the former Methodist Church while others stayed at the main school on the common. “Helen Rockwell taught home economics,” she remembered. “We did sewing and cooking and learned home management, things like that.” Cooking was taught one half of the year and sewing was taught the other half. The parents donated food and the students in the home economic classes prepared the hot lunches for everyone. When dances were introduced Mary said none of the students knew how to dance, so the teachers taught them.

Small dances were held throughout the year, but when it came time for the senior prom, the junior class did all the decorating. “It was formal. That was a big deal for us,” she said. “My mother made my gown.” When her three brothers (Dick, Walter and Clark) returned home from school each day, they all had chores to do. “I had enough brothers keeping the farm,” she said. “I did cleaning and some of the cooking.” Mary’s parents raised 25 acres of potatoes and one of her jobs was to pick off the beetles. “There weren’t as many back then,” she said. “It was colder.” A lot of after-school entertainment came through an active youth group at the Cabot United Church. “In the summer there were corn roasts all over the place,” she remembered. “In the winter we went coasting down Bond Hill.” “I played a lot of basketball. Our top player was Natalie Bartlett,” she recalled. She remembered one very cold game when they played in Groton in a space above a saw mill. The uniforms were tunic tops covering bloomers, supplied by the school. Because there were no school buses, the parents transported students to the games. “After basketball games in Cabot we would always invite the other team to join us for hot cocoa or coffee in the cafeteria,” she said. “I think I had a good education,” she stated. “And I enjoyed growing up on the farm in Cabot.”

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CABOT PUBLIC LIBRARY NEWS

LIBRARY HOURS: Monday noon

– 6 pm, Tuesday 10 am – 6 pm, Wednesday 2 – 6 pm, Thursday noon - 6 pm, and Saturday 9 amnoon. Curbside library service is still available during regular library hours.

Summer Reading Program (ages birth - 18) - Bring in your summer reading charts before October to redeem your prizes. Participants earn a T-shirt, book and an additional prize of their choice. Dungeons and Dragons (ages 9 - 13) – Tuesdays – 3:30 – 5 pm - Join Losada Stoddard as DM for our newest D&D campaign. Learn how to build a Dungeons and Dragons character, and then set out on your Adventures. No experience necessary! Come for the mysteries and magic, tails and talons, puzzles and prophecies! Snacks provided. New members are welcome anytime!

Story and Activity Time (ages birth - 5+) – Wednesdays – 10:30 - 11:30 am - Cabot Rec Field Pavilion – Join youth librarian Amanda Otto for stories, songs, crafts and activities! Stay after for snacks and more active play on the swing set, sand box and fields. All are welcome!

Ready-To-Read Storytime & STEAM

Program (ages 5 - 8) – second and fourth Wednesday - Sept 11 - Nov 13

– 2:30 – 4 pm Join Amanda Otto for a drop off program designed especially to support emergent readers. Participants will enjoy fun and exciting books and STEAM and nature-based projects. Snacks provided. Space is limited. Registration is required - email [email protected]. StoryWalk - Cabot Rec Field Pavilion - Sept 15 - Oct 31 – Enjoy A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel - “A Stone Sat Still tells the story of a seemingly ordinary rock—but to the animals that use it, it is a resting place, a kitchen, a safe haven...even an entire world.” Cabot Book Group – Thursday, Sept

26– 2 pm The Cabot Book Group meets monthly on the fourth Thursday of the month at the library. All are welcome! This month’s selection is Gather by Kenneth Cadow. Cadow is a Vermont author and this book is also the Vermont Humanities Council VT READS pick for this year. It’s a young adult novel and a National Book Award Finalist.

“A resourceful teenager in rural Vermont struggles to hold on to the family home while his mom recovers from addiction in this striking debut novel.” “Ian Gray isn’t supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn’t happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian’s adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run, trying to evade a future that would mean leaving their house and their land. Even if the community comes together to help him, would Ian and Gather have a home to return to?” Books will be available for pick up in advance.

Park Passes

Vermont State Parks and other centers are open for your fall enjoyment! Call or email to borrow these passes:

- State Park Pass – Free entry up to eight people in one vehicle to a Vermont State Park - day area

- Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium – Free Family Admission

- Historic Sites pass – Free entry up to eight people in one vehicle for Vermont State Historic Sites -The Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village in Brownington, Vermont – Free entry with pass.

- ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain – Aquarium and Science Center - $7 admission for up to four people -Vermont History Museum/ Vermont Heritage Galleries – Free entry with Family Pass Before you head out, come to the library to borrow birdwatching books, binoculars, wildlife viewing guides, etc. Many thanks to the Cabot Conservation Committee, The VT Department of Libraries, the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation and all the organizations that provide passes. Call or email the library for more info: [email protected] or 802-563-2721. Thanks so much to the Library Trustees for their devotion and hard work: Niall McCallum, Angela Ogle, Kurt Steinert, Taeryn Robbins, and Erin Ruddell. See you at the library! Kathleen Hoyne – Library Director Amanda Otto – Youth Librarian

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Saturday, September 28, 2024 10 am to 4 pm

Cutler Library Lawn (under tents - so rain or shine) 151 High Street, Plainfield, VT (right on Route 2)

Some baked goods also available at the sale.

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