On the first day of August, campers from Kids Cook VT ran a Kids Cook pop-up cafe at the Charlotte Congregational Church. Kids Cook VT is a summer camp where kids donate what they cook to various service organizations that support people who are food insecure.
I know I have mentioned this in several different ways since I arrived back here a few months ago, but I wanted to make some things clear, believing that there are readers who harbor misconceptions about the nature of the operations of The News. As has been made abundantly clear by our recent celebratory “ads,” the paper was founded 60 years ago in the basement of the Congregational Church by several enterprising teenagers and the indefatigable Nancy Wood. This newspaper is a nonprofit enterprise, relying on advertising dollars and fundraising efforts to keep the presses rolling. Almost all of the contributors—writers and photographers—do so without compensation, and the staff members receive salaries that would probably make you laugh.
The July 23 Selectboard meeting was a lengthy one, with over an hour of discussion dedicated to the issue of affordable housing. The town agreement with Volunteer Fire and Rescue Services, as well as the town’s hazardous waste ordinance, were also big-ticket items.
The backstory is rich and complicated, but suffice it to say this: Matt Dibley died two years ago in July. Not long after, people started finding dimes, as can be the case when someone dies and the living are more tuned in to spiritual activity. Sometimes the dead leave feathers, sometimes they present as a bird or a butterfly.
A full house welcomed local author Judy Chaves to the Charlotte Grange Hall on Friday evening for a presentation about her new book and book signing. Judy, the author of Secrets of Mount Philo, A Guide to the History of Vermont’s First State Park, held the attention of her audience as she related the history of the park and talked about the principles responsible for its creation and the now well-traveled road up the mountain.
Do you ever find yourself waiting for a doctor’s appointment and feeling bored with reading the same year-or-two-old magazines? Why not try memorizing a poem? With as little as five minutes a day you can commit a short poem to memory in as little as a week.
Many of our lawns are turning brown as we endure day after day of unusually high summer temperatures. But as you might guess, when the Energy Committee uses the word “greener” we’re talking about energy use, not color!
We all know it’s true: life is a journey filled with fast lanes, traffic jams, breathtaking vistas and ugly roadside motels. What that journey isn’t filled with is dead ends and U-turns. There’s no going back in this long, strange trip—only forward, and this week’s bio comes from a Charlotte woman who, after feeling as though her time here in our little town had run its course, took a deep breath and found that it isn’t the physical place that fulfills but how to occupy that place.
There is some good news betwixt and between the grim tales of drought, wildfires, starvation and war that populate our media. Good news right here in Vermont. Listen up!
Summer Story Time – Reading Fun at Adam’s Berry Farm – Tuesday, July 31 at 9:30 a.m. Meet us at the farm for a summer of berries, great stories, gardening and busy activities. All ages are welcome.
When I first moved to Charlotte 22 years ago from New York City it was culture shock, for sure. I had grown tired of NYC and the noise, the pollution and the many, many people. I was eager for a change.
With this issue we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the News. The very first issue of the paper was printed on July 18, 1958, so technically we have turned 60, but it’s a significant enough milestone that we can’t help but stretch the joy out over the weeks and months of this year.
Last July, at the beginning of the yearlong countdown to this 60th anniversary of The Charlotte News, I wrote about how the paper was started because of my horse, Sox. It was time to sell her, but we needed to find a buyer nearby because she balked at being loaded in a trailer. Back in 1958, advertising choices were limited to the regional newspaper or to notes pinned to bulletin boards at the local stores. We needed a local newspaper.
The Philo Ridge Farm Market, located on the corner of Hinesburg and Mt. Philo roads, opened on July 6 and has been steadily and happily welcoming members of Charlotte and its surrounding communities since.
July 26 & 27 – Join the Hour-Glass Youth Theatre for its exciting new production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The play follows a young woman and her best friend as they flee a society in ruins from conflict and an imbalance of power.
Lately life has been offering me so many opportunities to learn how to be present and embrace the great variety that it offers. I have been blessed to have found my true soul mate with whom to share my time here on earth. I have been blessed with 49 years of learning to hunt, fish and forage and learn life’s lessons through the teachings of the outdoors.
On a brisk morning recently I was able to experience what truly fresh fish tastes like.
It has been 45 years since the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade ruled 7-2, in a decision written by Justice Harry Blackmun, that the Constitution protected a woman’s decision to have an abortion. Abortion rights have remained a newsworthy issue ever since and have come to the fore once again with the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy and the conservative leanings of President Trump.
As I finish my two-year term on the Charlotte Energy Committee (CEC) as the student representative, I reflect on the evenings I spent with the group. My time on the CEC served as an amazing learning opportunity.
Thinking about college? Here’s a schedule to help you get your applications done on a timely basis without losing your sanity.