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9/13/26

The rain of Saturday night into Sunday morning seems to have come to an end and the sun is emerging, meaning it must be time to go for a walk. A vole has made a mess of my yard, but then yesterday I found one dead in the entranceway to my basement. I am wondering if the lawn is now safe or if he had family and friends!

I attended the delightful Grace Coolidge Musicale on Saturday along with approximately 75 other folks. It was wonderful to see Brandon Ward, a 7th grader from Barton VT open the concert by playing a short selection, Always nice to see and hear Abi Charboneau on the piano, along with accompaniment by Susan Cobb, Sylvia Stoner, Stephanie Ratte Jenkins. and Rejoice Sherry. Patrick Branstetter provided quite an interesting discussion about the 400+ hours it took to restore the Baldwin that Grace Coolidge had at the White House.
A Select Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, 9/14 at 6 PM. The agenda is noted on the town website. According to Beth, the town-wide reassessment will commence shortly.

At a recent Tyson Ladies Aid meeting, it was decided to have our Christmas meeting include lunch at the Echo Lake Inn again this year. In speaking with Jacqueline at Camp Plymouth State Park, I just learned that the boats will be pulled out of the water on Monday, 9/14 , although the park will remain open in some capacity for a bit longer. Hopefully we will still have some wonderful warm weather to come…
Please note that the Black River Good Neighbor Services fall rummage sale fundraiser is slated for Fri, 9/25 & Sat, 9/26, from 10AM – 3:00PM. Plymouth is served by BRGNS, so you might find some good deals and can also learn about their helpful programs.

Spruce up your week with events taking place at Fletcher Memorial Library. The book discussion on Mon, 9/14 is entitled Tell Us What You Read and will be an opportunity to talk about your recent reading adventures and possibly find some new book ideas! Mahjong takes place on Tuesdays at 11 AM. Fall Story Time for little ones is from 10:30 – 11:00 AM on Wednesdays, from 9/16 – 12/16.

School is now in session, so I imagine there are some interesting things going on with our local students. I noticed that Jackson Fellows is an up-and-coming rider on the WUHS mountain biking team. I would love to have more student news to report, so please email me at tmmarrone@tds.net.

The Plymouth Schoolhouse has one part-time spot available, for a child aged three or above. We are a nature-centered, play-based licensed childcare located in Plymouth, Vermont. Our programming this year includes preschool level work and curriculum, and a developing forest classroom where play and exploration occur daily.

To learn more about the program visit our website at: plymouthschoolhousesite.com and email plymouthschoolhouse@gmail.com to arrange a visit.

9/7/26

The weather is definitely changing – down in the 40s this Monday morning, but the sun is shining brightly. It seemed like record numbers of people came to our area for the holiday weekend. The crowd at the fantastic (as usual) Shakespeare Alive performance filled the Union Christian church. I did not go to the Folk and Blues concert on Saturday, but on Sunday, the attendance was huge, sprawling on the grass in a slightly different spot at the Historic Site. As usual the music was wonderful, so thanks to Jay Ottoway for organizing it. Jen’s Cookin provided food both days.

Next Saturday 9/12 at 2:00 pm there will be our FREE piano concert at the Coolidge Historic Site celebrating the completion of the restoration of Grace Coolidge’s White House piano.

I know that some folks have been lamenting the destructiveness of bears and we certainly seem to have an abundance of them in our area. Many of us enjoy seeing them, but feeding them really is not helpful since it teaches them to seek easy food and invade dumpsters, cars and even houses. Vermont’s black bear hunting season runs from September 1 through November 23, 2026, split into an early season (Sept 1–Nov 14) and a late season (Nov 15–23), with a one-bear-per-year limit. Please note that hunting hours are from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. Hunting Licenses are needed for all hunters.

Baiting bears is strictly prohibited. Hunters are advised not to shoot sows with cubs. Bears may not be trapped, taken alive, or shot at bird feeders and the sale of bear paws or internal organs is illegal. Bears must be tagged immediately after harvest, with the tag displayed on the carcass. Hunters must report the bear within 48 hours to a Vermont Fish & Wildlife reporting station or game warden and a premolar tooth must be collected and submitted within 30 days to help monitor bear population age and health.

This is the latest about the Aging with Attitude program at Fletcher Memorial Library in Ludlow:
Black River Good Neighbors Services (BRGNS) and Fletcher Memorial Library (FML) are hosting programs to help older adults in the Okemo Valley area learn new skills, save money, get in shape, and make new friends. In partnership with Senior Planet, a national nonprofit which harnesses technology to change the way older Americans age, we will kick off our 2nd year offering classes and workshops about technology, health and wellness, and socialization.

Older adults across the country are utilizing technology more than ever before. BRGNS and FML offer Senior Planet’s curriculum and will host the Computer Essentials class in November. To learn more or register for upcoming classes, call the Black River Good Neighbor Services at 802-228-3663 or Fletcher Memorial Library at 802-228-8921. Senior Planet from AARP is a community of people 60 and older who are learning to thrive in the digital world. These programs are offered free to help older adults build technology skills to allow them to improve their health, make new friendships, save money, and advocate in their communities. Senior Planet curriculum includes nearly 100 multi-week courses, lectures, and workshops as well as free on-line classes. To learn more, visit http://www.seniorplanet.org or follow @SeniorPlanet on social media.

8/31/26

Loving the warm and less humid days and cool nights. I have my first red pepper of the season. My hummingbirds have been eating ravenously, but on Sunday I didn’t see them very much. Wondering if they are starting to head south… On the way over Terrible Mountain on Sunday, there were several brightly colored leaves. We know what that means!

I hope the weather cooperates for all of the activities planned for the upcoming Holiday Weekend. Shakespeare Alive will be indoors at the Union Christian Church at noon on Sat, 9/5. The Folk and Blues Festival on 9/5 and 9/6 from 2-5 PM will be outdoors. It is usually so wonderful to sit on the lawn and enjoy good music and people-watching. Children and pets are often in abundance. Don’t forget a non-perishable food item to donate.

Fletcher Memorial Library has books and programs for all ages. This session of Story Time for youngsters will run 9/16 – 12/18 from 10:30 – 11 AM, including early literacy activities, stories, and songs and ending with a craft or science exploration.

The book discussion on Mon 9/14 at 6 PM will take a slightly different track with the title “Tell Us What You Read”. It should provide wonderful ideas for future reading!
Something caught my attention recently – the name Ida May Fuller. I vaguely recalled hearing that she was the first person to receive a social security check, and learned that it was dated 1/31,1940, in the amount of $22.54 (equivalent to $518 in 2025). From what I have read, she was born in Ludlow, lived to be 100 and collected a total of $22,888.92!

8/24/26

After such a gorgeous week of sunshine, the downpour on Sunday brought some much needed rain, but unfortunately impacted a number of events. Everything is glistening on this Monday morning. Life is full of tradeoffs!

Trivia: Which Vermont town swore in a three-year-old goat named Lincoln as its honorary mayor in 2019?

Youngsters are heading back to school, some critters know when our gardens are just ripe for picking, and bears will be entering their hyperphagia stage during whichI understand they eat up to 20 hours a day in order to build up the fat reserves.  Hyper-vigilance will be needed on all fronts!

Thanks to those who came to the Friends of Fletcher Memorial Library Book Sale on Saturday. The selection of donated books was amazing and folks seemed to enjoy voting on the pictures for the calendar.

Coming up soon will be the Shakespeare Alive concert at noon on 9/5 at the Union Christian Church, as well as the Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival on 9/5 and 9/6 from 2-5 PM. A bit further from home, Garlic Town USA, Bennington, will have its festival celebrating all things garlic on 9/5. Add a bit of sweetness at the 5th annual Rutland Whoopie Pie Fest on Saturday 9/12  at the corner of Center Street & Merchants Row from 12-4PM

 Answer: Fair Haven

8/16/26

The weather has been so delightful this weekend. Rain will be arriving later on Sunday evening and my gardens will be pleased. My niece’s son has been visiting and we took the chairlift up Okemo. I would highly recommend it!

The Plymouth Book group will be discussing Theo of Golden by Allen Levi on Wed, 8/19. It is a charming story and good read. Theo is older than me and probably kinder, too. Email me at tmmarrone@tds.net if would like to join us, so I can let you know where we will meet this time.

Some of you may have missed seeing Adam Boyce at the Strawberry Festival, but you can see him perform with Dave Richard on Thursday, 8/20 at the East Corinth village church starting at 6 PM. There will be a potluck meal followed by the music – arbvtfiddler@gmail.com.

In addition to the huge book sale at Fletcher Memorial Library (Sat 8/22, 9AM – 3PM), you can also attend The Best of Vermont Summer Festival in Ludlow (8/22 and 23, 11 AM-5PM) at Okemo Field.

Mark your calendars for the Shakespeare Alive concert at noon on 9/5 at the Union Christian Church, then catch the first day of Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival on 9/5 from 2-5 PM. Then take in the next set of performers on Sunday, 9/6. Thanks to Jay Ottaway for bringing such talented musicians to town!

Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission (TRORC) is in the process of completing a
mandatory new regional plan which may affect you and your real estate property. Of major
concern is the new land use map. The largest map update is revising the current Regional Future
Land Use map. The 2026 Regional Future Land Use Map includes a description of the new
statutory regional future land use categories.

In order to view the map and how it affects your property (rights), go to trorc.org, and click the
link to Draft Available Here. Scroll down until you find a list, all in green, below the heading, “First
Hearing Chapter PDF Drafts – 2026 Regional Plan. Lines below the list is a sentence that states,
“You can compare the old and new maps by using this mapping tool.” Click on the word, “tool” in
order to see the map. Best to use a full – size screen on a computer for this.

Once the map appears, type in your address in the box at upper right and your property will
appear. Center and size it if necessary and then to the left, you will see where you can toggle
between the current 2025 map and the 2026 June LURBpreapp RFLU Areas showing the effect on
your property. You can then go back to where you started and scroll down to the descriptions of
the new terms. If you have any objections, comments, or concerns, you have until August 10th to
make them known.

The fastest way to accomplish this is by email to regionalplan@trorc.org. You may also copy the
Land Use Review Board at act250.board@vermont.gov. Be clear and state your concerns as
accurately as possible. By meeting the August 10, 2026 deadline, you establish what is called,
“Standing” and will allow you further correspondence with both TRORC and the Land use

Review Board, LURB.
Plymouth Planning Commission

8/9/26

Rain – too much or too little! Some of the hanging plants on my back deck seemed to be drowning, but now I need to be careful that they don’t dry out. I find it difficult to adjust to the weather with my plants/veggies/flowers. I can’t imagine how farmers handle all these weather variations. Trivia question: What Vermont newspaper has been publishing continuously since 1794, when George Washington was still president?

Lots of interesting books are being sorted at Fletcher Memorial Library for the upcoming Book Sale fundraiser, Friday, 8/21 (pre-sale from 3-6PM, paid admission) and Sat 8/22, 9AM – 3PM.(free). Come Browse! Consider joining the Book Club discussion of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne on Mon, 8/10 at 6PM.

The minutes from the 8/3 Select Board meeting are posted on the town website. Jeff Sailer has been appointed to take Rick Kaminski’s place until voting at the next Town meeting, March 2027. Thanks to Dave Olster for noting the closure of Rte 100 north of town. Looks like the option of using the CCC road has been closed as well!
Just a reminder about voting on Tues 8/11. Polls are open from 10AM – 7PM. There has been talk lately about how to vote a split ticket. Voting in the Primaries means that you need to choose one of the three ballots – Democrat, Progressive, or Republican. You can, however, always write-in the name of someone you would like to support from a different ballot. The primaries enable candidates to run in the Nov election. The ballots are posted in the Town building, although in the future it might be helpful to have them posted on the website as well.
Thanks to those who so generously supported the Tyson Ladies Aid Bazaar on Saturday. The raffle allowed the over 80 gift baskets to find happy homes. John Murphy and crew did a wonderful job with the chicken for the BBQ and folks picked up many yummy baked goods. Jean Grover’s wall-hanging quilt was a hit and much appreciated by the Ludlow winner. Proceeds are used to provide for community needs such as: scholarships for local seniors from Green Mountain Union High School and Woodstock Union High School; gifts for the local teen shelter; and various community projects. Consider attending one of our meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 11:30 AM in the downstairs Community Room at Tyson Church.

It was an informative meeting of the Plymouth Historical Society on Sunday with guest speaker Debby McCraken, who shared information about Esther Sumner Damon, widow of Revolutionary war soldier, Noah Damon. She was his second and much younger wife and also the last Revolutionary war pensioner until her passing in 1906. Attending the meeting was Alison Messer, a recent high school graduate from Springfield, whose ancestry includes Esther. Barb Lurie, Joy Donnelly, and Midge Tucker spoke about Plymouth folks who served in the Revolutionary War, many of whom were descended from Mayflower voyagers and are buried in our several town cemeteries.
Mark your calendar for Shakespeare Alive – a Bard-Based Variety Show returning to the Union Christian Church at the Coolidge Historic Site on Sat, 9/5 at noon. These talented actors not only share Shakespeare’s words but parlay them into hilarious skits. Well worth attending, but you had better get there early to find a seat!

Trivia Answer: The Rutland Herald

Vermont Route100 will be fully closed at the Madden Brook project site in Bridgewater from 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, 2026 to 7:00 a.m. Monday, September 21, 2026.

Detour (both directions):

Traffic between Plymouth Union and West Bridgewater will detour via VT Route 100A to Bridgewater Corners, then U.S. Route 4 to West Bridgewater. Southbound traffic will follow the same route in reverse.

Detour signage will be posted and visible along VT 100, VT 100A and U.S. 4 for the duration of the closure.