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!
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
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
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
Joy Donnelly, Alison Messer, Midge Tucker, Barb Lurie
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.
A new month is upon us! Does that mean that summer is half over? The humidity/dew-point is creeping up a bit. Storms seem to be sweeping in and out quickly. It is so interesting to sometimes find it pouring in Ludlow and not a drop of rain in Plymouth. Not much to report on critters this week, although I have heard (a piercing whistle) and seen a hawk in my yard, so I am fearing for my song birds. I couldn’t resist going online and found the following conjectures: “A hawk flies high and sees small details from above. Its appearance suggests you are too close to a problem and need to step back and look at the big picture.” There was an informative article about bears in VT Digger. I have received permission to publish it, so will do so at the end.
Consider joining Debby McCraken, an independent historian who will be sharing information about Esther Sumner Damon, widow of Revolutionary war soldier, Noah Damon at the Plymouth Town Office on Sunday, 8/9 at 2 PM. Did you know the names of some of the other local Plymouth Patriots – Capt John Coolidge, Deacon Daniel Clark, and Caleb Snow? The Plymouth Historical Society has a great deal of interesting town history!
It appears there is a Select Board meeting on Monday, 8/3 at 6 PM. Please go to the town website for the agenda.
Fletcher Memorial Library has a wide variety of programs for all age groups. There is even a dedicated group of Mahjong players who meet there on Tuesdays at 11 AM? Join the book discussion of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne on Mon, 8/10 at 6PM. The Black River Grief Support Group utilizes FML as a safe space for individuals to share their experiences, find comfort and learn coping strategies after a loss on the second Monday of each month. Call Black River Good Neighbor Services at 802-228-3663 for more information. Lastly, the Friends group is busy sorting through and organizing books for the huge book sale happening 8/21 and 8/22.
Lately we have had such amazingly beautiful days. Nice to have the smoke dispersed and the high humidity gone, too. My son-in-law set a trail camera up the hill on my property and the results have been interesting. Some deer as expected, a couple of coyotes and no bears. The latter tend to stay to the left side of my property. What did surprise me was the bobcat! Last winter some tracks in the snow made me wonder, but now I have proof. Although I would love to see one, I know my chances of glimpsing these elusive 15 to 35 pound creatures are slim. Adult bobcats are not social and actually only tolerate the presence of the opposite sex during the breeding season. Bobcats feed on mice, vole, rats, chipmunks, squirrels, snowshoe hares, cottontail rabbits, birds, and deer. I found it surprising that white tailed deer can be an important food source in the winter when snow depths make hunting them easier.
On Saturday, 8/1 the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation and the Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site announce that they will be marking the 103rd anniversary of when America’s 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, took the oath of office at his family homestead. The live reenactment begins at 2:47 PM on the porch of the Cilley Store. Following the reenactment, museum visitors are invited to enjoy celebratory Moxie Floats, a favored beverage of President Coolidge. Typically found only in New England, this drink is “wickedly good” and “distinctly different.”
The Fletcher Memorial Library giant Annual Book Sale will be happening 8/21 and 8/22, so mark your calendar! Donations are being accepted during library hours – Monday 10-7, Tues-Fri 10-5 and Sat 10-1. Books in good condition are appreciated, so that others may enjoy reading them. Encyclopedias, textbooks, and magazines Reader’s Digests cannot be accepted. Call the library at 228-8921 with questions. Books may be left inside the back door.
The Writers Group at FML is led by Cathy Martin and meets from 3 to 6:30 pm on the first and third Monday of the month. Come share your work and receive feedback. Bring your youngsters to “Color & Chat” at FML with artist Willow Bascom on Saturday 8/8 to explore global cultures and colors. Markers and pencils provided or bring your own.
The Plymouth Book group enjoyed the discussion of Whistler by Ann Patchett and will be discussing Theo of Golden by Allen Levi on Wed, 8/19.
Join Okemo Mountain School for its annual Gravel Gallop on Sunday, 8/2 starting atCamp Plymouth State Park and experience some of Vermont’s most scenic gravel roads while supporting OMS student-athletes. This can be a fun family ride or a rewarding endurance challenge, depending upon the route for you! Choose from 9-, 32-, or 45-mile self-guided loops through Plymouth, VT. Riders can begin at 8:30 AM with the start and finish at the park. All routes were designed by Rick and Pam Trainer, local cycling experts, owners of Mountain Cycology, and OMS alumni parents.
Get ready for the much-anticipated Tyson Ladies Aid Bazaar that will be taking place on Sat, 8/8 across Rte 100 from the Green Mtn Sugar House. Come take chances on the amazing array of gift baskets, find goodies at the Bake Table, enjoy the luscious chicken BBQ, and perhaps find a book to read. Start time is 10 AM and the baskets will be raffled at 2 PM.
Here is another sample of an early print addition of the Plymouth Press. Enjoy it
Well, changeable weather abounds! Sudden downpours, lovely blue skies, high daytime humidity, then, nighttime cooldowns, yellow skies and gusty wind to blow out the smoke. We have had it all – Sunday was simply lovely.
I suppose that most people are aware of all the free music that is available in our area. Sunday evening at Veterans Park in Ludlow, Wed in Cavendish, Thurs in Belmont and Jackson Gore on Friday evenings. If you appreciate more classical music check out https://kinhaven.org for a listing of their free concerts.
In case you feel like traveling a bit consider going to the Maple Roots Festival in Montpelier, 7/25 – full-day festival at Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks celebrating with live music, great food and drink, and family-friendly fun. The lineup includes the Vermont Jazz Ensemble, Lara Cwass, Michael-Louis Smith, and more, along with food trucks and kids’ activities. Trivia: Before he invented the steel plow that broke open the American prairie, John Deere was a struggling blacksmith born in which Vermont city?
Just to remind folks that there are still lots of fun activities for youngsters at Fletcher Memorial Library that Plymouth families can enjoy. For children ages 5 and under, consider the SUMMER PLAY GROUP Tuesday Mornings from 10:30am-12:00pm. SUMMER OUTDOOR STORY TIME will continue through 8/12 on Wednesdays from 10:30 – 11 AM. “Color & Chat” with artist Willow Bascom will be a special treat on Saturday, 8/8 between 10-1pm. Check out Willow at WorldFolkArt.me – you will be delighted! A note from The Black River Academy Museum that they are heading to the Ludlow FarmersMarket: Stop by our booth for a fun day on Sunday, 7/26 between 9:00am – 1:00pm. Enjoy local Food, refreshing drinks, and homemade breads.
The Plymouth Reading group will be meeting on Wed, 7/22 to discuss Whistler by Ann Patchett. It was a bit different from some of her other books. Email me at tmmarrone@tds.net for the location if you would like to join us. The Plymouth Press email is not monitored! Answer: John Deere was born in Rutland, Vermont in 1804. He was a blacksmith apprentice in Middlebury, but the economic crash in Vermont prompted his move west.
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