S.O.S. Vermont, managing the emotional consequences of storms and flood

Posted on 02/18/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

From Laurie Marechaux

Starting Over Strong (S.O.S.) Vermont provides free short-term support for individuals, groups, and communities impacted by flooding from Tropical Storm Irene.

Teams of crisis support workers are on the ground throughout the hardest hit communities in Vermont. S.O.S. Vermont Teams conduct community and home-based outreach, door-to-door counseling, and psycho-educational services at group meetings and programs, free of charge.

Starting Over Strong Vermont’s services are free of charge. Call our Toll Free Phone number: 1-855-767-8800
Website: http://www.startingoverstrongvermont.org

Many Vermont flood victims have received help and are moving on, but there are still individuals and families struggling, and in need of assistance. Whether it’s crisis counseling support, like that being provided by S.O.S. Vermont, the cleanup efforts of family and neighbors, or financial assistance from a disaster relief organization, the recovery process continues for many. While the strength of Vermonters who have been able to move on is worth recognizing, it is also important to acknowledge the needs and continuing struggle of those who have not yet recovered.

Laurie Marechaux
SOS Team 2
Ludlow, VT

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Presidents’ Week Events at Coolidge Site

Posted on 02/17/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Diane Kemble, Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation

For the first time, Presidents’ Week events will be held at the beautiful new President Calvin Coolidge Museum and Education Center. Sponsored by the Coolidge Foundation, these programs highlight aspects of the presidency of Calvin Coolidge who was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont and was sworn in here by his father as our nation’s 30th President.

“Ink & Oil: Calvin Coolidge’s Political Cartoon Legacy and Beyond” will be presented on February 19th at 2:00 by Stephen R. Bissette, from the Center for Cartoon Studies. His illustrated talk will take us from the start of Calvin Coolidge’s political career in Massachusetts and through his presidency, showing how editorial cartoons archived the public’s perceptions of Coolidge as a man, a politician, and a reluctant celebrity. We’ll see how President Coolidge was portrayed in contemporary political cartoons and trace aspects of the notorious Teapot Dome oil and political scandal, and the role of oil magnate Harry Sinclair in that debacle.

“Presidents’ Week Sneak Peek – Inside the Collections: Coolidge’s Presidential Campaigns” will be presented on Thursday February 23 at 3:00. Hosted by Kate Bradley, the Coolidge Foundation’s Special Collections Manager, the event will give attendees a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse at select items from the Coolidge Foundation’s Special Collections that are not otherwise available to the public. This rare peek at mid-1920s campaign items will reveal the similarities and differences between Coolidge’s presidential campaigns and present-day presidential campaigns. The presentation will highlight the intricate and pervasive role of campaign culture using a wide variety of specially selected items, from voting machines, to cigars, to books.

The Coolidge Museum and Education Center is located at 3780 Route 100A, Plymouth, VT 05056 at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site. These events are free to the public though donations to the Coolidge Foundation will be gratefully accepted. For further information contact the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation at 802-672-3389 or email education@calvin-coolidge.org. Website:  www.calvin-coolidge.org.

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Town Meeting Warned for March 5 at 7PM

Posted on 02/17/2012 by The Plymouth Press

WARNING

The legal voters of Plymouth are hereby warned to meet at the Plymouth Municipal Building at 7:00 P.M. on Monday, March 5, 2012 to transact at that time business not involving voting by Australian Ballot or voting required by the law by ballot. The polls will be open Tuesday March 6, 2012 at the Plymouth Municipal Building from 10:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. for the purpose of voting by Australian Ballot.
Continue reading →

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Margo Marrone’s Plymouth Report

Posted on 02/16/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

2/13/12

By the time this article is out, Valentine’s Day will be over, but I hope that everyone will have felt loved & found a way to express love! As I am writing, the snow (that never materialized on Saturday) is gently falling. I think I will go out & make a big heart in the driveway for my Valentine, especially since I already received my flowers from him! This will be a short article because we going to pick up Tom’s mom to take her out for a pre-Valentine lunch.

Happy Birthday wishes to Laurie Marechaux on the 21st! I would love to have more birthday input, so others will know to send their best wishes. Never fear, I don’t tell your age, unless, of course it is a milestone you want me to mention!

Don’t forget the Planning Commission meeting on the Town Plan on Friday, 2/24 at 7:00 PM. I have not had an opportunity to see it, but copies are available at the Town Office. You may recall there have been some differences of opinion regarding the direction our town should be taking, so it will be important to see what the latest version includes.

The Reach Out Luncheon will be Thursday, 2/16 & our speakers will be Betsy & Russ Tonkin, who will be telling us about their recent volunteer trip Anse-La-Raye, St Lucia through Global Volunteers, where they worked with children & young families to help improve nutrition & health. Come at 11:00 to hear what they have to say, then enjoy our spaghetti lunch – with or without meatballs!

We will be having our Ash Wednesday service at Tyson Church at 6:00 PM on 2/22. Self-evaluation & repentance mark this start to the season of Lent. Everyone is welcome to attend. It will not be a very long service, but a reflective one. If you would like more information, just give me a call.

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Tyson Congregational Church Announces Prayer Services

Posted on 02/13/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

From Margo Marrone

Our Sunday morning Worship service on 2/19 will be a hymn-sing with a mini sermon; a time of praise & rejoicing before we begin our Lenten journey. Our Ash Wednesday service will take place at 6:00 PM on 2/22 & will begin our time of drawing closer to Jesus, as he draws closer to Jerusalem & the Cross. All are welcome to explore the Bible with us & how it applies to our daily lives. Tyson Church is located on the Ludlow/Plymouth border, across from the Echo Lake Inn, just off Rte 100. Call Minister Margo Marrone at 228-5114 or tmmarrone@tds.net for more information & to share prayer requests.

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Bethany Birches Family Fun on Sunday – Margo Marrone’s Plymouth Report

Posted on 02/10/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

Republished with permission from The Vermont Standard

2/6/12

I noticed that several ice fishing derby’s have been cancelled around the state due to unsafe ice conditions. Such strange weather! There was one solitary ice house on Echo Lake the other night when I came home. I remember years when there were 15 or more out there. I heard recently that we have our own ground hog in VT – Pudding Hill Pete in Lyndonville. I believe he saw his shadow, so we can expect 6 more weeks of winter!

I understand that Betsy & Russ Tonkin just returned from a two week volunteer trip to Anse-La-Raye, St Lucia through Global Volunteers, where they worked with children & young families to help improve nutrition & health. Betsy made house calls with the Roving Care Givers to families without money to send their children to school or those with at-risk newborns. Russ worked through the town Health Clinic providing health education to students from preschool to high school. Not only did they provide a service while meeting a number of caring & interesting folks, but they said the nice weather was an added benefit!

Karen Evans & I just put yaktrax on our boots & walked up the Patch Brook Road, which is closed in the winter. It is protected from the wind there & some of the ice formations along the stream were just beautiful. I can’t believe that there were car tracks, however, since it is all ice & a vehicle could easily slip off the road into the water below. Some folks seem to like to take risks!

Last minute alert… Don’t miss the Family Fun Day on Sunday – Feb 12th from 12:30 PM – 4 PM at Bethany Birches Camp & it’s free! The whole family can enjoy an afternoon of tubing, broomball, indoor crafts & games, & snow painting. Try exploring some of their100 acres on your cross-country skis/snowshoes or bring your skates & use the ice rink. Make new friends while you enjoy plenty of hot drinks & snacks! Check it out on line at http://www.bethanybirches.org/wintercamp/winter-family-fun-days

Also, consider Lynx Camp at BBC, where Christ-centered activities will take place Feb 24 – 26 for 5th- 8th graders. Activities will include the 2nd annual snowball Olympics, tubing down the 1/5 mile tubing run, broomball & a variety of indoor games & crafts for those who prefer to stay warm indoors! Register online at http://www.bethanybirches.org/wintercamp/lynx

A slightly different kind of entertainment will be happening at the Coolidge Museum & Education Center on Sunday, 2/19 at 2:00 PM. An illustrated talk entitled “Ink & Oil: Calvin Coolidge’s Political Cartoon Legacy & Beyond”. Open to the public, Stephen Bissette will be the presenter at this free presentation featuring political cartoons from the Coolidge era. Donations are most welcome. Call 672-3389 for more information.

Congratulations to Michael Clarke, the newly elected president of the Historical Society & thanks to Betsy Tonkin for continuing as Secretary/Treasurer. The group plans to exhibit at the History Expo in June, where the theme is Vermont & the Civil War. Anyone with stories or memorabilia connecting Plymouth to that era is encouraged to contact the Historical Society. There will be a drop box for people willing to share their pictures, videos or stories of Irene, which will be a focus for the coming year. The next meeting will be March 11th, 3 PM, at Spike’s Place.

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Town of Plymouth Town Plan Public Hearing Notice: Feb. 24 at 7PM

Posted on 02/10/2012 by The Plymouth Press

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

~TOWN OF PLYMOUTH~

Notice is hereby given by the Plymouth Planning Commission of a Public Hearing to be

held Friday, February, 24 2012 at 7:00 p.m. at the Plymouth Town Office, 68 Town

Office Road, Plymouth, Vermont for the purpose of hearing comments on the proposed

Plymouth Town Plan. The Town Plan covers all lands within the Town.

A copy of the proposed Plymouth Town Plan, the associated maps, and the Planning

Commission report on the proposed Plan, are available for review at the Plymouth Town

Clerk’s Office during normal business hours.

Outlined below is a list of section headings of the proposed Town Plan:

I. INTRODUCTION

II. LAND USE

III. TRANSPORTATION

IV. UTILITY AND FACILITY PLAN

V. TELECOMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES

VI. NATURAL, SCENIC, AND HISTORIC RESOURCES

VII. EDUCATION

VIII. ENERGY

IX. HOUSING

X. ADJACENT MUNICIPALITIES AND THE REGION

XI. IMPLEMENTATION

Wendell Beckman, Chair

Plymouth Planning Commission

January 23, 2012

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Margo Marrone’s Plymouth Report

Posted on 02/03/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

Republished with permission from The Vermont Standard

1/30/12

Some of our folks are busy with sports during this winter season. I see that Christy Harris is participating on the Nordic Ski Team this year, while Holli Olsen is on the Alpine team. Tara Metcalf is working hard with the Girls Ice Hockey team, with head coach Jeff Salier & assistant coach (her dad!) Steve Metcalf.

I understand that I missed Chris Lynds’ birthday on 1/28, so belated best wishes! Please feel free to let me know about special dates & I will include them in the column. A reminder about the Historical Society Meeting on Sunday, 2/5 at Spikes Place on 100A at 3:00 PM. It will be a planning meeting, but it should certainly end in time for the Super Bowl!

Tyson Ladies Aid is meeting this Thursday (2/2) & Julia Baldwin & I are hosting. We are preparing soup, salad & dessert. This is a community-minded group of women, including several folks from Tyson church, but it is a separate organization. We sponsor the Tyson Library, provide scholarships to graduating seniors, & help folks in many different ways. We meet at 11:30 downstairs at the church (enter through the door off the Echo Lake Inn parking lot). If you are interested in working with our lively group to help with these local projects, think about joining us!

How exciting that Emily Dupont will be wearing her new Pointe dancing shoes for the first time this week during her ballet lessons at the VT Center for Dance Education in Rutland! Ian Dupont is looking forward to Feb vacation when WUMS will be going on a field trip down to DC. Julie gets to go, too!

On Sunday morning Tom & I joined a couple that I married last August & had a nice breakfast at the Echo Lake Inn. I had a delicious omelet & Tom, of course had pancakes. Breakfast ends by 9:00 & you should call ahead (228-8602).

I have learned from Michelle Stinson that the “Irene’s Wake” CD & DVD commemorating the 2011 Flood will soon be released. More than twenty area musicians have recorded original “Irene” songs at Mount Hollywood Studio in Belmont. LPCTV staff has been busy editing photos & videos, planning to release the $20 package next month, with proceeds being split between the Vermont Flood Relief Fund & non-profit public access LPCTV.

Mark your calendars for Friday, February 17th at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium: Gypsy Reel, The Pleasants, the Salt Ash Serenaders, along with members of the Mount Holly Folk Club and special guests will be performing from 7:00 – 8:30. On Saturday, February 18th at the Outback Nightclub in Ludlow Rick Redington and the Luv will be performing along with Dank & the Funkstix. Music start around 9:00. Admission is $10. For more information, go to www.lpctv.org, or call 802-228-8808.

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Presentation on the Art of Politics at Coolidge Education Center Feb. 19

Posted on 01/27/2012 by The Plymouth Press

From Diane Kemble

The Coolidge Foundation is sponsoring an interesting talk on Feb. 19, the beginning of President’s Week. We hope to see many of our Plymouth neighbors there.

Presentation on the Art of Politics
Ink & Oil: Calvin Coolidge’s Political Cartoon Legacy and Beyond
February 19, 2012
2:00 p.m.
President Calvin Coolidge Museum and Education Center
3780 Route 100 A, Plymouth, VT
http://www.calvin-coolidge.org

Understand the art of politics and scandal through political cartoons.  An illustrated talk, “Ink & Oil: Calvin Coolidge’s Political Cartoon Legacy and Beyond”, will be hosted on Sunday, February 19 at 2:00 pm by the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation in the beautiful new President Calvin Coolidge Museum and Education Center in Plymouth, VT.

The speaker, Stephen R. Bissette, is from the Center for Cartoon Studies and has won many industry awards during his quarter-century in comics as a writer, editor, publisher, and cartoonist. He will take us from the start of Calvin Coolidge’s political career in Massachusetts and through his presidency, showing how editorial cartoons archived the public’s perceptions of Coolidge as a man, a politician, and a reluctant celebrity.

We’ll see how President Coolidge was portrayed in contemporary political cartoons and trace aspects of the notorious Teapot Dome oil and political scandal, the role of oil magnate Harry Sinclair in that debacle, and how Sinclair’s company, Sinclair Oil, adopted cartoon images of dinosaurs to distance itself from scandal. The Coolidge Museum and Education Center is located at 3780 Route 100A in Plymouth. The presentation is free but donations are welcome.

For information Contact Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation: 802-672-3389

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Margo Marrone’s Plymouth Report

Posted on 01/27/2012 by Plymouth Press Contributing Writer

Republished with permission from The Vermont Standard

1/22/12

What crazy weather – one minute it is bitter cold, than it warms up & we are greeted by sleet & freezing rain. Slippery out there – do be careful! I had to scrounge around for sand to make the basement entrance to the church safe for the Reach Out Luncheon the other day. Our speaker was Michelle Stinson from LPCTV & her talk was very informative. Since we have DISH, I was not very familiar with public access television & thought it was unavailable to me. But, guess what! You can get the programs at their website – www.lpctv.org.

I really enjoyed watching several of the archived videos. Michelle told us that they will gladly teach folks how to use their equipment to record an event, then they will air it. She also said it is easy to learn! They are very eager to receive footage documenting the devastation from Irene, so if you have any, get in touch with them. They provide a wonderful service to the community, so let’s remember that they depend upon grants & contributions to help with their operating expenses.

We have some amazingly dedicated Emergency Services personnel, who braved the frigid weather for an ice/cold water rescue drill on Lake Pauline this past Sunday. It was a joint effort, including 7 from Plymouth & 9 from Ludlow to learn how to use each other’s gear & coordinate rescue should a need ever arise on one of our many lakes & ponds. It would be great if they never have to respond to such a situation, but it is nice to know they are prepared!

I also wanted to get the word out about a 6 wk reading & discussion series, HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY PLANET, under the auspices of Catamount Earth Institute. I believe there is a series currently happening in Woodstock, but we are trying to see if 8 to 12 people might want to meet at Tyson Church, starting in March. There is no fee for the program, but the book costs $15. We are considering holding it on Tues evenings, from either 6-7:30 or 6:30-8:00! The session themes are: Redefining Health, Eating Well, Cleaning House, Building Healthy Communities, Curing Consumption, Healthy Planet-Healthy People. If you are interested, let me know & I will send you more information!

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