Welcome to The Plymouth Press Online

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

11/27/23

Hope that everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. Nice to see the sun today (Monday) after the dire prediction of a wintry mix. In the middle of the night I had six inches of snow on my deck, but by morning, it was condensed to three! Heavy rain during the wee hours, plus strong wind changed the consistency and made it very hard to shovel.

Mark your calendar for the Fireside Chat featuring Plymouth resident Jon Clinch, who will discuss his latest book, The General and Julia on Friday, 12/8 at 7 PM at Fletcher Memorial Library. This discussion is sponsored by the library and the Book Nook

I believe the next Select Board meeting will be 12/4. We will post the agenda when it is determined and Angela sends it to us.

I have not received any official word by the Holiday Open House that will be taking place on Saturday, 12/2 at the Calvin Coolidge Historic Site. I am copying the information I gleaned from the website:  Winter is ready to fall upon the quiet village of Plymouth Notch. Before the snows deepen, join the residents of the village as they celebrate the holiday season. The Coolidge birthplace will be festooned with fresh greenery as it would have been during Christmastime in Calvin Coolidge’s childhood. The greenery continues throughout the village where wreaths don the doors of the homes and lanterns. Visitors can warm up in the museum where pianist Steve Morse will be taking song requests on Grace’s piano. At 12:45PM a tree lighting ceremony will call into remembrance the moment President Coolidge threw the switch on the very first lit National tree in 1923. Immediately following at 1PM, the warmth of the village’s Union Christian Church will welcome visitors for a time of caroling. Don’t forget to pick out gifts at the museum gift shop clearance sale. This is a free and family-friendly event! 

The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the Grand Opening of new chamber member Chloe’s Market at the former Plymouth Country Store with customers and local & state officials.

Owner Rick Martin cuts the ribbon with Vermont State Representative Tesha Buss holding the ribbon on the left and Chamber Director Carol Lighthall holding the other end on the right. Photo courtesy of Images by Donald Dill.

You might think presidents just dash off their Thanksgiving proclamations.

But Calvin Coolidge didn’t.

President Coolidge devoted special care to Thanksgiving observances.

Take his second Thanksgiving proclamation, in which he reminded Americans to be grateful for their blessings:

“We shall do well to accept all these favors and bounties with a becoming humility, and dedicate them to the service of the righteous cause of the Giver of all good and perfect gifts. As the nation has prospered let all the people show that they are worthy to prosper by rededicating America to the service of God and man.”

As we take time to reflect on our own blessings, we at the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation are grateful for your support. All of us at the Coolidge Foundation wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.

Coolidge pardoned this raccoon that was sent to the White House for Thanksgiving. The Coolidges kept her as a pet and named her Rebecca Raccoon. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

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Copyright (C) 2023 Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation PO Box 97 Plymouth, VT 05056 USA

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

People seem to streaming into the area early this year, perhaps attempting to avoid the rush and the prediction of inclement weather.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the book, The Maid at the Reading Group session on 11/15. It was agreed that it was a light, but entertaining mystery. We decided to bypass December and made the following selections for the new year:

Finding Dorothy: A Novel by Elizabeth Letts for 1/17

The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey by Serena Burdick for 2/14

The Book of Lost and Found by Lucy Foley for 3/20

Thanksgiving Thoughts (MM)

The gray days of November can weigh me down

The glorious leaves have fallen, the green has gone

Yet there is something peaceful and even profound

Perhaps a time to pause, so gratitude can be found

Greetings Friends and Neighbors of the Echo Lake Inn, 

Thanksgiving Dinner is available for a whole weekend at Echo Lake Inn. If you would like to enjoy a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in a casually elegant environment, come join us at the Echo Lake Inn where our culinary staff has created a fantastic experience for you. We have a limited number of tables available on Thanksgiving Day, and our Thanksgiving menu will be available on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday as well. Give us a call at the number below, and we will be happy to reserve your table. Hope to see you soon at the Echo Lake Inn.

All the Best,Tom & the Echo Lake Inn Staff

view the holiday menu here~ https://echolakeinn.com/fine-dining-vermont-echo-lake-inn-2/our-holiday-menus/

For Reservations Call: (802) 228-8602

The Inn at Water’s Edge is opening during the first three weekends in December for dinners!

On the nights of December 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16th, The Inn at Water’s Edge will be offering two different dinner experiences on Friday and Saturday nights with only 16 spots available per night.

On Friday we’ll host a two-hour Seasonal Smorgasbord in our Pub and Gathering room.
The fun begins at 6:30 PM with goodies galore.
The meal ends at 8:30 PM and last call at the bar is 9:00 PM.
Cost per person is $45.00 plus drinks as purchased.

Saturday’s fare will be a more formal affair as our chef prepares a multi-course Prix Fixe Dinner which will be served in the dining rooms of the Inn.
Mitch will send out a menu one week prior to the event so that each guest can choose from two possible entrees.
The evening will begin with drinks at 6:30 PM.
Dinner starts at 7:00 PM.
Last call for drinks is 9:00 PM.
Cost per person is $75.00 plus drinks as purchased.

Please email your name, email address, number of people in your party, date of choice and any food allergies to: innkeeper@innatwatersedge.com to reserve a spot.
Don’t delay, remember, it’s first come/first served.

If you are one of the first 16 guests to respond (for each date), you will be sent an invoice for the cost of your meal(s) to secure your reservation. Hope to see you soon!

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

11/13/23

A crisp morning, but lovely to have the sun shining so brightly. I had arranged to have my tires changed over on 11/9, so I was a bit concerned about driving to WRJ that morning due to the inclement weather prediction. A friend in Norwich very kindly hosted me the night before, so I was in close proximity to Subaru. Wonderful to have friends and options!

Killington is open and making snow in preparation of the Stifel Killington Cup kicking off on 11/24 with a fireworks display. The races take place on Saturday and Sunday. Friends who skied there the first weekend said it was amazingly good. I see some white on the top of Okemo and I imagine they are busy preparing for the season, but no opening date has been given. It certainly is cold enough to make snow, though.

It was a busy weekend at Bethany Birches Camp and there was a sizable crew of volunteers for the workday on Sat, 11/11.  It was nice to see so many folks at BBC to honor Gwen Groff on 11/12. I was especially glad to see Lillian Buchangroff who is currently living in Scotland and whose birthday was 11/6. Other November birthdays include Willow Bascom (11/2), Karen Evans (11/7), Julia Baldwin (11/20), and Joan Day (11/30). Sorry I am late with the info, but congratulations to one and all!

The Select Board meeting on 11/6 attracted more residents than usual to hear the presentation by Marie Caduto. It was an interesting talk and there are extensive notes on the Town website.  It was apparent that there is no easy fix for the Money Brook problem, but it is good to understand the situation a bit better. The Dog ordinance was approved and is on the website, but I have noted it below, also.

Photo by Okemo Mt Resort

Now Accepting Applications for the Coolidge Scholarship

Spread the word to high school juniors in your life:

The application is now open for the Coolidge Scholarship…

…a four-year college scholarship.

Calvin Coolidge and his values receive little attention in schools these days.

But the Coolidge Scholarship attracts thousands of top high school juniors from across the country.

In preparing their applications, students read Coolidge’s Autobiography, study his presidency, and write several essays on Coolidge topics and themes. It’s a deep dive into Coolidge that they won’t get through their coursework.

The Coolidge Scholarship is unique, providing:

Full coverage of tuition, room, board, and course books for four years of undergraduate study at any college in America

Annual trips to Plymouth Notch to learn about the life and legacy of President Coolidge

Membership in a vibrant community of high school and college students

Please pass on the message. And don’t wait! The application is due by January 18, 2024.

Learn More About the Coolidge Scholarship at https://coolidgescholars.org/

Debating the Climate Question

These days, high school debate has become a perverse exercise in one-sidedness.

Just as troubling, most high school debaters don’t get to hear from real-world policy minds as they prepare.

Coolidge Debate is different. Debaters learn both sides of an issue. And they hear from the best minds on a topic. Personally.

Typical was the Coolidge Debate League’s recent North Carolina tournament on climate policy.

First, the 98 students watched Dr. Steven Koonin, author of Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters, debate Dr. Roger Pielke Jr. of the University of Colorado. This contest was the result of a partnership with the Steamboat Institute and the Luddy Schools.

Stephen Einhorn, author of Climate Change: What They Rarely Teach in College, also briefed our students. Armed with this knowledge, our high schoolers then battled it out in multiple rounds at Thales Academy Apex.

Watch the Koonin-Pielke debate now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyZBWhcufxU

News from the Coolidge Community

The Mont Pelerin Society, an international organization that promotes human liberty, made a special trip to Plymouth Notch last week. Leading economists and scholars ventured down from Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, where the society held its regional meeting. Guests included Wendy Gramm, Cynthia Bader, Daniel Peters, and Robert and Rebekah Alt, who toured the Notch with Coolidge Foundation president Matthew Denhart. Thank you to Ryan Yonk and Bradley Bishop for organizing the visit and to Kathy Jacob and Paula Ferro for leading tours.

Last Wednesday, Coolidge Foundation chair Amity Shlaes spoke on the New Deal and the Great Depression at the American Economic Forum in Washington, D.C. At the conference, hosted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, students received copies of New Deal Rebels, a new anthology of New Deal critics edited by Amity and published by the American Institute for Economic Research.

Did you know that Calvin Coolidge was ahead of his time on civil rights? Or that he read Dante in the original Italian? Or that the Prohibition-era president used…cocaine? Hear the full stories on The Coolidge Way, a limited series podcast produced by the Coolidge Foundation and hosted by Governor Jim Douglas. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCnKVD3HLQZZsggm1y9dc4UWvRPBIysic

Coolidge Foundation trustee Steve Forbes recently traveled to Birmingham and spoke to the local Kiwanis Club chapter about the economic viability of electric vehicles. You can read more about his thoughts in the Birmingham Business Journal. Fellow Foundation trustee and Kiwanis Club member Jenny McCain helped host the talk. https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/news/2023/10/25/forbes-weighs-in-on-evs-in-alabama.html

Check out this new article from the Georgetowner about the Coolidge Centennial and the Foundation’s Coolidge House in Georgetown. The reporter spoke with Foundation president Matthew Denhart for the article. https://georgetowner.com/articles/2023/11/08/coolidge-foundation-in-georgetown-celebrates-centenary-of-30th-president/

The documentary Coolidge: Rediscovering an American President made it to Princeton last week. The university’s James Madison Program hosted the sold-out screening, which featured a discussion between Allen Guelzo and Foundation trustee Steve Forbes. Thank you to Jonathan Garaffa for helping to organize the program.

Upcoming Events

Holiday Open House at the Notch

The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, will reopen for one more day this year. Join us on Saturday, December 2, for the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation’s holiday open house. This free and family-friendly event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And don’t miss these other upcoming events:

December 5: Coolidge Winter Gala in New York City

December 9: Coolidge Cup Qualifying Tournament in New Haven, Connecticut

January 18: Coolidge Scholarship application deadline

Silent Cal Speaks

“The attempt to regulate, control, and prescribe all manner of conduct and social relations is very old. It was always the practice of primitive peoples. Such governments assumed jurisdiction over the action, property, life, and even religious convictions of their citizens down to the minutest detail. A large part of the history of free institutions is the history of the people struggling to emancipate themselves from all this bondage.”

—Calvin Coolidge, “The Limitations of the Law”

Copyright (C) 2023 Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission from The Vermont Standard

11/5/23

Here we are in the month of November and I am quite surprised that even with the frost and recent snow, I still have some pincushion flowers blooming. Daffodils have been planted and almost all of my lawn furniture has been put away. My neighborhood is living up to the “stick season” designation, but there are still leaves on trees in some areas.

There should be interesting discussion at the 11/6 Select Board Meeting about Money Brook. The lakes have definitely been muddied again by the recent rain. You can join via Zoom as noted on the Town website.

There are still important events taking place this time of year. Don’t forget the luscious turkey dinner at the Bridgewater Grange on Saturday, 11/11. The cost this year is $16. You may order dinners-to-go by calling 802-672-6223 by 5 PM on Friday and leaving a message. Pickup will be at 4:30 PM on Saturday. Doors will open at 5:30 if you plan to attend the dinner. Most folks agree this has always been one of the best dinners around!

On Sunday, 11/12, all are welcome to attend the celebration for Gwen Groff that will be held at Bethany Birches Camp from 2 – 4 PM. Not only has Gwen been a wonderful pastor at Bethany Mennonite Church, but she has also served the surrounding communities.

There was quite a turnout at the 11/4 graveside service for longtime Plymouth resident, Bob Lynds. Condolences to Kathy and the rest of the family. The closing song, “This Ole House” seemed like a fitting tribute and send-off.