Welcome to The Plymouth Press Online

8/25/25

Unfortunately the rain on Sunday evening and Monday morning did not amount to much, so it looks like I will need to water. Wonderful wildlife continues to travel through my yard. A large collection of turkey feathers littered my backyard recently. I have only seen my little bear on Dublin Rd, twice on Saturday. He lingers for a few minutes, looking rather thin and lonely before scampering into the woods.

I often have newts and spotted lizards in the entrance to my basement, plus frogs & toads that don’t freak me out. This morning I was letting in the gal who came to service my furnace and as I opened the door from the outside, a snake fell on my head! It was small, pencil thin, about a foot long. Certainly not a huge fellow, but we startled each other & it wriggled into my laundry room.

Now to the many events taking place in Plymouth Labor Day Weekend. There will be fun activities at the Historic Site, including: 8/30 at noon Shakespeare Alive! at the Union Christian Church; and 8/30 and 8/31 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m, the Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival.

School is back in session this week. Congratulations to Schuyler Hagge who recently won the girls category A bike race at the VT cycling competition at Ascutney Outdoors. I hope to hear more about our students and their activities to share with you.

I enjoyed meeting Richard and Catherine Esty at the Fletcher Memorial Library Book Sale. His poem about the event is noted here.

Used Books Sale

At the Library named Fletcher Free

who might be distant ancestors of me

Saturday morning in mid-August

patient friendly volunteers fussed

not so we’d cower but helpfully hover

so it was easy to view spine and cover

offered chairs in the purple maple’s shade

to rest between browsing forays we made

Procured at a small town library sale

two bags of books heavy—for we are frail

A pleasant pause from our regular trek

time to relax and our findings inspect

Library book sales are often a bargain

so next summer we’ll plan the trip again

All this transpired in little Ludlow town where

high school grad Coolidge wore cap and gown

Not that I feel at all connected to my

paternal grandparents’ high school too

Black River Academy— its full name

all graduates live on in silent fame

After all that for myself one small book

of poetry at which I will soon look

8/17/25

As I am writing on Sunday night, light showers are watering my thirsty plants. It will help, but things are so dry that a steady, sustained rain is needed. At the moment I am attempting to encourage a pesky fly to flee out my open window, while trying to keep other bugs from entering my office. I am not hearing that incessant buzzing, but I do see that a mosquito has made an appearance….

Our two amazing summer camps, Bethany Birches and Farm and Wilderness have finished for the season and youngsters are gearing up for the start of school. Or perhaps it is the parents who are looking forward to it! None-the-less, there is still time to enjoy swimming, boating and picnicking at Camp Plymouth State Park.

The Friends of Fletcher Memorial Library had a very successful book sale. Thanks for the many wonderful donations of good reading material and the hard work of the many volunteers! Check out the FLM website to learn more about Blackstone Unlimited for free access to audiobooks. You may find this program even more accessible than Libby!

I understand that congratulations are in order for Josh Linton’s official appointment and commission as Justice of the Peace for the town of Plymouth effective on 7/21 through 1/31/27.

I have previously mentioned some of the events taking place at the Coolidge Homestead over the Labor Day weekend. I did not, however, talk about the annual Shakespeare Alive! A Bard-Based Variety Show taking place at the Union Christian Church on 8/30 at noon. Some of us attend every year to enjoy this free Stand Up Shakespeare performance (donations appreciated). This talented group presents delightful Elizabethan verse, music, parody, and witty prose! 

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES:

Cold River Bridges completed the final structural concrete placement on Monday, August 11th, using rapid-setting concrete to join the bridge deck slabs. On Tuesday and Wednesday, crews built up the roadway approaches to the proper grades, and Wilk Paving placed the base course of pavement on Thursday, August 14th. The bridge reopened to traffic this afternoon, with a temporary barrier installed and all remaining construction materials and equipment removed from the roadway. Initially, traffic will travel on the bare concrete deck and approach slabs, with top courses of pavement to be placed in the coming weeks.

Additional construction activities are expected in the weeks after the bridge opens, including placing concrete curbs at the bridge corners; installing permanent bridge rail and guardrail; spray-applying a bridge membrane; placing intermediate and top pavement courses; installing asphaltic plug joints at bridge joints; finalizing centerline, edgeline, and traffic signage; and seeding disturbed soils within the project limits. All post-opening work will be completed using single-lane closures, with traffic controlled by a temporary traffic signal.

TRAFFIC IMPACTS:

Vermont Route 100A is now open through the bridge site in Plymouth and is available for through-traffic between Plymouth Union and Bridgewater Corners. Regional signage will be updated to reflect the reopening. Construction activities will continue for the next several weeks using daily lane closures, with drivers stopped and released by temporary traffic signals. Drivers should use caution through the site, as workers will be in close proximity to the traveled lane and road surfaces will be uneven until final paving is completed.

DATE: August 14, 2025

BOIL WATER NOTICE

WSID WS Name VT0008048

CAMP PLYMOUTH STATE PARK

Reason:

Non-MCL boil water due to power outage and subsequent loss of pressure, starting on 08/13/25. Power is on and normal operations have resumed, two TC/EC samples will be submitted today 08/14/25, expected to lift the BWN by 08/15/25 – SEB 08.14.25

8/11/25

Well, it looks like a hot humid week coming up. I was in ME the latter part of last week and the same weather was happening there. I want to thank my friends who watered my gardens, collected my mail, and filled my hummingbird feeder during my absence. I did notice a bear in my driveway captured by my Blink camera while I was gone. Then this morning he was on my deck while I was doing my floor exercises in front of the sliding glass door. He (assumption) appears to be a year old fellow, on the slim side. Guess my neighbors and I do not have many ready snacks for him! He is very cute, but I did chase him away…

I understand that both the Farm and Wilderness Fair and the Tyson Ladies Aid Bazaar were well-attended and successful. The next Fletcher Memorial Library event to put on your calendar is the book discussion of Orbital by Samantha Harvey on Mon 8/11 at 6 PM. Also, there is a wonderful and varied selection of books at the Friends of the Library book sale at FML this weekend. Hours are: Fri, 6/15 4-7 pm for the pre-sale (A “first pick” entrance fee of $5 applies.) and Sat, 8/16 10 am – 3 pm.

Coming up is the 20th Plymouth Folk and Blues Festival that will take place at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site on Labor Day Weekend, Saturday, 8/30 and Sunday, 8/31 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days. It is always delightful to sit on the lawn and hear amazing music. Non-perishable food is also collected for the VT Food Bank.

4/25

Much needed rain this past week perked up the gardens and the lower humidity perked up most of us! Although the stream beneath my driveway is still dry, it was helpful to receive steady rain for a day to help quench the thirst of the land and to provide a time to stay indoors and attend to inside tasks….

Check the town website for details on the Select Boarding meeting at 6 PM this evening.

The Plymouth Book group had a delightful discussion of the Briar Club on Wednesday evening. The next read is Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine Sherbrooke and the discussion will be Wednesday, 8/27. This will also be the time to decide upon selections for the next several months.

I was privileged to attend the 7/31 Naturalization Ceremony at the Calvin Coolidge Historic site. The crowd gathered there was excited and welcoming as 24 individuals from 14 countries joyfully repeated the oath of allegiance. Cheers rose up from the crowd and the smiles on the faces of these new citizens were wonderful to see. Several of the Coolidge Senator Students read from the 1925 American Legion convention speech that Coolidge gave in Omaha, Nebraska, highlighting his beliefs about our country.

It is with great sadness that I mention the passing of Tom Gianola, the owner of the Echo Lake Inn. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, plus the staff who is continuing offer the kind of fine service that has always been a hallmark of the Inn.

Are you ready for the annual Tyson Ladies Aid Bazaar? It will take place on Saturday, 8/9 from 10 AM until 2 PM. Note the new location across from the Green Mtn Sugar House on Rte 100 N. Come enjoy the chicken BBQ, basket raffle, plus the bake and book tables.

Fletcher Memorial Library will be having a book discussion of Orbital by Samantha Harvey on Mon 8/11 at 6 PM. This is an interesting look into the daily lives of astronauts and cosmonauts from America, Russia, Italy, Britain, and Japan as they whirl about on the Space Station.

Consider attending the Farm & Wilderness Fair on Sat, 8/9 from 11 AM – 8 PM. Enjoy food from local vendors with gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free options. Shop camper-made crafts, and try out human-powered rides and free swim in the lake. Then gather around the bonfire for a celebratory contra dance! Parking is at the Killington Skyship, and Farm & Wilderness will run shuttles regularly throughout the day from the site of the fair on their property to the lot. 

If you have not donated to the 8/15 & 16 book sale taking place at FML yet, time is running out. Please go through your bookcases to see what books (in good condition) might brighten other readers day. Donations may be brought to FML during regular hours, Mon: 10 AM to 7 PM, Tues-Fri: 10 PM to-5 PM and Sat: 10 AM to -1PM.

7/27/25

We finally received some much needed rain, although it did come on Saturday, so I imagine some weekend plans were impacted. My gardens seem to be smiling! Not sure whose garden it has been sampling, but I did notice a rotund woodchuck as it plodded across the road.I wanted to share the near catastrophe of a friend whose cat recently munched on some day lilies. This cat needed to spend several days at the vet being detoxified. So, I am including this information, hopefully to prevent others from enduring such a mishap. “Many common household and garden plants are toxic to cats. Lilies, including various types like Easter lilies and tiger lilies, are particularly dangerous, potentially causing kidney failure even from small exposures. Other toxic plants include sago palm, oleander, aloe, and kalanchoe, as well as certain types of philodendrons, azaleas, and chrysanthemums.”

The 102nd Inauguration Reenactment of President’s Calvin Coolidge’s homestead inauguration will take place on 8/2 at 2:47 PM on the porch of the homestead with Gov Jim Douglas on hand. Moxie floats will also be available. If you are interested in keeping up on town Administration news, the Select Meeting minutes are posted on the town website. The 7/7 minutes provide considerable good information. The next Plymouth book group will meet on Wednesday, July 30 at 6:30 PM to discuss. The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

Mary T. O’Brien, Recycling Coordinator for our area has asked that this information be circulated. For additional info you can reach her at 802-674-9235, mobrien@marcvt.org or http://www.vtsolidwastedistrict.org. The Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste District’s household hazardous waste depot (HHW Depot) in Springfield, is open through September, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, by appointment. There is a fee of $10 per vehicle for up to ten gallons of HHW. Cash or check – no credit or debit cards. Bring in as much paint as you want – there is no charge for that since people who buy paint in Vermont pay a fee on each can which helps to pay for its recycling or proper disposal. We will remove the material from your car or truck, accept your money, and you can get on with your day.

Please note that the Friends of Fletcher Memorial Library are collecting gently used books for our Book Sale. Donations may be brought to FML during regular hours, Mon: 10 AM to 7 PM, Tues-Fri: 10 PM to-5PM and Sat: 10 AM to -1PM. Donations of items in good condition are appreciated.t Proceeds help to fund library services. Then come find some terrific buys at the pre-sale ($5 fee) on Friday, 8/15 from 4 – 7 or the regular sale on 8/16 from 10 AM to 3 PM

The Town Office has received a lot of calls and/or emails. The property tax bills will be mailed out today.

Thank you,

Clerk’s Office