Cavendish Update 10/1/10 News/Calendar/Events

This issue of the Cavendish Update is made possible by the Cavendish Historical Society www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com

The 10/1/10 Cavendish Update Contains:
1. On-line Cavendish Update
2. Cavendish Related News
3. Test Wells for Manganese
4. CCF Accepting Applications for Fall 2010 Grants
5. Local Foods: Grass Fed Beef Available in Cavendish
6. Cavendish Library has Two New Book Clubs
7. Annual Blessing of the Animals at Gethsemane Church
8. Pictorial Display of Proctorsville
9. October Cavendish Calendar
10. BRGNS Stick Season Social October 23rd at Bella Luna Ristorante

1. On-Line Cavendish Update
Since 2008, the Cavendish Update has been archived on-line. According to the “stats” section of the blog, many people have started using this format, particularly in the past few months when the site was expanded to include direct links to Cavendish organizations and non-profits. This section also includes community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve the town, e.g. SEVCA, Good Neighbors. If you don’t see an organization listed, it may be because they have no website (which is the case for the Gill Home and the Black River Senior Center). If you have a site you’d like added, please e-mail margoc@tds.net with the URL. Note that this is not a business directory. The Cavendish Historical Society maintains such a directory, which is available in PDF by e-mailing margoc@tds.net Print copies are also available from the library and the Town Office.

Many times press releases are received just after the Update has been posted to the e-mail subscriber list. Unless it’s an emergency, this information will be posted directly to the Update blog. This is often the case with Select Board and Water Board agendas.

There is a “comment” section on the blog, which allows you to provide additional information or comment on an article. Anyone can read the blog, but you must be registered to use the Comment feature. Because these sections can be targeted for spam, this is regularly checked to ensure that what’s written pertains to Cavendish and not a sales pitch of a dubious product.

2. Cavendish Related News
At Broadband Town Meeting Vermonters are Wired for Discontent

Update on Okemo Mountain Coaster

Mack Molding Sees Continued Success

State Telephone Subsidy Available: An average credit of $13 a month on basic local service is available to people 65 and older with household income less than $25,498 or people under 65 with household incomes of less than $21,855. To enroll, customers can call the Senior HelpLine at 1-800-642-5119 or the Agency of Human Services Economic Division at 1-800-479-6151.

Census Data: VT Fared Better Than Many States

Stantec to Close North Springfield Operation

3. Test Wells for Manganese: Mn in Drinking Water Has Adverse Effects on Children
In the recent edition of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, a study of 362 Quebec children between the ages of 6 and 13 found significant deficits in the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children exposed to higher concentration of manganese in drinking water. Yet, manganese concentrations were well below current guidelines." The average IQ of children whose tap water was in the upper 20% of manganese concentration was 6 points below children whose water contained little or no manganese. These findings are similar to other research conducted primarily in third world countries.

Cavendish has the same geography as parts of Quebec, and in fact, the town water’s filtration system comes from Canada. The town’s water is now filtered. If you have a well, testing should include Manganese (Mn) levels. The FDA standard is 0.5 mg/L This most recent study adds to the growing body of scientific data, which indicates that this standard is too high. An abstract of the article is available from Science Daily.

4. CCF Accepting Applications for Fall 2010 Grants
The Cavendish Community Fund has announced that it is now accepting applications for grants that will be awarded this fall. The deadline for applying is November 1, 2010. Applications are available at Crow’s Bakery on Depot St. in Proctorsville, the Cavendish Town Offices on High St. in Cavendish, and online at www.Cavendishccca.org.

CCF inaugurated its program of giving cash grants to organizations for educational and cultural projects, programs and events in 2007. Awards have been given to a variety of schools, churches, non-profits and citizens in the Fall and in the Spring for the last three years. While individuals are allowed to apply, they are strongly encouraged to partner with a local non-profit organization.

Projects, programs or events must directly benefit the Cavendish community in some way. Each applicant must demonstrate that its proposed project will enhance community building in Cavendish and Proctorsville. A panel of local citizens reviews all applications and recommends the ultimate grantees based on the quantity and quality of community building proposed, and on the feasibility of each project. Grants are not expected to exceed $1,000 each and will depend primarily on the number of applications and the amounts requested.

For further information on applying, on eligibility or on any other aspect of the grant program, or for help completing the application, please call Peter LaBelle at 226-7250 or Barbara Dickey at 226-7187.

5. Local Foods: Grass Fed Beef Available in Cavendish
Moonlite Meadows Farm, located on East Hill Road in Cavendish, has all cuts of their grass fed beef available for sale. They also have eggs and lamb. FMI: 226-7807

6. Cavendish Library has Two New Book Clubs
The Cavendish Fletcher Community Library has two new book clubs for students. The first, known as the “Advanced Readers’ Club” this Friday in conjunction with “The Book Nook” in Ludlow, VT. This club is open to students grades 4-6 and will meet once a month.

The term “Advanced Readers” does not refer to reading level, but to advanced copies of books, which are not yet published. These advanced copies are provided free of charge by the Book Nook. After the students have read the books, they will write short reviews and that information will be sent to Patty at “The Book Nook” to inform her book selection.

The second book club is an offshoot of the popular “Booksploration” after school program, which meets every Wednesday for Kindergarten and First Grade students. Thanks to an anonymous donation, the library will be giving out a free copy of the featured book twice a month to attending students. “We couldn’t do this without the donation” states Kata Welch, Librarian, “and we are very grateful to our anonymous donor.”

7. Annual Blessing of the Animals at Gethsemane Church
The blessing of animals is a very old tradition, dating back to when a farmer’s livestock would be blessed in appreciation for their part in providing sustenance, and as a reminder of the farmer's responsibilities in caring for these beings. With the decrease in family farming, this blessing has come to recognize the special bond between pet owners and their “critters.”

Lots of churches schedule their blessing of the animals in early October, in connection with the Feast of St. Francis. The Italian tradition does blessing on January 17th, the date of the death (in 356 AD) of Saint Anthony of Abbot, the patron saint of the animal kingdom. Other congregations do it around Earth Day, or at an outdoor summer service.

Do your animals need blessing? Come to Gethsemane Church on Depot Street this Sunday (Oct 3) at 9:30am for the annual Blessing of the Animals service. All people and all animals are welcome, regardless of faith, religion or not. For more information call 226-7187.

8. Pictorial Display of Proctorsville at the Cavendish Library
The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) has mounted a display of photographs of Proctorsville in the Leonard Proctor Reading Room at the Cavendish Community Library. Included are rarely seen photographs of the original Pollard store and the covered bridge on Depot Street. There are photographs of the Proctorsville Coronet Band, the Cottage and Eagle Hotels, and the Railroad Station,. Once located on Twenty Mile Stream, are pictures of the Cheese Factory and the Wheeler School. There is even a photograph of the 1927 flood. The display will be up until November 1.

On Sunday, October 10, many of the buildings in the photographs will be visited as part of the Proctorsville Walking Tour. Beginning at 1 pm in front of the Proctorsville War Memorial, this tour will meet up with the CHS Annual Cemetery Tour, at Hillcrest Cemetery at 2 pm. Carmine Guica, historian and genealogist, will be leading this tour.

Copies of the self-guided Proctorsville Walking Tour are available from the Library.

9. October Cavendish Calendar
October 1 (Friday): Black River Good Neighbors Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm on Route 103 from 10-4. FMI: www.brgn.org
• Ludlow Farmer’s Market 4-7 in front of Okemo Mountain School

October 2 (Saturday): Black River Good Neighbors Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm on Route 103 from 10-4. FMI: www.brgn.org

October 3 (Sunday): Cavendish Historical Society Museum Open 2-4 pm. Special focus on the 1940s. Be sure to visit the 1940’s Candy Store being run by the Young Historians. FMI: 226-7807
• Black River Good Neighbors Rummage Sale at Fletcher Farm on Route 103 from 10-2. FMI: www.brgn.org
• Facilitated Meditation - quieting the mind and the cultivation of clarity in our lives - 4-5 p.m. Please call Robin at 226-7736 or 226-7007.
• Annual Blessing of the Animals, Gethsemane Church, Depot St. Proctorsville, 9:30 am. All are welcome. See article 7.

October 6 (Wednesday): Planning Commission Meeting, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office.

October 7 (Thursday): Sit & Knit" at the Six Loose Ladies yarn shop, Pollard Building, Proctorsville Green, 2:00 -9:00 PM. Open to knitters, spinners, crocheters, hookers. Free. FMI: 226-7373.
• Itchy Fingers Cavendish Library Program for students in Grades 4-6 Basic Cake Decorating Part 2. FMI: 226-7503 or Kwelch@wswsu.org

October 8 (Friday): Ludlow Farmer’s Market 4-7 in front of Okemo Mountain School

October 10 (Sunday): Last day Cavendish Historical Society Museum is open for the season. Open 2-4 pm. Special focus on the 1940s. Be sure to visit the 1940’s Candy Store being run by the Young Historians. FMI: 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net
• Proctorsville Walking Tour-Meets at 1 pm in front of the War Memorial across from the Proctorsville Green. Will meet up with the Annual Cemetery Tour at 2 pm in Hillcrest Cemetery. FMI: 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net
• Annual Cemetery Tour with Carmine Guica: Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville. FMI: 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net

October 11 (Monday): Select Board Meeting, 6:30 pm at the Cavendish Town Office. These meetings are taped by LPC-TV, and can be watched on-line www.lpctv.org or Comcast. Agendas are posted on the Cavendish Update blog

October 12 (Tuesday): Cavendish School Board Meeting at the Cavendish School. Meetings are televised on LPC-TV and minutes are posted on the school’s website http://ctes.wswsu.org/ctesboard/

October 13 (Wednesday): Booksploration for Grades K-1 Book will be Leaf Man. FMI: 226-7503 or Kwelch@wswsu.org
• Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce Mixer at Stone Heath Inn and Tavern in Chester from 5:30-7:30: FMI: 802-228-5830

October 14 (Thursday): Sit & Knit" at the Six Loose Ladies yarn shop, Pollard Building, Proctorsville Green, 2:00 -9:00 PM. Open to knitters, spinners, crocheters, hookers. Free. FMI: 226-7373

October 17 (Sunday): Cavendish Historical Society Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner, 5 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School. FMI: 226-7807 or margoc@tds.net

October 20 (Wednesday): The Cavendish Homeworkers II meeting will meet at 10:30. This meeting will be our Christmas meeting where we bring gifts (value of up to $10) and exchange them by drawing numbers. There will be a potluck lunch with the husbands invited to lunch. The meeting will take place at the Proctorsville Fire Department building.

October 21 (Thursday): Sit & Knit" at the Six Loose Ladies yarn shop, Pollard Building, Proctorsville Green, 2:00 -9:00 PM. Open to knitters, spinners, crocheters, hookers. Free. FMI: 226-7373
• Schools closed due to NEA Convention
• Wendy Clinch, local mystery writer, will be speaking about her new book “Double Black,” at the Fletcher Memorial Library’s Third Thursday Program

October 22 (Friday): Schools closed due to NEA Convention

October 23 (Saturday): BRGNS Stick Season Social/Auction at Bella Luna Ristorante, 6 pm. See article 10 below. FMI: www.brgn.org

October 28 (Thursday): Sit & Knit" at the Six Loose Ladies yarn shop, Pollard Building, Proctorsville Green, 2:00 -9:00 PM. Open to knitters, spinners, crocheters, hookers. Free. FMI: 226-7373
• “Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel G. Marquez will be thee book for the Book Discussion Group that meets at the Fletcher Library, Ludlow, 7pm Community Room.

October 31 (Sunday): Happy Halloween

10. BRGNS Stick Season Social October 23rd at Bella Luna Ristorante

Black River Good Neighbor Services is planning it’s first ever Stick Season Social. When asked what stick season is, Jim Fuller, President of BRGNS’s Board said “it’s the season with no leaves, no snow, no free concerts and not much to do until now”. This is a fun and fund raising dinner to help BRGNS a 501 (c)-3 non-profit organization) help retire renovation costs for their new location at the Ludlow Tank Barn Building.

Bella Luna will be the site of the Saturday October 23rd event opening with a cash bar and silent auction at 6PM. The dinner will be a lavish buffet followed by a Viennese Table loaded with luscious desserts. Silent Auction Items to date are

• Basket of breakfast goodies by Lucille Evens
• Framed photograph by landscape photographer Tom Johnson
• Hand made bench by craftsman Lenny Lawson
• One week stay in the Tuscany, Italy villa of Dan & Marie Sullivan
• Furniture by Clear Lake Furniture
• Cord of Firewood from Bob & Jean Smith
• Calm Moments Spa: 1 hour massage & 1 hour facial
• 6 Galway Irish Crystal Wine Glasses, O’Hara pattern
• Gift basket from Summit Soapworks
• Stained glass window 31 x 27 inches, an original work by Peter LaBelle
• Singleton’s $35 gift certificate
• 1 month Gold Spa membership at the Castle Spa
• 2 Gift items from Blue Sky Trading
• 100 gallons of fuel oil from Cota & Cota
• Demos of ski’s and boots for two from the Boot Pro
• Half case of wine from Village Wines & Cheeses
• Selected products by Mary Kay
• Cocktail party for 16 with hors d’oeuvres catered at your home including setup and clean up by Lois Brown and Jim Wallis
• Benson’s Chevrolet gift certificate for an oil change, filter & lube
• Basket of dog treats from Riverside Pet Care
• Portrait of your pet by Portrait Society of American Artist Jane Hart
• Green fees for four at Tatter Hill Country Club
• 2 Nights Stay in the Luxury Suite at the Echo Lake Inn
• 2 original paintings by newly discovered artist Carol Mohan
• 2 original oil paintings by Matthew Mounsey, English artist schooled at the Royal Academy of Art donated by Jane & Stand Hart
• Photograph by Jeff Scott of Ludlow donated by Jane & Stan Hart
• Original oil painting by Darlene Braz
• Set of six hand hooked chair pads by Nancy Kelley

More auction items are arriving daily. Tickets are $50 per person, including dinner, gratuities and tax. Tickets can be purchased at BRGNS Thrift Shop at 105 Main St, Peoples United Bank, 213 Main St, the Book Nook, 136 Main St and LaValley Building Supply at 182 Pleasant St Extension, all in Ludlow. You may call 802-228-3663 or check out some of the silent auction items at www.brgn.org. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are limited to the first 130 people so please buy now. FMI: BRGN