Independence Day Celebrations

BY TAYLOR ANTONIOLI Special to the Observer

Chapin Kaynor had one stipulation when he was asked last month to be the Grand Marshal of this year’s Williston July Fourth Parade. He would take on the ceremonial parade leader role only if he could march with the Williston Town Band, as he has done as one of the band’s members for the past 20 years.

Kaynor will march with the band this July Fourth, but he won’t exactly blend in. As Grand Marshal, there will be a creative way to make him more visible to the crowd.

Kaynor, a member of the planning commission and volunteer extraordinaire, was surprised to be asked to be Grand Marshal. But he’s not nervous and ready to go with the flow. He sees his role as a representative of all of the members of the community who volunteer their time on local boards, committees and organizations.

“I don’t want that kind of attention, but I realized that I could celebrate the volunteers in town,” he said. “So much volunteering happens in town. I hope we can recognize all of them.”

Kaynor has been active in the Williston community since long before his retirement in 2014. While his new primary role is being a care partner for his wife who struggles with dementia, he continues to give back to his community in a multitude of ways, including volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association.

One of his other passions is environ- mentalism. His grandfather was a Maine guide and took groups out on overnight trips through the forests. 4-H was a large part of his life growing up and he loves working with horses.

Now, he is a part of the Four Winds school program and has been for about 10 years. He spends about an hour each month teaching students about nature, often volunteering in the kindergarten classes at Allen Brook School.

Kaynor has also been a member of Sustainable Williston and is involved with its Tree Island project — a planting of trees around Allen Brook School. He’s also helped lead “April Stools Day,” when volunteers pick up dog poop on the bike path to make sure it doesn’t wash into the Allen Brook.

Kaynor has taken a Vermont master naturalist course and got a pesticide license from the state to treat buckthorn.

With the honor of being Grand Marshal, he hopes to promote his fellow volunteers and to encourage more connection to our environment, our land and our animals, including our pets.

SATURDAY

JULY 1

Deb Beckett Memorial 5K Race/Walk

8:15 a.m.

Williston Community Park

Kids Half-mile Run/Walk

8 a.m.

For ages 4-14. Races sponsored by the Williston-Richmond Rotary

JULY 3

Friends of Dorothy Alling Memorial Library Book Sale

4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Williston Central School

For more information, contact the library at 878-4918

Ice Cream Social

6:30 p.m.

Village Green

Ice Cream Social sponsored by Williston Federated Church

Town Band Concert

6:30 p.m.

Village Green