History
Telling time
Reenactors and historians will observe Vermont’s role in the Civil War.
Artists team up to build large, accurate sundial.
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August 28, 2010
Middlebury makes top 5 in Yankee poll By Sue Hoxie The Addison County Chamber of Commerce announced that Middlebury has been named as one of Yankee Magazine’s top 25 towns in New England for fall foliage travel. This is the first time the magazine has ever ranked towns by this standard and Middlebury is ranked fifth. The September/October issue is on newsstands now. In hearing the news, chamber president Andy Mayer said, “We know that Middlebury and all of Addison County is a phenomenal foliage destination. To have Yankee Magazine recognize us as such means that the word will get out to many potential visitors to our area and that’s okay.” To determine the listing for the article, titled “The Top 25 Foliage Towns in New England” by Michael Blanding and the magazine’s editors, a variety of tourism professionals, as well as writers and editors, first nominated communities for an initial review. The top contenders were then scored on a scale from 0 to 5 in 14 essential attributes of a perfect fall foliage outing: color intensity, scenery, vistas, nearby water , scenic drives, hikes, cultur e, farmers’ markets and farmstands, orchards, covered bridges, state or local parks, the quality and variety of shops to br owse, tourism amenities such as hotels and r estaurants, and a category called “uncrowded”—giving a boost to less touristy locations.
The following towns are included in the list: 1. Kent, Conn. 2. Bethel, Maine 3. Manchester, Vt. 4. Williamstown, Mass. 5. Middlebury, Vt. 6. Camden, Maine (tie) 6. Waitsfield, Vt. (tie) 7. Conway/North Conway, N.H. 8. Sandwich, N.H.9. Rangeley, Maine 10. Blue Hill, Maine (tie) 10. Woodstock, Vt. (tie) 10. Waterville Valley, N.H. (tie) 10. Amherst, Mass. (tie) 11. Grafton, Vt. (tie) 11. East Haddam, Conn. (tie) 11. Walpole, N.H. (tie) 12. The Cornwalls, Conn. (tie) 12. Litchfield, Conn. (tie) 12. Jackson, N.H. (tie) 13. Jeffersonville, Vt. (tie) 13. Shelburne Falls, Mass. (tie) 13. Montgomery, Vt. (tie) 13. Stowe, Vt. (tie) 13. Hanover, N.H. (tie)
Larry and Marguerite Senecal of Vergennes were joined by Brian Foley and Dave Chapman of Formula Ford when they took the keys of their new Amercia-European-engineered Ford Fiesta. They named the little guy “Grasshopper”.
said I’d look very jaunty behind the wheel of a new European-built Ford Fiesta. I took her devious bait. Who doesn’t want to look jaunty behind the wheel? W ell, it was 1978 after If you’ve never owned a For d Fiesta, you all and I was just out of college and madly in may not fully grasp the following story . But love. give it a try. In the late 1970s, For d USA was importing In the autumn of 1978, I was living in Pennits zippy Fiesta fr om its tr endsetting Fordwsylvania and working as an editor of a suburban Philadelphia newspaper . When I r eluc- erks facility in Germany . This r eliable first world car was a hit with drivers all over Eutantly sold my old car at the time, I thought rope, Australia, and New Zealand. What the I’d regret the decision. But I didn’t. My girlfriend at the time, let’s call her Jody , heck. I’d give it a test drive.
By Lou Varricchio
newmarketpress@denpubs.com
Jody and I visited a local Ford dealer and I ended up driving home my first of many Fords—a new, yellow 1979 Fiesta we dubbed “Feisty”. I also drove home my first car -loan payment book, too. The newspaper didn’t pay me much of a salary and the monthly car payments seemed a lot. But that was 32 years ago. But come to think of it, times haven’t changed all that much, if you get my drift. This writer wasn’t the only person bitten by the Ford Fiesta bug.
See FIESTA, page 12
New look for McDonald’s By Lou Varricchio newmarketpress@denpubs.com Middlebury’s popular McDonald’s Restaurant is getting a major makeover this month. The r estaurant, located at the Hannafor d shopping plaza on Route 7 south of the downtown ar ea, will r eplace the fast-food facility that stood at the site since 1980s. According to ar chitect Chris Boyea of Albany, N.Y., the new restaurant, while slightly smaller than the original, will be more energy efficient; it will also include an attractive landscaped green area that pleases town officials. Gr een space h as been incr eased by 30 percent over the old restaurant footprint. Bohler Engineering is in charge of the con- The last day of the old McDonald’s Restaurant on Route 7 in Middlebury last week. A new, more effistruction project. cient McDonald’s is being built. Photo by Lou Varricchio
See McDONALD’S, page 12
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