For some, retirement is a time for relaxation. For others, like Susan Grimes retirement is just an opportunity for more adventure.
In her case, that includes completing the Marathon Des Sables, a 156-mile race over six days in the Western Sahara in Morocco.
“It just seemed pretty intriguing,” she said. “To be able to be in the Sahara for some days at a stretch and survive, let alone be in a race.”
Dubbed the hardest footrace on earth, Grimes was one of 60 people from the U.S. and over 857 participants who completed the race. As if completing a race of that size wasn’t enough of a reward, Grimes also placed first for a woman in her age bracket.
“My goal was to just complete it,” Grimes, a longtime Shelburne resident now living in South Burlington. “There weren’t that many ladies in my age group. But still, I was just thrilled to finish it and to be able to be like ‘Hey, you know what, I can do this.’”
The trek was a race against both time and natural elements. From 100-degree afternoon temperatures to heat exhaustion and the
rapid loss of hydration through sweat, each day proved to have its own set of hardships.
Grimes alternated between walking, power walking and running, which was usually solely to finish that day’s stretch of miles before it got unbearably hot.
“You really had to pace yourself,” she said. “It was important to stay hydrated because you’re carrying everything. So, running at home I’m not used to carrying a backpack that has everything I need for the week, the heaviest part being the food.”
Organizing the pack and finding the right balance of food and weight also proved to be a unique challenge.
“There was a mandatory checklist of things you were required to carry, as well as the number of calories that were minimum requirements per day,” she said, adding that at many points she was forcing herself to eat and drink since hunger and thirst seemed to fade after each mile.
The day would usually begin at 4:30 a.m. as runners prepped their bags. The race would officially begin around 6:30 a.m., with “Highway to Hell” blasting
See GRIMES on page 10
The osprey family in Shelburne keeps an eye on the surrounding territory as an adult, seen above, brings prey back to the nest.
PHOTOS
Officials: Vermonters should prepare for more Quebec fires
KATE KAMPNER COMMUNITY NEWS SERVICE
The warning came Monday: The most extreme wildfires on Earth are on the rise — more frequent, more intense.
A study in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution found that across the planet wildfires have doubled in the last two decades.
As neighbors to some of the most intense wildfires reported, Vermonters might wonder: Are they headed here?
“It may happen in the future,” Dan Dillner, forest fire supervisor for the Vermont Department of Forest, Parks and Recreation, said.
“We’re not on the level of having gigantic fires in Vermont yet,” Dillner said. But as fires continue to send smog south to the Green Mountain State, officials believe Vermonters should pay attention and prepare to protect their lungs.
Three million acres of Quebec forest burned last summer, blanketing Vermont in pollutants, Dillner said. In a recent report, the Canadian government predicted another year of high wildfire risk.
In his 12 years at the Vermont Department of Health, senior environmental health manager David Grass said he has never seen wildfires affecting Vermont’s air like last year. “2023 felt like it was qualitatively different in terms of the types of air quality that Vermont was experiencing,” he said.
The impact last summer allowed him a better appreciation for the challenges Americans experience on the West Coast.
“These health impacts and environmental exposures, it’s a part of their lives for a much longer period of time,” he said.
When wildfire smoke passes Vermont, it’s usually at high altitudes, unnoticed on the ground, said Bennet Leon, air quality planning chief for the Department of Environmental Conservation. “The wildfire smoke happening in Quebec last summer was nearby and didn’t have time to rise up in the atmosphere,” he said.
Vermont was in very high fire danger last year — a rarity when the forests are greened up, Dillner said. “A lot of the state is hardwoods, maple, birch, oaks, and when the leaves are green, the trees are not going to burn,” he said. Quebec’s forests have more soft woods like spruce, fir and pines, which can easily dry up and burn.
“Fire is natural in that ecosystem,” he
said. “What’s not natural is that the climate is changing and that (last year) had just no precipitation.”
“What’s normal has changed,” he said. “It seems like it’s time to start thinking about that and preparing.”
As wildfire numbers rise in the U.S. and Canada, homeowners may do well to start learning how to make their homes fire resilient. Dillner recommends people mow a green area next to their home that can act as a buffer. Having any dead standing vegetation up against homes can be a fire risk, he said.
“Our biggest risk is humans being careless,” he said, noting every forest fire in Vermont last year was caused by people. “There’s no excuse for not knowing what the conditions are.”
Officials are looking at how they can get more staff trained to quell larger fires, he said. “I don’t really see Vermont having enormous fires, thousands of acres. But even a few hundred-acre fires in Chittenden County would be quite an event,” said Dillner.
Wildfires and the resulting smoke are not a new phenomenon. Vermont has been monitoring the location and effects of fires since at least 2002, with records dating back to the early 1900s, said Lesley-Ann Dupigny, Vermont’s state climatologist and University of Vermont professor.
“The topography and physical geography of Vermont can allow for more stagnation of poor air quality,” she said via email.
She points to the federal government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment, which says climate change can worsen air pollution and increase wildfire smoke.
According to the NASA Earth Observatory, carbon emissions from Canadian wildfires increased in 2023. That came alongside a spike in particles called PM2.5, according to the Yale School of Public Health. They come from smoke and can increase sky haze.
The particles’ size means they can penetrate deep into lungs. If inhaled, they can cause cardiovascular or neurological disease, respiratory illness and even death.
Grass sees impacts from smoke-filled
air as a pyramid.
First: people with symptoms like itchy eyes, a headache or a scratchy throat. “Just something that they noticed in their body that was different from what they experienced on days with better air quality,” he said.
One step up, Grass said, are people whose exposure leads them to go to a doctor.
The final level is when impacts are severe enough to put you in the emergency room, usually by aggravating existing conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
A study by the New York State Department of Health examined the number of emergency room visits in upstate New York during the periods the wildfire smoke impacted the state. It showed an 80 percent increase in visits on the day with the most smoke.
“I would expect that Vermont would
PHOTO BY U.S. FOREST SERVICE
Smoke rises from the Tamarack Fire in 2021.
Hinesburg Garden Tour features six, unique garden experiences
The Hinesburg Garden Tour returns for its third year on Sunday, July 14, and features six gardens, including three in the village center.
One highlight on the tour is the garden of Sharon Henry and Gary Solow, which includes nine separate gardens with natural rock features from stone quarried on their property. Their primarily shaded property offers a southern view and a pond that occasionally hosts blue herons and mallards.
Not to be missed is Hidden Gardens, which showcases a variety of plantings. On the tour, see rare conifers, fully loaded mixed perennial beds with unexpected July blooms and voluptuous shade gardens bordering lengthy woodland and island beds. There is also a scree garden and a collection of pottery, sculpture and garden ornaments.
An addition to this year’s tour is an organic vegetable garden with fruit trees and flowers. Stevie Spencer started her vegetable garden in the early 1980s and recently, with her son’s help, changed the garden layout from traditional straight rows to a circular pattern, adding to its artistic beauty.
Across Route 116, you’ll find the garden of Debbie and George Dameron. This property includes front and back yard gardens, a deep shade woodland area and a sunny field with a flower garden.
The newest garden, and the smallest at only .2 acres, belongs to Bethanne and Jeff Cellar. Their garden features perennials and edible plants, stone walls and a “living fence” formed by a trained larch.
Organized by the Friends of the Carpenter-Carse Library, the gardens are open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tour participants are encouraged to visit properties in any order to distribute visitors throughout the gardens. Carpooling is recommended to help with parking at the library, where the community room will be open for restrooms, water and information. While at the library, check out the new outdoor seating area to the right of the building’s main entrance.
For information about joining the Friends of the Carpenter-Carse Library, visit carpentercarse.org/friends-of-ccl.
Garden tour tickets are available at the library and Red Wagon Plants for $20 per person.
The three village gardens are within walking distance of the town hall. Set in the heart of the village, the garden at Trillium Hill Farm includes meandering pathways to explore different garden areas. Howard Russell is the main flower gardener, while Paul Haskins tends the lawns and assists in the flower beds. As you wander the paths, you’ll encounter artwork by Russell’s nephew, Kevin Donegan.
News from Pierson Library
Concert kicks off in town hall
Six musical acts take to the Shelburne stage this summer for the library’s Adventure Awaits series and they couldn’t be more different.
On Friday, July 5, at 7 p.m., get down to the synthesized pop theatrics of the wildest band in Chittenden County — Mad! Then, on Tuesday, July 9, at 6 p.m. in the large communtiy room it’s a folk and fiddles act of young performers branching out from Vermont Folklife’s Young Traditions program, Isabella, Avery and Lux.
Later this summer, Jeh Kulu West African Dance and Drums (world percussive), Cold Creek Pickers (bluegrass), Michèle Choinère and Band (Franco-American singer-songwriter) and The Hokum Brothers (Americana, comedy) will perform.
Magicians,
baseball players rock
The Pierson Library has two different magic acts lined up for this year’s summer reading program. The first is Alyx the Magician, a comedian and sleight of hand magician. You might have seen her on Penn & Teller’s “Fool Us.”
She’ll be performing on Thursday, July
11, at 1 p.m.
But that ain’t all, just two days prior to that the Vermont Lake Monsters baseball team will be at the library to sign balls and share tales of the seventh inning and beyond.
Summer game-a-thon for teens, tweens
Teens and tweens, avail yourself of the library’s Playstation 5 and get your Madden and Fortnite on while slurping some Capri Suns courtesy of your friends at the library. On Wednesdays from 2-4 p.m.
Art Talk on July 11
What is the feeling of our landscape? How do we memorialize a global event, such as climate change, that seemingly has no end? Where are the nature-centric monuments?
Nancy Winship Milliken is an environmental visual artist creating site-specific work in urban and rural environments utilizing natural and industrial materials. Her talk on July 11 explores a celebratory ecology, shares her open studio practice and reveals the central place these questions hold in her artistic practice.
“boom”
Shelburne News
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PHOTOS BY LEE KROHN
Tony winner wins local arts prize
PAMELA POLSTON
CONTRIBUTOR
On his website, this year’s Herb Lockwood Prize winner notes a string of past occupations, including but not limited to assembly line worker, librarian, janitor, carpenter and house painter. However, most Vermonters have likely known him in more celebrated roles: musician — on saxophone and guitar — composer, dance program collaborator at Middlebury College, arranger and producer and teacher. And many probably know he’s the recipient of a Tony Award.
Our winner has had a long and fruitful journey in the Vermont music scene and beyond. I first became aware of him in the 1980s when he was performing in an acoustic band called Feast or Famine. Several bands, genres and years later, as he led the “acid jazz” group viperHouse, I began to recognize not only his incredible versatility and musical curiosity but his significant mentorship of other, younger musicians. Some of the players who came into their own in viperHouse would become in-demand jazz musicians in Vermont doing their own original work.
In nearly a dozen ensembles, in styles ranging from folk to jazz to what he dubs “instrumental psychrock film scores for nonexistent movies,” our man has continued to compose original works, to surpass himself in creativity, and to influence and collaborate with many others.
That fake filmscore band is his current project, named Freeway Clyde. Their latest record, reviewed by Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth earlier this year, features music from the “lost” film “Sept Etoiles” (“Seven Stars”), allegedly recorded in Portugal. Unfortunately, the director was arrested on smuggling charges — again allegedly — and the film fell apart.
with ease.”
Chorney, a Vermont musician, composer and arranger, received the $10,000 Herb Lockwood Prize at Burlington City Arts Center on June 22.
“Even if the fake film never saw the light of day, the very real soundtrack fortunately did,” Farnsworth writes. “It’s some of the band’s best work: a clever, rarely still record that moves between sunny jazz and ambient electronica
Terrific music for apocryphal films aside, our man’s bestknown collaboration was with singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell on the wildly successful folk-rock opera “Hadestown.” Still running on Broadway, the show, which is an expansive retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, had its more strippeddown debut in Vermont. I had the good fortune to see the nascent production in a small Burlington venue, then a bigger and longer version off-Broadway, and finally the fully developed show on Broadway, which was utterly thrilling.
“Hadestown” was nominated for 14 Tony Awards and took home eight, including Best Musical, in 2019. Among them also was the award for Best Orchestration,
See CHORNEY on page 7
PHOTO BY CHUCK TERRANOVA
Michael Chorney
Political courage, not popularity, will build stronger Vermont
Guest Perspective Don Tinney
No political insiders in Montpelier were surprised when Sen. Jane Kitchel condemned the Scott administration’s proposal to zero out the education fund reserves to provide short-term property tax relief, saying “that is a practice that we never ever had considered, or would consider, as fiscally responsible use of a reserve.”
In her long, distinguished career as a political leader, Kitchel has always been fiscally responsible while working diligently to meet the human needs of Vermonters, so no one was surprised when she voted to override the governor’s veto of the education funding bill. She had the political courage to do the right thing to protect Vermont’s public education system and to provide services to Vermont’s most precious resource, our children.
Every legislator struggled with the education funding bill. They knew it would be an unpopular decision that would lead to increased property taxes, yet voted to support public schools, the cornerstone of democracy. Legislators who voted to support the children and youth of Vermont demonstrated true political courage. They chose to support sound public policy and fiscal responsibility without regard for their own political popularity.
Ever since Ronald Reagan entered American politics, Republican politicians have generated
political popularity by promising tax cuts. Grover Norquist founded the Americans for Tax Reform in 1985 and has been one of the chief architects of the current GOP’s dogma of reducing taxes and shrinking the size of government.
Former Republican Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming was particularly critical in describing Norquist’s position as “no taxes, under any situation, even if your country goes to hell.”
This anti-tax mentality led to the 2017 Trump tax law which cost the government $1.9 trillion in revenues and failed to deliver any economic benefits to average Americans.
Vermont’s current governor follows Norquist’s simplistic directive in his refusal to increase revenues to support essential services to Vermonters. He knows that one way to remain popular is to continue to rail against taxes. It’s a winning formula since no one wants to pay higher taxes. While “no new taxes” is a popular campaign slogan, it does nothing to improve public policy and ensure services for Vermonters, and it certainly doesn’t display an ounce of political courage. The only thing this affordability argument does is fuel the anti-government attitude and rhetoric on social media and at Trump rallies.
On June 17, we heard this Republican anti-government stance articulated by Republican Rep. Patricia McCoy of Rutland County speaking against the education funding bill that would provide adequate resources for
public education.
“This bill continues to feed the beast,” said McCoy, who is House Minority Leader.
Vermonters know the importance of public education in meeting the needs of our children and youth and do not see our schools and the students they serve as any type of beast.
On that same day, Republican Rep. Michael Morgan of Milton, said, “My constituents, as a whole, have reached out begging for relief in this arena. Why we are not working to find a solution for relief now is beyond my comprehension.”
Perhaps Morgan’s Statehouse colleagues could help him comprehend how they worked during the entire legislative session to find a solution and how the
governor’s proposal was so fiscally irresponsible that it was panned by Wall Street. While that might be beyond his comprehension, many Vermonters cannot comprehend how a Republican can be in the governor’s office for eight years — after being lieutenant governor for six and a state senator for 10 — and offer no plan to find the necessary revenues to support an education system that meets the needs of young Vermonters and their families.
No new taxes is neither a plan nor effective public policy.
Vermonters have made it abundantly clear that they want a new equitable education funding system. Thousands of citizens voted against school budgets this year who had never considered voting against a school budget in
the past, but were voting against severe property tax increases, not against their local school budgets. Since 2018, Vermont-NEA has argued that Vermont must shift education financing from property tax to income tax, allowing all Vermonters to pay their fair share. Rather than blaming Democrats and calling them arrogant, perhaps the governor can find the political courage to let go of his Norquist pledge card, roll up his sleeves and work with the legislators who were voted into office by the same Vermonters who voted him into office, and build a strong and effective state government. That will take real political courage.
Don Tinney, a longtime high school English teacher, is president of the Vermont-NEA.
Rodenticide toxins affect fishers
Guest Perspective
Jennifer Lovett
As a conservation biologist, I am alarmed about recent data concerning the impact of anticoagulant rodenticides on Vermont’s wildlife. These are commonly used to kill rodents in urban, rural, agricultural, industrial and suburban locations. These toxins work by preventing blood from clotting and causing fatal internal hemorrhaging. Anticoagulant rodenticides poison wildlife in two
ways: When a targeted animal eats the bait and dies several days later, or when a predator or scavenger eats prey that has eaten poisoned bait. Secondary poisoning has been documen ted in birds of prey like eagles, hawks and owls, and mammals like foxes, fishers, bobcats and coyotes.
Fishers belong to the weasel family, are native to North America and closely related to the American marten, an endangered species in Vermont. As top predators, fishers eat small to medium sized mammals,
fruits, nuts, berries, reptiles and amphibians. They are territorial, elusive, solitary, prefer dense forested habitat and nest in the cavities of large trees.
Fishers are extremely sensitive to human-caused environmental disturbances and a healthy fisher population is the sign of a mature and well-balanced forest ecosystem. But fisher populations appear to be declining in New England due to habitat loss and fragmenta-
See LOVETT on page 7
LOVETT
continued from page 6
tion, recreational trapping and the use of rodenticides.
Rodenticide poisoning of non-target wildlife is a significant conservation concern. Recently, multiple studies conducted across the country and in Canada have demonstrated that fishers, among other predators, are highly impacted by anticoagulant rodenticides and that these toxins pose a threat to their populations. As a keystone and indicator species, declin ing fisher populations is a real cause for alarm. The impact of these toxins on other species is equally concerning.
A 2023 study focused on the prevalence of anticoagulant rodenticides exposure in fishers in New England. Biologists from the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department were among the researchers who found that 98 percent of the Vermont fishers in the study tested positive for these compounds. Results demonstrated that fishers “are highly exposed to a wide spectrum of ARs across Vermont.”
The authors said, “The near universal exposure of the fishers sampled suggest that AR exposure is widespread and represents an underestimated health risk to wild fishers.”
The data included in Vermont Fish & Wildlife’s 2023 furbearer newsletter indicates that the fisher population is in decline.
In another study, conducted by researchers at SUNY Environmental Science and Forestry, fishers from five
northeastern states were tested and Vermont had the highest incidence of rodenticide exposures with 100 percent of the fishers testing positive. The researchers found that “rodenticide exposure is an important driver of population decline.”
Regulations associated with anticoagulant rodenticides are aimed at protecting children and domestic pets from accessing poisons. Consequently, they are most often placed outside buildings in readyto-use or refillable bait stations/containers making poisoned prey accessible to wildlife.
Despite Environmental Protection Agency regulations on the use of commercial rodenticides, they are still available online to anyone. Unlawful use is a serious problem and several states have recently introduced legislation to restrict or ban certain anticoagulant rodenticides.
According to Audubon Vermont, there are more than 175 rat poison products available on the open market, which do not pose the same level of risk to rodent-predators. In addition, many basic non-lethal preven tative measures can reduce rodent infestations. A ban on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides would be environmentally beneficial and a moratorium on fisher trapping would add needed protections for this vulnerable and important species.
Jennifer Lovett lives in Starksboro.
CHORNEY continued from page 5
which our man shared with New York musician Todd Sickafoose.
“I am the only person who has played every live performance of ‘Hadestown,’” he told Eva Sollberger for an episode of her video series “Stuck in Vermont.” “There’s a lot of heart,” he added. “Maybe that’s the Vermont part of the show.”
There is probably little doubt among this audience who I mean by “our man.” A resident of both Lincoln, and a remarkable place called Hadestown, Michael Chorney is the 2024 recipient of the Herb Lockwood Prize.
About the prize
Chorney, a Vermont musician, composer and arranger, received the $10,000 Herb Lockwood Prize at Burlington City Arts Center on June 22. This marks the eleventh time the Herb Lockwood Prize has been awarded since 2014.
The prize was founded by Todd R. Lockwood of South Burlington and some like-minded people from the Vermont arts community. It has no application process, and artists do not know they are being considered for it.
Prior recipients include actor and theater director Steve Small, fine artist and typographer Claire Van Vliet, filmmaker Nora Jacobson, author Howard Frank Mosher, puppeteer and artist Peter Schumann, musician and public radio host Robert Resnik, dancer and choreographer Hannah Dennison, jazz musician and teacher Ray Vega, poet Kerrin McCadden, and film director and impresario Jay Craven.
“Herb Lockwood was an inspirational figure in the Burlington arts and music scene in the 1980s. His impact on the region’s arts and artists has proved to be enduring and profound. The breadth of art forms he practiced, and his influence on other artists in all manner of disciplines, created a legacy that remains inspirational decades later,” according to Burlington City Arts’ announcement of the prize.
Herb Lockwood died in a Burlington workplace accident in 1987 at age 27.
Pamela Polston, a co-founder of Seven Days newspaper, attended the Lockwood Prize ceremony.
Its purpose is fourfold: To validate the work of the recipient, to energize that artist’s future, to encourage other artists to work ambitiously and to honor the memory of Herb Lockwood’s (Todd’s brother) by continuing his inspirational influence.
SEAFOOD BOIL
Shelburne Fire Department and Rescue
We are bringing this summer classic back again! Enjoy delicious seafood done in a classic boil style paired with refreshing Prosecco and local beer (served on-site). Take your food home with you or join us in the courtyard. Feel free to bring a donation to support the Shelburne Fire and Rescue Team. To Benefit the
COMMUNITY
Community Notes
Pastels, anyone?
Members of the Champlain Hub of the Vermont Pastel Society will display their paintings in the village wine shop in Shelburne during July.
Representing a diverse group of artists — the Champlain group is one of many regional groups that participates in the society — they all work in pastels. Works depict still life, landscape and figurative work.
Enjoy Age Well meals at Charlotte Senior Center
The Age Well meal pickup for Wednesday, July 17, is from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Charlotte Senior Center. The meal features
chopped beef steak with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, broccoli, wheat roll, pumpkin cookie, and milk.
You must pre-register by the prior Monday at 802-425-6345 or meals@charlotteseniorcentervt.org. The suggested donation is $5. Check the website for last-minute cancellations at bit.ly/3FfyLMb.
Junapr named an Inc. Best Workplace for 2024
Junapr has been named to Inc.’s annual list of best workplaces for the second consec-
FROM FINE DINING TO COMFORT FOOD.
Local ingredients in
chef-inspired creations, Basin Harbor is Lake Champlain’s ultimate lakeside dining destination.
“Line Dried Memories” by Jennifer Ashline.
Mal Maiz
PHOTO BY LINDSAY FLICKER
Based in Burlington, Mal Maiz vibrantly blends traditional cumbia, Latin, reggae and Afro-Caribbean sounds, and they headline Free First Fridays at Shelburne Museum, Friday, July 5, 5-7:30 p.m.
COMMUNITY NOTES
continued from page 9
utive year.
The list results from a comprehensive measurement of American companies that have created “exceptional workplaces and company cultures, whether in a physical or virtual facility.”
“It’s humbling to make this list for the second year,” Nicole Junas Ravlin, CEO of Junapr said.
Junapr, a communication and corporate event management firm, is one of two Vermont businesses to make the 2024 list.
After collecting data from thousands of submissions, Inc. selected 543 honorees this year. Each nominated company participated in an employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, which included topics such as management effectiveness, perks, fostering employee growth and overall company culture. The organization’s benefits were also audited to determine the overall score and ranking.
Sign up now for Shelburne grab and go meal
Age Well and St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne are teaming up to provide a meal to go for anyone age 60 and older on Tuesday, July 9.
Meals will be available for pick up in the parking lot at 72 Church St. from 11 a.m. until noon and are available for anyone 60 or older. Suggested donation is $5.
The menu is glazed chopped pork and ham patty with pineapple sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, wheat roll, oatmeal craisin cookie and milk.
To order a meal contact Kathleen at agewellstcath@gmail.com or 802-503-1107. Deadline to order is Wednesday, July 3. If this is a first-time order, provide your name, address, phone number and date of birth.
Learn about restaurant tickets to
FIRES
continued from page 2
experience similar impacts,” Grass said.
On the other side of Lake Champlain, the Vermont Department of Health found an increase in emergency room visits when Vermont saw widespread haze from the northern fires, especially for those with COPD. “You could see a spike that seemed to occur at the same time,” said Grass.
People who have preexisting breathing conditions, don’t have housing or who need to work outdoors are at higher risk for smoke-related lung problems, he said.
Grass isn’t concerned Vermonters are at risk of that
dine at participating restaurants at agewellvt.org.
Shelburne church, Age well host July luncheon
Age Well is offering a luncheon on Tuesday, July 16, in the St Catherine of Siena Parish Hall, 72 Church St. in Shelburne.
The menu is egg salad with celery and onions, coleslaw, spinach salad with chickpeas and veggies, Italian dressing, dinner roll, Congo bar, pears and milk.
You must register by Wednesday, July 10, to Kerry Batres, nutrition coordinator, 802-662-5283 or email kbatres@agewellvt.org.
Tickets are also available at the Age Well Office, 875 Roosevelt Highway, Suite 210, Colchester.
Check-in time is 11:30 a.m. and the meal will be served at noon. There is a $5 suggested donation.
‘Seeking
Freedom’ explores struggle for freedom
“Seeking Freedom: The Underground Railroad and the Legacy of an Abolitionist Family” opens this summer at Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, which immerses visitors in the history of the Underground Railroad and the struggle for freedom.
Explore the history and ongoing legacy of enslavement in the U.S. and the complicated story of the Robinson family as they went from enslavers in earlier generations to abolitionists in the 19th century.
The museum’s seasonal exhibition, “Artifacts & Anecdotes: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Rokeby Museum,” highlights volunteers and staff who work year-round to research and preserve the Robinson family collection. Their work gives them unique access to the family’s collection, and in this exhibition, they share a few of their favorite objects and stories.
Other summer programing will include:
• “Seeking Freedom” gallery talks: July 25 and Aug. 15, free with admission or $5.
• Reading Frederick Douglass: July 5, free.
• Pie and ice cream social: Aug. 11.
This family-friendly event has sheep petting from Hands & Heart Farm, kid’s crafts, historic spinning and weaving, printing press demonstrations, farm hours, and more. Food vendors include James
Beard Award semifinalist A Tate of Abyssinia.
It’s time to party at Maritime
Museum
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum summer party features live music, food and drink, prizes and exclusive after-hours access to exhibits. It will be held Friday, July 12, 5-8 p.m. at the museum, 4472
Basin Harbor Road, Vergennes.
As a special experience for 2024, party guests will also be the first to preview the museum’s newest exhibit about canal boats stories discovered from shipwrecks.
Tickets include all food for the evening and one raffle ticket. Donations support the museum’s free admission and pay-what-you-can summer camps. More at lcmm.org.
REPAIRS
level of exposure, but he hopes they “can take preventative steps in order to minimize their exposure.”
Leon, the air quality official, urges people to watch for symptoms like coughing or shortness of breath — signs to “take it easy” and find a place with better air quality.
He also advises people to watch air quality alerts using Vermont Alert or EnviroFlash, and if quality is especially bad, people can even wear filtered masks.
“There’s a lot of fire north to us, and when the wind changes direction, it brings it to us,” Dillner said, comparing it to the
movement of a campfire. “Sometimes the smoke blows on you, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Data doesn’t show Vermont’s getting more fires each year, Dillner said.
“I do think things are changing,” he said. “I think we’re getting even more periods of extended dry weather with a lot more potential for large fires.”
Kate Kampner is a reporter with the Community News Service, a program in which University of Vermont students work with professional editors to provide content for local news outlets at no cost.
COURTESY PHOTO
On May 17, the Wake Robin Residents’ Association in Shelburne held a tree dedication ceremony in honor of former president and CEO Martha Maksym, second from right, thanking her for her contributions. Current president and CEO Meagan Buckley, far right, is joined with a group of presidents, past and present.
continued from page 1
out over the megaphones as racers lined up.
The runners in the front were usually Moroccan, she said, adding that their expertise in running in the sand gave them a considerable advantage.
But, in certain aspects, the sand dunes mimicked snow-dusted hills and mountains, which being from Vermont, Grimes could navigate well.
“I think being from Vermont I loved it because we were hiking up a little hill and it was kind of rocky and you go down this huge sand dune so it was kind of like going down snow,” she said, noting that this moment of joy came on the longest day of the race as the team was doing backto-back marathon-length stretches.
“I just kind of sat back and glided down and the scenery was just stunning,” she said.
She recounted one of the hardest days in the race happened on day two walking on a dried-up seabed.
“It was just flat, cracked earth that seemed to stretch on forever,” she said. “You’re really having to dig deep and stay positive that you can do this. That was hard just because it was still early in the week and it was just so hot and you’re questioning to yourself, ‘What am I doing?’”
While the long days were physically taxing, they were also mentally draining. Grimes said she found herself digging deeper into herself. Although she spent months before this doing durability training, the strain on her emotional psyche was far greater. But one thing the race did teach her is that staying in a negative headspace adds nothing to your desired outcome. In her case, it was finishing the race, but that lesson can easily translate to almost anything else in life.
“One thing I have learned is that, of course, we all have our low moments, and maybe something didn’t go the way you expected, but don’t stay in that negative zone, just readjust, and try to stay positive. Sometimes I wound up counting just to pass the time,” she said. Aside from moments of solitude, Grimes said that being surrounded by others who held similar passions had not only inspired her to push on, but she
COURTESY PHOTOS
Susan Grimes traverses the 156-mile stretch of the Marathon Des Sables in Morocco, dubbed the hardest footrace on earth.
GRIMES
continued from page 10
also developed lifelong friendships and found a new community.
“You meet some really amazing people doing this, she said, adding that she bunked in the tents each night with four women from the United States. “We’re such close friends now. But everyone was so positive and encouraging, no matter where people were from. I never heard anyone complain. Everyone was going
through the same thing.”
This race is only just the beginning for Grimes. As one of 102 U.S. Centurion members — awarded to people to people who walk 100 miles within 24 hours — she is off to the United Kingdom in August to attempt to become the first American woman to win a Centurion race on that side of the pond.
Although she now considers
South Burlington home, she said that the Shelburne community, specifically at the Shelburne Athletic Club, is where her roots are, and everywhere she travels she is bringing a little piece of home with her.
“It’s about saying yes to the challenge while I can still do it,” she said. “I hope to encourage other people to not let age be your limiting factor.”
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The longtime former Shelburne resident said one of the most difficult challenges was learning to walk and run on sand. But being a lifelong Vermonter, she likened it to traversing up and down snowy mountains.
Sheldon Cooper
Sheldon Mark Cooper, MD, died on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at The Arbors in Shelburne, due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.
Shel was born on Dec. 5, 1942, in The Bronx, New York, to Alex and Sylvia Cooper.
He is survived by his spouse, Amy Cooper; son, Jonas Cooper and significant other, Jessica Murray; daughter-in-law, Danielle Cooper; cherished grandchildren, Max and Penton Cooper; and sister, Ellen Singer.
Shel enjoyed swimming, traveling, playing tennis, biweekly poker games and time with family.
He graduated from Hobart College and New York University School of Medicine. He completed residency and fellowships in rheumatology and immunology at Downstate Medical School, New York University and University of Southern California.
In 1982, Shel made Vermont his home when he joined the University of Vermont Medical
Center. His tenure in the rheumatology department positively impacted patient care, research and medical education.
Beyond his professional achievements, Shel will be remembered for his kindness, humor and unwavering love for family. He touched countless lives through his medical practice.
A family gathering will take place in his memory later.
Keith W. Olson
Keith Olson, 92, died peacefully on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
Originally from Hyde Park, N.Y., he lived for the past 16 years in Shelburne.
A circle of remembrance will be held at Wake Robin in Shelburne on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at 2 p.m.
Neil J. Nulty
Neil Joseph Nulty, 60, of Shelburne, died peacefully surrounded by family on Monday, June 24,
2024. Neil was a beloved father, stepfather, husband, brother and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
Neil was born in 1964 in Flushing, N.Y., to a large family.
He graduated from Holy Cross High School in Flushing before pursuing higher education at SUNY New Paltz. He later attend-
ed Vermont School of Law where he established a strong foundation to support his lifelong commitment to aiding veterans.
Neil was a devoted public servant, having worked for the Veterans Administration for almost 30 years.
Neil was a devout Catholic and attended St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Shelburne.
He honored his New York roots by remaining an avid Jets, Mets and Knicks fan. Neil did not only watch sports, but he was also an enthusiastic, active and
competitive sportsman who loved tennis, basketball and hiking. His greatest joy, however, was spending time with his family by engaging in activities that fostered close bonds and cherished memories. His voice impressions were renowned. Overall, Neil will be best remembered for his gentle and kind nature that he shared with family, friends and strangers alike.
Neil is survived by his loving wife, Lesley Minehan; children, Julia, Christopher and Jonathan; stepchildren, Erin and Ben; beloved sister, Loretta Nulty Spaulding and her husband, Jack Spaulding; brother-in-law, Don Schaber; and sister-in-law, Barbara Nulty.
Neil was also a devoted uncle to many nieces and nephews. Neil was predeceased by his parents, James and Mary (Young) Nulty; brother, Brian Nulty; and sister, Claire Nulty Schaber.
A funeral service in memory of Neil will be held on Friday, June 28, 2024, at 10 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 72 Church St., Shelburne.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate that donations be made to the American Cancer Society in memory of Neil Nulty (donate.cancer.org).
Town of Shelburne Notice of Selectboard Public Hearings
7:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, 2024 Shelburne Town Office Meeting Room 1, 5420 Shelburne Road Call the Town Office at 802-985-5111 with any questions.
All are welcome. Reasonable accommodation will be provided upon request to ensure that public meetings are accessible to all individuals regardless of disability.
Stormwater Budget
The Stormwater budget is a separate enterprise fund which gets approved and managed independently from the Town’s general fund. For Fiscal Year 2024-2025, the Town staff propose no rate increase and have balanced the budget at $1,003,043. The Town is receiving $474,000 in grants to help pay for construction costs associated with the Hullcrest Park offset filter project, and the Boulder Hill gravel wetland.
Keith W. Olson
Neil J. Nulty
Green Mountain Bike Club July rides range across state, Quebec
All riders must sign an annual waiver. Cyclists should sign up for each individual ride so ride leaders know how many people to expect.
For club rules and to join, visit gmbc. com.
Thursday, July 4
Salisbury ice cream social: From Hinesburg on rolling gravel hills.
Meet at 1 p.m. in Middlebury at the 3-mile bridge. The leader is John Bertelsen, 802-864-0101, jo.bertel@ gmail.com.
Saturday, July 6
Gravel MUP #1: Dirt roads in the Hinesburg Charlotte area including Guinea, Bingham Brook, and Garen roads
Meet at 9:15 a.m. Charlotte Elementary School. The leader is Brian Howard, 802-304-0610, bjhowd@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 7
Willsboro Wanderer: 40- and 55- mile options of hilly terrain on low-traffic roads in New York.
Meeting at 8:30 a.m. for the 9 o’clock
ferry, Old Champlain Flyer parking lot, Ferry Road, Charlotte (not the ferry parking lot). Leader is Kevin Batson, 802-8252618, kevbvt@gmail.com.
Sunday, July 16
Not Quite Quebec: 51- and 64-miles rides on low traffic roads near the Canadian border. The route crosses the Missisquoi River twice and travels along the shore of Lake Carmi.
Meet at 8:45 a.m. at Tractor Supply Company at exit 20 off I-89. The leader is Dave Merchant, 802-825-3808, merchand59@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 20
Gravel Ride TBD: The leader is Brian Howard, 802-304-0610, bjhowd@gmail. com.
Sunday, July 21
Pleasant Valley Voyager: 30- and 50-mile loops along Pleasant Valley Road in Underhill and Cambridge.
Meet at 9:15 at Brown’s River Middle School. Leader is Matt Kuivinen, mattkui@earthlink.net.
to advertise call 985-3091 or email advertising@shelburnenews.com
tive effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal
Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its saliva. ways fatal treatment 100 percent a person So far have tested those have According animals mal behavior, an animal it. People animals
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PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Green Mountain Bike Club members along Bostwick Road in Shelburne.
