Seventeen months after Peace Field Farm proprietor John Holland last appeared before the Woodstock Town Development Review Board (TDRB) for a second time to seek site plan approval and a conditional use permit to operate a farm-to-fork restaurant at 650 Pomfret Road, the developer was back before the quasi-judicial town body for a third round on Tuesday evening, seeking essentially the same permit he was granted in December 2023.

The pitched battle over the on-farm restaurant proposed by Peace Field landowner Holland and tenant farmer-restaurateur and Woodstock native Matt Lombard, who leases the 111-acre farmstead on the Woodstock/Pomfret line, is beginning its fifth year of serpentine legal machinations without any conclusive resolution.

In a letter to the TDRB intended to serve as a supplement to his most recent permit application before the town body that polices the Town of Woodstock’s zoning regulations, Holland couched the newly sought permit in the context of an amendment to the town by-laws that recently did away with a requirement that the footprint of any on-farm eatery was not to exceed 2,800 square feet. “After many meetings and an analysis of this reference on the ability to operate a restaurant in the barns around Woodstock, the Woodstock Planning Commission eliminated the provision by vote on Nov. 6, 2024,” Holland wrote. “Upon the Planning Commission’s recommendation, the Selectboard took up the matter and approved the amendment on the 31st of March. This application is filed under these new laws,” the Boston-based developer said.

The present application packet submitted on behalf of Holland and Lombard runs to 156 pages in length, encompassing both the legal documents filed by Holland’s attorney, Anthony LaRosa, and countering filings that attorneys representing Peace Field Farm neighbors and restaurant opponents Tom Meyerhoff and Cynthia Volk have filed before multiple local and state bodies and the Environmental Court dating back to the outset of the legal machinations over the proposed on-farm restaurant. 

In their filing with the TDRB and in Holland’s appearance before the development review panel on Tuesday evening, the Peace Field representatives took pains to point out that Holland has accepted all the conditions that an earlier iteration of the Woodstock board placed on the site plan approval and permit that was authorized in 2023. 

Last Friday, May 23, attorney Christopher Boyle of Lincoln, representing Meyerhoff and Volk, submitted a letter to the Woodstock TDRB calling on the panel to deny Peace Field’s current permit application on multiple grounds.

By state statute, the TDRB has 45 days to issue a ruling on any of the cases. Should the TDRB grant or deny Peace Field’s most recent application for site plan approval and a conditional use permit for the proposed on-farm restaurant, litigants Meyerhoff, Volk, and Holland will have 30 days in which to once again appeal the latest decision to the Vermont Environmental Court.

For more on this, please see our May 29 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The West Windsor Conservation Commission, together with the West Windsor Selectboard and the Upper Valley Trails Alliance, officially opened the relocated Bicentennial Trail last Saturday at the Town Forest Parking Lot, located at 701 Coaching Ln in Brownsville. 

According to Upper Valley Trails Alliance (UVTA) development director Randy Richardson, much of the old trail was heavily eroded and needed extensive work. Over the past several years, under the supervision of the Conservation Commission, UVTA has redesigned, relocated, and reconstructed the new trail. This trail now travels first to the upper ski area, where it joins with the Ascutney Outdoors trail, and then connects to the Brownsville Trail to the summit at North Peak.

Ted Seigler, chair of the Conservation Commission in West Windsor, commented on the construction process and how this was a town passion project, twelve years in the making. “We made the decision over a decade ago to try and make this central trail that connects the town to Mount Ascutney more usable. The trail was very eroded and went straight up the mountain with little to no connection. In working through reconstruction plans, we found that an old logging road could be used to connect the old trail to the ski area, and then we began constructing a proper loop. We contracted with the UVTA about four years ago to begin the actual construction. They worked tirelessly and dedicated a lot of manpower to this project. We are beyond grateful to have this trail open and accessible to the public.” 

Dozens of people showed up last Saturday for the trail opening, in spite of the cold weather, with half of the attendees ascending the summit. The opening event was held in collaboration with the annual Ascutney Trails Association picnic. The Bicentennial Trail is now open to all. 

For more on this, please see our May 29 edition of the Vermont Standard.

The White Cottage, the dining and dairy bar that has been a local institution for nearly 70 years, will operate a food truck alongside The Green across from the Windsor County Courthouse in Woodstock Village for five days a week from early June through Columbus Day.

White Cottage owner John Hurley of Killington, who has operated the popular West Woodstock eatery for nearly four decades, told the Village Trustees last week that he plans to set up a trailer-style food truck in two parking spaces across the street from the courthouse, facing against oncoming traffic along that side of The Green so that staff can serve patrons on the sidewalk from a passenger-side window. The trustees have directed Hurley to work out a parking plan, fee structure, and any other attendant costs with the Woodstock Police Department.

Hurley said he plans to serve “about 80 percent of the White Cottage’s menu, except ice cream,” from the food truck Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. While the 30 flavors of ice cream that the White Cottage serves at its home location will be missed by village customers, the food truck crew will still offer the eatery’s traditional fare of char-broiled burgers, homemade onion rings, whole belly clams, and other delectables. 

While Hurley’s food truck plan drew opposition from residents of The Green and a downtown business owner at the Village Trustees meeting on Tuesday, May 13, it’s still a go beginning in early June. Trustees chair Seton McIlroy noted that there are no ordinances or regulations governing food trucks in the village, nor does the White Cottage mobile operation require a peddler’s license.

During public comment, several people voiced opposition to the White Cottage’s food truck as proposed, citing both logistical and aesthetic concerns.

For more on this, please see our May 22 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

The 33rd annual Covered Bridges Half Marathon took place on Sunday under calm skies and mild temperatures, to the delight of 2,528 runners and their families. The athletes, some of whom had traveled from states far beyond New England, gathered at Saskadena Six to begin the race. While winding their way down Pomfret Road, through Woodstock Village, along River Road, and down Quechee’s Main Street to the finish line, the runners were cheered on by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters. The top three male finishers were Ben Szuhaj from Naples, Fla. (1:11:21), Ben Bosworth from Dorchester Center, Mass. (1:12:15), and John Deguardi from Keene, N.H. (1:12:38). The top three female finishers were Margaret Donovan from Durham, N.H. (1:19:00), Sarah Tully from Cambridge, Mass. (1:22:55), and Leila Trummel from Hanover, N.H. (1:25:38).

Robert Shumskis Photos

By Emma Stanton, Staff Writer

Dr. Ronald Lasky is a Woodstock resident, Professor of Engineering at Dartmouth College, Senior Technologist of Indium Corporation, father, husband, and frequent blogger. His research interests include process optimization and electronic assembly, amongst other technical engineering ventures. 

For the past twenty years, Lasky has written a technological engineering blog called “The Adventures of Patty and the Professor: Solving the world’s electronics assembly productivity and quality challenges.” While his blog is rooted in mathematics, Patty and the Professor go on strange and silly adventures, as Lasky takes readers through various milestones in his character’s lives. “I am not Patty, nor am I the Professor,” Lasky told the Standard. “I just enjoy pulling from my life and the world around me, to bring brevity and accessibility to the world of science.” 

Lasky takes a similar approach to teaching at Dartmouth, where he has been a professor for more than twenty years. “I really enjoy taking my students out to lunch. Sometimes only one student will join me, other times there’s half a dozen — usually when I offer to take them to Simon Pearce,” Lasky joked. “It’s just a way for me to deepen the connection with my students. I like learning about their lives, their interests, and in turn, I open the floor up for them to ask me questions, personally and professionally. I think it’s becoming rare to share a meal with students, but ever since I started teaching back in 2002, I’ve extended an invitation, and I always will.” 

Lasky currently rotates between teaching six different courses, ranging from topics such as Intermediate Thermodynamics to Statistical Methods in Engineering. His relationship with Dartmouth began when his eldest daughter attended as an undergraduate student. Over the years, he became close with the Engineering program, writing and collaborating with various professors and graduate students before eventually joining the teaching staff. What started as a part-time job — commuting from Massachusetts to Hanover each week for an entire semester — grew into a full-time professorship and a relocation to Woodstock in 2007. “We initially thought of moving to Hanover, but quickly found the housing market a bit difficult to navigate. My eldest daughter helped us find our home in Woodstock, and we have been here ever since.” Lasky is an active member of his community, walking from his home to the village, grabbing lunch or iced tea at the Woodstock Inn, befriending the service staff, and quizzing them on various cultural literacy questions he always has on hand. 

“The cultural literacy questions started with one of my neighbors. We would go out to dinner every Saturday night, and I had the fun idea to think of questions most people should know. It’s amazing now to ask my students, or strangers I meet, and realize how many gaps there are in education today.” Lasky said the question he is most astonished that people do not know the answer to is: Who wrote “A Christmas Carol?” 

“It’s been so interesting to see the progression of education over the past twenty years. I’m not sure where we are progressing, but I hope students will continue to be curious about the world around them. I know I will be. I think that’s what my cultural literacy quiz is to me — a way of remaining curious and connected to the world and the people around me. I probably have over a thousand questions stock-piled at this point!” 

Lasky grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., to two blue-collar parents. “My dad was Slovak, my mother British, and right after the attack on Pearl Harbor, my parents did the most egregious act they could — they got married. At the time, it was impossible for a Slovakian man to marry a British girl, and cuisine became a major sticking point in the marriage. However, when my mother learned how to cook Slavic cuisine perfectly, she quickly won my dad’s family over.” 

He continued, “My parents loved each other, and they loved and supported me, but they didn’t really know how to help me. I was always interested in math and science, even from a very young age. It was difficult, though, my parents never read a book, and I didn’t grow up in an academic household. Initially, I thought my path towards higher education would be at West Point, where I could simultaneously pursue STEM and my love of physical fitness. I started community college before being accepted and heading to basic training, but the first few months really broke me — the physicality, the hazing — it left no room for my studies, which is really what I wanted to pursue. I returned to community college before being the first student from Binghamton Community College to transfer to Cornell University, where I received my master’s and eventually my PhD in Materials Science and Engineering.” 

Lasky worked at IBM as a Senior Engineer for twenty-six years, throughout pursuing both degrees and through the birth of his three children. Frequently moving between Binghamton and Ithaca, while he and his wife pursued their respective degrees, made family a core center for Lasky. “I could have been more than middle management at IBM, but I refused to work on the weekends. I was unreachable on Sundays, as that was time spent with my family. We were and still are incredibly close. They mean everything to me.” 

Lasky’s three children, Jennifer, Jessica, and Jonathan, have led successful careers in and out of academia, following in their father’s footsteps to pursue an Ivy League education and a life led by faith and curiosity. His eldest, Jennifer, works as an interior designer and architectural consultant; Jessica is an associate professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and has been described by her father as “the junior version of Dr. Fauci;” and his youngest, Jonathan, currently works as a cataloguer at the Yale Library after studying theology and a variety of languages in Rome.

“I could not be more pleased with the life I built for myself,” Lasky said. “To live in such a picturesque and relaxing town, to do meaningful work, to come home to a beautiful family — I feel eternally blessed.” 

Dr. Lasky can be found most weekends at the bar at The Woodstock Inn, sipping his favorite libation — a glass of sweetened iced tea — quizzing the local staff, and reading his favorite newspaper. 

‘Notable Neighbor’ is a series of articles about ordinary people in our community who do some pretty extraordinary things. 

As we try to stay dry amid the spring rain and soak up the occasional sun, the familiar sights of farmers markets are returning to communities throughout the region. From the early morning bustle of Norwich to the Friday evening dinner crowds in Hartland, the 2025 season promises a vibrant mix of fresh produce, local crafts, and community connection.

This year, the markets’ opening days are staggered, with new markets launching throughout May and June.

In addition to typical market fare like farm-fresh vegetables and handmade crafts, several markets are expanding their offerings this year. The Norwich Farmers’ Market continues as one of the region’s largest, the Mt. Tom Farmers Market continues its tradition as Woodstock’s oldest open-air market in a new scenic location, the Hartland Farmers Market continues featuring their community wood-fired pizza oven with fresh pizza made during market hours, while Woodstock’s Market on the Green introduces exciting new vendors including maple cotton candy and organic popsicles.

Market on the Green

Wednesdays from June 4 to Oct. 15, 3-6 p.m.

Woodstock’s Market on the Green, coordinated by the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce, will feature over 34 vendors this year on the picturesque Village Green.

Norwich Farmers’ Market

Saturdays now through October, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Norwich Farmers’ Market kicked off the 2025 season as the first to open on May 3, welcoming visitors every Saturday, rain or shine. Known as one of the region’s largest farmers markets, Norwich offers an extensive selection of vendors and has been a cornerstone of the Upper Valley’s agricultural community.

Mt. Tom Farmers Market

Saturdays beginning May 24 through mid-October, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The Mt. Tom Farmers Market, celebrating its 43rd year of continuous operation, holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating open-air farmers market in the area. Located at the Saskadena Six parking lot in South Pomfret, the market offers abundant free parking that is handicap accessible on the level parking lot.

Hartland Farmers Market

Fridays beginning May 30, 4-6:30 p.m.

The Hartland Farmers Market, which takes place on the field in front of the Hartland Public Library, typically hosts 12 to 15 vendors, creating an intimate, community-focused atmosphere.

Live music is featured every Friday, with each musician receiving $100 per performance thanks to a grant from Mascoma Bank.

For more on this, please see our May 29 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

As national Pride Month approaches, the local area will be offering plenty of events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community this June. 

Pride of Woodstock, June 5-8

During the weekend of June 5-8, Pride of Woodstock will host its annual Pride celebration. Seton Mcllroy, co-founder and co-chair of Pride of Woodstock said, “We want to offer something for everyone this weekend. Our goal for both Woodstock Pride and Pride 365 is to come together, to celebrate individuality, and to offer support to those who need it most right now.” 

The weekend begins with a screening of the film “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” at Pentangle’s Woodstock Town Hall Theatre on Thursday, June 5, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to come dressed in their best Priscilla outfits for a chance to win exclusive prizes. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for drinks and food. 

The Woodstock Inn will host a cocktail hour on its front lawn on Friday, June 6, from 5-7:30 p.m.  Afterwards, attendees can head to the Woolen Mill Comedy Club in Bridgewater at 8 p.m. to see comedian Kendall Farrell perform, followed by a piano bar/lounge evening. 

For those looking to move and groove, the Little Theater will be hosting a DJ Dance Party at 9 p.m. on Friday, June 6. 

The next morning, Saturday, June 7 at 9:30 a.m., Pride of Woodstock will host a high heel race down Elm Street. Costumes, wigs, make-up and sparkles are highly recommended, and prizes will be awarded.

At 11:30 a.m., participants can then attend a Drag Brunch at the Woodstock Inn, where six drag performers will be entertaining in the Woodstock Inn & Resort Ballroom. Executive chef Matthew McClure will be creating a buffet of brunch options to accompany the show. 

On The Green, local vendors will be featured in a colorful and inclusive event that aims to showcase the talent and unique perspectives of the LGBTQ+ and allied community.  

Following the craft fair, community members of all ages can head down to the banks of the Ottauquechee River, behind North Chapel, to dance to the tunes of DJ Bugie. Later in the evening, Pentangle will host a comedy show at 7:30 p.m., featuring LGBTQIA comedians Shawn Hollanback, Vicki Ferentinos, Kendall Farrell, and Will Purpura. 

To finish off the weekend, the St. James Episcopal Church will hold a choral evensong featuring the works of queer composer David Conte at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 8. Directly following this, Pentangle will host a special screening of “Outliers & Outlaws — A Story of Lesbian World-Builders.”  

Plus…

McIlroy and DeLeon’s related organization, Pride 365, will also host several events later in the month. Beginning on Thursday, June 5 the President of Carnegie Science, John Muchaey, will speak to local students at Prosper Valley School and Woodstock Union High School and Middle School about the importance of science, his experience as a scientific researcher, and his journey as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. This event is not open to the public. 

On Wednesday, June 11, Artistree will host Olive Klug, a non-binary singer-songwriter who recently dedicated their life pursuing a non-traditional, van-dwelling, artistic existence.  

Finally, on June 26, Pentangle Arts will screen the documentary “Remarkable: Voices from the Trans Community,” followed by a panel discussion with the film’s creator and their family.  

Windsor, June 1

The town of Windsor will host an event on June 1 at the Municipal Building, located on Union Street. A progressive Pride flag will be raised, followed by a march down Main Street to the Pride Tree at the Constitution House. Upon arrival, Windsor will host a picnic, coupled with entertainment and community celebrations. This event will be open to all and will run from 1-4 p.m. this Sunday. 

Lebanon Opera House, June 13

On Friday, June 13, the Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, N.H., will host a few different activities in Colburn Park, beginning with “Party in the Park” — a craft fair and picnic where attendees can shop local goods made by LGBTQ+ vendors. Starting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, through rain or shine, this artisan fair will be open to all ages. Following this, the Lebanon Opera House will host a “Pride After Dark” event, also in Colburn Park, where participants can dance under the stars in a “silent disco” to LGBTQ+ anthems curated by various local DJs. Space for this event is limited; headsets can be reserved in advance for $20. 

More information can be found at lebanonoperahouse.org/pride.

Bethel Pride, June 26-28

At the end of the month, Bethel Pride Fest will commence. “This is a space for silence, for contemplation, and for understanding,” Leonard Meek, head organizer for Bethel Pride Fest, told the Standard. “We wanted to create a space where every member of our community could come together and simply listen to each other. The Saturday [Trans Storytelling] Circle is an opportunity for queer people to sit together in an inner circle, and for others to gather around them, in an outer circle. The outer circle is just there to listen and learn and to see the different faces of queer people in our community — to hear their stories, and to see what makes them unique and deserving of love and understanding.” 

“In a world so overrun by fear, we hope that Bethel Pride helps to bridge the gap, so that our community can grow towards each other, towards the creation of a safer, more understanding place.” 

On Thursday, June 26, the festivities will begin at Babes Bar with gay trivia, beginning at 7 p.m. On Friday, the Bethel White Church will host a “Pride Forever Drag Show” with Drag Queen Emoji Nightmare. This show is rated 18+. 

On Saturday, June 28, at 12 p.m., the Parish House will host a closed recovery meeting for those who identify as LGBTQ+ and are sober or trying to seek sobriety.  At 1 p.m., all are welcome to participate in Bethel’s outdoor Pride fair at the Bethel Bandshell, where free food, music, vendors, and performers will gather. Finally, at 6 p.m., the Bethel Arts Center will host the “Trans Storytelling Circle and Community Dinner,” where every member of the community is welcome to attend and listen to different experiences and realities that local LGBTQ+ people navigate every day. 

White River Junction, July 19-25

In July, White River Junction will host a comprehensive week-long Pride event from July 19-25, with a march and festival on July 26. While events are still being finalized, local residents in the meantime can enjoy the “Gays Eating Garlic Bread in the Park” event this Saturday, May 31, from 10-11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. 

A new play is gracing the stage of the Grange Theater beginning this week, expanding on the series of Artistree productions centered around “courage” in its many forms. “Three Tall Women,” a two-act play grappling with loss of memory, slipping identity, and the various versions of a woman’s self, explores three distinct eras of the protagonist’s life, blending past with present to create a deeply moving and emotive glance into the hardships of navigating the tumultuous decades of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. 

In a play that simultaneously blurs time and personhood, this production encountered several challenges early in its planning. Co-director Jade Evangelista told the Standard, “Casting was very important for us. We wanted to be as accurate and age-appropriate as possible, which proved to be a struggle. The industry is often unkind to actresses over 35, and most of the women who showed up to the casting call were for the youngest version of our protagonist. Characters A, B, and C are meant to represent different stages of a single woman’s life, in spans of 20-30 years. We committed early on to accurately portraying age in this play, especially old age.”

On a concluding note, Evangelista said, “We hope this play creates a conversation beyond the performance, that it inspires not only self-reflection but societal reflection. I cherish moments and opportunities to give the patrons of our community new perspectives and new concepts to think or ruminate on after they see one of our productions. This piece is a perfect springboard for this kind of introspective thought. I can’t wait for people to see it.”

“Three Tall Women,” presented by Artistree, opens at the Grange Theater on May 29 and runs until June 8. This production will star Laura Tewsbury, Ellen Revesz, Gillian Brown, and Blue Scott, with music and underscoring by Olive Klug, and direction by co-directors Matthew Robert and Jade Evangelista. 

For more on this, please see our May 29 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Woodstock residents gathered on Monday for the annual Memorial Day Parade, which began at the Woodstock Elementary School and concluded at the Woodstock Courthouse, where a formal address and gun salute closed out the event. The parade paused at the Iron Bridge for a wreath ceremony and toss partway through the procession.

Rick Russell Photos

On Friday evening, the Wasps baseball team lost in their match-up against the White River Valley Wildcats. The final score was 3-2.

The team was 10-3 going into Friday’s game after losing to Green Mountain on Wednesday.

The Wildcats were able to take the advantage early by scoring two runs within the first three innings. Woodstock attempted to mount a rally in the 4th and got the bases loaded, but the Wildcats gave them their third out. Woodstock then had to wait until the 5th inning to score their first run, thanks to Drew Gallagher.

In the 6th inning, coach Jason Tarleton enacted his plan to shake up the pitching by replacing Ben Runstein with Drew Gallagher. Although the Wildcats got the bases loaded, Woodstock’s defense ended the surge. When Woodstock got to bat, they nearly mounted another rally, but it was ended quickly by a controversial out at third.

Going into the 7th and final inning, the score remained 2-1. The two offenses traded blows to bring the score to 3-2, but Woodstock was never able to gain the upper hand. During his postgame huddle, Tarleton urged his team to maintain confidence in their efforts this season. “I have all the confidence in this team right here,” he said.

Now at 10-4 (5-3 in league), Tarleton needs to evaluate what went wrong while regrouping for the postseason. “It was a bummer to lose in the fashion we did,” he admitted. “We had some questionable calls that led to some momentum changes. Not to take anything away from White River; they’re an excellent team, and you’ve got to play really well to beat them. We had a couple mistakes that we didn’t overcome. Having said that, taking them right down to the wire is a good way to go into the playoffs. There was a playoff atmosphere last night and the crowd was into it. We expect those kinds of games moving forward. At this point in the season, you can’t dwell on losses; when you get into the playoffs, especially the top four or five spots, it’s just about matchups. It’s ideal to be at home, but either way you’ve got to play the same teams.”

Robert Shumskis Photos

For more on this, please see our June 5 edition of the Vermont Standard. 

Floyd W. Van Alstyne, Jr., 105, died peacefully at his home in East Barnard on Friday, May 9 surrounded by his family.

Floyd was born on Feb. 29, 1920 in Boston, Mass. the son of Floyd W. and Mary French (Smith) Van Alstyne. After spending his very early childhood in Massachusetts, Floyd’s family moved to Albany, N.Y. After his mother died in 1931, he and his younger brother Earl came to Vermont to live with their mother’s sister Maude on Broad Brook in Royalton, Vt.

Floyd began his World War II service with the U.S. Army just after Pearl Harbor. He spoke many times of his duty and travels. Floyd served with the 389th Port Battalion in Churchill, Hudson Bay, Canada. He served in North Africa and in the Allied Invasion of Italy at Sicily. He was in the amphibious landing at Salerno and was in the Battle of Anzio, which was one of the toughest battles of World War II. He also served at the Port of Naples loading and unloading ships.

Floyd purchased the farm in East Barnard just three weeks after coming home at the end of WWII and began farming. He married Marjorie Leavitt on Feb. 15, 1948. After selling the dairy herd in the 1960s, he worked construction. Some of the many projects he worked on as a bulldozer operator were building ponds, clearing the trail for the tram at Jay Peak and Interstate 89 and 91. He spent many years sugaring, logging, raising beef cattle and operating a custom sawmill.

Floyd loved to tell stories, and he had many. He would always talk with people he did not know and would often find connections with them. Such as the time Robert stopped at the farm for lumber and while visiting, he found out that Robert’s uncle was the captain of the liberty ship Booker T. Washington that Floyd came home from World War II on. They have been good friends ever since. He loved talking about and reading history and was very much a constitutionalist. If you do an online search for Floyd Van Alstyne, you will find a number of stories and videos that have been done about him over the years.

Floyd served in many civic positions in the Town of Barnard. He helped start the Broad Brook Fire Department in the 1950’s. He was a proud member of American Legion Post 24 in Woodstock.

He is survived by his wife of 77 years, Marjorie; his five children, daughters Mary Croft, Deborah Hewitt, Marlene Rand; sons Greyling (Nikki) and Clay (Karen); 12 grandchildren, 16 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Along with his parents, he is predeceased by his brother Earl, a grandson Dennis, great-granddaughter Paige and son-in-laws Rodney Croft, Robert Rand and Denny Hewitt. 

A graveside service will take place on Sunday, June 8 at 1 p.m. at the East Barnard Cemetery, after which family and friends are invited to the East Barnard Community Hall to celebrate Floyd’s life.

Those wishing may make contributions in his memory to the East Barnard Community Hall, Checks can be written to EBCC with a memo that the donation is in Floyd’s memory and mailed to: Scott Cone, Treasurer 5639 Broad Brook Road, So. Royalton, VT 05068 or American Legion Post 24, PO Box 365, Woodstock, VT 05091.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

Graveside services for Sheryl Crane will be held on Saturday, May 31 at 11 a.m. in the Crane Cemetery off Church Hill Rd in Woodstock, Vt.

The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock is assisting the family.

Cynthia Brown Hilliard, age 81, of Carrollton, Ga., passed away peacefully in the presence of her children on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Piedmont Hospital in Newnan, Ga.

She was born on January 14, 1943, in Windsor County, Vt.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Raymond “Brownie” and Ruth Brown and brother Dennis Brown.

A beloved mother, grandmother, and sister she is survived by her children: Joe Hilliard (Carla), and Shannon McGuyer (Robert): four grandchildren, Zac Hilliard (Caroline), Amanda Hudson (Corey), and Harrison and Wyatt Moore, and one great-grandchild, Jackson. She is also survived by brother Sanford Brown (Cindy), sister-in-law Paula Brown and four nieces, Melissa and Lindsey (Sanford), Teressa and Leslie (Dennis and Paula).

Cynthia was a graduate of WUHS class of 1960 and graduated from the University of Vermont in 1964. During her working career she was a Registered Dietician specializing in Health and Long-Term Care facilities. In her free time, she enjoyed studying ancestry and quilting. She served in many roles for the West Georgia Quilt Guild including President and was a board member for the Southern Quilt and Textile Museum in Carrollton, GA.

Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, June 6 at Riverside Cemetery in Woodstock with Cabot Funeral Home directing.

Eleanor Kenison, 87, died Sunday May 18, 2025, at Lebanon Genesis Eldercare.

She was born October 30, 1937 in Hanover, N.H. a daughter of Troye and Eleanor Clara (Webster) Allard.  Eleanor attended schools in Pomfret and East Barnard before graduating from Woodstock High School Class of 1955. Later that year she married Bradley Kenison on Nov. 25. She worked as a telephone operator for several years in Woodstock before having a son, Bradley Jr. The family settled in West Hartford where they built a home themselves that they would live in for the next forty years. Eleanor has lived at Greystone Village in White River Jct. for the past seventeen years.

Eleanor was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Hanover Ward. In her free time, she enjoyed painting with watercolors and enjoying the simple things in life like listening to rain on the roof or taking a walk in the crisp morning air.

She was predeceased by her husband, Bradley in 2005 and a sister Shirley Hebert earlier this year.

She leaves her son, Bradley Jr. of West Hartford, a cousin Emily Green and many friends and neighbors.

A memorial service will be held at the Knight Funeral Home in White River Jct. on Thursday, May 29 at 7 p.m.

Condolences to Eleanor’s family may be made in an online guestbook at knightfuneralhomes.com.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Kidney Fund, 11921 Rockville Pike, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20852. or at kidneyfund.org.

A graveside service will be held for Howard “Toppy” Rollin Gould, 85, who died Dec. 8, 2024, on Monday, May 26 at 2 p.m. in the new part of the Riverside Cemetery in Woodstock.

The Cabot Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Dr. Carl Wulfestieg, 81, passed away on April 27, 2025, in Seattle, Wash.

Born on June 7, 1943, to Carl Sr. and Virginia, Carl pursued a life of learning and service. He graduated from Pomona College in 1965 and earned his medical degree from UCLA Medical School in 1971. A dedicated physician, he practiced as an ear, nose, and throat surgeon in Tacoma from 1979 to 2005. After closing his private practice in Tacoma, his career continued at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, and the VA in Vermont, where he was known for his commitment to patient care.

Carl shared a rich and adventurous life with his wife, Susan (Leonard) Wulfestieg. Together they embraced new cultures and experiences, exploring more than twenty countries, all fifty states, and all but six MLB stadiums.  He was a devoted father to Stefanie (Ashley), Kara, and Brian (Amy), and a proud grandfather to Toby, Beruria, Paige, Lucy, and Max.

A man of many passions, Carl was an active member and president of the Green Mountain Chapter of the Porsche Club of America, and enjoyed tennis, sailing, music, singing, and all things automotive. His gregarious spirit and generous nature left a lasting impression on those around him. Always curious and engaged with the world, he remained active throughout his life — sporty in both body and mind.

In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, Carl is survived by his siblings Ellen, Paul and John and several nieces and nephews. His legacy lives on through his family and the countless lives he touched through his medical practice and personal connections.

A celebration of life will be held later this year in Woodstock, Vt.

Graveside services for Gordon Worth, 88, will be held on Saturday, May 31 at 1 p.m. in the Baker Hill Cemetery in Bridgewater Center, Vt.

The Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock is assisting the family.

It is with sadness that the family of Clydene Richardson Trachier of Hartland announces her passing after 92nd birthday cakes (with ice cream!) have come and gone. Clydene departed her Lull Farm Lane home on the evening of May 14, 2025, while being cared for by family.

Clydene was born to Reba (Merrill) and Clyde Richardson on February 16, 1933, in the local doctor’s home on Main Street in Woodstock. She spent her childhood on the family’s small farm on Lull Farm Lane in Hartland. An only child, she played with neighbors from nearby Merritt Road, and the best winter fun included tobogganing all the way from there into the Three Corners village. She later became something of an older sister to her Richardson cousins who lived on Hartland Hill. After attending grades 1–8 at the Three Corners School (now the Hartland Recreation Center), she attended Windsor High School, where she excelled in business studies and music. She graduated third in the class of 1951.

Not long after Clydene met Roger Trachier on a double date (arranged by Roger’s cousin Marilyn Best), they were married at the First Congregational Church of Hartland (known as the Brick Church). Last Oct. 6, they celebrated their 68th anniversary. Clydene and Roger shared a varied and fulfilling life, playing outsized roles in their home community while living on the land where she had been raised. 

Professionally, Clydene was a crack bookkeeper. She began working for Central Vermont Public Service while still in high school, and she was employed there for several years. Over time, she also kept the books for Davis Brothers garage in Windsor (where Rite Aid is now) as well as other businesses in the Upper Valley. Later, Clydene was Roger’s office-based business partner in the property management and construction businesses that they ran from their home. An unreconciled penny didn’t have a chance of escaping Clydene’s careful scrutiny.

Music was a golden thread woven throughout Clydene’s life. With musical talent received through both parents, young Clydene needed very few lessons to learn piano, and she became a valued component of the extended family’s occasional musical get-togethers. In high school, she played drums in the band because her rhythm was flawless. She sang in the girls’ chorus and auditioned her way into the Vermont All State Music Festival and the New England Music Festival all four years. As young women, she and three of her schoolmates formed a female vocal quartet — the Windsorettes — in the style of the then-popular Chordettes. The Windsorettes performed in concerts throughout New England — culminating as openers for the Chordettes, who later invited them onstage to perform along with them. With perfect pitch and a vocal range from soprano to baritone, Clydene went on to sing in many different settings and also played the piano, accordion, pipe organ, drums, saxophone, and guitar. For more than 25 years she was the choir director and pipe organist at Windsor’s Old South Church. She played drums for local concerts and often marched in Hartland’s annual Old Home Day parade with the Hartland Community Band. For many years she was the keyboardist in the big-band group that began as the Cogitators, later became the Moonlighters Big Band, and is still a regional favorite.

Clydene was the choir director of many community-based musical performances. In 1972, a few fellow Hartland PTA members suggested that she could help put together a fundraising talent show. She did, and the happy result, “Hometown Hoedown,” was the first of Hartland’s three decades of annual community variety shows, each with a different fun theme. The core of volunteers who produced the variety shows developed into Hartland Community Arts, and Clydene was not only a founding member of the group but also a co-director of many of its Christmas/Holiday concerts. More recently, she enjoyed directing the choir at the Hartland Brick Church. When Clydene was no longer able to leave her home, she deeply appreciated visits from members of the choir, especially the group known as “the three altos.” Through the years, Clydene amassed a copious collection of sheet music. Shortly before her death, she learned that her special dream — that her collection be used as a Hartland-based resource for shows and concerts by future talented singers and musicians — is already becoming reality.

Family was more important to Clydene than her work and musical activities. She was a mother of two, grandmother of two, and great-grandmother of three. When downhill skiing was a growing family sport in Vermont, Clydene enjoyed skiing with friends and her young family at the many local ski hills. A broken leg made her the first skier handled by the nascent volunteer ski patrol at the then-new Quechee Lakes ski area. The break was so complex that it put an end to her own athletic pursuits. Thereafter, she and Roger supported their children’s and grandchildren’s love of skiing and bicycling by attending competitions near and far and also by contributing to the formation and stability of Hartland Winter Trails.

Clydene and Roger were a civic-minded and Hartland-focused team. Together they helped with the campaign for a consolidated school; rescued the bells from the former Three Corners, Four Corners, and North Hartland schools and assured their permanent protection on display at the consolidated school; and worked with many others to support the creation of Aging in Hartland. 

After owning a series of lakeside properties in Vermont and New Hampshire, Clydene and Roger found lasting contentment at their camp on Halls Lake in West Newbury, Vt. Her most cherished way to spend leisure time was soaking up sunshine and puttering on projects there. In the winter, she would enjoy a gentle cross-country ski on the lake ice before hunkering down next to the woodstove in the evening. During warmer weather, few things gave Clydene more joy than to share this happy place during picnic gatherings of family and friends.

Clydene’s life ended on the same dead-end rural road where she had lived her entire life — having left an indelible mark on the community and people around her. 

Preceding Clydene in death were her mother Reba Marion Merrill Richardson; father Clyde Marshall Richardson; husband Roger P. Trachier; and Hartland first cousin James Richardson. She is survived by her son Gary Trachier (Ione) of Hartland; daughter Andrea “Andi” Ambros (Theodore) of Hartland; grandson Marshall Ambros (Megan) and their children Asher, Ingrid, and Gordon of Wisconsin; and granddaughter Alexandra “Alex” Ambros of Oregon; her first cousins Gordon Richardson (Pat) of Hartland, Betty Caterino (Bill) of Cornish, N.H., and Anita Richardson of Hanover, N.H.

At Clydene’s request, there will be no calling hours, funeral, or burial service, and her ashes will be scattered by family at a location she chose. An online guestbook is at cabotfh.com. All who knew Clydene or Roger are welcome to help celebrate their lives on July 12 at Damon Hall, 1 Quechee Road, Hartland, from 2-5 p.m. Shared remembrances in words and music will begin at 3 p.m.

Anyone wishing to make a donation in Clydene’s memory may consider Hartland Community Arts, Aging in Hartland, the First Congregational Church of Hartland, and the Visiting Nurse and Hospice (VNH) for Vermont and New Hampshire.

Edward H. Jagelski Jr., 85, a resident of Windsor, Vt., and a former longtime resident of both Taftsville and Woodstock, passed away Saturday afternoon, May 3, 2025, at the Gill Odd Fellows Home in Ludlow.

He was born on Sept. 10, 1939, in Cohoes, N.Y., the son of Edward and Ann (Garbacz) Jagelski. Ann died in childbirth, and he was adopted by his loving mother, Evelyn (Austin) Jagelski. Ed grew up in Springfield, Vt. where he graduated from Springfield High School in 1958. Ed was an extremely talented athlete who excelled in track and football. He was privileged to be a member of the Vermont team and played in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl game. After graduating high school, he continued his schooling at Weaver Airline Personnel School in Kansas City, Mo. After completion, he then began a career in the airline industry as a customer service agent at Mohawk Airlines in Albany, N.Y. In 1967, he returned to Springfield, Vt. to be close to his family. He was a member of the Army Reserves, worked at J&L Machine Tool Company for a time, and later worked as a carpenter for A.W. Frizzell and Sons, Inc. until his retirement. Ed enjoyed spending time outdoors, especially skiing at Mount Ascutney Mountain where he worked ski patrol, snowshoeing, kayaking and occasionally hunting and fishing. Ed was a longtime member and volunteer at Upper Valley Turning Point in White River Junction as well as the Salvation Army.

Ed’s true passion was being outdoors in nature. He was known around Woodstock as the “spoon man.” He had a talent for finding unique wood on his walks and taking that piece of wood and carving it into special spoons and unique walking sticks. You would see his spoons displayed at the Vermont Welcome Centers as well as local craft stores in the area and he would give his walking sticks to anyone in need.

We would be remiss not to mention his love of High Pastures Farm in Woodstock, Vt. where he had the privilege of caretaking for the Roach Family for many years.

Survivors include his children, Holly Aldrich and her husband Rick of Hartland, Edward John Jagelski and his wife Janet of Portsmouth, R.I., and Heather McGreer and her husband Ted of Keene, N.H. Ed was immensely proud of his grandchildren, Mackenzie Elizabeth McGreer and Matthew Theodore McGreer of Keene, N.H.

At his request there will be no calling hours. A graveside service will be on Monday, May 19 at 1 p.m. in the Pine Grove Cemetery in North Springfield, Vt. with Reverend Michael Augustinowitz officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Second Wind Foundation/Upper Valley Turning Point in White River Junction, Vt. (donorbox.org/give-to-the-upper-valley-turning-point)

Arrangements are under the care of Knight Funeral Home & Crematory in White River Junction, Vt. Condolences may be expressed in an online guestbook found at knightfuneralhomes.com.

Chandler “Denny” Hewitt, 76, died surrounded by his family on Monday, May 5 at the Jack Byrnes Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Denny was born on Feb. 6, 1949 in Hanover, N.H., the son of Chandler M. and Dorothy H. (Potter) Hewitt. He graduated from Woodstock Union High School in 1967 and joined the Navy serving as a Seabee in the Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 40, a group that would remain a large part of his life. He served in the Vietnam War in 1968-1969. In May 1971 he sailed to Diego Garcia (Indian Ocean) and took part in building the original 3500 airstrip, which later was extended; it is still today a strategic U.S. military base. He finished his service duty in 1972 and returned home to work for a number of trucking companies doing mostly long-haul trucking. The most recent company he worked for was Roy Ingraham Trucking, he remained close friends to the owners Roy and Kay 

Denny’s roots were grounded in the Pomfret and East Barnard area. He married Deborah VanAlstyne on Oct. 3, 1970 in the East Barnard Church and made their home in North Pomfret. He was an avid hunter, as well as being a well-known traveling butcher. He enjoyed riding his motorcycle and took enormous pride in his collection of antique tractors that could be seen in many local parades, also being driven by his son and father-in-law. He and Deb enjoyed traveling and visiting with friends, especially attending many gatherings of the NMCB 40 families. Denny could be seen spending time on the beach in his blue jeans on a warm day. His favorite holiday without a doubt was deer season.

Denny is survived by his wife of 54 years, Deborah, his daughter Karen Hewitt Osnoe (Lee), his son David Hewitt; five grandchildren, Nikki, Hayden, Asher, Joleigh, and Avery, his siblings; Pamela (Bill) Barrows, Sandra Birajiclian and Miller (Carlene) Hewitt; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by a son Dennis Hewitt, a brother Frank Hewitt, and a brother-in-law Michael Birajiclian.

A celebration of life will take place to all that wish to pay their respects on Saturday, May 24, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Pomfret Town Hall. A private family burial service will take place in the Hewittville Cemetery after.

In lieu of flowers, those wishing to pay their respects may make memorial donations to: American Legion Post 24 – PO. box 365 – Woodstock, Vt. 0509.

An online guestbook can be found at cabotfh.com.

To our readers,

The Vermont Standard Annual Appeal is the one time each year when we come right out and ask for your help with our mission to preserve quality local journalism for our community.

We believe that an informed public is essential if a community like ours is to have a well-functioning democracy. We think credible journalism – the local news, information, and community connection that only a local newspaper provides – is necessary to maintain the quality of life here.

Unfortunately, newspapers throughout the country are going out of business at a rate of more than two per week, and many of those that are still functioning have been debilitated.

The 171-year-old Vermont Standard is our state’s oldest weekly newspaper and at this point, it’s rather unique. To this day, it continues to provide high-quality journalism in print and online to Woodstock and the surrounding towns that the paper serves -– including Hartland, Pomfret, Bridgewater, Barnard, Quechee, Reading, West Windsor, Plymouth and points beyond. In recent years we’ve taken steps to improve the Standard’s coverage, and it has been repeatedly recognized as the best small weekly newspaper in New England.

It’s worth saving.

Professional, ethical, accurate, and fair journalism that you can trust is needed now more than ever in a society dominated by social media echo chambers, political and social division, and the proliferation of misinformation. As seen elsewhere, losing the local newspaper diminishes residents’ civic engagement and leaves a void in the community that bad actors with a cynical agenda often rush in to fill with disinformation campaigns.

Unlike most others, the Standard is an independent newspaper. We are purpose-driven rather than profit-driven. The Standard delivers a colorful, comprehensive local news report in print each Thursday, as well as online updates all week long. Nearly all articles and photos in the Standard are original reporting by our tiny staff, freelancers and volunteers. The community embraces this paper – circulation is strong and steady.

But, just like newspapers throughout the country, the Standard is struggling to remain economically viable.

The smaller, locally-owned businesses that traditionally supported local news organizations with their advertising have been replaced by chains, big box stores, and online sellers that do not actively support community journalism. Classified ads for homes, cars, jobs, and used merchandise are no longer a substantial source of funding for local news because they are now often run online instead.

The Standard, which already operates on a shoestring, has resisted the strategy embraced by so many newspapers across our nation to further strip down its small operation to bare bones, to the point that it can’t get the job done. Instead, we are striving to preserve the Standard as a quality news operation that can continue doing the job serving our community.

Funding local journalism now largely depends on philanthropic support from civic-minded residents who care deeply about this community and recognize the value the Standard brings to the table.

In the past year, a small local board has established a 501(c)(3) public charity called the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation to help ensure that our community will always have quality local journalism to inform and connect our neighbors; to help ensure the Standard keeps going. All donations to the foundation are tax-deductible.

Preserving the Standard is obviously important to the Greater Woodstock community. But this also has bigger implications.

Most local newspapers are on the brink of insolvency even though they are still the primary entities America counts on to cover local news and inform our citizens — especially in smaller towns. The newspapers are every bit as important to the functioning, spirit and soul of those towns as their public library, their theaters, their churches, and other vital institutions. We must find a way, both collectively and individually, to keep credible local journalism alive. The future of our communities and democracy depends on it.

If there is any one place in the country where residents truly appreciate and embrace both their community and their newspaper, it’s here. If our community can’t find a way to sustain its local journalism, there’s probably little hope for most others.

We sincerely hope you’ll consider making a contribution to this year’s 2024 annual appeal. Our need is quite urgent, to say the least, and we are profoundly grateful for anything you can do to help us.

The Foundation is a public charity so your gift will be fully tax-deductible.

Your donation will be utilized in the form of project grants to support the Vermont Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance.

If you’re able to help, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.” Or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at www.thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card.

Also, if you have a family foundation, we hope you’ll add the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 93-3287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

We consider it a great honor that you trust and count on the Standard to cover local news in our community. We can’t thank you enough for your friendship, your readership, and your support of this worthwhile mission we’re pursuing.

Phil Camp, president        Dan Cotter, publisher

By Dan Cotter, publisher 

“So, how’s Phil?”

I get that a lot. Oftentimes, just when I’m about finished talking on the phone with someone from Woodstock or the surrounding towns they inquire about my good friend and partner in publishing the Vermont Standard, Phil Camp – the 88-year-old lifelong resident of our community who is its most enthusiastic booster.

The callers know that he battles the health ailments that often come at his age, and then some. I typically reassure them that he remains unfailingly positive, no matter the challenges that he or the Standard faces.

Not too long ago, a caller signed off by saying something to the effect of, “You know, in our house we regard Phil as a hero.”

That’s not surprising. There’s something pretty darn heroic about a guy who dearly loves his town and has wholeheartedly dedicated the last fifty years to making sure it has a quality news source to inform and connect its citizens. Despite the advertising revenue loss that threatens its viability. Despite the flood, fire, and pandemic that made things even more difficult. Despite his own health challenges. He still wants nothing more than just to see the Standard continue to thrive into the future.

I’m reminded of another local publisher, Tim Calabro at the Herald in neighboring Randolph, who I read about recently in a story published by Seven Days. He bought his hometown paper about ten years ago, but these days, the article said his publisher duties include being the editorial director, selectboard correspondent, staff photographer, newspaper deliveryman in the early morning hours, building repairman, and head of finance, among no doubt many other roles he juggles as he strives to keep the paper afloat.

He told Seven Days reporter Rachel Hellman, “I would be really upset if this community didn’t have a newspaper. I would be OK not being the person who ran that newspaper, but I don’t see anyone else who is particularly willing or capable of doing it. So, I kind of feel like I have to do this for as long as I can.”

And Tim is certainly not alone. Independent newspaper publishers here in Vermont and throughout New England and the rest of the country all find themselves trying to hang in there — despite the intense pressure and red ink — trying to do whatever it takes to continue producing credible, quality local journalism that serves as the glue for their beloved communities.

Some would question why Phil, Tim, and the rest of us are continuing to shoulder the responsibility for keeping local news flowing and the lights on. It’s a steep uphill battle and it’s obviously not for the money (whenever I see my financial planner I simply avoid making eye contact…)

At some level, there’s patriotism and a devotion to what we see as our job to help foster a cohesive, informed community that has a reliable place to turn for fair and accurate information that residents need to make good decisions, both personally and collectively. There’s also Phil’s passion and mine that the Standard should be a news source, both in print and digital formats, where people can get to know about — and be inspired by — their neighbors’ accomplishments; one that reveals and celebrates the many occurrences in our day-to-day lives here that are so uplifting.

And then there’s that point in each week when the Standard rolls off the press, and what started as a blank page just days ago is now full of local news articles, photos, entertaining and educational feature stories, local personality profiles, opinion columns, town correspondents’ reports, announcements, listings of things to do for fun, local obituaries, bits of news and ads from local businesses and organizations, and the stories of our children’s triumphs in school and in sports. 

I think that’s when we are most reminded why we do this.

This is important. The Standard is the only medium that produces this for our community. If we’re no longer viable, all of that will cease to exist.

Whether or not local publishers working against the odds to sustain this weekly miracle are truly “heroic” is probably best judged in the eye of the beholder. But it’s certain that all the responsibility for preserving local journalism can’t fall only on the shoulders of the publishers. That’s just not sustainable. 

As Phil has often said, this paper belongs to the community.

We sincerely hope you’ll consider joining us on this journey by contributing to this year’s 2024 annual appeal. When all is said and done, my friends, you’re the real heroes that our community is counting on. 

Also, if you have a family foundation, we hope you’ll consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation (EIN: 93-3287932) to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

The Foundation is a public charity so your gift will be fully tax-deductible. 

Your donation will be utilized in the form of project grants to support the Vermont Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance. 

Our need is quite urgent, and we are profoundly grateful for anything you can do to help us with this mission.

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2024 Annual Appeal, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at www.thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.”

By Dan Cotter, publisher

Labor Day is coming up, signaling a time of year that’s taken on new meaning for the Vermont Standard and the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation. This point in the calendar when we honor our nation’s workers is also when we begin our four-week Annual Appeal to raise funds to keep quality local journalism flowing for Woodstock and the surrounding towns that the Standard serves in Windsor County.

By now, most everyone knows that newspapers have been struggling mightily – despite the fact that communities throughout the nation still count on them to employ the journalists who are primarily responsible for covering local news. The main problem has been the evaporation of much of the advertising revenue that traditionally supported local journalism.

Those who advertised in newspapers through the years were typically smaller, local businesses, which in many cases have fallen prey to competition from chains, big box stores, and online sellers (like Amazon). Many of them have now been bought up by bigger regional or national operations or they closed down.

Classified section advertisers also pulled back on the ads they ran in newspapers for jobs, cars, real estate, and used merchandise when online options, which are often free, became available.

So, this left local newsrooms all across the country without much of a funding mechanism. Many sold out to national newspaper chains owned by corporations or hedge funds that proceeded to gut the paper’s staff and resources in a cynical attempt to squeeze out what little profit might be left. Other papers just closed their doors as their financial losses piled up.

So far, the country has lost about a third of its newspapers — almost 3,000 have gone out of business in the past twenty years, and we’re currently on pace to continue losing more than two per week. More than 200 counties now have no credible, comprehensive local news source. They call those places “news deserts.”

To make matters worse, while many other communities still have a local newspaper, it has been reduced to just a shadow of its former self because corporate scavengers “right-sized” it, leaving the paper incapable of performing its duty for its community.

However, there are still some independent publishers in small communities like ours who know that we cannot have a well-functioning democracy if the public isn’t adequately informed. They know that a local newspaper is entrusted with reporting about the issues that matter. They also know that communities function better — and the quality of life is better — if people know what’s going on and if they know and appreciate each other. So, those publishers are finding ways to keep the lights on at their newspaper any way they can, while at the same time attempting to create new revenue streams that could help sustain their local journalism in the future.

The Standard is one of those newspapers.

Last year, the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation was formed as a public charity to raise funds to help ensure that our community won’t become the next news desert. The Foundation is dedicated primarily to preserving the Standard and its role in informing citizens and supporting democracy in our area well into the future. We’re not trying to merely keep some semblance of a diminished newspaper alive here. We’re trying to preserve a good, trustworthy, 171-year-old purveyor of local news and information (both in print and digital formats) that our community can continue to rely upon and be proud of. We believe that having fair-minded, professionally produced local journalism is extremely important to maintaining the quality of life here.

And we are not alone in this effort. There are still businesses here that help pay for your local journalism with their advertising in the Standard and its ancillary publications. Any business or organization that advertises is doing more than just promoting a service, sale or event – it is also showing you that it cares about this community, that it wants a thriving, strong democracy here.

The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation has a board made up of a small cadre of local residents who fully recognize and appreciate the value the Standard provides. Of course, Phil Camp and I are on the board too. We are extremely fortunate to have these board partners in the trenches with us as we chart the path forward.

Increasingly, though, we’re finding that those who care most deeply about our community are the same ones taking action to also care for its journalism. Some newspapers in the U.S. have been fortunate to have a rich owner – such as Jeff Bezos at the Washington Post or John Henry at the Boston Globe. Those owners are doing a fine job of sustaining quality journalism in their metropolitan areas. But here, we’ve got our own benefactors who are largely responsible for why the Standard is still alive. I’ve found that these wonderful, caring people fall into three categories.

First, we have a sizable group of very kind donors who truly appreciate the important role local journalism plays in our community and they step up to take part in our annual appeals each year. Their donations vary in size from a modest amount to hundreds of dollars. We couldn’t be more grateful to these supporters. Our hearts leap a little each time we open their envelopes or receive notice of their credit card contribution. Their donations add up to a significant amount that has literally sustained our journalism. We simply could not keep going without you. We regard each donation we receive not only as sustenance but also a pat on the back that encourages us to “keep trying, keep going.” And we will.

We also have a smaller number of major donors who dig deep and send us large donations that make a very big difference for us. Their donations go a long way in helping us make ends meet – some of their individual contributions alone can pay a substantial bill or help supplement our cash flow during the slowest advertising times of the year. These very generous donors have an outsized influence on our ability to provide the community with quality journalism. Rest assured, we know each of you by name and we count our blessings each day to have you on our side.

And speaking of blessings, we also have a select few who have literally taken on this mission, shoulder-to-shoulder, with Phil and me and the Foundation board. These donors are guardian angels for our community who have done some very heavy lifting, providing substantial funds to help us not only survive for today but also to strengthen our organization so that we can build the new revenue streams we need to sustain us in the future. I can assure you that there would not be a Standard today for you to read without their extremely generous assistance. Some of these friends also help us spread our message and encourage others to support us. We really have no words to adequately express our gratitude to them – we’re simply astonished at the love they’ve shown to us and to this community.

We sincerely hope you’ll join us in this year’s 2024 annual appeal. And for those who have a family foundation, we hope you’ll consider adding the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation to the worthwhile causes you regularly support.

The Foundation is a public charity so your gift will be fully tax-deductible.

Your donation will be utilized in the form of project grants to support the Vermont Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance.

Our need is quite urgent, to say the least. We are profoundly grateful for anything you can do to help us with this mission.

If you’re willing to make a tax-deductible donation to our 2024 Annual Appeal, please send a check to PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at www.thevermontstandard.com to make a contribution with your credit card. Be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.”

By Dan Cotter, publisher

A huge sigh of relief and a fist pump were my first reactions, as well as a gaze skyward as I mouthed the words “thank you!” The tears welling up in my older friend’s eyes were his response when I told him.

Then we shared a long, hard hug.

After lots of research and preparation, and then six months of waiting for the application to be processed, Phil Camp and I recently learned that the IRS has approved the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation’s application for tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) and deemed the Foundation to be a public charity.

The approval wasn’t in much doubt, really. But now it’s official.

The Foundation was established last August and it is primarily dedicated to preserving the Vermont Standard and its role in informing citizens and supporting democracy in our area well into the future. The Foundation has a board made up of local residents who care deeply about our community and the value local journalism provides. Phil and I are on the board too. Together, we’re working to keep the 171-year-old Vermont Standard going while taking steps to position the paper’s print and digital journalism for long-term sustainability.

Recognizing the critical role the Standard plays in informing and connecting our community, this Foundation wants to avoid letting our area become a “news desert,” as has happened in hundreds of other places throughout the US in recent years. Newspapers like the Standard are currently dying off at a pace of 2.5 per week. Nor do we want to end up like the hundreds of cities and towns where profit-seeking corporations that have no devotion to the public welfare have acquired their local paper and stripped it of its resources, to the point that it is only a pathetic shadow of its former self and incapable of doing its job.

Providing accurate, credible, reliable news and information to its audience is a local news organization’s primary role. A functioning democracy requires an informed, engaged public. The Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation’s board members, advisors and friends will help Phil and I in our mission to raise enough money to keep quality journalism flowing here.

So, I’m glad to report that any donation you’ve made to the Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation to support the Standard’s mission to inform, connect, and educate our community on issues of public importance is indeed tax-deductible dating back to the inception of the Foundation in late August 2023, as all donations will be going forward.

At 88 years old, Phil feels a real sense of urgency about making sure that our community will always have local journalism – especially given the 40+ years he’s dedicated to leading the paper and his unrivaled love for Woodstock and its surrounding towns. We know we’re in a race against the clock. But now, with the Foundation’s charity status and your tax deduction confirmed, we hope there will be even more support from donors and family foundations that will help us accomplish this very important mission.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your encouragement and generosity. If you would like to contribute to our Annual Appeal, please send us a check at PO Box 88, Woodstock, VT 05091, or go to our Vermont Standard THIS WEEK website at https://thevermontstandard.com/annual-appeal/ to make a contribution with your credit card. Please be sure to make your check out to the “Woodstock Region Journalism Foundation.”

“View From Here”

By Sandy Gilmour, Woodstock resident

If you are reading this column right now, that’s good news for the community. It means you probably paid for this paper, hard copy or online, maybe even made a donation to it, and value its contribution to our lives in Woodstock and surrounding areas. We are so fortunate to have the Vermont Standard week in and week out. For years, small-town dailies and weeklies have been closing their doors, leaving communities without a soul. Papers like the Standard are dying off at the rate of two per week across America. 

Such towns are called “news deserts.” Imagine weeks, months and years going by with no professional reporting on selectboards, trustees, school boards, taxes and roads. Zero stories about public school events, sports, student accomplishments, obituaries, gardening tips, neighborly cooking advice, local history, and no reports from towns from Brownsville to Pomfret. 

We would know next to nothing about the interminable Peace Field Farm restaurant delay, the Ottauquechee Trail head fiasco, the high-stakes Woodstock Foundation controversy and the fatal shooting off Central Street, including the bravery of Woodstock Police Sgt. Joe Swanson. In my view, these stories have been really well reported. 

To not get these stories delivered to us every week would be a news desert right in verdant Woodstock, for sure, a gaping hole left to be filled by rumor and mis- and dis-information, the precursors of community dissolution. So we are blessed indeed to have had the Vermont Standard around — nonstop — since 1853, and owned by beloved Woodstocker Phil Camp, now 87, since 1981. 

But as Mr. Camp has pointed out many times over the years, the paper’s solvency hangs on a thread and now more than ever. In hundreds of towns across America, owners, beleaguered by losing subscribers and advertising to social media, simply folded or sold out to hedge funds and private equity firms, whose investors are bereft of community values. Not Phil Camp. He has always said, “I never sold out. I’m never giving up.” He made up for past deficits (difference between expenses, like staff, and income from subscriptions and ads) out of company savings from better times, week after week. He stayed with it after being flooded out by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and being burned out by the Central Street fire of 2018 (taking out his camera and snapping photos of the flames and rubble).

The paper was in dire straits when COVID hit, saved by the forgiven federal PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loans through 2021, when the largesse ended. Then beginning in January 2022, the community stepped up, responding to a fundraising appeal. I was rather stunned to learn from the Standard’s publisher, Dan Cotter, that the paper’s annual shortfall of $150,000-$200,000 is being covered by donations from local Woodstock residents. There are many (and appreciated) donations in the $50-$100-$200 range, but really heavy lifting is being done by donors of means who, Mr. Cotter says, highly value the contribution local journalism makes to communities. Several of these more-than-generous and anonymous donors contribute $20-25,000 and more — each — and, Mr. Cotter says, without any hint of trying to influence coverage. Without them, surely there would be no Vermont Standard in the mailbox or online, just the unreliable grapevine. At the same time, the paper is moving to create other revenue streams, including an online advertising app for Woodstock happenings and a magazine, in addition to improving thevermontstandard.com website for go-to news. 

Still, the operation is bare bones. It seems to me a miracle the paper “hits the streets” without fail every Thursday with some pretty good and important stories that we need to know about, and many features that are good to know about. And there are just two, count them, two, full-time staffers who report stories: the seasoned and prolific Tom Ayres, and Tess Hunter, who is also the managing editor. Ms. Hunter says reporter staffing is the big issue; she has on hand freelance contract reporters that can be assigned to stories if they are available and if they want to spend the evening at yet another unexciting if important selectboard meeting. “It’s a constant juggling act,” Ms. Hunter told me, “between finding the right person for the story and just getting people to say ‘yes.’” Still, she is committed, saying, “Without us making the attempt, there would be no common base of understanding and little sense of the community spirit of the area or the hard news happening within it.”

Volunteer contributors are crucial; regular community writers like Jennifer Falvey (insightful musings on life) and Kurt Stauder (pointed political observations) are popular. Mary Lee Camp’s business column is relentlessly informative. 

Other key staff are listed in the box below — lean and spare!

Publisher and editorial content director Dan Cotter, 64, hired by Mr. Camp in 2018 after years of informal consulting for the Standard, is not a household name in Woodstock, though he is hands-on every issue. He owns a condo in the area and is here about half the month, returning to his home and wife in Chicago for the remainder. He has decades in the industry as an executive and consultant, was head of the New England Newspaper and Press Association, and takes a no-nonsense hard line on newspaper independence and objectivity. It’s an unusual situation but Mr. Camp, still the president of the company, has total confidence in Mr. Cotter and has turned over the Vermont Standard, its operation, assets and its future, to his close friend. Mr. Camp has indeed not “given up,” but hopes to ensure his dear newspaper’s future with this arrangement. 

So where does the Standard go now? Around the country, journalists are reinventing newspapers and online reporting. The most promising seems to be the non-profit model, where deductible contributions from community-minded supporters can be made even as the publication accepts subscription fees and what advertising there is left. There are indications that the Standard is moving in this direction, and the sooner the better, in my view. When I pressed Publisher Cotter on the issue, he responded with this very encouraging comment: 

“In the past couple of years, members of the community have literally kept the Standard alive with their donations — and a handful of them have given very substantial sums, even without the benefit of a tax break. That’s how much they value the role our local journalism plays in the quality of life in our area. We are working now to put the paper on a path to where donors could indeed have a tax benefit. For it is essential to our democracy and our own survival that we have the financial support we need from the community to maintain a news organization — modest as it is — that’s capable of producing good local journalism that adequately informs our citizens.”

I can’t imagine Woodstock without the Vermont Standard. The new business model provides great hope the paper will not only survive but as a Woodstock-based non-profit, continue to expand coverage to benefit all of us in this great community. 

Note: This (unpaid) column originated with me alone! 

Sandy Gilmour is a retired NBC News correspondent who lives in Woodstock.

Throughout the country newspapers are in a fight for their lives.          Here too.

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