Profiles
A Walk to Remember: Harris Webster, Citizen Advocate
by Joyce Kahn Harris Webster, a citizen advocate, is a man who wears two large hats. As a member of Montpelier’s Unitarian Church, which is part of Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA) a faith-based advocacy coalition, Webster has been a leader in getting the city to fix Montpelier’s sidewalks. This work led to City Council’s establishment [...]
Renovators Share Tips for Home Owners
The Bridge sat down with three home renovators, Mark Billian, Brian Abbott, and Stephen Gilmore, to ask them about their work, and their views on construction, home repair and renovation. Mark Billian has been in the business for nine years, after leaving the field of information technology. His hankering to work in construction began when [...]
Elliot Morse: Fire Engines Sunk in the Mud
by Nat Frothingham Not May this year but May 2014, Elliot Morse will have served for 50 years as a volunteer with the East Montpelier Fire Department According to Morse, 1964 was a momentous year in his life. “There were three big things that happened in that year,” he said. “We got married,” said Morse [...]
Allen Soule: Remembering Mud Season in the 1920s
by Nat Frothingham At 89, Calais resident Allen Soule can take a deep look back at what mud season was like in Vermont in the late 1920s. When Soule greeted me a few days ago at the front door of his homestead out on Max Gray Road, it was early spring, and he was dressed [...]
Louise Frazier: A Local Treasure of Food Lore
by Gail England Have you ever noticed that sometimes you set out in one direction and end up in a completely different place than expected? This is one of those stories. As a member of Transition Town Montpelier, I’ve been looking for ways to build a sustainable, resilient local food system that meets my needs [...]
Cultivating Gratitude: Joey Klein and Betsy Ziegler of Littlewood Farm
by Sylvia Fagin Some pundits have said that “farmers are the new rock stars.” Successful local food movements across the country and the seemingly exponential increase of farm-to-table restaurants have turned farmers into heroes in some circles. Interest in farm internships is on the rise, and a crop of young farmers is cultivating a new [...]
Edgerly Walsh Talks About Downtown Accessibility, Affordable Housing
by Bob Nuner Jessica Edgerly Walsh says her priorities and interests haven’t changed since being elected to City Council, but, she laughs, “I think maybe my time lines have altered a little bit.” Her priorities had included the improvement of access to downtown Montpelier for residents of her District 3, across the river from State [...]
An Interview with Martin Pincus: Medicine at Its Best and Proactive Self-Care
by Joyce Kahn Martin Pincus is a lucky man. He is lucky to be alive and walking. In October 2012, Martin, a 74-year-old longtime local yoga teacher who lives alone in Middlesex, awoke during the middle of the night, headed for the bathroom and suddenly experienced himself flying through the air. In the few seconds [...]
Meet the Candidates for City Council and School Board
For City Council, District 1 Thomas J. Golonka I want to thank the residents of District 1 for entrusting me with another two-year term as their city councilor. Over the past eight years I have been honored to assist the successive councils and city manager in making Montpelier a better place to live, work and raise [...]
The Sleeping Bear Project: A Granite Bear May Soon Be Snoozing in Hubbard Park
by Nat Frothingham In recent days, Calais sculptor Chris Miller visited The Bridge and talked about a new project—taking a slab of Barre granite and creating a sleeping bear for children to enjoy in Montpelier’s Hubbard Park. The Bridge spoke with Miller about his project. Your enthusiasm for sculpture: How did you get started? How [...]