Vermont Days offered admission to all state parks free recently. Visitors and residents enjoys the amenities that Silver Lake in Barnard had to offer.
Rick Russell Photos

A portion of these photos first appeared in the June 20, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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BARNARD — A graveside service will be held on June 19, at 1 p.m. at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Randolph for Marjorie Southgate Vail, 88, who died June 8 at the Mertens House in Woodstock.
Marjorie was born on March 11, 1925, daughter of Fred Mason and Nora (Vaughan) Southgate in Burlington.
Marjorie graduated from Woodstock High School in 1943 and from Northampton Commercial College in June of 1945.
She married Morgan Vail on Sept. 11, 1948.
Marjorie worked for the library at Smith College and at the Norman Williams Library in Woodstock for 30 years. Following her career at the library she worked for the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce.
Marjorie was a member of and involved in: Woodstock Ski Runners, Glad Rags, the Silver Lake Progressive Club, the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (R.S.V.P.), and many other community programs.
Marjorie enjoyed many years of skiing and tennis.
Marjorie is survived by three children; Natalie Vail of White River Jct, Laurel and her husband Erik Tobiason of Barnard and Morgan and his wife Sheri Vail of Basalt, Colo. and two grandchildren Justin and Crosby.
She was predeceased by her husband Morgan on Sept. 23, 2011.
Memorial donations may be made to the Norman Williams Library, 10 South Park Street, Woodstock, VT 05091.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cabot Funeral Home in Woodstock. Condolences may be offered by visiting cabotfh.com

The official ribbon cutting for the Barnard General Store was attended by residents and guests as well as Governor Peter Shumlin.
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A portion of these photos first appeared in the June 6, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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Barnard General Store Ribbon Cutting
The official ribbon cutting for the Barnard General Store was attended by residents and guests as well as Governor Peter Shumlin.
Rick Russell Videos

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Video submitted by Bartlett Forestry & Wildlife, LLC

Fox pups were filmed in the hills in Woodstock in late May,

A bobcat was recently caught on camera by using a Turkey carcass at a known cat crossing near Lakota Lake. The camera was set up just for cat picture. It took 12 days.

Kids take advantage of the warm weather over the weekend on Silver Lake in Barnard.
Rick Russell Videos

On Saturday, June 1st at 11 a.m., the Barnard Community Trust, together with Joe Minerva and Jillian Bradley, will be holding a ribbon cutting to celebrate the official opening of the Barnard General Store. Governor Peter Shumlin will be in attendance.

Take a look at related stories/ video.

Meet Joe and Jillian

BGS Signed Over To Community Trust

VIDEO: What does the BGS Mean to you… (Dec. 2012)

Porgy and Bess, BarnArt Performance
BarnArts Center for the Arts held two concert performances of the George Gershwin’s Folk Opera Porgy and Bess last weekend at the First Universalist Church in Barnard.
Linda Treash Photos

BarnArts Center for the Arts will present the American folk opera Porgy and Bess in concert, at 7 p.m. on May 17 and 18 at Barnard’s First Universalist Church.

First performed in 1935, this work is the collaboration of George Gershwin and Dubose Heyward. Gershwin’s heartbreaking score and Heyward’s spirited libretto reveal the lives of Catfish Row, Charleston, S.C.’s African-American community in the 1920s. Cab Calloway and Leontyne Price are among the many musical notables who have played starring roles in this American classic. The production which draws it principal singers from Manhattan and Philadelphia will include Jasmine Thomas, Cameron Bernard Jones, Laurice Kennel, Barry Robinson, Tesia Kwarteng, Ken Alston Jr., Alexandra Smith and Ernest Jackson.

The ensemble supporting such memorable songs as “Summertime” and “I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin” include Julie Groppe, Anne Dean, Susan Malerich, Yael Taylor, Diane Root, Tambrey Vutech, John Marshall, Steven Hiller, Benjamin Pauly and Michael Denmeade. The show is directed by BarnArts Center for the Arts’ Artistic Director Jarvis Green and Andy Robinson. Seating is limited and reservations are highly suggested. For reservations please call: (802) 332-6020. For more information go to www.barnarts.org, or email info@barnarts.org.

Staff Report

A proposed helipad project at a Barnard farm has been canceled, according to an email sent from the farm’s general manager to the Barnard zoning administrator.

Monsalvat Farm owner John J. Noffo-Kahn told his general manager, Kevin Lessard, the project was off Wednesday morning. The “overall aggravation” from the permit process and appeals from residents contributed to the decision, said Lessard in the email he sent to Barnard zoning administrator Preston Bristow.

Noffo-Kahn wanted to build a 50-by-50-foot concrete surface near his $18 million estate on Francis Road mostly for personal use. The project faced opposition from neighbors and residents, who unsuccessfully appealed the town’s development review board last week to curb the project.

The development review board ruled in favor of Noffo-Kahn, saying there was nothing in the Barnard zoning regulations that prohibited the project.

Standard correspondent Virginia Dean contributed to this report.

      Concerned residents tour the site of a proposed helipad at a Barnard farm on April 25. The project has been called off by the farm’s owner. (Virginia Dean Photo)

Spring Cleaning At  The Barnard General Store
Saturday April 27 at BGS
10:00 AM
Please bring your rakes, shovels, plastic bags and other clean up tools to help clean the grounds of the BGS.
 

(This story was first published in the April 4, 2013 edition of the Vermont Standard.)

By Katy Savage
Standard Correspondent
Randy and Lisa Robar began dairy farming two years ago with one cow. Without a barn or enough land, they kept Sophie in their garage.

Kiss the Cow Farm now has 13 cows that produce raw, organic milk at a once-abandoned dairy farm in East Barnard. It’s small and not too profitable, but, for Randy, farming is a lifestyle.

“Nobody (farms) to make money because you probably aren’t going to make money,” Randy said. “All those chores aren’t chores, they’re just part of the daily life routine.”

Perhaps the hardest part in launching a dairy farm isn’t finding customers; it’s the start-up costs. Vermont law prohibits dairy farmers from selling their product in stores without a certified production facility, which can cost thousands, Randy said.

“The biggest challenge is trying to sell the food we grow,” said Randy. “There are plenty of people willing to purchase it, but I’m not legally allowed to sell it.”

But the Robars have dreams of making farming a career. They want to produce cheese.

Learning to farm
When Lisa and Randy moved to an apartment in Barnard to escape the Boston suburbs, they wanted to farm but didn’t know how. By chance, the apartment they rented was owned by longtime farmer Joe LaDouceur.

Lisa signed LaDouceur’s lease with one request: He teach Randy how to farm.

Nearly everyday for two years, Randy followed LaDouceur around Bowman Road Farm, learning about grazing, fencing, farm infrastructure and how to start an old truck that’s been sitting in the field for years.

“(Randy) had that heavy desire,” said LaDouceur. “If you don’t have that heavy desire, I don’t care if you’re a zillionaire; you aren’t going to be a farmer. You have to be willing to work and not make big income.”

LaDouceur, 75, started farming in the 1970s and uses his knowledge to mentor those who have never farmed.

“I have a mission,” said LaDouceur. “I have been doing this a long time and I’ve seen a lot of farms go out of business. I want to see new people coming back. Randy and Lisa, when they came to town, they wanted to farm. I’m pretty proud of what they’re doing. They’ve gotten right into it now.”

The number of dairy farms in Vermont has been declining since 1980, according to vermontdairy. com. There are 42 dairy farms in Windsor County currently and 995 in the entire state, a decrease of 36 percent since 2000.

Much has changed since LaDouceur began farming.
“There used to be a lot of nice little farms and we all helped each other out,” said LaDouceur. “All of those farmers helped me out a lot. But now they’re all gone. That’s why it’s nice to see (Randy and Lisa); maybe the valley will come back.”

LaDouceur said it’s not easy to make a living farming. Those who farm do it because they love it.

“Some people play golf, some go bowling,” said LaDouceur. “They practice (those sports) because they like to, not to make money. Other people are addicted to farming. It’s like a disease.”

And, Randy, it seems, has caught the farming bug.
“(Randy) reads a lot and studies a lot,” LaDouceur said. “He doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. That’s why I think he’ll be a good [farmer]. He’s very meticulous; really in to getting things right.”

A farming future?
The Robars don’t have to go grocery shopping often — Lisa has successfully experimented making yogurt, soft cheese, butter and sour cream with her raw milk.

She is currently a music teacher at Woodstock Union High School, but farming has “bitten (her) life completely,” she said. She wants to join Randy and farm full-time.

Within the next couple years, the Robars hope to purchase more cows and start producing cheese, and maybe someday other dairy products.

But whether he makes money or not, Randy is happy doing what he’s doing.

“At the end of the day, the work I do is visible,” he said. “It’s not like paperwork and email. I spent too many years doing that sort of work.”

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The sixth graders from the Barnard Academy held a fundraising Hoedown.
Charles Kahn Photos

A portion of these photo first appeared in the April 18, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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Authorities are now reporting at least 134 injured and two dead in this afternoon’s two explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. One of those dead was an eight-year-old child, according to CNN.
Race organizers issued the following statement this evening:
“The Boston Athletic Association extends its deepest sympathies to all those who were affected in any way by todays events.
Today is a sad day for the City of Boston, for the running community, and for all those who were here to enjoy the 117th running of the Boston Marathon. What was intended to be a day of joy …and celebration quickly became a day in which running a marathon was of little importance.
We can confirm that all of the remaining runners who were out on the course when the tragic events unfolded have been returned to a community meeting area….we would like to thank the countless people from around the world who have reached out to support us today.”

Barnard Academy held its final S.O.S. performance of the year on Friday afternoon, a biannual event in which the students “Show Our Stuff” for parents and friends. S.O.S. allows each student to demonstrate a talent alone or in groups and each class also performs a song or dance related to class work.
Linda Treash Photos

A portion of these photo first appeared in the April 11, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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BARNARD — A memorial celebration (written by Ron) for Ronald A. Leonard, 71, who died April 7 at his home in Barnard will be held on Saturday, April 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the Universalist Church. Rev. Daniel Jantos presiding. There will be a gathering at the Prosper Community House following the service. At Ron’s request there will be no calling hours.
Ron was born Dec. 26, 1941, the sixth son of Richard, Sr. and Marietta (Billings) Leonard of North Pomfret and Woodstock.
He graduated from Woodstock Union High School, Class of 1959 and Yankton College in 1964.
Ron was married to Martha Burgess in 1968.
He had been employed by the Vermont National Bank, Murphy Equipment, Billings Dairy, Leonard’s Gas & Electric, and Quality Premium Audit Specialists.
He is survived by his wife Martha; one daughter Sherry; one son John and his wife Sabrina; two grandsons Damion and Logan; one granddaughter Kendall; and three brothers Richard, Everett and twin brother Rod.
He was predeceased by his parents; and two brothers Gordon and Wendall.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to; the Upper Valley Haven, 713 Hartford Ave., White River Jct., 05001 or to VNA & Hospice of VT & NH, P.O. Box 976, White River Jct., 05001.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cabot Funeral Home. Condolences may be offered by visiting cabotfh.com

This obituary first appeared in the April 11, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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Maple Sugaring – (Watch the video)
Elementary Schools in Pomfret and Barnard engage their classroom in outdoor lessons on the process of sugaring. Top Acres Farm in South Woodstock was among those holding their open house this weekend.
Rick Russell Photos

A portion of these photo first appeared in the March 28, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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Baby Goats In Barnard
Barnard Acadamy kids from pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd and 4th graders paid a visit to One Chicken at a Time Farm in Barnard.
Rick Russell Photos

A portion of these photo first appeared in the March 28, 2013 print edition of the Vermont Standard.

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Elementary Schools in Pomfret and Barnard engage their classroom in outdoor lessons on the process of sugaring. Top Acres Farm in South Woodstock was among those holding their open house this weekend.

(Take a look at the photo gallery from this event.)

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If you have video you would like to share with the Standard, send your link or video to webmaster@thevermontstandard.com

State police are warning residents of the Bethel and Barnard area about a scam involving rental properties on Craigslist.

Police say someone is posing as an owner of Barnard home, asking for a rental deposit through Western Union. The person then claims they’ll send renters a key upon receipt of the deposit.

Police warn renters not to send money to anyone before seeing or gaining access to a rental property.

This is a recurring scam in the Barnard area, according to police, who advise renters to use caution when it comes to online rental ads.