Rutland Herald Community News

Jun 23, 2023

The sixth annual Benson’s Chevy Cruise-In will be held Friday, Aug. 18, in Ludlow.

AROUND TOWN

LUDLOW — Benson’s Chevrolet and Okemo Valley Chamber invites participants for the sixth annual Benson’s Chevy Cruise-In from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25, at 25 Pond St. in Ludlow village. The Cruise-In is an opportunity to showcase your classic car or truck. Refreshments will also be available.

The event will be held the night before to kick off the Best of Vermont Summer Festival scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26 and 27, at Okemo Field, Route 103 in Ludlow. This year, festival gate proceeds will be designated for the Okemo Valley Disaster Relief Fund. Visit www.yourplaceinvermont.com/best-of-vermont-summer-festival for more information.

ORWELL — Meg Madden will lead another mushroom exploration walk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Mount Independence State Historic Site, nearly the end of Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersections of Routes 22A and 73 near Orwell village. Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. Reserve your space by calling ahead 802-948-2000. Admission is $8 for adults, $1 ages 6 to 14, and free for children under 6.

GRANVILLE, N.Y. — Author and historian Marty Podskoch will give a talk, “Vermont Civilian Conservation Camps: History, Memories and Legacy,” at 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at Slate Valley Museum, 17 Water St. in Granville. Admission is $10 per person, but members of the museum may attend for free.

Under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” to relieve the poverty and unemployment of the Great Depression, Civilian Conservation Corps camps were set up in many Vermont towns, state parks and forests. Workers built trails, roads, campsites, dams, stocked fish, built and maintained fire tower observer cabins and telephone lines, fought fires, and planted millions of trees. The CCC disbanded in 1942 in response to the need for men in World War II.

There were approximately 30 Vermont towns with camps: Barre, Bethel, Brunswick, East Burke, Colchester, Danby, Elmore, Groton, Jericho, Ludlow, Marshfield, Mendon, Middlesex, Milton, Montpelier, Northfield, Peru, Plymouth, Poultney, Rochester, Bellows Falls, Sharon, Shrewsbury, St. Albans, Stowe/Moscow, Thetford, Underhill, Waterbury, West Burke, Weston, Wilmington and Windsor.

FEMA has opened several Disaster Recovery Centers throughout Vermont to provide assistance for physical damage from recent storms and flooding for homeowners, renters, private nonprofits and businesses. Guidelines include:

— FEMA is supporting and coordinating with the state to help kickstart recovery and meet immediate needs after a disaster, not to bring residents back to their pre-disaster condition.

— FEMA encourages people to apply for assistance. To find out what you may be eligible for, visit a Disaster Recovery Center for in-person help, where FEMA specialists can assist with applications, answer questions, and provide referrals to resources. To find a center near you, visit fema.gov/drc; visit DisasterAssistance.gov; download the FEMA App; or call 800-621-3362. Language translation services are available.

— The money FEMA provides to disaster survivors are grants, and do not have to be repaid.

— Deadline to apply for FEMA Disaster Assistance is Sept. 12.

— FEMA Disaster Assistance will not affect benefits from other federal programs and is not considered taxable income.

BUSINESS

The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program announces its 2023 grant awards to working lands entrepreneurs, totaling $897,607.09 to support businesses improvements and improve water quality.

This year, 22 farmers were awarded $755,041.50 to invest in on-farm capital improvements that enhance water quality. Additionally, 16 farm and forest businesses were awarded $142,559.59 to complete projects that support business development and viability.

2023 Water Quality Grant Awards:

— Boyden Farm, Cambridge, $40,000 for a no-till planter with banding fertilizer system.

— Bridgeman View Farm, Franklin, $40,000 for a feed bunk.

— Bryce Farm Inc., Cambridge, $40,000 for a silage bunk, barnyard and lined pit.

— Cornerstone Dairy LLC, Barton, $40,000 for a manure injection system.

— Four Girls Dairy, Fairfield, $40,000 for a hay merger.

— John & Tammy Thibeault, Irasburg, $40,000 for a waste storage structure.

— L.F. Hurtubise and Sons Inc., Richford, $40,000 for a dragline system.

— McGarry Dairy, Enosburg, $30,175.00 for silage drainage.

— Morin Farm, Derby, $40,000 for manure storage.

— Nelson Farms VT LLC, Irasburg, $21,080.68 for a no-till drill.

— Rainville Bros. Dairy LLC, Enosburg, $40,000 for a feed storage pad.

— Richville Farms, Whiting, 40,000 for a replacement hoop barn.

— Riverview Dairy, LLC, Franklin, $40,000 for feed storage.

— Rogers Farmstead, Berlin, $40,000 for a composting manure storage barn.

— Sanders VI LLC, Swanton, $40,000 for cover cropping equipment.

— Sawmill Brook Farm, Greensboro, $40,000 for a covered barnyard & manure storage.

— Shadagee Farm, Craftsbury, $15,125 for manure loading modifications.

— SVTFarm, Wells, 17,009 for winter livestock shelter and compost site.

— Sykes Hollow Land and Livestock, Pawlet, $11,651.82 for organic fertilizer equipment.

— Sylvain Farm LLC, St. Johnsbury, $40,000 for a manure management system.

— Taconic End Dairy, Leicester, $25,000 for a dairy bedded pack system.

— Wolf Ridge Dairy, Alburgh, $35,000 for a no-till drill.

2023 Implementation Grant Awards

— Hunger Moon Farm, Enosburg Falls, $10,000 for laying flock winter housing.

— Mama’s Farm, Williston, $10,000 for a slaughterhouse and hoop barn.

— Cobble Creek Nursery, Bristol, $10,000 for a Brillion sure-stand seeder.

— Hillside Farm & Pearce’s Pastured Poultry, West Glover, $6,787 for poultry infrastructure and farm store set-up.

— The Goat Project, Bennington, $9,301 for milking system upgrade and cheese-making education.

— Dorset Peak Jerseys, Danby, $10,000 for cow to sheep infrastructure retrofit.

— Levy Lamb LLC, West Pawlet, $10,000 for a sheep handling system.

— Maple Cedar View Farm, Derby Line, $10,000 for a dairy parlor and loose storage.

— Leaping Bear Farm, Putney, $10,000 for poultry processing equipment.

— Gevry Firewood LLC, Addison, $10,000 for firewood processor electrification.

— Stella14 Wines, Cambridge, $9,621.59 for wine processing infrastructure.

— Endless Tracks LLC, Jeffersonville, $5,834 for a log grapple.

— VT Vineyards, Underhill, $8,074 for vineyard efficiency equipment.

— Trout Lily Forestry Services LLC, Westford, $6,794 for maple tubing installation.

— Fort Waite Farm, Corinth, $8,074 for feed bunk efficiency.

— Dhaurali Goats, Colchester, $8,074 for chicken slaughter facility repair.

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