Photos by Nanci Blog

The Vermont State Arborist's report has been uploaded to the VTrans website. "Signs of Decay and Failure" Report Link :  https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/highway/documents/environmental/Tenney%20Sugar%20Maple_Ascutny%20Park%20and%20Ride_Arborist%20Assessment_20191030.pdf The tree was evaluated in March 2019 and the report sent to the arborist on Sept. 16, 2019. The Weathersfield select board heard about the tree removal at their Oct. 21  2019 meeting. Scott Hance, ISA Certified Arborist #NE-7101A Arborist, with EIV Technical Services wrote: "This tree is at the end of a long life and due to the location should be removed. I recommend that the surrounding parking spots under the tree be blocked off from use to reduce risk to patrons of the Ascutney (sic) park and ride, and to prevent damage to personal property." His report shows a few photos taken in March of the tree at that time.  If anyone has received word of the actual removal da...

TONIGHT-Tenney Maple Tree Removal Meeting Oct. 29 6 PM The maple tree in 1964 (on the right) Weathersfield Historical Society photo. The maple tree now. The State of Vermont is holding a public meeting to get input on how best to honor Romaine Tenney, the Ascutney farmer who wouldn't yield to the interstate highway system. (See related  articles:   https://herecast.us/984556   https://herecast.us/984710 ) Murder Mystery Weekends and Saturday Night Dinners The Hartness House, 30 Orchard Street  in Springfield,   is hosting two Murder Mystery Weekends :  November 1-3 and November 8-10. Guests assume the roles of the suspects, murderers and even the victims. (I attended one earlier this year and it was so much fun! https://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard/January-2019/Murder-Mystery-Dinner/ ) The weekends include: Friday night welcome dessert reception, breakfast Saturday and awards breakfast on Sunday and a five course...

Tenney Family Members and Weathersfield Residents  Ask VTrans to Trim Not Cut Down The Tree Update-10/30 8:45 a.m. VPR live call today at noon more info:  https://www.vpr.org/post/interstates-burning-farms-eminent-domain-remembering-romaine-tenney#stream/0 With a few members of Romaine Tenney's family in the audience, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) hosted a meeting at the Ascutney Volunteer Fire Station in Ascutney to gather ideas about how best to honor the Ascutney farmer who refused to leave his farm when Interstate 91 arrived in his dooryard in 1964. Agency of Transportation Historic Preservationist Kyle Obenauer reported that the State arborist found that the maple tree is in a "serious state of decline." (The tree on the right side of this Weathersfield Society archive photo shows the maple a short time before the the Tenney fire.) The back of the tree has a large cavity that has some mushroom like growths on it called fruiting bodies. ...

  Agency of Transportation seeks community’s ideas to memorialize Vermont farmer   A maple  tree that has stood for more than a century on the former Tenney family farm in  Ascutney is dying and will soon be removed for safety reasons by the Vermont  Agency of Transportation (AOT), which owns the land.  “The tree has long stood as a  symbol and a reminder of Romaine Tenney, his farm, and the broader impact that  interstate construction had on  interstate construction had on the ways  people travel, live, and work throughout Vermont.” said AOT Historic  Preservation Specialist Kyle Obenauer. “We want to honor Mr. Tenney in a  thoughtful, respectful manner that also reflects the community’s wishes.”  Photo courtesy of the Weatherfield Historical Society Tree on the right is the tree in question Tenney did not wish to yield  his land, home, and farm to state officials who sought to take it under emin...

As Experienced by Two Witches and A Cat Who Doesn't LOVE Halloween?  As adults, I think we lose some of the childhood fun mechanisms inside us because of the constraints of work and family, blah, blah blaaaah. My friends and I said NO to that concept and headed to Salem MA this past weekend for a little recapturing of our childlike spirit. Salem, MA the home of the original America Witch Trials (well actually Danvers, MA)  -I say American because Europeans had been killing "witches" for a long time before 1692 rolled around in Salem. Read more about the Salem Witch trials. To get our feet wet we toured the city with the Salem Night Tours to get the lay of the land, so to speak. These tours are walking tours and our guide was very knowledgeable about the city and witches in general. We hit most of the famous landmarks.   Bewitched Statue After the tour we time traveled back to our current century, and made our way to  Gula Gula Cafe  t...

It was revealed to the Weathersfield select board on Monday night  that the State of Vermont wants to hold a  public meeting to inform the Town of Weathersfield of State's decision to cut down a large maple  tree near the Park and Ride at Exit 8 in Ascutney.  The meeting is  tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Ascutney Fire Station on Tuesday, October 29. This maple tree is located on the former Romaine Tenney property. (See my related story about Romaine Tenney and Ben Fuller's new song "Spark"  https://herecast.us/984175 ) Some people in town have expressed concern about this decision to cut down the tree. If you have an opinion you should plan to attend the meeting next Tuesday night. Read more from my original Romaine Tenney blog:  https://photosbynanci.blogspot.com/2016/09/romaine-tenney-celebration-huge-success.html   Chief Spaudling remembers Romaine Tenney   Nancy Nutile-McMenemy is an Upper Valley ...

Halloween is Just Around the Corner... Trunk or Treat Oct. 26 4th Annual Trunk or Treat hosted by the Weathersfield Proctor Library, Town of Weathersfield and Parks & Recreation will be held at Hoisington Field in Perkinsville,VT on Oct. 26 from 4:30pm - 5:30pm. Come and have fun by decorating your car, and handing out treats to all the ghouls and ghosts (aka children) in the neighborhood.  There is no theme-just the spirit of the holiday. Please contact the library at 802-674-2863 if you're interested in participating in this great town event. Bring your Ghouls and Ghosts of all ages if you dare... White River Junction Gory Daze Halloween Parade Oct. 26.   Costume parade in downtown WRJ led by the Celebration Brass Band. The parade starts at Hartford Town Hall (171 Bridge St.) crosses the river and ends at Briggs Park in center of WRJ. More info. visit  GORY DAZE .  You can also make a donation to help fund the festivities: DONATE Maple Tree...

Come hear all about Coyotes in Vermont. T he Weathersfield Conservation Commission is hosting Kim Royar and Dr. David Pearson at the  Weathersfield Center Meeting House on  Tuesday, October 22, 2019 beginning at  7pm. “Vermont’s coyotes now occupy a role  as natural predators in our ecosystem,  but they also have become highly  controversial. We want to help people  understand them from an objective,  scientific perspective, and we want to  help people learn how to live with them  because they are here to stay.”  - Mark Scott, Vermont’s director of wildlife During her 33 years with Vermont Fish and Wildlife, Kim Royar helped landowners improve wildlife habitat, she did extensive research on bobcats, coyotes and other furbearers, she worked to restore Vermont’s population of American martens, and she worked in Fish and Wildlife’s central office as a special assistant to the Commissioner. Dr. Person did research on coyo...

Get Out and About Town Forest Trail Day-Volunteers Needed Oct. 19 The Weathersfield Conservation Commission is holding a work  day to clear trails in the Town Forest on Saturday morning, Oct. 19,  9 a.m.-noon. Meet at 8:45 am at the parking area across from the entrance to Ascutney State Park on Route 44. Bring hand tools such as hand saws, loppers, and pruners and wear personal protective gear such as eye and ear protection, gloves, sturdy hiking or work boots, and tick repellent. Chainsaws will be operating in the area but not next to volunteers. Bring water and a snack. For more information call 802-885-9517. Craft Fair at Cedar Hill Oct. 19 The Village at Cedar Hill is hosting their Fall Arts & Crafts Fair Saturday, Oct. 19 10 a.m.–3 p.m. to benefit Village Activities Fund at 92 Cedar Hill Drive, Windsor, VT. The fair will feature the work of their residents and is open to local artists and crafters. Pieces by local fiber and visual artists, jewelry, fi...