Dear <<First Name>>

President's Message

Dear RABA Friends,

This month we have awarded three college scholarships to deserving MMU graduates! More than $3,000 was raised by RABA members through the Holiday Market and Auction events, held back in Dec. 2008.

We are also sponsoring the Cones Program in partnership with the Richmond Police Department and Bridge Street Café, where officers will look for kids doing the right thing and reward them, throughout the summer, with a FREE ice cream cone.

The RABA/One Richmond initiatives keep rolling and again I do not think we can thank these volunteers enough. From events to the ferry and so much more. The Richmond Dollars program has been a big hit, and I suspect the program will only grow. Finally, sponsored by AudioBooksOnline.com, the “Do You Know Richmond” Contest has been a huge success as well.

Also, with 4th of July celebrations right around the corner and all the fun that goes with it, RABA will be hosting a Traditional Games' area at Volunteers' Green. If you LOVE egg tosses and bag races, we need you!

A big thank you goes out to Local Motion and all the wonderful volunteers who pulled off the extremely popular Bridge Street Ferry. No doubt it helped "bridge" the transportation gap, during a challenging period for our local area, most particularly for the downtown merchants who were adversely affected by the recent bridge closure. If we weren't all so happy about having access to our bridge again, I'd say we're almost sorry to see the ferry go.

Finally, because there are so many other activities happening, we will not be holding our normal end-of- the-month meetings this summer. But be sure to keep yourself updated by checking our website regularly and keeping up with our newsletters!

Cheers!
Thomas Hark - RABA President

802.434.3969 x100
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps Leadership, Education & Training at the West Monitor Barn
1949 East Main Street
Richmond, VT 05477
802.434.3985 fax
http://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashark
http:// www.vycc.org

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Managing Editor's Message

Dear Readers:

Well, Tom wasn't kidding; things are "alive-and-kicking" in the RABA territory. Yeah, sure—so we had some bridge woes and more than our share of economic challenges for the downtown businesses, but I'd say, all in all, we have much to be proud about. It takes a special kind of community to become even stronger when facing less-than-ideal circumstances. Yet, given the way so many of our residents and community organizers with their army of volunteers stepped up during the bridge-reconstruction period, I'd say we did exactly that. So, be sure to read about the bridge-reopening celebration that took place on June 23rd at On the Rise Bakery, with an enthusiastic crowd in attendance, including Gov. Jim Douglas.

For our May issue, I was fortunate enough to have a pair of talented guest editors, Larry Bohen and Will Keyworth, fill in for me while I took care of some other business-related matters. Some of that time I spent in Louisville, Kentucky, participating in SpaldingUniversity's MFA in Writing Program's spring residency, as a Post-Graduate Residency Assistant. As I expected, it was an awesome experience. What has always struck me as ironic, about my stints in Kentucky, is that I end up having a totally urban experience while there, especially in comparison to my life in rural Vermont. When most non-Kentuckians think of Kentucky, they picture rolling hills of bluegrass, covered with horse farms, while fiddle music plays in the background; I know I used to. But perhaps what they don't realize is just how big Louisville actually is and that, in fact, it's the 16th largest city in the US. With over 709,000 people, it has more people than the entire state of Vermont!

So, while I enjoy my visits to Kentucky, I’m glad to be home. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming Independence Day festivities, right here, in beautiful, downtown Richmond, Vermont.

Best wishes,
Linda Cruise, RABA Managing Editor
WRITING CONSULTANTS NETWORK LLP
PO Box 571, 103 Pleasant St., Richmond, Vermont 05477
Website: http://writingconsultantsnetwork.com
Email: partners@writingconsultantsnetwork.com
Blog: http://linda-cruise.blogspot.com/
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lindacruise
Phone: 802-922-8499

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FEATURED STORIES:

Richmond Rescue July 4th Raffle--Request for Donations

Summer is just around the corner and that means planning for the July 4th Parade and celebration is kicking into high gear. The Richmond Rescue’s 4th of July Chicken Barbeque and Raffle have been an important part of the community celebration for this occasion. While the barbeque is especially tasty, many look forward to the raffle as well.

Each year, the Friends of Richmond Rescue––the many volunteers who assist Richmond Rescue with fund-raising--organize a raffle with prizes, donated from Richmond Area businesses. The money, generated through Raffle-ticket sales, is used by Richmond Rescue to purchase equipment and training supplies, as well as make improvements to its squad building.

If you wish to make a donation, please contact Christine Werneke at 434-5128. We can accept prizes until June 30th.

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Richmond Area Celebrates Long-awaited Bridge Re-opening

By Linda Cruise

With much anticipation—and not a moment too soon, both sides of Richmond Village were reconnected as the Bridge Street Bridge unofficially re-opened, with two-lane traffic resuming a whole week ahead of schedule, on Friday, June 19th. The Town hosted a special Re-opening Ceremony, the following Tuesday, to officially mark the occasion.

Many local residents joined a handful of state dignitaries, including Governor Jim Douglas, Vermont Agency of Transportation Secretary David Dill, and Federal Highway Administration Deputy Vermont Administrator Larry Dwyer, as well as local Select Board Chairman Pete Parent, to give thanks and celebrate the V.A.T. fulfilling its promise of the bridge being operational before the occurrence of our 4th of July Parade and park festivities.

Fittingly, the Governor praised the Agency of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Town of Richmond for all working together so well to have expedited the project.

The Richmond bridge reconstruction turned out to be the first completed, construction project in Vermont, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act—also known as the federal stimulus package—in which Vermont received over $125 million. As the Governor pointed out, this money will not only rehabilitate and rebuild our troubled infrastructure, but it also will create sorely-needed jobs, statewide.

[SOURCE: Governor's Office: “Vermont's First Stimulus-Funded Project is Completed in Richmond”—Tues., Jun 23, 2009]

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Patriotic Sing-Along at the Round Church--July 5th

By Martha Turner (as published in Richmond Village Neighborhood Forum #377)

The Richmond Historical Society will host a Patriotic Sing-Along at the Round Church on Sunday, July 5th, at 7:00 pm. William Tortolano, emeritus organist at St. Michael’s College, will lead a sing-along of familiar patriotic songs and other old-time favorites. Join your friends and neighbors in Richmond’s first community meeting house to celebrate America’s birthday.

This event is free and open to the public. Handicapped accessible.

Note: Seating at the Round Church is now limited to 228 persons by order of the VT State Fire Marshal.

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Richmond Farmers' Market--Good Taste Tastes So Good!

Don't forget to “Buy Local, Buy Fresh" at the Richmond Farmers' Market, every Friday afternoon, rain or shine, from 3:30 – 6pm, near the Richmond Band Shell, at beautiful Volunteers' Green. Why let all the tourists have all the fun? Click here and enter the keywords: farmers market to view July's schedule of great happenings & entertainment--and be part of it too!

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Successful Richmond Dollars Campaign Leads to Continued Circulation

By Larry Bohen

A few months ago RABA decided to mint our own “money” as a way to motivate spending in downtown Richmond during the bridge closing. Thanks go out to Will Keyworth, of
Keyworth Graphics, who created a great design for our “Richmond Dollar” certificate.

The winners of the March, April, and May “So You Think You Know Richmond” Contest, which involved identifying local businesses via photos and clues, were awarded 100 Richmond Dollars. Several hundred more Richmond Dollars were awarded to the Captains of the Local Motion Ferry, its volunteers, and the musicians, at the May 9th Richmond Street Fair.

Although our original motivation in creating Richmond Dollars was to award a prize for winning the monthly “So You Think You know Richmond” Contest, we soon realized that the dollars could have a much greater benefit if they were made available to individuals, organizations, businesses, and professionals as a means to recognize well-deserving employees, clients, and customers.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can purchase Richmond Dollars, please contact RABA Secretary Larry Bohen

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100 Richmond Dollars Awarded to May Contest Winner!

By Larry Bohen

Congratulations to Linda Parent for correctly identifying all ten businesses in RABA’s May “So You Think You Know Richmond” Contest. Linda’s entry was drawn from a “basket” of all the correct entries. If you’re interested in the answers to the May contest, you can check them out here.

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Bridge Street Businesses Get Face Lift

Both StarGazer Gifts & Toys and Miscellany Mart have undergone a face lift of sorts, lately, as remodeling work has taken place over the last few weeks on both storefronts. No doubt they will both be looking pretty spiffy, come parade time.

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Beyond Gardening: How to Provide for Family & Community

By Dan Bermingham, Small Axe Landcare, LLC

Have you ever wondered how your property could become a more productive, healthier place to live? Would you like to see your land transform from a conventional landscape into sustainable, profitable acreage? Would you like to produce a diversity of low-maintenance perennial food crops that will ensure harvest for years to come? Would you like to get rid of your lawnmower? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then the answer is permaculture. Permaculture designers seek to design and build highly functional ecosystems. Bill Mollison is one of the original practitioners who coined the term “permaculture” to describe “permanent agricultural” systems.

Read more...

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