Monthly Archives: June 2009

Submitted by Okemo Mtn Resort

On Saturday, July 11, at 7:00 p.m., Okemo Mountain Resort and the Jackson Gore Inn will present the Okemo Young Artists’ Program in an outdoor classical music concert performed by some of the most talented young musicians in the country. Drawn to the Okemo Young Artists’ Program by the outstanding faculty and intensive, yet collaborative musical atmosphere, 30 young people from Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Alaska, Massachusetts, Manitoba, and Venezuela have come to Vermont to share their music. The concert is free and open to the public.

Additional concerts will take place every Tuesday, through July 14, at the United Church of Ludlow at 7:30 p.m. and every Wednesday, through July 15, at Okemo’s Sugar House Lodge at 7:30 p.m.  In addition, Sunday afternoon concerts will be held at the Weathersfield Meetinghouse at 3:00 p.m. on July 5 and July 12.  All events are free. Goodwill donations are welcome and applied toward scholarship funds.

The Okemo Young Artists' Program provides an intense musical environment in a beautiful setting. An exceptional group of 25-30 students are selected each year to study with world-renowned faculty. Students receive bi-weekly private lessons and chamber music coaching, weekly guest artist master classes and performance opportunities. The students range in age from 6-20 and are preparing for careers as professional musicians on the violin, viola, cello, or piano.

For more information, contact Annalee Letchinger at (773) 641-2147.

Submitted by Okemo Mtn Resort

On Aug. 8, Okemo Mountain Resort will play host to the Upper Valley United Way Heart-of-the-Valley Ride, a non-competitive fundraising event for bicycle enthusiasts. A selection of routes, ranging in distance and difficulty, will be offered to encourage participation by cyclists of varying ability.

Riders who meet fundraising requirements can choose from three predetermined routes: 20 miles for short-distance riders, 40 miles for intermediates and a 62-mile metric-century ride for long-haul enthusiasts.

The 20-mile “Easy Rider” course departs Jackson Gore, follows a relatively flat route along Rt. 100 North, past a series of lakes to a turnaround (and snack station) in Plymouth. The 40-mile “Sidewinder” route follows the same course as the Easy Riders, but continues along to the junction of Rt. 4 in West Bridgewater. Cyclists will pedal along Rt. 4 East, past the Long Trail Brewery and right onto Rt. 100A, down Plymouth Notch, past the Coolidge Homestead and back to Okemo via Rt. 100. The “Wild Thing” metric-century ride follows Rt. 103 through the village of Ludlow, left at The Castle, onto Rt. 131, through Cavendish, along the river and left at Downers Corner, left again onto the Reading/Tyson Rd., up and over the "Alps" then back down to Route 100, past the Echo Lake Inn and homeward to Jackson Gore.

In addition to a registration fee, participants must raise a minimum of $150 per person or $250 for a family of four. All proceeds will go to support Upper Valley United Way in their efforts of working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health.  These are the building blocks of a good life – a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health.  

Top fundraisers will receive prizes, including lift tickets and a ski vacation at Okemo Mountain Resort. Pre-registration is available online, until Aug. 3, at www.bikereg.com for $45 per person. On-site registration on the day of the event is $50 per person. Registration and check-in will take place at the Jackson Gore Ice House from 8-9:30 a.m. All riders must wear a bike helmet – no exceptions. Participants will receive a free event tee shirt at registration. All three rides will end at the Okemo Hops in the Hills Beer Festival, and each rider will receive complimentary admission to the festival, concerts, plus a barbecue meal voucher. Visit bikereg.com for details and registration information. To learn how to become an event volunteer, call the Upper Valley United Way at (603) 448-2766.

Submitted by Okemo Mtn Resort

On Saturday, June 27, Okemo Mountain Resort hosted the Okemo Bike Climb, organized by the Ludlow Rotary Club. The challenging 5.8-mile uphill bike race, starting at Jackson Gore, attracted 92 racers. Anthony Colby, age 30, of Durango, Colo., took top honors in the Overall Male Open category with a finishing time of 27:27.4. The top Overall Female Open title went to Ann Howard, age 46, of Morrisville, Vt. She made the climb with a time of 37:05.6.

Myles Trainer, 16, of Ludlow, Vt., took  the 19-and-under male division. In the 20-to 29-year-old-male division, the top finishers were Charles McCarthy, 29, of Middlebury, Vt. (29:01.7), David Glick, 27, of Warren, Vt. (29.11.9) and Daryl Wilson, 24, of Dover, N.H. (37:32.4). Andrew Hilton, 32, of Boston, Mass., took the top spot in the 30- to 39-year-old-male category. Rounding out the podium were Andrew Gardner, 31, of Ripton, Vt., (31:49.7) and Jeff Johnson, 37, of Bennington, Vt. (33:08.3). The top finishers of the 40- to 49-year-old males were Gerry Clapper, 48, of Avon, Conn. (29:15.3); Douglas Jansen, 47, of Pelham, N.H., (32:08.2) and David Liebow, 43, of Townshend, Vt. (33:51.9). The largest group, with 26 competitors, was the 50- to 59-year-old-male division. Bob Meikle, 52, of Waterford, Conn., (32:17.8) was the winner. Stephen Power, 51, of Barnardston, Mass., (33:33.3) finished second, and Rick Powell, 50, of Hanover, N.H., (34:32.2) took third. Top winners in the 60- to 69-year-old-male division were Michael McCuster, 60, of Buckland, Mass., (36:25.3), Bob Bortree, 64, of Morrisville, Vt., (39:09.1) and Donald Graham, 62, of Vershire, Vt. (40:59.0). Two male septuagenarians represented their age category. Kenneth Cestone, 72, of Bennington, Vt., (43:37.3) finished first and Ray Gengenbach, 75, of Amherst, Mass., (1:08:20.0) took second place. Gengenbach rode his bike to the race from Whiteface, N.Y., and rode home to Amherst, Mass., afterward.

The top women in the 30- to 39-year-old-female division were Melissa Corliss, 38, of Dayton, Ohio (44:29.4) and Nancy Henderson, 33, of Dublin, Ohio (44:47.3). Carol Meader, 43, of Raymond, Maine, (41:45.7) took first place in the 40- to 49-year-old-female division. Christine Lamoureux, 43, of Montreal, Quebec, (44:35.4) placed second, and Patricia Faerber, 43, of Bloomfield, Conn., (48:01.6) took third. Dominique Codere, 51, of Montreal, Quebec, (40:40.0) took the 50- to 59-year-old-female division. Judy Caron, 62, of Concord, N.H., (49:13.3) took the 60- to 69-year-old-female division.

New this year, the Okemo Bike Climb was part of the Bike Up Mountain Points Series (BUMPS), a series of nine uphill races held throughout New England. Proceeds from the Okemo race benefited the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and local charities of the Ludlow Rotary Club.

Submitted by Rosemarie Cadwallader

Acclaimed Vermont author Jon Clinch will be discussing his book Finn at Fletcher Memorial Library on Thursday evening July 16th at 7 o'clock.

Clinch's tale about the terrifying father of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn has earned many awards and enthusiastic reviews from book critics across the nation.  Clinch will also talk about his new book Kings of the Earth which will be released in the spring of 2010.

The program is sponsored by The Book Nook and The Friends of Fletcher Library.  Visitor parking and access to the library are at the rear of the building at 88 Main St.

Submitted by Hartwick College

Hartwick's Department of Nursing honored Dr. Linda Reckhow Thomson ’72 as this year’s Distinguished Nursing Alumnus during a pinning ceremony May 22 in Stack Lounge, Dewar Union. The award is given each year to a Nursing alum in recognition of his or her achievements and excellence in the field through contributions to practice, research, education, and service.

Thomson was recognized during the department’s annual pinning ceremony, when this year’s graduates also received their Nursing pins ahead of Hartwick’s May 23 Commencement ceremony.

“Dr. Thomson’s impressive educational credentials, professionaldemeanor and masterful work history—combined with her warmth, humor, compassion, service and dedication to the principles of Hartwick Nursing—has granted her the honor of being selected as deserving recipient of the very impressive nursing award, Distinguished Nursing Alumnus,” said Claire Odell Schaper '58, Chair of the Hartwick College Alumni Association Nursing Committee. “Dr. Thomson is a loving, remarkable lady who represents the Nursing Department of Hartwick College beyond expectations.”

While a student at Hartwick, Thomson was named a John Christopher Hartwick Scholar, the highest honor bestowed upon students by the College. She also was the recipient of the Hartwick College Nursing Alumni Award and was named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities.

Since graduating in 1972, she has received numerous honors from the College, including the Outstanding Young Alumna Award and Meritorious Service Award, and has served on the Board of Directors and as Vice President of the Hartwick College Alumni Association. She is a member of the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing honor society, was named to Outstanding Young Women of America, is a National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners fellow, and was included in Who’s Who in American Nursing and Who’s Who of American Women.

After receiving her Nursing degree from Hartwick, Thomson continued her education, receiving her pediatric nurse practitioner degree in 1975, master of science in nursing degree in 1977, and Ph.D. in 2001. Today, she works as a pediatric nurse practitioner and medical hypnotherapist, and has published on a variety of subjects in professional journals in the United States, Australia, and Europe, as well as chapters for nursing and hypnosis texts. She has authored two books, Harry the Hypnopotamus: Metaphorical Tales for the Treatment of Children and Harry the Hypnopotamus: Metaphorical Tales for Children, Volume II, and created Stress-Free Surgery, a two-CD set to help patients prepare for and recover from surgery.

Thomson also has presented at numerous workshops in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Singapore,and Italy, and has taught at several universities, including Yale University, University of Massachusetts,and University of Vermont. She has served on a clinical expert panel on hypnosis for the NationalAssociation of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, as advisory editor for the American Journal of ClinicalHypnosis, is past president of the New England Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and served on the executive committee, education committee, and speakers bureau for the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.  Her research focuses on the effects of hypnotic intervention therapy on pain, anxiety, and nausea in epilepsy surgery patients and the effects of mental skills training on Olympic athletes, as well as changing the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs of healthcare professionals concerning hypnosis.

Thomson’s husband, George O. Thomson ’70, is a past recipient of Hartwick’s Outstanding YoungAlumnus and Meritorious Service awards and former President of the Hartwick College AlumniAssociation. They reside in Ludlow, VT.

In a recent ad in the Message for the Week, the upper righthand corner of an ad for DJ's Restaurant in Ludlow (see above) contained an interesting note: '"DJ's Drive Through Window' . . . Coming Soon!!!"

With the current debate over a proposed zoning change to permit drive through window service in a restaurant/gas station complex South of Ludlow Village on Route 103, one that will ostensibly be resolved by a town vote on July 7 on the zoning change, the ad's message seems to be in conflict with the proposed zoning change.

That zoning change would only permit a drive through window in a restaurant that 1, was located South of the village on Rte 103 and 2, was in a multi-use facility.

While "drive up restaurant windows" is not an approved conditional use in Town or Village zoning, "drive up windows", while not apparently specifically approved in the existing zoning ordinances, are realities at the two local banks and the Ludlow Electric Light Company.

The question of the drive through windows zoning proposal was recently debated by Phil Dunwoody and Peter Girouard on the channel 8 news program, That Was The Week That Was.  The half hour debate on LPC-TV may be viewed by clicking HERE.