Tree love
Bug-be-gone
Shelburne fifth grader wins big in art contest
Sun may serve as natural pesticide for birds
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Volume 51 Number 20
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shelburnenews.com
May 19, 2022
Chittenden County sees legislative shakeup Six of the county’s southernmost seats open for newcomers COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
Chittenden County is seeing a shakeup in its legislative representation, with six of the county’s southernmost House seats open to newcomers as five incumbents step out of the political scene. In South Burlington, only one of four incumbents is seeking reelection, and a new fifth seat will be open as well thanks to the state’s new House district map. In Shelburne, longtime representative Kate Webb is stepping down, and Hinesburg’s Bill Lippert, who has served in the House for nearly three decades, announced this month he will not run again. “The time has come for others to ask for your support as they step into the legislative political arena,” Lippert said. “I treasure the opportunities I have had to support the town of Hinesburg, to have an impact on significant statewide policies and to assist so many of you when you needed help from state government.” While Hinesburg town clerk Melissa Ross said that no one has submitted a petition to officially run for Lippert’s seat, Champlain Valley Union High School librarian and social studies teacher Christina Deeley has announced her intention to run. In Shelburne, Webb, the chair of the House Committee on Education who has served in the Chittenden 5-1 district since 2009, announced last week that she would not run. “It’s been an amazing experience. I’ve See SEATS on page 20
PHOTO BY COREY MCDONALD
John Joachim, with the Shelburne Museum, works on hot metal in the museum’s blacksmith shop.
Shelburne Museum opens for 75th year Exhibitions on American Art, Luigi Lucioni run through October COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
John Joachim hammers away at hot metal, shaping blackened tools over an old steel anvil, demonstrating for groups of museumgoers a craft that was once of pivotal importance for small town New England citizens and their farming economies. Joachim’s been doing this for more than 10 years as Shelburne Museum’s blacksmith — splitting his time between the blacksmith shop and the old printing press exhibit. But he’s got more of a connection to the museum than it first appears.
Once the president of the Williston Historical Society, Joachim is surrounded by tools that his great grandfather, Eusebe “Zeke” Robarge, used in his own blacksmith shop in the late 19th century, as well as tools used by Robarge’s son, William — who was not only a local blacksmith but an entrepreneur who owned the Lilly Wagon Company in Morristown, selling high grade farm and lumber wagons for local farmers. “My great uncle’s wife and daughters donated all of these tools from different shops,” he said. He’s one of many people working on the sprawling museum campus, which
stretches across 45 acres of land, with 39 distinct structures filled with artifacts and items collected throughout the state to preserve Vermont’s history. Museumgoers could spend a whole day there and barely scratch the surface. The museum opened for its 75th year on Sunday, marking a significant milestone for the educational institution that draws well over 100,000 people a year. “We’re very aware of our role representing Vermont,” Tom Denenberg, the executive director of the museum, said. “Ten years ago, when I first came here, See MUSEUM on page 2