Nabbed
Top of mind
ATF arrests suspected arsonist in Shelburne’
CVU sweeps through Scholars’ Bowl
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Volume 53 Number 15
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shelburnenews.com
April 11, 2024
Vermont Flannel buys Vermont Teddy Bear LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
The Vermont Flannel Company has purchased the assets of Vermont Teddy Bear, the largest manufacturer of teddy bears in North America and a massive Shelburne destination hot spot. Vermont Flannel CEO Joe Van Deman said in a statement Tuesday, “I’ve been a fan of Vermont Teddy Bear for a long time. The experience here in Shelburne, the quality of the bears and the way the company gives back to the community are all truly amazing. It’s a really special place.” Vermont Teddy Bear was born nearly 45 years ago when John Sortino, the company’s founder, crafted his first-ever Teddy Bear, Bearcho, in 1981. His son enjoyed the new friend so much that Sortino began selling these bears from a cart on Church Street in Burlington. Since then, the bears, many of which are made with love right at the Shelburne facility, have made it into the homes of millions across the globe. The Vermont Flannel Company was founded by Mark and Linda Baker in East Barre in 1991. Since then, the company See TEDDY BEAR on page 13
Paul Bloomhardt of Shelburne captures eclipse totality from Lone Tree Hill at Shelburne Farms.
Shelburnites, travelers unite under eclipse sky LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Eleven-year-old New Jersey native David Danese pressed his eye against the magnifying glass of his giant Dobsonian telescope, using his right hand to gently move the lens into perfect focus. “You can even see sunspots through this one,” he said, adding that he wasn’t at all upset to be ditching school to catch a view of
the total solar eclipse in Vermont. In fact, he also wasn’t particularly bothered by the seven-hour drive it took his family to get to Shelburne. Any passersby could see that this was not his first rodeo behind a telescope, and surprisingly, not even his first time using it to see a total solar eclipse. The Daneses wouldn’t technically consider themselves official eclipse chasers but did find themselves in anoth-
er path of totality in 2017 during the last total solar eclipse — a moment so memorable that they couldn’t help but take another drive to see one again, this time landing at the Shelburne eclipse viewing party. On the other side of the town athletic fields sat Don Bottaro and his wife, Chris Kelley, from Maryland who had been leisurely waiting for the big moment since 11 a.m.
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“2:14 p.m.,” he said, checking his watch. “We should be getting some overlap now.” In a fashion like the 11-year-old sitting across the way, Bottaro pressed his eye against the telescope’s eyepiece. “Yep, there it is,” he said. But Shelburne didn’t just gather Northeasterners. Some people, like Becky Johnson and See ECLIPSE on page 11
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