Remembering
Graduation day
Community honors war dead on Memorial Day
Shelburne eighth graders celebrate milestone
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Volume 53 Number 26
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June 27, 2024
Storm break
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Waterfowl frames a view of the Adirondacks from Shelburne Beach as storms move in and out on Thursday, the day the town dedicated it’s new beach house. See more photos, page 16.
Vermont celebrates 100 years of first state park LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
For freelance writer and unofficial historian Judy Chaves, the 968-foot climb to the summit of Mt. Philo has been a meditative practice for most of her adult life. Walking five days a week up and down one of the state’s most popular hiking spots can really begin to reveal the working landscape of a place, while also simultaneously revealing a lot about people in general. “I’ve hiked here with just about every-
body in my life. I’ve got a close friend, we meet here at least every other week, and we just yak our way up and yak our way down. We hardly even know we’re hiking. And that’s true for so many people,” she said. Chaves was in graduate school some 30 years ago the first time she visited Mt. Philo State Park in Charlotte, and she’s just never stopped visiting. For her, Mt. Philo, and the experience it brings, is personal. So personal that her love of the mountain began a decadelong effort to unravel the history behind one of Vermont’s most beloved peaks. That work
is the basis for her book, “Secrets of Mount Philo: A Guide to the History of Vermont’s First State Park.” The story, as told by Chaves, is one that began 100 years ago this year with a single act of generosity. The prevailing message, she said, is that this state’s beloved mountain is proof that just one action can have a lasting effect for years to come. “To me, it’s an example of foresight and that way of loving a place by giving it to the public. That to me is a remarkable aspect,” she said, sitting at a picnic table that rests at
the entrance of the park. “It’s a real lesson that this place has for us. It’s not just something that should just stay in the past but needs to continue.” Her historical treasure hunt began simply by noticing changes on the mountain that, to any passersby, would appear insignificant. Like, for example, when state park officials began replacing the metal iron railing at the summit with a chain link fence. See STATE PARK on page 10
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Lunch Daily, 11:30-4:00, on the Church Street Marketplace
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