I have been doing some genealogy research lately and came across this:

“March 19, 1887 Yonkers Statesman: Thomas Mitchell of Webster Avenue who has been suffering for two weeks past with rheumatism and throat affection is able to be out again.”

Looks like back in the day the newspaper actually watched our for the community. I think Front Porch Forum is filling that nitch today (I know the Free Press certainly isn’t). If you are holed up and need a little help at some point, I hope you’ll let your neighbors know. We’ll bring soup.

See you at the rink!

I wanted to post a huge thank you to the female driver who stopped in front of our home on Jan, 21st around 430 pm  and helped my father up our drive to the door.

You are a special person who ever you are and I am Thankful you drove by : This could have been a 911 situation. Again, My Thanks!!!  If you read this please email me, I would like to thank you in person.

And a huge thank you to the poster, Julia, as well, for sharing this tale… an inspiration for many others, I’m sure.

While walking the dog at 5 AM this morning, my faithful canine alerted me to some green paper bunched on the sidewalk.  Money.  Lots of money.  Clearly bar money as it was in mostly small denominations and bunched into a wad.  Not enough to shift the fate of nations, but enough to put a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and to thank my precious pooch for its discovery.

Later the same morning, in a classic “should have kept my mouth shut” moment, I mentioned the aforementioned booty and its finally tally.  The moral compass of our family reminded me of the difference in the value of this size stash to us in our financial state and that of its most likely loser, i.e., a staggering undergraduate returning from a night of debauchery on the town.  Clearly to correct thing to do would be to offer said debaucher the opportunity to reclaim the lost stash.

With this in mind I offer the following challenge.  Anyone who can correctly identify the street that the cash was found on, its approximate value, an approximation of the denominations of the bills, and the maiden name of my paternal grandmother and her country of origin can claim the money.  Please reply by email at your earliest convenience.

Update.  The above mentioned moral compass has informed me that the “paternal grandmother” part of the challenge was unfair and should be retracted.

This is further evidence of the “neighbor connect” online space heating up.  In the past year, I’m aware of at least two dozen significant start-ups focused on facilitating conversation among people who live near each other.  Some, like Localocracy, aim at niches (local ballot issues and related), while others intend to promote a general sense of community.

Huffington Post/AOL joins MSNBC.com, which acquired EveryBlock.com last year, in this space, as well as many other new VC-backed and boot-strapped entrants. Most start-ups in this area appear to be strong on tech and weak on traction.  That is, they can crank out the code, but few people actually show up and use their product.  To make matters worse, many attempt to open up everywhere all at once.  As a friend said… “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

Front Porch Forum is an established leader in this space, with amazing traction in our state.  More than half of our primary city participates.  In another FPF town, 75% of members post… much higher than the 1-10% seen on many social sites.  And the member success stories flow through FPF faster than we can write them down.  People use FPF to reduce crime, find jobs, give away baby gear, reunite with lost pets, recommend roofers, debate ballot measures, call city hall on the carpet, and much more.

With our new web application recently launched, we look forward to bringing Front Porch Forum to communities far and wide.

http://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members

Every year, members like you help fuel FPF so that we can continue to help neighbors connect and build community.  More than 30,000 local households have joined and shared hundreds of thousands of postings with their neighbors through FPF!

Whether it’s flood recovery efforts, group yard sales, car break-ins, sharing perennials, election debates, block parties, town notices, or other topics, our small band of committed staff work day and night to keep this all going.

If you enjoy and value Front Porch Forum, please become a supporting member today at:

http://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members

Your contribution is critical to keeping FPF going strong — and will be enormously appreciated. We look forward to serving you and your neighbors in the coming year.

Your FPF team,
Michael, Nina, Linda, Jamie, Lynn, Gisele, Jeff, Regina, Suzie, and Jan

P.S.  We also accept checks, payable to…
Front Porch Forum
PO Box 64781
Burlington, VT 05406-4781
802-540-0069

FPF is not a charity and contributions are not tax deductible.  Ad sales to local businesses cover part of our expenses, and your supporting-member contributions help close the gap.

And the response from Vermonters is just as extraordinary.  Witness these sample Front Porch Forum postings…

We’ve lost half a house but we’ve gained a community.  I’ve never experienced being carried through a devastating event by large numbers of friends, neighbors, and complete strangers before.  Thank you Moretown and out-of-town volunteers for your heart-breaking generosity.

And from Cambridge FPF…

In 36 hours you donated about 3 tons of food and supplies as well as $3,000 in support of Hurricane Irene flooding victims. The goods were sorted and repacked by an enthusiastic group and loaded into a dump truck and covered trailer. At 6:00 AM Saturday Jack and Adam will head out for a distribution center in Bennington, probably detouring through New York State to avoid road closings.

And we’re seeing hundreds more Irene-related postings on FPF in dozens of towns… from those seeking help, as well as those ready to give.  Vermont is an incredible place.

Floodwaters have receded, but most rivers and streams remain above normal levels, and some are still dangerous in many areas. Vermont officials recommend staying away from rivers that are still high and flowing rapidly. You should stay out of all floodwaters because of pollutants or debris.

Motorists are still encouraged to stay off roadways as many are unsafe and what roads are open are needed by emergency responders, road crews, and utility crews.

Road closures are still too numerous to list. Please call 511 or visit www.511vt.com for updated road closures. The public is asked to NOT call 211 for road closures – those calls are hampering 211’s ability to help those who need shelter or other resources.

State Police also ask that you only call 911 if you have an emergency.

Before returning to your flooded home, you must have a licensed electrician inspect your electrical system. Wet wiring can cause electrocution.

Then there’s the truly important stuff, e.g., from Lauren tonight in Burlington’s Old North End…

Dear neighbors – I have a life-size Justin Bieber cardboard cut-out that I’m willing to part with for free. This amazing piece of pop culture ephemera can be yours, or your 10-year-old daughter’s or son’s, with just a quick couple of keystrokes. This gem would also be perfect in the living room in a college house, right next to the beer pong table. Don’t delay; act now.

From the American Red Cross…

Hurricane Irene – Emergency Shelter Information

The first of 9 American Red Cross shelters in Vermont opened last evening in Brattleboro, sheltering 17 residents from a local senior housing complex. An additional 20 residents from another Brattleboro Housing Authority location are expected to arrive at the Brattleboro shelter this morning. The balance of the Red Cross shelters opened this morning at 9am.

In addition to the 9 shelters being operated by the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross, logistical support in the form of cots and blankets have been requested by 6 additional communities. Those supplies were provided yesterday or are currently on route.

The 9 Red Cross shelters are located at the following locations:

1. Brattleboro, VT – Brattleboro Union High School – Fairground Road
2. Bennington, VT – Mt. Anthony Union Middle School – 747 East Road
3. Springfield, VT – Springfield High School – 303 South Street
4. Hartford, VT – Hartford High School – 37 Highland Avenue
5. Rutland, VT – Rutland High School – 22 Stratton Road
6. Barre, VT – Barre Auditorium
7. St. Johnsbury, VT – The St. Johnsbury School – 257 Western Avenue
8. St. Albans, VT – St. Albans Town Education Center – 169 South Main Street
9. Enosburg Falls, VT – Enosburg Falls High School, 65 Dickenson Avenue.

In addition to Red Cross-operated shelters, a number of communities have opened shelters on their own. By calling Vermont 211, folks can find out about shelters in their area.

As the storm’s impact becomes further defined, an assessment will be made as to resources that need to be shifted to different locations or consolidated in shelter locations that are experiencing the greatest demand.

These shelters are part of a network of over 300 locations across the region with whom the Vermont & the New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross has agreements for potential use during times of disaster. At the shelters opened today, the Red Cross will have the capacity to shelter and feed those that may be displaced by the storm.

A few days ago I posted on Front Porch Forum about a hammock theft on Walnut. A day later, Matt from Oak Street showed up and gave us a fantastic hammock that he and his wife brought back from Venezuela. It’s neighbors like him that make the O.N.E. so great!

• I’m not sure if anyone has posted about this problem before, but there are skunks in our neighborhood! Today I narrowly missed being sprayed in my front yard… Is there anything that can be done about the problem? I hope nobody gets sprayed!
• Thanks to the magic of Front Porch Forum, our beloved kitty was found within 30 minutes of the FPF e-newsletter. Thanks a million to the kind sweet neighbor who called us right away with a tip. Our “cash prize” will now be a donation to FPF, this wonderful service!
• Sometime between 6pm on Friday and 4:30pm on Saturday, another one of the plants potted on our porch were dug up and stolen. This is the second time this has happened this summer…
• Anyone going to Boston on Tuesday, July 26th? Rowe’s Wharf ideally, but anywhere in Beantown would be great. Gas $$$ and continued discussion of neighborhood noise, if you wish.
• Looking for something to do the last weekend of July (The 29th-31st)? Why not enrich your life with some amazing folk music AND help your community by volunteering at the CHAMPLAIN VALLEY FOLK FESTIVAL. The best part?!? When you volunteer, you get into the festival for free!
• to the management of FPF – i love your new format! i’m so much more inclined to read you on a daily basis as i find the format much more user-friendly and appealing… congrats on the new look!