Meg, in Huntington, shared an enthusiastic appreciation for their town library. We thought it was well worth a share:
“Looking ahead at my October calendar, I’m awed by how many events I’ll be attending right down the road at the Huntington Public Library!! I can’t thank Stacey and Anne enough for welcoming and seeking out events and activities – many of which are super family friendly – that strive to speak to all of us here in Huntington.
Public meeting, LEGO club, senior coffee, environmental talks – and coming up in the next weeks: the Bess O’Brien film “Just Getting By” on Wednesday – with the filmmaker!! First Friday – with the food truck, craft vendors, and the opening of the “Passage to Wonderland” art show, (maybe a PIE bake sale, too?). Then, on Sunday, is our former county forester and consultant to our local town forest creators, Ethan Tapper’s book launch (and signing! It’s a fabulous read!)
This is all just a couple miles from my home. Love, love, love the library!! What’s next??! Can’t wait to find out!”
***
What’s happening at YOUR local library? Check out your community calendar to see what’s there! https://frontporchforum.com/calendar. Better yet, stop by to explore.
National Good Neighbor Day is this weekend and this message jumped out as a shining example. Kyle posted this offer in his Worcester Forum and we thought it was well worth a share:
“Everyday reality isn’t the same experience for each of us, and I don’t believe we can have a healthy happy community if all of us are not having, at the minimum, our basic needs met.
I’m offering this; let me know if you, or someone you know, don’t have the resources to stay warm this winter. (It’s lining up to be a real good one from the sounds of it.)
If you can’t swing it for whatever reason, I will bring dry hardwood to your house in Worcester. For those that are able-bodied with trucks and trailers, there is plenty of free slab wood to come cut up and haul away. Please consider your neighbors and acquaintances when you read this.
Anonymity, no judgment, no advertisement. Stay warm, Worcester.”
***
Please note, this posting was an offer just to Kyle’s neighbors in Worcester.
If you need wood or want to volunteer, check out: https://fpr.vermont.gov/vermont-wood-banks.
If you are in need of fuel assistance, please visit: https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/fuel
Help us to build a list of great ideas, big and small, of how to be a good neighbor. Comment below with your suggestions, and we’ll add them here.
If you’re feeling social and looking for ways to organize gatherings, here are some group activities we’ve noted for inspiration:
“All ages are welcome to this evening of board games, card games, and more! Bring the family and your favorite game(s) to a low-key and fun night of playing games with neighbors, friends, and community.”
• Linda, Brookfield Forum
“All-Neighborhood Potluck Picnic, Costumes welcome! Sunday afternoon – Mulu’s food tent. Popular with all ages! Potluck table for salads and desserts to share. Halloween theme encouraged.”
• Tom, South Burlington FPF
“I’m hoping to start or join an acoustic guitar song-sharing group. A place to meet once or twice a month and share a song and grow musically together. I can host at my home.”
• Eric, Brattleboro Forum
“Are you passionate about our public parks? Looking for a way to give back to the community? Join Winooski Recreation and Parks for our Volunteer Trail Crew Cleanup Day! Make a difference for our residents and visitors by cleaning up the Casavant Nature Area trail. This is an excellent opportunity to spend time connecting with your neighbors and to contribute to Winooski’s natural beauty.”
• Spencer, Winooski Forum
Maybe you’re interested in a more low-key, one-on-one approach? Here are some ideas that popped up on Front Porch Forum:
“Just wanted to share a little moment of community kindness. My wife and I took our kids to the B&P this evening for an ice cream. Yes it’s been a long week. We ordered our ice creams with Lauren who then told us they were paid for by a donation made earlier on in the day.”
• Dominic, Reading Forum
“Someone has been spreading cheer up on Fuller Mountain Road. Both we and my son and daughter-in-law found small bouquets in miniature buckets in our mailboxes. It brought color and cheer into our homes. Thank you flower fairy. It was very sweet and thoughtful.”
• Mickey, Ferrisburgh Forum
“What a nice surprise – came home from work the other evening to find a dozen fresh eggs from a neighbor…“
• Dorothy, North Hero Forum
“Sincere, thanks to the mystery person who weeded my little garden in our front yard. I can’t thank you enough. It was your joy to come home and find that the garden that has haunted me was cleared.”
• Libby, Vergennes Forum
Keep the ideas coming! Post on your Forum or comment below. We’ll add your additional National Neighbor Day submissions here:
A few weeks back, Andrea posted in their St. Johnsbury Area Forum about a new purchase that inspired a nostalgia-motivated desire to collect cassette tapes. And, her neighbors delivered! We thought it was well worth a share:
“I recently acquired a new (to me) vehicle, and to my delight, it came with a cassette player! If you’ve seen the movie “Perfect Days” (I hope you watch it- it’s lovely), the main character drives a vintage work van every morning and listens to a beloved collection of cassette tapes. These are excellent, and I thought, how fun would it be to assemble my own beloved collection? So any Gen X folks with a stash of cassettes in your attic, if you have some special music that you would be interested in sharing with me, please reach out!
For inspiration, here are some of the artists Hirayama listens to in his van in the movie:
Otis Redding
Lou Reed
Patti Smith
The Kinks
The Velvet Underground
The Rolling Stones
Van Morrison
In keeping with my request to Gen X friends, I would also be interested in Pearl Jam, Nirvana, or anything else 80s/90s and delicious you’d like to send my way…”
And, we love a follow up message at Front Porch Forum. Andrea delivered!
“I wanted to post an update on my cassette tape request.
Thanks to all of you generous folks out there, I now have in my possession nearly 300 cassettes! I need to organize them a bit, but it’s been such a joy to start making my way through this rich collection of music!
A few highlights so far:
Lou Reed’s New York album
Leonard Cohen – (I’m a bit obsessed with the song One of Us Cannot Be Wrong)
Emmylou Harris
Front Range’s Back to Red River album (featuring Bob Amos!)
Rolling Stone’s Voodoo Lounge album
Tracy Chapman
Trad folk music from the British Isles.
A number of Beatles and Bob Dylan albums and I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface.
I truly, sincerely appreciate all of you that went through your closets and attics and thoughtfully put together collections of music important to you, and chose to share them with me. It’s been a profound education. I’m excited to start listening to the mix tapes too! Here’s to reviving cassettes.”
Phyl, in Jericho, was struck by this story of a Shelburne motorcyclist stranded in Jericho. So, they re-posted it in their Jericho Forum. We thought it was well worth (yet another) share:
“Yesterday morning, just south of Jericho on Skunk Hollow Rd, my motorcycle broke down. During the nearly two and a half hours I had to wait for assistance to arrive I am not exaggerating when I say that at least 30 people stopped to check if I was okay and/or offer assistance, including two neighbors who came out of their homes to talk to me and offer me food & drink.
I realize the chances of any of the folks who offered assistance actually seeing this post are slim, yet I nonetheless wanted to publicly share my gratitude. In any otherwise crappy situation, it was heartening and fortifying to know that we still live in the type of society where so many people will stop to check in and offer assistance to a person in need.
Thank you, neighbors.”
Aloe (aka Paul) posted this from their new, albeit shady, spot in Monkton. We thought it was well worth a share:
“My name is Aloe. I’m a 5-year-old aloe plant, propagated from my mother, Big Mama Aloe. I’ve been living happily in Burlington for several years, but recently my owners moved to Monkton, and they don’t have good lighting in their new home. So I need to move out and find someone to take me in and feel a tender place in your heart for me. Someone with good lighting and a kind heart would be nice. I am very quiet, a good listener, and don’t take up too much space. I even come with my own pot and have a bag of succulent soil. I look forward to meeting you, my new best friend!
Sincerely,
Aloe T. Plant, Esq.”
Well, it didn’t take long before Janet welcomed Aloe (and Paul) to Monkton with this response:
“I saw on Front Porch Forum that you are seeking sunnier digs. I’d be honored to have you join our humble abode and promise to care for you as we do for all our flora family. You’d be joining spider plants, a sansevereia, a monstera, a phalaenopsis orchid, succulents, herbs, a rex begonia, and a dracaena. You’d be our first aloe plant, but with lots of other adopted greenery to hang-out with.”
It’s always fun to watch a story unfold on Front Porch Forum. Here’s one about a pair of emus and their adventures in Charlotte, as told by some locals.
First, Karen alerted neighbors on the Forum, “A pair of emus were wandering in our backyard at 6 pm tonight, we are on Greenbush near Ferry Rd. Any word on where they came from?”
Emily quickly chimed in to say, “We are dying in our house for photos of the Renegade Emus!”
This caught the attention of readers in surrounding forums, so David, from Shelburne (while on his way to Mt. Philo for a hike) was successful in taking a photo of these feathered friends “As requested…from Sunday a few miles south…”
Amused, and feeling creative, Dianne, penned a poem in honor of the emus. We thought it was well worth a share:
“Emu wandering to and fro
Where are you going to go?
Down Lake Road to the beach?
To the cove of Meach?
To the Old Brick Store?
To knock on a neighbor’s door?
To the Old Lantern?
Which way will you turn?
Whether it is left or right
Be sure to check the light
Green means go, red is stop
Check the fields for fresh crops
If you need a snack
You did not pack a lunch sack
The sun is setting
You had a good roam
It is time to go home
Perhaps you need better fencing”
Laura recently posted in her Grand Isle Forum that her band is looking for some backup singers. We loved that they are seeking local talent and thought it was worth a share:
“My band is working on a new album and some of the songwriting delves into the mythology of honey bees. Because of this, some of our transitions between songs would benefit from the textural sound of bees buzzing, so I am looking to make some audio field recordings and possibly also take a couple quick informal videos for Spotify canvases/content. Do you know of any local bees that might be willing to participate? Thanks in advance for any leads!”
Steph posted a “Crime Report” in their Burlington Forum last week. We thought it was well worth a share:
“Hi, has anyone been letting a black cat into their house lately? His name is Indy, he is very friendly and loves people. However, if you let him inside he will likely steal your stuff.
He is particularly fond of toys (either for pets or children) and food. For context, he once stole an entire baguette. I don’t know why he steals, I didn’t teach him to do it, I’m not that smart. If you don’t let him inside, he won’t break in, he’s not that smart.
And if you’re currently missing a stuffed animal hedgehog and/or a small pillow, please let me know and I can return it.”
Check out the new article in the Washington Post: “The friendliest social network you’ve never heard of.”
The coverage stems from a member survey (thanks to the over 13,000 who participated last year!) and report produced by New_ Public, a nonprofit research and development lab that aims to create healthy digital public spaces for people to connect and thrive. Will Oremus, a reporter at the Washington Post, was intrigued by their report and newsletter about Front Porch Forum. I had the chance to talk with him at length about the history and purpose behind FPF. And, we offered him temporary access to a few Forums and put him in touch with several members.
Oremus notes, “New research from the nonprofit New_ Public finds Front Porch Forum is one of the few online spaces in America that leaves its users feeling more informed, more civically engaged and more connected to their neighbors, rather than less so. What’s more, its users seem to genuinely like it.”
Here are some of the key highlights of the membership survey:
The credit for these accolades deserve to be attributed to those who are sharing information. It’s FPF members who are engaged. It is the meetings, chicken eggs, library activities, baby strollers, and electric knife sharpeners of Vermonters that are at the heart and soul of this platform. For that, Valerie and I, and the whole team at FPF, are grateful.
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more