Category Archives: Burlington

FREE HIGHER GROUND TICKETS – FPF DRAWING

Posted on Monday, April 20, 2009 by • 74 comments

Front Porch Forum is giving away one pair of tickets for each of the following Higher Ground concerts…

If you want a chance to win these tickets, leave a comment below that completes this thought… “I deserve to win these tickets because…”

We’ll pick one winner from the comments for each show.  The first show is Wed., so make haste!  Thanks to Higher Ground.

P.S.  Make sure you leave us a way in your comment below to get in touch with you should you be a ticket winner.

UPDATE: We have our winners!  Sara Chesbrough from Burlington will be going to Talib Kweli’s show, and Ali Keener in Westford has two free tickets to Slightly Stoopid.  Thanks to all who entered and to Higher Ground.  Congratulations Sara and Ali!

I deserve to win these tickets because…

Sara: “… Talib Kweli and I are brother and sister in some strange musical/philosophical dimension and it’s been too long since we’ve had a family reunion.”

Ali:  “… i love these artists and i just cant afford to go see the shows. i don’t like how money decides music for me. music is so good for the body and soul…sometimes you just gotta dance.”

To everyone else… keep commenting below if you like, but the free tickets are G-O-N-E.

Hopscotch Renewal

Posted on Saturday, April 18, 2009 by • No comments yet

Like most cities, Burlington has a graffiti problem.  It’s frequent fodder on Front Porch Forum… sometimes it gets testy when someone takes the “tag on the side of your house is art” line of reasoning.  Spring brings a fresh round of graffiti and FPF discussion.

That’s why Karen’s comment below was a breath of fresh air today, posted on FPF for the part of town where the Old North End and The Hill merge…

I was in a yucky mood this morning, walking head-down to work, when I walked onto a hopscotch board drawn with colorful chalk….that stretched….and stretched…along North Willard in a whimsical way, on and on until it turned the corner and stretched off into the horizon on North St.  It put a smile on my face.  I think buckets of colored chalk would go a long way in terms of urban renewal.  Thank you, sidewalk artist!  And happy spring.

Help inspiring VT-connected film gain national release

Posted on Saturday, April 18, 2009 by • No comments yet

See America’s Heart & Soul at Palace 9 in South Burlington, VT, thru April 27.  If enough Vermonters watch this documentary portrait of ordinary people doing extraordinary things (children free), then it will be released nationally!  This movie shares much in common with Front Porch Forum… people pulling together to accomplish so much important work.

Local Online Services making Newspapers Irrelevant?

Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 by • No comments yet

A neighborhood activist came home from a community meeting in Burlington tonight and she turned immediately to Front Porch Forum to inform her neighbors of the meeting’s outcome.  I was struck by her note that said, in part,…

Between Channel 17 [award-winning PEG Access station] and Front Porch Forum, the Free Press [Gannett-owned local daily newspaper] is no longer relevant!

I don’t think I’d go that far, but that kind of comment is heard more and more.

neighborhood rallies for good cause quickly

Posted on Tuesday, March 24, 2009 by • No comments yet

Amy posted a note on Front Porch Forum seeking donations yesterday in Burlington’s South End.  Today she followed up with this…

Thanks so much for your generous response to my request for household goods for Bethan, the young mother in need.  We had a great time yesterday driving around picking things up from all you kind folks.  It was like being Santa in reverse.  Then we set her up in her new apartment and voila, a functional home.  I know this request came on no notice.  It’s great to know a neighborhood can rally for a good cause so quickly.  On behalf of Bethan and her baby, thank you all.

Civic Engagement, Elections, Community Building… and Spring!

Posted on Friday, March 6, 2009 by • No comments yet

The lead up to this year’s Town Meeting Day was a busy time for the 130 FPF online neighborhood forums.  Some folks groused about all of the political postings… and then there was Betsey’s response from Burlington’s New North End…

Thank you to the voters of Burlington for turning out on Town Meeting Day.  What a great city this is!  We have beautiful parks, terrific schools, an engaged citizenry, and an engaged and enthusiastic government.  We work on our challenges together, and support each other in times of trouble.

Thank you to the Front Porch Forum for giving us a chance to connect with our neighbors and share our hopes for our city.  I am looking forward to hearing exciting news from my neighbors about ways they are making a difference, and improving our yards, homes, schools, businesses, and futures.  With spring in the air, good news should be shared.

I’m looking forward to putting away the shovel and picking up the rake.  I would love to hear what you’re planting — and hope that if anyone out there needs a “barn raising” that we’ll hear about it in FPF first!

Amen!

Neighborhood Night of Success

Posted on Tuesday, February 24, 2009 by • No comments yet

Burlington is bursting with civic-minded people who act on their convictions… from shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk to taking on drug dealing.  The City throws a great annual party — Neighborhood Night of Success — to celebrate people and projects, share a meal and music, and mingle.  I recommend attending… March 25, 2009.  Also, Ita Meno is looking for nominations!

To show how long we’ve been at this… Front Porch Forum was recognized at the very first NNS in 2001 and then again in 2007.

Ita, the key organizer, invited me on to her talk show to chat about it.

P.S. Ita is leaving her position with CEDO, so the NPAs won’t have her as a resource any longer… a real loss! Best wishes to her in her new position and I hope CEDO hires well when finding her replacement!

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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

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