Category Archives: Burlington
Local sources of good news / bad news
Organic Connections just published a piece about FPF, closing with this…
As another member recently recounted, “I read the local newspaper and I read my Front Porch Forum. In the paper the definition of news is often something bad that’s happened an automobile accident, crime, etc. On Front Porch Forum it feels like most of the content is positive and helpful. I read the local paper and I feel kind of worn out. I read Front Porch Forum and I feel uplifted because it’s people saying thank you and helping each other out.”
Vancouver-ite’s take on Burlington
In a posting selling four used snow tires on the Far North End FPF, Jay shared yesterday…
I would also like to take this opportunity to say how wonderful Front Porch Forum and Vermont are. My family and I moved here from Vancouver British Columbia last summer. We moved here for work and was told about FPF by our landlord. Unfortunately, work isn’t working out for us and we have to move back to Vancouver in the coming months. We have mixed feelings about moving home. Vermont and in particular Burlington is a wonderful place with a fantastic sense of community. We are going to miss that dearly. My wife and I, despite living in a large city for a number of years, both come from smaller towns. We did a lot of research when deciding to move and thought Burlington was similar to what we wanted in a city. We weren’t disappointed.
Our only regret is not posting to FPF sooner. We have read it every day since we have been in VT and discussed how wonderful and unique VT is. There is a pride and sense of community like few other places we have been. We wanted to thank you for a wonderful experience.
100,000 Front Porch Forum members in Vermont!
We’re excited to announce that Front Porch Forum now has 100,000 members across Vermont. More than one-third of the households in the state participate in their local FPFs. Thanks to all who have helped achieve this milestone.
To share FPF with other Vermonters, please send them to FrontPorchForum.com to check it out and sign up.
FPF’s mission is to help neighbors connect and build community. We do that by hosting a statewide network of online neighborhood forums where Vermonters post about lost pets, borrowing ladders, recommending plumbers, sighting moose, reporting break-ins, discussing school budgets, and much more.
Burlington vs. Boulder? Vote by April 30
Vermont’s Local Motion is neck-and-neck with a Boulder nonprofit in this national contest. Vote today… poll closes April 30.
Local Motion is one of five bike advocacy groups nationwide competing for a super-awesome “Xtracycle” cargo bike. You can help us win!
If we get the most votes , we’ll get a cargo bike worth $2,000 for our Trailside Center here in Burlington.
Then we’ll loan it out to people for free — not just for an hour, but for a few days, so that people can try out a cargo bike for real.
Vermont typically does not win these kind of online competitions, but with this one, we’ve got a real shot. Local Motion has been bouncing in and out of first place for the past week — so your vote could put us over the top!
Please pass this on to any of your networks. Voting end April 30th, so don’t wait! Here’s the link:
http://www.xtracycle.com/vote-for-your-advocacy-organization/
Thank you!
Neighbors find and deliver wheelchair for neighbor in need
Ruth posted the following on her neighborhood Front Porch Forum in South Burlington the other day…
Am looking for a manual-drive wheelchair for outdoor use on lawn & in garden. Appearance not important but must be in good condition, which at present, I am not. Thank you.
She followed that a couple days later with…
My new wheels… Thanks to The Forum & member Paula, I have a loner wheelchair from the Samaritans at Fanny Allen Hospital to use while my new Cyborg hip heals & I learn to walk again. Thanks to St. Mike’s senior, Kristen, for driving me to Winooski to bring it home.
This is a wonderful example of community building. Ruth, by asking for help, Paula, by supplying information, and Kristen, by offering hands-on assistance, combined to show their neighborhood how to pull together and solve a neighbor’s problem.
Most popular info source for road project updates?
WCAX reported recently that a VTrans survey found Front Porch Forum is the most popular source of information for updates about the Waterbury road projects.
When are neighbors better than family?
(Photo: Joshua Brown)
“A study by University of Vermont (UVM) sociologist Thomas Macias found that people who socialize with their neighbors would switch to more planet-saving measures than people who kept to themselves or associated mainly with family and friends,” according to TakePart.com. “Macias lives in an area where people take the time to get to know their neighbors and stay connected via online communities like FrontPorchForum.com.”
UVM reports “The study, published by Environment and Behavior journal, finds that people who socialize with neighbors are more likely to ‘keep up with the Jones’ on green behaviors, including water and energy conservation, buying organic fruits and vegetables and driving less. ‘These findings suggest that our neighbors play a unique and crucial role in getting people to act on climate change,’ says Macias. ‘Green outcomes were surprisingly higher for neighbors than family relatives or close friends.’
7 Words for 2015 — Enter FPF’s Annual Raffle Today!
It’s time for our annual New Year word play and free prize drawing!
Submit your posting to Front Porch Forum before midnight Wednesday, January 7, 2015 consisting of exactly seven (7) words and you’ll be entered into a free drawing* to win one of these great prizes:
- One $50 gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics
- One Tower of Treasures from Lake Champlain Chocolates
- Four passes to the Pump House Indoor Waterpark at Jay Peak
- Gift cards redeemable at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops
- Everyday Apothecary Box Sets from Urban Moonshine Bitters and Tonics
- Two one-day lift tickets for Bolton Valley
- One “Year of Free Bread” card (one loaf/month) from Great Harvest Bread
- One $50 gift card to Higher Ground
- Pair of tickets to “Grease” Sing-A-Long-A at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
- One-month family membership to The Edge
- One $50 gift certificate to Jivana Holistic Spa
Thanks to the local Vermont businesses listed above who donated these wonderful prizes.
Now get creative and POST AN ENTRY!
- To post to your FPF, go to FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in).
- If you’re already logged in, click MY ACCOUNT.
- Then click COMPOSE POSTING.
*FPF welcomes up to two entries per day per person. Post about whatever tickles your fancy. Click on the links at right for loads of great samples from years past.
UPDATE: The winners of our random prize drawing…
One $50 gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics
http://www.smalldog.com/
Dan in Athens
“Why isn’t everyone using Front Porch Forum?”
One Tower of Treasures from Lake Champlain Chocolates
http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/corporate-holiday-gift.html
Stephen in Dorset
“If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?”
Four passes to the Pump House Indoor Waterpark at Jay Peak
http://www.jaypeakresort.com/pumphouse/waterpark
Diane in Wells River
“Who will be governor? There’s a raffle!”
Gift cards redeemable at Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shops
http://www.benjerry.com/scoop-shops
Robert in Middlebury
“Lost spouses. New-found love. At 80.”
Everyday Apothecary Box Sets from Urban Moonshine Bitters and Tonics
http://www.urbanmoonshine.com/products/merchandise/wooden-box-apothecary.html
Phyll in West Windsor
“Shhhh, be like Dad and keep Mum!”
Two one-day lift tickets for Bolton Valley
http://www.boltonvalley.com/?utm_source=frontporchforum&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sevenwordscontest
John in Benson
“Fly away loon. Open water leaving soon.”
One “Year of Free Bread” card (one loaf/month) from Great Harvest Bread
http://greatharvestburlington.com/
Melissa in Charlotte
“Great posts – not fences – make great neighbors.”
$50 gift card to Higher Ground
http://www.highergroundmusic.com/
Nancy in Worcester
“Ancestral farm beckoned us home, blessings abound.”
Pair of tickets to Grease Sing-A-Long-A at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
http://www.flynntix.org/flynn-mainstage/grease-sing-a-long-a/Details?perfNo=11080&perfCodePrefix=FLV15G
Tom and Linda in East Montpelier
“East Montpelier coyote teaches goldendoodle to howl.”
One-month family membership to The Edge
http://edgevt.com/
Marsha in Montgomery
“Is there more light? Wait a fortnight!”
One $50 gift certificate to Jivana Holistic Spa
http://jivanaspa.com/
Elizabeth in Winooski
“FPF, 7DVT and vtdigger.org keep me informed.”
Salisbury Holiday Tree Lighting Trivia Contest
Ken posted the following on Front Porch Forum in Salisbury, Leicester, Ripton and Goshen yesterday:
1) Which holiday tree is larger– Salisbury’s or the Burlington Church Street tree?
2) How about Salisbury’s or the Vatican’s?
Post your responses to FPF. Whoever gets the most right will win a box of delicious cookies and fame at this year’s event which will start at 5 pm THIS SATURDAY at Memorial Park (hayrides, bonfire, Santa, hot cocoa, lighting the magnificent tree) followed by more events at the Salisbury Library (More time with Santa, storybook dedication and reading, food, and refreshments).
About Blog
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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