Category Archives: Front Porch Forum
Best of FPF: Gone Fishing
Terry shared the following story in his Danville Forum. We thought it was well worth a share:
“Several days ago, in an urge to shed some old treasures that have become clutter in our house, I offered a collection of old fly rods for free.
“The rods I offered were from my personal history of fly fishing, starting with my father 70 years ago. Dad was not flashy or one to chase fleeting trends, but he would buy tools and equipment as the best he could afford. Some of those old rods were his or from his father before him.
“Like anyone using FPF, you never quite know what the response will be. I posted the offer and didn’t look at my computer until the next day. The response was mind-boggling. Most of the requests were heartwarming from good folks with great stories and wonderful intentions.
“The first told me about fishing in the legendary rivers and lakes of Wyoming. Another persistent responder picked two and emailed me the next day about his adventure that very evening on a pond nearby. His plans include a summer visit to family in Alaska, where the trout grow bigger and leap higher than even our trophy fish in Vermont.
“The rest are headed to a Vermont state park program where people of all ages learn to fish. Those bamboo and early fiberglass rods will be admired and used as they were meant to be used, no longer gathering dust in my closet. I hope they provide pleasure and more memories wherever they go.
“There is nothing quite like the singular moment when your fly settles perfectly on the dark water’s surface. Day is turning to night. You can imagine a moose watching from the shoreline. Maybe the full moon is rising. Just as you begin to strip your line and move that fly inward, in an instant the surface is broken and there is the most beautiful fish leaping upward with your fly in its mouth. Your leader follows up and back down into the water, and the challenge is on. If that happens once in your lifetime, you are fortunate beyond words.
“For those who did not get to have one, I am sorry. Fishing is like that.”
Best of FPF: Thanks, Apologies, Lessons
Peter shared an incident in the Waltham Forum. We thought it was well worth a share:
“Yesterday morning, my cell phone fell off of my trailer fender, hitting the ground hard. This initiated an Emergency SOS crash sequence, including calling 911 and sending texts to my emergency contacts. Three things;
“First – Thank you to Vergennes Police Dept., Vergennes Fire Dept., Vergennes Area Rescue Squad, and Vermont State Police. The response was rapid and thorough. How fortunate are we to live in a community where we have dedicated women and men as first responders. Thank you!
“Second – I apologize for initiating this false alarm ‘crash.’ I have a newfound respect for this phone’s capabilities and consequences.
“Third – This event prompted my wife and me to look into our Emergency SOS phone settings and found that there were a number of settings and emergency contacts that needed adjusting (emergency text messages do not go through to a landline phone, for instance). You can even set up a digital Medical ID for ER/medical personnel to access in an emergency situation. Just passing this along. Perhaps you may want to look at your settings.”
Thanks for Helping Fill the Potluck Table!
Thanks to thousands of Front Porch Forum members… we made it! In this 20th anniversary year, we are so grateful to all who generously chipped in to reach FPF’s Spring Supporting Member Campaign goal. These dollars will help fund FPF operations in the year ahead, and are a tremendous vote of confidence in our shared work.
If you meant to donate to FPF and haven’t yet had a chance, there’s still time. Please give today!
FPF is a Vermont Public Benefit Corporation and not a nonprofit. Contributions are not tax deductible. Ads purchased by local businesses cover most of our expenses, and your voluntary donation helps close the gap.
Help FPF Raise $200,000 by May 7, 2026
Is FPF useful to you? To your community? According to a recent survey, more than 90% of Front Porch Forum members say YES! That’s why so many Vermonters sign up, read, and post every day.
If you’re among them, please help us continue to provide our essential civic service to every town in the state.
We need to raise $200,000 statewide from our members by this Thursday, May 7, 2026, to meet our spring goal. Please donate today.
Please give today and help fill the potluck table! https://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
Thanks from FPF’s 31 employees.
FPF is a Vermont Public Benefit Corporation and not a nonprofit. Contributions are not tax deductible. Ads purchased by local businesses cover most of our expenses, and your voluntary donation helps close the gap.
Keep Your Local Forum Going Strong – Donate Today!
Front Porch Forum’s annual spring Supporting Member Campaign starts today. Please donate to FPF now by credit card, Venmo, PayPal, or check: https://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
FPF helps neighbors stay informed and connected locally. In the face of current challenges, building community among neighbors is critically important. And FPF is serving more people than ever before: Among Vermont’s 270,000 households, FPF has 250,000 active members!
If you value FPF, please support our work by participating and — if you are able — by donating today.
Thank you.
FPF is a Vermont Public Benefit Corporation and not a nonprofit. Contributions are not tax deductible. Ads purchased by local businesses cover most of our expenses, and your voluntary donation helps close the gap.
Meet the Artist Behind the Merch
Front Porch Forum reached out to local artist, Christine Tyler Hill, to commission a piece to mark 25 years since our first neighborhood newsletter and leading up to the launch of our store. Our ask was a big one – to represent FPF in just one illustration. She was patient with us as we threw requests her way, “What about a porch with lots of activity?” and “Can you represent the urban, suburban, and rural parts of the state?”
We knew Christine’s work from her illustrations for City Market and NOFA-VT, among others. We were confident that she would capture what’s special about Front Porch Forum – neighbors connecting with other neighbors.
While we’ve had her artwork in hand for months, we thought it was time for you to get to take a closer look at the piece (and the fun motifs from within, such as the chicken chase, plant community, and wood stackers) and also to get to know her better.
Christine, what Forum are you in? And, what’s the conversation like there?
I’m in Burlington’s Old North End. Our classic posts: missing cat, stop-feeding-my-cat, keep-your-cat-inside, free hostas, complaint about jet noise, city council meeting recap, stolen bike, found bike… I’m here for all of it!
Since becoming a homeowner a few years ago I’ve used FPF to borrow and procure a lot of things: a free table saw, a loaner wallpaper steamer, and a whole bunch of asters that bloom in my front garden bed late into the fall and bring me (and the bees!) a lot of joy.
What was the process of telling the story of Front Porch Forum in just one illustration?
There are as many uses of Front Porch Forum as there are users of Front Porch Forum. Illustrating the diversity of experiences people have with FPF while keeping the composition balanced, graphic, and attractive was a real challenge! I didn’t want to overwhelm the eye with detail, but the staff at Front Porch Forum shared so many beautiful stories about neighbors connecting with one another, I couldn’t help but include as many as possible.
Do you have a favorite interaction featured in the piece?
I love the raccoon with the pear! Apparently that was a multiweek saga in a forum, inspiring many “RE: Racoon with pear” subject lines, over and over. Those are my favorite kinds of events on FPF: uniting and entertaining neighbors around something silly of no consequence.
A few weeks ago a friend of mine saw the illustration and she texted me to share that last winter she brought warm rice krispies treats out to her snowplow guy, so that made me appreciate the figure serving the snowplow guy cookies even more.
What advice would you give to neighbors using FPF?
Gmail users: get that daily FPF email digest out of your Updates folder and into your main inbox! I was missing so many good posts before I moved the email into my main inbox.
Where can we find and follow your work?
Instagram: @tenderwarriorco
Website: tenderwarriorco.com
Substack: tenderwarriorco.substack.com
Best of FPF: Remembered by Friends
Becky posted an appeal for support in the Greensboro Forum. We thought it was well worth a share:
“A granite bench in memory of Tom Hurst is being readied for August 2025 installation on the Greensboro Historical Society front lawn. Your support is greatly appreciated. Tom is remembered by many as our friend, storekeeper, firefighter, historian, UCC minister of faith, and dedicated community steward. Growing up in Greensboro, he worked at the store and became a fourth-generation Willey’s storekeeper.
Tom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2000. He persevered with courage and good humor, and in 2016, Merrill and he moved to Trumansburg, NY, to be near their daughter Emily and family. Tom died in November 2024 of complications from a new diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
Tom walked around Caspian Lake over 600 times in his Parkinson’s journey. Many of us remember times he stopped to say hello, and on finding himself temporarily “frozen,” he asked for a small “kick” at the back of his boot to help restart his walk, and with a smile and a wave, he’d be on his way.
Tom famously showed up at meetings with a generous cache of his just-baked chocolate chip cookies, enjoyed by all.
The reverse side of the bench will read: “Remembered by friends – 2025.”
VT Neighbors Day, June 7
Since it began in Paris in 1999, Neighbors Day is celebrated annually by more than 30 countries on five continents. In 2018, Vermont became the first state in the U.S. to hold a statewide celebration of Neighbors Day! Front Porch Forum is eager to keep the tradition alive and be a resource to help communities gather on the first Saturday in June to celebrate.
Organize a Neighbors Day event on your road, in your neighborhood, or in your part of town! Each gathering will reflect the personality of the local community. Your Neighbors Day could be a BBQ, a plant swap, an ice cream social, or whatever you can imagine! The goal is to get to know the people living closest to you.
Ready to get started? Here are some ideas for Neighbors Day events:
- Potluck
- Book or plant exchange
- Dessert party or ice cream social
- Pancake breakfast
- Food drive event
- Whiffle ball or kickball game
- Talent show or musical performance
- Bake-off
- Outdoor movie screening
- Group yard sale
- Horseshoe or bocce tournament
- Playground or trail clean up effort
Planning with others is more fun! Reach out to folks to brainstorm together and share tasks. When you’re ready to promote your Neighbors Day gathering, here’s how you can use FPF to spread the word:
- Post about your event on your local Forum and Community Calendar:
- Go to frontporchforum.com/compose
- Select “Event” category
- Select “Forum + Calendar”
- Title event clearly (e.g., “BBQ for Stonegate Rd. Residents”)
- Include all the details neighbors need to know (where, what time, what to bring, who is invited)
- Make sure to let people know this is a VT Neighbors Day celebration!
- Post a reminder to your Forum two days in advance
Enjoy your Neighbors Day event! And, please send photos to memberoutreach@frontporchforum.com so we can share them. We can’t wait to hear about neighbor connections!
FPF Reaches Global Audience
Vermont’s own Front Porch Forum was recently featured in France’s leading newspaper, Le Monde. The reporter, Rafael Miró, was curious about the “low-tech, algorithm-free, neighborhood-centered alternative” to Facebook and Instagram. Miró interviewed many locals and spent extensive time with Front Porch Forum staff to craft this story about neighbors helping neighbors.
“On Facebook, Instagram or X, likes are also used to help algorithms identify users. Here, there’s no need: There’s no algorithm. “On Front Porch Forum, content isn’t infinite, so we don’t have to choose what we show,” said Wood-Lewis. Doomscrolling – mindlessly consuming a flood of negative news – is impossible here: Browsing through the posts takes just 10 minutes.“
Read the full article here or on FPF’s website:
Best of FPF: Hooked on Ice Fishing
Tony posted this appreciation in the Barnet Forum. We thought it was well worth a share:
“A huge thanks to Matt and Jason from Ryegate, who, while ice fishing on Lake Harvey on Sunday, graciously took a long break from their activities to show my 4-year-old and 7-year-old nephews how to ice fish. My nephews left with a deeper understanding of the great outdoors. I greatly appreciate Matt and Jason’s neighborly gesture.”
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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