Category Archives: Vermont
Dear Secret Step Shoveler
Just posted by Erin in Burlington on her neighborhood Front Porch Forum…
To the man who secretly shoveled our long steep front steps at two in the morning I just want someway to let you know how much this means to us. I would never have known you were there if I wasn’t up throughout the night with two sick children and my infant coughing and gasping for breath as I steamed him in the bathroom that looks out over the steps.
Our life is overflowing with wonder and joy this year! But with two small kids, our three-year-old in preschool for the first time, we have been hit by cold after cold. With working and holidays, family visits, and power outages at the grandparent’s cabin requiring emergency visits we just never got around to the steps. Our letter carrier will be happy and we are forever grateful for your not so small act of kindness and our cherished reprieve of duty!
With Love,
Your Neighbors
Creating resilient communities in Vermont
Front Porch Forum is proud to be part of the Vermont Digital Economy Project, which has had a big impact across the state over the past couple years.
“VCRD launched the Vermont Digital Economy Project to offer free support to speed flood recovery, spur economic development and job growth, and improve community resilience to disasters. The project worked directly with Vermont towns affected by 2011’s floods to help businesses, nonprofits and municipalities expand their use of online tools. Together with project partners, we helped increase digital literacy and online workforce training, added Wi-Fi and other public access points, brought a community-based social network to every Vermont town, created town websites and community calendars, promoted the use of “cloud” applications, and provided customized small-business and nonprofit training.”
Check out this interactive map for lots of stories and real-world results:
Invite Vermonters to Join FPF – Win iPad
UPDATE: Congratulations to our lucky drawing winner, Mary B., from Fair Haven, VT. She invited three friends who all signed up immediately and started participating on their local FPF!
~~~~~~~~~~~
People join their local Front Porch Forum when they hear about it from someone they know. Spread the word to your Vermont contacts, and be entered to win an iPad mini!
Here’s how to enter:
Use FPF’s Invitation feature to invite as many Vermonters as you like (FPF is now available in every town and neighborhood in the state). You’ll be entered into the raffle once for each person who actually signs up for a new FPF account by Dec. 5, 2014.
To get started:
- Go to http://FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in)
- Click MY ACCOUNT
- Click INVITE FRIENDS TODAY under “Pitch In”
- Enter one legitimate email address of a Vermonter you know into each row. Click ADD ANOTHER if you want to enter more than three email addresses. Don’t worry if you’re not sure if your friend is already an FPF member… our system will NOT send invitations to email addresses already used by FPF accounts. Be sure to click SEND INVITE to finish.
We will verify that the iPad winner adhered to the letter and the spirit of this raffle (so please play nice!). It’s all about spreading the word about Front Porch Forum to more Vermonters — helping neighbors connect and build community.
Thanks to one and all.
P.S. Please keep in mind that you can always send folks to http://FrontPorchForum.com to sign up on their own.
59th Street Bridge Song for Vermont rutted roads
Posted by Barry on the Middlesex Front Porch Forum yesterday…
A ruined Paul Simon “59th Street Bridge song” to sing while driving our rutted roads
Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just sliding down the muddy road
Looking for fun, the road is groovy
Ba da da da da da da, the road is groovy
Hello, lamppost, whatcha knowin?
Hope not to hit ya when its snowin
Aintcha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in doo-doo, the road is groovy
Ba da da da da da da, the road is groovy
I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
Im dappled and drowsy and the road is too steep
Dont let the morning time sic its ice ruts on me
Life, I love you
The road is groovy
He forgot to suggest, Doot-in doo-doo, that we all get good snow tires!
Happy, safe Holidays!
5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your FPF Membership
To get the most out of Front Porch Forum, and to keep your FPF account working well, please try the following:
- See your new FPF COMMUNITY CALENDAR for local events:
- Go to http://FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in), and click CALENDAR to see nearby events.
- Or just click the VIEW YOUR FPF CALENDAR orange button or icon in your e-newsletter.
- You also can embed this calendar into other local websites or automatically add FPF-listed events to other online calendars.
- SEARCH your FPF’s POSTING ARCHIVE for past recommendations, free items, break-in reports, etc.:
- Go to http://FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in).
- Click SEARCH ARCHIVE to look for postings from any FPF to which you have full access.
- Check daily postings from NEIGHBORING FPFs:
- Near the bottom of your FPF e-newsletter under “News from Neighboring FPFs,” click the READ MORE link(s).
- STAY LOGGED IN to the FPF website between visits (so the steps above are easier):
- Go to http://FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGOUT (if available), then click LOGIN.
- Enter your email address and FPF password, and keep the box checked for “Remember me when I come back.” Click the orange “Log In” button.
- If your web browser asks you if you want it to remember this login information, select “yes.”
- To have your login information remembered by your computer, you may need to adjust your web browser’s preferences/settings to allow “cookies” for the FrontPorchForum.com website.
- ENSURE CONSISTENT DELIVERY of your FPF e-newsletters:
- Please add these email addresses to your email’s address book/contact list: [your FPF’s name]@frontporchforum.com (i.e., the email address in the FROM field of your FPF e-newsletter) and sender@postageapp.com.
- Check your spam filter for FPF e-newsletters. If you find any, please mark them as NOT SPAM. Please do NOT mark any email message from FPF as spam.
- Tell your email provider that messages from the following addresses are not spam and that they should be “white listed:” [your FPF’s name]@frontporchforum.com and sender@postageapp.com.
- If you stop using your current email addresses, please update the email address on your existing FPF account (rather than creating a new FPF account for this new email address). To do so, login to FPF and click MY ACCOUNT.
Best wishes this holiday season!
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).
Thanksgiving
I’m grateful for this forum,
As I’m sure you all are too,
So as I count my blessings,
I’m counting you good neighbors too.Happy Thanksgiving All!
Posted by Peggy on the Jericho Front Porch Forum.
Giving Thanks for FPF Sponsors
In this season of thanksgiving, please join us in thanking the major Front Porch Forum sponsors for 2014. Without their support, your local forum would not be possible. Special appreciation to:
- New England Federal Credit Union
- Building Energy
- Bourne’s Energy
- Lake Champlain Chocolates
- Cabot Creamery
- Smugglers’ Notch
- Bolton Valley Resort
- Almartin Volvo
- The Edge Sports & Fitness
- VTrans
- VPIRG
- Casella Waste Systems
- The University of Vermont Medical Center
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont
- Vermont State Colleges
- University of Vermont
- Windows & Doors By Brownell
- Wick & Maddocks Attorneys at Law
If your Vermont business, nonprofit, institution or agency would like to join this community-minded group, please contact us at localbiz@frontporchforum.com or 802-540-0069 x1. Learn more about how FPF advertising can help you reach Vermonters.
Additional 2014 FPF sponsors to whom we’re also grateful include:
- SunCommon
- Vermont Teddy Bear Company
- Jay Peak Resort
- Stowe Mountain Resort
- Dealer.com
- TIAA CREFF
- Vermont Gas
- Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District
- Healthy Living Market and Cafe
- Natural Provisions
- Greater Burlington YMCA
- The Essex Resort & Spa
- Johnson Law Group
- The Vermont Realty Team
- Computers for Change
- University Mall
- Morning Dew Landscaping & Stonework
- Big Rock Landscape
- Cathedral Square Corporation
- Vermont Precision Woodworks
- SerVermont
- Go Vermont
- Chittenden Co. Reg. Planning Comm.
- Chittenden Solid Waste District
- CCTA and GMTA
- VAST
- Northwestern Medical Center
- Copley Hospital
- Vermont Health Connect
- Champlain College
- Vermont Tech
- Community College of Vermont
- Sterling College
- The Schoolhouse
Best wishes to all this coming holiday season.
Town Clerk: “If FPF wasn’t there, we’d have to invent it”
A central Vermont FPF member emailed several of her local municipal officials urging greater use of their FPF to reach and engage citizens about a host of topics. The Town Clerk just replied with this:
“… the Clerk’s office makes quite a bit of use of Front Porch Forum. I get quite a bit of feedback on it, particularly around election related deadlines and events. I’m pretty sure the Senior Center (and probably others) does too, so I know the utility has been spreading. I love FPF for clerk stuff, actually. It’s a perfect fit. If it wasn’t there, we’d have to invent it.”
Moving to Ripton… neighbor gratitude
“Thanks to a Front Porch Forum member, I quickly found help for my move to the Ripton area. Hurrah!” Posted by Jean on the FPF that serves Ripton.
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
Post Categories
- Uncategorized
- PDF2009
- Calendar
- Northeast Kingdom
- podcast
- Peer Rental
- Localization
- Big Tech
- Events
- PDF2007
- Web Traffic
- Google AdSense
- Pay It Forward
- Elections
- berkmansunlight
- Maps
- Video
- Upstate New York
- Coupons
- Wildlife
- Mobile
- Viral Marketing
- Raffle
- Donations
- Crisis Response
- Lost & Found
- Gratitude
- Real Estate
- College Students
- Social Responsibility
- Best of FPF
- Orton Family Foundation
- Start ups
- Make It Your Own Awards
- Online Civility
- Clay Shirky
- Newspapers
- How To Use FPF
- Humor
- Online Classified Ads
- Peer Reviews
- Politics
- Community Management
- Economic Development
- Local Reviews
- Case Foundation
- Borrow and Lend
- Neighborhood Watch
- Good Government
- Small Business Advertising
- Citizen Journalism
- e-Vermont
- Democracy
- Local Search
- Knight Foundation
- Burlington
- MacArthur Fellows
- Civic Engagement
- Social Media
- social capital
- Social Networking
- Vermont
- Neighborhood
- Community Building
- Local Online
- Front Porch Forum