Ghost of Midnight
… about neighbors, community and Front Porch Forum
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.”
Vermont towns post public meetings to their local FPF
An increasing number of municipal boards and committees post their public meeting warnings and minutes on their local Front Porch Forums. Many have done this for years, but more have started doing it lately. For example, the New Haven Conservation Commission posted an invitation to the community to attend its upcoming meeting, followed by the agenda.
It started with this lovely invitation…
We welcome all who wish to express their ideas, thoughts and opportunities. As we continue the goals of this commission it is important that we hear from the townspeople that we will serve. Please come join us.
And ended with…
Posted December 27, 2014, Town Office, Village Green Market, Post Office, Website, Front Porch Forum.
Neighbors’ spare Shaw stamps net 3 qt. pot
Neighbors are using their local Front Porch Forums to request and share grocery store stamps to apply toward new pots and pans… and it’s working!
From Mary on the Northfield FPF…
So .. I only had 27 extra stamps and almost didn’t post them thinking that is just not enough to bother with. But dang it, maybe, just maybe, they would put someone over the top to get one of those nice pans. Had to try. As it turned out it will help TWO ladies reach their goal! Thanks, FPF!
And Julia on the Montpelier FPF…
Thank you, kind Montpelier folks. I had several gracious offers, throughout last evening–and have my new 3 qt. pot! If you need some stamps, post it! — offers will come. FPF is terrific, and so is our sense of community. Gotta love it.
Neighbors rescue Bear, the trapped labradoodle
Bear the dog… a story with a happy ending on the Randolph-area Front Porch Forum. First, the call went out from Rachel on Thursday…
Family labradoodle lost at about 5:00pm Wednesday night, large and cream colored, very friendly but may bark or be shy to approach. He left wearing a collar with tags and a black leash, but I’m hoping that they would have slipped off if he caught on something.
Both dogs ran off while I was closing up the chicken coop and were out of sight when I turned back. They have done this before, but they usually come back within the hour. This time one of them did, but Bear is still out there! We’ve been tracking him through our woods all night but with no luck.
Please let us know if you’ve seen him!
Followed by good news the next day from Mary…
Without Front Porch Forum a dog and its family would have been very upset. While Samantha was walking down the hill from Brookfield Elementary School she heard an unusual dog in the neighborhood barking. She wanted to find out if the dog needed help. She tramped through the deep snow to locate the dog and helped to return it to the dog’s owners. The dog was trapped by its leash under the ice and snow in a field away from houses.
Bear, the dog, and the rest of us want to thank Samantha for rescuing Bear.
And gratitude from Bear’s family…
Bear was found and returned to us safely Thursday evening!
We can’t thank you all enough for your thoughts and notes, and we are especially grateful to Samantha and Mary who brought him home. We are so lucky to live in such a wonderful community. Thank you!
“Charlotte neighbors and FPF – thank you!”
Jill in Charlotte posted this yesterday on her FPF…
Recently, I posted on Front Porch Forum about accommodation for my sister and her family over the holidays. I received such wonderful responses, a range of great possibilities! She did end up going with one of them.
And, just today, I picked up my car from Chris at Charlotte Collision. I called him because I remembered at least one FPF post singing his praises. I’d like to add my voice: Chris looked at the damage to my car, gave me an estimate and an appt, and today it was ready for pick up. It looks great and Chris was very reasonable, commonsensical, easy, and lots of fun to do business with.
Charlotte neighbors and FPF — thank you!
Christmas tree generosity among neighbors
Posted yesterday by David from Brownsville, Vermont, on his local Front Porch Forum…
I would love to donate a Christmas tree to a family who doesn’t have the ability to obtain one… I will bring it to you and help carry inside… This is the season of giving so I would love to bring a lil Christmas cheer to a family. 🙂
Overwhelmed by neighborly response
Lori posted on her central Vermont FPF over the weekend… 
My flat garage roof is very very heavy with this heavy snow. Looking for help to clear it this weekend. With my heart condition and my husbands bad back, we will have trouble doing it alone. If you can help, we can pay you. Please respond through Front Porch Forum if you are able. thank you!
And today she followed up with…
I am overwhelmed with the out-pouring of offers of assistance to shovel my roof. Thank you all for your generosity! I think we have it covered now. Amazing how community IS STILL ALIVE! There are good people left in this world!!!
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.
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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