Commuter Bus Service Begins

Commuter bus service between Ripton and Middlebury began today, October 30. Addison County Transit Resources will be providing service to Middlebury at 7:30 and 8:30 am on Thursdays and Fridays. This bus stops at the Ripton Town Office, the Ripton Store, and will pick up passengers on Maiden Lane and lower Peddlers Bridge Road. Return trips leave Middlebury at 4:45 and 5:45 pm. Some midday runs are also scheduled.

Schedules and tickets are available at the Ripton Store and the Ripton Town Office. A ten trip ticket costs $9. Exact change is accepted on board, as well.

This service provides an inexpensive and relaxing way to get to work, and also makes a significant cut in greenhouse gas emissions.

Ripton trails still hurting from rains

Some Ripton trails might be in bad shape as we head into winter, according to the Rutland Herald. The summer rains' effects are still being felt:

A bridge on the Robert Frost Interpretive Trail in Middlebury was also damaged,
but it is eligible for ERFO [Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads] money
because it is designated as a National Scenic Trail, Hoelscher said.

The Kids Can Really Run!

The Kid's Run is always a fun part of Ridge Run Day, and last Sunday was no exception. There were a lot of participants and everyone had a good time, proudly wearing their purple TShirts and green ribbons.

A special thanks to the Ripton teens who helped in all sorts of ways — fun warm-up exercises before the race and encouragement/direction during the excitement especially.

The kids helped to raise money for FORS, and had a great time too!

Ridge Run Results

You asked for it, you got it. This link will take you to a page with all the results for last weekends Ridge Run!

Congratulations to everyone, runners, walkers, and volunteers....

Ripton Ridge Run!

What a great day for a race! And what a great event it was, thanks to dozens of local volunteers, including the fire department and rescue squad, and the sponsorship of dozens of local businesses. And of course, there wouldn’t be a race without racers – and Ripton’s runners and walkers turned out in full force.

Over 180 runners and walkers from around the country participated in the 21st annual Ripton Ridge Run. The event featured a 10.4 K run, a 5K run and a 5K fun walk on Ripton’s scenic roads and raised money for the Ripton School. The top finisher in the 10.4 K race was Nick Balfour of Shoreham with a time of 43:39.8, nearly two minutes ahead of second place Steve Kayhart of Vergennes with 45:33.0. Georgina Milligan of Middlebury was 5th overall and led the women with a time of 47:12.6, followed by Lisa Grzyb from Ripton at 48:12.0. Other Ripton finishers were Sean Gryzb, Susan Ogilvie and Peter Cummings. In the 5K run, 16 year-old Schuyler Klein of Ripton won the men’s race in 20:03.6; Mike Bessette of St. Albans was second with a time of 20:49.2. Ripton’s Yared Lacey, age 12, came in 4th overall with a time of 21:52.3; 11 year-old Calder Birdsey finished a minute behind him in 8th place, beating out former Ripton Elementary students Levi Doria and Brian Phinney who finished 9th and 10th. Current Ripton school kids, Rowan Warren, Sebastian Durante and Alec Jones finished in 14th, 15th and 17th place respectively. Jay Harrington ran the 5K with son Baxter in a baby jogger and managed to finish in 19th place with a time of 25:19.8. Taryn Petrelli of Harrison NY set the pace for the women with a 23:18.5 finish time with Ripton’s Carlisle Doria only 0.4 seconds behind her. 14 year-old Britta Clark came in 20th, followed closely by Emily Mathews. Other Ripton finishers in the 5K race included Najat Croll, Mitchell Wulfman, Carrie Wulfman, Jeff Wulfman, Joe Durante, Roland McGlashon, Sarah Wesson, Burke Doria, Michele Fay, 7 year-old Tristan Durante, 11-year olds Oliver Clark and Jessica Cyr, 12-year old Anneke Jewett, Dina Wolkoff, Tal Birdsey, 8 year-old Abigail Jewett. 7 year-old Aiden Warren, Eric Warren, 8 year-old Andre Trudeau, 6 year-old Tim Goettlemann, 11-year olds Meghan Mulholland and Jesse Wulfman,10 year-old Jesse Trudeau and 12-year old Peter Manning.

There were many, many Ripton residents who participated in the 5K Fun Walk, including Kit Wilson, his son Ben, daughter-in-law Trina and grandson Nolan, at age 1, the youngest person registered in the race. Other Ripton walkers included Jennifer Cyr, Carol Kulczyk, Claire Groleau, and Nathan Wulfman.

In addition to these races, there was also a Kids’ Race at the school. Ripton students got pledges from sponsors so they could run in this event. The students raised over $400 and received t-shirts and a ribbon for participating.

Ripton Save Our Church meeting, next Saturday

Charles Billings sends on this invitation:

Friends of Ripton UM Church invite you to attend a nonsectarian,
SAVE OUR CHURCH, community meeting.

Where: Ripton UM Church
When: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time: 10:00 am

Purpose: To discuss, and help shape, the use and preservation of the 1864 M.E. Church
.
Vision: Without the community’s participation the symbol of hope that was erected amid the anguish of the Civil War may not endure. With your help this historic Ripton Village landmark will have a future, and will continue to be an idyllic visual anchor at the center of our town.

Agenda: 1. Introduction by Rev. Jill Robinson
2. Share the Results of the Questionnaire
3. Explanation of Renovation Plans
4. Description of Renovation Expenses
5. Discussion of Funding
6. Other uses of the Building
7. Open Floor Discussion

Questions? Call 388-1634

Coming up soon: the 2008 Addison County Conservation Congress

A county-wide meeting on financial, climate, and energy changes is scheduled for October 25th. The 2008 Addison County Conservation Congress is an all-day event. Some details of the event, subtitled "Visioning Our Community in 2020 and Mapping the Next Steps to Get There":

John Elder will then lead the community in a visualization of the year 2020. Next, we will join one of the 12 rooms of our community: Food and Farming, Health and Wellness, Business and Enterprise, Community Arts and Culture, Governance and Public Safety, etc. [more information here] There, we will brainstorm our vision for the room in 2020.

What will emerge at the end of the day is a vision statement for each room and three specific actions to be taken in the next year to help manifest that vision: one personal, one for our neighborhood or town, and one for Addison County.

Logistics:

The Congress will be held at Mt. Abraham Union High School on October 25 from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM. The suggested donation is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for students. A localvore lunch will be available for $8.00.

A registration form is downloadable here.

The day is sponsored by Addison County Relocalization Network (ACoRN) and Vermont Family Forests (VFF). The VFF site should have more information as we draw closer to the 25th.

(thanks to Warren King)

Try the "Low Carbon Diet"!

Information on a useful, upcoming program:

Try the "Low Carbon Diet" 30-Day Program to reduce your household's carbon
footprint while gaining energy savings rapidly. This easy-to-follow series
meets for four Mondays beginning October 6, from 7-8 pm at the Addison
County Regional Planning Commission (ACRPC) office on 14 Seminary Street
in Middlebury. Learn how to measure your household's carbon footprint in
the first session on October 6 and about the biggest sources of energy use
and carbon emmissions for your household. Next, make an Action Plan from
choices in the Low Carbon Diet Workbook working toward a goal of reducing
your household's carbon footprint by 5,000 pounds in 30 days. The cost is
$12 for the workbook. Report on your results and learn more about energy
savings and options in subsequent sessions. Sessions facilitated by Laura
Asermily, Middlebury Energy Coordinator. For more info or to register for
the program, call 388-9478 or email lasermily@yahoo.com.

(thanks to Warren King)

Winter approaches, as do fuel concerns

It's October, and Riptonites are thinking of winter fuel (among other things). The Addison Independent reports on Vermonters' concerns about home heating costs, and notes that Ripton is one of several towns conducting grass-roots neighbor support.