Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms mainly during the evening. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 58F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Steer showsFour Vermont 4-H teamsters competed in 4-H working steer shows. The first show was July 17 at the Connecticut Valley Fair fairgrounds in Bradford. Highland Farm in Pomfret hosted the second show Aug. 13.

The 4-H’ers competed in three classes in either the Junior Division (ages 8-13) or Senior Division (ages 14-18). In fitting and showing, the 4-H’ers were awarded points based on their knowledge of working steers, how well they handled and drove their team, and the overall appearance and condition of their animals including proper fit of equipment. The cart class was a timed event where competitors were judged on how quickly they hitched their team to a two-wheeled cart and navigated an obstacle course. The stone boat pull, another timed event, involved using voice commands to get the working steer team to respond to pull a stone boat, a type of sled used to move heavy objects.

Amanda Ferris, of Braintree and Clever Clovers 4-H Club in Tunbridge, competed in the Senior Division in the second show, earning a perfect score and blue ribbons in all three events.

Competing in the Junior Division were Charlotte Aiken, Tunbridge; Lily Larocque, Randolph Center; and Matt Whitney, Chelsea.

In the first show, Charlotte received white ribbons in each class. At the second show, she earned a blue for fitting and showmanship, a red for the cart class and a white for the stone boat pull. Charlotte belongs to the Clever Clovers 4-H Club.

Lily, of the Green Mountain Teamsters in Pomfret, earned a red ribbon for fitting and showmanship, and blues in the cart class and stone boat pull at the July 17 show. In the Aug. 13 show, she won blue ribbons in fitting and showmanship, cart class and the stone boat pull.

Matt received a red in both the fitting and showmanship and cart class and a blue in the stone boat pull in the first show. He won all blue ribbons at the second show. Matt is a Green Mountain Teamsters member.

Dairy showTUNBRIDGE — Forty-four 4-H’ers, ages 11-18, from eight Vermont counties, qualified for the 2022 State 4-H Dairy Show held Aug. 14-15 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds.

For the fitting and showmanship classes, the judge awarded placements based on how well the 4-H’er presented and handled his or her animal. The first-place winner in each of the age groups competed for the Senior (14-18) and Junior (11-13) championships. Sarah Hill, Bristol (age 17), won the Senior Fitting and Showmanship Championship. Other award candidates were Keenan Thygesen, Tunbridge (age 18); Dylan Slack, Bethel (age 16); Gabriel Michaud, East Hardwick (age 15); and Elise Sanders, West Topsham (age 14).

Competing for the Junior Fitting and Showmanship Championship were Wyatt Chambers (age 13) and Sylvia Johnson (age 12), both from Tunbridge, and Dawson Michaud, East Hardwick (age 11). Sylvia was named the champion.

The 4-H’ers also competed in conformation classes, arranged by breed and age of the animal, scored on physical structure, condition and appearance of the animal. Earning championships were:

Ayrshire: Senior Champion and Grand Champion, Leah Rogers, Randolph Center, with her 2-year-old cow; Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, Isabella Wilbur, Orwell, with her winter calf; Reserve Junior Champion, Patty Bruce, East Wallingford, with her fall calf.

Brown Swiss: Senior Champion and Grand Champion, Lorryn Trujillo, North Clarendon, with her 2-year-old cow; Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, Brailey Livingston, New Haven, with her winter calf; Reserve Junior Champion, Brailey Livingston, New Haven, with her winter yearling.

Guernsey: Junior Champion and Grand Champion, Zach Johnson, Tunbridge, with his winter yearling; Reserve Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, Sylvia Johnson, Tunbridge, with her spring yearling.

Jersey: Senior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, Austin Washburn, Bethel, with his 2-year-old cow; Senior Reserve Champion, Amanda Ferris, Braintree, with her 3-year-old cow; Junior Champion and Grand Champion, Lorryn Trujillo, North Clarendon, with her summer yearling; Reserve Junior Champion, Isabella Wilbur, Orwell, with her spring yearling.

Holstein: Senior Champion and Grand Champion, Dylan Slack, Bethel, with his 4-year-old cow; Reserve Senior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, Aubrey Maley, Irasburg, with her 2-year-old cow; Junior Champion, Karissa Livingston, New Haven, with her fall calf; Reserve Junior Champion, Gabriel Michaud, East Hardwick, with his winter calf.

Milking Shorthorn: Junior Champion and Grand Champion, Sarah Hill, Bristol, with her fall calf; Reserve Junior Champion and Reserve Grand Champion, Caroline Allen, Ferrisburgh, with her summer yearling.

Two special awards were also presented. Dan LaCoss, Ryegate, received the Ed Gould Award, awarded to an adult 4-H volunteer who is a strong supporter of the Vermont 4-H dairy program. The John Knapp Award, given each year to the highest scoring individual in the Vermont 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl held in March, went to Emma Seward, East Wallingford.

Annual fundraiserMONTPELIER — Prevent Child Abuse Vermont (PCAVT) announced a new fundraiser: Do Absolutely Anything (to prevent child abuse) is an online platform that provides the tools to anyone who wants to raise funds doing any kind of activity they like. It is available all year long, allowing participants to start and promote their activity at the time that works best for them. All funds raised go toward PCAVT programs such as Healthy Relationships Project, Family Support Programs, and Safe Environments for Infants and Toddlers. Visit pcavt.org/events for more information.

Tatum’s TotesBARRE — The offices of Green Mountain United Way are filled with Tatum’s Totes supplies donated by local businesses and organizations like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, VSECU, Hickok and Boardman, Central Vermont Home, Health & Hospice, VT Mutual Insurance and others. Tatum’s Totes provides children with a new backpack full of basic items like socks and toothbrushes, hair care products, school and art supplies, upon leaving home and going into a new one. Children helped through Tatum’s Totes live in central Vermont or the Northeast Kingdom.

Annual awardElmira College recently announced this year’s recipients of its annual Key Award presented to outstanding students in their junior year of high school or preparatory school. Recipients included Celia Weigand, of Jeffersonville; Clara Bartlett, of Lyndonville; Maya Elliott, of Montpelier; Jillian Rundle, of Waterbury Center.

Academic honorsAlex Stanger, of East Calais, was named to the 2021-22 dean’s list at Lawrence University.

Rachael Beaudin, of Middlesex, was named to the spring 2022 dean’s list at Washington University.

Grant awards LYNDON — A total of $4.5 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education has been awarded to support first-generation college students in Vermont. Northern Vermont University-Johnson was awarded a $2.7M five-year grant, and Northern Vermont University-Lyndon was awarded a $1.8M five-year grant for their Upward Bound programs. The grants will continue to support the Upward Bound program when NVU unifies with Castleton University and Vermont Technical College to become Vermont State University in July 2023.

Upward Bound is one of the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO programs and is free for any eligible participating student. Students are eligible if neither parent has completed a bachelor’s degree, or if the family is low-to-moderate income, based on federal guidelines.

50th reunionBARRE — Spaulding High School Class of 1972 celebrated their 50th Class Reunion Aug. 13 at the County Club of Barre. In addition to area class members, the 56 in-person attendees included classmates from California, Colorado, Ohio, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Highlights included the Fairway & Greens food, group photo, class gift, tribute to past members, and a Zoom meeting arranged to include six “virtual” classmates.

Harvest festivalMARSHFIELD — Jaquith Public Library Trustees and Friends will hold the Marshfield Harvest Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Old Schoolhouse Common, 122 School St. in Marshfield. Highlights include live music, cider pressing, an art making tent, field games, a petting zoo, book sale, bake sale, horse and wagon rides, 50/50 raffle, vendors selling art, crafts, locally grown goods, and a hike up to the Marshfield cliffs at 3 p.m. For more information, email jaquithpubliclibrary@gmail.com or call (802) 426-3581.

Gifford Health CareRANDOLPH — Gifford’s new GE SPECT/CT camera is installed and ready for patients. The Nuclear Medicine Department at Gifford performs exams that range from heart, gallbladder and bone, to gastrointestinal bleeds and pulmonary embolisms. The new SPECT/CT provides information about how the body is working and identifies problems.

For the second straight year, Gifford’s three-day Last Mile Ride, Walk and Run to support end-of-life care set new participation and fundraising records. Between the three in-person events and virtual options, there were 560 total participants resulting in $187,000 for Gifford’s palliative care program, assisting families whose loved ones are on life’s last mile.

Film festivalMONTPELIER — ORCA Media announced the 23rd Green Mountain Film Festival (GMFF) will return March 2024 to the Savoy Theatre in Montpelier. Inheriting GMFF from Focus on Film, ORCA Media is the nonprofit community media center serving Montpelier and central Vermont, promoting storytelling through local video production, media arts education, and distribution services. For more GMFF information, email gmff@orcamedia.net or visit gmffestival.org.

Public inputWINOOSKI — Efficiency Vermont statewide energy efficiency utility is seeking public input as it prepares its three-year plan for programs to help save money on energy and lower greenhouse gas emissions in the state. Called the Demand Resources Plan (DRP), development of this document is overseen by Vermont Public Utility Commission, and will guide investments during the 2024-26 planning period. To take the survey, visit efficiencyvermont.com/feedback online.

West Nile virusBURLINGTON — A sample of mosquitoes collected in Alburgh have tested positive for West Nile virus. This is the first positive pool of mosquitoes of the 2022 surveillance season. A pool is a group of up to 50 mosquitoes of the same species and location. Spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, there have been no human cases of West Nile virus yet this year. The last confirmed case was in 2021. Historically, the virus has been found in all counties of Vermont.

Since 2003, there have been 14 confirmed human cases of West Nile virus in Vermont. Most people who are infected do not get sick from the virus, but it can lead to serious illnesses, such as encephalitis. Symptoms of illness can include fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea or a rash. People age 50 and older are at highest risk. If symptoms persist, contact your health care provider. For more information, visit healthvermont.gov/mosquito online.

History ExpoESSEX JUNCTION — The second annual Vermont Living History Expo will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17 and 18, at Champlain Valley Exposition, 105 Pearl St., Essex Junction. The event will host over two dozen reenactment groups representing the Roman legions, medieval knights, the American Revolution, the Napoleonic era, the American Civil War, both World Wars, and feature several historical societies and museums, numerous veteran support groups, Vermont National Guard services, period crafters, and vendors. Attendees can interact with the different encampments as well as watch troop and cavalry drills and period craft demonstrations. Visit www.vtgatherings.com for tickets and more information.

Municipal DayMONTPELIER — The Agency of Natural Resources (ANR) announced its ninth annual Municipal Day on Oct. 28. The event is an opportunity for Vermont’s local officials and volunteers to learn the most up-to-date information to apply in their daily work, through workshops presented by state officials. The full-day session costs $30. Registration begins Sept. 15. Visit anr.vermont.gov/about_us/special-topics/municipal-day for more information.

Do you have an item you would like to see in Community News? A milestone? A public announcement? A short news release about something entertaining going on in your town? Simply email the information to us at news@timesargus.com. Be sure to put For Community News in the subject line. (Note: We do reserve the right to edit for length.)

Importing deer, elkHunters traveling outside Vermont to hunt deer or elk are reminded by Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department that a regulation designed to protect Vermont’s wild deer from chronic wasting disease remains in effect. A fine of up to $1,000 and loss of hunting and fishing licenses for one year are applicable for each deer or elk imported illegally. The department also reminds hunters that using any type of natural deer urine-based or deer body fluid attractant scents is prohibited in the state because of the CWD threat. Visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com and www.cwd-info.org for more information.

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