Top Stories for Tuesday May 1, 2018

American Legion Auxiliary Unit # 27 Continues To Support Relay For Life

American Legion Auxiliary Unit # 27 President Marcy DeGray and other members of the unit presented Middlebury Relay for Life Co-President Kathryn Bullen and Team Recruitment Chair Jack Daly a check for $ 1,000.00 toward their Saturday, April 28th fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. This marks the tenth consecutive year that Legion Auxiliary Unit# 27 has offered support to assist the local chapter of the American Cancer Society in its race to find a cure. Relay for Life Co-President Kathryn Bullen accepted the check and thanked the Middlebury Legion Auxiliary for their ongoing support.
  [ more ]

Painting With A Purpose
By Cookie Steponaitis
At least ten to twelve times a month, traveling artist Jackie Rivers packs up her paints and her supplies and goes to a location somewhere in the state. It might be a school, a not-for-profit, private home, business or civic organization.  Upon arriving she sets up her tables, all her supplies and proceeds to share with the paying guests a foray into art with purpose. People who have never painted come as well as artists. The event sends each participant home with a finished original product and at the same time benefits some local group, charitable organization or community project. Most importantly, the painting and sipping is a lot of fun and brings together people from all walks of life. Using a projection screen and a lot of fun examples, Rivers models each step of the art work from the front and comes to each person to help support them as they create on slate, canvas, Terra Cotta Flower pots, Maple Sap Buckets or a host of other possible products.  [ more ]

Celebrating The John Strong Mansion And The Revolutionary Spirit In Us All
By Cookie Steponaitis
Joy Minns like many Addison County residents drove past the John Strong Mansion for over forty years without ever having set foot there. Minns grew up in a family that did not share stories or background information and her father did not even know which country his parents were born in. Genealogical research and following her own family’s journey was always on her ‘Bucket List’ to do but it was not until about seven years ago that she actually began. Minns thought that her mother’s family had come to the United States in the mid -1800’s and was shocked to find that they had in fact been in America since the early 1600’s. Minns discovered as she traced back each generation she had at least eleven family members who had fought in the American Revolution. She was asked to join the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution by DAR member Liz Bicknell.  Minns went out of curiosity and shared she had visions of women who wore white gloves and drank tea. Little did she know that the DAR is one of the largest women’s service groups in the world and very active in supporting education, the military, veterans and Native American causes. Minns not only found her heritage as a member but went into a building that previously received a passing glance as she traveled by it.  [ more ]