Although there was enough snow for a hunter to track deer earlier in the week, it certainly didn’t feel much like late November for the holiday and the weekend. All the same, I’m glad I have my snow tires on. They’ll make this week’s scheduled trip to Danville more relaxed. As anyone who drives Route 15 regularly knows, conditions can change once you leave Hardwick.
The warmer temperatures make less poignant the news that Cambridge Area Rotary voted to prioritize public health and safety and not open the community skating rink this year. I want to especially thank Peter Ingvoldstad and Zeke Zucker, who have coordinated the assembly and maintenance of the rink for the past I don’t know how many years, as well as all the Rotarian volunteers who have shown up to help out at work sessions putting it up and taking it down. We hope they can all return, along with seasonal temperatures, next year.
Meanwhile, the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail and the Cambridge Greenway seem to be getting a fair amount of foot traffic, depending on the weather. When my husband, daughter, and I went for a walk Thanksgiving afternoon, we were almost the only ones out, but when we went again on Sunday, there were plenty of people out taking advantage of sun and mild temperatures. Almost everyone was masked, too, which was reassuring.
It will be a while before we can bicycle all the way from Cambridge to Swanton. According to the schedule on the VTrans website, the right of way will be cleared next spring, with the target for construction work the fall 2021 and spring 2022. That will give those of us, like me, who need to get in cycling shape plenty of time to get ready.
If you are interested in supporting local businesses this holiday season, look no further than cambridgesmallbusinessfestival.com. Francesca D’Elia worked on this website for weeks, asking local businesses, services and eateries to fill out an online form for inclusion, and local entrepreneurs complied. Online shopping ranges in price from $10 to $650, for goods from masks, hand-milled soaps, or CDs to fine art. This is also the website to visit to find out about local services and for store hours for in-person shopping. You can also play Cambridge Small Business Festival Bingo. Those who fill in their five-in-a-row, documented photographically, are eligible for a gift basket prize drawing.
With so much of our lives moved online, those of us with no or slow online service are at a distinct disadvantage. One way we can all help Lamoille FiberNet meet the need to for internet infrastructure is to participate in an internet speed test at home or in the office. That test is available at vermont.speedsurvey. org. I did the test twice, once on my phone, once on my laptop, and found the results were different.
While I do have service that is adequate, my numbers were definitely under the 25/3 Mbps levels that might disqualify a household from eligibility for grants and loans. Lamoille FiberNet is asking residents and businesses to perform these tests because they have found that speed levels reported by internet service providers to the state are often higher than those experienced by customers.
As elementary and high schools reopen after the Thanksgiving break, Cambridge Elementary continues to seek substitute teachers, bus drivers and lunch and recess monitors. If you are interested in any of those positions, visit cesvt.net and scroll down the page.
Until next week, I’ll see you around town. Look for the tall woman with magenta bangs wearing a Hitchhiker’s Guide “Don’t Panic” mask.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be proactive. Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.