You’ve heard it before: put your money where your mouth is. It’s one thing to say the words and another to live them. The recent flap over the Johnson Historical Society flag was just that — words. The veterans who showed up at Lamoille View Cemetery on Sunday morning to honor this country and the people who have fought and died for it, as they do every year, were the real thing. Bob Sweetser, Tom Carney, Don Garrett, Mike Dunham, Steve Engel, Geoff Corey, Steve Smith, Dayton Barau, Bob Frey and Beaver White gathered to pay tribute to the solemn memory of our heroic dead, with no fanfare and a tiny audience.
So often our freedom and rights are taken for granted. These guys represented the reasons we have them. They remind us of the true nature of sacrifice. Their flag is sincerely honored.
The complaint made to the village when the flags were hung on Main Street’s utility poles that they were too nationalist has rankled in some Johnsonites’ hearts. So did the proposed idea that half of them should be replaced. When considering history, all of it should be taken into account. Our veterans and our flag remind us that the likes of two world wars happened for a reason.
The historical society flag was replaced, as it is annually, by Carney and Garrett. They usually cover the cost themselves, but this year they had three flags donated by Lynn Sibley, Alan Lehouiller and Dunham, with the offer of another by Sweetser. Many thanks go to those folks for their quiet support. Carney and Garrett also care for the veterans’ flags at the town cemeteries.
Many in the town and village have voiced the opinion that they’re troubled by the tone of the politics being played in the upcoming village trustee vote on June 8. That campaigning is characterized by some of the same tactics that were denigrated in the presidential election. That strident opinions come from town and even out-of-town folks in a village election. That Johnson used to be a friendly, easy place where everybody talked to each other rationally. That some insist on values for others by which they don’t live themselves.
Many folks wonder just what has gone wrong that has caused so much divisiveness. They recognize Johnson’s many good qualities that already make it a great place to live, and with a university and the Vermont Studio Center that welcomes international artists and writers, is already more diverse than most county towns. All of the visitors and students have always been welcomed to community functions, enriching everyone involved. Many in town feel that truth is a priceless rarity. It should be told.
Now for the good news: June 4 is Hug Your Cat Day.
The arboretum has had great reviews and out-of-towners have voiced their intent to visit and asked for tours. Four cash or materials donations have been made, a donation of a tree has been offered by Elmore Roots, and a donation of unusual rhododendrons has been made by a local grower, all of which warms the hearts of the tree board. It’ll only get better from here. If you’d like to donate, cash is always appreciated.
A donor can designate it for a specific item. A tree of the board’s choice can be bought and given a plaque to create a memorial or to honor an occasion. Needed materials include a chain-link gate for the mulch storage area, compost, wire fencing and stakes to prevent deer damage, benches, signage and gator bags for watering. The board always welcomes hands-on help, too. The more people get involved, the faster it will grow. The board continues its care of the street trees as well, making its members very busy people.
After seven years of service, Louise von Weise has stepped down from the tree board. She could often be seen weeding around the trees in the sidewalk pits on Main Street, one of the world’s peskiest jobs. Many thanks, Louise.
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