Around Town
compiled by Edd Merritt

Congratulations to ...
to three students from Charlotte whose written pieces appeared recently in the Burlington Free Press’ “Young Writers Project.” All were written after attending the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in late August. Charlotte Central fifth grader Amira Silverman answered the end of a concert with her poem entitled “Gone.” She “missed the music that once sang so sweetly to my ears.” Jordan Cannon, a sixth grader at The Schoolhouse, described the site, setting and sound of a concert by violinist Soovin Kim. She was impressed by his fingers that “raced along the fingerboard,” producing “unbelievable string crossings.” CVU ninth grader Emily Luce’s poem, “The Voice,” shows her wonderment at Yu’s ability to devote herself totally to her voice that crescendos while her tone grows to “wonderful heights, the heights never reached before so beautifully.”

to Wendy, Eric and their son Will White who, along with their Plum Hill Farm, were featured in the September 16 Burlington Free Press’ section on foods at harvest time. Stone fruit, tomatoes and peppers are their staples, and Penny says in the article that the purple heart plum is the family favorite.

to participants and sponsors of the fourth annual Kelly Brush Foundation’s Century Ride. This year’s event raised $199,000, the most successful to date both in terms of numbers of participants and donations. The foundation’s money goes toward promoting ski-racing safety and adaptive sports, as well as research on spinal cord injury. Kelly grew up in Charlotte and graduated from Middlebury College where she participated on the ski team until she sustained a spinal cord injury while racing in Division I NCAA competition. Kelly and her family started the foundation in 2006.

to Jan and David Blttersdorf’s NRG Systems and Tony Cairns’ Champlain Oil Company, Inc. The companies received “5X5X5 Growth Awards” as two of the five fastest growing businesses over the past five years in five different sectors of business. NRG Systems was recognized in the technology sector, Champlain Oil in the wholesale sector.

to Sue Smith who was featured in the September 27 Burlington Free Press in an article by Charlotte’s Dorothy Pellett. The article cited Sue’s work over the past two summers in attempting to remove the invasive European frogbit plant from Town Farm Bay. She said she and her group of interested experts decided to attack the frogbit because it could be removed by canoe rather than having to use divers. She says they have picked about seven tons of frogbit, “cleaning about one-fourth of the 25-acre area.”
to Al and Nancy Martin who were named “Hometown Heroes of the Month” by Channel 5 NBC News. They volunteer their time, services and boat to take citizens from the Charlotte Senior Center for rides on Lake Champlain.
to Jennifer Keppel who has been recognized over the past three years for her generous support of community projects through donations of jewelry and services to groups including the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington and the Cancer Patient Support Program. Keppel, who lives in Charlotte, owns JK Jewelry in Shelburne.

to Michael Metz and Martha Ming Whitfield who were selected by the Snelling Center for Government to become members of the 2010 Vermont Leadership Institute (VLI). The institute seeks to stimulate enthusiasm for and participation in public service in order to bring about positive change. Metz is the head of Michael Metz & Associates, Inc., and Whitfield is an arts organization consultant.

to Mike Nurczynski of Charlotte and Arielle Schwartz of Rye, New York, who were married September 26 in an outdoor ceremony on the banks of the Long Island Sound in Rye. A large contingent from Charlotte, including guests and members of the wedding party, witnessed the ceremony. Mike is the son of Lynn and Rich Nurczynski.

Sympathy is extended to...
is extended to family and friends of Thomas Bianchi of Charlotte who passed away September 14 at the age of 67. Born in Windsor, Vermont, Tom earned an accounting degree from Bentley College in Boston and went on to work as an auditor and accountant. He returned to Vermont in 1969, working initially for Stowe Mountain Company and later for Nordic Ford before spending 20 years with the Shelburne Corporation. He was also a dog man, first with corgis, later salukis. He started Injoy Wood Products/Lure Coursing Equipment in 1978, which grew beyond simply the dog world to lure coursing for other animals. Tom became totally self-employed in 1995. His wife Katrina (Brockway), with whom he celebrated 40 years of marriage on September 6, survives him. The family asks that donations in his memory be made to MGH Orthopedic Oncology Fund, c/o Dr. Francis Hornicek, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Yawkey Center, Suite 3700, Boston, Massachusetts 02114 or to STOLA, Saluki Tree of Alliance, 3701 Sacramento Street #345, San Francisco, California 94118.

is extended to family and friends of Sue Miller of Burlington who passed away September 13 at the age of 87. An artist, four of her works are on permanent display at Champlain College, the Fletcher Free Library and nationally at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. Her surviving family members include her daughter Miriam Lerner and her husband Ken of Charlotte plus grandchildren Nathan and Jeremy Lerner. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations in her memory go to the World Wildlife Fund.

is extended to family and friends of Frances “Joan” Carter of Hendersonville, North Carolina who passed away September 18 at the age of 82. A registered nurse practitioner, she was also a member of the Red Hat Society. Her surviving family members include her daughter Kathy Dunn and husband Dana of Charlotte. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be sent to the American Cancer Society, 120 Executive Park, Building 1, Asheville, North Carolina 28801.