FERRISBURGH — Attention all Hollow residents: There will be a public meeting on Tuesday evening, Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall, at which Resource Systems Group will present their traffic study findings and make recommendations for traffic calming on Old Hollow Road. This study is intended to inform as to how to improve the safety and the quality of life in The Hollow. Public comments regarding the presentation will be most welcome. For more information, contact Judy Chaves at [email protected].
Fall is just around the corner so stay tuned to this column and the area schools’ websites for information on school activities for the fall semester. The next Ferrisburgh Central School Board meeting will be Thursday, Aug. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the school and, as with all board meetings, parents and the public are welcome to attend. Come and get involved in the plans for the upcoming school year.
The Nutrition Education teams from both Ferrisburgh Central School and Vergennes Union Elementary School returned to Shelburne Farms for more planning last June 25. All 10 schools that attended the three-day school nutrition and wellness symposium last year gathered again to share strategies and show how they incorporated more nutrition and physical education into their existing curriculum. Each team presented a five-minute slide show, the common ideas being the addition of salad bars, and walking programs. The teams discussed ideas and action plans for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. At the end of the sessions, the teams were presented with certificates of participation and the knowledge that Vermont was instrumental in developing a Best Practices manual that would be distributed to school systems across the country.
In addition, the teams attended Shelburne Farms’ Vermont Farm to School Network Summer Gathering for farm-to-school enthusiasts. Two national speakers entertained with stories about edible schoolyards and the crucial role of farmers in local food systems. The first speaker was Tamar Adler, an award-winning and James Beard-nominated author of “An Everlasting Meal.” She spoke about how to make many meals from one, using non-processed meats and vegetables.
Also presenting was Mary Hendrickson who is the director of the Food Circles Networking Project, a University of Missouri Extension program that links farmers and consumers in local food systems. She has worked with community groups to increase the amount of fresh and nutritious food available, and is currently working to establish a Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition. She explained the importance of  relationships and connections between farmers and food services workers for working effectively as a team. Both speakers were very pleased to be invited to Vermont because our state is known to be ahead of many others with farm-to-school policies.
The Ferrisburgh Grange’s “King Pede” card parties are scheduled for the Saturdays of Aug. 10 and Aug. 24 at 6:30 p.m. These get-togethers are held at the Ferrisburgh Town Hall and Community Center and begin with a sandwich supper and then on to an evening of fun and card games. All are welcome to these events. The Grange requests a donation of $2.50 from attendees. Please contact Weston Spooner at 877-2827 for further information.
Got a hankering for homemade pie? Rokeby Museum is hosting its famous annual Pie and Ice Cream Social on Sunday, Aug. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. Rokeby Museum volunteers have been perfecting the art of pie making for more than 25 years. Come feast on peach, apple, berry pies of every kind — there are even recipes from the Robinson family collection, including “maple butternut chiffon.” And all pies are served “a la mode.”
An added benefit is listening to the soothing sounds of the Vergennes City Band while relaxing in the shade with summer’s sweetest treat. All proceeds support the museum’s events and operations. This is also a great opportunity to tour Rokeby’s newly built educational center and the exhibit “Free and Safe: The Underground Railroad in Vermont.” Guided tours of the house will be available every half-hour throughout the afternoon; tour admission is $10 adults, $9 for seniors, and $8 for students, and children under 5 are free. Also, the website will link you to Rokeby’s newly designed Facebook page and blog site that has detailed information about the history and artifacts within the museum. The most recent blog post is about the Robinson family’s farm food systems and how they grew and preserved their crops. For more information, call 877-3406, visit the Facebook page or the website at www.Rokeby.org, or e-mail [email protected].
Ferrisburgh firefighters are holding their annual Chicken Barbecue on Saturday, Aug. 17. The chicken is ready for munching at 4:30 p.m. at the fire station on Route 7 and the fun keeps going until the food runs out. Jerry’s secret barbecue sauce is world famous and not to be missed! Please add this community get-together to your family’s calendar — the funds raised support the firefighting capacity for our community and making this an  important event.
Ferrisburgh residents are reminded to stay alert and aware of the potential for burglaries and break-ins around our neighborhoods. We held a community meeting last February that offered advice to residents about how to keep their homes and property safe. At this meeting, the public officials and police encouraged us to employ common-sense protective measures such as always locking our houses and cars, installing motion sensors, and being vigilant for strangers in the neighborhood.
A common burglary scenario is the burglars knock on the door of a house and, if there is no answer, they break in and quickly steal items that they can sell easily for cash (jewelry, electronics, etc.). We need to remember that these occurrences of property break-ins continue and so we must remain on guard.
More recently, the break-ins have been at garages and tool sheds with weed whackers and other tools being stolen. For an ongoing review of reports to the Vermont state police, view http://vsp.vermont.gov/about_us/divisions/support_services/public_inform….
The work on building a recreational facility for Ferrisburgh is making great progress. The facility will be used for ice skating in the winter and various activities in warmer months, including basketball and in-line skating. Many thanks to those who have already donated to this effort. The Ferrisburgh Recreation Committee reports that there is over $14,000 committed to date from local businesses and individuals toward the final 2012-2013 goal of $35,000.
The committee has submitted two grant applications and also has submitted a third application for a matching grant request. This matching grant is for up to $25,000 for every dollar raised by this September — so the next several weeks are critical for the fundraising efforts in order to maximize the opportunity of this matching grant. Please consider donating to support this great facility that will truly benefit our town. Send a tax-deductible donation to Town of Ferrisburgh, Rec Facility, PO Box 6, Ferrisburgh, VT 05456, or drop by the town clerk’s office. For more information, contact Martha Davis at [email protected].
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum will hold the Rabble in Arms 18th-century reenactment of the building of Macdonough’s fleet on the weekend of Aug. 17-18. History comes alive for the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 as costumed re-enactors in traditional boats at the Maritime Museum’s North Harbor recreate the skills and setting used by Lt. Thomas Macdonough in the 1814 construction of the fleet at Vergennes. American success in the War of 1812 included gaining control of Lake Champlain, under the leadership of Macdonough.
For this weekend at LCMM, re-enactors will demonstrate the skills of shipbuilding. Visit replica vessels at North Harbor; talk to sailors, shipwrights and blacksmiths; and see 19th-century military drills and camp life. Demonstrations and exhibits will be held on the museum grounds Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and are included with the price of museum admission. For more information, visit the website at www.lcmm.org. 
Have a Ferrisburgh News tip? Contact Sally Kerschner at 877-2625 or [email protected] or Katie Boyle at [email protected].