LINCOLN — Town Meeting was extra special and festive this year as we celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the Burnham Foundation. It was great to see the hall filled with townspeople wearing Mardi-gras beads — there were balloons and banners all around, and it had a general feeling of congeniality. The highlight of the evening was presenting a special plaque of honor to Mark Benz for his tremendous contributions toward ensuring the restoration and preservation of Burnham Hall. 
After the flood of 1998, when the building was inundated with 5 feet of water and much was destroyed, Mark took action. He applied for FEMA grants, state grants, local grants, and sought funds from any possible source. His particular way of making a human connection with the granting agency was extraordinary. With his enthusiasm for the project, he developed an expertise for winning awards. Even when receiving rejections, he never stopped trying. With his perseverance, he has brought in roughly $500,000 worth of funding for Burnham Hall, and it was wonderful to be able to honor him at our Town Meeting on Monday night. The crowd was on their feet and if you see him around, be sure to thank him for his work.
The plaque was beautifully crafted and inscribed by our very own Rainville family at Maple Landmark. Andrew Rainville designed the 100 year celebration logo, which you can see on a banner at Burnham Hall, and this was also inscribed on the plaque for Mark. The plaque will be hung in Burnham Hall, for all to see (location to be determined, but probably near Walter Burnham’s portrait). Please stop to look at it when you are there.
There will be a film about Front Porch Forum at the library on Wednesday, March 27, from 7-9 p.m. “The Story of Vermont’s Quiet Digital Revolution” is the focus of a new independent documentary from Canadian filmmaker, Peter Strauss. The film features a segment filmed in one of Vermont’s public libraries, and follows the stories of several FPF members, each from different walks of life. How does participation on their local forums transform them and their communities? A discussion with FPF will follow the screening.
SAVE THE DATE: There is no school for LCS students on Friday, March 29.
REMINDERS: Judith Siegel will share photos of her trip to Oman and UAE at the library on Tuesday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. The library’s after school craft will be held on Wednesday, March 20, at 3:15 p.m. Crafters will be making butterflies.
Until next time … Happy St. Patrick’s Day!