The town of Lincoln will hold its 30th annual “Town Wide Yard Sale” this Saturday, May 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Vendors are asked for a $15 donation to Weathervane United senior housing in order to have their individual yard sales included on a map for bargain hunters. The yard sales will be held at individual Lincoln homes, the lawn of the local library, and at the Weathervane United walkway in Lincoln Village. Also, the Lincoln Library will be selling plants and used books in conjunction with the yard sale. Food will be available at the Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department. Call 453-2785 for more information.
 
For those on the east side of the Green Mountains (but still in Addison County) participants in Hancock’s annual Memorial Day parade will gather at the firehouse on Monday morning. A parade featuring fire and rescue equipment, more veterans, and anyone else who wants to join in will begin marching at 10 a.m. The parade will proceed around the town green, which features the town bandstand. Marchers will continue up Route 100 to the main Hancock Cemetery near the intersection with Route 125. Some of the components of the parade will then head south to Rochester for that town’s cavalcade.
 
The popular Middlebury Dog Park off South Street is back open, now that the waterlogged property adjacent to Middlebury Regional EMS has sufficiently dried. Dog park organizers want to thank all dogs and their owners for their patience during the recent hiatus. Volunteers have applied wood chips to wet areas as a potential long-term solution, and sunshine certainly will be helpful. Organizers are giving special kudos to Chris Zeoli Tree Service, Kirk Fiske Lawn Service, and Brian Bishop of Cedar Ledge Fence Co. for their time and generosity to the dog park. The Middlebury Parks and Recreation Department is being heralded for the new “dog-out” shelter —  which formerly served as the East Middlebury Baseball dugout. The dog park greatly depends on donations, which should be sent to the Middlebury Dog Park, c/o the town of Middlebury.
 
The Addison County Solid Waste Management District is hosting a free hazardous waste collection event for residents of three communities on Saturday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the new Starksboro Town Garage. This event is for Starksboro, Lincoln and Monkton residents only. What is hazardous waste? Any unused product that is poisonous, reactive, corrosive or flammable. Common items include pesticides, gasoline, motor oil, paint products, cleaning products, automotive chemicals, pool chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs and batteries. Household waste only — no business waste will be accepted. Motor oil will be limited to 10 gallons per household. Items that won’t be accepted include lab chemicals, pharmaceuticals, fireworks, flares, explosives, ammunition, radioactive waste. For those who can’t make the event or others like it in the county, the HazWaste Center at the ACSWMD transfer station off Route 7 South in Middlebury accepts household hazardous waste year-round and is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
 
This year’s Green Up Day cleanup effort on May 4 was hugely successful in Addison County, in spite of lousy weather. Here are some stats, courtesy of Bristol volunteer Carolyn Dash: A total 17.79 tons of roadside trash was collected in Addison County this year, including more than 2 tons in Bristol, Monkton and New Haven. In Bristol, 600 people helped pick up roadside trash in 426 total bags. Among the refuse collected were 12 tires, a car battery and two large pieces of metal. The most commonly reported type of litter? Light beer and Twisted Tea cans. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Green Up Day. In the meantime, please police your trash so volunteers find less work to do.
 
On Tuesday, May 21, Bi-State Primary Care Association (BSPCA) recognized five Vermont community leaders and providers for their “integrity and outstanding contributions in improving access to health care for Vermonters.” Among them was former state Sen. Claire Ayer, a Democrat who chaired the Senate Health & Welfare Committee for several years. BSPCA bestowed upon Ayer its “Vermont Board Chair Award” for her “16 years as a visionary on health policy issues.”  BSPCA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that represents New Hampshire and Vermont’s 28 Community Health Centers serving over 315,400 patients at 143 locations.
 
The Granville Volunteer Fire Department is selling tickets to its cash raffle. Proceeds will be used to replace obsolete fire equipment. Three winners will be chosen on Sept. 1. Tickets are available now. Buy one while they last. Speak to any GVFD member for a ticket or stop in at the Granville Country Store. For more info, call 767-4600.