FERRISBURGH — The following positions in the Town of Ferrisburgh will be on the March 2, 2021, ballot. Due to COVID-19, petitions are not required this year, but a Consent of Candidate form must be filed with the Town Clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. Positions are:
Moderator: 1-year term.
Selectboard: 3-year term.
Selectboard: 2-year term.
Auditor: 3-year term.
Lister: 3-year term.
First Constable: 1-year term.
Town Agent: 1-year term
Rogers & Hazard Fund Trustee: 2-year term.
ANWSD School Director: 3-year term.
ANWSD School Director: 3-year term.
Contact the Town Clerk at 877-3429 or [email protected] to learn more about these positions and how to apply.
In addition, the Ferrisburgh Conservation Commission is seeking a new member. Interested persons are welcome to attend a Conservation Commission meeting (next meeting is Tuesday January 12 at 7 p.m.). Contact the Town Clerk for more information, or visit the Conservation Commission section of the town website: ferrisburghvt.org. A reminder that the Ferrisburgh Selectboard regular meetings are held on the first and third Tuesdays monthly at 6:30 p.m. Residents are welcome to join the meetings — see the link for virtual participation at the town’s website.
The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum continues to offer educational experiences during this time of pandemic. The Museum organizes a variety of virtual learning experiences for teachers, adults and youth via interactive virtual options. Although the Museum has minimized in-person contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students can still participate in such experiences as exploring an underwater shipwreck or studying the lake ecology. These interactive virtual programs give students the chance to explore our region’s history, archaeology, and ecology. Recently posted are the 2021 summer camp opportunities for families and youth, which will be held in-person with COVID-19 protections.
Also consider the 2020-2021 High School Watershed Science project in which students will investigate dams in their local area to understand the complex history, impact, and management of these structures in the Lake Champlain watershed. Participants will visit local sites; research the history and modern story of their local dams; and meet environmental scientists, dam managers, and scholars who are evaluating dams throughout the region. Individual students or full classes are invited to apply to join this apprenticeship starting in January 2021. Also, check out the ongoing blog series; the most recent entitled “Divesting from Plastic for Lake Champlin. More information on all these programs is at lcmm.org.
The Ferrisburgh Skating Rink is open for the winter season depending on weather conditions. Updates on the rink’s availability will be posted on Front Porch Forum or facebook.com/FerrisburghSkatingRink. When using the rink, please stay at least six feet from others and wear masks. Remember that bottle redemption receipts can be donated to the Ferrisburgh Rink at the Vergennes Redemption Center. All those small amounts of redemption cash really do add up to help maintain the facility. The Ferrisburgh Recreation committee is made up of a few volunteers who work hard to maintain the rink for winter skating. More assistance is always appreciated and if you would like to help out, especially in rink maintenance, please contact Martha Davis at [email protected].
The Bixby Memorial Free Library is working to support families during this unique time of the pandemic. Visit the Library’s website to see the variety of books available to patrons on a range of topics related to education, enrichment and resources for home schooling families, parent support, and stress reduction and mental health and wellness. Although the building is closed, the Bixby staff have been hard at work to get lots and lots of books, audiobooks, and DVDs into your hands through their Curbside Pickup program. Visit the Bixby website at bixbylibrary.org for the details as to how to join their virtual events, such as the Book Club that will meet Jan. 11, at 7 p.m.. A nifty upcoming offering is a bread baking class entitled Sourdough 101 which will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. The class was originally scheduled fro Wednesday, Jan. 6, but had to be postponed. Hosted by Heike Meyer of Brotbakery in Fairfax, will have you sniffing freshly baked bread even through the virtual format! 
Our area schools continue to work hard to provide learning experiences for our children and youth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Many key offerings continue to support the students, such as a combination of in-person and virtual learning, virtual college fairs, school meals, and certain sports activities. Please visit the schools’ websites for further information. All the updates on COVID-19 and also the school academic offerings can be found on the Ferrisburgh and Vergennes schools’ websites and there has been additional direct messaging to families to help parents during this very unusual school year. Also, take time to appreciate the work of the Ferrisburgh Central School students who have been developing their art talents and skills this school year — visit the FCS site on the virtual “student art museum” at artsonia.com.
Rokeby Museum is offering a variety of virtual events and learning sessions this winter. Visitors can always do a virtual tour of the exhibit, Free and Safe: The Underground Railroad in Vermont, which details the stories of Simon and Jesse, two fugitives from slavery who found shelter at Rokeby in the 1830s. Also, you can experience an in-person visit of the grounds and outbuildings and explore the museum’s extensive hiking trails. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m., Rokeby will host a virtual discussion of the book “Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow” by Henry Louis Gates Jr. Published in 2019, this text details the rise of white supremacy after the Civil War and the response of Black America. Details about registration will be on the museum’s website. For all the special winter events, check Rokeby’s website at rokeby.org. 
NOTE: We are always interested in including a variety of Ferrisburgh-related news in this column, so if you have events that would be of interest, contact Sally Kerschner at [email protected]. You are also able to access these columns and other information about Ferrisburgh news and events by viewing the Ferrisburgh Town Website at ferrisburghvt.org.