The Poultney 4th of July Celebration brought out a large crowd to celebrate the first big event in the area since most COVID restrictions were lifted in mid-June.
The winners of the annual Lake St Catherine Boat Parade held Saturday were:
Most Patriotic winner: boat #19, Laura Frost. Runner-up: boat#20, Chris Conte.
Funniest winner: boat #12, Sarah Conine. Runner-up: boat #4, Laurie Miller
Most Original winner: boat #2, the Roth family. Runner-up: boat #21, the Bilotta family
Best Overall: Tonia and Paul Ramirez. Runner-up: boat #2, the Roth family
Pictures of the winners and names of the boats appear on the website of the Lake St. Catherine Association at lakestcatherine.org.
The Martin Devlin Memorial Fun Run was done virtually this year, with runners and walkers signing up online, gathering sponsors, and making their run when it was convenient for them. Organizers Kerry Devlin and Renee Baupre White said they plan to go back to an in-person format next year. The winner was the VNA and Hospice of Southwestern Vermont, when the run raised a total of 1400 dollars since the time registration opened.
The Poultney Fourth of July parade left East Poultney later than usual since the Fourth fell on a Sunday, but magician Tom Joyce filled the time with his magic show in front of the LiHigh School. DJ John Saltis graciously provided his equipment for a public address system, and announcer Bob Williams imparted a wealth of information about the event itself, about Poultney, and about the parade participants. The theme this year was “Slate Valley Celebrates and Remembers”.
Judging of the entries took place in East Poultney before the parade left the starting point. Poultney Economic Coordinator Sarah Pelkey, Mars Insurane owner Jeff Ams, and Nancy Libortore of Lakes and Homes Real Estate viewed the entries for the Poultney Area Chamber of Commerce awards, and made the following choices:
The Young At Heart Club won for “Business That Best Depicts The Theme”. The Knights of Columbus took home the award for “Most Patriotic”. Slate Valley Trails won for the float that “Best Depicts The Theme”, and the Poultney Public Library for “Most Photogenic”. The award for “Best Depicts The Organization” went to the Revive Church, which bore a banner thanking “Essential Workers” – a tribute to those who helped during the pandemic.
Besides the floats, the parade featured fire companies, rescue squads, bicyclists, tractors, a magician, and even a stilt walker. The Middle Falls fire department had the longest travel.
Festivities continued at the Bhakta GMC Campus after the parade. The Bhakta family offered the use of the campus, made a large donation toward expenses, and participated in the parade. Magician Blaine Goad thrilled young and old with his magic show, and the big band and easy listening music of “EnerJazz” floated across the lawn as people relaxed with their food.
DJ John Saltis and his family provided evening dance music at the elementary school while people waited for the fireworks to start at dusk, to finish off a satisfying Fourth of July celebration in Poultney.
Thanks go to organizer Jonas Rosenthal, who with his committee was able to put together the celebration in six weeks, something that usually takes most of a year. Look next year for more information much earlier on the Poultney Area Chamber website and on their Facebook page.
Donations were not taken at the entry to the fireworks display this year as usual, as the committee decided it would be better not to approach cars full of people yet. Donations for next year’s event are needed though; anyone who wishes to donate should send a check made out to the Town of Poultney, with “4th of July” on the memo line. They should be sent to the Town of Poultney, 9 Main Street, Poultney, VT 05764.
The Event Committee and the Poultney Area Chamber of Commerce wish everyone a wonderful rest of the summer!
