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Messages - Henry
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14671
« on: April 11, 2004, 08:28:23 AM »
Hi All,
Randy Devine’s son, Army Pfc. Larry J. Burns has been decorated with the Combat Infantry Badge for supporting the mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom and participating in Operation Northern Delay in Iraq. The soldier returned to Vicenza, Italy, where he is a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade.
The badge is awarded to individuals in the grade of colonel or below with an infantry military occupational specialty. Recipients must have satisfactorily performed duties while assigned as a member of an infantry unit, brigade or smaller size, while engaged in active ground combat.
During Operation Northern Delay at Bashir Airfield, paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade established the northernmost coalition offensive boundary and created a stable logistical intersecting point to allow the introduction of equipment and troops into the theater. The operation was the largest airborne assault since World War II and forced Iraqi army to maintain approximately six divisions in the area to protect their northern flank, providing strategic relief for the Coalition Forces advancing on Baghdad.
The multiple operations missions accomplished by the brigade paratroopers included seizing the city of Kirkuk, the northern oil fields and several military airfields, thousands of enemy weapons and explosives, millions of dollars worth of terrorist funds, and defeated organized military residents and arrested hundreds of terrorist and former regime loyalists.
Burns, an airborne infantryman and anti-tank weapon systems gunner, also received the Combat Jump Star. The private first class has served in the military for two years.
He is the son of Tammy J. Sprague of Essex Junction, Vt., and Randy L. Devine of Fairfax, Vt.
His wife, Jasmine, is the daughter of Jeff and Andria Sanford of Green Acres, Swanton, Vt.
The private is a 2002 graduate of Essex High School, Essex, Junction.
Just in case you don't know or remember who he is, below is a photo of the proud Dad, Randy.
 [/img]
14672
« on: April 06, 2004, 07:26:21 AM »
Received this from one of the members of my Fairfax News Group and just found it very interesting and since I don't forward or attach news items to the Fairfax News Group addresses, thought this might be a good place to put it so you could choose to read if you wanted:
WD-40
I bet you didn't know.....................
The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company.
It's name comes from the project that was to find a "water displacement" compound.They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40.
The Corvair Company bought it in bulk to protect their Atlas missile parts.
The workers were so pleased with the product, they began smuggling(also known as "shrinkage" or "stealing") it out to use at home.
The executives decided there might be a consumer market for it and put it in aerosol cans.
The rest, as they say, is history.
It is a carefully guarded recipe known only to four people. Only one of them is the "brew master."
There are about 2.5 million gallons of the stuff manufactured each year.
It gets it's distinctive smell from a fragrance that is added to the brew.
Ken East says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you.[!?!]
Here are some of the uses:
Protects silver from tarnishing
Cleans and lubricates guitar strings
Gets oil spots off concrete driveways
Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making it slippery
Keeps flies off cows
Restores and cleans chalkboards
Removes lipstick stains
Loosens stubborn zippers
Untangles jewelry chains
Removes stains from stainless steel sinks
Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill
Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing
Removes tomato stains from clothing
Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots
Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors
Keeps scissors working smoothly
Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes
Gives a children's play gym slide a shine for a super fast slide
Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers
Rids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises
Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open
Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers
Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans
Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons and bicycles for easy handling
Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly
Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools
We're not through. Here's more;
Removes splattered grease on stove
Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging
Lubricates prosthetic limbs
Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell)
Removes all traces of duct tape
I have even heard of folks spraying it on their arms, hands, knees, etc., to relieve arthritis pain.
One fellow claims spraying it on fishing lures attracts fish.
WD-40 has been designated the "official multi-purpose problem-solver of NASCAR," a ringing endorsement if there ever was one. I told my NASCAR loving sons about this and they said they couldn't imagine how WD-40 can solve the Jeff Gordon problem.
In celebration of their 50th year, the company conducted a contest to learn the favorite uses of it's customers and fan club members, (Yes, there is a WD-40 Fan Club).
They compiled the information to identify the favorite use in each of the 50 states.
Naturally I was curious about Georgia and Alabama and found the favorite use in both states was that it "penetrates stuck bolts, lug nuts, and hose ends.
" Florida's favorite use was "cleans and removes lovebugs from grills and bumpers."
California's favorite use was penetrating the bolts on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Let me close with one final, wonderful use--the favorite use in the State of New York--WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
No wonder they have had 50 successful years.
14673
« on: March 31, 2004, 06:33:04 AM »
[bHi All,
In the Tuesday, March 30, 2004 issue of The St. Albans Messenger it was reported:
Burglars attempt Fairfax break-in
Vermont State Police are investigating an attempted burglary of the Fairfax Pharmacy on Route 104 in Fairfax.
The incident occurred at about 3 a.m. this morning. An employee said the owner was unavailable for comment. The store was open for business today.
There was damage to the front door and window when police arrived. Witnesses said it appeared the person or persons involved had attempted to remove the door to gain access to the building.
WCAX Channel 3 reported on the 11 p.m. news:
Vermont State Police are investigating another pharmacy break-in-- What appears to be an attempt by burglars to get Oxycontin. The prescription painkiller is often used as a recreational drug -- giving users a heroin-like high. Early Tuesday morning, the Fairfax Pharmacy was broken into. Police say it looks as though the suspects used a truck and chains to rip the front door out of its frame to get into the store. No Oxycontin was taken. The pills were securely hidden -- in the wake of ten other attempted break-ins. Many other pharmacies are refusing to stock Oxycontin altogether.
Henry
[/b]
14674
« on: March 29, 2004, 07:30:39 AM »
Hi all,
First off, you will notice if you go to my main web site (HOME) at the top of the page that I finally got all of the births and marriages updated since last August. Those of us who have lived in town for quite some time will find that there are relatively few people we know who got married or had young babies.
When I looked around the church this past Sunday, I realized, there are truly many members that I have no idea who they are. Many I know by sight, but have no idea who they are. We voted for members on the Parish Council, but even there, there was one individual that I had no idea who he was. Several years ago we had a parish directory printed, which was an attempt to get all of our families photographed and published in the directory. It was truly a big help in getting to know people, especially when one has no kids in school or catechism. St. Luke’s has 5 different masses, so if one goes to a different mass on a particular Sunday, that’s where you see the new faces.
As I drove down to Mass this past Sunday, and drove by the United Church, I wondered if they have similar problems, although they do have just one service here in town each Sunday, so that may ease the problem.
Anyhow, I’m going to be tracking the visitors to the Birth and Marriage Sites, to see if it is worth the effort. Maybe it’s a sign of age, but the death site gets a lot of viewers. I have received notes from people across the country that have spent an entire evening reading the obituaries on that site. What is actually more surprising is that the Cemetery Listing Site is used the most. We are one of the few towns that have such a listing on the Internet.
On to another subject. Yesterday, which was a beautiful day indeed, I decided I would go downtown and check out the Lamoille River to see if it was threatening in any way. Not only did I find the Lamoille River non-threatening, the whole village was very quiet and peaceful. I saw three people working on a fence at the old Orton Place and a father and his two kids playing in the school parking lot. Other than that I saw a couple of kids riding around their yards on their tricycles.
The falls was absolutely beautiful as the water rushed over it making a loud roaring sound and the Lamoille River, although muddy, was also peaceful and it was great to observe, knowing that it was not threatening any damage as a result of the spring thaws.
You may view the photos by clicking on Photo Gallery at the top of the page or by clicking on the link below:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/
Have a great day,
Henry
14675
« on: March 26, 2004, 08:19:14 AM »
Hi All,
Well, an interesting thing happened to me this past week. I was watching the noon news on Channel 3, fighting off the cat, who obviously doesn’t care for the news, as her main interest was getting fed. After the news was done, I finally relented and went to feed her. When I returned, I heard what sounded like a familiar voice on the television screen, and no wonder, it was one of our own Fairfax Residents on “Across The Fence” with Tony Adams.
Now, I didn’t see the whole program, but from what I could gather from what I saw, Nick has co-authored a book with Cynthia Broadfoot titled “Divorce In Vermont.”
I went on the Internet and did a search for Nicholas Hadden as well as for Divorce In Vermont, but was unable to find anything.
There are two reasons why I wanted to get this information out to you. The first of course is, I try to keep track of the accomplishments of our local people, but probably the second and most important one is, if anyone should happen to check out my computer and see all the searches I did for Divorce In Vermont, I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.
Nick, as you know is a long time resident of Fairfax and active in the Town Planning and Development Review Board area of the town.
Have a great day,
Henry
14676
« on: March 24, 2004, 08:06:59 AM »
Hi All,
The BFA Graduating Class of 1979 is planning its 25th Anniversary. If you haven't been contacted as yet, you may contact either Lynn Berardinelli or Lynn Raymond-Empey. Or just send me a note and I will forward it to them.
Members of the graduating class were:
* denotes they are deceased
Ainsworth, David
Anderson, Robert
Berardinelli, Lynn
Bessette, Bernadette
Boissoneault, Alan
Boutin, John
Breault, Angel
Brewer, John
Brown, Jeffrey
Burnor, Craig
Carl, Lawrence
Caron, Louis
Cleary, Jill
Clokey, Steve
Collins, Lisa
Collins, Mary
Collins, Sharon
Corse, Douglas
Cushing, Franklin
Dudley, Marie
Edwardsen, Kitima
Ferguson, Trudy
Fletcher, Janice
Forsey, Geoff
Gaudette, Betty
Gillilan, Debbie
Hanson, Robert
*Ide, Philip
Irish, Mark
Jones, Elaine
Juckett, Kevin
Keefe, Bernard
Lavallee, David
Lavallee, Rebecca
Leach, Duane
Lumbra, Lynn
Luther, Shawn
Maloney, Carol
Mayotte, Richard
Mead, Curtis
Meador, Kim
Merchant, Jori
Meunier, Linda
Morris, Janet
Murray, John
Parah, Debbie
Perry, Sam
Powell, David
Provencher, Sean
Provost, Bobbie
Ratte, Stephanie
Raymond, Lynn
Rushford, Louis
*Rushford, Richard
Russell, Scott
*Schoolcraft, Phillip
Sizen, James
Tucker, Richard
Woodward, Marge
Wright, Kathy
14677
« on: March 21, 2004, 08:27:52 AM »
Hi All,
A group of Russians on a ski tour were guest of Fred & Elizabeth Griffin this past week. Christopher Parish wrote a nice story in Saturday's Messenger which you may view by going to:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/newsclips/russians.html
I believe Chris & Colin Santee also got some photos which we hopefully will be able to get up in the Photo Gallery on my web site.
Have a great day,
Henry
14678
« on: March 16, 2004, 07:38:47 AM »
Hi All,
I thought it might be interesting to take a look at the different business that were advertising in the yellow pages in 1938 - Actually a few are still there. You may view these adds from the St. Albans Phone Directory by going to:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/photos/telmay1938
Have a great day,
Henry
14679
« on: March 14, 2004, 09:18:33 AM »
Hi All,
Well, for those of you that no longer live in Fairfax, you will notice by this particular note, that it doesn't take a lot to peak our interest here in town, or I should probably say, "My Interest."
About a week or so ago, Donna Meunier gave me a 1938 St. Albans phone book that belonged to her mother Florence (Barkyoumb) Magnan. Well, to say the least, I was elated. The phone book is in excellent condition and has all the phone numbers as they were in 1938 for Fairfax, Fletcher and Westford, all 140 of them.
I decided to scan through the Internet and see if I could find some photos of these old telephones and the switchboard as I remembered them, and that I did. We've come a long ways from those old phones to the present day cellular phones which were only a pipe dream back in those days.
Actually, it wasn't that long ago that here in Fairfax we stopped having to give our home phone number when we made a long distance call. I happened to be on a pilot program for IBM when they were experimenting with communication from home via the personal computer in the mid 1980s. Our programers gave me a floppy disk to use to link up with the main computer at the plant, but try as I might, I couldn't get it to work. Eventually, one of the programmers looked into the matter and found that our telephone system here in Fairfax required us to give our long distance phone number. Well, this particular programmer had never heard of such a thing, but re-wrote a whole program for me so that I could intervene in the connection to give my phone number.
Those of you that have links to Old Fairfax, may find it interesting to look at who had phones in the area and those of you that don't remember these old style phone, might be interested in how we communicated by phone in the old days.
To view the History of Telephone here in Fairfax and also see a few photos, one of which I took myself of a former Fletcher Resident using one of these phones.
To view go to the following link:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/newsclips/telephone_1938.html
Have a great day,
Henry
14680
« on: March 11, 2004, 07:20:22 AM »
Hi All,
If you would like to see a few spring photos of sugaring here in Fairfax, check out the following web site:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/newsclips/collins_040310.html
14681
« on: March 08, 2004, 08:56:53 AM »
Hi All,
I have on a website a few photos of Fairfax that you may or may not have seen. You may view them by going to:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/temp/fxphoto.html
Have a great day,
14682
« on: March 06, 2004, 10:18:43 AM »
Hi All,
Tina Levick provided me with the official voting results by ballot yesterday and you may find them at:
http://www.vtgrandpa.com/newsclips/vote040302.html
Becky Neapolitano won the Auditor's position with 22 write in votes.
Also, Chris Santee in his Fairfax On Line News Letter stated the following for those of you that are soap fans as well as those of you that are not:
"Starting this Friday, March 5th on CBS's "The Guiding Light", Katherine "Kit" Paquin, will be playing the part of Marina Cooper! In our area it is on at 3:00pm. Kit is the daughter of Fairfax's Ed Paquin."
Have a great day,
14683
« on: March 02, 2004, 07:36:47 PM »
Hi All,
Unofficial results in contested races are as follows:
Howard Dean over John Kerry
Doug Webb over Cynthia Hawley and Joan Wotherspoon
Bob Horr over Tom Neapolitano and E. J. Stitely
Pat McNall over Deanne Morin
Tina Levick over Chris Bessette
Johanna Blake over Karen Langelier
It appears that all of the money issues passed with close to 50% of the town voting. There is still some hand counting to do, but it is not expected to change the results. As soon as I have them, I will put up the actual counts.
Henry
14684
« on: March 02, 2004, 04:22:54 PM »
Fairfax provides volunteer rescue squad with money to pay staff
By Jill Fahy
Free Press Staff Writer
FAIRFAX -- A $56,160 donation from the town of Fairfax aims to relieve pressure on the Fairfax Rescue squad, which has suffered from a dwindling volunteer base.
"This is not to create employment for people," Fairfax Rescue President Michael Spaulding told residents Saturday during town meeting at BFA-Fairfax elementary school. "We're just trying to fill holes."
After a lengthy discussion, Fairfax residents voted for the town to allocate the money, which will provide for full-time coverage by a staff that is hired to work per-diem shifts. A maximum of five, two-person shifts would be required every week to augment the squad's volunteer staff, which Spaulding said is too small to cover the needed shifts.
"We're only capable of manning our equipment 70 percent of the time," he said of the squad's volunteers who work 12-hour shifts every week.
Although more than 20 people are listed on the volunteer squad's roster, most, Spaulding said, are not adequately trained to handle advanced life support calls.
The struggle of the volunteer ambulance crew is a symptom of Fairfax's growing pains. The Franklin County community has absorbed much of the overflow of Chittenden County, its population growing 51 percent from 1990 to 2000, to nearly 4,000.
With the growing numbers has come a changed demographic: Many of the new arrivals are commuters who leave town all day to work elsewhere.
Traditionally, Fairfax Rescue makes a nominal yearly request to the taxpayers for funding to cover what Spaulding said was "a relatively small percentage of the service's operating costs." The rest of the operating costs are generated through ambulance billing and fund raising.
In the past, whenever the Fairfax squad was unable to answer a call, Amcare Ambulance Service from St. Albans would respond, but that dependence on outside help has grown because of the volunteer shortage.
"There are 10 shifts per month we can't cover, and some are on weekdays," Spaulding said.
With the town's contribution, the total cost of creating a paid staff will be $74,880.
If residents had voted against going to a paid service, they could have opted to supplement the volunteer staff by subcontracting for one year with Amcare for $18,000.
With the town's contribution, the full-time paid coverage will cost the individual taxpayer $19 per year, a price that is well worth the timely service it would provide, Fairfax resident Henry Raymond said.
Raymond asked a question that drew nods of agreement and laughs from many in the crowd: "For my best chance of survival ... for me to be standing here next year, how do I vote?"
Fairfax isn't unique in its decision to hire a paid staff. The Essex, Charlotte and Colchester volunteer squads have coped with their own volunteer shortages by hiring people to work per-diem shifts.
Now that the funding request has been approved, Spaulding said, the squad will advertise for a per-diem staff. The goal, he said, is to build volunteer numbers back up so paid staff won't be needed.
"It is a temporary fix, no question about it," Fairfax Selectboard member Jeff Blake said of the town's donation. "They need volunteers to put the time in."
Contact Jill Fahy at 660-1898 or jfahy@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
14685
« on: February 29, 2004, 09:39:14 AM »
Fairfax holds town meeting discussions By Jill Fahy Free Press Staff Writer He didn't coin the popular 1980s slogan, but BFA-Fairfax Principal Scott Lang borrowed it Saturday afternoon when town residents asked how they should vote on the controversial Regional Technical Academy proposal. "Just Say No!" Lang yelled good-naturedly to a crowd of about 60 people at Fairfax's town meeting in the elementary school auditorium. Many in attendance laughed; a few nodded in agreement. Fairfax school officials have been vocal in their opposition to the proposal they fear will drain their small school of students -- 29 of whom already attend the Essex and Burlington technical academies -- and money for academic and extra-curricular programs. Residents Saturday were also leery of the $58 million proposal that would combine the two Chittenden County technical academies into one center in Essex. "I'm against the RTA because I can see it's a money pit and it's going to suck this town dry," said Chris Bessette, a 1982 BFA-Fairfax graduate and a former Essex technical center student. "I'd much rather see something regional to Franklin County." Lang and several other school officials tried their best to address concerns about the contentious proposal that will be voted on Tuesday by residents in 25 area towns in Chittenden and lower Grand Isle counties and the Franklin County towns served by Bellows Free Academy-Fairfax. Residents will vote Tuesday whether to establish a regional technical academy school district and a board to govern it. Voting results from each town will be sent to the Secretary of State's Office, where all the ballots will be collected and counted. The outcome will be decided by a majority vote, said Melissa Hersh, director of Education and Training at the Lake Champlain Workforce Investment Board. Fairfax resident Kelly Crawford said she hopes other Fairfax residents have informed themselves about the tech center proposal. "There aren't a lot of people here," Crawford said, referring to the 60 or so people who were in the crowd. "How do we get the message out to the rest of Fairfax?" Not everyone at Saturday's meeting was opposed to the tech center plan. "We sat here all day since 10 a.m. talking about budget issues and about money, and I haven't heard one comment about the best interest of our kids," said Fairfax resident Carl Jones, who expressed his disagreement with the board's position. "Let's look at children and where they want to go and how they can get there." Concerns about the tech academy did not come up until the end of the nearly seven-hour-long meeting, which had begun at 10 a.m., with about 200 people in attendance. Fairfax residents young and old filed into the auditorium, which also serves as a gym, and sat down on chairs and rows of bleachers. Some people preferred to stand on the perimeter while they watched the proceedings. Nearly everyone took advantage of the brunch-style coffee, donuts, muffins and cookies that were being sold in the hallway. Breakfast food turned into saran-wrapped egg salad sandwiches a couple of hours into the meeting, as town officials slowly checked off "articles" that residents could vote on by yelling out "yea" or "nay." Among these items, residents voted "yea" to approve a contract with the Franklin County Sheriff for 20 hours a week worth of police coverage in the town. And voters also approved a $56,160 allocation to pay for full-time ambulance coverage by the volunteer Fairfax Rescue squad through the use of paid staff. This "per-diem" staff, which would work a maximum of five shifts per week, would only be used when volunteer staff are unable to fill the shifts. Contact Jill Fahy at 660-1898 or jfahy@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com  
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