Chester Chatter: Lively summers at Tater Hill C.C.

| Nov 27, 2017 | Comments 2

By Ruthie Douglas
©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC

For 16 summers I works at Tater Hill Country Club as the food and liquor manager.

We put on many banquets and weddings, and local folks showed up to lend a hand for these events. Some Friday and Saturday nights we held dances with a live band and it took three of us to manage the bar.

When Stratton Mountain held the Volvo Tennis Tournament,  some of the players with time off would come to Tater Hill for a round of golf and lunch. One day, John McEnroe and Tatum O’Neal came by. McEnroe came into the kitchen to tell me that we had served him the best cheeseburger he had ever eaten.

Tater Hill also opened for three winters for cross country skiing, and quite a number of famous folks came by then as well.

The guests at Tater Hill were great people. Some were summer folks from down country who played golf every day. Many were teachers. How they loved to listen to me talk with my strong Vermont twang. And when I talked about the “door yard,” going “up the road a piece,” working “till the cows come home,” well it just cracked them up.

These folks liked the simple, laid-back ways of Vermont life. I have many memories of those days, some of the happiest of my life.

Here and there

Over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house is what many folks in and around Chester did for Thanksgiving dinner with their families.

Asta Spafford celebrated her birthday with a treat from her son Gunnar: a  weeklong visit with Gunnar and his family in Washington, D.C.

Judy Henning is enjoying a holiday visit from her granddaughter Amanda Jenkins, husband Derrick and their son Dylan from Maryland.

Susan Kibbe’s mother Janet Moloney from New Jersey is spending time helping Susan get settled in her new home and shared Thanksgiving Day.

Chester’s village Green decorated for the holidays is just beautiful. We are so lucky to have a group of volunteers doing this work.

The Chester American Legion’s Sons of the Legion Turkey Raffle was most successful. Fifteen turkeys were raffled off as were many other prizes.

  • This week’s trivia question: What country produces the most maple syrup?
  • Answer to last week’s trivia question:  The last year that school was held at Chester High School was 1969. Oops. Deb is correct. 1970.

Street Talk

Will you do any Christmas shopping online?

Barbara Prescott: Yes, I will.
Kim Ray: No. I’m not going to use on-line.
Lorie Hoyt: Yes. I will also shop local.
Sheila Mills: Yes, I plan to get my grandson a Hess truck. He is 5 years old.
Sandy Richardson: No. I like to shop and touch things that I buy.
Sylvia Smith: Yes, I will.
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Filed Under: Chester Chatter

About the Author: Ruthie Douglas is originally from Springfield but has called Chester her home for 58 years, and has been writing the Chester Chatter column for more than 40 of those years. Ruthie is also a longtime volunteer throughout the community.

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  1. Charles Craft says:
    November 27, 2017 at 8:18 am

    Ruthie,
    In recent years I have been playing golf at Tater Hill with a group of friends from Maryland and Vermont. I have noticed that the tennis courts are just a memory. Did you know Milt Schinazzi? Milt was the teaching tennis pro for several years. He must have been in his late 70s at that time (1975-78), but he could still play. For me, he was quite the unforgettable character. He asked me to cover his classes for him on a couple of occasions. Good times.

  2. Deb Stearns says:
    November 27, 2017 at 7:41 am

    Sorry but the last year Good Old Chester High was opened was 1970. We were the last grads from there.