Chester Chatter: Green Up Day going strong

By Ruthie Douglas
©2020 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Driving from Dallas, Texas, to Vermont in the late 1950s, we noticed that along the sides of the highway were a lot of rubbish.

But once in Vermont we were not seeing so much of that mess. So it was no surprise that when Green Up Day began in 1970, Vermonters got interested right away.

Here in Chester, we met in the parking lot of Green Mountain High and divided into groups. Green trash bags and rubber gloves were handed out. I was in charge of 10 junior high school kids.

We boarded a school bus with Winston Cook, a volunteer driver who was also the music director of the Chester Baptist Church, where he also sang. Our group’s assignment was Mattson and Trebo roads.   And as we started up the hill, Mr. Cook began singing.

His enthusiasm turned the trip into one great big singing yellow school bus.

The kids would jump out to pick up trash, but then it was back on the bus and more singing.

We surely picked up a lot of trash. But we also picked up a lot of fun.  As we headed back to the school and one child yelled, “Slow down Mr. Cook. We don’t want to get back to the school just yet. We’d rather sing.”

Vermont still has spots of trash along the roads.  And Green Up Day is still going strong.

News and notes from here and there

Jinny Wright is back home after a stay at the Springfield Hospital. Get well wishes to you!

Paul Thomas has died, losing his battle to cancer. Paul was quite the great craftsman. Our family has a stone chess set that he crafted and we always think of him when we look at it. His parents owned the Hugging Bear Inn. Our condolences go out to his family.

Once again the American Legion drive through dinner was quite the success. We are lucky to have such food pickups throughout the town.

I am so sad to see the news and learn of the terrible death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Remember our veterans.