I just read that Vermont Life is quitting. The magazine has been bleeding millions for years. Advertising is down going to the web, I suppose. The state is retaining the name and is toying with the idea of going digital. I know that decision will cut into the income of several photographers I know. 6 employees will lose their jobs.

There should be some kickback from folks here and across the country. Many, many people really feel they keep in touch with Vermont through Vermont Life, just as many folks subscribe to their local paper even though they have moved to the sunnier part of the country.

Vermont is special. I could write a whole page on the various things that make Vermont what it is and why so many of us love it. Can we Woodchucks do anything to maintain that special feeling Vermont has, in spite of the things peeling the paint off of our state?

Bad news fills the papers. The opioid crisis. IBM moving out of state. Our governor making upsetting proclamations,
like budget-cutting in places that hurt.  The EB-5 fraud in the Northeast Kingdom. Undocumented farm workers being hunted down.

I think we can do some things to draw attention away from some of that bad news. As woodturners, we are craftsmen.  We can show fine work at every opportunity. By doing that, and tying that sense of workmanship to the traditions of Vermont careful production, we move the pointer of opinion more toward the “good” side of the scale.

I would suggest that, wherever you display or sell your fine turnings, you tag them as “Vermont Made”. Do some research and see what you can tag your goods with. Is the wood a native species?  Did you harvest it with respect for the environment? Be truthful about what you display and sell. There are people lurking out there who know more about things than you suspect! And I would suggest that we all need to be respectful of the folks we meet at gatherings. They may just want to feel good about their interactions to feel like buying. And meeting interesting,
respectful Vermonters may be more points for our state. We Woodchucks are pretty much all Vermonters.
Not necessarily born Vermonters, but Vermonters in spirit. We moved here almost 50 years ago. We blended in to a
large extent; served in town government, acted as ballot clerks, attended church suppers.

So, I hope we Woodchucks can use our skills to keep Vermont a good place to work, to live, and to visit. We can’t
bring Vermont Life back to the newsstands, but we can still keep Vermont worth living in.

Arny

Last modified: June 5, 2018