Hello Friends of the Road,

I admit the past couple weeks have gotten past me and now we are rapidly approaching our first outing. The early warm weather got my mind on other things and I suppose life just got in the way of the CPRA hat I proudly wear. I hope by now most or all of you have received your annual mailing from us. It is packed full of info and we got our money’s worth for the postage on the envelopes. We were careful not to go over the 2oz weight or the treasurer would have to pay more for postage. We value your contributions and try not to squander it recklessly. And happy SPRING to you all! As far as I know, I’m not writing to anyone south of the equator, so I don’t have to wish anyone happy Autumn I think.

I’ve accumulated some topics for you, so I’ll begin with the main attraction. I won’t “bury the lead” as those in the media business might say. On May 7th, I will be involved with my 1st marker ceremony. The CPRA has been involved with a few in the past, but never while I’ve been involved. We will be re-dedicating a marker that has been moved from the village of Pittsford, to its new location a short distance away in Florence. CPRA president Barry put his easel and paintbrush to work and created a map for you to find your way to the event. I have attached it to this email. The actual ceremony will be about an hour or less and the final schedule is being put together now. We are hoping for good weather and a good turnout for this ceremony. Here are details of the event and contact info: Sunday, May 7th at 1 PM will be a rededication ceremony for CPRA Marker 45A in Pittsford. Originally placed by the DAR in 1911, the monument was recently relocated to Whipple Hollow Road near the Waters Tavern site. Jointly hosted by CPRA, DAR and Pittsford Historical Society. For more info, contact Barry at (802) 492-3573 or bgriffithvt@gmail.com

I’ve got a video about the CPR that you can save for a rainy day. It offers some good history and was done well. It is no Stephen Spielberg film, but certainly worth a watch. If you enjoy it, there is also a Part 2 available to watch. Thanks go to Jim Moore for sharing this video with me. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rIhoqFZvA0

To get back to the topic of ceremonies, I have 2 more to talk about. If you have a limit of one ceremony per year, please make sure it is ours in May! Ceremony #1: @Hubbardon Battlefield. Please note that they are dedicating the marker in conjunction with the Battle of Hubbardton Revolutionary War Encampment held yearly on the Anniversary Weekend and there is an admission fee for this event. Attached is a poster invitation. Ceremony #2: Burlington. I have no fancy poster for this one (yet), but offer the following info from Laura V. Trieschmann of the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development: “We are working with a number of entities for a July 4 re-dedication of the Ethan Allen Monument located in the Greenmount Cemetery in Burlington. It was dedicated on July 4, 1873, so this is a great anniversary. The partners include the Old North End neighborhood, Preservation Burlington, Vermont 250th Anniversary Commission, Ethan Allen Homestead, and Division for Historic Preservation (which owns it). Also, I would like to be sure the DAR is invited so it’s on everyone’s calendar. We are planning a small event versus the original one that included hundreds of people parading from city hall to the cemetery! “

I have accomplished my mission to spread the news. I did not ride a horse and go town to town spreading the word, but instead sent a message from my comfort of my home. But I hope you appreciate the effort nonetheless. I look forward to seeing many of you during our outings this year. 

Take care and remember your history!