Kellogg-Hubbard Library Appoints Groberg as New ED
Last week the Kellogg-Hubbard Library Board of Trustees appointed Dan Groberg as its new executive director beginning in late June.
Groberg has served on the library’s board of trustees for three years. He also served as the executive director of Montpelier Alive, and directed programs, fundraising, and communications for the Montpelier Senior Activity Center and the city’s Community Services Department. He comes to the library from the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, where he currently works as a community planning and project manager. Groberg holds a masters of public administration in public and nonprofit management from the University of Pittsburgh and is a graduate of the Vermont Leadership Institute at the Snelling Center for Government.
“The library plays such a valuable role as a community ‘third place.’ I look forward to building on the library’s strong foundation and 2022 strategic plan to nourish an inclusive and innovative organization that empowers community members to become lifelong learners,” Groberg said.
—press release
Rotarians Celebrate 100 Years of Service
The Rotary Club of Montpelier will be celebrating 100 years of service this month, and they’re doing it Montpelier-style, with a casual gathering at Capital Plaza on June 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. with community, conversation, and hors d’oeuvres.
Club president Kim Bent, the founding artistic director of Lost Nation Theater, promised no speeches. “The Montpelier club wanted to do a fairly low key, casual celebration,” he said. “We’re not going to bore you with speeches. We’ll gather and have a good time.”
The guiding principle of the Rotary is “service above self,” Bent said. And the Montpelier group meets the challenge.
According to its website, the Montpelier Rotarians manage, with community help, the annual Karen Kitzmiller Memorial Coat Drive, which distributes over 800 coats per year; has contributed, in recent years, a total of more than $50,000 in small donations to such local community organizations as Good Beginnings, Lost Nation Theater, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Just Basics Food Pantry, and Good Samaritan Haven; and awards $64,000 annually to graduating students from Montpelier and Union-32 high schools.
The club also runs a “backpack program” providing weekend food for needy students at Union Elementary School and Calais Elementary School, Bent said. It hosts an annual senior picnic at Pioneer Apartments every summer and runs a youth club at Montpelier High School, with an annual speech contest.
The centennial celebration is open to the public, Bent said. “We’re asking folks to pay $70 to cover the cost of the event, and inviting folks who feel they are able to make an additional $30 donation to support annual work of the rotary.”
To attend the event, email montpeliervtrotary@gmail.com or send a reservation request to Bill Miles, Rotary Treasurer, P.O. Box 441, Montpelier, VT 05601.
Anyone interested in joining the club can find more information at portal.clubrunner.ca/1422.
—Cassandra Hemenway
Independence Day Celebration
Big Nazo performance at last year’s July 3 celebration. Courtesy photo.
Montpelier Alive has announced that parade applications for the city’s annual Independence Day celebration are open until June 9. The theme for this year’s parade is “Resilience.” Think sunflowers, growth, smiles, and sun!
This year’s July 3 Family Fest begins with ‘Dance, Sing, and Jump Around’ with Liz Benjamin. This interactive family dance will kick off the day at 3 p.m., followed by an appearance by the Big Nazo puppet group and the Providence Drum Troupe, both back by popular demand. In addition, there will be two bouncy houses on the Statehouse lawn, sponsored by Capital Community Church.
The parade includes local favorites including the Catamount Pipe Band, Hannaford’s Fife and Drum group, AllTogetherNow! with their enormous puppets, Shidaa Projects’ West African drumming, and the much-loved HoneyBee Steelband, led by Emily Lanxner.
After the parade, Chad Hollister will grace the main stage, bringing energetic music to the Statehouse lawn. The annual fireworks celebration follows, with the national anthem sung by Julia Fortin of U-32 High School.
—press release
Vermont Historical Society Announces Award Winners
The Vermont Historical Society has announced the recipients of this year’s League of Local Historical Society and Museums Achievement Awards during this year’s league conference, held at the Vermont History Center in Barre on May 19. These awards recognize exceptional work from the prior year by local historical societies, community organizations, and independent scholars dedicated to collecting, preserving, and studying Vermont’s rich history.
This year’s winners are:
Award of Excellence (recognizes superlative achievement, impact, and innovation)
Montpelier Historical Society exhibit: “Common Cracker: The Exhibit”
Norwich Historical Society Exhibit: “Mending the Spaces Between: Reflections and Contemplations”
Award of Merit (recognizes achievement within the context of available resources and professional abilities)
Canaan Historical Society Book: “From Stump to Mill: and Side Trips In Between”
Individual Achievement Award (honor’s a person’s work and commitment to local history over an extended period)
