Concert for the Killington Area - Sunday October 2

Concert for the Killington Area - Sunday October 2

It is hard to comprehend that remnants of Hurricane Irene struck Vermont one month ago today. Much of the beauty of Vermont was left unscathed. For every picture of damage and destruction shown on the evening news, I can show you a picture of the absolute beauty that the Green Mountain are today, a scant 31 days after the storm. It is, of course, the paradox of living in the mountains. The Green Mountains endure, like they have for millennia, while the valley floors took a beating from mountain runoff in the storms aftermath.

In central Vermont we are all marveling at the speed with which our government reacted to the crisis. We witness arguments on TV about politics at the national level; about how government is bound up by "special interests" and the "bureaucracy"; about how government can't get anything done. We have witnessed those arguments in Killington and in Vermont in recent years as well. The complacency of prosperity leaves the chattering class with little to do but angle for the next "big deal" or complain if they are shut out by the very game they are playing.

Make no mistake, Vermont by all rights should have fallen down the rabbit hole after being nearly drowned by Irene. It would have been easy for government to wring their hands and say the problem was too great, the resources are not available, if we had only prepared for a rainy day.... and so it goes.

But the people of Vermont would have none of it. And we all know somewhere in the back of our brains, that we the people are the government. That the government follows our lead, not the other way around.

Vermonters showed that spirit 31 days ago when they woke up on the morning of August 29th to see much of their state destroyed. Thousands of Vermonters came out and started working to repair the devastation. Many worked to help their neighbors, before tending to their own needs. In Killington, the community turned out and volunteered to help one another. Whether it was shoveling debris from our streets, or going door to door to check on every individual in town, the spirit of working together raised everyone up above the catastrophe which struck Vermont, and created a shared sense of community which we can only hope will transcend the petty politics of the day before the storm hit.

And low and behold, as the citizens of Vermont individually mobilized to combat what Irene had wrought, the governments of Vermont at the State and Local level took notice. It was clear fairly early on that citizens were helping citizens, neighbors were helping neighbors, strangers were becoming friends. And because the citizens of Vermont stood up to Irene, the government of Vermont was free to deal with the big problems created by the storm with the full knowledge that Vermonters wanted them to get things done. One only needs to look at the before, during and after pictures of Route 4 across Vermont to realize that government can get the job down when it wants too.

But the citizens of Vermont are not done. While the roads have been repaired and guests are starting to trickle back to see the annual display of color know as "Fall Foliage Season", there are many citizens of Vermont who are in need of help to recover from the personal destruction they suffered at the hands of Irene. And just like Vermonters responded 31 days ago, now that the general recovery is at hand, it is time to help out individuals who were the unwitting victims of Irene's wrath.

On this coming Sunday, you can do your part to help the people of Vermont. Starting at 12:00 Noon, the "Concert for Killington" will take place on the Killington Road in the parking lots of Outback Pizza and the Lookout Tavern. For a $20.00 donation, you can enjoy music from local artists including Joey Leone and the Chop Shop, Bobby Darling and Dr Devine, Rick Redington and the LUV, the Idiots, Jamie's Junk Show, and many more. In addition to music, your donation includes a complementary buffet. All door, raffle and silent auction proceeds will benefit We Are K-Town/Irene's Islands and the Pittsfield Hurricane Relief Fund who will access need and distribute funds to those who need them the most.

For years to come, the calamity caused by Irene will be permanently etched into the Vermont landscape. But for the people of Vermont, all of us who were impacted in our own way by the storm, it's the little victories of people helping people that is the most important memory for the history books.

Fall Foliage season is getting underway at Killington, and winter is just around the corner. We at the Birch Ridge Inn look forward to greeting you when you visit.