Last Sunday was the very first time that I experienced a feeling of “where is the bride?” instead of “here comes the bride.” And not because I was worried she had cold feet. Every road to get to her venue had washed out except one. We were setting up the Mountain Top Inn and Resort, unaware that we were preparing a wedding in one of the areas of Vermont that would be most devastated by the storm. Though many of her guests could not join us, the bride did arrive and her wedding did go on. It was a great evening, unforgettable for reasons beyond the storm. We stayed the night at the Inn and packed up learn our 1.5 hour trip home would take 3 hours, and we’d see this:
Once we approached the farm in the Waterbury area, I began to see muddy water filling roadways. Route 2 was flooded in many places from Waterbury to Richmond. Entering my village: mud everywhere. My local pub had filled with water, and their inventory of hand-brewed beers was infiltrated and destroyed by contaminated floodwater. All around us, people had lost their homes and businesses. It was heart-breaking.
I saw a chance to step up. As Manager of The Waterbury Farmers Market, I was able to use this week’s market to transform the Park into a little oasis for the town. I put flowers on all the picnic tables, set up a non-perishable food collection, a donation can for The Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund where vendors came and donated their products, and we gave out free watermelon slices to all marketgoers.
It was great to see news coverage and an article on the Market. Our town has a long way to go but with so many volunteer efforts going on from many people in the community there is an upbeat spirit.
Tamara Like Camera says
I got married at Mountain Top Inn & Resort three years ago and my heart fully went out to Vermont last weekend. Thank you for this beautiful post and update. Cheers to you for your outreach.
Kim C. says
Nicole, this was a really nice gesture——It does sound like a little oasis—a delightful escape for rejuvenations, among the losses and messes. I’m sure it was appreciated.