Mount Holly Newsflash 5/2/2024

 

Mount Holly Newsflash

Today's Forecast: A chance of rain showers before 7am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 7am and 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. West wind 2 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Archived Newsflash emails can be read at: https://mthollynewsflash.blogspot.com

66th Annual Penny Sale

Big Success in Ludlow

The 66th annual Penny Sale, sponsored by the Ludlow Rotary Club (LRC), was a tremendous success as over $30 thousand in prizes were awarded to over 350 winning ticket holders this past Saturday at the Ludlow High School Gym.

Prizes awarded ranged from skis, TV's, gas grilles, ski passes (including several seasonal passes), to cash awards.  If winners were not happy with their prizes, they even had a "swap table" available to exchange prizes with other winners.

The event represented a major fund-raising effort for the LRC.  Much of this amount will be devoted to the annual scholarship awards the club gives to area graduating students, this year estimated to be $9,000.  The remainder goes into the funds used to support area community projects.

Winners of this year's raffle ticket prizes this year, pictured above, were, from left to right, Patty Rumrill ($50), Alicia Hammond ($275), Barb Duquette ($175), and Gabby Donna ($525).  Astrid Hoyt, not pictured, was the 4th place winner of $100).

Kim Lampert, LRC Treasurer, echoed the attitude of all attending Rotarians, noting, "A big thank you to all our patrons, businesses who donated these wonderful gifts, making this Penny Sale such a wonderful event".  She also expressed her gratitude to Brewfest and the Ludlow Police Department for the special role they played in supporting the event.

Jim Rumrill, co-chair of the Penny Sale, indicated that this fund-raiser was very important to the LRC's continuing efforts to support its scholarship program as well as other community activities sponsored by LRC such as literacy, youth exchange programs, and many community projects.


Pictured beloware the winners of the 66th annual Penny Sale raffle ticket contest.  From left to right, they are Patty Rumrill ($50), Alicia Hammond ($275), Barb Duquette ($175), Gabby Donna ($525); not in photo - Astrid Hoyt was the 4th place winner $100 winner.

The audience, and some of the prizes offered, are shown above from the 66th annual Penny Sale sponsored by the Ludlow Rotary Club.

Noah Schmidt Updates Ludlow Rotary

Club with Ludlow News and Plans

Noah Schmidt, a member of the Ludlow Select Board, spoke to the recent meeting of the Ludlow Rotary Club about the status of recent actions and considerations by that legislative body.

He indicated that the town has about $330,000 and the village around $230,000 in America Rescue Act (ARPA) Funds, but came with "a lot of restrictions". Schmidt added that one of the primary considerations of its use was for recreation in the town.

Responding to a LRC Rotarian's question, he noted that the bike path, long a matter before the Select Board, had already been established by LAST (Ludlow Area Sports Trails). Current planning will continue the path behind the high school building and run through Fletcher Farm properties.

Calling it a "great way to increase the town's revenue", Schmidt said that the local option sales tax was something that should be considered for the town. Local option taxes must be approved by the State legislature, unless previously allowed by charter, and involve a series of 1% increases over the state's sales tax. Such a tax requires an approval vote by local voters.

He added that the Select Board is still evaluating the future use of the Black River High School building, which is now owned by the town. Schmidt likes the idea of it being used for educational purposes but thought that the town needed a long-range plan on its use.

As an aside, Schmidt indicated that he planned to take the 10-mile run up Mt. Washington, adding it was "only for the up-hill portion".

In addition to his work as a member of the Ludlow Select Board, he runs the Open Door Vacations Rental Company, which he founded. He is part of the team that initiated the "Unofficial Okemo" website.

The LRC meets every Tuesday for lunch in Ludlow. The LRC is small and is always looking to welcome new members. If you would like to attend a meeting and learn how you may 'Serve Humanity' while enjoying the fun and fellowship of others, please contact any Rotarian or drop a note to Ludlow Rotary, PO Box 216, Ludlow Vermont.

Pictured below are Tom Ray, LRC President, and Noah Schmidt, LRC speaker, following Schmidt's remarks to the Ludlow Rotary Club.
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