CABOT – Hardwick Gazette reporting showed Cabot residents appearing at town meeting tables, celebrating the local cheese culture, marching and watching parades and sharing letters to the editor, shaping the 2025 year.
Cabot welcomed the new year, January 4, at the Cabot Village 12th Night Celebration with high-spirited performances and community warmth in the Willey Building. Brendan Taaffe’s Crankie Show with Tom MacKenzie drew a full house.
A community forum, held January. 23 at the Willey Building (and via Zoom), was intended to help voters understand contentious issues before casting ballots at the March 4 town meeting. Up for discussion was a proposed revision to the Craftsbury Community Investment Fund (CCIF) to allow broader use of the funds, a Cabot Commons UDAG/CCIF loan forgiveness request and the town and school budgets.
In February and March attention turned toward town and school district annual meetings, with voters gathering at the Cabot School Performing Arts Center on March 3 and 4 to address school budgets, elect directors and shape educational priorities.
The updated Cabot Town Plan was adopted, guiding future land use, conservation, economic strategy and services. The revised CCIF plan was approved, continuing locally-controlled funding for community development, education and cultural projects.
Voters approved a tax exemption for the former Masonic Hall in support of nonprofit community use by Neighbors in Action.
The general municipal and highway maintenance budgets were approved by Australian ballot on Town Meeting Day.
Articles to fund local services including the Cabot Public Library and other community institutions passed, affirming citizen investment in cultural and educational services.
A vote to close the Cabot School was defeated with 239 Yes votes vs. 367 No votes. It was a clear sign residents chose to keep their high school open.
On July 4, Main Street came alive with the annual Cabot 4th of July Parade led by veterans from Patrick Thompson ETC (SS) Ret., Bob Burke CDR Ret., and a host of local citizens driving tractors, marching bands and fire trucks. Vendor tents, book sales, music and food filled the town common, with Cabot Creamery volunteers passing out cheese along the route. Parade judge’s choice honors went to the Kingdom Crusaders Pipe Band.
2025 saw an important development on the Winooski River with the Town coordinating with Friends of the Winooski River to begin design work to clear the ruins of Cabot’s 200-year-old Clark Sawmill Dam, a relic of early Vermont industry and a lasting reminder of the catastrophic 2023 floods. Select board Chair Michael Hogan spoke about turning the area into a riverfront green space. At 93, local historian Jane Brown reflected on the dam’s role in powering mills and lives long ago.
As fall foliage came early, Cabot’s Cheese and Culture Festival returned for its third year on September 27, pairing education and festivities on the Village Common. The free festival featured talks by regional gardening expert Charlie Nardozzi, artisanal demonstrations, food trucks and live music. It was all part of the broader Cabot Fall Foliage Festival experience.
In October, town resident Ruth Goodrich challenged actions by select board chair Michael Hogan, raising issues over USDA grants and the costs of a new public safety building. Goodrich wrote, “It would be good to listen to the whole recording [of the meeting] . . . and form your own opinions.”
In November Gazette readers learned that Cabot Creamery earned nine honors at the National Milk Producers Federation contest, including Overall Best Butter, with Chairman James “Cricket” Jacquier noting it as “a validation of the tried-and-true efforts across the co-op.”
Public health remained a priority, with flu/COVID-19 vaccination clinics offered at the Cabot School Wellness Space, open to all residents.
Voters also showed strong support for flood recovery, approving up to $250,000 from the Cabot Community Investment Fund toward flood mitigation in a Nov. 4 vote.
In mid-December, Cabot’s volunteer spirit kicked into holiday mode with the Cabot Holiday Workshop on Dec. 13, an annual craft and maker event for all ages.
Elsewhere, Cabot Volunteer Fire Department crews responded to a multi-vehicle accident on Vt. 215 at the Marshfield town line, December 9, executing extrication and coordinating multi-agency support with no serious injuries.
In 2025 the Hardwick Gazette began delivering a free copy to read at the library and The Den at Harry’s Hardware.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
