CALAIS, ADAMANT – New and renewed events joined long-time arts and community celebrations as the co-op celebrated its 90th anniversary and the threat of the elementary school closing loomed.
courtesy drawing
Heading into town meeting, town leaders sought to demystify finances with a Town Meeting Primer and budget breakdown, guiding residents through the FY2026 proposals including medical insurance costs, highway equipment needs and reserve funds.
On March 4, Town Meeting Day, voters gathered at Calais Elementary School where all articles “voted from the floor passed as written,” reaffirming support for municipal operations and community services.
In Australian ballot voting, Christy Mihaly was elected to a three‑year term on the select board and Barbara McAndrew earned a seat through a successful write‑in campaign. John McCullough secured a three‑year term as lister.
Organizers made town meeting welcoming and inclusive, with Friends of Calais providing lunch, childcare offered at no cost, and Community Connections staff helping families participate.
In the summer, Friends of Calais revived “Thighs & Pies” at historic Memorial Hall with a chicken barbecue at Curtis Pond that included music.
Barnstock, a free music festival, August 23, at Curtis Pond in Maple Corner, brought local bands and neighbors together for live performances.
Art at the Kent’s fall exhibition, “Mementos Kept, Memories Kindled,” ran through October 12. The curated show featured 22 contemporary Vermont artists interpreting memory in clay, wood, fiber, photograph, and sculpture at the Kents’ Corner State Historic Site.
Alongside visual arts, the “Words Out Loud” reading series offered Sunday afternoon readings by local authors during September as part of the exhibit programming, inviting neighbors into reflective storytelling tied to place and imagination.
The Calais Fall Foliage Festival from October 2 to 5, feature potlucks, contemporary art exhibitions, fen walks led by naturalists, and storytelling by fire pit to light ther seasonal weekend.
On October 4, the Friends of Calais inaugural Chili and Cornbread Cook‑Off and Contra Dance at Memorial Hall drew crowds for spirited tasting and lively dancing, with contra calls by Amy Cann and music from Joanne Garton and Emmett Stowell.
Historic awareness was a theme all year: visitors and residents alike took advantage of the Calais Town History Tour, a smartphone‑accessible guided audio journey through 21 episodes exploring Indigenous presence, early settlement, and local landmarks, a living archive of the town’s narrative.
The Adamant Co‑op marked a major milestone in 2025, celebrating its 90th anniversary as the oldest continuously operating food cooperative in the nation. Located at the crossroads of five dirt roads and embraced as both store and community hub, the co‑op’s history is threaded through generations of residents and visitors alike.
In a WCAX story, Co‑op General Manager Liz Knapp noted that volunteer spirit fuels the co‑op’s daily life, and patrons like Eva Gumprecht described it as a place of “decency and warmth… how people should treat each other.” The milestone celebration highlighted Adamant’s unique identity.
Vermont State Police logs in September recorded a domestic assault arrest in Calais and an impaired driving case that resulted in a DUI citation, reminders of the routine enforcement activities that keep roadways and households safe.
Later in November, officers responded to a possible restraining order violation and processed an arrest of a Calais resident, in a sober counterpoint to the festival and civic stories of the year.
Education remained a community concern through late 2025. Washington Central Unified Union School District deliberations over consolidation and school closures, including planned 2026 vote on closing Calais Elementary School, continued to spark debate among families and advocates who view the local school as central to community life, even as boards seek sustainable budgeting and student support strategies.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
