Four decades after she first set foot here, Janet L. Boyd still finds something to celebrate every season
By Janet L. Boyd
I came up to Vermont for the weekend from New Jersey when I was 19. Saturday morning, I woke up looked around and knew I could live here! That was 42 years ago.
A farm-to-table dinner in Wilmington benefited the Guy Hawkins Cancer Fund, a local fund for families in need of help with expenses from Cancer Treatment.
My first summer here I met a fourth-generation Vermont farmer. I admired his family’s commitment to preserving the family farm and his willingness to try new things as the face of agriculture in Vermont was evolving. Together we have created a farm with many horticultural activities including a pick-your-own blueberry field and a CSA, Zone 4 nursery with fruit trees and ornamental shrubs. We grow and sell hanging baskets, vegetables, herbs, and annual flowers. We also have a vegetable farm market.
Designing wedding flowers and hosting weddings on site for the past 20 years has brought many wonderful folks our way. The fifth and sixth generations work on the farm and are widening the paths of their ancestors; we are grateful for all the local support we have.
The landscape of the Deerfield Valley has changed since I moved here. What was once a rural valley, with many locals and a ski mountain with a second home winter population, now is a rural valley with many locals and many winter activities with a second home population that loves Vermont year-round.
The homebuyers I meet, local and new to Vermont, treasure our diversified year-round activities and our employment opportunities. Still others are retired or looking at part-time retirement and like what they find in our valley towns.
Today, the valley is rich with talented artists and galleries, unique shops, a wonderful bookstore, gifted musicians, and a wide range of chefs and eateries to hold your palate captive for weeks. Many residents work from home with a commute just steps from their coffee pot to their desk. Hospitality, the construction industry, and skilled craftsman are always in demand.
The center of Wilmington as interpreted by artist Ann Coleman.
What I love is the natural beauty of our woodlands, mountains, clear clean lakes, wildlife, and native industries. There’s something to celebrate every season. Most people know more about winter in Vermont and skiing, but what I really wait for is the warmer months.
The Maple Festival gives everyone the chance to taste the coming of spring. Then summer arrives and the mowing starts to green up, the fields are readied for planting, and there are flowers everywhere. I always enjoy the Strolling of the Heifers parade in Brattleboro, along with the Farmers’ Market. Here in the valley we host the annual blueberry festival, along with a farm to table dinner. Yes, right on the farm. [Janet is too shy to say that she is the founder and chief honcho for both of those events. Thank you Janet!]
There’s more to it than festivals, of course. We’re a strong community that has faced and overcome tough challenges. With birth rates down, schools all over the country are closing or having to adjust. Right here in Wilmington we are repurposing a 53,000-square-foot school in the town center. The Old School Community Center houses many school sport programs, exercise classes, Suzuki violin lessons by Bekka, Beurremont Bakery, tae kwon do, and 802 Fitness & Therapy. And the Wilmington Rec Department offers pickleball, men’s basketball, indoor soccer, line dancing, the summer rec program, and so much more. It’s almost like, “Name your passion and we’ll make it happen.”
Why not come visit. There’s a lot to love. And we can use your help.
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Janet L Boyd is a mother of two great kids and a grandmother of three beautiful grandchildren. She’s also fortunate to have many nieces and nephews who also are committed to and love to spend time at the farm. Janet is owner/broker of Boyd Real Estate in Wilmington,Vt. and part owner of Boyd Family Farm, 125 East Dover Road, Wilmington, Vt. Visit http://www.boydfamilyfarm.com.
