10 years ago:

Governor Howard Dean was on hand to officially open the Wilmington end of the Valley Trail. Dean commended the community and the landowners who provided access for increasing the recreational opportunities in the area.

Abutters of the former Green Meadows School on Stowe Hill opposed an Act 250 permit for a proposed community center at the site. In their testimony, abutters said the location was “unsafe” and the proposed community center would have a negative impact on their quality of life.

15 years ago:

Mount Snow hosted the Southern Vermont Highland Games. The weekend-long festival included the traditional competitive Scottish Highland caber toss, stone put, and sheaf toss. Festival-goers could also listen to bagpipe music and eat traditional Scottish foods.

Haystack Associates president and Wilmington resident Don Tarinelli announced his intention to run for the Republican nomination for Windham County senator. Tarrinelli would face off against Anne Bernhardt of Londonderry, and Art Lettieri, of Brattleboro.

20 years ago:

Dover Selectboard members were concerned that a property owner’s improvement of “more than 800 feet” of road, accomplished by “backdragging” the road with a bulldozer, could require an Act 250 permit. The property owners said they were “just trying to fill in some spots so we could get in and out of there.”

Dover selectboard members were “looking into” the possibility of purchasing 2,000 acres of land in the northern part of Dover. Selectboard member Paul Mendelsohn said the parcel could be the answer to Dover’s affordable housing problem.

25 years ago:

The future of Haystack was called “much brighter” after the ski area, golf course, and residential development rights were purchased by local residents William Wylie, Michael Kimack, and Don Tarinelli. The new owners planned to begin construction on a family vacation home community within weeks, and to reopen the ski area in the fall. The ski area had been closed for three years.

Congressman James Jeffords met with constituents at Wilmington High School. Among the issues discussed were the U.S. military buildup, Central America, and nuclear arms. In response to local residents’ concerns, Jeffords called the B-1 bomber a monstrous waste of funds.

35 years ago:

Wilmington Town Manager Robert Grinold announced the appointment of Richard Pratt as chief of police. Pratt had most recently served as lieutenant in the Montpelier Police Department. Pratt’s prior police duties included two security assignments, one for California Governor Ronald Reagan, and one for Julie Nixon Eisenhower.

Members of the newly established Deerfield Valley Rescue Inc. were seeking $6,000 in donations to purchase, refurbish, and insure their first ambulance. At the time, 20 local volunteers were in training for the ambulance service, and the squad hoped to be operational by fall 1974.

40 years ago:

“Miss Universe to vacation at Mount Snow,” declared the lead headline in The Mount Snow Valley News. Gloria Diaz, of the Philippines, won a trip to Mount Snow as part of the package of gifts and prizes that came with her new title. Mount Snow, the site of the Miss Vermont pageant, was also expecting a visit from Miss USA, Wendy Dascomb of Virginia.