Vermont is a state I love

Vermont is a state I love.
I could not look upon the peaks of Ascutney,
Killington, Mansfield and Equinox
Without being moved in a way that no other scene could move me.
It was here that I first saw the light of day;
Here I receive my bride;
Here my dead lie,
pillowed on the loving breast of our everlasting hills.
I love Vermont because of her hills and valleys,
Her scenery and invigorating climate,
but most of all because of her indomitable people.
They are a race of pioneers who have almost beggared themselves
to serve others.
If the spirit of liberty should vanish in other parts of the union
and support of our institutions should languish,
It could all be replenished from the generous store held by the people
Of this brave little state of Vermont.
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Calvin Coolidge said this in Bennington VT on 21 September 1928, as he toured the state after the previous year's major floods. Supposedly these remarks were extemporaneous. (Go to Historic Vermont for more.)
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What many people don't know is that 4 July is Coolidge's birthday. It is a standing custom that the current occupant of the White House send a wreath to be placed on the grave of previous presidents on their birthday. Each year, therefore, there is a small ceremony in Plymouth, VT to mark Coolidge's birthday.

Every Fourth of July, a small crowd of 200-300 people gathers in the middle of the historic site that includes Coolidge's birthday place, a barn that has antique farm implements, summer and winter horse-drawn hearses (the winter one has runners), a 1930s-vintage general store, a functioning US post office, the house where he lived and the church where he worshipped. The small procession kicks off at noon and people walk about half a mile to the graveyard where Coolidge and his family are buried.

There is always a bugler who plays echo Taps, usually at the end of the ceremony, though for some reason, this year, he played first. You can see the rolling hills of Plymouth Notch, Vermont's 'brigadoon,' insofar as the Notch historic area stopped in the 1930s.

Each year, a wreath of red, white and blue flowers is respectfully placed in front of the president's grave. His grave is no different than the other ones in the cemetery except for the presidential seal on it. The military raise their arms in a salute to the former president.

Back in the village, one goes by the church where Coolidge used to worship. His pew is marked by a flag. The inside of the church is all wood, warm-coloured orange maple. It has a quasi-Gothic look and is stunning. Once a month there's a service. More often than not, it is used for weddings (!).

All this is less than two miles from our house. We never thought we'd get caught up in Coolidge-lore but you can't help it if you live here.

Frankly, though Coolidge gets a bad rap, he was a far better president than people think (he could speak the English language quite eloquently). I can't help but think he would rue everything that is going on today in the White House.

Try this quote from 22 April 1924: We are against war because it is destructive. We are for peace because it is constructive.

Nuff said.