The Pigs Did It

We came to Addison County because of my ancestral roots in this place. Soon after the Revolutionary War, Stephen Cooper Sr. and his family left Southampton, New York to relocate in the small village of Shoreham along the banks of Lake Champlain. Shoreham remains, my ancestors do not. Later generations headed west like so many others, looking for greener pastures beyond the horizon. Amazingly, not much has changed in the two hundred or so years since their departure. Vermont is still a land of small villages comprised of 19th century houses, country stores, inns, and Anglican churches with their tall spires rising above the canopy of deciduous trees.

Several villages have stolen our hearts. The closest to us is Brandon. It is hard to say why it appeals to us so much. It has the same vintage churches, brick buildings, grand Victorian houses, and war memorial parks with statues of Civil War soldiers and a cannon or two, as all the rest. Of course Brandon is unique with curbs made of marble, from the days when the community’s economy was based on the marble quarry. But there is a vitality to Brandon that some of the more rural villages lack. We asked several locals about how this came about and were told, “It was the pigs.” About six years ago the town’s artists’ community decided they needed to do something to revitalize the town, it had become a place people only passed through rather than a destination. So the artists came up with a theme – The Really, Really Pig Show. Fiberglass pigs were created, each one made unique by individual artists, and placed around the village. People came from all over to see the pigs. At the end of the tourist season, the pigs were auctioned off. The project was so successful that each year now a new theme is proposed. One year it was “Brandon Rocks” and there were giant wooden rocking chairs everywhere. This year the theme was “Reigning Cats and Dogs,” with decorated cat and dog sculptures. We arrived too late to see them, but the town is now decorated with fancifully dressed scarecrows. They cling to light posts, street signs, and trees, and pose in front of stores. The town gets together every fall to carve jack-o-lanterns, drink hot apple cider, and make the scarecrows from sticks and cornstalks and old clothing. It brings the community together. With the marble industry long gone, we wondered what kept Brandon going now. A local architect told us: “The quality of life is the new industry.”

Best of all, Brandon has a bookstore, Briggs Carriage Bookstore. We were strolling along the street early one evening and noticed that the bookstore door was open. “Are you still open for business?” we asked. “Yes, we’re open until 9 o’clock, especially when we are having an event.” We could hear a speaker’s voice, laughter, and applause coming from the upper floor. A comedian/author was giving a talk and signing copies of his newly published book. Everything about the store drew us in – even the squeak of the old wood floor as we walked from one book display to another. It was their 10th anniversary and they were celebrating by giving 10 percent off all book purchases. Bob and I each chose a book, by a Vermont author, and were given a cloth book bag to hold our books. Later we discovered that the upstairs also holds the Ball and Chain Café with soft seating, free WiFi connection, and of course good coffee.

The fall color is everything that Bob said it would be, and I am unable to do it justice with my camera. It is an elusive thing and cannot be captured by words or photos - like the spirit of hopefulness that I feel here. ... P. L. Morningstar