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Autumn in Enosburg Falls, Vermont - "On Vermont Time"
By Timothy Stetson

This is the first in a series of stories about the little Green Mountain Village of Enosburg Falls, Vermont. Tucked in the northern portion of the state, just 7 miles from the Canadian Border. I hope you find the time to come and visit our little village and spend a little while "On Vermont Time." If you can't come to us...I hope these stories bring us a little closer to you and provide you with some relaxing enjoyment.

The crickets are chirping, the air is cool, but it is still warm enough to be comfortable without a jacket. I can hear the water in the garden pond splashing over the rocks, playing the ever-famous soothing tune of running water. Great for stress relief, I'm told. It's a cool fall morning in Northern Vermont.

The moths and other insects fly around the outside light, on the garage, as soon as it comes on and glistens in the morning dew. They are enjoying the time they have left before the cold of winter sets in.

The stars in the sky don't show this morning and you can't quite see Jay Peak. The weather forecasters are telling us to expect rain today and maybe through the rest of the week. Still, it's a typical fall day in Vermont.

Some of the leaves are just starting to change. Soon, the woods and mountains will be covered with a canvas of color. Old-time Vermonters still say it's early for the leaves to change, but we know that Mother Nature will have them change when the time is right.

Soon, we hope, the buses filled with visitors from communities all over the country and maybe even the world will start to make their way into the state weaving around and over its mountainous terrain and taking in the autumn show of the changing trees. "Leaf Peepers" as they are affectionately called, are a welcome site in Vermont, especially to the little villages like the one I live in, Enosburg Falls, where tourism is still important to our economy.

We hope you come and visit and enjoy our little community. There's a lot to do here during the year and especially in the fall. We still have farms of all different sizes that you can see and even some that you can stop and visit on your way through.

The Farmers Market still goes on every Saturday morning on Lincoln Park, right in the center of the village. You can purchase all of the harvest goodies from a summer of planting, weeding and harvesting. While you are on the park, you can check out our town bandstand where the Enosburg Falls Town Band plays every Tuesday night during the summer months. It is also used by other groups throughout the summer from the Vermont Dairy Festival in Spring to the American Legion at those times during the year when we celebrate our veterans. As you look across the park, you will also see a little log cabin sitting right across the road from the bandstand. If you come back in the summer and visit us, you can take in the band concert on a Tuesday night and go over and visit the log cabin. There is a lot of Enosburg and Vermont History right here in this building.

All of our main street merchants are also open. You can visit the antique stores, children's and men's clothing stores, drug & variety stores, restaurants, cafes, and if you still need that miscellaneous nut, screw, or bolt for some repair to your vehicle or something you brought with you, check in at one of our 4 hardware stores.

If you are interested in history, especially New England or Vermont history, Enosburg has lots of it to share. You can start out at our 1892 Opera House. It was built, for our community, by the B.J. Kendall Company as a community hall. The B.J. Kendall Co. owned the Spavin Cure that Enosburg is famous for. The Spavin Cure building, itself, is still standing at the north end of the village. Since the Opera House was built, there have been all kinds of performances and community events held here. There is a major renovation project currently underway which is making one of our favorite buildings even better. I will be doing an article on the Opera House itself sometime real soon, so be sure to check back for that.

You can also visit our historical society museums. Museum(s), you say? Yes, currently the Enosburg Historical Society has 2. One on main street, upstairs over our Town Hall and one right across the road from the Opera House. This one is in an old train freight station and has a real caboose parked right next to it. The "new" museum is still being finished up but has all kinds of great history to share with you.

What else is there to do, you ask? We have a bridge of flowers and lights; built over the dam on the Missisquoi River that generates electricity from the awesome power of water. We have The Somerset Inn, which at one time was called the Quincy Hotel, where you can go and eat and enjoy the quiet and quaintness of the Green Mountains in autumn. Just to see the old houses that are still here after all these years is a trip unto itself.

This is only the beginning. Just a taste to whet your apetite for more. We have Bed & Breakfasts, beautiful Churches and many other sites to behold. Be sure to check out my stories over the next few months as I share more information about our little village, the county, the State of Vermont and the people that live here.

We do hope that you will find time to come and visit us and spend a little while "On
Vermont Time."