 My name is Jim Duncan. I'm the Deputy Mayor for the City of Winooski and I'm thrilled to kick off our birthday party today for our fair city. Thank you for being here. I've been looking forward to this day when I get to gather with friends, neighbors, friends I haven't met to celebrate with this centennial. I first met Winooski when it was a dash in 61 years old and I was three at the time so I don't really remember it. But I got to know Winooski a bit better through ice cream sandwiches at the mill, trips to the bookstore. And I really started to fall in love with my first show at Higher Ground when I was 17 years old. When I finally landed in Winooski to start a family, Winooski was 92 years old. Eight years later I'm still proud and excited to say I'm from Winooski and I'd say Winooski makes 100 look pretty good. And I'd say you all make Winooski look a pretty dang good. So today is a day for celebration and joy, a chance to be with others from this city and community. I work in the environmental field and in ecology we define a community as a group of interdependent beings of different species growing and living together in a particular habitat. And I'd actually say that the ecological definition fits Winooski pretty well. We're a community of many backgrounds, we're striving and thriving together and we're in a pretty special place. I invite you to reflect on what that word community means to you on a day like today. The beings you cherish and the friends you haven't yet met, I will be celebrating what this community holds for all of us, how we hold our community together and what it means to be Winooski. The very name of our city Winooski means we have to look deeper than 100 years. While the city has stood for a century, these lands have been called home for much longer, long before people who looked like me could have stood in this spot. The Western Abnaki have used this land along the Winooski River for at least a thousand years. And as part of our celebration for our first hundred years and our contemplation of the next 100, we must acknowledge our origins and strive, as Winooski does, to rise to our ideals and do the best we can to build a community of inclusion and respect. I'm honored and humbled to be joined today by Chief Richard Menard and Tribal Council Member Bob Richards of the Missiscoe tribe of the Abnaki people. Through consultation and partnerships with representatives of the Vermont's Abnaki community, we have begun a journey to acknowledge our foundation on unceded land and a first step in healing and making this community more whole. I want to thank Mayor Lott and my fellow councillors of Aura Heard, Brent Oakleaf, Thomas Renner in unanimously passing the Abnaki Land Acknowledgement and Land Use Rights Resolution, which I will read now. So this resolution was approved by City Council on May 2nd this year. Whereas the indigenous peoples of Vermont were the first inhabitants of this land, whereas Winooski is located within Dakina, the homeland of the western Abnaki people and is named after the original Abnaki Ward, Winooski Tech, or Onion Land River in relation to the Winooski River in Vermont. And whereas using indigenous names is an important step towards addressing the erasure of indigenous presence from the landscape. Whereas in 2022 the city of Winooski celebrates our centennial, marking 100 years as a municipality. And whereas we see this milestone as an opportunity to reflect on the shameful history of harm done to indigenous people to be humbled by the total scope of our history, which predates municipal incorporation. And whereas the city seeks to create a meaningful, permanent partnership with the Abnaki people, now be it resolved, the city of Winooski formally acknowledges that this community was built on unceded land of the Abnaki people. And we recognize that the Abnaki people, their culture and their experiences are fundamental to the existence and culture of our city. Be it further resolved, a version of this land acknowledgement shall be read today during our community birthday party followed by the raising of the Missiscoe tribe flag in Rotary Park and included in full as a dedicated section on the city's website. Be it further resolved, the city of Winooski hereby affirms the following land use rights in perpetuity for Abnaki citizens enrolled in Abnaki tribes recognized by Vermont State Statues Title I, Chapter 23, Sections 851 to 856. The right to sustainably harvest wild ramps, fiddleheads, fungi, and any culturally important plants or plant parts in any park or natural area in Winooski. Adoption of this resolution constitutes prior approval required by our ordinances. Upon future completion of a public hearing and ordinance amendment, the right to have all fees associated with renting city facilities waived for ceremonies, programs, and any other culturally important events per Section 2805. Be it further resolved, the city of Winooski shall work in partnership with the official Abnaki leadership on all future forest management projects in the Winooski's natural areas. Be it further resolved, the city of Winooski is hereby committed to working with members of the Abnaki community to rename Memorial Park and the trails within using words and phrases from the Abnaki language. I hope this resolution is the first and meaningful step in shifting how we think of Winooski and ensuring that the stewardship and use of our lands respects its long history. Chief Menard has prepared remarks for this occasion and please join me in welcoming him to the microphone. Thank you Jim. Thank you the city of Winooski. We're glad to be here today and it's a pleasure for us to be here today. Reason this flag means a lot to us and I hope you appreciate it as much as we do. As you say, the Abnaki has been here for tens of thousands of years and we're still here. In fact, I think we just found a couple new members, but other than that, thank you. Thank you Chief Menard. So thank you, Chief Menard, for those words and for bringing this flag of the Missiscoe to join our city's flag in flying over Rotary Park. I hope this joining of flags signifies the start of our continued partnership and honoring the past and the future of Winooski. Thank you. We will raise a flag. Thank you to Council Member Richards and thank you to all of you for being here. I hope you enjoy the rest of the party. Please stick around for the flag raising. I hope you enjoy the rest of the party. I hope you enjoy the rest of the party. Thank you so much, guys. Thank you. To be the welcoming and opportunity city here in Vermont. So happy 100 years to Winooski and thank you all so, so much for coming out. We're so glad to see all your faces here gathering. We appreciate you so much. This party is for you. And I have to shamelessly plug because I have the mic. This summer we have even more incredible events here in the Rotary and around the city. So please come on out for Winooski Wednesdays, for the Winooski Farmers Market and for all of our events that we have coming up this summer. We're so, so grateful to be here in Winooski. And I hope you enjoyed the food and the go buy some Centennial merch so that you can show your Winooski pride. And that's it. Up next we've got dancers from the Winooski School. Students. So welcome them to the stage. Dancers, y'all. Come up in just about three of them. Jim, if you're somewhere. So while we're waiting for the rest of the city council to come up here and grace us with their presence on stage. And what a wonderful group of people we have working and doing beautiful things for our city. So thank you so much to them. Big round of applause for our city council, our mayor, please. If you have the ticket 546-4623. Again, 546-4623. Go to the merch table. There's a prize waiting for you. We're in this momentous occasion with so many members of our community. When I first came to the city in 2009, I could never have guessed I'd be here now speaking at this event. It's my honor and thank you all for joining me. Peoples who lived on this land through many waves of immigration. Families who have lived here for generations. And newcomers who we continue to welcome. I am grateful to those who have built the city and community that we call home today, including all of you. Our March 7th city council meeting, we passed a resolution to commemorate 100 years as a municipality. Keep this resolution in celebration of our birthday and highlighting our community's history. He draws its origins from the Abinacki tribe, meaning Onion Land River. Archaeological studies suggest occupation by indigenous people living along the banks of the Winooski River, as far back as 9,000 years ago. And formed the Onion River Land Company in 1773, settling in the Winooski Falls area of Colchester, creating a major commercial center in northern Vermont. The 1800s marked the lasting impression of the mill industry, making Winooski one of the largest industrialized places in Vermont, providing employment opportunities for French, Canadian, Polish, Syrian, Lebanese, Irish, and Italian families looking for work. Winooski was once a village in Colchester, becoming its own city after the Vermont legislature and voters approved a charter change in March of 1922. Winooski has persevered through many defining hardships, including the Vermont flood of 1927 and the closing of our last mill in 1954. In the 1960s, 70s, and 80s made way for efforts such as the model cities and urban renewal programs, utilizing old spaces to create new opportunities. In the 2000s, Winooski received downtown designation by the state and established a tax increment financing district to support investment in our thriving community. Winooski continues to be a refugee resettlement community, welcoming new neighbors from Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Somalia, Bhutan, Burma, Sudan, Nepal, and many other countries. At the time of the 2020 census, Winooski had a population of 7,997 people, occupying 1.43 square miles and is one of the most densely populated and racially diverse cities in northern New England. Winooski recently adopted the phrase Vermont's Opportunity City and began telling our shared story of welcoming an opportunity. For almost 100 years, well now for 100, Winooski has welcomed strivers, people looking to build a better life for themselves and their families. We are a small city where neighbors know each other. We are a city where all of our kids learn together, play together, and grow together. We are a community where everyone can participate in city government, in neighborhood gatherings, and in our lively downtown. We are always striving to improve our city and to welcome our next new neighbors. Now therefore be a resolve by the Winooski City Council that we recognize March 7th, 2022 as Winooski's 100th municipal anniversary and welcome our residents and visitors to reflect on our important history as we look forward to the next 100 years. We're going to cut the ceremonial birthday cake. If you haven't already gotten a cupcake, we still have a few left over here. Please help yourselves to these special treats. Thank you. What's happening right now? So all the folks that are standing around in the back and want to be a part of the Winooski photo, please come right here.