 Bored with East Hardwick because things don't change as a matter of fact for a hundred and thirty five years The population has remained exactly the same in East Hardwick And the reason for that is because every time a baby is born somebody has to leave town Thank you both If you're insulted by that stick around well, it's the same old same old stuff The same old same old think you've had enough It's the same old same old always how it's been What goes around it comes around here it comes again You're up in Hardwick it's always frigid cold Been that way since long before the townhouse got this old We get through those icy blasts we actually boast It's neighbor helping neighbor that keeps us warm as toast It's the same old same old stuff The same old same old think you've had enough It's the same old same old always how it's been What goes around it comes around here it comes again I'm from Vermont do what I want that's always how it goes The world outside's a window where I long to press my nose Been outside I looked around I saw I heard I roamed The longer I was gone from here the more I missed my home It's the same old same old stuff The same old same old think you've had enough It's the same old same old always how it's been What goes around it comes around here it comes again Every day we live the way we want to treat it be I'll treat you like you treat me that say okay with me Sounds so very funny that's exactly what I want That sweet as maple seared from the mountains of Vermont It's the same old same old stuff It's the same old same old you never get enough It's the same old same old always how it's been What goes around it comes around here it comes again Alright thank you I love to hear the screeches out there it's beautiful You get the same noise when the rat runs across the floor at the Legion dance in Hardwick That was a song about wanting to leave Vermont Which I did after I got out of Hardwick Academy Third generation graduate at Hardwick Academy And I went to England and went to Florida and went all over the place And I sure missed it and I was happy to come home Here's a tune about kind of the same thing From the top of the hill on the home plate Once had the perfect view of the house The fire in through the good life I knew I heard a distant rumble curious I just had to see Did I as a listen to boys calling me Asking me when stop to say goodbye to many cities Where I would get my hopes up high To share the good things in my restless and I wonder I couldn't find a job that I could hold Couldn't stop me When I heard a voice to say it's time to go Asking me if I would like a ride Even stop to say goodbye Sold a farm to live in town Was a little sad to me Sometimes I climb up on that Even if I would like a ride In less and I didn't even stop to say goodbye And I didn't even stop to say goodbye Thank you very much Well, it seems to be warming up Not everyone has your hands in your pockets So I tell you, we were lucky coming up from Brownington And ran through a couple of different rainstorms And when the sun came out It's like somebody switched on a light And everything came to beautiful color And I'm really happy to be here And I'm happy that the weather turned out Without a snowstorm or a rainstorm And I just want to say thank you, folks, For doing a special event for Senator Leahy He has just done... Well, I need to say what he's done for Vermont But he's a wonderful fellow And he loves the arts And he loves all kinds of different things That make our life so rich here in Vermont And I'm honored to be a part of the event And honored to be on the same stage with John Gale Moore Oh, good So, let's see I want to be sure and get a couple of new songs That I've written in Let's see, I guess Our friend, Anson Tabots Who is the Secretary of Agriculture Here in Vermont Asked me to write a song For him and for the Ag department And he has a pet peeve And that pet peeve is when you Go to the dairy case in a grocery store And there's all this stuff in there That has nothing to do with a cow Or with milk And it's just... It's not right So anyway, this is... I wrote this last Tuesday So I don't have music to it So now we're going to have a poetry recitation And the name of it is Milk Milk cow milk That's the only milk for me Milk cow milk It's as real as real can be Milk cow milk From the mountains of Vermont Milk cow milk It's the real milk I want The dairy farmers of Vermont Have a question for you now What's this milk in the dairy case That never touched a cow Squash a pecan, squash a cashew And call it milk What gall Senator Bobby Starr From way up Orleans way He tells it like he is And Bobby always has his say Even when they call it milk He says what's the use Milk it isn't and I swear It's really just nut juice Here's the course Milk cow milk That's the only milk for me Milk cow milk Vermont Milk cow milk It's the real milk I want Now we've got to get the ag department In here Vermont has more cows than people 70 years ago Today it's gone the other way It's quite a loss you know The ag department says it clear No ifs or ands or buts Here's what we proclaim Today Vermonters don't milk nuts We've got one more One more line here Milk cow milk It's the only milk for me Milk cow milk From the mountains of Vermont Milk cow milk It's the real milk I want I've got to tell you now If you call it milk here in Vermont You better have a cow Thank you both Well I've got time for two more songs Before the festivities begin Thank you all very much for your patience It's been a lot of fun here Rusty Parker Memorial Park I've played here many times with my band Rick and the All-Star Ramblers Western Swing Band Here's a A song I wrote about When people say I wrote this I wrote that Anyway when COVID came along Put us right out of business for several years So I've got a song for you And it's kind of a Hardwick Blues And of course it's politically incorrect So if we offend anyone I'll try to get to you by the next song Get everybody offended here I used to love that Tides Governor said You gotta wear a mask Every time you leave You're home though he said You better not I tried to do What air he said I believe in Governor Scott I kiss him In that game Lips and pucker up Then take care of him Every same one knows What she was thinking Ever since coronavirus Has shut down our 18 weeks old By myself I'm missing What I want Rather than rich by lips or feet Especially when my friends Are gone for company Me only My kissing There's a rover I tell you now I miss him When the Governor says That masks are off When I see some girls I'll kiss her Maybe one will Swine with me and slide me A little slack She'll close her eyes And pucker her up And even kiss me back One more song before the festivities Get going here You son for coming out And I thank each and every one of you For coming out and honoring Senator So back up my hardwick We're going to hardwick now There was only one place To buy a corsage Or buy flowers for your date And that was Harold Holcomb's Funeral Home And I'll tell you it really set up A evening of romance to go buy the funeral home And pick up your flowers for your girl The way things happen Here's a song of granite Sometimes I will crack Things that happen Long ago Your story And I swear that it's true About Hardwick Academy In 1962 Junior From where dreams come true Came along that year I asked a classmate To the dance I overcame My fear Harold Holcomb's funeral home Was the only place in town Where you could buy fresh flowers To pin upon her gown You had to call the charge You up and take it to the dance Just the way things happened In this northeast kingdom town Here's a song of granite Sometimes I will crack Things that happen Long ago Downstairs One big cooler They kept everything inside The dead The flowers that they sow And the formaldehyde Did not matter to the dead They have no sense of smell But the flowers from the cooler Look like heaven Smell like hell Midnight by Tussie On the girls the boys All more spice The flowers from the cooler They didn't smell like hell They didn't smell that nice The overwhelming From corsages Was all formaldehyde That's just the way things happened In this northeast kingdom town Here's a song of granite Sometimes I will crack Things that happen Long ago Downstairs You pin the corsage to her dress Or tie it on her wrist And when you dance To slow dance It was rising like mist But dancing to Ray Hussey's band And holding your girl tight Everything Was A-O-K On that very special night Moon rules that familiar smell Surrounding Into the casket It sets my heart up pounding It's amazing how Formaldehyde still Makes me feel romance Takes me back to junior prom And makes me want to dance You can't live it down That's just the way things Happened in this northeast kingdom town Here's a song of granite Sometimes I will crack Things that happen Long ago Thank you very much. Have a great day. I'm Ted Brady and I am the Executive Director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns. I'd like to welcome you here to this Celebration of Senator Leahy's Contributions to Vermont To our towns, to our cities, to our villages And to our downtowns. Let's hear it for Senator Leahy. I also need to Specifically thank the people that are Listed to my left and I might need to Cheat because all of this would not Be possible without the People that recognized Senator Leahy's Contributions and said let's have a party In one of our downtowns. And that's, of course, the Vermont League Of Cities and Towns. The Preservation Trust of Vermont Housing Conservation Board The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development You would have thought I would remember that One, Josh, without having to look. Also the Vermont Council on Rural Development The Vermont Association of Planning and Development Associations The Vermont Regional Development Corporations The Vermont Association of Chambers of Commerce Executives Revitalizing Waterbury, of course Waterbury, the Vermont Housing Finance Agency Ever North, the Vermont Arts Council And the Vermont Downtown Coalition They have thrown this party for Senator Leahy and invited you here to celebrate With us. Thank you so much. Do it again. Today is a special Day not because of Senator Leahy, but because it's Indigenous People's Day. And I think as we Gather to celebrate our Downtowns and our villages in these Places that we have made, it's Recognize that we did not make These places first The land we are on The communities that have been in this In this state for centuries Really are those Of the Abenaki Nation And we're extremely Extremely lucky to be joined today By Roland Bluto Who is an elder In the Nohigen Band of the Cusack Abenaki Nation to welcome us And to celebrate that fact Roland, you're right behind me. I'd like to start off by saying Kwa kwa, hello Welcome. In Lousy Roland, my name is Roland As you heard, I am an elder In the Nohigen Band of the Cusack Abenaki. Our tribe Is located in the northeast corner Of the Vermont Up in the northeast kingdom I have been asked to do A welcome or greeting song I have picked one of our Favorite ones that would do So I would like to Play for you And sing for you If my drum sounds Okay, I've tried to keep it warm And then afterwards I'd like to say A few words Most sincere congratulations And he wishes you a long And happy healthy retirement I would like to echo that As myself I would also like to say Uliuni, thank you for The many years of service you have Given to Vermont. Thank you For your support of the Abenaki people here in Vermont Your voice is going to be Very well missed in Congress I know that My sincere thank you, Senator I think that is a great way to put What we're here today celebrating in perspective That was beautiful, Roland Thank you so much and please thank I won't use all your clapping just yet It's a long program So We're going to be celebrating our Downtowns in our communities today And I think it's great that the first way We're going to celebrate them is by Thinking the people that protect them every day Our firefighters And our law enforcement Across the entire state I will say that from my time in Senator Leahy's office about 13 years I hate to say this There are a lot of downtowns after some serious tragedies Whether it be flooding Whether it be fire And there is always a fire chief Always some firemen there who Work to save these historic places And protect the life of those And I remember in St. John'sbury In St. Albans and Randolph go down a list Downtown Revitalization Is actually linked pretty Closely to the men and women Of our fire service And I have to remember the one time In our We're going to introduce some firefighters next So it's all relevant The one time I was in St. John'sbury in San De Lehi And we had secured a grant For them to purchase a new Fire truck, a Quinn Which is like a ladder truck but has a bucket On the end of the ladder Do I have that right Chris? Roughly And the senator had a newly We get there and the fire truck's out there And it's just a photo op and a celebration Of the grant and Senator Lehi Makes some words, I think it was Brad Reed Brad Reed makes some words out there And the senator goes do you mind If I go for a ride? Like what, in a truck? I was like no in the bucket And they extended the ladder 250 feet or so 200 feet above St. John'sbury And the security team Was having a coronary So I'm Pleased to introduce Chris Dubey the president of the professional Firefighters of Vermont To say a few words I'm short We're good to go Great, well thank you for inviting me It's an honor to be up here An absolute privilege to be beside Such a great leader Senator Lehi So yes, my name is Chris Dubey I'm the president of the professional firefighters of Vermont So I represent the 13 full time Career fire departments In the state that are under the auspice Of the International Association of Firefighters So I'm going to speak specifically to that Because the senator has been a great friend of ours Through the years and I'm also going to talk about Public safety and fire as a whole So as many of you know From his early days as a Prosecutor, right? All the way up to where he is today He has been 100% behind public safety To give you a couple examples I'll give it on the fire side My brothers in the blue and the green Fire side After 9-11 The horrific events of that The senator was instrumental in getting funding To the state of Vermont that actually set the course For the USAR team that we currently have today It wasn't for his leadership We wouldn't have got the funding Or the training that we currently Benefited from through the years There's two specific grants that I can tell you That the state as a whole is benefited From because of the senator One is the fire act grant That is for fire departments Around the state Have all benefited in some way or another That is for funding for air packs Protective equipment Fire apparatus Any other needed equipment and training That our members have seen My own department in Hartford has benefited From that so thank you senator on that And more importantly what's known as A safer act or the safer grant Which has allowed communities Through the struggles of When it comes down to fighting for budgets To keep staffing the adequate levels He's been instrumental in keeping that funding up Which I know at times can be a challenge Down there in DC It's easy to cut fire and police But I'm going to tell you, we thank you for that We've seen it in the city of South Burlington in particular They were able to increase the staffing On all three shifts by two back About 10, I think it was like 8 or 10 years ago So you've been instrumental in that So yes when we heard that The senator was retiring He's a big void in our heart because You've been a tremendous friend of ours We want to do something special for him So we tossed around a bunch of ideas We thought about plaques We thought about statues And stuff like that and I had the fortune of being in an event In Back in March down in DC when we were down there For our legislative conference that he invited us to It was dinner, by the way thank you That was primo It was good It was the staff and More importantly the past president of this organization Matt Vince he was a good friend of his We came up with something unique to get you A little history So we have a helmet we're going to give you It's unique because it's a helmet that was Worn by a firefighter in Vermont And it was given to me by my chief to hide me John Wood when he was in Bella's Falls So it actually has some history in the city Of the town of Bella's Falls So when we got it it was a little Weathered so we had to get it refurb That's all mine So we got it back as close to the sluster As it originally was And then the next challenge we had was coming up With something unique to put on the front We've already seen a fire helmet they got the Shield of the front on it So after tossing around some ideas We had a retired firefighter out of Burlington who specializes in this Make us a custom front specifically For you so the purpose of the helmet So you can display it whether it be in Your office, your house You can realize that you've always been a friend of ours So Josh I'll have you bring it up It's that So Senator Leahy On behalf of members past and present Of professional firefighters of Vermont Just a little token of our appreciation So it is an authentic helmet it was worn It has a custom front on it Specific to you And it's for all your hard work And dedication on behalf of our members Thank you And it's truly Vermont The helmet was A signed member in Vermont The refurb was done by a chief In New London, Hampshire I apologize for that But the front Initially Bruce Mujois Retired out of Burlington Fire He does custom helmet front And if you look at The custom little It does You certainly deserve it so You're always going to be one of us Thank you Don't do it, don't fall for it Thank you, Senator Thank you If I've been wearing this when I fell Maybe I'd be better off Maybe you wouldn't fall for it Thank you, Chris So There's a Having some time in Leahy's office I see Gretchen Siris here who's a graduate Of Senator Leahy's office I remember his own Mary Miller A graduate of Senator Leahy's office I know many of you are big Mary fans And have been for years You have to write talking points for the senator Every once in a while I remember when I first wrote some talking points Were just some bullets to tell you a little about The event I wrote a bullet that said When I was state's attorney And the chief of staff says Ted, you don't need to write that So if you don't know that the state's attorney Is kind of the top cop, right? Ron Kilborn knows this You're the big cheese You get the blue light in your car You are the county's top cop And I gotta say the senator has had A Place in his spot for policemen He'll tell stories about going to Ireland To Bill Clinton instead of telling you about Solving The peace troubles in Ireland, he will tell you about the conversation With an Irish cop at a checkpoint If you're going to an event About downtowns and about You know, sprinklers He's gonna be in the corner talking to the cop That's who Senator Leahy is He sees himself, I think still, as a member of law enforcement Just like every little kid, right? And so we're really lucky here To be joined by the colonel of the state police Matt Birmingham to share a little About Senator Leahy's relationship To law enforcement, Colonel Thank you Really an honor to be here representing Law enforcement with the chief and the sheriff I always like to say My career in law enforcement started 25 years ago in Senator Leahy's office I'm an alumnus as well Of his office when then FBI Director Louis Free visited And I had an opportunity As a 20-year-old intern To meet the director of the FBI And it inspired me to get into this work They tried unsuccessfully, Senator So I stayed and I love Vermont so I didn't want to leave And the rest is history You're gonna hear it a lot today But the senator has been Unwavering in his support of law Enforcement in my entire career I had the honor of being In the drug task force Which is a unit that serves the whole state And the senator has been instrumental In providing grant money and funding To keep the drug task force functioning For 30 years and we're truly grateful That is a service that is provided To all of Vermonters More importantly though, I can honestly tell you That the senator's work has actually saved Police officers lives And when I say that I mean through the bulletproof vests program That you have been instrumental In pushing around this country He secured funding for bulletproof vests For law enforcement around the country Which has literally saved lives For that I want to thank you Incredibly important program senator So those are the two programs There are too many to I would take up the entire time here And I need to let the chief and the sheriff come His support is unwavering of law enforcement And for that we thank you I do have something on behalf of the state police That I would like to present to you senator This is a trooper Statue, it's a parade rest The special thing about this Statue is that it was only issued To retiring sworn members of the state police So today I'm going to make you An honorary member of the state police So that you can have this statue As an honorary state police trooper Thank you I apologize people are taller Thanks man Appreciate it very much You want me to use GP again, I'm sorry I didn't know if you were going to do that But that's my job Now I'd like to turn it over to Chief Brian Pete of the Montpure police department Also representing the Vermont chiefs association Chief Pete Good afternoon everybody My name is Brian Pete, I'm the chief of police In Montpure Vermont, I'm also the president Of the Vermont association of chiefs of police And again There's no other way To say it But thank you senator, thank you Marcel And On behalf of the Vermont association Of chiefs of police There's a vacuum Of the conversations we were having When it became public That you were going to retire And the happiness But at the same time the sense Of who's going to step up And who's going to be a leader For us especially in a time That's a very critical time For law enforcement right now So definitely you will be missed On a personal note My first time in Vermont I remember I got here I think the senator knew it But somehow some way right as everything was coming out And I was about to start my job in Montpure I get a phone call 802 phone number and then I'm like I'm still groggy and I answer it It's like Brian Pete this is senator Leahy And I'm like oh shoot And then he says Did I wake you? And I'm like No, no, no of course you didn't wake me up But I woke up really quickly Because senator Leahy Has always been A friend of law enforcement We all know who senator Leahy is Anyone who has taken this sworn oath And that meant the world to me And that's when I knew exactly What type of leader you were So without belaboring At first I'd like to Also acknowledge Marcel Because Thank you very much Because there is no way in the world Anyone can ever serve A position and serve their community Without the strength The grace and the conviction Back at home And we especially in law enforcement Know that and we know the sacrifices That you and your family have made So again on behalf of the Montpure Police Department and the Vermont Chiefs of police I'd like to present These flowers to you We touch to have these flowers But I want you to know that I'm accepting them on behalf Of all of your spouses They have a very difficult road To go As well so I'm really touched and honored Thank you. And then for senator Leahy I just really quickly read the inscription Senator Patrick Leahy a noble leader Answers not to the trumpet calls Of self-promotion but to the hush Whispers of necessity Marlee Martin And sir we thank you and Marcel For your many years of support to Vermont And to our profession I was telling I was telling the chief That I remember that phone call to him I remember that phone call to him It was kind of early When I was at the office I called and I said Chief it's Patrick Leahy I heard this pause and he's like Patrick Leahy He said really I said oh yeah That's why I congratulate you I had a career in law enforcement It was the best job I ever had so thank you Thank you I'd like to introduce Sheriff Barney Good afternoon everyone I have a dual role today I'm here as Sheriff of Orange County And representing the Vermont Sheriff's Association And We have a plaque for From the Vermont Sheriff's Association For senator Patrick Leahy's Unwavering Work on a bulletproof Partnership Many of you don't know this partnership Has been going on for About 30 years now I believe 1992 So the first It's a plaque from The Vermont Sheriff's Association And then I also My second role is president of the National Sheriff's Association We have this Another award The American Sheriff And It's one of six that were made And the mold is broken So on behalf of Thousands of law enforcement officers Across this country I want to say thank you For your unwavering support For law enforcement Over 13,000 jurisdictions Throughout the country Received bulletproof s Over 30 million dollars The senator was able to Procure for law enforcement So thank you I want to thank you And I want to thank those It's one of the few Things that a partisan Error recently in the Senate It was The bulletproof vest Program I just call it the bulletproof vest program But the Republican Leader of the Senate had A change to have my name on it But what I remember was One of your colleagues from another state Testified Before The Judiciary Committee And we had to reauthorize The program And there were some on the committee Who didn't want to reauthorize it Because of the cost and all And I had a witness before the committee A young Trooper Another state He was there with his mother and father His wife and his three children He said, let me tell you a story And it was on routine patrol Soft a car He was stepping out The person in the other car Stepped out and shot him twice In the chest And he said, I thought I would never see my My children, my parents again But because of this I was He reached on the bulletproof vest He had, you can see Two holes, one head still had The 40 caliber slug in it And he said, this saved my life And now that's why I have My family still here with me I can still Be in law enforcement, a job I love I thanked them And I turned to the committee And I said, I move Adoption of the reauthorization According to all the rule Well, it's kind of Slept the rules a little bit But nobody objected And guess what, passionately Thank you Thank you, Senators We tried to, the National Sheriff's We tried to do some research on How many people were saved But we found out It's thousands, thousands of officers So, Senator Thank you And my last act As chairman of this Appropriations committee You better believe it's going to be reauthorized Thank you There's nothing happening to it Senator The podium is yours Thank you Well, I don't want to keep you waiting Too long on this, but I want to thank everybody here For coming to this show And your morning mud payer Grew up there Lived Same home in 136th State Street And through this Young woman from Burlington, Vermont Spirited to be away And we got married And Celebrated our 60th Wedding anniversary this summer So I'm glad to be here with you today I'm especially glad After my fall this spring After 31 days 31 days In the hospital I grew up with an Italian mother I knew good food It's not the food They serve in the hospital But I had a wonderful Nurse who was there 8 to 10 hours every single one of those days And that's Marcel So I Had to learn to basically Walk again And I did have a wheelchair For A wild black wheelchair I was going to use going to the Senate floor And he had his Batman Insignia on the side Somebody said, well Does that violate the rules of the Senate floor? I said, well those rules The president broke 10 Masks to say where the rule Would allow this He said it's okay But I think of all of you who worked so hard To pull this together Ted Brady Monica DiGi Thani My mother would give me a heck of a mispronounce And revitalizing Waterbury After all we live in the neighboring town Now a middle sex Indigenous peoples They think Roland, that's been so much To Hear you sing and play And please give Chief Steve Is my very best What a wonderful welcome song And then Few words of Gratitude to Vermont's first responders Vermont's finest Chris Dubey Colonel Matt Birmingham He started off as a young Intern in my office He taught us all All he could We weren't able to learn anymore So He left It was right, Louis Free The director of the FBI and his family Were staying with us at our home here Now for the weekend we've been in a terrible Situation at that time Where Confronted shots of old people Including wounding police officers And border patrol officers And Louis came out of my office And He met Matt He said, what do you want to do? I want to go to law enforcement Well, would you like the FBI? I said no, I want to stay here in Vermont And all the time Louis Free was director Of the FBI every time I see him How's Matt Birmingham? What's he doing? And he's still special to you in pride And Sheriff Boniac I think one of the most difficult Things to be Sheriff In a rural area He went right there, okay I still don't turn around quite as quickly Before it But the hip is improving Sheriff You know what it is because People expect you to solve all the problems Not at three o'clock in the afternoon But at three o'clock in the morning And you have to Chief Brian Pete, you know what that That is like Everybody thinks Vermont And Bocali State No crime problems We do have crime problems They're more than they were And have increased over the years We also have honest Police officers And they protect all of us So you deserve this Inspiration I Work so hard To make sure you can Approach public safety With expertise and fairness Commitment to the community Showing the problems can be solved Communities can be safer But in the work I've had Both as chair Of appropriations and chair of judiciary Committee So many times I've relied on my experience In law enforcement as a prosecutor So much so One of the times I had mentioned that At a committee and probably the eighth Time member had heard me say That says you were in law enforcement Yes I was And proudly So Chris sent my sincere regards And gratitude To my firefighters too I well remember Working With them as State's attorney in Chinaman County At arson cases I remember being there at 3 o'clock in the morning And seeing them gathering Information along with the Law enforcement officers there Including firefighters who barely Escaped of their own lives After an arson case And I think We're 625,000 People here in Vermont 625,000 Very, very special people So thank you very much In the office In the office I had to be nice to Ted Because he's bigger than I am I'm taller, not bigger Nothing Ted has taken on As in government's superb way So thank you I want to again thank you Senator Lay Thank you to our members of the law Enforcement and fire community To give you an idea of what our program is We have a special guest In John Gilmore He's going to share a couple of songs We're going to take a little musical Break between this and our next program So you can grab a piece of pizza While you listen or a snack And John's going to share a couple Of songs for the senator And hopefully get us all into the shade For a couple of minutes while we take a break John are you ready or do I need To keep stretching this I've always got the guitar That was a key thing Indescribable It's an indescribable honor To be a part of this celebration The Lay's family and My family have been friends Since the late 70's And We've got two songs For the senator Right now I mean let's face it Batman and the Grateful Dead How could we lose So I don't know any Batman songs Other than I'm not going to do that So here's 400 Grateful Dead For Patrick With the golden sunshine And my tunes Were played On a harp From which year my boy Come through the music Left unsung I don't know Reach out your hand If your cup Be empty If your cup Is full You should go Your steps alone And if you should choose Sinanis Since 77 Ever since I've been here He has represented me In more ways than one More than politics More than anything So I'm going to sing this for you guys And I want to also Honor Marcel I haven't heard Marcel just had a UPM research Ship named after her It's the Marcel And So I love them dearly And this is for them My reason for being Is music Then reach a few hearts In fact then There's nothing That feels like Touch it With a gift of a song I can try There's a Jew Where the music I live She's a simple sweet tune And she's holding our hand For the freedom she shares With the souls of the land Where the gentle belong And where it feels To be strong She bestowed her song On us all She tells Gives you reason to love What you are She's allowed me to live By my music And my heart Let's can sing there To their voices but whisper And the poets can rise Have no rhythm And the potters can throw Till the wheel of the world Spin's no more Love of Vermont For the warmth of her She shares With the souls of the land Where the gentle belong And where it feels To be strong She bestowed her song On us all From some antique Century in time But to me she's A long ago lady She's a maid I'd say Vermont And she shares With the souls of the land Where the gentle belong And be strong She bestowed her song Tell the rest of you We've already written with Marcel The research ship But John's invited We're charging him for that He has to sing a song For the lake And we go back so far How did Mia Describe Marcel My daughter Maya who's now 33 When she was about three years old And we were at the laze In Virginia We were introduced her To Patrick And she said, oh that's Patrick Who's owned by Marcel That's right And at three years old She was the wisest person In the world Thank you Thank you Cheryl, come on over here Yes, please I want you to pick up I'm afraid we're just waiting I don't want to take a chance to drop you Thank you, sir Can I give you my point? Yes, my dear tomorrow So thank you It's a Well This is extraordinary Alright Well, we have a moment of transition We're going to convene Paul Castello Who is the last one up here Late, which is fantastic Fantastic A couple of quick housekeeping things For folks that may not know this There are a couple of restrooms behind The pump house as they call it here Again, the restrooms are behind here Do not use behind here for the restrooms There are two restrooms right behind The facility here A special thanks to our vendors Specifically to Beneficiaries To Mediterranean mix, to Penza's pizza The salt and rye, let's hear it for them That's amazing One of six The bar is open in salt and rye That does not mean it's an open bar You can go there and grab a drink We're now going to transition And talk a little more about why we're here Which is our community We'd like to turn things over To the USDA State Director Sarah Ware Yeah, we'll go right now Good afternoon again everyone And welcome back I have to admit Ted is the only one Who could actually be in the shade From that awning I wish I was But the weather turned beautiful For today's event and we are so excited That everyone is here As Ted said I'm with USDA Rural Development And one of the things That our senator has done for us Over the years is to be one of the lead Authors in many many changes To the Farm Bill Which authorize funding to come To companies to come for our community Downtown infrastructure To come for rural small businesses To come for ag producers And to come to the community Institutions be they A gazebo in the middle of the park Be they a library Be they an arts and cultural center And senator lady has been a champion For community development Through the authorization of the Farm Bill Again and again and again I wanted to start this afternoon By saying what does the Farm Bill And criminal justice reform And farm to school And a research vessel In Lake Champlain and Batman Have in common And really the answer is The support of the senator So he really gets around And does all kinds of things And we are all grateful for that My job this afternoon is to introduce A series of speakers Who are going to share with you A series of comments each Five minutes each of comments To share a little bit about What working with the senator has meant To them and for them and for their Communities or their institutions over the years I also want to say that I share senator ladies Love for comic books And one of the things that I have always been puzzled about Is his fascination With Batman Batman feels to me like one of Rimmer comic books out there Very dark, very mysterious But then I realized Batman is just a regular guy With a position of power And privilege Who is not a superhero from another planet Doesn't have special powers Gifted by nuclear radiation But is really truly Just a human who is using His smarts, his intelligence His power, technology, science To be able to Work with law enforcement And ensure that His community is championed And I thought about the parallels To senator Leahy, now Maybe not the dark night Maybe our white night For Vermont, but I wanted to say That if I had been able to bring A statue today It would have been a statue of Batman In green with the state of Vermont As its flag, as its cape I think that would have been a good Celebrity. All right, so with that I'm going to introduce our first speaker Ben Doyle is the president Of the Preservation Trust of Vermont He is also a former English teacher So I want to say don't ever Try to compete with him In a game of words All right, Ben, thanks Thanks, sir. Thank you Yeah, I'm sorry It is the English teacher in me That made me prepare remarks So it's wonderful to see you all So honored to be here My name is Ben Doyle and I'm the president Of the Preservation Trust of Vermont For those of you that aren't familiar with the trust We're a nonprofit organization Dedicated to building community Through the preservation and revitalization Of Vermont's historic buildings, villages, and Downtowns. We provide communities With technical assistance and funding Last year we worked on 281 projects In 144 communities Since PTV's founding More than 40 years ago As a manager, first chief of staff And good friend, the late Paul Brun Senator Leahy has steadfastly Worked in partnership with PTV To help Vermont's rural communities Thrive. Senator Leahy Has always understood the importance Of historic preservation And that Vermont's sense of place is unique Valuable and worth protecting There is no leader Who has been more supportive of our work As we will hear from others today Senator Leahy has done so much For Vermont's Downtowns Think of what places like Waterbury St. Johnsbury, Brattleboro Or Burlington would look like Would feel like without his leadership But the senator Has also always remembered Vermont's smaller communities, our villages Places that might not have The bustle of a Burlington But that have a strong sense of community And collectively are just as critical To Vermont's identity and future After all, it takes a village Here are just a few examples Of the senator's leadership In 2005, Senator Leahy Established the village revitalization Initiative program. The program Enabled PTV to invest $2.4 million in 27 communities Resulting in 27 million worth Of total project costs In 2019, using The VRI program as a model The senator created the national Paul Brun historic revitalization Grant program. This program Supports rural communities across the country Working to preserve significant historic Properties and foster economic development Thanks to the senator To date, PTV has been able to Grant out more than $1.9 million To 22 communities in Vermont Last year Last year, Senator Leahy Secured $1 million in Congressionally directed spending For community owned general stores In Vermont, and this year, in the most Recent appropriations process, the senator Campioned a new collaboration between PTV The Vermont council on rural development And the Vermont community foundation That aims to help revitalization efforts In Vermont's smallest communities For those of us From Vermont's small towns, the impact Of the senator's commitment is personal I grew up in Sutton village In the northeast kingdom. It's a wonderful community But it probably isn't the kind of place You would go to unless you were going there Or got lost on your way to Barton About a decade ago Sutton's municipal well became contaminated The kids in the graded school Couldn't drink the water Sutton didn't have the local resources To solve this problem on its own But thanks to the rural economic area Partnership zone created by Senator Leahy Nearly 25 years ago Sutton was able to secure a USDA Rural development grant that made Necessary health and safety improvements possible The investment helped ensure That Sutton village will remain A viable community for the future That's just one village But Senator Leahy's commitment His belief that small towns matter Has been felt by villages across Vermont Albany to Alberg Guilford to Guildhall Landgrove to Lemington For those of you who knew my predecessor The senator and Marcel's good friend Paul Brune, you might remember That he had an expression that he would often use After giving someone detailed instructions On how to solve some complicated Seemingly intractable problem He'd say things like Do this, do that Now remember, don't mess it up If you did know Paul, you'll know That I'm paraphrasing Paul used a more colorful version Of the phrase don't mess it up But I'm not yet at the stage of my career Where I feel comfortable quoting him Plus my children are here Legend has it that Paul's use Of the expression originated from a pivotal debate During the senator's first campaign Just before the senator walked on stage For the debate, Paul said Now remember, don't mess it up Well of course he didn't Senator Leahy won the race And has gone on to have one of the most distinguished Careers of public service in Vermont's history Still, I've often wondered Why Paul continued to use that phrase Maybe it was a kind of good luck charm A way to encourage A way to tell someone he believed in them But I also think Paul used That expression because of his friendship And association with you senator You didn't mess it up You hit it out of the park I won't presume to speak for Paul Here today but I can honestly say That he was so proud of you And all that you have done for the state he loved All of us are I'm 47 years old Like many people here today I have never known of Vermont Without a senator Leahy But the truth is I never will Neither will my kids Senator through your exceptional leadership And commitment to all of us You have shaped Vermont in an indelible way For future generations You've protected our past And preserved our future Because of that I'm deeply honored On behalf of the preservation trust of Vermont And its board of directors To present you with a lifetime achievement award For excellence in historic preservation I'm sure there isn't room On your wall for all the awards And accolades you've received For your career But I hope you will appreciate The feeling of admiration behind this one The award just Right here Reads The preservation trust of Vermont Lifetime achievement award Prevented to the honorable Patrick Leahy For his commitment to historic preservation And the revitalization Of Vermont's villages and downtowns Vermont has had no better friend Thank you senator And in the words of the old country Solace Thank you Ben See I told you, former English teacher There is one person I can think of though Who can outdo him In speechifying This is one of my Favorite Vermonters She has been the Former executive director Of the church stream marketplace The former secretary Of the Vermont agency of commerce And the present grandmother To five grandkids Between the ages of 16 And just under one Molly Lambert So senator and Marcel What an honor it is To be here with you Today Thank you for all that you're doing As we shine A spotlight on downtowns And village centers Throughout our state There is a fellow named William Hudnut the third You may know him Senator, he was the former mayor Of Indianapolis And he wrote a book about the revival Of cities throughout America And in that book He said Downtown Supplies The heartbeat of the region And what could be More true As we celebrate today This man And this woman Who had been the heartbeat of our state For the last Four and Most of the next decade So we thank you for that And you With your colleagues From the congressional delegation Our governors Our local Legislatures both state And federal All of the investors And the developers And the community organizations That have focused on downtowns But you're the one Who has made sure That that artery That federal partnership That thing to feed The heartbeat Stay to open and clear All these years I had The most wonderful time As the executive director Of the Ter Street Marketplace From 1991 to 1998 And The marketplace was young then But before A few months past I was the envy Of all of my colleagues At the International Downtown Association And you know why It was because of you It was because of your incredible staff That did everything To support the success Of our efforts in downtown Burlington. And I don't know Peter Clavel and Betsy are still Here but Peter was an incredible leader Following Bernie Sanders At any rate I had that first-hand experience And then again As secretary of commerce I saw That our senator's Commitment wasn't only To downtown Burlington It went to every Community in our State. That level Of commitment That level of passion That level of understanding How important Downtowns and Village centers are To all of us Who depend on Good policy Good fiscal assistance Good leadership To make us successful So Senator and Marcel You have received Beautiful Incredible awards And resolutions And the preservation trust Acknowledgement So Hank and I Bring to you A poem Written by our son In 2018 Who dedicated That poem to us Because we had The privilege of receiving A lifetime achievement award From the Vermont Council on Rural Development For our work in Vermont's communities And our son Has given us permission To rededicate That poem to you And Marcel And I'm going to read it real quickly I think I'm doing well on time Aren't I? Absolutely Thank you Thank you No The poem is called A There There Is a number of stop signs And traffic lights Or a village green With a white wash gazebo Certainly it must have A post office The red, white, and blue Standing sentinel nearby A bar and a gas station And that statue Of someone That no one in town Knows much about It's a library Sitting silent Contemplating history And this is where The red, white, and blue Standing sentinel nearby Where once famous musicians Will play At two old fans And kids on computers In a corner coffee spot Where guns used to be made Wanderers and wealthy Aspire to it A place they talk about Being from And familiar with Not south Or next to Or near But a proud black circle On the mat Where old roads And friends happily meet The circle expands Evolves Reinvents itself With metal Paint And pressurized treated wood Delaying disorders Endless march Sometimes hiding The time tested truth Eluding those Who reside in the growth Of the light The there, there Is a philosophy Not geography It's anchored by neighbors Not Ikea And full foods It is wrought by Mindful energy Emergent, altruistic And pure Billions of busy neurons Snapping In a selfless buzz And A full heart In the center of it all So thank you Senator and Marcel For your full hearts And ensuring that This Vermont Is a place we will always Be proud to call home So Ted told me When I introduced the speakers I had to be nice But I figured Because Ted started us off late We could just skip him Is that okay? No, just kidding Ted is one of the only Vermonters I know Who is actually known only by his first name A little bit like Madonna Ted Although he has been many things Including often late He is now At the Vermont league of cities and towns And he's here to present a resolution For the senator You've taught me well, thank you Every select board member Every village trustee Every mayor In the city, in the state of Vermont Has had the luxury for the last 48 years That wasn't the problem There's one man Who can take credit for that And that's Senator Patrick Leahy That is a truism Money is not The problem in Vermont And every community Is getting people together to define a common vision And march forward If you've driven on a road In one of your downtowns In towns like Springfield, Berry And Waterbury where federal funds have redefined Your downtown If you've watched affordable housing Be rebuilt in your downtown In the upper stories In a partnership with VHCB Through earmarks That Senator Leahy gave to VHCB With no credit necessary Where other members were putting their names on buildings Senator Leahy was building Units of affordable housing For low income Vermonters in your downtowns In St. Albans In Bennington, in Brattleburg As a trustee when you look to your town forest The federal funds That VHCB is spending on your town forest And you match with your tax dollars Are because Senator Leahy created a pilot program In a farm bill To create town forests And preserve forest land If you have A fire department With a new fire engine A search and rescue team A swift water rescue team It's because of Homeland Security dollars That's what we've been looking for For that town Money has not been the problem We're all nervous it's about to be But we trust Senator Sanders Congress in Welch And maybe another congresswoman A congressperson We'll soon take up that mantle The Vermont League of Cities and Towns Board of Directors Which is represented by The managers The mayors That's a resolution honoring you Senator For everything you've done For communities, thank you so much On behalf of every municipal official In the state of Vermont, God bless Senator Patrick Leahy I'll let you do it Thanks Thank you Ted He was really quick Paul So you can take the extra minute Okay, yeah Alright next I want to welcome to the stage Of the department of housing and community development With the Vermont agency Of commerce and community development And here's my nice thing to say about Josh Josh is the epitome Of a Vermont sports person He's a biker, he's a hiker Mountain climbing, fisherman So you know, they're Mr. Vermont Thank you Sarah And when Ted Asked if I'd say a few words I said of course I was honored And that he would Go back to me and you can be quick, right? So I'm going to be quick But I want to put something In perspective through one program And me, the connection To Patrick Leahy and what he's meant For the state and for the country really So the year Senator Leahy was elected To Senate 1974 The year I was born The first, one of the first bills He voted on was the Housing and Community Development Act Of 1974 And that act among other Things created the Community Development Block Grant program Which is why I'm in Vermont Why I started my career and why I'm here today That program In Vermont has already funded Over 1,400 projects Since it was started With over 360 million dollars Put to work in our communities Every community across the state Leveraged over 2 billion dollars To date With that one program And that one act Really all of Vermont Every downtown, every community Deserves to thanks Senator Leahy He's affected so many lives With your service And everyone thanks you for that Including myself and as I said I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Your leadership and your support And I just want to thank you For all your service Thank you Jeff The senator's hometown I want to welcome Anne Watson Who is the mayor of Montpelier And also an avid Frisbee player Hello thank you My name is Anne Watson, mayor of Montpelier As Sarah mentioned And how did I get the honor of speaking today Well before he was senator Patrick Leahy Before he was even an attorney He was a young man from Montpelier And so I am delighted to be Here to honor him But one of the things that comes with being mayor Is you get to know a lot of people And one of the people that I have got to know Recently is Maxine Leary Who if you've ever gotten To meet her she Was one of the senator's Grade school teachers I believe she was His music teacher back in grade School in Montpelier And if you get the opportunity to meet her One of the first things she will tell You is that she was the senator's Teacher back in the day She is so proud to have been The senator's teacher And who wouldn't be Oh my word I just want to say That you have made Maxine Leary proud You have made Montpelier proud You have made Vermont proud We are so grateful for you As we have been talking about here This afternoon so many cities And towns across Vermont have benefited From the money That the senator has insured For us and I just want to highlight A couple of those projects That we have been able to do in Montpelier One was building the transit center Right in the center of our downtown It turned a former dump A former parking lot Into affordable housing And bus station And was Is going to be a part of the cross Vermont trail connecting A shared use path Across the state of Vermont As well as our district heat plant Which has allowed Many of our downtown buildings Including the municipal buildings In our city's downtown To get off of fuel oil So that we can be burning Woodships instead of fossil fuels Which is so important As we know climate change is A very important topic Of our time So I want to thank the senator For all that you have done For not just Montpelier But for cities and towns Across Vermont Our communities are more connected And more vibrant because of you Our downtowns are stronger Because of you and Vermont is a better place Because you've been willing to serve And while I don't have it physically Here with me today I am so proud to present you With a key to the city of Montpelier Which I will be getting to you very soon So thank you senator And from Vermont's Thank you Ann Our last speaker Before we turn it to the senator himself This afternoon Is my former boss A gentleman by the name of Paul Costello Many of you probably know Paul Will you raise your hand if you've interacted with Paul Yeah A lot of you know Paul Costello Because his job, like the senators And like the senators team Is to get out into community Needs and then to raise up The community itself and help it to Think about itself Be inspired to do things for itself Paul is another Champion of Vermont And the former executive director Of the Vermont council on rural development So What an honor to be On a panel with you Five and to be able to Speak with praise of senator Lagie In May of 1966 My father Edward J. Costello Swore pat lay he in As Chittenden County state's attorney Replacing Jack Fitzpatrick Pat was 26 years old Right senator I have two photos from the celebration Of that evening Graced by bottles of schlitz Smoke from pipes Cigars, cigarettes and every Fresh tray One photo Shows pat Leaning forward into the mic Full head of hair giving a speech Telling tales of the law And everyone in the room Is sitting back In rapt attention and humor The other picture Pat sitting next to my father And my father is looking up And pat is looking down Everyone's looking down And I imagine that My father is sharing The perspective of their meaning Of their common work He is an Augustinian He would talk about the city of God The eternal platonic forms Of truth, beauty Justice And this world The city of man, the city of humanity Ever imperfectly reaching To the full extent of our powers In aspiration to these ideals And the key instrument Towards this aspiration For justice, fairness, democracy And progress to these men Was the rule of law When you picture senator leis Incredible career You see a prosecutor Who enforces the law Become one of the most influential National creators of law For the future of our country You see his role advancing Statue that ends the Uphold and expands human rights Protects the environment Bands landmines Strengthens organic farming Protects dairy farms Conserves and supports the working landscape Sparks economic opportunity For all Enhances net neutrality Invests in downtown sparks And contributes And invests To Vermont's people And all of their hopes for a better future Senator leis he developed The means to fulfill And the hopes And priorities of vermonters More than any other Vermont Politician in history There's no doubt about that He built statute and then he built His appropriations muscle To fund national and Vermont Priorities like no one else And of course it did take a village As people have said Without Marcel Heart and leadership never could have Happened You needed your first chief of staff Beloved paul broome You had incredible people that you Brought together chuck ross Bob piquin jp dowd adrian wojahowski chris saunders tom berry Ted brady John tracy They hit the ground for you in Vermont they represented you And you were very much I need to thank you for your Enduring support for the Vermont Council on rural development and all The communities and people of rural Vermont that we served. We knew you Were listening when we put out an Evaluation of a public policy need You also lent the leadership of Your staff to a thousand and one Nights on the road and to every Policy initiative we ever convened They were at the table and they Were providing leadership. When I And then states attorney lehy Would stop in to sit with my dad In his study. They talk plea Deals they talk Bail they talk cases But they never forgot the human Needs of the individuals At law as well as the needs Of their families that was who They were you know how Some people can punctuate Their time so that They shake the hand of a child And they look with deep Attention, recognition, encouragement And they listen to that child As an equal. You probably All remember someone doing That. I hope so. Pat Like he was that guy. And what a politician Right? Let's not forget This is business. He was good At getting in front of a camera But he gave more than He took. How many People received a call from The senator. The day after The death of a beloved one. A family member, a father Or mother. How many Local and non-profit leaders Heard senator lehy. When he Was thanked say no Thank you. You're Doing the work. We're making Progress because of you. How many people were recognized And praised by the senator. How many heard the senator say Something like your parents Were proud of you. Listening Can be taken to the Point of transcendental At perception. Senator lehy Always listened to his constituents Recognizing the myriad Experiences of people And the complex facets of Issues and then adding up A platform of action In statute and in funding I think this is key to The man's depth and his Political acuity. When he spoke about justice In the judiciary committee Or on the senate floor He did so with deep principles Of someone who listens and adds Up the voice of the people But also with an ear to the Common good and to the better Angels of our nature. I want to thank you senator For upholding the rule of law For your long battle to support Democracy, civility and justice On the senate floor and for the country Hard, long, arduous Work never done. The work of democracy That we all need to Recommit ourselves to. We need to rededicate ourselves To this battle with courage To ensure the future of Vermont and our nation. I also want to thank you senator Not for the money because Someone else has already done that. I want to thank you for your great heart For listening so well For your myriad kindness And for your Deep care And concern for your Constituents. You're a great soul senator You make me proud to be a Vermonter. I can imagine and maybe All of us here together share At least part of the pride That your parents must have had For you and for all that Marcel have accomplished. So thank you senator lehi. It's an honor to be here. Senator we all want to Say thank you in so many ways. Please yeah, please come up. I want to say that One of the things that is so Important about Batman Is that Batman has a team People who build the machines People who take care of the mansion The Deputy police Sheriff, what's his name? Commissioner Gordon Thank you. Batman has a team and I feel Honored to be one of those people Like so many mentioned today Who feel like they are A part of your team. I feel honored and privileged To have the role that I have And to work for our federal Government and for the president But I feel more honored that you Nominated me. That was a phenomenal honor And a phenomenal phone call to get And I want to say that you are Vermont's superhero. So thank you. That was an easy nomination to make I can tell you And I'll let you in on a secret I'm not really Batman He uses a different kind of cane But It does feel good to be walking again After Being in the hospital I appreciate this I actually have enjoyed Being in Batman movies I had my first library card in one Player The age of four and one of the Things was an avid reader of Batman And I like the fact that he did Use his brains And Paul I remember sitting there sometimes And At midnight with your father We had to get a search warrant Or one o'clock in the morning And your mother Coming down and saying I made some cookies today Give you some energy And Your family, your father Gave the energy And all of you Are here As Ted Brady has heard Me say so many times It's important what we can do In this state And None of us ever believed anything was Impossible We talked about Paul Brun I kept referring to Some of these grants as Brun grants. He said don't use that word Don't use that word there for everybody Well We On the day we were doing The memorial service for We passed in the U.S. Senate Unanimously To name the rural development Programs throughout the country As Paul Brun Rural Development Grants And I think Well In that I could bring in Everybody here has talked about And Ben knows How important the Preservation Trust Of Vermont is to all of us here I was born in Montpellier Where I saw Newport, Vermont We have certainly seen So many of the things That we took for granted Beautiful buildings, wonderful places They were torn down In the 40s and 50s and 60s And now we have people here Can preserve them What a difference that makes In communities In communities Developed As Josh knows They become better places They bring everybody together And you talk about Where they end up The mayor had to leave But how important it is That we get these things Done. I'm not going to give a long Speech but just how this I think Whether you were born into Vermont And Vermont values Or require them, you're a better person And Vermont's a better place I remember That was true I remember When When Hurricane Irene hit us And how terrible Was us hearing these things The day after the The day after the flood Was a beautiful day A clear day As compared to the horrible day The day before I flew around the State of an adjunct general The governor In a small helicopter We had the door open on the side So I'm strapped in I'm taking photographs Everything I see is all I can do to keep from crying In fact I think I did Remind me of the stories I heard from my parents about the flood Of 27 Which I thought well that's ancient history Then I'd see bridges Twisted like a child's toy Lying inside the river A farmhouse That had been on One side of the river Down on the other side Upside down I also saw people coming together I remember asking a man in Brattleboro I said He was shoveling out The thick bottom of the store I said this year's store Nope Do you live here in Brattleboro? Nope I'm being a really good conversation I said Where do you live? Next town over I said okay Why are you here? I said I wasn't hurt But I was, I hope so many come and help me That's what I'm doing here Can't stand here and talk all day Senator, nice to see you here I told that story on the Center floor I took those pictures and I brought them To the White House And I'd come into the Oval Office And I'd be handing them to President Obama And After about the second or third time I'd ask him for money for Vermont I'd come into those pictures And he said Do you have anything nice to look at? Not the destruction, I said I happen to have And I handed him a picture I'd taken At an event where he and Michelle and Bob were just holding hands Look at each other He said okay, tell me more about what you need in Vermont But the The thing is we came here to Waterbury I said I remember that And we saw the half of Destruction Buildings destroyed, businesses wiped out And the sign In one of these stores Near the bridge This side of the road Thanking the volunteers Who came in to help I remember saying to the governor And others We've got to rebuild Waterbury And why do we have to rebuild it Because the people of Waterbury Will make sure it's done right And you did And it's the money that came in I I've used all of you here And In the town of Waterbury That I knew way back in the day When my parents Had the Waterbury record I see the Spirit of Vermont, the best of Vermont The cooperation of Vermont And look what it resulted I think it was better To me Molly you remember Looking at things like the church tree Redevelopment And making that a much better place But we do it all over All over the state And I've insisted in the help I give Somebody said well does that help In political areas I said I don't care What the politics of the community is I don't care if you have a Republican Or a Democrat Right in the community I just want the community Around part of Vermont And that's what I try to do I had a much longer speech I'm not going to give it to you My son and I are going to be on a plane A few minutes back from Washington Where among other things I have a briefing on The Appropriations bills For the rest of the year And Vermont will do well I treat I treat this Alphabetically I don't play favorites among the 56 I do it alphabetically As chair Starting with Vermont And I was never good at that part In the story But I did enjoy reading I did enjoy reading About Batman You're right on that Incidentally the beauty of being in all those Batman movies Was a lot of money and I gave every set to the Children's Library Which is a lot nicer Than it was when it was that Baseball When I would go in there Have a wonderful Mrs. Holbrook A wonderful library I said did you read that book you got Two days ago? She asked me questions about it She did not read this It was a wonderful experience It was a community experience And for years I've known people that I Saw as children in there We're now running businesses Doing other things And the law with me Not against the law But we're in the law And they want to head And I thank you all I thank you because My son and I will come home In January And we know we're going to be happy With all of you as our neighbors Thank you very much And I should tell you They tell me if I do my exercises By January I can go Cross country skiing again I can't wait Well the senator Well I yell at you Patrick has left me Not you Patrick The other Patrick Great While the senator says his goodbyes He told me on his way out That it was rude of us Not to buy you a drink And so I'm pleased to say That the sponsors are Going to open up that bar Not forever for a short period of time So at the end of this I hope you'll raise its glass To senator Leahy I also need to specifically Yes let's hear that's a good thing I also need to thank the folks For the watery rotary For allowing us to use the park Yes let's hear it for the watery rotary I need to thank APQ And Patrick for helping us out With the sound today let's hear it for that Senator said we could only hire People whose names were Patrick It was kind of weird but we tried But with that let's one more time Hear it for senator Patrick Is John still here We are going to now be great Stick around have a drink To have some food we're going to be joined By Dwight of Dwight and Nicole Who's going to play a little music for us One more time for the senator Let's hear it for him Well my name is not Patrick No one sent me the memo My name is Dwight Richard And I'm here to honor the occasion Play some stuff Here's more A little bit far back in the car Do you know This next song I feel like is appropriate For the occasion because it's a song about Finding where you can be of service In life when you're best To ride the ups and downs This one's called High Low