(HOST) Former governor and commentator Madeleine Kunin recently visited a small town that’s reinventing itself – and also perhaps, offering a glimpse of the future of Vermont.
(KUNIN) Remember the song, "Alice’s Restaurant," composed by Arlo Guthrie, which became a theme song for the 1960s? There’s a new restaurant called Claire’s in Hardwick, Vermont, that is the focal point of a new generation of young back-to-the-land people. Unlike at Alice’s, you can’t get anything you want at Claire’s, but you will get a taste of delicious food, largely grown and produced in the area.
Claire’s opened in May and is symbolic of the revitalization of this once down-at-the-heels community.
Hardwick used to be a place tourists drove through without stopping, except for gas. It has long been a depressed town, afflicted by floods every spring and by poverty year-round.
I discovered the new Hardwick when I gave a reading at the old Hardwick brick bank building, the most solid structure in town. It now houses the Galaxy Book Store. The children’s section is kept in the vault, the door kept wide open. The owner, Linda Ramsdell, is a force behind Hardwick’s transformation. She invited us for dinner at Claire’s, a resturant she helped establish with a group of investors.
The menu was tantalizing; almost every item was locally produced or grown by a group of agricultural businesses, including Apple Cheek Farm, Jasper Hill Farm, High Mowing Seeds, and Pete’s Greens. Linda pointed out that the beautiful new flooring was naturally coated by Vermont Soy.
Tom Sterns, president of the Center for Agricultural Economy, convened all the stakeholders recently in what he calls a food system rebuilding effort. He invited consumers, farmers, town government, distributors, and processors.
This is their mission: "We are working toward an economically healthy food system that provides jobs and is ecologically healthy." Healthy for people, too, I might add.
How did all this come about? Sterns credits the hippies of the 50s and 60s, who started the back-to-the-land movement. They bought cheap land in Hardwick and farmed organically. Their children and some transplants are different: instead of focusing inward and cutting themselves off from society, this new generation looks outward and wants to change society. They are also entrepreneurs.
Already, these small businesses employ more than 100 people. The Chamber of Commerce loves them. Today they provide 10 percent of the jobs in the area; in five years they will grow to 20 percent, Sterns said.
Hardwick may be a harbinger of the future Vermont agricultural economy. Right now it is a stunning example of a small town experiencing a rebirth. Next time you’re in Hardwick, don’t just drive through; look around, and discover the Hardwick renaissance.