As fall begins to make its presence felt, one of the associations many of us have is our memory of last year's tense election campaigns and their conclusions - some sad, many happy, and one exhilarating!!!  We also thank our lucky stars that we don't have to do all that two years in a row....

This year is one of those in-between years:  the quieter ones when we reorganize our troops. Each of us gets to help decide who will be leading our local, county, and state Democratic committees.  These are the groups that will lead our efforts to identify, support, and elect candidates to represent our values at the state and national level. 

If you are already active with the party, we thank you.  If you are not yet involved, we encourage you to attend any or all of the meetings and events outlined below.  Come to meet other individuals who care about the direction our country takes, and find out about the many different ways you can help.

1) Town Committee Reorganization Meetings, September 12 - 28

It’s time for all town Democratic committees to meet, re-form their town committees, elect new officers and delegates to the County Committee, and hopefully increase their membership. Thanks to all of you Town Chairs who have arranged to convene your town committees. The meeting times range from Shrewsbury, which already occurred on Sept. 12, to Middletown Springs and Wallingford, which are meeting on Sept. 28. Here is the list of towns, with meeting information link to town caucus

We hope you can make your town’s meeting time. If not, please contact your town chair and arrange to be added as a member. If your town is not holding a caucus, we encourage you to form a committee for your town. You can contact Mary Mellow for information – 773-4560 or mtmellow@comcast.net.  We all owe a BIG thanks to Mary for the work she’s put into “organizing re-organization” for Rutland County!?

2) Dessert Reception - Ovations Restaurant at Killington Grand Hotel, Thursday, Sept. 24

Join our Rutland County Reps for reception with Vermont Speaker of the House Shap Smith. The reception immediately follows a complimentary preview performance of the Emmy-award winning political satire, THE NEWS IN REVUE. 

Doors open 7:00 PM – show is at 8:00. Suggested donation for the dessert reception with Speaker Shap Smith is $35.  Proceeds benefit the Vermont Democratic House Campaign and its efforts to retain the majority in the Vermont House in 2010.   RSVP to Ben Palkowski: ben@vthouse.org http://ben@vthouse.org or 802-279-2719.

3) Town Chairs Post-Reorganization Meeting - Tuesday, Sept. 29, 6:30 PM, at Anne Lezak's

All Town Chairs are invited to gather with the Rutland County Executive Committee at the home of our county chair.  We’ll have an informal meet-and-greet with refreshments, and sit down together to discuss roles and goals for Town Chairs, Town Committees, and the County Committee.  Please RSVP and get directions by contacting Anne at alezak@comcast.net or 775-1695. Hope to see you at 7 North Road in Mendon that evening!

4)  Reception for Senator Patrick Leahy - Thursday, Oct. 15, 5:00 - 7:00 PM, on stage at Rutland’s Paramount Theatre

Calling all Rutland County Democrats!  This is the opportunity to show appreciation and support for our senior Senator from Vermont, who has done such an outstanding job representing our state in Washington.  We have watched Patrick standing up for the ideals of our American democracy through the dark days of the Bush administration, and this is our chance to stand up for him. 

This event is very affordable to make it possible for all to attend:  we encourage you to make a voluntary donation of any size.  The important thing is for you to be there to show him that the people of Vermont are behind him!  If you have questions about this event, contact Allen Gartner at 775-4954 or agartner50@gmail.com.

5)  Rutland County Democratic Committee, Reorganization Meeting - Tuesday, October 20, 6:15 PM refreshments; 6:30 meeting begins, Rutland Free Library, Fox Room (upstairs)

This is our County Committee election meeting. Most of the current officers and other members of the Executive Committee are running for re-election, but of course the elections are open to anyone who is interested in serving in one of the positions.  If you are interested in running for an office on the County committee, please let Anne Lezak know – alezak@comcast.net or 775-1695.  In addition to our election, we will be hearing from a representative from the Vermont Democratic Party, and one or more of the excellent candidates we already have for statewide office will be here to speak to us.

6)  Democrats Serving the Community - 1st Tuesday of the month, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, at Park Street Mission

Each month through the summer, a small band of local Democrats have served dinner at the Mission one day a month, and we plan to continue this through the year.  No special skill is needed, as the meals are already prepared, so we just serve, then clean up afterward. A few volunteers have brought a dessert or salad; but most just come and help out. Those who have participated have enjoyed the opportunity to help out some fellow Vermonters, while having fun and sharing some interesting conversation.  This does not require an ongoing commitment, and even if you can only do it once to try it out, it is a help!  If you are interested in signing up, or finding out more, please contact Mark Skakel at 773-6966 or msforester@msn.com.

7)  Recent Events in Rutland County

The Sidewalk Sales and Ethnic Festival back in July/August saw a Democratic booth hosted by a number of volunteers sold foods from many different traditions (donated by many other volunteers).  This was a great opportunity to make our presence known and to raise money for our candidates - thanks to all who participated!

Howard Dean's visit to Rutland was a tremendous success.  Thanks to the help of our Rutland City Democratic Chair, Allen Gartner, we were able to host Gov. Dean for a reception and speech on Sunday, Aug. 30.  Almost 120 loyal Democrats joined Howard for a reception at the Chaffee Art Center, to share our thoughts and some wonderful refreshments - and of course to raise funds for our candidates.  Afterwards, we all crossed Main Street to the park, where Gov. Dean spoke from the bandstand, sharing his vision for health care in America with over 300 people!

The Vermont State Fair in Rutland saw the return of the annual Rutland County Democrats booth.  This year's version was newly decorated with photos of our state and national Democratic leaders, as well as many others of Rutland County Democrats enjoying local events of the past year.  Thanks to the many volunteers who made this possible, including those who designed and set up the booth, took the photographs, recruited volunteers, and those who spent time hosting the table.  This event raises us a little money, but even more importantly, it gives us an opportunity to share our message in a low-key way.  It never hurts to let others in our community see a friendly face associated with the Democratic Party - even if they may not always agree with us, it helps to engender greater trust and respect.

Check out photos, candidate information, and upcoming events at

www.rutland-democrats.org