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Annual Meeting - 2009

 The St. Johnsbury Band held its annual dinner and business meeting on November 6, 2009, at Warner's Gallery in Wells River, VT. One of the highlights of this years meeting was the attendance of several honorary members. Don Mullally and his wife Val joined the band as did David and Molly Rau, coming all the way from Maine. Several awards were presented at the meeting.

One Lifetime membership award was made. Lifetime membership is given only to band members who have given enduring time and made significant efforts to advance the goals of the St. Johnsbury Band.

The Lifetime membership award was given to Norene Blanchard. Blanchard has played trumpet for the Band for nearly 25 years. She sits quietly in the trumpet section and plays her parts. She shows up for performances far and wide and has been an enduring and faithful member of the band.

An Honorary Membership was bestowed on Richard Chapman. Chapman is around for most concerts. He helps bring chairs in from the bandstand after performances, scoops ice cream at the ice cream socials, and takes many pictures and videos of the Band performing. His help is a big support to the Band.

Two In Memorium awards were presented this year. In Memorium membership to the St. Johnsbury Band can be awarded  to those deceased members who gave enduring time and made significant efforts to advance the goals of the St. Band. The awards made this year were to Ted French and Sarah Christophersen.

Ted French played the baritone in the Band for many years. He made a monetary donation to the Band many years ago which made it possible for the Band to have a small investment. This investment has made modest growth over the years and is managed by the Band's finance committee.

Sarah Christophersen was the principal flute for the Band for many years. She was also an accomplished pianist who performed on the flute and piano with the North Country Society of Musicians. She also arranged for her daughter, Terry, and former son-in-law, Richard, both professional musicians, to come down from Quebec every summer to be featured on piccolo, soloing with the Band. Christophersen was also a board member at one time, serving as the Band secretary.

Complete lists of the St. Johnsbury Band member awards are available on the Members page.

Following the business meeting, the Band was entertained with stories and tales of rural Vermont by Representative Danny Gore (aka Norm Lewis) from Avery's Gore. A former Vermont governor (for seven minutes in 1994), Gore displays good-natured political satire and humorously tells stories helping to preserve rural Vermont character and culture.("The Faces of Danny Gore" by Scott Wheeler, Vermont's Northland Journal, 13 September, 2008).

Photos from the Annual Meeting
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