10 years ago:

Wilmington residents met with Vermont Agency of Transportation officials in the Town Hall meeting room where, over the roar of passing trucks, they demanded the AOT take action to reduce the impact of truck traffic in the village and on Route 9. State and local authorities said more funding was needed for enforcement.

The valley was celebrating its first snowfall of the season – three inches of the white stuff fell, allaying fears (or dashing hopes) of a green Christmas.

15 years ago:

There was a “brouhaha” at the Dover Selectboard regarding the acquisition of a silo for the West Dover firehouse, which was under construction at the time. Selectboard members eventually agreed to advance the builder a sum of $10,000 to purchase the silo with the understanding that donations would be used to repay the money. According to an earlier agreement, the silo was to be funded through the West Dover Firefighters’ Association, rather than by tax dollars.

20 years ago:

Five students from the Soviet Union visited Dover School. Coming amidst Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) policies, their visit was seen as a hopeful sign that Soviets and Americans could someday thaw their four-decade-long cold war. The Soviet Union collapsed almost exactly two years later.

The New England Schools Development Council recommended the closure of Halifax School and merging Wilmington and Whitingham high schools. NESDEC representatives said the scenario was the most feasible way to meet the valley’s educational needs in the future. Halifax residents responded by considering the construction of an addition to their school.

25 years ago:

The Dover Free Library contracted with the Green Mountain Guild’s Theater for Children to present a performance of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” A local kindergartner was to play Tiny Tim.

State police were warning residents of a “pyramid game,” a scheme perpetrated by a group of Vermont “businessmen” in the Northeast Kingdom. Under the scheme, people were promised a return of $5,000 for an investment of $750.

35 years ago:

In his column “Pickles Peeples,” editor Edward Pickett noted the passing of Wilmington resident William Henry “Wee” Moran at the age of 72. Moran was a local ski shop owner but, as Pickett noted, he was also a staple of life in Wilmington. “He gained local fame as a sidewalk philosopher,” he wrote. “The wit of Wee was an often-planned series for the Valley News that we never got around to doing.”

Gene Canedy was elected chair of the Wilmington selectboard.

40 years ago:

Miss Universe, Gloria Diaz of the Philippines, was visiting Mount Snow. It was the first time Diaz had seen snow. After her year as Miss Universe, Diaz went on to become an award-winning actress in her native country.

The state dropped a civil suit against developers of a project called Whitingham Farms. The state dropped the suit after a “reputable company” agreed to purchase the financially troubled development. The president of Whitingham Farms, a Windsor Locks, CT, resident, was still facing trial in Windham County Court on land fraud and deceptive advertising charges.