As advertised, Mark Twain visited Cabot on Sunday.

There were about 40 people at the church in Cabot Sunday afternoon to meet Bern Budd, a performer from Marshfield, Massachusetts, as Mark Twain. Mr. Budd gave a remarkable performance, acting and sounding very much as we would expect Mark Twain did when he toured the country speaking to groups of citizens in the 1800's.

The weather was fine on Sunday. Outside the church on the Common, there were still a few vendors left from the weekly Farmers' Market that takes place there each Sunday during the summer. There were wonderful tomatoes, string beans, cucumbers, and other fresh vegetables - and before the program at the church, some of the folks who'd come for Mark Twain visited the market.

We were surprised that many of the people who came for the program were from out-of-state and were visiting in the area. Several came from as far away as Burlington and North Troy. Apparently there are a lot of Mark Twain fans.

The next program brought to you by the Cabot Historical Society is on September 16. David Book who has just published his book about the Cabot men who served in the Civil War will be on hand at the Historical Society Museum to read from his book, talk a bit about his research and experiences visiting cemeteries all over the country where Cabot men were buried, and to sign copies of his book. He has recently come across additional information about one of the soldiers, I believe the name is Morrill, that he hadn't known when he wrote the book. This is exciting information for Civil War buffs and for our historical society. Anyone interested is invited to come to hear David on the 16th at 2 o'clock - he'll be in uniform, and you'll enjoy the hint of southern drawl as he speaks!

What's a southern boy doing writing about Yankees from up north? David is a teacher. He taught many years at Cabot School and was principal before he retired about three years ago. He'll tell you how he got so involved in the history of Cabot's soldiers, and about the hours spent researching in the national archives in Washington, D.C., and the miles covered to visit the graves of the fallen men from Cabot. The families of these men often couldn't afford to bring their loved one home and were unable to visit their graves, so David brought a bit of earth from Vermont to sprinkle at each grave - a bit of home, he said, for those brave men.

His book is titled, "It is Sweet and Honorable to Die for the Fatherland" - a quote from the Latin inscription on the Civil War Monument on the Common in Cabot.

We look forward to welcoming you to an interesting afternoon at the Cabot Historical Society.