By now those of you who are Joe's Pond Association members have probably received a letter from President Tom Dente regarding actions the Association is taking to help correct the high bacteria count at the beach and other spots around the pond.  We hope everyone will take advantage of the dye tablets which are being supplied free by the Association and B&B Septic, in St. Johnsbury, 802-748-9858.  They are easy to use and available at Hastings Store.  It only takes a short time, in most cases, for the dye to show up in the pond if a system is not operating well.  Most systems around the pond are pretty close to the shore, of necessity, because there isn't a lot of room.  Quite a few have been updated and probably are functioning properly, but it costs you nothing except a few minutes of your time to use the dye tablets, and if something shows up, you will be able to take proper steps to correct it.  So please stop at Hastings and pick up some tablets.  If you are unable to do it this fall, they will still be available next spring. 

Some faulty systems have already been identified and are in the process of being fixed.  We're hoping to have a good response so any problems can be fixed this fall and next summer we'll have a much cleaner, healthier body of water to play in.

We've had another lovely day today with lots of sunshine, especially this afternoon.  Our maple trees near the house are beginning to show real color, and I think the foliage is going to be just a tad earlier than usual.  We may have exceptional color, too.  There are lots of signs that the growing season is over and although we haven't had a frost yet, it won't be long before we do.

I'll be at the historical society building on Saturday, from 1 to 3 p.m.  This will be the last time we'll be open this year.  We are usually open during Fall Foliage on Oct. 2 - it runs from Oct. 1-6, and Cabot hosts it on Tuesday, but we won't be open this year.  We have the Apple Pie Festival coming up on October 13, and lots of our people are busy working on that.

Which reminds me - I saw in the Caledonian tonight that Danville won't have a fair next year.  The last two years they had to move it to the school, and both years were disappointing.  The planners had hoped 2013 they could get back on the Green, but they recently learned the Route 2 Project won't be finished in time for that to happen.  It's unfortunate - and I'm sure the decision was a very difficult one to make, but sometimes it's better to cut your losses.  These events take an awful lot of planning, time and work.  When the fair is back in 2014, you can bet it will be bigger and better than ever because everyone will be celebrating the lovely new streets, sidewalks and Green.