The Town of Canaan will hold a special election on Tuesday, August 13 to see if voters will authorize cannabis retailers to operate in town. The vote will take place at the same time as Vermont's statewide major party primary, and polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Canaan Community Office Building.

Town clerk Zachary Brown said the process began when he was approached by a resident shortly after town meeting. "He stated that he was looking to start a cannabis dispensary in Beecher Falls and had been working with the State of Vermont Cannabis Control Board," Mr. Brown said. "We then worked together to find out what steps needed to be taken at the town level for this to move forward."

Mr. Brown discovered that a town vote is required for such an enterprise to operate. "Since it was immediately after town meeting, both myself and the board of selectmen asked if the resident would be okay with waiting until the next election for this public question to be voted on," he said. "The reasoning behind this was due to the cost that the town would incur for an election. The resident was fine with waiting."

According to state statute, before a cannabis retailer can operate in a municipality, the municipality must permit the operation by a majority vote. A town that hosts any cannabis establishment may establish a cannabis control commission, which may issue and administer local control licenses. Mr. Brown said the board is waiting to find out what the election results are before making any decisions on implementing a cannabis control commission.

"As far as the town zoning and planning board are considered, they must treat this as any other business and will review it as such," Mr. Brown said. "The state has made it clear to all towns in Vermont that more stringent zoning regulations cannot be applied to these establishments. We are working closely with the state to see what the town's involvement is if the vote passes."

Approximately 77 municipalities in Vermont have voted to allow cannabis retailers or integrated licensees�which allow growing, testing, manufacturing and retail�including the nearby towns of Derby, Burke and St. Johnsbury.

The Stratford board of selectmen will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. tonight, July 24 at the Fuller Town Hall, to discuss maintenance of town roads.

According to a post on its website, the town has relied on outside contractors to work on its roads for many years. "For 15 of those years, one contractor oversaw the major part of both summer and winter maintenance, road rebuilding and coordinating with other contractors when needed," the message states. "Unfortunately for the town, he chose not to renew the contract. Since then, the selectboard has been looking for a dedicated contractor to replace him, but for the last five years it had to find contractors on a per-job basis to do necessary work. This has led to neglect of regular maintenance, such as ditch work, brush clearing, culvert clean-outs, etc., and consequently, a gradual decline in the town's road conditions."

There are 25 town roads covering 7.92 miles and serving approximately 206 year-round residences. The 2023-24 prorated winter maintenance expenses are $109,275. The roads are a mix of asphalt and gravel surfaces, with 16 of them considered to be in fair condition, one in excellent condition, four in good condition and four in poor condition.

Projects this year include paving the asphalt apron on Mason Road for $7,370, paving the balance of Old Mill Road for $73,341, and reconstructing and paving the left roadway branch of School Street for $12,500. Last year, the town graded and cleaned ditches on Bordeau Road, repaired roadway storm damage and replaced a culvert on Covey Road, repaved Kimball Street, and paved the asphalt apron on Pleasant Valley Road.

In addition to whatever comes of tonight's meeting, the board is also asking for the public to fill out an on-line questionnaire so it can make better decisions on how to use tax dollars most effectively. The survey can be found by clicking the "Take the Survey on Town Roads!" link at www.stratfordnh.gov, and poses such questions as how many miles of roads the town should maintain, if the $22,950 per mile road budget should remain the same or change, and how many of the roads should have paved or gravel surfaces.

The annual weekend of festivities in Stewartstown and Canaan is coming up, with Stewartstown Day, the Canaan Classic men's softball tournament, and the Sugar on Snow Social set for Friday and Saturday, August 2 and 3.

Twenty-four teams will compete in the Canaan Classic, playing in separate brackets for the Gold Belt and the Silver Cup in the three-day men's modified fast-pitch tournament. Games take place on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday, on the ballfields behind the school and across Route 102 at the Rec Park, with food concessions on site. Updates and details are available on the Canaan Men's Softball Tournament page on Facebook.

The fun starts Friday, August 2, with vendors, food concessions, kids' games and music by DJ Mixmaster Mel at the Stewartstown Park, from 5 p.m. until the fireworks conclude the festivities at dusk, around 9 p.m. Mathieu's Martial Arts Center students will perform a tae kwon do demonstration at 6 p.m., and an egg and spoon race hosted by The Community Hub Builders takes place at 7:30.

The queen's coronation is at 7 p.m. and this year the contest has a new twist, as two adult candidates vie for the title of Queen for a Day (see related story).

The music and fun in the park continue on Saturday morning, and the Stewartstown Day Parade steps off at 10 a.m. This year's theme is "What I Did During the Solar Eclipse," and participants may line up starting at 9 a.m. on County Farm Road, with floats entering from its southern end on Route 3.

There is no advance registration required to join the parade. Four-wheelers must be decorated or pulling a float. Prizes of $75 and a ribbon will be awarded in the categories of Funniest, Most Original, Prettiest and Most Artistic float; awards for children's entries are $15 for first, $10 for second and $5 for third; and antique cars will be recognized with ribbons for first, second and third.

The perennial favorite Soapbox Derby for ages 5-12 starts at 11 a.m. on Main Street, and cars are available for use by kids who don't have their own. Advance registration by July 31 is required, and the form is available via a link posted on the Stewartstown Day page on Facebook.

Drivers will compete in two age groups, ages 5-8 and 9-12, and there are two homemade car classes: the Modified Class for a car that has been fabricated; and the Old-Timers Class for cars without fabrication (no welding or bought frames). All competitors must attend the 9 a.m. car inspection, which will be held in the Abbott Bennett parking lot at the intersection of Main Street and Route 3. Helmets are required, and drivers must provide their own.

Meanwhile, back at the park, kids are invited to try their hands at a drawing contest at noon, and staff from the Mount Washington Observatory will present a hands-on demonstration at 1 p.m.

Grace Community Church in Canaan will host its annual Sugar on Snow Social starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 3 at Fletcher Park. In addition to the traditional sugar on snow-maple syrup on specially saved snow, accompanied by a donut and pickle-the event will offer vendors, food concessions, games, music by the local band Rock On, and a rock climbing wall. Vendors interested in selling their wares for free may contact Frankie Sawicki, at 603-331-2598.

A tennis professional with years of coaching experience is working to expand the sport to the North Country.

In addition to offering private and group lessons for all ages and skill levels, Bill Aronson is now the part-time physical education teacher at Stewartstown Community School and plans to introduce his students to the game.

Bill started playing tennis when he was a kid attending Indian Acres Camp in Fryeburg, Maine. "I tell people how I got involved in tennis is that my parents stayed out of it," he said. "I started at six or seven years old. My dad was the camp doctor so I went with him for two weeks, and I loved it so much I stayed the whole summer."

He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Utah, a masters and a certificate of advanced graduate study from Springfield College in counseling and counseling athletes, an MBA from Plymouth State University and a PhD in psychology from California School of Professional Psychology-Fresno.

He completed his internship at the University of Rochester.�He was the men's head tennis coach at Springfield College, the women's head tennis coach at the University of Lowell, and the assistant men's tennis coach at the�University of Rochester. He has coached high school tennis as well.

He served in the Air Force as a psychologist, at the rank of captain, and has taught sports psychology and human growth and development in several universities as an adjunct professor. He has also worked and coached at home and abroad, including Chile, Uruguay, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominica, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, England, Israel and Brazil.

Bill has lived in the Miami area for nearly 30 years, and has been the director of tennis for the Profile Club in Franconia and for the Town of Holderness for the past 12 years. He is certified by the United States Professional Tennis Association and Professional Tennis Registry, and has also taught alpine skiing at several resorts.

Bill bought a home in Colebrook last fall, and said he is excited to introduce the game to newcomers and work with experienced players. "I'm committed to the region, and I'd like to see kids and adults playing the game," he said. "I'm trying to promote tennis at any age and level." There are public courts in Canaan, Pittsburg, Errol and Stratford, and he said he wants to work on obtaining funds to build public courts in Colebrook. He is also looking for opportunities to work with students in other local schools, and with local recreation programs.

Mr. Aronson said the program will be affordable, and he has rackets to lend. He will conduct private or group clinics for any age and skill level, and can work with students who use wheelchairs or are visually or hearing-impaired. He said he will take students from anywhere and meet at any location.

"I have no problem with starting from scratch," he said. "I want to plant the seeds next summer, and my goal is to have a tennis court in Colebrook, maybe a couple."

Mr. Aronson can be reached at 305-607-5753 or [email protected].