On our second last day our Deerfield Valley friends hosted us for breakfast before heading north to Chester. We toured the T-shirt screen printing coy and got just the most fabulous gift; we visited News Co (?) a company devoted to transcribing ALL of the congress and senate papers (similar to Hansard in Aust) onto a digital format, making it suitable for researchers and archivists; the Chester Museum was opened especially for us and we got to ring the town bell! and the cemetery with a mix of revolutionary and Civil War graves - oldest gravestone was 1770.
The Angels and I then were able to ask our hosts to amend the agenda so we could fulfill the most anticipated part of the trip - a visit to Springfield, VT, the Home of the Simpsons. Whilst there is a Springfield in every state of the US, Springfield, Vermont won a nationwide competition to establish itself as THE Springfield. Indeed The Simpsons Movie held its world premier there last year. The childish-like GSE team entertained themselves with photos with the family and the giant hand holding the giant donut -- mmmm donuts !! We even have a copy of the winning entry to bring home and show everybody.
We were hosted last night by Pat who owns the Motel in the Meadow at Chester and we had a combined meeting with Bellows Falls RC performing our last presentation. David was given a new gnome as well.
On Thursday we had a breakfast meeting with Bellows Falls, a visit to a nuclear power plant (see how easily I said that?) and a tour of a unique high school established without fixed walled classrooms. each classroom is divided by moveable partitions just like a modern office and classes are held within earshot of one another. The advantage is the students are encouraged to be less noisy and the whole school can expand by creating a new room whenever it may choose.
We lunched at a great little organic cafe on the canal in Bellows Falls and then moved back into New Hampshire for the trip over to Nashua.
Our hosts for our last night are Nashua Rotary Club. They will be having a cocktail party reception for us and DG Chris. It should be a fun, relaxed night.
We wrap up the GSE tomorrow at Manchester airport.
David
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For those who can't make it to my hometown of Springfield to look for the Simpsons, check out my website, an online collection of sights and sounds of the big premiere event and, of course, the winning video itself.
The Simpsons Springfield Vermont
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