Political Quotes

“this Friday, November 30, at noon, Vermonters will be gathering to see a large crane carefully hoist a 14\1/2\-foot carved statue of Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, atop the newly gilded dome of the statehouse in Montpelier. I was born in Montpelier, and I am proud of this because it is going to be a great moment for our State and for everyone involved in the project, which has captured the attention of not only Vermonters but of those who have been following the project from great distances with the help of social media. The new version of Ceres replaces a 1938 replica of the original statue that was removed last April after too many severe Vermont winters took a toll on the wood figure. Since that time, Vermont artists Jerry Williams and Chris Miller have been hard at work creating the new Ceres, first sculpting a model and then, out of a big piece of mahogany, they chiseled the final mahogany figure. Marcelle and I and my sister Mary, along with David Schutz, had the pleasure of visiting the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre, VT, a few months back to witness Mr. Miller at work. I am the grandson of two stone carvers. One of my grandfathers immigrated to Vermont from Italy. The other, my Irish grandfather, carved stone in Barre. So it was a thrill to see how Mr. Miller used the original tools of the trade. He took raw wood and turned it into the fine details we now see, from Ceres' flowing robes to the distinctive veins in her hands.…”