With rigorous debates ongoing about the Hildreth Elementary School project and why people move to Harvard, my family wants to share some of the things that we have experienced since we moved to town last year, so that new and old residents can see what they’ve built over time and why living in Harvard is much more than good schools and prudent real estate investments.
We have felt very welcomed by the community. From the wreath our neighbor put on our door right before we moved, the Family Association events, to our many neighbors who enjoy walking, greeting us, and sometimes extending invitations to see their horses or let us know that giving a carrot to their donkey is welcome.
Every day we feel like we live in rural Vermont or the Berkshires. Tax dollars, donations, and stewardship of open space has made for an absolutely spectacular and diverse inventory of conservation land. We are working our way up to it, but it appears possible to hike from our home west across town almost completely on conservation land.
The classic Yankee vibe of the Transfer Station take-it-or-leave-it pile, in-town contractors who have talked us out of spending money, and the low-key scene at Bare Hill Pond.
The orchards and farm stands, each of which has found a place in our routine.
And, of course, the Harvard Press.
Peter Kelly-Joseph
Deerfoot Trail
