No April fooling: record melted
Toolbox
By SARAH HINCKLEY STAFF WRITER - Published: April 26, 2009
MONTPELIER - High temperatures broke records throughout the state on Saturday and Vermonters were outside, taking full advantage of the sun.
"Montpelier set a record, they blew right by their old record," said weatherman Steve Maleski, who was inside the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury for most of the day. "I gotta get outside."
In the capital, the previous record of 78 degrees in 1982 was smashed when it hit 85 degrees around 4 p.m. Bennington boasted a beyond balmy 87 degrees. Rutland was unable to beat its previous record of 85 degrees, set in 1942, but it was close, hovering about 84. It got up to 90 degrees in White River Junction, much to Maleski's excitement.
"Now that's toasty," he said, adding that Springfield was a lovely 88 degrees and St. Johnsbury broke its previous record. "We set a record here. We got up to 87 degrees - it was 86 degrees at 4 o'clock."
For many Vermonters the weekend marked the end of April vacation, but it felt more like a day in July.
"It's a nice warm day, but it's not hot, hot," said Maleski, around 1 p.m. when the temperatures were beginning to climb to record heights. "This is going to get squashed south for a day, starting tomorrow."
People throughout the state seemed to know the day was for seizing. They flooded the city sidewalks in shorts and sandals, sipped iced drinks, treated themselves to maple cremees, worked in the garden, set up a picnic or found any excuse to play outside.
At Green Mountain College, students took a break from rugby and ultimate Frisbee matches to take rope swing plunges into the Poultney River. Despite the warm temperatures, the water remained frigid and swimmers exited the river nearly as quickly as they entered.
Motorcycles rumbled, many transported water gear and cyclists took advantage of the weather and took to the road. Route 100, between Ludlow and West Bridgewater, already a popular route for road cyclists since it was repaved last summer, was full of multi-colored, day-glow jersey-clad riders enjoying the smooth surface and wide shoulders of the road.
"It could be better, but I'll take it," joked Toni Ceckler, who was throwing a Frisbee to her dogs, Lily and Hannah, in Hubbard Park. "We were skiing yesterday, up on top of Mount Washington."
Further down the path three generations were enjoying a stroll in the park. Bob Seplak was in town from Southern California visiting his children and grandchildren.
"The other day I was wearing a parka," he said about the cooler weather earlier in the week in Vermont.
For the walk in the park, Seplak had a T-shirt on, along with the rest of the family.
"We had a nice picnic over at the shelter," said Justin Turcotte, a member of the group from Montpelier. "We're thankful for the city's parks and rec department having things open."
Sara Hawes and Erik Threlkeld were parked at one of the picnic tables by the tower in Hubbard Park, feasting on sandwiches while Milla the dog looked on.
"We wanted to have a picnic and saw the weather channel and planned it," said Hawes, who had brought books for studying in the sun.
Butterflies danced in the air and snakes slithered under foot along paths where buds popped from bushes and the trees overhead. Miles Rapaport, 10, and Evan Lewis, 10, were collecting tadpoles, frogs and a baby catfish in the small pond of the park.
"It's a tiny little guy with whiskers - he's cute," said Lewis about the catfish. "This is my third trip (to the pond). My first trip I caught a big salamander ... This is like the best season of my life, really, for tadpole catching."
There was a season first for Miles' mom Hope Rapaport, who had brought a couple of other young ones with her to the pond.
"I put the kids in the car and said, 'you don't have to put on shoes,'" she said, adding her day had included raking the yard and shuffling kids around town. "I'll take 80, it's like you become giddy. We can't go back; I'm ready for this... The bathing suits are waiting for them at home."
Nessie, an 11-week-old puppy watched the children playing in the water and lay down in a stream to cool off.
"This is her first Hubbard Park experience, we're going to the tower," said Jen Silva, of Barre, a friend of Nessie's owner, who had the leash. "We just got out of work... I rode my bike to work and it was raining. It turned out to be such a gorgeous day. I'm going to get tan lines."
Members of the Montpelier Teen Center were hoping to do just that while they sprayed down cars in the parking lot behind the fire station.
"I'm really excited, it's a great day," said Naomi Grayck, 14, admitting it was the first day of the year wearing her bikini top.
"It's a good day for a car wash," said Ashley Fussell, one of the leaders of the teen center, noting traffic had been steady since the group set up at 11 a.m. "This is the first time we haven't had something to do."
On Pearl Street, Bo Muller-Moore was applying a fresh coat of color to a picnic table.
"I bought the table yesterday and am staining it today," he said, while Kelley-D, 4, played in the puddles nearby. "Her favorite thing about the warm weather is it makes the worms come up."
Around the corner on Winter Street, Barry McPhee was bent over a bicycle, getting it ready for the season while tiller sounded down the street.
"This is a first-time front yard garden," explained Rebecca Sheppard about the plot in front that will be shared with the neighbors.
"If this keeps up, we should have had the peas in two weeks ago," said John Bloch who lives with Sheppard. "This is great; I could take it six months out of the year. This is incredible. This is July weather."
Rutland Herald Reporter Josh O'Gorman contributed to this story.
sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.
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