About Us

The mission of the CCA is to promote community development in Cabot, and bring new opportunities to Cabot residents, businesses, and visitors. The CCA is comprised of 2-3 part-time staff, and a host of volunteers including artists, craftspeople, farmers, writers, educators, entrepreneurs, and many other average citizens who are working together to help Cabot be the best it can for everyone in the area.

History of the CCA

In May of 1998, Cabot residents convened a joint meeting of the Cabot Cultural Connection and Cabot School PTSO to discuss creation of a Cabot Teen Center.  The group decided to create a not for profit organization to purchase the old Shoestring Theater/old Methodist church/school gymnasium building near the common in the village (44 Danville Hill Rd) and turn it into a multi-use community center.  The organization was named the Cabot Community Association (CCA) with a board of directors including were R.D. Eno, Stephen Gregg, Steph Kilian, Melissa Lang, Bob Miller, Lisa North, and Laurie Schlivek.

The CCA received its certificate of incorporation from the State of Vermont in May 1998 and IRS tax-exempt status in October 1998.
The initial goals of the CCA were to:

  • acquire and maintain facilities for carrying out the purposes of the CCA;
  • create and maintain a community center as a multi-purpose facility to bring Cabot residents together in common endeavor, recreation, civic engagement and personal enrichment; and 
  • provide programs and opportunities to promote the arts, healthy decision making by young people, and active participation by senior citizens.

In the fall of 1998, another group of community volunteers set to work to create a school -town partnership to address a serious public health problem in town – youth substance abuse and suicide.  This partnership, which included the CCA, was named the Cabot Coalition, and received a three-year grant from the VT Department of Health to implement many strategies to change community norms that supported substance abuse – including alternative activities, decreasing retail sales of alcohol and tobacco to minors, educating youth and parents, enhancing community communications and providing new ways for community groups to support each other.    
In March 1999, Cabot voters approved a UDAG grant of $5,000 to the CCA to further its plans for developing a community center.  A portion of that grant funded an architectural assessment of the building, which estimated a project cost of $358,800 for work required to meet building codes for public use.  The CCA decided the space was not a realistic project for the organization and began considering other village properties.
In 2000, new leadership of CCA steered the organization in the direction of providing additional outreach and services for youth.  CCA members, Bob and Peggy Miller were staunch advocates for creation of a Teen Center and their persistent vision and labor resulted in the CCA being awarded a tobacco prevention grant in 2002, that provided funding to launch a part-time Teen Center hosted at the Cabot School.
Also in 2002, the CCA began providing fiscal agent services to several grant funded projects in town including, Run Girls Run, Kid’s Café, and a fund created to refurbish the Cabot School gym floor.

In 2005, when CCA leadership changed and the Teen Center closed, the CCA became dormant.

The Cabot Coalition continued to thrive with state and federal grant funds until 2012, when funds for substance use prevention were not available to communities as small as Cabot.  But three important projects outlived the coalition.  Cabot Connects Mentoring became a project of the Cabot School.  The Cabot Chronicle and Cabot Worx (economic development) both evolved into CCA projects when the Cabot Coalition ceased operations and the CCA inherited the coalition’s assets.    


VCRD Community Visit & CCA Re-boot


In September of 2012, Cabot hosted the Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) for a Community Visit.  Many concerns were identified, but the top three priorities were to:

  • Develop a Cabot Agricultural Network
  • Develop a Community Arts Center
  • Improve Community Communications

As a result of the Community Visit the CCA, which had been inactive since 2005, was re-booted in June 2013.  Many thanks to William Walters, a CCA board member since December 1998, for his continued filing of tax documents during the dormant years to preserve the 501(c)(3) status.

The slate of officers the new CCA included President –Bruce Westcott; Vice-President –Todd Jones; Treasurer –Jan Westervelt; and Secretary –Jeanne Johnson.  The CCA adopted the three priorities in the VCRD report to guide development of a new mission statement and organizational goals.  These priorities are essential community development tools and continue to be actively addressed through programs of the CCA – the Greater Cabot Working Landscape Network, Cabot Arts, and The Cabot Chronicle.

CCA Programs


Since the reorganization in 2013, the CCA has provided Fiduciary and Administrative Services for nine Cabot grass roots organizations, , allowing these groups to concentrate on their activities rather than administrative and governmental paperwork and, because of their affiliation with the CCA, can solicit tax-deductible donations.  The CCA provides accounting and administrative staff assistance to the following community groups: Northeast Kingdom Warriors Soccer Program, Cabot Community Theater, Friends of the Cabot Public Library, Friends of Cabot Mentoring, Friends of Cabot School, Cabot Arts, Inc., Ride the Ridges, Cabot Community Christmas Dinner, and Cabot’s 4th of July Celebration.

The Cabot Coalition began publication of The Cabot Chronicle in 2008 and in 2013 the CCA adopted responsibility for publication.  Improving community communication is often mentioned by town leaders and residents as a significant challenge in Cabot.  The Cabot Chronicle is the only local news source that reaches every household in Cabot and helps bridge the communication gaps in town by offering free advertising space to local not-for-profits, community groups and government.  The Chronicle is delivered free of charge to every Cabot household and mailed to friends of Cabot in distant places.  The Chronicle is published nine times a year and articles (or article ideas) may be submitted by all Cabot residents.  The deadline is on the 15th of the month preceding publication.

The Greater Cabot Working Landscape Network launched in 2013 and continues to meet regularly and hosts workshops, special events and educational outreach to promote a sustainable, working landscape in Cabot.

The Cabot Creamery has generously supported many annual events and activities in town.  In 2015, the CCA became beneficiary of these funds and created the CCA Grant Program (formerly Cabot Communty Fund) to provide grants of up to $500 to community-based projects and events that further the CCA mission. The following organizations are considered Legacy Grants and receive funding annually:  July 4th Celebration, The Cabot Chronicle, Cabot Historical Society, Cabot Mentoring, Friends of the Cabot Library, Fall Foliage Festival, Greater Cabot Working Landscape Network and Cabot Arts.

In 2017, the CCA became responsible for implementation of a long-standing community event – the Annual Fall Foliage Festival.  As part of our commitment to economic development the CCA hosted a pop-up gallery at the event to highlight our local artists and crafters and sell their goods.  We repeated the pop-up gallery in December and launched the Cabot Artisans Gallery.  The Gallery provided an outlet for more than 40 local artists to display and sell their goods and hosted a monthly Arts Show and Tell for local artists to share and discuss their work.  The Gallery proved to not be a viable business enterprise, but in 2021 launched a new program to integrate the visual arts into the daily fabric of the Cabot community and work to advance visual art locally.


Cabot Arts, originally a program of CCA, is now a Vermont recognized not for profit and subsidiary of the CCA.  Since 2013, Cabot Arts has offered performances by nationally known musicians, musical workshops and classes for all ages, and a monthly Show and Tell where visual artists share their works-in-progress. In 2019, in addition to producing seven concerts at the Willey Building and the Schoolhouse in Lower Cabot, Cabot Arts participated in the CCA’s July 4th program and hosted a very successful Variety Show with all-local talent for the annual Fall Foliage Festival. To welcome 2020, Cabot Arts created the 12th Night Festival, a post-holiday-season extravaganza with musical and recreational attractions that drew hundreds to Cabot Village.


The CCA’s newest initiative, the Cabot Leaders Network, held its inaugural meeting in November 2019.  This group of dedicated leaders, including not-for-profit organizations, grass roots efforts, village business owners and school staff identified strategies to improve communication between groups, minimize scheduling conflicts and encourage cooperation.


Economic Development


An additional priority that received attention during the VCRD Community Visit was economic growth in the community.  Economic development was not listed as a priority in the Community Visit Report and Action Plan because it was already included in the 2012 Cabot Town Plan, adopted just a few months before the Community Visit.

A partnership between the CCA and Town of Cabot began in 2016 with the submission of an application to the VT Agency of Commerce and Community Development for a Municipal Planning Grant.  Cabot was awarded the grant and work began in 2017 to evaluate the constraints and opportunities for Cabot’s Designated Village Center, to create a plan to revitalize the village and solidify its place as the economic and civic hub of the community. The plan was completed in May 2018 and a copy can be found at https://www.cabotvermont.org/economic-development-workgroup/

Also, in 2016 the CCA created the Economic Development Workgroup (EDW) to prepare the grant application and facilitate the work funded by the grant. The EDW included representatives from Town government including the Select Board, Conservation Commission, Planning Commission as well as village business owners and Cabot residents with a desire to support a new economy in Cabot that can compete with the pressures from online and box store retailers.  The EDW is guided by the Tasks for Strategic Success outlined in the Cabot Village Revitalization Plan released in 2018.  The EDW is also tasked with developing a plan for the brown building at 3065 Main Street, which the CCA purchased in 2018 as this site is a contributing structure to future economic development in the village.  In 2019, the EDW commissioned an historical architectural review of the property to survey its existing conditions, history and possible improvements and use for the future.  The EDW also secured a grant to hire a consultant to assist the group with studying viable options for the site, the costs involved and identifying funding to assist with the selected project/s.

The EDW continues to implement some of the strategies identified in the Village Revitalization Plan (Cabot Artisans Gallery, local Broadband connections and internet accessibility, recreational trails, and consolidate and/or strengthen festivals and arts events) and is focused on how to address the property at 3065 Main Street, working with other downtown property owners to address village vitality and enhancing communication within and beyond the Cabot community.

In 2019, the CCA further invested time and resources in initiating a new Municipal Planning Grant application that identified trails as a new and successful economic development tool to promote local recreation and connect the village with assets the State of VT is investing in – Molly’s Falls Pond State Park on Route 2 and the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.

Events


Cabot Fall Foliage Festival (part of the North East Kingdom (NEK) Fall Foliage Festival) had been celebrated in town for nearly 60 years before event volunteers decided to retire.  With no younger volunteers to pass the torch for the event on to, the CCA adopted the event in 2017.  The CCA has given this event new life using the Fall Foliage Festival to promote local businesses, highlight the talents of local artists and professionals and provide fundraising opportunities for organizations.

While the exact date of its origin in unknown, Cabot’s 4th of July Celebration started more than 50 years ago.  In 2019, the CCA was pleased to be able to assist many community volunteers in organizing the Cabot’s 4th of July Celebration.  There were many changes that folks wanted to make to the traditional event and the CCA provided organizational support, supplies, accounting services and financial reporting to help make the event successful for vendors, business owners and event participants.

A brief visit to the Village leaves the impression of a traditional, unpretentious small town fixed in time.  But just beneath that surface there is a dynamic local economy fueled by creative entrepreneurs, artisans and energetic volunteers working hard to make Cabot the wonderful place it is.


The CCA has evolved over the years, and will continue, to address the hopes and challenges of a changing town and world.
Please call or email to join us, 802-424-2633 or [email protected].