Endorsing candidate and her ideas

I write to commend Mary Ellen Vichiconti, Independent candidate for a four-year seat on the Vernon Township Council, for initiating the Vernon Free Summer Arts Group, a grassroots group founded for the purpose of bringing free entertainment in the form of cultural events such as music concerts, art shows, film festivals and farmers markets to the residents of Vernon. Mary Ellen conceived this concept when she realized that, unlike other nearby towns and municipalities, Vernon does not sponsor many cultural activities for its residents. Her vision for Vernon’s future is that a free Arts Group would not only enrich local culture and enhance tourism, but empower Vernon with a certain pride and put our community on the map as a viable beacon of quality, economic growth. The Vernon Free Summer Arts Group is also to be congratulated for its first event, a mini film festival featuring “Scarecrow,” a new Civil War film short, written and directed by independent filmmaker and Vernon native Patrick Knipe. Born and raised in Vernon, Patrick credits Vernon’s beauty, its heavily forested rolling hills, fog-haunted lakes and Revolutionary War-era hamlets as inspiration for his highly-acclaimed movie. Bonnie Rubin Highland Lakes