Bennington Banner from Bennington, Vermont • Page 7

Tipi, sweet tipi BenningtMi Banner, Friday, Jiim- 24. 1977--7 Around Vermont The Woodsfellows built, and live in, an Indian-style tipi Legionnaire's disease in vt. By DIANE TATRO ROCKINGHAM For most pwple, tent living is an occasional weekend outing or a vacation getaway. But for David WoodsfeUow, his wife Annie and their two-year-old son Scottie, a tent is home for a good part of the year. And what is even more unusual is that their tent happens to be an Indian-style tipi.

David and Annie long have been Interested In tipi living so they built one for themselves. That was five years ago. Now they call themselves the Good Medicine Tipi Makers. For the past four years they have been making tipis in the Cambddgeport area and have sold more than 50 of them, mostly to area residents. Their tipi, and the ones they sell, are designed like those of the Sioux Indians.

Woodsfellow's basic design plans were drawn up from a book called "The Indian Tipi," but they created the actual pattern. "We make all of our tests by 1 Woodsfellow says. "No one else does that. It takes about 80 hours to make one tent. It would take about 20 minutes in a factory." Good Medicine Tipis have been the Woodsfellow's main source of income at times.

But, Woodsfellow explains, it becomes less enjoyable to live in a tipi when there is pressure Brattlebwo Reformer This tipi is home for the David Woodsfellow family. In foreground is the tipi frame jungle gym built as a playtoy for 2-year-old Scottie Woodsfellow. now an apprentice cabinetmaker. Is a tipi practical? "Very," says Woodsfellow, "I can set this thing up in 20 minutes and take it down in five. It's as portable as any other tent." others are placed against the first three.

The last pole to be put in position has the canvas exterior attached to it. Then the canvas is pulled over the poles and is latched together with lacing sticks above the door opening. An He explained that no climbing attachable canvas door is used to make money from selling or ladders are necessary to set in wet or cold weather. Wooden them. David recently signed a up the tent or poles.

Everything sticks attached to the canvas teaching contract for next year is preassembled on the ground are driven into the ground for at Westminster West Com- and then set up. The three main greater stability, munity School, Inc. Annie is poles are lashed together, then The top part of the tipi opens SHOP SAVE AT EVERY WEEK BENNINGTON, VERMONT to allow as much light and air in as desired. It can also be shut up fairly tightly to prevent the weather from getting inside. "We've stayed here until November one year and Christmas another.

This tent has been in all kinds of weather," he said. (The life expectancy of a tipi is around five years. To some it would appear that the top of the tent would be the first to decay from all the soot which covers the canvas. But such is not the case. "Actually, the smoke preserves it," Woodsfellow says.

"The bottom is where it first shows wear. Water begins rotting away the material Shaftsbury SHAFTSBURY The Cole Hall to act on the Judson Shaftsbury Zoning Board of Ha 8g crt application for ,.11 -11 i permission to construct three Adjustment will meet on nds m6 to road Monday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. in damage costs. 69 NAIL SUCKS MONUMENT PLAZA Color thai looks wet even when it's dry. fl.

oz. conditioning nail color. BENNINGTON. VI i Upcoming: Emily Dickinson's Home "One of the few very greal and thoioughly original American is how i Jonathan Middlcbrook ranks Emily Dickinson, who lived almosi all of her reclusive i in Ainherst, in a big house on Main Street. Prof.

Middlehrook visited the house, now in the process of becoming public museum, and he reflects on the mysteries a i surround the poet who lived there. Summer Infiltrators About this time. Maine natives get ready for the complaint" the a a i of seasonal residents from less parts of the Northeast and elsewhere. A generations of practice, the local have developed strategems for i these people straight. John Gould, a native original, reveals some of ways it is done.

Barbecues When ii comes lo outdoor cooking, writes Margaret in her i column, husbands often are given (and modestly accept) undue credit for i i a i i a the grill. Acutally, she says, their wives" careful advance preparation of the food is the creative foundation behind the facade. The column provides a i a of barbecue recipes, not including hamburgers. The Lively Arts It i.s summer again, lime for UpCoiuHry's a a guide to the best in special music, theatre, dance and other cultural goings-on, l-ew regions are as active a i i a as New Kngland in the summer, and our guide paints the broadest picture of this festive season to be seen a where. July Events in New England Details on locations, programs, prices of a host of happenings throughout the six-state region (plus some in New York) in the month of July.

Country Fairs, Home Repair Manuals, Crossword Puzzle And moie in articles and columns. Plus oilier aspects of New Knglund living--in the July issue of Up Country ITic monthly magazine In closest to A Upl's coat is comparable to any otner large tent. About $150 worth of canvas becomes the walls. Woodsfellow usually pays 50 cents per hard wood tree which will be made Into the poles. He cuts them down and finishes them before they are ready to use.

"I prefer straight trees. The Indians didn't necessarily use straight ones but that's what I like to work with." The final product runs somewhere around $250, depending on the size. The tipi the Woodsfellows live in is 16 feet high. "We've made some larger and some smaller. This one is about average," he said.

Their tipi doesn't lack household necessities. Running water is only 40 feet away in a clear running stream. There is a privy nearby. And inside, under the sheep skin carpeted floor, is a "refrigerator." Food is kept cold in a hole dug in the cool earth. The fire pit in the center of the tip! is the stove, heater and light.

A bedrool is tucked under the eaves of the tent to stay dry and out of the way. Several canvas banners hang from the poles. These are chairs part to sit on, part to lean on. "The tension and angle can be adjusted with just a little movement," Woodsfellow noted. The hardest problem to deal with is space.

"Scottie is having a hard time understanding the concept of We can't say, 'Go to your or anything like that. But he's beginning to understand." Actually, 2-year-old Scottie has an area of his own. His dad built him a miniature tipi as a playhouse. He also has a tipi- shaped jungle gym. "But I guess when you think about it," Woodsfellow adds, "the whole outdoors is another big room." Insects are seldom a problem living in a tipi because there usually is a fire burning in the center.

"When you live with the insects you learn to understand them," he said. "Mosquitoes come inside right before it rains, In the evening dew and in the early morning. They cling to the walls but If you brush them toward the fire, they go out with the smoke. The only time we are bothered by them is in the morning because there's no fire then." Woodsfellow recalled a time when ants invaded the tipi. "One time the walls and poles were covered with ants.

They were climbing to the top and down again. We figured that word had spread in the ant community about the great view from the top. It must have been like a big ant hill for them. Anyway, that lasted for three days and then they disappeared." The land surrounding Woodsfellow's tipi is as undisturbed as in the days pioneers crossed the land. The tip! is not visible from the highway.

A rocky dirty road leads down a hill to a small parking area. The tent is set back on a field, near the tree line. A bridge of logs and planks was built to cross the stream which runs beside the field. The Woodsfellows have planted a good-sized garden outside their tipi. Scottie carefully makes his way between the rows of lettuce and peas.

"It's such a great thing now that Scott knows where to walk," Woodsfellow noted. "Last year he didn't know the difference." Dave Woodsfellow hints that perhaps a return to the Indian culture is soon coming. Sitting in one of the canvas chairs he tells of a Hop! Indian prophesy that some day "the sons of White men will have long hair and will wear head bands and beads. The Indians believed in reincarnation and that their energy would go to some other life." Perhaps the Hopis were right. Long hair, beads and headbands have returned to American culture.

The tipi might be next. BURLINGTON (UPI) Health officials have reported the flnt confirmed case of so-called Legionnaires Disease in Vermont. The state Health Department said Thursday 44-year-old Stowe man was hospitalized in March with a iiigh fever and pneumonia-like symptoms. The man, whose name was not released, was hospitalized for four weeks at the Veterans' Administration Hospital In White River Junction, but has since returned to work and appears to be in good shape, officials said. A Colchester woman died last September after being stricken with symptoms similar to those of Legionnaires Disease, but it was never confirmed that she actually had the same illness that killed 29 persons who attended an American Legion convention in Philadelphia last summer.

Speed traps planned MONTPELIER (UPI) State police next week will launch a new campaign to enforce the 55-mile-per-hour speed limit. The 1977 legislature authorized funds to hire extra state troopers to provide 24-hour-a-day patrols along 1-89 between the towns of White River Junction and Georgia. Officials said Thursday they chose that stretch of highway because, while it represents only about 46 per cent of Vermont's Interstate system, it accounts for more than 58 per cent of all interstate accidents. Police spokesmen said a 10 trooper force will hit the roads next week and soon will be joined by another lour officers. They said the patrols will use fully marked cruisers, but two unmarked cars will also be available.

Briefs in on Lawrence case BURLINGTON (UPI) The state has asked for a chance to reargue a case involving former undercover drug agent Paul Lawrence, whose perjury conviction was overturned recently by the Vermont Supreme Court. Briefs submitted by Chlttenden County State's Attorney Francis Murray maintained the high court was wrong June 7 when it ordered a new trial on grounds certain testimony should not have been admitted at Lawrence's 1675 trial in Chittenden District Court. Lawrence was convicted of several counts of perjury and lying to police about his undercover investigations. Despite the Supreme Court ruling, he is still in prison because of a similar conviction in Franklin County. If the Supreme Court rejects Murray's request for reargument, Lawrence will be tried again, spokesmen said.

Bus bill passes Senate MONTPELIER (UPI) The U.S. Senate has approved a bill to provide money to operate small, public bus companies in rural areas like Vermont. A spokesman for Sen. Robert Stafford, said Thursday the provision the Republican senator sponsored would authorize up to $500 million for operating subsidies and capital costs for public bus companies in communities with populations of less than 50,000. Existing law pays only capital costs, although operating subsidies are available for larger towns and cities.

Stafford said the bill which goes now to the House will end "discrimination" against Vermont and other rural states. gets t. okay VIDA loans granted HOOSICK, N.Y. The Vermont State Education Department has designated the Hoosac School here as a school eligible to receive tuition subsidy from the state's school districts. The ruling permits Vermont students to apply and receive aid for private secondary schooling, often amounting to about $1.600.

In a letter to Hoosac Headmaster James P. Beckford, Commissioner Robert A. Witheysaid Department will list Hoosac as a private school eligible to receive public tuition payments from this state." Beckford expressed hope that this eligibility will permit more students from Vermont to receive a private school education at a sharply reduced cost. Hoosac had been eligible for the state funding until about five years ago, when new chapel requirements were instituted. Those requirements, including mandatory attendance at frequent com- munion services, were dropped at the beginning of this year, when a more relaxed and informal chapel service was begun.

"We are still a church- affiliated school. However, the Episcopal Church has no direct control over the operation of the school, and we receive no financial support from the church. Once these parameters were outlined to visiting Vermont officials, they concluded that we were eligible within constitutional church-state separation guidelines," Beckford explained. Parents interested in the availability of public funds should contact their local superintendent's office for details. Hoosac is an 89-year-old a i a preparatory school which iffers a boarding and country-day program for students in rades 8 through 12.

Residents interested in enrolling their children should contact the Buy 3 shocks, get the 4th FREE Now, Save on Gabriel IIIMJ Striders Toi a hritilrd time 'inly buy 3 Gabriel Suiiier, and Ihr 1 Sliulee, a i a i i 1C inn.niillcicnl I mil I'll Mr.I I'lim Sci Ih.ll I mill tor Ihr i a i AndniHV i i ,11 a prrcr that nqhl luf ynu lull People who know shocks, go Gabriel. BENNINGTfN 3 2 A I VERMONT 802-442-8158 TIRE, Inc. OI'IN THimSDAY I A UNIIL I' MONTPELIER I The Vermont Industrial Development Authority has approved two separate loans to businesses that could create 40 additional jobs in the state. The Authority authorized $160,000 for Precision Manufacturing Inc. of Montreal and $20,000 for the Manchester Wood Co.

The Montreal-based company plans to build a plant in Winooski. Precision Manufacturing makes components for the telecommunications, aerospace and surgical equipment industries. Manchester Wood plans to use its loan for expansion of its plant in Manchester. Curriculum criticized CHESTER (UPI) --Members of the Green Mountain Union High School board here thought it would be a good idea to ask for the public's views about the school's curriculum. Now they're not so sure.

More than 50 angry persons, mostly conservatives, showed up at the public hearing Thursday night to complain the school is too liberal and permissive. Their targets included Yoga, Transcendental Meditation and the school's English, language and guidance departments. The weli-organized protesters handed out a packet of material to back their allegations, including a letter from nationally known conservative Phyllis Schafley. The crowded meeting got so heated at times that one woman broke down and cried and another fainted and had to be carried out on a stretcher. The school board promised to study the complaints.

Over in York Pooper seoopei's pass ALBANY (UPI) Snickering state senators Thursday gave final approval to a bill requiring New York City and Buffalo dogwalkers to carry "pooper scoopers" to clean up after their pets. "At times it seems like New York City has become one large open toilet of canine waste," Sen. Fianz Leichter, D- Manlittan, told the Senate Thursday while the measure was being considered. "It's gotten so you have to zig-zag your way aown the sidewalk." Leichter, armed with a waist-high "pooper scooper," offered to demonstrate the ease of using the tool, but was ruled out of order, amid hoots and calls from his colleagues to "bring on the dogs." Down in Marionettes will perform LENOX The Robbins-Zust Family opens its summer series of marionette shows in the Berkshires Wednesday, July 6, at Holliston Theatre in Lenox ftlth "Hansei and Gretel." Every Wednesday through July and August at 11 a.m. and 1:30 pm.

the company will perform its children's plays with live music. Other plays will include: July 13, "Sleeping Beauty," July 20, "Three UUle Pigs," July 27, "Beauty and the Beast," Aug. 3, "Jack and the Beanstalk," Aug. 10. "Peter and the Wolf," Aug.

17. "The Emperor's New and Aug. 24, the premiere of "Androcles and the IJon." Industrial plans scrapped NORTH ADAMS Mayor Joseph R. Bianco conceded Thursday "it is safe to lie will discard plans for an industrial park on Protection Avenue rather Uian on a site next to Harriman All-port. His decision will be Influenced, he said, by the estimated cost of restoring the rear building of Hooouck Community Resources Windsor Mill.

The mayor was expected to make a final decision today after meeting with John W. Bond, Hoosuck's director of finance, and consultants to the non-profit organization..