Author: Mr. E

City Spotlight: The Ralston Inn

Taking a small jaunt east from Ralston’s historical district, you may find yourself standing in front of the Ralston inn, established in 1999. For many years, Ralston was often overlooked by Vermont tourism, as many people travelling to the state had never heard of the island, and would rather stay in the cities of Burlington or Williston just on shore. Vermont locals occasionally journeyed to the island for day trips, but still often had to contend with the obstacle of driving a long way across the channel or catching the ferry at the right times. Starting in the 90s however, in an effort to bring more jobs to the island, the city council began an effort to advertise its tourist spots, leading to the Inn’s establishment a few years later. Nowadays, people originally looking for a day trip can simply stay for the weekend, and out of state tourists can situate themselves in the unique Ralston experience. The inn itself is a small, family-run place separate from big hotels like marriott or hyatt, run by the Shrader family. It’s a building designed with the warm, historical sensibilities of the Victorian style, but with modern amenities for contemporary comfort. “I think the biggest obstacle to making our inn was discussing with the council on how to minimize strain on the island’s resources and environment.” says Grant Shrader, current owner of the Ralston Inn. To minimize the impact, the parties agreed upon restrictions for water and electricity, as well as rationing in times of emergency. “Solar panels were a newer thing back then, but my wife convinced me that they would be a good investment in the long run,” Grant said as he pointed to the panels on the roof. “As always, she was right.” The place has been granted an overall rating of 4.5 stars by its patrons, with an emphasis on staff hospitality and food quality. Excursions to the docks and colonial homesteads are also launched daily from the parking lot, and guests at the Inn are granted discounts if they wish to partake. So if you’re ever in the need for a quaint getaway, head on over to the Ralston Inn!

A Legend of the Forest

There’s an old legend about the forestry of Ralston, and why the locals are so protective of the remaining forestry today. Back when settlers first started colonizing the land, they chopped down trees left and right to make room for the growing colony. However, as they chopped down more and more trees, strange accidents began occurring. Suddenly the loggers found numerous accidents and deaths caused by fallen trees, some of which were natural without even an axe nick on them! Not only that, but many of the buildings where the trees once stood found themselves overtaken by vines, wild grass, and other flora rapidly growing on them. Eventually because of all the accidents, the community of Ralston decided to stop cutting any deeper into the forests, finding that once they stopped, the accidents and flora growth dropped off soon after. Since then, the remaining forestry stayed untouched and preserved, with fear of greater consequences should the deforestation ever resume. 

Ferry Service

The new Ralston Ferry Service transports citizens and tourists alike to various destinations around the Lake Champlain area. The Ralston Ferry service has routes to Essex and Plattsburgh, New York. The Ferry Port in Ralston also allows easy transportation to Burlington after the Burlington Port stopped service. Building this ferry port in Ralston gives not only easier tourist access to the town for citizens of New York, but also allows New York and Vermont citizens another point of exchange.

Many acknowledged the economic benefit of not only having the Ferry’s income directly, but also the extra income that would come in for Ralston’s local businesses, as many arriving off the ferry may stop in a Ralston local restaurant for dinner or shop at one of Ralston’s stores before continuing on their way through to the Burlington mainland. However, not all are excited about the new Ferry port constructed in the town. Residents of the more rural west in Ralston worry about their road infrastructure and vehicle noise pollution due to the heavy traffic coming from the port.

Overall, the new Ralston Ferry Service seems to be an economic prosper for the community to those who welcome New York tourists, while others believe it causes unnecessary noise and damage to a community that was already thriving on its own.

What do you believe? Is Ralston’s Ferry Service a benefit or a deficit to the community?

Welcome home, Weathervane!

Ralston, Vermont is proud to welcome home The Weathervane for the last performance of their Chaos Dreaming 2025 tour. The Weathervane was founded under the name “VoltStorm” by our very own Ben Strom and Alex “Sparky” Blitz. This performance is organized with the help of the City Council and local firefighters, Raymond and Wyatt Blitz, the family of the band’s frontrunner.

The town is beyond grateful that The Weathervane has chosen to bring their first tour full circle back into their hometown, and we are pleased to invite their bandmates, Edie and Mars Belafonte, formerly of Twinlepathy, into our quiet Vermont town. This concert is a lovely opportunity to raise money for the town and the future of these young artists, as well as draw more visitors and tourism opportunities to our economy.

Break a leg, Alex and Ben! Ralston sends their love.

Bocce Ball Court

The Ralston Bocce Ball court has been a great success in the Ward 3 community. As spring has just begun, people are looking for accessible outdoor activities, and thankfully the bocce ball courts were completed recently. The Ralston community has experienced some difficulties dealing with unruly citizens, but it seems that bocce ball has been the cure to the pent up energy. We have witnessed dozens of games being played, and almost all citizens who have played has expressed that they would most definitely be playing again. From toddlers to the elderly, the game is for everyone, and it is easy to learn, hard to master. Bocce ball leagues and tournaments are already in the works, and discussions of building more courts nearby have started. The bocce ball court is serving the community by bringing its members together for a fun recreational game, and building the court was relatively inexpensive (as far as recreational activities go). Ralston looks forward to its future, and bocce ball will most certainly be a part of it.

Town Jail

The Ralston town jail has become a necessary part of the island. The Jail is located on the east side, far from the populated area. The jail in recent years has held tourists who stepped out of line. Many of these tourists got too drunk on the local alcohol. The jail consists of 30 rooms that can hold 2 people each, bringing the count to a maximum population of 60 if need be, though it has never hit that number. The current warden of the jail believes that inmates should not be punished too hard. Because of this belief, the jail has more in common with the jails in Sweden than with the rest of the United States of America. The jail has a 9-star rating with many inmates wishing they could return compared to the Burlington jail. Currently, with the local murder on the streets, this is the place that he or she will end up spending the rest of their life.

Personally, I cannot think of a better place to live out your life sentence.

Professional Ultimate Frisbee Team

The Green Monsters are a professional ultimate frisbee team based in Ralston, Vermont. They play in the Eastern Frisbee League, a coalition of the titular sport that consists of teams from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Maine, Rhode Island, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Of the thirteen teams in the league, the Green Monsters have the most yearly championships with seven.

For the longest time, Ralston didn’t have any professional sports teams. However, a ten-question survey asked Ralston residents which type of sports franchise would be the most likely to call the island city its home. An ultimate frisbee team won the poll, beating out ideas such as a roller derby squad and minor league soccer teams, which led to the establishment of the Eastern Frisbee Collision in the first place, the Green Monsters being the first of the Original Six teams. The team gets its name from a combination of its “Green Island” nickname and the legend of the monster that occupies the waters of the surrounding Lake Champlain.

The Green Monsters play at the Ralston Country Club field, located in ward 1 of the island. Their shirt and shorts uniforms are mostly green with orange, light blue, and white stripes scattered throughout. Their mascot is the Green Monster himself, Rallo. Many Ralston residents consider their ultimate frisbee team to be one of the most unifying parts of the island and love packing the country club to cheer for them every single game.

Ralston Public Dock

The Ralston Public Dock is located along the northern coastline of the island, in Ward 3. It is a wooden dock, maintained by a singular carpenter contracted by the local government to watch over it. The dock has enough space for a half dozen canoes and kayaks. This equipment is free to rent, if you’re willing to go through a small amount of training by the carpenter who takes care of the place.

Ralph Isherman is the sole custodian of the dock. In a new initiative by the government to try and create public works and attract more people to the island, he was hired to build and maintain this dock. He was also given a small parcel of land to build a house upon, and he receives a monthly government stipend to both maintain his property and the dock. He has built a small shack where you can find him most days. He does a lot of moving work pro-bono, so he can also be found helping people move or set up for public events. If he’s not anywhere on the island, he’s probably on the lake, fishing. Nearly inseparable from his side is his dog, Balthazar.

He makes pretty tasty fish dishes, so if you ever end up having dinner at his shack, you’re in for a treat.

The ‘Hideout’

The ‘Hideout’ as referred to by the senior class of Ralston Highschool is a collection of treehouses found in the woods of Ward 2. It is unknown just how long these treehouses have been around but it is passed down from Graduating Senior class to Rising Senior class every summer. Due to this, the Hideout has become a living part of the history of Ralston as students leave their mark on the space: some with words or initials etched into the wood of the treehouse, others draw on the interior walls, and more leave small things behind (a battery powered lamp for late nights, a really comfortable bean bag chair Jerry always sleeps on, a bookcase where yearbooks are often placed by the departing class). This area is seen as sacred to the students of Ralston as it is a relic passed down through generations. Some of the graduated students that still live in the city help current students with the Hideout’s upkeep, as well as keeping an eye on it to make sure no one disrespects the space. It is not uncommon that only a small group in the senior class actually know where the treehouses are in order to keep them well maintained, though it is a trend that has only begun in recent years after a Senior in 2020 tried to light the treehouses on fire out of pure boredom. Thankfully only one of the houses suffered damage and it was only to a ramp leading up inside and was quickly replaced.  

The Hideout is a spot most people in town remember fondly from their senior year, a small hideaway amidst all the stress and pressure about graduating and going to college. The parents of rising seniors are happy that their child has somewhere safe to go when they need a break instead of ending up in the worse parts of town.