All Contributions 1 – Page 2 – Ralston, Vermont's "Green Island" City

Ralston Yarn & Tea

Source: Churchmouse Yarns & Teas (2025) – All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Ralston Yarn & Tea, established in 1959, has served as a community space for Ralston’s adult residents since its inception. Historically, it has been used as a meeting place for some of Ralston’s most influential women as well as a center for community discussion outside of more formal halls.

At Ralston Yarn & Tea, customers can buy from a selection of yarns, teas, and fiber-working supplies, as well as kits and patterns developed by the store and its partners. As Ralston has long been known for mosaic crochet in the fiber arts world, the current owner of Ralston Yarn & Tea, Samantha Cleary, has made strides toward developing and distributing mosaic crochet patterns for community members. All staff members have been trained to guide customers and visitors through any snags in their personal projects.

In recent years, Cleary has also reached out to local schools with the hope of introducing more of Ralston’s youth population to the environment of her store, which has always valued learning as much as the products on its shelves. As a result, she has observed different generations interacting to a degree typically unseen in the public sphere. In the summer, she hopes to open workshop sessions that will further appeal to school-aged visitors.

Tito Wilson — Catch Him if You Can!

Tito Wilson, a local fishing legend from Ward 1, is a retired senior citizen who likes to spend his time fishing at the fishing pier. He wakes up early in the morning to go fishing and if you are one of the first few people to have a conversation with him he will give you a fish he caught. This tradition has turned into a game in the Ralston fishing community: a friendly competition to see who can get to Mr. Wilson first. He has picked up on this game and purposefully changes the time he goes to the pier to make it more of a challenge. Mr. Wilson’s conversations often contain lots of wisdom and life stories, especially about his service in Vietnam. He is very accepting of people and is willing to teach anyone how to fish, as he believes it’s the most relaxing and rewarding hobby someone can have. Mr. Wilson almost always participates in the local fishing contests, and his dominance in the contests has led to fellow Vermont fishers to travel to Ralston to test their mettle

Vote for Treasurer!

The government of Ralston is holding a vote for the city’s new treasurer. It has been too long since the interim mayor, Erik Esckilsen, has been subjected to an audit, as well as the city. A vote will be held next month on the first Tuesday. Currently, one resident is running unopposed. If you believe someone else is better for the job, please write them in. The position of Treasurer is required to perform a yearly audit of the Ralston government officials, as well as hold a monthly meeting to discuss what residents would like to see happen with their tax dollars. The treasurer is also subject to yearly audits from an outside auditing company to reduce the amount of fraud that can potentially occur. The office of the treasurer is also responsible for keeping up to date with their cash flow statements and must provide any statements whenever a resident requests them

Storytelling Festival

The Ralston Storytelling Festival serves as a gathering for residents of all ages to listen, share, and participate in storytelling of all kinds. The festival has story contests, exhibitions of the city’s artifacts, and booths where aspiring authors and storytellers can make their stories known. This initiative is not only a place for entertainment, but education and community pride. This festival serves as a celebration of Ralston’s past, and exploration of its future.

This festival is hosted in the Ralston Amphitheater, on the third weekend of June every year, and is a celebration of stories meant for everyone.

City Day Camp

Summer Day Camp: City Hall is proud to announce their partnership with Ralston Elementary School to bring the children of Ralston a brand new day camp to attend during Summer vacation. It runs for the month of July, with. camp hours set between 9 AM and 1 PM, and is going to be held at Ralston Elementary School.

During the day, kids will rotate through different activities like arts and crafts, playing games in the gym, time on the playground or baseball diamond, and a surprise “special” activity that changes each day. Certain days of the week will also be dedicated to field trips to places such as ECHO in neighboring Burlington. Sign ups are done at City Hall and are now open to Ralston citizens only, but will open to non-citizens at a later date.

Ralston Innovation Hub

The Ralston Innovation Hub serves as a dynamic space dedicated to supporting local businesses and startups. It’s a central point for entrepreneurs, creatives, and business owners to access the resources, mentorship, and networks needed to launch and grow their businesses. Located in Ward 2 of Ralston, the hub offers co-working spaces, meeting rooms, and event venues where individuals and teams can collaborate, brainstorm, and connect with others in the local business community.

The Ralston Innovation Hub regularly hosts workshops, networking events, and mentorship programs to provide valuable knowledge and connections for both new and growing businesses, as well as the broader community. In addition to offering tools for business growth, the hub fosters a strong sense of community and collaboration, helping to drive innovation and entrepreneurship within Ralston. The hub creates an inclusive space that contributes to the overall economic development of the area, encouraging the growth of local businesses and startups.

Ralston City Central Market

Early last year, the construction of the Ralston City Central Market began. Although it cost a good deal of taxpayer money from all four wards, the extensive building operation has already attracted a large amount of local and non-local businesses to the area, providing revenue from both local and non local consumers, as well as the businesses themselves. The once split up town of Ralston has begun a shift towards a more centralized, understanding community, due to shared experiences in the new market.

Numerous Benefits:
● The market’s size and variety provides everything a Ralstonian would need, keeping money in town.
● The new large venue in the center of the market provides local artists, both visual and audio, a space to show off their Ralston pride.
● The market is at most a 20 minute walk from the far reaches of Ralston, providing easy access to anyone who wishes to use it.
● A large amount of property and sales taxes from the new buildings and their businesses has already begun to offset the initial cost, not to mention the community improvement this investment has generated.
● The local bi-weekly farmer’s markets held at the market are a wonderful opportunity for anyone in the area looking to promote their business or entertainment.
● Perhaps most importantly, all four wards are easily able to use the market, and the conjoined experiences, locations, events, and parks both created by and or around the market have raised the social capital in the area greatly.

Possible Downsides:
● The beer at the market is so good, that the amount of tourists and citizens causing disruption in the town has risen almost 35% since the installation of the central Ralston brewery, located right next to the open venue in the center of the market.

Mental Health Clinic

The Ralston Mental Health Clinic is dedicated to serving every member of the community, ensuring that the residents of Ralston can enjoy life to the fullest. The clinic provides a welcoming, safe, and judgement-free environment where everyone can feel included and supported. The Ralston Mental Health Clinic employs a number of licensed counselors, therapists, social workers, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists. Each professional employed by the clinic is provided with assistance to maintain self care and minimize vicarious trauma. With a history of volunteers and supporting communities, Ralston’s clinic works to help individuals with obstacles between them and mental health services. Mental health resources are incredibly beneficial and with easier access to them, the clinic has improved the lives of countless new patients. The Ralston Mental Health Clinic provides services such as individualized therapy, group therapy, substance abuse counseling, family counseling, couples therapy, psychiatric evaluations, and many more mental health services. The clinic approaches each client as a product of their environment and works to create goals and plans that will work for each individual. No matter what type of help you receive from the Ralston Mental Health Clinic, the staff will make sure you are heard and seen during your time as a patient with us. Whether you’re seeking help for depression, relationship challenges, substance abuse, or just need someone to talk to, the Ralston Mental Health Clinic staff is here to provide the best care for those in need

Biological Research Center

The Biological Research Center studies local wildlife and fauna to discover new information about them. The research center also runs tests on local water sources and marine wildlife populations to determine the health of the local ecosystem. The financial benefits of the institution are very significant as many grants and funds used to fund the research are subsequently dispensed into the Ralston economy by the employees. In addition to economic growth, the presence of the Biological Research Center in Ralston promotes environmental stewardship and community engagement. The data collected from research on wildlife, plant species, and water quality will be used to inform local conservation efforts, ensuring that the region’s natural resources are preserved for future generations. Educational programs, public lectures, and citizen science initiatives hosted by the center will encourage residents to participate in environmental monitoring and learn more about the unique ecosystems surrounding them. Collaborations with local schools and universities will provide hands-on learning opportunities and internships, fostering interest in biological sciences and creating a

Public Radio

I think that Ralston would benefit greatly from a local radio station a la KEXP crossed with WBUR. A local radio station would create a place for locals to create social connections over shared interests in the radio. Having a local place to broadcast news and music that is uniquely Ralstonian would create a more unified culture that would give Ralstoners something other than location that ties them together. Currently a Ward Oneian and a Ward Threeer have very little in common other than living on the same island. But as soon as they listen to the same music and same news there’s something new that is shared. Another great thing, more specifically about KEXP, is that it gives a platform for smaller groups in the same place that larger artists may have performed. The NPR side of the station could give voice to those that feel ignored by the larger population allowing for local feelings to have a solid place to be voiced. Someone from Ward Four might share the same opinion as someone from Ward Two, but they may never have known it until they were made aware of it in some way, and what better way than radio. All this come together to creating connections between people who may otherwise have never interacted in any meaningful way.