By Mike Noble
Only after I had moved to the Mad River Valley did it begin to dawn on me what a unique place this is. It’s partly the topography, but it’s really the unique set of people who have chosen to live here, enjoying The Valley’s recreation, business opportunities and social life.
I was introduced to a wide range of wonderful people, locals and transplants, who mostly shared one trait: living life out of the box in an area they passionately love.
And I heard stories. So many stories. Some heartwarming, some hilarious, and others wild and improbable, but true. All of them confirmed that the Mad River Valley is truly special.
Mary Kathleen Mehuron’s new book, “Take Me Back,” is a valentine to The Valley’s history since the ski slopes appeared. Stories of The Valley’s entrepreneurs, characters, residents, and visitors, famous and infamous, past and present, are thankfully recorded for posterity in book form.
The numerous photographs and illustrations of people and places many will recognize are reproduced on a heavy paper stock reminiscent of a coffee table book. This is a good thing, since the pages will be revisited over and over again.
The Warren Fourth of July parade, the Snuggery, the evolution of Sugarbush and Mad River Glen, the Bluetooth, Wood and Wood, The Warren Store – “Take Me Back” should be required reading for all newcomers.
You can open to any page, go forward or back -- it won’t matter. It’s all enjoyable -- kind of like ambling around in The Valley itself.
And this book is as local as it can get. Its source material, text, photographs, illustrations, design and funding were all provided locally. Production was largely done by volunteers.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will support Valley organizations and initiatives. Overseen by a new nonprofit -- Take Me Back -- it has a mission to, “create products that raise awareness of and money for organizations in the Mad River Valley that want to showcase our history.” The book launch is June 21, 2023m at Lawson’s Finest in Waitsfield, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Readers can buy the book by emailing
A special book for a special valley.
Noble lives in Warren.
