Read more: How to avoid being an annoying tourist.

In an article by the BBC, it’s reported the enthusiastic tourists were – at first – met with a warm welcome by Pomfret residents, but as more and more visitors caused disruptions to the small, 900-person community, locals have since called for a ban to save their peaceful town.

The BBC described Pomfret as a “quiet, unassuming place” with “a mere handful of businesses”.

However, this all changes when the new season comes into play, bringing with it hordes of out-of-towners and their cameras.

While the bijou town has been catering to tourists for years, the BBC publication states that its popularity increased two-fold after the images of a 115-acre private property renowned as the Sleepy Hollow Farm went viral on social media a few years back.

The photos show the red, orange and brown foliage decorating the elegant 1700s Cape Farmhouse on Cloudland Road. Since its viral moment, the scene of the farm and road has been dubbed one of the “most photographed places in the state”.

Residents pinpoint this spike in social media presence as the start of the seasonal influx of visitors, telling the BBC “things have gotten out of hand”.

Every autuml, residents report the number of visitors increases. These crowds, despite their excitement and adoration for Pomfret, seemingly bring more hassle than happiness to the community, with reports of multiple incidents where tourists have brought chaos to the town, such as traffic problems.

The BBC notes that come early autumn, cars are witnessed “coming to abrupt stops on a road with a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit, blocking one of two lanes.”

Pomfret Artistree Community Arts Centre exhibits co-ordinator Deborah Goodwin also shared her disappointment with the BBC, saying “It’s a beautiful spot. It’s too bad it’s been ruined for everybody.”

Goodwin recalls the past couple of years being out of control as tour buses “dump” people in the town. Worse, Goodwin told the BBC there have been multiple incidents where social media influencers have climbed over property boundaries with “no trespassing” signs, set up changing booths, got cars stranded in the road, and left bodily waste by the roadside.

To combat the budding issues of overtourism, a team of organisers set up a GoFundMe petition to call for government action. “[We have] experienced an unprecedented surge in Instagram and TikTok-fuelled tourist ‘influencers’ … [who] have damaged roads, had accidents, required towing out of ditches, trampled gardens, defecated on private property … and verbally assaulted residents.”

According to the BBC, the petition raised US$22,093 ($35,641) and because of the support, the local government decided to close the roads leading to the iconic farm for tourists during the peak of the autumn season (September 25 to October 16, 2024). This limits travellers’ opportunity to capture the perfect photo and better ensures the safety of locals and tourists alike.

Despite their pushback, the BBC reports the locals insist they are not “anti-tourist”. Instead, they are simply asking visitors to “treat their hometown with respect”.

Mosquitos are definitely a bane of summer life in Vermont, but rarely like this.

Recent discoveries of the potentially fatal mosquito-borne illness Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) have prompted the cancelation or rescheduling of several events in Burlington. The center of the region’s public-gathering activities, Vermont’s largest city is one of the areas of highest risk for EEE, according to the Vermont Department of Health.

That has led the Health Department to “strongly recommend” that people in communities of elevated risk limit outdoor exposure between prime mosquito times of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until the first hard frost that kills mosquitos arrives. Five high-risk communities – Burlington, Colchester, Alburgh, Swanton and Sudbury – have been identified by the Health Department.

Cancelations or rescheduling of events in Burlington include:

Oktoberfest Vermont

Perhaps the largest event affected by EEE, Oktoberfest Vermont would have taken place Sept. 20-21 at Waterfront Park. More than 30 breweries and cideries – including Chittenden County businesses Zero Gravity, Switchback, Burlington Beer, American Flatbread, Citizen Cider, Four Quarters, Black Flannel, Goodwater and Green Empire – were due to participate in the event that often sells out.

“While the eventual outcome of this virus’ impact and the general response from the public is not our judgment call to make, the significant costs associated with organizing this event prevent us from delaying this decision any further to find out,” reads a statement from Oktoberfest Vermont posted Sept. 3 to social media. “Please know that this decision was not made lightly and we share your disappointment.”

The decision was based on “strong recommendations” from the Vermont Department of Health and City of Burlington, according to the post. Full refunds for those who already bought tickets for Oktoberfest Vermont were due by Sept. 4.

Summervale

The annual music-and-food event held during the summer at the Intervale along the Winooski River canceled its Aug. 29 and Sept. 5 events “for the safety of our staff and our community,” according to Summervale’s website. This year’s weekly celebration began July 11 before its abrupt end.

Burlington City Arts concerts

The annual concert series presented by Burlington City Arts has been disrupted by EEE. Daytime events remain in City Hall Park, but evening performances are being moved indoors to locations including Contois Auditorium inside Burlington City Hall. The Aug. 30 performance by The Discussions was canceled because of the short notice of the EEE recommendations.

Movies at The Frame

The Frame along the Lake Champlain waterfront has been hosting movies at 8 p.m. Thursday nights this summer. A screening of “Barbie” that had been scheduled for Sept. 5 at the former Moran Plant site has been canceled because of the threat of EEE.

EEE cases in Vermont

According to the Vermont Department of Health website, 47 groups of mosquitos tested positive for the EEE virus across 11 communities, compared with 14 groups in three towns in 2023. The first Vermont case of EEE in humans since 2012 was detected in Chittenden County in August.

“EEE virus activity in Vermont clusters near acidic, hardwood swamps, most commonly in Franklin, Grand Isle, Addison, and northern Rutland counties,” according to the state Health Department. “However, EEE virus could be circulating in other parts of the state, so all Vermonters should take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.”

Communities listed by the Vermont Department of Health as having moderate risk for EEE are Milton, Vergennes, Grand Isle, Cornwall and Whiting. The towns of Highgate, Fairfield, Benson, Brandon, Leicester and New Haven have a low risk for EEE, according to the Health Department.

“Most people who do get sick (from EEE) experience a flu-like illness with fever, chills, body aches, and joint pain,” according to the Vermont Department of Health. “This illness can last one to two weeks, and most people recover completely when there is no central nervous system involvement.”

In rare cases, according to the state Department of Health, infection of the brain and spinal cord results, causing sudden high fever, a stiff next and a worsening headache.

“About one-third of people who develop encephalitis from an infection with the EEE virus will die,” the Health Department’s website reads. “Among those who survive, many are left with mild to severe disabilities.” People over age 50 or younger than 15 are at greatest risk for developing severe disease, according to the Health Department.

Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.

Vermont’s new public retirement program, called Vermont Saves, may launch before 2024 ends.

The program wasn’t supposed to open until next July.

Currently, 88,000 Vermonters lack retirement plan access through employers. This new program will require all Vermont businesses that don’t offer plans to sign up, giving employees access to a Roth IRA.

State leaders in Colorado, Maine, and Delaware have either already launched or are currently launching similar programs. State Treasurer Mike Pieciak told us that Vermont is following in their footsteps sooner than anticipated. Back in April, Pieciak announced a partnership between Colorado and Vermont to help initiate the program.

The team believes that any Vermont business could sign up as soon as the program launches. Their original plan had businesses sign up in waves over an 18-month period.

Pieciak believes that getting Vermont Saves off the ground, potentially 7-8 months sooner than planned, may give Vermonters more time to add their accounts and build interest.

“Sooner is always better, period, but particularly here where you’re talking about retirement savings. We want people to start saving for their retirement, and the earlier that you do that, the more you’re going to earn in your retirement account. So there really is a value here for individuals to be able to start earlier,” said Pieciak.

There will be events across Vermont before the program fully launches. Once it goes live, there will be a 3-6 week period for businesses to sign on.

Vermont Saves will be required for businesses that currently don’t offer employees retirement plans or benefits. It won’t cost employers any money, and workers can decide to opt out.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC22 & FOX44.