The five candidates for the Caledonia-Essex House seats participated in a moderated debate following a potluck at the Kirby Town Hall on Oct. 15. The debate was moderated by Dana Gray of the Caledonian Record. Photo by Juliette Dutton

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship

🎧 This story was produced for the ear. We recommend listening to the audio. We’ve also provided a written version below.

KIRBY — A potluck and a debate. That’s how Kirby, a small town in the Northeast Kingdom, got ready for Election Day.

Kirby has 575 residents, according to the 2020 census. Dozens of them gathered Oct. 15 at the Kirby Town Hall to eat meatballs and casseroles, and hear from all five candidates vying for two seats in the Vermont House from the Caledonia-Essex district.

Democrats Amanda Cochrane and Heather Whitemore Young are running, along with independent Brandolyn Bradley and two Republicans: Rep. Deborah “Debbie” Cordz Dolgin, who is seeking reelection, and her husband, Steven Dolgin.

Kirby covers about 24 square miles in Caledonia County. It doesn’t have a village center, and residents live far apart.

“Our town has no school, no church, no Quik Stop, pretty much nothing to hold us together,” said John McClaughry, a former state legislator who has moderated Kirby’s Town Meeting since 1967.

But lately, neighbors have been creating spaces to connect.

Kirby residents gathered for a potluck followed by a moderated House candidate debate on Oct. 15 at the Kirby Town Hall. Photo by Juliette Dutton

It started over the summer, when resident Tracy Sherbrook helped organize a townwide party for the nation’s 250th anniversary in July.

“We had an RSVP of about 78 people. 180 people came,” Sherbrook said. “So we realized there was a real need for more community events that brought people together.”

Sherbrook and a few neighbors started a series they call Potluck Plus. Each event is a shared meal plus an activity. She and resident Alex Donn organized the debate night, which was moderated by Dana Gray of the Caledonian Record.

A sign directing residents to the potluck and debate event at the Kirby Town Hall on Oct. 15. Photo by Juliette Dutton

“A debate and a potluck just kind of galvanizes people,” said resident Melanie Finn. “This is such a spread out community— you can see people on the road, you give them the two-finger wave off the steering wheel, but I think it’s really nice for people to come together, particularly for something like this.”

Resident Thomas De Carlo said events like this one are important for a healthy democracy.

“We’re in a very politicized time where people, you know, they put on their party face,” he said. “And this kind of relaxes people, and makes it more of a community event. And that’s the whole point of what we should be doing: talking, and sharing views, and seeing how the other people think.”

The Kirby Town Hall at dusk on Oct. 15. Photo by Juliette Dutton

Resident Nelia Rath brought her daughter to the event. She said nothing brings people together like food.

“Sharing, breaking bread together, you know, it’s biblical,” Rath said. “People have done that since the beginning of time. And of course, engaging in civic debate is really important, and being able to model that for my fifth grader is really important.”

At the debate, candidates discussed housing, tax rates, and affordability for families. Attendees said they don’t know whether the event will have an effect on the election, but they do hope this Potluck Plus will be the first of many.

The next one, a potluck and land-use presentation, is scheduled for Nov. 12.