The following column was first published on Feb. 27, 2011, when Skip Sturman, of Thetford, was a member of The Valley News Board of Contributors. He requested that it reprinted to serve as a timely reminder of the importance of keeping community ties that bind — then or now — be it local listservs or local news.

With the oldest meetinghouse in continuous operation in Vermont, Thetford has never lacked for places to meet and greet. Once there was the town dump. When that disappeared, along came the recycling center. And, of course, there have always been and continue to be community centers, houses of worship, fairs and school events, all of which encourage close encounters of various kinds.

Still, it wasn’t until the advent of the Thetford Listserv in 2004 that residents discovered the perfect, easily accessible place to cross paths, figuratively speaking, and to build community. More than 850 subscribers regularly use this email forum, representing about half the households in town.

For many years, I resisted the urge to join, since I wasn’t seeking any added reminders of my inability to keep up with electronic communications. Besides, I had heard that the listserv was a place where the fur often flies, and I had no desire to enter the fray in my (usually) tranquil town.

I didn’t know what I was missing!

Oh, to be sure, the fur does occasionally fly and feathers do, occasionally, get ruffled. Witness, for example, the spirited back-and-forth that took place after a rash of missing cats was reported in Thetford this past summer. While appropriate sympathies were expressed and likely culprits identified (fishers, coyotes, foxes), cat owners were also admonished to keep their pets indoors, for both their own safety and for the protection of songbirds.

On any given day, you can get almost anything you want on the listserv, including plenty of food for thought.

For those seeking enlightenment, town resident and self-proclaimed history czar Dan Grossman offers his informative 250th anniversary series, counting down to Thetford’s “semiquincentennial” in August.

Although some subscribers monitor the listserv to seek enlightenment, many more are just desperately seeking … well, anything and everything. Every day, newcomers and old-timers alike make their needs known for: stone cutters and tree cutters; parrot sitters; bales of hay to sit on; methods for dealing with rodents and methods for transporting chickens; a small cement mixer; or even a teacher of Swahili. In addition to plaintive pleas for the return of missing cats and missing Birkenstocks, residents use the listserv to find bubble wrap, canning jars and providers who deliver local turkeys.

Much as I find the daily give and take fascinating, what makes the Thetford listserv truly inspirational is how well it serves as a tie that binds the town together. For instance, not long ago, community members were reminded via the listserv that it takes a village … to save a store.

When the owners of the Thetford Center Village Store notified residents that the store might have to close for financial reasons, “concerned individuals” were invited to a gathering in the Thetford Center Community Center to help the owners “figure out changes that can be made to create the kind of store you want in your town.” People flocked to demonstrate their support and offer their input. Soon, in direct response to calls for healthy, locally produced food, the storeowners began to stock everything from grass- fed beef to Vermont cheeses and artisanal bread.

An equally enthusiastic response was generated when the Thetford Elementary School’s Open Spaces Committee put out an SOS over the listserv, calling for volunteers to help construct an ice rink. In short order, a small army of volunteers materialized on a cold December morning.

It would be misleading to leave the impression that the Thetford Listserv taps into an inexhaustible reservoir of good will and good intentions where seldom is heard a discouraging word. On the contrary, as with any collective entity, the listserv offers subscribers a perfect vehicle to vent, be it about the advisability of turning off streetlights to what to do about beavers wreaking havoc with town roads.

But the beauty of the listserv is that it also helps some residents understand the norms for civil discourse. In response to one /ad hominem/ attack, a gentle soul spoke for many when he wrote: “I think this list most useful when it helps to build relationships in our community” and then signed off, “In the spirit of community.”

As a keeper and promoter of values and relationships, the listserv helps perpetuate the vibrancy of Thetford, our own exceedingly vital community.