Tropical Storm Irene

When Irene spoke to the mountains
They flooded to the seas
Along with the flood waters
Went my sweet Jean Marie
Irene, Irene, you scrubbed our state clean
Irene, Irene, where is Jean Marie?

I saw the houses and the trees
Fall into the stream
Our bridges and our roads are gone
And so is Jean Marie
Irene, Irene, you scrubbed our state clean
Irene, Irene, where is Jean Marie?


This is the beginning of an epic ballad about Tropical Storm Irene that I began last month when I decided that in the "olden days" there would be many songs sung and tales told about Irene and what she did to Vermont. (Naturally, Jean Marie is a fictional construct to represent personal loss and statewide confusion.)

It turns out that the Connecticut River Watershed Council felt the same way--they put together a song contest called Goodnight Irene that will be performed today (August 28, 2012), on the anniversary of the storm. The show is in Deerfield, MA. Check it out if you're in the area!

Here's some dramatic video footage of what happened in our town one year ago: