# @vermontforreal on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DEcpxIauBWE
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/79166026-vermontforreal-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/43ccff02e3.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-01-05T14:45:40.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Vermont For Real • Rebecca (@vermontforreal) — https://gondola.cc/vermontforreal

## Caption

Follow Vermont’s Trail of Stars to light up your darkest nights this winter ⭐️

Visitors to the Mad River Valley will immediately notice huge stars decorating almost every home and business. These symbols of love popped up 10 years ago during the Waitsfield Festival of Lights and grew into a full community activity. But you might be wondering… why are there so many displays with 5 stars? 

💚 The Valley stars took on a specific meaning in October 2016. While traveling home from a concert in Burlington, 5 MRV teens were tragically killed by a highway wrong-way driver. These children were aspiring artists and athletes whose lives were intertwined with so many in this tight community. 

💫 Within days, 5 massive stars lit up every inch of the MRV. They were all unique… some made from backyard branches and others constructed from milled lumber. Stars of all sizes lit up every hill. I was living in the Valley when this horrific event happened and watched the stars grow into a community symbol. The power of these stars has never been lost on me. 

💔 Every MRV community member was affected by this tragedy. These 5 teens were the children, siblings, friends, students, first loves, ski buddies, babysitters, tutors, camp counselors, and more for thousands of Valley neighbors. When you total up all the people in a small community who knew these 5 teens, the list is overwhelmingly long.

🦋 The holiday season is both joyous and painful. As we celebrate the successes of the past year and the start of a new one, it’s important we recognize the loss and grief many of us struggle with every day. We need to hold equal grace for our sadness as we do our happiness. 

⭐️ If you need a dose of hope this winter, come to the MRV and let the spirit of this community heal you. May we always feel the light from our 5 Stars: Mary, Eli, Liam, Cyrus, and Janie 💚

#vermont #vermontforreal #vermontbyvermonters #vermontlife #newengland #travelvermont #vemontwinter #winter #madrivervalley

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 841
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- **Comments:** 51

## Credits

No public credits are recorded here. This does not identify who made the post.

## Tags

vermontlife, vemontwinter, vermontbyvermonters, madrivervalley, newengland, vermont, winter, vermontforreal, travelvermont

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