Jaime Lee & the Poultney Bluegrass Society

By Amanda Johnson — Originally published in Issue #35 of the Poultney Journal (www.poultneyjournal.com)

It was a typical Tuesday evening at the Poultney Pub this past week. Waitresses rushed back and forth as people kept piling in the pub for dinner and a good show. A night for some light-hearted fun and bluegrass jams as people gathered and filled the entire pub.

The Poultney Bluegrass Society, an organization of folks that like to pick and sing, performed for a full house. The jams kicked off at 7 PM and kept going until 10 PM, reaching the ears of families, children, and bar goers just popping in for a drink and a bite to eat. The Poultney Bluegrass Society performs the same time every Tuesday.

Jaime Lee, co-president of the group, is a prominent member of the Poultney community. She has been involved with the Poultney Downtown Revitalization Committee since 2006 when she started as an intern after graduating from Green Mountain College. She has also been a member of Poultney’s Planning Commission and Development Review Board since 2006.

However, Lee does much more for the community than people often realize. She helped bring entertainment and charm to the Poultney Pub. According to Whitney VanBuren, owner of the Pub, it was a welcome addition to the pub’s atmosphere coming off the Covid pandemic.

“It really took waiting until those final restrictions were lifted.” VanBuren said. “I knew that was something people were going to be chomping at the bit for... was to have that music aspect back,”
According to Lee the group had been performing there since at least 2010, years before it would become the Poultney Pub.

“The jam started when it was Back to Vermont Pub. There was a transition to Tap’s Tavern,” she said.
One of the members, Adam Stevenson, has two sons, Micah and Zenon, who joined when they were just 12 and 15 years old.

“So, one other member is a Green Mountain graduate, like myself. That is Adam Stevenson, and he brings his boys, who have been coming for four and a half years,” she explained.
She said they have also formed their own group, performing their own gigs at the Poultney Pub.

“I’ve got to say they’re the most talented group in the bunch,” she said with pride. “They formed their own family band. So, they’re The Bird Mountain String Band.”

They were set to play the pub that same week on Friday.

Although Lee said she did not have extensive family background in music, she said, jokingly, that her dad likes to think of himself as the singer of the family. She also said her brother is exceptional at the electric guitar.
Lee said she enjoys hiking and being out in nature aside from jamming, but her ultimate passion is helping the Poultney community, which she says has a lot to do with a couple individuals who helped her during her interning days.

“I do have a vision. I feel like I have Jonas Rosenthal and another historic preservation guy who passed away, Paul Brun yelling at me from beyond the grave to do something,” she said with a smile. “So, I’m doing something.”

Although she is heavily involved in her duties to the community, she wants to be known for her part in the Poultney Bluegrass Society.

“I’m involved deeply in a lot of ways, but I’m kind of glad to spotlight this. I love it. I think the community loves it. And I would like to be known for this,” she said.