The Newsletter
Here's what we can print: on the Thursday after the Fourth of July, 2027, an original film about Vermont's outlaw beginnings premieres in Waitsfield — 250 years, nearly to the day, after Vermont declared itself a free and independent republic.
Here's what we can't print: the guest list, the giveaways, or most of what happens after the lights go down.
Subscribers hear everything first — every name unsealed, every prize revealed, the first frames of the film.
You're in. Speak of this to everyone.
No spam. Just secrets — roughly monthly, then weekly as July 8th closes in.
Every dollar makes the movie bigger
In 1777, Vermont declared independence with no permission and no budget. We have slightly more of both. The film literally grows with the fund — and every milestone we hit unseals a secret: a guest name, a giveaway, a piece of the program.
Tier One
Big Things At Big Pic
The night happens, and it's a proper one. A 15-minute film premieres at the Big Picture. Live music, art on the walls, a special guest speaker at the podium — and some surprisesurprise, which is already locked in.
Tier Two
00,000
The film grows to 45 minutes — room for the outlaws, the uprisings, and the radicals the textbooks skipped. Full research behind every frame, and a campaign loud enough to pack every seat in the Valley.
Tier Three
50,00050,000
A full feature film. A companion book in the Take Me Back tradition. A float rolling in Warren's Fourth of July parade. The whole Valley in on it.
The Guest List
We can't tell you who's coming. We can tell you this: Vermont has a way of producing people you've heard of, and several of them have already said yes.
Names are unsealed one at a time, to subscribers first, as the fund grows. That's not a marketing trick. Okay — it's partly a marketing trick. It's also true.
The Giveaways
There will be giveaways on the night of July 8th. Signed things. Rare things. Homegrown things. One thing we can only legally describe as "large."
What are they? Subscribers find out first. Winners find out best.
Who's behind this
Take Me Back Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with one mission: raise awareness about — and money for — the history of the Mad River Valley.
We led the fundraising that put a new roof on General Benjamin Wait's house. We published Take Me Back: An Anecdotal History of the Mad River Valley — three volumes, each one sold out. The Take Me Back column runs in the Valley press with no end in sight.
The 250th is the biggest thing we've ever attempted. That's the point.
Donate
Every gift makes the movie longer, the night bigger, and the secrets fewer. Take Me Back Inc. is a 501(c)(3) — your donation is tax-deductible.
Give once
Join The 1777 Club — 7.77/month
Monthly between now and the premiere puts your name on the founders' wall at the event.
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Premiere seats
Seats at the July 8th, 2027 premiere are limited by the walls of the Big Picture. These tiers hold yours.
$5,000
Your name in the credits. VIP section seating. Swag. And first pick of whatever it is we're giving away.
,500,500
Premiere section seating. Swag. Our undying gratitude, in person.
,000
A seat in the room where it happens. Swag. Bragging rights, permanent.
Prefer a check, a stock gift, or a conversation? Write us.
Volunteer
The 250th is being built by neighbors — the same way the Valley has always built things. We need:
Ushers, setup, teardown, and calm people for the door on July 8th, 2027.
Diggers and fact-checkers for the film's historical vignettes. Footnotes are our love language.
Posters in windows, articles shared, whispers spread. You'll know the secrets slightly early. Comes with the job.
If we hit our wildest dreams, somebody has to build a float for Warren's Fourth. It should probably be you.
Welcome to the conspiracy. We'll be in touch.
