Binoculars needed? The sign in the distance announcing the U.S. border is barely visible to the left of the speed limit sign. This photo is taken from the boundary line.

By Matthew Farfan

The latest in a long line of unwitting border-crossers was nabbed and whisked away by the United States Border Patrol last week. The man in question, Yves Beaudry, was visiting the Haskell Opera House in Stanstead for the very first time, when he was picked up and detained in Derby Line, Vermont, for over two hours. Beaudry, a promoter from Montreal, was trying to determine whether the historic opera house, which straddles the Canada-U.S. border, would be a suitable venue for a week-long summer music festival.
Beaudry, who could not be reached for comment, inadvertently crossed into Vermont to park his car on the American side of the Haskell. According to Lynn Leimer, who manages the opera house, Beaudry drove up Church Street in Stanstead, and then turned onto Caswell Street, which is situated entirely in the U.S.
As per the wishes of residents and municipalities on both sides of the border, there are no gates or barriers on Church Street to prevent this sort of thing from happening. The reason for this is that the Haskell has traditionally been seen by the local communities as a symbol of cross-border friendship. The very idea of blocking off the street in front of the Haskell has been vigorously opposed by both Stanstead and Derby Line. The need to allow for the free passage across the border of fire trucks, responding to calls on one side of the line or the other, has also been a factor in the decision to keep the street open.

Read the whole story in today'srecord.