Tis the season, and no one knows this better than the Upper Valley non-profits that are now gearing up to help adults and children in need. Ten years ago, for example, Quechee resident Lisa Lacasse started the Quechee Elves program to benefit the Hartford-Norwich Holiday Basket (HNHBP) program that began in 1983. Through their efforts, children are sponsored and supplied with clothing and toys to make their holiday a bit more special.

“I grew up in Hanover and was a volunteer with the program for many years,” said Lacasse. “In fact, we started a year or two after the HNHBP began.… Read More

By now, you’ve heard, seen, or followed them – those heavy trucks with plows down to pavement, salt granules dispensed from the back, travelling back and forth over area roads during snow, sleet, and icing events. At times you may find them irritating, delaying your progress. Other times, the heavy plows scraping over pavement may waken you from a sound sleep. Despite these inconveniences, one thing is for sure – without them and the drivers that operate them, travel for several months of the year would be at a near standstill. The men and women that drive, maintain, and coordinate the work those trucks perform are vital to the lives and economy of our area in wintertime.… Read More

It is 4:30 in the morning and Quechee photographer, Lisa Lacasse, is out the door looking for the perfect shot. “It’s hard to explain why I get up so early and head into the dark, but I love being in nature and my camera takes me places I might not otherwise go, plus the light is just so fabulous in the early morning.” Whether it’s a simple sunrise, kayaking out on her favorite pond to find a mother loon and her babies, exploring the back roads of Vermont or the coast of Maine, or just stepping out into her backyard, Lisa’s off on an adventure looking to capture an image that will resonate with others.… Read More

We live in the age of Covid-19. Years from now, people might well harken back to the Covid Era: “Where were you during the pandemic of 2020?” they may ask. Unless the disease has claimed a member of our family, in a decade or more most of us won’t have a distinct memory of any specific event. Not so for John Grondin, a genuine Quechee kid who has fought the pandemic on two fronts.

Grondin’s parents, Emile and Ruth, moved their large family (John is the 8th of 9 children) from a small town in Connecticut to Quechee where Emile worked in management for the QLLA complex.… Read More

Quechee resident Terry Dorman was undoubtedly an environmental steward before he knew it. When he was a young boy of perhaps nine or ten, for example, he often grabbed his fishing rod and left his Massachusetts home along with his dog to walk a mile through the woods to Four Mile Pond, spring fed and about 100 feet deep in the middle.

This would be the beginning of his long devotion to and protection of the natural environment that he came to love. Even when he was three years old, he followed his father into the woods and, after getting lost, waited for him sitting on a stump.… Read More

Picture, if you will, an upscale four-season resort community in the gently rolling hills of eastern Vermont. It is August, and life here typically hustles and bustles through summer months, but this year ’tis even more so: outdoor facility uses are at or near all-time highs. The 1300-plus members and their families are keeping the golf courses and swimming pool as busy as ever. Youth tennis and golf programs have waiting lists. Demand is so great that members make reservations to use the pool. That is the 2020 edition of life at Quechee Lakes.

Pandemic? Schmandemic!

Into this pristine setting now strides a new general manager brimming with enthusiasm, thrilled to be part of what is already a certifiably good thing, excited to be in a rural, four-season environment, and optimistic about what the future holds for his new domain.… Read More

Whether you’re visiting the area this fall, just moved here, or are an established resident, exploring the region’s historical features is high on many to-do lists. How about considering staying close to home, and exploring what’s in our own backyard? Along with the beautiful drives, the hiking, biking and shopping the Quechee area offers, are several historical points of interest to enjoy. Here are just a few to pique your interest.

Billings Farm & Woodstock

Farming was always, and remains, an important element in the Upper Valley.… Read More

He’s the guy who plays the guitar on his front porch; the one who passers-by wave and honk at; and the yellow house owner who calls his porch sessions “traffic jams” because sometimes people stop, roll down their car windows and listen for a while before giving him the thumbs up and moving on.

He’s Dave Clark, and he’s proudly been a resident of this picturesque Vermont village for 22 years. “Located on the corner of Quechee Main Street at the cemetery, pretty much everyone in town knows us,” said Dave of his wife, Helen, and him.… Read More

The Upper Valley Humane Society is dedicated to pets and people in our community and has maintained its status as an essential service with a team actively working during the Pandemic.

Despite lost revenue from adoptions, spay/neuter clinics, and a nationwide drop in donations, UVHS is continuing to serve critical functions for the Upper Valley, providing exemplary veterinary care for shelter animals, and assisting people and animals in crisis.

UVHS responded rapidly to Covid-19 by reducing shelter animal population through foster care, canceling events, pausing adoptions to protect staff, and delivering thousands of pounds of free pet food to social-service agencies across the region.… Read More

Sheltering-in-place and the consequences of Covid-19 impacted people in dramatically different ways. Without minimizing how devastating the pandemic was (and still is) to millions of people around the world, as with every major life event, silver linings are there for those who look for them. Some people just hunkered down and perhaps welcomed the slower pace; others found themselves going bonkers trying to homeschool their kids while working full-time from home with no social outlets. Regardless of where one found themselves along the sanity spectrum, how some people responded to counter the negative impact in their lives is evident among the stories and submissions to follow.… Read More