“It’s not an easy story,” says Hartford’s Parks and Recreation Director Tad Nunez. “If the grassroots people don’t get behind it, it could turn into a very ugly mess.” He’s talking about Dewey’s Pond, which needs help from the public if it is to revive and thrive. Help can range from persuading administrators and representatives to work on the issue to joining a milfoil-pulling party in the pond.

The pond is a former oxbow of the Ottauquechee River, just upstream from the Quechee Gorge. A 1940 photo shows the oxbow; “somewhere along the way,” says Nunez, the loop was dredged and the material used to form a dike between the river and what was now a pond.… Read More

“What did we have for snack today?” The teacher asks a group of kindergartners slowly gathering together. “PANCAKES!!!” is the unanimous, loud and long answer from the kids. The next question is a little more difficult “What kind of book is a cookbook?” teacher Erika Wetzel asks with fewer kids managing a response, their inflection evoking a question: “nonfiction?” This time it’s the teacher’s response that is loud and excited “YES!” while most of us adults are impressed and clap in response with the rest of the students joining in.

It sounds like we’re standing in a typical kindergarten classroom waiting for the kids to line up after snack or play time.… Read More

Margot and Gary Ott are a study in contrasts. They are well aware of this, and play up their different approaches to entertain family and friends. She’s chatty; he’s initially reserved. She likes travel and being outside; he likes crosswords and a good book. They share a strong commitment to God and family.

But beneath their different styles is a deep commitment and shared effort that—together with faith—have helped Gary and Margot build a marriage that recently passed its 45th year. The phrase “salt of the earth” comes to mind as they recount their lives: working in worthwhile positions; rearing three capable children, two girls and a boy; and engaging with the communities they’ve joined in retirement.… Read More

Ian Maccini may not have grown up in Quechee, but he certainly left his mark. He was a competitive ski racer on the Quechee Ski Team and put those skills to good use when he started coaching the Mountain Team in the winter of 2003-2004. Racers on the Mountain Team are the skiers who are ready to start racing but haven’t been taught how yet he explains.

While he grew up in Providence, RI, Maccini lived for skiing in Quechee. His parents, Bob and Kristen, own a condo on the top of the mountain. Even now, as Maccini finishes his sophomore year at Providence College, Quechee remains a town he loves, “Everyone is close by.… Read More