As told to Jessie N. McEntee

My wife, Carol, and I met at a party before a football game at Cornell in 1962. I was a junior and she was a freshman. She came as the date of a friend of one of my fraternity brothers. I learned that she was engaged to a Swede who worked for her mother’s firm back in Rochester, New York. This piqued my interest. And, she was very pretty and feisty. 

“Could you hold my cigarettes? I don’t want to smoke anymore,” I said. I thought it was a great line, and she thought it was the dumbest thing she’d ever heard. A couple of weeks later, she needed a ride back home to Rochester, and I had a ‘48 Chrysler. She heard about my car and called me for a ride, but she didn’t remember me from the party. When I pulled up to her dorm to pick her up, she was shocked.  

We started dating, and I knew she was engaged to this Swede because all of her friends in her sorority had ratted her out. She’d say things like, “I have a friend who’s engaged to someone, but she likes this other guy better.” Of course, I was the other guy. For Parents Weekend in 1963, I told my father that she was the girl I was going to marry. We’d just started dating, and I had a girlfriend back home. My father was a man of few words, but he approved of her. We got pinned, which is more than going steady and short of being engaged, and then I asked her to get married in the late spring of 1964 when I was about to graduate. To my great shock, she said yes. I didn’t sleep that night because I realized I had done a momentous thing.  

I graduated from Cornell on a Tuesday and was commissioned in the Navy the next day. We got married on Saturday, and I went to sea the following Monday on the USS De Soto County, LST 1171 out of Norfolk, Virginia. I went on a big operation over to the Mediterranean, where I was gone from September to November. I spent two and a half years in the Navy while Carol finished her degree in education and graduated from Old Dominion University. I then went to law school at the University of Michigan, from which I graduated in 1969, while Carol taught elementary school. Simultaneous with my graduation, our daughter, Laura, was born. 

On a side note, for those of you who remember S & H green stamps, we arrived in Ann Arbor with many books of them, which I insisted on using to obtain a delicatessen bologna slicer. Carol pointed out bemusedly that we wouldn’t necessarily need to be slicing fifteen pounds of bologna at a time. We nevertheless carted this monstrosity from Ann Arbor to Rochester to Cleveland and finally Dallas, where the bologna slicer met its demise.  

I started practicing with a law firm in Rochester, NY now called Nixon, Peabody. I spent most of my two and a half years representing Kodak company in a massive lawsuit against Fotomat Corp. I left and joined the Jones Day law firm in Cleveland, Ohio. Our only other child, Justin, was born in Cleveland. I litigated a variety of anti-trust cases and other commercial litigation. I became a partner at Jones Day in 1977, and in 1982, the firm asked me to head up litigation in our new Dallas office. During this period, I spent most of my time representing Texas Instruments in patent/anti-trust litigation against Japanese and Korean silicone chip manufacturers. I also did work for Frito Lay. You could say I was the defender of chips.  

Having been successful in Dallas, the management of my firm in their wisdom sent me in 1988 to head the litigation section of our newly-opened Chicago office, where, on a more local note, I represented Victor Kiam in his server-year unsuccessful attempts to retain ownership of the Patriots. Carol was doing the hard but wonderful job of raising our children. We sent Laura off to Dartmouth and later Justin to Cornell. Meantime, at the behest of Texas Instruments, the firm sent me back to Dallas in 1994. 

Laura married Erik Bierwagen, who she met at Dartmouth, in 1992. They moved to Los Angeles and later the Bay Area. Justin married Jessie Noyes in 2003. 

We began looking for some place to escape the heat of Dallas in the summer, and we considered various locations including Cape Cod, Hilton Head, and Quechee, which we learned about from Laura, whose sorority had held a function at the Quechee Club. Laura and Erik were pleased at the idea of being close to Dartmouth, which they’d both loved, and we were pleased with Quechee, since we both played golf enthusiastically albeit ineptly.  

 We first came to Quechee in 2006, and we rented for a month and then extended our stay for six weeks. On the way out for our return to Dallas, we bought a condo on Coach Road. All of our five grandchildren have actively participated in golf and tennis lessons and enjoyed the beach at Lake Pinneo, the pool, and the camp programs. Also, Justin and Jessie and their kids have had the opportunity to use the ski facilities in winter, as they’re based in Connecticut. Like many others, whenever our family arrives at Quechee, we draw a sigh of relief, and all tension fades away.

The Quechee Hot Air Balloon Craft and Music Festival, the longest running hot air balloon festival in New England, will celebrate its 41st anniversary in 2021 when thousands are expected to flock to central Vermont, September 3 – 5, 2021 (Labor Day weekend).

Twenty balloonists will headline the event with five flights slated throughout the weekend and additional tethered rides during the day. Attendees can visit with 50 craft vendors, indulge in a variety of fare from 16 food vendors and sit back and enjoy dozens of entertainers for all ages, over the three-day extravaganza. Children’s activities include Bubble Machines, Rock Climbing wall, and more. A variety of festival favorites and new food offerings and a beer and wine garden are planned.

“After taking a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic we’re proud to celebrate the 41st anniversary of Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival which truly epitomizes what a community event stands for,” said P.J. Skehan, Executive Director of the Hartford Area Chamber, who hosts and manages the annual event. “Our sponsors, volunteers and the town come together and rally each year to make this a benchmark event. It truly epitomizes what we can achieve when our community comes together.”

Festivalgoers have much to choose from for the three-day event. They can start their day at sunrise and watch morning balloon list offs while indulging in breakfast pizza and coffee, spend the day enjoying stellar entertainment or visiting the various artisans and food vendors. During evening liftoff, you can grab dinner and sit hillside on the Quechee Green or consider waiting until dusk for the balloon-glow show.

Headlining this year’s three-day extravaganza of entertainers are A2VT (Friday) Dave Keller Band (Saturday) and The Tricksters (Sunday).

“The Quechee Balloon Festival is a great boost to our economy and local businesses,” added Skehan. “We are giving the thousands of locals and visitors who support the event many reasons to come to the festival and celebrate with us. This really is just a fun time for everyone.”

Hours for the Quechee Balloon Festival Hours are September 3-5, 2021 (Labor Day weekend), Friday 3–10pm, and on Saturday and Sunday 6am–10pm.

The Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the Quechee Balloon Festival and helps area businesses succeed with a mission to enhance the economic environment. Through networking, events, savings programs, and disseminating information HACC offers member businesses an advantage in the marketplace. HACC, in collaboration with the Army Corps of Engineers and the VT Department of Forests Parks and Recreation, also manages and staffs the Quechee Gorge Visitor center which is part of the 612-acre Quechee Gorge State Park that welcomes over 100,00 visitors yearly from all parts of the globe.

For more information, call 802-295-7900, visit www.hartfordvtchamber.com, or email info@hartfordvtchamber.com.

When two local companies partner to better our community, magical things can happen. JAG Productions, based in White River Junction is partnering with King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich. While a theater company and baking company seem an unlikely pair, together they are co-producing a beautiful series of performances, “Theatre on the Hill.”

“Theatre on the Hill” takes place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings between August 13 and September 12 on the grassy hill behind King Arthur Baking Company. Proceeded with food and drinks provided by Upper Valley favorites such as Munchie Rollz, Griddle and Groovy, and Wolf Tree, “Theatre on the Hill” is an outdoor theater series featuring an array of performances including workshop productions, concert musicals and staged readings. 

Jarvis Green, the producing Artistic Director of JAG spoke of his desire to give audiences “a hybrid of all the many ways in which we are thinking about producing theater.” 

JAG and King Arthur Baking Company first came together through JAG’s ambassador partnership program in which organizations or businesses interested in promoting marginalized voices and adopting anti-racist policies can find creative ways to partner with JAG and support their work. This particular program came about after about a year of building a relationship between the two companies and through Green’s desire to create in-person programming for the community before heading back into the theater in the fall. Luckily for all of us, this manifested in an outdoor theater experience not to be missed. 

So, what can we expect to see at this event? A little bit of everything. Starting off the series will be a workshop production of a play that was first featured as a staged reading at JAGFest 4.0. JAGFest is a yearly new works festival that invites up-and-coming Black playwrights from all over the country to stage their new pieces here in the Upper Valley. The play a curious thing; or superheroes k’aint fly by Jeremy O’Brian, a “90-minute queer romance exploring the universal question of parenthood in a world laden with danger,” was the hit of the 2019 festival. 

For the following two weekends, Green himself is directing a concert version of Next to Normal (Yorkey & Kitt), a Pulitzer-Prize and Tony-Award-winning musical that explores mental health and a family dealing with crises. “You’re going to get that sensation of artists connecting to a score and singing beautifully… but you’re also going to be rooted in truth and in reality.” Green speaks of the stigma surrounding mental health and how presenting these stories in a fashion that evokes empathy, such as musical theater, can help normalize dialogues around difficult subjects. “As someone who has family members and friends that have struggled with mental health, I think that’s the crux or foundation or root of why I wanted to do this piece.” 

Next up, Life in Sepia: Vermont’s Black Burlesque Revue, will take the stage. This piece builds a narrative around the history of Black burlesque in America through a variety of performers including our own local Golden Mystique. The revue will be “femmeceed” by duo Kia Warren and Liza Colby who will weave the story of American Black burlesque through eight performers, each taking on a decade in this historical burlesque journey. 

Closing the series will be a staged reading of For the Love of Jazz by playwright Raven Cassell, another JAGFest alumni. First performed as a radio play during JAG’s 2020 COVID-restricted festival, this “jazzical” follows the story of a young woman navigating life and love during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s. Green lauds Cassell’s work, “She’s written this really beautiful contemporary play that’s also rooted in classic American theater.”

With this partnership in mind, where do the intersection of baking and the performing arts lie? “Baking, it’s a collective experience,” said Green. “Baking allows for conversation and storytelling. When I grew up, I was always in the kitchen with my mom and my grandmother. I remember so vividly the stories they used to tell as they would bake. Baking just allows for folks to connect in a way that removes boundaries because of this shared experience. I hope that during the “Theatre on the Hill” series, people will shop at King Arthur and then while they’re making that meal, have an experience about the work and what they saw and have conversations with their families about some of the themes we engaged with them on during the series.”

Green is incredibly enthusiastic about this work and speaks of theater as he speaks of baking, focusing on its ability to connect people. “I want to lead with storytelling because that’s where we connect as human beings,” said Green. “How do we tap into your heart because that helps us be the change that we want to see? And I think that’s the power of theater.”

Also evident is his deep love of Vermont and of our community. “I love Vermont. I love the beauty of Vermont. I feel like [the Upper Valley] is a community full of vibrant, community-driven folks.” Green is looking forward to this series continuing JAG’s relationship with the community and bringing new faces into the mix who will want to become a part of making this theater happen and join in helping ensure this work becomes a part of our community for years to come. 

Green is also hoping that this is the first of much community-based collaboration. King Arthur Baking Company is not the only local group that has helped bring this project to life.

This is truly a community project that has involved collaboration from a number of well-known local businesses such as Northern Stage, the Center for Cartoon Studies, and an army of local volunteers. 

“I think this series is going to speak to the power of partnerships,” said Green. “We don’t have to live in isolation about how we’re supporting each other’s work. It doesn’t just have to be JAG doing this. It takes all of us. I think it will be kind of an entry point for people to lean in and say ‘yes, I like what you’re doing, how can I support?’ I feel like there can be some really cool partnerships and I hope that a big institution like King Arthur gives people more permission to lean in. I want to diversify what partnership looks like.” 

Overall, Green hopes that this series is “a reminder that you can have the beauty of gathering again and enjoying glorious theater that’s rooted in reminding us of what happened and where we need to go. This is an opportunity for hearts to mend and to come together.” 

What’s next from JAG? Green is optimistic to see an outdoor summer series return in the future, and this fall and winter, readers can catch more of JAG at Juke Joint, JAG’s annual fundraising dinner-theater cabaret in November and at JAGFest 6.0 in February 2022. 

In the meantime, pull up a picnic blanket, cushion, or any of the provided seating and come take in one or more of the wonderful performances this August and September at JAG and King Arthur Baking Company’s “Theatre on the Hill.” See you there!

Tickets are $25 and are available online at www.jagproductionsvt.com/theatre-on-a-hill. Local food and beverage will be offered beginning at 6:30pm and performances will begin at 8pm.  

Before the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, most families made their living by a small-scale, decentralized manufacturing business often operated out of their homes. By far, the most important “cottage industry” – as it would eventually be called – centered on the production of yarn and textile fabrics. Key to its operation was the entrepreneur who purchased the raw materials, distributed them among working families, passed the semi-finished products from one artisan to another, and then marketed the finished products. In time, hand production methods led to the rise of the mechanized factory system in which textiles were still the dominant industry. 

In the 21st century, as the Industrial Revolution has become gradually replaced by the Digital Age, many makers are still producing their crafts through small-batch manufacturing whereby small amounts of product are commissioned from a factory that can still achieve the economies of scale necessary to make money. A case in point is Junction Fiber Mill, a new wool processing mill in the heart of White River Junction. With a goal “to promote and invigorate the local fiber shed by providing top-quality custom processing, local fiber products, and educational opportunities to inspire the community about sheep and wool”, owners Peggy Allen and Amanda Kievet welcomed their new mill equipment this past winter.

The seeds of their partnership were sown last spring on a road trip to drop off wool at a mill during the height of the pandemic. As they sat in Peggy’s farm truck, they talked and listened to each other about wool mills, partnerships, and work ethic. Peggy and her husband, Todd, run Savage Hart Farm in White River Junction, and Amanda and her husband, Cody, became sheep farm hands “extraordinaire,” moving onto the farm for a lambing season in 2019 to help Todd while Peggy was recovering from a traumatic brain injury.

In a recent interview, Peggy and Amanda reflected on their dedication to supporting small farms and fiber farms geared toward raising sheep…

QT: How did you and Amanda become interested in wool, yarn, and sheep initially?

Amanda: I became interested as a knitter looking to better understand the fiber I was working with. Initially, I just bought the acrylic yarn from the available big box craft stores in my hometown in Wisconsin. When I moved to NYC, the yarn store down the block sold many wonderful yarns made from natural wool yarn and I immediately felt the difference. After moving to the Upper Valley, I got a job at Ibex Outdoor Clothing and became a total wool convert when I experienced the difference of wool clothing: way less stinky and better feeling on the skin, great temperature regulation (a major benefit for hiking and running). I met Peggy at the Norwich Farmers Market a few years ago and bought some yarn from her made from her flock of Corriedale sheep. My husband, Cody, and I had recently bought a home with a small pasture so I was interested in getting a few sheep to keep it down. Peggy agreed to show me the ropes of shepherding and she and her husband, Todd, became our sheep mentors. We started our small flock from two of their ewe lambs and are on our third-year shepherding.

Peggy:  I’m a so-so knitter, but I have always loved wool fiber. While biking in the San Juan Islands of Washington state, my husband and I came across a small sheep farm run by a woman named, Annette who sold her yarn right there in a section of her barn. We stayed and visited with her for much of the afternoon and, as we left, my husband, who knew I joked about having a sheep farm someday, said, “If I could have a sheepdog like hers, I’d consider having a sheep farm.” We spent the rest of the vacation talking about how we could pull it off and in less than 10 months we went from the Chicago area to living with sheep in Vermont. 

QT: We understand that you both consider your new business to be a cottage industry. What makes it so?   

Amanda: Actually, we consider our mill to be small-batch manufacturing. We use extremely high-tech heavy machinery in a dedicated mill building to produce between 15 and 20 pounds of yarn per day. Compared with the large-scale fiber mills used to produce textiles and yarns for the majority of the fashion/craft economy, ours – at eight spindles – is comparatively tiny. By comparison, the wool mills of yore in our area had hundreds to over a thousand spindles each. The benefit of being a small batch mill is that we can produce yarns made from a single farm or even a single sheep’s fiber. This gives fiber farms the ability to market their unique fibers as finished yarns rather than sell their fiber to a wool pool to meet the processing minimums at large mills.

QT:  Why is there an alleged logjam and long delays in turning wool orders around the state?   

Peggy: Processing raw wool into yarn is very labor intensive. Scouring, or cleaning, raw wool alone can take several hours. In addition, there simply aren’t enough small mills to accommodate all the demand from area sheep farms.  

QT: And why is there a decline in sheep farming?  

Peggy: We’re not sure there is a decline in sheep farming. We think there is a growing interest by old and young people to experience the whole circle of raising sheep, shearing for wool, processing that wool and pursuing fiber crafts. 

QT: Please tell us about Savage Hart sheep farm in Hartford and raising a small flock?  

Peggy: Savage Hart Farm is a 32-acre farm in White River Junction and we raise colored Corriedale sheep. This spring we had 34 lambs bringing our flock up to 64. I’m not sure we consider raising sheep work; it’s just a way of life for us.  Todd has a full-time job with Mascoma Bank on their wealth management team, and I work full-time at the mill. Amanda is a brilliant web and social media developer but she too now works full time at the mill. 

Amanda: As Peggy said, I was doing web development and design previously but have stepped down from doing that entirely, other than of course putting those skills to use for Junction Fiber Mill. As I mentioned, my husband Cody and I are raising a small flock we started with Todd and Peggy’s sheep. After lambing this year, we’re now up to five and will keep it there. 

QT: When did you officially open the new mill? And where you are in the business cycle now?  

Peggy: Our mill equipment arrived at 101 Maple Street on a snowy day in February of this year. We immediately began working with raw sheep’s fleece we had acquired to ensure we understood not only how the equipment worked, but how the wool from different breeds of sheep behaved. We began taking roving orders on April 1 and yarn orders on May 1 (roving is wool that has been washed and prepared for hand-spinners).

Amanda: Currently we’re busy fulfilling custom processing orders but we have exciting plans to start experimenting with fiber we’ve acquired to create yarn we can sell directly to knitters. We’re excited to see what balance of services versus products serves us and our community as we get some experience under us.