Bonnie Fiorelli has been quilting for 34 years. Her journey began when she saw a quilt on the porch of an antique store in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The store held quilting lessons and Bonnie joined the class, beginning her lifelong journey with quilting. Bonnie’s passion for the fabric technique became so deep over time that she began offering local quilting classes in 2018. “I love to quilt,” Bonnie said, “It brings me such joy to give someone a quilt that I have made, especially with them in mind. Everything today is geared toward purchasing online or without personal interaction. With a quilt, it says you mean a lot to me after taking the time to quilt something just for you.… Read More

When local resident Cindy Gould retired four years ago, she reflected on ways she could use her time and professional experience as a volunteer. So, in 2019, Cindy reached out to Gail Ferney, president of the Quechee Lakes Landowners Association (QLLA) Charities, Inc. to see how she could help. It wasn’t long before Cindy became deeply and passionately involved in the organization, specifically its CHaD Gala.

“Since I’ve considered myself to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades in the development world during my working years, I thought it would be a good fit, and it has,” she said.

For the Gala, Cindy maintains its prize database by keeping track of donations; getting the word out through various social media platforms and through the Quechee Club’s website and publications; and creating such print materials as signage, the invitation package, and the program booklet.… Read More

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. … Read More

It was the sheer beauty and tranquility of the Quechee landscape that brought New York resident Rich Mauch here over 46 years ago. In fact, as he noted in a recent interview, his blood pressure and stress level took (and continues to take) a significant drop as soon as he exited the highway and entered the picturesque and historic village.

“I’m not sure there are many places like Quechee in the country,” Mauch said. “It is truly a massive playground for “big kids” and little kids with so many things to do for everyone. I often tell friends that the best days are when I complete what I call the Quechee Triathlon, taking part in three activities like downhill skiing, cross country skiing, paddle tennis, golf, tennis or swimming in Lake Pinneo.”… Read More

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

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

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

When the Quechee Lakes Landowners’ Association, Inc. (QLLA) was incorporated 50 years ago, it not only reflected the thousands of open, pristine acres on which it currently sits, but also the man behind its inception, L. John Davidson.

With a dream of preserving traditional values in a self-contained commercial establishment on that land that belonged primarily to local farmers and millworkers, Davidson realized that the farmlands, trails, hills, forests, wildlife and Ottauquechee River provided the perfect setting for his vision.

But before he became the visionary developer of one of the largest and most successful developments in New England, Davidson knew he had some hard work to do, for when he arrived in the village of Quechee in the mid-1960s from his home state of Massachusetts, he was shocked and saddened by what he saw.… Read More