Each year, thousands of Upper Valley residents take part as participants, volunteers, and donors in The Prouty, the annual fund raising effort for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) at DHMC. This year – the 41st for the event – is no different as preparations are well underway for another successful event. Over the years, The Prouty has become a multi-generational endeavor, with entire families involved. That is certainly the case with Quechee’s Krysta Frye Kostrubiak.

“I think of us as being a Prouty family for most of my life. When I was younger, I would walk in The Prouty with a family friend while my parents did their 100-mile tandem bike ride,” says Krysta.… Read More

“I am not sure she should get a driver’s license. If she is stopped by the police, her chance of racial profiling is high in Vermont.”

“When the kids go to school, I am worried when the teacher asks them a question and if they are slow to answer, the teacher is more apt to interpret it as insubordination more so than if they were white.”

 “I just saw a pickup truck with a Confederate flag flying on it in your neighborhood. Is it safe for the children to walk to your house?”

Such are the worries posed by my daughter because she is the mother of two children who are black and living in Vermont.… Read More

The Ottaquechee Health Foundation (OHF) states, “There is no other organization in the region doing what OHF does for our communities.” What sets OHF apart from other local organizations – and other organizations with similar missions – is that the Foundation offers financial assistance to people with unmet medical expenses and homecare needs. In addition to providing financial assistance, OHF improves the health and well-being of residents through community events and partnerships, education opportunities, and the support of wellness initiatives. Based in Woodstock, the Foundation assists the healthcare needs of nine towns: Barnard, Bridgewater, Hartland, Killington, Plymouth, Pomfret, Quechee, Reading, and Woodstock.  … Read More

When I adopted my daughter almost 32 years ago, no one knew George Floyd. Rodney King was the first video taping of brutal police beating that I could remember, and it never occurred to me when I looked at her beautiful brown little face peeking out of that pink fleece blanket that she would be subject to any kind of racism. I didn’t truly understand the ramifications of “racism” as we know it today; not just the overt confederate flag waving type, but the stares in the stores, the limits on her that are bred in the institutions white folks take for granted.… Read More

“Our goal is to elevate lives through developing improved and sustainable food security. We are focused on infusing new technology into agriculture development, along with cultural and humanitarian exchanges, anywhere in the world.”

~ Trees and Seeds

John Hiers and Kerilyn Bristow are retired educators from Woodstock Union High School. John taught agriculture, and Keri taught French and Spanish. Keri, however, wasn’t prepared to fully retire, so she began teaching elementary Spanish, PreK to 5th grade, part-time at the Ottauquechee School in Quechee. “I absolutely love it!” says Keri.  

While at WUHS, John and Keri collaborated on service-based travel projects with students to the Spanish speaking world.… Read More

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.… Read More

In early February 2020, everything was looking up for Piecemeal Pies restaurant owners Justin Barrett and Joshua Brown. They had developed a loyal customer base since opening their doors in downtown White River Junction in October of 2016. Piecemeal Pies had become the go-to brunch spot in the Hartford area – a place where customers came, not just for the quality, up-scale food, but for the experience. The establishment was a vital connector, interwoven into the fabric of the local community.

Barrett projected that 2020 would be one of the most profitable years for their business. They would finally be able to offer their employees benefits, such as healthcare and profit-sharing.… Read More

When Alex and Cristy Beram lived around the corner from each other on Willard Street in Burlington, they lived different lives and never met. Cristy was busy finishing her degree in sociology and Italian studies at UVM and Alex was making his name in the local music scene. Years down the line they would be set up on a blind date in their respective new homes in Charlestown, Boston, and twenty years later they would return to Vermont together, a married couple with two small children.

Not long after the two were married sometime after that fortuitous blind date in Boston, Cristy brought Alex on a trip with her brother to the Quechee-Woodstock area where she and her family used to come regularly as children.… Read More

Buying local is the premise championed by many Upper Valley residents, small businesses, and organizations. Keeping dollars close to home, knowing the people producing what one buys, and supporting those that live and work in the community are all benefits of buying local. When economic conditions are impacted as they have been over the past year by the epidemic, supporting local small enterprises is even more important for those business owners.

Local farm products are an important source of food for many area residents. Knowing that the food you are consuming was grown locally, by farmers using healthy farming practices, drives many local consumers to the many area farms and food producers found in the Upper Valley.… Read More

“We’re beginning to appreciate that as individuals we have to take ownership of our learning. When we silently join others in removing ourselves from the conversation about our community, the collective impact of that silence can amount to something that can be harmful.” – Brian Cook of Groundswell Change, a Colorado based organization that assists organizations in diversity, equity, and inclusion training

I am one of approximately 40 people serving on The Quechee Club’s recently formed ad hoc committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). The club has affirmed its commitment that “anyone who lives, works, recreates, or visits the Quechee Club and Quechee Lakes will adhere to our standards of conduct and respect for the individual.”… Read More