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

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

My first glimpse, and it was a quick drive through Quechee in 1973, on a rather gloomy day in early April. I was on a business trip and was intrigued with the name of the village displayed on a country store at the blinking yellow light. So, I drove down the hill, through the covered bridge, turned left on to Main Street. As I had grown up in a very small village in northeastern Vermont, the bedraggled look of many buildings did not disturb me as they were evident in many rural villages. However, a couple of the buildings stood out as extensive renovations were in progress and workmen were on site.… Read More

For two January weeks Visible in Vermont: Our Stories, Our Voices, a photography exhibit, circled the main room of the Quechee Library. The photographs of People of Color were labeled not only with their Vermont towns but with statements about encountered micro-aggressions. It drew viewers from around the Upper Valley and further.

Then on Saturday morning, Jan. 25, fifty people gathered downstairs to hear a panel of Hartford residents, moderated by Sha’an Mouliert of St. Johnsbury. For all present, whether a grandparent or a young Vermont Law School student, it has to have been a memorable hour yielding deeper understanding.

This was the intent of the exhibit, presented by the Root Social Justice Center and supported by a Vermont Humanities Council grant: to provide an opportunity for reflection by majority white communities which may be unaware of the impact of racial micro-aggressions.… Read More