Brattleboro Bling
A southern Vermont town becomes a retail destination for all sorts of jewelry — an art form of universal appeal — from handcrafted original designs to antiques By Joyce Marcel Last August, when goldsmith and platinumsmith David Walter opened his elegant retail showroom on Main Street, a concept that had been flying under the radar for a significant amount of time became unavoidable: Brattleboro has become a jewelry hub. Diamonds may...
Spotlight: Stone walls
What is more quintessentially Vermont than a stone wall? In this two-day outdoor workshop from the nonprofit Stone Trust, expert workshop leaders Travis Callahan and Chuck Eblacker will guide students in continuing the restoration of a beautiful wall across from the Dutton Farm House in Dummerston. Learn the structural techniques involved in building and rebuilding stone walls with no mortar so you can work on your own projects, or so...
Farmers’ Markets
Farmers Markets Bennington: Walloomsac Winter Farmers’ Market, Feb. 16, March 15, April 19, 10a-1p, at First Baptist Church, walloomsac.org, 802-688-7210. Brattleboro: Brattleboro Winter Farmers’ Market, Saturdays through March, 10a-3p, at the River Garden, downtown Brattleboro, postoilsolutions.org, 802-869-2141. Dorset: Dorset Winter Farmers’ Market, Sundays through Feb. 19, 10a-2p, at J.K. Adams Kitchen Store on Rte 30,...
It’s a tough job, but somebody had to do it: What does aging maple syrup in a bourbon barrel do to flavor that’s already Grade A? Quite a bit, actually.
Our publisher had emailed me a photo of a bottle of Baker Farm Bourbon Barrel Aged Pure Maple Syrup. “Already on it,” I said. She was reassured until she saw the text of the story, which showed that we most certainly were not on it. Turns out, I had thought the image that she sent me was illustrating the product of Saxtons River Distillery, which produces maple liqueur. The photo of a big flask-o-booze sitting in my email? It’s a...
SPOTLIGHT: River Gallery School auction
The annual benefit auction supports the programs and scholarships of the River Gallery School, which has offered art classes, studio space, and a creative community since 1976. For $20 admission at the door, you get delicious appetizers, lively music, coffee, dessert, and a paddle number that lets you bid on fabulous items donated by local artists, craftspeople, businesses, restaurants, students, and friends of the school. A cash bar...
SIDEBAR: Long a draw: Revitalizing the arts in Bennington County
Long a draw Revitalizing the arts in Bennington County Bennington and Dorset in Southern Vermont have long been a draw for artists who found inspiration in Vermont rural beauty and simple country lifestyle. As early as the 1870s, creative individuals and their families began to drive north during the summer months when travel was easiest. Answering the call for local cultural fare, by the end of the 1920s, the Dorset Players and the...
SPOTLIGHT: RAMP art auction
The Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) Art Auction and Raffle is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon with artists and friends: with the suspense of bidding for great art for a good cause. More than 60 regional artists and performers contribute their time and artworks for this 11th annual benefit, including Charlie Hunter, Steve Procter, Natalie Blake, Phyllis Rosser, Chris Sherwin, and Robert McBride. Proceeds benefit the...
WEDDINGS: Sidebar/Three tips for selecting your wedding cake
Sharon Myers of Sharon Myers Fine Catering in Brattleboro (who made the cakes in the two photos in this story) suggests the following tips: • Cupcakes seem to be the rage right now. They give you an opportunity to offer two or three varieties to your guests. • If chocolate is your favorite and your groom/partner loves lemon, you can ask for different tiers to be different flavors. Or do two cakes for a real splash. • If you are going...
WEDDINGS: Mount Snow Valley
WEDDINGS: Mount Snow Valley The Mount Snow Valley provides numerous options for a destination wedding, including a winery with vistas of two states, and many charming inns that host tented weddings on their grounds. The Mount Snow Resort features spectacular mountain views or indoor ballrooms. Cooper Hill Inn boasts wedding couples can get married on “top of the world.” Owned and operated by the same family for over 80 years, Boyd...
SIDEBAR: Syrup for 10,000: One Vermonter takes his family trade into the 21st century
Peter Cooper-Ellis, who owns and operates Hidden Springs Maple online and retail in Putney, and his family have been making maple syrup for more than 50 years, selling under the Cooper-Ellis Sugar Makers label during the 1950s and ’60s. Yet Cooper-Ellis, who holds an engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, lives in San Francisco, where he works at a software company in Palo Alto. He commutes east about once a...
SPOTLIGHT: Charlie Hunter’s Sugaring Season Paint Out
Sugaring season is a special time, and Charlie Hunter invites you to join a hardy crew of adventurous artists for an unforgettable five days of painting outdoors during one of Vermont’s most unpredictable seasons. Each day, the group will meet for coffee and an array of alarmingly calorie-laden pastries, then head out to one or another of Hunter’s favorite painting spots — a sugaring operation, a working farm in Grafton, to the...
Spreading the word: Our magazine proudly makes connections among arts, agriculture, business, and potential visitors — for all the right reasons
Talk of the Arts: Spreading the Word As we move into our sixth year, I wanted to talk about our mission. Recently, I participated in a Newsmakers TV segment sponsored by Comcast. That conversation is a great way to tell readers what SO Vermont Arts & Living is all about. * * * Most people don’t realize that Southern Vermont has more artists per capita than almost any other state. People tend to regard Vermont as a ski destination...
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