Arts accolades for Bennington and Brattleboro
Bennington among top small vibrant arts communities Bennington’s local color and character have been recognized for the second time by a prominent clearinghouse for arts research, trailing only that of Breckenridge, Colo., and Summit Park, Utah, in rankings for small arts-vibrant communities. The National Center for Arts Research (NCAR), an extension of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, has heaped praise on the Bennington...
Big cheese: Seven Vermont cheeses win first place honors
Congratulations to the five skilled Vermont artisans who walked away with seven first-place honors at this year’s United States Championship Cheese Contest in Green Bay, Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, which hosts the annual competition, the nation’s largest technical cheese, butter, and yogurt competition breaks records each year for the number of entries and number of cheesemakers participating. At...
ART Manchester set to pop: Southern Vermont Arts Center puts town in spotlight
Southern Vermont Arts Center is gearing up to offer exhibition space throughout the town of Manchester. The initiative, dubbed ART Manchester, aims to connect Vermont artists with visitors and residents by converting storefronts into pop-up art galleries. Organizers say the exhibits will provide opportunities for local artists to display and sell their work. The showcase is set to run from late June through Labor Day, with artists...
With a song in their hearts: Green Mountain Camp for Girls celebrates 100 years
By Joyce Marcel It’s not every day that you hear of something that’s still going strong after 100 years. Especially not something for girls. And certainly not in the tiny town of Dummerston, Vermont. But this summer, the Green Mountain Camp for Girls is celebrating its 100th year with reunions, shared memories, singing, feasting, dancing, sport, and yes, s’mores. It’s also mounting a Centennial Campaign to raise $100,000 for capital...
Radiant at 25: Rock River Arts Open Studios Tour marks milestone
By Ann C. Landenberger The arts thrive along the winding, craggy Rock River in Southern Vermont. Witness the Rock River Artists Open Studio Tour: What started as a humble cooperative among Williamsville, South Newfane, and Newfane artists now heralds its quarter-century mark. In 1993 photographer Christine Triebert, then new to South Newfane from a career in Boston, noted a cluster of area artists all producing extraordinary work in a...
Wired for change: Artist Mary Admasian transforms materials of nature
By Meg Brazill A visit to Mary Admasian’s studio is like chancing upon an archeological dig. A rectangular table runs the length of her studio. It is covered with a curious array of objects, from a neat stack of thin, flat stones to a pitcher of wild turkey feathers to handfuls of royal blue petals drying inside a clear bag. Small white shells nestle inside a pink lined box and a pair of rusty barbed-wire knots rests on a flowered...
Chef-owned T.J. Buckley’s: Eight tables, dinner only, and amazing
The movement that would sweep the world didn’t yet exist when Chef Michael Fuller went into business 34 years ago, but even then he was running his restaurant and living his life according to its main tenet: local is king. Fuller opened T.J. Buckley’s in a restored 1925 Worcester dining car that had housed a so-called greasy spoon eatery. “We served breakfast and brunch. It was a small place with a limited menu and a lot of attention...
Chef-owned Williamsville Eatery: Keeping it real
By Nicole Colson When Dylan Richardson was in high school, he worked making pizzas at what was then the 185-year-old Williamsville General Store. The store, which opened in 1828 and closed in 2007, still enjoys standing as one of the longest continually run general stores in Vermont. At the time, however, Richardson couldn’t have imagined that he’d be operating a restaurant on the same spot years later with his family. But opportunity...
Chef-owned bistro Folly: Serious whimsey
By Nicole Colson Peter Wallace, chef and co-owner of Folly, a 14-seat “modern neighborhood bistro” on Main Street in Wilmington, considers food a moving target. “I change the menu each week,” he says. At the same time, he brings his years of experience to the table. “I rely heavily on it,” he says, “so my food becomes more simple.” His bold flavors reflect his colorful life of travel and both working at and operating several...
Driven to delight: Southern Vermont’s top 10 food trucks
There’s something about ordering your menu selection from a sandwich board, watching the chef prepare your meal, and enjoying it picnic-style out in nature. Whether it comes from a truck, wagon, or stand, food that’s made to order in this fashion is the thing to sample on long summer days. There are many to try while traveling, shopping, and exploring in the region, and the following picks are a varied representation of both types of...
Pressed for success: Putney Mountain Winery pours Vermont by the glass
By Kate Dodge Rhubarb wine? A ginger liqueur? Blueberry wine? Blackcurrant cassis? These are just a few of the creative drinks we make at Putney Mountain Winery. From dry, premium dinner wines to spicy and sweet liqueurs, the flavor and feel of our wines reflect the varied, often subtle, beauty of the region and its distinctive character. Putney Mountain Winery is both solar powered and certified as a Vermont Green Business, and a...
Getting ready to fly: New England Center for Circus Arts moves into new headquarters
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the New England Center for Circus Arts moves into its new headquarters in Brattleboro this summer. The new trapezium building — an 8,600-square-foot building incorporating a gymnasium for circus arts training and performances — will be the nation’s newest custom-designed circus arts training and performance facility and will allow year-round, indoor flying trapeze training, as well as...
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