100 Veterans Memorial Drive, Bennington, V T 802- 4 4 7-3 311
2. Better Bennington Corp.
2 15 South S treet , Bennington, V T 05201 802- 4 4 2-57 58
3. Madison’s
4 28 Main S treet , Bennington, V T 05201 802- 4 4 2-7 397
4. Bennington Welcome Center
100 V T-2 79 Bennington, V T 05201
5. Avocado Pit 201 South S t , Bennington, V T 05201
6. Juniper L ane
4 45 Main S t Bennington, V T 802- 4 40-57 55
7. The 421 Craft Bar and Kitchen
4 2 1 Main S t , Bennington, VT
• 802- 4 40-597 2
8. Jay ’s Ar t & Frame Galler y 115 South S t Bennington, VT 802- 4 4 7-2 3 4 2
9. Elm S treet Market
251 Elm S t , Bennington, VT
• 802-7 53-7 366
10. Bennington Bookshop
109 south S t , Bennington, VT 0501 802- 4 4 2-5059
11 Bennington Museum
7 5 Main S t , Bennington, V T
• (802) 4 4 7-157 1
MANCHESTER, V T DROP LOCATIONS
1. Equinox Golf Resor t & Spa
3567 Main S treet , Manchester, V T 0525 4
• 802-362- 4 700
2. Kimpton Taconic Hotel
3835 Main S treet , Manchester, V T 0525 4
• 802-362-014 7
3. Manchester Business Assoc
4 826 Main S treet , Manchester Center, V T 05255
• 617-869-3591
4. Nor thshire Bookstore
4 869 Main S treet , Manchester Center, V T 05255 802-362-2 200
5. Reluc tant Panther 9W Road, Manchester, V T 802-362-2568
6. Casablanca Motel
592 7 Main S t , Manchester Center, V T 05255
1. Berkshire Roots
501 Dalton Avenue, Pitt sf ield, MA 01201 • 413-553-93 3 3
NORTH BENNINGTON, V T DROP LOCATIONS
1. Pangaea
3 Prospec t S t . Nor th Bennington • 802- 4 4 2- 4 466
2. Powers Market
9 Main S t Nor th Bennington, VT • 802- 4 40-087 1
3. Pangea Cafe
1 Prospec t S t , Nor th Bennington • 802-7 53-784 7
BRAT TLEBORO, V T DROP LOCATIONS
1. Market 32
499 Canal S t ., Brattleboro, V T
2. Panda Nor th 13 32 Putney Rd., Brattleboro, V T
3. Hampton Inn
13 78 Putney Rd., Brattleboro, V T
4. Royal Diner
4 87 Marlboro Rd., Brattleboro, V T
5. Brattleboro Food Coop
2 Main S treet , Brattleboro, V T 05301
6. L atchis Hotel
50 Main S treet , Brattleboro, V T 05301 •802-25 4 -6300
7. Vermont Countr y Deli
4 36 Western Avenue, Brattleboro, V T 05301 802-257-925 4
8. Vermont Market Place
580 Canal S treet , Brattleboro, V T 05301 802-25 4 -5861
9. Holiday Inn E xpress
100 Chickering Drive, Brattleboro, V T 05301 802-257-2400
1. Greater Falls Regional Chamber of Commerce 17 Depot S treet , Bellows Falls, V T 802- 463- 4 280
2. Vermont Distillers
7 7 55 Route 9 East , Marlboro, V T 802- 464 -2003
3. The New fane S tore 596 V T-30 New fane, V T • 802-365-7 7 7 5
4. Harmonyville S tore 1412 V t-30 Townsend, V T • 802-365-9417
5. Riverbend Farm Market
625 V t-30 Townsend, V T • 802-365- 4600
6. HN Williams, Dorset
2 7 32 V T-30 Dorset , V T 802-867-5353
7. Smitt y ’s Chester Market
526 Depot S t Chester, V T
8. S tone House Antique Center
557-V T-103Chester,V T
9. Vermont Antique Mall Route 4 Quechee, V T
10. Londonderr y Village Market 5700 V T-100, Londonderr y, V T 0514 8 802-824 -314 4
11 The New fane Inn 4 Cour t S t ., New fane, V T 12 Four Columns Inn 2 1 West S t ., New fane, V T 13. West Townshend Countr y S tore 657 3 V T-30 West Townshend, V T 14. West River Provisions
3816 V T-30 Jamaica, V T
15. The Inn at Mount Snow
401 V T Route 100, West Dover, V T 05356 802-348-2197 16. Deer f ield Valley Chamber of Commerce 21 W Main St , Wilmington, V T 05363
1 7. Wilmington Works
2 E Main St , Wilmington, V T 05363
PUTNE Y, V T DROP LOCATIONS 10. Pu tney General S tore 4 K imball Hill, Putney, V T 053 46 11 Pu tney Diner 128 Main S t Putney, V T • 802-387-5 4 3 3 12 . Pu tney Food Co - op 8 Carol Brown Way, Putney, V T
On this month’s cover, the team behind the Bennington Community Market stands at the heart of a space that has become far more than a grocery store — it’s a true community gathering place. From locally sourced foods and artisan goods to bustling café tables and year-round farmers markets, their mission is rooted in supporting over 100 local makers and farmers while strengthening downtown Bennington. Read story on page 4.
President and
Publisher
Jordan Brechenser jbrechenser@reformer.com
Editor
Ahmad Yassir ayassir@benningtonbanner.com
Designer
Cicely M. Eastman cicelyeastman@gmail.com
Windham County
Sales Manager
Lylah Wright lwright@reformer.com
Account Executives
Richard Lolatte rlolatte@reformer.com
Richard Battista rbattista@reformer.com
Bennington County
Sales Manager
Susan Plaisance splaisance@benningtonbanner.com
Account Executives
Michael Bednar mbednar@manchesterjournal.com
Vermont Country magazine
Photo by Danielle M. Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine.
Photos by Danielle M Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine Barista Autumn holds out one of many specialty coffee drinks that the establishment offers.
The Bennington Community Market: A 'community of makers'
By Danielle M. Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine
BENNINGTON — On any given day of the week, the Bennington Community Market is abuzz with chatter and activity, sweet and savory treats, a diverse range of locally produced artisan products, and fresh from the farm produce. The place is literally teeming with eclectic goods, activity, and life.
Just past the entranceway are the large bakery cases, the main counter area, and the coffee bar with its smiling and welcoming barista, Autumn.
To the left of the entranceway are shelves of hand-crafted artisan goods and beyond that, the piano and the brightly lit Community Cafe – with its many tables, wide open floor plan, hot food bar, beverage coolers, and deli – and, in the far back, is yet another large (and more secluded) seating area.
The menu itself is eclectic and full of spirit
The "John Stark" breakfast sandwich, "Seth Warner" burrito, "Remember Baker" avocado toast, are a nod to historical figures. The "Bennington Battlefield," "Mile Around Woods," and "Catamount Tavern" salads are all local favorites, and tip of the hat to some of the area's greatest landmarks. And, menu items such as the "Picnic at Park McCullough," "Tubing Down the Battenkill," "Woodford Woodchuck," and "Glastenbury Gobbler" recall favorite local pastimes and locations. Ranging from $8 to $14, the sandwich prices are quite reasonable. Daily hot food specials are also available.
A new online ordering system is in the works, said Manager Natasha Garder Littrell, so that customers who are in a hurry can simply grab and go. And, while
Natasha Garder Littrell, manager of the Bennington Community Market, explains the benefits of Crop Cash – the NOFA-VT incentive program that doubles purchasing power of 3SquaresVT-eligible items such as fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and more.
The Bennington Community Market is well known for its selection of chocolates, candies, sweets, and many delicious baked goods. Above all, says Manager Natasha Garder Littrell, customers come to see staff — like the Market's barista, Autumn.
the grab and go option is indeed convenient, the majority of those who visit the Community Market come with the purpose of socializing, visiting with staff – and savoring both the food and the company.
"My staff has quite the following," laughed Garder Littrell, who does not mind the staff taking time out to sit down with an acquaintance or two between customers. "Customers come in just to see them – and that's good for business."
It would be unusual for these spaces to be devoid of activity. On a typical day at the Community Market, the place is a hive of activity with a steady stream of neighbors meeting and greeting neighbors; townsfolk hosting get-togethers; planned and impromptu business meetings being held; college professors and students working on their laptops; children playing or coloring near the large windows; organizations gathering to host events, like the heavily attended weekly Baby Cafe; those grabbing baked goods and coffee, grocery items, and take-home dinners; and tourists milling about – wondering what on Earth they have stumbled into.
That is just half the story, though
To the right of the entranceway are the wine racks and beyond that is the grocery space. Additional tables line the window area, tucked behind the grocery isles. On the far back walls are coolers of dairy, produce, meats, beverages, and more.
But, this is the story – supporting local farmers, artisans, and food producers; increasing access to wholesome fresh foods; and building a vibrant downtown community is at the very heart of what the Bennington Community Market offers.
Together with Andrew Healy, the Community Market's AmeriCorps VISTA resident, the staff work to ensure a quality experience.
For Healy, stocking the market space, and seeing firsthand what it offers, is inspiring in a number of ways.
Looking around, he indicated an artisan wooden cutting board near the cheeses and specialty-sourced charcuterie meats. Next, he pulled two locally hand-crafted pizzas out of the nearby frozen foods case, holding them up.
"These are perfect for a date night. Just grab two pizzas, a bottle of wine, and some crackers and cheese and enjoy an easy, chill, date night at home – with really top quality food," he said, switching over to other interesting items that the Community Market offers.
"For example, I just did a social media post about this Golden Rule Mead – it's really neat, and it's made in Vermont," said Healy. "And – the way I describe the taste is it's kind of like kombucha, like it tastes healthy and you really can't taste the alcohol in it. Then, the really interesting thing is that it's made with local, top of the notch honey, to the point where
Photo by Bennington Community Market
Photo by Danielle M Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine
you can taste the pollen in it – it has almost a floral-like note to it, which is really interesting. And each bottle is unique. They have different types, like one where they infuse it with black tea and maple syrup. But, even two bottles of those will taste a little different – because it's all depending on the honey and the exact time in which it's made. It's all small batch."
For Garder Littrell, items like Golden Rule Mead are "just one of our local and hyper-local products that we sell here – because we support over 100 local food makers and farmers by selling their products here – and, it's just a really nice change of pace from everything else that's out there."
This makes the experience of stepping into – and perusing what the Community Market has to offer – a truly unique adventure.
"I think it's really obvious, when you walk in the door, that we are here to support local food makers and local crafters, and with offering them a space to sell their products."
Garder Littrell
"I think it's really obvious, when you walk in the door, that we are here to support local food makers and local crafters, and with offering them a space to sell their products," Garder Littrell noted, adding that the staff of the Community Market also assists with navigating some of the challenges that small crafters, growers, and makers often face. "And, with local producers, we're
not adding a huge margin – we're trying to keep the prices low to support them."
"We also offer them a space for free in the Farmers Market, which is a business incubator – a way for crafters and for small food producers to learn. earn, and grow," said Garder Littrell, adding that the experience is always an education for the vendors as well as the shoppers, as each of the vendors have things to share – from tips and tricks to tastings and samples.
Additionally, they learn from one another as they come together to form "a community of makers."
The shelves of the Community Market's grocery and dry goods area are stocked to the hilt with jams and jellies; preserves in a multitude of varieties; maple syrups, creams, and sugars; an array of raw and infused honeys from various local producers;
Photo by Danielle M Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine
Bennington Community Market employee Autumn stocks the bread rack with a selection of freshly baked artisan loaves..
Theatre
Snow Playgrounds
Bennington Museum
Old First Church
Snowy Sunsets
Fall Foliage
Craft Breweries
Bennington Monument
Park-McCullough
Covered Bridges
Walkable Downtown
Unique Lodging
soaps, lotions, and potions; hand poured candles; hot sauces and condiments; granolas, snacks, cookies, crackers, and chips; chocolates and coffees; pet treats and supplies; and so much more.
The coolers are stocked with the freshest of meats and cheese – all delivered directly from local farms, and sold in vacuum sealed packages. The dairy cases hold fresh eggs, butters, keifer, yogurts, and skyr. The produce coolers offer a wide variety of mushrooms, greens, root vegetables, cabbages, peppers, onions, shallots, leeks, tomatoes, fresh berries and fruits – and the list goes on.
Even the beverage cases, filled with everything from juices to kombuchas to craft beers (including a gluten-free craft beer) hold to the mission of promoting and supporting local and regional makers.
"In Dry January, Toast sold really well. Actually, it has always sold well, and it's a local Manchester product," said Garder Littrell, laughing, as she indicated the display which was located next to the craft beers and other beverages. "Actually, I haven't met anyone who doesn't like Toast – and whenever we do a catering event, we serve it. It's just really popular."
And, the wine racks at the Community Market are extensive in their collection.
"These," said Garder Littrell, smiling, "are curated by Vermont Wine Merchants, who are my favorite kind of vendor. They come in and set up the display. They give me all the little promotional information pieces. And, they do tastings."
Garder Littrell said that she once asked them to do a quick and easy symbol on each card – indicating what meat the wine might pair well with – a request to which they readily complied. Garder Littrell indicated the images on the wine cards – a chicken, a pig, a cow, etc. "This is simplifying it for the customer, and at the price range – I mean, they have good bottles of wine for $9.99. I grew up with wine, and I'd be very happy with any of these."
"And, then, there's Watson Wheeler – a champagne-style hard cider from Sandgate," Garder Littrell added. "They have arrangements with the National Forest Service where they'll take care of their orchards in exchange for being allowed to harvest apples. Then, they turn them into different varietals – with these hand-drawn labels."
Toward the end of winter and heading into spring, the staff of the Community Market are getting ready to say an official goodbye to winter and hello to spring. Together, they are preparing a series of food-related lunches to celebrate community. Starting each Sunday
Photos by Danielle M Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine
through March 29, the kitchen will be cooking up a storm with menus that feature both American and Global recipes. But, this is just one of their many endeavors.
While Garder Littrell is excited to share her mom's favorite roast chicken with rice, turmeric cauliflower, sauteed spinach, and shallots, Healy is especially interested in an all-you-can-eat pancake and crepe extravaganza. He recalled his first introduction to crepes, in which his girlfriend introduced him to a holiday tradition from her home country in which those present celebrate with savory and sweet crepes –while ushering winter out and spring in, "[It represents] saying good riddance to winter," he laughed
The lunches will be served family style at the Community Market, priced at $15 per person, and Garder Littrell welcomes everyone, "Come meet your neighbors," she advised. "Drink tea, chat, and try new foods as we
"We're really continuing to focus on our mission to support local farmers and local small food producers, the artisans, and the farmers markets."
Natasha Garder Littrell
shun these freezing temperatures and dream about the spring."
As the seasons begin to shift, and the welcoming and renewing spring temperatures melt the ice and snow, the staff of the Community Market are ready to shift along with it.
Plans for the weekly outdoor markets have already begun.
"We're really continuing to focus on our mission to support local farmers and local small food producers, the artisans, and the farmers markets," said Natasha Garder Littrell.
The farmers markets at the
Community Market run throughout the year. Held indoors on every other Saturday throughout the winter months, the Farmers Markets return to an outdoor schedule of every Saturday for the spring, summer, and fall.
With activities for young children, a wide array of vendors, fresh local produce, educational programming, tastings, and live music – the events are alive with music and activity – and the vendor goods are plenty and diverse.
Throughout the rest of the week, the Bennington Community Market will remain a hive of activity for locals, who gather in the Community Market Cafe area to meet with friends or coworkers, hold a meeting, or simply enjoy good food and atmosphere.
The Bennington Community Market is located at 239 Main Street in Bennington. More information is available at https:// www.benningtonmarket.com/.
Photo by Danielle M Crosier, Vermont Country Magazine
Spirited tunes with a view
Nestled atop Hogback Mountain in Marlboro, Vermont Distillers, an award winning, family owned and operated craft distillery boasts a 100-mile view from its back deck. Entering the tasting room, a lineup of colorfully labeled bottles of liqueurs and spirits greets you. The distillery is best known for the Metcalfe’s line of liqueurs, as well as their Vermont Maple Bourbon and Catamount Vodka. In addition to the dozen full time flavors, seasonal and distillery-exclusive releases are available when visiting them at the source. Many of their products highlight local and regional
Photo provided by David Seaver
Photo courtesy of Dominic Metcalfe- Vermont Distillers
flavors such as their flagship Maple Cream Liqueur, Maple Liqueur and Maple Bourbon which are infused with locally sourced 100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup. The Vermont Honey Bourbon is infused with Japanese Knotweed Honey sourced from West Meadow Apiary in Randolph, VT and their apple-based products are made using cider from Dwight Miller Orchards in Dummerston, VT.
Local entrepreneur Ed Metcalfe founded the distillery in 2008
Dispensary Experience
and continues to run the operation along with his two sons, Gus and Dominic. Together they handle many aspects of the business, from distilling, blending and bottling to marketing & events. Their valued team of bartenders holds down the tasting room and cocktail bar, ready to shake up a drink or pour a tasting flight. Stop by and enjoy a complimentary sample and learn more about their products at the Marlboro Distillery & Tasting Room. We highly recommend planning time for relaxing and enjoying a cocktail on the deck (or by a window in the winter). Whether an Old Fashioned, a French Martini or a Maple Painkiller sounds more up your alley, there’s a cocktail for everyone. If you’re in a hurry, that’s fine too! You can try a quick spirit tasting and grab a bottle to go.
In the warmer months, Vermont Distillers regularly hosts outdoor live music with seating on their back deck and lawn. From bluegrass to country and reggae, they like to mix it up and keep things interesting! Many weekends in 2025 saw food trucks parked on site offering bites to pair with the distillery’s cocktails. Although crowds flock to the area for the fall foliage, summer is clearly one of the best times to relax and enjoy a cocktail (also serving beer or wine) with a view!
In 2025, a previously unused section of the building was transformed into a bright new event space. Since its completion last September, the space has hosted an engagement party, a baby shower, private birthday parties & a series of monthly nature talks titled “A Scientist Walks into the Distillery”. The event space, which features panoramic windows overlooking the famous 100-mile view, is now available to rent for private parties. The distillery also plans to offer cocktail classes in this space. Reach out to the distillery for more information!
Additionally, if find yourself in the Queen City, you can visit their Burlington tasting room located on the Church Street Marketplace. Located among clothing boutiques, restaurants, and cafes, this storefront features two distilleries in one convenient locations, offering spirit tasting, bottle sales and brand merchandise for both Vermont Distillers & Smugglers’ Notch Distillery. Outside of their tasting rooms, you can also find the Metcalfe’s products at liquor stores in VT and NH as well as featured in cocktail menus at restaurants across the region!
Photo provided by David Seaver
Photo courtesy of Dominic Metcalfe — Vermont Distillers
CATHEDR AL OF THE PINES
HIKING/MEMORIAL S/G ARDENS E VENTS/BELL TOWER/MUSEUM
Gentle Trails & Scenic Views
Gentle Trails & Scenic Views
“Where All Are Welcome!”
603.899.3300 www.cathedralofthepines.org
“Where All Are Welcome!” 603 899 3300 info@cathedralofthepines org www cathedralofthepines org
10 HALE HILL ROAD RINDGE, NH 03461
10 HALE HILL ROAD | RINDGE, NH 03461 Honor - Cele
Forty Years of Fishing the Battenkill
By Brew Moscarello, as told to Jeff Diehl
Holding a brown trout.
When I first stepped into the Battenkill in 1986 it was a transitional time for fly fishing nationally. Trophy angling on American rivers was rising to dominance. Guiding was becoming more transactional, shaped by scale and marketing and a distinctly West Coast approach to outdoor recreation that emphasized growth and exposure above all else.
But that shift arrived slowly on the Battenkill.
In the era before my arrival, most people learned to fish from lifelong locals they discovered through reputation if, in fact, they found them at all. Locals like 85-year-old Marty Oakland who now owns Quill Gordon B&B in Arlington and has been fishing the river since the 50s. He still offers tips today.
“What I tell our guests is, you gotta get on the river here at 7 o'clock in the morning,” he says. “Fish for a couple hours here, right in front of the house, then jump in my truck, and I'll take you downstream two miles or so, and then you have another couple hours of peace and quiet.”
In Vermont, the Battenkill held onto that vibe longer than most rivers. I know guides who built multi-decade careers
Brew Moscarello
based on trust and repeat clients. Instructors focused on reading water, timing insect hatches, and above all, practicing restraint.
Restraint on the Battenkill means forming habits like limited impulse-casting, acceptance of short windows, stopping when conditions are poor, and taking satisfaction in correct action rather than maximum take. Don’t struggle so much over outcomes like numbers, size, or Instagram posts. Focus instead on things such as tippet choices that reduce break-offs, handling time, debarbing, and choosing not to fish stressed water.
I realize now the extent to which the Battenkill, as the “thinking angler’s river,” has taught me these lessons. I was fortunate enough to develop my fly fishing skills here in the 80s and 90s, just as its reputation was fully emerging. It stood as a refreshing alternative to the big-fish, big-water obsession that dominated much of American fly fishing at the time.
Fly fishing, though, is not what originally brought me to Vermont back in the mid-80s. Snowboarding did. I was working as a sales representative for the early Burton company in Manchester, spending winters on the mountain helping push snowboarding toward legitimacy, advocating for lift access and acceptance at places like Stratton while the sport was still viewed as a nuisance rather than a discipline.
Those were formative years in ways I didn't fully understand at the time. Burton was still small, scrappy, fighting for recognition. Ski resorts viewed snowboarders as reckless kids tearing up their slopes. Lift operators often refused us access. We had to prove that snowboarding could be taught, refined, and pursued with the same discipline as skiing. I spent countless hours on the mountain, not just riding but demonstrating technique, answering skeptical questions from resort management, and slowly earning credibility.
When the snow melted each spring, I needed work. The original Orvis flagship store in Manchester was hiring seasonal floor staff, and I walked in knowing just enough about fly fishing to get the job. What I found there was an informal education that would shape the next four decades of my life.
The Orvis store in those years functioned as something more than retail space. It was a gathering point for guides, local anglers, and visiting fishermen who treated the place like a clubhouse. Staff weren't just selling rods and waders—they were answering detailed questions about which pools were producing, which hatches were starting, what flies were working on specific stretches of the Battenkill. I absorbed those conversations while restocking shelves and ringing up sales.
More importantly, I met people who had spent entire careers on the river. They weren't afraid to share their knowledge. If you showed genuine interest and asked intelligent questions, they'd talk. I learned which guides had the deepest understanding of the river's structure. I learned which stretches fished best at different times of season. I learned that the Battenkill demanded a different approach than the Western rivers that dominated fly fishing magazines.
Eventually, I started instructing. Not because I'd mastered the river—that would take years more—but because I'd developed enough competence to help beginners avoid common mistakes. I taught casting mechanics in the store's practice area. I walked clients through fly selection. I began taking people onto the river for short instructional sessions, always staying within the limits of my knowledge, always learning alongside them.
Helping with a fish.
Teaching a child.
What emerged from those years was an understanding of balance that would become essential to everything that followed. The seasonal rhythm between mountain and river wasn't just about finding year-round work—it created natural boundaries that prevented burnout and maintained perspective. Six months guiding on the Battenkill meant I never over-fished the resource or myself. Six months on the mountain meant I returned to the river each spring with fresh energy and attention rather than exhaustion and routine.
That balance extended beyond seasons. I was learning when to fish hard and when to pull back, when to push a client toward better technique and when to let them simply enjoy being on the water, when to pursue business growth and when to protect the quiet integrity of the work itself. These weren't abstract principles. They were practical necessities on a river that punished imbalance—that stopped producing when over-pressured, that frustrated anglers who forced the issue, that rewarded patience and restraint over aggression and volume.
The rhythm from river to mountains and back again has remained remarkably stable for four decades.
What has grown around it are friendships and partnerships with people who have committed themselves, quietly and persistently, to outdoor life in this state. They've become rooted in place, thrived here, and have definite ideas about what makes the southern Vermont stretch of the river special.
There is a persevering ethos that has helped the Battenkill retain its character, but in recent years I’ve begun to feel uneasy. My concern isn’t the physical river itself or the health of its native brook trout and wild brown trout populations. Stewardship there has largely held. What feels fragile now is the human ecosystem doing business around the river.
To understand why that fragility matters, it helps to understand why the Battenkill resists the high-volume guide model in ways that larger, more forgiving rivers do not.
On many Western waters—the Yellowstone, the Madison, Montana's Missouri—guides run drift boats through productive stretches, move clients between reliable runs, and maintain consistent action across a full day. Those rivers are big
enough, the hatches predictable enough, and the fish populations dense enough to absorb significant guide pressure without collapsing the experience.
The Battenkill offers no such margin. It averages 40-60 feet wide through most of its Vermont fishable water. There are no sprawling flats where multiple boats can work simultaneously. There are no deep pools that hold fifty fish. Most productive lies hold one to three trout at a time. When those fish are spooked—by a clumsy approach, a false cast flashing
overhead, or a boat pushing through— they're gone for hours, sometimes the day.
This means timing becomes critical. The window between early morning, when fish are actively feeding, and mid-morning, when the sun hits the water and fish go down, might span ninety minutes. A guide who arrives at 9:00 AM with a client who slept in has already missed most of the opportunity. There's no backup plan that reliably compensates. Second, the Battenkill's hatches are
Cradlng a brown trout.
famously technical and inconsistent. Tricos, Blue-Winged Olives, occasional Cahills, sporadic caddis—these aren't the blanket mayfly emergences that trigger feeding frenzies. They're sparse, localized, and often depend on weather conditions that shift hour by hour. A guide who doesn't know which bend holds the morning Trico spinner fall, or which riffle produces BlueWinged Olives when the temperature drops, cannot manufacture results through effort alone.
Marty recalls a time when massive Light Cahill hatches would bring big browns to the surface in the evening. "Fishing at dark, and after dark with a number 10 or 12 Cahill, or a White Wulff—oh, my God, the fish, the big browns, were just gulping them down. I haven't seen that in forty years."
That loss of predictability makes local knowledge even more essential. When hatches were abundant, a guide could find feeding fish almost anywhere. Now, with sparser insect life, knowing exactly where to be and when becomes the difference between a successful day and a frustrated client.
Third, the Battenkill exposes guides who rely on efficiency over expertise. On tailwaters with steady flows and year-round hatches, a guide can run a dozen trips a month using a few reliable patterns and techniques. The Battenkill won't cooperate. Its flows fluctuate seasonally. Its temperature swings affect fish behavior dramatically. Its structure—undercut banks, complex current seams, boulder-studded pockets—requires reading water with precision. There's no vol-
Fly fishing with a guide.
Casting in the fog.
ume-based path to competence here.
Most importantly, the Battenkill rewards—and in some ways demands—restraint in a manner that conflicts with the economic imperatives of high-volume guiding. When water temperatures climb into the mid-60s Fahrenheit, responsible guides pull clients off the river to avoid stressing fish. When a particular stretch has been fished hard for several consecutive days, knowledgeable guides avoid it entirely. These decisions make biological and ethical sense. They also reduce available fishing time and limit the number of trips a guide can run per season.
A guide operating on an industrial model — maximizing bookings, optimizing search rankings, driving volume through digital marketing — faces constant pressure to fish when conditions are marginal. The river doesn't abide that approach.
This is why the old apprenticeship model persisted here longer than elsewhere. You couldn't shortcut your way to competence. You had to spend seasons learning which pools produced in high water, which banks held fish during summer heat, which hatches mattered and which didn't. You had to develop not just casting skills but judgment—the ability to
Those of us making a living on this river face a choice with every client: we can guide newcomers into a culture of restraint, earned knowledge, and accountability to the Battenkill. Or we can maximize bookings and revenue, seeing every customer or student as something to ruthlessly fight over,
read conditions and make restraint-based decisions even when those decisions cost you a day's pay.
As the owner of a guide company myself, I understand the draw of websites, search optimization, social media, booking platforms. These tools reduce friction for building a small business around a beautiful pastime. I’ve felt that temptation myself. What’s harder to see are the costs that follow. Young operators can now skip years of gradual reputation-building, generating visibility without authority, and reach with nothing but marketing savvy and some basic guiding skills. That forces everyone else into a familiar bind: escalate or disappear. The competition becomes a race to the bottom. And like
any system under extreme predation, it begins to turn aggressive and ugly.
Those of us making a living on this river face a choice with every client: we can guide newcomers into a culture of restraint, earned knowledge, and accountability to the Battenkill. Or we can maximize bookings and revenue, seeing every customer or student as something to ruthlessly fight over, treating the river as inventory in a business model that financializes wild places.
Which brings us back to the Battenkill ethos. It’s built on restraint. On learning from people who have put in decades, who understand the river’s seasonal subtleties, and who intend to remain accountable to this place for the long term. That ethos is now a choice we make daily, every time someone posts coordinates, every time someone sells access, every time we decide whether the river exists to serve us or whether we exist to serve it. Choose wrong, and the next generation won't inherit a river culture. They'll inherit a marketplace with water running through it.
Brew Moscarello is the founder and lead guide at Trico Unlimited in Arlington, Vermont.
Standing in the Battenkill.
39TH ANNUAL MAYFEST
RETURNS TO DOWNTOWN BENNINGTON
By Ahmad Yassir
Mark your calendar:
Saturday, May 23
10:00 AM — 5:00 PM
Downtown Bennington
Main Street and School Street until Pleasant Street will be closed
Vermont Country Magazine
The 39th Annual MayFest in Downtown Bennington will take place on Saturday, May 23, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, bringing a full day of arts, crafts, music, food, and community energy to Main Street. This long-standing, free and family-friendly festival marks the unofficial start of summer in Southern Vermont and draws thousands of visitors to the heart of downtown each year.
This beloved, free and family-friendly festival transforms Main Street into a lively, colorful showcase of arts, crafts, music, food, and local spirit. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a longtime
attendee, MayFest is the kind of day that reminds you why Vermont does community celebrations so well.
A Street Transformed
For one special Saturday, Main Street closes to traffic from the Four Corners intersection all the way to Ramunto's Brick Oven Pizza (519 Main St, Bennington, VT).
School Street will also close from Main Street to Pleasant Street, creating a walkable, vibrant festival footprint right in the heart of downtown.
With more than 130 hand-selected vendors, Main Street fills with handcrafted jewelry, pottery, woodwork,
clothing, specialty foods, fine art, and one-of-a-kind gifts. Multiple live music stages keep the energy high throughout the day, while a dedicated Kids’ Zone ensures that even the youngest festival-goers have plenty to enjoy.
Free, Family-Friendly, and Easy to Access
MayFest is designed to be welcoming and accessible for everyone.
• Free admission
• Activities for all ages
• Free parking available in various public lots across the downtown area
* Coordinated safety efforts in collaboration with local agencies
From classic festival eats to diverse food options, MayFest reflects the culinary vibrancy of Downtown Bennington, where you’ll find everything from pub fare and breweries to Mexican cuisine, Jamaican flavors, Thai dishes, delis, cocktail bars, and even Vermont’s only fish fry restaurant, all within walking distance.
Community at the Core
Produced by the Better Bennington Corporation, the designated Downtown Organization for Bennington, MayFest is powered by
sponsors, board members, and an incredible network of volunteers.
Volunteerism and community pride are part of what makes the festival so successful. That shared effort creates a smoother, safer, and more joyful experience for every attendee.
As Matt Harrington, Chief Executive Officer of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber, shares:
“This is the quintessential downtown Vermont-style festival with eclectic crafts, foods, brews and entertainment. It's when the community comes out and welcomes the beginning of summer.”
He also notes the broader impact:
“For a rather small resident size (15,000), Bennington sees over 5 million visitors a year. MayFest is one of the ‘tent poles’ that holds up this impressive number and kicks off the summer festival time for a healthy and robust travel season!”
A Festival That Builds Skills and Spirit
For volunteers like Analee Patel, Architectural Designer at Centerline Architects & Planner, MayFest is more than an event — it’s an opportunity to give back.
“As a volunteer at MayFest, I assisted in setting up the event, helped local vendors with their booths, supported coordinators, and assisted with cleanup. This role allowed me to represent Bennington County’s welcoming spirit, support local artists and businesses, and develop teamwork, communication, and leadership skills.”
Her experience reflects what so many participants discover: MayFest isn’t just something you attend — it’s something you become part of.
Showcasing Downtown’s Vibrancy
Ashley Reherman, Owner of The Local & Co. (452 Main St, Bennington, VT), highlights how the festival uplifts local businesses:
“Being fairly new to Main Street, I have been pleasantly surprised by the popularity of MayFest. The carefully curated vendors offer such a wide variety of truly beautiful and interesting products and food. In turn, it becomes a showcase for our downtown businesses as well. It truly is a highlight of our year and a fantastic beginning to the summer season.”
Events like MayFest beautifully demonstrate Downtown Bennington’s walkability, architectural diversity, public art, arts and culture institutions, and access to the outdoors. From Vermont’s oldest bookstore to florists, gift shops, wine merchants, galleries, and restaurants, the festival becomes a living introduction to everything downtown has to offer.
A 39-Year Tradition of Creativity
MayFest began nearly four decades ago with a mission centered on arts and crafts — and that commitment remains strong today. Vendor curation continues to prioritize artistic diversity, handcrafted quality, and creative excellence, ensuring the festival stays true to its roots while evolving with the community.
For newcomers, one interviewee summed it up perfectly:
“If you’ve never been, MayFest is the perfect introduction to the heart and soul of Bennington County, creative, community-driven, and proud of its local roots. You won’t just attend an event; you’ll experience a place, its people, and the warmth that makes it unforgettable.”
Plan Your Visit
• Mark your calendar:
• Saturday, May 23 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Downtown Bennington, Vermont
For updates and full details, visit BetterBennington.com and follow @downtownbennington on Facebook and Instagram.
Kick off summer where community, creativity, and Vermont charm meet, at the 39th Annual MayFest.
A Labor of Love: Will Gardner on the Spirit Behind the Southern Vermont Homebrew Festival
By Ahmad Yassir Vermont Country Magazine.
When Will Gardner talks about the Southern Vermont Homebrew Festival, he doesn’t start with beer.
He starts with community.
“Literally, the core of this festival remains true,” Gardner said. “It’s to showcase the homebrewing talent in our area.”
Since its launch in 2015, the festival has welcomed more than 125 unique homebrewers. What began as a hyperlocal experiment has grown into something with a cult following in the homebrew
Vermont Country file photos
Bennington Beledi Tribal Bellydance members perform at the street festival part of the 4 Corners North HomeBrew Festival.
world. Drawing 30 to 35 dedicated homebrewers each year and attendees from across Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and beyond.
“No one else really turned the concept of homebrew into a true beer festival,” Gardner said. “A lot of others are backroom gatherings…dudes drinking beer and rating it on a homebrew scale. Ours is interactive. It’s a festival. It engages people with the homebrewers.”
From 15 Brewers to a Regional Draw
The first year, Gardner and his team closed down County Street with about 15 homebrewers, a handful of EZ-Up tents and plenty of uncertainty.
“It was 5 a.m., and I remember thinking, ‘I have no idea what’s going to happen today,’” he said. “I wasn’t panicky, I just didn’t know what to expect.”
Then the beer started flowing. Groups of four. Groups of five. Then 10 at a time.
“I looked over at Trish, (Patricia Gardner, Will’s wife and co-producer) and she was shaking her head yes,” Gardner said. “We actually did it. No one got hurt. Everyone had a great time. And people were already asking about the same date next year.”
By 2016, they returned to County Street with lessons learned and better infrastructure. In 2017, they added wings and live entertainment. In 2017, the festival add a second yearly event and moved indoors to the Masonic Hall on Main Street in partnership with the Chamber, tying in local restaurants during the winter programming lull. With 20 homebrewers and nearly 400 attendees in a tight space, the energy was undeniable — though Gardner admits he favored the outdoor setting.
By 2018, multiple bands, belly dancers and partnerships with local fire departments helped deepen the sense of camaraderie.
COVID forced a pause for the winter event 2021. That summer, the festival reemerged at the Tuttle lot at 113 Depot Street, incorporating food trucks and new health-conscious measures.
By 2023, with 35 to 40 homebrewers and an expanding roster of sponsors and partners, “it started feeling like a full-on festival,” Gardner said.
Raising the Bar
A major evolution came when the festival introduced beer industry judging. While attendees have always voted, homebrewers wanted professional, unbiased feedback.
Vermont Country file photo
Three Teachers Brewing Co-Brenden Cetnar holds an Emperor Palpatine Amber at the Southern Vermont HomeBrew Festival in Bennington.
Provided photo 2025 Homebrew pour list.
So Gardner assembled a panel of brewpub owners, head brewers and distribution professionals to evaluate entries based on marketability, scalability and quality.
“It brought the quality across the board up,” he said. “Now it’s juried.”
In 2024, the festival introduced the Seth Barrows Judged Award in memory of Seth of Farm Road Brewing, a homebrewer who participated in 2015
A throwback to when Homebrew was held indoors, featuring the now-discontinued Homebrew tasting glass. Since those pre-COVID days, the festival has evolved and grown into the vibrant outdoor celebration it is today.
and grew alongside the festival. Gardner said the encouragement and spirit Seth found at the event helped push him to open his brewery.
“We’re happy to carry on his legacy,” Gardner said. A lifetime achievement award was also added.
More Than Beer
Over time, something deeper has taken root.
Homebrewers, more than half of whom now come from outside the immediate area, invest thousands of dollars in equipment and regularly bring 15 to 20 gallons in multiple styles. Many have developed their own branding, tents, business cards and online presence.
“It’s been intriguing to watch people grow from five gallons to a team bringing 20 with their own branding,” Gardner said. “We’ve helped drive that, spotlighting them like vendors and showing them how to market themselves.”
Relationships formed at the festival now extend well beyond one day a year. Brewers from Connecticut and New Hampshire stay connected. Vendors return. By January, Gardner receives 20 to 25 emails asking for the date.
Attendance has shifted, too. What was once 90 percent local in year one is now about 50 percent visitors — and trending higher.
Gardner recalls a Manchester couple who discovered the festival by chance.
“They told us, ‘We haven’t come to Bennington in a long time, but now that there are festivals like this, we decided to go to the Monument and the museum.’”
It’s a reminder that sometimes people simply need a reason to rediscover what’s here.
Vermont Country file photo
Three Girls Brewing, which won best home brewery in 2025, serves up the Charleston Chewbacca Milk Stout at the Southern Vermont HomeBrew Festival in Bennington.
A Four-Hour Escape
Country file photos Southern Vermont HomeBrew Festival co-producers Will and Trish Gardner at Harvest Brewing, owned by former HomeBrew Fest participant and now-judge Sean Dunleavy.
The 10th year brought weather anxieties and logistical challenges. At one point, cancellation was considered.
“We walked around the tent, and we literally saw the clouds part and the sun emerge,” Gardner said. “That was the sign.”
At its heart, he said, the festival is a labor of love, a six-month journey each year to get every detail right.
“It’s four hours where you leave the world behind,” he said. “You become part of a community. You celebrate safely. You enjoy good music, beer and food. You forget about life for a few hours and really live in the moment.”
His favorite part?
“The closing. The awards. The thank-yous. Walking around and seeing hugs and high-fives. It’s this big group of friends who see each other once a year, and no one wants it to end.”
Looking Ahead to 2026
The Southern Vermont Homebrew Festival returns Saturday, May 2, from noon to 4 p.m., with VIP access from noon to 1 p.m., at the Tuttle lot at 113 Depot Street.
Gardner isn’t reinventing the wheel. Live music, food vendors, sponsors and, new this year, an ice cream truck will round out the experience.
In a conscious move toward accessibility, tickets are $5 cheaper across the board. Online tickets are available at vthomebrewfests.
com
“If you’re struggling, but you need four hours to exist,” Gardner said, “we would love to enable you and make this event more accessible.”
For Gardner, that’s the point. Not just beer, but belonging.
Vermont
HEALTH & WELLNESS
A wood-warbler, possibly an ovenbird, perches on a branch Tuesday in the McCullough Woods in North Bennington. Warblers are long-distance migration champs, travelling thousands of miles from remote rainforests to return to the Northeast each spring.
By Ahmad Yassir, Vermont Country Magazine.
Enter in the back of 532 Main St. #3, and you’ll find something that has quietly shaped the well-being of Bennington for 25 years.
Jane Schaeffer smiles when she says it’s been “a great experience.” A quarter century after co-founding Bennington Yoga Place with Debby Lewis, the studio remains steady, rooted in consistency, community and the belief that yoga is for every body.
“It was the two of us,” Schaeffer said. “Debby had the vision.”
In the early days, they searched for space wherever they could find it, even considering a workshop floor
used by a local counseling agency, where machines left the ground oily and less than ideal. “You’d never think yoga is connected to manufacturing,” Schaeffer laughed. But Debby, carpet in hand and with her husband’s help, saw possibility.
At the time, yoga classes were scattered, some at the hospital, some at the new fire station, often sharing space with step classes or other programming. Schaeffer and Lewis wondered: Why not create a place just for yoga?
That intention, a dedicated space, still defines the studio today.
A Real Sangha
Schaeffer describes the in-person yoga experience as a “sangha,” a community.
“Doing yoga at home alone in front of the TV is like a Zoom meeting versus an in-person meeting,” she said. “When you see your classmate doing something, maybe you’ll copy them. Every student brings their particular experience to the situation.”
Yoga, she explains, teaches you about your own body. “You don’t have to look like the picture.”
While online classes remain part of the schedule, including chair yoga, Gentle Yoga and Monday offerings, Schaeffer believes there is something powerful about practicing together in a room that holds up to 25 students.
People chat in the hallway. They recognize one another.
They return.
“It’s a real sangha,” she said. “Open to other people coming.”
Not One Style, But Many
The strength of Bennington Yoga Place lies in its teachers.
“Wonderful teachers is what really makes the studio stand out,” Schaeffer said. “They all have different perspectives on yoga.”
Angela Rocca, a full-time yoga teacher, creates mandala-style sequences. Allison Rogge blends yoga sculpt with a body-building sensibility. Carol Steinmetz focuses deeply on alignment, foot placement, gaze, detail. Suzie
HEALTH & WELLNESS
HEALTH & WELLNESS
Pence, a veteran, closes class with singing bowls. There is gentle yoga, chair yoga and classes designed for those who prefer a more inward, supported practice.
“It’s not about you fitting the yoga…It’s about you finding the yoga that’s best for you in any moment of your practice and life.”
She distinguishes the studio’s approach from “gym yoga,” where an instructor might stand on a platform and deliver a routine without adjustment or interpersonal connection. “Some people like that,” she said. “Other people want something more inward.”
At Bennington Yoga Place, the invitation is to explore, and to try different teachers until something resonates.
From Problem to Practice
Schaeffer’s path to yoga wasn’t linear.
Trained in general anthropology, she conducted research in Jamaica on cannabis use, studied in New York and lived on a commune in Guilford. She later earned a psychology degree as a single mother and worked for many years at United Counseling Service before starting a private practice.
She began teaching stress reduction and relaxation, drawn to what she calls the “shift from problem to solution.”
“When people go to therapy, you need a problem to begin with,” she said. “Yoga was a great outlet to offer a solution.”
In yoga philosophy, she explains, the human being is composed of five sheaths: physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual. A yoga class works with all of them, whether someone arrives because they’re curious,
newly retired, returning after years away or simply seeking to feel better.
“Honestly, people come back because it feels good,” she said.
Schaeffer remembers her own first class in Bennington, taken with Allison McGovern at the hospital while she was in a doctoral program and raising a child alone.
“I was stressed out to the max,” she said. “And I was like, ‘Whoa.’ Muscle memory. I learned how to relax again.”
It wasn’t the first time yoga found her. Years earlier, after her baby was born, a friend invited her to class. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s fantastic. I’m with other people, I’m doing something good for me, and I feel great.’ You definitely feel great by the end of every yoga class.”
Steady and Accessible
In 25 years, the studio has never changed its fee structure. There are drop-in rates and passes that reduce cost with frequency, and no one is turned away for lack of funds. Donation-based participation remains part of the ethos.
Classes are offered daily, sometimes even on Sundays, both in person and online. The schedule is available at www.benningtonyoga.com
One of Schaeffer’s mottos is simple: “Yoga is the answer.”
After 25 years on Main Street, tucked quietly behind the bustle, Bennington Yoga Place continues to offer exactly that, an answer rooted in breath, movement and community.
A Bread Lover’s Dream
Sourdough Competition and Tastings at Brattleboro’s BreadFest
Do you love eating bread? Do you love baking bread? Does a room full of sourdough loaves, local spreads, and local cheeses sound like a dream come true?
Join us for the second annual BreadFest at the Brattleboro Food Co-op on Saturday, March 28th!
We are expanding last year’s successful baking competition and inviting all of our Vermont community and beyond to enjoy a delicious banquet of artisan breads right here in our Brattleboro Food co-op café. You’ll taste and vote on breads entered into the baking competition, plus breads baked by our Co-op professional bakers. We will be providing cheese, butter,
and spreads from local producers to enjoy with these beautiful, artisanal loaves! All are welcome to attend BreadFest - no need to bake a loaf to come celebrate with us, enjoy the smorgasbord, and interact with the delightful Brattleboro and bread communities.
Enter our sourdough competition for a chance to win prizes valued at over $100! We’ll have
THE DETAILS
When: Saturday, March 28th 12pm-3pm Where: The Brattleboro Food Co-op Café Cost: FREE Enter the baking competition by March 26th.
Visit bfc.coop/events to enter and to check updates on prizes and judges!
adult and youth divisions and the breads will be judged by a panel of professional bakers as well as you, the BreadFest attendees! The judges will be evaluating breads on three equally-weighted qualities: Appearance, Texture, and Flavor/Aroma and prizes will be awarded to both judge’s choice and the community vote winner.
Judge Highlight:
Sarah Schuldenfrei of Bread from the Earth
Sarah’s mission is to feed her community wholesome and delicious bread while supporting local organic farmers and producers. Sarah works out of a beautiful wood-fired brick oven and bakery space she built after demand for her bread steadily increased in the community. Sourdough is her specialty.
Recreational and Medical Cannabis Flourish at Juniper Lane in Bennington
Celebrating three years of growth, community, and innovation in Vermont’s cannabis scene
By Anne Archer Vermont Country correspondent
When Colleen McQuade, owner of Juniper Lane, heard adult-use cannabis was on the path to legalization, she couldn’t have been happier.
“I called my stepmom and said, ‘I think I can do this,’” McQuade said, referring to opening her own cannabis dispensary. “I think I can do it better than some of the other companies.”
Her stepmom wholeheartedly agreed and nine months after that phone call, McQuade opened Juniper Lane (named after her first pipe), the first cannabis dispensary in Bennington.
That was three years ago, time that McQuade said has gone by quickly, and Juniper Lane is not only going
strong, the dispensary continues to grow.
Juniper Lane Cultivation
Last year, McQuade started a small, indoor, on-site cultivation with James Levin as the master grower. McQuade said the grows are going well and she is looking forward to the next harvest, adding that Levin has dialed in the genetics of the strains and has been focused on the details that come with growing.
Along with the indoor grow, Juniper Lane started their own cartridge product line this year that include five strains: Green Crack, Grand Daddy Purple, Acapulco Gold, Chocolope, and Gorilla Glue. McQuade is in the process of wholesaling the cartridges
across the state along with cannabis gummies manufactured with the extra biomass from the on-site grow.
Juniper Lane Receives Approvals from Vermont Cannabis Control Board
Recently, Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board has given authorization to Juniper Lane to sell all-in-one vape disposables, a device that is new to the Vermont market. The all-in-one vape is a pre-filled, single-unit vaping device that combines the battery, oil or liquid, and mouthpiece into a single, disposable product.
“Due to packaging regulations, it’s been hard to get disposables to the market,” McQuade said, adding that
. Vermont Country file photos
Juniper Lane employee Cass Eckley serves a customer at the shop.
the hardware is something people ask for every single day because they are convenient, discreet, and easy to use. Another win for Juniper Lane came when the dispensary received a medical endorsement from the CCB.
According to McQuade, once training for the program is completed, which should be in early December, the store will be selling medical cannabis to registered medical patients. Patients have access to more cannabis products, they do not pay any tax on their purchases, and their limit per transaction is higher.
McQuade, who served as general manager of the now-defunct PhytoCare Vermont medical dispensary in Bennington, has seen firsthand how cannabis can help those suffering with illness.
“My mom was really sick with cancer when I was growing up and I know that she used cannabis and she would just seem better every time she did,”
McQuade said. “That was my first introduction to cannabis, that it helped people.”
Surprises in Cannabis Business
After three years in the ever-evolving cannabis industry, McQuade has seen
a lot but her biggest surprise has been the warm welcome she has received from the Bennington community.
The Future
McQuade is excited and optimistic about the future of cannabis in Vermont, expressing hope for Legislative approval to host consumption events.
“We’re really lucky in Vermont,” McQuade said. “We have great product. Great growers. Great manufacturers. I feel like there’s a lot to look forward to.”
“I love getting to talk to my customers every day at the store and getting to know them and finding cannabis solutions for them.”
Colleen McQuade
“I feel so welcomed into the downtown, the community, the lives of the customers who come into my store on a regular basis, and the great visitors we get from all over,” McQuade said, adding the people coming into her store is the best part of her job. “I love getting to talk to my customers every day at the store and getting to know them and finding cannabis solutions for them.”
McQuade’s second surprise is how many regulatory changes have incurred in the Vermont cannabis industry over the past three years.
“Our benchmarks are always changing and as the industry progresses and grows and gets the kinks out, changes are expected but sometimes it feels like everything is changing,” McQuade said.
McQuade, who got into the cannabis industry for many reasons, one being she loves the plant. But she has found many intangible reasons to work with cannabis, like valuable relationships with her customers, her vendors, her cultivators, and her manufacturers.
“Those relationships and the effort and the quality that is produced in our state is really top notch and I feel really honored to work with these people and to carry their product,” McQuade said. “I hope to grow so I can expand into more and more because there are so many great options in Vermont.”
While she isn’t expanding into Vermont yet, McQuade opened a second Juniper Lane dispensary in Atlantic City, New Jersey in December.
Just another thing for McQuade to look forward to.
Colleen
HEALTH & WELLNESS
McQuade organizing the shelf at Juniper Lane in Bennington.
From eye disease detection to stylish frames: inside Bennington’s newest family eyecare practice
Bennington Family Eyecare is conveniently located on Main Street in the heart of Downtown Bennington. Dr. Mercedes Smith and her husband and business manager Shawn opened the eye clinic and boutique optical in May 2025 and immediately received a warm welcome from the community.
Dr. Smith and her husband operate Springfield Family Eyecare in Springfield, Vermont and were looking to expand to another community with a great need for eyecare. When Moulton’s Spectacle
From left to right is Ashley Provencher, Mandy Stratton, and MacKenzie Bourgeois.
Bennington Family Eyecare is conveniently located at 463 Main St., Bennington.
Shoppe went up for sale, they decided the time was right to open their second location.
At the heart of the practice is comprehensive medical eye care. Eye exams go far beyond checking vision for glasses or contact lenses. Using state-of-the-art diagnostic technology, Dr. Smith focuses on early detection, treatment, and management of eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, dry eye disease, diabetic eye conditions, and ocular infections. Preventative care is a cornerstone of the practice, ensuring potential issues are identified early, often before symptoms arise, so patients can protect their long-term vision and overall health.
The care experience that we strive for at Bennington Family Eyecare is designed to feel personal and unrushed. Dr. Smith takes the time to listen, educate, and explain findings in a clear and approachable manner. Whether it’s a child’s first eye exam, contact lens fittings, specialty contact lens fittings, including Ortho-K, lenses you sleep in that give perfect clear vision during the day, or ongoing management of chronic eye conditions, the focus remains on thoughtful, customized care that fits each patient’s lifestyle and visual needs.
Complementing the clinical experience is a boutique optical unlike anything found in a traditional corporate optical chain. The optical space is carefully curated to feel welcoming, stylish, and inspiring. What truly sets the boutique optical apart is its collection of independent frame lines. Rather than mass-produced brands seen everywhere, the practice showcases eyewear from independent designers known for craftsmanship, originality, and attention to detail. The frames are selected not just for their fine aesthetics, but for their quality, comfort, and durability. Many are handcrafted using premium materials such as high-grade acetate, titanium, and innovative sustainable components.
This curated approach ensures that patients can find frames that genuinely reflect their personality and style, whether that means bold and artistic, minimal and modern, classic and refined, or something entirely unique. Our patient and caring optical team is highly trained in styling and fitting, helping patients choose frames that complement their face shape, coloring, lifestyle, and visual needs. The result is eyewear that doesn’t just correct vision but becomes a confident extension of who you are.
Our lens technology receives the same level of attention. Bennington Family Eyecare offers the most advanced lens designs tailored to each prescription, including the most technologically advanced progressive lens designs on the market today. We also offer Transitions lenses in many color options to match your unique style and to complement your frame. Specialty lenses for work or hobbies, blue-light filtering lenses, and Crizal anti-glare coatings will have you seeing your best.
Bennington Family Eyecare represents a thoughtful evolution in eye care, where health and personal expression coexist effortlessly. It is a place where patients feel cared for medically and inspired stylistically.
We are open Tuesday – Friday from 9-5 and closed 12-1 for lunch. To request an appointment for an eye exam please call 802-442-0781 or visit us online at www.benningtonfamilyeyecare.com.
Feel free to stop in anytime to browse our eyewear selection at 463 Main St., Bennington, VT 05201.
Photo provided.
Dr. Mercedes Smith.
Confluence Acupuncture expands focus to offer more classes
By Chris Mays
Vermont Country Magazine
BRATTLEBORO — After recently celebrating a third anniversary, plans are underway to expand classes offered by Confluence Acupuncture.
"It's all going well," said Stefan Grace, owner of Confluence Acupuncture.
"Everyone is really into it when they come in and do it, and group classes foster more of a sense of community."
Stefan Grace
Grace enjoys helping people realize the possibility of traditional Chinese medicine for health care. Now, he
wants the public classes to be a bigger part of what he offers and provides to the community. He plans to put more focus on running physical culture classes, such as Qigong.
Acupuncture and herbal treatments will still be offered in the clinic on Technology Drive.
Qigong is similar to physical therapy, Grace said. He teaches therapeutic exercises to help people with problems they're working on in the lobby of the clinic weekday mornings.
His plan is to expand those offerings to weekends and nights in a larger space outside of the clinic. He said he will have classes targeted at different skill levels.
Getting people to the classes on a weekday is difficult. Having other options will make it easier to accommodate people's work schedules, Grace said.
"Everyone is really into it when they come in and do it," he said, "and group classes foster "more of a sense of community."
Grace also has been teaching a manual therapy, known as Tuina, out of his office. He practices it in his clinical work.
In the coming year, Grace plans to offer more classes about Tuina and in a more organized fashion. Students "can come for a few consecutive weekends to learn a larger body of work," he said. He described the previous classes being "pretty low key and generally by word of mouth."
Tuina is "a big part of what I do to get clinical results," Grace said.
"I want to open these classes up to not just specialists like professionals like myself but laypeople who are interested in learning these things," he said.
His goal is to give people the tools to help them-
selves and the people around them so they don't necessarily need to come in for treatment.
Unable to see anywhere nearby to get Tuina training, Grace said, "there's a gap there that could be filled."
With the acupuncture clinic, Grace said he's "really happy with the receptivity that I've gotten from the locale, both with herbs and acupuncture."
"I'm happy with the level of busy-iness I've achieved and the openness of community members," he said.
For information on classes and the clinic, visit confluenceacupuncture.com.º
Memoria l Ha l l, Main Street in Wi lming ton, Vermont
Register Now to Save Your Seat: info@SerenityCentralOf NewEngland.com / 407-615-1447
Special Guest appearance: A Buddhist Monk from the Peace Walk
* Recall the teachings of Torah, Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Martin Luther King Jr. on how communities of compassion and peace embrace justice for all
* Share your vision and testimony of what our society should be
* Pray with spiritual leaders from many traditions
* Co-leaders— Rabbi Debra Kolodny, Venerable Bhante Rathana, Dr Joseph Burke, Leaders of Dances of Universal Peace H E LP U S DE S IG N A PL AN OF ACTION TO TR AN S FOR M R EG I M E S BAS E D ON FE AR , C RU E LT Y, HATR E D AN D MAN I PU L ATION .
Coffee a nd lig ht refreshments ser ved 8:30 a .m., Lunch ava i lable. Donations of $25.0 0 appreciated.
&
In Jacksonville, a Catholic
and a
Buddhist have come
together
to focus on interfaith dialogue, mindfulness, and community service
By Bob Audette, Vermont Country Magazine
At the Green Mountain Meditation Center at Serenity Central of New England, the “Green Mountain Monk, the Venerable Bhante Rathana, has taken up residency, in partnership with Dr. Joseph Burke, a life-long Catholic who moved to Jacksonville in 2024 with the vision of creating a haven for a wide variety of spiritual events and practices.
“Bhante has a ministry focused on meditation and the Buddhist practice of loving kindness,” said Burke.
Burke said he got connected to Bhante Rathana through his sister-in-law, who had worked with him before.
“I thought why don’t we bring him over, test it out for a week or two and see how it goes,” said Burke, who said their visions clicked immediately. “He’s been here ever since.”
Since 2024, Green Mountain Meditation Center at Serenity Central hasn’t been beating its own prayer drum very loudly, but it has hosted a number of events, includ-
ing a convocation of sorts of Buddhist monks, ceremonies that have never been performed in Vermont, such as Kathina the annual celebration known as The New Robe ceremony, which typically occurs in early November.
Serenity Central is sponsoring a special program for New England attorneys on April 16, 2026. The program will explore issues on mental wellness and ethical behavior of attorneys.
See their website for details and registration.
Vesak, an annual celebration of the Buddha’s birthday, day of Enlightenment, and the Buddha’s final transformation will be celebrated at the Serenity Center on May 24.
Serenity Central has also been hosting weekend AA retreats, with morning meditation from Bhante Rathana and Reiki from a local practitioner, and Dances of Universal Peace groups.
Burke, who graduated from Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., as a philosophy major, has worked in education in Florida and Massachusetts.
“I've always been really interested in other faiths and other
Monks at Serenity Central of New England.
religions,” he said. “There are these universal themes that cut across all of the major religions. And so, we've been committed since we first got here to be interdenominational.”
Every Wednesday and Sunday, Serenity Central hosts meditation sessions free to the public, live and on Zoom.
Burke said he was really excited to return to New England and had been scouting around for a place to settle down when he found Serenity Central of New England.
“The last day I was up here looking, I came over here to this place,” he said. “It just had everything I wanted. And it’s a wonderful place.
“My idea coming up here was to have a retreat center that would serve a wide variety of needs for different groups, a spot for people who needed a place to come and have a good experience. That’s really all this is.”
Burke said he and Bhante Rathana have been welcomed heartily in the community and look forward to expanding their friendships with believers of all types.
Burke said they’re planning a big public event on July 12, tentatively entitled “Holy Dissent,” with a focus on honoring the spiritual principles behind non-violent resistance, with a guest appearance from a Buddhist monk who participated in the Walk for Peace.
“It’s going to be a real positive, upbeat sort of thing, where we basically look at the history of spiritual leaders taking on regimes that are oppressive, cruel, or unjust, and then come up with some kind of a plan to activate the community to model a different vision of what our society should look like.”
The Green Mountain Meditation Center at Serenity Central of New England offers a number of regular weekly classes including sessions of yoga and twice weekly meditation at 6 p.m., and is open for community meetings, business retreats and other events.
The center will have a formal dedication and opening of a Library of Spiritual Literature in May.
For more information, visit serenitycentralofnewengland.com, email info@ serenitycentralofnewengland.com, or call 802-368-2015. You can also email Dr. Joseph Burke at burkejoseph941@gmail. com or call him directly at 407-615-1447.
New Robe ceremony, altar preparation.
Vermont Country
See our ads on pages 48-49
Photo provided by Brattleboro Area Realty
Designing With Intention at ABODE
by Kelly Palecek, Vermont Country correspondent
Danielle Dupuis Mathers founded ABODE Kitchen & Design Studio in Manchester Center with a simple belief: good design is built on trust, relationships, and care that extends well beyond the finished space. Her path began at home, where she and her husband, Roger, spent years transforming their own spaces and developing an instinct for how homes and workplaces function day to day. That intuition led to formal design training at Sage College and hands-on craft experience at RK Miles.
Clients work directly with Danielle through every phase of a project, whether designing year-round residences, vacation homes, or local businesses.
When her department at RK Miles closed, the company’s confidence in her talent resulted in an offer of a lease just across the lot. ABODE grew from that moment — rooted in persistence, partnership, and Manchester’s long tradition of doing business face to face.
ABODE is intentionally small and personal. Clients work directly with Danielle through every phase of a project, whether designing year-round residences, vacation homes, or local businesses. Operating debt-free allows her to keep pricing fair and transparent. If the right solution lives outside her studio, she connects clients with trusted local artisans and vendors. Each project is structured thoughtfully so that everyone involved is treated fairly and compensated in a timely manner, strengthening the regional trades network her work depends on.
She begins with the end in mind, designing for longevity from the start. Her work emphasizes durability and environmental responsibility. ABODE partners with USAmade, KCMA-certified brands including Dura Supreme, Showplace, Brighton, and Kountry Kraft, and collaborates with artisans working in reclaimed and responsibly sourced materials.
In Southern Vermont, successful projects require planning ahead of the building season. From the first studio meeting through final installation, Danielle manages
both the technical and human elements of renovation—creating kitchens and spaces that are functional, enduring, and supportive of how people live and gather.
Danielle Dupuis Mathers
Powering Through the Storm: New Partnership Makes Energy Independence Affordable for Vermonters
Vermont’s weather is known to turn in an instant. From heavy snowfall, high winds, and severe thunderstorms, keeping the lights on is more than a convenience—it’s a necessity. For years, the solution for many has been loud, fossil-fuel-burning generators. Costly installations and maintenance, underground fuel lines and tanks, and start-up delays are some of the reasons people avoid them or are ready to make a change. As of November 2025, a new partnership between our regional utility, Green Mountain Power (GMP), and Enphase Energy, an American-owned renewable tech company, is changing the landscape of home backup power.
The $55 Solution
The headline news for Southern Vermont homeowners is the price point. Through GMP’s battery lease program, customers can ready their homes for any grid outages through the install of an Enphase IQ® Battery 10C™ system for just $55 a month over a ten-year lease. For those who prefer to pay upfront, the cost is a one-time payment of $5,500.
Typically, battery backup systems cost tens of thousands of dollars. GMP is able to offer this low rate because the program works in two ways: it provides hardworking Vermonters with security and peace of mind, and through energy sharing during peak use times it lowers costs for all GMP customers.,
How It Works: The Virtual Power Plant
GMP’s growing "Virtual Power Plant" is currently the largest dispatchable energy source in the state. When you join the lease program, you agree to share some of your stored energy with GMP during "peak" times—like hot summer evenings when many
Vermonters are running their air conditioning.
In exchange for helping the utility reduce costs directly for all customers, and keep polluting peaker-plants offline, you’re rewarded with a battery back-up system at an unbeatable price. Most importantly, when a storm knocks out power lines, the system automatically reserves energy for your home, keeping your lights, internet, and other essentials up and running.
Made in America Reliability
The product offered is Enphase’s 4th-generation Energy System, which includes U.S.-manufactured components. Enphase is a global leader in solar technology, known for safety and reliability.
The lease includes a comprehensive 15-year warranty and 24/7 customer service, meaning homeowners don’t have to worry about maintenance or technical glitches.
Future-Proofing Your Home
This partnership isn't just about today’s storms. In late 2026,Enphase expects to launch bidirectional electric vehicle (EV) chargers. This future technology will allow your electric vehicle to act as a massive battery on wheels, supplementing the 10C batteries to power your home during an outage.
Next Steps
For Vermonters looking for seamless back up power, this program offers high-tech resilience at a low monthly cost. You support the local grid and your neighbors while protecting your family. Eligible customers can start the sign-up process directly through GMP, Enphase, or Power Guru.
Note: See our ad on the back page.
If you love light, this is your ne w home! This condo is special, in that it is one of only 2 homes in the complex. Easy to manag e , make an agr eement f or next y ear ’ s expenses and you are done. This 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath unit is extraordinar y for the area, with an attached 2 car garage, back deck, nice yard, and minutes to ever ything....hospital, Co-op, schools, interstate Open concept first floor with living/dining/kitchen and a first floor bedroom en-suite with a great walk-in c loset. S econd floor features a central den, movie or game room along with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. Full basement under most of the home is great for storage or workshop. Don’t miss this beautiful light filled home!
First time offered, EVER... built and loved by the current family, it is time to pass the keys to a new generation of owners ready to put their own love and dreams into this sweet home. Just across from the high and midd le schools, around the corner from Oak Grove grade school, and down the street from the hospital and shopping. There is a first floor bed and bath for aging in place, but 2 big bedrooms and full bath up! The full basement has room for a workshop, storage or game room. Drive and car port are paved for easy maintenance. Huge shed in the back for storage or lawn care tools. Just what you have been waiting for!
This custom built log home, offers the ultimate in sophistication and luxur y Featured in Better Homes and Gardens, New England Home and Countr y Home magazines, this 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom sanctuar y is nestled on 2.2 wooded acres, just 4 minutes from Hermitage Club and 10 minutes from Mount Snow. The living space seamlessly blends modern elegance with timeless log cabin charm including a kitchen with Lacanche Citeaux range, tile backsplash, and custom steel-and-brass hood, great room with stunning stone fireplace, guest bath,primar y suite with vaulted ceilings, custom bath with double vanity and walk-in shower, additional first floor guest room, with en suite bath, second floor with two bedrooms and a full bath, with additional loft space, lower level family room with 9 foot ceilings, game room, wet bar, bunkroom and bath. The exterior includes a stone patio, hot tub, front and rear porches, and extensive custom lighting Throughout the home, custom cabinetr y, premium finishes, and impeccable craftsmanship are evident, ensuring an unparalleled level of luxur y
