After 90 y ears, The Yankee Bookshop is still a Woodstock favorite.
64 A Cut Above
By Stephen D’Agostino
Enjo y a true Vermont experience at The Village Butcher.
ON THE COVER
Heather Adams of The Village Inn and The Vic Tavern serves Chicken and Shrimp Spring Rolls.
Photo by Monica Darling.
Interior Design
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Woodstock Magazine wants to hear from readers. Correspondence may be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Woodstock Magazine, 135 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755. Or email us at: dthompson@mountainviewpublishing.com. Advertising inquiries may be made by email to ryanfrisch@mountainviewpublishing.com.
With autumn’s arrival, our thoughts turn to sending the youngsters back to school, the return of football (Go, Pats!), and the crisp, sunny days this season brings. Make it a point to head outdoors to soak up the glorious weather with family, friends, and foliage.
This season is known to attract many visitors to our beautiful area, and it’s a good bet that some of them will be staying at The Village Inn. Our cover story begins on page 40. While locals may not be reserving a suite there, you can be sure they’ll be frequenting The Vic Tavern, a warm and inviting spot to meet friends and enjoy a delicious snack or meal. Stop by soon and tell Jarret and Heather Adams we sent you.
It seems that fall is the season for anniversaries in town, so join us in celebrating The Yankee Bookshop’s 90th year (page 50). After occupying more than a few locations and growing under the guidance of several owners, Kristian Preylowski and Kari Meutsch stepped in eight years ago to usher the store into its next chapter. You’ll want to check out the charming stop soon—and often.
In another anniversary, the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA) has reached a remarkable milestone—they are 100 years old this year! You can read about their long history as well as current events beginning on page 58.
We’re also dropping in to visit the friendly folks at The Village Butcher (page 64). Besides the finest meats, local products, and mouthwatering deli sandwiches and salads, you’ll also find well-known local Charlie Rattigan behind the counter making New York–style bagels. Buying one—or a half dozen—is a must on your next trip into town.
Wherever your travels take you this fall, savor the views and every beautiful day. Give thanks for your blessings and hug your loved ones. Check in online for the latest news and events at www.greateruppervalley.com. Enjoy!
A full-time freelance writer and photographer, Lisa is a graduate of Dartmouth College who resided in the Upper Valley for another 25 years. She is the author of 13 books, including Best Hikes with Dogs: New Hampshire and Vermont, Hiking the White Mountains, and Hiking the Green Mountains. She covers all types of travel, outdoor recreation, and conservation topics for over 25 magazines. www.LisaBallardOutdoors.com
Kathy is a freelance writer and former writer and editor for The Keene Sentinel in Keene, New Hampshire. Her work has also appeared in the anthology Beyond the Notches: Stories of Place in New Hampshire’s North Country. She was also a writer and producer for Captured Light Studio, Inc., a video and interactive production company in Keene. Kathy likes to garden, travel, and hike, often combining hiking and traveling in one trip. She is a volunteer trustee on her local library board of trustees.
Stephen is a freelance writer living in Reading, Vermont. His work has appeared in publications in Boston, New York City, museum catalogs, and Edible Vermont magazine. When he’s not writing articles, he is working at The Yankee Bookshop, which he wrote about in this issue, writing novels that someday he’ll get published, reading, knitting, baking bread, or gardening.
Nancy is the owner of Photos by Nanci, a photography business she started in 2009. She’s had a camera in her hand since she was in grade school and has honed her skills working for various newspapers: UMass Daily Collegian, The Campus Connection, The Valley News, and the Vermont Standard as well as Mountain View Publishing. She is also the codirector of the Covered Bridges Half Marathon Race that takes place on the first Sunday in June.
Katherine P. Cox
Lisa Ballard
Stephen D’Agostino
Nancy Nutile-McMenemy
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Indulge in Local Foods During Dinner in the Orchard
For a memorable date night or fun meal with friends, Riverview Farms is holding several more Dinner in the Orchard events through the fall.
Spirit Halloween Coming to West Lebanon
Spirit Halloween is known for its abundance of costumes, decor, and accessories. Open now until Halloween is over.
Upper Valley Rideshares
If you’re looking for a carpool buddy, a ride to the airport, or a safe ride home after partying, there are several rideshare options in the Upper Valley.
ONLINE ADVERTISERS INDEX
Check out these local businesses in our directory.
3 PHASE LANDSCAPING, LLC
ALIGN INN VERMONT
BARTON INSURANCE AGENCY
BELLETETES
CALDWELL LAW
CAPPADOCIA CAFE
CARPENTER & MAIN
CHAPMAN’S GENERAL STORE
COLBY INSURANCE GROUP
CO-OP FOOD STORES
COPELAND FURNITURE
CROSSROADS ACADEMY
DARTMOUTH AUTHENTIC
DATAMANN
DB LANDSCAPING
DESIGNER GOLD
DOLAN REAL ESTATE
DR. NEELY-HANOVER ORTHODONTICS
DUTILLE’S JEWELRY DESIGN STUDIO
EYEGLASS OUTLET
FOLEY BROTHERS BREWING
FORE-U GOLF CENTER
GILBERTE INTERIORS
HANOVER EYECARE
HUBERT’S FAMILY OUTFITTERS
IVY IV AESTHETICS
JEFF WILMOT PAINTING & WALLPAPERING, INC.
LAVALLEY BUILDING SUPPLY
LITTLE ISTANBUL
LOCABLE
MARTHA E. DIEBOLD REAL ESTATE
MB PRO LANDSCAPE DESIGN
MORNINGSIDE FLIGHT PARK
MVP MARINE
NEWPORT GOLF CLUB
POWERHOUSE MALL
RAMUNTO’S OF CLAREMONT
RICHARD ELECTRIC
RIVER ROAD VETERINARY CLINIC
RODD ROOFING
SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL EVENTS
STATELINE SPORTS
THE FLYING GOOSE
THE GILDED EDGE
THE HANOVER INN AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
THE PUBLIC HOUSE
THE WORKS CAFÉ
TOP STITCH
TUCKERBOX
UPPER VALLEY BUSINESS ALLIANCE
VALLEY REGIONAL HOSPITAL
VILLAGE PIZZA
VINS
WHITE RIVER FAMILY EYECARE
WISE
WOODSTOCK AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
WOODSTOCK INN & RESORT
BUSINESS DIRECTORY or for other online advertising opportunities, contact Ryan Frisch at 518-365-0030 or email ryanfrisch@mountainviewpublishing.com.
AROUND & ABOUT
By Cassie Horner
Alice Standish Buell Exhibit
Local Connections
In one of Alice Standish Buell’s etchings, the pause of the midday break on a farm is revealed in the open barn, where even the old dog is stretched out for a rest. The image captures the wonder of light and shadow in a place at the center of a busy country space.
Called Noon Hour, the etching was done while Alice was at the King Farm in Woodstock, where she rented King Cottage in 1926. By 1932, she purchased what was known as the Slocum place on Brown Road in North Bridgewater. There she created a variety of etchings, including Homefront, Forest Yield, and New Silo. Her house still exists and many of her images can still be identified in the landscape after almost 100 years.
Forest Yield depicts the pulping in the woods. New Silo was done as the neighbors were building it. Home Front looks
Up
toward the New Hampshire hills and White Mountains.
The Bridgewater Historical Society is hosting an exhibit of Alice’s work and artifacts with information about the techniques of her printmaking. The exhibit runs through October 11.
Like many artists, Alice found a peaceful place in Vermont summers, far away from the heat of New York, New Orleans, and later Sanibel Island, Florida, where she lived most of the year with her husband Josiah Bradley “Si” Buell. Her summers were filled with her art, visits from family and friends, and connections to the local community. She enjoyed visits to
Top:
and Up Farm, 1936.
Right: Forest Yeild, 1945.
her neighbors and was a member of the Prosper Homemakers.
Alice was born in 1892 in Oak Park, Illinois. She met her husband at Oberlin College. Their shared interest in social work and community planning inspired their move to New York City in 1921. She attended Columbia University and engaged in a multitude of activist groups
Village, where she exhibited etchings of Plymouth, Woodstock, and Dartmouth College and at the Baker Memorial Library at Dartmouth College. In 1951, she was part of a group show at the Community Center in Woodstock. In 1958, two years before her death in New York, local art promoter Ellison Lieberman showed her art at The Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock. In addition to her etchings, she was known for her decorative maps showing some of the homes of Woodstock.
such as the National American Suffrage Association and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Exhibits of Alice’s work were held in venues ranging from the Art Institute of Chicago to the 1939 New York World’s Fair and The Pen and Brush in New York City. There were also local exhibits at the White Cupboard Inn in Woodstock
For more information, visit bridge waterhistory.org. The exhibit is open on the second and fourth Saturdays through October 11 at the Schoolhouse, 12 North Bridgewater Road. Contact bridge
Top: The Home Front, 1943.
Above: Alice and her dog.
Left: Noon Hour, c. 1945.
Barn Art at Billings Farm & Museum
Bridging the Past and Present
The many barns at Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock help create a landscape that dates back to the rural history and landscape of farming. Through February 22, 2026, the outdoor exhibit Art on the Barns gives visitors a large-scale experience of viewing contemporary abstract works that engage in a dialogue with history.
The exhibit, in place for four seasons, interacts with the changing color and light of the environment throughout a year on the farm. The museum is spread out across the land, so Art on the Barns is
“The exhibit is a great way to bridge the past and present. All of the works are created specifically for the buildings they are on.”
— Sherlock Terry, curatorial and exhibits manager
a great way to tour the site.
“One of the things we are known for at the farm is the agricultural history that started in the 1860s,” says Sherlock Terry, curatorial and exhibits manager. “But we are also a working contemporary dairy farm. The exhibit is a great way to bridge the past and present. All of the works are created specifically for the buildings they are on.” The artworks are digital prints mounted on aluminum.
This is the second year of Art on the Barns. Last year, the exhibit showed a more literal interpretation of barn quilts.
Above: There and Back. Awkward Character by Elise Whittemore.
This year, the artists explored the subject more abstractly.
Vermont artists Elise Whittemore and Will Gebhard, in collaboration with the Burlington gallery Soapbox Arts owned by Patricia Trafton, have worked to create art pieces that integrate into the farm’s landscapes that change with the seasons and with the daily work on a farm.
Top: On silos: Paper Chain I-III by Elise Whittemore.
home, identity, and politics,” she says.
Elise, a printmaker from Grand Isle, Vermont, is inspired by her mother’s history as a quilter and by the art of printmaking. She created monoprints stitched together for the exhibit in a hybrid art of collage and quilting. “My recent work has explored how quilters have used pattern and design to articulate ideas about
Will’s artwork is inspired by the everyday worries of life that he transforms into “grand, abstract expressions” using primary hues to make bold, eye-catching pieces. An American artist, he is currently based in Hanoi, Vietnam. “This series considers the tradition of barn quilts as a visual language for labeling places and creating landmarks,” he says. “I used the surrounding architectural
elements to inform the shape of the art, with the goal of having the pieces become a part of the structure rather than sit on the walls.”
For more information about the exhibit, other activities at the farm, and purchasing tickets, visit billingsfarm.org.
BILLINGS FARM & MUSEUM billingsfarm.org
Skylights by Will Gebhard.
Haunted Village Theater
Spooky Family Fun
Barnard Village is the scene of Haunted Village Theater, held this year on Saturday, October 18. The event was started in 2021 by BarnArts Executive Director Linda Treash and a small group of actors as a response to the changed world brought on by the pandemic. Haunted Village Theater created the opportunity for community theater in a safe environment. The idea was an immediate success and is part of the organization’s theatrical schedule. It alternates annually in October with a seasonal musical.
“Haunted Village Theater is a unique, community-building experience for the audience as they stick together in their groups, actively walking to each scene’s location, and experience each scene together
throughout the evening,” says Olivia Piepmeier, communications and project manager. “The small-group aspect also creates a rare connection between audience and actor. All ages will be represented by both participants and viewers, and we organize the event to progress in scariness as the evening progresses, so young families as well as adults who enjoy indulging in fright can all get a worthy experience. The nature of this event is inescapably community centered!”
The first year’s amazing weather contributed to a very popular event with costumed actors leading groups of attendees around Barnard for haunting tales such as “The Mad Wolf” and “The Monkey’s Paw” told around firepits.
Top: Youth actors Omi Malin-Stremlau, Marlena Farinas, and Grace Perreault took audiences into the forbidden world of "The Monkey's Paw" in 2021.
Above: Married actors Erin Bennett Hodge and Aaron Michael Hodge adapted and performed Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" in 2021.
In 2023, the event was held over two days and included a full dinner option at the Barnard Town Hall. The lessthan-wonderful weather moved everyone indoors for a festive dinner theater with three spooky performances.
“All ages will be represented by both participants and viewers, and we organize the event to progress in scariness as the evening progresses, so young families as well as adults who enjoy indulging in fright can all get a worthy experience.”
— Olivia Piepmeier, communications and project manager
This year, the call was made again for scripts to be considered for the October 18 theatricals that promise to enchant the audiences. “All of our theater programming is inherently community based through our actors and crew, but Haunted Village Theater is a unique expression of this,” says Olivia. “It’s a celebration of local creativity amidst a beloved, festive time of year where we
The second Haunted Village Theater opened with a version of "This is Halloween" directed by Katelyn Collins, pictured.
perform stories written/adapted by our community of creatives and collaborate with town organizations through the sites we use.” The community of Barnard, ranging from the library, the Barnard Historical Society, the Barnard Community Trust, and the Silver Lake Association, helps make Haunted Village Theater a success.
BarnArts was founded in 2012 to expand the art opportunities for the rural community with people as both viewers and participants. Its slogan is “Building Community Through Art.” The organization doesn’t have one venue but creatively utilizes existing indoor and outdoor spaces such as the town hall, a community church, and an organic farm. For more information about the 2025 Haunted Village Theater and BarnArts, visit barnarts.org. AROUND & ABOUT
Kory Hirak adapted Robert W. Service's poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee" and performed it with the help of surprising props in 2023.
The first year of Haunted Village Theater also saw an adaptation of the myth behind Mexico's Island of Dolls, performed along the shore of Silver Lake.
A Taste of Autumn
The nip in the air brings a craving for comfort foods, and it’s a perfect time to enjoy fall’s harvest. This season’s produce is hardy, delicious, and packed with nutrition.
Apples arrive in early fall and remind us just how crisp and flavorful this fruit is directly off the tree. Apples are packed with fiber and antioxidants linked to heart health, cancer prevention, and cognitive health. Add apples to salads and slaws, stir into oatmeal or quinoa, pair with chicken, pork, or sausage, or bake into pies and crisps.
Cranberries aren’t just a Thanksgiving treat—they can add zing to your diet year-round. They contain vitamins C, E, and K plus manganese and beneficial antioxidants not found in other produce. Try dried cranberries (unsweetened) in salads, muffins, and granola. Roast fresh cranberries along with brussels sprouts and squash and bake them into breads, pies, and cobbler.
Winter squash is rich in vitamins C and A, fiber, and antioxidants that boost immunity and help prevent disease. Look for acorn, butternut, and spaghetti squash. Cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and roast.
Pumpkins come in orange, white, and green and are packed with beta-carotene, potassium, and fiber. You can eat all parts of the pumpkin, including the skin and seeds. Add pureed pumpkin to soups and breads, roast the seeds, sauté chunks of pumpkin and add to rice and beans, include diced pumpkin in soups—this versatile veggie can be enjoyed in countless ways, sweet or savory!
Keep Pets Safe This Halloween
TDID YOU KNOW?
The Pet Poison Helpline reports a 12% increase in calls during the week of Halloween.
rick-or-treating is fun for kids and adults alike, just be sure to keep candy away from pets. According to the ASPCA, candy and gum with xylitol can cause low blood sugar and liver damage in dogs. Chocolate can cause gastrointestinal upset, increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythm, and pancreatitis.
Fall Garden Tips
As the weather cools, it’s time to prepare your garden for the winter. The following tips will help ensure success in the spring:
• Plant snowdrop, hyacinth, tulip, and daffodil bulbs. Place chicken wire on the ground over newly planted bulbs to deter animals from digging.
• Test your soil. If you need to raise or lower the pH, add sulfur or lime now because they take time to work.
• Cut perennials three to four inches from the ground once the flower stalks have died. Leave seed heads on asters, sunflowers, and cosmos for birds to eat over the winter.
Schedule a Hearing Exam
Hearing plays a vital role in communication and social connection, and not hearing well can make it difficult to maintain relationships. In a recent study, seniors who were given hearing aids retained more friends after one year than those who were not given a hearing aid. Two-thirds of people age 70 and older suffer from hearing loss, and loneliness and hearing loss are linked to depression, heart disease, cognitive decline, and early death. “Our findings add to evidence that helping aging patients hear better can also enrich their social lives and boost their mental and physical wellbeing,” says audiologist and lead researcher Nicholas Reed.
Relax with Yoga Nidra
If the approach of the holiday season has you stressed out, yoga nidra may be for you. According to the Cleveland Clinic, a 45-minute session of this pose-free style of yoga could leave you feeling like you indulged in a threehour nap. While there is some overlap with meditation, yoga nidra is more structured. “With meditation, you’re sitting and in a waking state of consciousness while focusing the mind and allowing thoughts to come and go,” says yoga therapist Judi Bar. “With yoga nidra, you are lying down and the goal is to move into a deep state of conscious awareness sleep, which is a deeper state of relaxation with awareness.” Meditation calms the sympathetic nervous system (the fight-or-flight response), while this form of yoga activates the parasympathetic system, which has benefits ranging from supporting immunity to reducing cortisol, the stress hormone. If you’re interested in trying yoga nidra, Artistree is offering workshops on October 5 and November 2 at 7pm. For more information, visit artistreevt.org.
ARTISTREE artistreevt.org
Prepare for a Cold Season
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re in for a cooler-thanaverage fall with below-average rainfall in Woodstock. Although it will be chilly, these conditions could translate to some impressive foliage in the region.
. . . And Prepare for Cold Season!
Cold and flu season is upon us, so now’s the time to bolster your immunity. Start by spending time outdoors. For many of us it’s the most comfortable time of the year, so take advantage of the weather and go for a hike, walk, or bike ride. Regular exercise, especially outside, offers benefits for the mind and body—including boosting immunity. It also helps relieve stress, which can impair immunity. The immune system relies on a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to function at its best, and deficiencies of certain micronutrients, like vitamins A, B6, C, and E, can weaken your immune response. Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and don’t forget a daily multivitamin to fill any nutritional gaps. Finally, get quality sleep. Research shows that people who don’t get enough sleep or quality sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as the common cold. The best amount of sleep for most adults is
Woodstock Garages
Catering to the country’s early motorists
By Cassie Horner
Photos courtesy of the Woodstock History Center
In April 1953, Tracy’s Esso Servicenter held its grand opening, complete with Hawaiian orchids for the ladies and oil or lighter fluid for the men who came to purchase gas. The new station, operated by Ralph and Dick Tracy, was in the center of Woodstock Village on the corner of Center Street and Lincoln Street. That might seem surprising today, almost 75 years later, but back then it was simply joining about 12 other garages in the village. A block west, across from the fire station, was View’s, selling Chrysler gas. Across the street was Mooney’s garage, with gas pumps almost on the sidewalk. Francis Mooney, a local character, lived in the house (now the
Top: View of Woodstock's Central Street, looking west. Above: Stanley Steamer Tour.
home of Mon Vert Cafe). Farther west on what is now Route 4 was the Covered Bridge Service Station, located in what is now the parking lot of the Woodstock Recreation Center in front of the Little Theater. On Cross Street was Woodstock Inn Garage.
These are just a sampling of the busy world of service stations that had popped up with the rapidly growing popularity of automobiles in America. Each one offered a clearly advertised brand of gasoline, and many motorists had their favorite and stuck with it. Full service became the expectation, with attendants pumping gas, cleaning windshields, and checking the oil. Conversations between garage staff and motorists were common, as owners such as Francis Mooney exchanged news and pleasantries with not only customers but also locals walking by on the sidewalk.
Each (service station) offered a clearly advertised brand of gasoline, and many motorists had their favorite and stuck with it. Full service became the expectation, with attendants pumping gas, cleaning windshields, and checking the oil.
A BOOMING INDUSTRY
One of the earliest garages in Woodstock was View’s garage, established by William E. View in the early 1900s on the corner of Central and High Streets. In July 1908, it made the local news when a Glidden Tour group of about 50 automobiles en route from Saratoga, New York, to Bethlehem, New Hampshire, stopped at View’s for gasoline. A Standard Oil tank wagon was on hand to meet the fuel needs. On the return trip, the Woodstock Inn served a complimentary lunch to the begoggled travelers who were dusty and weary from hours on the roads.
William had purchased the block around 1895 for the repair of bicycles. He quickly transitioned to automobile repair as that industry grew by leaps and bounds. In addition to repairs, the business was a livery. His wife Mabel was also devoted to managing some of the many details of the business. Soon after her death in 1915, William leased the entire corner, including the adjacent stone building, to The Commercial Livery and Garage. Not long after, the latter constructed a twostory office addition with a plate-glass front. The addition opened into the View garage, which was to be used as a sales room for auto supplies and parts.
Chrysler Garage Covered Bridge Service Station.
CHANGES THROUGH THE YEARS
John Costello bought the building in the 1940s and reopened the filling station and started the Main Street Garage. Ed-
die Leonard ran Eddie’s Socony Services in the 1950s. This location was in the garage business for an estimated 50 years before the final Socony Mobil station, run for less than a year by the Colston brothers of South Woodstock, was permanently closed in April 1958. The own-
er of the property, Brock Carpenter, had decided to remodel the place for office or storage space.
On Cross Street, south of the Woodstock Inn, was the Woodstock Inn Garage. Originally it was a seasonal business, open for the tourist season to help
Woodstock Inn Garage, 1949‒1950.
Photo by F.L. Wood.
early motorists staying at the inn. John Costello, who came to Woodstock in 1900 to work at the Woodstock Inn, bought the Inn Garage about 1915 from “Dusty” Miller, who started a garage and auto dealership in White River Junction. An ad in the local paper in 1936 promoted the new gasoline, Mobilgas, touted as offering extra mileage. John owned it until his death in 1946.
THE DOWNSWING OF A THRIVING OCCUPATION
The Covered Bridge Service Station was opened in May 1934 by Leon Ellis. It closed after its building was sold in 1952 by Gulf Oil Company to Woodstock Associates. It was later torn down and the lot turned into parking. It had been operated solely as a gas station since 1950 when its sales and repair facilities were relocated to a new site on Taftsville Road after Arthur Ellis sold his interests in the business to Paul Ellis and Paul West.
Like other small towns in America, the garage and service station business in Woodstock was a thriving occupation. Today, we are largely left with convenience stores that sell gas and a small number of garages that maintain the tradition of car repairs. This is a tradition that started as soon as there were cars that needed fixing.
Commercial Livery and Ford Garage.
Unique Shopping, Dining, and Services
Splendid Chaos
58 Pleasant Street
Woodstock, VT (802) 457-7084
www.splendidchaosvt.com
Tue–Sat
The Vermont Horse Country Store
5331 South Road, Route 106 South Woodstock, VT (802) 457-HORS (4677) TheStore@vthorseco.com www.vermonthorsecountry.com
Heather Adams, innkeeper at The Village Inn of Woodstock, is just as bright and cheerful as the distinctive salmon and mustard exterior of the Victorian inn she presides over. Why is she so happy? After years in the hospitality world, she’s realizing a long-deferred dream that surprisingly was a positive result of the pandemic five years ago.
It was the end of 2020. Her husband Jarret was untethered from his job, working remotely from their home in Virginia. Heather, a chef trained in Thai cuisine, was teaching people how to cook Thai food. When COVID hit, she had to close her studio. “I had a huge clientele and was cooking from my kitchen and serving food off my front porch. My husband said, ‘If you’re going to work this hard, let’s do something that showcases all of your talents.’”
Since he could conduct his business from anywhere, they decided to revisit the idea they’d had in the past of running an inn. “I’ve been in hospitality my whole life. I owned a touring company in South Africa, I was a travel agent in Manhattan, I was a
Top: Heather serves up her Chicken and Shrimp Spring Rolls.
Above: Autumn at The Village Inn.
Opposite: Rhododendron bloom on the patio throughout June.
Photography by Monica Darling
“We’ve made some elegant changes while still paying homage to the Victorian era.”
— Heather Adams, innkeeper
flight attendant and worked in restaurants since I was about 14. In 2015 I did my culinary certificate in Thailand.” Running an inn seemed like a natural next step, Heather says.
FINDING THE PERFECT INN
Heather and Jarret wanted to be in New England and spent one weekend in early November 2020 looking for an opportunity. “We were looking for a B&B with a minimum of seven bedrooms,” Heather says. After looking in several places, they landed on The Village Inn. “This was the three-season place we were looking for. We spent the night here and I had the best night’s sleep!” By the time they returned home, they had sold their house in Virginia and became the new owners of The Village Inn. They moved in at the end of December and the previous owners trained Heather
for a couple of days. The first few months were slow until the COVID vaccines rolled out in March of 2021. After that, the guests began to roll in.
ELEGANT AND WELCOMING
Heather and her husband did extensive cosmetic work, taking down wallpaper in the dining rooms, pulling up carpeting to reveal Douglas fir floors, removing heavy velvet drapes, and adding period-appropriate art—including large artwork on loan from Loren Fischer at Focus Gallery. “We’ve made some elegant changes while still paying homage to the Victorian era,” Heather says.
In the hallways and guest rooms is beautiful designer wallpaper. There are seven rooms, which can sleep 14 to 17
Chef Ryan Barton with Executive Chef Heather Adams.
Guests in Suite 2 can enjoy their private second-floor balcony.
Top: Guests toast co-owner Jarret Adams, who can sometimes be found serving behind the bar.
Above: The sitting room in Suite 5 features a gas fireplace.
Left: The original Suite 3 with a king-size bed and a woodburning fireplace.
Clockwise from top: A special dining experience for all at The Vic. Team, from left: Jarret Adams, Nicole Phelps, Heather Adams, Charlotte Atkinson, Ryan Barton, Morgan Friedman, Felicity Adams, Ivy Smith, and Charlotte Winn. Yellow Curry Scallop Cakes, a favorite at The Vic.
people, and each one is different, with Victorian décor and antiques and reproduction furniture, including massive, inviting four-poster beds with plumped linen and lots of pillows. Snack baskets with local treats are in every room. There are three suites on the second floor, each with a special feature, including the primary suite with a wood-burning fireplace. The original primary suite, “which we call the magical sleep room” because guests report they’ve had the best night’s sleep there, has been a working bedroom since 1899. The honeymoon suite has a separate sitting room with a gas fireplace, a two-person Jacuzzi, and a king-size bed. Sumptuous breakfasts are reserved for guests of the inn. They offer one-night stays during the week, from Sunday to Thursday, with twonight stays on the weekends.
THE VIC TAVERN
With running the inn under her belt, Heather then turned to reopening the former restaurant, which had been closed for nearly 20 years. Before, breakfast and drinks at the bar were for guests only. Gradually the Adamses opened The Vic Tavern, with an eclectic Thai fusion and gastropub menu with many of the ingredients from local sources and Thai ingredients from Boston. Heather makes her own curry pastes and sauces from scratch, having learned how to cook authentic Thai cuisine from one of the top chefs in Thailand. As executive chef, Heather develops the menu, which changes seasonally, as do their signature cocktails; their fall menu debuts in September. There’s an extensive wine list with wines chosen to pair with the food; the beers are from Vermont. The menu has something for everyone, from those who are gluten free, vegan, or vegetarian to those “who are fearful of spice. It’s a small menu but we’ve tried to satisfy everyone without sacrificing flavor.” The Vic Tavern is a special place
to come for dinner, Heather says, with an eclectic menu at reasonable prices. They are open Monday and Tuesday, when many restaurants are traditionally closed, and Friday and Saturday. Reservations are recommended and extended foliage and holiday hours will be posted
on the website. “We want people to come here and feel relaxed.” Heather has high praise for her bartenders and service staff, who are knowledgeable about the menu and wine pairings.
“We have got the most stellar staff,” Heather says. “I’m the luckiest person in
town to have the staff I have right now.”
Current staff includes Chef Ryan Barton; Svitlana Leblanc, housekeeper and sous; Nicole Phelps, housekeeper; Jacksyn Pawlowicz, kitchen assistant; servers Morgan Friedman and Charlotte Atkinson; and bartenders Jackson and Jarret
Belgian waffles are always on the menu for breakfast.
caption
Dining with a view of the patio.
Adams. “People love the family feeling we have here.” She has a special shoutout to her husband. “I could never run this place without him. He’s my all-around right-hand man.” The Adams have a daughter attending Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island who helps
out as a server during her off season, and a son Jackson, who is a street artist in Nashville and is a bartender at the inn during busy times such as foliage season.
A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE
What Heather is most excited about now
is something they’re offering for the holidays. This fall and winter, she says, “We are going to rent the inn out to one lucky group for a seven-day period for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It will be decorated to the hilt. They’ll have full access to the bar and the commercial kitchen, and
Summer salad of burrata and heirloom tomatoes.
Enjoy a seasonal or classic cocktail at the speakeasy-style bar.
Chef Ryan will be on-site to do private meals and offer concierge services.”
Heather feels it would be a magical experience, especially for a family.
During the holiday season, “this place looks like a Norman Rockwell house,” Heather says. During the annual Woodstock Wassail Weekend in early December, “we invite everyone to come in. We have an open house with wassail (a traditional spiced, warm cider) going on the stove and homebaked cookies. Jarret is the town Santa Clause. It’s his dream retirement job,” she jokes. The parade, with people dressed up in Victorian garb, passes right in front of the inn.
Maintaining relationships with Woodstock residents is important to Heather and Jarret. “Local people and guests of the inn are our priority.” She offers a Mother’s Day brunch open to the public and hosts specials for local folks she calls the VIPs as a thank you for their support.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished here. The inn is running like a dream. Every year we’ve gotten the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence and we’re in the top 10 percent of hotels in the world. It’s a lot of work but a labor of love. This has been an amazing journey. We’ve enjoyed every minute of our experience here.”
The Story Remains the Same
After 90 years, The Yankee Bookshop is still a Woodstock favorite
By Stephen D’Agostino | Photography by Nancy Nutile-McMenemy (unless otherwise noted)
On October 21, 1935, Sinclair Lewis’s novel It Can’t Happen Here, which he wrote at his home in Barnard, was published. The book tells of a demagogue fashioned after Adolf Hitler who takes control of the United States government and turns it into a dictatorship.
The book was number two on The New York Times bestseller list on November 12, 1935, the day Mr. and Mrs. Barry Borden opened The Yankee Bookshop on Elm Street, where The Prince & the Pauper restaurant is today.
Fast-forward to February 2017, the shop’s 82nd year in operation. Kari Meutsch and Kristian Preylowski became the bookshop’s ninth owners, and It Can’t Happen Here was selling well, given the political climate of the time. Jump forward another eight years to today, and the shop is nearing its 90th anniversary. It Can’t Happen Here has sold strongly every year through the first half of 2025. Some things don’t change, but many things do. The intervening years in the shop’s history prove that.
Political books are still top sellers in 2025.
“It’s the personal recommendations. You’re relying on people who have done this for a long time and who have the knowledge and enjoy helping you find that specific thing that you knew you wanted or that book you had no idea about that ends up changing your life.”
— Kari Meutsch, co-owner
Kristian Preylowski and Kari Meutsch.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
For Kari and Kristian, becoming bookstore owners was just a matter of time. Kari, living in Ohio, took her first bookstore job at a Barnes & Noble after her first year in college. Unsure of what she wanted to do about school and work, but loving books and bookstores, this seemed like a good way to spend her time until she figured it out.
Kari finished her degree, moved to Vermont, and started working at the Barnes & Noble in South Burlington, and while there, the next phases in her bookstore journey presented themselves. “I had the opportunity to help with the opening of the Burlington Phoenix books,” she says, “and I jumped at the chance.”
While at Barnes & Noble, she met Kristian, who had also worked in bookstores across the country, ending up in Vermont based on his own and his fam-
ily’s deep ties with the area. As if in a romance novel of their own, they began dating.
A HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY
“Hey, honey,” Kari recalls saying to Kristian in November 2016 after they’d been together for five years, “do you want to own a bookstore?” It wasn’t wishful thinking; Mike DeSanto and Renee Reiner, the owners of Phoenix Books, were offering them the chance to become co-owners of the historic Yankee Bookshop. Susan Morgan wanted to retire, and everyone wanted to keep it running. “I didn’t really have to think about it,” Kristian says. “If we don’t do this, we were going to very much regret it later.”
Susan was the shop’s eighth owner, running it from 2001 to 2017. Over the 90 years of its existence, the shop had almost as many locations as owners, at least six, including three locations in the first
Top: Kristian and Kari are both active owners, often behind the counter and helping customers find just the right book.
Above: The storefront in the 1960s.
two years of the nine that Will and Jane Curtis owned the shop, from 1964 to 1973. The Curtises moved the bookshop to its current location, where it has been for 59 years.
Kari and Kristian drove to Woodstock on a gray stick-season day and saw the store and the town for the first time. “We walked into the shop,” Kari says, “and it felt so bright and lovely, like a literal ray of sunshine in the town.” Things moved quickly, and by February 2017, they were The Yankee Bookshop’s owners.
THE YANKEE BOOKSHOP’S OWNERS
1935–1938
Mr. and Mrs. Barry Borden
1938–1945
Jane and Ehrick Maynes
Kari Meutsch and Kristian Preylowski
windows and bright
make the shop feel warm and inviting to all book lovers. Kylee Ivany, assistant manager, checks in a shipment of books destined for the shelves. Titles featuring fall foliage are a big seller every year as tourists pass through town.
From top: Big storefront
colors
THE VALUE OF THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Kari and Kristian brought their combined experiences to The Yankee Bookshop, but knowing the store was a fixture in Woodstock, they spent time listening to and learning from the shop’s loyal customers, implementing only small changes in the first few years. These include bringing in records, introducing more genres (like science fiction, mysteries, and romance), and perhaps, most beneficial to them, redesigning the store’s website and online ordering, which served them well during the pandemic. The website, they both agree, helped keep The Yankee Bookshop afloat in 2020.
Another positive thing that happened during that odd year is that Kari and Kristian married on October 31, in East End Park. Unknown to all involved, Jane Curtis, at 102 years old, was in the park and observed the wedding, unaware that the people getting married were the bookshop’s current stewards.
Right: The store's first location in 1936.
Below: A couple browses the bookstore on Independent Bookstore Day, a national holiday thrown every April in support of indie booksellers across the country.
What keeps the store relevant in this age when online retailers make it easy to buy just about everything The Yankee Bookshop sells? “It’s the human touch,” Kristian says. “It’s the tactile, the smell, the sound, the visuals. It’s the atmosphere.”
Kari adds, “It’s also the personal recommendations. You’re relying on people who have done this for a long time and who have the knowledge and enjoy helping you find that specific thing that you knew you wanted or that book you had no idea about that ends up changing your life.”
Kari also notes that what’s selling changes depending on many things. For
Above: Small but mighty, The Yankee Bookshop packs thousands of books onto its shelves, hoping to truly hold something for every reader. Photo by Kristian Preylowski.
Photo by Rachel Diep.
example, in 2017, people were looking to educate themselves. This year, with the country in a similar situation, people continue to want education, but they also cherish escapism. The new release wall that people encounter the second they enter the store, loaded with fiction and nonfiction books, satisfies both needs.
Over the coming months, the people who visit will have a different and evolving experience. For the first time in nearly six decades, the store is changing, expanding into the space next door. The plans are in their infancy, but Kari’s and Kristian’s excitement is real. Plans are also in the works for a celebration of the store’s 90th anniversary. With foliage season, expansion, and celebration, it goes without saying that Kari, Kristian, and The Yankee Bookshop have a busy few months ahead of them.
THE YANKEE BOOKSHOP 12 Central Street Woodstock, VT (802) 457-2411 yankeebookshop.com
Top: One of the first things Kristian did was to bring back vinyl records, which are once again a popular offering just like they were in the 1960s.
Above: Yankee is proud of its history, displaying historical storefront signs throughout the shop.
The Vermont Spot
Quechee Gorge Village Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 281-6274
It’s Fall Dressage Show and Vermont Foliage Getaway weekend at the Green Mountain Horse Association (GMHA)—at 100 years the oldest continuously operating horse association in the United States. The early morning sun glints off multihorse trailers lined up in the parking field just past the Upwey Barn on Route 106 in South Woodstock. License plates hint at the importance of this show venue beyond the borders of Vermont: New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island. White-gloved riders on gleaming horses stride toward warm-up areas and competition rings to ride precise patterns that demonstrate equine gymnastic ability and harmony between horse and rider.
Bill Warren
Opposite: Sharon McCusker rides Weltheir at the GMHA Dressage Days in 2007 in the Intermediate Freestyle.
Above:
rides Romantic at GMHA Dressage Days.
Along the brook that runs through the 100-acre property, several barns—rustic rows of stalls, the first built in the 1950s—shelter horses waiting their turn to perform, while their people bustle about or sit near them on folding chairs in front of farm banners and pots of chrysanthemums they’ve brought to decorate their stables-away-from-home.
Other weekends the scene shifts: Jumpers soar over brightly painted rails in stadium; horses and ponies in harness pull carts around cones in a driving clinic; event horses strive to meet the ideal time over a course of solid, natural-looking obstacles that winds through woods, fields, and water. The venue is booked every weekend from May to October
“You can go there and practice—it’s a great place to school horses through water and over bridges. We’re not just oriented toward competition. You can just go and have fun.”
— Charlie Ballou, GMHA board member
except Fourth of July weekend, when GMHA members can come and enjoy the 400 miles of interconnecting trails accessible to the organization through the generous cooperation of about 300 neighboring landowners.
“That’s the biggest thing about GMHA,” says board member Charlie Ballou, who started participating in driving competitions here in the 1980s. “It’s always there for you” (unlike temporary venues owned by private individuals or corporations). “You can go there and
practice—it’s a great place to school horses through water and over bridges. We’re not just oriented toward competition. You can just go and have fun.”
THE HISTORIC 100-MILE RIDE
According to Chip Orcutt, GMHA’s farrier-on-call, the signature competitive trail event of GMHA is the three-day, 100-mile endurance ride. Chip’s grandmother, Ruth Dickson, was one of the first trustees who founded GMHA in 1926. His mother competed in the first
Dan and Sue Boyer ride at the 100-Mile Distance Days. Photo by Nick Goldsmith Photography.
100-mile ride in 1936 and won it in 1941 and 1945 on her Morgan mare Sadwin.
Chip takes me into a room in the Upwey barn full of memorabilia and pulls a book from under glass to show me pictures of these early competitors. “They ran it out of the Woodstock Inn,” he says. (GMHA wouldn’t have its own facility until 1950.) “People didn’t have horse trailers then. But the Woodstock Inn had stables. You could ride to the inn and they would put up your horse.” Photo collages of the 100-mile riders through the decades line the walls of the room.
Famed eventing and endurance rider Denny Emerson of Strafford, Vermont, rode his first 100-mile endurance ride at GMHA when he was 15. He says that many veteran endurance riders rank GMHA’s 100-miler as the most difficult of all the three-day, 100-mile rides in the country.
KEEPING GMHA GOING
From the outset, education and supporting youth has been a big part of GMHA’s mission. The Junior Horsemanship Clinic, a weeklong camp for young riders ages 9 to 18, was started in 1956—just six years after GMHA acquired the facility in South Woodstock. Now it attracts motivated kids from all over the Northeast.
A variety of clinics for adults and even a winter podcast series offer ongoing learning opportunities. A number of scholarships are offered for those who otherwise would not be able to participate.
Programs and competitions galloped along until July 2023, when major storms flooded the GMHA grounds twice within 10 days. No sooner had crews, including an army of volunteers, repaired rings, roads, and bridges than the next storm wiped out their efforts.
Last year, a plan for protecting
GMHA’s grounds began to take shape: Manage flooding of Kedron Brook by diverting excess water temporarily onto the hayfield south of the facility. Even though GMHA had been allowed the use of the land for many years, the hayfield didn’t belong to the Association. The landowner offered to sell the 35-acre lot for $2 million. This sparked a major fundraising campaign, which ultimately proved successful. GMHA has purchased the 35 acres and is pressing forward with additional fundraising for a variety of sustainability initiatives.
What has motivated so many people to give so generously to GMHA? Vice President Sarah Carlan says, “Part of what has hit home for folks is the knowl-
Bonnie Mosser, competitor and trainer, rides Happy Valley at GMHA Festival of Eventing August Horse Trials 2007.
edge that GMHA could go away.” She explains that in the last 10 to 15 years, the eventing community in the Northeast has lost five major events that used to fill their summer competition calendar. “The generation of folks who had the land and were willing to put in the time and energy to host events are selling their farms or passing on.”
It’s also a major problem for the dis-
cipline of combined driving, which includes a cross-country element. “Places like GMHA need to be preserved because there aren’t many venues left— only three in the Northeast,” says Jacob Arnold of the US Equestrian World Championship Team. Competitive trail rides on marked trails are also few and far between because of the vast amount of land they require.
GENEROSITY AND A LOT OF HEART
Realizing the uniqueness of GMHA as an organization that owns its own venue cultivates close relationships with nearby landowners and “has a permanence to it” that has deepened the commitment of members and brought in new friends, Sarah says. For example, a letter requesting donations went out to private farms, and this resulted in a gift of $200,000 from an individual donor in Massachusetts. “There’s a lot of heart at GMHA,” says Chip Orcutt’s daughter Chris Henderson. “It’s meeting a need.”
Sarah notes that GMHA benefits not just horse people but also the whole Woodstock community, conserving land and bringing about 1,500 visitors per month to the area. To the general community she would say, “There is this gem in your backyard that exists almost under the radar. But if it went away, the impact would be enormous.”
President Kathy McHugh isn’t expecting it to go away. She says, “We are facing the challenge of the 21st century with robust enthusiasm to ensure another 100 years of magic for those who hold GMHA in their hearts.”
GREEN MOUNTAIN HORSE ASSOCIATION
5491 South Road
South Woodstock, VT
(802) 457-1509
gmhainc.org
Equestrians enjoy the Fall Foliage Pleasure Ride held annually in September.
Liz Gesler and Rebel at the GMHA Combined Driving Event. Photo by Spectrum Photography.
Day Trippers
Vermont & New Hampshire
AMERICAN PRECISION MUSEUM
Step back in time in an 1846 Armory building. This is the birthplace of the American System of Manufacturing that would flow down through the Precision Valley. Come see a progression of machines from the 1840s up to today’s technology. Something for all ages. Check our website for special events and hands-on activities.
196 Main Street (Route 5), Windsor (802) 674-5781
www.americanprecision.org
10am‒5pm daily until Oct 31
Nov 1‒April 30 Mon‒Fri 10am‒4pm
GREAT VERMONT CORN MAZE
The largest, most complex maze attraction in New England with a massive 24-acre maze and a smaller Scenic maze. Within the maze there is over 100 feet of bridges, a 32-foot underground tunnel, a 3,000-square-foot indoor blacklight maze, and numerous photo ops and creations. After the maze there is Barnyard Golf, PRETENDIN play area, PEDALVILLE, and friendly goats. Purchase tickets at www.vermontcornmaze.com. Open August 1 through October 13.
1404 Wheelock Road, Danville (802) 397-8574
www.vermontcornmaze.com
ST. JOHNSBURY ATHENAEUM
The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is a cultural gem on Main Street in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Built by Horace Fairbanks in 1871, the Athenaeum is the town’s free public library, art gallery, and lecture hall. This National Historic Landmark features a striking brick exterior, beautiful balconies, spiral staircases, and exquisite woodwork. The Art Gallery is the oldest unaltered gallery in the country and contains many 19th century works of art. The Gallery is focused on Hudson River School paintings, including the massive “Domes of the Yosemite” by Albert Bierstadt.
1171 Main Street, St. Johnsbury (802) 748-8291
www.stjathenaeum.org
Events & Exhibits: (802) 765-4288
Mon‒Fri 10am‒5pm, Sat 10am‒3pm Gardens and grounds always open!
Visit the Mad River Valley this fall for beautiful foliage, shopping, dining, and unique attractions! See page 72 for more info.
HOOD MUSEUM OF ART, DARTMOUTH
Explore 16,000 square feet of gallery space that highlights art from across the globe. Visit the galleries, attend a program, or explore public art across Dartmouth’s campus. In 2025, the Hood Museum is commemorating its 40th anniversary with landmark exhibitions, loans, and innovative programs that support a visionary future for art at Dartmouth and the communities of the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont. Admission is always free and open to all.
6 East Wheelock Street, Hanover hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu
Enjoy a true Vermont experience at The Village Butcher
By Stephen D’Agostino | Photography by Monica Darling
“Itwas like drinking from a fire hose,” Cristy Beram, co-owner of The Village Butcher in Woodstock with her husband Alex, says of the 2021 foliage season, their first as the shop’s owners. “The line was down the street, and we were like, we’ve got to figure something out.” In came Cristy’s mother with a tray of cookies that she passed out to the hungry patrons. People were grateful for the treat, and Alex and Cristy were grateful for the lesson in owning a shop during Woodstock’s busiest season.
Above: A warm and welcoming interior, soon to be filled with people. Right: The team has been together for years and it shows!
“People, especially younger people, want to know where their food comes from. They’re not interested in stuff that’s been trucked, bussed, or flown across the country. It’s been an ongoing process for the last four years to make our meat supply as local as possible.”
— Alex Beram, co-owner
Alex explains that in the four years since, The Village Butcher has developed relationships with tour bus companies who order lunches in advance. “You come into town, everything’s ready to go,” he says. With the lunches prepared, it gives tourists “more time to spend in town walking around and seeing the sights.” And it gives Alex, Cristy, and the staff at The Village Butcher a clearer picture of what the lunch rush will look like for any given day.
A GREAT BUSINESS GETS EVEN BETTER
The Village Butcher’s success is, in part, due to Alex and Cristy’s ability to adapt quickly, a skill that factored into how they became owners of the shop. They moved to Quechee full time in 2020, and months later, Alex lost his job. Around the same time, he learned The Village Butcher’s owners, George and Linda Racicot, were selling the shop after running it for nearly 50 years. The Berams
Top: The team prepares hearty sandwiches for the lunch crowd.
Above: The deli serves both meat and vegetarian options.
became the new owners, and Alex put his energy and the skills he learned from working in hospitality to good use. Though there were bumps along the way, Alex and Cristy have made a great business even better.
Now, before lunch, even in the offseason, Alex says, “We work hard to try and be prepared before the rush so we can focus on serving customers and getting food out as efficiently as possible.”
GOOD FOR PEOPLE, ANIMALS, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
It’s not just a seasonal rush or a hungry lunch crowd that presents challenges to The Village Butcher. Over the years, people’s priorities have also changed. For example, concern for the environment
Right (clockwise from above): Head Butcher Josh Coyle with some local tomahawk steaks. Local skirt steak "pinwheel" style. Custom cuts of beef and lamb. House-made salads and prepared foods are ready for your table.
is an increasingly hot topic. “People, especially younger people, want to know where their food comes from,” Alex says. “They’re not interested in stuff that’s been trucked, bussed, or flown across the country.”
Josh Coyle, the butcher, has spearheaded an effort to reduce the butchery’s environmental impact. “It’s been an ongoing process for the last four years,” Alex says, “to make our meat supply as local as possible.” Alex points to pork in particular, which they get from a Vermont family farm. “The farmers are able to get us the quality and the quantity that we need with great consistency.”
The majority of meats in the butcher case are local, but some products, like lamb, are more difficult to procure from nearby farms. Still, Alex and Josh continue working to resolve this. Alex also notes that because their suppliers are small farms that don’t use harmful
industrial farming practices, The Village Butcher is helping make a positive environmental impact by the farms they choose to work with.
Alex and Cristy also work with farms that treat their animals humanely. Meat
Taking time for great food and great company.
Top: Customers take it in and decide what to eat!
Above: Stacey is a key member who does it all at The Village Butcher. Here she takes a catering order over the phone.
New York–Style Bagels in Vermont? Yes!
Over the last year, The Village Butcher has expanded its offerings to include New York–style bagels and bialys made fresh on-site by Woodstock resident Charlie Rattigan. Yes, that Charlie, who was the executive director of VINS and is the codirector of Woodstock Community Television.
Charlie has had a variety of other careers, too, including insurance and developing nature-focused smartphone apps. Some of his work brought him to New York City, where he was able to enjoy great bagels. Some years later, his daughter bought him a book on baking, and from it, he taught himself how to make the treat he enjoyed so much.
Charlie brought the idea of making bagels for The Village Butcher to Alex, who needed only one taste of Charlie’s creations to realize this was a good fit. Charlie’s run of products is limited to 16 bagels and eight bialys, which he makes once or twice a week. In addition, Charlie also makes calzones that are filled with store-made sausage, cheese, and tomato sauce. So even those folks who crave something with a New York or Italian heritage can find satisfaction at The Village Butcher.
The bagel-making process. Charlie has it down!
from animals that have been treated with growth hormones or antibiotics will not find its way into The Village Butcher’s meat case. These standards, Alex says, “are good for the animals, good for the farms, good for your body.”
Outside the butchery, the shop has worked to reduce plastics in what they offer. “We have one remaining drink in our cooler that’s in plastic bottles,” Alex notes. Also, all the delicious sides in the deli counter, like roasted vegetables, farro salads, and marinated artichoke hearts—all made in-house—are served in recyclable paper containers.
DELICIOUS OPTIONS FOR EVERYONE
Of course, not everyone eats meat. But that doesn’t mean The Village Butcher isn’t a place for them to get great food. “We can put together a great plate of various side salads,” Alex says. “We keep some really hearty salads on board. We always have eggs, hard boiled or deviled. We have broccoli salads and roasted vegetables. We have wonderful local soft and hard cheeses.”
Alex Beram and Josh Coyle chat with Bill, a regular customer.
Alex also notes that there is always a vegetarian sandwich option, like a caprese sandwich with mozzarella, tomato, pesto, and a balsamic reduction. And when Alex fires up the grill in front of the store during the warmer months, he also makes black bean burgers along with the beef burgers or other meats he’s cooking.
With all it offers, does the name Village Butcher define what the shop is? With its stocked meat case and knowledgeable butcher, it certainly is a butchery. But The Village Butcher is so much more. It’s a place to enjoy a very Vermont experience, from friendly greetings when you enter the shop to clean cuts of meat, environmental mindfulness, wines from Vermont and beyond, store-made pot pies for the cooler weather, and delicious vegetables, cheeses, and sides. Perhaps an article cannot do The Village Butcher justice. Maybe it can only be appreciated by experiencing it yourself.
Woodstock, VT
(802) 457-2756
thevillagebutchervt.com
Clearwater Sports
"Putting People and the Outdoors Together"
Hiking • Paddling • Skiing • Exploring 4147 Main Street Waitsfield, VT (802) 496-2708
www.clearwatersports.com
Celebrating 50 years!
Artisans’ Gallery
20 Bridge Street Waitsfield, VT (802) 496-6256
www.vtartisansgallery.com Open 11am-6pm everyday
and
200 Orion Road Warren, VT (802) 583-2224
www.moosewalkstudios.com
Mad River Distillers
Whiskey and Rum Distilled in the Heart of Vermont's Mad River Valley Warren, VT (802) 496-6973
In 1967, Charles Kuralt zigzagged across the country in an RV for a television segment called “On the Road” on the CBS Evening News. “On the Road” featured extraordinary people and places in the United States. What started as a three-month experiment turned into a 25-year gig and a popular part of the show. Only a small crew accompanied Kuralt, who avoided traveling on interstate highways as much as possible in favor of scenic byways and local roads. “Interstates allow you to drive coast to coast without seeing anything,” said Kuralt.
On one trip through the northern Rocky Mountains, Kuralt happened to
travel over the Beartooth Highway (US 212), the 68-mile alpine road on the Montana-Wyoming border that leads to the northeast entrance of Yellowstone National Park. He declared it America’s most scenic drive. After wearing out six motor homes during his quarter century exploring America’s byways, he confirmed this opinion in his book, Dateline America (Harcourt, 1979).
The Beartooth Highway, officially called the Beartooth All-American Road (BAAR), is the most spectacular road I’ve ever driven, too. Rarely is a road a destination, but the Beartooth Highway offers more than many vacation spots in terms of things to see and do. I’ve driven the
Above: An RV descends toward Yellowstone National Park after cresting the top of the BAAR at Beartooth Pass.
Opposite: An angler decides where to cast beside one of many alpine tarns accessible from the BAAR.
THE BEAR’S TOOTH
BAAR a number of times. Jaw-dropping views, wildlife, wildflowers, and multiple mountain lakes and streams greeted me around every turn. I’ve hiked, fished, and watched wildlife from its roadside pullouts. And the scenery, well, nothing compares that’s accessible from a car. There are more mesmerizing mountain vistas along the BAAR because the road is above tree line so much longer than other high roads in North America.
Be Bear Savvy!
From Red Lodge, Montana, the BAAR heads southwest, climbing over 5,000 vertical feet via a series of dramatic switchbacks. It passes over the Wyoming state line, cresting at Beartooth Pass at an elevation of 10,947 feet. Each curve of the road reveals a new view of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, which contains some of the most rugged topography in the Lower 48. Twenty craggy peaks over 12,000 feet scratch the sky, including Granite Peak (12,799 feet), the highest mountain in Montana.
Grizzly bears are common along the BAAR and Chief Josef Highway. On foot or on a mountain bike, carry pepper spray at all times and hike or ride in groups of three or more, making noise by talking or singing.
If you meet a bear, back away slowly, talking in a low, calm voice to let the bear know you are human, without making eye contact. Bears consider eye contact an act of aggression. Running can trigger a prey-chase response. Be aware of your surroundings to ensure you don’t accidentally corner the bear or get between a sow and her cubs.
If a grizzly bear charges you, pepper spray is your best defense, sending a blast at the bear when it’s about 30 feet away. If you don’t have it or it doesn’t deter the bear, curl up on the ground and play dead with your hands protecting your head and neck.
If you see a bear by the road, give it space and stay in your car to observe it.
One of the more recognizable landmarks is the Bear’s Tooth, an 11,000-foot granite spire for which the road and the mountain range are named. It is a direct translation from the Crow Indian phrase, “Na Piet Say.” The Crow and the Bannock Indians were likely the first humans to explore the Beartooth Plateau, an alpine wonderland speckled with tarns and
A Hutterite couple admires the panorama from Vista Point, the first developed roadside pullout on the BAAR after leaving Red Lodge.
A grizzly bear beside the road.
The Bear's Tooth.
colored with fleeting wildflowers. Trappers, prospectors, and homesteaders followed throughout the 1800s, though the actual route of the Beartooth Highway was not formally blazed until 1872.
In August 1872, on a tip from a local hunter, General Phillip Sheridan led 120 men through the Beartooth Mountains over what is now the BAAR rather than taking the better-known but much longer route along the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River. Today the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway from Cody, Wyoming (US 296), another superbly scenic route,
follows the latter way. Sometimes I’ve made a big loop from Red Lodge over the Beartooth Highway into Yellowstone National Park, and then returned via the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.
PILOT AND INDEX PEAKS
Last September, as I descended the Beartooth Highway toward Yellowstone, I couldn’t take my eyes off two prominent peaks across a broad valley laced with golden aspen trees. Though the Rockies lack the maples that give New England its stunning fall color, the changing as-
Above: Pilot Peak, the highest mountain on this ridge, and Index Peak, the flatter, lower mountain on the right, served as important navigation landmarks during the 1800s.
Left: One of the many breathtaking views from the BAAR.
pens below the majestic Absaroka Range was a different but equally delicious flavor of autumn eye candy.
The taller pinnacle, Pilot Peak, lay directly south of Index Peak’s flatter hulk. Their names, Pilot and Index, referred to the alignment of the two mountains, which resembled the sight on a mariner’s sextant when viewed from the north. They were important navigational landmarks during the pioneer era, marking the boundary of a geothermally active plateau known as Colter’s Hell.
John Colter was the famous guide who split from the Lewis and Clark expedition and then became the first white man to travel up the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River (among other places). Whether he used Pilot and Index Peaks to navigate and whether he suffered on his namesake plateau is unknown. However, it is well documented that the two peaks were a key landmark for the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition. Henry Washburn used the two peaks to
Know Before You Go
find the rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the geyser basins. As a result of that expedition, the United States Congress passed the Organic Act of 1872, creating Yellowstone National Park, the nation’s first national park. The founding of Yellowstone National Park ultimately led to the construction of the Beartooth Highway. With the opening of the park, tourists flocked to the mining towns of Cooke City and Red Lodge, which in turn generated a need for better infrastructure to and from the park. At the same time, the invention of the Model T automobile in 1908 made cars affordable for the middle class and quickly became the preferred mode of
• Take it slowly. Plan a minimum of 2.5 hours or more for the 68-mile drive. The switchbacks are tight, and it might be snowing at higher elevations.
• The Beartooth Highway travels through or adjacent to Shoshone, Gallatin, and Custer national forests and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. As a result, there are no traveler services once you leave Red Lodge or Cooke City, except for the Top of the World store 38 miles from Red Lodge.
• Make sure everyone in your vehicle has a warm jacket, rain gear, a hat, and gloves. During the summer, temperatures can range from the 70s to below freezing, and it can be wet and windy.
• The road is typically open from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day, but closures can happen anytime, particularly in June and after Labor Day due to snowstorms.
• Mornings are generally better for the drive over the BAAR, as afternoon thunderstorms are common.
• Bring bug spray. The mosquitos can be thick if there’s no breeze.
An angler hooks a native cutthroat trout after a short hike from the BAAR.
transportation for visitors to the region. Car travel was the impetus for developing a roadway through the mountains. To fund the road, President Herbert Hoover signed the Park Approach Act into law in 1931. The intent was to create access roads into all of the national parks, though only one road was actually built under the Park Approach Act, the Beartooth Highway.
I’m glad it was. In late spring, I’ve skied some of its snowy headwalls. In midsummer, I’ve seen mountain goats grazing a few feet from the shoulder of the road and photographed more species of alpine wildflowers than I can count. In the first days of fall, I’ve left the pavement to fish for native cutthroat trout in several high mountain lakes, accessible only from trailheads along the BAAR. Every time I travel this iconic roadway, I see something new.
The Beartooth Highway was officially dedicated in 1936. Nine decades later, this dramatic drive continues to take visitors like me on an alpine journey unmatched in the Lower 48.
The BAAR winds through the extensive alpine zone.
HAPPENINGS
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26
Feast & Field Music Series
Fable Farm, 5:30pm
THROUGH NOVEMBER 30
Exhibit: Pop Perspectives: Ramos, Rosenquist, Ruscha
Hall Art Foundation hallartfoundation.org
THROUGH NOVEMBER 30
Exhibit: David Wojnarowicz
Hall Art Foundation hallartfoundation.org
THROUGH NOVEMBER 30
Exhibit: Joel Sternfeld
Hall Art Foundation hallartfoundation.org
THROUGH NOVEMBER 30
Exhibit: Gladys Nilsson ► Hall Art Foundation hallartfoundation.org
SEPTEMBER 25
Fall Foliage Pleasure Ride
Green Mountain Horse Association gmhainc.org
SEPTEMBER 25
Equinox Closing Festival
Fable Farm Orchard barnarts.org
SEPTEMBER 25
Tapping and EFT
Artistree, 4pm artistreevt.org
Celebrate the change of the season!
OCTOBER 4–5
Harvest Celebration
This lively two-day Harvest Celebration will feature traditional barn dancing, live music, pumpkin bowling, crafts, stories, and all kinds of harvest activities.
31 The Green Woodstock, VT (802) 457-3981 pentanglearts.org
OCTOBER 4
Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads
Fusing the infectious rhythms of reggae, ska, and lover’s rock with the iconic music of the Talking Heads, Mystic Bowie reimagines hits like “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House,” and “This Must Be the Place” in a fresh, danceable Caribbean style.
Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
OCTOBER 2–12
Urinetown, the Musical
The Grange Theatre artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 7
Tapas Night: Small Plates, Big Flavor
Artistree, 5:30pm artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 11, 12, 26
Cook It Speak It: Yo-lin Tofu Artistree, 10am artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 11
Abstracted Landscape with Acrylic Paint
Artistree, 10am artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 11
In Conversation with Joel Sternfeld
Hall Art Foundation, 4pm hallartfoundation.org
OCTOBER 11–12
51st Annual Woodstock Apples and Crafts Fair and Food Truck Festival
Maxham Meadow Way woodstockvt.com
OCTOBER 11–12
Fall Endurance Rides
Green Mountain Horse Association gmhainc.org
OCTOBER 18
Haunted Village Theater Village of Barnard barnarts.org
OCTOBER 13
Ride for the Cure
Green Mountain Horse Association gmhainc.org
OCTOBER 14, NOVEMBER 11
What’s on Your Nightstand?
The Not-a-Book-Club Book Club
Norman Williams Public Library, 10:30am normanwilliams.org
OCTOBER 14
Wheel Runners— October Driving Clinic
Green Mountain Horse Association gmhainc.org
OCTOBER 16, NOVEMBER 20
Mix, Mingle, and MAKE! Artistree, 6pm artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 18
GMHA Hunter Pace
Green Mountain Horse Association gmhainc.org
OCTOBER 21
Beginning Knitting Artistree, 6pm artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 23
Trivia! Library After Hours
Norman Williams Public Library, 7:30pm normanwilliams.org
OCTOBER 24
Tapping and EFT Artistree, 12pm artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 24
Teens Only: Masks and Costumes Artistree, 6pm artistreevt.org
Beyond Cream Puffs: Savory and Sweet Choux Creations
Artistree, 2:30pm artistreevt.org
OCTOBER 31
Spooky Halloween Cookie Decorating
Artistree, 10am artistreevt.org
NOVEMBER 2
Classic French Favorites: A Bistro-Inspired Cooking Workshop
Artistree, 4pm artistreevt.org
NOVEMBER 8
Market Basket Showdown: A Chopped-Style Cooking Challenge
Artistree, 6pm artistreevt.org
NOVEMBER 9
Color Wheel Stories
Artistree, 9:30am artistreevt.org
HAPPENINGS
NOVEMBER 14
Billings Backyard Workshop: Mixology
Billings Farm & Museum, 5:30pm billingsfarm.org
NOVEMBER 15
Billings Backyard Workshop: The Art of Spoon Carving Billings Farm & Museum, 10am billingsfarm.org
NOVEMBER 15, 16
Cook It Speak It: Steamed Muffins Artistree, 11am artistreevt.org
NOVEMBER 15
RESONANCE the Mini Retreat: An Immersive Somatic and Sound Journey Artistree, 12:30pm artistreevt.org
NOVEMBER 21
Paella Party: A Taste of Spain Artistree, 5pm artistreevt.org
NOVEMBER 27
Thanksgiving Dinner
Woodstock Inn & Resort, 12–7pm woodstockinn.com
NOVEMBER 28–30
A Family Thanksgiving
Billings Farm & Museum billingsfarm.org
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Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.
