Adventures in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
Discover the magic of fall! Apples are the family business at Bartlett’s Apple Orchard The craft of cider doughnut-making | 10 fall foliage hotspots worth the trip
Haunted legacies Where restless spirits roam Unsolved cases that still haunt us
Plus: A festival with 1,500 apple pies | Backroad Discovery Tours | A wine and soup stroll
TABLE OF CONTENTS
9 17 36 74
Apples are this family’s business An orchard run by four generations of Bartletts
Cider doughnut secrets
Where spirits roam
The best foliage views
Haunted locales you can visit
Visit these foliage hotspots this fall
The Apple Barn shares its craft
Grab a glass (or two) of wine A wine festival for the novice and the expert
5 From the editor 22
6 Contributors
47
14 Pick-your-own apples
‘Unsolved New England’ 20 unsolved cases that still haunt us
John Zaffis An interview with the ‘Godfather of the Paranormal’
50
Backroad Discovery Tours Explore Southern Vermont with someone else in the driver’s seat
58
A festival with 1,500 apple pies Foliage festivals help pay the bills
20 Where to buy cider doughnuts 56 10 things not to miss 65 Fall celebrations
69 UpCountryOnline.com | 3
FROM THE EDITOR
In this edition, UpCountry Editor Jennifer Huberdeau writes about the haunted places one can find throughout the region. Leading off her article, she asks: Do you believe in ghosts? Well, if you don’t believe in ghosts, perhaps you’ll believe my story. I grew up in Adams in a house built by a stonemason. The home was completed around 1905, and it underwent just a couple changes in ownership until my parents bought it in 1968. The cellar the stonemason built included several rooms, including one that had no electricity. As a kid, I occasionally opened the red door and peered into this room — a musty and foreboding coal cellar full of darkness. Above ground, the stonemason and his wife ran a successful florist business on the property. Meanwhile, the mason was also busy building arched bridges, stone churches and foundations around town. He died first, at age 64, in 1926. And his widow carried on the greenhouse business, specializing in growing dahlias that bloomed in July, earlier than any others. Her obituary indicated how active she had become in life, in the florist business, in her church, as the head of the Ladies Aid Society — perhaps a conscious decision to occupy her time rather than indulge the sorrow of her husband’s death. Later in her lifetime, illness apparently confined this woman to a wheelchair on the first floor. What is now a living room had at one time served as her bedroom. One can only imagine these last years at the home were the least happy ones for a woman who had been otherwise active. In the first few years of living in the house, my parents would later tell me, odd things could happen at the most unexpected times. While one was walking up the stairs, an unexpected whoosh of air would come down. Rooms would go hot and then cold and from cold to hot. Keys left in one place the night before would be in a different spot the morning after. Could it have been the ghost of the stone mason’s wife, yearning to escape the trappings of her mortal homebound years? One day, my father opened the red door to the coal cellar. He ventured into the darkness, intent to finally clean out the place of items, many of which had been there since buying the place. He reached into one dark corner and grabbed what felt like spokes. As he pulled it toward the light from the other room, he realized he was pulling on an old wheelchair. The wheelchair went to the dump later that day with a pile of other junk. And thereafter, the odd things stopped happening. That is, until late one night, when I saw her ... Kevin Moran, Executive Editor kmoran@berkshireeagle.com
Publisher Fredric D. Rutberg
frutberg@berkshireeagle.com
Vice President Jordan Brechenser
jbrechenser@berkshireeagle.com
Executive Editor Kevin Moran
kmoran@berkshireeagle.com
Editor Jennifer L. Huberdeau
jhuberdeau@berkshireeagle.com
Proofreaders Margaret Button Dave Coffey Lindsey Hollenbaugh Tim Jamiolkowski Jimmy Nesbitt Art Director Kimberly Kirchner
kkirchner@berkshireeagle.com
Regional Advertising Managers Berkshire County, Mass.: Kate Teutsch kteutsch@berkshireeagle.com
Bennington County, Vt.: Susan Plaisance
splaisance@manchesterjournal.com
Windham County, Vt.: Jonathan Stafford jstafford@reformer.com
UpCountry Magazine is a publication of New England Newspapers Inc.
On the Cover: Cider doughnuts from bake shops and farms around the Berkshires and Southern Vermont. Photo by Stephanie Zollshan. Story, page 20 Corrections: The telephone number for the Mount Anthony Country Club in the May/June issue’s golf guide should have been listed as 802-447-7079. In an article on Heirloom Fire in the July/August edition, a quote from chef/owner James Gop should have referred to a chicken liver pate encased in a gelatin-based puree.
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CONTRIBUTORS
Nicolas Davidoff [“Apples are this family’s business,” page 9] worked as a summer intern for the Berkshire Eagle in the features department. Originally from Mexico City, Nicolas is a junior at New York University studying journalism and history.
Sophie Gaddes [“A wine festival for the novice and the expert,” page 22] is a senior at Williams College majoring in English. This summer, Sophie interned at The Berkshire Eagle, where she wrote primarily for the Business section. Her work has appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer and Williams’ online publication HerCampus. In her spare time, Sophie enjoys reading true crime stories, playing video games with her friends and journaling.
Jennifer Huberdeau [“Seeking signs from the other side,” page 36] is editor of UpCountry magazine. She also pens the column “Mysteries from the Morgue” for The Berkshire Eagle.. 6 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2019
Kevin O’Connor [“Vermont foliage fundraisers rake in bushels of green,” page 69] is a Vermont native and Brattleboro Reformer contributor. Charles Xu [“There’s a science to making apple cider doughnuts,” page 17] is a junior at Williams College studying history and how to conceal his anti-Patriots sentiment in the Berkshires. He enjoys cycling and is originally from California.
Cherise Madigan [“The road less traveled,” page 59] is a native Vermonter and frequent contributor to the Manchester Journal and Bennington Banner.
BARTLETT’S APPLE ORCHARD
Apples are this family’s business
Family’s easygoing attitude and dedication keep customers coming back year after year UpCountryOnline.com | 9
By Nicolas Davidoff RICHMOND, Mass.
For New Englanders, fall evokes fond childhood memories of family apple-picking trips. Memories of carefully filling one bag after another in the crisp weather before indulging in the sweet craving of a cup of hot cider and freshly baked apple cider doughnuts.
The Bartlett family, which has owned Bartlett’s Apple Orchard in Richmond for four generations, keeps the family and regional tradition alive every fall. “A combination of my great-grandparents [Arcade “A.J.” and Sophie Bartlett] and my grandparents [Francis and Betty] started the orchard in 1947,” said Trevor Bartlett, who
works as the manager for the farm and its store. “My dad [Richard] and my uncle [Ronald] are the current partners, they own the business.” While the first apples of the season usually are ready to be picked by the third week of August, the Bartlett family opens its orchard to the public from Labor Day to Columbus Day, Monday through Sunday
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. During the busiest days, Bartlett’s Apple Orchard sells more than 200 bags of its juicy apples. Bartlett believes that a relaxed atmosphere and special attention to the customer’s needs set his family’s orchard apart from the rest. During the few weeks of the year the orchard is open to the public, Bartlett, his family
Trevor Bartlett, left, rings up a sale of apples to a customer at the Bartlett’s Apple Orchard store in Richmond. He is the fourth generation from the family to work in the business. Berkshire Eagle File Photo PREVIOUS PAGE: Cortland apples are sorted and polished at Bartlett’s. Berkshire Eagle File Photo
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IF YOU GO...
Bartlett’s Apple Orchard 575 Swamp Road, Richmond, Mass. 413-698-2559 bartlettsorchard.com
Pick-your-own apples Open 7 days a week, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Labor Day through Columbus Day. Farm store hours (open year-round) Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. What you’ll find: Bartlett’s apples, cider and produce, as well as fresh cider doughnuts, muffins, pies, turnovers, and other assorted bakery goods. Also available: jellies, jams, maple syrup, honey and candies.
Want apples, but live too far away to get here? Don’t worry, during peak apple season Batlett’s opens its online store, allowing you to ship apples to your own home or to family and friends.
A tasty collaboration Last fall, Wandering Star Brewery rolled out Arrowhead Apple Ale. It’s an ale, not a hard cider, made with glutenfree ingredients: malted sorghum, Bartlett’s Orchard apples (cider), yeast and hops. According to brewer/owner Chris Post, plans are in the works to make another round of this fall favorite. Keep an eye on the brewery’s Facebook page for the announcement that the seasonal flavor has arrived, then head down to the brewery at 11 Gifford St. in Pittsfield, Mass. before it disappears.
and four employees guide visitors through the rows of fruitfilled trees with the hope that the hungry families will find something they love. “All the pick-your-own orchards do it kind of differently, so I wouldn’t say there is a standard that guarantees success,” he said. “A lot of people just want to go apple picking, and they don’t really know what they like and what they don’t like. Some orchards are very strict; they’ll say ‘You don’t pick or try or take anything off the tree unless you’re paying for it.’
Bartlett’s Apple Orchard grows 13 varities of apples. Berkshire Eagle File Photo
“We know there is going to be some loss every now and then, but at the same time, we want to encourage people to find things that they like. So, our philosophy is ‘Go try it. If you like it, pick it. That’s pretty much it.” That philosophy has kept customers like Kristen Nacutkiewicz, who works as the chef for Samel’s Deli in Pittsfield, coming back time and time again. “The great thing is that they encourage you to taste the apples,” Nacutkiewicz said.
“I think that’s what sets them apart. We went on a family vacation to Maine once and when we went apple picking, they completely forbade you from trying anything. “But since they carry so many varieties at these orchards, it’s important to find out about that and know what you’re putting in your bag. For example, their Cortland apples are the best for making apple pies.” Their favorite thing, though, is making caramel-dipped apples.
“We cut the apples after we’ve filled our bags and dip them into the sauce. It’s the best,” she said. The Bartlett family’s easygoing attitude and its dedication to its craft is what makes Nacutkiewicz and her family repeat customers year after year. “My grandchildren look forward to going each fall, and it’s been a tradition for us for over 10 years,” she said. Bartlett feels that the farm and its produce are a reflection of his work and that of his family. He wants to help UpCountryOnline.com | 11
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his customers understand and taste the difference — pointing them to different and lesser-known apple varieties. “I feel like I’d lose a piece of myself if I weren’t working here,” he said. “I grew up here and this is basically my life. I think it’s really important for small farms to stay around. There’s not many of them anymore, but I think they’re an integral part of the community. I think you can generally get a higher-quality product from places like that.” Nacutkiewicz, a Richmond resident, appreciates how much the orchard focuses on giving back to the community to which it belongs. “Bartlett’s does a lot in that community by supporting the school with apples and other projects,” she said. “They’re just really nice people and they take pride in their product. “But I think that the most important thing is that they really want to teach kids where their food comes from and get them excited about it. My grandchildren love making the applesauce and the pies, so this allows them to see and experience how much work it takes to get it all the way to their plate.” And there is plenty to learn about in the Bartletts’ pickyour-own orchards, where they grow 13 varieties of apples: Paula Red, Jona-Mac, McIntosh, Cortland, Gala, Macoun, Empire, Mutsu, Liberty, Ida Red, Jona-Gold, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. For the Bartletts and their fall visitors, apple picking is a time for traditions and learning, time to enjoy the beautiful countryside and the delicious produce that grows out of it, and most importantly, a time for family. •
A few Ida Reds are left on a tree at Bartlett’s Apple Orchard in the pick-your-own area of the orchard. Berkshire Eagle File Photo
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Pick-Your-Own
Apples Head out to one of these local orchards for an afternoon packed with “pick-your-own apples” fun. While most orchards will have apples ready for harvest just after Labor Day, we strongly encourage readers to call ahead or check online before heading out.
In the Berkshires Bartlett’s Apple Orchard 575 Swamp Road, Richmond 413-698-2559 bartlettsorchard.com
Hilltop Orchards and Furnace Brook Winery 508 Canaan Road, Richmond 413-445-1259 hilltoporchards.com
Jaeschke’s Orchard 23 Gould Road, Adams 413-743-3896 jaeschkesorchard.com
Lakeview Orchard
94 Old Cheshire Road, Lanesborough 413-448-6009 lakevieworchard.com
Riiska Brook Orchard
101 New Hartford Road, Sandisfield 413-258-4761 riiskabrookorchard.com
Windy Hill Farm
686 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington 413-298-3217 windyhillfarminc.com
THIS SPREAD: Bartlett’s Apple Orchard in Richmond, Mass. Berkshire Eagle File Photo
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In Southern Vermont Cortland Hill Orchard 72 Miller Road, West Brattleboro 802-254-9779 facebook.com/Cortland-HillOrchard-1715196975454457
Dwight Miller Orchards 511 Miller Road, East Dummerston 802-254-9111 facebook.com/dwightmillerorchards
Green Mountain Orchards 130 W. Hill Road, Putney 802-387-5851 greenmountainorchards.com
Mad Tom Orchard 2615 Mad Tom Road, East Dorset 802-366-8107 madtomorchard.com
Scott Farm & Orchard Landmark Trust USA 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston 802-254-6868 scottfarmvermont.com
Over the border in New York ... Philip Orchards 270 Route 9H, Claverack 518-851-6351 philiporchardsny.com
Windy Hill OrchardEast (formerly Goold Orchards) 1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton-on-Hudson 518-365-9099 facebook.com/windyhillorchardnyeast
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There’s a science to making apple cider doughnuts Bennington’s Apple Barn shares the craft
A fresh batch of apple cider cinnamon doughnuts at The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop in Bennington, Vt. Photos by Caroline Bonniver Snyder
By Charles Xu BENNINGTON, Vt.
For Lia Diamond, the process of making apple cider doughnuts begins with a forecast check, a well-mixed batter and, of course, a smile on her face. “The [doughnut] machines reacted on your mood, as crazy as that may sound,” the owner of The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop said. “If I was having a bad day, my doughnuts always came out bad and then I would throw out the batter. So, it became a happy place here. I came in with a happy smile, and I’d make my doughnuts and [I’d say to myself ] ‘Oh, my God, they’re fluffy and they’re delicious.’” While the desserts of Apple Barn are well-known around the country, featured on “Good Morning America” and Food
Lia Diamond, left, owner of The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop, and current doughnut maker Denee Facto..
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Network’s “$40 A Day with Rachael Ray,” its top-selling product, by far, is the apple cider doughnut. D i a m o n d ’ s f a m i l y, four th-generation apple growers, has owned the Apple Barn and Southern Vermont Orchards since 1973. Their sprawling orchard was once the largest private-owned orchard in the United States and now boasts a little less than 200,000 apple trees. Growing up in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and working in New York City, Diamond never expected to take over the family business, but when “opportunity knocked,” the self-described “farmer’s daughter” left the urban sprawl for rural Vermont.
“If I was having a bad day, my doughnuts always came out bad and then I would throw out the batter. So, it became a happy place here. I came in with a happy smile, and I’d make my doughnuts and [I’d say to myself] ‘Oh, my God, they’re fluffy and they’re delicious.’” — Lea Diamond, owner, The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop
Upon inheriting the Apple Barn, Diamond knew she had to expand the baked goods market to take full advantage of the mammoth apple harvests. So, about 17 years ago, she ventured out to Kansas
during the winter, attending classes at the American Institute of Baking (AIB). And from there, Diamond learned to perfect the art — but most importantly, the science — of doughnut-making.
Denee Facto loads doughnuts into the sales rack at The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop. Bennington Banner File Photo
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“ Making apple cider doughnuts actually is a science,” she explained. “It’s the temperature of the doughnut mix versus the temperature of the water and, of course, [the] temperatures of the oils.” The day starts with a mixture of cider, water and a proprietary doughnut mix. Eventually, the batter makes its way to the Belshaw Doughnut Robot, where the doughnuts are molded and dropped into the fryer. At the height of the fall season, the Apple Barn has up to three doughnut machines running to keep up with the demand. Despite the mass quantity of doughnuts produced daily, every detail is considered, even
the properties of the cider that goes into the batter. “The cider also plays a big role in apple cider doughnuts,” she explained. “Some people like it really, really crusty. I like it big and fluffy. Sometimes the cider in the beginning of the season can be watery, so you have to measure and kind of know the consistency of the cider versus water for the ratio. Later on in the season, when the cider is first pressed, it has a tendency to be a little sweeter. It could be a little heavier, which would mean you want to put in less [cider], even if it gives you a sweet taste.” Armed with new knowledge from AIB, Diamond found herself experimenting
IF YOU GO …
The Apple Barn & Country Bake Shop 604 U.S. Route 7S, Bennington, Vt. 802-447-7780, theapplebarn.com Hours: Open seasonally, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday
with not only larger cider doughnuts, but also smaller doughnuts that could be shipped nationwide. “How do I expand and perfect my apple cider doughnuts?” she asked herself one day.
“And that’s when I created the mini-cider doughnuts.” The mini-doughnuts, which Diamond markets for children and the “calorie-conscious woman,” rode the seasonal taste buds of America when
Talbot’s clothing stores around the country featured Apple Barn’s mini-cider doughnuts for their fall foliage customer appreciation breakfasts. But today, Diamond shifts her attention to the business and managerial side of the family business, passing her doughnut-making knowledge to Denee Facto at the Apple Barn. “I grew up under the roof of apple growers and my father would say to me, ‘So, could you ever see yourself moving to Vermont?’ “ Diamond recalled of her childhood. “And I said to myself, ‘Vermont? That’s like the sticks.’ Well, I’ve been here now 26 years.” Local doughnut lovers are glad she stayed. •
At the height of the fall season, the Apple Barn has up to three doughnut machines running to keep up with the demand. Bennington Banner File Photo
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A TASTE OF FALL
Where to find apple cider doughnuts ... Signs that fall has arrived in New England: leaves of gold, red and orange. Crisp, cool nights. Apple harvests and overflowing pumpkin patches. And with it comes a bounty of autumn-flavored goodness: apple cider, apple and pumpkin pies, and the indulgence in apple cider doughnuts. We all have our favorite apple cider doughnuts, since no two shops make them the same. In many cases, the recipes are family secrets known only by a few family members and trusted staffers. We asked around the office for recommendations — for staff members’ go-to spots for apple cider doughnuts. Of course, they came up with more than a few. By no means are these the only options, but they are the ones our staff members frequent.
If you’re in the Berkshires, we suggest:
Whitney’s Farm Market and Garden Center
Bartlett’s Apple Orchard and Farm Market
1775 S. State Road, Cheshire
575 Swamp Road, Richmond 413-698-2559 bartlettsorchard.com
Hilltop Orchards and Furnace Brook Winery 508 Canaan Road, Richmond 413-445-1259 hilltoporchards.com
Jaeschke’s Orchard 23 Gould Road, Adams 413-743-3896 jaeschkesorchard.com
Lakeview Orchard 94 Old Cheshire Road, Lanesborough 413-448-6009 lakevieworchard.com
Taft Farms 119 Park St., Great Barrington 413-528-1515 facebook.com/taft.farms/
413-442-4749 whitneysfarm.com
If you find yourself in Southern Vermont, we suggest: The Apple Barn 604 U.S. Route 7S, Bennington 802-447-7780 theapplebarn.com
Cider doughnuts from bake shops and farms from around the Berkshires and Southern Vermont. Berkshire Eagle File Photo.
Marlboro Road, West Brattleboro 802-254-0254 407 VT-30, Newfane 802-365-4168 duttonberryfarm.com
The Sugar Shack Sugar Shack Lane, Route 7A, Arlington 802-375-6747 sugarshackvt.com
Over the border in New York:
Allen Bros. Farms
Equinox Valley Nursery
6023 U.S. Route 5, Westminster
1158 Main St., Route 7A, Manchester
802-722-3395 allenbrothersfarms.com
Lumber Jack’s Coffee And Snacks
802-362-2610 equinoxvalleynursery.com
5103 NY-7, Hoosick Falls
Cold Hollow Cider Mill
Green Mountain Orchards
3600 Waterbury Stowe Road, Waterbury Center
130 W. Hill Road, Putney
800-327-7537 Coldhollow.com
Dutton Farm Stands 2083 Depot St., Manchester Center 802-362-3083
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802-387-5851 greenmountainorchards.com
Paradise Farm 828 Marlboro Road, Route 9, West Brattleboro 802-258-2026 paradisefarmsugarhouse.com
518-686-1614 facebook.com/ lumberjackscoffee
Windy Hill Orchard-East (formerly Goold Orchards) 1297 Brookview Station Road, Castleton-on-Hudson 518-365-9099 facebook.com/ windyhillorchardnyeast/
Andrew Bender tries some Cabernet Franc from Linda Livingstone at the East Shore Vineyard booth during the 2010 Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival at Mount Snow Resort. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
A wine festival for the novice and the expert Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival has something for everyone By Sophie Gaddes
Sometimes, after a long day at work, it can be nice to put your feet up and relax on the couch with a big glass of wine, but how many of us have stopped and savored that first sip? If you feel that you haven’t been properly appreciating
your chardonnays, or even if you’re a sommelier who already can smell the difference between pinot grigios, the 11th Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival might be for you. The three-day festival, sponsored by the Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley
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Chamber of Commerce and Mount Snow Resort, is for wine experts and novices, according to Executive Director Eric Durocher. “The vintners and the distilleries coming do a really good job of catering to people who may be a little more
experienced in tasting wine, but they also do a good job of educating people,” he said. The festival kicks off Sept. 20 with the Wine and Soup Stroll in Wilmington. (Yes, you read that right: wine and soup. An unusual combination, no?) “I’m not really sure how
that piece came about,” Durocher said. “The soup was just a way for us to feature our local chefs and restaurants.” Whatever the reason, festivalgoers are free to soak up the sights of the village while sampling wine from vintners based in the Deerfield Valley and soup from restaurants such as North Star Pizza and Anchor Seafood. In addition, the event also gives exposure to jewelers, cheesemakers and other craftsmen. After the stroll, participants can let their hair down at the Wilmington Inn’s after-party, where they vote on which wine was their favorite. The festivities continue Sept. 21 at the Grand Tasting at Mount Snow in West Dover. The tented event features 70 vendors, including 20 distilleries and wineries, such as Honora Winery in Jacksonville and Shelburne Vineyard in Shelburne. “It’s great marketing,” said Kate Dodge, owner of Putney Mountain Winery, which participates in the festival annually. This year, it will be bringing a dry blueberry wine and a cranberry wine. “And we make some money. That’s important!,” Dodge said, adding that, because of the festival, the winery is able to reach a wider audience as well as interact with other wineries. Hannah Greene, the chamber’s events and membership coordinator, said festivalgoers travel from as far as Texas and California to attend, though many participants are from New England. “The event brings in a lot of visitors and second-home owners that wouldn’t normally be coming up,” said Jamie Storrs, spokesperson for Mount Snow. Festivalgoers looking to take a break or just looking to enjoy the fall foliage can take a scenic ride to the mountain’s summit on the Bluebird lift. Participants also can pair their drinks with goods from specialty food producers like True North Granola, a granola
IF YOU GO
11th Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival
Saturday, Sept. 21
Wilmington and West Dover, Vt.
10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Information: 802-464-8092, thevermontfestival.com
Grand Tasting featuring 70 vendors, including 20 wineries and distilleries. $25 in advance; $30 at the gate (ticket price includes a commemorative wine glass, tasting tickets and commemorative festival booklet). Designated-driver tickets (no alcohol, wine glass or tasting tickets) are $15 in advance; $20 at the gate. $10 for festival tent access for attendees ages 13 to 20.
Tickets: visitvermont.ticketspice. com/2019-wine-and-harvest-festival
Friday, Sept. 20 Wine and Soup Stroll Various locations, Wilmington, Vt. 5-7 p.m. Friday night begins with a wine- and souptasting stroll through the historic village of Wilmington. Soups from 20-plus vendors. A stroll passport is required to taste the soup during the stroll. Tickets are $25 per person; $30 after Sept. 16. Soup-only tickets (no wine) are $18 in advance, $22 after Sept. 16. A limited number of tickets for ages 2 to 20 are available for $10.
Grand Tasting Mount Snow, West Dover, Vt.
Sunday, Sept. 22 Vermont Wildlife Festival Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, Vt. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The festival, which is admission by donation, features a wide variety of attractions by representatives of hunting and conservation communities, wildlife rescues, state agencies and nature centers.
Harry Gorman pours 100 percent milk sugar vodka for people to taste at the Vermont Spirits booth at the 2010 Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
company based in Battleboro. “We nearly sold out last year, leaving with just two bags of products,” said Ingrid Chrisco, owner of True North Granola. Tickets are $25 per day,
until Sept. 16, when the price increases to $30. Durocher said that the three-day festival’s primary purpose is to celebrate the vendors in Vermont.
“The Chamber is trying hard to do stuff for the community,” said Janice Stuart, Honora Winery winemaker and brewer. “It’s nice to be part of something so local.” • UpCountryOnline.com | 23
Silver Bear Distillery 63 Flansburg Ave., Dalton, Mass. Silver Bear Distillery is a new craft distillery in the old Stationary Factory in Dalton, Mass. As a “grain to glass” distillery, Silver Bear makes all their spirits from scratch, using local ingredients whenever possible. Come try the creamy smooth vodka or one of their delicious liqueurs and tour the distillery.
Saxtons Distillery
Tastings at Saxtons Distillery
155 Chickering Drive, Brattleboro, Vt.
Mon.-Tues.: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wed.-Sat.: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Sun.: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Since 2006, Saxtons Distillery has been crafting small batch, awardwinning spirits, including their signature Sapling Maple Liqueur, Sapling Maple Rye and Sapling Maple Bourbon — all celebrating the flavors of Vermont Maple; Perc Coffee Liqueur, a robust coffee liqueur distilled with locally roasted organic Arabica coffee beans; and Snowdrop Gin, an American Dry Gin distilled with 18 botanicals, recently awarded 93 points and a Top 100 Spirit in the World by Wine Enthusiast.
Annex Tasting Room 485 West River Road, Brattleboro Mon., Thurs.-Fri.: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun.: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Closed Tues.-Wed. Guests are welcome to stop by for a tasting. For groups of eight or more, please contact brich@ saxtonsriverdistillery.com or call 802246-1128. 802-579-1172 | saxtonsdistillery.com
SPIRITED
Complimentary Tastings
444 Pittsfield Road, Lenox, Mass.
Every Saturday 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Try their Berkshire Caipirinha: 2 1/2 oz Silver Bear Maple Liqueur over ice 1/2 lime, squeezed and quartered Top with seltzer.
Tastings at Silver Bear Starting July 6th, 2019. 12 noon - 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Tour, tasting and glass $5, tasting and glass $3. No reservation needed. Reservations are required for groups of 6 or more. Contact the distillery for more details. 413-441-7733 | silverbeardistillery.com
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Join SPIRITED every Saturday for complimentary tastings! They’re fun, informative and feature fine wines the Spirited team has gone in search of from around the world, along with artisan spirits, craft brews and specialty cheeses. Visiting guest experts, winemakers and brew masters enhance your tasting experience.
Annual Oktoberfest Beer Tent Tasting October 12th, 1 - 4 p.m. SPIRITED’s 9th Annual Complimentary Oktoberfest Tent Tasting showcases an extensive array of great craft beers and ciders! Spirited loves sharing new finds with all of you. Expect a don’t miss line-up! 413-448-2274 | spirited-wines.com
Sponsored Content
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UpCountryOnline.com | 27
3 Bed • 5 Bath • 3,086 Sq. Ft. • Year Built: 2005 • $429,900 • Lot: 5.13 Acres
Enjoy! You will never want to leave home! Start by entering the shrub-lined drive with tall white fencing, close the gate and begin the fun. This home has so much to offer a growing family, or those who just love to entertain. There is a fully fenced in-ground pool, with its own cabana with full kitchen and 1/4 bath. A hot tub room opens with sliders to the frosty winter air and a walk out family room with wet bar would be a great media room, pool, game or exercise room. The first floor is made for entertaining with an open concept kitchen and family room as well as a formal dining, or switch them out. Three propane fireplaces (including one in the master) give an extra boost for charm and cozy winter nights. Tons of windows and gleaming hardwood floors bring in and reflect the light. The stand alone garage is perfect for a studio, workshop or that special car! Fully fenced for pets or young ones, this is a sweet mostly level yard just right for romping or gardening. Plan ahead and wear easy to remove shoes for preservation of the newly finished floors! MLS #4764387 | $429,900
More information: Christine Lewis, CRS, CBR, GRI Brattleboro Area Realty Cell: 802-380-2088 Office: 802-257-1335 Chris@BrattleboroAreaRealty.com
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Come home to Vermont! Come home to nearly 20 acres of rolling gorgeous meadow, a bit of woodland and your own stream. The beautifully renovated home has a lovely open concept with tons of windows for light and air, gleaming hardwood floors and a view of the property from every room. The well thought-out kitchen with walk-in pantry is perfect for cooking while entertaining. Age in place with the first floor bedroom and en suite bath. The home has plenty of room for a big family or guests. The dynamic original barn with silo has been well cared for and has two floors of great storage or room for a studio. This is an amazing property with privacy and those sweet rolling meadows, pond and huge deck where you can relax and enjoy it all. $575,000 MLS #4764869 Sponsored Content
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Christine Lewis, CRS, CBR, GRI Brattleboro Area Realty Cell: 802-380-2088 Office: 802-257-1335 Chris@BrattleboroAreaRealty.com UpCountryOnline.com | 29
172 Auger Hole Road, Newfane, Vt. 5 Bed • 3.5 Bath • 4000 Sq. Ft. • $799,000
“The Farmhouse” is beautifully sited well back from a country road and is located in a lovely valley of open meadows and historic homes. The location is choice, with easy access to skiing and numerous cultural
events. The land is exceptional with 110 acres, expansive open fields, long brook frontage and ancient maples. Outbuildings include a handsome barn, sheep shed and swim house. The residence is an architectural gem with incredible detailing and finish work. It includes superb light filled living spaces with large principal rooms including living with fireplace, gourmet kitchen, formal dining room, library, A/C, whole house generator, Energy Star huge screened porch, foyer and two first floor bedroom suites Rating and so much more all add to the plus three additional bedrooms with appeal and value. large full bath. Radiant heat, central $799,000 | MLS #4692056
Experts in Southern Vermont Real Estate Since 1965 Brattleboro Office 119 Western Avenue Brattleboro, VT 05301 802-254-6400
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www.berkleyveller.com 30 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2019
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21 Virginia Lane, West Dover, Vt. 5 Bed • 4.5 Bath • 4500 Sq. Ft. • $1,185,000 The best of both worlds... Highend luxury in this Post & Beam home on a private 3+ acre wooded lot with views of Mount Snow, yet only one mile from the entrance to the ski area. It’s nearly impossible to find this kind of privacy so near the ski mountain. This spectacular 5 bedroom, 5 bath Post & Beam home was built in 2006 and no expense was spared in the construction. Features include a high end chef ’s kitchen with granite counters and stainless appliances, full wet bar, stunning vaulted great room with soaring stone fireplace, natural woodwork and exposed beams throughout, beautiful hardwood floors, and radiant heat. A large screened-in porch and deck for 3 season enjoyment, a spacious BBQ deck, a master suite on the main level. A full finished basement with family room, gas stove, spa with hot tub and sauna, media/weight room, and an oversized 2 car garage. A must see! $1,185,000 | MLS #4744058
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77 Monument Avenue, Old Bennington, Vt. Center Hall Colonial 4 Bedrooms • 4 Baths 4,032 Sq. Ft. • Gourmet Chef’s Kitchen • 3 Season Porch Garage • 1.65 Acres • $499,000 Located in the prestigious Village of Old Bennington, this beautiful 4,000+ sq. ft. center hall Colonial sits on 1.6 nicely landscaped acres with a year-round creek and a footbridge. Off the large foyer is a parlor with a fireplace and ½ bath, beautiful dining room and stairway to the second floor. Further down, the foyer leads to the kitchen and large family room with fireplace/pellet stove. Off the family room is a south facing three-season porch. The gourmet’s dream kitchen features a six-burner professional stovetop, warming drawer, built in microwave oven, refrigerator, beverage refrigerator, two convection ovens and three sinks all in stainless steel. The extensive counter space and island are topped with Brazilian granite and compliment the overabundance of cabinetry. The first floor finishes up with a large private office off the kitchen with a back stairway to the second floor bedrooms. Upstairs are four large bedrooms, two of which are master suites with walk-in showers. The third bathroom features a whirlpool tub with shower. A large linen closet and laundry complete the second floor. An attic with stairwell is accessed from the main center hall of the second floor. The full basement features a work shop area and has access for parking two cars in tandem. The home has been well cared for with electrical and plumbing upgrades, roofing, and rebuilt chimneys. Available turn-key.
More information: Kathleen Hoisington Hoisington Realty 802-379-1656 hoisingtonvt.com
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Seeking signs from the other side
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‘Haunted’ locales you can visit in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont UpCountryOnline.com | 37
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By Jennifer Huberdeau
Do you believe in ghosts? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. According to the Paranormal America 2018 study, part of the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, 57.7 percent of the U.S. population believes that places can be haunted by spirits, while only 21 percent believes in Bigfoot, and even less, a mere 17 percent, believes in psychics. Those numbers are on the rise since 2016, when only 46.6 percent of the population believed in hauntings. “Interest in fringe topics is forever cyclical. It has been for the last 150 years,” said Jeff Belanger, host of the “New England Legends” television series and co-host of the podcast of the same name. “The Spiritualist movement of the 1840s got a shot in the arm during the U.S. Civil War, then died down a bit until World War I, then rose again during World War II. Whenever there’s great turmoil in the world, and people don’t find answers in their religious institutions, they’ll look elsewhere.” Interest in the paranormal kicked up in the early 2000s, as ghost hunting and paranormal shows flooded the airwaves and similar books crowded bookstore shelves. Restaurants, hotels and inns invited the public in to explore their haunted halls. But in recent years, local locales that once boasted about being haunted have stopped “proactively promoting” those claims. “It could be that the U.S.
economy is doing very well right now and hotel rooms are filling up. So, hotels and inns don’t want to seem desperate to try and attract attention. (Or maybe the ghosts leave during good economic times?),” Belanger said. “Not to worry, when the pendulum swings back toward more difficult financial times, the ghosts and ghost tours will return to all of those hotels. I guarantee it.” That pendulum might well be swinging back into the realm of belief, if 2019’s fall lineup is any indicator. “Ghost Hunters,” which ended its run on the SYFY channel after 11 seasons, is now being revived by A&E, with former TAPS member Grant Wilson at the helm. It’s one of five paranormal shows on the channel’s fall slate. Meanwhile, former TAPS members Jason Hawes, Steve Gonsalves and Dave Tango will reunite on the Travel Channel this fall in a new show, “Ghost Nation.” It was in the early 2000s, when Belanger and Tony Dunne, director of the “New England Legends” television series, met and began collaborating. Dunne, at the time, was filming his documentary, “Things That Go Bump in the Night: Tales of Haunted New England,” and interviewed Belanger, an expert in the field. “We discovered we were born in the same small-town hospital in Southbridge, Mass., and also agreed that there are enough strange stories in New England to warrant not just a documentary, but a series that could potentially go on forever,” Belanger said. (A new episode is due out in October on Amazon Prime.) A weekly podcast, hosted by
Belanger and producer Ray Auger, was a natural progression. Both the podcast and television show focus on finding the real story behind local legends and lore. When chasing down the legend of a little girl’s ghost haunting the top of October Mountain in the episode “Spooky Berkshires,” the crew was able to do just that. “We were able to place a name with the story of a little girl’s ghost haunting the top of the mountain: that of young Anna Pease, whose lost grave we discovered,” Dunne said. “In chasing a ghost, we found a very real person who lived and died on the mountain generations ago. That’s the power of a legend, it can bring history alive for us.” Sam Baltrusis, producer of MassParacon, a paranormal conference, was chasing down a different type of ghost story when he came to the Berkshires. Baltrusis was researching his latest book, “Ghost Writers,” a book about those who write about ghosts or write ghost stories. Author Edith Wharton, who summered in Leonx, Mass., at The Mount, was one such author. It was earlier this year that he decided to bring MassParacon, now in its third year, to the Berkshires. This year, he said, the conference is author-centric and will feature paranormal authors. Among those appearing are John Zaffis, demonologist and star of “The Haunted Collector,” and author Andrea Perron, whose family’s story inspired the movie “The Conjuring.” “When I asked John Zaffis about hosting the conference in the Berkshires this year, he gave me the thumbs-up. He loves
the Berkshires and thought it was a great idea,” Baltrusis said of the conference, which will be held Sept. 27 to Sept. 29 at the Seven Hills Inn in Lenox, Mass. The weekend includes opportunities to participate in a ghost tour at The Mount or a paranormal investigation at Ventfort Hall Mansion and Museum of the Gilded Age. For those wanting to explore on their own, we checked out a few haunted locales in the Berkshires and Southern Vermont.
A historic inn with a few longterm residents Barbara Colorio isn’t afraid of the spirits who occupy her historic inn in Sandisfield, Mass. In fact, she thinks they make the New Boston Inn all the more fun. “I clean those rooms up there, I tell you, sometimes, they lock me out of the room and I have to come down and get the key. Sometimes, I’m all done cleaning the rooms, go in there, check them to make sure everything is set and you can see [an impression] where someone laid perfectly on the bed,” she said during a recent visit to the inn. Most of the time, the ghostly activity is limited to doors that open and close on their own, footsteps heard in empty hallways, objects that move locations and the occasional apparition. Overnight guests of the inn have reported latched and locked doors opening on their own, footsteps in the hallway, shades snapping open and items moving. Some even write about their experiences
PREVIOUS SPREAD: The “Staircase to Nowhere” or Madame Sherri’s Castle Ruins are all that remain of a once gorgeous summer home in Chesterfield, N.H. The house, owned by Madame Antoinette Sherri, a former actress turned Broadway costumer, burned down in October 1962. The ruins are rumored to be haunted. LEFT: Today we know that Lt. Leonard Spaulding, of Dummerston, Vt., as well as eight of his children died of consumption, also known as wasting disease or tuberculosis. Spaulding, who died in 1788, is buried in Bennet Cemetery. His children, who died after him and were buried in another cemetery, were dug up and had their internal organs burned in an effort to stop what was thought to be a vampire. Photos by Jennifer Huberdeau
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in the individual guest books kept in each of the inn’s seven guest rooms. “As I was leaving, the door unlatched and opened wide for me …,” a guest of Room No. 4 wrote. The most common “proof ” guests have of their ghostly encounters are photographs that have unexplained orbs of light in them. Creaky floors and doors opening on their own aren’t unusual in an inn as old as this one. The main building dates to 1737, with the last portions being added on around 1760. But Colorio says it isn’t the age of the buildings, it’s the events that took place on the property that keep some guests coming back. “There was a Revolutionary War training camp on the grounds and a medical hospital,” she said. “This was also a stagecoach stop on the Red Bird Line from Hartford to Albany. And then there was a murder in 1805. There’s a woman who shot and killed here. She walks around and sings sometimes.” Colorio is referring to “Harriet,” the resident ghost of the second floor and perhaps the inn’s most famous inhabitant. According to local lore, Harriet’s family summered at the inn around the turn of the 19th century. During those summers, Harriet fell in love with a farmhand. The pair planned to marry, but Harriet’s family didn’t approve of her marrying someone below her station. At some point, the story goes, the boy went off to war. When he returned, Harriet was set to be married to another man — in the ballroom of the New Boston Inn. But he had arrived too late, as Harriet’s wedding ceremony already had taken place. “Supposedly, he said, ‘If I can’t have you, no one will,’ and pulled out a gun and shot her. She fell down the two steps that take you into the ballroom and died in the room next door.
They say there were bloodstains on the floorboards for 100 years,” Colorio said. “The farmhand was hanged.” Stories of Harriet’s tragic demise appeared in Yankee Magazine in 1931 and 1958 and more recently in books about haunted inns and locations in Massachusetts. Her story also earned the inn a guest spot on the first season of “Ghost Hunters.” “That first year, after the episode aired on the SyFy channel, a few religious groups that scheduled Christmas parties here pulled out,” Colorio said. “But now, it’s readily known for being haunted. I have a wedding party that is coming here in October because it’s haunted.” And it also makes the inn’s annual Halloween party all the more fun — there’s always a few partygoers dressed as Harriet each year. “I’m having too much fun with this place. I’ve owned it for 15 years and I don’t ever see myself selling it. I like it.”
Ghostly encounters at Edith Wharton’s summer home Not looking to spend the night in a haunted hotel or inn? How about taking a “ghost tour” of author Edith Wharton’s summer estate, The Mount, in Lenox, Mass.? The Mount has been offering “Ghost Tours” since 2009, after the estate appeared on “Ghost Hunters” for the first time. Since then, the tours have been popular enough to draw audiences during the summer months, as well as during September and October. “It’s really been wonderful and there’s a continuing interest,” said tour guide Robert Oakes. “There’s a continuing interest, so much, that the past few [fall] seasons, we’ve sold out.” Stories of shadow figures, ghostly apparitions, the smell of cigar smoke and people being touched by unseen forces go back to the 1940s, when the estate was used as a dormito-
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ry by the Foxhollow boarding school. “Every tour is unique,” Oakes said. “There are many stories, and we learn of more all the time. We try to change the stories we tell, so the tour is constantly evolving.” And many guests come back for another tour, he said. “You never have the same experience twice. The time of day really changes things, and as we get closer to Halloween, it gets darker earlier. Even the chemistry of the tour group that night makes it unique.” During the two-hour talk and walk, the tour takes the curious through the stable, where one of the most common sightings, according to Oakes, is the hulking shadowy figure of Wharton’s driver, Charles Cook. The figure often is accompanied by the smell of cigar smoke. The tour also stops by a pet cemetery and ends in the house, where numerous tales are told, including one about a shadow figure, believed to
LOCAL HAUNTS
New Boston Inn 101 N. Main Street, Sandisfield, Mass. 413-258-4477, newbostoninn.com Open: Thursday through Monday
The Mount 2 Plunkett St., Lenox, Mass. 413-551-5111, edithwharton.org
Ghost Tours: The two-hour ghost tour starts at the Stable and ends at the Main House. The tour includes about a half-mile walk with some steep areas. It is not recommended for children younger than 12. From Sept. 20 to Oct. 25, tours will be offered on Fridays at 5:45 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $24 and can be purchased online or by phone.
Ventfort Hall Mansion and Gilded Age Museum 104 Walker St., Lenox, Mass. 413-637-3206, gildedage.org Open year-round: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays TOP: The Orchards, more commonly known as the Everett Mansion, was the home of Bennington, Vt., millionaire Edwin Hamlin Everett. The mansion, thought to be one of several inspirations for Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” is said to be haunted by his first wife. It’s part of the now-closed Southern Vermont College campus, which is on the market. Bennington Banner File Photo LEFT: Do spirits roam the halls of Edith Wharton’s summer home, The Mount, in Lenox, Mass.? Stories of apparitions, the sounds of footsteps, and unexplained smells and voices have been told since the 1940s, when the house was used as a dormitory by the Foxhollow boarding school. Photo provided by The Mount
Event: A Spirited Evening Paranormal Investigation with David Raby 7 p.m. Nov. 2 Investigate Ventfort Hall with paranormal author David Raby. The evening starts with a presentation on the history of the estate and of selected paranormal evidence before a lights-out group paranormal investigation. Investigation ends at midnight. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by phone; 100 percent of the proceeds go to the restoration of Ventfort Hall.
Madame Sherri’s Castle Ruins Madame Sherri Forest, Gulf Road, Chesterfield, N.H. www.chesterfieldoutdoors. com/madame-sherri-forest Explore the foundation, chimneys and a grand stone staircase of Madame Sherri’s Castle. The ruins of the summer home can be found on a side trail close to the entrance of Madame Sherri Forest off the Gulf Road.
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be Wharton’s husband, Teddy.
Searching for spirits at Ventfort Hall For those wanting a more hands-on approach when seeking out the spirit world, Ventfort Hall in Lenox, Mass., offers several opportunities to take part in a paranormal investigation during the year. The mansion, built as a summer home by Sarah Morgan, sister of J.P. Morgan, and her husband, George Hale Morgan, is said to still be inhabited by members of the Morgan family. Still, others say they’ve encountered the ghost of Annie Haggerty Shaw, whose family owned the land before the Morgans. And then there’s a theory that some of the paranormal presence might be attached to antique items in the building. Paranormal investigator and author David Raby, who hosts the events, said in a recent interview that he has had
many experiences with guests while exploring the former mansion. Experiences, he said, range from smelling lavender perfume in Sarah’s room and individuals being touched by unseen hands to “ghost hunting equipment” failing and lights going out for no reason. “We have seen a freestanding light, during daylight, whip over our heads. We heard a sigh coming from a corner of the room in which there was no guests,” Raby said. And the reason for so much activity? There isn’t just one reason, he said. “There is such a diverse history at Ventfort. It went from a private residence of the Morgans, then Margaret Vanderbilt and the Bonsal family, then it was a dorm, the Festival House, a ballet camp and a religious community,” Raby said. “I think Sarah Morgan is there because she died so soon after building her dream summer cottage. She has seen many
changes to her home, some of which I think she would not have approved of. Then she saw it abandoned and almost destroyed. Now, she is overseeing its rebirth and seeing a group of hardworking volunteers and staff members who work tirelessly to see it rise again.”
Spooky Inspiration Author Shirley Jackson, a onetime resident of North Bennington, Vt., is known for her haughtingly brilliant writing. Her first commercially successful work, “The Haunting of Hill House,” has mesmerized audiences for decades and left fans wondering what house inspired the hell that was Hill House. Many have speculated that Jennings Hall at Bennington College, where her husband was a professor, was her inspiration. And while the mansion wasn’t too far from her home, biographer Ruth Franklin says in “Shirley Jackson: A Rather
Haunted Life,” that if any local mansion was an inspiration, it was most likely The Orchards, the estate of Bennington millionaire Edward H. Everett. The mansion, then being used as a novitiate by the Holy Cross Congregation, bears a strong resemblance to Jackson’s sketches of the outside of her fictional house. The Everett Mansion, now for sale along with the other buildings and land that make up the former Southern Vermont College campus, reportedly is haunted by Everett’s first wife.
Vampires in Vermont Although we now know that deaths attributed to vampirism or witchcraft really were caused by consumption, also known as tuberculosis or “wasting disease,” New Englanders were convinced that a supernatural force was at work in the late 1700s. And who can blame them? In some cases, entire families were wiped out, over a period of years, by an invisible airborne disease that consumed its victims slowly. More disturbing was how suspected vampires were dealt with. The deceased, now thought to be one of the undead as well, typically were disentered and the vital organs removed. In some cases, the organs were burned and buried, but in the case of Rachel Burton, of Manchester, Vt., her victim, her husband’s second wife, Hulda, was forced to drink the ashes. The cure failed, as Hulda died in 1793. A similar remedy was tried
The spirit of a woman named “Harriet” is said to haunt the New Boston Inn in Sandisfield, Mass. Stories say the young woman was shot and killed just after she was married in the inn’s second-floor ballroom. Photo by Jennifer Huberdeau
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“New England Legends” host Jeff Belanger and director Tony Dunne film scenes in the car on the road in rural northern Maine. Photo courtesy of Frank C. Grace
in Dummerston, Vt., with a slightly more successful outcome. This case involves the family of Lt. Leonard Spaulding, a celebrated Revolutionary War hero whose headstone can be found in Bennet Cemetery in Dummerston. Consumption would claim the lives of eight of the 11 Spaulding children. In 1782, the first of the Spaulding daughters was taken by consumption. First, Mary, 20, died in May, followed by Sarah, 19, in October. Sixteenyear-old Esther followed in 1783, then a son, Timothy in 1785. Lt. Spaulding succumbed to the illness in 1788, followed by Betsy in 1790, Leonard Jr. in 1792, John in 1793 and Reuben in 1794. The family, save for Mary, Sarah, Esther and Lt. Spaulding, were buried side by side in a cemetery in the town’s center. When another Spaulding daughter was struck with the disease, the siblings were allegedly dug up, had their vital organs removed and burned, and her illness subsided.
The staircase to nowhere Whether Madame Sherri’s Castle Ruins are haunted or not seems to be up for debate. But a trip to the ruins in the forest named after Madame Antoinette Sherri is worth the trip just to learn about the woman who has become a local legend.
While the ruins are all that remain of a once gorgeous summer home in Chesterfield, N.H., stories of its eccentric owner, a former Parisian actress turned Broadway costumer, are legendary. She held lavish parties at the “castle” where she held court in a cobra-backed chair she called the “The Queen’s Throne,” but
she lived in a small, run-down farmhouse on the property. She also reportedly loved to travel to nearby Brattleboro, Vt., wearing nothing under her fur coat. The castle burned down in October 1962, leaving only a foundation, chimneys and a grand staircase for modern-day visitors. •
MORE ABOUT …
“New England Legends” A podcast, website and Emmynominated television series airing on PBS and Amazon Prime. Visit ournewenglandlegends.com
“New England Legends” TV series: New episode In the new episode of the “New England Legends” TV series, host Jeff Belanger, director Tony Dunne and photography director Nate Buynicki hit the road and take you on a “Legendary Road Trip” through New England. They’ll explore legends in Massachusetts, Vermont,
Maine and New Hampshire – including the first documented ghost sighting in American history, the UFO abduction case of Betty and Barney Hill, and they’ll even go searching for New England’s own Loch Ness Monster: Lake Champlain’s infamous “Champ.” Look for it in October on Amazon Prime.
MassParacon Sept. 27-29 Seven Hills Inn, Lenox, Mass. Tickets range from $25 to $225. Lodging is not included. More info: massparacon.com
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Somebody knows something Author hopes renewed interest will help solve New England cold cases By Jennifer Huberdeau Bennington College sophomore Paula Weldon went for a hike on the Long Trail on Dec. 1, 1946. She never was heard from again. Weldon, the daughter of a wealthy Connecticut industrialist, had stopped by her dorm room to change before heading out without a bag or any money. She hitched a ride from the school to nearby Woodford, where she last was seen hiking along the trail. Although she was reported missing by her roommate the next morning, it would be almost a week before authorities would become aware of her trip to the Long Trail, when an elderly couple who had been hiking that day recognized her picture in the paper. It was at this point that the Connecticut State Police became involved in the case, at the request of the governor (Vermont did not have a state police agency at the time.) Seventy-three years later, the case remains open and unsolved. Was Weldon murdered? Did she run away? Or was she another victim of the so-called Bennington Triangle?
Paula Weldon. Bennington Banner File Photo
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( Weldon is one of five individuals to go missing on or near the Long Trail from 1944 to 1950. Author Joseph A. Citro coined the term Bennington Triangle in 1992, when describing an area of paranormal activity centered around Glastenbury Mountain.) Somebody knows something. That’s the belief that drove author Cathy McManus to research and write “Unsolved New England: Twenty Cases that Rocked the Region.” “The goal of any kind of true crime thing is, hopefully, someone who knows something will hear about it or see it,” McManus said during a recent phone interview. “You want to make sure the information is right there; to make it as easy as possible for them to contact somebody.” At its core, the book’s purpose is to revive the public’s awareness of these cold cases, with the hope of generating new tips or clues. To facilitate this, McManus provides detailed information on how to reach officers and agencies still investigating the crimes or disappearances. She said information connected to the cases, which might not have seemed relevant at the time of the initial investigations, if reported now, could help to solve a case or get one “moving forward.” In 2016, the Vermont State Police launched an interactive website, vsp.vermont.gov/unsolved, in an effort to gather information on missing persons and unsolved homicides. Weldon still is listed as a missing person. “In the Bennington case, you have five different people going missing, but Paula’s was the one that stuck out to me,” McManus said. “Bennington College is on the other side of town, so even getting to the trail would be an effort. It just seemed really odd to me that she would go at that time of day. So, did she have a plan? Was she meeting somebody? Or was it just one of those
things, spur of the moment, not thinking that it’s going to be getting dark?” Another case explored in the book is that of Middlebury College student Lynne Schulze, who disappeared from Middlebury, Vt., campus in 1971. Schulze’s disappearance is more suspect and has been thought to be linked with accused murderer Robert Durst, millionaire and subject of the HBO documentary “The Jinx.” Schulze, who disappeared Dec. 10, 1971, last was seen by classmates before an exam. She reportedly went back to her dorm room before the
exam but never returned for the exam. She never was seen again. All of her belongings, money and identification were left behind. Two days after her disappearance, her friends reported her missing to the college. Her parents, who found out she was missing a week later, informed police. McManus said it’s disheartening but not surprising that Schulze wasn’t reported missing right away. “A lot of it has to do with the time period. We were in the middle of [the Vietnam War]. Everything was kind of looser. Everyone just assumed that hip-
READ IT
“Unsolved New England: Twenty Cases that Rocked the Region” By Cathy McManus Publisher: Schiffer Books Pages: 144
Cover image provided by Schiffer Books
48 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2019
pies were going to wander off,” she said. “But for them to just be so willing to not look into it just kind of baffles me. Honestly, it just breaks my heart.” While Schulze’s disappearance has not been officially tied to Durst, the suspected murderer owned a health food store in Middlebury at the time Schulze went missing and was questioned by police during the investigation that followed. Separating fact from fiction was one thing McManus strived to do as she examined cold cases — unsolved murders, disappearances, robberies and strange events — from the 1800s to modern times. One of the most famous cases covered in the book is that of Lizzie Borden and the infamous double murder she is associated with. In the case of Borden, who was acquitted of the murders of her father, Andrew, and stepmother, Abby, the author examines current theories of who the murderer was, while looking at the hard facts of the case — the known whereabouts of those thought to be involved, the murder weapon (a hatchet, not an ax), the physical assault (a combined total of 29 to 30 blows) and the hefty estate inherited by Lizzie and her sister, Emma. And even though the case seems unsolvable, McManus is holding out hope that someday someone will find a letter or some kind of evidence tucked away — in an attic or inside a wall — that resolves the case once and for all. Other cases covered in the book include the Bear Brook murders; the Connecticut River Valley Killer; the murders of Matthew Margolies, Sarah Ware, Mattie Hackett, Camilla Lyman and Rita Bouchard; along with the Plymouth mail truck and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robberies. The book also touches on some paranormal and unexplained events, such as the alleged abduction of Betty and Barney Hill by aliens. •
Ghost profile:
John Zaffis An interview with the ‘Godfather of the Paranormal’
John Zaffis. Photo illustration provided by Sam Baltrusis
Editor’s note: The following is an interview with paranormal investigator and demonologist John Zaffis, who will appear at MassParacon at the Seven Hills Inn in September. The interview, used with permission of the author, is an excerpt from “Ghost Writers: The Hallowed Haunts of Unforgettable Literary Icons.”
By Sam Baltrusis “If the day ever comes when John Zaffis doesn’t fear anything, it’s time for me to get the hell out of this line of work.” — John Zaffis, “Haunted Collector”
John Zaffis, star of the “Haunted Collector” and co-author of “Demon Haunted,” has been called every name in the book. “I’ve heard Ziggity, old man, gray beard, you name it,” Zaffis said, jokingly, during a recent interview. “You’ve never
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heard of Ziggity? People call me that all the time.” The latest nickname making the rounds is the “godfather of the paranormal,” and he’s not exactly sure how that one came about. “There are so many,” he told me. “I believe it started when
one of my agents called me the ‘godfather of the paranormal’ and it just kind of stuck. I went with it.” Zaffis said the “godfather” moniker was an upgrade compared with what people nicknamed him back in the day when he first started investigat-
ing with his famous uncle and aunt, Ed and Lorraine Warren. “People would call me the ‘paranormal brat’ because I would always run to my Uncle Ed if I had a problem,” he recalled. Nowadays, up-and-coming investigators in the paranormal field reach out to him for advice. Armed with more than 46 years of experience, Zaffis tends to be the voice of reason during an investigation. “The thing I do more so now than before is, if I’m having a paranormal experience, I don’t say anything,” he explained. “I wait for someone around me to say something because that verifies that it’s not my imagination. When other people start validating what I’m sensing at a haunted location, that’s what I use as my gauge.” Of course, Zaffis still makes the occasional rookie mistake. When he was dealing with a possession case, for example, he had a knee-jerk reaction when he saw a woman levitating in front of him. “My first instinct was to push her down,” he said. “And I did.” In addition to experiencing an entity-induced levitation, the demonologist has seen all sorts of extreme paranormal activity over the years. In fact, Zaffis has worked with wellknown exorcists such as Bishop Robert McKenna and Malachi Martin. “One time, I witnessed a person who was truly possessed,” he said. “He wasn’t thrashing around while he was going through the rites of exorcism.” Zaffis said he did see something that truly terrified him during the possession, however. “[The man] opened his eyes and they were reptilian. That really took me back. The intensity was so high with that particular demon, it didn’t need to do anything to prove itself or to manifest.” The co-author of “Demon Haunted” had to decompress
for a few days so he could process the horror that unfolded in front of him. “In the heat of the moment, I’m not the one to react,” he explained. “I’m usually evenkeeled and then realize the severity of the situation much later.” While he tries to keep calm during intense situations, Zaffis said he has learned from his mistakes. “It’s trial and error,” he explained. “I often share my experiences, because even people like John Zaffis have had their back up against the wall from time to time. It’s key that you share what you’ve experienced so that others can benefit from the knowledge.” Based on his experiences as the lead investigator featured on the “Haunted Collector,” Zaffis knows a thing or two about enchanted objects. “I put items in the same category as haunted land and places. If an item is haunted, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s something evil attached to it. In some situations, there’s an energy associated with the item and it’s not always bad.” Zaffis stores the haunted objects he has picked up along the way in a barn outside his Connecticut home. He also has a procedure to bind his collection that includes prayer, sea salt and holy water. “If people randomly collect haunted items, it’s not a good idea to keep them in their personal space,” he said. “I’m not interested in playing Russian roulette. I rather keep them in a separate building.” As someone who has been on television and has worked with most of the well-known investigators in the field, Zaffis said he doesn’t always trust what airs on the small screen. “Are a lot of these things on TV done for entertainment value? Yes, absolutely.” Zaffis said that what happens in front of the camera is more about keeping people interested and less about actually finding answers. But it doesn’t
“Ghost Writers” is scheduled for release Oct. 1. Photo provided by Sam Baltrusis
mean they’re not trying. “We are all on a journey and searching,” he told me. “At the end of the day, can we prove or disprove that there’s a heaven or a hell? None of us really know. We don’t have the hardcore evidence we need from a scientific perspective. That’s one of the driving forces for many of us. We still can’t prove or disprove these things we’ve experienced.” The “godfather of the paranormal” has noticed a dramatic shift in pop culture thanks to a post-Conjuring interest in the Warrens and television shows such as the “Haunted Collector.” “People look at the paranormal differently now because of the amount of exposure on TV, radio and conventions,” he said. “They have a different perspective. What I mean by that is that they realize there’s something that transpires beyond the physical body. There’s
just too much out there we can’t explain.” When I asked Zaffis about the backlash his aunt and uncle faced during the Amityville case, he said he believes it was a fear-based attack. “Back in the day, who else was out there? It was such a small community,” he said. “Those two would push more doors open than anybody else in the field. No one would take that chance. They did. They broke down barriers. They took a beating, but they stood their ground.” Ed Warren passed away Aug. 23, 2006, and I asked Zaffis what he thought his uncle would think about the paranormal now. “The one thing that bothers me is that he wasn’t around to see the success of The Conjuring or to see the paranormal finally come to the forefront,” he said. Sadly, his aunt Lorraine UpCountryOnline.com | 51
passed April 18, 2019. She was 92. Even though more people are accepting that spirits and demons are real, Zaffis does bump into the occasional nonbeliever. “If someone is a skeptic, I really don’t take offense,” he said. “Even though I grew up surrounded by the paranormal, I didn’t believe in ghosts until I was 16 years old. When I was going to bed one night, I saw a transparent, tall figure that was shaking his head back and forth.” When he told his mother about the incident, Zaffis learned that when his grandfather was alive, he always shook his head when he was upset. A few days after the close encounter, his grandmother passed. Fueled by the life-changing experience, Zaffis became interested in the paranormal and spent his formative years studying under the Warrens. Zaffis told me that he keeps
an open mind when it comes to his work out in the field. “If someone is scratched, it doesn’t always mean we’re dealing with something demonic,” he explained. “I used to think that if a person got pushed or scratched, that it was something evil. Not necessarily. I look at it differently today. If a person was a mean, rotten person when they were alive, then they will be like that in spirit form.” However, if a case does involve a demonic infestation, Zaffis protects himself on a spiritual level. “A demonologist is a person who studies across the board and looks at the different belief systems and organized religions out there. Looking at the hardcore stuff on the occult level, my guard remains very high, but I’m respectful and try to understand where they are coming from when I approach a case.” When he works on the
Sam Baltrusis. Photo provided by Frank C. Grace via Sam Baltusis
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hardcore cases, Zaffis tries to keep his family and his work completely separate. “I live a dual life, if that makes any sense,” he said. “Sometimes being involved with the heavier stuff can be very isolating. You have to discipline yourself and know where you have to draw the line when dealing with the paranormal and your family life.” Zaffis, who runs the Paranormal and Demonology Research Society of New England, said his uncle taught him how to find balance. “He always told me, ‘You have to live in two different worlds, kid.’ As time went on, I understood what he meant,” Zaffis said. “There’s a lot of work I get involved with that will probably go to the grave with me. I just don’t talk about those cases. I learned that from both Ed and Lorraine. There are things you simply need to leave alone.” As a practicing Roman
Catholic, Zaffis said it’s important for him to help people find some sort of normalcy in their lives after surviving an extreme haunting. “If someone is levitating, I don’t look at it like I did 10 or 20 years ago,” he said. “Back then, I would have grabbed a camcorder. Now, I want to help these people.” While Zaffis has pretty much seen it all, he still proceeds with caution when he investigates. “If the day ever comes when John Zaffis doesn’t fear anything, it’s time for me to get the hell out of this line of work,” he concluded. • Sam Baltrusis, author of “Ghost Writers: The Hallowed Haunts of Unforgettable Literary Icons,” was featured on the 100th episode of “A Haunting” airing on the Travel Channel. Visit SamBaltrusis.com for more information.
10 things ‘not to In Western Massachusetts Nashville in the Berkshires Bowe Field, 371 Old Columbia St., Adams 413-776-7424, facebook.com/ NashvilleBerkshires2019 Sept. 7
The Nashville in the Berkshires concert returns for its third year with a lineup that includes country singers and a Neil Young and David Bowie tribute. Gates open at 11 a.m.; performances begin at noon. In addition to the performances, admission includes a car show, a farm animal petting area, pony rides and other amusements. Tickets are $10 in advance; $15 at the gate; free for children 12 and younger. Parking fee of $3 per car.
FreshGrass Festival
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams 413-662-2111, freshgrass.com Sept. 20-22 Spend one, two or three days
listening to traditional and cuttingedge bluegrass and roots music on four stages at Mass MoCA.This year, FreshGrass brings the stylings of Mavis Staples, Greensky Bluegrass, Leftover Salmon, Andrew Bird, Calexico and Iron & Wine and more to its stages, located in the museum’s galleries, as well as in its courtyards and grassy fields.
Becket Arts Center DriveAbout
Becket Arts Center 7 Brooker Hill Road, Becket 413-623-6635, becketartscenter. org/artist-driveabout Oct. 5-6, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Did you know that Becket and its surrounding hilltowns are full of talented artists? The inaugural Becket Arts Center DriveAbout allows participants to visit about 20 artists’ studios in Becket, Washington, Chester, Otis and Hinsdale. Visitors will be provided with a map of participating studios and information about the artists.
RambleFest and Greylock Ramble
Adams Visitors Center/Mount Greylock 3 Hoosac St., Adams exploreadams.com/play/ramblefest Oct. 13-14 Before hiking to the top of the state’s highest peak, spend an afternoon relaxing in the center of town at RambleFest, where you’ll find food, entertainment and activities for the whole family. On Monday, hike the 52nd Greylock Ramble. Parking at the trailhead is limited, so hikers are encouraged to park at the visitors center and take the free shuttle from downtown to the base of the Cheshire Harbor Trail.
Borrowed Light: Barbara Ernst Prey
Hancock Shaker Village 1843 W. Housatonic St., Pittsfield 413-443-0188 hancockshakervillage.org On view through Nov. 11 Artist Barbara Ernst Prey spent many mornings and afternoons in quiet reflection at Hancock Shaker Village, observing how light filtered into the rooms; how the light changed throughout the day and changed the mood within that space. She observed the shadows being cast by objects in the room and contemplated the history of the objects and of the space. Her observations became studies for the 10 large-scale watercolors on display at the village through Nov. 11.
Barbara Ernst Prey’s “Red Cloak, Blue Bucket.” Image courtesy of Barbara Ernst Prey
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miss’ this fall In Vermont Equinox Mountain Environmental Film Festival Manchester facebook.com/equinoxmountainfilmfestival Sept. 21-22
Ninth Wave Global presents the inaugural two-day Equinox Mountain Film Festival, a grassroots effort to find and share stories about our environment and our role within it. Venue to be announced.
New England Street Food Festival Kampfires Campground 792 U.S. Route 5, Dummerston Oct. 5
Featuring over 50 bites and brews for $6 or less, the New England Street Food Festival returns for its third year. Feast on a variety of dishes from street food vendors from around New England while enjoying live entertainment and performances by the New England Center for Circus Arts throughout the day. Free admission.
Heirloom Apple Days
Scott Farm 707 Kipling Road, Dummerston 802-254-6868, scottfarmvermont.com Oct. 13-14 Join orchardist Zeke Goodband in the apple barn for apple lore (10 a.m. and 1 p.m.) and a tasting of some of the farm’s 130 varieties of heirlooms in season. After the talk and tasting, guests can fill totes with the heirlooms they liked best, to purchase and take home, along with freshly pressed heirloom cider. Hard cider samples, food vendors, kids’ activities and guided dry stone wall tours by The Stone Trust.
Dock Dogs at Fall Orvis Days 2019
Orvis 4180 Main St., Historic Route 7A, Manchester greenmountaindockdogs.com Oct. 12-13 Watch as canines and their handlers make a splash as they compete in a series of dock-jumping aquatic performances. The two-day event, hosted by Green Mountain Dock Dogs at the Orvis-Manchester store, will feature competitions in “Big Air,” “Extreme Vertical” and “Speed Retrieve.”
Vermont Ukulele Harvest Next Stage Arts 15 Kimball Hill, Putney vermontukuleleharvest.com Oct. 25-26
Celebrate all things ukulele at the third Vermont Ukulele Harvest. This two-day event features workshops, jam sessions and more. This year’s event features Jim and Liz Beloff, Stu Fuchs, Amy Conley, Ron Kelley, Veronica Stevens and Ben Carr. Crowds of people attend the second annual New England Street Food Festival at Kampfires Campground in Dummerston, Vt. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
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The road less traveled Explore Southern Vermont’s hidden gems with Backroad Discovery Tours By Cherise Madigan MANCHESTER, Vt.
What makes Southern Vermont such a spectacular place? Ask Sharon O’Connor, owner and operator of Manchester’s Backroad Discovery Tours, and she’ll show you. “I’ve lived all over the world, traveled all over the world, and I can say that what this area offers is world class,” says O’Connor, who has led countless explorers through the Green Mountains over the past two decades. “I want to make sure that people come away from Vermont feeling the essence of the culture and the people,” she added. “I’m trying to impart a certain feeling: a sense of relaxation, pride and nostalgia for what life could be like.” No matter the time of year, you can find O’Connor and her husband, local author and historian Dick Smith, navigating one of their 10-passenger tour buses throughout — you guessed it — Vermont’s many backroads. And with a single glance at their TripAdvisor profile, it’s evident that the couple creates an experience to be remembered. “Sharon not only is a great tour guide but makes you understand why
Beauty on the backroads of Pawlet, Vt. Photo provided by Backroad Discovery Tours
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Vermont is so special and how its breathtaking beauty is being preserved,” wrote one reviewer. “She is so knowledgeable about the area and its history.” “She has a friendly and warm personality and she is very knowledgeable about the history and customs of the sites we visited,” writes another. “Sharon
has a way of making the tourists interact and everyone became very comfortable … the three hours went by so quickly.” Those rave reviews often reflect the personal touch that O’Connor and Smith give their tours, as well as the many hidden gems found along their route. For many, the excursion
provides an authentic and endearing view of a region that too often is distilled into a caricature of its most well-known attractions — skiing and shopping. But in taking the backroads, travelers discover a level of nuance and character that otherwise might be overlooked. Among Backroad Dis-
ABOVE: Photo provided by Backroad Discovery Tours NEXT PAGE The Chiselville Bridge in Sunderland, Vt. Bennington Banner File Photo
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covery Tours’ most popular offerings is the Southern Vermont Discovery Tour, in which O’Connor leads travelers throughout humble hamlets and scenic mountain vistas to visit historic sites, abandoned marble quarries, local artisans and more. But along the way, you’ll find much more than photo ops. “ I know all of the people on our many stops along the way,” O’Connor explains. “I introduce my people to, say, the folks at Merck Forest or the owner of the alpaca farm. They feel like they’re discovering these places with someone who really knows the area, and because of that they get to know it on a different level, too.” In the mornings, Smith leads Revolutionary and Civil War Tours, imparting a knowledge of the area that is academic and personal. Visiting over 25 historic sites including the Bennington Battle Monument and Hildene: The Lincoln Family Home, the historian tells tales of the Green Mountain Boys and Ethan Allen, Revolutionary victories at Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Bennington and Vermont’s Civil War connections. “My husband tells the story in a very interesting way — he makes it come alive,” O’Connor said. “They get excited about the Old Bennington area, the Battle Monument, and the old First Church and cemetery. He also points out a lot of little unknown homes that have to do with the Revolutionary and Civil War periods.” The seasonal Shires of Vermont Tour allows winter and springtime visitors to explore locales like the historic Dorset Village and picturesque Manchester in lieu of an afternoon spent skiing or shopping — though there are plenty of opportunities to snag Vermont syrup, cheeses and more along the way. “People sign up when it’s too cold out, or they’re tired of skiing and don’t really want to shop,” O’Connor added. “They
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A typical view during one of the company’s tours. Photo provided by Backroad Discovery Tours
discover things they may not have otherwise seen. It’s really designed for people who only have a couple of days in the area and don’t know where to go or what to see.” Perhaps the most visually striking is the Vermont Fall Foliage Tour, capturing the cascades of color that paint the region’s mountains and valleys starting in September. While there’s no shortage of sites to visit, O’Connor and Smith typically vary their route to present visitors with the very best of Vermont’s foliage display. And, though the duo typically focuses on more
intimate groups, they also offer customizable tours with access to a 54-passenger coach bus as well as step-on service for groups passing through. No matter what kind of group she’s leading, though, O’Connor prioritizes a personalized experience for her passengers. “I really take a personal interest in people, and I hope that they leave feeling like they’re visiting an old friend rather than taking a big bus tour,” she concluded. “If you want to see our area of Vermont and everything that makes it so special, I hope that you’ll join us.” •
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Backroad Discovery Tours Manchester, Vt. 802-362-4997, backroaddiscovery.com Cost: $35 per person, advance reservations required. Tours generally meet at 21 Bonnet St. in Manchester. (Check meeting location when making reservation.)
Available Tours Southern Vermont Sampler Tour: Daily, midJune through September, 1 to 4 p.m. Vermont Fall Foliage Tour: Daily, late September through late October, 1 to 4 p.m. Revolutionary/Civil War Tour: Daily, May through November, 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. The Shires of Vermont Sampler Tour: Daily, May through June and November through February, 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Celebrate the season at these fall festivals ... Mount Snow Brewers Festival Mount Snow Resort West Dover, Vt. Aug. 31-Sept. 1 The renowned celebration of beer, music and food celebrates its 25th anniversary over Labor Day weekend. Information: mountsnow. com/events/calendar
Garlic and Herb Festival Bennington, Vt. Aug. 31-Sept. 1 The 24th Garlic and Herb Festival has something for everyone: garlic ice cream, garlic jelly, pickled garlic, roasted garlic and garlic braids. And, of course, plain garlic bulbs of every variety will be available for sampling and purchase. Information: bennington.com/garlicfest
Lee Founders Weekend Celebration Lee, Mass. Sept. 13-15 A weekend of fun for everyone: food, music and many other activities that include the annual parade, arts and crafts vendors, a duck derby, a vintage tennis tournament, a road race, sidewalk sales and more. Information: leechamber.org/ festivals/founders-weekend
The 2017 Garlic and Herb Festival in Bennington, Vt. Bennington Banner File Photo
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Bennington Quiltfest Bennington, Vt. Sept. 14-15 More than 100 new quilts and challenge quilts will be on display during the 26th Bennington Quiltfest. The two-day festival, held at Mount Anthony Union Middle School, features displays, demonstrations and vendors. This year’s featured quilter and lecturer is John Kubiniec of Big Rig Quilting. Admission is $8; free for 12 and younger. Information: benningtonquiltfest.com
Lenox Apple Squeeze Lenox, Mass. Sept. 21-22 The 40th Lenox Apple Squeeze is a free street festival celebrating the apple harvest with local shops, restaurants, artisans, musicians, farm stands, and a variety of arts and music performers. Information: 413-637-3646, lenox.org/lenoxapplesqueeze
Vermont Wildlife Festival Mount Snow Resort West Dover, Vt. Sept. 22 This annual festival celebrates Vermont’s wildlife, and hunting and fishing traditions. The festival, which is admission by donation, features a variety of attractions by representatives of hunting and conservation communities, wildlife rescues, state agencies and nature centers. Information: Southern Vermont Natural History Museum, 802-464-0048, vermontmuseum.org
The Fall Foliage Parade in North Adams, Mass. Berkshire Eagle File Photo
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Festival Latino of the Berkshires Great Barrington, Mass. Sept. 28 Festival Latino of the Berkshires celebrates its 24th year with a new location. Live performances and Latin American Street Art, a display of student artwork, will be held at Saint James Place. Latin cuisine vendors, artists and artisans will be located behind Town Hall, while language, dance, music and cultural activities will be held at the bandstand. The Latin Gala Party will take place at Eastover Estate and Eco-village in Lenox. Information: festivallatino.org
Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage Parade and Festival North Adams, Mass. Sept. 28-Oct. 6 Since 1955, North Adams has held a week of events that highlight the spectacular fall colors. Complete with a children’s fair, road race, craft fair and performances, the Fall Foliage Festival is described by locals as “fall family fun.” The festival’s highlight is the 64th Fall Foliage Parade on Oct. 6, stepping off at 1 p.m. Other events are held at various days and times during the week. Information: 413-664-6180, explorenorthadams.com
Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival Riley Rink at Hunter Park Manchester, Vt. Oct. 4-6 At the 31st Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival, visitors can find handcrafted creations made by expert artists and artisans, and meet the makers who are plying their wares. The festival
The 2017 Lee Founders Day Parade in Lee, Mass. Berkshire Eagle File Photo
also includes a specialty foods and spirits tent, with producers of Vermont products, including maple syrup, craft distilled spirits and other gourmet items. Information: craftproducers.com/festivals
Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival Stockbridge, Mass. Oct. 12-13 The festival, one of the longest-running regional events of its kind, offers
family fun, food, local craft vendors, a farmers market, haunted house, giant tag sales and more. The Harvest Festival is held on the grounds of the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Information: 413-298-3926, berkshirebotanical.org
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Vermont foliage fundraisers rake in bushels of green
People grab slices of fresh apple pie at the 49th Dummerston Apple Pie Festival in 2018. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
By Kevin O’Connor
Parishioners at Vermont’s First Congregational Church of Newfane know that when local leaves flame orange, countless motorists backed up miles, bumper to bumper, from the center of town, burn red. But locals have good reason for clogging traffic along the town’s Route 30 artery every Columbus Day weekend: Their annual Heritage Festival on the crowded common rakes
in about $35,000, while the area volunteer fire department’s coin drop reaps spare change and small bills adding upward of $10,000 more. Vermont’s fall foliage is expected to attract 3.5 million visitors, who will spend nearly $500 million in six short weeks, state officials report. But while economists focus on the money made by stores, restaurants and hotels, some community nonprofits are raking in bushels
of green through a variety of fundraisers. People who visit the Dummerston Congregational Church’s 50th Apple Pie Festival on Oct. 13, for example, can sample one of the 1,500 confections that parishioners make and bake before leaving to cool in the pews of the nearly 175-year-old white-clapboard citadel. “It’s not an appointed or elected committee, but anyone
who’s interested,” church member Cindy Wilcox says. “We get lots and lots of people to slice the apples and roll the crusts.” Volunteers work from morning to night for two full weeks to turn 90 bushels of fruit, 950 pounds of flour and 400 pounds each of sugar and shortening into pies. Baking upward of three dozen pie tins at a time in on-site ovens, they annually prepare for visitors in cars and campers and UpCountryOnline.com | 69
on motorcycles, who double, if not triple, the town’s usual population of 1,777, all before swallowing up everything in a matter of hours. The congregation’s reward: about $20,000 — about onefifth of its $100,000 annual budget — to maintain a building that doubles as the town polling place and community center. “It’s a significant event for us,” church Treasurer John Wilcox said. “We do a lot of charitable work, and we couldn’t do any of it if we didn’t have the money.” Such sentiments are echoed at the nearby fire department’s pancake breakfast and Evening Star Grange’s craft fair, as well as throughout neighboring Newfane’s 49th Heritage Festival. The nearly 100-vendor food, arts and crafts event — it’s set to attract an estimated 10,000 people Oct. 12 and 13 to a town of 1,621 — showcases more than color. Since 1971, it also has served as the largest single fundraiser for the Newfane Congregational Church, having collected about $35,000 last year alone. “That’s one-quarter to onethird of our budget,” church bookkeeper Billie Stark says. For people stuck in the resulting traffic, the church devotes an entire page on its website to an explanation of how proceeds benefit a historic building that houses everything from after-school programs to Al-Anon meetings to senior meals and blood pressure checks. “The church is very much committed to supporting the community, and that’s what this goes to,” says Linda Bastian, a parishioner and Heritage Festival chairperson. Bastian has overseen about 200 volunteers ever since she met the past organizer upon moving to town. “I said, ‘Tell me about this festival you’re running.’ She said, ‘I’m stepping down, so here.’ “ Bastian knows better now. “We’ll start planning the next one the day after this one.” • 70 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE
SEE FOR YOURSELF
50th Apple Pie Festival and Celebration Dummerston Congregational Church Intersection of EastWest and Middle roads, Dummerston Center, Vt. Oct. 13, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. facebook.com/ DummerstonChurch
49th Heritage Festival Newfane Common Vt. Route 30, Newfane, Vt. Oct. 12 and Oct. 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. newfaneheritagefestival. blogspot.com
THIS SPREAD, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Cindy Wilcox, of Dummerston, Vt., makes an apple pie at the Dummerston Congregational Church for the Dummerston Apple Pie Festival. This October, the festival celebrates its 50th anniversary. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo About 1,500 apple pies wait in the pews of Vermont’s Dummerston Congregational Church for the sale held every Columbus Day weekend. Photo by Kevin O’Connor Local alpacas join the crowds at Vermont’s annual Newfane Heritage Festival. Photo by Kevin O’Connor Singers from the Boston Children’s Theatre perform during a previous Newfane Heritage Festival. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
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10 fall foliage hotspots Get out on the road this fall and see the foliage Predicting fall’s color changes is part science and part luck; at least that’s what Vermont Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder is apt to say at the beginning of the leaf-peeping season. “We know the science of color change and the factors that influence it, but we don’t know exactly how it will unfold in any given year,” Snyder said in 2015 about Vermont’s foliage.
It was also in 2015 that then-Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin declared the state to be “home to the World’s Best Foliage.” “No one does foliage better than Vermont,” Shumlin said at a 2015 press conference. His reasoning? “Three-quarters of our state is forested, and we have the highest percentage of maple trees in the country. With our flaming reds,
blazing oranges and glowing yellows, we have the most vibrant fall colors in the world,” he said. Here at UpCountry, we tend to think that the foliage in Southern Vermont and Western Massachusetts is equally as beautiful. But don’t take our word for it; get out on the road this fall and see it for yourself. To get you started, here are a few places to check out ...
PREVIOUS PAGE: The Bennington Battle Monument is wrapped in autumn colors during the peak of autumn foilage. Bennington Banner File Photo ABOVE: Jim Hayashi of San Francisco, Calif. takes photos of the foliage at the Hogback Mountain Scenic Lookout in Marlboro, Vt. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
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In Southern Vermont ... Mount Equinox Skyline Drive Skyline Drive, Sunderland 802-362-1114, equinoxmountain.com
At 3,848 feet above sea level, the summit of Mount Equinox, the highest peak in the Taconic Mountain Range, offers views of the Green, White, Adirondack and Berkshire mountain ranges. Travel to the summit via Skyline Drive, a 5.2-mile toll road, between Arlington and Manchester. Pack a picnic lunch, as there are plenty of scenic vistas, complete with picnic tables made from marble quarried in nearby Dorset, along the way. Or, stop at the Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center to learn more about the only Carthusian Monastery in the United States, which happens to be located on Mount Equinox. Toll: Car and driver, $20; $5 for each passenger. Free for children younger than 10.
Hogback Mountain Scenic Overlook Route 9, Marlboro
Stop for the 100-mile view; stay for the attractions. Once you’ve taken in the views, check out the nearby Vermont Distillers, where the Metcalfe line of liqueurs and Catamount Vodka are made. Check out the tasting room in the Hogback Mountain Gift Shop. Also located in the general vicinity are Beer Naked Brewery and the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum.
Mount Snow Mount Snow Resort, West Dover mountsnow.com
When foliage arrives, Mount
Snow offers scenic chairlift rides via its Bluebird Express to the summit, giving visitors a “frontrow seat to Mother Nature’s kaleidoscopic autumnal show.” Visitors to the summit either can ride back down or tarry in the foliage a little longer with a hike down the mountain. Check Mount Snow’s website for scenic chairlift dates.
Harriman Reservoir Wilmington
Enjoy a day boating, fishing, swimming and more on the Harriman Reservoir. Or soak up some sun, enjoy the foliage and a picnic on its shores. But what makes this place extra special is what lies beneath the water. When water levels are low, foundations from the settlement of Mountain Mills become visible. Before the reservoir was built, the town included a railroad station with a store, post office, a hospital, brick office building, a boarding house, row housing and a water tower.
Whetstone Station Restaurant and Brewery 36 Bridge St., Brattleboro 802-490-2354 whetstonestation.com
Enjoy the fall foliage along the Connecticut River while enjoying a bite to eat and a brew on the riverfront deck at Whetstone Station. Enjoy brews from the on-site nanobrewery or one of the 60 craft brews available in the restaurant. And while you’re there, you can drink a beer in two states at one time. The U.S. Geological Survey state line, separating Vermont and New Hampshire, runs through a portion of the restaurant.
Linda Briggs, from Washington, D.C., takes a photo from the top of Mount Snow in West Dover, Vt. Brattleboro Reformer File Photo
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In the Berkshires ... October Mountain State Forest
hours.) Tasting flights of six wines are available.
256 Woodland Road, Lee mass.gov/locations/octobermountain-state-forest
Mount Greylock
Need we say more? Author Herman Melville is credited with naming the mountain, which he could see from his home in Pittsfield. He was so impressed with its brilliant fall colors, he penned a short story about it, called “October Mountain.” And at 16,500 acres — it’s the largest state forest in Massachusetts according to mass.gov — there’s plenty of forest to see. You can drive through the forest or choose to stop and stay awhile. While there, you can hike, mountain bike, canoe, kayak, fish or just take a walk and enjoy the view.
Olivia’s Overlook 1289 Richmond Mountain Road, West Stockbridge bnrc.org
Olivia’s Overlook offers fantastic views of the Stockbridge Bowl, but it’s also a trailhead for 6 miles of trails of varying levels. From Olivia’s Overlook, you can access the Charcoal Trail, with a connection to the Brothers Trail. On the other side of the road, the Burbank Trail loops along the Yukon Ridge and then down eastward to Monks Pond, with a connection to Old Baldhead Road.
Balderdash Cellars 81 State Road, Richmond 413-464-4629, balderdashcellars.com
Enjoy the views of the Taconic mountains and Richmond Pond as you enjoy a wine tasting at Balderdash Cellars. The tasting room is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays, and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. (Check the website or call to confirm
Adams
Hike to the top from the Cheshire Harbor Trail in Adams or drive up to the summit — it’s the state’s highest peak, at 3,491 feet — via access roads in North Adams and Lanesborough. However you reach the summit, you’re sure to enjoy the foliage on your way there. Once at the top, take in the views that include the Green Mountains of Vermont, as well as the Taconic Range. While your there, be sure to stop in Bascom Lodge to grab a bite to eat.
Hairpin Turn and The Mohawk Trail Route 2, North Adams to Greenfield, Mass.
Whether you’re starting your foliage tour of the Mohawk Trail in North Adams or finishing it there, you’ll have to navigate Route 2’s famous Hairpin Turn. The 360-degree turn, located in Clarksburg, has been a favorite spot of leaf peepers since the scenic byway opened in October 1914. We suggest checking out the views from the balcony while dining at the Golden Eagle restaurant or while enjoying a snack at the Wigwam Western Summit. We’re highlighting the westernmost part of the trail, about 37 of the total 63 miles, for your viewing pleasure. (We encourage you to tour as much of it as your heart desires.) Be sure to stop at the Whitcomb Summit to snap pictures with the bronze Elk on the Trail memorial and check out the views. We also suggest stopping at Hail to the Sunrise Park in Charlemont, touring the Bridge of Flowers and viewing the Glacial Potholes in Shelburne Falls. •
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“I feel like I’d lose a piece of myself if I weren’t working here. I grew up here and this is basically my life. I think it’s really important for small farms to stay around. There’s not many of them anymore, but I think they’re an integral part of the community. I think you can generally get a higher-quality product from places like that.” — Trevor Bartlett, manager of Bartlett’s Apple Orchard in Richmond, Mass. Story, page 11. Berkshire Eagle File Photo 80 | UPCOUNTRY MAGAZINE | September/October 2019
