Stowe Guide & Magazine Summer/Fall 2025

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Moscow Parade celebrates 50 years What started as a challenge between several Moscow youngsters to mark Independence Day keeps going strong. by Anne Lusk

Mr. Lipsky goes to Montpelier: Independent House representative goes from logger to legislator. by Robert Kiener

It’s a wonderful life! Remembering Stowe’s Alan Thorndike—dad, husband, friend, and community icon. by Biddle Duke

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Deer camp: Photographer chronicles Stick Season. by Paul Rogers

Oxen pull: Celebrating Lamoille County agricultural traditions at field days by Tori Westpahl

118 Darkness into light: Front Four Gallery brings artist Peter Heller’s fractured vision back to life. by Tommy Gardner

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Modern lineage: Harrison’s Restaurant embodies a culinary past while inventing its future. by Aaron Calvin

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Mountain timber-frame: Couple delights in open, expansive living. by Kate Carter

20 Rural route: Sally Stetson • Rhinestone Rodeo gala • Interview: George Petit ‘Lost Ski Areas’ • Town

Moral of this story: Don’t move during the production of a magazine. Our cover this summer is by prolific artist Julius Delbos, 1879-1970. Sadly this editor’s notes are buried in a box a few states away. All that is certain is that his watercolor is lovely and depicts the view of Stowe Community Church from School Street, one painted by countless artists over many decades.

Delbos was born in London and worked as a lecturer, painter, artist, engraver, and teacher. A search of the internet reveals an impressive body of work. After his move to the U.S. at 41, he summered on Martha’s Vineyard where he even earned the “moniker, dean of the local art colony.”

According to Vose Galleries in Boston, “he worked in both oil and watercolor, yet it was in the latter that his gifts truly shone, earning him praise from critics for their spirit and energy.”

He painted in Europe, Canada, the American South, Bar Harbor, Maine, among many other locales, and was said to visit Stowe in the 1930s and early 1940s to paint.

Gregory J. Popa

Bryan Meszkat, Patrick Immordino, Judy Kearns, Wendy Ewing, and Michael Kitchen

Gregory J. Popa

Katerina Werth

Kate Carter

Leslie Lafountain

Leslie Lafountain

Gordon Miller

Stuart Bertland, Kate Carter, Orah Moore, Paul Rogers, Kevin Walsh

Mark Aiken, Avalon Styles-Ashley, Kate Carter, Nancy Crowe, Willy Dietrich, Biddle Duke, Elinor Earle, Tommy Gardner, Robert Kiener, Brian Lindner, Peter Miller, Mike Mulhern, Amy Kolb Noyes, David Rocchio, Julia Shipley, Nancy Wolfe Stead, Kevin Walsh

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MARK AIKEN

IN THIS ISSUE: Loggin in’, p.126

KATE CARTER

IN THIS ISSUE: Timeless timber-frame, p.192

Behind the scenes: I was a bit apprehensive interviewing Rusty DeWees, aka The Logger, until I met his cat, Mikaela. “Named her for Mikaela Shiffrin,” he said. “I interviewed Mikaela,” I said. After our meeting, we left his house at the same time. He waved me ahead of his Jeep, saying he was a slow driver. “Why so slow, Rusty?” I asked. After a time, he answered, “Just ain’t in much of a hurry, I guess.”

Currently: When he’s not interviewing people for articles, Mark, a freelance writer, teaches skiing at Stowe, leads clinics for PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) and—his favorite full-time role—is a husband and dad in Richmond.

AARON CALVIN

IN THIS ISSUE: Modern lineage / Harrison’s Restaurant, p.152

Behind the scenes: When making a reservation at Harrison’s, particularly if it’s a date, try to get a high-backed booth. Eating in one makes you feel like you’re in your own, private dining room.

Currently: Aaron Calvin is a writer and journalist in Vermont, and a staff writer for the Stowe Reporter and News and Citizen newspapers. Earlier this year, he was named New England Journalist of the Year for 2024 at the New England Newspaper Association’s Better Newspaper competition. His fiction has recently been featured in the Black Fork Review and Aethlon, a literary journal of sports literature. More at aaroncalvin.com.

TORI WESTPHAL

IN THIS ISSUE: Oxen pull, p.88

Behind the scenes: When talking to the owners, architect, and builders for this story, I got a behind-the-scenes look at building a timber-frame house. I have so much respect for all the players who make this type of house come together, because there is no room for error. Everything has to be meticulously planned in advance, or it won’t fall into place. But when it does, it’s not only magical, it’s simply beautiful. I’m a fan.

Currently: Kate is a freelance writer and photographer, and when she’s not researching stories she is photographing homes for builders, interior designers, property managers, real estate agents, and this magazine. Contact her at vtrealestatephotos.com.

TOMMY GARDNER

IN THIS ISSUE: Darkness into light, p.118

Behind the scenes: Peter Heller’s home in Morristown Corners used to be the Brick House Bookshop, and I was a regular customer when I attended Johnson State College in the late 1990s. It is where I bought many of my books for literature classes. I never realized what was going on in the attic, where Heller had for decades been tapping into his Holocaust-formed psyche to create his singular paintings. Looking back, the little shop, part of the Heller home, was certainly not lacking for art on the walls

Currently: Tommy is editor of the Vermont Community Newspaper Group.

Behind the scenes: What an amazing event at Lamoille County Field Days to discover. It was heartwarming to see multiple generations of humans and oxen playing their parts and the owners’ obvious care and pride for their teams. This close-knit community happily exchanged stories and tips, all while absent-mindedly stroking the nearest ox’s nose. But, when it was their turn, the fast transformation from laid back to on-point was remarkable. People and animals worked toward synchronicity in the powerful effort of the pull, with handlers using a guiding hand and clear voice commands to lead and encourage. I was surprised to see some handlers actually lean in and physically help with the pull. It is an exciting and uplifting tradition. If you want to witness Vermont’s rural community spirit in action, I highly recommend it. Currently: Tori Westphal can be found out and about with her camera in tow around Stowe and the Upper Valley. Dedicated to the story within the image, her childhood growing up in Stowe lends a unique nostalgia to the images she captures. See more victoriawestphal.com.

‘Gratitude & Joy’

Alan Thorndike, talented lawyer, devoted member of the Stowe community for nearly 50 years, steward of its wild places, friend to many and, most important, devoted husband, father, and grandfather, died last November from a pulmonary embolism. He was 78.

Alan epitomized Stowe of a certain era: He gave far more to the town that he loved than he ever took, serving on countless committees, boards, and groups, working full-time as a partner in Darby, Laundon, Stearns and Thorndike and its later iterations, raising a family, and finding time—and bringing along so many others— for any kind of outdoor play and competition.

Two of my favorite Alan stories, neither of which are part of our piece on his life in this edition (“Alan Thorndike: It’s a Wonderful Life,” p.72), involved two other greats who have left us, the hard-drinking, brawling English actor Oliver Reed, and Elinor Earle, a frequent writer for this magazine and a remarkable person.

First Reed. In 1981, Reed got himself into hot water at The Pub, a popular Mountain Road watering hole after “challenging other patrons to arm-wrestling matches and fist-fights,” according to an account in the New York Times. He later paid the bar’s owner “$250 for broken furniture and glassware.”

Reed pleaded no contest to two charges of simple assault in a Hyde Park courtroom and was fined $1,200.

“In addition to the fine, Mr. Reed will give, at his own suggestion, $1,000 to the Stowe Rescue Squad, a volunteer ambulance operation,” said Alan Thorndike, who represented the actor in court.

Alan said Reed planned to build a home in the Stowe area and “since he’ll be a sometime resident, he doesn’t want any bad feelings.”

Memory may fail us, but to our knowledge, Reed never made good on his promise to build that vacation home in Stowe. (That could have been fun!)

Alan, who was a law partner of George Stearns, Elinor’s former husband, wrote her obituary, recounting this gem: “Longtime Stowe friend Alan Thorndike vowed that Elinor would never cross the finish line ahead of him in the Stowe Derby. If she did, Alan promised to run around Elinor’s house in his birthday suit on the coldest night of the winter. After a frigid mad dash around the house the night after the Derby, Alan learned never to challenge Elinor again.”

Let’s add writer to that list of talents.

— Greg Popa

VERMONT’S STONE WALLS WERE NEVER MEANT AS FENCES

New England wouldn’t be New England without its stone walls. Walk through the woods and fields of the region and before long you’ll probably bump into one.

How many are out there? By one estimate, New England has about 240,000 miles of stone walls. To put that into perspective, that’s longer than the coastline of the United States. Or, put another way, if you could somehow stack those stones into a tower, the moon would collide with it during its closest approach to the Earth.

Those staggering facts are from “Stone by Stone,” a book by University of Connecticut geology professor Robert Thorson. And that’s just the introduction.

You might not be able to get blood from a stone, but Thorson gets a good story from one. Though he has written a half dozen other books since “Stone by Stone” was published in 2002, Thorson says that whenever anyone asks him to talk about “your book,” he knows which one they are referring to.

Thorson was surprised by the stone walls he saw when he moved to the East. Having grown up in North Dakota and working in Alaska, he was used to wide-open spaces. In New England, he encountered much smaller spaces—and wall after wall. “What struck me was how massive

Bushnell

they were,” he said, not individually, but collectively. So, he set off to discover how this came to be. Thorson made himself an expert on stone walls—examining how and why they were built—and came to appreciate them in a way that he learned their creators did not.

The walls are as part of nature as anthills, Thorson said. “The ant doesn’t build these beautiful hills on purpose. The ant doesn’t even care about the hills. We fixate on the ant hill, because we see it. The ant doesn’t. To it, they are just disposal piles.”

That’s exactly the story of Vermont’s stone walls. In the days before stonewall building became an art form, the walls were “linear landfills,” in Thorson’s phrase. As landscape historian John Stilgoe has explained, “The stone walls of New England were built by men interested far more in land-clearing than in fencing.”

Thorson discovered that the practical implications of physics determined the structure of stone walls: since humans’ ability to lift objects maxes out at about thigh height, that’s how high stone walls were built.

He also learned why most stone walls enclose small fields. Doing a little calculating, Thorson found that clearing an 8-acre field required 58 miles of walking, while eight 1-acre fields would require less than 20 miles. Incidentally, most New England walls fall in the 2- to 4-acre range.

ESSAY / Mark

PHOTOGRAPHS / Paul Rogers

These walls weren’t all built at once, Thorson said. “I don’t think people swaggered out there and just heaved the stones to the side (and constructed the wall),” he said.

At first, pioneers found few rocks in their fields. Largely, they were dealing with socalled erratics, surface rock left behind by the retreating glaciers. What stones they did find, pioneers just cast aside in a pile. Only later did farmers stack them along the disused strips at the edges of fields. The soil beneath the stones was rich and fairly deep.

Then, as settlers needed more land, they began to clear the forests. The cutting and “improving” of the land continued to the point where Vermont was about 70 percent open fields by 1870. Today, with the decline in farming, the state is 78-percent forested.

With the trees gone, the soil was prone to freeze deeper. The resulting frost heaves moved rocks to the surface. As spring rains melted the snow, the land was more susceptible to runoff, which eroded the soil and exposed still more rocks. Finally, as the fields were planted and harvested, they lost still more soil, and more stones rose to the surface.

By the early 19th century, some like to say, the state’s leading export was its children. They left to try their luck in factories to the south or in the opening lands to the west. They did not, however, leave because the land was too rocky, Thorson says.

In 1864, Louis Agassiz, one of America’s leading scientists of the day, said of New England: “The ground has already been cleared to a great extent of its rocky fragments. … In the course of time they will, no doubt, disappear from the surface of this country, as they have done from that of Europe.”

DEEP AND RICH A “linear landfill” in the woods at Bingham Falls in Stowe.

FIRST PERSON

By the time Vermonters and other New Englanders started quitting the land in droves, Thorson estimates, two-thirds of the rocks in the soil had already worked their way to the surface. Farmers would have perceived that the situation had gotten worse and worse over time, but, he said, “they had gotten past the peak of the heaving, and it was just like painting, a little touch-up job to do.” Farmers may have added the occasional stone to their walls, but that was about it.

Don’t be fooled by how rocky many Vermont fields look today, Thorson warns, that’s not a fair representation of what farmers left behind. “People with no memory and no geological background look at these fields and say, ‘what a nightmare’,” he said.

What they are actually looking at is a field that could have been easily cleared if a farmer had been there to keep after it.

Thorson has a theory of why people have bought into the legend that early New England farmers fought horribly rocky fields to make a living. He calls it “the myth of the Eastern cowboy.” It is just as misleading as the Western cowboy myths, and Thorson points out that Western cowboys were common for only a couple of decades and had virtually no impact on the national economy. Those cowboy stories had three elements, he said: a person, an animal, and an enemy. In that case, the cowboy, his horse, and

the Indians. In the East, the first two roles are played by the early farmer—think of the guy on those Minutemen statues, musket at the ready, Thorson said—and his ox.

“And what is the enemy?” he asked. “It doesn’t work without an enemy. It is an imagined enemy”—the rocky soil.

Despite our images of the past, wooden fences were always more prevalent than stone walls in New England. We just have little evidence of these fences, Thorson says, because wood decomposes on a biological timetable, not a geological one.

Some sections of Vermont had almost no stone walls at all. In the “marble belt” and slate areas in the state’s southwestern quadrant, the glaciers smashed the relatively soft rock, leaving little need to build those linear landfills.

In studying stone walls, Thorson found that the thickest concentration of them was along the Connecticut coast to about Portland, Maine, and inland about 100 miles.

“Vermont is not the epicenter,” he said, “but it is the epicenter of the image of stone walls.” n

Mark Bushnell is a Vermont journalist and historian. He is the author of “Hidden History of Vermont” and “It Happened in Vermont.”

RURAL ROUTE

walking into Sally Stetson’s newly built, energy efficient, thoughtfully designed age-in-place home is like walking into a house you wish was your own. The soothing color palette, the flow of the rooms, minimalist accents, and southwestern facing windows all reflect Stetson’s aesthetic.

And that’s no surprise. Stetson has been a full-time graphic designer since 1986.

“I just love all different types of designs and how I can incorporate them into my own life,” she said. Her style is distinct—colorful and lighthearted, bold or tender—and is often quite playful, like the wool rug she created of a lab jumping off a dock into a life preserver, or the design she

did for a friend’s Piper Cub airplane that makes it look like a toy in the sky.

“I’m game for anything that’s legal,” Stetson said. “There are things I’ve done where someone will say, ‘That design looks like a Sally Stetson,’ and some things that don’t look anything like my style at all— and shouldn’t. I’ve always had a strong mix in my life. What works for me might not work for anyone else.”

Stetson started her graphic design career out of college. Her plan was to be a veterinarian, but she switched her major to studio art and teaching and was hired immediately after graduation as an entry-level designer. After 10 years working for agencies, she realized she wanted to live in Stowe and work for herself. Her first job on her own was devising brochures, ads, signage, and menus for the Sheraton Inn. Her biggest client was Lake Champlain Chocolates’ gift category, designing every-

ART AS DESIGN Sally Stetson at her home in Mud City, sitting beneath a kinetic sculpture she designed specifically for the wall behind her.

RURAL ROUTE

‘LEAPIN’ LAB’ Sally Stetson’s rug showing a labrador leaping off a dock became a bestseller for Orvis. “Over the years they have probably sold thousands,” Stetson says. Below: Two other designs depict bucolic farm scenes straight out of Stetson’s rural life in Vermont.

thing related to packaging and promotion.

“When I started on my own, it was just when digital design was happening, so I had to transition from the old style of getting things finalized to doing it all on computer,” she said. Her repertoire includes logos, packaging, books, print collateral, marketing material, interior spaces, rugs, and anything else someone might need to promote a product.

“I had a 10-year stint as a printmaker, which let me, surreptitiously, to designing rugs. A buyer for Orvis saw me at an art fair and told me I had the look for rugs. I designed a rug for them, the one with the lab leaping off the dock, and it became one of their best sellers,” Stetson said. “Over the years they have probably sold thousands! That one rug opened a whole new category for me. My rugs have been featured in several catalogs and retail stores. My use of color and imagery makes this medium a great fit for my style.”

Stetson’s sweet spot is helping smaller to mid-sized companies look impressive.

“I bring my aesthetics to the project, but I must meet the client’s vision. That’s my job, to help clients sell their products. It’s a client-based challenge with some psychology involved.”

When she first meets with a client, she figures out the project scope.

“I start with a blank page and get a direction. Then I work through six or seven different iterations and present them. From there it’s a distilling process, right up to the final commitment when I get into the nitty gritty of color stories and palette and how it all might apply to marketing materials. It’s a building process, so when we get to the end, there are no surprises.”

Stetson recently designed a kinetic metal sculpture for her home. She created the template to scale, then went shopping at Queen City Steel, where she found the aluminum she was looking for, bought a sheet, and took it to Manufacturing Solutions in Morrisville to cut and shape it. The sculpture now hangs against a dark blue wall in her living room.

Stetson, a tactile person, believes there is still a place in this world for print media you can hold, cards on which to write a message and send to someone in the mail, rugs that you can walk on in your bare feet, fabric that you can hang on a wall or wear. Her designs invite others to enjoy a more tactile experience, which, these days, is something we could all use more of in our lives.

—Kate Carter

Building a Life Here? Build a Legacy, Too.

WHY VERMONT? Space to breathe. A slower pace. A deeper connection to nature, to people, to purpose.

Whatever brought you here—whether it’s a dream in the making or a place you already call home—your journey can be more than personal. It can be impactful.

At the Vermont Community Foundation, we help you turn connection into action, so you can invest in the future of the place that speaks to your heart.

Give Where Your Heart Lives

Our certified Philanthropic Advisors work closely with you to understand your goals, values, asset portfolio, and family engagement. Learn more or schedule an appointment today at Vermontcf.org/meet.

GEORGE PETIT

‘We live in divisive times and music brings people together.’

When it comes to jazz, George Walker Petit is Vermont’s poster child. He lives and breathes all things jazz, and in 2017 founded and produced the first Stowe Jazz Festival. As a guitarist, he has played with prominent musicians worldwide. He is also a composer, recording engineer, and producer. He has produced over 150 releases and many radio and TV commercials. Petit lives in Stowe with his wife of 27 years, Donna Petit.

Did you grow up in New York City?

I was born there and my family moved to London when I was 10. I went to school in London and Switzerland. Then I attended Vassar College and had a double major—music and English literature. I went to the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, where I dove right into studio work and played well-paying gigs. Not long after, I returned to NYC and produced my first record for Sony, which won record-of-the-year in France in 1987.

Where did your interest in music come from?

the intErviEw

My mom loved opera and wanted to be an opera singer, but instead she was a fashion model. As a child I fell asleep listening to opera and classical music. At 5, I started music school, dance, and art. Music stuck. It’s been a driving force in my life. It’s oxygen for me.

How did you end up in Stowe?

In 1990 I wanted to leave NYC, so I got a puppy and a U-Haul and a plan to drive west to Santa Barbara. On a whim, I visited Stowe. It was peak foliage season, and my side-trip ended up being a very fortunate “mistake.” Right off I met Peter Ruschp, who at the time I didn’t know was Stowe’s ski school director. He suggested I teach downhill skiing, so I drove the U-Haul up to the mountain and met with Sally Smith. She asked if I had ever taught skiing and I said I had grown up skiing in Switzerland, so she hired me to teach kids. I rented a house, returned the UHaul, and bought a Jeep in South Burlington. I stayed 10 years, and during that time met my wife, Donna, taught skiing, and played music. Donna was finishing a physical therapy program in New York City, so I went back with her and opened a recording studio. We stayed 17 years but eventually came back to Stowe in 2016. I opened a recording studio in our home and have been playing gigs around Vermont ever since.

What gave you the idea for the Stowe Jazz Festival?

At 8, as a soprano, I sang “Te Deum” by Berlioz at Carnegie Hall. The same year I was part of the choir in the opening of “Goodbye Mr. Chips” with Peter O’Toole. My first professional gig was in a pub in London at age 14, where I played electric bass in an Allman Brothers cover band. I’ve played at music festivals all over the world. In 1990, when I was first in Stowe, I had the idea of producing a jazz festival. I approached some people, but they weren’t interested in supporting the idea of jazz. Someone even said “Jazz? I hate Dixieland!” I immediately decided the idea was a waste of time for Stowe. When Donna and I returned, Stowe’s vibe had changed; the town was more artsy and welcoming. This time, I didn’t ask anyone, I just did it.

What is the festival’s mission?

Always jazz and always free. Equality, diversity, no discrimination. Anyone can come hear music. It’s not a music festival—no hip hop, no blues, no rock, no country, no Dixieland. I love to play all that, but it’s not jazz. There are many subgenres of jazz and different cultures have different interpretations. I’ll never forget last year’s closing party. I was sitting at the bar, and I looked around and there

were eight Grammy winners, and they were from all over the country and world.

How do you fund the festival?

The first couple of years it wasn’t a nonprofit, but it was still free—venues, parking, music. We raised money through donations. Many local businesses support it, as well as the Vermont Community Foundation and Vermont Women’s Fund. We also raise funds through Kickstarter. In 2019, I realized we could access more funds if the festival became a nonprofit. I’m the executive director and I formed a board of directors. We’re still free.

What’s different for 2025?

We changed the location from the Alchemist to the Stowe Events Field. John and Jen Kimmich, owners of the Alchemist, have been sponsors since the beginning, but now we get 1,000 people a day, which is too big for their venue, and we agreed we had to relocate the main stage. Now we pay the town to rent the field. We also have 10 small venues throughout the village. I choose the music for all venues, and we are able to pay the musicians. We bring in about $200,000 to the town every summer.

Do the musicians change every year?

All the main stage band leaders this year are women, and most village venues will also feature women.

What else is on tap this summer for Stowe?

On June 14 at the Alchemist, we are doing “The Summer of Love.” We are playing 37 songs from the Summer of Love in California during the mid60s, when the vibe was happy music, flowers in your hair, doing a groovy thing. It’s a gathering based on peace, unity, love, and music in the spirit of the flower children. We live in divisive times and music brings people together. There will be a 14piece band, three female background singers, full horn section, rhythm section, two guitars, base, keyboards, percussion, and all are Vermonters.

What else do you do besides music?

I hang out with Donna. I love to cook; it’s a creative endeavor. Making stew is like mixing a record. I love to read. I have five books in the works, all about the history of Rome. I try to listen to international news about what’s going on the United States. I like to drink three-quarters of a cup of Italian coffee with Parmalat full-fat milk and brown sugar every morning. It makes me feel like I’m in Europe. I spent half my life in Europe and if we hadn’t come to Stowe that’s where we’d be.

This year’s Stowe Jazz Festival is July 18-20. Learn more at stowejazzfestival.org. INTERVIEW CONDUCTED & COMPILED BY KATE CARTER

The Stowe Mountain Chapel

MANSFIELD CLOCKS HISTORIC WINTER

was a historic winter in Stowe, according to the snowstake at the top of Mt. Mansfield, which in early March surpassed 100 inches for only the third time in almost 60 years.

On March 2, the stake read 103 inches, the third highest reading since it was set up in 1954. The record is 149 inches set in 1969.

The Burlington branch of the National Weather Service currently owns and monitors the stake for scientific and data tracking purposes, but it’s also regularly monitored by skiers and riders.

The stake signified a strong snowpack on Mt. Mansfield—39 inches above average, according to Vail Resorts—but Stowe skiers and riders didn’t need a stick in the woods to tell it was a good snow year.

Skiers this season were blessed with multiple powder days, and frequent cold weather meant the snow just kept piling up.

Ambitious skiers were able to explore more terrain, including lines from The Bench above the gondola and others closer to the summit. In bad snow years, these areas are essentially untouchable, due to rocky terrain and windswept conditions.

For Jeff Neagle, one of the proprietors of the Stowe Snow Report Instagram account, this season ranked among the top two over the past decade, with the 2018-2019 season posting similar snowfall depths.

Soar into adventure this summer as the Stowe Balloon Festival returns to town after a hiatus. It’s a weekend filled with vibrant hot air balloons, live music, food and beverages, and family fun. The festival takes place Friday to Sunday, June 27 - 29, at the von Trapp Outdoor Center field. Each day will feature multiple unique activities and performances. The inaugural balloon launch is June 27, and an evening glow spectacular is Saturday, June 28. But everyone is encouraged to come to the field for all three days of festivities.

The report, which offers an alternative to Stowe Mountain Resort’s daily conditions report, hasn’t missed a day in six years, when it first began as a website.

This season’s daily reports have been redundant, Neagle said, with lots of little storms and consistently good conditions throughout the season. The more popular posts came when the weather turned, the wind whipped, and snow reporters were caught like weather forecasters in the eye of the storm.

“I do think that’s something that was unique about this season,” Neagle said. “We didn’t get many big storms, so it was more aggregate amounts as the season went on. There wasn’t really a singular day when we were like, ‘Oh my God, we got so much snow.’ It was just little storms seemingly every day until one morning I woke up and was like, ‘The stake reached 100 inches. That’s pretty cool.’”

For skiers like Neagle, the stake can also indicate what’s skiable on the mountain. For example, Neagle won’t touch the woods on Mansfield until it reaches at least 60 inches, a threshold that was met early this season.

There’s been a lot of talk about the conditions this year, and there’s no doubt the deep snow bolstered Stowe’s numbers, but hardcore skiers probably logged just as many days this year as they did last year.

Like Neagle said, “skiing is better than not skiing. It doesn’t really matter what the conditions are. I’ve probably been disappointed I went skiing like once in my life.” —Patrick Bilow

RURAL ROUTE

LOST & FOUND “Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas” opened at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum last winter and concludes a two-year, two-part exhibit. From left: Curator Poppy Gall, who is also on the museum’s board of directors, with longtime museum supporter Larry Heath. The Barre Ski Club, 1940. Information on forgotten ski areas in Stowe. Inset: Norwich University.

Before gondolas, parabolic skis, and slopeside condos, skiers in Vermont found their fix on farmland hills with rope tows powered by old truck engines.

After World War II—when members of the 10th Mountain Division returned home as celebrities, casting a spell of ski mania throughout the nation and particularly in New England— everybody wanted to ski, and hundreds of rope tow operations emerged in Vermont.

Nearly all of them are gone now, their traces hidden beneath new forests and buildings, but the current exhibit at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum seeks to bring memories of them back to life.

“Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas”

opened at the museum last month and concludes the two-year, two-part exhibit.

The main attraction is an 8-foot-tall map of Vermont that identifies nearly 200 lost ski areas. The rest of the exhibit spans the entire first floor of the museum and features era-specific ski gear, historic photos, and vast information about the lost ski areas, sectioned off by region.

Research for the exhibit began over 20 years ago when Meredith Scott, a curator and former director for the museum, began traveling the state seeking information on lost ski areas she’d heard about. This led her to county fairs, town archives, and countless interviews with locals who remember skiing at those early resorts.

Poppy Gall, curator of “Searching for Vermont’s Lost Ski Areas” and co-chair of the museum’s board, picked up the research two years ago and began shaping information the museum already had for display.

Part one of the exhibit focused on ski areas

in the bottom half of Vermont. Part two, the current exhibit, includes the top half, culminating two decades of research conducted by the museum.

“I think when people visit the exhibit, they are mostly amazed by the sheer number of resorts there used to be,” Gall said. “I tell them that Vermonters have always been skiing crazy. It’s just the industry that changed around them.”

Many Vermonters, equipped with wooden planks for skis and strong forearms, learned to ski at these hills. Someone would fire up the tow in the morning and families could ski all day—and night in some cases—for free or next to nothing.

“They were community centers, really,” Gall said. “It’s like the community swimming pool in the summer, you know, they had the rope tow in the winter. Parents dropped their kids off in the morning or after school. There were some adults around to kind of supervise, and the kids just skied all day.”

Waterbury has five lost resorts, one of which was a ski slide without a rope tow. Lamoille County includes another five in Stowe, two in Morrisville and one each in Hyde Park, Johnson, Jeffersonville, and Cambridge.

The Glenn Skiff Farm in Cambridge, which operated for a year in 1935, was home to the second rope tow in Vermont. Even though he’d never heard of a rope tow, Wesley Pope drew inspiration from his sawmill and built the machine using a ’27 Caddy V8 engine and 1,000 feet of rope. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough snow that winter to draw a serious crowd, but Pope’s contraption did not go to waste. In fact, it became Stowe’s first lift after Pope sold it to Craig Burt. It was installed where the Toll House slopes are today.

More resorts would eventually pop up in Stowe, but not until the 1940s and 1950s. Stowe Mountain Resort might wear the ski crown today, but it was really the towns around Stowe that first brought skiing to Lamoille County.

“What I love most about this project is all the different stories people have about the lost resorts,” Gall said. “They’re treasures and I’m glad to see those stories live on.” n

GORDON MILLER; COURTESY

PHOTO; MILLER

Ajai and Nancy Malhotra, Stowe Hollow residents, made a pilgrimage to Islay, Scotland, to visit their favorite Scotch Whiskey distillery and share a copy of Stowe magazine

Do you have a photo of our magazine on some farflung island or rugged mountain peak? Send it along to ads@stowereporter.com, with Stowe Magazine in the subject line. We’ll pick the best one—or two!—and run it in the next edition.

OUTSIDE ACQUIRES STOWE-BASED INNTOPIA

Outside Interactive has acquired Stowe-based Inntopia, bringing the adventure hospitality company into its suite of services.

Trevor Crist, CEO of Inntopia, said the deal between Boulder, Colo.based Outside, with its recreationist-centric media operations, was extremely well made, matching Outside’s millions of subscribers, who make use of its services in adventure travel, with Inntopia’s streamlined booking engine for hospitality services that cater to the same audience.

“It’s a fantastic match for the types of customers that we currently work with—ski resorts, golf resorts, adventure travel resorts, and adventure travel companies,” Crist said. “There is just an opportunity to connect that audience with those various types of providers. It’s a kind of a natural marriage of an audience of adventure travelers.”

In a statement, Outside Interactive said that “integrating Inntopia’s software platform and research capabilities with Outside’s extensive network of event directors, tourism partnerships, and hospitality partners” would allow the company to “deliver curated and comprehensive adventure travel packages, including accommodations, local activities, equipment rentals, and activity ticketing, capturing previously untapped revenue streams and creating additional value for partners.”

The company will also use Inntopia’s intelligence services to bolster its analytics offerings.

According to Crist, the acquisition equals growth for Inntopia. It employs people from across the country, but he said the company often hires Vermonters due to their compatible work background.

“Our expectation and our goal are to just grow the business. This isn’t the type of acquisition where there’s all these redundancies or anything like that,” he said.

Inntopia currently has 70 employees across the country and, according to Crist, has no plans to move its headquarters from Stowe. Crist declined to say how much Outside Interactive paid to bring Inntopia into the fold.

—Aaron Calvin

Trevor Crist.

OUTSIDE STORY: BOHEMIAN WAXWINGS

Walking along a dirt road last winter, I heard a collection of pleasant, sputtering trills coming from a stand of conifers and hardwoods nearby. I’m used to the winter conversation of chickadees

around feeder and woods, the cawing of crows and blue jays in the yard, and the high-pitched calls of golden-crowned kinglets sounding from the trees in winter, but I didn’t recognize this sound.

Although I typically keep my phone tucked away on walks, I was glad to have it with me now. My Merlin Bird ID app told me the twittering I heard was Bohemian waxwings. A few days later, just around the corner from the spot where I’d heard them before, a huge flock—more than 100— rose from a giant white pine tree as I passed along the road, then alit in another tree and nearby snag.

I’d seen these birds before, during two different winters, when a much smaller group descended on the highbush cranberry in our yard and gobbled up all the fruit. Then, I’d mistaken the birds for their cousins, cedar waxwings. While cedar waxwings are year-round residents in most of the Northeast, Bohemians, as their name suggests, are wanderers.

Typically, if they show up in winter—or any time of year—it’s because they’re on the hunt for fruit and berries that linger into the coldest season.

“As their name implies, Bohemian waxwings are among the most intrepid of the winter wanderers,” Pamela Hunt, senior biologist for avian conservation at New Hampshire Audubon, said. “They show up in the Northeast irregularly, roughly every two years, but usually at least a few birds most years—and the nearest place they breed is the western edge of Hudson Bay. They’re more likely to show up here in years when fruit, especially mountain ash, is scarce in their breeding grounds.”

While many of our summer songbirds fly south for the winter, for Bohemian waxwings, the Northeast is, in fact, south. This species breeds in the open evergreen and mixed forests of areas far to our north, in central Alaska, western Canada, Scandinavia, and northern Russia.

Cedar and Bohemian waxwings both eat fruit in winter, and both species tend to gather in flocks, sometimes with each other, along with robins and other frugivorous winter birds.

Bohemians are slightly larger than cedars, but the two waxwing species exhibit similar behavior, and males and females within each species look alike. Both species have crested heads, yellow tips on their tails, and distinct black eye masks.

So, how can you tell one waxwing from another? There are a few ways, but you’ll have to look closely.

While cedar waxwings have yellowhued bellies and brownish breasts, Bohemians have gray breasts and bellies, with rufous coloring on the undersides of their tails. Bohemian waxwings also have distinct yellow markings on their otherwise black wings, a feature their cedar cousins do not have.

Because they don’t generally return to a specific breeding area or defend breeding territories, Bohemian waxwings don’t have a true song, only the twittering calls I heard from high in the trees last winter. Breeding pairs may form as early as January and remain monogamous through the breeding season.

Without the benefit of singing, male Bohemian waxwings have other ways to make a good impression. A male will fluff up his feathers and raise and lower his crest to attract a female’s attention. Once she takes notice, he’ll pass her a bit of food. If she’s interested, she’ll pass it back, and they’ll carry on this way for a while.

“The gift isn’t always even edible,” Hunt noted, “So this is a more ritualistic than practical behavior.”

Come springtime, Bohemian waxwings will expand their diets to include sap dripping from maple or birch trees, and they’ll eat insects during the warmer months. But in winter, it’s an all-fruit diet, and they’ll eat apples, crabapples, juniper berries, mountain ash berries, and — lucky for me—highbush cranberries.

Bohemian waxwings will stay in one winter area only as long as it takes to consume the fruit there. The year they appeared in our high-bush cranberry, they stayed only a couple of days, stripping the branches of what had been a bountiful crop of berries. This winter, that broad shrub is again adorned with numerous red fruits. And I’m keeping a lookout for waxwings, both cedar and Bohemian. n

Meghan McCarthy McPhaul is editor of Northern Woodlands magazine. Illustration by Adelaide Murphy Tyrol. The Outside Story is assigned and edited by Northern Woodlands magazine and sponsored by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, nhcf.org.

The Current: ‘Rhinestone Rodeo’

Spruce Peak at Stowe, April 5, 2025

ELISABETH VIILU PHOTOGRAPHY

Dan and Lauretta Haugh.

Jana Ross, Charlie Schaffer, Dean Goodermote, and Alison Beckwith.

Erik Eliason, Andy Campbell, and Ethan Carlson.

Sawyer Smith, and Sheryl and Al Long.

Thomas Patoff and Julia Haywood.

Christopher Lee and board member Kendyl Lee.

Kristi Lovell, Kristina von Trapp Frame, Rebecca Chase, chair of the board of The Current, and Joel Furey.

Terry Dwyer and Nancy Jeffries-Dwyer.

Board member Berenice Sarafzadeh, Rosa Nissenbaum, Caroline Marhefka, Beth Gadbois, and Chip Dillon.

Meg Kauffman, Sophie Hoder, and Molly Lauridsen.

Ivelisse Raimundi, and board members Karla Raimundi and Seidel Lopez.

‘THE GREAT ICE FIELD’ Harrison Brown, a senior at Stowe High School, was among two students chosen from a pool of candidates to participate in an orchestra program that seeks to elevate and educate young composers in Vermont.

in VERMONT SYMPHONY PREMIERES STOWE STUDENT COMPOSITION

December, the professional musicians of Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s brass quintet performed an original work composed by Stowe student Harrison Brown. A senior at Stowe High School, he, among two students, was chosen from a statewide pool of candidates to participate in an orchestra program that seeks to elevate and educate young composers.

Brown’s piece, “The Great Ice Field,” was performed during the orchestra’s annual holiday brass quintet tour at performances in Warren, Newport, Grafton, and Manchester.

“It’s generally winter themed, so I wrote a piece that’s supposed to evoke the atmosphere of Antarctica or something like that,” Brown said.

The composition, predominantly written in the key of A minor, draws on themes from Brown’s interest in the era of Arctic exploration, when imperial powers spent lavishly on highly publicized and dangerous ventures.

“This is the first time I got to write for a brass quintet, so that was a unique opportunity for me, but I’ve written piano pieces in the past,” Brown said. “I’ve written pieces for chamber ensemble and for string quintet, and I do a lot of writing for orchestra as well, mainly because it’s the most fun, but I haven’t gotten the chance to have one of those pieces performed yet.”

He cited in particular the English explorer Ernest Shackleton as inspiration, as well as a level from one his favorite video games, the fantasy role-playing game “Elden Ring,” in which a player must navigate over a frozen lake through a blinding blizzard. Brown also said that he took a great deal of inspiration from one of his favorite metal subgenres, funeral doom, marked by low-tuned guitars, pipe organ, and death growls, and mostly popularized by Scandinavian bands.

He also finds inspiration from the works of orchestral heavyweights like the early 20th century English composer Gustav Holst, Russian composer and pianist Sergei Prokofiev, and the 19th-century Hungarian titan of Romantic music, Franz Liszt.

“I take a lot of inspiration from his grandness,” Brown said. —Aaron Calvin

TRAPPS CELEBRATES 75

As it kicks off its 75th anniversary, the Trapp Family Lodge recently announced its new name and brand identity as the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort.

Originally famous as the Trapp Family Singers, the family’s hotel name was derived from its popular musical touring name, which is why the “von” was left off. With a renewed focus on the family legacy, the “von” has been adapted back into the name. Since the lodge itself has transformed so much over the years into being a true resort destination, “Lodge & Resort feels more appropriate for the experience that we provide to our guests,” resort officials said.

“After 75 years, it felt right to refresh and refine our brand, keeping our history front and center while positioning the resort for future generations of guests,”

Kristina von Trapp, who helps run the resort today, said. “The von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort is so much more than a name. It’s an enduring commitment to hospitality, natural beauty, and the values that have guided our family for decades. My family is proud to continue building on our family legacy that our father, Johannes, has stewarded for so long.”

Since opening its doors in 1950, the resort says the von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort has been synonymous with warmth, charm, and an exceptional guest experience that is rooted in the Austrian tradition.

In the resort’s new logo, the iconic belltower serves as the new symbol of the lodge, promoting the property’s Austrian alpine heritage. The bell in the tower was the only item that survived a fire in 1980 that destroyed the original lodge.

“The belltower is also the first view that greets guests upon arrival and is a symbol of the resort’s hospitality and gemütlichkeit,” according to the lodge.

The rebranding also includes a new tagline: “Come for Our Story. Leave with Your Own,” replacing “A little of Austria … a lot of Vermont.”

PS: “The Sound of Music” the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical loosely based on the family’s flight from Austria, celebrated 60 years in March.

PAUL ROGERS

COURTESY

PHOTO

RURAL ROUTE

FORAGING Jeffersonville’s Silvio Mazzarese is a local mushroom expert who spends time at the Smugglers’ Notch Resort giving mushroom tours and educating guests. Far right: The bear’s head tooth mushroom, recently named the state mushroom after Vermont students from Windham Elementary and Compass Middle schools were tasked with selecting the perfect mushroom. After much debate, they landed on Hericium americanum, commonly called bear’s head tooth.

SILVIO MAZZARESE LEADS TOURS AT SMUGGS

Vermont’s woods are filled with mushrooms. Some are medicinal, and some are edible and delicious. Some, however, can kill you.

Silvio Mazzarese knows the difference.

“We have demonized mushrooms for various reasons,” Mazzarese said. “People are really scared of mushrooms, but they are like berries. Many can be eaten, but not all of them.”

And Mazzarese should know. He has spent much of his 62 years foraging for wild mushrooms, starting with childhood walks with his family in his native France. As an amateur mycologist, Mazzarese now shares that experience by leading summer and fall mushroom walks at Smugglers’ Notch Resort in Jeffersonville.

“Mountain climates and forests lend to many types of mushrooms in Vermont,” he said. Most commonly found in moist and damp areas,

mushrooms are neither fruit nor vegetable; they’re a type of fungi. What we know as the mushroom is actually the flower on top of a fungus, with a more complicated growth structure (usually underground) called the mycelium.

Mazzarese’s interest started as a young man when he used to search for mushrooms as an excuse to spend time taking walks and enjoying nature. Over decades, Mazzarese has developed his expertise by investigating new species, supplemented by in-depth research. He also spends time studying mushroom spore prints under a microscope, as each mushroom type has unique spores, much like pollen found in flowers.

Mazzarese said the types and uses of mushrooms have been known in some cultures for thousands of years. Foraging has been especially popular in northern Europe, China, Russia, and Japan. In the United States, mushroom foraging is especially popular in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in other northern climates, including Vermont.

STORY / KEVIN WALSH

At first, his weekly mushroom walks at the resort drew mild interest, but now it is common for him to guide 10 or more explorers through the woods and along the banks of a nearby brook. Mazzarese takes a generalist’s approach and then focuses on the types found in the Vermont woods.

Among these is the bear’s head tooth, a medicinal fungus named in 2024 as Vermont’s official state mushroom. An edible mushroom—its flower roughly resembles the icicles on a frozen waterfall—the bear’s head tooth is among those Mazzarese often gives to his students to sample.

He said Vermont has a handful of poisonous mushrooms, although less than 10 percent of those will kill you. Most poisonous mushrooms will just make a person sick, generally causing stomach distress. “You don’t just grab a mushroom and eat it if you don’t know what it is,” Mazzarese sternly warned. “The deadly mushrooms are the ones you want to learn first.”

In some societies, mushrooms are an important food source, and Mazzarese is quick to explain why. “Mushrooms are a protein-rich

food source with a variety of flavors and textures. Some, like portobello, taste like meat, and many varieties make tasty additions to soups, sauces, and foods like pizza.”

Mushrooms have a high moisture content but taste better when they have been dried out, he said. Mazzarese also noted that some edible mushrooms can boost one’s immune system, lower blood pressure, and improve cholesterol levels.

In Vermont, late summer and fall are generally the best times for foraging, he said. Mushrooms, unlike plants, do not have a regular growth cycle, and the flower part of the fungi sometimes appears at a particular spot only once every several years.

While mushrooms have piqued Mazzarese’s interest, they didn’t bring him to northern Vermont in 2008. Most recently from Montreal, Mazzarese chose the Jeffersonville and Stowe areas to open his jewelry business, which lives in a small shop off Route 108, about three miles from Smugglers’ Notch Resort. He also teaches jewelry making. n

KEVIN WALSH; BEAR’S HEAD: MEG MADDEN

A chef, a bog and some tiny taters walk into a ...

Stowe gets new leader

Mike Giorgio is the new vice president and general manager at Stowe Mountain Resort.

Most recently, Giorgio led six Midwest resorts in the Vail Resorts portfolio as regional general manager based in Mt. Brighton Resort in Michigan. He started his new gig in November 2024.

Giorgio began his career with Vail as executive chef at Mount Snow, where he spent 10 years running its food and beverage operations. In 2021, he was appointed general manager at Mt. Brighton, and earlier this year was promoted to regional general manager overseeing six Midwest resorts: Mt. Brighton in Michigan, Paoli Peaks in Indiana, Boston Mills Brandywine and Mad River in Ohio, and Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.

“Returning to Vermont, where my journey in the ski industry began, feels like coming full circle. I’m eager to build on Stowe’s reputation as the premier Northeast destination, while respecting and celebrating everything that makes Vermont’s highest peak so special,” he said.

In his spare time, Giorgio spends time with his wife, Anna, two sons, and three dogs snowboarding, rock climbing, and running.

Joe’s is everyone’s pond now

Lifelong Morristown resident Ron Stancliff continues his legacy of land conservation after donating 32 acres of land on Pond Road to the University of Vermont.

As a member of the Morristown Conservation Commission, Stancliff has long been a proponent of protecting land in Lamoille County and has led multiple conservation projects in the area. The property on Pond Road, however, is personal.

It is home to Joe’s Pond, a scenic body of water surrounded by primitive trails, vibrant wetlands, forests, and mountain views.

In the late 18th century, the pond was home to two of the first settlers in Morristown—Joe and Molly—who earned storied reputations for providing for the eight other people in Morristown at the time.

Legend has it that during one particularly cold winter, when supplies in Morristown were dwindling and morale was running low, Joe went off into the woods and took down a moose, which he brought home and distributed to the community.

Stancliff inherited the property, and after years of exploring the land, he opened it up to the public in 2005 through a conservation easement with the Stowe Land Trust, which exists in perpetuity.

Recreationists are welcome to access the land and explore the short trail system on the property. Brochures with Stancliff’s hand-drawn trail map can be found on the land trust’s website.

“Anyone who’s ever been to Joe’s Pond knows it’s a special place,” Stancliff said. “I’m glad people will be able to enjoy it forever.”

With his donation, the University of Vermont plans to add Joe’s Pond to its list of protected land throughout the state, which the school utilizes for environmental education purposes.

Joe’s Pond is the eleventh property under UVM’s Natural Areas program, which includes the ridge of Mt. Mansfield, 80 acres on UVM’s campus and 300 acres in Hinesburg.

Even though the university owns the land, the easement under the Stowe Land Trust remains in place, protecting public access to the property.

According to Brendan Fisher, director of the Natural Areas program, UVM will utilize the property as a place for students to learn field techniques, including wetland monitoring, and other types of ecological studies.

“This is exactly the type of area we want to get our students into,” Fisher said. “Not only for field training reasons, but also for the social and cultural history that Joe’s Pond offers. It’s a nice living landscape that has these deep cultural and ecological ties.” —Patrick Bilow

Produce for the people

Is a farm-picked squash with a blemish still a squash? Yes, but it might not make it to the shelf of your local grocery store.

Roughly 14 million pounds of produce grown in Vermont each year is deemed unsuitable for sale and there are strict standards for what does make it to the shelves. Corn cobs less than 7 inches long? No good. A zucchini with a scratch? Also no. It’s the same for tiny potatoes, known as “creamers,” and other types of produce. Essentially, anything that doesn’t resemble photos in a seed catalogue won’t make the cut.

Those veggies still taste fine, though.

Salvation Farms in Morrisville has been working with rejected produce for over a decade. Through different programs and several partnerships with Vermont farmers, the nonprofit redirects otherwise acceptable produce to school kitchens and other community hubs throughout the state.

Salvation Farms now plans a new facility in Morrisville to process 200,000 pounds of produce each year, according to Martha Machia, the program’s manager. In January, the organization received a $469,000 grant from the Northern Borders Regional Commission and that, paired with a state appropriation, should cover the initial cost of firing up the facility.

—Patrick Bilow

FROM TOP: Mike Giorgio. Ron Stancliff tromps through the snow at his 32-acre property on Pond Road in Morristown, which he recently donated to the University of Vermont. Folks at Salvation Farms provide quality, late-season produce for organizations and institutions, including local and regional school districts in Lamoille County.

DOWNTOWN STOWE | @VONBARGENS ALSO IN BURLINGTON, STRATTON VT & HANOVER NH

Stowe enlistee Chandler Watts carried this battered leather knapsack during the Civil War. Watts enlisted in the 11th Vermont Regiment in 1862 and served for almost three years before returning to Stowe.

It is just one of many items, including a Civil War canteen, rifle, iron spurs, a tin mess kit, a sword, and more in the collection of the historical society that testifies to the huge sacrifice this small town made by sending so many of its sons to fight.

More than 200 men with connections to Stowe served in the Union armed forces and at least 40 Stowe residents died during the war; many

others were wounded. Some of those who died at the front and were brought home to be buried in Stowe include Hiram A. Luce, George W. Luce, Henry E. Luce, George W. Pike, and Charles H. Foster.

After his return to Stowe, Chandler Watts eventually became a selectman, a lister, and a side judge in the Lamoille County Court. He died on Nov. 29, 1911, and his obituary described him as “one of the town’s leading citizens.” He is buried in Stowe’s Riverbank Cemetery.

—Rob Kiener

STOWE HISTORICAL: Next to Stowe Free Library ••• Wednesday to Saturday, 1 - 4 p.m. ••• (802) 253-1518, stowehistoricalsociety.org

Drivers heading north on the Route 100 byway are now greeted by a colorful sign welcoming them to Morrisville. What may not be immediately obvious is that the detailed mural was designed by a Peoples Academy high school junior and completed with the effort of over 80 volunteers.

Lost Nation Brewery owner Allen Van Anda approached Averill McDowell’s art class at the school with a simple prompt, to design something that captured the spirit of Morrisville in the style of the “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” postcard made famous by the Bruce Springsteen’s 1973 debut album. Though not particularly familiar with The Boss, junior Rory Monaghan successfully pitched a fleshed-out design to McDowell and became the project’s head designer. Like the source material, each letter in “Morrisville” contains an image, which in this iteration reflects a regional theme.

“I kind of went for more of a Vermont theme than just Morrisville, because we don’t ski in Morrisville directly, and the covered bridges are just like a Vermont thing,” said Monaghan, who is pictured in the center of the photograph. “Then there’s just more Vermont things like the leaves, maple syrup, and the Lamoille River.”

Monaghan may still be contemplating whether to pursue a career in the arts, but she hopes to continue working on murals, especially those that beautify the community.

“It’s really cool because they’re done pretty fast, especially when we have so many people working on them,” Monaghan said. “It’s really cool to just be able to have a finished product that you can just look at and say ‘Wow, look how far we came.’” —Aaron Calvin

GLENN CALLAHAN; BELOW: GORDON MILLER

UNION SOLDIER Chandler Watts carried this battered leather knapsack during the Civil War. The solder served three years before returning to Stowe.

FIRST CLASS Katerina Werth, Liberty Darr, Kristen Braley, Aaron Calvin, Tommy Gardner, Briana Brady, Brian Meszkat, and Patrick Bilow at the New England Newspaper and Press Association Better Newspaper Competition in March.

TOWN NEWS

The Vermont Community Newspaper Group took home 35 reporting, design, and photographer awards—including 15 first-place finishes —at the New England Better Newspaper Competition.

The accolades included a nod to staff writer Aaron Calvin, who was named the 2024 New England Reporter of the Year.

The awards ceremony, put on by the New England Newspaper and Press Association, was in Portland, Maine, in March, and capped off the 2025 New England Newspaper Convention.

NENPA represents more than 450 news organizations throughout New England and typically receives thousands of entries to its Better Newspaper Competition. The 2024 awards competition included work published from August 2023 through July 2024.

The Vermont Community Newspaper Group publishes five community weeklies—Stowe Reporter, News & Citizen, The Other Paper of South Burlington, Shelburne News, and The Citizen of Charlotte and Hinesburg. It also publishes the awardwinning Stowe magazine, as well as an annual wedding magazine and special-themed newspaper supplements.

Top dog

withdraw connector lift proposal.”

He also had two first-place Stowe magazine pieces—“Notched,” about the history of the Smugglers’ Notch, and “It’s Miller Time,” about the late photographer Peter Miller.

Reporter Liberty Darr nabbed two first-place awards for “Tell-tale heart: Pickleball racket in South Burlington prompts resident petition” and for “Other side of the tracks: Mailles run last family-owned dairy in Shelburne.”

Calvin, 33, started with the company in April 2021, and primarily covers Lamoille County and Stowe for the News & Citizen and Stowe Reporter, while writing features for the magazine. He previously worked as a journalist in Iowa before moving to Vermont four years ago.

The Cambridge resident has made a name for himself juggling beat reporting while nabbing major scoops that have been picked up by statewide news agencies and bringing state and national topics to the local level.

Calvin’s haul this year included four first-place awards. He won two for Stowe Reporter stories in the Business/Economics Reporting categories—“As climate changes: Making snow key to resorts” and “Resorts

Tommy Gardner won first-place for his News & Citizen story, “Solar eclipse wows northern Vermont.”

Rounding out the first-place newsroom award-winners was photographer Gordon Miller, who won for his photograph of first responders rescuing a man from rising flood waters.

Design awards

The company also won big in the design and production categories.

General manager Katerina Werth shared a first-place nod with Greg Popa, publisher and editor of Stowe magazine, in the Pure Advertising Niche Publication category for the magazine.

The design team collectively took home a first-place prize in the Contests category, for its work in the 4393 Readers’ Choice Awards.

The Vermont Community Newspaper Group also took home a passel of second- and third-place newsroom and production awards, including a second-place Best Niche Publication finish for Popa and Stowe magazine, a perennial first-place winner in that category.

The Stowe Reporter team also took third in the Advertising General Excellence category.

Other Stowe magazine awards included:

• Arts & Entertainment Reporting, second place, Avalon StylesAshley, for “Sculpted.”

• Local Personality Profile, second place, Gardner, “Surf’s Up.”

• Obituaries, third place, Gardner, “JB McKinley finishes his last page.”

—Tommy Gardner

CONNECTED A family rides in the Adams Camp trail network. A new easement has permanently protected a link between the network and Stowe Recreation Path. See related, p.52

TRAILS PARTNERSHIP WELCOMES NEW LEADER

Stowe Trails Partnership, now in its 25th year, is bringing on a new leader.

Kenzie Brunner took over as executive director of the advocacy organization in December. It would be hard to imagine better-matching credentials, education, experience, and interests for this role as Brunner worked for the Vermont Mountain Bike Association and serves as president of the Mansfield Backcountry Alliance. She is an avid mountain biker and trail runner. Even the research she did for her master’s degree at the University of Vermont is directly relevant: She studied the social psychology of recreation.

“I found that people identify with recreation very closely as one of the top five things that is an important part of them, no matter how much they do it.” In other words, a person who mountain bikes once a month identifies as a biker just as strongly as the four-day-a-week cyclist.

PSYCHOLOGY OF RECREATION Kenzie Brunner, the new director at Stowe Trails Partnership, does some trail maintenance, replacing route markers. Brunner enjoys some time on the bike.

“I try to understand the user first and what the user wants,” she said. “For Stowe Trails Partnership, we listen specifically to members and community partners to find the commonalities of what people want.”

Stowe Trails Partnership began as the Stowe Mountain Bike Club. Although “club” implies an exclusive group, the name was a misnomer; really, the group was an advocacy group for mountain biking with hopes of furthering the sport locally. “For comparison, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, of which Stowe Trails Partnership is one of 28 chapters, started just three years prior.

“There is a lot of history here,” Brunner said.

Stowe Mountain Bike Club changed its name to the more inclusivesounding Stowe Trails Partnership in 2017.

“We recognized that the future included everyone,” current board president Lucy Nersesian said. Indeed, in addition to bikers, you are likely to encounter hikers, runners, walkers, and dogs on Stowe trails. “Non-bikers are so valuable,” Nersesian, who primarily mountain bikes but also trail runs, said. “We want their voice on our board and in our membership.”

The executive director of Stowe Trails Partnership can be a difficult job, Nersesian acknowledged. As the only paid year-round employee, the director tends to operate on her own, with help from two full-time seasonal employees in the summer, a trail manager, and a trail crew member.

But Brunner said she knew what she signed up for and really doesn’t feel alone with 1,400 members and over 70 business sponsors. “I love all the bits and pieces of what I do. I even love writing grants.”

Stowe Trails Partnership primarily manages trails in the Cady Hill, Adam’s Camp, and Sterling Forest networks. Connectivity is one of the organization’s core missions, so it also maintains connector trails. Cady Hill is part of the Stowe Town Forest, and the partnership is its official steward; Adam’s Camp and Sterling Forest are conserved through Stowe Land Trust.

She collaborates closely with the town and land trust and many other organizations and partners. “And, of course, our members,” Brunner said.

Brunner is new in her role, but, according to Nersesian, she has already made an impact. Because she was local (she has lived in Nebraska Valley since 2013), and because of her multi-faceted prior role at the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, she came in knowing what to do.

“She already had established relationships with our partners,” Nersesian said.

On the day I met with Brunner, she took a trail walk in Cady Hill with prospective trail builders to look at a possible new beginner-friendly entrance, met with a local business to discuss sponsorship, and met with U.S. Sen. Peter Welch.

Brunner’s experience in nonprofits helps. “There were processes and infrastructure things we didn’t have, and she dug into this starting in her third week, maybe sooner,” Nersesian said.

And as if she isn’t already poised enough to lead, she is pursuing a second master’s degree from Endicott College in nonprofit management.

Brunner and the partnership have plenty of projects in the hopper, and she looks forward to overseeing steady, intentional growth.

“I’ve been riding these trails for years,” she said. “I’ve volunteered with Stowe Trails Partnership for years,” noting that she grew up in Kalamazoo, Mich., in a household where volunteerism was greatly valued.

She lives in Stowe with her husband (a former board member) and two dogs, so being outdoors and on trails is central.

“I have the personality to bring people together around common goals,” she said. “I am also willing to dig a pit or walk through pricker bushes.” She encourages anyone who shares an interest in trails—or in wielding a shovel or walking through prickers—to think about membership or volunteering. n

STOWE PEOPLE

EASEMENT PROTECTS ADAMS CAMP, STOWE REC PATH CONNECTOR

The Adams Camp Connector, an 85-acre parcel of land that connects Adams Camp to the Stowe Recreation Path, is now officially protected.

The community rallied to support the project last year, raising over $820,000 that allowed Stowe Land Trust to purchase the land from Paul Percy.

“This was a true community effort,” Amy Stewart, chair of the Stowe Land Trust board of directors, said. “The Adams Camp Connector touches on many deeply-held community values—world-class trail systems, a healthy environment, wildlife habitat—and garnered widespread support from recreationists, conservationists, and community members.”

In addition to private donations, funding for the project also came from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.

The 85-acre parcel will also be enjoyed by the fox, deer, fisher, raccoon, bear, and coyote that regularly move through the area. A study by University of Vermont’s terrestrial wildlife ecology class in 2024 documented the movement of mammals through the parcel, finding that the forest canopy on the eastern side of the parcel provides important winter cover for a variety of animals. Wildlife cameras also

Says Tom Rogers, executive director of Stowe Land Trust: “We’re now responsible for that land forever. In many ways, conserving land is like a wedding—there is a lot of emphasis on the ‘big day,’ but after we all celebrate, the real commitment begins.”

That commitment will begin with a longrange management plan that will consider important deer wintering habitat, animal movement along the Little River and, of particular interest to the recreation community, the construction of new trails that will connect the existing trail system on Adams Camp to the Stowe Recreation Path.

Plans for both a three-season hiking and mountain biking trail and a winter ski and snowshoe trail are afoot.

Once the designs are final and permits secured, Stowe Trails Partnership will oversee the management of the three-season trail and the Catamount Trail Association and Stowe Nordic will oversee the winter trail, in consultation with the property’s landowner.

“Trail connectivity is one of the top requests from our members,” Kenzie Brunner, executive director of Stowe Trails Partnership, said. “They’re really excited about better access to Haulapalooza from the recreation path. It’s also going to help ease both trail and parking congestion, which is something we’re working to improve everywhere.”

showed animals moving along the Little River, which runs along the land’s northern side.

Protecting the Adams Camp Connector also helps to keep wildlife out in nature where they can keep a safe distance from people.

“Conflicts with bears are becoming increasingly problematic in Stowe,” Rogers said.

“Protecting forest habitat allows wildlife to find food and shelter in the woods rather than in our backyards.”

Identified as a “highest priority area” by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, the parcel contains a piece of a large, intact forest block considered critical to upholding the ecological integrity of Vermont and protecting its natural legacy.

Bill Davis, a longtime Vermonter, seasonal resident, business owner, and former owner of a maple sugaring operation in Vermont, was also pleased to know that the Percy family will continue to collect sap from the land.

“I like knowing that the maples on that property will continue to be available for sugaring.” n

For more information about mountain biking, check out stowetrails.org. Learn more about land conversation in Stowe, go to stowelandtrust.org.

HAULAPALOOZA A young rider ponders a wooden bridge on the Adams Camp MTB network.

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WATERBURY-STOWE FISH & GAME CLUB

Nestled in the pristine wilderness between Waterbury and Stowe, within the vital Shutesville Hill wildlife corridor, the Waterbury-Stowe Fish and Game Club stands as a beacon of Vermont’s outdoor tradition. In 2025, the club celebrates its diamond anniversary—75 years of fostering family friendly outdoor activities and conservation efforts in the Green Mountain State.

Diamond anniversary celebrations kicked off in May with a member clean-up day and annual kids’ fishing derby. A Diamond Anniversary and Community Day open house will be held Saturday, June 21, and is free and open to the public.

Come learn about the club and enjoy its expansive grounds, which feature a clubhouse and pavilion, member-accessible pistol and rifle ranges, two professional skeet fields, a dedicated trap field, a modern archery range, a scenic archery trail, and skeet and trap shooting.

Shooters and archers of all ability levels are welcome. For those seeking unique celebrations, the club offers exclusive private shooting events—a distinctive choice for bachelor and bachelorette parties that has grown increasingly popular.

Next generation

The Club serves as the official range for the Vermont Chapter of the National High School Rodeo Association. Launched in 2020, the association added shooting sports in 2023. By 2024, participation tripled, drawing students from throughout Vermont and even neighboring New York.

As the only New England state offering a high school rodeo chapter, Vermont welcomes students from across the region. The shooting program introduces junior and high school students to shooting sports while emphasizing sportsmanship, gun safety, and proper handling techniques. Students currently compete with .22 rifles, and the association has plans to expand to shotgun programs for high school participants in the future.

A good cause

The club also supports Hunt of a Lifetime, a “national nonprofit organization dedicated to granting hunting and fishing dreams for children aged 21 and under who have been diagnosed with lifethreatening illnesses or disabilities.”

In Vermont, club members Dave Laskey and Diane Levin have served as program ambassadors for three years. The Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife provides three moose tags annually for program participants. While participants cover their license costs, the program handles all other expenses, including food, supplies, specialized gear, and ATV access when needed for participants with mobility challenges. n —Kelley Spear

ESSENTIALS: Waterbury-Stowe Fish & Game Club, 5365 Waterbury-Stowe Road (Route 100), Waterbury Center. Skeet and trap shooting, archery course, private groups, more. Go to wsfgc.com for hours, fees, and membership, or reach out to wsfgclub@gmail.com.

YOU’RE GOLDEN Clockwise from top left: When the dogs from Butternut Golden Farm arrive at Golden Dog Farm, they rush out to meet the farm’s guests. David Keck, Golden Dog Farm’s director of hospitality, describes the farm’s operations as part of a farm tour. Doug and Becca Worple operate the Jeffersonville farm.

FARM MAKES ‘HAPPY’ FOR VISITORS

On a secluded hillside overlooking the mountains of the Sterling Range, visitors from all 50 states and several foreign countries regularly gather at the Golden Dog Farm for “a happy.”

A happy, according to Doug and Becca Worple, is a group of golden retrievers. The Worples say that “happiness is golden,” and a happy is guaranteed to give people a taste of happiness.

While the Golden Dog Farm offers visitors a few different experiences at its 270-acre site in Jeffersonville, including a vineyard tour and wine tasting, the event that put the farm on the map is its golden retriever experience.

That experience starts as guests gather to meet Doug, each other, and their tour guide, David Keck, the farm’s director of hospitality. Keck describes the farm’s multiple operations before turning attention to the farm’s 7-acre vineyard. A master sommelier, Keck is well qualified to explain his process of making wine from the farm’s grapes, or at least the grapes that remain after bears, birds, and racoons make their own occasional taste tests.

Keck then leads guests on a leisurely tour of the farm, ending at a hilltop barn. A pickup truck appears from the nearby Butternut Goldens Farm, and that’s when things turn happy. Out from the truck burst a large group of frolicking and very friendly golden retrievers, ranging in age from puppies to adults. Guests pet and hug the dogs while engaging them in play. Soon, dogs and guests wander down a hill to a pond for a game of fetch with the retrievers, who love to splash in the pond. After a quick wipe down, the dogs accompany the guests back up the hill, where

bottles of wine and glasses await, while the dogs meander and share in the pleasure of a pleasant late afternoon in the mountain air.

Some guests have told the Worples that their time at the farm with the retrievers was more

ty. Becca, in particular, yearned for more opportunities for socialization.

“I get a high being around people,” she said. The couple brainstormed ideas about what they could do to make the farm productive, and to

enjoyable than a day at Disney World, while others have said the experience is what they imagine heaven to be like.

“There is so much tension and division in the world and the U.S. right now,” Doug said. “It is great to spend a couple of hours where you have a shared experience with other people that is unconditionally happy.”

This “happiness farm” is a result of the Worples’ own search for happiness and change.

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Doug and Becca left the corporate world to buy a 24-foot recreational vehicle and hit the road. They toured the U.S., and about 17,000 miles later, ended up visiting a friend in Norwich. While there, they met a real estate agent who showed them a property on the Smugglers’ Notch side of Mt. Mansfield on Pratt Road.

“We fell in love with the farm at first sight,” Doug said. “We didn’t know anything about Jeffersonville and the surrounding areas. We just knew that it was beautiful, close to great skiing, and lots of outdoor-oriented activities, and that we thought we could be happy living in a more rural setting.”

But it wasn’t too long before they felt the itch to do something with all this natural beau-

share its beauty with others. The idea of farm tours with various themes emerged.

Golden Dog Farm opened its doors to people who loved to commune with nature—and golden retrievers. The retriever event is now just one of a few social events offered at the farm, some with the dogs and some not.

The farm also offers a bee experience, among others. Becca is a trained beekeeper who tends 30 beehives containing about one million bees. The 270-acre farm is certified organic with 7 acres of grapevines, about 200 types of fruit trees, nut trees, berry bushes, and about 4,500 maples that the farm taps each year.

Doug describes a farm visit as “being like a mental health day for people. People experience different things here,” he said. “We have people grieving pets that have passed, we have people celebrating past milestones, and we have people celebrating plans for the future.”

Whatever reasons bring guests to their farm, the Worples say that “they just want everyone to feel like they are visiting a friend, and that they feel welcomed no matter who they are, or why they are there.” n

Learn more at goldendogfarm.com.

MTB & GRAVEL BIKE EVENTS

STOWE TRAILS PARTNERSHIP

The outfit you want to join for all things MTB in Stowe. Rides, events, trails, more. stowetrails.org.

JULY 25 - 27: Flow State MTB Festival

Ascutney Outdoor Center, weekend of rides, family fun. flowstatemtbfestival.com.

AUGUST 24: Race to the Top of Vermont

4.3-mile hill climb, bike or run up Mansfield’s Toll Road, 2,564 vertical. rtttovt.com.

SEPTEMBER 13: Raid Lamoille

Long and short rides. Craftsbury Outdoor Center. grvl.net/raid-lamoille

GOLF: DON

OUTDOOR PRIMER

Golf

More than a dozen courses are within an hour’s drive, but two of the state’s most spectacular are the 6,213-yard, 18-hole Stowe Country Club, and the private Stowe Mountain Club. Other courses options abound, from Copley Country Club in Morrisville, to options in the Mad River Valley, Burlington and beyond.

Adventure mountains

Hiking options abound in the Greens. Access the Long Trail from the top of Mansfield and the extensive trail network from the summit area. Routes up Vermont’s highest peak come from all directions— Nebraska Valley, Ranch Camp, Smugglers Notch, and even Underhill, on the mountain’s backside. In addition to Mansfield, the mountain trails around Stowe are too numerous to list, from the Sterling Pond Trail in the Notch to Belvidere Mountain. A good place to get oriented is at the Green Mountain Club headquarters in Waterbury Center. Looking for an adventure? ArborTrek on the Cambridge side of Smugglers Notch offers ziplining, a treetop obstacle course, and more.

Paddle sports

Local outfitters offer river trips on the Lamoille and Winooski rivers, where you can canoe past dairy farms and through quintessential Vermont villages, all the while soaking in sweeping views. Or if you prefer, launch a kayak on Lake Eden, Lake Elmore, Caspian Lake, Wolcott Pond, or Waterbury Reservoir. Canoes and paddleboards are welcome everywhere, such as Long Pond in Eden, Green River Reservoir in Hyde Park, and Little Elmore Pond.

Swimming holes

Innumerable mountain streams meander through the Green Mountains, serving up a Vermont-style swimming experience and a unique kind of solitude. Some are a cinch to find: A walk up the Stowe Recreation Path to a spot on the West Branch River, or the well-known Foster’s swimming hole. Better yet, find your own!

Bike in the woods

Whether you want a gentle ride along the 5.3-mile award-winning Stowe bike path with its views of Mount Mansfield or a teeth-chattering, lung-burning trip through Cady Forest or Adams Camp, strap on your helmet and get riding. Varied terrain and hundreds of miles of trails make the region a perfect biking destination. To get started, stop into a local bike shop or go to stowetrails.org.

Stowe Recreation Path & Rail Trail

Stowe’s nationally recognized 5.3-mile walking and hiking greenway starts in the village behind the Stowe Community Church. While never far from civilization, the path offers scenic views of the West Branch River and Mt. Mansfield. Other access points are on Weeks Hill Road, Luce Hill Road, on the Mountain Road across from Well Heeled, and at the path’s end on Brook Road. The Lamoille Valley Rail Trail meanders through several of the towns north of Stowe. It’s a great biking, running, and walking path—93 miles in all. lvrt.org.

YOU MIGHT HAVE TO LEARN SOME NEW TRICKS

For many of us, skiing is a life sport. We’re still skiing into our 70s, 80s, and 90s. But to keep skiing enjoyable, rather than frustrating, you must master some basic challenges. The first challenge is to become a parallel skier.

Growing up in New Hampshire, I was a product of the Arlberg method. Hannes Schneider developed the Arlberg method as a stepwise approach to teach parallel skiing.

PARALLEL COURSE Members of the Dawn Patrol, a group of older skiers who, for many years, met and skied together on Mansfield. Pictured are Gordon Johanson, Tad Lamell, and Toni Norris as they head up the mountain on the lift.

STORY / GREG MORRILL

Disciples of his approach, including Sepp Ruschp, an early Stowe skiing pioneer, would spread the Arlberg around the world. International banker Harvey Dow Gibson negotiated Hannes Schneider’s release from Hitler’s Germany and brought him to Gibson’s hometown of North Conway to head the ski school at Cranmore.

The steps in the Arlberg method were snowplow, snowplow turn, stem turn, Stem Christie, and Christie. I never made it to the last two steps since I had a propensity for breaking skis and having to drop out of the Wednesday afternoon school program.

I was in college before I made the breakthrough to parallel Christie turns. I achieved that by following more accomplished skiers.

There were other approaches that tried to accelerate progress to parallel. Clif Taylor was a 10th Mountain Division veteran who became a ski instructor at Mad River Glen after World War II. Taylor and some of the other instructors played around with “goon skis,” which were significantly shorter than conventional ones. He also observed that some of his students who had difficulty learning on long skis

succeeded on the shorter variety.

In 1955, Taylor moved to Brattleboro, where he became an instructor at Hogback Mountain. He began to experiment using shorter skis to teach students before moving them up to more standard-length skis.

Initially, he used regular skis whose tails had been chopped off to make them shorter, but the success of his approach led him to start the Shortee Ski Company. Shortee skis were made in 3-foot, 4-foot, and 5-foot lengths. Students began on the three-footers and would move up in lengths as they progressed.

One of the ski areas interested in Taylor’s method was Killington. Owner Preston Smith felt that to attract new skiers to the sport, the learning process had to be accelerated.

Karl Pfeifer was the head of the Killington Ski School, so, as an experiment, Pfeifer ran two full-size, week-long ski classes using the new teaching method. This was the subject of a 1966 SKI magazine article by Morten Lund that first used the term “graduated length method” to describe the new approach.

It succeeded and Pfeifer adopted a five-day version of the graduated length method that

started students on 3-foot skis, then progressing to 4- and 5-foot skis.

Today, most U.S. ski schools use the American Teaching System, which is a skillbased approach. The skills are balance, edging, rotary, and pressure. OK, so that may not clarify things, but the approach allows lessons to be personalized for an individual’s strengths and needs, and students can advance to parallel at their own pace rather than through a prescribed series of steps.

New ski equipment helps in this approach. Skis are shorter now and their shape and width make them easier to turn. One skill that the new equipment definitely improves is edging. Even beginners can carve rails in the snow. Carving used to be the mark of an expert, but now it’s achievable by folks who don’t even know they’re doing it! n

Greg Morrill is co-chair of the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum, a retired computer programmer and college professor. He lives in Stowe. Read more at retro-skiing.com.

EASY CARVING Dave Siegel, Tad Lamell, Toni Norris, Gordon Johanson, Scott Braaten, Jeff Phelps, and Tom Hubbs at the base of Mt. Mansfield in this photo from 2013.

GLENN CALLAHAN

Moscow Parade marks half a century

What began as a challenge between several Moscow youngsters to mark Independence Day keeps marching on

MAKING MEMORIES This page: Peter Miller shot this photo at the 1976 parade, the followup to a more modest affair the year prior. Paul DeCelle and Ed Rhodes walk behind the Bicentennial banner surrounded by other Stowe locals. Next page, clockwise from top left: Rhodes in his customary Revolutionary War costume, 2007. Three Lusk family floats through the years: Charlie and Anne pushed an antique iron bed down Moscow Road with a sign that read, “Moscow, Stowe’s Bedroom Community.” With Nate Lusk out front, the family spoofed the Enron scandal. “After the Forever Stamp was introduced, we made a massive frame of the outside of the Forever Stamp to capture the image of the parade inside the stamp,” Anne recalled. Bob Vienckowski kept the beat going with his New-Orleans-style ensemble, 2000. Jan Michael Sgantas affixed an American flag to side mirror of a Stowe Fire Department truck, 2007. Opening spread: Katie Stackpole, far left, with friends in a pony cart, 1976. Katie’s father keeps watch behind her atop a black steed as does her dog, Alphie.

Fifty years ago, a tradition was born in the garage of Paige and David Stackpole. Their daughters, 8-year-old Anna and 5-year-old Kate, and several friends, decided to celebrate Independence Day with a parade down Moscow’s Main Street. So, with just a few pieces of colored paper displaying patriotic and other messages, Paige fired up the tractor and the girls hopped onto their bikes—Kate rode her tricycle—and they drove onto River Road.

Just down the street, Anne Lusk was at home, overdue a week with her firstborn. With old houses sitting close to the road and all the windows and doors open—few had air conditioning in Vermont in 1975—the Lusks heard the parade headed their way. Anne and her then husband, Charlie Lusk, were already standing by the road because the girls, who wanted to guarantee an audience, had spread the news.

Other neighbors gathered to watch as the lawn-tractor and decorated-bike parade made its way to the Smith’s house on the corner of Moscow and River roads. The parade circled back to the Stackpoles where it made a final loop through the Stackpole’s soggy yard and around the garage.

“It was short but sweet and fulfilled the kids’ need to

STORY : anne lusk

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Previous page, clockwise from top left: George Gay parodied Vladimir Putin’s famous shirtless horseback riding photo shoot in 2014. The 1976 parade featured Tom Hamilton’s float—a beach umbrella—and at least seven horses. Paige Stackpole, far right, led a pony cart. Back when Blackberrys and Twitter were things. The Moscow crowd walks and tweets, 2010. Tradition dictates that the newest residents of Moscow shovel the horse poop from the road through Moscow village. Meet the hamlet’s newest residents, 1996. These three amigos—Trine Brink, Kitty Coppock, and Nancy Stead—were regulars on the parade circuit, first as members of the ladies drill team and later as social commentators, always with a pithy, timely message This page: The Kiefer clan and friends paraded in a truck bed at last year’s parade. The Moscow All Ladies Lawn Chair Drill Team—a rotating group of women who perform a precision lawn chair routine—also formed early in parade history. This is the 2018 incarnation of the team.

express their patriotic requirements,” remembers Paige.

And that first Moscow Parade set the tone for what would follow for the next 50: A lovely, small-town parade, affordable, crafted with what was at hand, at-home, and just a bit “bizarre.”

The following summer, the parade was formally aligned with American history by Jane and Beau James, Hank Cushman, and Tom and Ruth Hamilton while the trio was enjoying cocktails one summer afternoon.

“At the time, Jane owned the toy store, Once Upon a Time, in Stowe. If you knew Jane, she was always ready for a party, loved costumes, and celebrations,” Tom recalled.

“Being our country’s bicentennial year, Jane was naturally upset that Stowe had not planned a parade. We all gave a thumbs up and immediately sent out an invitation to our Stowe friends and neighbors.”

So that’s how Moscow came together to plan a parade to celebrate the 1976 Bicentennial, relying on the same creativity as the Stackpole girl’s inaugural one. Paul DeCelle, who owned the general store, taped a homemade sign about the parade in his store window to let people know.

For the parade, he donned a Charles de Gaulle hat and a judge’s robe. Horseback riders came in costume. Decorated tractors and mowers rumbled. And a pony cart carried the Stackpole girls and the Lusks’ newborn.

The late Life magazine photojournalist Peter Miller took the photos of the Bicentennial parade, probably because his family lived in Moscow at that time, Tom said.

“In one photo, you can clearly identify some of the Mandigo and Adams children, Paul DeCelle, Ed Rhodes, Martha Walker, Nina and Rudi Hamilton, Tony Immediato, and Susan Adams and her daughter. There were at least seven horses in the back of the tiny parade.”

Marching music, drill team

With this can-do, creative attitude, Moscow’s Independence Day parade grew and thrived. With no official marching band, the first parade featured the sound of horse’s hooves, tractor engines, kids’ laughter, and parents’ chatter. In a later year, Charlie suggested that WDEV, the local AM radio station, play marches throughout the parade.

He told his idea to the late Ed Rhodes, who for many years proudly

wore his Revolutionary War costume as he marched down Moscow Road with the assembled revelers. Ed called Ken Squier and Brian Harwood at WDEV, and they quickly came on board. All the residents along the parade route placed large radios in their windows as the station played John Phillip Sousa for the parading “masses.” Some years, a flurry of confusion ensued before the parade started as participants tried to remember the frequency for WDEV. (It’s AM 550.)

After those early years, the Moscow All-Men’s Radio Marching Band formed, and local men carried the radios on their shoulders.

Unlike the Moscow All Ladies Lawn Chair Drill Team—more about them later—the men of the Moscow Radio All-Men’s Marching Band

HOMESPUN

Men dressed in drag in this 2007 float from Peterson Brook Farm as their “wedding planner” directs the scene. The Moscow All-Men’s Radio Marching Band provides the music for the parade, blasting Sousa marches from WDEV, a local radio station in Waterbury, 2019. A year earlier, two youngsters hitched a ride in the bucket of a tractor. Below: Paul DeCelle, owner of DeCelle’s Market, postmaster, and unofficial mayor of Moscow, dressed in “black like a judge and wearing a French military hat favored by De Gaulle,” and began the parade in 1976, according to Peter Miller’s recollection—read it at bit.ly/3YJjdub. He played spectator in 2006. In 2000, longtime Stowe fire chief Wendall Mansfield drove the town’s antique 1929 American LaFrance fire engine for the festivities.

abide by the parade’s laxly enforced no-practice rule. As the Christian Science Monitor reported in 1997, “It shows. A somewhat dour, seemingly lackluster bunch (insiders explain that they abhor any hint of showmanship), they march through the streets with boomboxes solemnly perched on their left shoulders.

“On command from their leader, who marches backward waving a baton at them, they switch their radios to their right shoulders. And back again. Somehow, this works.”

The Moscow All Ladies Lawn Chair Drill Team—a rotating group of women who perform a precision lawn chair routine—also formed early in parade history. The women gather for about 20 minutes of practice and then join the parade, typically before or after the men’s marching band. To this day, the lawn chair team stops, performs a drill, marches, and repeats, so the parade hiccups and pauses delightfully as the ladies make their way along the route.

New residents to Moscow are assigned the task of cleaning up any leftovers from horses. Strangely, they seem to embrace serving as equine pooper scoopers.

“We’ve been called ‘bizarre,’” Anne told the Monitor in 1997. “And we take that as a compliment.”

For many years, the trio of Kitty Coppock, Nancy Stead, and Trine Brink brought their brand of ingenuity and merrymaking to the parade. One year, donning swim caps and bathing suits, they became the Moscow Synchronized Swimming team. Another year they dressed as chickens holding signs with messages lost to time and in yet another as the Royal Lippizan Cows of Moscow—replete with black-and-white spots. As “Stowe Unplugged,” the threesome dressed as women of a certain age in house dresses carrying outdated household contraptions.

While the parade purposely excludes political candidates, political messages—almost always good natured—are encouraged.

In 2017, during the ugly Clinton-Trump race, some participants took jabs at the just-passed presidential candidates with signs that read “Low

Energy Jeb,” “Lying’ Ted,” “Chiselface Carly,” and “Russian Hackers Want a Mulligan.”

The Taber Hill Tub Club took direct aim at an unpopular school funding law—at least in Stowe—and sprayed the crowd with squirt guns displaying a sign that said, “Act 60 Soaks,” with the rest of the message cut off by the photographer’s camera.

Recently, a group carried a sign emblazoned with “The Moscow Times: Real Parade, Fake News,” with sub-headlines like “Lawn Chair Lady in Doping Scandal,” “Moscow Buys Aspen” and, perhaps a few years ahead of its time, “Moscow Secedes, Joins Canada.”

Floats are equally clever. Charlie and Anne once pushed an antique iron bed down Moscow Road while wearing bedclothes and bathrobes. The bed was full of stuffed animals and, from a community that once featured a staggering number of children, a sign read, “Moscow, Stowe’s Bedroom Community.”

“We chose stuffed animals over actual children as that bed was hard enough to push down the street!” Anne recalled.

In 2014, then Moscow resident George Gay poked fun at Vladimir

Putin, riding a fake moose, shirtless, waving around a rifle. (Relax! It was just an air gun.)

Another year, Anne wore an elaborate cow’s head with a crown. Her costume was draped with a beauty queen sash and under the black-andwhite, tight-fitting costume, two stacks of foam were strategically placed.

“That summer, bovine growth hormone was controversial because it was an artificial way to increase milk production. My sign said, ‘I owe it all to BST,” she said.

“Sometimes the floats are a bit obscure,” she added.

Case in point: The man carrying two signs that read “More Toilet Paper” and “More Hair.”

Rules are rules

Parade rules specify that no one can start making their float until the day before the parade, requiring float makers to rely heavily on what’s in their closets, barns, or attics. People can buy new posterboard, markers, and batteries for radios. Bunting is retrieved from storage and stapled or taped to carts, and leftover wood is used to make frames to carry posters. As in its earliest days, local kids are encouraged to come up with ideas.

Originally, spending on floats was limited to $5. Turn out this year and judge for yourself whether everyone plays by the rules.

All are welcome to participate, and the parade always starts promptly at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 4.

The parade used to begin at the Stackpole’s house, wind down to the Hamiltons and return. As the parade grew and more people joined from Nebraska Valley, the parade would begin at the Hamilton’s and is now joined by residents up on Cady Hill who fill the beds of decorated pickups with kids.

Unlike formal parades that feature commercial enterprises, elaborate floats, and rows of precision marchers, the Moscow Parade only lets trucks from the Stowe Fire Department trucks roll through—once. Because traffic isn’t stopped for this short parade—the process lasts between 10-15 minutes—an occasional tourist might get caught in the middle of the procession. Forced to join in the fun, they wave to onlookers who wave right back.

Some years, close to 1,000 people have shown up to watch 15 minutes of homespun ingenuity, and despite its humbleness, it has attracted attention from around the world. It’s been written about by numerous national publications and appeared on CBS News.

And somehow, despite a world where rapid change seems the norm, since 1995, when Paige Stackpole started up her lawn tractor and a few local girls wrote messages on colored paper and taped them to their bikes, the Moscow Parade still remains very true to its roots. n

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: PAUL ROGERS; GORDON MILLER; MILLER; ROGERS; GLENN CALLAHAN

THIS YEAR’S MOSCOW PARADE IS FRIDAY, JULY 4, STARTING PROMPTLY AT 10 A.M.

Independent Rep goes from logger to legislator

INTO THE WOODS Jed Lipsky in 2009. Lipsky worked as a logger in both Massachusetts and Vermont before moving to Stowe in 1999 where he set up his own company, Blue Hill Logging, which he now operates with his son, Karl. Inset: Lipsky, front row, right, poses with teammates and opponents for a picture at the 2025 Hyde Cup hockey tournament. Opening spread: Lipsky and his partner, Alice Wilson, campaign for his second term in the Vermont Legislature at the Stowe Independence Day parade in 2024.

“You could hear a pin drop,” is how Rep. Lisa Hango, R-Berkshire, remembers the Vermont Legislature’s response to the “devotional” Jed Lipsky delivered at the session’s opening on Feb. 26. The 150-member House of Representatives starts every session with a prayer, message, or story, often offered by a local religious person such as a minister, priest, rabbi or, as in Lipsky’s case last February, a House member.

Said Hango, “It’s not unusual to hear members shuffling their papers or chatting quietly during these devotionals, but once Jed started telling his story, the House was quiet. It’s no exaggeration to say that in less than a minute, he had us spellbound.”

Lipsky, 77, a Stowe-based logger who had just started his second two-year term as a Vermont representative in Lamoille County, cast his spell by telling members how he had nearly lost his life to a bout of cholera in 1973 while crossing the Nubian desert in the eastern Sahara

“I was delirious and dying of dehydration. But Zem returned at least two times a day to replace those bottles of dextrose. After a week or more, my fever finally dropped from 107 degrees to 102. I’d lost over 20 percent of my body weight.”

Over the next few weeks, as he gained strength and began to recover, Lipsky and Zem would talk about their lives. One day, while talking about the troubles in the region, Zem blamed it on Jews, telling Lipsky, “The Jew is not a human. They are born out of the root of the devil.” Lipsky, a Jew, was shocked, but said nothing. That evening a violent sandstorm erupted and nearly blew down the hut where Lipsky was recovering. “I covered my face with a wretched sheet and somehow fell asleep after the glass bottles of dextrose fell off the bed and crashed to the floor. I awoke hours later to find Zem shoveling and sweeping the sand off me and replacing the bottles.”

on his way to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. “My fever spiked, and my body was convulsing. I was in the middle of nowhere. No doctors, no hospitals, nothing,” he explained. “I was close to death.”

As members of the House listened, Lipsky paused and added, “Then my guardian angel appeared. He was a Sudanese villager named Zem Ibrahim. He spoke some English, and said he believed I was dying and brought me to his village. There, he and some friends dragged me into a tiny adobe hut with palm fronds for a roof and made dozens of attempts to spike my arm with a needle to inject homemade dextrose to keep me alive.”

Lipsky continued: “That was the moment I decided I needed to tell him I was a Jew. It was a risk, but if I was going to die, I wanted to die with honor and speak truth to my guardian.”

At first Zem didn’t believe him. “No! You are an American,” he insisted.

However, the next day Zem and a handful of villagers began bringing small gifts to Lipsky’s bruised and battered hut. “I remember one villager giving me an old dry orange, the only solid food I’d had in 10 days,” Lipsky recalled. “Another brought me an old bottle of Pepsi Cola. Zem kept helping me to heal. He saved my life.”

Lipsky decided to tell this story to legislators to make a point that is especially relevant in these times of political polarization and global discord. As he ended his devotional, he explained: “When someone asks me the question, ‘Can you love your enemy?,’ it’s neither academic nor rhetorical. The only reason I am here today to share this with you is because Zem Ibrahim in 1973 loved his enemy. To this day this lived experience has shown me the absolute importance of building genuine relationships and appreciating each person for who they are.”

INDEPENDENT STREAK From left: Jed Lipsky and Gov. Phil Scott, both standing, visit the von Trapp brewery in Stowe as part of the governor’s Capital for a Day tour around the state. Lipsky, an Independent, stands in the House chamber with his son, Thomas, after being sworn in for his first term as a legislator in January 2023. Next page: Lipsky at the Vermont Statehouse in April.

Jed’s timing was perfect,” Hango said. “His story spoke to present-day troubled international situations, as well as to what we need to do in this building to help political parties work together. You know, after Jed’s devotional, I heard more than one legislator say we could learn something from his story about working together. He’s making a difference here.”

While Lipsky’s dramatic tale of survival, love, and acceptance apparently resonated throughout the Legislature, it also offered a keen insight into his background, character, and more. Much more. As longtime legislator Laura Sibilia explained, “Who knew? Who knew that Jed Lipsky had such an amazing background? I know him fairly well. Like me, he is an Independent, and I have come to admire him during his brief time in the House. But I had no idea he’d nearly lost his life on the way to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. But there are so many amazing stories that just pour out of him, and he is so unassuming.”

Sibilia paused and let out a shy laugh, adding, “He’s a working logger and I’ve seen him come to the House wearing his working boots with sawdust on his pants. He’s the real deal, a salt of the earth working man and a fast-learning legislator who cares about his community and his

Legislature. When I think about a definition of what a Great American is, I think of Jed Lipsky.”

“Jed tells it like it is,” added Stowe’s longtime car-repair maestro, frequent local board member, and official “character,” Willie Noyes. “How many ‘blankety-blank’—pardon my cussin’—politicians can you say that about,” said Noyes as he powered up a noisy air-driven drill to change a set of snow tires at his busy shop on Weeks Hill Road.

Noyes should know. It was Noyes, and a group of other Rimrock Mountain Tavern regulars, who convinced Lipsky to run for the Legislature in 2022. Said Lipsky, as I join him for coffee after he spent a day of logging with his son, Karl, “A bunch of us was having drinks and dinner that summer and none of us was exactly thrilled with the Democrat who had announced he was running to fill Rep. Heidi Scheuermann’s seat in the Legislature. He was a newcomer to town, and many didn’t feel he’d been here long enough—or done enough—to represent Stowe in the Legislature.”

As the group sat at its regular corner window table in the crowded tavern, someone asked Lipsky, “Well, Jed, why don’t you run against him?”

constituents. We need more legislators like Jed.”

“Unassuming,” like “authentic,” is a word one hears time and time again while digging into Lipsky’s career and character. Biddle Duke, the former owner and publisher of the Stowe Reporter and much-traveled journalist, remembered the first time he met Lipsky: “He is as real as you can get; you don’t get a hint of B.S. from Jed. He is one of the bestread people I’ve ever met. You can talk to Jed about anything, from politics to sports to world history to skiing to the best way to get your chainsaw fixed or your truck up and running.”

Duke added: “Jed has worked hard his whole life and makes the places he’s lived and the lives of the people he’s lived with better. He’s led a life of service from working on school boards to planning boards to the Stowe Land Trust to coaching to much more, and now the Vermont

“Me?” he asked as he put down his pint of hard cider. “I’m nearly 75 years old. I’m way too …” But before he could finish his sentence, Tom Ashworth piped up, “Well, Jed, I know when you’re on the ice, playing hockey, plenty of people say you’re as tough as nails. No way you are too old.”

It took him a few days, a slew of phone calls, and chats with his partner, Alice Wilson, to convince Lipsky that he should run for the office. He decided to register as an Independent because, as he said, “I thought it would be liberating because I didn’t want to be beholden to party bosses that could scold me or force me to vote with them. I knew that if I won, I would place my constituents first and always vote my conscience. I suppose that independent streak has always been part of my DNA.”

CONSTITUENT SERVICES From left: Jed Lipsky chats up his seatmates at Stowe Town Meeting in March 2024. At the annual free Veterans Day breakfast put on by students at Stowe High School to honor local U.S. Armed Services members. Lawmakers clap during a House session in April.

After a lively campaign, which included a “colorful” debate between Lipsky and his Democratic rival, Scott Weathers, the veteran logger won the race to represent Stowe in the Vermont House by a vote of 1,386 to 881. (In 2024, he ran unopposed for his second term.)

Today, as he remembered his first race, he admitted he was both “terrified and humbled. Putting yourself out there, letting people say whatever they want about you, is a very scary experience,” he said. “I’d served on a lot of boards and commissions during the last half century but running for statewide office was a whole new ballgame. After all, I was the least educated candidate in the race—I never finished college—and, well, let’s just say, I’m not that impressed with myself.”

After taking another sip of strong Green Mountain coffee, Lipsky put down his cup and made a confession. “There’s another thing. I have a reading disability. Always have. When I was a child in school in the Berkshires my teachers called me “lazy.” But I wasn’t. I loved school and wanted to excel. It turns out I had dyslexia. They just didn’t have a word, or a treatment, for it back then.”

Jknow him well that you begin to realize: Here’s a logger who is as comfortable quoting Sophocles or the latest New York Times nonfiction bestseller as he is talking about politics and chainsaws.”

After a lifetime of logging, it makes sense that Lipsky would know everything there is to know about chainsaws. But how does he explain the frequent praise from friends who extol how well read he is.

“Books on tape and audiobooks,” Lipsky answered with a broad smile. “They both changed my life. And now, podcasts. Thank God!”

After logging and living in both Massachusetts and Vermont, Lipsky moved to Stowe in 1999 where he built a home and established his own logging company, Blue Hill Logging, which he now operates with his son, Karl. (Another son, Lincoln, is an NCO with the U.S. Army’s Special Forces, abroad and his third son, Thomas, is a chef.)

As we talk, Lipsky pointed to his rugged Hoffman steel-toed logging boots and the layers of well-worn Johnson Woolen Mills shirts and vests he is wearing. “Obviously, I’ve been logging this morning, and it’s something I have always loved doing. I’m honored to have been able to

“Looking back, I suppose my reading issues made me work harder and become a stronger person. I remember watching my older brother Seth (now a well-known editor and author) excel at school and sail through Harvard when I bumped along, graduating near the bottom of my high school class and never finishing college,” he said.

He blinks back a tear as he remembered. “It was tough. I wanted to make my parents proud of me. Those were tough times.”

That drive, what he described as his “inner will” to excel, helped Lipsky succeed at almost everything he tried. He learned to ski when his father took him and his brother to Stowe throughout the 1950s and 1960s and he eventually became a nationally ranked Class A ski racer. He went to Ithaca College where he was the school’s star gymnast. He raced motorcycles. He learned to play polo and got so good he was eventually invited to prestige matches throughout the U.S., and he even played in the all-Ireland polo championships in Dublin. He learned to ice skate at 41 and has played hockey ever since. Not bad for someone who still describes himself as “insecure” and “a peasant.”

“Jed is far from being a peasant,” longtime friend and former college president Jack Kytle said. “He’s one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met and is as smart as a whip. But he is clever enough, and humble enough, not to lord that intellect over anyone. It’s not until you get to

make a living all these years from this ancient profession. I’ve often said it is the best job in the world, and I mean it. Every day in the woods you confront a challenge that needs solving. And, if you make a mistake, it can cost you money—or even your life. It keeps you vital.”

After surviving nearly being done in by a massive tree limb from an American elm he’d sawed off as a 14-year-old, Lipsky has been extra careful in the woods. Twelve years ago, while transporting a load of logs he’d cut on the late Alan Thorndike’s property in Stowe, Lipsky ran into trouble when one of the logs on his skidder became wedged against a standing tree.

“I jumped out of the cab, saw the tree tangled in the wheels and decided to do a relief cut. Big mistake. I made the cut, the log popped, snapped and shattered, then pinned me to the ground after breaking both my ankles. As I always do, I had my cellphone in my vest pocket. I called Thomas and couldn’t reach him but left the message, “I’ve had an accident. I need your help. I’m going into shock and if I am unconscious when you get here, be sure to cut the log from underneath or it could kill me,” Lipsky recounted.

A short time later his son arrived, sawed him out of the death grip and rushed Lipsky to the hospital. Seven months and 20 fractures later, he was back at work. “Still,” said Lipsky with a sly grin, “I’d rather be in the woods logging than doing anything else.”

Lipsky claims that working as both a legislator and a full-time logger “keeps me young.” However, he admitted, while he is honored to be serving his constituents, the long hours—the House is in session from January to late May/early June—mean he no longer has time for a couple of his favorite pastimes. “I used to ski bum race every Tuesday on Mt. Mansfield and play hockey with the senior league in Stowe. Had to drop that.” And Lipsky, like all House members, is not in the job for the money—around $15,000 for the year. “I figure that comes to about $4 an hour,” he joked.

Throw in helping residents with problems that may arise, a catchall responsibility called constituent services, and Lipsky has hardly any free time. He remembers the day, not long ago, when he had to rush from a session in the Legislature to a woodlot staging area on Randolph Road where he had to “buck” timber he’d harvested into 8-foot log lengths for sale to a customer. “After we finished, I unzipped my logging jacket and my buddy turned to me and said, “Good God, Jed! Look at you, you’re still wearing your coat and tie from Montpelier.”

As the only working logger in the Legislature, Lipsky is thrilled that he has been able to become a voice for one of Vermont’s increasingly endangered industries. He was appointed to the House Committee on Forestry, Food Resiliency, and Agriculture, where he often speaks up for loggers and their role in preserving the state’s forests.

“When I started logging, there were more than 535 sawmills in Vermont,” he said. “Now we have less than 20. We can’t afford to let this industry disappear. There are a myriad of environmental, climate issues, and more that we have to deal with. Loggers, like foresters, have had to become stewards of the forest to help preserve our vital resources and this industry. We must tell our story about our important role in doing just that.”

“Jed is a great advocate for Vermont’s forests,” Mike Snyder, former commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation, said. “He’s an educator. Sometimes, legislators, many of

whom have limited knowledge of the issues our forests are facing, cannot see the forest for the trees. Some, for example, want to ban or severely limit logging. Jed is well-placed to offer them an experienced, objective look at the importance of responsible forestry management and stewardship. He’s the right person in the right place at the right time.”

Rep. Sibilia agreed. “Jed is adding the valuable, experienced voice of loggers to legislative debates,” she explained. “It’s easy, in this building, to lose connections with the outside world and Jed helps us keep a foot in reality. I have watched him speak truth to power as he stands up for the logging and forestry industries as well as other topics. He always puts his constituents first.”

When I recounted Sibilia’s comment, Lipsky seemed taken aback. After reflecting for a moment, he said, “Truth to power. That’s humbling. I can’t ask for much more than that, can I?”

After we finished another cup of coffee, I asked Lipsky a question that’s been on my mind for a while. “You almost died on your way to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Did you ever make it to the famous mountain?”

Lipsky smiled as he stood and adjusted his woolen ski cap, “After nearly dying in Sudan, it took me more than two months to recover in a run-down hostel in Nairobi. But I eventually made my way to Tanzania. I was still a wreck. I finally made the 36-mile ascent of Kilimanjaro. It took me more than six days of exhausting hiking to reach the summit. Once there, at 19,000 feet, I could hardly breathe. But I made it.”

“I should have died.” He paused for a beat. “But I made it.” n

Alan Thorndike

it’s a wonderful life!

OPENING SPREAD

The Thorndike family spent Christmas Eve 2021 at the historic Stone Hut on Mt. Mansfield. From left, Ellen, Ted, Alan, Porter, and Amy Thorndike, with grandchildren Porter Jr. and Cammy in front. Alan does the Polar Plunge for the Morrisville Rotary at Lake Elmore. This page, from left: Ted, Alan, and Porter Thorndike, March 2019, on a summit to The Chin on Mansfield. Ellen shows photographer Gordon Miller some of Alan’s homemade plaques that he would often install at a treasured wild place. Their garage is filled with them. Alan tacks one to a tree on a hiking trail on his and Ellen’s property in Stowe Hollow. He referred to this particular area as “The Inner Dome of Heaven.”

Alan Thorndike’s heart gave its last beat at his kitchen table last November, the Monday before Thanksgiving. The much loved, admired, and ebullient community pillar’s quiet end from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 78 was a heartbreaking surprise to friends and neighbors.

It is hard to believe. How could Alan be gone? A man in perpetual motion, looming so large and timeless. Perhaps the last time we remember Big Al, as he was known to many, was scoring a goal at the Hyde Cup, or speaking at town meeting, or riding his bike down—no, up—Taber Hill Road, or perhaps it was the backcountry ski day together on Sterling Ridge a few years ago.

“This is heaven,” he said. He could have been talking about the peanut butter and jelly sandwich or the view of Mt. Mansfield or the feeling you get after climbing for a few hours quietly with friends. But he was probably just talking about life in Stowe.

Alan was a sort of George Bailey of Stowe, the endearing character from the film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” played by Jimmy Stewart. Bailey’s love for his hometown and its citizens is the simple and wonderful moral of the story. Being around Al you would get the feeling that, yes, life in Stowe is wonderful. He was just about the most exuberant, Stowe-loving light imaginable.

Alan’s law offices were in the Carlson building just off the corner of Mountain Road and Main Street, Stowe’s main intersection, which seems fitting seeing as he was at the center of almost everything in town, from legal work (and so many of the doings in town and community chatter) to civic affairs, to fun and games, to arduous athletic competitions.

“Hallelujah! Jump on the Joy wagon!”

Here’s the list. It’s long. In his earliest days he worked as a Mt. Mansfield ski patroller. As one of the founders of the Stowe Education Fund with Donna Carpenter, he helped lead the effort to save Stowe’s schools under assault from Act 60 in the late 1990s and early 2000s. With his friend Don Post, he helped lead the initial fund drive and the push to build the Jackson Ice Arena, now renamed the Stowe Arena. He chaired the Stowe Land Trust, preserving thousands of acres of farmland and woodland, including, during his leadership tenure, Cady Hill Forest, which has become the epicenter of Stowe mountain biking.

Alan served as president of Stowe Rotary. Also, with Don Post (aka “Postie”), the duo recognized that Stowe had no soccer feeder program, so they created Stowe Youth Soccer, which is now a huge town sports institution.

Alan served on a bank board and on fundraising committees for countless arts and music events and community services.

There wasn’t a race or competition in town where his name is not found in the results, from the Stowe Triathlon to the Wintermeister and from the Stowe Derby—he competed in 37 of them—to the Hyde Cup, Race to the Top, and more. Alan played in every Stowe Tennis Club tournament. He played water polo at the Swimming Hole. He was a newcomer to hockey when he moved here four decades ago, but he soon began playing fully padded adult-league hockey two, sometimes three times a week and that would continue for decades. He scored a game-winning goal in the Hyde Cup earlier last year at 77.

Alan was a man of action. Not a minute to waste. There’s work to do. He made lists for everything and everyone—chores for family, topics to discuss at dinner, games to be played with the grandchildren.

Every once in a while, when I was at the helm at the Stowe Reporter, he would send me an email list of suggestions for opinion pieces for the newspaper. The subject line would always be an eye catcher: “Save Our Schools!” or “Not a Minute to Waste!”

Beneath Alan’s sense of civic obligation and the feeling of busy-ness that hung about him was gratitude and joy—and wanting to share it all with everyone.

When he took the helm at the Stowe Land Trust he announced his rules for meetings: “We will start on time, we will end on time, or

GORDON MILLER

preferably earlier. Keep diversion or digression to a minimum, stay on target. We have important work to do.”

In the locker room before hockey at 7 a.m., with players coming and going in various stages of undress, Alan would direct his questions with the intensity of a courtroom lawyer.

“Who are you voting for in the selectboard election? Who is competing in the Wintermeister this weekend? Who heats with wood here? Has anyone skied the Chin yet this season? I hope everyone here is coming to the varsity hockey game tonight. Not to be missed!”

Alan would arrive at dinner parties with lists of practical and political topics to discuss in his pockets and was always more interested in listening and in throwing more wood on the fire with more questions than he was in holding forth himself.

“What are you most looking forward to next year?” his friend Kent Mitchell remembers Alan reading from his notes one dinner. And at another: “What is the greatest threat to humanity?”

Alan grew up on the Connecticut shore, the son of Virginia and Joe Thorndike, a noted Life magazine editor. His family spent several vacations in Stowe, at the Stowehof, before his parents bought a house on Pike Street in 1960. The house and Stowe served as a nearby escape throughout his college years at Dartmouth.

Alan and his wife, Ellen, married shortly after college. They moved to Stowe full-time in 1980. Married 50 years, they raised two boys, Ted and Porter. Both live in town. Porter, the oldest, and his wife, Amy, have two children of their own, Cameron and Porter Jr.

Alan was the organizer and commander with his boys and their friends on all manner of adventures and sporting escapades, from summit hikes and backcountry ski descents to backyard shinny and badminton blowouts. As a grandfather it continued. Nothing gave Alan more pleasure than to make the house at the top of Taber Hill about hockey and sledding and Slip and Slide, and tether ball, and soccer shootouts, and mini hockey in the basement.

Service and play were Alan’s love languages. Whether it was the cheerful absurdity of his snow volleyball at Stowe Winter Carnival or the seriousness of delivering food to the hungry, Alan led with both delight and absolute certainty. All this delivered with an unpatronizing measure of Father-Knows-Best.

Chess Brownell, who would follow Alan to steward the Stowe Land Trust as its chair, credits Alan “for seeing something in me that I hadn’t yet recognized in myself, and for showing me such a wonderful way to see the world and celebrate its natural beauty.”

What Alan really leaves us with, said Nancy Jeffries-Dwyer, a friend

‘SEEN, SUPPORTED, VALUED’ Previous page, from top left: One of Alan Thorndike’s handcrafted signs on the barn at the family home on Taber Hill and another directing family and friends to a multitude of outdoor activities. Alan at the Greensboro Touring Center in 2017 for the last cross country ski of the season. Cammy, Porter, Alan, and Ted Thorndike with Andrew Ruschp in February 2024 after finishing the Stowe Derby. The race ended at the Mansfield Touring Center due to poor snow conditions. John Merrill shakes Alan’s hand, congratulating him on becoming president of Stowe Rotary. From left, Charlie Burnham, John, Alan, Fran Parda, and Bob Marshall. Below: “Al had this endearing quality of loving all these different areas of the Stowe backcountry and he would give them his own names. He called the Rimrock trail off Nose Dive Birdsong,” muses his son, Porter, “presumably because he heard birds singing on a spring day or maybe because of how it made him feel.” Ellen shows our photographer around the couple’s garage, populated by an array of Alan’s homemade plaques. Ellen holds a snapshot of Alan skiing the Stowe Derby—he skied in 37 of them. On the contents page: Ted and Alan at the overlook next to Taylor Lodge in Underhill in October 2012 at the end of an annual memorial hike on the Long Trail in honor of Peter Ruschp that started at the Toll Road and ended at the Trout Club

and former director of the Stowe Education Fund, is “the way he made us feel: seen, supported and valued.”

When a few years ago Alan began to reduce his working hours as a lawyer and as time opened for him, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels.

“Al took delivering meals to a whole new level,” recalled Kent Mitchell, who delivered food alongside Alan. “He got everyone a birdfeeder with weekly fill ups. He took pictures for people and took them back the following week in frames. He planted vegetables. He spent time with them, no judgment. Everyone got the positive treatment.”

Alan would have relished this past Vermont winter. The snowiest and coldest in years. Decades ago, he pulled together a group of like-minded adventurers and athletes, calling it the Epic Adventures Club. The emails from Alan would arrive on Fridays outlining the weekend’s outing. Occasionally he would bring along a small homemade plaque to install at a treasured wild place.

“The Inner Dome of Heaven” reads one posted in a glen in the Worcester Range.

Alan and Ellen’s garage is filled with them still, ready for another outing: “Awe is all around”; “Hallelujah! Jump on the joy”; “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best is now”.

I never thought of them as epitaphs, until now.

In January, Ted and Porter and friends skinned up to the Sky Top ridge to pay tribute to their dad. Years ago, on one of our Epic outings, Alan installed a small sign on an ancient birch that has become a backcountry gathering place and marks the start of a classic ski descent: “KISS THE SKY EMBRACE THE EARTH” it reads.

It snowed the other night, and in the morning, I went out into the meadows by my house on cross-country skis. Three or four cold, sparkling inches, the trees hanging heavy with it, the dog bounding behind me.

“Nothing better!” came a mirthful voice from my imagination. And there he was. Alan. n

‘IN THE AIR’ Dawn breaks at the ABCD Deer Camp in Duxbury on the opening day of rifle season in 2018.

STICK SEASON STORIES

DEER CAMP

Anew-to-Vermont friend once gained insight into our culture from local radio. “I think I get it,” he would tell me, after listening to “Trading Post” and the iconic “Music to Go to the Dump By” on WDEV. Perhaps it was the informality, the low-key irreverence or the casual but purposeful familiarity that could only come from a small-town state and one of its oldest radio stations.

The Friendly Pioneer—one of WDEV’s nicknames—was good at that, providing a soundtrack to my young life as I grew up. Memories of the Old Squier’s poetry and the mooing that started every “buy, sell, trade, or swap” program are still with me. Even now, it’s likely that rural youngsters—and quite a few dairy cows at milking time—hear those same voices.

Another of the independent station’s gems was a special broadcast early on the opening day of rifle season. In 2018, long-time announcer Dana Jewell resurrected the tradition after a decade’s absence, corresponding to his own stint away from the station. His was the voice of deer camp for many Vermonters, broadcasting across the state from the ABCD Deer Camp in Duxbury. The program included live reports and entertainment from the field and record-spinning from the station’s main studio on Waterbury. Hearing classic recordings such as “The Second Week of Deer Camp” was a sure thing.

It’s a kick to photograph offbeat events for my stick season project, even if it interferes with my sleep. Along with every other opening day participant, I got up at dark-thirty and started my journey to daybreak that year.

My Outback had never been up that Washington County dirt road before. If I lost

my well-marked road atlas, I’d likely never find it. Hunters must have been praying, for there had been significant snow over the past week, including a few fresh inches for opening day. The white stuff would make for great animal tracking, but it made drivin’ to camp a bit sloppy.

A small, alphabet-soup name sign on the small building told me I’d found the right place. The lights were on. It was time to enter and add this slice of life to the photo archives.

Though pitch-black and wintry outside camp, it was bright and toasty warm inside. The smell of traditional breakfast offerings wafted from an electric range. A wall-mounted political sign from the 2006 election cycle reminded us that Gov. Jim Douglas was welcome there. In fact, Douglas had been an opening-day radio guest in the past and current Gov. Phil Scott would stop in a year after my visit.

I recognized Jewell’s radio voice as we met. Lightweight headphones rested around his neck and his field microphone waited on the multi-purpose kitchen table. The experienced broadcaster’s return to WDEV had been welcomed by listeners, but the revival of the opening day broadcast would be a gift.

His musical guest for the morning was none other than the multi-talented George Woodard—the only farmer within earshot who carried a Screen Actors Guild card. He and I had been acquainted for years. I’d photographed him on stage, while recording music with his close friend Rusty DeWees, and at his Waterbury Center farm. That morning at camp, he carried an old guitar and a joke book—tools of his trade at the ABCD Deer Camp.

A handful of camp owners and regulars enjoyed the antics of Jewell and Woodard in person before venturing into the woods at daybreak, coffee in hand to wash away the fuzziness of an early morning.

As light began to dawn in Central Vermont, I knew that my “establishing shot” of the event would be a blue-light-dominated outdoor scene: pickup trucks on the snowy road, camp behind with windows glowing yellow orange. That natural cool light period at both dawn and dusk—known to photographers as the blue hour—would last only about 10 minutes. I knew that the timing had to be right, but I also reckoned that Jewell intended to interview me. So, it seemed reasonable that an outdoor photo task would keep me out of the spotlight. I would be wrong.

I liked the low-light, tripod-mounted photos

that I was getting and felt no need to hurry. But when I could come up with no more excuses I had to go back inside. Jewell was still at it. Had he prolonged his show so we could converse? During our brief talk, he likely asked about stick season and my photography, but it was a blur. The one thing I do remember was playing word games—how the ABCD Deer Camp was more active at that early hour than an allegorical CBD Deer Camp.

My best outside photo from the morning shows a typical Vermont deer camp in 2018. It reveals not only the camp but transportation. It also shows a lot of snow there in the blue light of dawn. My stick season project walks a fine line in late autumn, one that runs between fall foliage and the first lasting snow of winter. But let’s face it, we do get snow during stick season.

Seasonal definitions notwithstanding, we can’t really know whether

any given accumulation will stick around. So, we’re not talking about calendar or meteorological seasons, but practical, commonsense ones. As a result, snow sometimes gets in my way—and in my photos—before stick season abruptly ends in a blanket of white.

Snow was just what the hunters needed, and it was what I got on my journey to deer camp in Duxbury. Stick season was all around us. And on that day, stick season was also on the air. n

Editor’s note: For the last two years, local photographer Paul Rogers, who grew up in Stowe, has taken our readers through a journey of Stick Season in a series of essays (bit.ly/3DU1jgR) detailing his travels throughout the area looking for images to photograph for his ongoing exploration of Vermont’s fifth “season.”

Lamoille County Field Days

oxen pull

SHOP • ARTS • EXPLORE

EXHIBITS & GALLERIES

ARTISAN GALLERY

20 Bridge St., Waitsfield. Daily 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. (802) 496-6256, vtartisansgallery.com.

Showcase of 150-plus Vermont artists.

BRYAN MEMORIAL GALLERY

180 Main St., Jeffersonville. Wednesday – Sunday, 11 - 5, (802) 644-5100. bryangallery.org.

Through July 6

Daybreak & Dusk: Pursuing the Radiance and Art in Bloom

Through December 28

New Horizons: The 2025 Signature Collection

July 9 – August 24

Lost & Found: New England’s Landscape and Eastern Edges

August 27 – October 26

2025 Land & Light & Water & Air and Visions in Blue

October 29 – December 28

Gems 2025 and Collective Visions: Small Members Group Show

THE BRYAN—STOWE

Main Street. Wednesday - Sunday, 11 - 5. (802) 760-6474. bryangallery.org.

Works with alternative views, techniques, and

applications are combined with an array of traditional landscape works.

THE CURRENT

90 Pond St., Stowe Village. Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free, donations welcome. thecurrentnow.org. (802) 253-8358.

See The Current, p.116.

FRONT FOUR GALLERY

Baggy Knees Shopping Center, 394 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-7282. frontfourgallery.com. Original paintings, sculpture, photography from dozens of noted artists.

September 10 – October 15

“Inner Landscapes: Discovering the Lifework of Peter Heller.” Reception, September 13, 5 - 8 p.m.

HELLBROOK FINE ART GALLERY

82 Lower Main St., Morrisville. hellbrookink.com. Variety of fine art artists. Monthly exhibits.

LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO

593 Moscow Rd., Moscow. littleriverhotglass.com. (802) 253-0889.

Nationally recognized art glass studio, features Stowe artist Michael Trimpol’s studio.

LUKE IANNUZZI POTTERY

5711 E. Warren Road, Warren. lukeiannuzzipottery.com.

Functional and decorative pots handmade in Vermont.

MOOSEWALK STUDIOS & GALLERY

200 Orion Road, Warren. moosewalkstudios.com

Works by artist Gary Eckhart, fine art photography by Roarke Sharlo, and guest artists.

NORTHWOOD GALLERY

151 Main Street, Stowe. (802) 760-6513. northwoodgallery.com.

Work by Vermont artisans: jewelry, fiber, wood, pottery, glass, sculpture, illustration, soaps, paintings, photography, more. n

Artist Will Kasso Condry gives a talk at The Current. Condry was the inaugural winner of the Vermont Prize, a collaboration between Burlington City Arts, The Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, The Current, and Hall Art Foundation. Read more about The Current on p.116. Inset: Work by Luke Iannuzzi.

PAUL ROGERS

Courtesy of Paul Rogers Photography

GOINGS ON

JULY 4

STOWE FOURTH

n ONGOING

THROUGH OCTOBER 19

Stowe Farmers Market

Enjoy breakfast, lunch, live music on the field. Take home local produce, meat, cheese, herbal products, crafts, and jewelry. Sundays, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Topnotch field, 3420 Mountain Road. stowefarmersmarket.com.

JUNE – OCTOBER

Club Racing at Stowe Yacht Club

Watch yacht sailors in action. Monday and Wednesday afternoons, 4 - 5:30 p.m., weather permitting. Commodores Inn, Route 100 South, Stowe. stoweyachtclub.com.

JULY 11 – AUGUST 22

Art on Park

Featuring delicious food from local food vendors, agriculturally based products, and a broad selection of art from Vermont fine artists and artisans. Musicians entertain. Fridays, 5 - 8 p.m. Village green, Stowe village.

SELECT FRIDAYS

Weekends on the Green

Artisan market, music, food, lawn games, more. On the village green, Spruce Peak at Stowe. Fridays, 4-7 p.m. sprucepeak.com.

n JUNE

JUNE 5 – 8

Green Mountain Yacht Racing

Watch J Class and EC12 yacht sailors in action. Commodores Inn, Route 100 South, Stowe. stoweyachtclub.com.

JUNE 20 – 25

Joe Kirkwood Memorial Golf Tournament

Amateur event honoring Joe Kirkwood, worldfamous trick-shot artist who lived in Stowe. Stowe Country Club, Cape Cod Road. kirkwoodgolftournament.com.

JUNE 21

Rattling Brook Bluegrass Festival

Regional bluegrass bands in all-day festival. 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Admission. Belvidere Center stage, Route 109.

JUNE 21

Catamount Ultra Marathon

25k & 50k courses through pastures and forest. Trapp Family Lodge trails, Stowe. 7 and 8:30 a.m. starts. catamountultra.com.

JUNE 27 – 29

Stowe Hot Air Balloon Festival

A weekend filled with hot air balloons, vendor village, live music, family entertainment, and food and beverages. At the von Trapp Outdoor Center field. One-day admission or three-day passes. stoweballoon.com.

n JULY

JULY 4 – 21

Stowe Free Library 40th Anniversary Book Sale Community book sale on the porch. New stock daily. Daily dawn to dusk. Stowe Village.

Stowe fireworks.

GOINGS ON

JULY 18 – 20

FIELD DAYS

JULY 4

Moscow Parade

World-famous shortest 4th of July parade. Starts promptly at 10 a.m. in Moscow Village.

JULY 4

World’s Shortest Marathon

11 a.m. at the entrance of the Stowe Recreation Path in the village.

JULY 4

Stowe Fourth of July Parade & Fireworks

Great eats from an array of food vendors, entertainment for the whole family, and live musical performances from 11 a.m. - noon and 1 - 2 p.m. on the village green. Watch floats parade down Main Street at noon. At 6 p.m. head to the Mayo Farm events field, Weeks Hill Road, for more festivities. Fireworks at dusk. stowevibrancy.com.

JULY 5

Spruce Peak Independence Day Day filled with live music, entertainment, games, kids’ activities, food, and fireworks, noon-10:30 p.m. On the green at Spruce Peak village. sprucepeak.com.

JULY 6

Music in the Meadow—Vermont Symphony Orchestra Summer Tour

7:30 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 for picnicking. Trapp Family Lodge concert meadow, Trapp Hill Road, Stowe. stoweperformingarts.com.

JULY 12

Craftsbury Antiques & Uniques

Festival with antiques, vintage items, crafts, food, and music. Held on Craftsbury Common in July for over 50 years. More than 100 vendors. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. craftsburyantiquesanduniques.com.

JULY 12

Gardens of Stowe

Self-guided tour of some of Stowe’s most interesting gardens and landscapes. More at stowevibrancy.com. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Rain or shine.

JULY 18 – 20

Lamoille County Field Days

Agricultural fair. Horse, pony, and ox pulling, draft horse show, gymkhana, midway, much more. 9 a.m. Route 100C, Johnson. lamoillefielddays.com.

JULY 18 – 20

Stowe Jazz Festival

Musical acts play at eight venues around Stowe. Afro-Cuban, Gypsy, and Brazilian jazz, big band, smooth, soul, swing, more. Stowe Events Field, Weeks Hill Road. stowejazzfestival.org.

n AUGUST

AUGUST 14 – 16

A Taste of New England Region’s best chefs come together for food, spirits, and wine celebration. Spruce Peak at Stowe, sprucepeak.com.

AUGUST 24

Race to the Top of Vermont

A 4.3-mile hill climb up Mount Mansfield Toll Road in Stowe—2,564 vertical feet. BBQ, music, prizes. rtttovt.com.

Vermont Symphony Orchestra.

GOINGS ON

n FALL EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 19

British Invasion Block Party

British invade Main Street, Stowe. From 69:30 p.m. dance to Joey Leone’s Chop Shop and mingle among beautiful British cars. Food court and beer garden. $5. stowevibrancy.com.

SEPTEMBER 19 – 21

British Invasion Car Show

British classic sports car and motorcycle event. Cultural activities, crafts, auto jumble, car corral. Stowe Events Field, Weeks Hill Road, Stowe. britishinvasion.com.

SEPTEMBER 20

Trapp Family Lodge Oktoberfest

All things Austrian, all things von Trapp! Trapp Family Lodge Bierhall, Trapp Hill Road, Stowe. Ticketed event. trappfamily.com.

SEPTEMBER 21

Trapp Cabin Trail Races

5k, 10k and half marathon to Trapp cabin. Party, prizes, bib raffle, food. Races start at 9 a.m. greenmtnadaptive.org.

SEPTEMBER 27

RocktoberFest

All-day street festival featuring live music, food, games, puppet shows, crafts, vendors,

SEPTEMBER 19 – 21

BRITISH INVASION

chair auction, more. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Portland Street, downtown Morrisville. Most events are free. morristownvt.org.

SEPTEMBER 28

Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival

Send the pumpkins flying. Music, kids’ activities, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. $10, free under 4. Stowe Events Field, Weeks Hill Road, Stowe. vtpumpkinchuckin.blogspot.com.

OCTOBER 4

Copley’s Moxie Gravel Grinder 10-, 25- and 50-mile courses or shorter ebike routes. Lost Nation Brewing, Morrisville. Registration at bikereg.com.

OCTOBER 18

Trapp Mountain Marathon 13.1-mile loop up Round Top Mountain. trappfamily.com.

OCTOBER 19

Heady Trotter

Four-miler, food and music festival, 10 a.m.2 p.m. Alchemist, Cottage Club Road, Stowe.

NOVEMBER 2

Vermont 10-miler

Benefits Stowe Land Trust. 9 a.m. Mayo Farm Events Field. vermont10miler.com.

DECEMBER 5 – 7

A Traditional Christmas in Stowe

Various venues throughout Stowe Village. stowevibrancy.org. n

Pumpkin Chuckin’.

MUSIC & THEATER

A SIZZLING SUMMER SEASON

Stowe Performing Arts presents Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s “Summer Love” on Sunday, July 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Enjoy an enchanting evening under the stars as the Vermont Symphony Orchestra performs at von Trapp Family Lodge’s scenic concert meadow as part of its summer festival tour, a romantic musical journey spanning classical masterpieces, passionate opera selections, film scores, and American classics.

The program features fan-favorite works that celebrate love in its many forms—from Tchaikovsky and Nina Simone to Leonard Bernstein and John Williams and more—with selections that capture the passion, drama, and tenderness of the heart.

MUSIC IN THE MEADOW

Trapp Family Lodge Concert Meadow, Trapp Hill Road. Bring a picnic and low chairs—or blanket.

Adults 18 and over: $35. Meadow opens at 5:30 p.m. for picnicking. Tickets at flynnvt.org.

July 6

Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s “Summer Love” Part of the Summer Festival Tour with vocals by Nikola Printz. Andrew Crust conducts. 7:30 p.m.

SPRUCE PEAK UNPLUGGED

Summer concert series on the village green, Spruce Peak at Stowe Mountain Resort. sprucepeakarts.org.

June 5

The Brook and the Bluff Songs and sublime musicianship from this Nashville-based band, 7 p.m.

July 13

The Wallflowers

American rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan offering rock and alternative music. 6 p.m.

July 24

Ripe

American folk duo Zach Chance and Jonathan Clay merge Southern country, Americana, and Western rock. 6 p.m.

August 3

Phantom Planet

Melodic, energetic alternative rock. 6 p.m.

MUSIC MAN From top: Vermont Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor, Andrew Crust. Concert meadow at von Trapp Family Lodge.

MUSIC & THEATER

CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, 3 p.m. sprucepeakarts.org.

June 22

Featuring works by Dvorák, Mozart, and Weber. With Aaron Boyd (violin), Danbi Um (violin), Paul Neubauer (viola), Mihai Marica (cello), and Romie de Guise-Langlois (clarinet).

CHAMBER MUSIC STOWE

Mozart Room, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe. 6 p.m. chambermusicstowe.com.

July 19

Midsummer Night’s Music

Arensky’s Piano Trio pairs wonderfully with Mendelssohn’s passionate and fiery Piano Trio in C minor.

October 12

Fall Concert

Sounds of Haydn and Smetana featuring the internationally acclaimed Aeolus Quartet and pianist Peter Dugan.

CHAD HOLLISTER ACOUSTIC QUINTET

June 22

In the famous concert meadow, the quintet returns for its third concert. Bring a picnic, chairs or blanket, and your own beverages. 6 p.m. Trapp Hill Road, Stowe. chadmusic.com. Rain date is June 23.

STOWE ART ON PARK

July 11 – August 22

Fridays through July and August on Park Street in Stowe village. The market features food from local vendors, agriculturally based products, and a broad selection of art from fine artists and artisans. Music. 5 - 8 p.m. stowevibrancy.com.

STOWE JAZZ FESTIVAL

Musical acts play at various venues around Stowe and on the festival main stage at the Stowe Events Field, Weeks Hill Road. Free. stowejazzfestival.com.

July 18 – 20

Afro-Cuban, Gypsy, and Brazilian jazz, big band, smooth, soul, swing.

BREAD & PUPPET THEATER

Route 122, Glover. Tickets at breadandpuppet.org.

June 1

Museum opens with an afternoon of music and puppet shows, 2 p.m.

June 6 – August 29

Friday Night shows

In the Papier Maché Cathedral, 7 p.m. No show July 4.

June 20

Summer Solstice Ritual

Following ancient tradition, dancers imitate the movements of celestial bodies and sing songs venerating the sun. 7 p.m.

July 13 – August 31

Summer Circus

Raucous spectacle composed of short acts ranging in mood from slapstick to the sublime, all powered by a riotous brass band. Sideshows start at 2 p.m., followed by the Circus, Sundays, 3 p.m.

September 6 – 28

Fall tour

Circus kicks off fall tour of “Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution in Progress.” Sundays, 3 p.m.

October 5

Political Leaf Peeping

Last event of the season with music and puppet shows, 2 p.m.

CLOCKWISE:

GORDON MILLER; GLENN CALLAHAN, COURTESY

From left: Stowe Jazz Festival, Bread & Puppet museum, and Phantom Planet.

CRAFTSBURY CHAMBER PLAYERS

World-class musicians with music director Frances Rowell. ccpvt.org or (802) 586-0616. Wednesdays, Ellen-Long Music Center, Colchester. Thursdays, Hardwick Town House. $25. 7:30 p.m.

July 10 & 11

Mozart, Loeffler, and Schumann

July 17 & 18

Mozart, Martinu, and Rachmaninoff

July 24 & 25

Wiancko, Beethoven, Vieuxtemps, and Andrée

July 31 & August 1

Gershwin, Ravel, Schulhoff, and Milhaud

August 7 & 8

Schubert and Mendelssohn

August 14 & 15

Alwyn, Poulenc, and Brahms

FRANK SUCHOMEL ARTS CENTER / MUSIC

At QuarryWorks in Adamant. Free. Directions and reservations at fsmac-quarryworks.org. 6 p.m.

June 14 Champlain Trio. Violin, cello, piano. 6 p.m.

June 28 Paul Orgel, piano.

July 19 Michael Arnowitt, piano.

August 9 Adam Tendler, Grammy-nominated pianist

August 30 Turn Music, ensemble.

LAMOILLE COUNTY PLAYERS

Hyde Park Opera House, 85 Main Street. $10 to $20. 7 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. (802) 888-4507. llcplayers.com.

July 24 – 27 & July 31 – August 3

Meet Me in St. Louis

October 3 – 5 & October 10 – 12

John Buchan’s The 39 Steps

December 5 – 7 & December 12 – 14

Scrooge’s Christmas

FRANK SUCHOMEL ARTS CENTER / THEATER

At QuarryWorks in Adamant. Free. Directions and reservations at fsmac-quarryworks.org.

July 10 – 13 & July 17 – 20

White Christmas: The Musical

Thursday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees, 2 p.m.

July 27 – 28

Lizzie Borden

Thursday – Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday matinees, 2 p.m.

Raffaello Rossi | Lilla P | Margaret O’leary

Adam Tendler.

September 20 – 21 & 27 – 28

The Fae of the Forgotten Forest Saturdays 2 and 6 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

RATTLING BROOK BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL

11 a.m. - 8 p.m. Admission. Belvidere Center stage, Route 109.

June 21 Regional bluegrass lineup

ROCKTOBERFEST

Portland Street, downtown Morrisville. Most events are free. morristownvt.org.

September 27

All-day street festival featuring live music, food, games, puppet shows, crafts, vendors, chair auction, more. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

RUSTY PARKER PARK CONCERTS

Waterbury Rotary concerts, Rusty Parker Park, Main Street, Waterbury. Free, Thursdays 6 - 8:30 p.m.

June 12 Jacob Green Band, soulful tunes seasoned in swamp roots

June 19 Hardscrabble, bluegrass and acoustic covers

June 26 Still Kickn'

July 3 Moonbird, old school to contemporary

July 10 Raised by Hippies, deep cuts of the 60s and 70s

July 17 John Lackard Blues Band, blues and grooves

July 24 Pointe Noir Cajun Band, country and Cajun

July 31 Jon McBride's Big Easy, New Orleans roots, Latin, blues, gospel

August 7 Native Tongue, classic rock and originals

August 14 The Steppes, rock fusion and covers

WATCHES WANTED FREE HOUSE VISITS!

Contact Brian Bittner | 802.489.5210 | References Available info@bittnerantiques.com | bittnerantiques.com Elgin, Waltham, Howard, and More. In Any Condition. (Parts, Pieces, and tools Also Desired) ALSO BUYING JEWELRY, COINS, SILVER, ARTWORK & OTHER ANTIQUES.

Open Wed-Sat, with walk-ins to sell every Thursday NOW OFFERING APPRAISAL SERVICES

Showroom at 2997 Shelburne Rd, Shelburne

MORRISVILLE LIVE AT THE OXBOW

Wednesdays at 5:30. Weekly music at Oxbow Park, downtown Morrisville. morristownvt.org.

July 9 Kate Brook Romp, homemade folkgrass jam

July 16 John Lackard Blues Band

July 23 Eames Brothers Band, psychedelic blues fun

July 30 Lesley Grant Band

August 6 CombustOmatics

August 13 Lawless

August 20 Seth Yacovone Band & Morrisville Coop corn roast. n

Eames Brothers Band.

ROOTS ROCK Riley Hollister and Yahuba Garcia grab some air while onstage with Chad Hollister and his band at last year’s concert in Trapp Family concert meadow. Next page: The band, from left, Chris Peterman (saxophone), Yahuba Garcia (percussion), Hollister, Jeff Poremski (guitar, vocals), and Rudy Dauth (bass, vocals).

‘ROOTS ROCK AMERICANA, TOUCH OF REGGAE’

From Burlington’s New North End to the worldwide stage, Chad Hollister has, for most of his life, been dedicated to bringing joy and inspiration to others through music.

Describing his music as “roots rock Americana with a touch of reggae,” Hollister’s devotion to song started half a century ago in church. His dad, Bill Hollister, was the founding priest at Christ Church, Presbyterian, in Burlington. Religion was the foundation of young Hollister’s family, and so was music.

“As a kid, drums were my love. I got a drum kit in second grade and brought it to school for show-and-tell. Rhythm and percussion are part of my entire world,” he said.

By eighth grade, Hollister was committed. He started the Blue Rock

Band with like-minded school buddies.

“We played a lot of Cars, Joan Jett, Eagles, that sort of thing. Then I started writing my own tunes. We kept evolving and became the Imaginates. I played the drums, and we’d play at school dances, backyard gigs, open mike, and at Hunts, a cool Burlington nightclub that no longer exists.”

Now Hollister’s favorite way to bring his music to the world is playing house concerts with the Chad Hollister Band of 10 musicians, which includes two guitars, brass, sax, base, and drums. He also plays with a scaled-down acoustic quintet—two guitars, sax, bass, and drums.

“The nightclub tour is rigorous, tiring, unhealthy, and a financial beating. With house concerts I can really connect with the audience and earn

a living. The interesting journey for me is being able to tour solo and then be home and play locally with a full band,” he said. Hollister has opened for Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Tom Petty, and has shared the stage with Billy Gibbons, Merl Saunders, Warren Haynes, Blues Traveler, and every member of PHISH. His music is a voice for the positive and a reminder that life is truly a gift as is the ability to share it through music. During the pandemic, Hollister’s niche was hosting concerts in his backyard in Worcester, >>

ARTIST T-SHIRTS & GIFTS

MUSIC MAN

designed esigned

where he lives with his artist-wife Katie O’Rourke and their two children, Riley, 19, and Bodi, 17. Forty to fifty people would come to the concerts with friends and family, bring chairs, blankets, food and drink, and spread out in pods so they could safely listen and maybe do a little dancing. In addition, he wrote custom songs for birthdays, anniversaries, and special events. He would meet with the host, get the lowdown, write the song, and record it in studio.

Hollister is involved in fundraising for various organizations, including Vermont Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.

“The mission of our larger shows is to bring money to the community to help those in need and to raise awareness that it’s OK to not be OK. I come from an amazing support team of family, and I can’t imagine not having that support. It emulates everything we’re about and who we are as people.”

All the behind-the-scenes and promotional work is done by Hollister himself—organizing venues, ticket sales, communication, parking, and the list goes on. He relies on sponsors who believe in his mission to help pay the bills and the musicians and to keep ticket prices reason-

able. “I do it all myself. I’ve sold out performances at Spruce Peak Performing Arts seven years in a row.”

One of Hollister’s favorite performance locations is the Trapp Concert Meadow. He returns Sunday, June 22, at 6 p.m., for the fifth consecutive year with his acoustic band: Jeff “Primo” Poremski on acoustic guitar and vocals, Chris Peterman on sax, Rudy Dauth on bass and vocals, Caleb Bronz on percussion and cowbell, in case the von Trapp family’s herd of Scottish Highland cattle are listening, and Hollister on guitar and vocals. They will play original tunes, a few cover songs, and Hollister’s daughter, Riley, might come up on stage.

“In these times I feel a need for love and empathy. It’s my contribution to the miserableness we are feeling in this world. I purposely avoid politics in shows. I try to take it all away for a few hours. I want to take the musical energy and bring it out into the world. We need it, and we need to rise up as a community, it’s the only way we will survive the next four years.” n

For ticket information, see chadmusic.com.

MAGIC MEADOW One of Chad Hollister’s fave venues—the Trapp Family concert meadow. He returns for a concert this June.

SHORT TAKES From left: A farm on Route 15 in Cambridge has featured this “Love” sculpture for several years. The Craftsbury Uniques & Antiques Festival in July features over 100 vendors, food trucks, music, and more. Inset: “Oklahoma” will be performed in Stowe this August in the Trapp meadow, weather permitting.

CRAFTSBURY UNIQUES FEST / ‘OKLAHOMA’

How can you go wrong displaying a piece of art with a message of LOVE?

For the past two years, travelers along Route 15 in Cambridge pass a wooden sculpture in the field next to the house and barn owned by the Spanier family. Created by Jericho Center artist Chris Cleary, the sculpture—the word LOVE carved in wood—has become quite the conversation piece.

“The sculpture has been impactful for a lot of people,” said James Spanier, co-owner of the land where the sculpture rests, and friend of said so many people stop to see the sculpture it had to be moved to lessen foot traffic near the Spanier’s house.

The sculpture now sits in a field on the property near a roadside pulloff, making it easier for visitors to inspect the unique artwork.

According to Cleary, each letter was made by creating a frame that he covered with pieces of wood lathe. Each letter is almost 7 feet tall, and each weighs between 150 and 200 pounds. The letters are built on a stabilizing beam that Cleary calls an outrigger.

Spanier attached each letter to another taller beam to keep each wooden letter about one foot off the ground. The entire piece is about 20 feet long.

Cleary, 48, a sculptor for the past 24 years, notes that the Spaniers’ LOVE sculpture is the third version of this creation. This one was originally created for a festival, and then later trucked from the festival site to the Spaniers’ yard. While the sculpture was at the festival, it was the backdrop for a marriage proposal.

Spanier said he occasionally uses a forklift to move the sculpture a bit

so they can mow the grass around it, but that he has no plans to remove it. Proving that LOVE does endure.

—Kevin Walsh

‘Oklahoma’ comes to Stowe

Last summer, the concert meadow at von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort came alive with musical performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music in Concert.” Tickets sold out well in advance.

In fact, it was such a hit they’re doing it again this summer with another Rodgers and Hammerstein favorite and the first musical written by the duo.

“Oklahoma! In Concert” takes place Aug. 13, 14, and 15.

The summer musical theater outdoor concerts are a partnership with Vermont Symphony Orchestra and its 50 musicians, Lyric Theater, Flynn Theatre, which provides the rain-date location, and von Trapp Family Lodge & Resort, the host.

“This is an on-stage concert version of Oklahoma! that really lets the music shine,” Alison Steinmetz, music director for the Lyric Theater and director of development for the VSO, said.

The VSO, with Christopher James Ray conducting, will fill the concert meadow stage, along with a full cast of 39 all-Vermont singers, including soloists.

Burlington’s Francesca Napolitano will play the lead female, Laurey Williams; tenor Adam Hall, also of Burlington, will play Curly McLain.

Other soloists include Cameron Steinmetz as Will Parker, Zoë Mickle as Ado Annie Carnes, Cara Clopton as Aunt Eller, and James Blanchard as Jud Fry.

“Oklahoma!” is set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Okla., in 1906. It reveals the complicated love life of farm girl Laurey Williams and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain and the sinister farmhand Jud Fry.

So, kick back and enjoy the muchloved tunes, including “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin,” “I Can’t Say No,” “People Will Say We’re in Love,” and, of course “Oklahoma!”

Tickets are available at flynnvt.org.

Uniques & antiques

Everyone’s favorite outdoor event, the Craftsbury Antiques & Uniques Festival, returns Saturday, July 12, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on beautiful Craftsbury Common.

It’s a tradition of music, food, art, community, and antiques, with over 100 vendors. Browse the big tents filled with antiques and vintage items, as well as fine arts and crafts, local farm goods, quilts, pottery, woodworking, specialty foods, textiles and linens, and more. n

FROM LEFT: KEVIN WALSH; VANESSA FOURNIER

BY

PHOTO

JEFF KNIGHT

DEMOCRACY NOW! “Neon American Anthem (red),” Nicholas Galanin, 2023 neon installation, 7'x16'. Courtesy of the

A CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ART

THE CURRENT

Exhibitions of acclaimed international and Vermont artists and public programs, adult and children’s art classes and private lessons, school tours, student shows, and summer art camps. The Current is made possible through the generous support of members, donors, and sponsors like you.

90 Pond St., Stowe Village. Monday – Friday 10 a.m.5 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Free, donations welcome. (802) 253-8358. Visit thecurrentnow.org for monthly public events.

June 19 – October 18

It often rhymes.

An exhibition exploring history, democracy, and protest. Artists include Nicholas Galanin, Robert Buck, For Freedoms, and Ellen Rothenberg. Opening, June 19, 5 - 7 p.m.

July 12 - October 19

Exposed: Outdoor Sculpture

This group exhibition presents sculptures that are sited on both public and private land throughout

the village of Stowe and at The Current. Artists include John Crawford, Christopher Curtis, Claudia Ravaschiere with Michael Moss, Marcel Regueiro, Stefania Urist, Christopher Yockey, Woody De Othello, and Chakaia Booker.

Saturday, July 12

Exposed opening festival

Complimentary refreshments, food, ice cream, and live music, 4 - 7 p.m.

November and December

Members’ Art Show + Sale

Members of The Current exhibit their artwork for sale.

April 11, 2026

The Gala

The Current’s popular spring gala and Stowe’s most popular party. Lodge at Spruce Peak.

Tickets: thecurrentnow.org. (See Party Pix, p.34)

artist and Peter Blum Gallery, New York.

n Peter Heller’s studio in the attic of his home. Heller, pictured below, died in 2002. A new retrospective of his work will take place at Front Four Gallery in Stowe in September.

darkness into light

Moving Peter Heller’s paintings from his attic to the bright white walls of Stowe’s Front Four Gallery is like moving an idea from the dusty dim corners of your mind onto a blank canvas.

Heller, an artist and professor who died suddenly in 2002, left behind decades of artwork in his Morristown Corners home. Front Four gallery owner Jack Morris would drive daily by the building—perhaps best known to folks in the area as the old Brick House Book Shop—and only last year learned what had been going on upstairs from the 1960s until the night before Heller died.

On the western facing end of the sprawling, highceilinged space stand two large paintings, side by side and still in their easels, seemingly in conversation. Stephen Heller, Peter’s son, said his father was still making subtle final touches to one of them the night before he died, Sept. 1, 2002, of an aortic aneurism.

“He died like that,” Stephen said, snapping his fingers. “He was dead in three hours.”

It was quick and unexpected—Heller was in fine shape, physically—but Heller’s widow, Alexandra, would later observe that he seemed to be subconsciously foretelling his death in the sequence. For

instance, two bird-like shapes perched on the right are mirrored on the left by two white shapeless entities becoming untethered.

Heller has been dead for more than two decades, but his attic still feels alive.

No one has touched his paint mixing table since he died. The bumpy expanse of mixed oil pigments resembles a raised relief map of a mountain range, craggy and hilly and swirling with shades of black and white, forest greens, and twilight purples.

“If you dig into that, it’s probably still wet,” Morris said.

It’s late March and Morris has been spending a lot of time in Heller’s home over the previous several months, trying to pick 30 or 40 paintings for the upcoming Heller retrospective at Morris’s Front Four Gallery in Stowe, “Inner Landscapes: Discovering the Hidden Artwork of Peter Heller,” that will run Sept. 10-Oct. 15.

“The first time I came here, I spent two hours, and one painting just moved me to tears, there was so much anguish,” Morris said.

Heller’s wife, Alexandra, was a sculptor who died last summer. Morris intends to include some of her

Peter Heller’s son, Stephen, stands between two of his father’s canvasses in the studio of the home Peter shared with his wife, Alexandra, in Morristown Corners.

work in “Inner Landscapes,” to both ground and complement the paintings. The couple’s art is already a dance of domesticity, incorporated into the home in the same way you might put your keys in one dish, your glasses in another, and the mail somewhere else.

But that attic. That’s something else. Stephen said photographer friend Kip Ross, who has been busy digitizing Heller’s work, felt the same way about the space when he first made his way up the steep, narrow staircase to Heller’s workshop.

“Kip had the same reaction as you,” he said. “It was like walking into a vortex, a collision of universes.”

World on fire

Heller was born in Germany in 1929 to Hans Heller, a Jewish composer and musician, and Ingrid Eichwede, a concert pianist. Hans led the family out of Berlin in the early 1930s as Nazi Germany began to rise. They relocated to Paris, then fled again once the Nazis invaded France. They moved to the south of France, where Heller and his mother lived out the war in a goat hut.

“They spent five years in Hitler’s Europe,” Stephen said.

His father spent time in a Nazi internment camp but, in the war’s waning days, the family was able finally leave for New York City, taken in by an uncle, Richard Goetz, an art collector. Goetz had a famous

cousin whom the Heller family considers instrumental in getting them granted formal entry to the U.S., after penning a letter of recommendation. That cousin?

Albert Einstein.

Heller met his wife, fellow student Alexandra Noble, while attending Columbia University. After stints teaching art at The Potomac School in Washington, D.C., University of Vermont, and Bard College, Heller moved the family to Morrisville in the 1960s, when Heller began teaching art at Johnson State College. He retired in 1989 but never stopped painting until his final brush stroke.

He certainly had a lot of catching up to do.

In April 1970, a fire ripped through the wooden top of the brick house, destroying untold completed pieces and whatever Heller was working on at the time. The fire was mentioned in a weekly roundup of Morrisville happenings in the April 16, 1970, edition of the News &

Citizen: “The Morrisville Fire Dept. was called to the home of Mr. Peter Heller, better known as the old Hadlock place, at 11:30 p.m. Monday night. Several thousand dollars’ worth of damage was done to the structure and contents.”

Half a lifetime of work, gone up in smoke. When asked how one bounces back from that, Stephen said, “Only Peter Heller.”

He said Peter was a gentle, doting father and husband, engaged and well liked within the

Morrisville community.

“He was a very, very kind, warm, open, loving, and humorous father,” Stephen said. “Sure, he would get moody sometimes, but he would

never take it out on people. He would just take it upstairs.”

Distance and time—and fire—don’t erase memories, and when asked how much the Holocaust influenced his father’s work, Stephen paused a few seconds before answering: “I would say 100 percent of everything.”

That is not to say that he remained in thrall to the hell that spread over Europe during and leading up to World War II. At some point in the 1990s, he “lost all desire to paint the human figure,” and instead began incorporating more of the natural Vermont landscape into his work. There were still humanistic touches, but they were blown out proportion, mandibles, and tree branches sharing space in the maelstrom.

“Once he started moving away from the human figure, I think he had beaten a lot of the Holocaust demons out of his system, or at least conquered them,” Stephen said.

A conduit

Heller’s art is mesmerizing and unsettling, and it has an evolution, even if there is little evidence of his early work, thanks to the fire at “the old Hadlock place.” According to Morris, the early work had its roots in cubism, but in the 1970s, he pivoted to more naturalistic chaos.

n Front Four Gallery owner Jack Morris and Stephen Heller look at slides of Peter Heller’s work.

One of Peter Heller’s paintings. He never titled them, but would sometimes include the year next to his signature. m

Some of the works in this era contain bolder primary colors, stark reds and blacks, whites and yellows. They seem like a post-fire reset.

In the 1990s, Heller took to photographing root balls in the nearby woods and studying what Stephen referred to as their “ever increasing dimensionality.” They partly inspired his late period of naturalistic ugly beauty.

On a visit in March, Front Four gallery workers Bonnie Timmerman and Tiffany Tona were in the attic to help Morris sort through the works. They discussed how best to classify Heller’s style.

“I know we keep using the word ‘abstract,’ but this is better than abstract,” Tona said.

“That’s because you can connect to something in your mind that is real,” Timmerman added.

Heller never titled his paintings or provided descriptions, so interpretation is wildly up for grabs. Morris pulls out a random painting he hadn’t yet looked at, giving it an initial appraisal.

Morris: “This looks undeniably like an eyeball being squeezed by a rope.”

>>

n Peter Heller never left notes or revealed what was happening in his paintings. His son says the work can seem to change on subsequent viewings.

His signature evolved over the years to incorporate his middle initial: Peter Paul Heller. m

Tona: “When you said ‘undeniably,’ I thought you were going to say like it looks like a dental X-ray.”

Morris: “Exactly.”

Stephen said his father saw himself as a conduit for art, and after decades of painting and drawing, he had the training, discipline, and muscle memory to simply let what was inside him out onto the canvas.

“It was letting it flow through the psyche, mind, the brain, the whole body, the whole system, and letting it come out in whatever shape it decided to take,” he said. “You have to get rid of your thinking mind. You have to get rid of any preconceptions of ‘I wanna paint a girl!’ You just paint what you paint.”

He said his father was able to create such bold, larger than life works not because he had a troubled psyche but because he had an orderly mind. He was a painter, and painting was his job.

He would go upstairs in the morning and paint for a few hours, go downstairs and have lunch. He’d take a nap and paint some more, go to town for some errands, and have supper with the family every night by 6:30 p.m.

“You need to be rooted and grounded, to have something to come back to,” Stephen said. “It’s because of that routine that he never got lost in his work.” n

“Inner Landscapes: Discovering the Lifework of Peter Heller” will run Sept. 10-Oct. 15, 2025, at the Front Four Gallery, 394 Mountain Road, Stowe. An opening reception will be held Sept. 13, 5 - 8 p.m.

Housed in a massive National Register of Historic Places granite shed, the museum celebrates the history, artistry, technology, and science of Vermont’s granite industry. Come explore dynamic exhibits, participate in hands-on activities, climb our indoor bouldering wall, play outdoor games, stroll along our accessible nature path to enjoy the ruins of two granite sheds, a sculpture park, and a relaxing break on a granite bench overlooking the river.

RUSTY DEWEES GETS CURRENT WITH NEW PODCAST

Rusty DeWees looks up from his whittling mid-yarn. He’s waxing about his friend Stanley. “Stanley said, ‘I got rot!’” DeWees recounts, then continues:

“Foot,” I say?

“No! House!” Stanley retorts.

This scene isn’t on a front porch, beside the campfire, or anyplace whittling commonly occurs. It is in a barn, but not your typical barn setting. In this barn, microphones dangle from long booms, and cameras, some stationery, some on rollers, stage lights, and backcloths surround DeWees. “Cut!” calls out TV commercial producer and art director Michael Fisher. “I think we got the shot.”

The barn is the film set for a television commercial for South Burlington’s Polli Construction.

“I had been toying with having a spokesman for the company,” Steven Polli said. “Rusty’s brand marries well with ours—we’re working people with no snobbery. Rusty epitomizes Vermont. Everyone wants to be his friend.”

Vermonters know DeWees as the Logger—a character he created and has brought to town halls, theaters, libraries, schools, and on videos for nearly 30 years. He has written two books (“Scrawlins” and “Scrawlins Too”), written newspaper columns, chatted up morning radio co-hosts— listeners tuning into 98.9 WOKO’s “Morning Roundup” have heard him Thursdays at 7:40 a.m. for decades—done motivational talks for corpo-

rations and schools on a sliding pay scale where capable corporate clients pay the going rate and schools and nonprofits get him practically for free, and countless other projects.

“People used to tell me I should do a podcast,” DeWees, scoffing slightly and dismissing the notion, said. “I’d say, ‘No, everybody’s doing podcasts.’”

However, in 2025, certain things changed for DeWees. He’s older, perhaps a bit more deliberate, and he recently underwent a serious health ordeal—prostate cancer. “I don’t recommend it,” he said.

But into his sixth decade, he is just as driven, still bursting with creativity, and still in love with life and stretching his potential as he ever was.

His feelings about podcasts have similarly evolved: They’re the same, but different.

“Now, I’m thinking, hmmm, podcast,” he said slowly, stroking his beard. “Everybody is doing podcasts.”

And, this summer DeWees’s video podcast, “Good n’ You?”, will air everywhere people can get them.

Not born, but raised “I was able to thank my parents many times,” DeWees said. “For moving us to Stowe.”

STORY / MARK AIKEN

Bill and Marilyn DeWees, both now dead, relocated from Philadelphia with Rusty and older sister, Holly, when they were 7 and 12 years old. Bill DeWees drove a Greyhound bus and was head usher at Stowe Community Church. (“The one with the steeple,” specified DeWees). He espoused the importance of having a career with a pension—a proposition DeWees largely ignored, seeing as one-man-theatrical acts don’t come with a 401(k) or much security period. “I learned from him to have positive energy,” he said, and it’s a lesson he’s not ignored.

Marilyn was the longtime business manager at the Stowe Reporter From his mom, he learned promptness and steadiness. He notes that his mom was also very funny.

“My parents were there,” he said. “I’m a big fan.”

Many people are aware of DeWees’s career at Stowe High School where he acted in plays and played the drums, and his post-high school employment stints as a truck driver for a construction company, concrete worker and, of course, logger. But did you know that The Logger was also a hoopster? Four years out of high school, at the age of 21, Coach Bob Tipson invited him to play college basketball at Champlain College, a national Division III powerhouse. There, DeWees earned his associate’s degree.

“I never called a foul in pickup,” DeWees said. During college, he found himself in an off-season pickup game in New Jersey with >>

GORDON MILLER

players coached by Bob Hurley (father of former Duke University and NBA star Bobby Hurley and championship-winning UConn coach Danny Hurley). “They never called fouls or out-of-bounds,” DeWees said. “They just kept playing.”

DeWees adopted Hurley’s take-it-as-it-comes attitude and applied it to his basketball mentality and beyond. In pickup, if your opponent hits your arm or bumps you, you can either call a foul or play through and keep the game going. The same is true in life, DeWees said.

“I never get offended— NEVER!” he said, noting the world would be a different place if he could bottle a “Nothing Offends Me” serum and inject people with it.

“There’s a whole lot of getting offended these days,” he added, reflecting on relationships, traffic, politics, et cetera. “How you live is a choice, and I choose not to ever be offended.”

Doing business

When you call for tickets to a Logger show, you don’t get a ticket agent—you get DeWees himself. The phone number on his posters is his actual cell.

Further, DeWees has never concealed Philadelphia as his actual birthplace. Nor does he hide the fact that he lived for a decade in New York City. After college, he moved to the city to pursue an acting career. Instead of finding an acting job, he found himself referred to William Doyle, owner of the venerable Doyle Gallery. It happened that Doyle wanted an assistant with flexibility and a varied skillset. “Can you drive a truck?” Doyle asked. “Can you be on time?”

being accountable, and being willing to take on wildly diverse tasks. He worked there until his mentor died of leukemia.

During this time, DeWees began writing little stories and characters in his mind that were half country bumpkin, half redneck, and half

other television shows, has appeared in movies, including “Black Dog” starring Patrick Swayze, “A Stranger in the Kingdom” based on the book by Howard Frank Mosher, “Mud Season,” 30 projects with Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven, and many national commercials for companies like Kellogg’s and Wendy’s.

himself. He performed some of these bits at George Woodard’s Groundhog Opera talent show and audiences responded enthusiastically. In 1996, he performed at Burlington’s First Night New Year’s Eve celebration and again connected strongly with audiences. That was when he came up with his “SC” rating for “Some Cussin.”

The role was unrelated to acting, but DeWees, never one to beat around the bush, told Doyle he wanted to act. If there was an audition, it would take precedence. Doyle agreed, and for six years DeWees worked for a major player in the big-time New York art world.

“It was fascinating,” he said, reflecting on everything he learned about running a business,

These days, he bills the shows as containing gluten. “But they’re A.I.-free,” he said.

“I had acted in plays at the Flynn,” he said, referring to Burlington’s iconic 3,000-seat Flynn Theater. “I decided to rent some high schools and make posters and take out some ads and do a little tour.” He ended the tour at the Flynn. “They went nuts,” he said.

DeWees has been on “Law and Order” and

Three decades later, DeWees still performs and does radio and television spots for businesses like Polli, Artisan Coffee, and Heritage Toyota. “I had to convince Rusty that my brand was worthy of his brand,” Polli said, noting that DeWees doesn’t just appear on commercials, he also learns the business and writes his own scripts.

Over the past year, however, DeWees wasn’t out and about quite as much, the result of the health issues he also doesn’t conceal. His treatment for prostate cancer ran the gamut: radiation, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. He remained positive during his treatments (“I don’t want to be a complaining dying guy”) but he admits that a year ago, he couldn’t even think about doing shows or podcasts.

“I went out and bought a motorcycle,” he said. “I just hoped I’d have the opportunity to go ridin’ when it was over.”

On the other side of cancer, he can’t help feeling grateful to the doctors and nurses from Morrisville’s Copley Hospital. “They’re really good at treating cancer,” he said. And he is full of renewed energy. “I can’t believe how I’ve come back.”

He performed his Logger show in Stowe in March. He sang and played guitar with accompanist Mark Burds and performed a few old bits and a new one in which he went to get his Covid booster during the pandemic and mistakenly wound up at the Dunkin Donuts drivethrough. The show is different now.

“It’s more like friends gathered for kitchen talk,” he said. “Back in the day, it was “thee-AYter”—me performing from beginning to end.”

From Loggin’ to podcastin’

To a one-person showman who traveled to 200 shows a year across Vermont, location is one appealing aspect of doing his podcast, “Good n’ You?”

STAR POWER Rusty DeWees films a television commercial for Polli Construction in his friend Eric Adams’ barn in Stowe. DeWees new podcast, “Good n’ You?”, will be recorded in his loft at his Elmore home. Two other locals, Mike Carey and Ted Thorndike, have started their

GORDON MILLER

CONNECTIONS

‘THE OCTAGON’ PODCAST CURATED BY LOCALS

The Logger is not the only local testing the world of podcasts. Ted Thorndike and Mike Carey debuted “The Octagon” in October, which they say celebrates Stowe’s spirit, connections, and relationships that remain special and unchanged.

When they had ski coach and historian Mike Leach on the podcast, he told them how Charlie Lord—who helped to visualize and cut many of the mountain’s trails—reminisced about the “good old days” when he knew everybody on the hill. “Changing times didn’t start anytime recently,” Carey said.

“The project is about building—and preserving—community, and not just for people who grew up here,” Thorndike, a Stowe native, said. “It’s for anyone who feels a connection with Stowe, whether they moved here, come up on weekends, or come up once a year.”

Carey has skied Stowe since 1991 and started coming every weekend in 1997. He moved here permanently in 2011. To illustrate what a Stowe connection can mean, he cites “Octagon” guest Rusty DeWees, who was born in Philadelphia. No transplant appreciates and personifies the area more than DeWees, Carey said.

The idea for “The Octagon” started on the tennis court. “We joked about doing a podcast about our tennis group (known as the Heavy Hitters), Carey, a software salesperson by day, said. The conversations (and jokes) continued, until they morphed into discussions about actually doing one.

“One day Mike asked me if I was really serious,” Thorndike said. “The next day he sent me a screenshot of the equipment we needed.”

Their first guest was Neil Van Dyke, the former head of Stowe Mountain Rescue. The duo has since hosted DeWees, Leach, patroller and historian Brian Lindner, Edelweiss owner Jeff Clarke, and others. They have had over 8,000 downloads, with 35 percent of listeners coming from Stowe.

They ask every guest: “If there was no Stowe, where would you live?” For Thorndike, he’d go to New Hampshire’s White Mountains or Maine. Carey chose Ketchum, Idaho. “Or St. Anton.”

They named their podcast “The Octagon” for Stowe Mountain Resort’s historic Octagon restaurant at the top of the Forerunner Quad where Stowe skiers and riders come in from the cold, gather beta about what trails are skiing well, share local gossip, or just visit over coffee or cocoa.

Thorndike, an academic advisor at Champlain College, used to work as a mental health therapist. “I missed getting to know people at a deeper level.”

Now, thanks to the two co-hosts of “The Octagon,” anyone with an internet connection can get to know Stowe and Stowe people on a deeper level. n —Mark Aiken

MAKING

“The Octagon” hosts Mike Carey, left, and Ted Thorndike at the Octagon restaurant on Mt. Mansfield in April.

FOUND IN VERMONT

POTS, MUGS, & MORE

SKIN IN THE GAME

BEJEWELED & BE-BANGLED

Avid upcycler Beth E. McDowell founded Fernwood Arts as a way to give old items a new life. Like her My 2 Cents line of pendants and ear rings made from pounded pennies. Other creations are crafted from antique china, vintage silverware, and electrical aluminum wire. And, no two items are ever the same. McDowell and her sister, Mary Trombly, both life-long artists in Colchester, strive for an organic look with a lit tle bling from the prettiest stones. McDowell also creates five-inch by five-inch window boxes with stunning hand-painted halfshells, each one with its own unique painting nestled into the belly of the shell. Check out Fernwood Arts at Northwood Gallery in Stowe and local craft fairs.

INFO: fernwoodarts.com

Why put something on your body that provides no benefit? That’s the philosophy behind Green Village Soap in Craftsbury. All its products are made from scratch in small batches, with organic, natural ingredients, tested by family and friends to be effective and harmless. Products include soap, shampoo, deodorant, and skin care, made from a long list of plants, dairy, grains, oils, and herbs. In step with its products, the containers are recyclable and reusable. So, next time you feel like your skin is dry and your hair needs a good taming, check out Green Village Soaps. You’ll feel good and look even better. Available in Stowe at Northwoods Gallery.

INFO: greenvillagesoap.com

Fitch Hill Pottery’s hand-built and wheel-thrown pottery is not just beautiful, it’s also functional—every piece has a purpose. Owner Nikki Griffin throws mugs, yarn ball feeders, planters, bowls, trinket trays, and more in her Hyde Park studio. Her signature, and popular, quilt mugs feature snippets of quilting sections and have been flying out of the studio and onto the shelves of local purveyors since she started to make them. Knitters will love the yarn ball holders that allow the ball to bounce freely within a bowl, unwinding smoothly and effortlessly. Griffin’s glazes are primarily earthy tones found in nature. Each piece is handthrown and no two are the same.

INFO: Available in Morrisville at Moss Home Goods, Rock Art Brewery, Northwoods Gallery, and Facebook.

DOOR WITH A DIFFERENT RING

Handmade in Brandon by Bob Weaver and Deb Salzarulo since 1983, these unique door harps are a decorative gift that brings welcoming music into any home simply by opening the door, and a smile to anyone who visits. The teardrop-shaped harps are made from a variety of hardwoods—oak, padouk, black cherry, black walnut—and sealed with a clear finish. They are easy to attach and come with a tuner. The soundboard is glued onto a hollow base and the high-E steel guitar strings provide a warm-toned sound. These door harps are sure to become family heirlooms, passed down through the generations.

INFO: Found at craft fairs throughout Vermont. etsy.com/shop/bobanddebssugarhouse

“My studio is right upstairs,” DeWees said, as he sits on his living room couch with his cat, Mikaela. His home, on a ridge in Elmore, overlooks Mt. Mansfield, and he envisions having his guests spend time with him there before recording. “They’re all my friends anyway,” he said of his guests, who will include Olympic ski racing medalist Ryan CochranSiegle, Gov. Phil Scott, and Seven Days cofounder Paula Routly.

He also wants those who are not famous— the bagger at the local grocery, for example, or a flagger on a road construction site. Potential questions for the flagger: Out of 10, how many drivers look at you? Out of 10, how many wave at you? Rusty DeWees intends to get to the bottom of these and other burning questions. And he believes his audience wants to hear from the truck driver, concrete worker, and everyone else as much as they want to hear from a governor.

“Everybody is everybody,” he said. “That’s the point.” And the most important point for DeWees is that he won’t have to drive to get there.

Really there’s no place more appropriate for his podcast. Built into his fireplace is a gigantic Vermont-shaped piece of stone. In the corner of the gray stonework is one seemingly out-of-place, round white rock. “That came from my dad’s place,” he said, noting that Bill died in 2005, the same year the house was built. Upstairs, next to the loft studio, is a bathroom based on an outhouse—“My indoor outhouse,” he said. The home studio is as much the Logger as the duct-taped boots.

“Lots of these fellers and gals doing podcasts have staff with 20 or 30 people,” he said. Television producer Michael Fisher is consulting until he’s underway. Joe Thornton will serve as producer on the set, and he will push out clips on social media platforms. Other than that, the crew is skeletal—mostly him.

He spent much of his spring chasing sponsors. (In fact, he brought me to a pitch meeting with Steven Polli). The two went back and forth, with Polli asking questions about how sponsorship could help his business. The Logger listened and answered carefully, clearly having done his homework. Finally, Polli laughed and said to me: “He’s a good pitcher!”

“All I do is walk around and have a good time,” DeWees said. “I just love everyone— and that’s no bullshit. Literally.”

So, what does DeWees find most challenging in his line of work? “It’s not in my nature to think it’s challenging. Concrete work. That’s challenging. Everything has been easy since concrete work.”

This summer, DeWees will be bursting onto the vid-pod scene. “That’s what they call video podcasts,” he said, as only he can. “I’ll be training.”

“Training for what?” I asked.

“Life,” he said. “I’m training for life.” n

FINE ART GIFTS DECOR FURNITURE JEWELRY

ROUTE 15 • JOHNSON,

CULTURAL CAMPUS

JOIN STOWE LIBRARY READING CHALLENGE

Calling all readers—big and small!

This summer’s Collaborative Summer Library Program—“Color Our World”—celebrates the ways art and imagination enrich our lives. Join the Stowe Free Library for colorand art-related events that might have you painting with words one day and exploring the psychology of color the next.

Keep your eyes peeled for a town-wide “Color Our World” activity that will transform Stowe into a canvas for community participation. (Check the library’s social media for details.)

Bookmark design contest

Fancy yourself the next Picasso? Create a bookmark that captures your unique vision, and your masterpiece might find its way into the hands of countless readers. Details to come, so keep those art supplies handy.

40th anniversary book sale

Mark your calendars for the library’s milestone 40th anniversary book sale, July 4 – 21, 9 a.m.9 p.m. daily.

With mountains of books (to rival our own Green Mountains) at prices that’ll make your wallet sing, you’re bound to find countless treasures to add to your personal collection. Come early, come often, and don’t worry about the heavy lifting as we’ve got beautiful tote bags designed by local artists ready to carry your literary bounty home.

Trivia nights

Are you one of those people who knows which president kept an alligator in the White House bathtub or can recite pi to 42 decimal places? Then your moment has finally arrived.

Join the Stowe library’s legendary trivia nights where that random knowledge will trans-

form you from “weird fact person” to “team MVP” faster than you can say “Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan.”

Glory and prizes await. Dates have yet to be determined; check out social media.

Beatrix Potter Literacy Garden

The charming Beatrix Potter Literacy Garden continues to be the perfect spot to enjoy a good book while butterflies and bunnies frolic nearby. The garden welcomes readers of all ages for quiet contemplation or imaginative adventures.

Gesine Bullock-Prado

On Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m., bring your appetite for both food and knowledge as pastry wizard Gesine Bullock-Prado shares delicious secrets from her new cookbook, “My Harvest Kitchen.”

Learn how to transform fall's bounty into

HORRORS! Librarians at Stowe Free Library dress up in costume when staff hosts a slew of popular Halloween festivities.

mouthwatering creations that will have your kitchen smelling like heaven and your dinner guests begging for seconds.

Fall festivities

When the leaves start their colorful costume change, the calendar fills with autumnal magic including the library’s annual Halloween pet party. Bring four-legged literati to strut their stuff in bookish disguises or whimsical ensembles. From “Harry Pawter” to “The Great Catsby,” this paws-itively spectacular gathering promises to be the social event of the animal kingdom.

Also, this fall, the library will transform into a Halloween spectacle, and will host trick or treating for tiny superheroes, princesses, and monsters on Oct. 31. n

—Tanya

Kateri

ESSENTIALS: Find the library on social media, at stowevt.gov, or (802) 253-6145. 90 Pond Street. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday, noon - 7 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.

The Stowe area boasts a variety of cuisines and dining atmospheres, from swanky bistros that embrace the local food movement to fine-dining establishments featuring award-winning chefs and busy pubs with the latest microbrews—and everything in between! Check out the area’s great places to stay, as well, from full-service resorts to quaint country inns. Our guide to dining and lodging outlines the myriad choices from which to choose.

Wood Fired Neapolitan Pizza Home Made Pasta | Prime Wood Fired Steaks | Fresh Seafood

POP-UP Chef Matt Hiebsch and front-of-house manager Alina Alter started Japanese pop-up Kitsune as a way to express their culinary creativity.

HIGH-BROW MEETS LOW-BROW

In Japanese folklore, the kitsune is a fox spirit that bewitches humans, a servant of the Shinto god Inari, the patron kami of rice and agriculture, among other things.

In Stowe, the pop-up Japanese restaurant Kitsune—run by Alina Alter and her chef husband Matt Hiebsch—offers an inventive and itinerant take on the izakaya culinary tradition with a refined yet accessible menu. The restaurant itself can be somewhat elusive, like a red fox in a rice field or in the snows of Hokkaido, the Vermont of Japan.

Last winter, Kitsunes took up residency at Tälta Lodge on Mountain Road. On the lower level below the hotel’s main lobby, a warmly lit lounge awaited those who know how to find it. The only indication of

food service outside was a red paper lantern moving softly in the wind along the highway.

From 5-9 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights through March, the Tälta bar turned into a Stowe izakaya, Japan’s version of the neighborhood pub. Given free rein to exercise her taste by the hotel’s owner, Alter can assemble the vibe to her specifications. The walls are adorned with art objects made of framed mossy material, a luminous poster for Hiyao Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro,” and a neon bowl of ramen. Alter curates the musical ambiance as well, a nice touch in an age where so much is left to algorithms.

At 5 p.m. on those evenings, as the winter sun’s recession darkens

serves his take on karaage, a type of Japanese fried chicken common to izakaya restaurants. Inset: Some menu items change weekly.

the back lawn, diners begin to populate the Kitsune lounge like the spirits appearing at the otherworldly resort spa in a different Miyazaki classic, “Spirited Away.”

The ever-shifting Kitsune menu changes to best fit the season in which it’s prepared and the location where it’s served, barring a couple of stalwarts. On a Thursday night in January, the small dish offerings included izakaya hallmarks like karaage, a particular style of fried chicken, and edamame, tempura crab in a house-made bao bun, and bluefin tuna prepared two different ways over a slab of crispy rice, a Kitsune signature.

The large dishes—this is America, after all—move away from the theme: a seafood-stuffed curry over rice, crispy chicken nanban and miso ramen, a modern staple of Japanese cuisine in America. A mochi ice cream sampler awaits anyone who doesn’t fill up on everything else. Sake and soju are on offer, but the bar’s set of classic cocktails also pair well with everything.

Dining at Kitsune feels a little bit like eating at someone’s home, where the food is made with such specificity that it feels personal. Hiebsch melds his craftsmanship, honed through a career in fine dining restaurants, with a chef’s reverence for fresh or small batch ingredients.

“We don’t take ourselves too seriously, so it’s kind of like a nod to whimsy and a playful nature,” Hiebsch said. “(Kitsune)

TURNING JAPANESE Matt Hiebsch

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GO EAGLES! Matt Hiebsch has some fun with a diner over this year’s Super Bowl matchup. In case you missed it, the Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22. The bluefin tuna sticky rice is one of Kitsune’s most popular and playful dishes.

are supernatural, spirit foxes. Basically, they’re like shape shifters. They are tricksters.”

This is embodied in the crispy rice dish ($16), which is so popular it almost never leaves the menu. Hiebsch revels in the bluefin, which he gets fresh from his supplier on the Atlantic coast and creates a dish that is a contrast in texture, with a tuna tartare layered over crunchy rice and topped with a thin layer of sashimi, showing off Hiebsch’s fine dining pedigree in a playful but not overly fussy fashion.

Then there’s the miso ramen ($25). We’re over two decades out from chef David Chang opening the first Momofuku noodle bar in New York City and convincing diners to pay fast casual prices for a cuisine formerly associated with hard-up college students. Hiebsch again makes the ingredients the draw for his ramen, making the base stock with small batch miso made in New England and populating it with whatever’s fresh or, in the case of the corn pellets, what was frozen fresh over the summer.

Philadelphia, Alter studied hospitality in college and worked front of house in hotels and restaurants before running her own boutique. Hiebsch paid his dues in the gauntlet of upscale restaurants, working at The River Café in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Lacroix, the flagship restaurant for the glitzy Rittenhouse hotel in Philadelphia. He also worked extensively in Steven Starr’s empire of eastern seaboard restaurants.

Alter first went to Japan as a studyabroad student, and she and Hiebsch have gone back to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto several times. As Hiebsch pointed out, so much of what might now be considered part of the DNA of fine dining has its roots in Japanese cooking techniques.

Alter and Hiebsch arrived in Stowe in 2018, landing a home before the pandemic’s overheated housing market hit. Two children of greater

Trying to raise a family in the city while burning out in the endless grind of traditional restaurant work became all too much for the couple and, with friends in the area, they relocated to Stowe, but they couldn’t quite abandon their careers, or their compatible talents for food and service.

Your one stop shop for great food, unique treasures and affordable lodging! Our market has a great selection of antiques, furniture, gifts and more! The newly renovated guest rooms provide a comfortable place to rest following your Stowe adventures!

Breakfast and lunch served all day, every day!

CONNECTIONS

Like everyone else, the pandemic pushed Alter and Hiebsch to take a step back and consider what was important in their lives. While they were serving takeout in 2021, they caught the eye of Tälta owner Jed Harris, who had recently rebranded his Mountain Road hotel under a new operator but didn’t intend to install any full-time restaurant service in its kitchen.

Alter and Hiebsch found a winter home, a place to run a restaurant without the overhead and with flexible hours, and Harris could outsource his in-house dining option. While the skiers lodging at Tälta provide a ready source of diners, some locals have standing weekly reservations, and the whole restaurant is regularly booked out.

“This is kind of a great way to give our guests an in-house food option a few nights a week and make use of that space and activate

the bar a little bit,” Harris said. “It is a little bit of word of mouth, but that’s fun, because there aren’t a ton of seats either.”

The pop-up form allows Alter and Hiebsch the freedom to roam, even while the partnership with Harris allows them some stability through the winter and the ability to capitalize on Stowe’s primary tourism season. In the summer, they roam about. Last year, they had a standing appointment at the Stowe Farmers Market and hosted banquet dinners at Long Winter Farm, a local supplier with whom they have a close relationship. They’re liable to open their charcoal grill at other hotels, lifestyle boutiques, and worker spaces in Stowe, making their presence known to their social media followers.

You never know where they might be this summer or what exactly they’ll be serving, and that’s all part of the fun. n

Alina Alter, ever the attentive host, chats with guests in the lower lounge at Tälta Lodge.

A full bar.

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WHAT’S NEW ON THE AREA DINING SCENE

The Stowe restaurant scene has certainly not been stagnant these past few years. Five years after it began, it can now be said with certainty that the COVID-19 pandemic was a time of change for everyone, but especially for restaurants. Longtime owners decided to hang it up, and those who’ve followed have found a scene with different challenges and opportunities. These changes have created space for exciting new ventures. Some have thrived while others fizzled. >>

STORY / AARON CALVIN

GOLDFINCH GOURMET Breakfast quiches, a salted caramel chocolate tart, chocolate coconut banana cream supremes, and Boston cream pie, orange cardamon, passion fruit cheesecake, and cherry amaretto macarons.

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STOWE INSTITUTION Trattoria la Festa owners, old and new: Jeff Ziegler and Tony DeVito.

Burnt ends

When the owners of the Sunset Grille retired in 2021, it was clearly the end of an era. One of the then-oldest operating restaurants in Stowe, Rich and Nancy Haab, like so many restaurateurs following the pandemic, decided it was time to move on.

Last summer, the old grill had a breath of new life blown into it by unlikely new owners from North Carolina. They renovated the space, transforming its antiquated neighborhood restaurant wood paneling with a sleek new look of black paint and psychedelic posters. It was to be the second outpost of the barbecue restaurant Nocturnal—the much, much farther northern outpost.

Despite its southern charms, not to mention the effort and expense put into renovation, the restaurant did not stay long in Stowe. Part-owner Mike Plummer could not be reached for comment, but the Cottage Club Road property was put on the market in March for a cool $2 million.

New traditions

As 2024 ended, Tony Devito and Patty Hammer, the longtime owners of Trattoria la Festa, the classic red sauce joint that counts itself as one of Stowe’s oldest eateries still in operation, hung up their aprons.

But instead of cashing in on the real estate market after nearly 40 years in business, they passed the torch—or spoon, as it were.

Jeff Ziegler and Rebecca McCann, health care workers from Boston who recently moved to Stowe, have taken over as owners of the revered institution and have promised to bring their passion for old world cuisine to keep the much-loved institution alive.

Brunched up

For the last few years, the restaurant space attached to the Grey Fox Inn on Stowe’s Mountain Road was something of a revolving door.

The ambitious but short-lived restaurant Wildflower opened in the summer of 2021 with plans to renovate the basement space into a speakeasy. But just a year later, it had disappeared. A plan for doughnut makers Stowe Dough to take it over never materialized, leaving the space vacant for another long stretch.

Finally, a new occupant has opened its doors. Under the moniker G Willikers Catering, chefs Neil Richardson and Emma Fitzgerald are whipping up brunch under their chef-hatted retriever logo Saturday through Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu reflects the chef’s “commitment to quality ingredients and creative twists on classic dishes.”

Unfortunate departures

Last August, a fire at Stowe Sandwich, one of the town’s most reliable lunch spots since 2017, severely damaged the property and put the

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eatery out of business indefinitely.

While there’s been no public announcement about plans for a return and the business has remained boarded up, the owners of Stowe Sandwich stayed busy through the last holiday season with a new venture, the Stowe Charcuterie Company, providing delectable looking boards for all occasions.

Swiss Fondue by Heinz, a South Main Street mainstay, is also now on a countdown. The owner of the building plans its demolition in a favor of a new mixed-use, three-story building. Heinz Remmel, who has been running his Swiss fondue restaurant out of the building since 2013, will continue to serve patrons food dipped in melted cheese and chocolate until the demolition is approved.

Snack lift

Taking over the former Mountain View Snack Bar on Route 15 in Morrisville, Gondolas Snack Bar is modernizing what a snack bar can be.

There will be the classic snack stand staples: burgers, creemees, fries. But Gondolas is serving up smash burgers and hand-cut fries madeto-order with its cold-turned maple creemees. Seasonal snacks are on offer, as are mozzarella

G Willikers’ eggs bene.

sticks, fried mac-and-cheese bites, onion rings, chili cheese dogs, milkshakes, sundaes, and floats.

The ambitious snacker can look out for the six-patty smash burger that mirrors the enclosed lift at Stowe Mountain Resort from which Gondolas takes its name.

Unassuming elegance

If you’re up in the Morrisville area anyway, the new Goldfinch Gourmet Foods is a can’t-miss.

Located in the Morrisville shopping plaza, Goldfinch Gourmet brings a flare and culinary style most people would associate with Stowe. From fine chocolates to expensive tinned seafood, Goldfinch stocks a variety of delectable treats you likely won’t find anywhere else.

The bake case is another prime attraction, filled with macarons in rainbow varieties, and round croissants that include a rotating “supreme” option. Seasonal sandwiches on house-made bread, sweet and savory pies, and mini-cakes make this an alluring visit for anyone looking to treat themselves to something special. n

modern lineage

FAMILY AFFAIR From left, Andrew Kneale, chef Jamie Nelson, and Kathy Kneale have remade Harrison’s Restaurant into an elevated experience in this post-pandemic era. The trio is seen here with host Kelsey Dunn, second from left. Opening spread: Most nights, diners fill the dining room and bar.

Descending into Harrison’s Restaurant, it feels like you’ve come home. Maybe not your home, exactly, but someone’s.

The underground dining area is packed into a single room with exposed wooden beams running the length of the ceiling. The horseshoe bar takes up one side, a collection of closely gathered tables the other. Booths cordoned off by tall partitions provide some diners with such a high level of intimacy that they feel like separate rooms.

Around 5 p.m. each evening—the restaurant is only open until 8:30 p.m. and closes on Sundays and Mondays—the dining room fills up quickly. Some are locals with standing reservations, even some who eat there multiple days a week. Some are visitors who likely made their reservations months in advance. A table at Harrison’s, in most seasons, can be tough to come by.

STORY : aaron calvin | PHOTOGRAPHS : gordon miller

ORDER UP Many of the entrees at Harrison’s Restaurant come with locally sourced vegetables and thoughtful accents, and smaller plates like this grilled octopus— Korean chili, sesame and lime grilled octopus, frisee, soy glaze, and fried leeks—are assembled with care.

“We like to call it our little speakeasy,” said Andrew Kneale, who owns and runs Harrison’s along with his mother, Kathy Kneale.

You can identify the locals as those who banter with the waitstaff, who have a special friendliness for some but are attentive to everyone. Staff carry out what appears to be plates of classic American restaurant fare, but then you look a little closer. That’s wagyu beef in the burger. There’s a remarkably delicate consistency to the white wine lemon sauce in the chicken piccata. The cow that became the steak au poivre or the filet mignon lived its life less than 50 miles away.

Since it opened for the Christmas season of 2003—first at what’s now known as the Stowe Village Inn before a move less than three years later to its current subterranean location at the corner of Main Street and Mountain Road— Harrison’s has been known for being everything to everyone, serving a diverse but accessible menu that kept up with trends but maintained a variety of options.

began following the acquisition of Stowe Mountain Resort in 2017 by Vail Resorts, accelerated after the pandemic.

“Covid really changed everything for this space,” Kneale said. “We went from having everything from fish tacos, baked brie, and boneless buffalo wings to what we’re doing now, which is a smaller menu at a different price point.”

The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything, as it did for all restaurants in Stowe and across the country. For years, the restaurant ran what Kneale described at a “turn-and-burn” pace that, stepping back during the lockdown, he saw was unsustainable for him and found was not a business strategy fit for the post-pandemic world, where reliable restaurant labor became more difficult to come by. Stowe’s shifting tourism demographics, which

The rising expense of everything from ingredients to utilities to labor meant that Harrison’s had to become something a little different. A dinner that was more experiential and, at a higher price, made it economically viable to serve a meal that guests could linger over, prepared and served by a staff that could afford to provide more attention.

Kneale’s willingness to embrace change, which has defined Harrison’s, grew partly out of personal restlessness and a distaste for stagnation, but also out of necessity. When the restaurant opened over two decades ago, there were far more eateries owned and run by local families. Accelerated by the pandemic, more and more of them are being bought or replaced by restaurants that are part of a larger management group.

In fact, it might not be obvious unless you know the provenance of the restaurant’s name and its chef’s personal history, that Harrison’s embodies Stowe’s culinary past, and Kneale became the unlikely torchbearer when he decided to continue the family business.

The history of Harrison’s can’t be told without starting first with its namesake, David Harrison Kneale.

Twenty-nine Christmases prior to Harrison’s opening, David and Kathy Kneale took over The Partridge Inn on Mountain Road in 1974. It was a restaurant that did not, despite the name, accommodate lodgers. The Stowe Reporter called it “the culmination of a dream” for Kathy Salvas, a Stowe native, and her husband, David, following the retirement of its previous owner. David managed the restaurant as its executive chef while Kathy ran the front of the house.

The inn was, according to the Reporter, “a warm friendly place for people to congregate while enjoying a fine meal” featuring “informal dining at a moderate cost” and a salad bar made from a converted horse-drawn sleigh. David introduced fresh fish to the menu, somewhat of a rarity at the time, which Andrew recalled was shipped from Boston by Greyhound bus to Burlington, where his father would go and collect it.

The Kneales were dedicated restaurateurs, but they were equally dedicated to their burgeoning family. They may have worked holidays, Kathy said, but they were able to schedule around their children’s sports and other activities.

“My dad always said the restaurant is what I do. It’s not who I am. He was good about separating work from his other interests, which was really just the kids and his garden,” Andrew said. His dad grew ingredients for the restaurant at home, presaging the local food movement, partly because he didn’t want to pay the cost charged by suppliers.

David Kneale wasn’t just a father to Andrew and his sister, but led a community investment in Stowe’s children that still reverberates today. He perennially coached baseball teams and was a founder of the youth hockey league.

He was also heavily involved in the town’s civic life, having been first elected to a seat on the Stowe Village Board of Trustees in 1985 and he served on the board until the village and town merged in 1996.

In a testament to how tightly woven the Kneales were in the fabric of Stowe, David celebrated his 40th birthday with a surprise party thrown at The Rusty Nail in 1988, honored along with friend Wyman Flint, to what was described in the Reporter as a “standing-room-only” crowd.

After over a decade of the restaurant grind, The Kneales gave up The Partridge and opened the Depot Street Malt Shoppe, an intentional throwback to the mid-century halcyon where kids could stop in for a soda or an egg cream, and a lunch counter where the whole community could meet. Kathy had worked at the real thing—the soda counter at Lackey’s Variety Store on Main Street—three decades prior.

In 1998, at 50, David suddenly died of a heart attack while snorkeling in Mexico, on one of the rare vacations he and Kathy took. In the months after his death, Stowe Youth Baseball held a day of games in his honor. In his memory, three flowering fruit trees were planted on the recreation path.

“The youth of this town have lost one of their best friends,” longtime friend Charlie Lusk said at the time. “The whole rationale behind opening the Malt Shoppe—aside from running a business—was to give the kids something to do. He wanted to give kids coming back from the ballfields a place to go for an ice cream.”

•••

Kathy kept the malt shop going for as long as she could after her husband’s death but found it too difficult to manage alone. Early retirement, however, didn’t suit her.

“I made the decision to leave the restaurant business, and I

IT’S CAKE! Kathy Kneale may be taking a step back from the day-to-day operations of Harrison’s, but she continues to make her house-made carrot cake, which has been in high demand since the early days of the restaurant. Previous page: The frozen mocha cheesecake features an Oreo cookie crust, fresh whipped cream, and chocolate syrup. One can’t go wrong with this popular winter special: beef bourguignon.

hated it,” she said. “I couldn’t. There just wasn’t enough to do. I couldn’t work 9-to-5 answering the phone.”

When the opportunity came up to open a restaurant at the Stowe Inn, Kathy couldn’t help but contemplate it, but she didn’t want to do it alone.

Andrew had left home after high school but stayed within driving distance while attending Ithaca College. He was working a sports marketing job in Burlington when his mom approached him. Though he had grown up playing catch with his dad outside of the Partridge Inn, he had little interest in the family business.

“I didn’t really want to be in the restaurant business, because I saw my parents,” Andrew said. “I was home on Christmases by myself or with a babysitter on weekends. They were always at work on holidays. I’m like, ‘You guys are crazy. This is not something I would really want to do.’”

Still, when it came to the idea of Harrison’s, he couldn’t help but be drawn to it.

“I thought, there’s no way my children, either one of them, is going to want to do this,” Kathy said. “When the opportunity came, I just sort of said to him, ‘Hey, would you like to go into business with me, let’s give it a try.’”

So, they did. Andrew took bartending classes to become better acquainted

NEW SCHOOL METHODS Executive chef Jamie Nelson joined the restaurant in 2022, equipped with a breadth of experience that includes an early tutelage under his uncle and Stowe culinary legend Michel Martinet. Nelson has helped execute the Kneales’ vision of bringing experiential dining to Harrison’s. Inset: sous chef Michael Paige.

with that side of service and set up the kitchen. Though it continued to be a family affair—with a menu that was, at first, a turn-of-the-century reinvention of Partridge Inn fare—Harrison’s has always been Andrew’s project.

“He’s got a great palate, and it just works, and it’s amazing, but it just worked, and he was very good at it,” Kathy said, looking back on the restaurant’s early days. “I love the fact that he’s got all the new ideas that I’m not in tune with as much, but he’s really great at it.”

When the pandemic brought everything in the restaurant world to a standstill, Andrew looked at his life and found that it had begun to resemble parts of his parents’ life he remembered as a child. Nearing the same age as his father when he died, he was working 12-hour days overseeing lunch and dinner. It once may have been manageable, but now he had a family of his own.

He needed a chef who could transform and elevate the Harrison’s menu in this new era, which he found in executive chef Jamie Nelson.

Like the Kneales, Nelson, 51, has his own deep local roots. A ninth-generation Vermonter from Waterbury Center, he came to Harrison’s in 2022 to lead its post-pandemic reinvention with a classical French training that informs a culinary sensibility all his own.

Nelson was steeped in old world technique, not at culinary school but under the tutelage of his uncle, Michel Martinet. Born in Chateauneuf-sur-Loire in World War II-era France, Martinet worked under legendary chefs in Paris before moving to the United States and marrying into a Waterbury family. He was executive chef first at The Lodge at Smugglers’ Notch, where he led a renowned kitchen at a hotel where Alfred Hitchcock, in Vermont filming “The Trouble with Harry,” for once did not bring his own food or wine cellar, according to Martinet’s obituary.

In the 1980s, he went to lead the kitchen at Trapp Family Lodge, where Nelson eventually came to work under his tutelage in the 1990s. Despite the family relation, it was, in many ways, a demanding education.

“He was a French chef, a stocky little guy, and if he didn’t like something, he’d throw it on the floor and you’d have to start over again,” Nelson said. “He’d embarrass you in front of your whole crew, so you learned to do it right after that first mistake, and everybody else is looking at you.”

Punishing as those old-school methods

MIX IT UP Reservations at Harrison’s are in high demand, but a seat at the bar is just as good. Nothing pairs with the rich dishes on menu like a blue cheese martini or one of bartender Jennifer Cloutier’s house drinks, the Bee’s Knees—Barr Hill gin, honey simple syrup, lemon juice, and a twist.

were, Martinet rewarded the dedication Nelson showed. When the old chef retired from the lodge and moved on to do prep work at the French bistro Mes Amis on Stowe’s Mountain Road, Nelson followed.

In the intervening decades, Nelson worked his way up to executive chef, serving in the position for Waterbury’s esteemed Blackback Pub. Both Nelson and Kneale described their coming together as a kind of restaurant kismet under a shared vision for what the new Harrison’s should be.

“We’re mind readers sometimes,” Nelson said. “I’m like, ‘How about we do this,’ and he’s like, ‘Dude, I was just thinking of that.’”

Like Kneale drawing on his family experience, Nelson has built an approach to cooking on an old-school foundation.

His kitchen, for example, does not involve making anyone cry. In contrast to the popular notion that a dedicated chef must be a tyrant, Kneale described Harrison’s as a restaurant that eschews the traditional hierarchy among chefs, and Nelson is not known to raise his voice.

As David Kneale did at the Partridge Inn, Nelson gets his seafood shipped in daily, though his comes direct from the docks, brought in at five in the morning and in his sink by two in the afternoon, ready to be cleaned. Nelson may not supply the restaurant from his own garden as Andrew’s father tried to, but he populates the restaurant’s seasonal menu with vegetables from Hyde Park’s Naked Acre Farm.

Still, Nelson’s heritage technique shines through his decidedly modern dishes. Testing a potential special one afternoon over the winter, he threw together a stuffed halibut with a shrimp mousse garnished with cracked wasabi peas and a soy-citrus glaze. He took the mousse from Martinet, but the interplay between it and the sharpness of the glaze and the bite of the peas was his own invention.

The dish is reminiscent of the pistachiocrusted venison, a favorite that has become a calling card at Harrison’s. A surprisingly tender cutlet in a sweet encasement in a shallow pool of brown butter-tart cherry demi-glace and accented with blue cheese crumbles, the dish shows off Nelson’s technique and imagination.

“Just keep it fresh. Keep it local. I still keep my classic French flair with my sauces,” Nelson said. “I’ve been doing my Caesar dressing the same way since the late ’90s and just giving people what they want and letting them kind of dictate the menu.”

Revamping a restaurant whose identity had long calcified within the community was a gamble, a change that Kneale wasn’t shy about acknowledging pushed some regulars away. But the success of Kneale’s partnership with Nelson has made it work.

Not that Kneale can avoid finding new work for himself. In another nod to his father’s legacy, he couldn’t help but volunteer to take over the concessions at Stowe Arena following Julie Roy’s retirement from the popular Snack Shack.

“Our family is at the rink seven days a week, and I was like, ‘If somebody else goes in there and it’s not awesome, it’s going to be terrible, so we’re doing this.’ I had a concept and though I didn’t mean to, it kind of took on Malt Shoppe vibes,” Andrew said of Biscuit in the Basket, where local teens serve smash burgers and milkshakes, often to customers who come to the rink just for the food.

The more things change at Harrison’s, the more they stay the same, too. Now in her seventies, Kathy may have taken a step back from managing the restaurant, but she remains a vital presence. Plus, the carrot cake that she’s been baking since she and Andrew first opened Harrison’s—she had never baked when she and her husband were in business together—has, along with the rest of the dessert menu, remains in high demand.

“It’s one of those things, and it’s in your blood. I just love it,” Kathy said. “I love the restaurant business. I know how crazy that sounds to some people, but I love the people, and that’s one of the things I’m missing now, is my connection with all the guests, because I knew their parents, sometimes I knew their grandparents, and now they’re customers.” n

Biscuit in the Basket crew.

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IN THE ‘POORHOUSE’

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHS / KEVIN WALSH

GORDON

MILLER

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In an inconspicuous, cabin-like roadside building on Route 15 in Underhill, the crew at Poorhouse Pies makes a variety of scrumptious meat and dessert pies six days a week. And at this bakery, one philosophy rules: “Pies fix everything!”

In support of this philosophy, a dedicated, 14-person team led by owner Suzanne Tomlinson makes between 100 and 200 pies daily.

“We make every pie and all the fillings from scratch in small batches, using only the freshest ingredients,”

Tomlinson said. “They are made with a lot of love.”

Early each morning, the crew bakes quiche, savory meat pies, pocket pies, and sweet dessert pies for more than 100 customers. Most pies are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, though the bakery does take a limited number of special orders with advance notice.

Jamie and Paula Eisenberg started Poorhouse Pies in their home in 2009. Tomlinson trained in bakery operations with the couple while she looked for a desirable small business opportunity.

When Tomlinson saw the former Underhill post office building for sale, she asked Jamie Eisenberg for advice about whether to buy the building. Eventually, Tomlinson bought not only the building, but the Eisenberg’s business as well.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. She bought the bakery in November 2020 during the pandemic. Adding to this hurdle was a building that needed significant renovations. Not to be defeated, however, Tomlinson’s pies-fix-everything philosophy won the day. With some on-the-job training provided by the previous owners, and after Tomlinson’s husband built a commercial

‘LET’S MAKE PIES’ The Poorhouse Pies staff makes everything, including the pocket pies, fresh each day. Previous page: Alyssa Benson readies a tray of pocket pies for the oven.

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IN THE POCKET Owner Suzanne Tomlinson puts a little love into every pie she makes. Inset: customers of Poorhouse Pies love the product, and many leave handwritten notes on the bakery’s message board to prove it.

kitchen in the old post office in just 35 days, the new bakery was fully operational a few months later.

Poorhouse Pies got its name when Jamie Eisenberg asked how she could stay out of the poorhouse after being laid off from her job during the 2008 economic crash. The answer? “Let’s make pies.”

Tomlinson operates on the honor system. Customers walk into the bakery’s small sales area, and they securely pay for their purchases—cash or credit—and take their pies. “It gets us back to a time when we trusted each other,” Tomlinson said.

It is rare for someone to leave without paying, and some people even leave extra.

The daily pie selection is staggering. Quiche includes Vermont sausage, bacon and spinach, Lorraine, meat lovers, peppers and onions, and others. The savory meal pies, either regular or pocket sized, include shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie, pulled pork and mashed potato pie. Dessert can include key lime, coconut cream, Oreo cheesecake, maple cream, pumpkin, chocolate cream, and too many others to list.

In addition to daily pies, Tomlinson’s dedicated crew provides a catering service, and every other Sunday they bake at least a dozen types of doughnuts—based on an old family recipe—that disappear as soon as they come out of the oven.

Seems pies do fix everything. And maybe doughnuts, too. n

Learn more at poorhousepies.com.

REAL ESTATE LIFESTYLE &

Are you searching for the perfect home or vacation getaway? Looking to update your 1970s kitchen, add a great room, or find a stone mason to redo your uneven terrace? Well, the search is over. Our guide to real estate and homes is your one-stop shop to find a new home or connect with the finest architects, interior designers, builders, and other craftsmen and suppliers for everything home-related. Our newspapers and websites—Stowe Reporter (stowetoday.com, and stowereporter.com, and vtcng.com) and News & Citizen (newsandcitizen.com)—are great community and real estate resources.

From new beginnings to next chapters, we're here for every season of your life.

These days, it’s pretty much a given that you’re probably going to spend over a cool million to buy a home in Stowe. Here are three that are slightly warmer by a mere $300,000 to $400,000.

ULTRA-MODERN LIVING

/ $1,300,000

2,186 square feet, 0.5 acres • Built in 2024 • Taxes: $12,480 • Agency: Smith Macdonald Group at Coldwell Banker Carlson Real Estate

Here’s an eco-friendly new build located in Moscow Meadows at the gateway to Stowe. The modern design features an open-concept floor plan on the main level, with large windows highlighting the mountain views to the west. The primary suite is also located on the main floor, perfect for single-level living. The living room has a gas fireplace, and the kitchen has a large central island. The walk-out lower level features one en-suite bedroom, guest bedroom, entertainment space, and shared bath, as well as troweled concrete floors, adding to the home’s modern feel.

Outside: Located in Moscow Meadows, an on-going development, with views of Mansfield to the west. Easy access to Route 100.

PUCKER UP / $1,395,000

2,700 square feet, 0.75 acres • Built in 1850 • Agency: Judy Foregger, Pall Spera Real Estate >>

Farmhouse-style homes have become trendy in Stowe. Here’s one that was an honest-to-gosh farmhouse built in 1850. It was recently renovated into “like new” condition while retaining its alluring farmhouse appeal. Nearly everything was replaced— windows, doors, walls inside and out, heating system, electricity, septic system, plumbing. The original flooring was reclaimed and refinished. The transformation is stunning! The living room has its own fireplace and many windows with westerly views. The kitchen and dining room are combined in an open floor plan, and the two bedrooms on the second floor each have their own bath and great mountain views. Additional living space is included, with a sunlit living area, original hand-hewn beams, and an attractive adjoining bath. An additional loft area is suitable for an office, study, or guest room and a two-car garage completes this farm-y package.

Outside: The property is flat and suitable for landscaping, gardens, and lawn games. Maybe even a cow?

WINTER BIRD NEST

/ $1,290,000

4,170 square feet, 0.5 acres • Built in 1985 • Taxes: $12,918 • Agency: Tiffany Donza, Element Real Estate

Located on a private neighborhood road, this sprawling ranch-style home is single-floor living at its best. It has three bedrooms, six baths, open floor plan living area, kitchen, mud room, and two-car garage all on the same level. An additional living space is located beyond the mud room. The kitchen features a large granite island with bar seating and plenty of cabinet and counter space. The spacious living area has a gas fireplace and direct access to a large deck, suitable for hosting barbecues and shaded with a retractable awning. There’s a separate loft with ensuite bath for guests and ample space to accommodate many. HOA fee: $2,000 yearly.

Outside: A large, flat yard, and easy access to the Mountain Road, mountain biking, Stowe rec path, skiing, restaurants, and shops. n

STOWE ARCHITECT TAKES A SIMPLE, CLEAN APPROACH

>> Outdoor enthusiast Brian Hamor came to Stowe to pursue a solo career in architecture. His office is on Main Street in Stowe Village, beneath the former hardware store. He lives on Mountain Road with his wife, Andrea, and their two daughters, who attended Stowe elementary and middle schools. Stella, 18, is now at Proctor Academy and Lucia, 16, attends Holderness. They always have at least one dog in the family, and Hamor is the designated dog walker. “I love walking with the dogs. It’s relaxing, meditative, and good exercise.”

MOUNTAIN LIVING Opening page: Brian Hamor and the house he designed to take advantage of the views of the Front Four ski trails on Mt. Mansfield. Below: The chef’s kitchen, with wood veneer cabinets and waterfall countertop on the island, was designed to be both artistic as well as functional for a family that loves to cook.

Why architecture?

I was a curious kid, making things in my free time, from art sculptures to tree houses and wood working in my dad’s workshop. I was— and still am—very imaginative and I love to explore, create, and problem solve. My mom is an artist, and my dad is an engineer, so it makes sense that I would find my way to architecture. My dad built our house, and I loved helping him make things while growing up, from carpentry to auto mechanics. My dad taught me the value of figuring out how to fix things or put things together to solve a problem. Very much DIY before there was do-it-yourself. Later, I knew I wanted to be my own boss, and I thought I needed a business degree. I went to Montana State University and was completely bored. On a whim I walked into the architectural school, which was right next to the engineering school, and it was like I found my people. I realized I could draw and design and create great spaces. I switched my major to architecture and graduated in 2002.

Why did you choose Montana State University?

I grew up in New Hampshire and went to Proctor Academy. On a school trip I passed through Bozeman and knew it was where I wanted to live and snowboard. When I graduated from Proctor, I went to Bozeman to establish residency and snowboarded for two years, working various jobs in construction. Then I enrolled in Montana State and had in-state tuition. During my undergraduate studies I took a semester off to join Andrea in Charleston, S.C., where she was an art student. While there, I worked for an architect to make sure that’s what I really wanted to do. Andrea and I returned to Montana so I could finish my under grad and master’s. After earning my degrees, I completed my intern development program requirements working for Clark Llewellyn, the dean of the architecture school, and visiting professor Byoung Soo Cho from Seoul, South Korea, designing unique residential projects in Montana. I was fortunate to then join Locati Architects at an exciting time when the Yellowstone Club and Moonlight Basin were just beginning to be developed. After that I started my own business, and Andrea and I got married and started a family.

Why did you move to Stowe?

When we lived in Montana, outdoor recreation was right outside our front door, but far from basic services, which was a challenge when starting a family. We realized we wanted to move back East, be closer to family, community, and the outdoors. We chose Stowe. It’s a mini-Montana. We came in 2008 and bought a house on Mountain Road, where once again, trails are right out our front door. We’ve done a lot of renovations on the house since then and we’re still there. We love that house and the location, although sometimes it’s difficult to pull out onto Mountain Road because of traffic. >>

FAMILY AND FRIENDS The essence Hamor wanted to create with the open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows was one that reflects the big, open outdoors you can practically reach out and touch. “I wanted it to feel like you are in nature, experiencing the power of the mountains,” he said. The dining area, living room, and kitchen are the central core of the house, with different seating areas and gathering places. Everything is there, ready to enter tain family and friends in an intimate setting, or a large party with plenty of space for everyone.

Did you open your business right away?

When we moved here, I worked for Birdseye Construction, four 10-hour days, so I left at 6 a.m. and got home at 6 p.m., which meant I never had time with my kids. After three years I decided it was time to open my own practice. My jumping-off point was building a house with Sean Gyllenborg of Gyllenborg Construction in Mud City.

What is your scope of work?

Mostly residential, some hospitality. I designed Tälta and Field Guide and some Montessori schools for my sister. I like simple, clean architecture and Montessori was a perfect match. I also do remodeling. I recently finished a two-year remodeling project of a house that should have been demolished, but the owner saw the silver lining. That was a good collaboration, which makes it fun work. I also did the remodel of the former Sequist Veterinary Hospital, now a private residence.

What are you currently working on?

I just finished a project on Spruce Peak, a freestanding house, possibly the last building lot available up there. Now I’m working on a family home on Elmore Mountain. It’s ultra-modern—steel, glass,

stone, timber—using stone and trees from the land. I’m also a partner with Damon Lee in Hamor Lee Development Studio. I met Lee when I designed his house and expressed a desire to create good housing. He was of the same mindset. He’s in finance and business, not my forte at all, so it’s a good partnership. We are the designers, and we subcontract out all the phases. Right now, we’re doing a village PUD that’s surrounded by conserved land in Morrisville called Kyrrland. It means calm place. Two houses are finished and two are under construction. Phase II will be 15 to 20 houses and will start in a year or two.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’m an outdoors guy, and I spend time with my family hiking, snowboarding, surfing, and sailing off the coast of New Hampshire where my parents live. I like to give back and be involved in Stowe’s community. In the past I’ve served on the boards for The Current and Stowe Vibrancy. I’ve been on Stowe’s planning commission for 10 years and currently I’m the chair. We are putting a lot of focus on “Stowe 2050,” where we’ve asked for community feedback on what people would like Stowe to look like 25 years from now. It can be a tough thing to balance when there’s too much of a good thing. n

Carpeting • Area Rugs • Stair Runners • Hardwood • Laminate • Luxury Vinyl

WALLS OF VERMONT

Walls practically beg to be photographed and presented as something new; re-purposed, redesigned. Each likeness is at once an artifact of archeology, a souvenir of a visit, and a new visual creation.

On occasion, walls will begin in obscurity but come to fame for some reason of history or happenstance. Some are designed for greatness but fall into disrepair. Still others are plain to a fault but come alive when sunlight and shadow dance upon their skin.

This is inspiration for an image-maker.

Though Vermont’s architectural history is not ancient, some of our buildings date back to the late colonial era. The Hyde Log Cabin in Grand Isle, for example, dates to 1783. Though thoroughly renovated and no longer in its original location, its log and stone construction speaks of our past while inspiring the photographer.

Consider also the old United Farmers Creamery building in Morrisville (now Mt. Mansfield Creamery), sporting a patchwork facade of texture and color, as seen in my 2017 photo. The wall has since been refurbished. We’re glad for the update but find ourselves missing the view of those 20th-century remains.

As viewers of these photos, we’re free to interpret as we wish. Perhaps we’ll speculate about the architect’s original intent and design or consider the building material. Maybe we’ll find clues that speak of weather and repair, or accents that nod to our culture.

Or we might be content to muse on the design of the picture, allowing “the thing itself” to fade, replaced by a contemplation of line, color, texture, and form. This performance of visual dance happens in most every picture we make.

When we happen to travel the highways and byways of Vermont, we’re reminded to see and not just look. Perhaps we’ll bring our camera, later reflecting on the results.

As writer Paul Theroux noted, “Travel is at its most rewarding when it ceases to be about you reaching a destination and becomes indistinguishable from living your life.” A life with myriad walls, fresh vision, and images from the journey. n

Refurbished sugarhouse, Stowe, 2013 Creamery Building facade, Morrisville, 2017

Mug collection, South Vernon, 2019

Brick wall detail, White River Junction, 2023

Wall clock and lamp shadow, Charlotte, 2014

Hyde Log Cabin, detail, Grand Isle, 2024

Historic Randolph Coal & Ice Co. building, Randolph, 2015 Wall sign, South Wallingford, 2014

Couple delights in open, expansive living space

imber-frame houses possess a characteristic that most other house styles simply don’t have. It’s not just about aesthetics, although their exposed beams certainly are beautiful. It’s more about their inherent ability to exude craftsmanship, warmth, and strength, and the ageless mortise-and-tenon joinery technique conveys a sense of timelessness. Timber-frame homes are also a renewable resource, energy efficient, and incredibly strong, making them a great choice for northern climates.

The couple who built this timber-frame home in Waterbury had already built their forever home in Peoria, Ill. Or so they thought. After living in that house, which the husband, a skilled carpenter and woodworker, helped build, it eventually became obvious they didn’t want to stay in Peoria. They found the climate discouraging and unwelcoming, especially if you like spending time outdoors.

“It’s so flat, and in the winter it’s cold, icy, windy, and there’s no snow. In the summer it’s hot and humid. We wanted to live in a climate where we could do things outside,” the homeowners explained. Their decision to leave Peoria brought them to Vermont, with its solid winters and verdant summers. It also brought them to the world of timber frames.

story, p.210 photographs, p.196 >>

OPENING SPREAD:

WOODWORKER:

GREAT ROOM

A DOG’S LIFE

A MAN AND HIS DOGS:

ENTERING INTO THE GARAGE,

CUSTOM KITCHEN

KITCHEN CABINETS

PHOTO: DERRICK BARRETT

SUBDIVISIONS & SITE PLANS

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

LOCAL ZONING & DRB PERMITTING

STATE & ACT

WATER & WASTEWATER DESIGN

STORMWATER MANAGEMENT

PRIMARY SPACE

SLIDING DOORS

Ryan Bent Photography

ON THE CATWALK

Having already built three homes, they were conflicted. Buy an existing home or build again? The wife leaned toward an existing home, while the husband was game for another new build. After a great deal of discussion, they agreed to build a new house.

“We wanted something traditional, but not a log cabin, which isn’t energy efficient. That led us to timber frames,” they said. “We didn’t know anything about timber frames or Vermont, so we did some research and liked everything about both. We decided to go with Kevin Moyer of Vermont Frames to provide the timber framing and wall panels. Moyer recommended Ryan Weigand, owner of Timberworks Design in Stowe, to be the architect.”

“Working with Weigand is great because his designs are really well thought through, livable, and easy to modify,” Moyer said. “His designs lend themselves to being tailored to meet clients’ needs.”

Weigand specializes in timber frame architecture and has worked with hundreds of clients across the U.S. and beyond. “We offer a pre-designed plan approach. The Newport II

POST & BEAM

plan was a great foundation for this project, and we worked closely with the homeowners to tailor it to their lifestyle and to the site,” he said.

The lot was fully cleared before design began, which offered sweeping, unobstructed views but it also presented a challenge. Without existing vegetation or topography to buffer the home, it felt overly exposed and disconnected from its surroundings.

“To create a stronger sense of grounding, we sited the home further west, tucked gently into the rise of the hill behind,” Weigand said. This subtle shift not only gave the house a more intimate relationship with the land but also preserved an expansive front lawn and ensured that the panoramic views of Camels Hump remained front and center. The result is a home that feels anchored and intentional, Weigand added.

The homeowners made a few tweaks to the design, including relocating the main entry to the house’s garage side. The entry now includes a spacious mudroom complete with a dog wash, a must-have for their active pups. It also facilitated a seamless connection to a two-car garage and a dedicated woodworking space for the husband.

They also wanted some structural changes, such as replacing the second-floor loft with a catwalk that spans the home’s central living space and connects the upper-level wings. Both side wings were lengthened to expand the living room, primary suite, closets, and second-floor bedrooms. A powder room was relocated closer to the mud room for improved flow.

Moyer also recommended a few contractors who had experience with timber-frame construction. The homeowners chose Rob Shea of RSC Builders in Jericho. Shea had worked with Vermont Frames in the past and understands the complexity and process of building a timber-frame structure.

“You have to have a framing mindset from the beginning,” he said. “It’s a process that rewards thoughtful people because it can’t be modified along the way. Everything must be accounted for ahead of time—plumbing, heating, venting, electrical—to get around posts. The walls, which are pre-made structurally

insulated panels, or SIPs, have to fit perfectly, lining up with the joists.”

The timber they chose is Eastern white pine, a regional favorite, for the timber framing.

“It’s warm character pairs beautifully with the natural setting, and it’s also a practical choice: locally sourced, cost-effective, and easy to work with,” Weigand said. The light tone of the pine ages to a warm honey tone with time.

The timber is cut to specifications off-site. When delivered, the foundation is already laid, and the framing goes up fairly quickly. It’s like a giant puzzle, where, if done properly from the beginning, everything falls into place during construction.

“The process was amazing,” the owners said. “It went from nothing to a big box. Once the frame was up, the pre-made SIPs were installed. Then holes for windows were cut out of the insulated panels, and the windows were inserted.”

“We really enjoyed working with the owners, RSC Building, and Timberworks Design, to craft this timber frame to fit the owners’ needs,” Rye Mathews, Vermont Frames’ senior designer, said. “We were able to develop a SIP enclosure that’s energy efficient and durable for them. With a timber-frame home, there’s a lot of freedom to rearrange the interior walls to arrive at just about any floorplan a client wants.

Once the framing and SIPs were in place, the husband became more involved with the building process. He was there every day,

installing window trim and doing assorted finish work. It was also the time when interior finishes came together—fireplace and hearth, staircase and iron railings, kitchen island and cabinets, bathrooms, and lighting. He also spent time in his woodworking studio creating much of the furniture for the couple’s new home.

Shea is aware of how homeowners feel inside their house and advocates for soundproofing the interior walls and floors. He’s also an advocate for energy efficiency and does a blower door test before the house is done to identify and seal any air gaps. The external walls and roof have continuous insulation without thermal bridging. A ceiling fan in the great room, where there’s a floor-toceiling fireplace, circulates the warm air.

The homeowners are incredibly pleased with their decision to go with a timber-frame design.

“We love the open floor plan in the main living space, it’s where we spend most of our time when we’re home,” said the wife.

“Everyone who comes here is amazed at how beautiful it is, and in the winter, when the fireplace is going and it’s snowing outside, it is literally breathtaking.”

It was a risk, relocating to Vermont and building a timber-frame home, but in the long run, this couple feel they could not have made a better decision. n

S TOWE MAGAZINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ANTIQUES

BITTNER ANTIQUES

Third-generation Vermont antique dealer Brian Bittner: broad experience with pocket and wristwatches, jewelry, silver, artwork, coins/paper money, historical/military, older collectibles, heirlooms. Free house visits. 2997 Shelburne Road, Shelburne. (802) 489-5210, bittnerantiques.com.

ARCHITECTS

ANDREW VOLANSKY, AIA / VOLANSKY STUDIO ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING

The term studio speaks to an open process of collaborating with our clients and general contractors who execute our designs. This respectful approach has proven to contribute significantly to project success. (802) 416-0005, info@volanskystudio.com, volanskystudio.com.

BROWN + DAVIS DESIGN

We are a small architecture firm dedicated to the belief that good design matters. We specialize in thoughtfully crafted and energy-efficient residential design throughout Vermont. (802) 899-1155. brownanddavis.com.

ELD ARCHITECTURE

Creating thoughtful, site-specific designs in response to each client's unique goals. We provide the opportunity to experience your home three-dimensionally and are committed to creating enduring relationships with our clients. eldarchitecture.com. (802) 521-7101.

HARRY HUNT ARCHITECTS

Helping clients design modern, low-carbon dream homes— true to the spirit of Vermont. Member American Institute of Architects. Certified passive house designer. (802) 253-2374, harryhuntarchitects.com.

J. GRAHAM GOLDSMITH, ARCHITECTS

Quality design and professional architectural services specializing in high-end residential development. Member Stowe Area. (800) 862-4053. jggarchitects.com. Email: vt@jggarchitects.com.

KEVIN BROWNE ARCHITECTURE

We create timeless architecture inspired by the past, designed for the future. Our approach is always tailored to our clients and the region with a focus on sustainability and efficiency. kevinbrownearchitecture.com, (207) 837-3499.

LEE HUNTER ARCHITECT, AIA

Stowe-based architectural firm offering a personal approach to creative, elegant design. Residential, commercial, and renovations. leehunterarchitect.com. (802) 917-3381.

METHOD ARCHITECTURE STUDIO PLLC

A Stowe-based architectural studio specializing in energy efficient, modern timber frame, custom home designs. View our process, portfolio, and client stories at methodarch.com. 259 Summit View Drive, Stowe. (802) 585-3161.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

CUSHMAN DESIGN GROUP

Custom architectural, interior, landscape design, and master planning for your home or business. Integrating beauty, craftsmanship, and sustainability. Creative, intuitive, functional, efficient. (802) 253-2169. cushmandesign.com. inquiry@cushmandesign.com.

ART GALLERIES

ARTISANS’ GALLERY

A must-see collection of Vermont fine art and craft since 1995. Pottery, jewelry, photography, fiber, woodenware, greeting cards. Gifts for every occasion. 11-6 daily. Historic Bridge Street, Waitsfield. (802) 496-6256. vtartisansgallery.com.

BRYAN GALLERY

Vermont’s premier gallery for landscape artwork with over 200 regional artists displayed annually. One gallery, two locations, Jeffersonville and Stowe. Visit bryangallery.org for more information. (802) 644-5100.

THE CURRENT

A center for contemporary art and art education, established in 1981. Exhibitions of acclaimed artists. Art classes. Cultural events. Schedule: Monday-Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-3. 90 Pond St., Stowe. (802) 253-8358, thecurrentnow.org.

FRONT FOUR GALLERY

An outstanding selection of original paintings, sculpture, and glass by locally, nationally, and internationally acclaimed artists. Celebrating 34 years. 394 Mountain Road, Baggy Knees Shopping Center, Stowe. frontfourgallery.com. (802) 253-7282.

MOOSEWALK STUDIOS

Award-winning oil and watercolor paintings by Gary Eckhart and fine art photography by Roark Sharlow are the focus of the charming and intimate gallery and studio. Frequent visiting artists. Warren, by appointment. moosewalkstudios.com, fineart@moosewalkstudios.com, and (802) 583-2224.

NORTHWOOD GALLERY

Gallery exclusively featuring Vermont artisans. Jewelry, pottery, prints, local photography, woodwork, cards, stained glass and more. 151 Main St., Stowe. (802) 760-6513. info.northwoodgallery@gmail.com.

SALT AND SAND STUDIOS

Glassblowing classes and experiences creating plates, beads, pumpkins, paperweights, and ornaments. It’s all right here in our Warren, Vt., barn and studio. Dedicated to the art and science of glasswork. (802) 583-2559, saltandsandstudios.com.

ART STUDIO & TATTOOS

HELLBROOK FINE ART GALLERY & TATTOO STUDIO

Hellbrook, a unique fine art gallery and tattoo studio in Morrisville village showcases original artwork, live demonstrations, Friday drawing sessions, and appointment-only tattoos, creating a welcoming and inspiring atmosphere. Visit today. hellbrookink@gmail.com.

BAKERIES

BLACK CAP COFFEE & BAKERY OF VERMONT Croissants, danishes, muffins, scones, tarts, cakes. Everything made in house. Gluten-free/vegan options. A fun place to work, meet, or hang out. Open daily. Stowe and Morrisville downtowns, Waterbury Train Station. blackcapvermont.com.

STOWE BEE BAKERY

Breakfast, lunch, beverages, and array of sweets and treats. Takeout or relax in our dining room. You can count on Stowe Bee for all-natural meals and amazing fromscratch pastries. 1056 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 760-6728 and info@stowebeebakery.com.

BIKE SHOPS & INSTRUCTION

HITCHHIKER BIKE SHOP

Stowe’s local bike shop. In our dedicated mountain and gravel shop find a vast selection of bikes, unique parts, clothing, helmets, accessories. Need a tune or a quick fix? We’re ready to get you back on the road, path, or trail. hitchhikerbikes.com. (802) 585-3344.

MOUNTAINOPS

High-quality bikes and best location guarantee—exclusive access to the Stowe Recreation Path across from Topnotch Resort. Hiking information, trail maps and accessories, extensive line of camping gear. Daily at 9 a.m. (802) 253-4531. mountainopsvt.com.

BOOKSTORES

BEAR POND BOOKS

Complete family bookstore. New York Times bestsellers and new releases. Children and adult hardcovers, paperbacks, Vermont authors, daily papers, puzzles, greeting cards. Open daily. Depot Building, Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-8236.

BREWERIES & CIDERIES

THE ALCHEMIST

A family owned and operated craft brewery specializing in fresh, unfiltered IPA. Open for retail sales and onsite consumption, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., 7 days a week. Order online at shop.alchemistbeer.com. 100 Cottage Club Road, stowe.alchemistbeer.com.

LOT SIX BREWING COMPANY

Brewpub located at the base of Smugglers Notch. Sevenbarrel brewery serving elevated pub food for lunch and dinner. Open Wednesday through Sunday from noon-8:30 p.m. lotsixbrewing.com. (802) 335-2092.

ROCK ART BREWERY

Visit us for a wonderful variety of our handcrafted beers. Enjoy a pint while you view the brewery or wander our art gallery, showing more than 60 Vermont artists. You could also enjoy a pint and pretzel on the porch with your dog. (802) 888-9400. rockartbrewery.com.

BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION

WALKER CONSTRUCTION

Engineered to deliver reliable, built-to-last foundations for projects of all types in all environments. Discover how our screw piles are the right solution for Vermont homeowners and pros alike. (802) 244-7400, walkerconst.net.

BUILDERS & CONTRACTORS

DONALD P. BLAKE JR INC.

Handcrafted quality in building, offering experienced and reliable contracting services since 1985. Specializing in custom home new construction, renovations, commercial construction, construction management, property services. (802) 888-3629, stowebuilder.com.

GYLLENBORG CONSTRUCTION

Recognized for high-quality craftsmanship. Our priority is to encourage and promote environmentally friendly living. Individualized customer service and attention to detail for custom homebuilding, renovations, and additions.

Established 1995. gyllenborgconstruction.com. (802) 888-9288.

MOUNTAIN LOGWORKS, LLC

Handcrafted log homes. Specializing in Scandinavian Full Scribe and Adirondack-style log structures with log diameters up to 30 inches. In-house design service available. (802) 748-5929. mountainlogworks.com.

PATTERSON & SMITH CONSTRUCTION, INC.

Custom builder, remodeling firm, and general contractor in Stowe. Our mission is to provide each customer and their designer/architect with the highest degree of customer service, management, and craftsmanship. pattersonandsmith.com. (802) 253-3757.

RED HOUSE BUILDING

Full-service, employee-owned building company with an emphasis on timeless craftsmanship. Meeting the challenges of unique and demanding building projects, from contemporary mountain retreats to meticulously restored historic buildings and high-efficiency homes. (802) 655-0043. redhousebuilding.com.

SISLER BUILDERS INC.

Custom home building, remodeling, woodworking, home energy audits and retrofits, quality craftsmanship, resource efficient construction, modest additions to multi-million-dollar estates. 40 years in Stowe. References available. sislerbuilders.com. (802) 253-5672.

WINTERWOOD TIMBER FRAMES, LLC

Hand-crafted, custom-designed timber-frame structures and woodwork, SIPs insulation, sourcing local timber and fine hardwoods, building in the Vermont vernacular. Cabinetry, flooring, butcher-block tops, and staircases. (802) 229-7770. winterwoodtimberframes.com.

BUILDING MATERIALS

CAMARA SLATE

National supplier of roofing slate, slate flooring, flagstone, countertops, and other structural components. Committed to delivering a standard beyond our competitors’ abilities with excellent service and quality-valued products. Fair Haven, Vt. (802) 265-3200, camaraslate.com, info@camaraslate.com.

LOEWEN WINDOW CENTER OF VT & NH

Beautifully crafted Douglas fir windows and doors for the discerning homeowner. Double- and triple-glazed options available in aluminum, copper, and bronze clad. Style Inspired by You. loewenvtnh.com, (802) 295-6555, info@loewenvtnh.com.

RKMILES

Founded in 1940, rkMiles is a family-owned company providing services and materials for all types of building and design. Nine locations serving Vermont and western Massachusetts, including Stowe and Morrisville. rkmiles.com.

CANNABIS DISPENSARY

BEST BUDS

Visit us to shop premium flower, edibles, concentrates, and more. All Vermont grown and locally sourced. Open every day in Morrisville. Browse our menu and order online at bestbudsvt.com.

CRAFT CANNABIS COMPANY

Locally curated cannabis products, tested by us, for you. Deli-style bulk flower, high-end edibles, and great prices. Vinyl records, guitar accessories, glass, dab rigs, infused beverages and more. 46 Hutchins St., Morrisville. 21 and over only.

HIGHER ELEVATION LLC

Enjoy a private one-on-one experience with one of our budtenders. Friendly and knowledgeable staff will guide you through our very large selection of recreational Vermont cannabis products. Check out our up-to-date menu at higherlevationvt.com.

WILD LEGACY CANNABIS

Wild Legacy Cannabis Dispensary is a woman-owned small retail business. We carry a unique inventory. Our amazing staff will guide you to products that suit your preferences. Located at 10 Railroad St., Morrisville.

CANOEING

VERMONT CANOE & KAYAK

The Lamoille River is our playground. Daily rentals of kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. Pack a picnic, swim or relax on the sandy beaches. Guided tours tailored to your spirit of adventure. vtcanoeandkayak.com, vtcanoes@gmail.com or (802) 644-8336.

CERAMICS

LUKE IANNUZZI POTTERY

A full-service studio and gallery featuring decorative, functional, and custom temporary ceramics in a beautiful mountain setting. Vacation pottery classes will make memories that will last a lifetime. Warren. (802) 839-9650. lukeiannuzzipottery.com.

CHURCHES & SYNAGOGUES

BLESSED SACRAMENT CATHOLIC CHURCH

Mass schedule: Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. See bulletin for daily masses. Confession Saturday 3:30-4 p.m. Father John Schnobrich, Pastor. 728 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-7536.

JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GREATER STOWE

For information regarding services, holiday gatherings, classes, and workshops: JCOGS, Stowe, Vt. 05672. 1189 Cape Cod Road, Stowe. (802) 253-1800 or jcogs.org.

ST. JOHN’S IN THE MOUNTAINS EPISCOPAL

At the crossroads of Mountain and Luce Hill roads in Stowe. Holy Eucharist Sundays at 10 a.m., in person and online. St. John’s is wheelchair friendly, visitors and children welcome. Rev. Rick Swanson. stjohnsinthemountains.org. (802) 253-7578.

STOWE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Stowe Community Church is non-denominational, open, and affirming. All are welcome. 9:30 a.m. Sunday services are in-person and livestreamed. The iconic building hosts public and private events, including weddings, vow renewals, and memorial services. Visit us at stowecommunitychurch.org.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP

Sunday services at 4:30 p.m., St. John’s in the Mountains Episcopal Church, Mountain and Luce Hill roads, Stowe. Weekly September to June. All welcome. For information: UU Fellowship of Stowe on Facebook.

WATERBURY CENTER COMMUNITY

Route 100 next to the Cider Mill. We warmly welcome visitors. (802) 244-6286. Sunday worship 10:30 a.m. Handicapped accessible. Church is a National Historic Place. Pastor Shirley Nolan.

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

ARCHERY CLOSE

Clothing boutique with a curated collection of emerging designers, trend-setting styles, and cult brands. Men’s and women’s clothing. 1650 Mountain Road, Stowe. archeryclose.com, @archeryclose @archeryclosemens. (802) 242-0448.

BOUTIQUE AT STOWE MERCANTILE

Fabulous contemporary fashion for women. From casual to professional, Boutique can make you feel beautiful any time. Lingerie, dresses, skirts, tops, jeans, sweaters, more. We’ll dress you for any occasion. Depot Building, Main Street, Stowe. (802) 253-3712.

COCO GOOSE BY GREEN ENVY

On-trend luxe clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories. Veronica Beard, Ulla Johnson, Closed, Mother, Nili Lotan, Herno. Over 250 designers. Premium denim. Complimentary personal styling. Two locations, Mountain Road, Stowe. Burlington, Manchester, Providence, R.I. (802) 253-2661, shopcocogoose.com. @cocogoose.official.

FORGET-ME-NOT-SHOP

Treasure hunt through our huge selection of famous label off price clothing for men, women, and teens at 60 to 80 percent off. Route 15 Johnson, just 1.5 miles west of Johnson Village. Open 10-7.

HELLY HANSEN

BURLINGTON

Making professional-grade gear to help people stay and feel alive for more than 140 years. Come in to shop our latest selection of hiking, sailing, ski, and mountain lifestyle apparel. 66 Church St., Burlington. (802) 651-7010.

IN COMPANY CLOTHING

Celebrating 24 years. Specializing in personalized service and top designer labels. Come see what’s in. 10-5 daily. Sunday hours may vary. 344 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-4595. incompanyclothing.com, @incompanyclothing.

JOHNSON WOOLEN MILLS

Home of famous Johnson Woolen outerwear since 1842, featuring woolen blankets, and men’s, women’s, and children’s wool and flannel clothing. Route 15, Johnson. (802) 635-2271, johnsonwoolenmills.com.

MOUNTAIN ROAD OUTFITTERS / MALOJA (MAH-LOW-YA) FLAGSHIP STORE

Made for the mountains. A European outdoor sport, lifestyle, apparel, and accessories brand. Winter: Nordic and alpine ski. Summer: mountain and road bike. 409 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 760-6605. mountainroadoutfitters.com.

ROAM VERMONT

Adventurous footwear and apparel for men and women. Explore in style with Patagonia, Kuhl, Birkenstock, Prana, Dansko, and Blundstone. Located on historic Langdon Street in downtown Montpelier. Open Monday to Saturday. (802) 613-3902. roamvt.com.

VERMONT FLANNEL

Shop ultra-soft, American-made flannel shirts, pajamas, blankets, and accessories—crafted from organic cotton and brushed beyond reason for unmatched comfort and quality. 162 Vermont Route 15E, Johnson. 2653 WaterburyStowe Rd, Waterbury. (800) 232-7820, vermontflannel.com.

WELL HEELED

Sophisticated collection of shoes, boots, clothing, and accessories for an effortlessly chic lifestyle. Stylish interior combined with personalized service and by appointment shopping available—a #mustdoinstowe. Daily 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (802) 253-6077, wellheeledstowe.com.

S TOWE MAGAZINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

YELLOW TURTLE

Clothing, toys, and gifts for babies, kids, and teens. 1799 Mountain Road in Stowe. yellow-turtle.com, @yellowturtlevt.

COFFEE HOUSES

BLACK CAP COFFEE & BAKERY OF VERMONT

Locally roasted coffee. Lattes, smoothies, teas, chais. Fresh pastries, breakfast, lunch. Gluten-free/vegan options. A fun place to work, meet, or hang out. Open daily. Stowe Village, Morrisville downtown, Waterbury Train Station. blackcapvermont.com.

GIRAKOFI

Coffee your way. Locally roasted espresso and drip coffees. Customizable breakfast sandwiches and freshly baked pastries. Lunch options. Heated indoor and patio seating. Wi-Fi, knowledgeable staff, and Vermont gifts. 1880 Mountain Road, Stowe. girakofi.com, (802) 585-7710.

STOWE STREET CAFÉ

Community oriented cafe featuring local coffee, food, and art, including breakfast, brunch and lunch. Unique collection of art and gifts made in Vermont and beyond and stay in our beautiful accommodations just upstairs, all in historic downtown Waterbury. 29 Stowe St. stowestreetcafe.com.

VERMONT ARTISAN COFFEE & TEA CO.

Stop by our state-of-the-art coffee roastery and coffee bar. Delicious coffee espresso drinks, whole bean coffees, and premium teas. 11 Cabin Lane, Waterbury Center, vtartisan.com.

DELICATESSEN

EDELWEISS MOUNTAIN DELI

Farm-to-table prepared foods. Delicious deli sandwiches, salads, baked goods. Craft beer, wine, and local spirits. Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. 2251 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-4034. We are all about the local.

DENTISTRY

STOWE DENTAL ASSOCIATES

Christopher P. Altadonna DDS and Jeffrey R. McKechnie DMD. (802) 253-7932. stowedentalassociates.com. stowedentist@gmail.com.

DISTILLERIES

GREEN MOUNTAIN DISTILLERY

Vermont’s No. 1 organic distillery. Vodkas, gin, maple liqueur, and small-batch whiskey. 171 Whiskey Run. Route 100 between Stowe and Morrisville; turn on Goeltz Road. (802) 253-0064, greendistillers.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH DISTILLERY

Come taste our award-winning spirits. Tasting rooms in Jeffersonville, Stowe, Waterbury Center, Burlington, and Manchester for samples, sales, and more. Daily. smugglersnotchdistillery.com.

EDUCATION & COLLEGES

THE CURTIS FUND

We provide scholarships for students pursuing a two- or four-year degree program or students pursuing a certificates training program in the trades. Contact info@thecurtisfund.org to learn more.

ENGINEERS

GRENIER ENGINEERING PC

Civil engineering and environmental services, from site plan to finished project. Boundary and topographical surveys, sewer, water, stormwater design, subdivision planning and design, and state and local permitting. Serving Vermont for over 30 years. Waterbury, (802) 244-6413, grenierengineering.com.

MUMLEY ENGINEERING INC.

Civil engineering services for residential and commercial land development, including subdivisions, site plans, wastewater and water systems, and stormwater management. Permitting for local zoning, state, and Act 250. Contact tyler@mumleyinc.com, (802) 851-8882.

EXCAVATING

DALE E. PERCY, INC.

Excavating contractors, commercial and residential. Earthmoving equipment. Site work, trucking, stone, top soil, sand, gravel, soil, sewer, water, drainage systems, and supplies. Weeks Hill Road. (802) 253-8503.

FARMERS MARKET & ORGANIC PRODUCE

FOOTE BROOK FARM

Seasonal vegetable farmstand late June through November, daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. We grow our own and carry local specialty food. July and August, pick your own flowers, sunflower maze, and wild flower loop. Non-organic sod for pick up. footebrookfarm.com, (802) 730-3587.

STOWE FARMERS MARKET

Every Sunday through Oct. 19. New hours: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. along the Stowe Recreation Path at Topnotch Field. Enjoy breakfast, lunch, live music, local produce, meat, cheese, herbal products, pottery, jewelry, and more. 3420 Mountain Road, stowefarmersmarket.com.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

VERMONT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

We’re a collective of over 1,000 individuals, families, and businesses dedicated to making a meaningful impact in the place we call home. Our funds and programs provide over $70 million a year in grants in Vermont and beyond. vermontcf.org.

FISHING & HUNTING

FLY ROD SHOP

Vermont’s most experienced guide service. Guided fly fishing, ice fishing and family tours. Weekly taste of Vermont tours. Fly tackle, fly tying supplies, spin and ice fishing tackle. Route 100 South, Stowe. flyrodshop.com, (802) 253-7346.

FLOORING

FLOORING AMERICA

Customize your home with flooring that compliments your space while honoring your style. Choose from our leading collection of hardwood, carpet, tile, laminate, vinyl, and rug selections. Williston, flooringamerica-vt.com, 802-448-4771.

FURNITURE

BURLINGTON FURNITURE

From modern and contemporary to classic and Vermont traditional, we are passionate about bringing the perfect style to your home. Sofas, dining, lighting, and rugs—our design team can help you pull your space together. Showroom: 747 Pine St., Burlington. burlingtonfurniture.us, (802) 862-5056.

STOWE LIVING

Welcome to your new favorite store. Unique home décor and take-home furniture for the entire home. Gourmet kitchenware, gadgets, specialty foods, bedding, bath, clothing, jewelry, gifts. Ship and deliver. 1813 Mountain Rd. (802) 253-8050. Shop online at stoweliving.net.

GIFT & SPECIALTY SHOPS

BLACK CAP COFFEE & BAKERY OF VERMONT

Fun selection of gifts and cards within Stowe’s favorite coffee shop and bakery. A fun place to work, meet, or hang out. Open daily. Stowe Village, Morrisville downtown, Waterbury Train Station. blackcapvermont.com.

THE BODY LOUNGE

A natural body and bath shop with an additionally large selection of whimsical gifts, cards, beautiful artisan jewelry and local art. Red Barn Shops, 1799 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-7333. bodyloungevt.com.

BUTTERNUT MOUNTAIN FARM & MARVIN’S COUNTRY STORE

A country store focused on all things maple. Shop a thoughtfully curated selection of celebrated local products including specialty cheeses, honey, jams, Vermont-made products, crafts, and gifts. (800) 899-6349, marvinscountrystore.com.

THE COUNTRY STORE ON MAIN

Luxury bedding, dreamy candles, kitchen gadgets, children’s items, pet goods, rugs, frames, clocks, greeting cards, and more. Located in the former Lackey’s building next to Stowe Community Church. 109 Main St. (802) 253-7653, countrystorevt.com.

GREEN MOUNTAIN DRY GOODS

A well-curated collection of Vermont-designed, Vermontmade, Vermont-inspired gifts for all ages. We’re the gateway to your Waterbury-Stowe Road shopping experience. 132 Waterbury-Stowe Road, Waterbury.

HIGHER ELEVATION LLC

Check out our extensive collection of hand-blown glass smoking accessories, as well as a great selection of CBD. Lots of Vermont products made for your skin, pets, and more. Our knowledgeable staff will assist you in finding just what you are looking for. Stop by today. higherlevationvt.com.

MOSS BOUTIQUE

Artist-owned boutique featuring contemporary Vermont oil paintings by Jennifer Hubbard alongside crafts by other independent designers, as well as beautiful and unique home furnishings, decor, gifts, and jewelry. Portland Street, downtown Morrisville. (802) 851-8461, mossboutiquevt.com.

REMARKABLE THINGS AT STOWE CRAFT

Remarkable Things is a locals’ favorite place to shop for handmade art, jewelry, gifts, and home décor. 300-plus small studio artists are lovingly represented by our familyowned gallery. Shop remarkablethingsvt.com.

STOWE MERCANTILE

Fabulous old country store, Vermont specialty foods, penny candy, clothing, bath and body, wine, craft beer and cider, and toys. Play a game of checkers or a tune on our piano. Depot Building, Main Street. (802) 253-4554. stowemercantile.com.

STOWE STREET CAFÉ

Community oriented cafe featuring local coffee, food, and art, including breakfast, brunch and lunch. Unique collection of art and gifts made in Vermont and beyond and stay in our beautiful accommodations just upstairs, all in historic downtown Waterbury. 29 Stowe St. stowestreetcafe.com.

TANGERINE & OLIVE

Independent makers from across North America. Clothing, jewelry, letterpress cards and stationery, maple syrup, and inspired gifts for the outdoor lover. Downer Farm Shops, 232 Mountain Road. tangerineandolive.com, (802) 760-6692.

VERMONT ECLECTIC COMPANY

A collaborative effort with Vermont artists who create unique and custom T-shirts and gifts that expresses their passion for the Green Mountain State—the land, people, culture, sense of humor—all of it. 151 Main St., Stowe. (802) 281-0885. vteclecticco.com.

HEALTH & FITNESS CLUBS

ELEVATE MOVEMENT COLLECTIVE

Multi-sport training facility promoting health and wellness through physical education and community engagement. Camps, classes, and open gyms for kids and adults to train parkour, trampoline, climbing, ninja warrior, and much more. Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 585-0579, elevatemovementcollective.com.

THE SWIMMING HOLE

Nonprofit community pool and fitness center. Olympicsized lap pool, toddler pool, waterslide. Learn-to-swim classes, masters swimming, aqua-aerobics, personal training, group fitness classes, yoga. Memberships, day guests, and drop-ins. theswimmingholestowe.com, (802) 253-9229.

HEATING, AC, & FUEL

FRED’S ENERGY

Experienced, licensed professionals. Quality heating/AC installation and service; heating oil, propane; generators; water heaters/softeners; air purifiers; central vac; sewer pumps; bathroom remodels; 24/7 emergency service. Morrisville, (802) 888-3827, callfreds.com.

INNS & RESORTS

AWOL STOWE

AWOL Stowe is your private alpine retreat featuring an outdoor sauna, cedar hot tubs, cold plunge pools, communal fire pits, an on-site library, and gear storage. Mountain Road, Stowe.

BLUEBIRD CADY HILL LODGE

Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge is your launch pad for Vermont adventure with indoor and outdoor pools, a playground, shuffleboard court, game room, and cozy bar and lounge. Mountain Road, Stowe.

EDSON HILL MANOR

Enjoy a tranquil escape at Edson Hill: 38 private acres with 22 individually inspired guest rooms. Experience our commitment to genuine service, casual luxury, and top-notch hospitality. edsonhill.com, 802-253-7371.

FIELD GUIDE LODGE

Field Guide Lodge is a stylish basecamp, centrally located in the heart of downtown Stowe, featuring pet-friendly rooms, an outdoor pool, hot tub, and onsite bar and tasting room.

GREEN MOUNTAIN INN

In the heart of Stowe village, over 104 accommodations featuring classic charm and modern comfort. Year-round outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, health club, sauna, firepits, Stowe Village Massage. Two restaurants: Whip Bar and Grill and 18 Main. (800) 253-7302. greenmountaininn.com.

INNSBRUCK INN AT STOWE

Stay close to adventure with complimentary breakfast, pickleball, pool, and sauna, just two miles from the mountain. The scenic Stowe Recreation Path begins right outside your door. (802) 308-4326, innsbruckinn.com.

SMUGGLERS’ NOTCH RESORT, VERMONT

America’s Family Resort. Mountainside lodging. Award-winning kids’ programs. Zipline canopy tours. Winter: Three interconnected mountains, 2,610 vertical. FunZone 2.0 entertainment complex. Summer: 8 pools, 4 waterslides, disc golf, mountain bike park. (888) 256-7623, smuggs.com/sg.

SPRUCE PEAK RESORT

From lawn games, maple creemees, and family celebrations to farm table dinners, amazing concerts, and worldclass culinary events, experience the heart of mountain culture this summer at Spruce Peak. At Spruce Peak at Stowe. sprucepeak.com.

TÄLTA LODGE, A BLUEBIRD BY LARK

Tälta Lodge is designed with the adventurer in mind. Featuring rooms, suites, and cabins, gear storage, a pump track, indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, and onsite bar and restaurant. Mountain Road, Stowe.

TOPNOTCH RESORT

Stowe’s only luxury boutique resort wows with contemporary rooms, suites, one-to-three-bedroom resort homes, an airy bar and restaurant, world-class spa and tennis center, and indoor/outdoor pools. topnotchresort.com.

INSURANCE

STOWE INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.

Stowe’s premier multi-line insurance agency since 1955. Our pricing and service are second to none. Glenn Mink, Robert Mink, Renee Davis, and Richard West. (802) 253-4855.

INTERIOR DESIGN & DECORATING

DESIGN STUDIO OF STOWE

Creating beautiful interiors from classic to modern with respect to client’s taste, property, budget, deadline. New construction, renovations, and updates to existing spaces. Residential to light commercial projects. Allied Member ASID. 626 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-9600. designstudiovt.com.

KENNERKNECHT DESIGN GROUP

Our passionate team is dedicated to crafting bespoke interiors with exquisite aesthetics that reflect your distinctive lifestyle. (978) 720-8173. kennerknechtdesigngroup.com.

STEINMETZ PLLC

Dwellness by Steinmetz blends lifestyle retail with expert real estate and interior design services. Find your dwellness through curated décor, bespoke furnishings, and personalized property solutions, all under one roof. Visit steinmetz-vt.com.

JEWELRY

FERRO ESTATE & CUSTOM JEWELERS

Stowe’s premier full-service jeweler since 2006. We specialize in estate jewelry, fine diamonds, custom design, jewelry repair, and appraisals. In-house repair studio. American Gem Society. 91 Main St. (802) 253-3033. ferrojewelers.com @ferro_jewelers_stowe.

VON BARGEN’S JEWELRY

A second-generation family business with five locations in Vermont and New Hampshire, including a jewelry making studio. Specializing in ideal cut diamonds, fine handmade artisan jewelry, and custom jewelry creation. (802) 882-8750. vonbargens.com.

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

KNAUF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

We transform landscapes into beautiful outdoor living spaces that ignite the senses and seamlessly connect inside and outside with balance and harmony. Member ASLA. (802) 522-0676. cynthiaknauf.com.

LANDSHAPES

Serving Vermont’s residential and commercial landscapes with design, installations, and property maintenance. Projects include unlimited varieties of stonework, gardens, water features, and installation of San Juan pools and spas. (802) 434-3500. landshapes.net.

SITEFORM STUDIO

Landscape architect who combines an understanding of people, place, and the environment to craft resilient, sitespecific landscapes for projects throughout New England. Member ASLA. (617) 458-9915, siteformstudio.com.

WAGNER HODGSON LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

The process of uniting program, context, form and materials provides the basis for our work, crafting modern sculptural landscapes expressing the essential inherent beauty of natural materials. Vermont, (802) 864-0010. Hudson Valley, New York, (518) 567-1791. wagnerhodgson.com.

LAWYERS

BARR LAW GROUP

Complex litigation and commercial transactions, including class actions, securities litigation, EB-5 fraud, arbitrations, trials, appeals, criminal defense, corporate mergers/acquisitions, Native American/tribal matters, real estate, aviation, personal injury/wrongful death. Licensed in Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts. Offices at 125 Mountain Road, Stowe, (802) 253-6272; 100 Park Avenue, New York, N.Y., (212) 486-3910. barrlaw.com.

DARBY KOLTER & ROBERTS, LLP

General civil practice: real estate (commercial and residential), business formation, family law, estate planning/probate administration, personal injury, worker’s compensation, and mediation services, commercial litigation, appellate representation, constitutional and civil rights, public records. 89 S. Main St., Waterbury, (802) 244-7352. waterburystowelaw.com.

LAJOIE GOLDFINE, LLC

General practice including family law, civil litigation, personal injury, real estate, corporate, estate planning, estate and trust administration. Located in Stowe’s lower village, 638 S. Main St. (802) 760-6480. lglawvt.com.

OLSON & SEABOLT, PLC

General law practice: commercial and residential real estate, business representation (formation, maintenance, and asset purchases/sales), estate planning and LGBTQ matters. 188 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-7810, olsonplc.net.

S TOWE MAGAZINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

STACKPOLE AND FRENCH

Litigation, real estate, timeshares, corporate, utility, trust and estate planning, trust administration, probate, and general counsel services. Offices in Stowe, Jeffersonville, Waterbury, and Shelburne. (802) 253-7339. stackpolefrench.com.

STEVENS LAW OFFICE

Full service: We provide over 30-plus years of experience and in-depth representation in real estate, estate planning, family and criminal law, and business formation. Stowe, Derby offices. (802) 253-8547 or (866) 786-9530. stowelawyers.com.

MARKETS & GROCERIES

THE BUTCHERY

Butcher shop, fishmonger, fromagerie, sourcing prime beef, all-natural pork, free-range chicken and game. Artisan sandwiches, soups, and prepared foods. Local beer and wine. 504 Mountain Rd., Stowe. (802) 253-1444. butcheryvt.com.

COMMODITIES NATURAL MARKET

One-stop grocery shopping featuring organic and local produce, groceries, artisanal cheeses, fresh bread, local meats, phenomenal beer and wines, gluten-free galore, wellness products, bulk section, more. Mountain Road, Stowe. Daily. commoditiesnaturalmarket.com, (802) 253-4464.

MASSAGE & BODYWORK

KATE GRAVES, CMT, BHS

Relaxation, deep tissue, moist heat, facilitated stretching, energy work (Brennan Healing Science graduate 2000), Stowe sound immersion. Practicing bodywork and teaching yoga over 40 years. Stowe Yoga Center, 515 Moscow Road. (802) 253-8427, stoweyoga.com, kgravesmt@gmail.com.

STOWE VILLAGE MASSAGE

Our registered professional massage therapists offer personalized treatments and massage services for a healthier, happier you. TripAdvisor rated No. 1 spa in Stowe. Book online or call (802) 253-6555. stowevillagemassage.com.

MATTRESSES

BURLINGTON MATTRESS

Restorative sleep is crucial for your health and well-being. Visit our store and talk to our sleep experts for guidance to a more restful night of sleep. Your wellness journey starts here. Visit us at 747 Pine St., Burlington. (802) 862-7167, burlingtonmattress.us.

NURSERIES

SUMMERSWEET GARDEN NURSERY & TEA ROOM

Stroll through beautiful display gardens, shop for flowers and herbs. Enjoy English cream tea in the tea room, browse for hats in the gift shop. Free Sunday garden tours at 1 p.m. East Hardwick. (802) 472-5104. summersweetgardens.com.

OUTDOOR FURNITURE

BURLINGTON FURNITURE

Vermont’s largest resource for quality outdoor furniture. Large in-stock position and special-order capabilities. We welcome both residential and commercial projects. Let us help you enjoy outdoor living. Showroom: 747 Pine St., Burlington. burlingtonfurniture.us, (802) 862-5056.

PAINTING

PURE VERMONT PAINTING COMPANY

For top-quality residential painting and exceptional results— inside and out—you can trust us. We’re passionate about making homes look their best, using the right products and techniques. Year-round painting company serving Stowe and Lamoille County. Contact us for an estimate: admin@purevtpainting.com or (802) 760-1145.

PERSONAL CHEF

SWEET & SAVORY PERSONAL CHEF SERVICES

Sweet & Savory’s goal is to prepare and deliver high-quality, healthy, and delicious meals to locals and visiting out-oftowners. Personal chef services, weekly meals, catering for all occasions. Easier than takeout. (802) 730-2792, sweetsavorystowe.com.

PICTURE FRAMING

AXEL’S FRAME SHOP & GALLERY

Providing quality picture framing and art sourcing to the central Vermont community for nearly 40 years. Affordable framing is just as important to us as providing incredible customer and design service. 5 Stowe St., Waterbury. (802) 244-7801. axelsgallery.com.

PRINTING

THE UPS STORE

From blueprints and banners to business cards and brochures, we print it. Shipping, scanning, and every other business service you can think of, we are your locally owned business partner. 998 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-2233. store2614@theupsstore.com.

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

RURAL RESOURCES

Comprehensive property and household management services. Full-service professional management team specializing in the details of preserving your investment. Concierge/ housekeeping, vendor management, design/remodels, much more. (802) 253-9496, admin@ruralresourcesvt.com.

REAL ESTATE & RENTALS

COLDWELL BANKER CARLSON REAL ESTATE

Real estate services representing Stowe and surrounding communities. Our talented team leads the industry in technology, innovation, and expertise. Located at 91 Main St., Stowe (802) 253-7358, and 74 Portland St., Morrisville, (802) 521-7962. stowevermontrealestate.com.

ELEMENT REAL ESTATE

Element Real Estate delivers a boutique, client-first approach, transforming real estate from sales to service— one transaction at a time. Visit us at 1250 Route 100, online at realestatevt.com, or call (802) 253-1553.

FOUR SEASONS SOTHEBY’S

Our Stowe office showcases the charm and allure of the town, known for its beauty and community. With diverse listings and expert agents, we unlock the door to your best life. fourseasonssir.com (802) 253-7267.

LANDVEST

LandVest, an exclusive Christie’s international real estate affiliate, is a leading provider of real estate services to clients in Vermont and beyond. Discover the LandVest difference: (802) 318-6034, mkauffman@landvest.com.

LOVE2LIVEINVT TEAM

Award-winning Realtors passionate about VT. Helping buyers open doors to the Vermont lifestyle and guiding sellers every step of the way. Let us help you navigate the market with ease. love2liveinvt.com. Brooke, (802) 696-2251, and Karen, (802) 793-2454.

STEINMETZ PLLC

Dwellness by Steinmetz blends lifestyle retail with expert real estate and interior design services. Find your dwellness through curated décor, bespoke furnishings, and personalized property solutions, all under one roof. Visit steinmetz-vt.com.

STOWE COUNTRY HOMES

Locally owned and operated, we offer a curated collection of short-term and seasonal rental homes, unique for their individual character. Each home is privately owned, immaculately maintained, and well-stocked. (802) 253-8132, stowecountryhomes.com, info@stowecountryhomes.com.

STOWE MOUNTAIN RENTALS

Stowe Mountain Rentals specializes in private rentals within the Lodge at Spruce Peak. As the top private rental company, we offer exclusive access to exceptional accommodations. stowemountainrentals.com, (802) 798-3142.

STOWE RESORT HOMES

Luxury vacation homes for the savvy traveler. Book some of Stowe’s best resort homes—online. Well-appointed, tastefully decorated homes at Topnotch, Spruce Peak, and throughout Stowe. (802) 760-1157. stoweresorthomes.com.

VERMONT REAL ESTATE CO.

Just listed. Luxury mountain properties through Vermont Real Estate Company, Vermont’s No. 1 independent brokerage. Alison Beckwith’s expertise now at our Mountain Road office. Buy or sell today. Call (802) 540-8300. vermontrealestatecompany.com.

RESTAURANTS & NIGHTCLUBS

ALADDIN

A taste of the Middle East. Sourcing tadeonal and original recipe to create the most diverse and authentic vegetarian dishes. A cuisine Stowe has been longing for. Catering available. 1880 Mountain Road. aladdinstowevt.com. (802) 760-6383.

BENCH

Unique to Stowe, wood-fired comfort food including pizza. Local ingredients in a relaxed, rustic modern Vermont atmosphere. Enjoy après ski or dinner with family and friends. 28 taps, craft beer, cocktails, and extensive wine list. Daily. 492 Mountain Rd., Stowe. benchvt.com or (802) 253-5100.

BLACK CAP COFFEE & BAKERY OF VERMONT

Serving breakfast and lunch. Breakfast burritos and sandwiches, quiches, lunch sandwiches. Gluten-free/vegan options. A fun place to work, meet, or hang out. Open daily. Stowe and Morrisville downtowns, Waterbury Train Station. blackcapvermont.com.

BLACK DIAMOND BARBEQUE

Just five miles from Stowe. Not just barbecue. Local ingredients, housemade desserts, outdoor seating, beer garden, covered porch, large groups, dine-in, takeout. Craft beer and cocktails. Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, blackdiamondbarbeque.com, (802) 888-2275.

BURT’S IRISH PUB

Stowe's local Irish pub for over 45 years. Come enjoy our popular brunch specials out on the lawn every Sunday or stop in anytime for a cold drink and a quick bite to eat. Mountain Road, Stowe. 21+. (802) 253-6071.

CAFÉ ON MAIN & CAFÉ ON MOSCOW

Two locations in Stowe. Savor our authentic Vermont breakfast and lunch menus along with baked goods and catering services. Check out Facebook page for daily specials. Café on Main: 802-253-0077. Café on Moscow: 802-585-1749.

THE DINING ROOM & TAVERN AT EDSON HILL

Edson Hill offers casual fine dining in an elegant setting and seasonal menus with locally sourced ingredients. Open Tuesday-Sunday. Reservations required. edsonhill.com/menu, 802-253-7371.

18 MAIN

Enjoy an extensive breakfast menu set in a charming historic location overlooking Main Street. We offer the best flavors of Vermont in a warm and inviting atmosphere. Public welcome. greenmountaininn.com.

GONDOLAS SNACK BAR

Your go-to spot for a delicious meal and dessert in Morrisville. Come hungry and indulge in mouthwatering real smash burgers, pure Vermont maple creemees, handcut fries, tantalizing snacks, refreshing drinks, and more. 3107 VT-15 Morrisville.

HARRISON’S RESTAURANT

Located in historic Stowe Village serving elevated takes on American dishes with wine, craft beers, and cocktails in a unique, parlor-like space. Patio dining in summer and fall. Reservations accepted. (802) 253-7773, harrisonsstowe.com.

IDLETYME BREWING COMPANY

Small-batch craft lagers and ales. Lunch and dinner daily from 11:30 a.m. Innovative cocktails, extensive wine list, family friendly, fireplace dining. Outdoor patio. Perfect for special events. Beer to go. 1859 Mountain Road, Stowe. (802) 253-4765, idletymebrewing.com.

MICHAEL’S ON THE HILL

Enjoy the ultimate Vermont dining experience in a relaxed, warm atmosphere with spectacular views from our 1820 farmhouse. Events. Wine spectator award. Dinner from 5-9 p.m. Closed Tuesdays. 5 minutes from Stowe. Route 100, Waterbury Center. (802) 244-7476. michaelsonthehill.com.

PIECASSO PIZZERIA & LOUNGE

New York-style pizza, eclectic music, great vibes. A local favorite. Creative entrees, craft beer, gluten-free menu, online ordering, takeout, delivery. (802) 253-4411, piecasso.com.

THE RESERVOIR RESTAURANT

In the heart of downtown Waterbury. We specialize in local Vermont based comfort food and some of the best beers available. Private second floor events space for up to 50 people. Dinner daily, lunch Saturday and Sunday. (802) 244-7827, waterburyreservoir.com.

RIMROCKS MOUNTAIN TAVERN

Relax in our comfortable down-home sports bar. A Stowe staple for 20 years. Enjoy classic pub fare or seafood specials. The kids enjoy the arcade, you chill. (802) 253-9593, rimrocksmountaintavern.com.

THE ROOST AT TOPNOTCH RESORT

The Roost has long been one of Stowe’s best tables— whether inside or fireside—where the local food and drinks are as inspiring as our views of Mt. Mansfield. topnotchresort.com.

ROUND HEARTH CAFÉ & MARKETPLACE

Breakfast and lunch all day, every day. Shop while you wait. Check seasonal hours and lodging availability at roundhearth.com. Located at 39 Edson Hill Road, Stowe. (802) 253-7223.

SALUTE STOWE

Chef owned and operated. Scratch kitchen, authentic Italian cuisine. Homemade pasta, wood-fired Napoletana pizza, prime steak, fresh seafood, daily baked bread and specials, gluten free vegetarian options. Catering available. 18 Edson Hill Road, Stowe. (802) 253-5677, salutevt.com.

STOWE CIDER

Hard cider, hand-crafted in Vermont and made for outdoors. Visit our taproom and barbecue restaurant to try all our delicious offerings. (802) 253-2065, stowecider.com.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE

Trapp Family Lodge offers diverse dining options: von Trapp Brewing Bierhall (Austrian cuisine, local beers), The Lounge and Dining Room (Vermont and Austrian-style meals), and Kaffeehaus Bakery and deli. trappfamily.com.

WHIP BAR AND GRILL

The Whip serves dinner nightly 4:30-9 p.m., bar opens at 3 p.m. Offering an extensive variety of hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood, soups, salads and homemade desserts. thewhip.com. At the Green Mountain Inn, Stowe village.

RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

WAKE ROBIN

A vibrant non-profit life-care community located on 136 acres just south of Burlington in Shelburne. Residents enjoy independent living in cottages and apartments and comprehensive, on-site health care for life. wakerobin.com, (802) 264-5100.

SHOE STORES

WELL HEELED

Unique collection of shoes, boots, handbags, belts, clothing, and jewelry in a chicly updated Vermont farmhouse halfway up Stowe’s Mountain Road. Shoes are our specialty and effortlessly chic our motto. Daily 11 to 5 and private appointments. Insta: wellheeledstowe. (802) 253-6077, wellheeledstowe.com.

SPORTING GOODS

CLEARWATER SPORTS

Four-season outfitter. Snowshoes, tele, backcountry ski gear. Clothing and footwear. Guided snowshoe tours. Rentals and instruction. Canoes, kayaks and SUPs. Guided river trips. Camping and hiking gear. (802) 496-2708, clearwatersports.com.

SPA

TOPNOTCH RESORT

Bring mind, body, and soul into better balance. Enjoy fitness classes, a selection of over 100 treatments, indoor/outdoor pools with a cascading waterfall, and men’s and women’s lounges. Memberships. Mountain Road, Stowe. topnotchresort.com.

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

BRAGG FARM SUGARHOUSE & GIFTS

8th generation sugarhouse, using traditional sugaring methods. Free daily tours and tastings, walk the maple trail. World’s best maple creemees, farm animals, large gift shop, mail order. 1005 Route 14N, East Montpelier. (802) 223-5757, (800) 376-5757.

COLD HOLLOW CIDER MILL

Experience Vermont. Independent, authentic, and charming. Uncover your inner Vermonter with family or friends. Visit our working cider mill, Route 100, Waterbury Center. (802) 244-8771, coldhollow.com.

LITTLE RIVER HOTGLASS STUDIO

Walk into the studio and experience the art of glassblowing up close. Adjacent gallery features work of resident artist Michael Trimpol. Thursday to Monday 10-5. (802) 253-0889. littleriverhotglass.com.

MONTPELIER ALIVE

American’s No. 1 small town for shopping is just a half an hour’s drive from Stowe village. Visit downtown Montpelier and experience the joy of shopping. Exit 8 off Interstate 89.

SPRUCE PEAK ARTS

The Stowe region’s premier, year-round presenter of professional performing arts including music, theater, dance, film, education, and family programs on stage, on screen, and across the community. (802) 760-4634. Visit sprucepeakarts.org for more information.

STOWE HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM

Preserving Stowe’s rich history. Museum at the West Branch and Bloody Brook Schoolhouses, next to Stowe Library. Wednesday to Saturday, 1-4 p.m., and when the flags are out. (802) 253-1518. stowehistoricalsociety.org, info@stowehistoricalsociety.org.

STOWE PERFORMING ARTS

Great music in beautiful settings. Classical, jazz, Americana, orchestral, vocal, country, pop, and chamber music. Music in the Meadow; Noon Music in May. May through August. Free and ticketed events. stoweperformingarts.com.

STOWE VIBRANCY

Dedicated to boosting social, recreational, and cultural activities in Stowe Village, and strengthening the town’s economic and physical characteristics, this nonprofit produces and co-produces five events and series annually. stowevibrancy.org.

VERMONT GRANITE MUSEUM

Explore history, art, science, technology, and people of Vermont’s granite industry. Create a clay sculpture, climbing wall, pedal cars to explore the grounds. May to October, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. 7 Jones Brothers Way, Barre. (802) 476-4605. vtgranitemuseum.org.

SPECIALTY FOODS

LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES—STOWE

Handcrafted chocolates made in Vermont using local ingredients and fair-trade certified chocolate, including truffles, caramels, clusters, and more. Plus, hot chocolate, espresso drinks and award-winning house-made ice cream. (802) 253-9591. lakechamplainchocolates.com.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN CHOCOLATES WATERBURY

Premium, handcrafted chocolates made in Vermont using local ingredients and fair-trade certified chocolate. Plus, a hot chocolate and espresso café, award-winning housemade ice cream and plenty of factory seconds. 802-241-4150, lakechamplainchocolates.com.

GOLDFINCH GOURMET

Just minutes from Stowe, Goldfinch Gourmet in Morrisville offers chef-curated delights—housemade pate, artisan charcuterie, pastries, and gourmet pantry finds. A must-visit for food lovers seeking something exceptional. 66 Morrisville Plaza. Goldfinchgourment.com, (802) 888-1180.

SPORTING GOODS

ONION RIVER OUTDOORS

Gear, clothing, and expert advice for all your outdoor adventures. Friendly, knowledgeable sales and service of bikes, skis, and car racks. Visit onionriver.com or find us at 89 Main St., in beautiful downtown Montpelier.

S TOWE MAGAZINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY

OUTDOOR

GEAR EXCHANGE & GEARX.COM

Vermont’s local, neighborhood gear shop since 1995— now in three locations. Excellent prices, service, and selection of gear for skiing, riding, biking, and climbing. Downtown Burlington. Bike shop in Waitsfield. (888) 547-4327.

UMIAK OUTDOOR OUTFITTERS

Let the adventure begin with Umiak Outdoor Outfitters. We are a full-service outfitter offering sales, tours, and rentals for activities like snowshoeing, sledding, backcountry, and Nordic skiing. 849 S. Main St., Stowe. (802) 253-2317, umiak.com, info@umiak.com.

TENNIS

TOPNOTCH RESORT

Vermont’s premier tennis resort featuring over 30 tennis and pickleball programs perfect for aficionados, beginners, the young and young at heart. Six seasonal outdoor and four indoor hard courts, as well as a USPTA-certified international staff. Mountain Road, Stowe. topnotchresort.com.

TOYS & GAMES

ONCE UPON A TIME TOYS

Make every day a play day with Airfort®. Test your agility on a ninjaline. Traditional toys like Lego® to eclectic ones like loveable monsters. Vermont’s most exciting store for 47 years. Birthday? Get a free balloon. (802) 253-8319, fun@stowetoys.com, stowetoys.com.

TRAVEL & TOURS

SAVOR VERMONT

Savor Vermont has been bringing guests to taste beer, hard cider, wine, spirits, and foods. We’ll take you from one tasting to another or sightseeing to the area’s waterfalls, covered bridges, and more. (802) 917-6656, savorvermonttours.com.

WEDDING FACILITIES

EDSON HILL

Edson Hill offers an exclusive, quintessential Vermont estate on 38 acres with picturesque views, 22 luxurious guestrooms, and a talented culinary team to help create the wedding of your dreams. edsonhill.com, (802) 253-7371.

STOWE MOUNTAIN CHAPEL

Hike, drive, or ski to visit this four-season interfaith chapel. All are welcome for reflection and meditation. Ideal for intimate wedding and memorial services. Check out our website for photos and details. stowemountainchapel.org.

WINE, BEER, & SPIRITS

BOYDEN VALLEY WINERY & SPIRITS

Only nine miles from Smugglers Notch, enjoy international award-winning wines and spirits in our 1875 carriage barn on a fourth-generation farm. Enjoy a cocktail, wine, and cheese in the loft or outdoor terrace. 64 VT Route 104, Cambridge. boydenvalley.com.

STOWE BEVERAGE

Full-service wine, beer, liquor, mixers, snacks. Stowe’s best wine and beer selection. Best price in town on Vermont maple syrup. Cigars. Free local paper with wine purchases. Monday through Saturday 10-7; Sunday 11-6. (802) 253-4525.

STOWE CIDER

Hard cider, hand-crafted in Vermont and made for outdoors. Visit our taproom and barbecue restaurant to try all our delicious offerings. (802) 253-2065, stowecider.com.

YOGA

PEAK YOGA

Peak Yoga classes help to build strength in body and mind. We provide grounding and uplifting classes for all levels in our beautiful and bright Stowe studio. Located in The Swimming Hole, 75 Weeks Hill Road, Stowe. Book a class at peakyogastowe.com. Follow us on Instagram: @peakyogastowe.

Wednesday to Sunday, 1-4 p.m. And when the flags are out. 90 School St. next to the library