Features
Art Notes: We the People opens big musical Friday night
By ALEX HANSON
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — In its relatively short history, We the People Theatre has specialized in sweeping musical theater projects, starting with productions of “1776” and “Working.” The coronavirus pandemic put an end to the company’s momentum,...
Suspended saturation in the greenhouse
Before going to lunch, Chris Clemson, owner of Frost Gardens in Ely, waters hanging plants in one of their greenhouses on Friday. The business will open May 1.
Mud season on repeat for the Upper Valley’s back roads
By FRANCES MIZE
VERSHIRE — Dicey weather and a mud season like something out of the movie Groundhog Day are taking their toll on Upper Valley roads — and exhausting the area’s army of town highway crews.“I’ll tell you what, I’m tired of snow,” said Mark Fogarty, of...
A Look Back: Crank telephones connected Meriden community for 75 years
By STEVE TAYLOR
It was a great conversation starter half a century ago, and, if you lived it, the subject can bring amusement, even awe, to those hearing about it today. That’s the “hand crank” or magneto telephone system that served Meriden Village for nearly 75...
Out & About: Lessons of the Holocaust focus of Thetford interfaith event
By LIZ SAUCHELLI
THETFORD — Two Upper Valley congregations are joining together to host an event that encourages people of different religions to discuss faith and the Holocaust.“Faith Among the Ashes: Lessons From Holocaust Survivors” is scheduled to take place...
Over Easy: Happy enough in the Upper Valley
By DAN MACKIE
The World Happiness Report is out, and America’s ranking might make you frown. The USA, where “the pursuit of happiness” is enshrined in the Constitution, just after “the Right to Taylor Swift Concert Tickets” and “Snacks on on Super Bowl Sunday,” has...
Friendship inspires musical gatherings in Upper Valley fiddler’s home
By CAOIMHE MARKEY
Music is made to be experienced in person. Watching performances online can be convenient, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person concerts. The feeling of interconnectedness that comes from a festival, concert or backyard jam,...
2024 eclipse expected to bring traffic jams to Vermont
By BABETTE STOLK
As the 2024 total solar eclipse draws near, so do the hordes of people expected to visit Vermont to see it. Public safety officials say they’re doing what they can to minimize risk.Although the exact number of people coming to Vermont remains unknown,...
It’s all about that base: When are NH ski areas closing this spring?
By CHLOE RATTEE
A lack of snow on the ground due to an abnormally warm and wet New Hampshire winter doesn’t mean that ski and snowboard season has to end.After a little snowfall at the start of the month, ski mountain staff felt more confident about their projected...
Barnard comic is ‘never afraid to try new things’
By MARION UMPLEBY
The first time Vicki Ferentinos pictured herself telling jokes on stage, she didn’t get too far.“I remember saying to a boyfriend when I was 17, ‘I want to be a stand-up.’ And he said, ‘I’m funnier than you.’ Then I didn’t think about it...
Theater Review: Northern Stage’s ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ delivers constant laughs
By ALEX HANSON
Like any art form, theater can carry a lot of ideological freight. Mercifully, sometimes it just entertains and amuses.And sometimes, it entertains so thoroughly that you forget everything but the present spectacle. That’s what Northern Stage’s...
Ice-out declared: Winter lasted just 37 days on Lake Winnipesaukee
And just like that, ice is gone from Lake Winnipesaukee almost before we knew it was there.On Sunday, the earliest ever “ice-out” was declared on the lake, just 37 days after the latest ever “ice-in” was declared Feb 9.The declarations are unofficial,...
A Life: Al Pristaw ‘always did what good neighbors do’
By JIM KENYON
WOODSTOCK — Al Pristaw was the ultimate doer.After Riverside Mobile Home Park was swamped by Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011, Pristaw and another park resident, Nelson Gilman, pushed a wheelbarrow filled with donated orange juice, bread and eggs...
Upper Valley solar eclipse events
Email additions and updates to calendar@vnews.com. Events are free unless otherwise noted.Presentation: “Get ready for the April 8 Solar Eclipse” in Enfield: Sunday, March 24, 2 p.m. Chosen Vale Performance Center, 410 Route 4A. Grafton resident and...
Out & About: Windsor Diner serves up free meals to seniors through new program
By LIZ SAUCHELLI
WINDSOR — Theresa Taylor shuffled a couple dozen tickets containing the names of older adults behind the counter at the Windsor Diner, which she has owned for around 15 years.Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor was used to seeing groups of seniors...
This winter was the warmest on record for New Hampshire
By MARA HOPLAMAZIAN
New Hampshire had its warmest winter on record, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.The average temperature for meteorological winter — December through February — was 28 degrees. That’s almost 9 degrees warmer...
Black bears are emerging from their winter dens early, in search of food
By K. FIEGENBAUM
Reports have been coming in from around the state: Bears are leaving their dens after a shorter-than-usual winter sleep — and they’re hungry.Late last week, the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife began urging Vermonters to take down their bird...
Theater Review: Shaker Bridge’s ‘The Minutes’ illustrates value of unvarnished truth
By ALEX HANSON
Having spent untold hours in selectboard and city council meeting rooms around the Upper Valley, I’ve often joked that it would be more fun to write about the meetings held in them as if they were theater, rather than just the mostly humdrum work of...
Cliff tops in Vershire and Fairlee closed for falcon nesting season
FAIRLEE — Several cliff tops across Vermont are closed to hiking and climbing this spring to protect nesting peregrine falcons, including Eagle Ledge in Vershire and the Fairlee Palisades. The sites will remain closed until Aug. 1, or until officials...
Upcoming Easter egg hunts in the Upper Valley
Email additions and updates to calendar@vnews.com.Pictures with the Easter Bunny in Claremont: Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Claremont Runnings, 403 Washington St. Kids, pets and families welcome to get pictures taken with the Easter Bunny....
