Features
‘An American tradition’ — Two Upper Valley residents open hot dog stands
By MARION UMPLEBY
America and hot dogs. A love story for the ages. This summer, two Upper Valley entrepreneurs with a passion for cooking are adding their own chapters.
As tick populations rise in Vermont, health officials urge precautions
By ALICE FINNO
Invasive plants, new housing development and climate change are boosting tick populations in Vermont, officials say, prompting new concerns about diseases the tiny arachnids carry.
Art Notes: New AVA exhibitions invite viewers to abandon their usual reality
By MARION UMPLEBY
LEBANON — Last summer, 48 artists working within an array of mediums exhibited work in AVA Gallery and Art Center’s biennial juried show. From that group, the juror chose four artists to receive a small cash prize and a year to develop a solo exhibition featuring new work. The fruits of that labor go on view this Friday on the gallery’s main floor.
Birds in tiny ‘backpacks’ might provide more insights to New England marsh restoration projects
By JULIA VAZ
Some salt marsh sparrows out on New Hampshire’s seacoast are now flying around with brand new backpacks. The accessory is actually a solar-powered tag the size of a fingernail, which will help University of New Hampshire researchers provide important data for marsh restoration projects across New England.
A new study looks at how to protect rare plants in snowy patches of Mount Washington as NH warms
By MARA HOPLAMAZIAN
As the last bits of snow on Mount Washington melt away in early summer, they’re providing more for the alpine ecosystem than their soggy remnants may suggest.
New Upper Valley youth birding group finds joy between rain drops
By EMMIE FOSTER
NORWICH — John Sheldon, 11, of Norwich, has been birding for nearly half his life. It’s a fun hobby that gets him outside, he said, often into the woods around his home.
Over Easy: Celebrating subtly this Fourth of July
By DAN MACKIE
I have long celebrated the Fourth of July with as much gusto as a person of my habits and sensibilities can manage.
Art Notes: An introduction to innovative dance for everyone
By MARION UMPLEBY
Three years ago, Elizabeth Kurylo, a choreographer living in Corinth, launched The Junction Dance Festival, a celebration of dance in the Twin States. What started as a three day event in White River Junction has been steadily gaining steam over the past few years.
Upper Valley welcomes reenactment of Lafayette's farewell tour
CLAREMONT — New Hampshire Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard members escorted the Marquis de Lafayette, played by Michael Halbert to a welcoming event in Claremont’s Opera House Square, on Friday.
Tunbridge woman has made sheep shearing a way of life
By MARION UMPLEBY
TUNBRIDGE — Whether it was mowing lawns to earn spending money in middle school or biking 20 miles to help out at a vegetable farm while working as a newspaper copy editor, Mary Lake has been hustling since she was a child.
Annual Enfield trumpet seminar to hold concerts
By JAMES M. PATTERSON
Dominic Sincrope, a recent graduate of New York University, practices Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 on his piccolo trumpet in his room at the Enfield Shaker Museum in Enfield during the Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar. The two-week workshop features concerts on Friday at 8 p.m. and with a lecture beforehand at 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday at 4 p.m. with a lecture at 3:30.
Take-home summer meals expand access for Upper Valley children
By CLARE SHANAHAN
BETHEL — In the first week of the summer, the White River Valley Supervisory Union distributed over 1,000 free meals to kids at the Bethel Elementary School alone, one of four to-go summer meal sites the district is running this year.
Upper Valley Fourth of July events 2025
Events free unless otherwise noted. Email additions and updates to calendar@vnews.com.
Art Notes: Opera under the big top in Cornish
By MARION UMPLEBY
CORNISH — In planning the upcoming season at Opera North, the performing arts company at Blow-Me-Down Farm, General Director Evans Haile went for shows that offered audiences a form of escape.
Gardener’s Supply in Lebanon to remain open amid company’s bankruptcy
By LUKAS DUNFORD
LEBANON — The Gardener’s Supply store on Mechanic Street will remain in operation for the foreseeable future, despite the Burlington-based company filing for bankruptcy last week.
Vermont’s adult loon population is at an all-time high, but fewer chicks are surviving
By IZZY WAGNER
Vermont’s adult loon population is at an all-time high, but scientists have noticed a recent decrease in the number of chicks surviving.
Upper Valley libraries and pools open through hot spell
By LIZ SAUCHELLI
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Lynnea Butterfield couldn’t wait to go swimming.
Art Notes: Norwich storytelling performance focuses on housing insecurity
By MARION UMPLEBY
NORWICH — Activist and puppeteer Pati Hernández has always seen the power of storytelling.
Norwich Farmers’ Market seeks approval for permanent location
By CLARE SHANAHAN
NORWICH — The Norwich Farmers’ Market is making progress on plans to establish a permanent home across Route 5 from its longtime location.
Out & About: Upper Valley communities celebrate 200th anniversary of Revolutionary War hero’s tour
By LIZ SAUCHELLI
Two hundred years ago, hundreds of Upper Valley residents gathered in their communities to welcome a Revolutionary War hero with pomp and circumstance.
Your Daily Puzzles
An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."
A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.
Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.
Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.
Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.
