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Trail Riding with GMHA
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The Barnard Inn: Food & Fun
CONTENTS
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Features 28 Trail Riding by Cyndy Kozara
The heart and soul of GMHA.
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Sunshine and Shadow by Nan Bourne The story of a house.
50 Anichini
by Dian Parker Works of art in Quechee.
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50 Cover photo by Bill Hebden.
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CONTENTS
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59 In Every Issue
Departments
15 Editor’s Note 16 Contributors 18 Online Exclusives 82 Happenings 88 Last Glance
20 Around & About by Cassie Horner
43 Fantastic Finds by Meg Brazill
Zayas Jewelers.
59 Vermont Living by Meg Brazill
The Barnard Inn.
65 What’s New by Meg Brazill
Flourish Natural Bodycare.
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76 71 Community
by David Cogger The Village Butcher.
76 Seasonal Foods by Susan Nye
A poulet in every pot.
Mountain View Publishing, LLC 135 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755 (603) 643-1830
mountainviewpublishing.com Publishers
Bob Frisch Cheryl Frisch Executive Editor
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Bob Frisch KEEP US POSTED. Woodstock Magazine wants to hear from readers. Correspondence may be addressed to: Letters to the Editor, Woodstock Magazine, 135 Lyme Road, Hanover, NH 03755. Or email us at: dthompson@mountainviewpublishing. biz. Advertising inquiries may be made by email to rcfrisch1@comcast. net. Woodstock Magazine is published quarterly by Mountain View Publishing, LLC Š2013. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited. Woodstock Magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork, or photographs.
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E D I TO R ’ S N OT E
IAN RAYMOND
Enchanting Autumn As summer winds down and the children head back to school, our thoughts turn to colorful mums, pumpkins to carve, and another glorious foliage season. We’ve put together an entertaining and informative issue just in time for fall, and we’re celebrating some of the people who make Woodstock a vibrant community. George Racicot at the Village Butcher has been providing the best cuts of meat for our dinners for more than 40 years (page 71). Besides delicious roasts and steaks, the shop features fresh-baked goods, Vermont-made products, and a selection of domestic and imported wines. Stop in to see George and Linda, and tell them we sent you. New jeweler in town Jeffrey Zayas (page 43) is looking forward to treating you to his special brand of customer service—as well as stunning new and estate jewelry—and the Barnard Inn restaurant and Max’s Tavern are waiting to welcome you for dinner, either formal or casual (page 59). Consider booking the inn for your next event or special occasion. Weddings are their speciality! Cyndy Kozara of the Green Mountain Horse Association takes us trail riding through Woodstock’s scenic landscapes (page 28), and Nan Bourne delves into the history of a well-known landmark with her signature style—engaging and lively (page 36). We’re also visiting Anichini’s store in Quechee, so get ready to be wrapped in luxury (page 50). From sheets, comforters, throws, and even furniture, treat yourself to something ultraelegant this autumn. Wherever your adventures take you this season, keep up to date with local events on www.mountainviewpublishing.com, and follow us on Facebook. Enjoy!
Deborah Thompson Executive Editor dthompson@mountainviewpublishing.biz
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C O N T R I B U TO R S
Lynn Bohannon is a photographer with a studio in Woodstock, where she loves to photograph and create. Her specialties are people and products, but her current passion is flowers. Among her favorite things to do are kayaking, cross-country skiing, and being the number-one groupie for her daughter’s band.
Lynn Bohannon
Nan has lived in Woodstock, where she went to high school, since 2007. She is the director of Woodstock’s adult education program, The Learning Lab, and does interviews for the Woodstock History Center’s Oral History Project. She has written a number of articles for the Vermont Standard and Woodstock Magazine.
Nan Bourne
Meg Brazill is a regular contributor to regional New England magazines and teaches at the Writer’s Center in White River Junction, Vermont. A recovering punk rocker and performance artist, she lives with her daughter in South Woodstock. She is currently working on a book of short fiction when she’s not too busy living it.
Meg Brazill
Cassie is a writer, editor, and publisher, and the author of a historical novel, Lucy E.—Road to Victory. Her roots in Vermont go back almost 200 years and inspire her love of the natural world and history. She lives in Plymouth, Vermont, with her husband and two dogs—an English Shepherd and a minidachshund.
Cassie Horner
Cyndy holds a master’s degree in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School, works for Green Mountain Horse Association preserving equestrian trails, and has resided in Woodstock for 22 years. She loves kayaking, reading, film, gardening, and Asian elephants, but most of all, seeking adventure in foreign lands with her daughter Kasey, living in the Middle East.
Cyndy Kozara
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Writer, photographer, and chef Susan Nye is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers throughout New England. Her blog Around the Table (www.susannye. wordpress.com) is filled with her favorite recipes and stories about family and friendship. When she’s not writing or cooking, Susan is hiking, biking, or kayaking near her New Hampshire home.
Susan Nye
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THIS QUARTER @ MOUNTAINVIEWPUBLISHING.COM
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ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY Check out our Online Business Directory to see the latest listings for fine products and services in the Connecticut River Valley.
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A RO U N D & A B O U T By Cassie Horner
Woodstock Historical Society 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction In the 1870s, Edward Dana ordered a special gift for his wife, Frances: a grand piano from the Boston firm of Hallett & Davis. It was shipped from Brookline, Massachusetts, to the house in Woodstock where it stayed for more than 100 years, until this past year when it was donated to the Woodstock Historical Society. This is only one of several hundred items that will be part of the first-ever antiques auction to be held by the WHS on the occasion of its 70th Anniversary Gala. The proceeds from the sale of this item, which the society does not have room to exhibit, and of the other items in the auction will be used to support educational goals and the maintenance and restoration of the extensive collection owned by the museum. Âť
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Above: Funds from the auction will help maintain items in the WHS collection, such as this Thomas Ware painting of unusual size (10 feet high by 30 feet long) of the Titus Hutchinson family. Below: The Woodstock Historical Society. Opposite: Piano, 1870s, was in a local Woodstock home for over 100 years. Edward Dana had it made for his wife Frances.
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A RO U N D & A B O U T
Clockwise from above left: Doll carriage, leather and wood. This huge American Empire secretary, 93 inches tall by 54 inches wide, will be auctioned. Late 18th to early 19th century Pennsylvania Dutch chest.
Examples from the collection that require loving care are the portraits of Edward and Frances, and a recently donated collection of Henry Houghton’s Civil War gear, including rifle, haversack, and canteen (on exhibit). The fund also supports climate control, UV film installation for the windows, and cleaning of portraits. An important part of the collection management goal is teaching children by using artifacts in the education kit, Then & Now. Modern items and their historic counterparts, for example, a vacuum cleaner and a rug beater, are parts of kits available on loan to teachers. The two-day event, sponsored by HBO, begins on Friday, October 4, with a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception and live music from 5 to 8pm. People 22
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who purchase tickets to the reception can also preview the antiques auction items that evening. People who plan to come only to the auction on Saturday, October 5, can preview the items before it starts. There will also be a silent auction both days when people can bid on local dining and shopping opportunities, food, travel, and collectibles. The diverse items for the auction were carefully selected by the Collections Committee because they were outside the mission of the WHS, too large to display, or were already represented in the collection. The live auction will feature everything from Civil War swords to 1878 Springfield rifles, a seven-foot-tall secretary, wooden barrels, clocks, doll furniture, and agricultural items. “This auction is the tip of the iceberg. It is a one-time event, a byproduct of sound collection management. We are managing the collection so we keep items that are part of our mission,” says executive director Matt Powers. “Out of this, the restricted funds raised can grow over time. The auction is the starting point, and we are committed to the fund’s growing as we grow.” Becky Talcott, office administrator, describes the long, painstaking process of de-accessioning items in the museum’s collection, guided in part by state regulations for so-called abandoned property. “In the past, if something was old, people brought it to us and we took it,” she says. “So, for example, we have lots of agricultural implements such as a huge livestock feed trough and cheese presses. We have items that we have no records for. Every museum is dealing with this.” Some items have been relocated from the WHS to another museum’s collection; for example, a large animal-powered treadmill went to the Middletown Springs Historical Society. For more information about the 70th Anniversary Gala & Auction or to find out how you can contribute to the collections fund, call (802) 457-1822. FA L L 2013
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A RO U N D & A B O U T
Photo by Phillip Chitwood
VINS Hoots & Howls Celebrating Halloween at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee is a natural with owls and other creatures of the night. This year, the VINS
Nature Center welcomes everyone to the 9th annual Hoots & Howls, Saturday, October 26, from 5:30 to 8pm, rain or shine. There is also a new, earlier series of fun activities for younger children, from 4:30 to 5:30pm, including a puppet show, the chance to meet live animals up close, and craft making. “Hoots & Howls is very community driven,” says Mary Graham, VP of marketing and development. “It’s for all
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ages, including families and even couples enjoying a date night.” Billed as a “fun,
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educational, and unspooky Halloween event,” the evening is designed to bring people closer to nature. For the price of admission, visitors (who are encouraged to come in costume) will delight in a full evening of activities. Guided tours of the property follow paths illuminated by jack-o’-lanterns and frequent stops to meet live animals, watch a skit, listen to a story, and much more. Finish the entertainment in the spirit of Halloween with yummy Tricky Treats and the opportunity to meet a bird up close. For more information about VINS, visit vinsweb.org or call (802) 359-5000.
Opposite: This great horned owl is one of the live birds at the VINS Nature Center. This page: VINS staff dressed in wildlife costumes wait along illuminated paths, telling stories, acting out skits, and introducing live birds. FA L L 2013
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A RO U N D & A B O U T
The Wizard of
The wonders and frights of The Wizard of Oz are so much a part of our culture that phrases such as “follow the yellow brick road” and “you’re not in Kansas anymore” have become part of the modern parlance. This fall, the classic
show comes to Woodstock’s Town Hall Theatre, thanks to the Pentangle Players and sponsored by Pentangle Arts Council. The Pentangle Players have a fine reputation; under the direction of R. Lee Adams, the group has performed The Sound of Music and The Pirates of Penzance in recent years. The assistant director, Jennifer Page Stickney, was the star of those two shows. The Wizard of Oz begins October 25–26 and concludes November 1–2. The Wizard of Oz was selected because it is ideal for a community-based show. “We wanted a large cast to include as many kids as want to participate,” says Adams. “I wanted a show that evokes the images of childhood, naivety, warmth, and simplicity.”
Director, R. Lee Adams. 26
Oz
The 1988 version the group is using is the movie script with the addition of the jitterbug sequence that affords choreographer Claire Shillen, her dancers, and some of the cast of 65 the chance to have a lot of fun. The kids in the show had the opportunity for special training and became a tightknit group during the Oz camp held in August, where they interacted with the show’s leads, among many other activities. “This show is exciting because it is challenging,” Adams observes. “This version has a lot of technical elements to create in the theatre the version people recognize. We have a talented team of pros who help us with this.” One of the key elements of this show is the use of movement. For example, for the tornado set, the use of drapes of fabric accompanied by light and sound effects give the crucial sense of chaos. The Pentangle Players’ The Wizard of Oz is guaranteed to intrigue, entertain, and delight. For information about the show and to purchase tickets, visit www.pentanglearts.org or call (802) 457-3981.
Dorothy, Iva Wich.
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Lion, Claes Mattsson.
Wicked Witch, Mary Ann Stanford.
Tin Man, Henry Lang.
Scarecrow, Nate Hinson. FA L L 2013
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Trail Riding The heart and soul of GMHA
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By Cyndy Kozara Photos by Spectrum Photography
O
n an overcast morning the second day of the Fall Foliage
Ride, trail riders began filtering in at the Reading lunch stop. Distant mountain views were hidden behind valley fog, but the pond below and surrounding features took on a soft and misty contentedness. The landowner drove his ATV to the top of the hill where the sugarhouse sits to greet incoming riders, and several volunteers were on hand to hold horses so that riders could more easily enjoy their barbecue lunch. As the reins of a horse were passed to a volunteer, the rider was asked how the trails had been. She replied, “They are so beautiful— where else can you ride like this?” »
“It’s a privilege to share my bit of South Woodstock with others who love horses and trail riding in beautiful, unspoiled Vermont.”
Living the dream on a perfect autumn day. Inset: Undated photo of GMHA trail riders.
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“The extensive equestrian trail network that radiates out from South Woodstock is one of the most sacred treasures in the area. We understand and appreciate its significance and felt compelled to do our part to help protect this gem for future generations.” —Tom and Jennifer Eddy, South Woodstock A History of Horsemanship For 87 years, Green Mountain Horse Association in South Woodstock has upheld the value of the horse as an important part of Vermont heritage. As one of the leading equine competition and education sites in the country, it is the nation’s oldest continuously operating horse organization. GMHA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and member-based organization that serves five equine disciplines including trail riding, hunter/jumper, dressage, eventing, and driving. The event season runs April through October, and the public is welcome as spectators at no charge. A café is available on the grounds, and the Roger T. Maher Visitor Center, located in the historic Upwey Barn, showcases an extensive archive of photos and memorabilia from over the years. Trail riding is a true cornerstone of GMHA, as it was a group of trail riders who formed it. Generations of trail riders have become members and participated in various rides and competitions. In addition to pleasure rides, the organization hosts competitive trail and endurance rides, such as the wellknown three-day, 100-mile competitive trail ride, now in its 77th year.
through, the existing trail network may not have survived as well as it has. In the early days of GMHA, Vermont was a much different, largely rural landscape with many family farms throughout the countryside. Almost 1,000 miles of equestrian trails were marked from the Massachusetts border to Canada. Since then, Vermont’s rural nature has changed dramatically as roads were Above: Fall is a favorite season for riding. Below: Author Cyndy Kozara, who specializes in land use planning and water quality.
Preserving Trails and Traditions Creating and protecting riding trails is exactly what GMHA’s founding members had in mind back in 1926, when they included in its mission “developing and maintaining bridle trails in the state of Vermont.” Current trail riders are the future generations for which the founders were planning ahead. Had the foresight of their vision not been followed 30
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Three weekends of pleasure rides are offered for all ages and abilities. Inset: Hoffman family, Woodstock Horse Show, 1952.
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Enjoying a quiet ride with human and equine friends.
paved and open land fell to development. Today, GMHA’s uniquely beautiful trail network is confined to a four-town area surrounding its 65-acre facility. For a long time, equestrian trail access on private property has been temporarily granted through the use of revocable permissions by landowners. However, as the current economic downturn unfolded, an astounding number of properties—many of them
second homes—were put on the market, placing essential trail connections at risk. Whenever a trail is closed, it creates a challenging and sometimes impossible problem to solve, since a new route must be negotiated around that property, much like a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle. In 2010, GMHA’s leadership made a bold commitment to proactively address that issue with the formation of its Trail and Open Space
Riders choose their own paces and distances.
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Preservation Program. This effort champions the importance of open space, the preservation of equestrian trails, and the conservation of Vermont’s rural landscape, which is cherished and enjoyed by all.
Connecting the Dots, a Trail at a Time Working directly with landowners and realtors, GMHA has preserved 23 trails on 12 properties through the innovative use of permanent equestrian trail easements. Easements run with the land, owner to owner. GMHA encourages landowners to consider how securing trails into perpetuity can enhance mutual values and achieve common goals. As more landowners donate, those contemplating a donation are motivated to act, creating a gradual, natural pattern of connection. Sharing land in this traditional way connects people as well as land with a basic understanding of respect and gratitude. Local trail donors Jennifer and Tom Eddy affirm, “The extensive equestrian trail network that radiates out from South Woodstock is one of the most sacred treasures in the area. We understand and appreciate its significance and felt compelled to do our part to help protect this gem for future generations.” A primary strategy when making connections within GMHA’s equestrian trail network is to integrate trails on private land with public land and roadways. This includes conserved private land with provisions for recreational use held by local land trusts such as the New England Forestry Foundation, the Vermont Land Trust, and the Upper Valley Land Trust. One such conservation project of mutual interest with local landowners was successfully finalized in 2011. GMHA took the lead with a $100,000 pledge toward a $490,000 community fundraising goal to conserve an undeveloped 71-acre parcel of land, providing the scenic backdrop to the historic village of South Woodstock. The land holds an important equestrian FA L L 2 013
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Thirsty trail horses at a stone water trough.
trail connecting directly to GMHA grounds, also used by the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers.
Appreciating Land and Landowners Landowners who donate trails remark how much they enjoy the tranquil beauty of horses moving along a fence line or quietly meandering through a wooded trail. They also know that GMHA is always mindful of impacts to its trail system. With an emphasis on good landowner relations, trail maintenance issues are addressed with minimal environmental disturbance to provide safe passage. This writer serves as GMHA’s Trail Preservation Specialist, and we do our best to express the thankfulness we feel toward these landowners. What they do is selfless and wonderful. With every trail easement, GMHA is preserving something with true historical and cultural value. Although the legal document has flexibility so that both parties can achieve their goals, the permanent nature of the easement is non-negotiable. The work is too important to be temporary.
Green Mountain Horse Association 5491 South Road South Woodstock, VT (802) 457-1509 www.gmhainc.org 34
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Sunshine
and Shadow The story of a house
By Nan Bourne | Photos courtesy of the Woodstock Historical Society Grayst one, circa 1900.
Plymouth Rock chickens, also known as Barred Rock.
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The Clark famil y in front of the stone house , circa 1930: son Paul Clark , moth er Marth a Dana Clark , fathe r Home r Perle y Clark , son Frede rick E. Clark , daug hter Linnie Clark .
I
f you approach Woodstock from the east on Route 4, just before the sharp right turn into the village you may see, half-hidden in a tree-cloaked rise on the left, the looming remains of an old stone house. Its roof has collapsed inward, leaving frayed gable ends; its windows fade blankly into dead-gray stone. Weeds and bushes cluster about its walls and soon will no doubt cover its remains entirely, much as a stripped animal skeleton is finally delivered back into the world from which it sprang.
Graystone In 1822, Darius Blake of Keene, New Hampshire, began an assiduous program of land acquisition in Woodstock. Ultimately, he accumulated approximately 300 acres along the eastern bank of the Ottauquechee River “lying below the bend of the road at the extremity of Pleasant Street,” where in 1834 he built a large, handsome stone house. The stone was cut from an area that later became the Bourne farm, and it is assumed by local historians that the stone was “pushed” across the river on winter ice. The farm also came to include an older wooden house, several barns and outbuildings, and a spring near the river. »
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“Graystone,” as Darius Blake’s new house came to be called, was designed on the Georgian plan—three interior end chimneys, four large rooms downstairs around a central hall, 12-over-12 windows, and Federal-style moulded cornices. The four downstairs rooms were each 15 feet square, and the house itself contained 2,200 square feet. The exterior stone was coursed ashlar with a stone foundation. “The blocks are large and heavy, beautifully cut, and piled into very heavy, sturdy walls,” reports Kathy Wendling in an early column, “Historically Speaking,” in the Vermont Standard. “This lovely stone house with its classic lines stands on a hill overlooking the modern-day Route 4— but it faces away from that road toward the lower end of Hartland Hill.” The house was considered to be a rare and excellent example of two-and-ahalf-story Federal stone construction; in Windsor County there are only two or three others of similar size. A two-story white clapboard wing with a porch was added at some point, and the main front door was replaced in the late 1800s with flat panels, applied mouldings, and three-quarter-length sidelights.
A Magnificent Property Jay Morgan, Woodstock’s town clerk, is familiar with the house’s history. “It used to be a beautiful, beautiful showplace,” he says, “including a farm, right down to the river. Magnificent.” Darius Blake “proved one of the most industrious and successful farmers that ever lived in Woodstock,” reports historian H. S. Dana. He was also one of the original promoters of the Parish of Saint James in 1826, and in 1834 he became a director of the Woodstock Manufacturing Company, which owned the large mill where the Rec Center is now. He was three times a selectman, in 1842, 1843, and 1855. After 28 years on his river-bound hillside, Darius Blake died in 1862, and the farm was maintained by his son William until William’s death in 1867. In 1868, “the estate of William Blake: 270 acres more or less, near the village of Woodstock, kept as a homestead left 38
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Above and left: Graystone with addition, circa 1920s. Below: May Merrill Billings with her daughter Pauline, circa 1911.
to Rebecca Blake, widow of William” was sold to Frederick B. Merrill and his wife Calista for $20,000, “with a two-story stone house, a one-story small wooden house, and several barns and outbuildings” (Woodstock Land Records). Frederick Merrill’s father, Prosper, had owned a house on the Blake farm for some time, and despite his Springfield roots, he owned a number of properties around Woodstock. One of his descendants remembers that he had run an inn in the Weathersfield area and was called “Old Shredded Wheat” because of his bushy white beard. Frederick and Calista (her greatgrandson remembers that “she and her siblings were given names out of ancient history—Calista, Aurora, Electra, Homer, and Pliny”) had four children, at least one of whom, May, was born in the house in 1874. May Merrill graduated from Wellesley College in 1895, “was an ardent suffragette and later a staunch supporter of Margaret Sanger’s crusade for birth control, serving for many years as a director of the American
Birth Control League,” reports historian Peter Jennison. In 1898 she married Richard Billings, Frederick Billings’s youngest son, and went to live in his handsome brick-columned house off Old River Road. Richard Billings was president of the Woodstock Railroad from 1915 until his death in 1931; in 1929 he also became a director of the TwinState Airport near White River Junction, the largest airport in northern New England. He and May had one child, Pauline, who married a lawyer, Carl Taylor Sr., and then became a practicing lawyer herself. “I spent summers here with my Grandmother May,” remembers FA L L 2 013
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Martha Dana Clark and her husband Homer Perley Clark.
her grandson Carl Taylor Jr. “She was the nicest person! I loved her—she didn’t make me do things like my mother did. She looked to me like an oldish lady but apparently was quite attractive—after my grandfather died, she had a number of male attendants.” A great-nephew of May’s, who prefers to report anonymously, remembers that “she was very small, very quiet. She’d sit in a chaise longue under those columns and philosophize about life. She spent winters in New York. My father was brought up in that house,” my informant went on, “by May, who was his aunt, after her brother, my grandfather, was killed in a sleigh-racing accident on the Billings track. His young wife, who had witnessed the horrible accident just before she was due to give birth, never recovered from the shock. After my father was born, Aunt May took him in and raised him, sent him to school and college.” May Merrill Billings died in 1965 at the age of 91.
A Family Home for over 70 Years In 1876, Graystone again changed hands. Frederick and Calista Merrill sold “the Blake farm,” including 500 sugar maples, 10 dairy cows, and 250 acres (“more or less”), minus what had been bought by the Woodstock Railroad Corporation, to Benjamin Swan Dana and his wife Catherine, for $12,000. Benjamin Swan Dana had grown up in Woodstock and had many connections here but was living at the time in Brighton, 40
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Massachusetts, with his wife and three daughters, including Martha, born there in 1869. Martha and her two sisters grew up at Graystone, and around 1892 Martha fell in love with Homer Perley Clark, a Pomfret boy who was the son of a carpenter with little known family. At this time, Martha’s mother Catherine, now widowed, sold the farm’s 250 acres, leaving Graystone with seven acres, a horse barn, and other outbuildings; she and her daughter Martha and Martha’s husband Perley continued to live there until Catherine died in 1945. Judith Clark Peterson, Martha’s and Perley’s granddaughter, lives outside Detroit, Michigan, and vividly remembers her grandparents’ house. “It was absolutely beautiful—five or six bedrooms upstairs, all with fireplaces. I remember the staircase. . . . There was a lot of sterling flatware and Limoges china and some lovely jewelry. My grandfather Perley was pretty much a farmer, though he was also in politics, but my dad, Benjamin Dana Clark, had a nanny, so there must have been some money.” She adds, “I know Martha also lost a lot of money in a California gold scam, and she and Perley had to take in boarders. They ended up living in an addition on the side of the house. Toward the end, we noticed some deterioration when we visited.” Perley Clark died in 1945, the same year as his mother-in-law Catherine Dana. Martha sold the house in 1946 and died later that year. Benjamin Dana Clark, Martha and Perley’s son, pursued his fascination with automobiles to Detroit, where his daughter still lives. But, she says, “I would dearly love to salvage some old wood from that wonderful house to make into a kitchen table! It was our family’s home for over 70 years.” Author’s note: In the final two decades (1946–1967) before Graystone became a commercial property, it was owned by Lydia H. and Charles F. Deshler, and sold in 1967 by their daughter Virginia Deshler Edgar and her brother Charles F. Deshler Jr. Sadly, I have been unable to learn anything about this family. FA L L 2 013
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Zayas Jewelers Where customer service shines By Meg Brazill Photos by Lynn Bohannon
Top: Jeffrey Zayas, Graduate Gemologist. Above: Exquisite Bohemian garnet necklace, circa 1890. A selection of modern colored stone rings is available.
Every day is about something rare and precious for Jeffrey Zayas. Diamond rings, sapphire bracelets, garnet earrings, or an aquamarine briolette necklace might all be part of a day’s work. In any given week, Jeff works with all kinds of gems and precious stones from amethysts to opals to zircons. After nearly 20 years of experience in the fine estate-jewelry business, Graduate Gemologist Jeffrey Zayas opened his first retail store, Zayas Jewelers, in Woodstock last May. He has a sparkle in his eye when he talks about it. “We have diamonds and fine vintage jewelry; we do appraisals; we buy gold and silver,” Jeff says. His enthusiasm and expertise are abundant. In addition to repairs, restoring fine jewelry, and buying and selling, Jeff also designs, using state-of-the-art technology that includes clients in the process. What really holds his interest, however, is talking to his customers. »
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Jeff can tell customers everything about a gemstone, including its characteristics of cut, color, clarity, and carat weight (the “4Cs”), and he’s particularly conversant in the historical context of a particular piece of vintage jewelry or when it was created. He can design or help customers design a setting or ring or necklace. But what matters most to him is finding out what his clients want and need, and working with them to get it exactly right. “We try to have superior service,” Jeff says. “Our goal is to listen to people’s concerns and what they want to achieve.” Until recently, even a single design change was time consuming. “With the technology we now have,” he adds, “it can be done instantly. When you’re making something like this, you’re creating an heirloom for the next generation.” Longtime friend and designer Tiffany Reney says, “Jeff has a wonderful understanding of design and how jewelry is constructed. He uses gorgeous stones and the best materials to make 44
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Above: Temple St. Clair Royal Blue Moonstone Collection is in the foreground. Left: Jeff works on his window display, which shows off Temple St. Clair jewelry and Sherwin art glass, handblown in Vermont. Below: Art Nouveau enameled brooch with pearl and diamonds on chain, circa 1910.
beautiful pieces. I felt like I could trust him to design and make the wedding bands we wanted. He made the process very easy.” Listening to what his customers want can also mean restoring a vintage piece or creating a more contemporary setting for it. “I’ve been working in estate jewelry for so long that I understand how to care for it and how to repair it,” Jeff says. He also has the training and skills to back it up. His certification as Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the most prestigious credential in the
Impressive turquoise and diamond necklace, circa 1850. Diamonds total 4.0 carats.
industry. In the 1940s, GIA established the system for grading diamonds, the worldwide standard for evaluating diamond quality. GIA’s mission is “to ensure the public’s trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism through education and research.”
A Setting for Life’s Important Decisions Zayas Jewelers is housed on Central Street in the former Elliott Newman Jewelers location. The store itself is a gem. According to Tiffany Reney, Jeff wanted to create the feel of an elegant FA L L 2013
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Above: Art Deco ring and bracelet, circa 1925. Right: Diamond grading for a client’s appraisal.
boutique-style store that’s personal but with different styles and price points for everyone. Serendipitously, the color of outdoor awning she helped him choose turned out to be called “Sapphire Blue.” Floor-to-ceiling cherry wall cabinets and display cases were originally custom built by Jim Kenyon (Kenyon & Kelley), a now-retired fine cabinet and furniture maker. When Jeff saw that Elliott Newman would be closing, he approached Fran Elliott about purchasing the store’s furnishings. “And that’s how we met,” Fran says. “Kenyon & Kelley did beautiful work. Jim made the store’s furnishings 20 years ago in August 1993.” Fran readily admits she doesn’t usually like people immediately, so it surprised her when she liked Jeff right away. Fran says, “He was appreciative and respectful of the fact that I’d been there [in the jewelry business] for 20 years.” She describes Jeff as “a good soul, a gentleman, and an honorable man. I think other people will also recognize these traits. Trust is very important in our business. He’s very hardworking, and I think he’ll persevere.” 46
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Jeff is continuing with some things Fran Elliott had in the store, but “he’s also bringing in new ideas and new technology. He’s got some good ideas,” Fran adds. The store is an intimate setting for making what may be some of life’s biggest decisions: choosing an engagement ring or a pair of wedding bands, or getting an appraisal for vintage jewelry, with all its attendant emotional attachment. Sometimes it’s for celebrating an achievement like a graduation or a milestone anniversary. Or it may be just for fun and enjoying the beauty of jewelry. As customer Mary Riley, administrative assistant to the municipal
manager in Woodstock, puts it, “You can never have enough shoes or too much jewelry. You can quote me on that! It’s part of my life’s philosophy.”
A Natural Instinct and Innate Curiosity A native Vermonter, Jeff was born and grew up in nearby Bellows Falls. Over the years, he’s bought and sold millions of dollars worth of gems and jewelry all over the country, but he began his career in Bellows Falls when he was still a teenager, working at the former Harty Jewelers store. In fact, his mother, Linda, first heard about the job and recommended Jeff look into it for an after-school job. It turned out that Jeff had a natural instinct for the business and an innate curiosity to learn more. At college, he quickly discovered that studying civil engineering was not what he wanted to do. With encouragement from owner Bernie Harty, Jeff got his education at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Santa Monica. “You were a jeweler every day, eight hours a day, learning to set stones, size rings, fix prongs,” Jeff says. After attaining the Graduate Jeweler certification, Jeff returned to work at Harty Jewelers until it closed a short time later. He also loved ski patrol, and Okemo Mountain accepted him on their ski patrol when he was 19. “I loved and respected how Mary Hoyne ran the ski patrol there,” Jeff recalls. “I feel like I always end up being involved with people who are the best at what they do.” Jeff’s interest in gemology inspired him to seek out training in diamonds and colored stones, so in 1998 he enrolled in GIA’s intensive Graduate Gemologist program in New York. After he aced the notoriously difficult “20 stone” exam (it requires a 100 percent score to pass) by examining and correctly identifying different stones, Jeff began working for Stephen L. Singer, a New York City–based family firm, in the estate jewelry business. Zayas traveled around the country as a buyer of estate jewelry, gems, and FA L L 2013
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Sapphire and diamond bracelet, circa 1925—”new old stock,” as Jeff calls it.
precious stones for Singer, working with a network of highly reputable independent stores. According to Jeff, it was the equivalent of an Ivy League education in the history and valuation of estate jewelry. His training and experience have proved invaluable, but it’s Jeff’s own interest in the world around him that brings depth to his knowledge and expertise. Evidence of some of his personal interests are along the back wall of his store, where fine-crafted silver items of an earlier era are on display, including a hand-chased German silver box circa 1886, silver candelabras, and a Tiffany bowl. He continues to carry the Temple St. Clair line, a contemporary jewelry designer whom Elliott Newman carried, as well as other contemporary designers, and a wide variety of fine vintage jewelry. Jeff brings out a necklace with beautiful dark-red stones, describing it as Bohemian Garnet, acquired during the era when the English started traveling to Bohemia. The piece is extraordinary, not simply because of its age (125 to 135 years) or its beauty. Jewelry used to be repaired by torches—and gemstones cannot withstand the heat—so older pieces are typically littered with lead solder. The piece he is showing has no lead from repairs, and all the stones are original to the necklace. The string of rose-cut garnets is exquisite and typical of the 48
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beautiful, unique items Jeff carries in his store. Although the store is new, Jeff and his family are not new to Woodstock. After six years in the high-end estate jewelry business in New York, Jeff and his wife Amy moved to Woodstock in 2005. In 2008, Zayas embarked on a new opportunity with three friends and longtime associates from his New York City days to create Beneficial Estate Buyers. They put their combined 100 years of experience in antique and estate jewelry together to develop their “Madison Collection,” a traveling line of estate jewelry from various periods and designers. After years of traveling, Jeff wants to spend more time at home in Vermont with his family, which now includes three children ages 3 to 9. And he’d like to do ski patrol if he can find the time. “I love to ski—it just clears everything up. It’s what I like to do the most.” He hopes the new store will help him be able to do all of that. Jeff may spend his days working with precious and rare gems, but he’s a man who clearly knows that what’s really precious and rare is right in his own backyard.
Zayas Jewelers 12B Central Street Woodstock, VT (802) 457-2344 www.zayasjewelers.com
Anichini is known for its distinctive line of Italian Merino wool throws. Here the Kyoto throw in paprika sits amidst Turkish brocades and velvets. Photo courtesy of Anichini.
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Anichini By Dian Parker Photos by Lynn Bohannon unless otherwise noted
Works of art in Quechee
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t is a lazy fall afternoon. You are napping on a kingsize bed. The white percale sheet of 100 percent Egyptian cotton is cool and crisp. Over you rests a lightweight, ribbed piqué coverlet, made in Italy, the color of your grandmother’s unbleached linen. At the foot of the bed is a soft down, charmeuse silk quilt, backed in cashmere, ready for a chilly night. Your head rests peacefully on a European goosedown pillow covered in pale eucalyptus blue sateen. »
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These are just a few of the products by Anichini, one of the world’s leading luxury linen and textile companies. Founded in 1986 by Susan Dollenmaier, Anichini had its beginnings in a small farmhouse in the rolling green hills of Tunbridge, Vermont. In spite of the far reach of the company’s products, Tunbridge still remains the Anichini headquarters after 27 years. Luxurious Italian sheets, sumptuous handwoven Nepalese cashmere, plush Turkish towels, color-rich Lithuanian linens, and architectural Swiss lace are cut and sewn in the Tunbridge 1860 farmhouse. “Most people don’t realize that Anichini is an American company with corporate headquarters in central Vermont,” says
Dollenmaier. “The women who work for us in Vermont are the best, and the last of a dying breed—truly skilled craftswomen. I am extremely proud of these women and the products they produce.” Because of her passion for the genuine article, Susan Dollenmaier is devoted to supporting local artisans around the world. She has created a market for ancient and traditional textile techniques that were once on the verge of extinction—towels woven with linen from Lithuania, terry from Portugal, Turkish brocades inspired by ceremonial caftans, Ottomaninspired velvets and tapestries from Turkey, Tibetan cashmere woven in Nepal, woven silks from Morocco,
The Design Center offers both custom and ready-made decorative accessories and furniture, made in Vermont from the finest materials the world over. Below, from left: Taj sheeting in rust/sage. Pema stack pillows. Marte sheets. Photos courtesy of Anichini. Throws in beautiful colors.
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brocades from Tibet, and Renaissance replications from Umbria. Spun from the cocoon of the Muga moth in Assam, India, the intense golden Muga silk is woven into coverlets backed in cashmere for Anichini’s pillows and throws. These artisanal products are created using techniques handed down from generation to generation. “If someone doesn’t continue using them, these techniques may never be available for production again,” Dollenmaier says. In the early ’80s, Dollenmaier went on a trip to Venice where she found women
embroidering by hand on new linen. The results looked like the antique linens Dollenmaier was already collecting, and she had a glimmer of an idea for a business. Joining forces with Patricia Anichini, co-founder with Dollenmaier of Anichini, they searched for more sources of new products that looked old. The allures of seeking out the authentic article include the artisans Dollenmaier meets. She found a weaver in a small, medieval village north of Rome, producing authentic 15th century designs. Dollenmaier recolored the
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The Company Store and Design Center is thrilled to find an Upper Valley home on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River. Right: Rubiyat pillow. The dense hand embroidery of this design is covered with small French knots. Below: Persia bedding in orange. Two smaller photos courtesy of Anichini.
designs and now sells the fabric by the yard. She met a Lithuanian woman and visited her home on the Baltic Sea. “Every square inch of this woman’s house was made of linen!” Dollenmaier exclaims. “The draperies, bed clothes, towels, tablecloths, napkins. Even her clothes were all linen. Her passion for linen exceeded even mine!” To this day, that woman remains an important partner and supplier.
The Beauty of Linen Linen is thought to be the world’s oldest woven textile. Linen remains have been found dating back 7,000 years, along with evidence of linen production from as far back as 36,000 years ago. Linen has a long life span, and to this day is one of the most versatile textiles for clothing and home use. It is even more difficult to tear than cotton. “So why did linen fall out of favor?” Dollenmaier asks. “Linen was more expensive than cotton; then polyester was introduced in the ’50s. Prior to that, 54
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we washed and ironed our clothing and home textiles. Suddenly, you could throw everything into a washing machine, then into the dryer. Everything came out ready to wear. We developed a collective rejection of wrinkles! Linen wrinkled. We moved away from natural fibers to ones that were produced with petroleum-based products.” Today Anichini sells large linen bath towels. Still widely used throughout Europe and the rest of the world, linen towels are naturally antimicrobial. They do not “sour” like cotton, are more eco-friendly and more durable than terry, and naturally rejuvenate the
skin. “Natural fibers do not hold odors. Stains can be removed more easily, but these products require more care. The last 50 years have been dedicated to doing things faster but not better,” Dollenmaier says. “The manufacturing of raw cotton into cotton yarn has created a tremendous global pollution problem. The production process uses enormous amounts of water. The chemicals employed for most cotton production poison the land and water supplies. Linen production, on the other hand, is relatively low tech.” And with the rising temperatures on our planet, linen is particularly well suited for hot and humid climates.
Upscale Places, Famous People Anichini’s products grace many luxury hotels: Townhouse Galleria Hotel in Milan; Sanderson Hotel in London; Pan Pacific in Vancouver, Canada; Pink Sands Resort, Caesar’s Palace; the Four Seasons Hotel in Doha, Qatar; Nevis in the Caribbean, and the Bosphorus in Istanbul. Anichini’s bed couture was showcased in the films Sex and the City and in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Cher’s house in Los Angeles is filled with Anichini products such as embroidered silk pillows, cashmere throws, and silk coverlets. Martha Stewart, Oprah, Madonna, Diana Ross, Tom Cruise, Mariah Carey, and Christina Aguilera all buy high-quality textiles from Anichini. “Once you start sleeping on a good bed with good bedding, there’s no going back,” Dollenmaier says. “It’s like the first time you put on a good pair of shoes. It’s hard to go out and buy a cheap pair ever again.” The bedding is expensive. Anichini sells its two-piece “Persia” queen sheet set for $1,370. It comes in four different colors—camel, FA L L 2 013
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orange, green, and a delicate blue color called “spaqua.” The sateen sheet sets and pillow covers have jacquard woven borders. “They are made to last a lifetime. You just have to know how to take care of them,” Dollenmaier notes. “For generations, French laundresses were prized not only for getting items clean but also for their wise care and delicate treatment, saving the fabrics from harm during the process of cleaning. Linens were ironed until they were glacé (iced), then folded in such a way not only to make them fit into a cupboard or drawer but also to show off the embroidery or lace trim.” Tess Mix, one of Susan Dollenmaier’s twin daughters, is the showroom director at Anichini’s in New York City. Dollenmaier’s sister, Mary, has been head of human resources at Anichini for the last ten years. Marty, another sister, has been with the company for 20 years. She was once the president of Anichini and is now a hospitality sales manager. Susan Dollenmaier’s dream has become a family business. Susan Sisino has worked for Anichini for 20 years; she started as a presser, moved on to cutting and sewing, and is now the manager. “I love working for Anichini. I live in Tunbridge, and to work for such a high-end company is a great honor for me, a farm woman.” Anichini manufactures 25 percent of its finished products in Vermont.
Anichini in Quechee Last year, in 2012, an Anichini outlet store opened in another small Vermont town, Quechee. In the store, three showroom beds are fully made up, 56
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each one layered with percale sheets, down quilts covered in silk, flouncy bed skirts, and cashmere throws. Eight pillows are piled high on each bed in exotic colors. Even though Anichini’s prices are high, in the Quechee store one can buy a guest towel, the color of truffles, for $8. A black-and-natural striped linen bath sheet made in Lithuania sells for $66. Along with the beautiful bedding, there are fragrant soaps from Provence and hand-blown wine glasses from Robin Mix. Adjoining the Anichini outlet store in Quechee is a new addition, the Design Center, where customers can now design their very own unique pieces using imported silks, linens, or brocades. Built using the timbers from Dollenmaier’s barns in Tunbridge, the Design Center showcases Anichini’s new line of wall coverings and window treatments, as well as furniture that is handmade from frame to upholstery. Antique Kilim rugs from tribal regions of Afghanistan and Turkey adorn the space in textured hues, providing a rich environment for creation. Susan Dollenmaier’s search for the authentic reaches into every crevice of her being, her business, and her beliefs. “I love my life. I would never dream of retiring. I’ve learned the hard way that everything works for a reason. The business works because anything authentic works. And lasts one heck of a long time.” As Zelda Fitzgerald once wrote about F. Scott Fitzgerald, “He smelled like new goods. Being close to him with my face in the space between his ear and his stiff army collar was like being initiated into the subterranean reserves of a fine fabric store exuding the delicacy of cambrics and linen and luxury bound in bales.” “Now there’s a man I’d like to meet!” Dollenmaier exclaims.
Anichini Company Store 6931 Woodstock Road Quechee, VT (802) 698-8813 www.anichini.com Open daily 10am–6pm FA L L 2 013
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VERMONT LIVING
The
Barnard Inn Curbside appeal and culinary excellence By Meg Brazill Photos by Corinna Shulamit Dooley
Grand wedding reception table awaits.
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n the road to Barnard from Woodstock, a distinctive 1796 colonial brick building welcomes travelers. The Barnard Inn, which more than hints at grandeur, may well be Woodstock’s best-kept secret. In its third century of service, its architectural style and grace still deliver curbside appeal, and the gardens and grounds complete the idyllic scene. For the past 36 years, this 18th century architectural gem has been home to a restaurant with formal dining rooms as well as a tavern. The Barnard Inn is actually not an inn for overnight guests; it is a renowned dining destination. Inside the inn, you’ll find a place of comfort and understated elegance. »
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“I’ve always loved cooking. I don’t know if I always knew what I wanted to do, but I figured out I could make a living doing what I like.” – Will Dodson, Owner and Chef
Above: The inn’s rustic welcome sign. Right: Chef Will Dodson in his home test kitchen.
Owner and Chef Will Dodson is in his 13th year there. Under his direction, the Barnard Inn has developed a reputation for excellence in fine dining, as well as for casual fare in Max’s Tavern. With a menu built around farm-to-table items, Will offers a sumptuous spread, from the first taste of clam chowder or starters like rabbit ravioli to his homemade desserts. Vermont and regional craft beers are well represented on tap and by the bottle, along with a good selection of wines by the glass and an extensive wine list. An added and welcome surprise is the variety of ciders. “We also offer a full selection of Vermont spirits on our ‘802 shelf,’ ” Will says. There’s Barr Hill vodka and gin, Dunc’s Mill, Vermont Spirits, SILO Vodka, and more. “It’s top shelf,” he adds. From the blackboard menu to its eclectic, rustic décor, Max’s Tavern is festive and fun—and a little bit raucous on a busy night.
Keeping Busy: Where It All Comes From Just outside the tavern, Will points proudly to his kitchen garden. “Every day I cut fresh basil, chives, sage, thyme,
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Top: Just married! Procession from the secluded pond-side gazebo. Above, from left: Vermont 802 spirits. Guests enjoy dinner in the long room. Just-harvested autumn vegetables.
and other herbs. I love the seasons of Vermont, and I love having the gardens,” Will says. “Since I’ve been here, the availability of local produce and cheese has exploded.” Where the rolling lawn behind the inn stops, the extensive organic vegetable gardens begin. That’s one way Will can extend access to local organic foods on the menu. Abundance comes in the form of black currants and raspberries; tomatoes, radishes, and greens in summer; and winter squash, fingerling potatoes, and other vegetables in fall.
An avid outdoorsman, Will likes hunting and fishing, and hiking and foraging for wild mushrooms. He also raises honeybees, chickens, and ducks. For years he raised pigs, fed almost entirely on kitchen trimmings. “But now, many local producers are raising beautiful products,” Will says, so this year, no pigs. Will prefers to support local producers like Lynn Bertram, rather than trying to raise and grow all his own food. Bertram manages a small herd of Scotch Highland cattle and a flock of 30 cross-bred sheep. “We cure
salmon for our own gravlax, and we make our own bacon and ricotta cheese,” Will says. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Will came from “a big food family where cooking, sharing, and celebrating were commonplace around the table.” Now he is raising his own big family. He and his four children, ages 9 to 12, live above the restaurant, so his kids may be predestined to a lifelong appreciation of good food too. Will attended Boston University for hospitality administration and then went to the Culinary Institute
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Above: Formal table. Right: Preparing for guests.
of America in Hyde Park, New York. “I’ve always loved cooking. I don’t know if I always knew what I wanted to do, but I figured out I could make a living doing what I like.” And a lot of people love what he does. It’s not a bad idea to call ahead for reservations.
The Man Auction Operating a restaurant and being the chef is an around-the-clock operation, but Will makes a point of staying involved in the community. He currently serves on the Barnard Academy’s school board (formerly the Barnard School) and on the Barnard Education Fund, a not-for-profit foundation dedicated to the educational enrichment of Barnard’s elementary students. To get more of the community involved, Will helped create 62
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the “Man Auction” three years ago and currently heads its committee. People offer their services to be auctioned off. It could be personal training or musicians playing at your house, a fly-fishing expedition on the White River or a hard pack for your driveway. According to Will’s partner, Corinna Dooley, “It’s a huge community event; it’s the most successful auction I’ve ever been involved with.” All auction proceeds go to the Barnard Academy.
From Alaska to Vermont: We Love It Here From the road, the Barnard Inn looks like the kind of place where travelers have stopped for provisions for centuries. It’s easy to envision horsedrawn carriages and the dusty travelers who emerged from them. These days, license plates from Alaska to Missouri to Texas to Vermont are spotted on cars in the back parking lot, and their wellrested occupants fill the dining room and tavern. Tourists are a mainstay of the restaurant, but local customers comprise the regulars and help make the inn a year-round business. “We love it here,” says Barnard resident Amy Morel. “It’s totally made living in Barnard for us.” The Morels are regulars at the Barnard Inn. “It’s so close and so wonderful. We could go somewhere else, but why?” In fact, their family likes it so much, they eat dinner in the “long room” every Thursday night. The oldest part of the inn has two rooms for fine dining. The long room holds a very long table, which is either formal or convivial, depending on the guests. The smaller rooms are more intimate, with four- and two-top tables. All rooms have lovely old working fireplaces, and each room has its special appeal. A prix fixe menu is offered. The inn is renowned for custom weddings up to 200, family reunions, graduations, birthday celebrations, and other events. Its proximity to Dartmouth College, Vermont Law School, Woodstock, and even Montpelier makes it a convenient location. Outdoors, a large grassy area adjacent to the inn easily accommodates grand tents and a dance floor. Setting long tables with fine china and crystal in the open air on the lawn is a favorite for weddings. The inn’s casual glamour creates a comfortable town and country ambience. Beyond the immediate grounds, a wide grass path leads to a pond, perfect for secluded events and intimate ceremonies. And picture this: the path is wide enough to accommodate a horseFA L L 2013
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VERMONT LIVING
Above: Cutting the cake at a winter wedding. Right: Dodson behind the bar at Max’s Tavern with local guests.
drawn carriage. A gazebo completes the definition of charming and romantic.
Back for More The menu changes regularly to take advantage of seasonal ingredients, and the fall menu will include the harvest from the inn’s own organic gardens. Look for the slow-roasted boneless Long Island duckling and the braised Fresh Tracks Farm rabbit ravioli with Spring Brook Farm tarentaise and chanterelle mushrooms. A vegetable entrée might include roasted autumnvegetable strudel wrapped in filo dough with Green Mountain Gruyère and roasted shallot sage cream sauce. Tavern favorites like Max’s Betterbite Burger, Wiener schnitzel, and potato gnocchi are worthy of repeat visits. The selection of starters could make up a dinner as well, choosing from house-smoked trout or steamed mussels, rabbit ravioli, or Max’s pulled pork nachos. It’s not easy 64
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saving room for dessert, but it’s well worth a try. Fans of bread pudding will enjoy the dark and white chocolate version, served with butter pecan ice cream, caramel, and chocolate sauce. Seasonal rhubarb, cranberry, strawberry, and apple country crumble with ice cream complete a perfect autumn evening at the Barnard Inn.
The Barnard Inn Restaurant & Max’s Tavern 5518 Vermont Route 12 Barnard, VT (802) 234-9961 www.barnardinnrestaurant.com
W H AT ’ S N E W
Flourish
When beauty is skin deep
Natural Body Care By Meg Brazill Photos by Lynn Bohannon
Natural beauty hasn’t been given this much attention since the 1970s, when women rebelled against the fire-engine red lipstick, foundation makeup, and lacquered hairdos that defined their mothers’ generation. Instead, they grew their hair long, letting it go naturally curly or straight, and often opted to forgo makeup altogether. The trend didn’t stick, but it made a lasting impression. »
Above: Flourish founder and co-owner Kirsten Connor still applies all labels by hand. Left: A colorful array of shea butter balm, specially formulated to combat dry winter skin.
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W H AT ’ S N E W With interest in all things green on the rise, consumers are casting a discerning eye on everyday products, including makeup and body care products. Consumers have already said no to antibiotics in their milk and pesticides in their meat. “If we don’t want toxins in our bodies, it’s a logical next step to not want toxins on our bodies either,” says Kirsten Connor, founder and coowner of Flourish Natural Body Care (Flourish). “Taking care of your skin should be as important as eating right and knowing what’s in the food you’re eating.” Flourish Natural Body Care produces shampoo, conditioner, sugar body polish, shea butter balm, body crème, body lotion, and lip balm—all fueled
by the passion to create products from natural and organic raw ingredients that produce exceptional results.
From One Small Store The mild aromas of ginger and lavender, mint and patchouli, fill the air when the kettles are on the boil at Flourish’s workshop. Opposite the stove, a hundred shiny tins are lined up on a long table, ready for their labels. Stainless steel shelves hold stacks of cheerful product labels for the shea butter, as well as for the bottles of lavender mint, lemongrass, honey blossom, and patchouli tangerine shampoo that Kirsten is formulating this week. All of Flourish’s products are made by hand in small batches. Co-owner
Resources for Finding Safe Ingredients
T
wo good resources that can help you look up unfamiliar ingredients are the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
Environmental Working Group EWG’s Skin Deep website has a database of ingredient labels for body care products that is cross-linked with databases that describe chemical toxicity. Type in your favorite products at EWG to see their safety rating or for recommendations for finding beauty products that will actually help you look, feel, and smell beautiful without covering you in toxins! EWG is an independent group funded through donations, and they don’t accept donations from any company that could present a conflict of interest. They work with scientists who study all the data and constantly update it. The field is changing as new information comes to light. “For example, when we started, coco-betaine was an acceptable ingredient,” Kirsten says. “Over time, new data has shown that there are better options, so we switched to decyl glucoside.”
From top: Pouring and capping the last few bottles. Delicious organic olive and coconut oils protect and soothe lips in fun flavors. Tiana Barcomb mixes up Flourish’s secret essential oil blends.
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Campaign for Safe Cosmetics The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has all kinds of answers to questions about cosmetics and health. It also offers hundreds of articles with up-to-date information.
Localvore Today Natural Body Care for Localvores and Why It Really Matters
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Darren McCullough likens this part of the operation to maple sugaring. The comparison is apt: a sweet, steamy, fragrance billows off the boiling pots and will turn into a valuable Vermont product. This is Flourish’s workshop, now housed in a former bible bindery in West Woodstock. The workshop is half laboratory, half think tank. Part of the space is devoted to making and shipping the product, and part to running the business. Kirsten and Darren moved Flourish here in January 2012, just a few months after Tropical Storm Irene. Kirsten had grown the business from a small retail shop with a line of specialty soaps, Thistle Bath and Body, to an entire line of body care products. “I took the topselling products and scents and began a wholesale business with Darren,” Kirsten says. They launched their new
Top: Kirsten in the workshop. Center: “High-tech” label machine. Above: Stacks of sweet sugar body polish.
line, Flourish, at the Boston Gift Show in 2010. Their success with spas, stores, and co-ops meant moving the operation to a large barn at their home. They took out a loan to purchase the equipment needed to meet product demand from their newest customer—Whole Foods. But Mother Nature had other plans.
A Visit from Irene “The morning of [Tropical Storm] Irene, we were harvesting as much as possible from our garden and making pickles,” Kirsten says. Just the day before, she and Darren had taken their kids tubing; the Ottauquechee River was so low they’d had to walk their tubes in some FA L L 2013
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W H AT ’ S N E W places. But that was the day before. “Around noon we walked across the field and saw that the river was almost to the edge of its banks. Even then, we never thought the river could rise 20 feet, come over its banks, swell past a big crest in the field, and reach our house 200 yards away.” Within the hour, propane tanks, kayaks, picnic tables, and all sorts of outdoor items began zipping by. “It was scary,” she recalls. They all began moving stuff upstairs, but it wasn’t much longer before they heard water cascading into their basement. “Within 20 minutes, the first floor of our house was under six feet of water.” Half of the first floor was dedicated to Flourish’s production. Nearly six feet of water covered all the product, labels, raw materials, and new machinery for more than 10 hours. Irene flooded their house, their workshop, farmland, and storage. “The entire interior of the house had to be gutted, bleached, and dried out. We lived at my parents with our kids and our dog for seven months while our house was rebuilt,” Kirsten says. Being flooded out of house and home is indescribable; losing your business and livelihood at the same time is impossible to comprehend. With a positive attitude, hard work, and lots of help from extended family and friends, Darren and Kirsten began rebuilding. In about six months, Flourish had new product ready to ship. They were ready, but many of their retailers weren’t. Too much time had elapsed, and they no longer had shelf space for Flourish.
Fifty Stores and Growing, Plus Accolades! Kirsten and Darren slowly gained back retailers. Today, Flourish products are in over 50 stores in eight states, including all of New England, New York, and Alaska! Earlier this year, Brattleboro Food Co-op (BFC) honored Flourish Natural Body Care with its “Producer of the Month” accolade, which is given to the highest quality Vermont products. “It’s been a real pleasure getting back to working with them,” says Casey 68
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Above: Refresh your favorite scent throughout the day with Flourish body mist! Right: Unique signature scents.
Nelson, assistant wellness manager and body care buyer for the BFC. “Flourish products are a wonderful fit with our store and our customers.” Flourish Natural Body Care lotion was also recognized by Middlebury Co-op as their top-selling lotion— competing even with national brands. In May, the Vermont Small Business Development Corporation awarded Kirsten its “Survived Irene” award, and Flourish will receive a grant to purchase a few pieces of equipment. “They’re passionate about delivering incredible body care products that will never contain useless fillers or harmful ingredients,” Casey says. “Flourish is a real ‘people business’ that has earned my repeat orders.”
The Body’s Largest Organ Of course, people like to pamper themselves sometimes, but what makes Flourish stand out? At the 2013 Green Festival in New York City, green and sustainable beauty experts noted that whatever we put on our skin is quickly
absorbed into our bodies, so it really does matter what’s in the products people use. Skin is semi-permeable; it’s made to absorb nutrients directly into the blood stream and tissue. Localvore Today, a Vermont company that advocates buying local, says, “Every time you lather, dab, or spray a product onto your skin, the ingredients, good and bad, will find their way into your body. Skin is the body’s largest organ, and it’s permeability makes it a great delivery system for vitamin D [from the sun], but it’s equally effective for bringing in toxins that often settle into tissue and fat cells indefinitely. Many of those ingredients include parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, and even known carcinogens.” These substances can be harmful to the body’s reproductive and endocrine systems. This summer, Localvore Today recommended Flourish Natural Body Care products to their customers. “Most people assume the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulates body care products to ensure their safety. But it doesn’t,” Kirsten notes. The FDA does require beauty labels to use Latin-derived names on ingredient lists, so just because it’s an unfamiliar word doesn’t mean it’s a bad ingredient. Two great resources for researching ingredients are the Environmental Working Group and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (see sidebar). Flourish is scrupulous about using the best ingredients available.
Standing Out in a Crowd A few other things distinguish Flourish products. First, everything is produced in small batches. “We’re not trying to FA L L 2013
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W H AT ’ S N E W mass produce our shampoo,” Kirsten explains. “We’re making it for people who care about the ingredients.” What’s more, they’re fun products; the way they smell is unique. “In my opinion,” Darren says, “the scents are very different from anything you’re going to get in a massproduced shampoo or lotion.” Kirsten takes particular care in finding and combining scents like patchouli tangerine or ginger elixir. Patchouli, a strong earthy scent, lightens when combined with tangerine citrus and creates a tantalizing fragrance that is evocative but never overpowering. “Big manufacturers are not going to take a chance on a beautiful, exotic blend like that. Their job is to sell volume,” Darren says. “There is no one I know of who makes shampoo with the same ingredients,” Kirsten adds. Many of their customers swear by it. Honi Bean Barrett, author of Try Vermont First, an online blog that reviews and recommends Vermont products, says, “I actively sought Vermont-made shampoo and conditioner and am thrilled with these products.” She says she now uses Flourish every day. “People, especially in New England, are very conscious of buying local,” Kirsten notes. Most body care products, even in co-ops, are made in huge factories and shipped across the country. “People are very keyed in to shopping locally for their food. Body care is something we use every day too, so they may begin to be a little more conscious about where it comes from.” Flourish Natural Body Care products pair wholesome raw ingredients and intoxicating essential oils to create an entire line of luxurious hair and body care products that are gentle to the planet and nourishing to you. Flourish Natural Body Care (802) 457-4208 info@flourishbodycare.com www.flourishbodycare.com 70
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COMMUNITY
Above: Taking a break with coffee and a muffin. Right: George shows off a fresh batch of his sweet Italian sausage loaded with fennel seed.
In 1973, when George Racicot opened the Village Butcher Shop in Woodstock Village, he was known to work 12-hour days, gliding across the sawdust-covered floor filling meat orders for customers. Today, the sawdust is gone. So are the wooden butcher blocks, large menacing meat cleavers, handsaws, and huge sides of beef. Racicot no longer glides across the floor, but the quality product and hard work remain. He still works long hours, rising at 5:30 in the morning, getting to work by 6:30, and not leaving until 7 or 8 o’clock at night. 
The Village Butcher All that is good about small-town life
By David Cogger | Photos by Lynn Bohannon
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Fresh batch of pasta salad—yum!
Racicot has been in the meat business for 50 years, starting out as an apprentice to his father, who was a butcher at Houghton’s Red and White, located on the current site of the Yankee Bookshop. He did a stint at Sterling’s Pharmacy working as a soda jerk before rejoining his dad, who opened his own butcher shop in a two-car garage in Woodstock in the mid 1960s. Racicot opened his butcher shop in 1969 in what is now the Laundromat. By 1973, he realized that he needed to be in a higher traffic area and moved the shop to its current Elm Street location.
An Old-Style Butcher Shop At 71, Racicot spends much of his time doing deskwork. Josh Coyle, his righthand man who has been with him for 12 years, does the bulk of the butchering. Coyle has learned all he needs to, according to Racicot, which includes
cutting tenderloins, top rounds, and strips as well as butchering specialty roasts and lamb racks, which are most popular around the holidays. Orders of prime-cut beef, pork, and chicken from suppliers in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland arrive a few days a week. The smaller cuts have made the work easier, says Racicot, but he still misses cutting the full sides. Racicot has worked hard to keep his business an old-style butcher shop. The meat is selected and cut for customers while they wait, and the focus is on quality, with all-natural beef raised in a “stressfree” environment, with no hormones, steroids, or antibiotics added to the feed. And the customers seem to like things that way. Racicot says regular customers account for about 70 percent of his business. On a warm summer afternoon, Jonathan Field stopped by the shop
A fine sampling of fresh meats, cut to order. Josh displays freshly cooked rotisserie chickens coated with George’s secret barbecue seasoning. Good food makes us all happy! 72
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From top: A fine selection of domestic and imported wines. Mary’s fresh-baked cookies, great lemon bars, and famous whoopie pies. Linda talks with the shop’s younger clientele.
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Jean and butcher shop staff prepare for a busy day.
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for ground lamb. Minutes later, emerging from the shop, he smiled and reminisced, “Being in there was like being five with my mom.” Dottie Deans of North Pomfret has been coming to the Village Butcher Shop since the 1970s when her family summered in Sharon. Now a full-time Vermonter, Deans says George Racicot and his butcher shop exemplify all that is good about small-town life: relationships that go beyond business, the importance of family, supporting the schools and their activities as well as the town, and delivering a product that she describes as “A-plus.” “I became a lunchtime regular in the 1980s when I started working at a travel agency across the street,” says Deans. “I continued to buy my meat and other goodies, and I even remember the days when George’s sister-in-law Tammie would call me to come and get a warm cookie just out of the oven.”
More than Just Meat Racicot began his business with about 80 percent of the profits coming from meat. Today, the shop’s deli, a popular
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lunch hangout, and the meat business each account for about 40 percent of shop sales. A selection of fine and moderately priced wines and Vermont products like maple syrup, cheese, jams, and jellies make up the remaining 20 percent. Deli sandwiches include paninis with fillings that change every day. Roast beef cooked at the shop is the most popular. And something called a triple delight—a combination of turkey, cranberry, and cream cheese or homemade egg salad, ham, and cheese—is also a big seller. Freshly brewed coffee, muffins, bagels, and doughnuts are available every morning. The recent addition of tables and chairs on the sidewalk has been very popular with the lunch crowd, according to Linda Racicot, George’s wife of 27 years, who runs the deli. The shop has tried to remain true to its roots despite a few concessions to modern technology, which include extra phone lines for creditcard readers and fax machines and computers that all add to monthly expenses. “I could run the business without all of the extras,” says Racicot.
George puts out fresh-baked rolls just in time for lunch.
“The bottom line is that it is harder to create income. There’s the same amount of business but more costs.” Even though it has become more difficult to make ends meet, Racicot wouldn’t have it any other way. “I am very happy here, and that is because we have great customers, a great staff, and a great landlord in the Billings family. If it wasn’t for a local landlord that cares about me and my family, I could not exist.” Racicot says he could do twice as much work when he was 30, but today’s challenges, including payroll, worker comp, Social Security, and six full-time employees keep him busy with things other than just cutting meat. “If I worked only 40 hours, that wouldn’t work; I’d have to hire another employee,” he says. “You have to love this business, and I do.” The Village Butcher 18 Elm Street #1 Woodstock, VT (802) 457-2756 FA L L 2013
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SEASONAL FOODS
Autumn Chicken Recipes Coq au Vin Poulet Niçoise Poulet Rôti (Roast Chicken)
Poulet
A in Every Pot Chicken is a timeless classic By Susan Nye
E
veryone loves chicken. It is a deliciously versatile starting point for any meal. It’s not just kid-friendly; chicken dresses up beautifully for a cozy dinner party. Hardly fickle, chicken easily adapts to the flavors of every corner of the globe. Spice it up with a little curry or chilies and lime. Toss it with pasta or wrap it in a burrito. Slather it in barbeque sauce and throw it on the grill. The possibilities are endless. »
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Some of the most glorious dishes of the French cuisine have been created for chicken. —Julia Child
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Coq au Vin Serve the chicken with a chunk of warm country bread and don’t worry if your guests use it to sop up that last bit of sauce. Serves 6 4 oz bacon, chopped ½ cup all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 6 chicken thighs or thighs and legs 1 onion, chopped 3 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces 3 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup cognac 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 2 cups dry red wine 2 cups chicken broth 3–4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 16 oz mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 8 oz frozen pearl onions 1–2 Tbsp butter Fresh, chopped parsley for garnish
1
Preheat the oven to 350º. In a large stew pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Drain the bacon on paper towels and reserve.
2
Season the flour with salt and pepper and lightly coat the chicken. Raise the heat to medium-high and working in batches, brown the chicken in hot bacon fat. Remove from the pot and reserve.
3
Put the onion, celery, and carrots into the pot, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes more. Remove the pan from the heat, add the cognac and mustard, and stir to combine.
4 When the days grow shorter and the nights cool down, there is nothing better than a chicken roasting or braising in the oven. Get out your roasting pan, casserole, or skillet and look to the French countryside for inspiration. Perhaps a wonderful bottle of Pinot Noir from Burgundy will entice you to try a traditional coq au vin. Then again, maybe you long for a taste of the sunny Mediterranean and Poulet Niçoise. Or keep it simple but elegant with a beautiful roast chicken. Greet your guests at the door with a glass of wine and the warm and delicious aroma of a timeless classic in the oven. No need to rush. Gather around the fire to share the latest news and enjoy each other’s company while the chicken gently simmers in the oven. 78
Return the pan to the heat and gradually stir in the wine and broth. Add the bacon, chicken, thyme, and bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in a 350º oven for 1 hour.
5
While the chicken is cooking, heat a little olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until lightly browned.
6 7 8
Add the mushrooms and pearl onions to the chicken and continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot and arrange on a large serving platter. Cover and keep warm.
Return the pot to the stovetop and reduce the cooking liquid by half over high heat. Whisk in the butter, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for a few minutes to thicken the sauce.
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Drizzle a little sauce over the chicken and vegetables, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve. Pass the remaining sauce with the chicken.
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Poulet Niçoise Serve the chicken with a spoonful of Israeli couscous and steamed fresh green beans. Serves 6 Olive oil 6 chicken breasts 2 red onions, cut in half lengthwise and then into ¼-inch wedges 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp anchovy paste Pinch chili pepper flakes Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 cup dry white wine 1 cup chicken stock ½ cup chopped dried apricots 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves 1 bay leaf ½ cup Nicoise olives, pitted and cut in half (or Greek olives, pitted and quartered) 3 Tbsp capers 1 Tbsp butter (optional), cut into small pieces Fresh, chopped parsley for garnish
1
Preheat the oven to 350º. Heat a little olive oil in a stew pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Starting skin-side down and working in batches, brown the chicken and reserve.
2
If necessary, add a little more olive oil to the pot along with the onions, garlic, anchovy paste, and pepper flakes. Sauté until the onions are tender-crisp. Stir in the mustard, add the wine, chicken stock, apricots, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf, and gently stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook on low for 5 minutes.
3
Return the chicken to the pot along with any juices that have accumulated. Cover and transfer the chicken to the oven. Bake at 350º until the chicken is cooked through, 1 to 1½ hours.
4
Remove the chicken from the pot, arrange on a serving platter, and cover to keep warm.
5
Add the olives and capers to the sauce and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil on the stovetop and cook until the liquid is reduced by about one-third. Reduce the heat, whisk in the butter, and cook, whisking, for a minute or two.
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Poulet Rôti (Roast Chicken) Serve the chicken with lightly steamed fresh broccoli and a dollop of mashed potatoes. Serves 4 to 6 1 (about 6 lb) roasting chicken 1 lemon, quartered 6 cloves garlic, peeled 1 medium onion, peeled, trimmed, and quartered 1 tsp herbs de Provence Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 cup dry white wine 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 2 Tbsp cognac 1–2 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces
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Preheat the oven to 425º. Remove the giblets from the chicken cavity and reserve for another use.
2
Put the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken. Put the lemon pieces, onion, and garlic inside the bird. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with ½ teaspoon herbs de Provence and liberally season with salt and pepper.
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3
Put 2 cups of water in the bottom of the roasting pan. Loosely cover the chicken with foil.
4
Roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Turn the heat down to 375Âş, roast for 30 minutes, and remove the foil. Continue roasting for 1 hour or until the chicken is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160Âş. If the water in the bottom of the pan evaporates before the chicken is done, add more.
5
Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest while you prepare the sauce.
6
Transfer the roasting pan to the stove top, add the wine, whisk in the mustard and remaining herbs, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the cognac and butter and simmer, whisking, for about 5 minutes more.
7
Carve the chicken. Add any of the chicken’s juices back to the sauce and strain it into a serving dish. Serve the chicken and pass the sauce.
Susan Nye writes for magazines throughout New England. Named one of the Top 100 Foodie Bloggers of 2012 by BlueStar Range, she shares many of her favorite recipes and stories about family and friendship on her blog at www.susannye.wordpress.com. FA L L 2013
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HAPPENINGS: FALL 2013 SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER | NOVEMBER
October 5, 6, 10, 12 & 14
Autumn Foliage Walk View vibrant autumn foliage in this ranger-led walk along historic carriage roads while learning about the conservation story of the Mount Tom forest. Info: (802) 457-3368 ext. 22, www.nps.gov/mabi Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, 2pm
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Pentangle Council on the Arts 31 The Green Woodstock, VT (802) 457-3981 www.pentanglearts.org September 12 | National Theatre Live: The Audience Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
October 3 Jay Nash in Concert Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
September 20 | Source to Sea with Robin & Linda Williams Presented by the Connecticut River Watershed Council. Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
September 24 | The Little Engine That Could Earns Her Whistle
October 25–26 & November 1–3 | Pentangle Players Present The Wizard of Oz
Recommended for grades K–3. Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 9:30am & 12:30pm
Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 10am
November 13 | Charlotte Blake Alston September 29 | Progressive Organ Concert Featuring Vibeke Astner. Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church, 4pm
Come listen to internationally renowned storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. Recommended for grades 3–8. 9:30am & 12:30pm
October 10 | National Theatre Live: Othello
November 14 | National Theatre Live: Macbeth
Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
Woodstock Town Hall Theatre, 7:30pm
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HAPPENINGS
September 28-29 10th Annual Vermont Fine Woodworking & Forest Festival See woodworking demonstrations, celebrate forest history, science, and art. Info: (802) 457-3368, www.nps.gov/ mabi, www.vermontwoodfestival.org Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, 10am–5pm
SEPTEMBER Through September 22 27th Annual Quilt Exhibition Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm.org Billings Farm & Museum
11, 18 & 25 | Wagon Ride Wednesdays Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm.org Billings Farm & Museum, 11am–2pm
12 | “Living Land/Art” With local artist Charlet Davenport and other guests. Info: (802) 457-1822, www.woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center, 7pm
September 13, 20, 27, October 4, 11 & 18 | Foodways Fridays Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm.org Billings Farm & Museum
14, 21 & 28 | Traditional Craft Saturdays 84
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14: Rug Braiding, 21: Natural Dying of Wool, and 28: Tinsmithing. Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm. org Billings Farm & Museum, 10am–5pm
17 | Viola Sawyer Lunderville Info: (802) 457-1822, www. woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center, 1pm
19 | You Need a Schoolhouse Stephanie Deutsch will read from her work You Need a Schoolhouse: Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and the Building of Schools for the Segregated South. Info: (802) 457-2295, normanwilliams.org Norman Williams Public Library, 6–8pm
21 | 5K-9 & 1-Mile Run for the Animals Runners of all ages and abilities are invited along with their best canine companions to participate in a 1-mile or 5k race to benefit the animals at Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society. Info: www.lucymac.org Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society, 8am–4pm
21–22 | Revolutionary War Encampment Come learn about cooking, clothing, weaponry, and more. Info: (802) 457-1822, www. woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center, 10am–5pm
OCTOBER 4 | First Annual Golf Scramble and Auction Info: (802) 457-2295, normanwilliams.org Woodstock Golf Club, 10:30am
4–5 | 70th Anniversary Gala Call for advance tickets. Info: (802) 457-1822, www. woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center
October 8 & November 12 | What’s On Your Nightstand? Info: (802) 457-2295, normanwilliams.org Norman Williams Public Library, 10:15am » FA L L 2013
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HAPPENINGS
October 5–6 Pumpkin & Apple Celebration Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm.org Billings Farm & Museum
12 | 40th Annual Penny Sale Info: bfinlayson@woodstockvt.com Woodstock Union High School, 6:30–9pm
12–13 | Harvest Weekend Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm. org Billings Farm & Museum
13 | Where Did They Go? Vermonters in the Development of the Old Northwest Info: (802) 457-1822, www. woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center, 2pm
19 | Peak to Peak
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Hike to the peaks of Mount Peg and Mount Tom during Vermont’s most glorious season. Info: (802) 457-3368 ext. 22, www.nps. gov/mabi Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park, 10am–3pm
19–20 | Autumn Wagon Ride Weekend Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm. org Billings Farm & Museum
22 | Google and Public Service Info: (802) 457-2295, normanwilliams.org Norman Williams Public Library, 4–6pm
26 | Spooky Woodstock Author/historian Michael Bell will talk about vampires of Vermont. Info: (802) 457-1822, www. woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center
ADVERTISERS INDEX 5 Olde Tavern ................................................... 79
Pleasant Street Books....................................... 68
Amber Arpaia’s Bakery .................................... 85
Purple Crayon Productions/Artistree............... 85
Ameriprise Financial......................................... 80
Quechee Custom Cabinetry ............................. 46
Armistead Caregiver Services .......................... 63
Quechee Gorge Village .................................... 41
Audsley Plumbing & Heating .......................... 70
27 | A Family Halloween
Bentley’s ............................................................ 69
Doughnuts on a string, pumpkin carving, Halloween tales, wagon rides, and lots more. Costume parades at 12 and 2pm. Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm. org Billings Farm & Museum
Billings Farm & Museum .................................. 54 Braeside Motel ................................................. 67 Brown’s Floormasters ....................................... 57 Cabinetry Concepts & Surface Solutions ......... 42 Carpet King & Tile ............................................ 62
Quechee Mobil ................................................. 47 R.E. Morgan & Sons .......................................... 14 Riverlight Builders ............................................ 39 Robert Wallace Real Estate.....Inside front cover Runamuck ......................................................... 70 Sheena & Company .......................................... 64
Charles Silva Builders ....................................... 79
Stone Dental ..................................................... 27
Colby & Tobiason Builders ............................... 80
Systems Plus Computers ................................... 47
NOVEMBER
Crown Point Cabinetry....................................... 6
The Collective ................................................... 69
November 2–3, 9–10, 16–17 & 23–24 Wagon Ride Weekends
Crystal & Bark ................................................... 63
The Daily Grind................................................... 3
David Anderson Hill ......................................... 45
The Hanover Inn ............................................... 23
Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm. org Billings Farm & Museum
Davis Alterations & Building............................ 85
The Lyme Inn .................................................... 27
Dead River Oil Company .................................... 5
The Ottauquechee Health Foundation ........... 39
November 3 Fixing a Shadow: The Origins of Photography
Engel & Voelkers .............................................. 55
Info: (802) 457-1822, www. woodstockhistorical.org Woodstock History Center, 2–3pm
DHMC .................................................................. 7 Elevation ........................................................... 81 Ennis Construction ........................................... 41 Fields of Vision Eye Care .................................. 40 First Impressions ............................................... 84
The Paper Store ................................................ 11 The Quechee Club ............................................ 32 The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm.............. 38 The Quechee Lakes Company.......................... 17 The Taylor-Palmer Agency ............................... 38
G.R. Porter & Sons ............................................ 63
The Ultimate Bath Store .................................... 8
Geo Barns.......................................................... 69
The Vermont Spot ............................................ 86
Gilberte Interiors .............................................. 33
The Vermont Standard..................................... 33
Gillingham’s ...................................................... 14
The Village Butcher .......................................... 55
Green Mountain Railroad ................................ 62
The Williamson Group ....................................... 1
Hawk Mountain Resort .................................... 40
The Yankee Bookshop ..................................... 54
Henderson’s Tree & Garden Service ........49 & 80
Townline Equipment ........................................ 56
Home Hill Inn...................................................... 4 Hull Maynard Hersey Insurance....................... 15 Jake’s Market .................................................... 49 Jeff Wilmot Painting ........................................ 79 Junction Frame Shop........................................ 57
Trap Door Bakery & Café ................................. 81 Twin State Door................................................ 34 Unicorn ............................................................. 25 Upland Construction ........................................ 83 Upper Valley Haven.......................................... 84
November 29–December 1 Thanksgiving Weekend
Kedron Valley Inn ............................................. 45
History of Thanksgiving programs, cider pressing, harvest and food preservation activities, and more. Info: (802) 457-2355, www.billingsfarm.org Billings Farm & Museum, 10am–3:30pm
Lang McLaughry Spera .................................... 75
Vallers Home Maintenance.............................. 58
LaValley Building Supply.................... Back cover
Vermont Facial Aesthetics................................ 23
Long Trail Brewing Company .......................... 55
Vermont Spirits .........................Inside back cover
Mascoma Savings Bank ...................................... 9
Vitt, Brannen, Loftus ........................................ 74
Mertens House ................................................. 48
Woodstock Beverages ...................................... 84
Moose River Outfitters..................................... 48
Woodstock Chamber of Commerce ................ 67
Mt. Ascutney Hospital/Ottaquechee Health Center ............................................................. 81
Woodstock Farmers Market ............................ 56
Keepers, A Country Café.................................. 86
N.T. Ferro .......................................................... 25
December 7–8 Freelance Family Singers Holiday Concert Info: (802) 457-3980 First Congregational Church, 7, 7pm; 8, 3pm
Upper Valley Ride ............................................. 75
Woodstock Home & Hardware ........................ 13
Newhall Farm ................................................... 68
Woodstock Inn ................................................. 70
Ottauquechee Well Drilling ............................. 75
Woodstock Rec Center ..................................... 56
Pentangle Council on the Arts ........................ 64
Woodstock Rotary Club/Penny Sale ................ 34
Perry’s Oil Co..................................................... 34
Zayas Jewelers ............................................2 & 35
For more information about print and online advertising opportunities, contact Bob Frisch at (603) 643-1830 or email rcfrisch1@comcast.net. FA L L 2013
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LAST GLANCE
Autumn is the bite of the harvest apple. —Christina Petrowsky
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