Woodstock Magazine - Spring 2024

A Tale for Spring

A Happy Man and the Hanging Baskets

SWEET REWARDS OF SUGARING

BETH FINLAYSON & THE WOODSTOCK CHAMBER

Fine Home Furnishings and Gifts

56

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Photo by @JuanKasFoto

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Signs of Spring

Have you seen the rst robin hopping by this year? Are tiny purple crocuses peeking up through the soil in your owerbeds? After a long winter, signs of spring are all around us, so head out to take in all the wonders of the season. While you’re out, you may see Rodger Ansardy tending the owers around town (page 30). Be sure to stop for a chat with him and thank him for his hard work and dedication. You may also bump into Beth Finlayson of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce when you’re running errands or simply out for a stroll. She’s always busy promoting area businesses, and she also enjoys walking her Old English Sheepdog Annabella around Woodstock, as you’ll see in our story beginning on page 50.

Have you stopped in for a meal or a snack at the Ottauquechee Yacht Club (page 44)? e informal atmosphere and indoor food truck make for a fun dining experience. Meet your friends and enjoy food, drinks, and playing the many games they o er.

If you’re planning a weekend getaway, consider visiting New Hampshire’s cog railway, which climbs Mount Washington. In her story beginning on page 56, Lisa Ballard gives us an in-depth look at this historic railway that was built shortly after the end of the Civil War. She also takes us to Pikes Peak to visit the cog railway there. ese are the only two cog railways in the United States, so consider visiting the one that’s only a few hours’ drive away.

e sta and I wish you a glorious spring, lled with lots of blooms, birds, and butter ies. Until the summer magazine comes out, keep in touch with news and events at www.greateruppervalley.com. Enjoy!

Deborah Thompson Executive Editor

dthompson@mountainviewpublishing.com

IAN RAYMOND

CONTRIBUTORS

Lisa Ballard

A full-time freelance writer and photographer, Lisa is a graduate of Dartmouth College who resided in the Upper Valley for another 25 years. She is the author of 13 books, including Best Hikes with Dogs: New Hampshire and Vermont, Hiking the White Mountains, and Hiking the Green Mountains. She covers all types of travel, outdoor recreation, and conservation topics for over 25 magazines. www.LisaBallardOutdoors.com.

Lynn began her photographic career at the New England School of Photography in Boston assisting commercial photographers and studying custom color printing. Originally from West Virginia, she made her way north, finally landing in the hills of Vermont, where she has been photographing for over 30 years. Her current assignments include photographing people, architecture, and art.

Pamela has been a journalist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group for 20 years, covering a wide spectrum of subjects, and has a monthly food column in Connecticut Magazine. When she steps away from the computer, Pamela enjoys vacationing in Woodstock, playing tennis, gardening, reading, and spending time with her beautiful daughter, Alexis, and adorable mini Goldendoodle, Rafa.

Corey is a writer who has spent decades pursuing her passion for all things food and wine. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and holds a WSET Level 2 certification from the Vermont Wine School. When she isn’t writing or cooking up something delicious with locally sourced foods, you can find her exploring hiking spots and testing out the best vegan treats she can find. Her work has appeared in Edible Green Mountains, Edible Capital District, The Burlington Free Press, and Local Banquet Magazine.

Stephen is a freelance writer living in Reading, Vermont. His work has appeared in local publications in Boston and New York City, museum catalogs, Night Sky magazine, and weekly in the Vermont Standard. He’s always writing a novel and is working with an agent to get his first book published. When he’s not writing, he’s knitting, gardening, baking, or struggling with his ukulele.

Lynn Bohannon

Pamela Brown

Corey Burdick

Stephen D’Agostino

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Test Your Knowledge at Tuesday Trivia at Lake Morey Resort 

 Turkish Bakery Opening in White River Junction This Spring Featuring flatbreads called lahmajun and canoe-shaped pizzas called pide, Cappadocia Cafe is scheduled to open sometime in spring 2024.

 New Bagel Shop the Works Cafe Opens in Hanover

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WOODSTOCK AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

WOODSTOCK INN & RESORT

By Cassie Horner

Volunteer at MarshBillings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

Enhance visitors' experiences

National parks across the United States are popular places for visitors who enjoy the outdoors and like learning about the history and natural history of a wide variety of locations. Vermont’s national park, the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park in Woodstock, was given to the country by Mary and Laurance Rockefeller, who had longtime connections to Woodstock. It o ers people the opportunity to explore trails, gardens, and the mansion. To enrich the experiences of visitors, a volunteer team helps out in many ways.

e national park welcomes volunteers of all ages and abilities, with jobs available indoors and outdoors. Some people choose to help out on a regular basis while others assist with one-time events. Volunteers usually work three- to four-hour shifts, one or two days weekly.

Above: Volunteer Peg poses with the accessibility shuttle.

Right: Volunteer Toni helps at the Kids Hub during Forest Festival.

Summer season (May to October) volunteer positions give people a chance to engage with the public and enhance their visits. Volunteer jobs include participation in six speci c areas. Mansion Stewards assist Park Rangers during guided tours of the mansion. Accessibility Ambassadors shuttle visitors in an extended golf cart between the national park and Billings Farm & Museum that is located across Route 12. Special Events volunteers help in a number of ways: orienting visitors, sta ng kids’ tables, or showing o a special skill.

Above: Mansion Steward volunteer Fran chats with visitors at a weekend mansion open house.

Right: Park Ranger Marie poses with young visitors.

Another important position is the Front Desk volunteers, who greet visitors and provide orientation at the Billings Farm & Museum or the Carriage Barn Visitor Center. Garden volunteers assist sta keeping the historic gardens and grounds in beautiful shape. An important outdoor volunteer role is held by Roving Trail Ambassadors, who hike the trails, sometimes with their well-behaved “Bark Ambassadors,” and engage with visitors.

National park sta are making plans to expand youth involvement in the park for the summer season. Young people interested in volunteering in Woodstock are invited to send an email of interest to MABI_VisitorServices@ nps.gov and Volunteer Coordinator Grace Whit eld will work with them.

Summer season (May to October)

volunteer positions give people a chance to engage with the public and enhance their visits.

e Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park piloted a winter volunteer program this season. In the spring, sta will hold orientation/information sessions for volunteers. To nd out more about Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, visit www.nps.gov/mabi/getinvolved/volun teer.htm. Adults can apply for open positions on volunteer.gov (keyword search “Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller”). People interested in volunteering can also email mabi_visitorservices@nps .gov.

MARSH-BILLINGSROCKEFELLER NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK nps.gov/mabi/getinvolved/ volunteer.htm

Empower Up!

Time well spent for kids and their mentors

Empower Up!, the mentoring program at Mountain Views Supervisory Union, brings together adults with kids in grades two through twelve from one of the towns. With these mentor/mentee bonds, students have opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise enjoy ranging from art projects to sports such as skiing and golf, and trips to area museums. e connections also include the intangible but invaluable bene ts of oneon-one time spent in conversation.

“For some kids, it is just important to have an extra person in their life that they can count on,” says Annie Luke, Empower Up! coordinator. “One parent has commented that it takes a village to raise a child and that the mentor program is part of this. e mentor can be another role model who is consistent and caring. ey are giving the gift of time.”

Empower Up! needs more mentors. Currently, the program is looking for four mentors to match with four stu-

dents on the waiting list. Mentors are matched with mentees through the Empower Up! program. It is a hybrid program, based at one of ve district elementary schools for elementary students and in the greater community for middle and high school students. Refer-

“For some kids, it is just important to have an extra person in their life that they can count on.”

— Annie Luke, Empower Up! coordinator

rals of potential student participants come from sources such as the school liaison in each school, teachers, or family members. Matches re ect considerations such as the age and interests of students and people’s availability.

Mentors include Vermont Law School students, retirees, people who work for companies such as Hypertherm that support volunteer opportunities for employees, and people with exible schedules. Volunteers become part of Empower Up! for a variety of reasons. “ ey want to give back to the com-

Morgan and Jennifer enjoy time at Artistree.

A mentor pair at a mentor appreciation event.

munity. ey have spare time and want to make a di erence in a student’s life,” Annie says. Sometimes a student requests a particular mentor with a knowledge of topics such as architecture or engineering.

Mentors are asked to make a oneyear commitment to a student. All matches require permission of the family or guardian. e elementarylevel mentees and mentors meet for one hour each week during the school schedule. Activities might include art projects, shooting baskets in the gym, or hikes on school trails. One pair spent time exploring the living things in a stream on school grounds. e schools have “buddy boxes” with coloring, board games, and other activities. Middle and high school matches meet for up to an hour and a half each week in the community to do a variety of activities they select together. “It is wonderful to see students bloom and nd their voice,” Annie says.

People interested in becoming a mentor can contact Annie at (802) 457-1317, ext. 1163. She emphasizes that the screening process goes quite quickly. It involves lling out an online application, lling out paperwork at the supervisory union o ce in Woodstock, making an appointment to be ngerprinted, and meeting with Annie for an interview. Mentors receive orientation and training.

(802)457-1317, ext. 1163

Two pairs attend a Vermont mentor celebration event.

Wise Pines

Creating community with lodging, yoga, and more

The Appalachian Trail, extending over 2,190 miles from Georgia to Maine, passes through the Upper Valley. Hikers often appreciate the opportunity to stop for a night or two in “civilization,” taking showers and stocking up on groceries. Chelsey and Jon Seering founded Wise Pines with these hikers in mind. Located at 184 Hartland Hill Road, just a mile from Woodstock, it is designed as a holistic and sustainable hostel, bed and breakfast, and inn and o ers yoga, reiki, and other fun activities. Guests can sleep in a community room with bunk beds in one of the property’s tree houses or in a private room.

“In summer we cater to Appalachian Trail hikers,” says Chelsey, who hiked the AT in 2017. “We will pick them up at the Route 12 trailhead. We will take them to shop for groceries. Breakfast is sourced from our garden. We also have chickens.”

July and August are the busiest months, but people stay throughout the year. A wide variety of guests, both hikers and nonhikers, from across the United States and abroad stay with them. “ at is what is amazing about the trail—everybody is pretty much friends whether they are 18 or 75,” Chelsey says.

From top: The yoga studio. The bunkroom in the renovated barn. The common area in the Lodge.

caption

“A big part of our focus is to create community here.”

— Chelsey Seering, Wise Pines founder

Someday, she and Jon hope to hike the AT with their two children.

“Jon and I are both from the Midwest,” Chelsey says. ey moved to the Woodstock/Hartland area in March 2020, just as the pandemic hit. ey then had plenty of time to work on the property, building the tree houses and the lodge—a community building where breakfast is served and studio classes such as yoga are held. ere is a renovated barn that o ers bunk beds and private rooms.

Chelsey has a background in wellness. She studied nutrition and later trained in yoga. Yoga is o ered to guests and the community. e classes are geared for the participants’ abilities. Chelsey teaches Vinyasa yoga ow classes. On Saturdays, there is a “strong and slow” class. She also teaches a “slow and gentle” class that is more about stretching and is more accessible for people with aches and pains. O erings will change based on clients’ needs. “A big part of our focus is to create community here,” she says. For more information about Wise Pines and a schedule of classes, visit wisepines.com.

WISE PINES

One of the treehouses.

Rejuvenate Your Health

The springtime sunshine, warmer temps, and signs of new life can put some extra pep your step and inspire you to refresh your routine and move toward a healthier lifestyle. Here are a few tips for feeling your best this spring and beyond:

Fill your plate with fresh fruits and veggies.

As you start to see more varieties of produce at the Woodstock Farmers’ Market, energize your body with nutrient-packed greens, asparagus, leeks, peas, herbs, berries, and other spring fruits and vegetables.

Get outside and get moving.

It can be as simple as a daily walk or cleaning up your yard as soon as the snow melts. Being outdoors engages your senses and has a positive e ect on your mood and self-esteem. Engaging the muscles builds strength and balance.

Reset your sleep schedule.

Step away from your computer, tablet, and phone at least an hour before bedtime. These devices stimulate your brain. Avoid exercising and eating a large meal two hours before bedtime, and ditch ca eine in the a ternoon.

Deep clean your home.

Spring is a time for renewal of your living space, too! Open the windows and dust, wipe down walls and baseboards, clean the windows, and vacuum. Give the drapes, furniture, rugs, and bedding a wash. Then declutter, organize, and donate. A clean, tidy space can help eliminate indoor allergens, relieve stress, improve focus, and boost your mood. And for older folks, it can help reduce tripping hazards.

Women who eat more protein, particularly from plant sources, are 46% more likely to be healthy into their later years.

Plant-Based Protein for Longevity

WRehab Your Hair

Several months of cold temps, dry indoor air, and increased heat styling (many of us blow-dry our hair more o ten when it’s cold outside) can leave hair dry, dull, and prone to breakage. Spring is the perfect time change up your haircare routine and revitalize your tresses.

omen who consume diets rich in plant-based protein may develop fewer chronic diseases—including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes—and enjoy healthier aging, reports a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Overall, women in the study who ate more protein, particularly from plant sources like vegetables, beans, and legumes, were 46 percent more likely to be healthy into their later years. They also experienced less cognitive and mental decline. “Consuming protein in midlife was linked to promoting good health in older adulthood,” says lead researcher Andres Ardisson Korat. “We also found that the source of protein matters. Getting the majority of your protein from plant sources at midlife, plus a small amount of animal protein, seems to be conducive to good health and good survival at older ages.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Overwashing can strip hair of its natural oils and dry it out.

Start with a good trim. The experts at your favorite local salon can trim o split ends and other damage. Next, cut down on the number of times you shampoo each week. Overwashing can strip hair of its natural oils and dry it out. Find the right conditioner and a hair mask to nourish and add moisture to your hair. (Your stylist can o er recommendations for your hair type.) Finally, spring is a good time to cut back on how o ten you use your blow dryer, flat iron, or curling iron. When you do use heat styling tools, be sure to apply a heat protectant to your hair first.

DYK?

Hello, Allergies!

TPollen counts are highest in the early morning.

he budding flowers and blooming trees of springtime have a downside for the millions of people who have seasonal allergies—sneezing, congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, and other bothersome symptoms. The Mayo Clinic o ers the following tips for reducing your exposure to allergens:

•Stay indoors on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is a ter a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air.

•Mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, and other gardening chores stir up allergens. Su ering from springtime allergies is the perfect excuse to delegate these tasks to someone else in your household.

•Keep an eye on the pollen count, and close doors and windows at night or anytime the pollen counts are high.

•Pollen counts are highest in the early morning, so save your outdoor activities for later in the day.

Clear Away the Brain Fog

esearch finds that interacting with nature has cognitive benefits, including improved memory, cognitive flexibility, and attention.

This could be attributed to a few factors: Our ancestors relied on the environment for survival, so we have an innate drive to connect with nature. Another hypothesis posits that spending time in nature triggers a physiological response that lowers stress levels. And the attention restoration theory states that nature replenishes our cognitive resources, restoring our ability to concentrate and pay attention. According to the American Psychological Association, it’s likely a combination of all these factors. Get outdoors and experience spring’s healing power—evidence shows that even just a few minutes outdoors can perk up a foggy brain.

Protect Your Pets this Easter

Don’t forget to keep lilies and Easter candy in check—chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs, and lilies can be fatal if ingested by cats. Keep colorful plastic grass, plastic eggs, and small trinkets away from pets. If eaten, they can lead to an obstructed digestive tract, vomiting, and dehydration.

Sowing Joy: Rodger Ansardy

A tale of a happy man and the hanging baskets

By E. Senteio Photography by Lynn Bohannon

Rodger Ansardy is a happy man. He’s also as unique as the spelling of his name. If you’ve visited the town center in Woodstock, Vermont, you’ve likely seen him. A self-proclaimed Gabby Hayes look-alike with his long white hair and a beard that reaches his chest, he’s hard to miss.

It’s possible you saw him taking his daily stroll through town with his constant Cairn Terrier companion, Pepe. However, chances are you spotted him pulling a metal wagon lled with the accouterments of his job as Horticultural Enhancement Specialist for the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. But you may think of him as the ower guy.

THE JOB

At 73, Rodger is as vibrant and colorful as the owers he nurtures. He took it upon himself to water the 34 hanging baskets when, during COVID, he noticed they were dying. “I couldn’t just let them die,” he says. Did people wonder who this man was who just up and started watering the town plants? “No. Everybody knew me. I’m in town every day, rain, snow, sleet, or shine, 365 days a year, walking Pepe.”

Shortly after his impromptu plant watering, Rodger’s position became ofcial. Ask him what he does, and he says, “I water, deadhead, and fertilize all the hanging baskets of plants and owers you see on the posts in town.” He does more than that.

On an average day between May through October, Rodger lugs 72 gallons of water. His route covers Central Street and Elm Street to the bridge. He also cares for the ower baskets that adorn the outside of the Chamber of Commerce. Since he makes his own schedule, he likes to start early. With one stop to re ll his water jugs, that’s a total just shy of 600 pounds of water he hauls in his wagon every day. Rodger laughs, “It’s exercise and cheaper than going to the gym. I go up and down the ladder with a one-gallon jug, sometimes four times for each post because I have to put two gallons in each plant when it’s really hot.”

THE FLOWERS

On a walk through town, you are greeted and surrounded by the big, beautiful hanging baskets Rodger nourishes and

“I like making the town beautiful. I like doing beautiful things. Locals say they always wondered who did this. Now they know.”

— Rodger Ansardy

Rodger keeps the flowers beautiful and fresh by deadheading spent blooms.

protects. ey add an endearing sense of charm and distinction to Woodstock town center. Each basket over ows with “base owers” of red begonias, purple petunias, and white bacopa. Vibrant greenery lls out the basket, their tendrils sway in the wind, waving hello and welcoming you to town. e array of brightly colored owers and greenery are all grown by the Woodstock Union High School horticulture program.

To Rodger, “It’s all about the colors.” He not only cares for the owers, but he and Pepe enjoy them just as much as everyone else when they take their daily walks. “I like making the town beautiful. I like doing beautiful things. Locals say they always wondered who did this. Now they know.”

Above: Rodger tends to the last planter of the day.

Right: It's time to refill the water.

THE PEOPLE

As Rodger walks and waters, he also sows seeds of connection; he nurtures relationships. Quick with a smile, directions, restaurant recommendations, suggestions of fun places to visit, and sights to see, he’s basically a one-man welcome and info center. “I like people. I probably talk to at least a hundred people a week.” He’s not surprised by what longtime Vermonters and visitors alike share with him; he’s delighted.

“ ey talk about joy, birth, death. Anything from the most intimate details to the general.” Rodger laughs, as he often does: “My record is a conversation at every post. And people take my picture all the time. When I’m just standing there, on the ladder watering plants, or sel es with their arms around me.”

Why are people so drawn to him? “I make myself very approachable. And I have some tricks that make people want to talk to me.” Amused, he shares them like a funny secret. “I say ‘Hi!’ or ask, ‘Are you having fun?’ ” at’s enough to get a conversation owing. He also gives marriage advice if people ask. And he might know a thing or two. He and his wife Cindy will celebrate their 46th wedding anniversary this year. All advice, he says, is free. He credits Cindy with helping to cultivate his green thumb. “I was more into vegetables, and she was more into owers.”

THE ROAD TO WOODSTOCK

Rodger isn’t a native Vermonter, but once he arrived, he couldn’t leave. Literally. On a road trip with a friend from Brooklyn, New York, he recalls, “My van broke down. I had $80 in my pocket. I had never even heard of Woodstock. Now I’ve been here for 53 years.” During that time, he married and raised two children, which he says he really enjoyed. “We always had a ton of kids at the house.” And something else Rodger mentions casually: he also beat cancer. During his battle, Cindy gave him Pepe. In the six years since, Rodger says, “Pepe’s record for being apart from me is maybe seven hours.”

Rodger pauses to chat with a neighbor.

WELL LIKED, GOOD AT SPORTS

Over the years, Rodger has also done various jobs, including bartending at night, maintenance and groundskeeping, site manager at Hanover High School, and driving a school bus. After working 17 years for a homeowners association in Killington, Rodger retired. “I used to care for over a hundred indoor plants across the properties.” But Rodger prefers to be outside, and retirement doesn’t suit him. “I like to stay busy. If I didn’t, I’d be a full-time hermit instead of an 80 percent hermit.” at’s hard to imagine about a man who laughs easily and would like people to say, “He was well liked and good at sports.”

While not as athletic as he once was, and since a bout of vertigo quashed his recently acquired pickleball skills, Rodger has fond memories of playing in various baseball, softball, and volleyball leagues. He also enjoyed skiing and cycling.

Now, in his quest to stay busy and help

the community, in his o -season from caring for the owers, Rodger warms the hearts, feet, and hands of those who attend the annual Woodstock Wassail Weekend in December. “I maintain the res. Sometimes people—especially visitors—don’t realize how cold it can be, so they gather around the res to warm up.” Rodger makes sure to keep the ames blazing.

THE MAN

Some towns exude a sense of wonder and welcome. Woodstock, Vermont, often named among the most beautiful places in America, is one of them. Rodger is a part of that ambiance. His position as Horticultural Enhancement Specialist is not just about nurturing owers but about fostering community spirit.

If you nd yourself in the area and someone with a white beard and a smile says, “Hi!” you may engage in a conversation that leaves you smiling, sprinkled with frequent bursts of laughter. Rodger says he talks to so many people because, well, they talk to him. “And,” he adds,

“because I may have entertained angels.” Rodger is a man of faith who says the main thing he has learned is we should all “be a little nicer. I would help anyone at any time. I wouldn’t hesitate.” Much like he took it upon himself to help the owers when they needed it.

e beauty of the hanging baskets that adorn the streets, as well as Rodger’s generosity of spirit and heartfelt kindness, are a shared experience for all. He is the embodiment of small-town charm, a quintessential character, an entertaining conversationalist. He sums it up simply: “I’m just a happy guy, and I like to have a good time.”

Yes, Rodger does like to have fun. Each day he cultivates not just owers but also a joyful sense of camaraderie while sharing laughter and wisdom, delight and guidance. Woodstock is a better and more beautiful place because of his owers and his presence.

Rodger fills the watering can before going to the next planter.

Sugaring Season in Woodstock

Hard work has o ered sweet rewards for generations

By Cassie Horner

Photos courtesy of the Woodstock History Center

One of the common sights on a country drive in Vermont is the network of plastic tubing winding among maple trees. Attached to the trees, the tubing delivers sap to stainless-steel tanks in late winter and early spring during sugaring season. e sap is conveyed to the sugarhouse set up with modern equipment for boiling the liquid into maple syrup.

If a man from the past such as Woodstock resident Charles M. Cobb of the 1850s had been transported to the future, he would have been astounded to see the 21st century operations. In his world, farmers drove spigots into maples and hung wooden buckets to collect the sap that would later be collected on foot or by an ox- or horse-driven sled that carried a gathering barrel. People trudged through deep snow or soft spring mud to gather the sap that would go back to a wood- red boiling vat. In the very early days, there was no sugarhouse, just a cauldron hung from a tripod over the re. Many people made maple sugar, an important part of cooking when cane sugar was rare and expensive.

Top: Using oxen to gather sap.

Above: Sugaring at Maple Valley Farm. Irving Shurtle helps gather sap on his family's farm in North Bridgewater, circa April 1940.

Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

A LABOR OF LOVE

Charles, who lived two miles outside of Woodstock village in a poor area he called Rum Street, kept a journal. He grew up on a hardscrabble farm; his father was a cobbler as well as a farmer. Charles wrote about sugaring, both the hard work of collecting and boiling and the fun of sugaring-o parties held by neighbors to celebrate the season.

In a journal entry in 1850, titled “Four Last Days of April,” Charles, age 15, described some of the sugaring process and its hard work. “Fair and warm. I found my sap rather white and Henry’s was most darndedly so. He had six barrels to boil Saturday morning, and he got it all in before Sunday night. He said he intended to make some all-famous white sugar of it. I boiled in till night and only got my ve pails and a third of the barrel

People trudged through deep snow or soft spring mud to gather the sap that would go back to a wood-fired boiling vat. In the very early days, there was no sugarhouse, just a cauldron hung from a tripod over the fire. Many people made maple sugar, an important part of cooking when cane sugar was rare and expensive.

into the kettle (because I fell asleep).”

One of the ongoing challenges of boiling was having enough wood to keep a re going sometimes into the wee hours of the morning. Charles described how his Uncle Henry sugared in 1849 using what dry limbs he picked up in the woods but “this year he had a pile of dry wood near his boiling place which he calculated to use all up and at the beginning he chopped down one large maple tree.”

WHAT’S THE WEATHER?

Weather then as now impacted the sap runs, which rely on warm days and cold nights. Charles noted, “ e run of sap Friday and Saturday was only two pails full which I boiled on Sunday, and after Saturday at 2 o’clock sap run not a drop. April 28 Sunday (was) fair. Boiled in my last sap.”

April 30 he recounts how people were saying they “never saw snow so deep, and the weather so cold at this time of year.”

Old-fashioned sugarhouse with a pile of wood to be used as fuel for the evaporator.

A Mr. Hartwell recounted a year when the sugaring was done by April 3 or 4 and “the frogs had commenced peeping.”

Weather vagaries featured in a much earlier account of sugaring written by Elias Smith, who moved to Woodstock from Connecticut with his family in 1782. He described a winter so mild that the sugaring started in February. “ is work of making sugar was very hard,” he said. “We dug a large place in the snow, which was generally three or four feet deep in March. Here we made our re and hung our kettles.” Gathering the sap meant strapping on snowshoes and putting a sort of yoke on their shoulders so they could carry two buckets of sap at once. ey made up beds of r boughs so they could stay with the re all night. “ e quantity of sugar we made this season was so great we felt ourselves richly rewarded for all our hard labor.”

Browsing Vermont newspapers for the 1880s shows a trail of equally unpredict-

Julia Fletcher helps gather sap on Maple Valley Farm in North Bridgewater, circa April 1940.

Photo by Marion Post Wolcott. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

able sugaring seasons. As late as April 19, 1888, a report states, “Sugaring has so far been a dead letter. Nearly all have their buckets out but the great depth of snow prevents a good run of syrup. What has been made, however, is of excellent quality.” is compared to April 1, 1886, when “sugaring commenced in earnest.”

Jumping ahead to the 1940s, WWII impacted the sugaring season because so many men were enlisted. One farmer expressed his concerns about not having enough help for sugaring. Some schools closed for as many as three weeks to allow students to help out with the sugaring.

Today, sugaring season has changed thanks to technology, but it is still an endeavor rooted in rural Vermont, and it still depends on the weather and the producers’ hard work.

WOODSTOCK HISTORY CENTER

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Clockwise from top: Customers in the bar. Nautical touches. Tacos! Cocktails and shu eboard.

Ottauquechee Yacht Club

A gathering space for everyone

The spot where the Ottauquechee Yacht Club (OYC) sits is historic. Once home to Spooners Dairy Barn and then Spooners Restaurant for 40 years, the space holds a lot of memories for those who visit. Jona Tuck and John Knight, a couple that possess impressive restaurant industry backgrounds acquired both in New York City and Vermont, opened the club in October 2023. e duo runs the day to day of the establishment, and Kurt Lessard of the Worthy Group is an equal partner in the venture. Kurt was a natural choice for collaboration since both Jona and John had worked with him at the Worthy Kitchen. However, the

By Corey Burdick | Photography by Lynn Bohannon

Ottauquechee Yacht Club is not part of the Worthy Group and is, in fact, a separate entity.

e name, Ottauquechee Yacht Club, was devised by John. e bar sits next to the Ottauquechee River and the yacht club addition “is a nod to the many bars and social clubs, especially on the east coast, that use ‘yacht club’ in their name but are actually just social clubs or old-fashioned drinking bars,” John explains. When one walks into the space, it’s hard to deny the nautical touches, but John notes that they tried not to do too much with the theme. Despite this, customers have really embraced it, even going so far as to bring them burgees, the identifying ags of a true yacht club.

Kurt Lessard, Jona Tuck, John Knight.

FOCUSING ON CUSTOMERS

Although the restaurant has only been open a short time, it has quickly become a popular spot for locals and tourists alike to drop in for a postwork snack, to watch a weekend game, or to spend time in the game room with friends. ere aren’t any servers at Ottauquechee, so patrons can seat themselves either at the bar or in one of the other rooms, one of which houses their indoor food truck, Sharky’s. At the bar, patrons have the full attention of the bartender who, since they aren’t running back and forth to the kitchen to tend to food orders, have the opportunity to focus on customers. One special note about the bar in particular is that bartender Erin Bell actually built the bar herself. Erin runs Curiosity Woodworks, where she has created a number of bars for local businesses as well as custom woodwork projects.

Above: Bartender Kirstin Davis serves up some fun.

Le t: Happy Harry at Sharky's Indoor Food Truck.

ON THE PERFECT PATH

John and Jona met while living in Brooklyn. Jona most notably worked at the Blind Tiger in the West Village and as it happens, one of the owners of the Blind Tiger is also a partner in the Worthy Group. Jona says, “When John and I married and moved to Vermont, I was able to help them open the Worthy Kitchen and worked there happily for eight years. en we left to help care for some family members in my hometown of Atlanta. When we returned to Vermont, we began working at the Woodstock Inn & Resort for a couple years and Saskadena Six bar.”

John has an impressive hospitality background as well. After attending UVM, he owned a cafe in Burlington then moved to St. John in the Virgin Islands, where he worked as a chef for several years. He returned to Burlington in 1996 where he bartended and managed several well-known establishments. In

and the yacht club addition “is a nod to the many bars and social clubs, especially on the east coast, that use ‘yacht club’ in their name but are actually just social clubs or old-fashioned drinking bars.”

— John Knight, owner

2002, he moved to New York City, where he was employed by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and worked at his agship Michelin-star restaurant AQUAVIT for 10 years as bar manager and beverage manager. In 2012, John explains, “I received another lucky opportunity, which involved moving back to Vermont and opening the Worthy Burger in South Royalton.” e relationships the couple developed both at the Worthy Group and in the wider community put them on a perfect path to open their own venture.

they knew once the height of the COVID pandemic passed, that the timing to make an o er would be just right.

Jona explains that the couple’s excitement about the space had a lot to do with its history as the old Spooners Restaurant. Spooners was well established in the space for decades where it became a true social hub for the community. Now, 35 years later, Jona and John are working to create a similar gathering spot.

THE SPACE

Jona and John, having lived in Woodstock for 10 years, had the opportunity to watch as the restaurant space where OYC now lives evolved. When they left Vermont brie y for Atlanta and returned,

e restaurant is a good-sized space and given that reservations aren’t needed, it lends itself to being an impromptu meeting place for everything from business meetings to reunions. ere’s a

Above: Rum Punch.

Right: Nachos in the game room.

“We wanted quick-and-easy bar food. We also have Grab and Go where you can make a quick stop and pick up our house-made soups, dips, meatballs, and more and take them home with you to enjoy, bring to a party, or snack on at the bar.”

— Jona Tuck, owner

game room that includes board games, cards, cribbage, and darts. In the warmer weather, horseshoes or bocce may be possibilities. e back porch is an ideal spot to enjoy year-round since it overlooks snowy elds in winter, foliage in the fall, and conveniently is close enough to the East End Park walking trails that a break for a jaunt is not out of the question.

THE BAR

e focus of OYC for the couple was to open a big, casual bar where people didn’t need reservations. With 18 seats, the spacious bar allows for ample space while catching the latest sporting event on one of the bar’s TVs or simply enjoying time

with friends. is bar has something for everyone, from wines to top-shelf martinis to draft and bottled beer. For alcoholfree options, the restaurant o ers Culture Pop probiotic soda, beverages from Upstate Elevator Company, nonalcoholic wine and beer, and a new turmeric ginger vinegar tonic.

John says, “All of our bartenders are experienced and are happy to get you a Budweiser or make you a martini. We have some great house cocktails as well as our own house ale brewed for us by Upper Pass in Tunbridge.”

THE FOOD

counter service and keeps with the casual style we are going for.” With easy comfort foods like chili and nachos to meatball subs and tacos, there’s something at Sharky’s that’s sure to satisfy. e menu often features items from Black River, North Country Smokehouse, and Vermont Tortilla Company stone-ground tortillas. “I think of it as a collaborative kitchen,” Jona says. “We wanted quickand-easy bar food. We also have Grab and Go where you can make a quick stop and pick up our house-made soups, dips, meatballs, and more and take them home with you to enjoy, bring to a party, or snack on at the bar.”

EVENTS

Sharky’s is an indoor space that is set up as a food truck. Jona explains, “It’s

e Yacht Club dipped its toe into events this winter with crafty Sundays leading up to Christmas. Employee Becky Rodgers had the idea to buy supplies for ornament making and place them in a basket by the window, inviting customers to get creative at the bar. e activity was both unexpected and well received. Now those

The all-season porch.

ornaments have been boxed up and in true community-building fashion will reappear on a tree next year so people can come back to see their works of art proudly displayed.

In addition to the craft nights, in early 2024, the restaurant held its rst two live music events. Given their popularity, more musicians have been booked and patrons can check the full lineup of upcoming shows and events on the OYCVT website.

In only the short time since opening, Jona and John have felt very supported by the community and they truly hope everyone feels welcome at OYC. Jona urges, “Come in, sit wherever you’d like, order your drinks at the bar, order your food at the window, and have fun!”

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Adding Warmth to Woodstock

No matter the season, Beth Finlayson provides the human touch that helps the town thrive

By Stephen D’Agostino

Photography by Lynn Bohannon

At Mon Vert on a weekday morning in July 2023, Beth Finlayson, executive director of the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce, walked in while I was waiting to order. People greeted her, and on this day, just weeks after the historic ooding in early July, asked questions and raised concerns about the recovery. What Beth conveyed was warm and reassuring, o ering what she knew about recovery e orts and the state of several businesses, many of which were chamber members.

Months later, Beth and I meet to discuss her role at the chamber. I ask her if she recalled this experience. Patricia

Martel, the chamber’s bookkeeper, who had just settled down to work, gleefully jumps in before Beth can respond. “Everyone just warms up to her,” she says. “ ey feel really comfortable around her. ey’re always stopping by talking to her because she never makes anybody feel like she’s pressed for time. She’s always there to listen.”

Luckily, the Welcome Center, where Beth’s o ce is, is having a quiet day, giving us time to talk. “Yesterday,” Beth says, “we had just 38 visitors compared to an average of 150 a day the week before.” For comparison, the average number of daily visitors is 500 during foliage season. Beth admits that many of the people come in to use the

Beth mans the Welcome Center, which hosted 80,000 visitors last year.

restrooms, but that gives them a chance to pick up the chamber’s annual publication, “ e Woodstock Area Guide,” meet Beth, ask questions about things they should see and do while they’re in town (advice Beth is always happy to give), and spend a few moments with Beth’s gorgeous, gregarious Sheepdog, Annabella. It takes a particular person to be executive director of the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce. And what makes Beth perfect for the job, she

“Everyone just warms up to (Beth).

They feel really comfortable around her. They’re always stopping by talking to her because she never makes anybody feel like she’s pressed for time. She’s always there to listen.”

— Patricia Martel, bookkeeper, Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce

thinks, is that it matches her personality and because of her bond to our little slice of heaven. “I love the area,” she says. “I’ve always loved the area, and I get to talk about its wonderfulness.”

PROMOTING WOODSTOCK

Beth and her husband Ron moved to Barnard in 1977, and shortly after, Beth began at Woodstock Area Council on Aging as a Senior Advocate. In 1993, Beth and Ron moved to Maine, and Beth worked as executive director of Freeport

Community Services. Wisely, they kept their house in Vermont, and in 2004, they moved back. ree years after their return, Beth began her role as director at the Chamber of Commerce. Over the years, her title became executive director.

Like any chamber, Woodstock’s promotes the member businesses in the area, currently 190. “Whether you’re a general contractor or the Woodstock Inn,” Beth says, “the chamber promotes these businesses to New England, the United States, and the world.”

Beth and Annabella, an Old English Sheepdog, cross the pedestrian bridge between the Welcome Center and High Street.

“Whether you’re a general contractor or the Woodstock Inn, the chamber promotes these businesses to New England, the United States, and the world.”

— Beth Finlayson, executive director, Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce

e chamber also promotes Woodstock as a place for people to move to. “We provide information packages beyond a Realtor,” Beth says, “and help young couples that have kids get in touch with someone from the school and just talk about what’s available for the community and in the area, like the library and the movie theater.”

However, Beth notes that the chamber’s primary focus is tourism, though

the events the chamber runs are for residents and visitors alike. For example, Market on the Green, which began the year before Beth became director, is such an event. e two big agriculture vendors draw locals who come weekly to buy their produce during the market’s run (Wednesday afternoons, June through October).

“We’re promoting local products to local people,” Beth says, “but people

Beth and Annabella pause in front of M&T Bank.

passing through stop by because they see the tents set up.” For tourists, the market o ers pottery, jewelry, cheese, and, of course, maple syrup, all things they can take home.

Other events draw locals and visitors alike, including A Taste of Woodstock, the rst event the chamber launched under Beth’s leadership, because everyone loves to eat; Art on the Green, because everyone loves beauty; the Sidewalk Sales, because everyone loves a bargain; and Wassail Weekend, the chamber’s biggest event and the celebration that often lands Woodstock on lists of the best Christmas towns in America, because everyone loves a parade.

For celebrants, Wassail is three days of merriment. For Beth, it’s practically a year’s worth of work. e chamber began planning Wassail 2024 on January 12, barely one month after the end of 2023’s celebration.

PLACES TO SEE, THINGS TO DO

In March, you’ll nd Beth working on the Area Guide and thinking of brighter, more inviting days. e guide is a narrow 64-page booklet that provides information on all that the area o ers, from lodging to shopping, museums to outdoor recreation, and a multiple-page calendar of events for the entire year.

e Area Guide takes months of work because its accuracy depends on gathering all that information from people who, in March, may still be trying to gure out their year. “ e guide comes out in May,” Beth notes, “and in March and April, I’m still calling for information.”

And what is Beth doing when she’s not helping visitors, elding questions, or going to other meetings run by di erent entities dedicated to the town’s success? Maybe you’ll see her walking Annabella around Silver Lake, or perhaps you’ll see her mowing her lawn, something she enjoys. “I put on my headphones,” Beth says, “Listen to some music, and just go to town.”

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Tale of Two Cogs

Comparing the historic railways up iconic Pikes Peak and Mount Washington

y rst encounter with a cog railway was in 1975 as a high schooler. It annoyed me.

After three days slogging up the northern side of Mount Washington on a late-August orientation camping trip, our small troupe of weary, muddy, backpack-laden students crested the summit to nd a sea of tourists, some of whom had driven up the auto road and others who had chugged up via the cog railway. While eagerly availing myself of the hot water in women’s bathroom, I spied three couch potatoes who had probably never hiked a step in their lives but who wore T-shirts emblazoned with “ is body climbed Mount Washington.” “You did not,” I thought, as I followed them outside and then watched them board the train for the ride back down the mountain.

en I looked a little closer. e cog railway was no ordinary train. Reminiscent of a circus car, it had only one red and gold passenger car with a white star under each window. e passenger car attached to a small black engine with a huge smokestack that looked like something out of the 1800s. In fact, it was.

CRAZY MARSH’S CONTRAPTION

ough more widespread in Europe, there are only two cog railways in the

United States, the one up Mount Washington (6,288 feet) and the other up Pikes Peak (14,115 feet) near Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both ascend prominent, steep, and often moody mountains that a normal train could not. In addition to two railroad tracks, a third notched center track provides traction going up and braking going down. As the train moves along the tracks, teeth (cogs) on gears rotate into the notches.

e rst cog railway—the Middleton Railway—debuted in 1812 in the United Kingdom around the introduction of the steam engine to provide enough traction to transport coal. e Mount Washington Cog Railway, the rst in the United States, was built shortly after the end of the Civil War, ironically by a hiker.

In 1857, a retired wealthy inventor named Stuart Marsh recruited his pastor to hike up Mount Washington with him.

e weather was perfect at the trailhead, but as the two cleared tree line, a erce storm bore down on them. ey barely made it to the summit, taking shelter in the stone Tip Top House. After his lifethreatening debacle, he vowed to make a way for people to ascend the mountain more safely. A year later, he asked the New Hampshire legislature to grant him a charter for a steam-powered cog railway from what’s now Marsh eld on the west side of the mountain to the sum-

mit. e legislature thought he was crazy but granted the charter anyway, adding that after reaching the summit he could “keep going to the moon!”

e construction of the three-milelong Mount Washington Cog Railway was a challenge, with wild weather only part of the equation. e terrain was equally as daunting, particularly a vertical boulder eld at an elevation of 4,725 feet. To traverse it, Marsh designed a 300-foot-long trestle that traveled 25 feet above the ground, ascending at over a 37 percent grade. It was dubbed “Jacob’s Ladder” and remains the steepest railroad trestle in the world. e railway was completed in 1869.

An avid hiker, I climbed Mount Washington on a number of occasions after that high school trip, but the thought of taking a train to the top wasn’t on my radar until my son Parker became a train-obsessed grade schooler. It was a memorable ride. Pushed uphill by a biodiesel locomotive, we steadily climbed up and up, leaving the trees and traversing the alpine zone. e engine fascinated Parker, who eventually fell asleep. I couldn't stop ogling the everexpanding view of the surrounding peaks and acres of alpine wild owers. It was an eye-popping hour.

As we climbed, oohs and aahs emanated from the little train car. I glanced

Story and photography by Lisa Ballard

Above: The Pikes Peak cog railway is ready to depart its base depot.

Opposite: The Mount Washington cog railway chugs through the alpine zone near the top of the mountain.

The construction of the three-mile-long Mount Washington Cog Railway was challenge, with wild weather only part of the equation. Marsh designed 300-foot-long trestle that traveled 25 feet above the ground, ascending at over 37 percent grade. It was dubbed “Jacob’s Ladder” and remains the steepest railroad trestle in the world.

at the other passengers, most of whom would never experience passing through Mount Washington’s precious alpine zone on foot. It changed my opinion of the cog from lazy-man’s aide to mountain climbing marvel. ere was something nostalgic about chugging upward into the clouds on a train from two centuries ago. I gained an appreciation of Marsh’s ingenuity, and the other passengers got a rsthand look at some of the rarest ora and largest mountains in the Northeast that they will always remember.

POWERING UP PIKES PEAK

Last June while visiting Colorado Springs, I received an invitation to go up Pikes Peak via the other mountainclimbing cog railway. e plan was to ride up in the train and then ride mountain bikes down the auto road, which sounded like a fun way to spend a day. I

was curious if the Pikes Peak cog, ocially known as the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, was similar to the Mount Washington one.

e Colorado cog is both America’s highest railway and the world’s highest cog railway. Its base is in the village of Manitou at an equivalent elevation to the Mount Washington summit. Like its New Hampshire counterpart, it was built in the 1800s (about 20 years after the Mount Washington cog) and by an inventor, Zalmon Simmons, after a har-

rowing climb. Simmons is best known as the patriarch of the Simmons Bedding Company, but he also invented the insulators that protected the telegraph wires that ran up Pikes Peak to its summit, which he needed to check. Instead of hiking, it took him two miserable days on a mule to get to the top. He gured a cog railway would provide a more civilized way to enjoy the views.

Using little more than mules, hand tools, and wheelbarrows, a crew of 150 men went to work constructing Sim-

Above: The summit of Mount Washington. Right: Engineer's view of an approaching (downhill) cog railway train on the ascent up Pikes Peak.

Insider Info

Here are a few things to keep in mind whether you’re planning to climb Mount Washington or Pikes Peak via cog railway:

•Both cogs run year-round and likewise both are subject to cancelation or abbreviated ascents due to inhospitable weather.

•There are no restrooms on the trains, so plan accordingly. The Mount Washington cog takes 45 minutes to 1 hour one way. The Pikes Peak cog takes one hour and 10 minutes one way.

mons’ railway, which climbed 8.9 miles and 7,600 vertical feet. It took three years and was completed in 1891. A church choir from Denver was among the rst passengers to take the new train to the summit. e extraordinary experience inspired one of the choir-members, Katherine Lee Bates, to pen the poem America the Beautiful.

e ride up the Pikes Peak cog was indeed beautiful but quite di erent than the Mount Washington cog, and not only due to its higher elevation, longer length, and Rocky Mountain location. Instead of one passenger car, there were three linked together without a separate smoke-belching locomotive to push it upward or hold back downward. e modern railcars were self-contained, similar to a city train except that their cog mechanisms could handle up to a 25 percent grade, the steepest that this cog needed to climb.

I took my assigned seat inside the forward-most car about three rows from the front. e train was noticeably quieter and smoother than the Mount Washington cog as we ascended through towering conifers and impressive boulder elds. Whereas scientists estimate that some black spruce “krummholz” (twisted shrubs near the tree line) on Mount Washington are 200 years old, some of the stout weathered bristlecone pines beside the Pikes Peak tracks are over 2,000 years old!

ere was more wildlife to watch, too. I saw several elk lift their heads to watch us pass. A yellow-bellied marmot sunned itself on a rock, and several bighorn sheep grazed placidly on alpine sedges a couple hundred yards from the tracks.

e two cogs did have one important thing in common, the possibility of bad weather. e Pikes Peak cog cleared the trees at about 12,000 feet above sea level, giving us a eeting glimpse of several majestic nearby mountains. We soon entered pea-soup fog as the temperature dropped. Shortly afterward, the conductor announced that the summit was closed due to ice. Our ascent would end at Windy Point (14,000 feet), an abandoned stone hut that dates back to the construction of the railway. No bike ride down, but I was happy for another look at the wildlife and those ancient trees from the warm, dry train.

Neither cog railway would likely be built today due to the cost and intrusion to the peaks they climb. However, during the Industrial Revolution and the dawn of mountain tourism, the Mount Washington and Pikes Peak cog railways allowed people to visit those prominent mountaintops in a safer manner. ey still do. One might argue that it’s not worth the environmental impact, but since the cogs are part of our history and they teach visitors to love those magnicent mountaintops, they are something to appreciate and enjoy.

•It takes about the same amount of time to go up and to come down.

•Expect significantly colder and windier conditions at the summit than at the base. Dress in layers—bring a warm hat, insulating mid layer, weatherresistant outer layer, and gloves.

• Wear sturdy hiking shoes or sneakers, not flip-flops or other open-toe footwear.

• Leave your umbrella at home due to potentially strong winds.

•Make reservations well in advance to ensure a seat at the departure time you want. Note: The Mount Washington cog discourages hikers who want a ride down.

•Carry-on items should be small enough to fit on your lap.

•No pets or strollers.

•Bear spray, mace, and other pressurized irritants are prohibited.

•No smoking or alcoholic beverages.

MOUNT WASHINGTON

COG RAILWAY

thecog.com

BROADMOOR MANITOU AND PIKES PEAK COG RAILWAY

cograilway.com

A look up the tracks while ascending through the alpine zone toward Windy Point on Pikes Peak.

Shop, Dine, and Explore Quechee this Spring

Whisper Hill Bath and Body

5967 Woodstock Road Quechee, VT (802) 296-SOAP(7627)

www.whisperhill.com

Open daily 11am–4:30pm Closed Wed

Public House Pub

Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 295-8500

www.publichousevt.com

Always Serving Quality Food, Drink, and Fun FB: PublicHouseVT

Val’s Hair Trends

6985 Woodstock Road, Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 295-6150

Mon & Tue 9:30am–7:30pm

Wed & Thu 9:30am–5pm

By appointment

Instagram @vals.hair.trends

Strong House Spa

Discover Red Light Therapy 694 Main Street Quechee, VT (802) 295-1718

www.stronghousespa.com

Gift Certificates Online

The Vermont Spot

Quechee Gorge Village, Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 281-6274

Open daily 9:30am–5:30pm

Dr. Randy Schaetzke, DC, DIBAK

Wholistic Health Services of Vermont

6985 Woodstock Road (Route 4) Quechee, VT (802) 296-6030

www.doctorrandy.com

Vermont Snack Shack

130 Quechee Gorge Village Drive Quechee, VT (802) 280-4188

Facebook @ snacktimeisshacktime

Instagram @ vermont_snack_shack

The Quechee Inn at Marshland Farm Restaurant and Tavern

1119 Quechee Main Street Quechee, VT (802) 295-3133

www.quecheeinn.com

Foley Brothers Beer Garden

20 Quechee Gorge Village Drive Quechee, VT (802) 281-6769

www.foleybrothersbrewing.com/Quechee

Shop, Dine, and Explore Quechee this Spring

Quechee Gorge Village, Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 281-6274

7 days a week10am–5pm

Vermont Antique Mall

Quechee Gorge Village, Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 281-4147

www.vermontantiquemall.com

Quechee Home

Quechee Gorge Village, Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 281-6274

Open daily 10am–5pm

Quechee Cuts

6985 Woodstock Road Quechee, VT (802) 291-2648

Mon 9am–2pm

Tue, Wed 9am–4pm

Thu 10am–6pm, Fri 9am–4pm Sat 9am–12pm

115 Town Line Road

Route 4 Quechee, VT

For appointments call (802) 457-1116

or email Eleanor@shepardvt.com

Open daily 10am–5pm Free Parking

Quechee General Store

Quechee Gorge Village, Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 295-1180

www.quecheegeneralstore.com

Open daily 10am–5pm Free Parking

Align Inn Vermont

5817 Woodstock Road Route 4 Quechee, VT (802) 295-7600

www.aligninnvermont.com reservations@aligninn.com

5893 Woodstock Road Quechee, VT (802) 296-6669

quecheepizzachef.com

Sun–Thu 11am–9pm

Fri & Sat 11am–10pm

Instagram @ gethoppy802

TRAIL

New location!

5945 Woodstock Road Quechee, VT

www.trailbreakvt.com

~ Launching Spring 2024 ~ Booking taco truck parties for ’24 & ’25

Quechee Pizza Chef & Mini Golf

The Sweet Spot Candy Shoppe

Shepard Interior Selections

BREAK taps + tacos

Forget Takeout— It’s Homemade Pizza Night

More than dinner, pizza is fun to share with friends and family

By Susan Nye

It’s springtime in northern New England and woe are we. Our favorite ski area and the local rink have closed. at not-so-secret sledding hill is bare of snow and nearby hiking trails are a muddy mess. We are in the dread zone—stuck between winter wonderland and summer fun. It can be doubly dreadful if you have kids or grandchildren stuck in the house during spring break . . . with rain in the forecast.

It’s time to cook up some indoor entertainment, and homemade pizza is an excellent recipe for fun. Young, old, and in between, age makes no di erence. Everyone but everyone loves pizza. Sure, takeout or delivery is convenient at the end of a busy week, but forget about it for entertaining. Instead, let creativity meet epicurean delight when you and your friends and family make and bake personal pizzas. ere’s nothing like a piping-hot pie crisp from the oven. Complete your menu with a simply beautiful tossed salad drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. And for dessert, how about freshly baked cookies (yours or the bakery’s) and a couple pints of your favorite gelato. Buon appetito!

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT?

Fancy indoor and outdoor pizza ovens have come on the market over the past few years. If you have a penchant for gadgets and space for one, well, go for it. Otherwise, you don’t really need one. Your oven plus a pizza stone will do the same thing at a fraction of the cost. Plus, a flat stone takes up a lot less space in your cupboard. If you like the idea of a pizza party and think it will become a regular thing at your house, invest in multiple stones. Check your oven; you can probably fit two on each rack, allowing you to cook up to six pizzas at a time. An added bonus: pizza stones are great for baking bread.

In addition to the pizza stone(s), you’ll want a pizza peel. Perhaps best described as an oversized, long-handled spatula, a peel helps you get your pizza into and out of the oven without spilling all the toppings. They come in wood and aluminum. You can find pizza stones and peels in most kitchen stores and online.

Traditional –Real Italian – Pizzas

While American pizzerias may play it fast and loose with ingredients, Italians have strict traditions when it comes to food, including pizza. So, you never order a cappuccino a ter 11am. Bolognese is served on tagliatelle and not spaghetti. And pineapple should never, ever find its way onto a pizza.

Pizza Margherita

Created for Queen Margherita, it is simplicity itself with tomato sauce, bu alo mozzarella, and basil leaves.

Pizza ai Quattro Formaggi

This rich and delicious pizza features four cheeses. With or without a layer of tomato sauce, it’s topped with mozzarella plus three more, generally gorgonzola, fontina, asiago, and/or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Pizza Marinara

The Sailor’s Pizza is a good choice for vegans—a sprinkle of garlic tops a generous layer of sauce on this cheeseless pizza.

La Napoletana

Again without cheese, La Napoletana is loaded with anchovies, olives, and capers.

Pizza Prosciutto Crudo e Rucola

Hot from the oven, a Margherita pizza is topped with a generous handful of fresh arugula and then draped with thin slices of prosciutto.

Pizza Prosciutto e Funghi

Prosciutto and mushrooms are scattered on the top of a Margherita pizza and then baked.

Pizza Quattro Stagioni

Divided into four wedges, each quadrant represents one of the seasons. Traditionally, spring is a mix of artichoke hearts and Fontina cheese, summer features tomato, basil, and mozzarella, fall is celebrated with mushrooms and red peppers, and winter combines thinly sliced potatoes and onions.

Pizza Capricciosa

This capricious pizza is generously topped with ham, artichokes, mushrooms, black olives, and mozzarella.

Homemade Personal Pizzas

Create a bu et of delicious toppings and let everyone create their own pizza. The number of options will be dictated by the size (and sense of culinary adventure) of your party. From simple to gourmet, everyone will be happy and satisfied.

The Crust

You’ll need 2 to 4 ounces pizza dough per person—unless you have hungry teenagers or 20-somethings, then you’ll need more. You can whip up a batch or two of your favorite recipe—thick or thin, sourdough, whole wheat, beer, gluten free—or buy dough at the supermarket or from your local pizzeria.

The Toppings

•Pizza sauce and/or fresh, chopped cherry or grape tomatoes

• Caramelized onions and/or peppers

•Sautéed or roasted mushrooms, broccoli or broccolini, zucchini, and/or eggplant

•Sliced artichokes, sundried tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, and/or capers

•Pesto, homemade or store bought

• Fresh spinach or arugula tossed with a dash of extra-virgin olive oil and hint of balsamic vinegar

•Cooked and crumbled or chopped sausage, pancetta, and/or bacon

•Sliced pepperoni or other cured sausage, chopped ham, and/or thinly sliced prosciutto

•Sliced or cubed cooked chicken

ubed

•Shrimp, clams, and/or mussels

ams,

The Cheese(s)

•Fresh mozzarella

•Fontina

•Feta

•Goat cheese

•Gorgonzola

Pizza Sauce

MAKES ABOUT 4 CUPS OF SAUCE YOU’LL NEED ABOUT ¼ CUP FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL-SIZED PIZZA

Olive Oil

1⁄2 large onion, chopped

1 small carrot, shredded

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

•Parmigiano-Reggiano and/or Pecorino Romano

eggiano

1Preheat the oven to 475°. If you’re using one or more pizza stones, place them in the oven before turning on the heat. A pizza stone will cook your pizza evenly and give you a nice crispy crust.

2Cut the pizza dough into pieces. Let everyone stretch a piece of dough, give it a spin, or use a rolling pin to form rounds. Place the rounds on parchment paper.

3Invite everyone to top their individual pizzas with their favorite toppings and cheeses. Transfer the pizzas, parchment and all, to baking stones or to baking sheets and into the oven.

4Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes with baking sheets and about 8 minutes with pizza stones. The crust’s thickness and the toppings determine how long it should take.

Nota bene (that’s take note in Italian): Seafood should be put on the pizzas in the last 3 to 4 minutes. Arugula, pesto, and prosciutto are best added a ter baking.

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

2 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch red pepper flakes or to taste

1⁄2 cup dry red wine

3 cups (28-oz can) crushed tomatoes

1Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the herbs, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring o ten. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

2Cool the sauce for about 20 minutes and put it in a blender and process until smooth.

Coconut Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

MAKES 3–4 DOZEN

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup coconut

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

¾cup granulated sugar

¾cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

1Put the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the coconut and whisk again.

2Put the butter and sugars in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla and, scraping down the sides, beat until smooth.

3With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour and coconut mixture and beat until well combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold the chocolate chips and pecans into the dough. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour.

4Preheat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

5Use a cookie or ice cream scoop or two spoons to drop one-tablespoon mounds of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. For larger cookies use a larger scoop to make two-tablespoon mounds of dough and bake a minute or two longer. Let sit on the baking sheets for a few minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool.

HAPPENINGS

Support youth programming at BarnArts

MAY 19

Race Around the Lake 10k run, 5k run/walk, and virtual 10k/5k. A ter-race activities include Chef’s Table lunch, live music, and award ceremony along the lake front. Sign up by April 30 to receive a free tee shirt. Silver Lake State Park barnarts.org

MARCH, APRIL, MAY, TUESDAYS

Baby Story Time

Noman Williams Public Library, 10:30am normanwilliams.org

MARCH, APRIL, MAY, TUESDAYS

Play Chess & Backgammon!

Noman Williams Public Library, 5pm normanwilliams.org

MARCH, APRIL MAY, THURSDAYS

Toddler Story Time

Noman Williams Public Library, 10:30am normanwilliams.org

MARCH, APRIL, MAY, THURSDAYS

Play Bridge at Norman Williams!

Norman Williams Public Library, 2pm normanwilliams.org

MARCH 20, APRIL 17, MAY 15

PENTANGLE ARTS

31 The Green Woodstock, VT (802) 457-3981 pentanglearts.org

MARCH 27–29

MAY 16

Pete the Cat’s Big Hollywood Adventure

Acoustic Jam Session Artistree, 6:30pm artistreevt.org

MARCH 21

Fly-Tying for Charity Fairway Grill at the Woodstock Nordic Center, 6pm woodstockvt.com

MARCH 22, 29, APRIL 12

Creative Play for Seniors: Workshop Series

Noman Williams Public Library, 1pm normanwilliams.org

MARCH 23, MAY 4

Skills Drills: Ceramics Workshop Artistree, 9am artistreevt.org

MARCH 23

Cook It Speak It: Japanese is on the Menu: Make Miso Artistree, 11am artistreevt.org

MARCH 23

Home Electrification Workshop

Noman Williams Public Library, 1pm normanwilliams.org

Regenerating Life Building on his groundbreaking Symbiotic Earth, John Feldman’s new film Regenerating Life takes an ecological approach to unraveling the climate crisis. It o ers a deeper look at the underlying causes of global warming, going beyond carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to humankind’s relentless destruction of nature in all corners of Earth. Free virtual screening.

APRIL 5

Inundation District Film Screening and Q&A with David Able

In a time of rising seas and intensifying storms, one of the world’s wealthiest, most-educated cities made a fateful decision to spend billions erecting a new district along its coast—on landfill, at sea level. The city, which already has more high-tide flooding than nearly any other in the United States, called its new quarter the Innovation District. But with seas rising inexorably and at an accelerating rate, others are calling the neighborhood by a di erent name: Inundation District. Free virtual screening followed by a live Q&A with director David Able at 6:30pm.

When Pete the Cat and his buddy Callie sneak into the Hollywood Studios, they get lost in the world of the movies. Join Pete, Callie, Ethel the Apatosaurus, and Robo-Pete in this rockin’ new musical adventure that features several funfilled Pete the Cat books.

Town Hall Theatre, 10am

MAY 22–JULY 26

End of the Line: The Women of Standing Rock

A group of indigenous women risk their lives to stop the Dakota Access oil pipeline construction that desecrated their ancient burial and prayer sites and threatens their land, water, and very existence. In the process, they must face the personal costs of leadership, even as their own lives and identities are transformed by one of the great political and cultural events of the early 21st century. Free virtual screening.

MAY 31–JUNE 2

Inaugural Pride of Woodstock Weekend

Donate to the Inaugural Pride of Woodstock Weekend! Your contribution will support events such as Drag Brunch at the Woodstock Inn, a High Heel Race down Elm Street, tea dances at East End Park, and a food, cra t, and community air on the Green.

HAPPENINGS

MARCH 26, APRIL 23, MAY 28

Read Between the Lines

Fiction Discussion Group

Noman Williams Public Library, 6pm normanwilliams.org

MARCH 28, APRIL 11, 25, MAY 9, 23

Open Mic Night Artistree, 7pm artistreevt.org

APRIL 1, 15, MAY 6, 20

Poetry Group

Noman Williams Public Library, 4pm normanwilliams.org

APRIL 4

Opening Day Billings Farm & Museum billingsfarm.org

APRIL 4–JUNE 23

Portraits of Resilience: Farming in a Changing Climate Billings Farm & Museum billingsfarm.org

APRIL 16

Textured Botanical Embroidery Designs Artistree, 6pm artistreevt.org

APRIL 16, MAY 20

Tap Your Way to Presence: A Guided Journey Artistree, 6:30pm April 16; 7pm May 20 artistreevt.org

APRIL 27

Baby Farm Animal Celebration Billings Farm & Museum billingsfarm.org

APRIL 21

APRIL 18

Mix, Mingle, and MAKE! Artistree, 6pm artistreevt.org

Sequencing: A New Approach to Painting Artistree, 1pm artistreevt.org

APRIL 26

BarnArts Community Contra Dance

Barnard Town Hall, potluck begins at 6pm barnarts.org

APRIL 27

Writing Your Artist’s Statement Artistree, 1pm artistreevt.org

MAY 1

Literary Pairs Book Discussion Group

Noman Williams Public Library, 1pm normanwilliams.org

MAY 5

MAY 4

Wet Felted Flowers Artistree, 9:30am artistreevt.org

Yoga Nidra: Spring Renewal Artistree, 7pm artistreevt.org

MAY 10

Creative Kindness: Jewelry Making (Ages 8–12) Artistree, 3:30pm artistreevt.org

MAY 11

Designing with Type and Creating a Logo Artistree, 9am artistreevt.org

HAPPENINGS

MAY 25

Family Sheep and Wool Weekend

Billings Farm & Museum billingsfarm.org

MAY 11

Painting Spectacular Flowers in Watercolor Artistree, 11am artistreevt.org

MAY 14

What’s on Your Nightstand?

The Not-a-Book-Club Book Club

Noman Williams Public Library, 10:30am normanwilliams.org

MAY 14

Recite! Poetry Sharing Evening Noman Williams Public Library, 5:30pm normanwilliams.org

MAY 18

Creative Expression through Movement and Clay Artistree, 10am artistreevt.org

MAY 22

Environmental Humanities 101: Critical Studies for Feverish Times—VHC Snapshot

Noman Williams Public Library, 4pm normanwilliams.org

MAY 30

Feast & Field Music Series

Fable Farm barnarts.org

You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.

— Pablo Neruda