VERMONT
This is
Bennington – Manchester
! e e r F GUIDE TO Summer 2015
Manchester 7 Bennington 9
EVENT LISTINGS • REGIONAL MAP • TOWN MAPS
The Shires
Guide to Shopping, Dining, Lodging, Attractions, Events, Outdoor Recreation & Local Lore
Covered Bridge Guide story pg. 16
Shires Byway story pg. 3
INSIDERS GUIDE TO
The 15th Most Culturally Vibrant Region in USA! See page 2
Art & Craft Festival story pg. 19
Upcoming Theatre Shows stories pgs. 8-9
Bennington . . . . . . . . . .pg. 4 Downtown Bennington pg. 6 North Bennington . . .pg. 10 Shaftsbury . . . . . . . . .pg. 17 Arlington . . . . . . . . . .pg. 17 Sunderland . . . . . . . . .pg. 17 Manchester . . . . . . . . .pg. 23
Towns - Town Maps
Centerfold . . . . . . .pg. 12-13
Itineraries . . . . . . . .pg. 18 Event Listings . . . . .pg. 11 Published by Spectrum Design www.thisisvermont.com Summer 2015 Our 32nd year! For advertising information contact Jonah Spivak 802-447-1778 or email thisisvermont@gmail.com 262 North Street Bennington, VT 05201
PLUS:
Stories on the arts, parks, suggested itineraries, recreation map, town maps, calendar of events, local lore, shopping, interesting facts, craft fairs, museums, farmer’s markets, and as much good stuff as we can fit!
SCAN and READ ONLINE
Cover photo by Jim Sullivan
Regional & Recreation Map
www.thisisvermont.com • Guide to The Shires of VT
The 15th Most Culturally Vibrant Region in USA!
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his beautiful region nestled between the Taconic and Green Mountains is know as The Shires of Vermont. It has the singular distinction of having two shire towns, Manchester and Bennington, historically referred to as county seats and includes 15 Vermont towns and villages. This past year, the region was recognized as the 15th most culturally vibrant region in the United States with a population under one million by the National Center for Arts Research. An impressive accomplishment! See our numerous stories on culture and events throughout this paper. Surrounded by mountains and enriched by the waters of the famous Battenkill that runs through the valley, The Shires has his-
torically been a popular four season destination for those seeking the authentic Vermont experience. It is within a 4 hour drive from New York City, Hartford, Boston, Northern New Jersey and Canada and is just across the border from the neighboring Berkshires. The Shires boast a proud agricultural heritage and a robust entrepreneurial spirit. The region is set against the backdrop of Vermont’s famous pastoral landscape, complete with red covered bridges, barns and sugarhouses, corn rows, apple orchards and farmer’s markets in season. Its many scenic towns and villages are both vibrant and engaging. Quite simply they are quintessential Vermont. Those in pursuit of history will discover The Muse-
Events in The Shires
ums of The Shires, seven cultural heritage sites that cover periods of American History from pre-Revolutionary War to present day. For outdoor enthusiasts recreational opportunities abound, from alpine and Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling to hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking and golf. Some of the nation’s best professional theater can be found here as well as regional music festivals and wonderful fine art museums and galleries. And if shopping is one’s passion, there’s antiquing, exquisite handcrafts, specialty shops and fashion designer outlets aplenty. The people of The Shires invite you to visit their region soon. It is... So Vermont. So near!
~ See additional event listings on page 11 ~
June 6th & 7th – Manchester: 29th Annual Manchester Antique & Classic Car Show
Activities for the whole family, great food, music, giveaways! The cars will be out cruising downtown Manchester Saturday afternoon starting at 4 pm. Hours Sat & Sun 8am-3pm. Admission is $10 per person/children under 12 are free! For more info, visit www.VisitManchesterVT.com
July 7th – August 9th - East Dorset: Vermont Summer Festival Horse Show
Celebrating its 21st year as Vermont’s premier hunter/jumper competition. Located at the Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.
July 9th – August 13th - Manchester: Manchester Music Festival Summer Concert Series
Thursday Evenings at Arkell Pavillion at the Southern VT Arts Center. Doors open at 7 PM, concerts begin at 7:30. All seats are reserved. Find out more at www.MMFVT.org
August 1 – Bennington: Craft of Beer Homebrew Festival
Featuring 50 homebrewers from Vermont and around the region. Admission charged with unlimited tastings. Food vendors and live music. Located on Country Street and sponsored by 4-Corners North, a collaboration of shops, services, and eateries located at and near the junctin of Route 7 (North Street) and County Street in Bennington. Noon to four pm.
July 31st – August 2nd - Bennington: 37th Annual Southern Vermont Art & Craft Festival
Handcrafted pottery, blown glass, one of a kind jewelry, colorful hand-woven scarves, striking photography, original drawings, paintings, sculpture, and other upscale collectibles will be showcased by 150 artists and artisans under beautiful, new Camelot tents at The 37th Annual Southern Vermont Art & Craft Festival. Learn more at www.CraftProducers.com
August 6th – 9th - Manchester: Sidewalk Sales Best bargains of the summer at Manchester’s Famous Sidewalk Sales.
August 8th – 9th - Bennington: 10th Annual Rock, Rattle, & Drum Pow Wow
It’s Pow Wow time again! After ten years of celebratory dance, song, and drumming, this year ’s 10th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow will explode in another weekend of Native American music, dance, education, entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, and cultural festivities fun for the whole family! Located at the Vermont Veterans Home
August 14th – 16th - Bennington: Battle Day Weekend & Parade
This year marks the 51st year that the Bennington Fire Department has organized the town-wide weekend celebration including a chicken barbeque dinner on Friday (cost is $10 per person), kids’ activities and a sports parade on Saturday, and the annual Battle Parade on Sunday.
September 5th – 6th - Bennington: 20th Annual Southern Vermont Garlic & Herb Fest
Everything from garlic ice cream to garlic jelly, pickled garlic, roasted garlic, garlic braids and, of course, plain garlic bulbs of every variety will be available for sampling and purchase, along with planting and braiding and cooking demonstrations. Just 1.5 miles west of the four corners in Bennington (junction VT Routes 7 & 9), at Camelot Village . For more information, visit www.Bennington.com
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This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
www.eShiresOfVermont.com
Relive America’s First Victory On The Shires of Vermont Byway
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Ethan Allen surprises the garrison at Fort Ticonderoga on May 10, 1775.
n May 10, 1775, less than 3 weeks after Lexington and Concord and 240 years ago, Ethan Allen marched north 80 miles from Bennington and in a brazen attack captured massive Fort Ticonderoga for America’s First Victory. Fort Ticonderoga had over 100 canon and 40 foot walls. Starting in Bennington with only a handful of the legendary Green Mountain Boys at the Catamount Tavern (a statue on Monument Avenue marks the spot of the tavern), Allen went north on Monument Avenue (the original route 7A) through where the Bennington Battle Monument is today. He then went up 7A which is now the Shires Byway through Shaftsbury, Arlington, Sunderland and Manchester recruiting Green Mountain Boys as he went. Green Mountain Boys were sent to guard the roads so the British would not discover this expedition. So hastily was this group formed, one person who was unarmed actually “borrowed” a gun in Arlington. In Manchester, Allen recruited John Roberts and his 5 sons which was the largest immediate family with Allen at Ticonderoga. John Roberts’ grave is in Dellwood cemetery.
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photo by Jim Sullivan
Veterans Memorial with steeple in background, in Manchester. The figure at the top is of a “Green Mountain Boy,” made famous by Ira and Ethan Allen.
Allen left Manchester via Manchester West Road and took what is now route 30 and continued on to Hands Cove which is opposite Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Chamlain. Although Allen had recruited a total of about 250 men, mostly Green Mountain Boys, he only had enough boats to get 83 men across Lake Champlain. A teenager, Nathan Beaman, guided Allen into Fort Ticonderoga. Nathan Beaman’s name is on the War Memorial in Manchester as is John Roberts.
photo by Dick Smith
Bikers relax in front of the Seth Warner statue located at the Bennington Battle Monument. Note the similarity in the statues!
As you drive or bike north on the Shires Byway(route 7A) from Bennington to Manchester, remember you are retracing part of the route Ethan Allen took to capture Fort Ticonderoga for America’s First Victory.
Richard (Dick) Smith is a bestselling author on Vermont history and gives tours for Backroad Discovery Tours. (see ad on centermap)
10th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow Come Stomp, Dance, Sing and Shake Your Tail Feathers! Saturday August 8, Sunday August 9, 2015
t’s Pow Wow time again! After ten years of celebratory dance, song, and drumming, this year’s 10th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow will explode in another weekend of American Indian music, dance, education, entertainment, arts and crafts vendors and cultural festivities fun for the whole family! For two exiting days, Bennington, Vermont will be the center of Native American art and culture where American Indians will gather and share the richness, diversity and beauty of their Indigenous culture. The 10th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow will be held on the beautiful grounds of the Vermont Veteran’s Home in Bennington, VT on Saturday, August 8th and Sunday, August 9th, 2015. The theme of our Pow Wow this year is Rise & Shine * Bennington * Coming Together! Uniting in the true spirit of humankind our intertribal Powwow is a unique celebration and sharing of Native culture through traditional songs, dances and art. Traditionally pow wows are gatherings that Native American people use as a place to meet, dance, sing, renew, strengthen and share their rich culture. Our Pow Wow features authentic American Indian dancing, drumming, and tribal regalia. Native Americans ranging in age from toddlers to elders will dance in several different styles including fancy, traditional, grass and jingle dress wearing traditional and contemporary regalia. Well-loved drum groups provide vocal and rhythmic accompaniment for the dancers. A variety of American Indian culture is expressed through award winning vendor exhibits of arts, crafts, demonstrations, music, contemporary and traditional foods. This year our pow wow will honor Veterans, the Abenaki Tribe and share an indigenous perspective on sustainable living; the Bennington Farmer’s Market community and local not for profit organizations will also be represented. Back by popular demand, this year’s Pow Wow will feature special performances by Arvel Bird, a Nammy Award Winner Native American violinist, flute player singer and storyteller, and Danza Azteca – the Aztec Dance Group, For the ninth year, Aaron Athey of the Mohegan Na-
The Pow Wow features authentic American Indian dancing, drumming, and tribal regalia.
tion is our Master of Ceremonies, Red Blanket is our Host Southern Drum, Rez Dogs is our Head Northern Drum and the Wampum Boys, an intertribal drum will join us this year. Special Honoring’s – Our special veteran's honoring and presentation during the Grand Entry on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm is one of the highlights of the pow wow. All Veterans and their families are welcome to participate. There will also be an honoring of the Abenaki Bands of Vermont. The Vermont Veterans' Home is an experienced residential and healthcare campus for Veterans. The staff of the Vermont Veterans' Home work as a team to fulfill America's promise to care for our country's Veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents. To truly fulfill the promise they offer clinical care and a wide range of services that are recognized for their effectiveness in patient centered care. Together they strive to create an environment that provides residents with the dignity and respect that they so rightfully deserve. Healing Winds is a not for profit Native American
Award Winning, Arvel Bird.
educational and cultural organization which serves as a resource network for Native American families, educators, schools and university internship programs. Most of our cultural programs, special events and educational activities are produced in the tri-state region of Vermont, Massachusetts and New York. This year’s pow wow is produced in association with Heron Brook Haven of Pawlet, Vermont, a spiritual healing and teaching center acting as our fiscal sponsor. The Paradise Inn of Bennington is our host hotel. Please go to www.healingwinds.net or contact Healing Winds Co–Directors Fidel Moreno, 832-777-8081 and Susan Jameson, 413-443-2481,or Facebook for more information. The Pow Wow will be held at the Vermont Veterans’ Home, 325 North Street, Bennington, Vermont. All tickets purchased at the gate. Pow Wow One Day Admission: Adults - $7, Seniors 65+ and Youth 11-17 - $5. Children 10 and under - $1.00.
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
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Plus the villages of North Bennington, Old Bennington, Shaftsbury & Pownal
Bennington Bennington Area Chamber of Commerce - 802-447-3311 • www.bennington.com Bennington Town Office - 802-442-1037 • www.bennington.com/town
~ Incorporated 1749 • Population 15,473 ~
Map not to scale. Not all roads shown.
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North Street
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See our center map for hiking trails, swimming holes, fishing spots, and paddling.
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Eastbound into Vermont: TURN RIGHT at blinking yellow light to avoid 279 and follow VT RT. 9 for Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Wilmington and Mount Snow.
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Vermont’s first town, named after Benning Wentworth, the New Hampshire Governor who chartered the town despite the fact that the area in question was also claimed by New York. The Green Mountain Boys of Revolutionary fame started as settlers defending their claims from New York officials.
Bennington Vermont Welcome Center
HISTORIC ROUTE
67A
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Vermont started with Bennington!
Exit 2
ROUTE
Walloom sac Rive r
To Albany, NY
Robert Frost Stone House Museum
Lake Paran
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Lake Shaftsbury
SHAFTSBURY
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Whit e Cre ek Rd
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HISTORIC ROUTE
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ad
Did you know?
Pownal was the site of Vermont’s only witch trial... the Widow Kriegger was dumped in the Hoosic River on the theory that if she was innocent she would sink, and if she floated it was due to the support of the Devil and would be guilty. Legend has it that the Widow Kriegger sank like a stone, and it was with difficulty that she was fished back out to enjoy her aquittal.
To Williamstown, MA
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Jensen’s
Family Style Restaurant Since 1961
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 7 Days 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Bus Tours Welcome • Beer - Wine 14 To-Go Orders Welcomed
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Explore Vermont’s largest antique center. Antique and vintage treasures galore, situated in over 25,000 sq. ft. in two historical renovated buildings.
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Offering antique and vintage furniture, jewelry, glassware, coins, tools, a myriad of collectibles and much more.
Bennington Banner Readers’ Choice Award for best Antiquing
332 North Street (Rt 7 North) • Bennington, VT (802) 442-3333 • www.jensensfamilyrestaurant.com
Route 9, Bennington, VT 05201 GPS "66 Colgate Heights"
SECOND HAND ROSE
Antique Center
New and gently used clothing and accessories for the entire family. 802.447.1563
Furniture Barn
(802) 445-3043 • camelotfurniturebarn@gmail.com Open 7 Days 9:30 to 5:30 • Year Round
303 Depot Street • Bennington, Vermont 05201 Open 7 days a week Located across om Tractor Supply Co.
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Enjoy traditional American cuisine in the ambience of a historic railroad station Benningtons Biggest and Most Unique Burgers Areas Largest Seafood Selection Fresh Innovative Salads • Outdoor Patio Dining Creative and Traditional seasonal menus Farm to table in season • Bountiful Salad Bar Locally forged items • Hand crafted cocktails Authentic Regional cuisine Artisan and Micro Brews on Draught USDA Prime and Angus Beef Chef Cut on premises Listed in the Register of Historic Places • Bus Tours Welcome
Stephen C. Warren (1824-1905) Memory Ware Tower (detail) Mixed media, West Hartford, Vermont, 1894 Bennington Museum Collection, Museum purchase with support from Mark Barry and Sandra Magsamen, Marc and Fronia W. Simpson
www.secondhandrosevt.com
Grassroots Ar t
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(802) 447-0039 • camelot1@sover.net
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New - Local Artisan’s Corner
Visit Yankee Magazine’s Editor’s Pick
July 3 through November 1
Outsider, Visionary, and Folk Art
from the Bennington Museum and Blasdel/Koch Collections
Yankee Magazine
150 Depot Street Bennington, VT 05201 • 802.442.7900
See our complete menu and hours online at www.benningtonstation.net
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Inward Adorings of the Mind Best of New England 2015 Editors’ Choice Best Museum Makeover
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
for one of the nine most memorable exhibitions of 2014 in North America
"Best of 2014: ART"
Bennington Museum ART | HISTORY | INNOVATION
75 Main Street Bennington, VT benningtonmuseum.org
Vermont’s Farmstand Experience! The Barn is packed full of your favorites:
Apple Cider Donuts Home-made Fudge Our Own Orchard Apples Pick-Your-Own Berries (June - September) Vermont Maple Syrup Vermont Gifts & Souvenirs NEW FOR 2015: Wine Tastings! 9
604 US Route 7South Bennington, VT 802-447-7780
2 mi. south of Downtown Bennington Open May to November
Johnny Appleseed says Visit us at www.TheAppleBarn.com and find us on: Insta
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
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Downtown Bennington
Walking Tours Event Information
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Come visit the Downtown Welcome Center located just south of four corners (where the clock is) on South Street (US 7).
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Shops & Galleries • Restaurants • Free Parking • Bakeries & Cafés • Walking Tours
Library
Elm St
LIL’ BRITAIN
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FIsh and chip shop
467 Main Street Bennington, VT 05201
Eat in our 22 seat restaurant or call ahead for take out. Serving traditional British favorites including Fish and Chips, Meat Pies, Sausage Rolls and Mushy Peas, as well as American fare including chicken tenders and burgers. 116 North Street, Downtown Bennington, VT
802-442-2447
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802-442-5059 Open 7 Days
11:30am - 8:00pm Tuesday - Saturday www.lilbritainfishandchips.com
THE SCARLETT CREATION 802-447-3794
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Quilt • Fabric • Alterations • Yarn • DMC Floss
burgess_scottie@hotmail.com
COUPON
ON TOTAL PURCHASE OF $25 OR MORE • GOOD THRU 9/30/15
Women’s Fashions New & Used Jewelry • Kids clothing Toys • Gifts You Can never have too much
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430 Main Street, Downtown Bennington, Vermont
802.447.1717
Coffee, Tea, Espresso Breakfast, Lunch & Dessert Open 7 Days • Free Wi-Fi 105 South Street, Bennington, VT 05201
Find us on Facebook! www.jaysartshop.com 113-115 South Street • Downtown Bennington, VT 802 -447-2342 • Open Daily
802-447-2433 FEATURING:
New & Used Video Games Collectible Card Games Magic the Gathering, Pokemon
Miniatures Games
457 Main Street • Bennington, VT
802-447-0091
Open Sun - Thurs 11-8pm • Fri 11-11pm • Sat 10-9pm
www.thegamersgrotto.com
Warhammer 40,000
Dungeons & Dragons Books Retro Video Games Used DVDs Friday Night Magic Paints & Accessories
Party Games & Board Games Free WiFi Birthday Parties Weekly Game Play & Tournaments In-Store TV Rentals for game play Table space for casual game play
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Unique Accents for the Home
Furniture Antiques
Open Mon - Sat 9:30-6, Sun 11-5 530 Main St, Bennington, VT • 802-442-8859
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Vermont’s Largest Art Supply Store Art Gallery/Prints • Fine Custom Framing Vermont Products, T-Shirts and Sweatshirts Gis • Collectibles • Cards Large selection of
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$5.00 OFF
For over 30 years!
A must see store! You will be sure to find the perfect gi for anyone, or even something for yourself!
www.thescarlettcreation.com Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am to 6pm
Scarlett Burgess, owner
1!
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493 Main Street • Bennington, VT 05201
Our Pizza is #
The Bennington Bookshop
802-442-8884
Household Items BasslerBar-
435 Main Street Bennington, VT
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
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Downtown Bennington Shops & Galleries • Restaurants • Free Parking • Bakeries & Cafés • Walking Tours
FULL EMPORIUM OF ANTIQUES & TREASURES
22 Proprietors: Michael Roy • Jeanne Gauthier
Email: info@owlsnestshop.com
353 Main St. • Bennington, VT
802-447-3533
• Vinyl Records • Books • Antique Furniture & Collectibles • Something for Everyone!
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I Picked Vermont Picking Trips
www.owlsnestshop.com Store Hours: Tue-Sat 10-6 • Sun: 12-5
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Evans' News
Your Downtown Country Store Since 1897
Children’s Consignment Shop 473 Main Street Bennington, VT
802-753-7375
From clothing, newborn to big kids 12, to cribs, toys, books and more.
We even have maternity clothing!
www.facebook.com HereWeGrowChildrensConsignmentShop Jamie Lane-Owner
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HEART of the matter
Vermont Maple Creative Toys Clothing Souvenirs T-shirts 434 Main Street Open Seven Days 802-442-6326
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Offering tools for conscious living www.evansnewsinc.com
Flower and Gem Essences • Handmade Incense • Wearable Crystals Angel, Oracle & Tarot Cards • Intuitive Counselling/Readings Workshops • Reflexology • Acupressure • Tai Chi • Dao In
532 Main Street, Above Panache, Downtown Bennington • 802-688-3208
HEART of the matter
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This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
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18th Annual North Bennington Sculpture Show
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he 18th Annual North Bennington Sculpture Show will open Saturday, July 11, 2015 with an opening reception and party from 4 to 8 PM in the North Bennington Sculpture Park adjacent to the North Bennington Post Office on Main St. The show will be on view throughout the village of North Bennington at various locations until October 25, 2015. In addition to the sculpture park, works will also be on view in Veteran’s Park, North Bennington Train Depot, and in front of the McCullough Library. This year’s show will feature works by 36 national and local artists, some coming from Washington DC, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee to participate. Following a successful Kickstarter Campaign to raise funds for travel stipends for participating sculptors, the show is also sponsored in part from the Fund for North Bennington and the Sage City Syndicate and has been curated by Joe Chirchirillo for the past three years. The show had its beginnings when local mason, Joe McGovern, asked Willard Boepple, local sculptor, to install a few works on open land next to his shop and garage. Willard was also a sculpture professor at Bennington College and thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase the works of his students. Anthony Cafritz, founder of Salem Art Works, was a student at the time, and took over curating duties for several years. The students brought a sense of fun to the exhibit, siting experimental sculpture and
performance pieces. Other local sculptors involved during the early years included John Uphlett, Fred X Brownstein, and Stephan Fowlkes. The openings were typically big and raucous affairs with students past and present and local artists showing their work, enjoying hot dogs and cheap beer. The show has since evolved to include artists from all over the country and has been gaining national attention. Works are now sited throughout the Village of North Bennington and installation will take place July 5 through July 10. Expect to see some heavy equipment while the various pieces are being installed in time for the opening on July 11. Some of the local area sculptors participating this year will include Bill Botzow, Kristen Blaker, Fred X Brownstein, Joe Chirchirillo, Michael Biddy, Rita Dee, Angus McCullough, Gregory Smith, Andrew Hamilton Reiss, Autumn Doyle, Michael Bonadio, Gary Humphreys, Adam Soranno, Caroline Bugby and Chase Winker. Other sculptors from the Northeast and other states include Ethan Ames, Charles Bergen, Matthew Burke, Jodi Carlson, Dave Channon, Tavish Costello, Kevin Donegan, JT Gibson, Bruce Hathaway, Wendy Kemperer, Anna Q McKeown, Franc Palaia, Bryan Rasmussen, Phil Thorne, Naomi Teppich, Eric Troffkin, Bob Turan, Nick Santoro, miChelle Vara, Chad Wilson, and Zac Ward. For more information, contact Joe Chirchirillo at 201983-9062 or email jrc373@comcast.net
Volunteers and artists work on installing a sculpture.
marginalized, people who have been erased from the public record. By presenting a play like this, we are able to bring these lost voices back into history,” says Dina Janis, Dorset Theatre Festival Artistic Director. SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE JERSEY LILY / July 9 July 25. Following up with a bit of fun, DTF offers another Regional Premiere Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Jersey Lily by Katie Forgette. This witty new adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic features Sherlock Holmes, his trusted friend Watson, the sinister Moriarty, the glamourous Lillie Langtry and even Oscar Wilde, as they navigate intrigue and danger all while rehearsing Mr. Wilde’s latest play, The Importance of Being Forthright. OUTSIDE MULLINGAR / July 30 August 15. Next up comes the best of last year’s Broadway season with the DTF Regional Premiere of Pulitzer and Tony award winning playwright, John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar. The new romantic comedy from the author of Doubt and Moonstruck is a love letter to Ireland that tells the story of Anthony and Rosemary, two introverted misfits straddling 40. Anthony has spent his entire life on a farm in rural Ireland, and due to his painful shyness, this suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, watching the years slip by, but determined to have him. With Anthony’s father threatening to disinherit him and an argument over land simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. I HATE HAMLET / August 20 September 5. Unapologetically silly, always hilarious, I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick brings to regional audiences the wit and genius of one of our preeminent humorists. This wildly funny play tells the
story of a young and successful television actor who relocates to New York, where he rents a marvelous, gothic apartment. With his television career in limbo, the actor is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage, but there's one problem: he hates Hamlet. His dilemma deepens with the entrance of John Barrymore's ghost, who arrives intoxicated and in full costume to the apartment that once was his. The contrast between the two actors, the towering, dissipated Barrymore whose Hamlet was the greatest of his time, and the hot young television star, leads to a wildly funny duel over women, art, success, duty, television, and yes, the apartment. For more information or to purchase tickets or subscription packages, go to www.dorsettheatrefestival.org or call 8028672223.
Dorset Theatre Festival Announces 2015 Season
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orset Theatre Festival announces its 2015 Season, featuring 3 Regional Premieres, 2 Pulitzer Prize winners, its 6th Annual New Play Reading Series and new for this year a Family Fun Series designed to introduce quality theatre to the next generation of theatregoers. “When I went about looking for the right plays for us to present this summer, my one criteria was to find plays that were moving, that make people care. These plays all have that quality, and whether funny, sad, or thoughtprovoking, people will walk out of the Playhouse this summer inspired and moved by what they have seen,” says Dorset Theatre Festival Artistic Director, Dina Janis. THE STINKY CHEESE MAN / June 13 & June 20. Kicking off the season will be DTF’s Family Fun Series presentation of the children’s classic The Stinky Cheese Man, adapted from the book by Jon Scieszka. Featuring a giant, an ugly duckling, and a princess who kisses a frog, this play is a collection of humorous parodies of famous children’s stories and fairy tales. It has proven to be popular with audiences of all ages as it pokes lighthearted fun while celebrating the cherished classics we have all grown up reading. INTIMATE APPAREL / June 25 July 5. Opening the Mainstage 2015 Season will be the Regional Premiere of the award winning drama Intimate Apparel by Pulitzer prize winning playwright, Lynn Nottage. The play, which won both the New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle Awards, is set in 1905, and tells the story of Esther, a lonely black seamstress who stitches sumptuous corsets and negligees alone in her boarding house bedroom. When she receives a letter from a workman digging the Panama Canal, she begins to dream of sewing her own trousseau, eventually negotiating the choice between a love that is accepted and one that is true. “This play is about people who have been
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This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Arts, Culture, and Local Lore in The Shires of Vermont
Oldcastle Theatre Celebrates 44th Season
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his year, Bennington’s Oldcastle Theatre Company (OTC) celebrates its 44th consecutive year of producing outstanding, critically acclaimed live professional theatre. In 1972, five young actors from New York City, calling themselves the Pauper Players, presented The Hollow Crown at the Park McCullough House in North Bennington. And the rest, as they say, is history. Oldcastle has produced over 300 shows. Plays developed at Oldcastle have been produced in more than 25 states and in South Africa, Canada, Spain and Argentina. Award winning actors Richard Thomas, Melissa Leo and Karen Ziemba and others have worked with the company over the years. This year Oldcastle is presenting five shows, including Talley’s Folly (May 1st-May 17th), Time Stands Still (June 5th-June 21st), Cabaret (July 10th-August 2nd), Black Comedy (August 21st-September 6th) and The Lion in Winter (September 25th-October 11th). Each production runs Wednesday thru Saturday evenings at 7:30 and Thursday and Sunday afternoons at 2:00.
“(Time Stands Still by Donald Margulies is) Absorbingly intelligent, compelling.”-LA Times. “(It is) beautifully written.”-LA Weekly. “…a thoughtful, absorbing work.”-Variety Cabaret (music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb and Book by Joe Masteroff) won Broadway’s coveted Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and later Best Revival. Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer (Amadeus, Equus, et. al.) “…is one of the funniest and most brilliant plays in the language.” London Sunday Times. “Laughter mounts steadily.” NY Times. The Lion in Winter by James Goldman is “A work of intelligence, astringent wit, and much theatrical skill.” NY Times. This production features a strong cast including Tina Packer (the founder of Shakespeare and Company), Nigel Gore and Elizabeth Aspenlieder. Oldcastle Theatre is located at 331 Main Street, Bennington, VT. For more information and to purchase tickets call 802-447-0564 or visit the web at www.oldcastletheatre.org.
American Museum of Fly Fishing
Summer Schedule Announced
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anchester, Vermont – The American Museum of Fly Fishing announced a series of fun public programs for Summer 2015 held on the Museum grounds in Manchester, Vermont. Beginning May 5th and running through September 7, the AMFF in conjunction with the Blue Star Museums Program offers free admission for active military personnel and their families. Starting June 27th - Join us for the opening of Bob Hines exhibition at the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Hines was an artist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife and we are proud to showcase a vast collection of his amazing work. On July 1-31st - Angling & Art Benefit sale and public programs. This is your chance to own a fly fishing masterpiece by Yoshi Akiyama, Mark Tougias, Samantha Aronson, and others. On July 11th join us for Canvas ‘N Cocktails. Meet artist Samantha Aronson for a glass of wine (or two) at our new paint and sip event. For July 19th we celebrate National Ice Cream Day! One of a kind fly fishing activities and free ice cream. 1pm-4pm. Our signature event of the summer takes place on Au-
gust 8th with our 8th Annual Fly Fishing Festival. Festival goers can shop vendor booths, cast vintage rods and learn tips from experts, tie flies, and enjoy a very special seminar by Michael Hackney who will be demonstrating how to make 3-D printed fly reels. Free admission! Finally, later in September we have Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live! Free admission with Museum Day Live! ticket. For more information about the Museum and the 2015 Heritage Award please visit our website www.amff.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. The American Museum of Fly Fishing (AMFF) is the steward of the history, traditions, and practices of the sport of fly fishing and promotes the conservation of its waters. The Museum collects, preserves, exhibits, studies, and interprets the artifacts, art, and literature of the sport and uses these resources to engage, educate, and benefit all. The Museum fulfills this mission through our public programs (including exhibitions, gallery programs, lectures, special events, and presentations), our publications, and our quarterly journal, The American Fly Fisher.
“The Bennington” Center for the Arts
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Celebrating 20 Years!
he Bennington will be hosting four world-class fine art exhibitions this summer. To start things off they will be celebrating the 20th year of Art of the Animal Kingdom, a nationally recognized show in which many of the country’s finest artists participate. The show will open on June 6 and run through July and all work is for sale. Also opening in early June is a show by members of the esteemed Salmagundi Club of New York City. Members were invited to submit work to be considered for the show and the selections were made by the staff at the art center. All work is representational but many styles and media are represented in the more than 50 paintings. An event-filled weekend kicks off the season on June 13th when artists from these shows as well as the Small Works Show will be at the center to watch demonstrations
and attend the opening reception. The public is welcome and invited to attend, free of charge. A concert by Vance Gilbert will wrap up the day’s festivities. In early August Impressions of New England and the Laumeister Fine Arts Competition will be opening, with both on exhibit until December 20th. The first show is a favorite of the center’s patrons, with paintings of scenes in and around New England while the competition has gained a national reputation for the quality of work selected by the staff for the show. All of this work is also for sale. The Bennington is a non-profit art center and covered bridge museum located just west of Bennington on Vermont Route 9. The calendar of shows and other information can be found at www.TheBennington.org or by calling 802-442-7158.
Drifter by D Amico, part of the exhibit Art of the Animal Kingdom XX.
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
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t Anthony is a year-round public family destination offering the Bennington community a recently renovated top quality 18 hole course, within a beautiful scenic Vermont terrain overlooking the Green Mountains in the heart of historic Old Bennington. The Club house’s restaurant The GRILLE at Mt. Anthony offers Lunch and Dinner every day plus Brunch on Sundays. At this time of the year the Club’s Banquet Rooms are busy with Weddings, Anniversaries, Proms and all kinds of celebrations. This is best time to enjoy all the amenities this public property offers is during the summer wether you golf or not but during the winter you can cross country ski or snow show with groomed trails if mother nature provides sufficient snow. The Club’s Pool is a wonderful destination to cool off after golf or work and a popular site for kids birthday parties. If you are ready for golf our PGA Professional Kevin Bennison can create a customized program for you and your family to teach or reconnect you to the game. We offer a GOLF Family package this summer that includes a 1.5 hour golf lesson,
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Event Listings NOW through - June 21 - Bennington “Alcohol in Vermont: Creation to Consumption, Tolerance to Temperance” This exhibition examines the significant role of alcohol in Vermont's history. During Vermont’s early history alcohol was consumed in quantities unimaginable today. Establishments like the Catamount Tavern and Walloomsac Inn were the center of community life and alcohol was required for any public work or gathering. Reformers in the 1800s fought the evils of addiction and abuse through popular literature, church trials, public shaming, social societies, and finally legislation. Some Vermonters resented anyone trying to regulate their private habits. How far could the state influence the public good without infringing on personal liberty? Politicians intensely debated the regulation of alcohol in some of the most notorious elections in state history. It wasn't until the craft beer movement in the 1990s that Vermonters again embraced alcoholic beverages. Highlights of this exhibit will include Ethan Allen’s bartab, beautiful historic glassware for high class drinking, records and banners from local temperance societies, and a flask use by a local flapper. www.benningtonmuseum.org
NOW through - July 26 - Bennington “What would Grandma do?” paintings by Linda Finch exploring the destruction caused by natural gas development in New York state.www.benningtonmuseum.org
NOW through - Sept. 7 - Manchester “Blue Star Museums Program” Free admission to the American Museum of Fly Fishing for active military personnel and their families. Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com
NOW through - Aug. 9 - Bennington “Channeling Grandma: Fracking Paintings by Linda Finch”On view in Bennington Museum’s Regional Artists Gallery from May 9 through July 26, is Channeling Moses: Fracking Paintings by Linda Finch. “The naïve style of Grandma Moses is a perfect genre for storytelling. These paintings are a step by step journey that leads you through the gas pain process; some have secret messages within.” states the artist. www.benningtonmuseum.org
NOW through - Aug. 9 - Bennington “Dan Shapiro: “Living the Print” 1949-1969” Shapiro was a master printmaker during a highly innovative period in American printmaking. Born in 1920, Shapiro grew up in New York City and studied at the Cooper Union School of Art, graduating in 1941 with honors in painting and design. As a printmaker, however, he was selftaught, learning from books and through experiment. www.benningtonmuseum.org
NOW through - Sept. 25 - Manchester “Tour Southern Vermont Sampler” This tour is one of the top rated activities on Trip Advisor and also Editors' Pick for Yankee Travel Magazine. If you only have a couple of days in the area, this tour will take you unique and interesting places, off the beaten path. Local guide will help you discover the beauty, nostalgia and charm of our country backroads while giving you lots of interesting information about Vermont. Phone 802-362-4997. www.backroaddiscovery.com
NOW through - Sept. 25 - Manchester “Revolutionary/Civil War In Bennington County” Visit over 35 sites between Bennington & Manchester, involved in the Battle of Bennington & Ethan Allen's capture of Fort Ticonderoga, for America's first victory. We also visit sites associated with the Civil War. You will view stunning mountain/valley vistas & quintessential villages while traveling in our comfortable 8 passenger tour vehicle. Visit website for detailed description of tour. Advance reservations needed. Phone 802 362-4997. www.backroaddiscovery.com
NOW through - July 26 - Bennington “The Salmagundi Club in Vermont” The Bennington is proud to announce that The Salmagundi Club, an institution in the art world in New York City, has invited members to take part in an exhibition this summer at the Center. All work will be representational and for sale and exhibiting artists are invited to be a part of the opening events on June 13th. www.TheBennington.org
June 5 - Bennington “Disappearances, A Jay Craven Movie” First Fridays finds the museum open late – straight through the viewing of Disappearances, a film directed by Jay Craven
and produced by Kingdom County Production Company. Based on the award-winning novel by Howard Frank Mosher, the film is the story of schemer and dreamer Quebec Bill Bonhomme. It is a spellbinding tale of high-stakes whiskey-smuggling, a family's mysterious past, and a young boy's rite of passage. Set in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom in 1932, just months before the repeal of Prohibition, the film stars Kris Kristofferson, Charlie McDermott, Genevieve Bujold, Gary Farmer, William Sanderson, Lothaire Bluteau, Luis Guzman, Bill Raymond, Heather Rea, John Griesemer. $5 members, $7 non-members. Rated: PG13, parental guidance advised. Call to reserve a seat - 802-447-1571.
June 5 - 21 - Bennington “Time Stands Still” by Donald Margulies - Pulitzer Prize winner Margulies has written a searing, powerfully contemporary story of an heroic female journalist wounded covering the war in Iraq Can you be a dispassionate, uninvolved observer of horrific events, recording them for posterity and still keep a sense of right and wrong? That is just one of the intriguing questions presented in this smart, timely, stylish and compelling play. www.oldcastletheatre.org
June 6 - Aug. 2 - Bennington “Art of the Animal Kingdom” One of the country’s most prestigious wildlife exhibitions opens on June 6 and will run through late August. This year, to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary, many of the past Special Guest Artist will be sending work to be exhibited with work submitted by invited artists. Artists include Michael Coleman, Morten Solberg, Nancy Howe, Terry Isaac, Sandy Scott, Jan Martin McGuire and Rosetta. Over 85 pieces of fine wildlife art by many of the country’s finest artists will be on view and for sale. www.TheBennington.org
June 13 - Bennington “Opening Reception for Art of the Animal Kingdom, The Small Works Show and The Salmagundi Club in Vermont” On Saturday, June 13 artists will be in attendance while the 2015 summer season is kicked-off at 10 am with demonstrations and presentations by esteemed wildlife artists Morten Solberg and John Pitcher and one of the finest plein air artists in the country, Don Demers. A reception with hors d’oeuvres and dessert will be open to the public starting at 6:30 pm and guests will have the chance to meet artists from around the country who come in for this event. The night ends with a concert by singer/entertainer Vance Gilbert. The schedule of events can be found at www.TheBennington.org or by calling 802-442-7158.
June 27 - Manchester “Opening of Bob Hines exhibition” at the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Hines was an artist for U.S. Fish and Wildlife and we are proud to showcase a vast collection of his amazing work. Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com July 1 - 31 - Manchester “Angling & Art Benefit sale and public programs” This is your chance to own a fly fishing masterpiece by Yoshi Akiyama, Mark Tougias, Samantha Aronson, and others. Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com
July 3 - Nov. 1 - Bennington “Inward Adorings of the Mind: Grassroots Arts from the Bennington Museum and Blasdel/Koch Collections” brings together an eclectic selection of objects--ranging from textiles, ceramics and weathervanes to drawings, paintings and sculpture--created by individuals with little or no formal training in art and working outside the framework of the traditional art market. Drawing on the Bennington Museums renowned collections of folk art, including the world's largest public collections of paintings by revered 20th-century folk artist "Grandma" Moses and Bennington Pottery, and the Blasdel/Koch collection of outsider art, including works by Jesse Howard, Mose Tolliver, and Joseph Yoakum, this exhibition will highlight thematic continuities amongst artworks created by everyday people\from the mid-eighteenth century to the present day. July 10 - Bennington “Summer Party” Join others to celebrate the opening of Inward Adorings of the Mind: Grassroots Art featuring visionary, folk and outsider art by Tolliver, Yoakum, Moses and others. Enjoy a captivating gallery talk with curator Jamie Franklin. Food and drink. Performance by the Woods Tea Co. entertaining audiences throughout the United States since 1981 with a blend of traditional and vintage mu-
While great effort has been made to ensure accuracy, it is best to call ahead to confirm dates and times for events.
Event listings are updated regularly on our website: www.thisisvermont.com
sical styles, pleasing the ear and inspiring a smile. 4 to 8 pm. Price: $35/members; $45/not-yet-members. Children under 12 free. Reservations required. Call 802-447-1571.
July 10 - Aug. 2 - Bennington “Cabaret” Book by Joe Masteroff Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb - Welcome to the infamous Kit Kat Klub, where the Emcee, Sally Bowles and a raucous ensemble take the stage to tantalize the crowd and leave their troubles outside. Dive in and experience the decadent world of pre-WWII Berlin nightlife, and come hear some of the most memorable songs in theatre history. www.oldcastletheatre.org July 11 - Bennington “2nd Annual BIMC Bike Night” The Bennington International Motorcycle Club presents the 2nd Annual BIMC Bennington Bike Night, Saturday, July 11th, 2014 from 4 p.m to 8 p.m. on School Street in Bennington. There will be a bike show, raffles, bikes for sale, vendors. food and music. The event is free and all bikes are welcome. http://www.bimcvt.org July 11 - Manchester “Canvas ‘N Cocktails” Join artist Samantha Aronson for a glass of wine (or two) at our new paint and sip event. Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com
July 15 - Bennington “Grassroots Art” This presentation by Jamie Franklin, curator of the Bennington Museum, will tie in to the exhibition on view at the museum from July 3- November 1. The talk will begin with a brief history of how grassroots artists have come to be embraced by the mainstream art world and then focus on overarching themes explored in this art.
July 17 - Bennington “Midnight Madness” Downtown retail extravaganza is a terrific family event and community institution with music, fun, and special bargains all over downtown. For more information email us at admin@betterbennington.com or call the BBC office 802-442-5758.
July 19 - Manchester “National Ice Cream Day!” One of a kind fly fishing activities and free ice cream. 1pm-4pm. Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com July 31 - Aug. 2 - Bennington “Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival”Over 120 booths of fine art and artisan craftwork, and a great selection of Vermont craft beers, wine, and spirits. Children's activities, and entertainment. Part of Bennington Arts Weekend. www.craftproducers.com for more information.
Aug. 1 - Bennington “Craft of Beer Home Brew Competition & Festival” Home Brew Beer Tasting, Food Vendors, Local Store Specials, Brewing Demos, and Live Music! Located on County Street which will be closed for this festival event. craftofbeer.weebly.com Part of the Bennington Arts Weekend.
Aug. 1 - Dec 20 - Bennington “Small Works Show” Fine art 11 x 14 and smaller - is available for immediate purchase in this gallery beginning in May. Artwork is representational but not limited to a theme. Figurative, landscapes, cityscapes, wildlife and still-lifes by nationally recognized artists make up the show. www.TheBennington.org Aug. 1 - Dec. 20 - Bennington “Impressions of New England” This annual exhibition will include over 60 scenes captured in paint and bronze. Seashores, rolling hills, foliage and New England wildlife will be just some of the subjects in this sales exhibit. www.TheBennington.org
Aug. 7 - Bennington “The Exciting World of Tattoos” Details still in the making, but join us at the museum from 5:00 to 8:00 pm and see some of the most detailed and exciting tattoos we could find. Talk with tattoo artists who create and execute body art as we celebrate this art form.
August 8 - Manchester “8th Annual Fly Fishing Festival Festival” goers can shop vendor booths, cast vintage rods and learn tips from experts, tie flies, and enjoy a very special seminar by Michael Hackney who will be demonstrating how to make 3-D printed fly reels. American Museum of Fly Fishing. Free admission! Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com
Aug. 8 - Aug. 9 - Bennington “10th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow” will explode in another weekend of American Indian music, dance, education, entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, and cultural festivities fun for the whole family! The 10th Annual Rock, Rattle & Drum Pow Wow is being held on the beautiful grounds of the Vermont Veterans' Home in Bennington. Please contact Healing Wind's Co-Directors Fidel Moreno, 832-777-8081 and Susan Jameson, l 413-4432481 or email Susan for a list of ticket outlets.
Aug. 8 - Dec. 20 - Bennington “The Laumeister Fine Art Competition” Artists from around the country and the world are invited to submit work to be included in our sixth annual fine art competition, this year juried by Stuart Johnson, organizer of the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. Monetary awards will be given and the representational artwork will be available at the Center through the fall. www.TheBennington.org
Aug 15 - Bennington “People and Places” photographs drawn from Bennington College and Bennington Museum Collections. Exhibition curated by Bennington College students. www.benningtonmuseum.org
Aug. 21 - Sept. 6 - Bennington “Black Comedy” by Peter Shaffer - Laughter begins when the lights go out! Lovesick Brindsley, a young sculptor, has embellished his apartment with antique furniture and objects d'arte "borrowed" from his absent neighbor hoping to impress his fiancee's father, a pompous and a wealthy art dealer. The neighbor returns just as a blown fuse plunges the apartment into total darkness (but for the audience the stage is brightly lit). Unexpected guests, errant phone cords, and other snares impede his frantic efforts to return the stolen items. A non-stop laugh riot. www.oldcastletheatre.org Aug. 22 - Pownal “Full Tilt Boogie National Tour Concert” The environmentally-friendly event will feature headlining performances by ZZ Top and Gary Clark Jr., as well as set from Buddy Guy, Blackberry Smoke, The Marshall Tucker Band, Trigger Hippy, The Wood Brothers, Albert Lee, Girls Guns & Glory and more. Tickets for the event are slated to go on sale on Wednesday, May 20 via Ticketmaster.
Aug 29 - Oct. 12 - Bennington “1863 Jane Stickle Quilt” The quilt that inspires quilters all over the world will be on its yearly display at the Bennington Museum. Brought to the museum 60 years ago, the Jane Stickle Quilt is only shown for a short time each year due to the fragility of the fabric; Quilters from around the country, and world, plan trips to the region during that time to see the 1863 quilt. The Jane Stickle quilt is comprised of 169 five-inch blocks, each in different patterns, containing a remarkable total of 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border. The Jane Stickle Quilt can be viewed with regular museum admission.renowned and a perfect example of American folk art. www.benningtonmuseum.org Aug. 16th - Bennington “Battle Day Parade”
Aug. 30 - Dec. 20 - Bennington “The Laumeister Fine Art Competition” Artists from around the country and the world are invited to submit work to be included in our sixth annual fine art competition, this year juried by Stuart Johnson, organizer of the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction. Monetary awards will be given and the representational artwork will be available
September - Manchester “Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live!” Free admission with Museum Day Live! ticket. Phone 802-362-3300. www.amff.com at the Center through the fall. www.TheBennington.org Sept. 5 - Sept. 6 - Bennington “ 20th Annual Garlic And Herb Festival” Join garlic-lovers from throughout New England as they come to sample food and crafts from hundreds of different vendors, all made from -you guessed it - garlic and herbs! Admission: $6 per person per day - or - get a 2 day pass for $10 Children 12 and under are $2. www.lovegarlic.com
Sept. 19 - Sept. 20 - Bennington “22nd Annual Bennington Quiltfest” Offering one of the best quilt shows in the northeast. Show offers new quilts, demonstrations, queen size quilt raffle, challenge quilts, special exhibist, many vendors and mouthwatering fare from the Quiltfest Cafe. Our featured quilter and lecturer, Joan Ford of Humminbird Highway and author of Scrap Therapy and Scraps Plus One, will give one lecture at 1pm on each day of the show. You will also find our Consignment Boutique open with a large selection of items for sale. www.benningtonquiltfest.com Sept. 25 - Oct. 11 - Bennington “The Lion in Winter” by James Goldman - King Henry II of England has three sons by Eleanor of Aquitaine. He wants the kingdom to stay united after his death, but all three sons want to rule and it is likely to be torn apart by revolution. A gigantic Broadway hit that became an Oscar winning film, this is a not to be missed, brilliantly written play that is simultaneously suspenseful, highly dramatic, witty and gloriously funny. www.oldcastletheatre.org
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NORTH BENNINGTON
Sporting three covered bridges, this is a very scenic river with good trout fishing to boot. For canoes, put in at the Henry Bridge to avoid dams.
Walloomsac River
August 16, 1777. This Revolutionary War battle was an American victory that led to the defeat of the British at Saratoga by reducing British forces, preventing the capture of needed supplies, and galvanizing the American forces. Located 10 miles west of it’s namesake Bennington, VT, in the town of Walloomsac.
Battle of Bennington
“Kill” is Dutch for “river.” Famous for fly fishing, the river is also popular for canoeing and tubing. Best for paddling in spring or after a rain as it can get low during drier months.
Batten Kill
Batten Kill
Red Mountain 2846’
(see coupon page 17)
Skyline Drive to top of Mt. Equinox
Mount Equinox 3852’
See detailed town map page 23
Merck Forest
DORSET
ROUTE
Dorset Quarry
Local favorite swimming hole. Former quarry, with deep cold water and tall cliffs. Not for small children.
MANCHESTER
315
ROUTE
Norman Rockwell moved to Arlington in 1939 where he began to paint pictures that "grew out of the everyday life of my neighbors," and painted some of his best known works including “The Four Freedoms” and “Saying Grace” using local people for models.
Rockwell Country
315
ROUTE
eV al l
ROUTE
Rd West
Vermont
ROUTE
St on
Dorset Quarry
Map not to scale. Not all roads shown.
M
a i n St re et
East Hebron
Cambridge
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires Of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Paran Rd .
Rd
The Shires of VT Byway
South Rd
rm
Lye B
d.
oa d
Glen R roo
7
US
Tra il
Lon gT rai l/
True wilderness pond; .4 mile portage for canoes.
Pick your own, on Route 7A at the top of Harwood Hill (just north of Bennington). Blueberry picking follow signs at Houghton Rd, late July early August. Apple picking is right on the corner of Historic Route 7A and Houghton Lane at Terry’s Orchard Starting September to
Glastenbury Mountain 3748’
Our main gateway to the southern section of the Green Mountain National Forest! Rebuilt in 2014 after it’s destruction during tropical storm Irene.
Kelly Stand Road
Apple Picking, Berry Picking
Ap pa lac hia n
Spruce Peak 2060’
Branch Pond
Bourn Pond
Rd.
Branch Pond
kF alls
Rootville
11/30
ROUTE
Bromley Mountain 3260’
Branch Pond Access Rd
Bro ok R
Rd .
d oa
ill Center H l Rock Trai
N
R on br e H
ille hv Ric es
Page 12 l Trai
t Prospec
OS E R VI C ES
g Lon l Trai ian lach a p / Ap Tra il
Gale Meadows Pond
(sea sona
l roa d-c
lose d
in w inte r)
Lovely day hike from the Kelly Stand 3.7 miles each way. Moderate hike.
Stratton Pond
Lo ng Tra il /
Ap pa lac hia n
Tra il
With good access, picnic areas, trails, and decent fishing, this is one of my favorite spots. The small mouth bass are very perky with lots of leaping out of the water, the water is very clean and cold. Mini beaches provide secluded options for swimming. A 2 mile hike will take you to the back side of Somerset Reservoir where you may hear the cry of nesting loons.
Grout Pond
Kelly Stan d
Stratton Pond
AT/LT - Begin at parking lot on Kelly Stand road. Hike 3.3 miles to top, great views and fire tower. Challenging hike. Stratton Mountain
30
ROUTE
Stratton Mountain
11
ROUTE
Grout Pond
Stratton Pond Trail
ail idge Tr West R
Mt Anthony Country Club ......................pg. 4 The Grille at Mt Anthony CC ..................pg. 5 Bennington Station, The..........................pg. 5 Apple Barn, The ......................................pg. 5 Catamount Tap House ............................pg. 4 Second Hand Rose..................................pg. 5
6. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Gamer’s Grotto ......................................pg. 6 Bennington Bookshop, The ....................pg. 6 Green Mountain Oasis ..........................pg. 6 Heart of the Matter ................................pg. 7 Bringing You Vermont & NE Cafe............pg. 7 The Scarlett Creation..............................pg. 6 Panache ..................................................pg. 6 Love a Bagel ..........................................pg. 4 Henry House Inn ..................................pg. 10 Pangaea Restaurant ..............................pg. 10 Powers Market......................................pg. 10 Kevin’s Restaurant and Sports Pub ........pg. 10
33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 40. 41. 42. 44. 45. 46.
52.
Arlington Inn ........................................pg. 17
West Mountain Inn ..............................pg. 17
The Chocolate Barn ..............................pg. 16
49. 50.
Clearbrook Farm ..................................pg. 17
48.
The Market Wagon ..............................pg. 16
Evan’s News VT Country Store................pg. 7
31.
47.
Downtown Lost and Found ....................pg. 6
Knapps Toys & Music ..............................pg. 7
28. 29.
Bennington Pizza House ........................pg. 6
South Street Café....................................pg. 6
23.
27.
Owl’s Nest ..............................................pg. 7
22.
Here We Grow ......................................pg. 7
Cake Gallery ..........................................pg. 7
21.
26.
Lil’ Britain ..............................................pg. 6
20.
Jay’s Cards & Gifts ..................................pg. 6
Bennington Potters ................................pg. 5
16.
24.
Full Circle Mercantile ............................pg. 5
15.
Jensen’s Restaurant ................................pg. 5
Bennington Museum ..............................pg. 5
5.
14.
Southern VT Art & Craft Festival ..........pg. 24
4.
Hawkins House Craftsmarket ..............pg. 24
Camelot Village Antiques........................pg. 5
3.
12.
“The Bennington” Center for the Arts ..pg. 11
Page #
2.
Map # Business Name
NUMERICAL INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Hoosick Falls
RT 22
New York
North Petersburg
RT 22
Hoosick
7
NY
RT 346
42
P
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires Of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Blinking Light
? Information
Golf Course
Dr i ve
Deer ticks are common in the Shires, and can carry Lyme Disease. Protect yourself by using regular bug repellant, and checking for ticks after being outdoors. Removing any ticks within 48 hours prevents the transmission of Lyme Disease. Note: the deer tick nymphs are even smaller than adults, not much bigger than a speck, and have six legs instead of eight. You will sometimes notice the itchiness around the tick before you actually see it.
Elm S treet
Old First Church
M
H
on m en tA ve nu
P
Bus Station
Swimming Playground Hiking Biking
Picnic Area Canoeing
Fishing
Fish Hatchery
Vermont Massachusetts
d
RT 346
North Pown al R
POWNAL
.
xt en sio n
Weeks St.
Elm St.
P
?
Gage Street
County Street
7
US
9
Mo nT rai l
North Branch
un tai
41
ad
To Williamstown, MA
The view of the Pownal Valley with the Hoosick River is truly striking. Best viewed southbound on US 7 heading to Massachusetts.
Amazing View
d Ro Pon ers b r Ba
Good canoe access, mostly surrounded by houses, but good fishing for bass and overall a pretty pond. Barbers Pond Largest crayfish I’ve seen and pretty tasty.
Barbers Pond
Red Mill Pond
A short but challenging 1.8 mile hike. Start at Route 9. Very steep first quarter mile, then mostly VT State a ridge walk with Fish Hatchery some up and down. Great views over Bennington.
Harmon Hill
Woodford State Park
9
VT
Molly Stark Byway
Harmon Hill
279
Running the length of the Shires, you can access the trail at Route 9 in Bennington, or Route 11/30 in Manchester. The stretch from Route 9 to the Kelly Stand is the longest roadless section of the entire Appalachian Trail. AT/LT are white blazes. Other trails are blue blazes.
Appalachian Trail / Long Trail
Str ee t
This extended marsh and pond is quite weedy but lots of Stream Pond wildlife and good canoe South (duck reserve) access. Fish between the lilly pads for nice pickerel and bass. Mostly pristine shoreline.
South Stream Pond / Duck Reserve
Grandview St.
Hillside Street
Pleasant Street
20 262731 P 37 36 40 Main Street 22 23 28 29 33 34 38 21 35 24 Union Street
P
12 15
16
Ba ld
NO SER VICE S
Bald Mountain 2857’
BENNINGTON
enter lower park from Performance Drive
10
Kocher Drive
Per formance
Willow Park
Main entrance off East Rd.
October. Pick your own berries at the Apple Barn on US 7 south (ad on page 5). See fruit icons on map!
Deer Park
11
?
Rd r Hill nte pe
eE
8
14
7
US
See ad page 8.
Bennington Vermont Welcome Center
Exit 1
t. kS an
6 B
5
Open to the public
Nor ths ide
So. Vermont College
The iconic mountain viewable from everywhere in Bennington.
Tick Warning:
Map Key
Recreation Ctr.
Picnic Area
Library
Mount Anthony 2340’
4 3
Mount Anthony
Mt. Anthony Rd.
way
BENNINGTON
OLD
Bennington Battle Monument 308’ tall elevator to top
Silk Rd Bridge
7A
HISTORIC ROUTE
47
Located on the north side of Route 346, shortly before the village of North Pownal. Owned by the Nature Conservancy, it is home to rare species of plants & flowers.It is also popular as a rappelling / climbing area and has cliffs from 30’ to 90’. Poison ivy is also abundant here, so take care! Hard to find, no signage. Cliffs visible as you approach from east, entrance just past road cut on the right.
Traffic Light
Parking
H Hospital
Post Office
Paper Mill Bridge
Bennington College
Molly Stark By
Pownal Quarry
Enlarged to show detail. Note dime for scale.
ROUTE
67A
2
Walloomsac R d
Vail Rd.
r p hy R d .
Henry Bridge
45
44
Eastbound into Vermont: TURN RIGHT at blinking yellow light to avoid 279 and follow VT RT. 9 for Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Wilmington and Mt Snow.
9
VT
Mu
West S t.
School St
Mile Around Woods n R d.
Austin Hill Rd
Road River
S 279 ICE V ER
Vermont
To A l b any, NY
Gyps y Lan e
d.
kR
Sil
Park St.
Lake Paran
Convent Avenue
g Hou
Benmont Avenue Dewey Street
S
NO
New York
Depot Street Washintgton Av e
Wal l o o m sac R iver
Houran Rd.
Vermont
North Street
South Street
et re St
Ave. Silver Street
Ca r
Valentine St.
The Shires of VT Byway
iew ir v Fa
Bradford Street Lo n
nt ume Mon t. ch S B ee Ap
gto Drive School Street
Road Stream
gT ra il /
d Roa East reet pa lac h i an Tr ail
Ha r r i n
Branch St
South
Page 13
Equinox Valley Nursery ........................pg. 22 Hildene, Lincoln Family Home ............pg. 22 Mother Myricks Confectionery ............pg. 22 Northshire Bookstore ..........................pg. 22 Mountain Goat, The..............................pg. 22 Lighting Place, The................................pg. 22 The Gourmet Deli ................................pg. 22 Gringo Jacks ........................................pg. 22
61. 62. 70. 74. 76. 78. 84. 87.
Tell our advertisers you found them using the Guide to the Shires! —Thank you!
www.backroaddiscovery.com
802-362-4997
For more information, or to reserve your space:
(Tours leave from Manchester Center, VT)
9:30 - 11:45am • $35 per person
Revolutionary/Civil War Tour
1:00 - 4:00pm • $35 per person
Southern Vermont Sampler
DAILY TOURS
Discover the region’s best-kept secrets while exploring the Vermont backroads. Our local guide will entertain you with fun facts, history & local lore. Discover why Vermont is called, “The State of Mind!” (limited 8-11 passengers)
Editors’ Pick for Yankee Travel Magazine Trip Advisor Top-Rated Activity
BACKROAD DISCOVERY TOURS
HL Fuels ..............................................pg. 23
Battenkill Sports Bike Shop ..................pg. 23
Skyline Drive ........................................pg. 17
60.
98.
Battenkill Stitchery ..............................pg. 17
59.
Manchester Hot Glass ..........................pg. 22
Christmas Days ....................................pg. 16
56.
91.
Cheese House, The ..............................pg. 17
Sugar Shack, The ..................................pg. 17
54.
53.
Manchester Music Festival Unveils A Dazzling New 41st Season
V
ermont's Green Mountains will provide the backdrop for a dazzling palette of Chopin, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and more when the Manchester Music Festival opens its 41st concert season this summer at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. “The theme of this year’s program is ‘Primary Colors,’ which represents certain basic elements that we will have together onstage at various times throughout this 41st season,” said Ariel Rudiakov, the Festival’s artistic director. “We have chamber music, an orchestral concert and a performance with opera singers. One might say those are three musical primaries.” The season features seven Thursday night concerts starting July 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Art Center's Arkell Pavilion; six Monday night Young Artists concerts starting July 13 at 7 p.m. at Burr and Burton’s Riley Center for the Arts; a Led Zeppelin tribute on Saturday, July 18; a master class Wednesday, July 22, at 3 p.m., at YesterHouse, led by University of Arizona professor Danwen Jiang; a vocal workshop; and Music Discovery Week, when area children can take a week of instrumental lessons from members of the Young Artists program. This year's class of young artists is scheduled to arrive in early July. “Each year we are delighted to offer scholarships to a select group of gifted young artists from the world’s finest music schools and conservatories,” Rudiakov said. Admission is by audition. “They come here for a summer of intensive study and to perform their marvelous and hugely popular Monday evening concerts at the Riley Center as well as at various other venues in Manchester.” The season opens with “Chopin and the French Connection” and stars world-renowned clarinetist Alexey Gorokholinsky joined by Joana Genova, violin; Rudiakov, viola; Yehudi Hanani, cello; and Vassily Primakov, piano. They will perform works by Milhaud, Chopin and Faure. Up next is “In Praise of Music” on July 16 which features the music of Franck, Ravel, Bridge and Lili Boulanger performed by Rudiakov, Genova, cellist Edward Arron and pianist Jeewon Park with commentary by local clergymen including Rabbi Michael Cohen, the Rev. Gordon McClelland, the Rev. John Mitchell and Rabbi David Novak. The next four concerts on July 23, 30, Aug. 6 and 13 are “Genius Unbound: Beethoven, Jazz and The Road Less Traveled”; “Spectacular Strings”; and “Power Trio + 2.” The guest artists to be featured this summer, in addition to Gorokholinski, are Lisa Whitfield, viola; Alia Kuhnert, trum-
Performer Heather Braun.
pet; and Trio Solisti (Maria Bachmann, violin, Alexis Gerlach cello, and Adam Neiman, piano). They will be joined by Festival faculty members: Austin Hartman and Heather Braun, violins; pianists Julio Elizalde and Michael Brown; and the Manchester Festival Orchestra. Music for these concerts will be works by Bach, Martinu, Mendelssohn, Maurice Moszkowski (the “German Chopin”), Claude Bolling, Johannes van Bree, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Dohnanyi, Adam Neiman and Rachmaninoff. The final concert on Aug. 20 spotlights rising young stars of the Metropolitan Opera in “A Night at the Opera.” The featured artists are Rachelle Durkin, soprano; Carolyn Sproule, mezzo soprano; Sean Panikkar, tenor; and Brandon Cedel, bass-baritone. Also on the program is an original jazz composition written and performed by pianist Caren Levine. “All of this will make up a fairly breathless and wonderful seven weeks,” Rudiakov said. “The aim is for each concert to be special and unique. Unlike lengthy runs of theater productions, our concerts happen only once and we encourage everyone to attend them all!” The Led Zeppelin tribute marks the return of The Out on the Tiles Band and the Manchester Music Festival Strings who will join in concert to raise funds for the Fes-
Performer Rachelle Durkin.
tival’s Educational Outreach Program. Tickets are $20. Outdoor seating is $5 weather permitting. Helping to promote the season is Hills Alive!, an arts partnership comprising the Manchester Music Festival, the Dorset Theatre Festival, the Weston Playhouse, the Southern Vermont Arts Center, Northshire Performing Arts, Oldcastle Theater in Bennington and the Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning. “Manchester Music Festival is thrilled to be an anchor partner in this new and unprecedented effort,” Rudiakov said. “We’re hoping to establish a dynamic, ongoing comprehensive calendar for all arts and humanities events through September and a portal for all manner of dining and recreation. We feel strongly that the arts represent a vital sector of Southern Vermont’s economy. Bonding together has already created a wonderful sense of unity and purpose.” Information on Hills Alive! is available at www.Hillsalive.org. Tickets for the Thursday night concerts range from $38 to $48. Tickets for the Young Artists Concerts are $10, under 18 free. Save 15 percent on ticket prices by purchasing a subscription. Additional information is available by calling 802-3621956, 800-639-5868 from outside Vermont, or at www.mmfvt.org.
On a Road ‘less-traveled’ with Robert Frost
R
obert Frost spent the second half of his life in Vermont. He came to live in South Shaftsbury, Vermont in 1920, “where if we have any money left after repairing the roof, I mean to plant a thousand apple trees of some ‘unforbidden’ variety.” He called his home “The Stone House,” today called the Robert Frost Stone House Museum located on VT Route 7A, now known as the Shires of Vermont Byway, perhaps a road less traveled but sure to make a difference to visitors to this lovely region of Vermont. The house is one of the oldest in Shaftsbury built in 1769 of native stone, which is a geologic mixture of limestone and marble. It is rough hewn as Frost described, “pretty much the way it flaked off out of the quarry.” The house was used as a tavern during the American Revolution. The stone is almost two feet thick and the wide pine plank floors are original to the house. Frost wrote “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” in the dining room of the house on a hot June morning in 1922. He brought out several books of poetry while living
These two pages are sponsored by:
Page 14
in Shaftsbury and won three of his four Pulitzer Prizes. His biographer called it “The Years of Triumph.” Along with the triumphs also came tragedy. Frost’s daughter Marjorie died in 1934 of childbirth and his beloved wife Elinor died in 1938 of a heart attack. Frost wrote to a friend, “She has been the unspoken half of everything I ever wrote.” The Robert Frost Stone House is arranged with educational exhibits that make you feel as if you met the poet. The story of his life and poetry is displayed along with some of his family furnishings. “It’s a house of literature, not furniture,” says director and founder Carole Thompson. “The most interesting things about Frost are his ideas and the poetry. He lived very simply.” The dining room where he wrote “Stopping by Woods,” is completely devoted to the poem: the story of how it was written, a facsimile of the original manuscript, analysis of the rhyme and meter, a controversial comma, what the critics said and what Frost said. You can find more about Robert Frost and the Stone House Museum at www.frostfriends.org. Open May 1
The Stone House in autumn courtesy of Friends of Robert Frost
through October 31, Wednesday through Sunday; closed Monday and Tuesday. 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We suggest an hour for your visit. Admission is charged. The museum has a small bookshop that sells books, posters, CDs and other Frostiana. Phone: (802) 447-6200.
The Shires of Vermont Regional Marketing Organization
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Arts, Culture, and Local Lore in The Shires of Vermont
Exhibitions at the Bennington Museum
ennington Museum engages and transforms its visitors and community by connecting them to the region’s diverse arts, rich history, and culture of innovation as it collects, interprets, and celebrates the creativity of the region and of Vermont across time. Creative Collisions can be found around every corner when exploring the wide-range of American art, focusing on the arts of Vermont, ranging from 18th-century portraits and decorative arts to Folk Art, Vermont landscape paintings, and 20th-century Modernism. Encounter the largest public collection of Grandma Moses paintings in the world as well as the largest collection of 19th-century Bennington pottery. The story of the Battle of Bennington is told in the museum’s Military Gallery while Gilded Age Vermont highlights the industrial and cultural innovation of the region during the midnineteenth to the mid-twentieth century with objects that were either made or owned in Bennington and the surrounding region, or created by artists with connections to the area. Among the works in this gallery are Frederick MacMonnies’ sumptuous portrait of May Surdam Palmer, the Martin Wasp, a luxury automobile made in Bennington by Karl Martin between 1920 and 1924, along with glass and metal works by Lewis Comfort Tiffany. Collectively, these objects paint a vivid picture of innovation and prosperity from Vermont’s past. Around the corner is Bennington Modernism, a gallery that features changing works created in the early 1950s through the mid-1970s by a group of avant-garde artists working in and around Bennington who led the nation in artistic thought and innovation. Among the artists of national and international stature with local ties are Pat Adams, Anthony Caro, Paul Feeley, Helen Frankenthaler, Jules Olitski, and Kenneth Noland. This disparate group of artists collectively explored such diverse strategies as Color Field painting, Minimalism, an early Conceptualism, and even proto-Pop. Changing Exhibitions Opening on May 16 and on view until August 9 in the new Works on Paper Gallery (opened February ’15) is Dan Shapiro: “Living the Print” 1949-1969 featuring 36 etchings, engravings, relief prints, and lithographs created dur-
Stephen C. Warren (1824-1905) Memory Ware Tower Mixed media, West Hartford, Vermont, 1894. Bennington Museum Collection, Museum purchase with support from Mark Barry and Sandra Magsamen, Marc and Fronia W. Simpson
B
lege working side-by-side with other avant-garde artists such as Paul Feeley, Helen Frankenthaler, and Howard Nemerov. In 1959, he moved to the University of California, Davis, where he joined a department that included Wayne Thiebaud and Robert Arneson, all important to the development of a distinctive, left coast brand of Pop. Inward Adorings of the Mind: Grassroots Art from the Bennington Museum and Blasdel/Koch collections brings together an eclectic selection of nearly one hundred objects—ranging from textiles, ceramics and weathervanes to drawings, paintings and sculpture—created by individuals with little or no formal training in art and working outside the framework of the traditional art market. On view from July 3 through November 1 this exhibition draws on Bennington Museum’s renowned collections of folk art, including the world’s largest public collections of paintings by revered 20th-century folk artist “Grandma” Moses and 19th-century Bennington Pottery, and the Blasdel/Koch collection of outsider art, including works by Jesse Howard, Mose Tolliver, Inez Nathaniel Walker, and Joseph Yoakum. This exhibition is organized thematically, with objects from the two collections intermixed in the galleries to emphasize both the continuities and the disparities among the work of diverse, often anonymous, self-taught artists across the centuries and many cultural backgrounds. The quilt that inspires quilters all over the world will be on its yearly display at the Bennington Museum from August 29 through October 12. The Jane Stickle Quilt is only shown for a short time each year due to the fragility of the fabric. The quilt is comprised of 169 five-inch blocks, each in different patterns, containing a remarkable total of 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border.
About the Museum Bennington Museum is located at 75 Main Street (Route 9), Bennington, VT, in The Shires of Vermont. The museum is open daily through October and is wheelchair accessible. Regular admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and stuMemory Ware Tower, by Stephen C. Warren dents over 18. Admission is never charged for younger stuing Shapiro’s years at Bennington College and his early dents or to visit the museum shop. Visit the museum’s years at University of California, Davis. From 1947 to 1957, website www.benningtonmuseum.org or call 802-447-1571 Shapiro was the printmaking instructor at Bennington Col- for more information.
F
or generations, the hills and vistas of Southern Vermont have inspired artists, and patrons of the arts, to create and curate outstanding cultural opportunities. In this special place, Hills Alive celebrates four seasons of live music, world-class theater, fine art and masterworks. From Bennington to Manchester to Dorset (The Shires of Vermont), to the jewel that is Weston Village, memorable moments are here for the making. Our storybook villages showcase premier arts venues – contemporary and fine art galleries, theaters, performance halls – with a rich accompaniment of award-winning lodging, dining, and recreational opportunities. Hang your hat at
hillsalive.org for details and event listings
a boutique hotel or a cozy bed and breakfast. Sample the farm to table food and drink that sets our region apart from the rest. Soak it up, and savor it. While warm hospitality, incredible cuisine and stunning landscapes make The Shires and Southern Vermont a popular destination, our special events, exhibits and performances make it an unforgettable experience. Hills Alive is So Vermont. A concert beneath the stars, a gallery tour, an off-broadway show… A wine tasting and a symphony, a picnic among the sculpture gardens… These opportunities and more are waiting for you. And you are invited!
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Page 15
e Shires of Vermont Byway
(Historic Route 7A)
Shaftsbury • Arlington • Sunderland The Spirit of Christmas Year-Round
Shaftsbury Incorporated 1761 • Pop. 3,767 ~ Arlington Incorporated 1761 • Pop. 2,397 ~ Sunderland Incorporated 1761 • Pop. 850
the chocolate barn since 1976
Featuring
56
Heritage Village • Old World Glass Santa Collectibles • Williraye Nativity Sets • Byers Choice and more!
49
superior chocolates famous fudge home-made fresh ice cream
Southern Vermont’s Largest Christmas Shoppe!
the big brown barn on historic rt. 7a in shaftsbury 5055 historic route 7a • (802) 375-6928 thechocolatebarn.com
47
O pe n
0Dai ly & Sunday 9:3
0 5:3
Bring in this ad for a FREE ornament
“Food For The Multitude” Stop By For Quality Sandwiches • Homemade Breads Jams & Relishes • Fudge & Chocolates Hours Mon-Tue-Thurs-Fri: 9am-6pm
Covered Bridge Guide Wed & Sat: 9am-5pm Sunday - Closed
1896 Harwood Hill - Rt. 7A Bennington, VT
802-440-9946
6279 Vermont Rte. 7A between Arlington and Manchester
Paper Mill Village Bridge
Chiselville Bridge
The Paper Mill Village Covered Bridge was built in 1889 and carries Murphy Road, spanning the Walloomsac River. It was originally named for a 1790 paper mill that was one of Vermont’s first; in fact the paper used to draft Vermont’s constitution came from this mill. The mill has provided hydroelectric power for most of the 20th century. The original dam was built at an existing falls in 1784. The present 85’ concrete dam was built in 1889. The site has had hydroelectric power since at least 1907. The hydro electric works generated power for the mill from 1907 until around 1958.
The name Chiselville Bridge comes from a former chisel factory nearby, but the bridge was previously named High Bridge and the Roaring Branch Bridge. The Chiselville Bridge s p a n s t h e Ro a r i n g Branch Brook and was built by Daniel Oatman in 1870. At that time, the cost to build this bridge was $2,307.31 including the builder’s fee. The Chiselville Bridge survived the flood of 1927, which destroyed hundreds of Vermont covered bridges. It appears that the strategic placement of this bridge allowed the flooded Roaring Branch Brook to pass harmlessly underneath.
Route 67A .5 mile west of the Silk Road Bridge (watch for sign). Dimensions: 125.5 feet long. 14.25 feet wide. 8.67 feet high at truss. 11.17 feet high at center.
Just off Route 7A in Arlington. Turn right onto East Arlington Road 1.9 miles to bridge. Dimensions 117 feet long, 11.8 feet wide, 8.7 feet high at truss, 10.9 feet high at center.
For over 50 years, the site has languished until restauranteur/visionary William Scully took up the challenge to bring the hydro electric plant back online. Due to his efforts, the old mill is now one of the first hydro electric sites approved to be redeveloped in the state in over 30 years. Once work is completed, the facility will provide electricity to power over 100 homes. The public is invited to visit the site which features a small informational kiosk and parking area next to the covered bridge. From there, you can access a short walking trail with views of the bridge, and a canoe access.
West Arlington Bridge This bridge spans the Battenkill River which is well known by canoeists, kayakers and fly fisherman. The Battenkill is also famous for some great swimming holes. In addition, inner tube rides along the Battenkill are popular during the summer months. The West Arlington Bridge is one of Vermont’s best loved and most photographed covered bridges. The picturesque setting includes views of a local church steeple and the former home of artist Norman Rockwell. Rockwell’s home is now known as the Inn on Covered Bridge Green and operates as a Bed & Breakfast Inn.
Page 16
802-362-2516 • www.xmasdays.com
See our center map and town maps for bridge locations.
Silk Road Bridge This bridge spans the Wallomsac River and was built about 1840 probably by Benjamin Sears. The original name for this bridge was the Locust Grove Bridge. Located just across from the entrance to Bennington College on Route 67A. Dimensions: 88 feet long, 14.25 feet wide, 10 feet high at truss, 11.9 feet high at center.
Henry Bridge This bridge received its name from Elnathan Henry who bought the land from James Breckenridge and constructed the Henry House in 1769. The Henry House operates today as a Bed and Breakfast Inn and is located directly across from the bridge. The Henry Bridge spans the Wallomsac River. The original bridge was constructed in 1840. In 1989 a complete restructuring was done by Blow and Cote, Inc. The site has off street parking and picnic areas. This is also near the site of the Breakenridge Farm Standoff, the first armed resistance to NY claims to VT lands, and start of the Green Mountain Boys. Located just off Route 67A- turn left on Murphy Road (watch for signs). Dimensions: 117 feet long, 11.8 feet wide, 8.7 feet high at center.
Covered Bridge Facts You may pass through All Five Bennington County Covered Bridges in a standard size automobile – one lane only. Bridges were covered to keep the wood dry and thereby avoid rot. This became the trend in 1805 when a bridge designed by Timothy Palmer proved most durable. Most covered bridges are painted red because iron ochre was an inexpensive pigment. The most common type of covered bridge is Town Lattice. All Bennington County Bridges are of this type.
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015 Take a left off Route 7A in Arlington onto Route 313 west 4.4 miles on left side.
e Shires of Vermont Byway
(Historic Route 7A)
Shaftsbury • Arlington • Sunderland Shaftsbury Incorporated 1761 • Pop. 3,767 ~ Arlington Incorporated 1761 • Pop. 2,397 ~ Sunderland Incorporated 1761 • Pop. 850
Sunderland Town Office - 802-375-6106 • Shaftsbury Town Office - 802-442-4038 Arlington Town Office - 802-375-2332 • www.arlingtonVT.org • Capitol of Vermont 1787 59
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Only 15 min. between Manchester & Bennington (one mile north of Arlington Village)
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(802) 375-6747 Visit our website to order online:
SugarShackVT.com
Equinox Mountain Skyline Drive 60
Buck Hill Rd
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Lake Shaftsbury
Historic Route 7A, Arlington, VT
Exit 2
An unforgettable drive to the summit of Mount Equinox, the highest peak in the Taconic Range. plus visit the Saint Bruno Scenic Viewing Center Equinox Skyline Drive
Just o Historic Route 7A - GPS: 6369 Skyline Drive
To Bennington
Stop. Shop.
1A Saint Bruno Drive, Arlington, VT 05250
802-362-1114 or 1115 www.equinoxmountain.com
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- Open Daily -
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802-442-4273 • ClearBrookFarm.com
Exit 3
Featuring hundreds of examples of Rockwell’s printed works; 15 minute ďŹ lm and Giî†? Shop featuring Rockwell prints & collectibles!
Open Daily May-Oct • Rte. 7A in Shaftsbury Also at Manchester and Londonderry Farmer’s Markets
Norman Rockwell Exhibition
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HISTORIC ROUTE
Plus a wide selection of other LOCAL farm and artisan food products including Fruits, Baked Goods, Cheese, Yogurt, and Vermont Organic Milk!
313
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Visit our Farmstand for the freshest Tomatoes, Strawberries, Beans, Peas, Lettuce, Arugula, Spinach, Carrots, Raspberries, Broccoli, Beets & more!
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Our own Pure Vermont Maple Syrup made on site, Vermont food products, tees & sweats, souvenirs, fresh baked pies, cookies, cider donuts and more!
Old Mill Rd.
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Growers of Tasty Organic Fruits and Vegetables
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Large Selection of
South Rd
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ARLINGTON
The Shires of Vermo nt B yw ay
West Arlington Bridge
Chiselville Bridge
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ROUTE
Battenkill River
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Arlington Recreation Park
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Quarts of our own maple syrup just $18 each with this coupon!
Br fo ing Li r $2 in t m h ve it 1 OF is a hi p F d cl e
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To Manchester
See our center map for recreational information.
And remember to say, CHEESE! 54
Vermont Provisions and Souvenirs ~ You’ll ďŹ nd it all here at the Cheese House, located on Historic Route 7A, Arlington, Vermont îƒŤe Cheese House is the place to shop for Vermont Cheeses. We oer a great selection of Vermont Farmstead Cheeses.
We’re more than just Cheese! Gis, Vermont Souvenirs, Sweats, Tees and Clothes!
Southern Vermont’s Needlepoint Shop
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For all your Needlepoint and Cross Stitch supplies
Be sure to visit Battenkill Stitchery 6350 Historic Route 7A, Sunderland, Vermont 05250 802-362-0654 • Email: battenkillstitchery@yahoo.com Hours: Open: Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 4pm • Closed: Monday & Tuesday
www.battenkillstitchery.com
Historic Route 7A Arlington, Vermont
Just South of Manchester
www.thevermontcheesehouse.com
Open 7 Days 802-375-9033
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Page 17
All Around The Shires
H
aving grown up in The Shires, I’ve come to appreciate just how much our region has to offer. It was not always so. Like many kids growing up, I could not wait to move away from my home town and explore the world. So I traveled around the country and around the world, and in so doing made a surprising discovery… that the place I most loved was right back where I had started. Many agree and our region has long been a destination for travelers to Vermont. Famous for it’s foliage, but not just that, I hope these suggestions will give you some ideas on how you can create your own memories of a lifetime in The Shires of Vermont!
SUGGESTED ITINERARIES Each of these suggestions represent a full day of activity. For a more relaxed pace, split over two days and include a night’s stay at a local motel or bed and breakfast. To include a show, do a half tour and then an early dinner to leave time to see a play at Oldcastle Theatre or the Dorset Theatre. Arts & Culture Tour #1
• Visit Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home in Manchester • Drive Route 7A (The Shires Byway) to Bennington • Lunch on Main Street and walk the downtown. • Visit “The Bennington” Center for The Arts • See a play at Oldcastle Theatre • Dinner at Pangaea in North Bennington
Arts & Culture Tour #2
• Breakfast at the Rooster Cafe in Manchester • Visit the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester • Lunch on Main Street in Manchester and walk the downtown area • Drive Route 7A (The Shires Byway) to Bennington • Visit the Bennington Museum • Dinner at the Bennington Station Restaurant
Historic Figures: Lincoln, Rockwell, Frost
• Breakfast in Manchester at Up for Breakfast on Main Street • Visit Hildene - the Lincoln Family Home • Drive Route 7A (The Shires Byway) • Stop at the Battenkill Gallery in Arlington to see the Norman Rockwell Exhibit • Stop at Robert Frost Stone House Museum in Shaftsbury • Visit the Old First Church just down from the monument to visit Robert Frost's grave. • Dinner in Bennington at Lil' Britain (authentic British fish & chips at it’s best!)
History Tour
• Breakfast at the famous Blue Benn Diner in Bennington located on North Street (route 7) • Visit the Bennington Museum - Military Gallery and Regional History • Visit the Bennington Battle Monument • Take a walking tour of Downtown Bennington (available at Downtown Welcome ctr., see pg. 6) • Lunch in Bennington at the Madison Brew Pub on Main Street • Drive Route 7A (The Shires Byway) to Manchester • Visit Museum of American Fly Fishing • Shop historic Main Street in Manchester • Dinner in Manchester at Ye Olde Tavern on the northern end of Main Street
Nature Enthusiast (mellow)
• For the Northshire: Fill a lunch basket at Al Ducci's in Manchester and walk the trails at the Equinox Preserve and eat lunch at Equinox Pond. • For the Southshire: fill a lunch basket at Powers Market in North Bennington and walk the trails in the Mile-Around Woods by the Historic Park McCullough Mansion in North Bennington, or at Woodford State Park, on Route 9 east of Bennington.
Page 18
Glass is HOT In Manchester!
F
un may not be a word you equate with glass, but at Manchester Hot Glass Art Studio & Gallery, fun should be somewhere in their name. From the brightly colored building and yarn bombed tree in the front yard, to the brilliant colored handblown glass and giant graffiti mural in the glassblowing studio, your eyes won't know where to start! When you visit, you know instantly this place is all about experiencing fine art and craft in a safe, fun, handson way. You can take one of three types of classes in glassblowing; paperweight making, blowing a glass object, and the popular Glassblowing 101. They have also expanded A great family activity, kids and adults can work with molten their class offerings into other fine crafts like jewelry, tieglass under the careful eye of glassblower Andrew Weill during a dye and silk dyeing. glass making class. See ad on page 18. Book ahead, they can get busy! Owners Andrew & Trish Weill are both experienced fine artists and teachers in their respective fields, and offer additional services like cus- by a friend of the Weill's. Manchester Hot Glass is located on tom orders, repairs, bridal registries, group classes and more. 79 Elm Street in Manchester Center, Vermont, and is open Everything in the studio is made on premises, or handmade year-round. Call for reservations, 802-362-2227.
Paddling in The Shires
See our centerfold recreation map for locations of lakes and river put-in locations. Here’s a few suggestions to get you started on your journey! Battenkill River World famous trout stream is also a fine canoeing river. Start in Arlington at first bridge on Rt 313 and take out before the NY/VT border. This trip is best in early summer or after a rain. Drier conditions may make parts of the river too low for canoes. About two hours, not including shuttle time. Check out the country store in West Arlington!
Lake Paran Located in North Bennington, state fishing and boat access is off North Road. Take Sage Street, next to Powers Market in North Bennington, then take a left on the access road right after crossing the river. Try paddling up the inlet at the far end of the lake!
Grout Pond Encircled by forest, this water body is several miles from any permanent human dwelling. There is a parking lot a few hundred feet from the shore, public toilets, and a launch for canoes or human-powered water craft. A short stroll from the parking lot are picnic tables with fireplaces that overlook several mini-beaches. Short hikes on marked trails around the pond bring one to remote camping and fishing sites. Another trail meanders two miles throught the Green Mountain National Forest before emerging on the shore of Somerset Reservoir. Opportunities for watching birds and wildlife are excellent. Access through East Arlington and then via the Kelly Stand road.
Branch Pond For those looking for more of a wilderness paddling experience, we recommend Branch Pond. Deep in the Green Mountain National Forest, this pond requires about a .25 mile portage from the road to the pond. The large pond has both marshy and deep water areas and is in an undisturbed Emerald Lake and Lake Shaftsbury wilderness setting. There are no amenities! Access through See article below for details. Both of these lakes are great East Arlington and then via the Kelly Stand road. for boating as well as other amenities. Admission is charged for state parks. Boat rentals are available at both locations. Walloomsac River Start at the Hentry Covered Bridge in Bennington, and take out either at the junction with Route 67 at the NY/VT line. About 45 minutes to one hour depending on water levels.
State Parks in The Shires
V
ermont State Parks offer a place to camp, play, relax, and explore! There are 52 state parks across the state, three of which are in The Shires, all offering a range of unique opportunities, such as great hiking, swimming, boat rentals, concession, vistas, wildlife viewing, and prime camp sites. Vermont State Parks’ website www.vtstateparks.com lists each park and the activities and amenities they offer as well as information on reservations, and lots photos of the parks and the people who enjoy them each year.
Woodford State Park (in Woodford, VT) is the highest elevation campground in the state at 2400’ above sea level. With easy trails, an open lake, and a bog to explore, it’s great for all ages. Woodford has boat rentals (canoe, kayak, and rowboats) 103 campsites, and is also a popular fishing location. If you stay overnight, be prepared to be awakened by an outstanding chorus of birds which serenade visitors, especially in the spring.
Lake Shaftsbury State Park (in Shaftsbury, VT) offers visitors a great beach and picnic areas, easy hikes around the lake, and a rental cottage. Row boats, pedal boats, kayaks, and canoes are all available for rent as well as a pic- Kayaking in The Shires of Vermont. Photo by Lee Krohn. nic shelter for large group gatherings. For those that need to refuel, a concession stand located in the park offers yummy Day entry into the parks is $3/per person if you’re 14 or older, $2 for kids under 3-14 yrs. old and free for kids 3 yrs. snacks at reasonable prices. old and younger. When you pay for entry into one park, you Emerald Lake State Park (in East Dorset, VT) includes a can get into all other for free that same day, so you can visit small clear, clean, and cold lake where visitors can rent a multiple parks if you’d like. For more information or to make a reservation call our kayak, canoe, pedal boat or rowboat. A concession stand, lakeside picnic tables, and a picnic pavilion for large groups reservation center, 888-409-7579, Monday – Friday 9am – are also available. 104 campsites are scattered on the heavily 4pm, visit www.vtstateparks.com, or send an email to parks@state.vt.us. wooded ridge above the lake.
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival Celebrating a tradition of the arts in Bennington
A
fter two successful years in Bennington, the Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival is once again returning to Camelot Village in Bennington July 31, August 1 & 2. 150 artists and artisans will display and sell their own handcrafted creations. The artists and artisans will be housed in Camelot style tents. In addition to the arts and crafts, there will be a Kids Zone, a food court, music, comic juggling, and Vermont Craft Beers. Bennington was without a major craft show since the American Crafts Council departed Mount Anthony High School in 1972. In 2013 Craftproducers brought its famous Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival to Bennington. This event had been held at Hildene in Manchester for nearly 30 years. When Hildene announced that its Meadows would be converted into agricultural pasture land, Craftproducers was left without a venue for its summer show as well as the Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival. As Necessity is often the Mother of Invention, Craftproducers listened to the overtures of the Bennington community and decided to move the Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival there. Manchester’s loss became Bennington’s gain. Craftproducers Fall Manchester event was successfully moved to The Practice Tee at Riley Rink in 2013. Now in its third year in Bennington, word has gotten out among the artists and artisans. “Bennington is back!” Seemingly, memories of the former craft show in Bennington remain vividly alive. Even after 40 years the craft community still remembers the original craft market. The public has come out in droves and avidly bought an abundance of craftworks. With such stellar sales, the grapevine spread the news. While the Festival has enjoyed an auspicious start, unless there is continued public support, the exhibitors will turn to more lucrative shows in larger markets. Many Bennington organizations are helping to create Bennington Arts Weekend, built around the Art/Craft Festival. On Friday July 31, Better Bennington Corporation has many activities planned. Under the umbrella of Bennington Arts Weekend, festivities will take place all around downtown Friday evening, July 31. Several galleries, the Masonic
Temple, and the Village Chocolate Shoppe will take part. On Saturday there will be a Craft of Home Brewing Competition at Four Corners North at the intersection of County and North Streets from noon until 4PM. A free shuttle bus will run between the Art/Craft Festival and the Competition during those hours. Other Bennington Arts Weekend events will be announced before July 18. The Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival is hosted at Camelot Village, also home of the Southern Vermont Garlic Festival. Camelot Village is worth a visit on its own. It is a sprawling multi-leveled barn full of antiques, collectibles, and furniture. The Festival is located on their lawns and pathways. There is a lovely food court under the shade of tall maple trees where picnic tables are available. A dining tent with tables and chairs provides shelter for eating lunch and listening to the live music. There is a differ-
July 31-Aug. 2
ent musical act daily. What’s a Festival without great food? This one will deliver delicious choices: falafel, chicken wraps, steak sandwiches, Chinese dumplings, sesame noodles, Greek salad, sausage, pepper, and onion sandwiches, French fries, espresso and lattes, lemonade, ice cream, hamburgers and hot dogs, and ramen soup. An assortment of Vermont craft beers will be served as well as a selection of summertime wines. The Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival will be held July 31, August 1 & 2 at Camelot Village, 66 Colgate Heights, on Route 9, a little over a mile west of the Intersection of Routes 7 and 9 in downtown Bennington. The Festival is open 10-5 on Friday and Saturday and 10-4 on Sunday. Adult admission is $8 and children are free. Rain or shine- under tents. No dogs, please. For more information and the latest details, visit www.craftproducers.com
Craft of Beer Homebrew Challenge & Street Festival August 1, noon to 4 pm
Free Shuttle to and from Southern VT Art and Craft Festival
P
lan a trip to Bennington on August 1 from noon to 4pm for the inaugeral “Craft of Beer Home Brew Challenge and Street Festival.” For this outdoor event, a section of County St. in Bennington, VT will be closed in order to create a street fair atmosphere with live music, delicious food trucks, and of course the best home brewed beer in the area! Events will be spread throughout County St. so you can sample beer, shop, listen to live music, and enjoy all that the 4 Corners North area has to offer. This is a family friendly event and there will be homemade root beer available. Admission to the street festival is free and $15 for those who would like to sample the home brewed beer and vote on their favorite. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event and will include a sampling glass. Please visit www.craftofbeer.weebly.com for additional information about the festival. Also, like us on Facebook at: Craft of Beer Home Brew Challenge. The Craft of Beer Home Brew Challenge is sponsored by the B.C.I.C (Bennington County Industrial Corp.), The Tap House at Catamount Glass, and Madison Brewing
Beer lovers take note! Sample from the creations of 50 local and regional homebrewers!
Company with contributions from the Bennington Potters and Hawkins House. The event is part of the Bennington Arts Weekend (July 31- Aug. 2) which also features the Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival located at Camelot Village. There will
be a free shuttle bus between the two events from noon to four so you can park free at the Craft Festival and be taken to and from the Craft of Beer event, or vice versa, although parking is easier at the Craft Festival, located on Route 9 west of downtown Bennington.
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Page 19
Hike at the Equinox Preservation Trust
T
he Equinox Preserve covers 914 acres of forest lands on the eastern slopes of Mount Equinox in Manchester, Vermont. It is open to the public for year-round, non-motorized recreation. Over 11 miles of marked and maintained trails provide access to these unique mountainous woodlands.
The land’s owner, the Equinox Resort & Spa,first donated conservation easements on 850 acres to the Vermont Land Trust & The Nature Conservancy of Vermont in 1996. An additional 64 acres of conserved lands were placed under the protection of the Vermont Land Trust in September 2006. The
est way to beat the heat in summer is to head to your nearest water hole and jump in! For small kids I recommend Lake Shaftsbury State Park (see center map for locations mentioned in this story) with it’s wide sandy beach suitable for castle building, large shallow end, and snack bar. Nice facilities, picnic areas, boat rentals, and grills. Fee charged. No lifeguard on duty. For later in the summer as things heat up, you may prefer Lake Paran in North Bennington. This lake is deeper and stays refreshingly cold. A small fee is charged. Snack bar, facilities, and a lifeguard. For a more adult experience, my favorite spot is the Dorset Quarry on Route 30 in Dorset. NOT for children, this very deep quarry is ringed by cliffs and is an amazing, beautiful place to swim. No facilies, no conveniences, and no charge.
Another place to cool off is in the Roaring Branch River, on Route 9, east of Bennington. Park along the highway (on the south side, or your right coming from Bennington), after you see the sign for the National Forest. A series of informal trails lead to a number of shallow swimming holes along the river. River temperatures range from frigid in the early summer to cold in the late summer. Not for very small children, but a fun experience for elementary age children with adult supervision. This is on National Forest lands and there are no facilities, no fees, and you are expected to pack out whatever you pack in. Emerald Lake is also a good choice. Located north of Manchester, this deep lake is nestled on the east slope of Dorset Mountain. A state park (See story on state parks on page 18) there is an admission, but it has amenities that make this family friendly.
Lakes, Quarries, and Swimming Holes B
These two pages are sponsored by: See our ad on page 7
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Equinox Preservation Trust was formed in 1996 to oversee the management of these protected lands. Land and trail maintenance and educational programs in the Preserve are managed by the Equinox Preservation Trust Forest and Trails Steward.
A leap of faith off the dock at Lake Paran.
Vermont Products and Gifts
PLUS: Cafe New England Coffee, Tea, Pastries, Lunch Fare
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Arts, Culture, and Local Lore in The Shires of Vermont
From Presidents to Pollinators It’s Summer at Hildene, the Lincoln Family Home!
T
he guest experience at Hildene begins at the Welcome Center where visitors get a glimpse of all that Hildene’s mission: Values into Action encompasses, access information on its venues, walking trails, and transportation. Introductory films focus on the history of the family and restoration of the 1903 Pullman Palace car, Sunbeam. The tour of Robert and Mary Lincoln’s home brings the family’s story to life. Robert built Hildene in 1905, during his tenure as president of the Pullman Company. Home to three generations of Lincoln descendants, it is here that Robert’s famous father, Abraham Lincoln is honored in a thought provoking exhibit: “The American Ideal: Abraham Lincoln and The Second Inaugural” which includes one of only three of Abe’s iconic stovepipes in existence. A visit to the home includes the family’s formal garden bounded by the Taconic and Green Mountains, with the Battenkill running through the valley below. The setting was inspiration for the name Hildene which means “hill and valley with stream.” Jessie, President Lincoln’s granddaughter, designed the formal garden to resemble a stained glass window as a gift to her mother, Mary Lincoln, in 1907. Late May through mid-June it is abloom with more than 1,000 peony blossoms. Summer to fall, the floral hues are provided by perennials. This is only one of the estates’ many lovely gardens. A short walk from the house, is the meticulously restored 1903 wooden Pullman car, Sunbeam, and the provocative exhibit “Many Voices” which focuses on social history filled with paradox. The early leaders of the Pullman Company (George Pullman and Robert Lincoln), privileged passengers, black porters, and people who experience it today, are the “Many Voices.” Set against a timeline that spans the 100 years between President Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, its content provides a platform for civil civic discourse and places Hildene on the Vermont African American Heritage Trail. The family’s agricultural legacy is honored at both levels of Hildene Farm. At the goat dairy and cheese-making facility, guests discover a 21st century solar powered barn where the cheese-making is publically viewed and where they interact with the farm environment and the Nubian goats in residence.
Farmers’ Markets
For wonderful local produce, baked goods, cheeses, and entertainment, visit your local farmers market.
Bennington - Walloomsac Farmers Market www.walloomsac.org Located at Depot Street in Bennington, adjacent to the Bennington Station Restaurant, and at the terminus of the pedestrian River Walk. The market is open on Saturdays 10 am to 1 pm, and on Tuesdays 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
Manchester Farmers Market www.manchestermarket.org Located at Adams Park near the Chamber of Commerce office on Main Street. The market is open on Thursdays from 2 pm to 6 pm.
Dorset Farmers Market www.dorsetfarmersmarket.com Located on the grounds of the HN Williams Store on Route 30, in Dorset. The market is open on Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm.
Earth, Sky, Time Farm www.earthskytime.com Look for this local organic farm’s produce at the Manchester and Dorset farmers markets… and watch for their farm stand located on Route 7A south of Manchester Village.
Exhibits and displays at Hildene, the Lincoln family home, bring the story of Lincoln and his heirs to life in this exquisite estate. A must see for all ages when visiting The Shires of Vermont!
The 200 acres below the home in the Dene, bear testimony to an emerging agricultural and educational project that includes construction of a state of the art teaching greenhouse and a compost facility. The Dene, accessible by walking, riding the tram or a once a day wagon is where guests experience the farm, learn about songbird habitat and pollinator sanctuary initiatives and traverse the bordering wetland on a 600’ floating boardwalk.
Visits usually end as they started… at The Welcome Center where guests can taste Hildene artisanal cheeses in The Museum Store and choose items from heirloom peony seeds to a Lincoln book as a reminder of their Hildene experience. Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home is as much about the future as it is about the past. Open daily, year round from 9:30 to 4:30. For more information visit www.hildene.org or like us on Facebook.
Suggested Bicycle Tour in The Shires Suggested Start/Finish Location: Adams Park (on Main Street north of roundabout at Northshire Bookstore)
Route Directions: From Adams Park on Route 7A just north of Manchester’s Downtown, head down Center Hill, through the traffic signals at Route 11/30, and onto Richville Road. Continue south on Richville Road to River Road where a left turn continues you on your way downstream into Sunderland. At the Sunderland town highway garage, stay left and climb and then descend Sunderland Hill Road through the Chiselville Covered Bridge into East Arlington. Turn left at the Chippenhook Store onto Old Mill Road. After passing through East Arlington Village and climbing a short hill turn right onto South Road. At Route 313 turn right and continue over a rise to Warm Brook Road. Turn right and proceed a short distance to Ice Pond Road. Follow Ice Pond Road back into East Arlington Village, turn left onto Old Mill Road, and then right back onto Maple Street (Sunderland Hill Road). Retrace your route back through the Chiselville Covered Bridge along Sunderland Hill Road all the way to Richville Road, but now continue straight on River Road. After a short climb River Road intersects Route 7A in Manchester Village. At the Mark Skinner Library veer left onto West Road and proceed north to Ways Lane and follow it back down to Route 7A in Manchester Center. Turn left and continue back to Adams Park.
Manchester-Arlington Tour Route Length: 25 miles
Route Terrain: Hilly
Vehicular Traffic: Light to Moderate
© courtesy of BCRC
Need bike repairs, rentals, or maps?
Check out Battenkill Sports in Manchester (ad page 23)
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Page 21
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Wide Selection of Lighting from Country to Contemporary and we stock a variety of lamp shades.
Vermont’s Best BUTTERCRUNCH! Artisan Chocolates ~ Specialty Cakes ~ Pastries
4919 Main Street • Manchester, Vermont 802-362-2077 ~or~ 800-799-0891 www.thelightingplace.com
Daily 10-5 • Sunday 1-5
70 4367 Main Street • Manchester Center, VT 802-362-1560 • www.mothermyricks.com
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OUTDOOR DINING Route 7A ~ 4961 Main St. Manchester Center, Vermont Located between Toys in the Attic and Long Ago & Far Away
(802) 362-1254 www.manchestergourmetdeli.com
Catering Platters Available Vegetarian & Gluten-Free Options 84 Breakfast & Lunch Served Daily Large Selection of Deli Platters and Salads
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This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
Manchester ~ Incorporated 1761 • Population 4,285 ~
Manchester & the Mountains Chamber of Commerce - 800-362-4144 • www.manchestervermont.net Manchester Town Office - 802-362-4824 • www.manchester-vt.gov Sto ne Va l
To Rutland
Map not to scale. Not all roads shown.
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Library Picnic Area
Parking
Recreation Center
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A view to remember! Drive to the top of Mount Equinox
MANCHESTER
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American Museum of Fly Fishing
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MANCHESTER VILLAGE
11 30
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Did you know? Charles F. Orvis began his fly fishing tackle shop in 1856. He created the first “modern” fly reel and began what is now the oldest mail order business in the United States.
To Ski Areas
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So. VT Arts Center
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HISTORIC ROUTE
Map Key
E. Manches ter RD
Union Street
Prospect Rock Trail
To Dorset To Rupert
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Post Office
Glen Rd
For additional hiking information see centermap.
Lye Brook Falls Trail
HISTORIC ROUTE
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The Lincoln Family Home
Battenkill Sports Bike Shop Repairs on all makes Trek - Specialized Gary Fisher - Thule Racks
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Quality rental bikes. Mountain, hybrid, and road bikes. Includes helmet, lock, map and route suggestions. Large selection of men and womens cycling clothing.
Call in for the BEST pricing for the
2015-16 HEATING SEASON For Propane Prices, DAREUS TO COMPARE! 7
Call Toll-Free 518-794-9066 Monday through Friday 8am - 4pm Route 20 • West Lebanon, NY
www.hlfuel.com
Stone House Rt. 11/30, Manchester Center 802-362-2734 • Outside Vt. 800-340-2734
www.BattenkillSports.com • www.facebook.com/battenkillsports
Serving the Shires of Vermont
This Is Vermont: Guide to The Shires of Vermont – www.thisisvermont.com – Summer 2015
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american hand-crafted • fair trade • unique & fun jewelry • pottery • glass • wood • clothing • bags • toys
Extraordinary selection of jewelry and fine gifts
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free craftsmarket & gallery 13 www.hawkinshouse.com 262 north street • bennington, vermont • 802-447-0488 • open 7 days gift wrapping