RSSAll Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category

Henry Homeyer: kick off the season, start your seeds indoors

Henry Homeyer: kick off the season, start your seeds indoors

By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing By now many gardeners are fed up with winter: icy sidewalks, misplaced mittens, and dogs that need to go out at 5 below zero. But it will soon be time to start planting seeds indoors, so you might want to start getting ready now. It’s true that greenhouses […]

Chester on Ice! Annual Winter Carnival lures smiling families on a snowy weekend

Chester on Ice! Annual Winter Carnival lures smiling families on a snowy weekend

 By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC A light snowfall helped set a festive mood as the annual Chester Winter Carnival kicked off on Saturday Feb 19. By 2 p.m., more than 150 kids had ridden the mini-snowmobiles, according to the Chester Snowmobile Club, which sponsored that portion of the event. One visitor […]

Weston Pop-Up University returns

Weston Pop-Up University returns

After successful seasons in the past two years, Weston Pop-Up University returns in March with a new list of fun and informative courses. The 10-class schedule invites you to cook with the chef from The Hub at Weston, learn some Broadway dance steps, try some cartooning with a local artist, taste some wine with a […]

Poetry slams, workshops to be held in Chester

Poetry slams, workshops to be held in Chester

It’s time to pull out your poetry notebook. Or, better yet, start a poetry notebook. You’ll want to be ready to take part in or just enjoy the Thursday-evening Stone Village Poetry Experience in March, April and May. Or just to come listen—it’s a lot of fun! Co-sponsored by Chester’s Whiting Library and the First […]

Chester Chatter: The beginnings of a writer

Chester Chatter: The beginnings of a writer

By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Recently, while going through some old papers I came across a scrapbook of my early writings for the newspaper and recall the time in 1978 that I came to work for The Springfield Reporter. My dear friend Adoree Allen, who was a writer for The Springfield Reporter, asked […]

Henry Homeyer: It’s time to order your seeds

Henry Homeyer: It’s time to order your seeds

By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing When I was a young man my mailbox was often blessed with seed catalogs at this time of year. Now? Not so much. Back then I pored over them. I drooled over the listings. I wrote checks for small amounts and mailed them off to the companies offering […]

Chester Chatter: Time to spread some love

Chester Chatter: Time to spread some love

By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Happy Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is certainly a man-made holiday, to benefit candymakers, florists and greeting card companies. But it’s a good reminder to make sure that at least once a year you let those you love know it. For years, I have saved little mementos that my […]

Henry Homeyer: Winter musings on having a great garden

Henry Homeyer: Winter musings on having a great garden

By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing T his is a good time for all of us to stop and reflect on how we garden. Are we creating lovely-looking spaces, but failing to support pollinators, birds and wildlife? What about the environment? Can we do more? If so, how can we improve? Here are a […]

Chester Winter Carnival schedule

Chester Winter Carnival schedule

© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Chester’s Annual Winter Carnival is just a week and a half away. Pull out those old skates, grab a sled or flying saucer and head on over to the Pinnacle Recreation Area for some fun. Here is the calendar of events. Saturday, Feb. 19 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. – […]

Chester Chatter: A little sunshine on a cold winter's day

Chester Chatter: A little sunshine on a cold winter’s day

By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The ground hog has spoken. He says six more weeks of winter and then a warm spring. I have been sick of watching the weather out my window and reflecting upon my memories of times gone past. As a teenager, I listened to the radio and played records […]

Henry Homeyer: Everything to know about 2022 flower shows

Henry Homeyer: Everything to know about 2022 flower shows

By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing Usually at this time of year I am planning my travel to the various flower shows around New England: Boston, Connecticut or Vermont. Perhaps Maine. Not this year. Most of the shows have been put off due to Covid, including the Boston Show, which cancelled recently. The Connecticut […]

West River Farmers Market accepting vendor applications for 2022 season

West River Farmers Market accepting vendor applications for 2022 season

The vendor applications for the 2022 summer season with the West River Farmers Market is now available through its website. Applicants must review the updated 2022 Market Rules & Vendor Agreement before applying. The market accepts applications from vendors who produce agricultural products, prepared foods, arts and crafts, and vendors who provide services. All goods […]

Clutter got you down? Tidying expert to give free presentation at Neighborhood Connections

Clutter got you down? Tidying expert to give free presentation at Neighborhood Connections

Clutter can affect our anxiety levels, sleep, and ability to focus. It can also make us less productive, triggering coping and avoidance strategies that make us more likely to snack on junk food and watch TV shows (including ones about other people decluttering their lives.). Are you feeling overwhelmed by clutter, but don’t know where […]

Cabin Fever Auction to benefit Grace Cottage

Cabin Fever Auction to benefit Grace Cottage

Picture yourself on a tropical vacation or on safari in South Africa! Or create a new view at home with some artwork or a local craft item. Or maybe you’re hankering for a dinner outing. Grace Cottage’s annual Cabin Fever Online Auction offers over 150 items donated by generous local businesses and individuals, with all […]

Program focuses on quality of the Williams River

Program focuses on quality of the Williams River

Water quality monitoring  samples have been collected along the Williams River for many years. Ryan O’Donnell, water quality coordinator for the Southeastern Vermont Watershed Alliance and the Connecticut River Conservancy, will present the results of several years of monitoring studies from the river during an online Zoom discussion at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9. […]

Ticket lottery underway to attend 'Antiques Roadshow' in Vermont

Ticket lottery underway to attend ‘Antiques Roadshow’ in Vermont

Antiques Roadshow will make its first visit to Vermont at the Shelburne Museum on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 for an all-day appraisal event as part of the series’ 27th production tour. “We’re thrilled to be part of Antiques Roadshow 2022 and the show’s first visit to Vermont. This is an amazing opportunity to spotlight our […]

Chester Chatter: The warm aromas of the kitchen

Chester Chatter: The warm aromas of the kitchen

By Ruthie Douglas ©2022 Telegraph Publishing Co. The world as I once knew it has long passed. Perhaps it is because I am old, what is known as “elderly.” I also have had plenty of time to reflect on my past years. And this frigid winter has made me reflect on my childhood. On dark […]

Henry Homeyer: Fight back against Japanese knotweed

Henry Homeyer: Fight back against Japanese knotweed

By Henry Homeyer © 2022 Telegraph Publishing I am lucky guy: for one thing, I have no Japanese knotweed. Many is the gardener who has e-mailed me asking, “What can I do to get rid of Japanese knotweed?” My usual answer? Sell the house. Japanese knotweed, commonly called bamboo because of its hollow, segmented stems, […]

Black River Action Team seeks 'River Dippers'

Black River Action Team seeks ‘River Dippers’

Have you got what it takes to be a volunteer “River Dipper” with the Black River Action Team? It takes a love of the outdoors (especially our river and the streams that feed it), an ability to drive to your site or sites as needed (regular Dippers sample every other weekend between mid-May and mid-August, […]

Frigid weather grows Popple Dungeon sculpture

Frigid weather grows Popple Dungeon sculpture

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC While the recent cold snap has frozen pipes, drained heating fuel tanks and put deep dents into wood piles, there’s one bright side to the frigid weather. Peter Delaney’s annual ice sculpture is growing fast on his Chester property. At the beginning of the season, the mild […]