All Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category
Pack your child’s lunch with homemade fig Newtons
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com These remarkable sugar cookie fig Newtons are a little crispier than what you are used to in stores but none-the-less deliciously exact in flavor. If you want a fluffier cookie, add 1 teaspoon baking soda to cookie. What is nice about this recipe is that not only can you use any […]
Fight off insects with nature, not chemicals
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC As an organic gardener, I am always looking for ways to minimize the chances of pests or diseases in my garden. I don’t use fungicides or insecticides, even those that are all-natural and are approved for use by organic farmers and gardeners. I want it all: tasty veggies […]
A no-cook recipe for a stress-free Thanksgiving
© 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC With all the effort that goes into the Norman Rockwell (or Martha Stewart) vision of Thanksgiving, the holiday meal can be the source of much stress. Hours of cooking result in a relative few minutes of dining and it always seems like something – a disappointing pie or a cranberry […]
Superheros, princesses, vampires and a walking taco descend on Chester
© 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC An unusually large crowd of Halloween revelers marched from Chester-Andover Elementary School to the Green and back late Saturday afternoon before digging into the trunk or treat offerings and going on a hayride. Two Chester Fire Department firetrucks led the way while two more noisily brought up the rear. Here […]
Chester Chatter: Time moved slowly, and a steeple clock dazzled
By Ruthie Douglas © 2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Growing up in a hill town of rural Vermont in the 1920s, life moved at a slow pace. My mother-in-law Helene told me many stories of her growing up in Windham. Her father was a sawyer at the mill, and her family included three brothers and her […]
Embrace the fall with a hearty ragout
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com The fall is the perfect time of year for a ragout of this caliber! Ragouts are usually heavily spiced and is usually considered a stew but I took this one step further, transforming this into a substantial meal with just the right amount of spice. 2 links sweet or hot Italian […]
From summer garden to winter table: storing your harvest
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC This was a good gardening year with adequate rain and adequate sun. I have enough food from the vegetable garden to sample some every day, for the rest of the year. Eating something from my garden every day is a bit of an obsession, but not all that […]
People in the news
Chester Legion welcomes new national commander Chester American Legion Post 67 members welcomed new National Commander Denise Rohan to a luncheon on Monday, Oct. 23 as she tours the American Legions in the United States. As the first woman elected to the national position of the 99 year old organization, Rohan had several humorous stories […]
Apple Blossom Cotillion gets news director;
Girl Scouts announces challenge grant fund-raiser
New director for Apple Blossom Cotillion The Apple Blossom Cotillion — a community tradition for 61 years — has a new volunteer director, Madison Moreau. While relatively new to the local area, Moreau has been studying and teaching dance for more than 15 years. Not only did she have her choreographic pieces featured at Hampshire […]
Halloween happenings around the region
A number of child-friendly Halloween events will be taking place throughout the area beginning on Saturday, Oct. 28. Humane Society Howl-O-Ween Springfield Humane Society holds its third annual Howl-O-Ween dog walk/costume contest from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28 on the Toonerville Trail Connecticut River Road in Springfield. Prizes will be awarded to […]
Chester Chatter: Farm life and the family business
By Ruthie Douglas ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC The family farm of times past was a great place to put down your roots. It was a comfort zone. When I married Don Douglas, I had never been in a barn before. Don wanted to show me the cows and calves. I was afraid of the cows […]
Grab the last bits of summer with a pineapple cream pie
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com We have all heard of the classic coconut cream pie; but what’s to stop you from adding some extra sweetness? With the addition of pineapple you get a tasty twist on this old classic! One 9-inch prebaked pie crust 1/2 fresh pineapple 2 cups coconut milk 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1/4 […]
Little bloomers grace the garden in fall
By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Frost was late this year. It was nearly mid-October before we had a hard frost, one that murdered the zinnias and blackened the basil. For me, hard frost is a day to mourn a little, to spend a few moments missing the summer that passed, for the tomatoes […]
Pennies for the Playground 5-K seeks participants, volunteers
The second annual Pennies for the Playground 5K run, walk and kids fun run will be held on Saturday, Oct. 28 at Chester-Andover Elementary School on Main Street in Chester. All proceeds for the event will go toward a much-needed new playground and the Girls on the Run program at CAES. The 5K will start […]
Plant garlic now for a delicious summer harvest
FROM THE EDITOR: The Chester Telegraph is happy to welcome gardening expert Henry Homeyer to our family. You’ll be able to read his column beginning today and every Sunday morning hereafter. By Henry Homeyer ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC Growing garlic involves less work than anything else I grow. There really are only three steps: plant […]
Chester Chatter: A home filled with dancing and love
By Ruthie Douglas ©2017 Telegraph Publishing LLC During the Depression, my mother was left a widow with three young children. She was a widow for five years when she met my father. They were married and soon had my sister Marie and me, making it a family of five daughters. Times were tough. But my […]
A classic Maine bread with a Yankee flair
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com Maine Black Bread: It’s simple and sweet but without being too sweet. It’s reminiscent of Russian black bread, but with a Yankee flair. 1 1/2 cups very hot water, divided 1/4 cup cornmeal 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, room temperature 1/4 cup molasses 1 teaspoon salt One(1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast […]
St. Luke’s holds blessing of animals
©2017 Telegraph Publishing, LLC Every year on the weekend closest to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Chester holds a blessing of the animals. This year the feast day was Wednesday Oct. 4 and so on the warm, sunny Saturday and Sunday the Rev. Heidi Edson welcomed any animal […]
Annual winterwear collection under way;
3SquaresVT offers food purchasing help
Chester, Andover collecting winterwear for donating For the 10th year, churches, schools and organizations in Chester and Andover are joining forces to collect new and gently used outerwear and blankets to be distributed free to anyone who needs them. What has been outgrown or no longer needed in one household will be welcomed by other […]
Arts events: Oct. 13 through Oct. 14, 2017
For more upcoming events, click here for The Chester Telegraph calendar. To be included in our Upcoming Events briefs, email Susan Lampe-Wilson at calendar@chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please. Notices must be received by noon on Fridays to be eligible for publication the following week. Oct. 13: Claremont Opera House hosts open house Claremont Open […]
