All Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category
Mini strawberry pies make a great snack
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com I do realize strawberry season here in Maine is a few months away, but have you seen the price of strawberries from abroad lately? At $1.98 a quart, you bet I am going to take advantage of them. Those in California who believe their strawberries are superior, who am I to […]
Family Center annual dinner; diabetes class; young playwrights read; and VSO in concert
Chester-Andover Family Center will acknowledge and thank its student volunteers at its annual dinner meeting at 5:30 p.m., Monday, June 3, at the Chester American Legion, 637 VT Route 103 S. in Chester. As an all-volunteer organization, the family center counts on these young people for help with many of the daily tasks such as […]
Volunteers ready Grateful Garden for planting
On Saturday, May 18, a number of families came together to clean up the Grateful Garden beds, on the Chester-Andover Elementary School campus, transforming them from weed-infested to ready-to-plant beds. Along the way, says Grateful Garden founder Carrie King, the volunteers met beetles, toads, old potatoes, rocks, worms and favorite perennials like asparagus, lemon balm, […]
A savory and garlicky chicken comes home to roost
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com Simple. Simple. Simple. Don’t be dismayed at the ingredient list. You should already have the items in stock. And despite the number of ingredients, the preparation is oh so simple. Savory Chinese Garlic Chicken You don’t have to stick with the vegetables listed. Add some sliced water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, cauliflower, […]
Fish Ladder Visitors Center opens; Chester artists open for Studio Weekend; Cavendish grants awarded
The Bellows Falls Fish Ladder Visitor Center will open for the season at 10 a.m. Friday, May 24 next to the Post Office on Bridge Street in Bellows Falls. The center’s regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Long-time environmental educator […]
Chester son screens locally shot short film
Professional photographer Julian Ungano , center below, who grew up in Chester, takes questions from audience members following the local screening of his short film And After All at the Vermont Institute for Contemporary Art on Saturday. Portions of the film were shot last winter in and around Chester using local extras, some of whom were […]
Season’s Greenings
The long winter has finally ended but the weather has been holding us in a limbo of lukewarm days and cold nights — not what most Southern Vermonters are looking for so long after maple sugaring has ended. Still, the signs are here and, on Tuesday, Shawn Cunningham ventured out camera in hand to capture […]
Peanut butter mousse a delight for the kids, a treat for yourself
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com Peanut butter and fluff! Gotcha! Thought this was going to be our old childhood standby of a sandwich, didn’t you? I’m making peanut butter and fluff desserts this week simply because peanut butter and Fluff are the two items my kids will never say no to. By taking my favorite berry […]
Parenting course begins; Rockingham Library temporarily closed; poetry stars at celestial event; BRAM walk & FOLA series
Free course for parents of older children The Collaborative is offering a free, six-session Positive Parenting course at 7–9 p.m., on consecutive Mondays through June 24 in the SongYard, above the Moondog Café, 295 Main St. The course began on May 13. The next classes will be held on May 27, June 3, June 10, […]
Playhouse expands V-Tix program; Beethoven in Vermont; ‘War Horse’ at Ludlow; toe-tapping music in Proctorsville
The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company announces initiatives to make its popular plays and musicals affordable for all Vermonters and anyone who asks. Single tickets are now on sale for a summer season that includes everything from Broadway musical favorites to exciting new works. The Vermonter Tickets program — V-Tix — which was introduced several years […]
Ailing from spring fever? Feed it with a simple salad side dish
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com I have a fever. Spring fever that is. Every time the sun pops out and I see the temperature rising a little more each day or I see the flowers struggling to open their chilly petals, I know primavera (translated literally to springtime) will prevail itself in my cooking. What a […]
A fruity couscous for springtime dining
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com I know, I know! It has been four full months since Christmas, and I still have leftover dried fruit in the cupboard. That’s the beauty of not only dried fruit but of being a Yankee. Not only does dried fruit seemingly last forever, but I will only throw out food if […]
May books usher in rich, colorful and rewarding worlds
By John Hoover For the rest of the world, spring began in the month of March with the arrival of the Vernal Equinox. But in Chester, May is the month when spring finally arrives and we put away our winter coats and gloves and boots. May also is Mother’s Day, getting out in the garden […]
Weston Playhouse hosts open Artist Salon; Manchester theater reopens; Skygate Farm pond tour
The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company announces its sixth annual Artists Retreat, hosting seven collaborating artists for a week’s work in Vermont, capped by a free Artist Salon at the Weston Playhouse, 703 Main St., Weston, from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 4. An informal reception with the artists will follow. At the Salon, Artist […]
Celtic & gospel music at Baptist Church; Chorale & orchestra present Bach; Whiting book discussion; Weston Playhouse sets gala
Celtic/gospel performers The Sky Family will perform their high energy Celtic dance and Gospel production “Celtic Revival” 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, downstairs at the Chester Baptist Church, 162 Main St. as part of the church’s ground4LIFE program. The Skys, eastern Canada’s premiere Irish dance artists, are known for fast-paced fiddle music and high-energy Irish […]
Coddled eggs in chili for breakast, lunch or dinner
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com Although this recipe may look as though it would be for breakfast, why not enjoy this spicy egg dish anytime throughout the day? While it contains no meat, you will find this to be satisfying and you won’t have to look down at the scale afterward. If desired, grill a slab […]
It’s almost time to Green Up Chester!
Vermont’s Green Up Day is on Saturday, May 4th. The town of Chester and the Chester Conservation Committee support Green Up Day by coordinating the Green Up efforts, picking up large loads of trash and by putting a dumpster at the Town Garage. Volunteers are encouraged to green up roadways in their area anytime this […]
Operation Christmas; Nature museum events; Windham Orchestra premier in Chester and more
A workshop to benefit Operation Christmas Child will be held in Willard Hall at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 313 Main St. in Chester, Friday, April 19, from 2 to 7 p.m. Toys, games and learning pieces will be created with glue and scissors and recycled objects to send to Operation Christmas Child. No special skills […]
Old time griddle cakes get a twist with ricotta and maple
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com I doubt if anyone remembers griddle cakes from generations ago and I doubt even further that you will find these delightful taste treats in any restaurant. And both are a shame. The precursor of pancakes of today, griddle cakes were simply very thin pancakes that were much crispier and more tender […]
Nature vacation camps; St. Luke’s hosts Pampered Chef; Speckers to perform; and a talk on chestnut trees
Children’s vacation camps in Grafton The Nature Museum in Grafton is heading out into the woods and fields over April break with three one-day school vacation camps for children ages 3 to 12. On Tuesday, April 16, registered 6- to 8-year-olds will experience the water cycle and learn about conservation in “Water, Water Everywhere.” Wednesday, […]
