All Entries in the "Community and Arts Life" Category

Chester Chatter: Knee-deep in granddaddy bullfrogs
By Ruthie Douglas ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC The frog pond at the end of our street provided us kids with hours of fun. When the ice went out in the spring, we would start to build a couple of rafts and paddle up and down the length of it, which was quite long. We had […]

Try a comforting savory pork stew
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com So thick you can actually eat this winter time bowl of goodness with a fork. White potatoes or even that leftover pie pumpkin works easily here as well as sweet potatoes. I don’t pretend this is a gourmet meal, nor do I tout this simple recipe as something that will garner […]

Henry Homeyer: Tricks and tips to help you grow house plants
By Henry Homeyer ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC Even the best vegetable gardener can struggle to keep house plants alive. A champion rose gardener can sometimes kill her fiddle-leafed fig or her “mother-in-law’s tongue” (also called the snake plant or Sansevieria). Why? Because the growing conditions are really very different. And indoors plants really do depend […]

‘Borderline,’ Weston’s 2018 New Musical Award winner in concert March 3
The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company has announced that Aryanna Garber and Benjamin Velez are the winners its 12th Annual New Musical Award for their musical Borderline. The winners of the award will come together with a small ensemble of actors to rehearse and record selections from the score with Grammy winner Kurt Deutsch of Sh-K-Boom […]

Chester Chatter: I had no beef with my calf Elvis
By Ruthie Douglas ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC When we sold the farm, we wondered what do we do now? Our lifestyle as we knew it took a turn. Don got a job at Fellows Gear Shaper and I worked at Magic Mountain. Don thought we should raise a calf for beef, so we got a […]

Strawberry streusel cake a great way to start the morning
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com This strawberry streusel is a delicious way to start your day. A coffee cake truly, use whatever fruit or berries you desire. It bakes high, tastes great and is the best when eaten right from the oven. Nonstick cooking spray 1 cup chopped, fresh strawberries 1 1/3 cups strawberry all fruit, […]

Henry Homeyer: 10 ways to become a great gardener
By Henry Homeyer ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC If you want to become a great gardener, you can. It’s really not that hard. Here are 10 things you can do that will help you achieve that goal. Take classes. The flower shows are starting up, and they all have classes with speakers who have been selected […]

Call for vendors for the 2018 Chester Fall Festival
Applications for the annual Chester Fall Festival on the Green, scheduled for Sept. 15 to 16 are available. High quality artists and craftspeople creating handmade work in New England are encouraged to participate. Applications are due by April 1. Download an application and guidelines at www.chesterfallfestival.org. Participating vendors will be listed on the Fall Festival […]

13 high school seniors work toward Apple Blossom Cotillion
The 62nd Apple Blossom Cotillion is three months away, but the hard work for its participants began on Sunday, Jan. 7 at Riverside Gymnasium in Springfield and will continue every Sunday until the big night on May 5. Thirteen high school senior girls and their chosen escorts will be joined by 25 elementary school couples […]

Chester Chatter: A sweet-filled Valentine’s Day in grade school
By Ruthie Douglas ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC Excitement was running high in the classroom. Soon it would be Valentine’s Day. We kids knew that meant a party. The art teacher helped us make mailboxes for our Valentine cards. We brought in boxes to be decorated. A shoe box was just the right size. Available were […]

Smother your palate with tradition and flavor
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com Well worth your patience and time, the preparation of true Smothered Beef and Onions results in fall-apart tender beef and the great taste of seasoned onions with beef gravy blanketing the entire dish. In the classic preparation, you can use any type of stew beef because you simmer the meat until […]

Henry Homeyer: Grab your seed catalogs and start to plan
By Henry Homeyer ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC Groundhog’s Day has come and gone. That means we’re coming down home stretch. Winter is more than half gone. It’s time to think about ordering seeds, if you haven’t yet. Many great gardeners just don’t bother starting seedlings indoors. They say it takes too much time and effort. […]

Maloof named youth coordinator at Chester Universalist Parish
The First Universal Parish of Chester, 211 North St., welcomes Jamie Maloof as its new youth coordinator. Maloof leads a children’s program at 9:30 a.m. on the first and third Sunday of the month. The schedule is subject to change so check the church website: www.chestervtuu.org. Children begin the morning in church for opening words, […]

Chester Winter Carnival set for Feb. 16-Feb. 18, 2018
The annual Chester Winter Carnival will be held Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18 with events for children of all ages. The weekend kicks off with a free dinner and movie for children at Chester-Andover Elementary School and finishes up with a team Broom-Hockey tournament at the Pinnacle. See the full schedule of events […]

Chester Chatter: When trains were public transportation
By Ruthie Douglas © 2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC One thing that has always brought me pleasure is reminiscing with old timers. I spent much time listening to Wally Balch and his tales of times gone by. For 80 cents round trip he commuted to his job in Bellows Falls. The ride home was particularly relaxing […]

A crispy gnocchi perfect with a salad, a glass of wine
By Jim Bailey theyankeechef.blogspot.com Gnocchi alla Romana is a completely different type of gnocchi than the one you may be used to, but this is gnocchi none-the-less. I think you will find this change of Italian pace, refreshing, simple and very flavorful. A great addition to antipasto salad and a glass of vino. Vegetable oil […]

Henry Homeyer: I love plants, but I hate these
By Henry Homeyer ©2018 Telegraph Publishing LLC There are a few plants I just do not like. Yes, I’m known as the Gardening Guy and have the website to prove it (www.Gardening-Guy.com). So I should love – or at least like – all plants. But I don’t. Now, in mid-winter, it’s a good time to […]

Prom wear donations sought for annual Thrift Shop sale
The Chester Andover Family Center is collecting prom wear for a special public service event to be held on April 4, prior to local high school proms. Every teen deserves to attend his or her prom dressed in beautiful, affordable prom wear. At our second annual Prom Shopping event last April, teens from Chester, Springfield, […]

Kinetic artists sought for monthlong exhibit
Chester’s 103 Artisans Marketplace has put out a call to artists of kinetic or moving art for its Feb. 10 to March 18 exhibit at 7 Pineview Drive in Chester. Kinetic Art uses any medium in which the finished piece contains movement perceived by the viewer or depends on motion for its effect. Three-dimensional sculptures, […]

Register now for 2018 LEGO Contest
The 7th Annual LEGO Contest will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 at the NewsBank Conference Center, 352 Main St., in Chester. The event is open to LEGOmaniacs Pre-K through Grade 8 and their families. Participants should construct their original creations (no kits allowed), with a maximum size of […]