Friday, Dec. 20—SHARON— Looking for a different experience to celebrate the holiday season? Seven Stars Arts Center in Sharon offers an evening of vintage country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and western swing at “Honky Tonk Christmas,” happening on Friday, Dec. 20, from 7-9 p.m. Admission is $25 at the door. Presented by “McCaffrey and Rooney Present,” the…

By Jared Rasic This is the time of year when I start watching Christmas movies with gleeful and reckless abandon…quality be damned. It doesn’t matter if it’s good because, ultimately, most of those Hallmark movies (or the new Netflix variant) have the same structure and story arc with only a few mild variations.  The quality…

Pico Area Association’s Outstanding  Community Member of the Year On Thursday, Dec. 5, Brett Harris received the honor of Killington Pico Area Association’s (KPAA) Outstanding Community Member of the Year. Whether attending fundraisers, cheering on the Steelers at Jax’s, or spreading smiles at local events, KPAA recognized Harris’ inspiring dedication. Harris’s passion was even the…

By Jared Rasic I went into this past weekend fully intending to see “Red One,” that new movie in which The Rock, Chris Evans, and a polar bear have to rescue a kidnapped (and completely jacked) Santa Claus. But then I realized that, ultimately, that movie is probably as critic-proof as it possibly gets. You…

By Alan Sculley Every fall brings a big-ol’-bag-full of Christmas albums. This year brought a slightly lower number of holiday releases than previous seasons. But happily, we get more than our share of worthy and unique Christmas albums. Here’s a look at the albums fans of Christmas music will want to put on their “to-listen-to”…

Dec. 21 and 22 at 3 p.m.—WOODSTOCK—The Woodstock Vermont Film Series will showcase “The Cowboy & The Queen,” an inspiring documentary about the transformative friendship between Monty Roberts, a pioneering horse trainer, and Queen Elizabeth II. The film will screen on Dec. 21 and 22 at 3 p.m. at the Billings Farm & Museum Visitor…

It’s time to go light-peeping! The Light Up Rutland County winter lights and decorating contest is in full swing, with nine competing households, two non-competing households, and a local business decorator all ready for visitors to come see their lights. Videos and slideshows for school decorators will be posted on Social Tinkering’s website after Dec.…

Dec. 21 through 22 from 9 a.m to 6 p.m.—CHESTER—The Okemo Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce (OVRCC), in collaboration with Vermont Rail System, is launching the Okemo Valley Holiday Express, a new festive holiday train experience for families and visitors. Running on Dec 21 and 22, the excursion train offers a scenic journey through South-Central…

RUTLAND—At a Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region (CEDRR) winter mixer held on Dec. 10 at the Ron Hance Operations Center, Heritage Family Credit Union (HFCU) presented five Rutland County nonprofits, each with a $5,000 donation in recognition of their contributions to the local community. The CEDRR mixer drew more than 150 attendees,…

Nowhere on Earth is free from plastic pollution these days, from the highest mountaintops to the deepest ocean canyons. The problem gets worse each year and seems to peak during the holiday season when household trash rates in the U.S. increase by 25% or more. Much of that trash is plastic waste that will be…

Tromping through our woods in December in search of a Christmas tree, I often notice an evergreen fern, one of the few green plants on the forest floor this time of year, other than young conifers. An easy fern to identify, it grows in fountain-like clumps and has glossy, dark green leaflets or pinnae. This…

By Ekaterina Raikhovski Editor’s note: The following story was supplied by Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, originally produced for an assignment for the Winooski News. Grandchildren running around his 1840s farmhouse isn’t the only thing keeping John Rodgers’ hands full these days. There’s the masonry business the West Glover 59-year-old has…

By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger The Guidon, Norwich University’s student newspaper, has resumed reporting and publishing for the first time since it was suspended by administrators earlier this year. Prior to last week, student writers and editors had refused to resume publication of the paper, saying they were protesting administrative oversight of the paper and holding out for concessions. But…

Dear Editor,                                                                                                      Does Vermont still believe in the separation of church and state? The newly elected legislature must address this question. In June 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Carson v. Makin decision required that states providing tuition reimbursement to independent and charter schools must extend those same programs to religious schools as well as nonreligious…

Dear Editor, According to a Dec. 9 article in VTDigger, a local slaughterhouse, Vermont Packinghouse, is under investigation again for cruelty to animals. Allegedly, workers failed to intervene when a truck driver unloading pigs kicked animals in the head and neck and shoved them off the back of the trailer. The pigs suffered heat stroke…