By Catherine Hurley/VTDigger It’s already been a great year for hydrangeas, magnolias and lilacs in New England. Now it’s Vermont’s leaf-peeping season and foliage experts predict another strong, colorful showing. “We see a fairly positive set of circumstances surrounding this year’s prospects,” Jim Salge, a former meteorologist at Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, wrote in his annual…

On Saturday, Sept. 14, Killington’s Dream Maker Bakers made history setting a new world record at the Whoopie Pie Festival with a 1,187-pounder. It was 120 pounds over the previous record of 1,067 pounds set in 2011 by Wicked Whoopies of South Portland, Maine. The festival in downtown Rutland drew over 7,500 people throughout the…

Editor’s note: Bruce Bouchard is former executive director of The Paramount Theatre. John Turchiano, his friend for 52 years, was formerly the editor of Hotel Voice, a weekly newspaper on the New York Hotel Trades Council. They are co-authoring this column to tell short stories on a wide range of topics.  Charley has been gone…

I often spot black willow trees as I’m kayaking along a riverbank or lakeshore. While perhaps less picturesque than its (non-native) cousin the weeping willow, black willow is native to the Northeast and provides a host of ecological benefits. Willow trees are in the Salix genus, along with pussy willow and more than 20 other…

Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m.—PROCTORSVILLE—Repeatedly voted one of the “Top 10 Fall Events” by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the Vermont Golden Honey Festival is part farmers' market with local produce and hot food, and part craft fair with artists and crafters selling their unique items for you and for gifts. Every vendor is encouraged…

Sunday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. — RUTLAND — On Sunday Grace Congregational UCC of Rutland will be host to the Ensemble Chamarré. Formed in the early days of the pandemic, Ensemble Chamarré is a quartet comprised of Catherine Hudgins (clarinet), Katie Wolfe (violin), William Rounds (cello), and Vytas J. Baksys (piano). These four joined forces,…

Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 12-14 — WOODSTOCK — Pentangle Arts is proud to host the Highland Center for the Arts as they present the play: Act 39. What do you do when your best friend, dying of cancer, asks you to help end his life? Act 39, written by Rob Mermin, is the true story of what happened when…

Saturday, Sept. 14 at 9 a.m.—WOODSTOCK—This year’s TEDxHartlandHill conference theme is “Awe.” Get ready to be amazed, inspired, and awestruck by the lineup of speakers and performers. Join in person at the Billings Farm & Museum for a day filled with mind-blowing talks, interactive sessions, and unforgettable moments. In 2024, TEDxHartlandHill will provide a moment…

Sunday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m.—KILLINGTON—It’s time again to pie local celebrities and raise money for Chase William Kuehl and the Phelan-McDermid Syndrome Foundation (PMSF). Kuehl is one of only 2,500 children worldwide diagnosed with this disease. The prevalence of those with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome is estimated to be between 1 in 25,000 babies born. There…

Thursday-Sunday, Sept. 12-15 — TUNBRIDGE — The 2024 Tunbridge World’s Fair kicks of Thursday and runs through Sunday in Tunbridge on Route 110. It has run continuously since 1867 except in 1918, due to the great flu epidemic, during World War II 1942–44 and in 2020 due to Covid. The annual fair features demonstrations of farming…

Wednesday-Friday, Sept. 11-13—KILLINGTON — Nearly 140 students from upstate New York will kick off the 2024-2025 school year by becoming real-life superheroes during a three-day — and phone-free — Youth Leadership Summit in Killington. Seven schools have registered for the first-of-its-kind summit at Killington Resort from Wednesday, Sept. 11 to Friday, Sept. 13. Sweethearts & Heroes…

The Spartan Kids Race, featuring 1-3 km courses with obstacles, will take place on Sept. 14-15. Participants can choose from various race lengths, including 3 km competitive and open categories, as well as 1.5 km and 1 km open races. Prices start at $25.99, with limited tickets available for each category. The event begins at…

About 7,000 expected to attend Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 14-15—KILLINGTON— If you think you’re among the baddest of the East, come play in what is known as “Joe’s backyard” after founder Joe DeSena. This is where Spartan Race was born; and that means anything goes. Expect steep slopes, off-trail descents and massive climbs at this legendary venue. …

Sunday, Sept. 15 — CAVENDISH — again the Cavenish Historical Society (CHS)  will hold its annual the annual Phineas Gage Walk and Talk on the Sunday closest to the date of the accident. Gage, a railroad foreman,  on Sept. 13, 1848, had a tamping rod pass through his head as a result of a blasting accident, and…

Saturday, Sept. 14 — RUTLAND — The Rutland Garden Club will present a National Garden Club Small Standard Flower Show at the Castleton University Bank Gallery, 104 Merchants Row in downtown Rutland. Judging will be conducted on Friday, Sept. 13, and the show will be open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m.…