By Melinda Myers The beginning of a new year finds many gardeners preparing for the growing season ahead. Clearing space to start seeds indoors, inventorying seeds and supplies, and ordering seeds, plants, and more are usually part of the process. While organizing, you may uncover seeds from past seasons. Do not discard these just yet.…

SVAC is proud to announce a new program that brings customized art lessons with professional artists and art supplies to schools struggling to provide quality art education through its art backpack and virtual classroom project. The program will launch with 11 local schools—Currier Memorial School, The Dorset School, Long Trail School, Manchester Elementary Middle School,…

Elected to three-year terms beginning in January 2021 were Emily Bernard (South Burlington); Will Kasso Condry (Burlington); Sharon Fantl (Brattleboro); and Holly Groschner (Corinth). Elected for a three-year term beginning June 2021 was Mark Foley (Rutland). “We are fortunate to be welcoming these five exceptional Vermonters to our board,” said Board Chair Gail Nunziata. “They…

The Castleton Community Center offers a new Great Courses class on Mondays at 1 p.m. entitled “England, the 60s, and the Triumph of the Beatles.” The course begins with a 30-minute video by instructor Michael Sheldon of Indiana State University. He will talk about how the Beatles began their musical careers in a northern English…

Simpler fishing rules designed to protect fish and encourage fishing The Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept. wants to make it easier for people to go fishing by simplifying its fishing regulations. Fishing regulations have become increasingly complex over time as amendments were added, making the rules more difficult for anglers to understand and challenging for…

Feel the chill this winter with a visit to see A Winter of Hope ice sculpture exhibition created by “The Ice Man,” Charles Jones. The exhibition will feature three new art inspired sculptures each week for two weeks — Feb. 12 through Feb. 26 and will be located on the front lawn of The Hyde. The sculptures are in honor…

They are the purr that heals, the curtain ninja that entertains, the in-house Zen master. They are the cats we invite into our homes and in February the spotlight is on their well-being during National Cat Health Month. Pet cats are varied and complex creatures, whether they are devoted couch surfers, or indoor/outdoor cats that…

Vermont continues to lead the nation by a commanding margin as the top maple producing state. Total U.S. maple syrup production in 2020 was 4.37 million gallons, with Vermont’s contribution accounting for 2.22 million of those gallons (that’s about 51% of U.S. production). The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association (VMSMA) offers the statewide annual Maple…

By Curt Peterson Windsor Central Unified Union School District board members unanimously approved their search committee’s choice, Sherry Sousa, to be the district’s superintendent. The next step in the process will be completing contract negotiations, and approval of the agreement by the board. “It was a very exciting night,” Sousa told the Mountain Times in…

Dorset Theatre Festival is taking its acclaimed Art of storytelling and playwriting workshops online to students this spring. Building on the success of their first online workshop in fall 2020, the festival is expanding its offerings to reach as many middle and high school students in Vermont as possible and provide support to Vermont teachers.…

All are welcome to attend a free virtual Abenaki speaker series this spring, hosted by the Community College of Vermont (CCV). The series is part of CCV’s ongoing effort to honor the Abenaki people, who originally stewarded the land on which the college’s 12 academic centers are located. “We are pleased to have three accomplished…

Feb. 19 – 28—This series by the Vermont International Film Festival will feature recorded conversations with directors Natasha NGaiza and Ashley O’Shay.  The series will be available for 10 days on VTIFF’s online portal at watch.vtiff.org. More information, tickets and passes on vtiff.org/vtiff-now/split-screen/ The six films  1. “Losing Ground” by Kathleen Collins  One of the first American features directed by a Black woman, Kathleen Collins’s 1982 film was released…

Castleton University can now virtually connect its campuses and provide an improved active learning environment with its new telepresence classroom. Through telepresence, Castleton extends its in-person instruction to remote sites and off-campus students. Telepresence uses high-definition cameras, installed in both the front and rear of the room, allowing distance learners to see both the instructor…

On Thursday, Feb. 11, the Parent Child Center of Rutland County (PCC) announced it had received $1.2 million investment to expand its services. The grant and loan funding, provided by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), will be used to renovate and modernize PCC’s Chaplin Street Site into a community facility that includes a food…

Home renovation trends are ever-changing. Renovations that might have been de rigueur 20 years ago may seem dated now. Recognizing the potentially popular trends of tomorrow is a great way for homeowners to give their homes a fresh new look and put themselves in position to capitalize on popular trends when they put their homes…