July 8-11 — BRANDON — The 26th annual Basin Bluegrass Festival begins this Thursday evening in Brandon with a spaghetti supper followed by a country concert. The next three days will feature all day music by bands from up and down the East Coast. There will also be workshops for guitar, fiddle, bass, banjo, and…

Billings farm presents farm animal theme weeks through July and August WOODSTOCK —Beginning this week, Billings Farm & Museum will highlight a different farm animal with daily up-close programs, displays and explorations and a “themed” recipe. Meet the farm animal of the week with daily programs at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in July…

Wednesday, July 14, at 4 p.m. — VIRTUAL—Summer is here and one of the best and most enjoyable ways to tend to your well-being and the wellness of your family and friends is to get outside! Whether you’re looking to summit your first mountain, thru-hike the Long Trail or just visit the park next door,…

When the mercury rises, savvy cooks know lighter fare is the name of the game. Light recipes can be made even better by incorporating fresh produce that’s full of vitamins and minerals. It’s even possible to grow many of these foods right in your own backyard garden. “Baked Peppers With Rice Stuffing (Bajoques Farcides)” is…

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6-year-old. Neutered male. Pointer mix. Brown. Big guy looking for his forever home, that would be me. Rutland County Humane Society, 765 Stevens Road, Pittsford, VT • (802) 483-6700 • Tues. – Sat. 12-5p.m. Closed Sun. & Mon. • www.rchsvt.org Hi!(I’m the little one in the back!) and I’m a 6-year-old neutered Maltese mix. I’m…

One summer day, I was relaxing on the bank of a secluded pond watching mallard ducks forage when a dark shape broke the stillness of the water. It was a North American river otter, swimming with its head and back emerging from the surface, sleek body over two feet long, tapered tail trailing behind. It…

By Kevin Theissen Over the past year, scientists raced to develop effective Covid vaccines, and governments and companies worked to make vaccines available. There are now multiple vaccines approved in most countries around the world. More than 2 billion doses have been administered, and over 10% of the world’s population has been vaccinated. It’s a…

By Dom Cioffi I did something this past week that I’ve been thinking about doing for years: I climbed inside a sensory deprivation tank for a one-hour meditation session. For the uninformed, a sensory deprivation tank (also known as a float tank or isolation tank) is an enclosed pod or tank-like device that restricts all…

By Merisa Sherman The mud oozes through my toes as I take another step along the soaked path. I can feel how slippery the soil has become, the ball of my foot sliding back a bit with each step. My heel wiggles somewhat as I place it down, the ground moving all beneath me. But…

How personal challenges can break, then rebuild you—stronger By Sandra Dee Owens When I was 29 I lost my mental health. It took nearly three years to get it back. Though a nervous breakdown was the most painful thing I have ever endured, I learned so much about myself, that I am grateful for the…

By DJ Dave Hoffenberg Rock Landscaping vs. First Stop Base Camp Rock Landscaping kept up their winning ways and bashed around First Stop Base Camp in the process. Dylan Lee started the scoring in the top of the first and a couple of his teammates followed suit and they took a 3-0 lead. FSBC answered…

Castleton Community Center Program Director Laurie Knauer moves the “hiker” graphic to the next stop on the center’s Walking Challenge sign. Last year Community Center walkers completed 1,542 miles to Miami Beach by Labor Day and back to Castleton by Thanksgiving. This year’s walking challenge is to Yellowstone National Park — 2,170 miles!  To be…

By Emma Cotton/VTDigger Local conservationists say they aren’t surprised by a new report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that lists 269 species of birds that need more protection. The report, called Birds of Conservation Concern, lists species in the United States that aren’t considered federally endangered or threatened, but whose populations are declining. “It…

By Cassandra Tyndall There is so much happening in the sky right now that it can make it difficult to really tease out what is going on. That said, late June and early July has been plagued by tension and frustration that may have led to angry outbursts and explosions of literal or figurative kinds.…