Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.—WEST RUTLAND—Two popular Rutland singer-songwriters will team up to present an evening of rock, roots and original music. George Nostrand and Phil Henry will each bring his own band to West Rutland. The two bands, George’s Back Pocket and Phil Henry and the News Feed, will present a concert at the West Rutland Town Hall at 7:30…

Saturday, Feb. 1 at 12:55 p.m.—RUTLAND—One of America’s favorite operas returns to the Met for the first time in nearly 30 years. James Robinson’s stylish production of “Porgy and Bess” transports audiences to Catfish Row on the Charleston waterfront, vibrant with the music, dancing, emotion, and heartbreak of its inhabitants. “If you’re going to stage…

Saturday, Feb. 1 at 8 a.m.—POULTNEY—Slate Valley Trails (SVT) will be hosting its winter board meeting this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Poultney Community Library, 205 Main St. in Poultney. Interested community members are welcome to attend and learn how they can become involved. Other opportunities to get involved include joining…

Sunday, Feb. 2 at 3 p.m.—RUTLAND—350Vermont will hold its Rutland County meeting on Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 117 West St. in Rutland. They’ll be discussing plans to hold composting workshops around Rutland County and to build a bin system for hot composting at the Vermont Farmers Food Center. Starting July 1, Vermont State…

Monday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 a.m.—RUTLAND—The Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and Rutland Economic Development Corp. will host a Legislative Breakfast featuring Gov. Phil Scott on Feb. 3 at Southside Steakhouse.  The cost to attend is $20 per person and includes breakfast.  Space is limited. RSVP is required. Register at rutlandvermont.com. The Southside Steakhouse is…

Monday, Feb, 3 at 7 p.m.—CASTLETON—Mental Health Speaker Dennis Gillan will be at speaking at Castleton University in the Casella Theater. Eleven years after the suicide of his older brother, Mark, Dennis Gillan received the second phone call he will never be able to forget. His younger brother Matthew had died by suicide, as well.…

Saturday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m.—RUTLAND—Rutland County Pony Club and Horsemasters’ 4th annual benefit dinner and silent auction will be held at Grace Congregational Church. Tons of items are up for bidding. Grab a training session with Louise Duda, Ashley Glynn, Andrea Hathaway-Miglorie, Andrea Waldo, Kathi Bruce, Bethany White, Kiesrsten Vroman, Lisa Davidson, Lori Berger,…

Sunday, Feb. 2 at 9 a.m.—RUTLAND—The creative minds behind Überwintern and Winterbike are at it again! Mountain Bike Vermont has partnered with Pine Hill Partnership in Rutland to offer a day of fatbike stoke on cold-rolled singletrack this Groundhog Day. Join in as fatbikers from around New England and Quebec gather in Rutland to lead a charge with Old…

Monday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m.—RUTLAND—Living with chronic pain can affect every aspect of your life, from your ability to work and maintain relationships to shopping for food and making the bed. In fact, about 100 million Americans are currently living with chronic pain. That number exceeds those living with diabetes, cancer and heart disease…

Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.— What is 2020 Rutland County Relay For Life kickoff? Come play Jeopardy with other Rutland County Relay teams for a chance to win some money to put towards your team goal and learn more about how you can get involved in this important cause. The American Cancer Society would not…

Gone too soon By Dom Cioffi Depending on the weekend, I try to reserve Sundays to get all my errands completed. I’ll knock out a number of these tasks in the morning and then once my son wakes up (which is any time between 11 a.m. and noon… eye roll), we’ll head to breakfast before…

The Rutland Recreation Department offered skating in the city as early as the 1940s. My time on skates began in the 1950s. It was a popular activity and one that didn’t come with a high price tag. For awhile Rotary Rink on North Street was the only place for public skating. I don’t know the…

By Kevin Theissen The best place to retire in the United States is in dispute. There’s no formal debate, but a review of various publications showed surveys have named different states and cities as the “best” place to retire. For instance: Iowa was No. 1 in a best places to retire survey cited by Yahoo!…

By Declan MeCabe As we leaned over the Colchester Bog boardwalk, a student asked, “What’s that black stuff on the water?” I suggested gently poking it with a twig. This elicited the expected response: as though ejected from James Bond’s Aston Martin, tiny black flecks scattered, landing inches away and on my student’s hand. Springtails,…

By Cal Garrison a.k.a. Mother of the Skye This week’s horoscopes are coming out under the light of a Pisces Moon, in the advent of the mid-winter cross-quarter. Otherwise known as Imbolc, Candlemas, or St. Brigid’s Day, in the Northern climes the night of Feb. 1 lies halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring…