By Maxx Steinmetz Demonstrations of arts of all kinds will be on display at Chaffee’s Art in the Park, Aug. 8-9. Aug 8-9 — RUTLAND — The Chaffee Art Center is pleased to present its 54th Annual Art in the Park fine art & craft festivals for 2015 being held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8 and 9…

Friday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. — ROCHESTER — Don’t miss the only Rochester contra dance of the of the summer! The dance will be held at Pierce Hall on Friday, Aug. 7,  from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Music will be provided by The Turning Stile, featuring Joanne Garton (fiddle) and Aaron Marcus (piano, concertina, banjo, foot…

Sunday, Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. — ORWELL — Time for another hike into history at the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell. Stephen Zeoli is back to lead another of his popular hikes on Sunday, Aug. 9, starting at 2 p.m. Zeoli will point out archaeological remains from this significant Revolutionary War fortification and tell you…

Friday, Aug. 7 — Granville, N.Y. — The Slate Valley Museum welcomes families with youth in grades K-12 to unleash their inner artist and create their own chalk drawings in a friendly art competition. During the week of Aug. 1-7, youth are invited to make chalk art on their sidewalks or driveways, take photos of their work,…

Sunday, Aug. 9 at 5 p.m. — RUTLAND — ARC Rutland Area will be giving away hundreds of dollars of Pampered Chef products to Bingo players during a 10-game evening at the annual Janet Wetherby Pampered Chef Bingo fundraiser. The American Legion will open the hall at 5 p.m. for food; Bingo doors open at 6 p.m.…

Aug. 7-9 — BARNARD — BarnArts Center for the Arts is staging a 90-minute production, “The Jungle Book Kids,” in early August with performances at Barnard Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Aug. 7 and 8 and at 2 p.m. on Aug. 8 and 9. The performances are the culmination of the annual Summer Youth Theatre Institute,…

Sunday, Aug. 9 at 4 p.m. — ROCHESTER — The Rochester Chamber Music Society (RCMS) closes out its summer series on Sunday, Aug. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Rochester Federated Church with an all baroque concert in a special performance of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Bach’s Concerto in D minor for harpsichord. Featured performers include Katherine…

Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. — CHITTENDEN — The Chittenden Historical Society is hosting an  event on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. at the North Chittenden Grange Hall. Julia Purdy of Chittenden will talk about the eugenics movement in Vermont, whereby well-meaning reformers tried to “cleanse” the Vermont gene pool by a sterilization program aimed…

By Dom Cioffi Summer vacation is a gift to children, but as most parents realize, the logistics of finding a place for your child every day for three months can prove daunting. No amount of planning or money can deter the occasional hiccup when no one is around to watch them and no place is…

Thursday, Aug. 13 at 2 a.m. —  KILLINGTON — The Sherburne Memorial Library is excited to host a meteor shower party, with the definite date depending on the weather. The Perseid Meteor Shower is expected to be at peak from Aug. 11-14, with the prime viewing night scheduled for the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug.…

Tuesday, Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. — ROCHESTER — Pierce Hall Community Center in Rochester will be holding Creative Pre-ballet classes starting Tuesday, Aug. 11 for ages 3 to 5. The session is a five-week program being held Tuesdays, from 5 to 6 p.m. The cost is $8 per class. Children will be introduced to the joy…

UPDATE: Leo has been Found! Killington Police are looking for assistance in locating "Leo", a golden retriever who ran from his owners car that was involved in a motor vehicle crash on Route 4,  the night of July 31. If found please call the Killington Police at (802) 422-3200 or the Vermont State Police at…

Photos by Robin Alberti and Rob Kovalesky Photo One: A young rider screams with excitement as he rides down Killington Resort’s newest adventure ride, the Beast Mountain Coaster, which opened Saturday. Photo Two: The view looking down the new Mountain Coaster track from the seat of on of the 35 blue “smart” cars. Photo Three:…

Third  World With so many events featuring wine, beer and food tastings along with music and fun activities, Vermont’s becoming a summer festival destination. On the heels of the Killington Wine Festival that took place July 17-19 comes Jerkfest this weekend (also in Killington); Hops on Top in Rutland, Aug. 4; Hops in Hills next…

Beer is a social beverage. Yes, even the most outgoing of us may sometimes drink alone (cue the George Thorogood song), but I will take a leap and say that for most of us, our greatest occasions of enjoying beer have been when we are in the company of others. The beer may have been…