Photos by Nanci Blog

Weathersfield News October 29, 2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy photosbynanci@comcast.net Happy Halloween! You have to love a holiday where people have baskets of chocolate out, encouraging you to take some. I mean, it's way better than Valentine's Day. On VD Day you can get chocolate from one lover or secret admirer but on Halloween-everyone wants to give you chocolate. This is a good thing! As a kid growing up in a suburb of Boston , on a dead end road, us kids LIVED for Halloween. There were about 20 of us (enough for full teams of whiffle ball, football and street hockey) and there was on house on the street where we would plot how to visit it twice; Mrs. Wallace's house-she made homemade raisin cookies and frosted them to look like pumpkins-man, oh man were they good. But she kept an eye on who came to the door-one visit per kid. I know this would never fly in this day and age but when I think Halloween-I think Mrs. Wallace's Cookies! Have Fun, Be Safe an...

Saturday night the Reading Fire Department Auxiliary hosted a Turkey Supper and Old Time Ball. Folks could share in a family style community supper then head upstairs in Reading Town Hall and dance the night away to Yvonne and the Reverbs. The turkey supper featured seven fresh turkeys from Ephraim Mountain Farm in Springfield VT , the smallest was 26 lbs and the largest 28.5 lbs.  As Bob Allen tells it "The turkeys had feathers on them Wednesday! We cooked them up today." The volunteers served up 100 lbs of potatoes, 100 lbs of onions, 100 lbs of squash and 38 pies-17 pumpkin pies cooked were on Friday in the Town Hall kitchen, rest were provided by cooks in the community. Esther Allen said "Everything was made from scratch, even the cranberry sauce. We have a great group of volunteers that helped us out." Following dinner, folks made their way upstairs a good Old Time Ball featuring the music of Yvonne and The Reverbs. George and Della Starkweather t...

Saturday Hartland Riding Club and Vermont Equine Riding and Driving Association (VERDA) hosted a Trick or Treat Trio and Eatathon around the back roads of Hartland. About 37 riders participated in this progressive lunch ride that made stops at The Tessier Farm (for breakfast), John Hammond's Farm, the Hamilton Rare Breed Farm and Hosington Farm returning to Tessier farm for dessert (where the dessert were judged by the riders.) In addition to the lunch, there was a Poker Hand Ride with riders collecting their cards at each stop. With Halloween next week, there was a costume contest for scariest, funniest and most original. Lisa Keely won the $175 Poker Hand and Linda Glock won best dessert. Best Costume winners were Erin Glock and her horse as devils, Ruth Ferland and Sarah MacDonald for Pocahontas. More event images:  http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard/October-2014/Trick-or-Treat-Trio/ Trick or Treat Trio/Eatathon Hosted by  Hartland Rid...

Friday October 24, 2014 Town Hall Theater, Woodstock VT Opening night for Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat was Friday. The Pentangle Players performed this spectacular two act play created in 1967 by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. There are just three more times for you to catch this fabulous production: Saturday, November 1 @ 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm Sunday, November 2 @ 2:00 pm Tickets: $22.00 Adult / $21.00 Senior / $20.00 Member / $18.00 College Student (with I.D.) / $12.00 Child (5-18) The house lights go down, the orchestra begins to play and the set is revealed...two giant brightly colored stair cases reaching to the top of the stage. The Narrator (Lanni Luce West) is surrounded by children. And the adventure begins. Joseph (Joseph Guarino) is the favorite son of Jacob (Ken Hershey); his brothers make up the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Costume designer Holly Levison hand-dyed 83 yards of organic linen in colors representing the Tribes. Joesph receives...

Weathersfield News October 22, 2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy photosbynanci@comcast.net Got my annual Flu Shot this past weekend. When we first moved up to Vermont in the 80s I got the flu (not a wimpy old cold mind you-but the REAL flu.) I never knew your hair follicles and teeth could ache or that breathing could be should a monumental chore. I had the chills so bad that I thought I was going to throw out my back shaking so hard. After the major symptoms left, it took over a month to get back to normal. I vowed to NEVER go through that again. I know that there is a lot of controversy circulating about getting the flu shot but trust me, if you don't get one for yourself do it to save someone else from getting this nasty bug. We travel a lot and folks have been asking if we fear the Ebola Virus-well, no not really but I DO FEAR the common cold and the Flu-hopefully this shot will save me from the flu's nastiness. Weathersfield Elementary School News Natalie Nichols Is A ...

Hartland VT October 17, 2014 Hartland Community Arts performed Thornton Wilder's Our Town on Friday, opening night. The play is directed by RJ Crowley and produced by Kim Gibbs.  This community theater chose a very interesting play to perform. Thornton Wilder's play was not well received when if first came out. Wilder wanted to "shake up" the theater world by creating a play with no scenery and having the character of the Stage Manager on stage speaking directly to the audience. Director and Stage Manager, RJ Crowley first saw the play in the early 1990s and fell in love with it. With no scenery or props the audience is forced to focus on the characters, their dialogue and their interactions with each other. The play takes place in Grover's Corners NH and follows the lives of the town folk. The play is extremely well acted and very enjoyable. Although, be forewarned, there are some difficult moments, just as there are in real life. Tickets are ONLY...

Shalin Liu Performance Center Rockport MA October 19, 2014 First let me say this venue is gorgeous. The backdrop for the performers is a wall of windows facing out into Rockport Harbor. Absolutely beautiful. Second, the acoustics are crystal. What can I say about the legendary Mr. John Hiatt that hasn't been said before. I overheard one member of the audience say her friend asked who is John Hiatt and the woman replied "You may not know him but I bet you've heard his songs!" Recognize any titles? He has quite a catalog. Hiatt is out on tour solo right now playing some of his hits like: "Perfectly Good Guitar", "The Tiki Bar is Open", "Crossing Muddy Waters", "Cry Love", "Have a Little Faith in Me", and "Tennessee Plates". Michael Logen opened the show. More images from the show:  http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/JohnHiatt/2014-Solo-Tour/Shalin-Liu-Rockport/

The Egg Center for the Performing Arts Albany, NY October 18, 2014 Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes ventured from Jersey to Upstate New York for a performance at the Egg. I've been following Southside since the 80s and continue to be amazed at his talent as a singer/songwriter and band leader. The Jukes: Southside on vocals; Glenn Alexander on guitar; Chris Anderson on trumpet; John Conte on bass; John Isley on sax; Jeff Kazee on piano; Neal Pawley on trombone and Tom Seguso on drums totally rocked The Egg and its audience. The Jukes opened with two songs from Little Steve Van Zandt and coaxed the crowd into singing along on a few songs including "Walk Away Renee" and "Talk to Me." Setlist (provided by Carol Gerber) Angel Eyes Forever This Time Baby's Gone for Good Walk away Renée Harder Than It Looks Key to the highway Strange Strange Feeling Take It Inside Rhumba & Coke She Got Me Where She Wants Me This Time It’s for Real Without L...

Weathersfield News October 15, 2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy photosbynanci@comcast.net Town News The Select Board Meeting Chief Daniels reported to the Select Board on Oct. 6 that the Police Vehicle-Impala currently has 99,000 miles on it. It is a 2009 model and currently has a small transmission issue. Chief Daniels has looked into bidding on various vehicles including a 2012 Ford Taurus, a 2015 Ford Taurus, a 2015 Ford Explorer. Daniels reported that the department has taken more than 900 calls this year. Last year there were 714 calls for the year, so department activity has increased. Mr. Arrison clarified that this discussion was purely informational and that no action was expected or would be taken. Arrison said that at the last town meeting, the voters had turned down the article to borrow money to buy a new cruiser. There is currently $17,700 in the reserve account to potentially work with until the next fiscal year. Mr. Fuller said the Board should consider putti...

Richard Thompson performed a solo acoustic show for the Upper Valley on Tuesday night. About 500 folk music lovers got to hear Sir Richard play many of his most popular songs including "Beeswing", "Wall of Death" and my personal favorite "1952 Vincent Black Lightning". If you missed the show you can purchase his CD Acoustic Classics and get a feel for the show but it won't be the same. He's in Fall River Mass tonight but that show is SOLD OUT. So you'll have to wait until he swings back through the area in the future if you want to catch him live (and you should!) Mr. Thompson last played the Opera House with Loudon Wainwright III in October of 2009 ( http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/LebanonOperaHouseShows/2009/Loud-and-Rich/ ) More performance images: http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/LebanonOperaHouseShows/Richard-Thompson/Richard-Thompson/ Amanda Shires opened the show. Images from Amanda's performance:  http://photos...

Columbus Day weekend many celebrate a famous Italian but Harpoon Brewery in Windsor celebrates German food and beer. Add in the Jolly Kopperschmidts-an Oompah Band playing non-stop and you have the makings for Harpoon's Octoberfest. They also hosted the 12th Annual Octoberfest Road Race on Sunday where all proceeds go to the Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center at DHMC. More Octoberfest images:  http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard/October-2014/Harpoon-Octoberfest-2014/ Harpoon Octoberfest 2014 Artisan Way Windsor VT October 12, 2014 Copyright ©2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy www.photosbynanci.com For The Vermont Standard: http://www.thevermontstandard.com/ Image Galleries http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard

The Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department hosted its 2nd Annual Golf Ball Drop on Sunday. Folks could buy a golf ball for $5 each or 3 for $25. The ball making a hole in one or the ball closest to the hole wins $400. Last year the event raised over $1100. Totals for this year weren't in at press. Congrats to Levi Eglintine-he won the $400! More images from the drop:  http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard/October-2014/AVFD-Golf-Ball-Drop 2nd Annual Golf Ball Drop Hosted by Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department Ascutney VT October 12, 2014 Copyright ©2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy www.photosbynanci.com For The Vermont Standard: http://www.thevermontstandard.com/ Image Galleries http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard

This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, The Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department hosted its Annual Columbus Day Weekend Yard Sale. Community members are asked to donate gently used treasures and the AVFD volunteers sort and set up a MEGA-Yard Sale that opened Friday morning at 6 a.m. More Yard Sale images:  http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard/October-2014/AVFD-Yard-Sale/ Annual Columbus Day Weekend Yard Sale Hosted by Ascutney Volunteer Fire Department Ascutney VT October 12, 2014 Copyright ©2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy www.photosbynanci.com For The Vermont Standard: http://www.thevermontstandard.com/ Image Galleries http://photosbynanci.smugmug.com/VermontStandard

Weathersfield News October 8, 2014 Nancy Nutile-McMenemy photosbynanci@comcast.net So the first week of October has raced by. I know most people LOVE fall with it's foliage and apple picking and crisp air but I'm a summer person and this time of year for me, as an avid gardener, means dying. I'm already missing the greens of summer. The dead leaf brown really gets me down. To relieve some of this, I'm starting an indoor herb garden and I'm vowing to walk with my dog every day regardless of weather to get my daily dose of Vitamin D. Any other suggestions on how you get rid of the winter blues would be wonderful. I attended a rehearsal of Pentangle Arts Council’s amateur production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat". The play will run the weekends of Oct 24 and Nov 1 at Woodstock Town Hall Theatre. Call 802-457-3981 or visit  http://pentanglearts.org/joseph-dreamcoat/  for more information. More rehearsal images:  http:/...

Four Corners Concerts, in Hartland, hosted an "Evening of Music and Laughter with Christine Lavin and Don White" at the Hartland Universalist Church on Saturday night. The event's organizer John Bartholomew hopes to bring back the folk music series once held in Hartland. The Lavin/White show had pre-sold 140 tickets and when doors opened at 7 p.m. there was standing room only. The Lavin/White performances have packed audiences in wherever they’ve played, from the Regent Theatre in Boston to The Ark in Ann Arbor Michigan, it appeared that Hartland Vt. was no different. Bartholomew introduced Christine Lavin by saying "My first date with my wife was to a Christine Lavin concert." Lavin took the stage first and played a set that included a new song inspired by the TV show 'Dance Moms'. She then introduced a young girl she met before the show who requested "Amoeba Hop" which is now a book. Lavin invited Eve Lydon Ovitt on stage to turn the bo...