Features

This Week in History December 31 - January 7

10 years ago:
Twin Valley Elementary School Principal Rebecca Fillion and other school officials met with service providers in Bennington and Brattleboro to encourage them to build a presence in the Deerfield Valley. Despite the proliferation of palatial vacation homes in...

Claudette Hollenbeck

Aging in Place: Living as well as possible right to the final moment — thanks to hospice

The holiday season is kind of a weird time to be writing about hospice care, but I regard it as one of the universe’s greatest gifts.
I started working for a brand new hospice program in 1982 in Norwalk, CT. Thereafter, I worked at another in Concord, MA, both times as side gigs from my...

This Week in History December 24 - 30

10 years ago:
With the revitalization of the Haystack Ski Area by The Hermitage Club, the developer of the Powderhorn condominiums at Haystack sought to breathe new life into the mothballed development. The original four buildings were built by developer Michael Kimack in...

S. Claus checks his list for potential recipients of his synthetic carbon-free coal

Santa Claus to break ground on production facility in the Deerfield Valley

DEERFIELD VALLEY—In early 2026, Santa Claus will break ground on a new manufacturing facility in the Deerfield Valley. The facility will be used to produce a form of coal that Claus hopes will revolutionize his approach to so-called “bad” kids.
In an exclusive interview with The Deerfield...

A new space for making art and community

The Uncommon Robin, a new pottery studio, opens its doors in Wilmington
WILMINGTON—Midday on Tuesday, Erin Robinson, the owner of The Uncommon Robin, was painting designs onto newly-made bowls in her sun-splashed pottery studio on Route 100. Robinson said her hope for the...

Keeping holiday tradition alive at Boyd Family Farm

WILMINGTON—This time of year is a special one at Boyd Family Farm. Through its sale of wreaths, Christmas trees, kissing balls, boxwood trees, and centerpieces, the holiday season offers the family-owned farm a way to be a part of the annual traditions of families across the valley, locals and...

This Week in HIstory

10 years ago
A lone suspect robbed the People’s United Bank in Wilmington. The bank, located on East Main Street, is just yards from the Wilmington Police Station, and Wilmington Police Chief Joe Szarejko said officers were on the scene within 47 seconds. According to...

Claudette Hollenbeck

Aging in Place: How do we craft a meaningful life in these uncertain times?

Stop the world, I want to get off! I cannot face another news cycle, another jolt to my composure. I should not be surprised. When I was working as a family therapist with a side gig as a hospice social worker, I always knew that this stretch of time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day was...

This Week in History December 11 - 17

10 years ago:
The Southern Vermont Natural History Museum on Hogback Mountain proposed a new $4 million facility to house their growing operation. According to museum director Mike Clough, the museum’s outreach had increased 50-fold over the previous 10 years, and had...

Lighting the darkness: The meaning and joy of Hanukkah

As winter settles in and the days become shorter, cultures around the world turn on the lights, literally and symbolically. Christians brighten their homes with Christmas lights, African Americans light the Kinara, and Jewish people light the eight-pronged menorah (Hanukkiah) on the eight days of...