All Entries in the "Featured" Category
Residents question use of town funds for re-enactment as Chester Select Board frets over tight budget
By Shawn Cunningham* The Chester Select Board meeting of Wednesday, Dec. 4 was unusual – not for its four and a half hour length – but for the crowd of more than 20 who attended it. Many were there to explain or advocate for funding under the 2014 town budget, including several members of the […]
2nd annual Shop Local Gift Guide Part 2: For them, her, him and those animals over there
By Cynthia Prairie Last week, Part I of our 2nd Annual Shop Local Holiday Gift Guide offered up a load of ideas from housewares, stocking-stuffers and food in all price ranges, and within a short travel distance. This week, we tackle gifts for those sometimes hard-to-buy-for folks — family, friends, loved ones (including pets) […]
A holly, jolly Overture to Christmas
Photos and text by Cynthia Prairie Saturday’s Parade of Packages, part of Chester’s annual Overture to Christmas events, was interrupted when emergency vehicles had to pull out of the procession to respond to a single-car accident in Andover. (There were no injuries reported.) But that didn’t dampen the day as more than 20 kids […]
Friends, family rally to keep artist’s memory alive with GMUHS scholarship
By Cynthia Prairie Friends and family of the late Heath Gordon are establishing a memorial scholarship fund for Green Mountain Union High School seniors who are pursuing higher education in either art or music. Gordon, who grew up in Chester with his older sister Wendy and younger brother Sam, was a musician and artist […]
Weston Playhouse expansion site plan gets OK with conditions
By Cynthia Prairie Site plans for the new cultural arts facility of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Co. have been given the go-ahead by the Weston Planning Commission with seven minor conditions for use and one conclusion of law that could force the playhouse to speed up its capital fund-raising campaign. The decision was sent […]
Time to Shop: It’s the 2nd annual Shop Local holiday gift guide (Part 1)
By Cynthia Prairie For the second year in a row, The Chester Telegraph has traveled around the region to window shop for you, looking for interesting and beautiful gifts to give this holiday season. We’ve tried to cover everyone on your list. This week, in Part 1, we concentrate on housewares, stocking stuffers and […]
Chester takes possession of new fire truck
By Cynthia Prairie The Chester Fire Department took possession on Tuesday Nov. 26, of its new fire truck – a Class A pumper. Crew immediately began switching out accessories from the old truck and testing the equipment at the town garage off Depot Street, with the expectation that it could be ready for work […]
Using their noodles: Spaghetti dinner helps Keewaydin camp effort
The 70 or so 5th and 6th graders from Chester-Andover Elementary School are deliciously closer to going to Keewaydin Environmental Education camp in May 2014 thanks to the volunteer parents, teachers and pupils who served up a spaghetti dinner to more than 100 hungry folks last Thursday night, Nov. 21, 2013. The dinner — […]
Green Up Day funded; police, insurance budget concerns and solar farm discussion continues
By Shawn Cunningham If the Nov. 20 Chester Select Board meeting had a theme, it was “green,” with issues being discussed including next year’s budget (money), Green Up Day (conservation) and new information on the perennial topic of the solar farm on town land (clean energy). Chester resident and teacher Frank Kelley went before […]
Parks agency repairs Chester state forest accessibility, drainage problems
By Cynthia Prairie Chester’s only state-owned forest, the 108-acre Williams River State Forest in the Popple Dungeon area west of Nudist Camp Road, has gotten some much-needed work that will make it much more accessible to the public. Tim Morton, a Saxtons River resident who is the state District 1 stewardship forester for the […]
Chester Select Board considers reviving solar farm proposal
By Shawn Cunningham After closing the door on a solar project on town land in a 3-2 vote at a previous meeting, the Chester Select Board re-opened the topic for further discussion last Wednesday night, Nov.6. Board member Bill Lindsay, who moved to accept the terms set out by project developer Green Lantern at […]
$22,000 state grant, $14,000 in donations push Londonderry park nearer to revitalization
By Cynthia Prairie With the awarding on Tuesday, Nov. 12, of a state grant for $22,000 and donations thus far reaching almost $14,000, the Londonderry Parks Board has passed the halfway mark of its goal of $63,600 to revitalize Pingree Park. Pingree Park is a 16-acre recreation area off Route 11 and Stowell Hill […]
Construction restarts at Jack’s Diner; conditional use permit still needed
UPDATE: Reached Wednesday, Nov. 6, state fire marshal inspector Landon Wheeler said that because Dodier made multiple changes to the layout of the diner and additional square footage, the new plans must be reviewed to ensure compliance with any number of building codes. He also is waiting for Dodier to submit paperwork requested three […]
Chester Select Board says ‘it’s curtains’ for solar farm on town land
By Shawn Cunningham After a year of gathering information and deliberating, the Chester Select Board last Wednesday closed the door on the construction of a solar farm on town land across Route 103 North from Trebo Road. Earlier, at its Oct. 9 meeting, the board had expected to hear from the Luke Schullenberger – […]
3rd annual Rotary Cabaret a singular sensation
A s dinner winds down, the spotlight comes up and the third annual Chester Rotary Cabaret is under way. Students from Green Mountain Union High School’s drama and music departments entertained an enthusiastic crowd of diners on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the Newsbank Conference Center. The performances were proceeded by a dinner prepared by […]
The working man’s country club celebrates its 90th
By Gary Band Area residents have known about it for years. And if you’ve driven Route 103, you’ve likely noticed the large oval sign in green, black and white standing in the clearing across from the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham. Yet it still classifies as one of Vermont’s best-kept secrets. Welcome to the […]
Drywells, flooded street: Mountain View residents seek solutions
By Karen Zuppinger When Suzanne Waldren-Munukka and her husband David bought their home eight years ago in Chester’s Mountain View community, they noticed the roadside drain at the corner of Mountain View and Cross roads, right next to their corner home. They thought nothing of it. After all, the home has town water and sewer, […]
SoVera observatory up and running on private land
By Shawn Cunningham Ron Jackson was in good spirits despite the heavy cloud cover as he rolled back the roof on his “new” observatory on a hill in Gassetts. There wouldn’t be any stars visible, so he trained his Celestron “orange tube” Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope on a pine tree several hundred feet away and invited a […]
Solar contract decision still hanging; VAST gets OK for trail through town forest
The Chester Select Board last Wednesday expected a presentation from Green Lantern Capital regarding financial details of its proposed solar farm on town land on Route 103 at Trebo Road. But Luke Schullenberger, the company’s founder and managing partner, was taken ill. Instead, Mike Wigham of Integrated Solar, which would be contracted to build the […]
With an artist’s eye: A close look at the Biker Tattoo and tattoos
Iron Adventure Run Tattoo In the military, a tattoo can be any display or show, a parade. In everyday life, a tattoo is a design inked on skin. On Saturday, Aug. 24, Chester played host to the Iron Adventure Run Tattoo, which saw hundreds of motorcyclists and their rides roll into town. At the same […]
