It’s been more than a year and a half since COVID-19 made its appearance and upended everybody’s lives. As Covid case numbers decline, restrictions loosen, and temperatures rise, local folks are gathering again with an extra dose of gratitude and joy. And maybe a little trepidation.
Those in the wedding industry basically lost an entire season thanks to Covid. Vermont wedding photographer Sally Carpenter said many couples postponed their nuptials.
“I had three [weddings] at one venue and that venue did not survive the pandemic [and] so they had to cancel all their weddings, very sad,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter said that June is still very slow with a few elopements. The big weddings are just starting to happen again, and that’s where the real money comes in.

BRADFORD—Even as area high schools plan to hold in-person graduations ceremonies this year, not everything will look as it did in the past.
Graduation celebrations will thus vary from school to school as administrators and others make plans with guidance issued by Vermont and New Hampshire health and school officials.
In Vermont, officials anticipate that by July 4, there will be no limits on gatherings either indoors or outdoors. But until then, according to the Vermont Forward Plan, outdoor events are limited to 900 unvaccinated people plus any number of vaccinated individuals provided there is adequate spacing.

WAITS RIVER—What began as a library class research project, three 6th grade students took several steps further.
The project asked students to select one of many global issues to study: food insecurity; human trafficking; natural disasters; and others. Kobin Ellsworth, Aiden Otterman, and Gabbi Snider chose to research access to clean water.
Finding clean drinking water in Vermont is usually not a problem. But around the world, there are entire communities that cannot reliably access clean water, which, in turn, has a devastating effect on the health, nutrition, agriculture, and education within these communities.
As part of their study, the group learned about the Water Project, an initiative that provides access to safe water across subSaharan Africa. For the Water Project, much of its work means building and improving supply chains, learning from trends, and keeping the water flowing in communities to build trust and resilience.

FAIRLEE—On Sunday, May 6, 2007, a raging fire consumed the Colby Block in Fairlee, displacing a number of apartment residents and several businesses on Main Street. Since then, not much has happened to rebuild the site. That is beginning to change.
The former Colby Block parcel is now owned in partnership as Appleseed, LLC. It is being renamed Chapman’s Place.
On May 8, volunteers helped transform the site into a family friendly park for the season while bigger plans for the future percolate. Since then, a gazebo, picnic tables and Chapman’s Elixirs, a coffee and pastry truck, were installed on site. Over Memorial Day weekend, a tent was hoisted in which the Chapman family envisions hosting musical performances and other activities.
Across the street, more changes are afoot.