Photos of the Week: Jan. 8, 2026

ALTHOUGH THE CURRENT administration would like people to forget about the riot at the U.S. Capitol five years ago this week, many locals are determined that we won’t. More than 100 people gathered in Middlebury’s Court Square on Tuesday, Jan. 6, to wave signs and encourage honks. Few people around here have forgotten.Independent photo/Steve James JANUARY 6 HAS become a day of accountability. Five years ago this week, protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with the aim of stopping the legit … (read more)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!CROWDS WENT TO the Rec Park in Middlebury on Wednesday evening to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks ring in 2026; but because they were launched high above the shire town, there were plenty of good vantage points from which to enjoy the fi … (read more)

Shortest dayCOMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHERED this past Sunday at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater for “Solstice in the Shire,” a celebration of the winter solstice. The occasion made the most of the shortest day of the year with a variety of activities that inclu … (read more)

COLIN GUNN PICKS a tune on guitar while Aaron Marcus accompanies on concertina during a recent rehearsal of “Night Fires,” a show that honors darkness and light. The locally written and produced pageant uses storytelling and song singing to give a message … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY KICKED OFF the holiday season this past weekend with its Midd Night Stroll downtown shopping event and First Saturday festivities two days later. Santa and Mrs. Claus met a ton of well-behaved kids at Town Hall Theater on Saturday morning.Photo … (read more)

AS IF THE beauty of snow geese flying in formation, their ink-tipped wings nearly touching, wasn’t lovely enough, a local photographer timed his shot to superimpose the migrating flock under the moon rising over the Champlain Valley this weekend.Photo by … (read more)

THE CHAMPLAIN BRASS Ensemble and the Addison County Gospel Choir & Worship Team were both in fine form during the Thanksgiving Community Hymn Sing held at the Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church in Vergennes this past Sunday, Nov. 23. The churc … (read more)

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION High School’s dazzling fall musical, “Anastasia,” transports audiences from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. The show, which … (read more)

NATHAN STEFANI AND Jonathan Carpenter lead a cast of 31, a pit band of 10 and a stage and technical crew of more than 20 in the Middlebury Union High School fall musical production of “Newsies.” The show, which plays Thursday and Friday evenings and a Sat … (read more)

Eyes on the FlagMIDDLEBURY UNION HIGH SCHOOL trumpeter Jonathan Kafumbe marches off the MUHS football field with the American Legion honor Guard on Friday evening after his stirring performance of the National Anthem before the Tiger football game.Indepen … (read more)

Rev. Paul Olsson hands out candy. Independent photo/Steve James The Covey family —bearded cowboy Jason, Bailey as a minute man, Walter as a Middlebury Tiger, Piper wearing the witch’s hat and Jodi as, well, Grandma — goes all out. Independent photo/Steve … (read more)

“Whether in the dryland forests of southern Africa or the hardwood hills of Addison County, successful conservation depends on finding a balance between people and nature.”

The No Kings Day rallies on Saturday in Middlebury, Vergennes and Brandon at least matched the excitement at the 2,700 No Kings protests around the country. The message to our elected president was simple: Be nice, follow the law, tell the truth, stop tre … (read more)

Time for harvestSOYBEANS ARE NOT the most widely planted crop in Addison County, but as this field of yellowing beans in New Haven show, there are farmers who plant the nutritious legume. We saw these plants in late September, probably not long after they … (read more)

STUDENTS AT BRISTOL Elementary School made signs to encourage school administrators as they completed a “Kiss the Cow” challenge last week.Photo by Nicole Heffernan MANY NOTICED THIS huge wooden sculpture that went up in Middlebury’s Riverfront Park just … (read more)