Middlebury to get a public skating rink

MIDDLEBURY — When Maria Graham hatched the idea to build an outdoor ice rink in Middlebury just in time for the February school break, it didn’t take long to rustle up community support. Within a week, Graham’s coworker Janet Lapiner, who is on the ACSD Community Partnership Council’s “Joy Committee” — yes, that’s a real thing — had nailed down a location (the rec fields near Mary Hogan), found a local business to donate its labor (Silver Maple Construction) and got the local fire and water departments on b … (read more)

Remember when we used to do stuff indoors during the winter? My family used to spend an awful lot of time lingering in the Snow Bowl lodge, in Junebug, in the children’s room at Ilsley Library and the college field house. It’s been great to be outdoors al … (read more)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9870rO1Ug_8 Out in the neighborhood on a snow day in Middlebury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9dsVU7vE3Q&fbclid=IwAR0RCI8c_eBcs5ZmSRt_S2pb6T5wIbNKJtzhILaPweogl7tWvb6YLlx23i4 The weekend before Christmas, Addison Independent digital editor Megan James and her family hosted a physically distant holiday extravaganza t … (read more)

SALISBURY — When I called Wayne Smith to ask him about his magnificently over-the-top holiday lights display, which I had visited for the first time the night before, he said incredulously, “How long have you lived in Addison County?! And this was your fi … (read more)

https://youtu.be/qzL9Z438AkI Buttolph Acres is all lit up for the holidays. Enjoy this tour through the Middlebury neighborhood. Want to show off *your* holiday display — and win some local currency ($50 in Middlebury Money, Bristol Bucks or Vergennes Gre … (read more)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7et6kqvBRI MIDDLEBURY — Town Hall Theater brought Cirque de Fuego, a Vermont-based fire cirucs, to Merchants Row for a fiery outdoor performance as part of the Bundle Up Artisan Market.

Erin Dufault has been a high school counselor for 17 years, but nothing in her career could have prepared her for this pandemic moment. Now in her fourth year at Mount Abraham Union High School — which, like the other middle and high schools in our area, … (read more)

Before the pandemic Mary Hogan Elementary School nurse Rebecca McKee spent her days tending to minor scratches and bruises, comforting kids who didn’t feel well, and propping her office door wide open so others could wander in to say hi. On weekends, and … (read more)

On Friday morning, a ceremonial first train took the inaugural journey through the brand-new rail tunnel in Middlebury, marking the end of the 10-week shutdown of downtown. The Addison Independent’s digital editor Megan James covered the event live.   Aft … (read more)

This story first appeared on MiniBury.com. We were sitting in the car at A&W, waiting for milkshakes — while our daughters wreaked havoc in the way back — when my husband said, “I think we should think about homeschooling.” It was back in July. Back befor … (read more)

The other day my 3-year-old, Frankie, told us a story.  “Once upon a time Daddy was in the middle of the road,” she began. “On the yellow line.” My husband, Daniel, older daughter Joni, and I waited expectantly.  “And then a car came and crashed into Dadd … (read more)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSR7H7JNCYw&feature=youtu.be In our latest video from the Middlebury construction zone, we talk to project manager John Whitaker about the next big phase: the installation of the precast concrete tunnel pieces.

This story first appeard on minibury.com. At the beginning of the month my family went camping — twice. I had never camped with my children before. I loved camping as a kid, but the idea of sleeping in a tent with a baby or toddler seemed … unpleasant. Th … (read more)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ7myBOeraY&feature=youtu.be The removal of Middlebury’s Main Street bridge this past Monday marked the beginning of a 10-week intense phase of the rail tunnel construction project. For those who love cranes and dump trucks … (read more)