Quechee Times

02/21/2025

Macy Bettwieser, a Hartford High School senior, has always loved to sing. She might have been singing before she learned to talk. But, it comes naturally. It is in her genes. Her mom, Anisha, and dad, Stephen, both have musical backgrounds, and her brothers work in the technical side of theater. The family moved to Hartford when Macy was in the third grade, and it didn’t take long for the attraction of the stage to lure her in...

Macy Bettwieser, a Hartford High School senior, has always loved to sing. She might have been singing before she learned...

02/20/2025

Chris Malone, who is fairly new to the Upper Valley, staffs the Quechee Health Club desk on weekday afternoons. Norm Spector, a Quechee resident and a regular at the Health Club, told Chris about the annual Five Colleges Book Sale, saying that he thought Chris and his twin seven-year-old daughters might find some great books there. When Chris appeared in the checkout line at the sale last year, both of his daughters and he each had a full shopping bag full of new treasures....

Chris Malone, who is fairly new to the Upper Valley, staffs the Quechee Health Club desk on weekday afternoons. Norm...

02/19/2025

At the end of last summer, Conor Teal saw a need in the community, and he put his brain to work to fill it. Off of Sykes Mountain Avenue heading into downtown White River Junction, on the corner of Walsh Avenue, kids in the Chambers Village mobile home park wait every day for the school bus to pick them up in the morning.

https://quecheetimes.com/under-cover-bus-shelter-project-brings-neighbors-together/

02/18/2025

When learning to play the piano, five-year-old Lester Gibbs was not aware, but music, and specifically keyboards, would influence the trajectory of his life to come. Lester grew up in Hartford, the son of a man who had been raised in the small village of Quechee, which, prior to the 1960s, was a thriving mill town with a sawmill, gristmill, and fabric mill, where uniforms were made for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

https://quecheetimes.com/oh-the-places-youll-go-the-colorful-life-of-lester-gibbs/

02/17/2025

You can tell a lot about a town by its library. And at its beating heart? A dedicated library director. After 33 years, the Quechee Public Library bids farewell to Kate Schaal as she retires and welcomes new library director, Michaela Lavelle, in her absence...

You can tell a lot about a town by its library. And at its beating heart? A dedicated library director....

11/27/2024

Harry Gorman has had a hand in the story of Vermont Spirits since its beginnings in 2004, when Duncan Holiday, the founder of the Quechee-based craft distillery, expressed interest in starting the company. Together, they put an idea into motion, and today, it’s a legacy that sticks with the company on their newest journey: turning one of the Upper Valley’s oldest commercial buildings into Harry’s Cocktail Lounge, named after Gorman himself.

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Harry Gorman has had a hand in the story of Vermont Spirits since its beginnings in 2004, when Duncan Holiday,...

11/26/2024

"You may have read about the passing of L. John Davidson, Quechee Lakes’ founding visionary, in a recent QLLA online newsletter. As his stepdaughter and the publisher of the Quechee Times, I am in the unique position to tell a more personal story about what made John tick and about who he was at his core."

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You may have read about the passing of L. John Davidson, Quechee Lakes’ founding visionary, in a recent QLLA online...

11/25/2024

After Fall Fest and on my way home, I drove past Quechee Gorge Village and was flagged down by some Hartford High School seniors waving pom-poms at the entrance advertising their bake sale.

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After Fall Fest and on my way home, I drove past Quechee Gorge Village and was flagged down by some...

11/22/2024

After a somewhat subpar foliage season last fall, the Vermont hills did not disappoint when October rolled around this year. Yellows, reds, oranges, and browns were in full force, and there was no better way to enjoy them than to hit the windy roads – warm enough still to have the windows down, and just cool enough for a cozy hat. So I took off for Quechee Club’s annual “Fall Fest” on October 12, and a joyful, sunny autumn afternoon of fun awaited me!

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Editor’s Note: In my quest to get to know Quechee even better, I am setting a goal for myself to...

11/21/2024

If you were in elementary school in the 1960s, chances are you were one of nearly 50 million people who watched the historic launch of the first astronauts, known as the Mercury 7, into orbit around the Earth. All of those original astronauts, including John Glenn and Alan Shepard, have passed away, but their legacy of space exploration and the search for life on other planets, including Mars, is firmly established through the continuing work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

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If you were in elementary school in the 1960s, chances are you were one of nearly 50 million people who...

11/20/2024

Even with technological difficulties during an interview over Zoom, you can absolutely tell that Nancy O’Brien has a friendly, outgoing personality; her energy shines right through the screen. This attitude is just one of the many skills the Vermont native possesses and uses as Quechee Club’s director of Quechee Ski and Sports School at Ski Quechee. After 17 years as a ski instructor, O’Brien is coming into her first full year in the role of director, and she feels right at home.

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Even with technological difficulties during an interview over Zoom, you can absolutely tell that Nancy O’Brien has a friendly, outgoing...

11/19/2024

For Quechee resident Kristen Lessard, organizing volunteers for the annual Woodstock Wassail Weekend is a fantastic way to get to know area residents and visitors, and to welcome the holiday season. With its milestone 40th anniversary fast approaching this December, this year’s Woodstock’s Wassail Weekend is sporting renewed energy and expanded event offerings targeting families, long-time residents, and visitors to the area.

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For Quechee resident Kristen Lessard, organizing volunteers for the annual Woodstock Wassail Weekend is a fantastic way to get to...

08/26/2024

As if fourteen-year-old Eleia Bouton’s life was not busy enough with six siblings, and home-school studies in foreign language, piano, flute, and ballet. In her “spare time”, she decided to add the pipe organ to her repertoire. Conveniently, she has a pipe organ at her disposal, since her father, Ryan Bouton, is the pastor at The Quechee Church – home to an organ rumored to have been built in the 1880s...

As if fourteen-year-old Eleia Bouton’s life was not busy enough with six siblings, and home-school studies in foreign language, piano,...

08/23/2024

Often, on Sunday afternoons, when the sun is shining, kids ages 6-13 get ready on the Quechee Club Golf Course to play a nine-hole match after practicing with coaches Curt Goldsberry and Dustin Ribolini on Saturdays. The sounds of laughter, shouting, and high-fiving can be heard as the kids hit golf balls far and wide.

Often, on Sunday afternoons, when the sun is shining, kids ages 6-13 get ready on the Quechee Club Golf Course...

08/22/2024

On International Women’s Day, female executives from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) met in an in-person conference to discuss their projects, goals, and needs. Kathryn Wooters was inspired by what she heard, and in 2022, she took a dive down the rabbit hole of elephant rescue in Africa.

When Kathryn Wooters, resident of Quechee since 2005, was contemplating retirement from her CPA practice in Boston, she began tire-kicking...

08/21/2024

“I wear a lot of different hats,” says Michaela Lavelle, referring to her work as assistant librarian at the Quechee Public Library. In managing this space for library patrons, Lavelle is in charge of programming, finding volunteers and delegating jobs to them, running the tech desk, maintaining the library’s website and social m edia pages, reading advisory, assisting patrons with finding books and storytime, and crafting events...

“I wear a lot of different hats,” says Michaela Lavelle, referring to her work as assistant librarian at the Quechee...

08/20/2024

Girls on the Run Vermont is one of the oldest ‘councils’ in the country; collectively, its 120 programs have reached more than 39,000 girls and thousands of coaches over the course of 25 years, averaging 550 volunteer coaches each season.

When the Ottauquechee School Girls on the Run (GOTR) program was founded 15 years ago by 5th grade teacher Sandra...

06/14/2024

The text came in January from Jo’s sister. “Do you and Craig want to go to the Masters? Mike’s ex-wife can’t use her tickets this year?” I barely heard the words before Jo said: “I’m going to text back ‘yes’.”

Editor’s Note: Craig Allsopp and his wife, Jo Allsopp, came to Quechee 17 years ago after moving from New Jersey....