Upper Valley Connections Weekly Digest - Issue #10
Upper Valley Connections
Issue No. 10 · May 28, 2026
Your weekly guide to life along the Connecticut River
Memorial Day is behind us and summer is here in earnest -- this week the Valley's outdoor music season kicks off, the Hartland Farmers Market opens tomorrow for the first time this year, and we take a look at the remarkable run of free live music coming to parks, greens, and resort lawns from Fairlee to Montpelier all summer long. Grab a lawn chair.
-- The Upper Valley Connections Team
This week's digest is proudly sponsored by Upper Valley Solutions -- never miss a call from a neighbor again.
This Weekend
Music · Ticketed
Samantha Fish
Fri May 29 · 7:30 PM · Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH
One of the most compelling live acts in blues-rock guitar right now, tonight at the Opera House. If you've been on the fence, stop being on the fence.
Music / Theater · Ticketed
Green Day's American Idiot
Fri May 30 & Sat May 30 · 7:30 PM / Sun May 31 · 3:00 PM · Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH
Dartmouth's Department of Theater closes out its season with a full production of the rock musical. Three more chances to catch it this weekend -- Friday, Saturday night, and a Sunday matinee.
Arts & Culture · Free
Ledyard Gallery Opening: "Finding Joy" by Marjorie Rose
Sat May 30 · 2:00 PM · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
New work from local artist Marjorie Rose opens at the Ledyard Gallery. Free, open to all, and a good excuse to be in Howe Library on a Saturday afternoon.
Music · Free
Upper Valley Traditional Music Jam
Sat May 30 · 3:00 PM · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Fiddles, banjos, and general good cheer. Drop in or just sit and listen -- this monthly gathering at Howe is one of the Valley's quieter pleasures. Free and open to all.
Music · $15 (under 18 free)
The Pure Drop: Irish Sean-Nos Singing
Sat May 30 · 2:00 PM · Upper Valley Music Center, Lebanon, NH
Jennifer Pomeroy presents a concert of Irish sean-nos -- the unaccompanied, highly ornamented vocal tradition from the west of Ireland. Rare to hear it done this well this far inland.
Kids & Family · With Admission
Family Sheep and Wool Celebration
Sat May 30 · 10:00 AM -- 5:00 PM · Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT
Sheep shearing, wool spinning, and all the pastoral charm Billings Farm does so well. The Caleb Kenna photography exhibit is also on view all weekend.
Arts & Culture / Film · Ticketed
Met Opera in HD: El Ultimo Sueno de Frida y Diego
Sun May 31 · 1:00 PM · Spaulding Auditorium, Hanover, NH
Gabriela Lena Frank's acclaimed opera about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in HD at Spaulding. The Met's production has been widely praised. Worth the ticket.
Community / Film · Free
The Place Between: Documentary Premiere
Sun May 31 · 6:30 PM · The Fourth Place, Hanover, NH
The Fourth Place -- Hanover's beloved game-and-community-space on Lebanon Street -- premieres a documentary about itself. If you've ever wondered what goes on in there, now's your chance to find out.
Arts & Culture / Education · Free
Drawing the Revolution: Teen Zine Workshop
Sun May 31 · 1:30 PM · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Teens learn to make zines as a medium for local history and personal storytelling. Free, and a genuinely creative afternoon activity.
See All 115 Events This Week ->
Later in the Week
Community / History / Family · Free
The Hanover History Hunt
Mon Jun 1 - Tue Jun 2 · All Day · Howe Library area, Hanover, NH
A self-guided scavenger hunt through Hanover in honor of the town's 250th. Good for kids and curious adults with a spare afternoon. Runs through Tuesday.
Community / Food & Drink · Free
Sawtooth Trivia Night
Mon Jun 1 · 6:30 PM · Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
Monday night trivia at Sawtooth. Free to play and a reliable way to spend a June evening in good company.
Arts & Culture · Free
Drawing the Revolution: Local History and Storytelling Through Zines
Tue Jun 2 · 6:30 PM · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
The adult companion to Sunday's teen workshop -- a zine-making session focused on local history and community storytelling. Free, all welcome.
Arts & Culture · Free
Digital Arts Fashion Show: Entangled Ecologies
Tue Jun 2 · 8:00 PM · Daryl Roth Studio Theater, Hanover, NH
Dartmouth's digital arts program presents a fashion show at the intersection of wearable design and ecological thinking. We're not entirely sure what to expect. That's usually a good sign.
Arts & Culture · Free
Hood Highlights Tour
Wed Jun 3 · 12:30 PM · Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
A free docent-led tour of Hood Museum highlights, offered every Wednesday. If it's been a while since you've been in, this is the lowest-barrier way back.
Literary · Free
Jasper Craven: "God Forgives, Brothers Don't"
Wed Jun 3 · 7:00 PM · Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
Vermont journalist Jasper Craven reads from his new book at Norwich Bookstore. Craven has been covering the intersection of politics and veterans' issues for years -- this should be a good conversation.
Community / Arts · Free
2026 Arts at Dartmouth Awards
Wed Jun 3 · 4:30 PM · Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH
The annual celebration of arts achievement at Dartmouth. Open to all and a nice way to spend an early evening on the Hop's stage.
This Week in the Upper Valley
Chairs on the Green: A Summer of Free Music in the Valley
The Norwich Women's Club has been part of the fabric of Norwich since 1907 -- scholarships, community grants, Nearly New sales, the kind of quiet institutional glue that holds a small town together. This Sunday they're doing something louder: the first Concert on the Green of the 2026 season, 4 to 7 PM at the Norwich village green. It doubles as their Citizen of the Year celebration, with Nick Krembs -- whose nomination reportedly arrived with 28 pages of supporting letters from across the community -- receiving the award at 6. There will be music, neighbors, and a Ledyard Bank check. This is how the Upper Valley opens its summer.
From there, it only gets bigger. Hartford's Parks and Recreation Department runs free Wednesday evening concerts all summer at the Quechee Green and Lyman Point Park in White River Junction, starting at 6:30 PM. Bring a blanket, bring dinner, find a spot. Lebanon's Front Porch Concert Series takes over Colburn Park on Thursday evenings from July 2 through August 20, also at 6:30. Lebanon Recreation doesn't play around with this one -- the series advertises nationally renowned and Grammy-nominated artists, which is a serious promise for a free park concert across from City Hall.
Forty minutes up the river in Fairlee, Lake Morey Resort has assembled what may be the most quietly impressive free concert lineup in New England. Thursdays on the resort's front lawn starting June 18 -- a broad, sloping grass with a view of the lake, the kind of setting that makes even a mediocre band sound better. This summer's run: Adam Ezra Group (June 18), Fitz and the Tantrums (June 25), Shaggy (July 2), Guster (July 9), Larkin Poe (July 16), Trampled by Turtles (July 23), KALEO (July 30), Natasha Bedingfield (Aug 6), The Revivalists (Aug 13), Andy Grammer (Aug 18), Collective Soul (Aug 20). All free. Arrive early.
If you're willing to make a day of it, Do Good Fest lands in Montpelier on Saturday, July 11 -- National Life Group's annual benefit concert for youth mental health on their State Street lawn. This year: Neon Trees, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Smash Mouth, and Augustana. About 45 minutes from Hanover, a full festival experience with food and local nonprofits, and the music is free.
The Valley has always understood something about summer music that not every place has figured out: it should happen outside, it should cost nothing or nearly nothing, and it should involve your neighbors. That season begins this weekend. The Upper Valley Traditional Music Jam at Howe Library on Saturday afternoon -- 3 PM, free, drop-ins welcome -- is as good a place to start as any. Fiddles, banjos, no ticket required.
Upper Valley Traditional Music Jam, Sat May 30 ->
Farmers' Markets
Lebanon Farmers Market is open tonight, Thursday, 4-7 PM at Colburn Park in Lebanon, NH. SNAP/EBT accepted. Rain or shine.
Hartland Farmers Market opens its 2026 season tomorrow -- Friday, May 29, 4-6:30 PM at 153 Route 5, Hartland, VT. First market of the year.
The Norwich Farmers Market runs Saturday, 9 AM - 1 PM on Route 5 South in Norwich, VT. 55+ vendors, live music. SNAP/EBT accepted.
Opening soon: Market on the Green, Woodstock opens next Wednesday, June 3. The Hanover Farmers Market follows on Wednesday, June 7, 3-6 PM on The Green, 1 Wheelock St, Hanover, NH.
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