Upper Valley Connections Weekly Digest - Issue #11
Upper Valley Connections
Issue No. 10 · June 5, 2026
Your weekly guide to life along the Connecticut River
The farmers markets are humming, summer is officially here, and this week we're doing something we've been meaning to do for a while: making the case for a proper Upper Valley ice cream tour. Also this weekend: a new juried show at AVA, Nona Hendryx at Dartmouth, a dance party at Sawtooth, and Caleb Kenna's working lands photography at Billings Farm.
-- 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
Arts & Culture · Included with admission
Our Working Lands: Photography by Caleb Kenna
Fri Jun 5 · 10:00 AM · Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT
Caleb Kenna has spent years photographing Vermont farms and the people who work them. This exhibit at Billings brings his images to a place that knows exactly what that work looks like up close. Running all weekend.
Arts & Culture · Free
2026 Juried Exhibition -- Opening Reception
Fri Jun 5 · 5:00 PM · AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
The opening of AVA's annual juried show, with juror Jamie Franklin on hand for a walk-through at 4pm. Come early for the tour, stay for the reception.
Theater · $21.40
Theater: Body of Work
Fri Jun 5 · 7:00 PM · Briggs Opera House, White River Junction, VT
A new play at the Briggs. Worth a look at the WRJ arts district while you're there.
Community · $5 cover
Sawtooth Singles Night
Fri Jun 5 · 9:00 PM · Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
Five bucks gets you drink specials and snacks. Show up, see what happens.
Music · Theater · Ticketed
Nona Hendryx: Cyboracle in the Nonaverse
Sat Jun 6 · 8:00 PM · Daryl Roth Studio Theater, Hanover, NH
Nona Hendryx -- co-founder of Labelle, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and one of the most boundary-pushing performers of the last fifty years -- is in Hanover as Dartmouth's Roth Visiting Scholar. This is the kind of show you don't pass up.
Music · $5 cover
DJ Dance Party with DJ Benny Shreds
Sat Jun 6 · 9:30 PM · Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
Five-dollar cover, late night, dance floor. That's the whole pitch.
Music · Donation at door
Silver Songs: Cantabile's 25th Anniversary Concert
Sun Jun 7 · 4:00 PM · First Congregational Church of Lebanon, Lebanon, NH
Cantabile marks 25 years with an afternoon concert. Donation at the door, and well deserved.
Fitness & Wellness · $26 general / $22 members
Yoga in the Canopy
Sun Jun 7 · 4:00 PM · VINS Nature Center, Quechee, VT
Yoga among the trees at VINS. One of those events that sounds like it could be gimmicky and turns out to be genuinely lovely.
See All 136 Events This Week ->
Later in the Week
Arts & Culture · Free
Make It Here: Upper Valley Creative Economy Mixer
Wed Jun 10 · 5:00 PM · AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
A networking event for artists, makers, and creative workers in the Valley. Good room, good conversation.
Literary · Free
Alex Myers -- While We Were Silent
Wed Jun 10 · 7:00 PM · Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
Author reading and conversation at the Norwich Bookstore. One of the better spots in the region to catch a writer.
Education · Community
How to Feed the Planet
Wed Jun 10 · 7:00 PM · Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT
An evening program at Billings on food systems and agriculture. Included with admission. Big topic, right venue.
Community · Free
Historical Trivia at the Howe (Howe@snorth)
Wed Jun 10 · 6:30 PM · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Happy hour pricing on drinks for trivia participants. History nerds, this is your night.
Community · Free
Zine Making Meetup and Potluck
Tue Jun 9 · 6:00 PM · AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
Bring a dish, make a zine, meet some people. This is the kind of thing that shouldn't work but always does.
Food & Drink · Workshop · $85/person
Billings After Hours: Charcuterie Workshop
Thu Jun 11 · 5:30 PM · Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT
An evening at Billings learning to build a proper board. Member pricing available. Good date night.
Arts & Culture · Ticketed
The Mudroom: Over My Head
Thu Jun 11 · 7:00 PM · AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
AVA's Mudroom series continues. Get tickets in advance.
This Week in the Upper Valley
The Creamee Stands of the Connecticut River Valley
There is a sign on Route 5 South in White River Junction that says MAPLE CREAMEES. It is outside Sunrise Farm, which has been running a CSA here since 2000 and apparently decided this summer to add soft-serve to the operation. Good call. They are open Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am-6pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm. It is on my list and near the top of it.
If you are from away, "creamee" needs a moment. It is soft-serve, yes, but the word carries weight here. It is what you get after a hike, what you eat leaning against a car in a gravel lot, what you hand a child who held it together at the hardware store. The maple version -- made with real local syrup -- is something else entirely. Subtle, not candy-sweet, with a faintness that reminds you it came from a tree.
My favorite is Mac's Maple in Plainfield. I know summer has really started when creamees are back at Mac's, on River Road off Route 12A. Mac's is part of McNamara Dairy -- the cream in your cone comes from cows you can walk over and look at. Get the maple. Get the waffle cone. Get the maple candy sprinkles. The small is not actually small. Open Wed-Sat 9am-5pm, Tuesday 8am-noon.
Other spots worth knowing this summer:
Dan & Whit's in Norwich -- a general store on that corner since 1829 -- runs a soft-serve window out the side of the building when the weather warrants. The line forms fast.
Ice Cream Fore-U in West Lebanon, beside the Home Depot on Route 12A. High-volume, Gifford's hard serve, generous portions, covered seating, open daily 11am-9pm. The Valley's most reliable option.
Red Kite Candy in Hanover (5 South St). House-made ice cream, house-made cones. Open Mon-Sat 10am-9pm. A notch above the average scoop shop.
Woodstock Scoops -- locations in Woodstock and Hanover -- does maple creamee soft serve with syrup from Bourdon Maple Farm. White Cottage Snack Bar on West Woodstock Road is the classic roadside experience, open daily from 11am.
One absence worth noting. Dairy Twirl on Mechanic Street in Lebanon has been dark since a building fire in January 2025. The sign is still up. The Valley is rooting for it.
Farmers' Markets
Lebanon Farmers Market Thursdays 4-7pm · Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH Running now through mid-October. SNAP/EBT accepted. Rain or shine.
Norwich Farmers Market Saturdays 9am-1pm · Route 5 South, Norwich, VT 55+ vendors, live music. Running now through October. SNAP/EBT accepted. Rain or shine.
Opening This Week: The Hanover Farmers Market opens Wednesday, June 7 -- The Green, 1 Wheelock St, 3-6pm. After a long wait, the full market lineup on the Connecticut River side of the Valley is now in place.
The Woodstock Market on the Green also opens this week, Wednesday June 3.
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