Upper Valley Connections Weekly Digest - Issue #14
Upper Valley Connections
Issue No. 14 -- June 25, 2026
Your weekly guide to life along the Connecticut River
The Fourth is just over a week out, and the Valley has plans -- parades, Old Home Days, fireworks, live music, and food trucks turning up at all the right places. We have the full rundown below, plus this week's concerts, markets, and more.
-- The Upper Valley Connections Team
Upper Valley Connections is a free, independent community newsletter. If you run a local business, add your listing -- it's free to start. Have an event coming up? Submit it to the calendar. Paid tiers help keep this going.
4th of July is just over a week away. See below for everything happening across the Valley that weekend.
This Weekend
Music -- $18/plate
Summer Dinner & Music Series: BBQ Night with Spencer Lewis
Thu Jun 25 -- 4:30pm -- King Arthur Baking Company, Norwich, VT
Dinner on the lawn at King Arthur with local musician Spencer Lewis. $18 gets you a plate and an evening outside -- it's a hard argument to make against it.
Music -- Free
Lake Morey Summer Concert Series: Fitz and the Tantrums
Thu Jun 25 -- 8pm -- Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
The summer concert series kicks off its biggest night yet. Fitz and the Tantrums play the lakefront at Lake Morey Resort -- gates at 6pm, music at 8pm. Free admission. Tonight the food truck lineup includes Loaded Totz, Katie's Cookies, The Box, and VT Ice Palace. Get there early.
Arts & Culture -- Free
Exploring Life in 1776 Through Crafts
Fri Jun 26 -- 2pm -- Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Good timing: two weeks before the 250th, kids can get hands-on with colonial-era crafts at Howe Library. Free, and no shoebox float required (though that's also an option -- see Monday and Tuesday).
Arts & Culture -- Free
Circa: Community Circus Workshop
Fri Jun 26 -- 4pm -- Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH
Free drop-in circus workshop from the Australian company behind this weekend's Humans 2.0 show. A good excuse to get kids (or adults) through the HOP doors before the main event.
Music -- Free
Fire Pit Folk Punk
Fri Jun 26 -- 8pm -- Main Street Museum, White River Junction, VT
The Main Street Museum does it again. Folk punk around (presumably) a fire pit -- free admission, White River Junction, Friday night. What else do you need.
Music -- Free Admission
FREE Trumpet Concert
Fri Jun 26 -- 8pm -- Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH
A freewill offering concert at the Enfield Shaker Museum benefiting the Center for Advanced Musical Studies scholarship fund. Gorgeous setting, good cause, bring a friend.
Theater -- Ticketed
Circa: Humans 2.0
Fri Jun 26 -- 7:30pm & Sat Jun 27 -- 2pm -- Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, NH
Australian circus company Circa brings their acclaimed Humans 2.0 to the HOP this weekend. Acrobatics, aerial work, and physical theater -- it's as impressive as it sounds.
Music -- Ticketed
Rossini's La Cenerentola
Fri Jun 26 - Sun Jun 28 -- Blow-Me-Down Farm, Cornish, NH
Opera on a farm in Cornish. The Blow-Me-Down Farm series is genuinely one of the most distinctive things the Valley does in summer -- three performances of Rossini's Cinderella this weekend.
Community -- Free
Grantham's Old Home Day Celebration
Sat Jun 27 -- 11am-2pm -- Grantham Recreation Park, Grantham, NH
Old Home Day in Grantham -- the kind of event the Valley does better than most places. Music, community, all of it. Free.
Community -- Free
65th Hanover Center Old Timers Fair on the Common
Sat Jun 27 -- 9am-5pm -- 6 Parade Ground Road, Etna, NH
A Valley institution turns 65. The Hanover Center Old Timers Fair on the Common includes a bike parade at 10:30am (decorate your bike at 9:30am), ox pulling, a White Elephant sale, food tent with BBQ from 1pm, an all-day quilt show, and live music from noon to 5pm featuring Joseph Stallsmith, Dogford & Co., Well Kept Men featuring Toby Summerfield & Matt Greenway, Yvonne and the Reverbs, and Valley Chords. The craft table for kids is hosted by the Etna Library. It's a fundraiser for the First Congregational Church of Hanover Center. Bring a lawn chair.
Community -- Ticketed
PRIDE in the Upper Valley Exhibition Reception and Celebration
Sat Jun 27 -- 5pm -- AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
The opening reception for the PRIDE in the Upper Valley exhibition at AVA Gallery. Ticketed -- check the event page for details.
Music -- $5 cover
DJ Dance Party EDM Festival Vibes w/ DJ Benny Shreds
Sat Jun 27 -- 9:30pm -- Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
Late night at Sawtooth. $5 cover.
Later in the Week
Music -- Ticketed
Nona Hendryx: Nightbirds: The Music of Labelle
Tue Jun 30 -- 7:30pm -- Spaulding Auditorium, Hanover, NH
Nona Hendryx brings the music of Labelle to Spaulding Auditorium as part of the Roth Visiting Scholar series. Patti LaBelle's co-founder performing the catalog live -- this one's worth the ticket.
Music -- Free
Free Outdoor Concert - Upper Valley Community Band
Wed Jul 1 -- 6pm -- Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH
The Upper Valley Community Band plays outside at the Shaker Museum. Free, no tickets needed, and a lovely way to spend a Wednesday evening before the holiday weekend.
Community -- Free
Lebanon Independence Day Evening: Family Entertainment & Front Porch Concert
Thu Jul 2 -- 4pm-9pm -- Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH
A full pre-Fourth evening in Colburn Park. Family entertainment 4-6pm: juggling, the UVMC Children's Chorus, an Addams Family preview from NCCT, and a traditional New England barn dance. Then the Front Porch Concert Series kicks off at 7pm with The Rough and Tumble and Flagship Romance -- high-energy indie folk, free, no tickets needed. Lebanon Farmers Market also running 4-7pm. Fireworks at 9:15pm from Storrs Hill -- see below.
Music -- Free
Lake Morey Summer Concert Series: Shaggy
Thu Jul 2 -- 8pm -- Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
Yes, that Shaggy. The Lake Morey summer series keeps going with one of the more unexpected bookings in Upper Valley concert history. Free admission, gates at 6pm. It wasn't him.
Sports -- Free Admission
UV Nighthawks vs. North Adams SteepleCats (Home)
Fri Jul 3 -- 6pm -- Maxfield Sports Complex, White River Junction, VT
The Nighthawks are home July 3rd -- a solid pre-holiday evening with free admission at Maxfield Sports Complex.
Kids & Family -- Free
Design a Shoebox Float and Other Fourth of July Crafts
Mon Jun 29, Tue Jun 30, Wed Jul 1 -- 1pm-3pm -- Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Three afternoons of 4th of July craft prep at Howe Library, including the shoebox float you'll need for the mini parade on the 4th. Free, materials from rePlay Arts.
4th of July in the Upper Valley
The Valley goes all-out for Independence Day -- and this year carries the extra weight of America's 250th. Here is everything we know is happening, from Old Home Days to fireworks, across the weekend.
Community -- Free
Hanover Old-Fashioned 4th of July Parade & Celebration
Sat Jul 4 -- 10am-1pm -- Downtown Hanover & the Dartmouth Green, Hanover, NH
Parade steps off from Hanover High School at 10am and winds through downtown. Pie and hot dog eating contests, classic games, live music, and touch-a-truck. Food available for purchase.
Community -- Free
Lebanon 4th of July -- Parade, Cookout & Entertainment
Sat Jul 4 -- 9am-2:30pm -- Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH
Lebanon's full day: Red, White & Blue 5K/6.2-mile road race at 9am along the Rail Trail. Parade at 11:30am circling Colburn Park. Salt Hill cookout (sponsored by Novo Nordisk) plus food trucks noon-2:30pm. Live entertainment includes a UVMC sing-along and The Flames on the bandstand. (Fireworks on Thursday July 2 -- see the fireworks list below.)
Community -- Free
Plainfield 4th of July Parade & Festivities
Sat Jul 4 -- 7am-3:30pm -- Plainfield Village Town Hall, 1079 Route 12A, Plainfield, NH
Pancake breakfast at 7am, parade at 11am, art show, live music, and a cake auction. One of the Valley's classic small-town celebrations, right on Route 12A.
Community -- Free
Fairlee/Orford 4th of July Celebration
Sat Jul 4 -- 11am -- Route 25A, Orford to Route 5, Fairlee, VT
The Orford-Fairlee parade -- theme: "250 Years of 'We the People'" -- starts at 11am on Route 25A in Orford, crosses the bridge, and ends at the field south of Wing's Market in Fairlee. Followed by a chicken BBQ on the Fairlee Town Common, pie and ice cream at the Fairlee Community Church, and a 100th anniversary celebration of the town's flagpole and soldiers monument. Fireworks over Lake Morey around 9pm.
Community -- Free
Hartford/Wilder Independence Day Celebration
Sat Jul 4 -- 5:30pm -- Kilowatt South Park, 61 Passumpsic Ave, Wilder, VT
One of the biggest celebrations in the Valley. Gates open at 5:30pm with food vendors and children's activities. Street Beat Brass Band at 5:30pm, The Conniption Fits at 7pm. Vermont Air National Guard F-35 flyover (time TBA on the day). Fireworks around 9pm. Limited parking -- access via Wilder Dam Road.
Community -- Free
Hartland Old Home Day
Sat Jul 4 -- 8am -- Hartland Recreation Center, 19 Route 12, Hartland, VT
A full day of community tradition: tractor pull at 8am, book sale at the Hartland Public Library 9am-3pm, parade at 10am from the Hartland Fire Station down Route 12, followed by vendors and live music all afternoon. Fireworks are Sunday July 5 -- see below.
Community -- Free
Corinth 4th of July Celebration
Sat Jul 4 -- 10am -- East Corinth Fairgrounds, 301 Fairground Road, Corinth, VT
Parade at 10am from the north end of Village Road. Chicken barbecue ($7-$15), silent auction, live music, and children's activities at the Fairgrounds.
Community -- Free
Vershire Day
Sat Jul 4 -- 3pm -- Vershire Town Center, 27 Vershire Center Road, Vershire, VT
Field games, chicken barbecue, and children's arts and crafts 3-6pm. Food and bounce house 6-9pm. Fireworks at 9pm.
Community -- $14-$23
4th on the Farm at Billings Farm & Museum
Sat Jul 4 -- 10am-5pm -- Billings Farm & Museum, 69 Old River Road, Woodstock, VT
Horse-drawn wagon rides, ice cream making, lemonade tastings, classic carnival games, and historic "base ball" played by 1860 rules -- barehanded, period uniforms, the whole thing. Children under 3 free.
Kids & Family -- Free
Stars & Stripes Mini Parade with Shoebox Floats
Sat Jul 4 -- 11:45am -- Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Bring the shoebox float you made this week. Howe Library hosts its own mini parade -- a good follow-up to the morning festivities on the Green.
Music -- Free
4th of July Sing-Along with UVMC
Sat Jul 4 -- 12:30pm -- Upper Valley Music Center, Lebanon, NH
The Upper Valley Music Center closes out the 250th celebrations with a community sing-along. Free.
Music -- Free
Upper Valley Traditional Music Jams
Sat Jul 4 -- 3pm -- Kilton Library, West Lebanon, NH
Folk and traditional music at Kilton Library on the 4th. Bring an instrument or just your ears.
Fireworks
Thu Jul 2 - Lebanon, NH -- 9:15pm -- Storrs Hill Ski Area, viewable from Storrs Hill, Church St, and Water St. Church St closed to traffic at 9pm.
Sat Jul 4 - Fairlee, VT -- ~9pm -- Over Lake Morey. Part of the Orford-Fairlee 4th of July celebration (see above). - Hartford/Wilder, VT -- ~9pm -- Kilowatt South Park, 61 Passumpsic Ave, Wilder. - Vershire, VT -- 9pm -- Vershire Town Center, 27 Vershire Center Road. - Woodsville/Wells River -- 10pm -- Set off in Wells River; best viewed from Woodsville Community Field, 28 Connecticut St.
Sun Jul 5 - Hartland, VT -- 9pm -- Hartland Recreation Center, 19 Route 12. Live music from 7pm. Food available. - Woodstock, VT -- ~9:15pm -- Woodstock Union High School, 100 Amsden Way. Festivities from 4:30pm: live music, games, children's activities, flag ceremony. $10/vehicle.
Dates and times are based on the best available information -- always check with organizers before heading out, as fireworks are subject to weather cancellations.
Farmers' Markets
Eight markets are running this week across the Valley. Here's the full schedule:
Monday - Monday Mini Market at Honey Field Farm -- 4-7pm -- 55 Butternut Road, Norwich, VT
Tuesday - West Hartford Library Farmers Market -- 3:30-6:30pm -- West Hartford Library, 2993 VT Route 14, West Hartford, VT - Sweetland Farm Tasty Tuesdays -- 4-6:30pm -- 742 Route 132, Norwich, VT
Wednesday - Market on the Green, Woodstock -- 3-6pm -- The Green, Central Street, Woodstock, VT
Thursday - Lebanon Farmers Market -- 4-7pm -- Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH -- SNAP/EBT accepted. Rain or shine.
Friday - Hartland Farmers Market -- 4-6:30pm -- 153 Route 5, Hartland, VT
Saturday - Norwich Farmers Market -- 9am-1pm -- Route 5 South, Norwich, VT -- 55+ vendors, live music. SNAP/EBT accepted. Rain or shine. Also running July 4th. - Mt Tom Farmers Market -- 9:30am-12:30pm -- Saskadena Six, 247 Suicide Six Road, Woodstock, VT
Sunday - Canaan Farmers Market -- 10am-2pm -- Canaan Town Common, Canaan, NH
PYO strawberry season is open now at Crossroad Farm in Post Mills and Edgewater Farm in Plainfield, NH. Cedar Circle Farm in East Thetford is opening mid-to-late June. Season runs through early July -- go soon.
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