Upper Valley Connections Weekly Digest - Issue #18
Upper Valley Connections
Issue No. 18 · July 23, 2026
Your weekly guide to life along the Connecticut River
There's a particular kind of tired that only a county fair can produce -- sunburned, sticky-fingered, down more ride tickets than you meant to buy. Fair season is already underway across the Valley, and this week brings a full rundown of what's ahead, plus a lineup of free concerts, a very good excuse to watch the neighbor's dog run an obstacle course, and the usual markets.
-- 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.
Fair season is officially here. Enfield's Old Home Days takes over town this weekend, Doggie Olympics included, and the North Haverhill Fair wraps its 82nd year on Sunday. Full rundown of everything on deck below.
Tonight
Kids & Family · Free
T-Rex Tea Party: Pinkies Out, Tails Out!
Thu Jul 23 · 2:00-3:00 PM · Kilton Library, West Lebanon, NH
High tea manners collide with prehistoric chaos, in the best possible way. If you miss this one, Kilton Library has a whole run of kids' programming through early August: a dinosaur storytime and concert with Miss Julieann (Tue Jul 28), Dinosaur Crafts for Kids (Tue Jul 28 and Aug 4), Dinosaur Detectives with the Children's Museum of NH (Thu Jul 30), Kids' Dino Olympics (Sat Aug 1), and a Reptile Ambassadors program with Morphs & Milestones (Tue Aug 4).
Arts & Culture · Free
Kyle Timothy Fine Art Grand Opening
Thu Jul 23 · 4:00-6:00 PM · 53 South Main Street, Hanover, NH
A new gallery opens its doors this afternoon, with an inaugural show featuring Dartmouth-connected artists including Larry Horowitz, Henry Isaacs, and Margaret Jacobs, among others. A warm welcome to the newest addition to the Upper Valley art scene.
Farmers Market · Free
Lebanon Farmers Market
Thu Jul 23 · 4-7 PM · Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH
The Adams Family Band takes the stage this evening, and the produce tables are finally deep into local lettuce season. Crafts, food options, the full Thursday-evening lineup.
Food & Drink · $10 for pizza
Community Pizza Nights at King Arthur
Thu Jul 23 · 4:30-6:30 PM · King Arthur Baking Company, Norwich, VT
Our favorite Thursday tradition. Ten dollars gets you a ball of dough, sauce, and cheese -- you shape your own crust, add whatever toppings you like, and King Arthur bakes it for you. Drinks available from Jasper Murdock's, live music, and a patio full of neighbors doing the same thing.
Music · Free
Lake Morey Summer Concert Series: Trampled by Turtles
Thu Jul 23 · 8-10 PM · Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
Free gates, food trucks starting at 6, and a headlining set from Trampled by Turtles, the American bluegrass-influenced folk band known for turning acoustic instruments into something that hits like a rock show.
This Weekend
Sports · Free
Nighthawks vs. Sanford Mainers
Fri Jul 24 · 6:00 PM · Maxfield Sports Complex, White River Junction, VT
Free summer baseball, no reason not to go. Mac's Maple and Loaded Totz will both be on site.
Community · $15
WRJ Pride Drag + Dance
Fri Jul 24 · 7:00 PM · Briggs Opera House, White River Junction, VT
Kicks off WRJ Pride weekend with a proper party.
Theater · Ticketed
Opera North: Fiddler on the Roof (SOLD OUT)
Fri Jul 24 · 7:30 PM · Blow-Me-Down Farm, Cornish, NH
This is Opera North's final outdoor show of the summer, and the entire four-show run -- Thursday through Sunday -- is sold out. If you don't have tickets, call the box office at 603-448-4141 to check for last-minute cancellations.
Kids & Family · Free
Open Roller Skate
Sat Jul 25 · 9:45-11:15 AM · Wendell A. Barwood Arena, White River Junction, VT
Bring your own skates plus helmets for kids and beginners -- no rentals. Elbow, knee, and wrist pads recommended. All ages welcome.
Kids & Family · Free
Doggie Olympics: Enfield Old Home Days
Sat Jul 25 · 10:00 AM-12:00 PM · Huse Park, Enfield, NH
The Upper Valley Humane Society hosts the Valley's first-ever Doggie Olympics. Leash up your dog and compete for gold in categories like Longest Tail, Amateur Agility, Best Trick, and Biggest Underbite -- actual talent not required. Donations for the UVHS Pet Supply Pantry appreciated.
Arts & Culture · $65 members / $75 non-members
Berry Basket Workshop
Sat Jul 25 · 10:00 AM-5:00 PM · Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH
A full-day workshop with Tunbridge basket maker Dona Nazarenko, weaving a traditional swing-handle berry basket from natural reed and a wood handle. All skill levels welcome, and bring your own lunch. If last week's blueberry-picking guide left you with berries and nowhere to put them, here's your answer.
Food & Drink · Pay per scoop
Ice Cream in the Courtyard
Sat Jul 25 & Sun Jul 26 · 11:00 AM-3:00 PM · King Arthur Baking Company, Norwich, VT
Swing by the courtyard for a scoop (or two) of Sisters of Anarchy Ice Cream, paired with toppings from King Arthur's bakery. Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting.
Community · Free
WRJ Pride Parade Day
Sat Jul 25 · 11:30 AM · Lyman Point Park, White River Junction, VT
Parade, vendors, and an afternoon on the river. Family-friendly, all ages.
Theater · Free (ticketed)
Moonie
Sat Jul 25 · 4:00 PM · Bentley Theater, Hanover, NH
A New York Theatre Workshop solo show about lineage, love, motherhood, and grief, from Yale-trained playwright and performer Stefani Kuo. Free, but tickets are required.
Community · Cash/check only
Contra Dance
Sat Jul 25 · 7:10 PM · East Thetford Pavilion, East Thetford, VT
No partner or experience needed, no Venmo either -- bring cash.
Theater · Free (ticketed)
Nightbirds: The Story of Labelle
Sat Jul 25 · 7:30 PM · Daryl Roth Studio Theater, Hanover, NH
A new work-in-development from Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage and Labelle founding member Nona Hendryx, tracing Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash's transformation from a conventional girl group into the groundbreaking Afrofuturist trio behind "Lady Marmalade." Free, but tickets are required.
Outdoors & Nature · Free
Wildlife Tracking at Mink Brook
Sun Jul 26 · 9:00 AM · Mink Brook Nature Preserve, Hanover, NH
A slow Sunday morning look at who's been through the preserve. Good for kids who like mud and mysteries.
Food & Drink · $36 (half-price under 13)
Sunday Summer Soirees
Sun Jul 26 · 5:30 PM · Loch Lyme Lodge, Lyme, NH
A weekly waterfront buffet by Fresco Catering, with live entertainment from local musicians. BYOB, and reservations are required -- call ahead to check availability if it's past Saturday at 5pm.
Later in the Week
Fitness & Wellness · Free
Free Yoga in the Pavilion
Mon Jul 27 · 8:00 AM · Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT
Outdoors, all levels, first come first served.
Music · Free
Carlos Ocasio & Frydaddy
Tue Jul 28 · 6:30 PM · Fairlee Town Common, Fairlee, VT
Free show on the Common. Bring a chair.
Music · Free
Free Outdoor Concert: Never Too Late
Wed Jul 29 · 6:00 PM · Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH
A quiet evening on the Shaker grounds, timed nicely with Old Home Days winding down, with Faz's food truck on site.
Music · Free
Lake Morey Summer Concert Series: Sam Burchfield & Max McNown / KALEO
Wed Jul 29, 7:00 PM & Thu Jul 30, 8:00 PM · Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
Two nights, free gates, and one of the bigger touring bookings of the summer in KALEO on Thursday. Get there early.
Theater · Ticketed
Something Rotten (Teen Edition)
Thu Jul 30 · 7:00 PM · Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH
Presented by BroadwayVentures, a two-week musical theatre program where students from across the Upper Valley rehearse and perform a full-length musical. Student and senior pricing at checkout.
This Week in the Upper Valley
Sticky, Sweet, and Swirling: Fair Season Comes to the Valley
Summer in the Upper Valley isn't complete without at least one trip to the sticky, sweaty, swirling fairgrounds -- and if you already missed Enfield's fair earlier this season, don't worry, the Valley is just getting started. Between now and mid-September there are five more chances to eat something fried, watch an ox pull a sled farther than seems physically reasonable, and remember why the midway smells the way it does.
First up, and already underway: the North Haverhill Fair, running July 22 through 26 at the Fred C. Lee Memorial Field. This is the Connecticut Valley's own, and it's the 82nd year running -- a long way from its start in 1944 as a one-day event in Rintha Nutter's field, put on by the Pink Granite Grange as a fall harvest exhibit. Today it's five days of oxen, horse, and pony pulls, a demolition derby, 4-H dairy and livestock shows, recurring sets from Cirque Cyber and the Aim High Canines stunt dog team, and the "Wee Wee Wee" pig races running most afternoons. Full day-by-day schedule here if you can make it down before Sunday.
Next on the calendar is the Bradford Fair, August 7-9 in Bradford, VT. It's a small fair by county standards, but it doesn't feel small once you're there -- this year's theme is "The Heart of Bradford," a nod to the town's agricultural roots, Keystone Rodeo is booked for the weekend, and there's a mechanical bull this year for anyone who wants to test their luck.
A few days later, Norwich Fair takes over town August 13-16, though it's worth knowing this one is a little different from the others. Run entirely by the Norwich Lions Club as a fundraiser, it's less livestock show and more classic midway carnival -- rides and a dunk tank are confirmed for this year. In past years the fair has also featured "Meadow Muffins" cow-pie bingo, a separate bingo tent, and a pie-baking contest, so expect those traditions to make a return too. Proceeds fund the Lions Club's Community Grants Program.
Rounding out the closer-to-home fairs is the Cornish Fair, August 21-23, just up the road from Plainfield and across the river from Windsor. This is the fair's 76th year running (it's been going since 1950), and it's home to the largest dairy show in the state, alongside horse and oxen pulling, 4-H judging, lawn mower racing, and an antique tractor pull. The music lineup leans hard into tribute acts this year -- a Queen tribute Friday night, then a Chris Stapleton tribute and a Luke Combs tribute back to back on Saturday, plus a yacht rock set Sunday afternoon. Gates are cash only, so plan accordingly.
That finale is the Tunbridge World's Fair, September 17-20, run by the Union Agricultural Society and recognized as a perpetual Top Ten event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. This year's theme is "Celebrating America 250!", and the fair leans into its agricultural roots with judged exhibits for everything from farm animals and vegetables to maple products, quilts, and canned goods, plus a dedicated Agricultural Education Day. No pets are allowed on the grounds, and this year's poster art comes courtesy of local artist Sophie Craven.
Mark your calendars accordingly. There's a lot of fried dough between here and September.
Farmers' Markets
- Lebanon Farmers Market -- Thursdays 4-7pm -- Colburn Park, Lebanon NH
- Hartland Farmers Market -- Fridays 4-6:30pm -- 153 Route 5, Hartland VT
- Norwich Farmers Market -- Saturdays 9am-1pm -- Route 5 South, Norwich VT
- Mt Tom Farmers Market -- Saturdays 9:30am-12:30pm -- Saskadena Six, Woodstock VT
- Canaan Farmers Market -- Sundays 10am-2pm -- Canaan Town Common, Canaan NH
- Monday Mini Market at Honey Field Farm -- Mondays 4-7pm -- 55 Butternut Road, Norwich VT
- West Hartford Library Farmers Market -- Tuesdays 3:30-6:30pm -- West Hartford Library, West Hartford VT
- Market on the Green, Woodstock -- Wednesdays 3-6pm -- The Green, Woodstock VT
All eight Upper Valley markets are running. Rain or shine, most take SNAP/EBT.
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Upper Valley Connections · Serving NH & VT · uppervalleyconnections.com
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