Upper Valley Connections Weekly Digest - Issue #19
Our summer bucket list before August gets away from us, a weekend of fiddle tunes and contra dancing at Colburn Park, free concerts from KALEO to Natasha Bedingfield, and a first look at Nexus Fest coming to downtown Lebanon.
Upper Valley Connections
Issue No. 19 · July 30, 2026
Your weekly guide to life along the Connecticut River
August is close enough to smell it. This week we're running through the Upper Valley's unofficial summer bucket list, plus a weekend built for fiddle tunes at Colburn Park and a preview of the free three-day festival landing in downtown Lebanon next week.
-- 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 the site going.
Tonight
Community · Free
Lebanon Farmers Market
Thu Jul 30 · 4-7pm · Colburn Park, Lebanon, NH
Rain or shine -- the reliable Thursday anchor of the summer.
Outdoors & Nature · $25 adults / $18 youth
Fledge Party
Thu Jul 30 · 5:30-7:30pm · VINS Nature Center, Quechee, VT
VINS celebrates the fledging of V-2, offspring of nesting eagles Windsor and Dewey, bring a picnic (or food from the Green House Pizza Truck), bluegrass from Well Kept Men, and a panel on the return of bald eagles to northern New England. Free for kids 3 and under.
Sports · Free admission
Nighthawks vs. Vermont Mountaineers (Home)
Thu Jul 30 · 6-9pm · Maxfield Sports Complex, White River Junction, VT
A home game under the lights, no ticket required.
Music · Free
Lake Morey Summer Concert Series: KALEO
Thu Jul 30 · 8-10pm · Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
Gates and food at 6, music at 8. The blues-heavy Icelandic alt-rock band is a growing worldwide phenom -- they open regularly for the Rolling Stones, and acts like Larkin Poe and Marcus King open for them.
This Weekend
Music · Ticketed
Colburn Park Trad Music Festival
Fri Jul 31 - Sun Aug 2 · Upper Valley Music Center, Lebanon, NH
Upper Valley Music Center's second annual traditional music festival. Starts Friday with a potluck dinner and jam session at 5pm, then a contra dance with Nils Fredland calling at 7:30. Workshops run both Saturday and Sunday, with a faculty concert Saturday and a family dance Sunday.
Arts & Culture · Free
Opening Reception: Converse with the Crossroads of the Wind
Fri Jul 31 · 5-7pm · AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, NH
Receptions for three new exhibitions at once: the group show Converse with the Crossroads of the Wind, a duo show, and a single collection.
Kids & Family · Free
Kids' Dino Olympics: Prehistoric Games
Sat Aug 1 · 10:30-11:30am · Kilton Library, West Lebanon, NH
Prehistoric-themed field games for the younger set.
Community · Free
Witherell Community Day
Sat Aug 1 · 8am-4pm · CCBA, Lebanon, NH
A full day of community programming at the CCBA -- worth the whole morning.
Community · Free
Hanover Sidewalk Sale
Sat Aug 1 · 10am-5pm · Downtown Hanover, NH
Downtown shops spill their racks and tables onto the sidewalk for the day.
Theater · $38 regular / $25 youth & student
Oklahoma!
Now running through Sun Aug 9 · Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, VT
Northern Stage's Summer Musical Theater Intensive stages the Rodgers & Hammerstein show that launched Broadway's Golden Age. About 150 minutes with intermission; suitable for teens and up.
Theater · Ticketed
Something Rotten: Teen Edition
Thu Jul 30 & Fri Jul 31 · 7pm, Sat Aug 1 · 2pm · Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH
BroadwayVentures' teen production sends brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom back to the 1590s, trying to write the world's first musical. Student and senior pricing available at checkout.
Arts & Culture · Included with admission
A Vermont Quilt Sampler
Now running, daily 10am-5pm · Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT
A running exhibit of Vermont quiltwork -- good for a rainy-weekend backup plan too.
Music · Free
Saint-Gaudens Summer Concert Series: Gerry Grimo and the East Bay Jazz Ensemble
Sun Aug 2 · 2-3:30pm · Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, NH
Jazz on the grounds of a national historical park. Bring a blanket.
Later in the Week
History · Free
East of Moose Mountain: The 19th Century Micro-Economy and Self-Sufficiency of NE Hanover
Mon Aug 3 · 5:30-6:30pm · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
A talk on the small mills, farms, and industry that once filled the hills northeast of town.
Literary · Free
Julie Carrick Dalton -- The Forest Becomes Her
Tue Aug 4 · 7-8pm · Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
An author event at one of the Valley's best independent bookstores.
Music · Free
Free Outdoor Concert - The Ferns Family Band
Wed Aug 5 · 6-8pm · Enfield Shaker Museum, Enfield, NH
Live music on the museum grounds, no ticket needed.
Music · Free
Lake Morey Summer Concert Series: Natasha Bedingfield
Thu Aug 6 · 8-10pm · Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT
Gates and food at 6, music at 8. The English pop singer-songwriter behind "Unwritten" is next up in Lake Morey's summer concert series.
This Week in the Upper Valley
Summer Bucket List
August starts next week. Here's what still deserves a spot on the calendar before summer's over.
A swim at your favorite swimming hole -- whichever one you swear by. Go with a friend, bring a picnic. A paddle on the Connecticut River, even a short one -- put in anywhere along Route 5 and drift for an hour.
A maple creemee from whichever stand you've decided is the correct one -- everyone in the Valley has an opinion and none of them are wrong. Fireflies at dusk. Blueberries picked yourself instead of bought. An afternoon in a hammock with a book and nothing else on the agenda, which is harder to actually schedule than it sounds.
Gile Mountain in Norwich is a short climb with a fire tower and a great view for the effort. Bradford Fair opens Friday, August 7, for three days of rides, animals, and fried everything.
Ongoing events this weekend include South Royalton Old Home Days -- 3 days of food, music and community fun and the Colburn Park Trad Music Festival in Lebanon. Upper Valley Music Center's second annual traditional music festival starts Friday with a potluck dinner and jam session at 5pm, then a contra dance with Nils Fredland calling at 7:30. Workshops run Saturday and Sunday, with a faculty concert Saturday and a family dance Sunday.
Mark the calendar for the following weekend too: the Nexus Music and Arts Festival returns to downtown Lebanon August 7-9 for its sixth year -- three days, three stages, free, courtesy of the Lebanon Opera House. Full lineup next Thursday. The Perseids also tend to peak around the same week, so if the sky's clear, it's worth staying up a little later than usual.
Farmers' Markets
All eight markets are running this week:
- 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
No new markets opening in the coming weeks -- the full lineup is in for the season.
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Upper Valley Connections · Serving NH & VT · uppervalleyconnections.com Details are gathered from event organizers and may change. Please confirm times, prices, and availability directly with the venue before heading out. Sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]