Upper Valley Connections Weekly Digest - Issue #4
Upper Valley Connections
Issue No. 4 · April 2, 2026
Your weekly guide to life along the Connecticut River
Easter weekend, a Dartmouth sports blitz, a quilting project in White River Junction, pizza at the Norwich Bookstore, and a piece about the oldest flour company in America — which just happens to be your neighbor. Enjoy the weekend, however you're spending it.
— The Upper Valley Connections Team
This week's digest is proudly sponsored by Upper Valley Solutions — never miss a call from a neighbor again.
🐣 Easter Weekend in the Valley
A few things worth knowing if you have kids or just like eggs:
- VINS Egg Hunt running all week April 4–11, included with admission
- Spring Egg Scramble · Hosted by Hartford Recrecation. Sat Apr 4 · 9:30am · Free
- Sensory Friendly Hour at VINS · Sat Apr 4 · 9:00–10:00am · A quieter, lower-stimulation opening hour for families who need it. Included with admission.
- Afternoon Tea at the Enfield Shaker Museum · Sat Apr 4 · 12:00pm · A lovely Easter weekend tradition. $40–$45. Details →
Note: Billings Farm, Howe Library, and a few other regulars are closed Easter Sunday.
This Weekend
Music
Flight of the Seabird (SOLD OUT)
Fri Apr 3 · 7:30pm · Lebanon Opera House, Lebanon, NH
Free concert to open the weekend right.
The Conniption Fits
Fri Apr 3 · 9:00pm · Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
$10 ADV / $12 DOS. Late-night Friday energy.
Kids & Family
Farm Friends Play Club
Sat Apr 4 · 10:00am–2:00pm · Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, VT
Animals, outdoor time, and all the things that make Billings Farm worth the drive. Included with admission.
Community · Free
Norwich Farmers' Market
Sat Apr 4 · 10:00am–1:00pm · Tracy Hall, Norwich, VT
Still in its winter indoor home at Tracy Hall through May — but open, lively, and worth the stop.
Arts & Community · Free
PatchWork: Community Quilting Project
Sat Apr 4 · 10:00am–2:00pm · rePlay Arts, White River Junction, VT
Drop in and add a square to a community quilt being assembled at rePlay Arts. A genuinely nice thing to do on a Saturday morning.
Music · Free
Ring into Spring! Intro to Handbells Workshop
Sat Apr 4 · 2:00pm–3:30pm · Upper Valley Music Center, Lebanon, NH AND Kilton Library, West Lebanon, NH
Two locations, same afternoon — a free drop-in handbell workshop for anyone curious. No experience needed.
Sports — Go Big Green
Dartmouth Men's Lacrosse vs. Yale — Autism Awareness & Kids Club Day
Sat Apr 4 · 12:00pm · Scully-Fahey Field, Hanover, NH
Special themed game day for kids. Check dartmouthsports.com for tickets.
Dartmouth Softball vs. Columbia — Mental Health Awareness · Doubleheader
Sat Apr 4 · 12:30pm & 2:30pm · Dartmouth Softball Park, Hanover, NH
Two games, free admission.
Dartmouth Men's Tennis vs. Penn
Sat Apr 4 · 1:00pm · Boss Tennis Center, Hanover, NH
Free admission.
Food & Drink · Free
DJ Dance Party: Gaga Night w/ DJ Sir Babygirl
Sat Apr 4 · 9:30pm · Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
$5 cover. Saturday night.
Theater · Free
Shakespeare Unrehearsed! Much Ado About Nothing — Acts IV & V
Sun Apr 5 · 6:30pm · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
The conclusion. Free and open to the public.
Later in the Week
Education · Free
Gertrude Jekyll and Her Influence with Suzanne Dworsky
Mon Apr 7 · 1:00pm · Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, VT
A free talk on one of history's most influential garden designers. A good Monday afternoon.
Community · Free
Sawtooth Trivia Night
Mon Apr 6 · 6:30pm · Sawtooth Kitchen, Hanover, NH
Free. Bring a team.
Literary
Betzy Bancroft — Herbal Pharmacy
Mon Apr 7 · 7:00pm · Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
An author talk on herbalism and plant medicine. Free.
Books: Their History and Their Care
Tue Apr 7 · 6:00pm · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Exactly what it sounds like.
National Letter Writing Month Kick-Off
Wed Apr 8 · 3:00pm–6:00pm · rePlay Arts, White River Junction, VT
April is National Letter Writing Month. rePlay Arts is kicking it off properly. Free.
Hood Museum Highlights Tour
Wed Apr 8 · 12:30pm · Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH
Free guided tour of the Hood's collection. A good midweek hour well spent.
King Arthur Baking — The Book of Pizza
Thu Apr 9 · 5:00pm–7:00pm · Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
Ticket includes a copy of the book and pizza samples. More on King Arthur below.
Blackout Poetry Night at Howe@Snorth
Thu Apr 9 · 6:30pm · Howe Library, Hanover, NH
Happy hour pricing on drinks for participants. A fun one.
Community · Free
Upper Valley Puzzle Swap
Thu Apr 9 · 7:00pm · Kilton Library, West Lebanon, NH
Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle. Free.
See All 100+ Events This Week →
This Week in Upper Valley History
Your Neighbor Since 1790
There's an event Thursday night at the Norwich Bookstore that caught our eye: King Arthur Baking is launching The Book of Pizza — tickets include pizza samples and a copy of the book. It's a fun evening, and a good excuse to talk about one of the Upper Valley's most remarkable institutions.
King Arthur is the oldest flour company in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1790 — the same year George Washington was inaugurated — it spent nearly two centuries there before making a quiet move north. In 1984 the core flour business relocated to Norwich, Vermont. King Arthur Flour found its footing in our neighborhood and never looked back.
The next chapter is the one that really sets King Arthur apart. In 1996, Frank and his wife Brinna — who had long dreamed of opening an onsite bakery and baking school — made a decision that was unusual then and remains rare now: rather than sell the company to outside investors when they retired, they sold it to their employees. By 2004 the transition was complete, and King Arthur became 100% employee-owned.
Brinna's bakery and school vision came true too. The Norwich campus — the flagship store, bakery, café, and baking school — opened in 2000 and has been a destination ever since. CBS Saturday Morning once called it "the Mecca of Baking," which seems about right if you've ever spent a Saturday morning there.
In 2020 they updated their name from King Arthur Flour to King Arthur Baking Company, reflecting how far they'd grown beyond flour. Everything else — the employee ownership, the Norwich address, the quality — stayed exactly the same.
And their Recipe of the Year for 2026? A flaky puff-crust pizza. Which makes Thursday's book event feel rather well timed.
The Book of Pizza at Norwich Bookstore, Thu Apr 9, 5pm →
Coming up later this month: a guide to Upper Valley farmers' markets as outdoor season gets underway. If you know of a market we should include, hit reply.
Know someone who loves the Upper Valley? Forward this along — and if you're not subscribed yet, it's free every Thursday morning.
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