Fran Lynggaard Hansen
My partner in song
Fran Lynggaard Hansen, a Brattleboro native with deep connections to local history and to people everywhere, is a Commons reporter and columnist.
Senni takes the helm at Green Mountain Camp for Girls
Former staff and campers will return along with some ‘old traditions’
DUMMERSTON-When Green Mountain Camp for Girls opened its online registration for this summer's campers on Feb. 5, a new executive director was at the helm, excitedly anticipating the summer months and the new cohort of young campers who will be creating a fresh start. The camp immediately filled 324...
A long entrepreneurial journey on a bumpy road
In Brattleboro, two brothers helped to put a small town on wheels, embracing the new world of automobiles and embarking on an entrepreneurial journey through great success and a Great Depression
BRATTLEBORO-As described by the Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts club, the automobile "was a rare phenomenon in Vermont in the early 1900s. However, there were a few Vermonters who thought the Automobile was a viable means of transport and they set out to formalize their belief." One of those men was...
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Back from the brink
BRATTLEBORO-Last February, local musician, circus arts performer, visual artist, and hair stylist Re Sheppard was in the throes of treating an aggressive lymphoma for the second time. Fast-forward to December, and Loretta Palazzo, owner of Boomerang, a clothing store on Main Street, sent out an update: "Re Sheppard is back at work a couple of days a week!" What happened in the intervening 10 months is a story of modern medical miracles and a woman who simply refuses to give...
Celebrating Christmas, 3,000 miles from home
BRATTLEBORO-Albert Mikuski, now 88 years old, recalls an extraordinary story of how he and his brother, James, in two branches of military service, connected for Christmas across the countryside in France in 1959, at the height of the Cold War. "Think about it," said Mikuski. "How many men or women in that era had the opportunity to spend Christmas together over 3,000 miles from home? Two small-town boys, both in the service, seeing one another in France." He shook his...
EMS problems, EMS solutions
NEWFANE-As a rural emergency medical services (EMS) nonprofit, Rescue Inc. faces formidable challenges on any number of levels. Case in point: 650 pages of new requirements recently received from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). "These 650 pages of new regulations will affect every aspect of what we do at Rescue Inc.," said Drew Hazelton, chief of operations, as he calmly explains that a plan is already in place. "Meet Corey Miner," said Hazelton. "Her new position at...
A lifelong bond
BRATTLEBORO-The three remaining members of the class of 1944 didn't spend a lot of time together in high school, but these women have remained lifelong friends. Now, at their recent 80th high school reunion visit, Sylvia Smith Morse, of Guilford, Janice Pratt Martin, of West Brattleboro, and Alice Anderson Stockwell, of Vernon, reminisce about their teenage years. The last of almost 100 students graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1944, they were all children of the Great Depression. Their freshman...
A seasonal Danish treat
-Christmas in Denmark is a seasonal delight that lasts a little more than a month. With age-old traditions like decorating the tree with traditional lit candles on Christmas Eve while family members sing and dance around it, the festive holiday season features traditional song, food, decorations, and spring flowers. It begins with the baking of the julekage (pronounced yule kaya), meaning "Christmas Cake," in late November. In Denmark, it is a well-followed tradition to enjoy a cup of coffee around...