Across from the Lebanon’s Colburn Park, nestled in the neighborhoods just where things begin to still and the road seems to take on an air of privacy, there is a small sign addressed “WISE” in front of a gray building with lavender trim and a ramp winding up the side. This is the Women’s Information Service (WISE), and this is where Lebanon fights domestic and sexual violence.

What began as a grassroots organization offering support and employment training to new mothers quickly transformed into one of the most determined organizations to end violence against women, children, and men after a shocking number of women reported accounts of domestic and sexual violence.… Read More

Before the car, there was the bicycle. As a mode of transportation, the bicycle is one of the most widely used vehicles in the world. According to industry analysts, bicycles outnumber cars by a two to one margin.

So it stands to reason that as the City of Lebanon advances the idea of the Mascoma River Greenway, a bicycle and pedestrian trail connection between Lebanon and West Lebanon, people are excited. So excited, in fact, that of the $2.2 million needed to deck four bridges, install signage, and pave the four-mile pathway, an amazing $1.6 million has been raised in just two years from private donations, City investments, grants, and sponsorships.… Read More

When you give someone a great big smile, do you think about what your smile looks like first? If you don’t, then you are very fortunate. Feeling good about your smile is a special gift. It probably means that your teeth have been well cared for during your lifetime. Sadly, there are many people who are not so fortunate. It is hard to believe that nearly 50 percent of three-year-old children in the U.S. already have tooth decay.

Here in the Upper Valley, there are people who are passionate about helping children to get a good start on a healthy smile.… Read More

Like many Lebanon residents, the summer Lebanon Farmers’ Market holds a lot of personal meaning for me. For years it meant that, on Thursdays when he came home from work, my dad would bring pies. The “Pie Lady” (as we called her) sold pies at her tent in Colburn Park. They were intricate, beautiful things; often the buttery crust was molded and layered in the shape of leaves. When the Pie Lady moved her operation to Norwich, it was a tragedy in our household, a testament to how the farmers’ market and what it offered had ingrained itself in the weekly rhythm of our lives.… Read More

Ed. Note: Jeanie McIntyre is President of Upper Valley Land Trust and was a friend of Lebanon resident Laurel Letter, who died earlier this year. This article is adapted from the original published in March at uvlt.org.

Laurel Letter was not a conservation leader. At least that’s what she would have said. She would say that she did not have expertise or confidence, she would ask for advice about next steps. She would offer to assist, to gather information. She would make it easier for others to lead – actually, she made it impossible for others not to lead. That’s how Laurel Letter made things happen.… Read More

Our daily transportation decisions have major impacts on our personal health and the wellness of our communities. Places that design streets to encourage walking and biking inevitably get people active and out of their cars. A robust transit system encourages good public health because it gets people walking to bus stops. Buses also help us breathe easier. They produce 95 percent less carbon monoxide, 92 percent fewer volatile organic compounds, and 45 percent less carbon dioxide than private automobiles, according to the American Public Health Association.

Thankfully, Lebanon residents have many options to use public transportation or take a safe walking or biking trip.… Read More

Lebanon was once known as “The City of Fountains” – and the Lebanon Fountain Committee is on a mission to help it live up to that name. Established in 1997 to spearhead the restoration of the Marion Carter fountain downtown, the five-member committee continues to raise funds, recruit volunteers, and strive toward the restoration and building of the fountains the city was once known for.

According to Lebanon resident and committee volunteer Priscilla Gosselin, the priority this year is to build a fountain on the downtown Mall, providing another enjoyable space where residents and visitors can gather. As the city recognizes the 50th anniversary of the Lebanon fire that destroyed much of downtown, Gosselin said it seems like a good time to create a new downtown attraction that will add to the feeling of community and fellowship.… Read More

Beverly Damren has been an energetic and sociable presence in West Lebanon for 65 years. She has made her mark as a parent, a Den Mother, and counselor. She has worked in the schools, in social service groups, and most recently putting a strong shoulder to the wheel to get the Kilton Public Library up and running. Growing up in Claremont during the Depression, she learned not to wait around for someone else to do things for her.

Different Times, Different Pace

“Everybody walked – you didn’t think anything of it,” Bev recalls of her childhood. Her maternal grandparents had a farm, which her uncle later took over.… Read More

There is some contention over when it starts – some say the beginning of the senior year, some say in the second semester of junior year – but when “senior-itis” hits, it hits hard. What is “senior-itis?” It can be a hazy, glazed-over look in an upperclassman’s eye, a telltale sign that his or her mind is not there in the classroom, but in what lies ahead for them after graduation. It can be seen in the lounging groups of seniors in the library, luxuriously enjoying the final moments of high school. It can include a sense of fear, too; “senior-itis” is just as much an admission of anxiety over the future as it is an eagerness for the future to come.… Read More

While we remain held firmly in winter’s icy grip here in the Upper Valley, many residents can’t resist the opportunity to let their minds drift off to the lazy, hazy days of July.

Specifically, July 12, 2014, when once again hordes of excited, dedicated, and determined individuals from every walk of life will descend upon the town of Hanover for the 33rd Annual Prouty fundraiser, staged by the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon.

That prestigious event has become legendary and established itself as the biggest charity fundraiser in Northern New England, incorporating more than 4,500 people from more than 30 states who gather to celebrate life, hope, and the defeat of cancer, an insidious disease that has struck down so many.… Read More