Jonathan Verge Returns to Lebanon and Performing Arts in the Upper Valley

I met Jonathan Verge on the first day of first grade at School Street School. I remember that he was the new kid and he had somehow poked himself in the eye with a pencil. Mrs. Lerner asked me to escort him to the nurse’s office, and we’ve been friends ever since.

Jonathan recently returned to the Upper Valley after more than a decade away pursuing a theater career in New York and Chicago, working as an actor for years and later deciding he’s better suited to the director’s role.… Read More

100 Years and Still Going Strong

I sat down recently with Paul Boucher, President of the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, who spoke at length about his 17 years at the “helm.” But, the first thing he said was startling! “When I retire in June, I hope the next president has as much passion for the job as I feel I had!” I guess we assumed he would be at the helm for a very long time. However, even though retirement was looming, his heart, mind, and energy were still very enthusiastically engaged with Chamber activities.

First, he wanted us to understand the solid foundation upon which the Chamber had been built and how it remains strong today.… Read More

More Than Just a Grocery Store

Imagine the year 1936. The average annual salary was $1,730, if you were fortunate enough to have a job. You could buy a loaf of bread for 8¢, a pound of hamburger for 12 ¢, and rent was $24 per month. The Great Depression was in full swing, and times were hard. There was no television, only newspapers and radio.

Yet here in the Upper Valley, a collective of 17 Dartmouth professors and their spouses found the inspiration to establish the Hanover Consumer’s Club in an effort to save money by cooperatively purchasing food and fuel.… Read More

The recent closing of Lebanon College was a blow to Lebanon, and the Upper Valley.  For over 50 years, area residents enrolled in a wide range of courses through the now-closed school. Whether taking a class for personal enrichment, or to enter a program of study for a change of career, Lebanon College was a good, local alternative for prospective students.

Despite the school’s expansion in the late 2000s with the purchase of the former Shoetorium building downtown, recent years saw a slowdown in enrollment at the school. With a debt level of over $2 million, the decision to close down operations became unavoidable in the summer of 2014. … Read More

Dennis Luttrell is Focused on the Future

The late, great baseball legend, Yogi Berra, was attributed with the following quote: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it!”

Dennis Luttrell took over as the new City Manger of Lebanon, NH on September 1, 2015 replacing Greg Lewis. Part of his decision-making process to take that position involved a life altering choice. At age 66, Dennis was contemplating the lure of retirement vs. extending a rewarding career that had brought him much satisfaction and success. He had resigned his position as Town Administrator in Somerset, MA after serving in that capacity for seven years.… Read More

While many Lebanon residents have felt for a long time that their fair city is simply a wonderful place to call home, those same folks can stroll through downtown with their heads held a little higher. It’s official. Lebanon has been named the Best Small Town in America out of 100 competing communities.

The award was presented by the website Livability.com that showcases America’s best places to live based on an intensive rating system. Livability officials describe themselves in the following manner: “For 25 years Livability has worked with hundreds of communities developing content marketing programs showcasing why they are a great place to live with one simple goal: help cities attract and retain residents and businesses.… Read More

“We wondered if we’d have to cancel [interfaith] camp,” said Kids4Peace New Hampshire and Vermont regional director, Jeff Mandell. Kids4Peace is a youth movement of more than 1,800 Palestinian, Israeli, and North American members, with a recently formed NH chapter. “But every summer has tension no matter what. Just because you take the kids out of the country doesn’t mean the politics stop.”

The role of Kids4Peace in children’s lives focuses on just that: how to acknowledge the politics, race, religion, history, and gender of a person, without letting those things affect your treatment of him or her. Through peace dialogues and conflict resolution, the organization’s goal is for children to emerge from the six-year program with an understanding of tolerance to bring back to their own communities.… Read More

Assemble a group of high school students in a room with pieces of aluminum, wheels, motors, nuts and bolts, give them strict guidelines and a goal, time constraints, rules and regulations, and stand back! With the help of adult mentors and teachers, after about six weeks, what appears out of a pile of inanimate objects, arises a seemingly “animate” entity – a robot that obeys commands, moves around the room, and completes tasks. But, why? Glad you asked!

There exists a worldwide high-school-age robotics competition called “FIRST Robotics Competition” (FRC). FRC teams compete on local, regional and international levels to see who has the fastest, most robust robot with the most cunning strategies that enable it to accomplish the goals for which it was designed.… Read More

Braxton Freeman has been keeping a trained eye on the Lebanon Airport from his lofty perch in the FAA Contact Control Tower since his arrival in 2006. As the Air Traffic Manager employed by Midwest Air Traffic Control Service, he has not only diligently handled the pressure-packed profession of assuring air traffic safety, Braxton has witnessed first hand the up and down financial battle to maintain the facility.

With the recent loss of some valuable federal funding for the Lebanon Municipal Airport, some area residents are questioning just how essential is the service provided by the airport that covers 563 acres.… Read More

If a company has successfully served a local community for 65 years in one location, you have to acknowledge that it has found the key to success.

Lebanon’s Blaktop paving company is such an example. Founded by Lebanon resident William Taylor back in 1950, the company later merged with the nearby Twin State Sand and Gravel. Located at 73 Elm Street in West Lebanon, the two companies cover some 85-plus acres overlooking a breathtaking view of the Upper Valley.

On its website, Blacktop bills itself as “a family-operated asphalt paving business founded in 1950 to provide the highest quality asphalt and paving services to the Connecticut River Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont.… Read More