Alex Hanson

Sometimes there’s an obvious subject for this column, such as the three music festivals I wrote about last week.But sometimes there isn’t. Instead there are a bunch of art opportunities that run counter to the big event, which this weekend is the...

Neko Case will be performing at the Lebanon Opera House on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. (Ebru Yildiz photograph) Ebru Yildiz photograph

The cast of Shaker Bridge Theatre's production of "The Thanksgiving Play," from left: Amy Hutchins, Scott Sweatt, Michael Stewart Allen and Laura Woyasz. The production runs through Oct. 13 at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction. (Caitlin Gomes photograph) Caitlin Gomes photograph

Rep. Rebecca Holcombe, of Norwich, front left, talks with Norwich residents Matt Rojansky, front right, and Jill Rubin, middle, after a discussion on legislative priorities at the Norwich (Vt.) Public Library on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 that focused largely on education funding. "It's hard to be on all sides of it - wanting a good education for the kids, and then feeling the pain of when (taxes) go up," said Rubin, who has two kids in the local schools. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Valley News — James M. Patterson

Photographer Suzanne Opton at her home in Corinth, Vt., on Wednesday, Dec., 22, 2021. Opton revisits her earliest work in her new book, "Into The Light Cellar." (Valley News - Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to [email protected]. Valley News file — Jennifer Hauck

Diana Leviene's translucent butterfly costume is illuminated by police car lights as she and approximately 300 marchers go around the block in downtown White River Junction, Vt., during the Gory Days Parade on October 27, 2018. (Rick Russell photograph) Rick Russell photograph

After building a music career in Portland, Ore., Hunter Paye moved back to the Upper Valley in 2018. His mother, Tish Paye, who had raised him on her own, needed his help.Paye had made regular trips back here to play shows. “I told her one time, ‘You...

Ayesha Nezamabadi, left, and Kaitlin Carroll, both of Newport, N.H., fill out paperwork for same-day registration in Newport on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. The women grew up in Newport and had previously voted in Durham, N.H., while they were students at UNH. Women's rights are one of the issues important to them, they said. (Valley News-Jennifer Hauck) Valley News photographs — Jennifer Hauck (left) and James M. Patterson

Amy Peberdy, center left, and Virginia Barlow, two of the four founding members of For the Land Publishing, which produces the Vermont Almanac, are joined on the couch by Earl, 10, left, and Claire, 1, at Barlow’s home in Corinth, Vt., on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. (Valley News - Alex Driehaus) valley news — Alex Driehaus

Longtime volunteer Joie Finley at the Main Street Museum in White River Junction, Vt., on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Finley plans to step back from her role at the museum at the end of the year to focus on caring for her mother, and hopes that other volunteers will continue to foster the creative and unusual programming the organization has become known for. (Valley News - Alex Driehaus) Valley News – Alex Driehaus