James Kent

When it’s summertime and you’re out exploring the wilds and not-so-wilds of Vermont, sometimes you want to take advantage of a quick bite or sit outside on a picnic bench with some good old-fashioned comfort food. Perhaps grab some seafood, maybe a burger, or maybe you’re just in the mood for a big old box of fries. Whether it’s a year-round establishment or a seasonal favorite, check out these regional roadside eats this summer.

As summer begins to give way to fall, few places in Vermont offer a more picturesque setting for one final outdoor celebration than the slopes of Mount Ascutney.

By James KentWhen I was young, the night before we went for a day-long trip to Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, Massachusetts, My grandma and Aunt would be busy in the kitchen whipping up tasty little chicken salad sandwiches for the snack cooler.

By James KentFor hikers in Rutland and Windsor counties, adventure often begins just outside the front door.The Long Trail, America’s oldest long-distance hiking trail, winds through some of the most spectacular terrain in Vermont, including the rugged peaks and forests surrounding Killington, Pico, Wallingford, and the Green Mountains. Now, that iconic trail is receiving national recognition in a new book that celebrates some of the country’s most memorable hiking experiences.

For years, I thought fly fishing existed only in Montana.Maybe it was the influence of “A River Runs Through It,” the 1992 film that made fly fishing seem equal parts sport, art form, and spiritual pursuit, where Brad Pitt stood knee-deep in a rushing river casting impossibly elegant loops of line through the air.

Now that my kids are in their teens, my wife and I don’t get out to too many family movies these days. Even a film like “Toy Story 5,” which I’ve seen all previous installments of in theaters, we haven’t had a chance to see yet, and probably won’t until it hits streaming.

Friday, July 10 at 6 p.m.—SHREWSBURY — Go ahead. Admit it. When you hear the word polka, you probably picture your grandparents, lederhosen, and an accordion that somehow never stops playing. If you’re cool, then maybe you’re thinking Weird Al. If you’re even cooler, you might be thinking of Tony’s Polka Band.

“Obsession” is the type of film that doesn’t come around too often. Back when movies played a far more important role in our social culture than they do today, you’d get the occasional sleeper film that seemingly came out of nowhere to strike a nerve with audiences and become a big box-office hit.

By James KentFor Brigham Cooper, one of the most meaningful songs they have written in their young career began on a quiet night in Boston with their roommates experimenting with a different guitar tuning.

By James KentFor nearly half a century, The Party Store on Strongs Avenue has helped generations of Rutlanders celebrate birthdays, graduations, weddings, baby showers, holidays and countless other milestones.