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Stories about Vermont places you love, told by the people who live here. Visit www.happyvermont.com.
Episodes
Friday Sep 29, 2023
Friday Sep 29, 2023
Every fall, John Anderson of Dummerston and a group of volunteers monitor birds that are migrating south for the season.
For decades, these volunteers, known as the Putney Mountain Hawk Watchers, have recorded the number and kinds of hawks they see and report the information to Hawk Migration of North America, which maintains an online hawk count database.
Established in 1974, Putney Mountain Hawk Watch is the only autumn raptor watch in Vermont that is monitored daily between August and November.
In this episode of Happy Vermont, John talks about hawk watching, what it brings to his life, and the time he saw more 6,000 birds fly over Putney Mountain in one day.
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
Thursday Sep 14, 2023
If you’ve ever been to Shelburne Orchards, chances are you’ve seen or been lucky enough to meet owner Nick Cowles. Nick has spent most of his life at the orchard, which his father purchased in the 1950s. Nick loved growing up there, and when you visit, it’s easy to see why.
Host Erica Houskeeper met up with Nick to talk about apples, brandy, and how running the orchard changed his life for the better.
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
Tuesday Aug 29, 2023
The summer she turned seven years old, Charity Clark's first outing on Vermont's Long Trail was at Little Rock Pond in Mount Tabor. Years later, she completed the 272-mile footpath across the Green Mountains, the oldest long-distance hiking trail in the United States.
Today, Charity is Vermont's first female attorney general. Even with a busy schedule in Vermont’s highest law enforcement office, she spends as much time as she can outside—hiking, skiing or exploring the woods.
In this episode of Happy Vermont, Charity shares her love for hiking and the outdoors and why Vermont is her forever home.
Read the story: https://happyvermont.com/2023/08/29/hiking-the-long-trail-charity-clark-podcast/
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Happy Vermont podcast host Erica Houskeeper shares ways to explore Vermont this summer and fall. She also weighs in on why we can't take Vermont communities for granted.
Wednesday Jun 28, 2023
Wednesday Jun 28, 2023
Terri Armata of Bennington is one of Vermont’s most dedicated butterfly watchers. A retired hospital employee, Terri has seen about 100 species in Vermont, nearly every kind ever found in the state.
Host Erica Houskeeper met with Terri at Merck Forest in Rupert to talk about good places to find butterflies, her passion for butterfly watching, and Vermont's second Butterfly Atlas Project survey.
patreon.com/happyvermontpodcast
Wednesday Jun 14, 2023
Wednesday Jun 14, 2023
Spencer Potter created Woodchuck Golf in his backyard in Waitsfield in 2004. The six-hole course, which runs on donations, attracts golfers from near and far looking for an offbeat and challenging experience.
Happy Vermont podcast host Erica Houskeeper met up with Spencer to find out what motivates him about running a public backyard golf course in Vermont's Mad River Valley.
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Most of Vermont's forests and hillsides were clear-cut in the late 1800s. But in a few places, like Gifford Woods State Park in Killington, old trees were spared and continue to stand tall today.
Host Erica Houskeeper talks to Vermont State Parks regional manager Rebecca Roy about ancient trees—some more than 300 years old—that visitors can see up close at Gifford Woods State Park.
Visit Happy Vermont: happyvermont.com
Learn more about Gifford Woods State Park: vtstateparks.com/gifford
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Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
A question host Erica Houskeeper often asks people is, how did you end up in Vermont?
As she gets older, Erica thinks more and more about how she ended up in the Green Mountains more than 40 years ago. In this solo episode, she shares some personal memories of her family's early days in southern Vermont (a bittersweet, challenging time), and answers a few lighthearted questions from Happy Vermont readers and listeners.
Find Vermont stories: https://happyvermont.com
Find Vermont events: https://happyvermont.com/events/
Support Happy Vermont on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/happyvermontpodcast
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
After moving to Vershire in 2020, Justin Willeau was eager to find ways to meet people in town and contribute to the community.
Vershire, a hard-to-get-to place in Orange County, doesn't have a coffee house or a bar. So Justin decided to create weekly get-togethers revolving around coffee and beer.
Justin started a Coffee Bar on Saturday mornings and a Beer Exchange on Thursday nights at the Church Orr House on Route 113.
In this episode, host Erica Houskeeper talks to Justin about serving in the Navy, getting involved in the community, and finding a place like Vershire to call home.
VerShare and the Church Orr House
https://vershare.org
Happy Vermont
https://happyvermont.com
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Thursday Mar 23, 2023
Butternut Mountain is the tallest peak that falls entirely within the town of Johnson. On the mountain's southern slope, the Marvin family owns 600 acres where they produce maple syrup for their business, Butternut Mountain Farm.
David Marvin started Butternut Mountain Farm in the early 1970s on land owned by his father, Dr. James Wallace Marvin, a botanist and the co-founder of UVM's Proctor Maple Research Center.
In this podcast episode of Happy Vermont, Butternut Mountain Farm's David Marvin and his children, Emma and Ira, talk with host Erica Houskeeper about the history of maple sugaring, how Butternut Mountain Farm came to be, and their hopes for the future.
https://happyvermont.com/2023/03/23/butternut-mountain-farm-maple-syrup-podcast/