John Pepper is living proof that even during these turbulent times in which we now live, the American dream of achieving corporate success is alive and well. However, spending time with Norwich resident John Pepper will quickly convince you that even with his history of

overwhelming corporate success, he has broken the mold for a top executive. No fancy board room for John. His Norwich home serves as his corporate headquarters, as well as a single desk in shared office space across the river.

John serves as CEO and cofounder of Boloco that was once described as “A Boston-based family of 22 restaurants and over 450 team members that serves globally inspired burritos, bowls, salads, smoothies and shakes with locations in MA, VT, MD, RI, DC, and of course, Hanover, NH.”… Read More

Ever since Root Schoolhouse, a 1937 one-room schoolhouse located across from Hogwash Farm on Union Village Road at the intersection of Goodrich Four Corners Road, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013, interest in this historic treasure has spread far beyond Norwich. This year, Boston-based Historic New England, the nation’s oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization, gave the Root District Game Club a $1,000 Community Preservation Grant to support its efforts to rebuild the schoolhouse’s deteriorating foundation and reopen the building for public use.

Every year, Historic New England distributes six awards to historic preservation projects in each of the six New England states.… Read More

On a recent October morning, Mr. Bill had field trips on his mind. “What I like about field trips is that they are not just about going out to see something and enjoying it,” says Mr. Bill. “It connects back.” Whether it’s kindergartners picking apples and then selling them to the rest of the school to learn a little about entrepreneurship, or fourth graders going to the Tunbridge Fair to see pig races at an old-time fair as part of their unit on Vermont history, the value of these excursions extends far beyond the undeniable fun they provide.

Through field trips, children are able to recognize that “…although a lot of learning happens in schools, schools are not the only source of learning,” says Mr.… Read More

On September 24th of this year, a beautiful thing happened.

Close to 350 kids of all ages (2-40+) gathered at Riverside Community Park in West Lebanon to celebrate the renaming of the skatepark and to commit to its revitalization. As with most successful endeavors, this was and continues to be a joint effort between dedicated individuals and public and private entities.

As is often the case, it seems that when tragedy occurs, magic soon follows. Thus is the case with the new life and energy being poured into the recently named Rusty Berrings Skatepark. Yes, “Rusty” knew how to spell “bearing” but being more than a little unconventional was how he rolled (no pun intended!).… Read More

Over February break, twenty American kids, mostly from the Upper Valley, will spend two weeks in Zambia, developing their circus skills alongside kids from Chibolya, an impoverished section of the Zambian capital of Lukhasa. For many of the kids from the U.S., this will be a return trip after their first journey there last winter.

The seeds were sown for this unlikely pairing of circus-loving kids from far ends of the earth during a snowstorm in New York City on Valentine’s Day of 2014. Norwich resident Brooke Ciardelli, who had recently ended her tenure as Founding Producing and Artistic Director of Northern Stage, was directing for a short play festival in Greenwich Village.… Read More

Don’t forget to get your tickets to see Dark Star Orchestra to benefit the Rusty Berrings Skatepark in memory of Tyler Kirschner.

Dark Star Orchestra recreates set lists from some of the most legendary Grateful Dead shows in the Dead’s 30 years of touring. If you’ve ever wondered why the fans were/are so loyal to what the Dead was offering, you now have a chance to experience what it was like to be in an intimate venue, with a couple thousand of your now closest friends (because that’s what seems to happen), and just let the music carry the evening. When the seven members of DSO play, they remind us that the music never stopped and it definitely isn’t stopping any time soon.… Read More

I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jay Van Arman of Norwich this week. He is a man who spends much of his time looking to fill needs in his community. He’s driven by his volunteer work with the Norwich Lions Club, and by a desire to give as much as he can to Norwich. Jay shared a piece of advice another local farmer gave him, “Jay,” he said, “you get back double what you give.” Then, Jay continued, “I think there is a lot of truth to that. So that’s why I feel fortunate to live in such a community.”… Read More

In the autumn of 1765, John Hutchinson tramped over the trails from Ashford, Connecticut to Hanover, New Hampshire with little more than a horse “upon which rode his wife and babes, some clothing and bedding and also another necessary animal to a growing family – a cow.”* From Hanover, the family paddled across the Connecticut River in a log canoe, with the animals swimming alongside, to a clearing that was soon to be part of the town of Norwich. Jerome Hutchinson, who was three at the time, “was fond of relating when an old man, his distinct remembrance of the appearance presented of the old white-faced cow as she struggled bravely to keep her head above water while swimming the river.”… Read More

Everybody needs a friend who can lend a hand in time of need. And if you’re a building – patiently abiding and not seeming to change – it may be hard to find such a pal. Beaver Meadow Chapel, located eponymously at the intersection of Beaver Meadow Road and Chapel Hill Road in West Norwich, found its friend in the nick of time: Donna Wheeler has become the champion of the charming building and has led the drive to raise funds for a highly necessary new roof.

The roof is truly in wretched shape, with shingles missing and eroding away. The building was last roofed in 1999, says Donna, and the company that made the shingles has since been sued for substandard product.… Read More

I think today it’s easier to have the label lesbian than feminist,” says Claudia McKay Lamperti. She and her partner, Beth Dingman, are now retired from owning and running New Victoria Printers and Publishers. Founded as a print shop in Lebanon in 1975, New Vic embodied the strong feminist political convictions of its founders, and the belief that “the power of the press belongs to those who own it.”

Claudia grew up on the west coast. She met and married John Lamperti in California, and moved to the Upper Valley in 1962 when he came to Dartmouth to teach mathematics. Two of Claudia and John’s four children live in Norwich with their families; the other two live in California.… Read More