“A curling stone is called ‘the cheese.’” —Mateo Kehler, Jasper Hill Farm

Last week’s post on Artful, Curling With Cheddar (here), received almost 6,000 views, so I am assuming the idea caught your fancy. And now, we have the video of yesterday’s event (the fourth annual) in Greensboro, VT. Click here, or on the link below, or copy and paste.

https://www.wcax.com/2026/02/22/jasper-hill-farm-uses-cheese-wheels-curling-stones-fourth-annual-tournament/

Happy Sunday.

—————————————————

Thank you! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe (still free) and then share this post with your friends and on your social media. We now have over 3200 subscribers.

Share

And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, Next Avenue, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.

It’s Black History Month. News of the passing of the Rev. Jesse Jackson—a firebrand of my youth and possibly yours—is filling screens today. The recent experience in Minneapolis and elsewhere finds Anne Frank and her words cropping up in current conversation, with people choosing sides on the appropriateness of the comparison. It seems a particularly apt moment (or more accurately, year) to quote, as some protestors have been wont to do on protest signs, some of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous words: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

A group new to me, the Quechee Club’s DEI Council in Quechee, Vermont, is staging a unique theatrical presentation of the writings of Anne Frank and Martin Luther King this coming Sunday. Here is their announcement:

Letters from Anne & Martin draws profound parallels between the words of Anne Frank and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

EVENT DATE: Sunday, February 22, 12 noon

QUECHEE, VT– The Quechee Club’s DEI Council will host an event, Letters from Anne & Martin, Sunday, February 22 from 12 to 1 pm at the Quechee Club in the downstairs, Main Dining Room.

The free, live powerful two-person performance draws profound parallels between the words of Anne Frank and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This performance from the Anne Frank Center combines excerpts from Anne’s diary with key moments from Dr. King’s Letters from Birmingham Jail highlighting their shared themes of hope, resistance, and the fight for justice.

WHEN: Sunday, February 22nd at 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Quechee Club, 3268 Quechee Main St, Quechee, VT 05059. The event will also be offered via Zoom. To register, contact Marc Wilkins at marc.wilkins@quecheeclub.com. You will need to specify whether you will attend in person (preferred) or via Zoom.

WHAT: Through the dialogue of these two remarkable figures, you are offered a unique lens on the struggles for human rights, both during World War II and the Civil Rights Movement. The show serves as a bridge between history and the present, highlighting how lessons of the past are deeply connected to the challenges we face today. By weaving Anne’s reflections on the horrors of war with Dr. King’s calls for nonviolent action, the show is a powerful tool for understanding both the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement. The audience is empowered to see the relevance of these movements in today’s world, encouraging them to take a stand against prejudice, bigotry, antisemitism, racism and discrimination, to promote equality, and work towards a more just and inclusive future. The performance is 1-hour.

The Quechee Club’s DEI Council is part of the Quechee Lakes Landowners Association and committed to educating and bringing awareness to the community on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion. Founded in July 2020 the Council strives to make the QLLA community a more welcome and safer place for members, guests, and employees and provides frequent educational events and lectures.

The performance is free of charge.

—————————————————

Thank you! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe (still free) and then share this post with your friends and on your social media. We now have over 3200 subscribers.

Share

And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, Next Avenue, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.

Count this as one of the many things I often describe as something sailing in over the transom— a serendipitous bit of info, an amusing anecdote, a “this is why we live here” story. Even if you cannot get to this event in Greensboro, Vermont (admittedly a bit of a drive) at the beautiful Highland Center for the Arts, isn’t it fun just to know that such an event exists?

CURDS & CURLING
NEW DATE! Saturday, FEB 21 | 11AM - 3PM

Brrrr! Too cold to curl. Curds & Curling is moving to Feb 21—please help us spread the word!

Grab your friends for an epic afternoon of Curds and Curling—a winter showdown like no other! Live music and warming fires set the stage for a cheesy winter competition with a wheel of Jasper Hill cheddar as the curling stone. Players will throw their wheels and sweep their brushes as they aim toward the target in Vermont’s new version of this traditional sport. Watch as the challenges unfold or try your own hand at curling while you enjoy cheese tasting and seasonal drinks.

Sponsored by Jasper Hill Farm and Highland Center for the Arts. Here’s the website. Jasper Hill continues to rack up well-deserved awards. Here is a recent one by Food and Wine Magazine.

Meanwhile at a curling competition at the Olympics this past weekend, the Canadian and Swedish male athletes—generally thought to be among the more peaceable sorts—got into a nasty scuffle when one of the Swedes accused a Canadian player of cheating by “double touching the stone.” Salty language ensued. A day later, in a match between Canada and Switzerland (this time the women’s team), one of the Canadians was accused of the very same infraction, which she denied. There was a hot mike moment and more, yes, salty language.

But you don’t have to travel to Italy or even Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, because our very own Upper Valley has a group of curling enthusiasts who meet in White River Junction: Upper Valley Curling, where you can learn and play. The group was featured in the Winter issue of Image Magazine (click here, then swipe to p. 36) .

And back to the cheese. If you’re foregoing the curling-with-cheddar event next weekend, you can still indulge. The now internationally renowned Jasper Hill cheeses—made at a state of the art facility in Greensboro, Vermont—are widely available, including at the cheese counter at the Co-op. Chances are my refrigerator contains a chunk of their cheddar. A smear of Harbison on a cracker with a sliver of apple? Truly, that’s heaven.

—————————————————

Thank you! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe (still free) and then share this post with your friends and on your social media. We now have over 3200 subscribers.

Share

And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, Next Avenue, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.

Raise your hand if you have a friend or two in the Washington DC area. (I have a few.) If so, maybe this news will make their day and have them tying on a clean apron. According to sources including Alexandria Now, a newsletter in Alexandria, Virginia:

King Arthur Baking Company is eyeing Old Town to open a new retail store and baking school.

The upcoming spot will be King Arthur’s second location combining retail and a baking school, joining a flagship location in Norwich, Vt.

And Carey Underwood, Director of Marketing Communications at our local King Arthur Bakery has confirmed. “The King Arthur Baking pop-up at Fairfax Corner will be open through June 2026 . . . We will open a permanent store and school in Old Town in late summer.” Here’s an explanation of why they chose Alexandria, Virginia as the upcoming location:

“King Arthur is a company of bakers, and there’s nothing we love more than connecting with other bakers. Our pop‑ups in Fairfax and Bethesda have helped us build meaningful baking communities in the DMV, inspiring and educating bakers at every level. As we prepare to open a permanent retail store and baking school in Old Town in late summer 2026, we’re excited to continue deepening those relationships and expanding our connection with bakers.

Our new location will offer high‑quality baking essentials, hands‑on education, and a welcoming space where bakers can shop, learn, and share the joy of baking together.”

(Thanks to my friend Marie, who resides in Alexandria, is a King Arthur fan, and an alumna of a Buns and Rolls class at the King Arthur location in Norwich, which was the subject of a previous post, By Bread Alone, available here. Photo, top, via . commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:King_Arthur_Baking_Company_store_Norwich.jpg. Photo credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel)

HIRSCHHORN MUSEUM: Washington DC

And while King Arthur is sending a piece of the UV to the DC area, the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden—always a favorite—will (we hope) be sending pieces of itself (literally) here.

BIG NEWS: “50 for 50” will place masterworks from the Hirshhorn collection in all 50 US states and Puerto Rico! 🇺🇸

“50 for 50” is the first loans program to place artworks from a single museum into every state, furthering the Hirshhorn’s mission as the national museum of modern and contemporary art. Through a partnership with Art Bridges, we are excited to begin sharing American art—including works by Alma Thomas, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, John Singer Sargent, and many more—from the Hirshhorn collection in 2026 for America’s 250th anniversary. “50 for 50” is the largest lending project ever undertaken by an American museum, and together the Hirshhorn and Art Bridges will carry out the greatest number of artwork loans, with the widest geographic reach, for both institutions to date.

I contacted the very nice folks at the Hirschhorn and was told that this program has been in the works for years, and that they hope to have a list ready sometime this summer that will detail which museums, including those in Vermont and New Hampshire, will be receiving the loaned art works. Stay tuned.

—-———————————

On a different note: Individual tickets are now on sale for Opera North’s Summerfest 2026. If you act now (through February 16), they will give you a 10% discount for Valentine’s Day with the promo code: 2026Valentines10. C’mon people, they’re doing (among others) Fiddler! And speaking of Fiddler, might you be interested in being onstage? Auditions to join the Fiddler cast are scheduled for Wednesday, February 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the Opera North office, 20 West Park Street in downtown Lebanon NH. Please email your interest and qualifications to: company@operanorth.org

—————————————————

Thank you! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe (still free) and then share this post with your friends and on your social media. We now have over 3200 subscribers.

Share

And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, Next Avenue, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.

Sometimes you go to the theater for something familiar—a production of The Music Man, for example, in which you can sing all of the songs and even recite some of the dialogue in your head. It’s comforting, this visit with an old friend. At other times you are in your seats before the curtain rises, knowing virtually nothing of what’s about to appear on stage. You’re waiting to be surprised.

The World Is Not Silent, a regional premiere just opening at Northern Stage by playwright Don X. Nguyen, is the surprise kind of theater. The curtain (metaphorically) rises and you are in the middle of a multi-lingual play where the characters speak Vietnamese, or English, or American Sign Language (ASL), or (and who knew this?), Vietnamese Sign Language (VSL), singly or in combination. (Subtitles are provided as needed.) The settings include a home in Nebraska, and space, both outer- and cyber-. Don (Paul Yen) is an astrophotographer capturing images with complicated and tediously precise equipment for his vlog. Linh (Mai Lê) teaches VSL on YouTube to an international following. Don’s father Dau (Peter Trinh) makes do with old school radio technology, broadcasting a show in Vietnamese for his local community.

The play explores communication in many forms: spoken languages, gestures, and the silences between father and son. Don has recently come home to live with his father who is losing his hearing. How to communicate around impending deafness is but one problem. The bigger one is an amalgam of lifelong barriers that have kept father and son from communicating at all.

The opening scenes are funny—it’s in part a comedic play—in what at first seems a superficial sort of way, with debates over the menu for Thanksgiving dinner and whether one can attend in pajamas. As the drama unfolds, the stories of the two male characters are offered up piecemeal. Don is guarded, feeling the recent loss of his mother, facing memories of childhood in an immigrant household. Dau misses his wife—his grief never shared, expressed only in his solitude —and reminisces about fleeing Vietnam with his family and settling as refugees in America.

Enter Linh. She brings energy to the home, sussing out the reluctance of both men to engage with each other. She is both a buffer and a savior, carrying her skills of multi-lingualism into the household. By the end of the play, something has shifted. And the final scenes, so poignant, also manage to draw the unexpected belly laugh.

I liked this production. If you are of a certain age, the experience of Vietnam never leaves, and seeing this play reinforces that connection. If I have a quibble, it may be with the play itself. Perhaps it is realistic and creative to have the story of this family presented in pieces, threaded throughout the humorous bits, what might be called a possible (if weak) romance between the younger pair, and the facts and figures about astrophotography. I found myself drawn into the characters’ history with every new partial revelation, and wanted to know more.

(Photos by permission of Northern Stage, photo credit: J. Bailey Burcham. The World Is Not Silent runs through February 22, 2026 at the Barrette Center in downtown White River Junction, Vermont. )

—-————————-

On February 20, Northern Stage will be offering an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted performance as a more accessible theater viewing experience for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. For this performance, Interpreters will be located near the stage. Patrons have the option to reserve seating in the front of the theater that provides the best sight lines to follow the interpretation alongside the action onstage.

To access $40 reserved seating in view of the interpreters, please contact the box office at (802) 296-7000, or email boxoffice@northernstage.org.

—————————————————

Thank you! You’re reading Artful, a blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley, and I hope you’ll subscribe (still free) and then share this post with your friends and on your social media. We now have over 3200 subscribers.

Share

And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, Next Avenue, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.