This Week’s News
Names lost in Vermont, Part 36: Wideawake, Morris, Brooks, and Smart
Over twenty-five years ago, after reading one of Christian Wideawake’s by-lines from the Rutland Herald, I commented to George Valley, “I wonder if Wideawake is a Native American surname?” George, raised in a Francophone family, did not speak English until he went to school. He said, “I bet it was Leveillé.”
Brandon SB discusses housing, grants, and historic trees
The Brandon Selectboard convened for its regular meeting on Monday evening.
OV Football wins big in playoffs, moves to state semis
Isaac Whitney had a huge game, gaining 180 yards and scoring 4 touchdowns to lead the Otter Valley football team to a 46–14 playoff win over rival Mill River Saturday night under the new lights at Markowski Field.
Labor of love (and horseshoes): Brandon resident restores historic blacksmith shop
Back in the days of the horse & buggy, the blacksmith shop was central to daily life. Horses needed shoes. Buggies needed wheels and springs. And all sorts of other household goods were forged by hand at the local smithy.
Photos of the Week
Sports
Otter Valley baseball is ready for 2023 season
The Otter Valley Otters varsity baseball team is back and looking for the success that slipped through their fingers last year.
OV rock climbing scales to 4th at state championship
Dozens of middle- and high-school climbers from around the region vied for the top spot, ascending newly created routes ranging in difficulty level from 5.7 to 5.13.
Backcountry skiing in Brandon’s backyard
Who’d know that only 10 minutes east of Brandon on Route 73 lies a world class backcountry ski area? For skiers or snowboarders who crave untracked powder, it is a slice of heaven.
Proctor baseball team nets big bucks at Franklin’s fundraiser
Franklin’s fundraiser nets $1,574.15 for Proctor baseball team to go to Cooperstown.
OVUHS rock climbers end regular season on a high note
When the last climber was belayed down the wall for the final regular-season meet last Tuesday, Feb. 28, at Green Mountain Rock Climbing Center in Rutland, the Otter Valley Union High School climbing team topped the scoreboard, with a season total of 115,725.