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
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.
Take a shot at pickleball
When was the last time you experienced a “dink in the kitchen” or made a serve from the “even court?” This is the language of Pickleball enthusiasts, and we’ve got a few right here in Brandon.
Disc golf beats the winter blues at Brandon Town Hall
Imagine throwing a flying disc in the cavernous Brandon Town Hall. Now you can!
OV wrestling coach named Vermont Coach of the Year; team takes third at state championship
When the mats were rolled up on Saturday night in the Vergennes Union High School gym, wrestlers from Mount Abraham, Middlebury, Otter Valley and the host school had racked up three individual state titles and 20 top-six podium finishes at the Vermont championship tournament.
7th-grade OV girls’ hoop beats Rutland at home, 22-19
The Otter Valley 7th-grade girls’ basketball team had a terrific home game against Rutland on Friday, February 10.
