Sweet Sunday In Newbury

Open Sugarhouse Offers Syrup-Making, Donuts, And History

Head Waters Farm Sugarhouse on Saxie Welch Rd., site of the Newbury Historical Society’s 2026 Open Sugarhouse on March 22 from 1–3 p.m. (Courtesy Photo)

The Newbury Historical Society will highlight one of the town’s maple producers this month with an Open Sugarhouse event at Head Waters Farm.

The open house is set for Sunday, March 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the farm’s sugarhouse at 275 Saxie Welch Road, a short distance off Swamp Road. Visitors are invited to drop in, watch maple syrup being made, and enjoy fresh donuts from the Newbury Village Store, topped with maple cream generously donated by Harold Carleton and Cindy Merrill.

Those planning to attend should be prepared for early spring conditions. Organizers say roads leading to the sugarhouse are likely to be muddy, and four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. To keep traffic moving smoothly, monitors will be stationed at the intersection of Swamp Road and Saxie Welch Road to help guide one-way traffic to and from the site.

Head Waters Farm is operated by Matthew Osanitsch and Rebekah Nydam. The farm produces more than 2,000 gallons of maple syrup annually from approximately 5,500 taps. While much of their syrup is sold wholesale in bulk, the farm will have bottled syrup available for purchase during the Open Sugarhouse, giving visitors a chance to stock up while they’re there.

Sugaring is only part of the farm’s work. Head Waters also raises grass-fed American Milking Devon cattle, a multi-purpose heritage breed valued for both milk and meat. Known for their distinctive long horns, Devon steers have historically been used as oxen, and the breed remains an important link to Vermont’s agricultural past.

That history runs deep at the Head Waters property itself. The land has been farmed since the 18th century, when it was first settled by the Norse family. In more recent decades, the Meyette family operated a dairy there until 1982, followed by Fred and Earla Swift’s alpaca farm, and later the Calley family’s sugaring operation—each chapter adding to a long tradition of working the land.

More information about the Open Sugarhouse and other Newbury Historical Society activities is available at newburyhistoricalsociety.org or by email at newburyhistorical@gmail.com.

Addition to Newbury Tucker Mountain Town Forest Being Considered

By Tom Kidder

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The Bailey Property Map plus the Tucker Mountain Trust Fund (Courtesy Image)

Newbury - The town of Newbury is considering an offer of 127 acres of forested land as an addition to the Tucker Mountain Town Forest. The land is north of the Tucker Mountain summit and follows the same high ridgeline.
Last March, town forest neighbor Bob Bailey notified the management committee that he was planning to sell the land and wanted to first offer it to Newbury as an extension of the town forest. He offered the land at a $30,000 discount as a contribution to what he sees as a thriving town forest project. Mr. Bailey is a direct descendent of General Jacob Bayley and has a strong attachment to Newbury.

Aside from the original purchase of the original 635 acres for $25,000, all funds for the development of trails, parking lots, kiosks, benches have come from grants and donations from individuals and businesses. Tom Kidder, chair of the management committee, said, “We knew right away that we were not about to ask the taxpayers to pay for this new parcel, but we felt that since the property was offered to the town, it should be up to the town to decide if they want to accept it, and we explored other ways to fund it.”
What seemed impossible suddenly became possible with a call to the Vermont Land Trust, the original partners in helping the town acquire the forest. VLT approached the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board who said that since the property bordered the town forest and because the seller had offered a discount, then the town could very likely qualify for help with the purchase, covering 66% of the cost and contributions to an appraisal, closing costs, and a maintenance fund.

By happenstance, just prior to Mr. Bailey’s offer two brothers managing their parents’ estate had informed the committee that they wanted to donate $50,000 toward a land purchase to honor of their parents. With the asking price (after the 30K reduction) of $235,000, taking away the 66% grant and the donation of $50,000, the Friends of Tucker Mountain, the town forest’s fundraising organization, is left with $29,000 to raise. Friends believes that is quite doable.
The property would be purchased by Friends of Tucker Mountain and given to the Town of Newbury.

If the land becomes part of the Town Forest, Newbury will forgo municipal taxes which were $994 in 2025. To counter this, the Newbury Selectboard will again be asking the town if they are willing to sell what is known as the Ski Tow Property in West Newbury. Money from the sale of this 24-acre parcel would go to the town treasury and, having transferred to private ownership, the Ski Tow property would be added to the tax rolls.
The Ski Tow Property was purchased using Federal Funds tied to a recreational easement and cannot be sold unless that easement is passed on to another piece of recreational land. The new parcel on Tucker Mountain would qualify as recreational.

The vote for the town to accept the property as a gift is not a commitment to purchase the land. Should the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board grant fall though, the Friends of Tucker Mountain purchase would likely not take place unless other outside funding sources stepped in.
There are two articles on the warning: one is whether the town will accept the property as a gift, the other is whether the town will be allowed to sell the Ski Tow Property.
Lying north of the current summit and bordered on two sides by the town forest, Mr. Bailey’s land fits into the town forest map like a keystone. On the boundary is the State’s Woodchuck Mountain property that’s being sold to the Upper Valley Land Trust for preservation.

The wildlife corridor that passes through the town forest and enters the Woodchuck property would be enhanced with the preservation of the new parcel. This corridor extends to Groton State Forest to the northwest, the Fairlee Town Forest to the south, and into the White Mountain National Forest to the east. The land’s remote, wilderness characteristics make it key wildlife habitat

The forest has a diversity of tree age with a mix of hardwood and softwood that hasn’t been logged in over 35 years. There is at least one majestic stand of legacy oak trees that look to be over a century old. Much of it was cleared for agriculture some 200 years ago and stone walls that outlined fields remain throughout the woods. Along the height of land, directly north of Tucker Mountain, cleared meadows spread out over the ridge.

The new property would be added to the town forest conservation easement held by Vermont Land Trust.
This and other articles will be part of the discussion at an informational meeting prior to the Town Meeting. The public is encouraged to attend.

Legacy maple and old stone wall on the Bailey property (Courtesy Photo)

South Newbury native Molly Gray is going for the Vermont Lt. Governor job, again

By Bernie Marvin

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Coming together for a family group at the former Space on Main in Bradford are Vermont Lieutenant Governor candidate Molly Gray and her brothers and father. (Mom, Kim was absent that day.) Seen left to right are Charlie, Molly, Bob (Dad), and Peter Gray. The Bridge Weekly file photo/Bernie Marvin.

South Newbury, VT – Molly Gray, a well-known former South Newbury schoolgirl athlete and vegetable farmer, has announced her intentions to run again for her old job as Lieutenant Governor of Vermont.
Gray, daughter of Bob and Kim Gray of the 4 Corners Farm fame, announced her bid for the position at a reception held in Burlington on Monday, January 5, 2026. A Burlington lawyer, she formerly served as Green Mountain's Lieutenant Governor from 2020 to 2022, then ran an unsuccessful campaign for a Congressional seat as a US Representative, losing the primary election to victor and eventual office-holder Becca Balint in 2022.
At her recent announcement, Gray said she will be fiercely supporting the Vermont legislature in their focus on what matters most, building more housing, lowering costs, strengthening public schools, all while addressing rising costs and making sure every Vermonter can access a good job with al livable wage that will allow them to stay in the state, she told the crowd on hand to herald her announcement.

She also told the gathering that she plans to push back on President Donald Trump's immigration program. Gray has plenty of experience in state government. Before her Lieutenant Governor stint, she held the office of Assistant Attorney General in the Vermont Criminal Division from 2018 to 2021.
According to her background information and comments from friends and the campaign's literature, Molly Gray is a Democrat and is married to airline pilot Mike Palm. The couple has a son, Jack Francis Palm, who was born in July 2023.

Molly Gray and her South Newbury brothers, Charlie and Peter and parents, Bob and Kim, are no strangers to folks living in the circulation range of The Bridge Weekly. At any reasonable hour of a bright early spring, summer or fall day, a stop by the 4 Corners Farm just off route 5 in South Newbury, you could see the farm hands in action and members of the Gray family as they go about their daily chores as they plant, grow, harvest and market their quality fruits and vegetables, tend to their small herd of Jersey milk cows, Scottish highland beef cows and their 50 acres of beautiful farmland.

Molly Gray's first time around the political election circuit in 2020 worked well for her and during an early campaign appearance in Bradford (during her campaign for her first Lieutenant Governor election) she cast aside the intense cold temperatures of that February morning, and trudged Main Street, first for coffee at the former Bradford Perfect Buzz restaurant, then to amble down Main street a few doors to the Space on Main building, then owned by Monique Priestley, a Molly supporter.
There, a house full of support, local friends, school chums, and other supporters were all there to say hello to Molly and wish her well in the future.

On the home front for the later election, folks were also happy with Molly's results, which saw her capture most towns in Vermont, especially in small and rural areas of the state.
Bradford supporter Monique Priestley, founder and then-owner of the Space on Main, where the "Molly Gray for Lieutenant Governor" campaign all started, said that "I could not be happier about Molly's win! Molly's team has run an intelligent, classy, and respectable campaign, and I am so proud of them. I cannot wait for the future in which I step onto the balcony of the Senate and get to see Molly in action. As a young woman, I find Molly inspirational. It is a powerful moment for Vermont."

Since the election that put Molly Gray into the Vermont Lieutenant Governor's seat, Monique Priestley has been elected to the Vermont House of Representatives and is now seeking a Senate seat made available upon the resignation of former Vermont State Senator Larry Hart.

Two friends came together during candidate Molly Gray's first campaign opening at The former Space on Main in Bradford in 2020, when she was seeking the Lieutenant Governor's position that she won. The Bridge Weekly file photo/Bernie Marvin.

Music Helps

By Bernie Marvin

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Music teacher Roxanna Zampieri with student Timmy Longmoore and their band instruments, acquired as part of a band initiative co-sponsored by Music Helps. Courtesy photo. Courtesy photo.

Newbury, VT - Newbury Elementary School music teacher has recently received a $1,500 grant that will enable her to establish a student band at Newbury Elementary School (NES).
Music Teacher Roxanna Zampieri had earlier applied for and received the grant from a local music education organization, Music Helps. In an interview with The Bridge Weekly, Music Helps board President Eliza Goodell noted that the overall aim of Music Helps is to facilitate the organization and distribution of private lesson scholarships, instrument rentals and loans, and school workshops, masterclasses, and performances, in an effort to increase access to musical education for all.
She said the group also aims to bring affordable, engaging musical performances to rural communities and provide spaces for music students to gain experience performing. The group is involved in everything from fundraising to organizing concerts and coordinating with schoolteachers and administrators.

For the students of NES, Music Helps is enabling access to music education and exploration that otherwise would not have been possible. According to Music Helps Board member Rowe Williams, all other Orange East Superintendency Unit (OESU) schools have music programs, and this boost gives Newbury Elementary School students the same opportunities as other students in the district to play music on an instrument of their choice.

Williams noted that Zampieri, who also teaches band music at Blue Mountain School (BMU), has already ordered instrument rentals for the program and presently has 40 students signed up. They had hoped to march in the early October Groton Fall Foliage Parade but had managed to squeeze in only one practice lesson prior to the parade stepping off.
Zampieri recently reported to The Bridge Weekly for this story that the Music Helps Scholarship program enables Newbury Elementary School students to receive an equitable music education in the OESU.

She said that students are now eligible to begin guitar/strings at Grade 2 at NES, and all other band students start in Grade 3. There are 49 students registered in Grades 2-6. Students receive a free instrument rental, along with a free weekly lesson and a monthly band class.

With this being offered to them when they leave NES for a middle school program within the OESU or in any other school, they will have the option of joining the band. If they did not have the prior education and offerings at NES, they would not have the chance, she said.

She said that music "is something that is a skill for life." Music supports reading through phrasing, note recognition/reading, and vocabulary. t supports math through counting, beat keeping, rhythmic reading, fractions, and more. Studying an instrument also supports proper health through correct posture, breathing, and cleaning, as well as learning how the instrument produces sound, understanding sound vibrations, and recognizing sound levels. This connection to science is a valuable aspect of the experience. If you add marching, it can be cardio and build stamina, she said, adding that `am also excited about what this will bring to the community.
Music Helps has indeed helped to give the gift of music to all NES students enrolled in the program.

She said she has worked with Music Helps in scheduling master classes with musician and teacher Patrick Ross when she was at SAU 23 for Grades 4-12. Patrick also team-taught his piece, "Raise Your Flag," with the students and performed with them in their spring concert.
One of the students, whom she referred to for private lessons and studies with Patrick Ross from Woodsville High School, received a lesson scholarship from Music Helps and is now majoring in music at Plymouth State University. The organization is wonderful, Zampieri said.

"Music Helps," Goodell described "began in 2022 and was brought together over a shared appreciation for music and music education. Everyone who continues to be on the board and who has joined the board has been positively impacted by access to music education and is passionate about increasing accessibility to the arts in our rural communities."
In addition to Goodell and Williams, the Music Helps board is comprised of Susan Goodell, Paul Sachs, David Carlson, and Don Sinclair. All Upper Valley locals, the board knows firsthand the critical support that was needed to foster their own musical education. Now they aim to ensure everyone has that same support.

Goodell also stated that while most of the operating costs are funded through individual donations, the group raises funds through benefit concerts, often in collaboration with local businesses. å are super grateful to have businesses in our area who support our mission, he ” he said.

Music Helps is always seeking interested schools to bring in musicians for performances, masterclasses, and workshops. Eliza added that they are working on a collaboration with both Bradford Elementary and Newbury Elementary now and have worked with Haverhill Middle and Woodsville High School, Oxbow High School, and Newbury Elementary School before.
According to the Music Helps website, private lesson scholarship applications are open for music teachers to apply on behalf of students with financial needs. Other educators may also reach out or submit applications for school collaborations of community programming. Music Helps support is available for any genre of music and any instrument.

For more information and to support their mission, please visit www.musichelps.us.

Multi-instrumentalist Patrick Ross gives a master class to an Oxbow High School guitar class in Bradford, Vermont. This multi-day intensive was supported in part by Music Helps3chool programming initiative. Courtesy photo.

The Rough and Tumble, a folk/Americana duo, performs at a Music Helps sponsored school- wide assembly at the Newbury Elementary School. Courtesy photo.

On the Newbury Common Newbury Elementary School students experiment with their new band instruments as part of the Music Helps band program collaboration. Students are, left to right, Harrison Woodward, Mckenzie Torrey, Charlotte Spooner, Stephen Oliver and Kaydence Boyce. Courtesy photo.

Uncommon Jam hosts three bands on a fine weather day

By Bernie Marvin

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The musical group Faerie Godbrothers. This spirited group was well received by the crowd. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Newbury, VT – Writers’ rules demand that one should never begin a story describing the weather. So, I will defy that dictum, go out on a limb once again, and write that last Sunday was a fine day, especially after several drab forecasts noted that the afternoon events for the day would be caught by the approaching rain and put a damper on their outdoor fun.
The rain did not fall, and the Uncommon Jam on Newbury Common was a superb event, with an appreciative crowd spending many hours listening and enjoying a total of five hours of quality music by two groups and a single performer.

First up last Sunday, August 24, 2025, was The Faerie Godbrothers, a Montpelier and Burlington, Vermont group who came together in 2028, I am told, to perform impromptu harmonies, emotional vocals, and “otherworldly guitar solos.” They have since refined their sound, incorporating originals and creative covers that blend folk, rock, blues, and country.
The second group on the docket Sunday was The Party Crashers, described in some media as the upper Valley and Central Vermont’s hottest band. This six-piece high-energy dance band has been rocking the New England music scene for 20 years, playing a mix of Motown to Modern Hits.

The third appearance was that of Dave Keller, who, over the past decade, has earned a reputation as a “magnificent soul singer,” “a stellar guitarist,” and a “song-writing genius.”
The host and sponsor, Court Street Arts, brought listeners all this talent and has been doing these Uncommon Jam shows for at least 15 years, according to Board President Past Buchanan. She said it was an excellent way for fans to enjoy friends and music at a comfortable and attractive venue, Newbury Common.

She said the crowd appreciated the live music from these three organizations, also hosted by the Cohase Chamber of Commerce. It is one of the largest fundraiser benefits for Court Street Arts, which is part of Haverhill Heritage Inc.

Ms. Buchanan said the event featured a nice cross-section of music and a variety of foods from three food trucks, including Asian, BBQ, and standard fare. She said there was also a beer service area where guests could sit and enjoy the music with the stage set up nearby.

She said she was happy to speak about her daughter, Rachel, who is taking over the helm of Court Street Arts as the Executive Director. This move will allow Buchanan to rejoin the board as President, a position she once held before serving as Executive Director for many successful years.

She said her daughter Rachel has some creative ideas for the future and will bring new energy and vitality to the area. She said a lot is being planned for the future, including “classical programs and a holiday show, jazz from New York, all pointing to a nice variety coming our way.”

This panoramic view of the Newbury Common shows the immense space available for events, with plenty of room for performers, vendors, and patrons. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Good weather greeted Uncommon Jam concert fans on Newbury Common last Sunday afternoon. Court Street Arts and Haverhill Heritage hosted the event. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

President of the Court Street Arts/Haverhill Heritage Board of Directors Pat Buchanan speaks with a patron during last weekend’s Uncommon Jam on the Newbury Common. The five-hour show included three different music groups. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin