Community Snapshots

The latest "barn art" on South Main Street in Andover is an Easter observance.

A Thanksgiving bird appeared in Bob Laux’ yard on St. Patrick’s Day.

The snow covered White Mountains, taken by Cathy Howe Hart from her Intervale Road home in Bethel, and a photo of the same mountains taken at sunset.

The snow covered White Mountains, taken by Cathy Howe Hart from her Intervale Road home in Bethel, and a photo of the same mountains taken at sunset.

A bear at Larry and Mary Davis’ camp in Upton.

A gathering of the Tim DeRouche/Anita Naworski family and friends on Roxbury Pond.

On March 17 Mrs. Newell's CPS kindergarten class visited the Goose Eye Farm in Newry, owned by Bruce and Suzanne Pierce, to participate in the making of maple syrup. The farm is home of Hannah Pierce, who is in Mrs. Newell's class. The class went into the woods and collected sap in a bucket and brought it back to the sap house. The sap was poured into the sap holding tank. The class learned about how the sap becomes syrup by boiling the water out of the sap. The children also visited with the farm animals and were treated to ice cream drizzled with fresh maple syrup.

A wintry tree at Sudbury Village.

Michael Brooks, the son of Doug and Susan Brooks of Benton, is a musical throwback. A freshman at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Va., he is a guitarist in the newly-formed Franklin Park Big Band, an amalgam of musicians young and old, from the local community. Members range in age from school students to senior citizens, some of whom have resumed playing their instruments after having put them aside for years. The creation and existence of Michael’s group is not unlike the make-up of the Bethel community’s Mahoosuc Music Makers, with whom Michael’s grandpa, Don Brooks plays the trombone. Both musical aggregations show how real community involvement can occur, and how strong ties are made.