Young bicyclist enjoys a stretch of the Cross Vermont Trail, where local segments join together to stretch from Lake Champlain to the Connecticut River. Photo by Suzie Mullikin.

Bike Activists Speak Out

by Nat Frothingham There is nothing new about the biking enthusiasm that is now sweeping through Montpelier. Biking for pleasure and biking for transportation have been with us for a long time. But starting last November with a Bike Summit convened by Mayor John Hollar, the city’s commitment to bikes and bike travel has kicked [...]

The Gary Home’s culinary pros: Left, chef Matt Trafton; right, cook Mike Marinelli. Photo by Joyce Kahn.

Gary Home Welcomes a New Chef

Being a chef is no easy business, except if you happen to be Matt Trafton, the Gary Home’s new chef since February. The Gary Home, in existence since 1941, is a prominent Montpelier residential care facility for seniors over 62, with thirteen rooms and currently fourteen residents. The two sharing a room are a married [...]

Mark Billian of Design Build Vermont. Photo courtesy of Mark Billian.

Renovators Share Tips for Home Owners

The Bridge sat down with three home renovators, Mark Billian, Brian Abbott, and Stephen Gilmore, to ask them about their work, and their views on construction, home repair and renovation. Mark Billian has been in the business for nine years, after leaving the field of information technology. His hankering to work in construction began when [...]

Montpelier’s “Bike Cop,” Michael Philbrick. Photo by Carolyn Grodinsky

An interview with Montpelier’s Mountain Bike Officer Michael Philbrick

I sat down with Montpelier police officer Michael Philbrick, the only bike officer in the city, to learn more about how he works his beat by bike. As a mountain bike and regular police officer, he enforces all the state and city car, pedestrian and bike laws.  Officer Philbrick also serves on the city’s bike [...]

Alex Stetter snags the disc. Photo courtesy of Chrystal Crane.

Ultimate Frisbee at MHS/U-32 2013

by Anne Watson Spring is in full force and the disc hucking athletes of Montpelier High School and U-32 are taking the playing fields by storm. The unusual and highly enjoyable aspect of Ultimate Frisbee is that it is both competitive and inclusive. Winning is great but it is the concept of spirit, defined by [...]

May 16, 2013

Life as a Dane

On Sunday, May 19, at 10:30 a.m., at MHS, Senator Bernie Sanders will host Danish Ambassador Peter Taksoe-Jensen. Sanders’ office notes, “Recently the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that the Danish people rank among the happiest in the world among some 40 countries that were studied. America did not crack the top [...]