Cochran’s Ski Area in Richmond is tiny but mighty. 

The ski area was started in the early 1960s by Mickey and Ginny Cochran. 

Their children, Bob, Barbara Ann, Marilyn and Lindy, came to be known as the “The Skiing Cochrans.” They represented the U.S. in the Winter Olympics, with Barbara Ann winning the gold in 1972.

In this episode, Barbara Ann talks about the ski area's early days, her racing career and what makes Cochran’s an extraordinary place. 

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You can learn a lot about a town and its history by visiting the local library.

The Goodrich Memorial Library in Newport has a taxidermy collection that includes an alligator, bob cat, porcupine and birds.

The Rutland Free Library originally served as a post office and courthouse. There are also jail cells in the basement.

In this episode, Jessamyn West, a library technologist from Randolph, talks about what makes Vermont libraries fascinating places. She also shares what's she's learned on her quest to visit all of Vermont’s libraries. 

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Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley was the first person to ever photograph a single snowflake. 

On January 15, 1885—at age 19—he used photographic plates to capture his first snowflake image at his family's farm in Jericho. His images of snowflakes are on permanent display at the historical society in the Old Red Mill in Jericho.

In this episode, Sue shares stories about Snowflake Bentley and his lasting impact on the world.

Jericho Historical Society 

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Host Erica Houskeeper talks about her brother, Matt, who died while kayaking in Southern Vermont last summer. It happened in a region of the state that Matt loved exploring.

In honor of Matt, Erica highlights a bit of history and geography in this part of Vermont. 

Susan Leader is a well-known potter based in Andover, where she grew up at the base of Terrible Mountain. 

In 1950, Susan's parents moved to Andover and settled at Popplewood Farm, where she spent her childhood. 

Today, she lives on a piece of land her parents left her just up the road from her childhood home. 

In this episode, we talk about Terrible Mountain, Susan's unconventional upbringing, and how she has found community in the small town of Andover.

Steve Farrow grew up in Holland, Vermont and now lives in Newport in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom.

Steve studied at UVM in the 1980s and his master’s thesis focused on Vermont place names. He now teacher geography at Community College of Vermont.

In this Happy Vermont podcast episode, Steve and host Erica Houskeeper talk about Vermont place names and lost names like Elysiana, Hurricane and Jefferson County. They also explore Vermont gores and grants, as well as town names like Eden, Troy and Athens.

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Mike Snyder of Stowe was Vermont’s Commissioner of Forests, Parks and Recreation for over a decade before leaving his post in December 2022.

He’s now working as an independent consultant. Mike and host Erica Houskeeper met up at Brownsville Forest in Stowe to talk about fall foliage, forest health, and what it's like living in a popular tourist town.

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Glenn Fay of Burlington is an author, historian and seventh-generation Vermonter. He’s also a descendant of one of the Green Mountain Boys.

Glenn wrote Hidden History of Burlington Vermont and has a new book out, Ambition of the Remarkable Family of Ethan Allen. On a sunny day in July, we met at the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum in Burlington, where Glenn serves as a board member.

In this episode, Glenn shares how Ethan Allen is famous for capturing Fort Ticonderoga from the British and was also a complicated figure. We also talk about Burlington’s history, old neighborhoods, and the city's waterfront, which was once a bustling lumber port. 

https://ethanallenhomestead.org

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Traveling east on Route 118 along the Trout River is a nostalgic scene with covered bridges, barns and mountain views. After a few bends in the road, a clear view of the Montgomery Center for the Arts unfolds.

The Greek Revival building was empty the first time Sebastian Araujo saw it when he and his partner moved to town from Provincetown, Mass. The iconic building, perched at the intersection of Main Street and Mountain Road, is a former Baptist Church built in 1866.

“These buildings deserve to be restored. They deserve to be cherished. They deserve to be protected,” says Araujo, founding director of the Montgomery Center for the Arts. “And it's really important, because if we don't know where we come from, we don't know who we are in the present.”

Since opening six years ago, the Montgomery Center for the Arts has hosted art exhibits, performances, workshops and meditation sessions.  Araujo and others have tirelessly volunteered to help repair and preserve the building, organize events and get the word out.

https://www.montgomerycenterforthearts.com

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Artist and entrepreneur Stacy Harshman was living in New York and looking for a change. She Googled "nature, therapy, community, work and mountains" and landed in Vermont. 

Seven years ago, she started the Sparkle Barn in Wallingford, which has become a wildly popular destination in this small town in Rutland County. The Sparkle Barn is a gift shop and art installation located in an old dairy barn on Route 7.

In this episode of Happy Vermont, Stacy shares how she created this special place and how she’s found healing, happiness and belonging in Vermont.