We’re Jammin’
Sunday 15
The annual Strawberry Festival at Middletown Springs Historical Society continues a half-century of sweet summer tradition. Fruit lovers revel in a craft fair of local artisans’ wares, acoustic tunes, kids’ activities and a quilt exhibit. Berries by the quart and decadent shortcake made with fresh fruit,homemade biscuits, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream make a lip-smacking grand finale.
Get Out and Play
Saturday 14 & Sunday 15
Vermont Days welcomes residents and tourists of all ages for a weekend of free access to state parks, historical sites and museums across the Green Mountain State. Early summer vibes reach new heights with lakeside lounging in beach chairs or a pastoral mid-hike picnic at the peak. If angling is more your speed, Saturday’s glorious Free Fishing Day makes waves with lifted license requirements.
Swamp Things
Friday 13
Friday the 13th generally bodes superstition, but there’s nothing to fear when the bayou comes to Burlington for a High Country Boil at Hotel Vermont. Southern spice meets Northern attitude at this twisty take on a traditional Cajun meal, accompanied by two-step dance lessons, local brews and live music by Louisiana’s Pine Leaf Boys — bringing a unique blend of zydeco, swamp-pop and soul to Yankee ears.
If It Ain’t Brogue
Saturday 14
The Vermont Institute of Celtic Arts invites clans clad in flannel and tartans to Greensboro for the Vermont Highland Games at Highland Center for the Arts. Folks explore their heritage — or learn about others’ — with myriad music performances, cultural demos and seminars throughout the day. Gleeful guests try everything from Gaelic to step dancing and show their strength in a rousing tug-of-war.
Free to Be You and Me
Ongoing
Hexum Gallery exhibits resplendent works by 21 LGBTQ+ artists from across the country at the “Family Jewels” group show in Montpelier. Connoting a bit more than just jewelry, the cheeky title alludes to the gallery’s playful-yet-elegant curation of paintings, drawings and mixed media, where unabashed queer joy, imagination and the importance of chosen family permeate the space.
Field of Dreams
Sunday 15
Batter up! Families hit it out of the park when they cheer Dad on at Billings Farm & Museum’s Father’s Day “Base Ball” in Woodstock. A friendly, historic game — adhering to the sport’s 1860 rules — awaits players (not just dads), replete with wood-shaving baselines, straw-filled canvas bases, and metal home and pitcher plates. Ash bat reproductions and bare-handed fielders complete the theme.
Tea’s Company
Sunday 15
Patrons enjoy a proper partea at the Afternoon Tea & Tea Etiquette Talk at the Governor’s House in Hyde Park. The elegant inn affords an ideal backdrop as fancy folks lift pinkies and dig into a full English spread, while questions about quaffing quandaries — milk first or last? — are answered. Now, go forth and host that formal steep sesh you’ve always dreamed of!