Make a Weekend of It: Art, Music and Summer Fun in the Northeast Kingdom

Today marks the beginning of Vermont Open Farm Week! From Monday, August 3, through Sunday, August 9, farms and farmers markets across the state are opening their doors for tours, demonstrations, tastings and family-friendly activities. Returning after a one-year pause in 2025, Open Farm Week gives Vermonters a behind-the-scenes look at the people, animals and working lands responsible for the food and products we enjoy every day. Open Farm Week Events Near the Northeast Kingdom Several special events are happening within an easy drive of St. Johnsbury: Quick Mozzarella-Making Workshop Wednesday, August 5, from noon to 1:00 p.m. Between the Trees Farm in Lowell Learn how fresh mozzarella is made during this hands-on workshop. Advance registration is required. Community Farm Friday With Baby Goats Friday, August 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Ezili’s Respite Farm in Groton Spend some time on the farm, meet the baby goats and learn more about this unique local operation. Farmers Market Celebration Friday, August 7, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Hardwick Farmers Market Enjoy horse-drawn wagon rides, live music, local food and a celebration of Vermont agriculture. Farm Tours and Food Tastings Saturday, August 8, from 10:00 a.m. to noon Firefly Farm at Burke Hollow in West Burke Tour the farm and sample food produced right here in the Northeast Kingdom. Highland Cattle Picnic Sunday, August 9, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Shat Acres Highland Cattle in Plainfield Pack a picnic and spend time near the pasture, where visitors can comb and cuddle the farm’s Highland cattle. Donations are appreciated. Celebrate the People Who Keep Vermont Growing Agriculture has always been an important part of life in Vermont. Open Farm Week is a great opportunity to meet local farmers, introduce children to farm animals, discover where our food comes from and support the hardworking people who keep Vermont’s agricultural traditions alive. Whether you attend a workshop, tour a working farm, visit a farmers market or simply stop at a roadside farmstand, every local purchase makes a difference. Before heading out, check the official Vermont Open Farm Week schedule for registration requirements, admission costs and possible schedule changes. From all of us at St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, have a safe and enjoyable trip—and thank you for supporting the farms and families that make the Northeast Kingdom such a special place to call home!

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, downtown Barre is the place to be. The 2026 Barre Heritage Festival and Homecoming Days is underway, bringing together live music, local history, food, family activities and plenty of Granite City pride. The celebration continues today, Friday, July 24, with events throughout downtown Barre. The Friends of the Aldrich Public Library are holding their annual book and jewelry sale from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while the Vermont History Center and Vermont Granite Museum offer visitors an opportunity to explore the people, industries and traditions that helped shape Barre. The entertainment picks up this afternoon in City Hall Park. There will be Jazzercise, a community painting experience and the festival’s first-ever local talent show. Live music continues into the evening with the Jacob Green Band and Train Wreck taking the main stage. Saturday, July 25, is packed from morning until night. The day begins with the 41st Annual Barre Rotary Breakfast, followed by yoga in the park, a 5K trail race through Websterville’s historic granite quarries, sidewalk sales, vendors, children’s activities and live entertainment. One of Saturday’s biggest attractions will be the annual Barre Heritage Parade, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and traveling from the Barre Auditorium toward North Main Street. After the parade, visitors can check out classic cars, hot rods, muscle cars, trucks and custom vehicles during the Barre Heritage Festival Car Show from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Families will also find inflatable attractions, street performers, magic shows, water activities, live wrestling, games and plenty of local food. Music continues throughout the afternoon and evening before what organizers are calling the largest fireworks display in the festival’s history lights up downtown Barre at 9:15 p.m. Native Tongue will then close out the celebration on the City Hall Park stage. Barre’s granite industry attracted skilled workers and families from around the world, creating a community with a rich mix of cultures and traditions. The Heritage Festival is more than a summer celebration—it is a tribute to the generations of Vermonters who helped build the Granite City and continue to call it home. At St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we are proud to celebrate the people, traditions and communities that make Vermont such a special place to live. If your weekend travels take you to Barre, enjoy the festival, support the local businesses and have a safe trip! For complete event times, locations and updates, visit the official Barre Heritage Festival schedule.

Here in St. Johnsbury, history isn’t confined to textbooks. It can be found in the buildings we pass every day—and few local landmarks tell our community’s story better than the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Athenaeum being designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1996. The recognition honored its remarkable architecture, historic book collection and beautifully preserved art gallery. The Athenaeum was presented to the people of St. Johnsbury by Horace Fairbanks in 1871. Fairbanks was a leader of the E. & T. Fairbanks Company, a former governor of Vermont and a firm believer in the importance of education. His vision was to create a place where local residents could read, study, appreciate art and expand their understanding of the world. Designed in the French Second Empire style, the building features a mansard roof, tall arched windows, intricate woodwork and spiral staircases. An art gallery was added in 1873 to display Fairbanks’ growing collection of American and European artwork. The centerpiece of the gallery is Albert Bierstadt’s enormous The Domes of the Yosemite. Measuring approximately 10 feet high and 15 feet wide, the painting dominates the far wall and gives visitors the feeling of looking directly into Yosemite Valley. Even more remarkable is how little the gallery has changed. Paintings remain displayed in heavy gilded frames, marble statues stand on their original pedestals and natural light still enters through the overhead skylight. The Athenaeum describes it as the oldest American art gallery still preserved in its original form. Today, the Athenaeum continues to serve as St. Johnsbury’s public library, art gallery and community gathering place. Its original collection of approximately 8,000 books has grown to nearly 45,000 volumes, while the gallery contains about 100 works of art. The next time you travel down Main Street, consider stopping in and exploring this incredible piece of local history. People travel great distances to visit historic places like this, yet we are fortunate enough to have one right here in our own community. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is located at 1171 Main Street. Current hours, events and visitor information are available on the Athenaeum’s official website. Gallery admission is free for St. Johnsbury residents and library cardholders. At St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we are proud to be part of a community with such a rich history—because the Northeast Kingdom isn’t simply where we do business. It’s home. St. Johnsbury Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram—Where Vermont Comes to Drive.