Fourth of July Weekend 2022
Saturday, July 2 & Sunday, July 3
“Each host was so welcoming and informative about their offering. The day far exceeded what we anticipated and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” — Susan and John Hood
Join Us in 2023!
This self-guided driving expedition through the hills of Bradford, Newbury, East Corinth, East Topsham, and Cookeville offers a uniquely intimate tour of organic gardens, historic homes, and artisan studios.
TOUR MAP: Click for full map [PDF]
15 TOUR PARTICIPANTS for 2022
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#1 MAP LOCATION – art
Lois Jackson – botanical artist
Village Eclectics
35 Bank St (downtown on corner of Main St)
Bradford 05033
802-449-3330
villageeclectics.com
Lois Jackson is a botanical watercolor artist who holds a degree in Botany from Drew University. Her career began as an illustrator in pen and ink for scientific publications and has continued for 60 years. She has added color to her paintings over the last 20 years and loves the local wildflowers, fungi and bryophytes. Her personal art gallery is housed in the vault of the 1891 Bradford Bank Building, a work of art in itself in a unique setting now called Village Eclectics on the first corner of “main street” in Bradford on the left. Her work is an exquisite merger of botany and art, with each piece meticulously detailed.
#2 MAP LOCATION – art & house – Saturday Only
Cobble Mountain Hammocks – Nancy & Gordon Kittridge
1051 Village Road
East Corinth 05040
802-439-5232
cobblemountain.com
The original building on this site was a saw mill built on the brook to use water power in the 1700’s. The current building was constructed in the early 1900’s by the Jackman Bobbin Company, which produced wooden bobbins for the textile industry of New England. In 1987 Nancy and Gordon found it abandoned and in a state of decay, which they lovingly adopted and renovated to be their home and shop for the construction of beautiful bent wood hanging hammock chairs.
#3 MAP LOCATION – art & garden
Robert Chapla – Hidden Spring Studio
580 Fuller Road
Newbury 05051
Studio/gallery in a refurbished antique barn, and multiple gardens that merge with the natural environment.
#4 MAP LOCATION – garden – Sunday Only
Mooncastle Family Farm – Carley & Harold Brenkus
297 Topsham-Corinth Road
Topsham 05076
We are a small farm located in Vermont’s beautiful Upper Valley. We grow certified organic cut flowers and mixed vegetables all grown by us, Carley and Harold Brenkus. Moon Castle Farm is Certified Organic by Vermont Organic Farmers.
#5 MAP LOCATION – house & garden
Richard Savignano & Ginny Adams Historic Home
365 Topsham-Corinth Road
Topsham 05076
The Elwin Chase House, the big yellow colonial, was built in 1820 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The house showcases the only known wall murals from the early 19th century in Vermont and have been professionally restored. The murals from this time period were often painted by itinerant artists wandering through the rural landscape offering their services for room and board. These display images of ships, houses and landscapes that span from floor to ceiling. Another surprise awaits the viewer at the top of the stairs, that only Richard can explain.
#6 MAP LOCATION – house
Burnice Dow – ‘Back in Time’ restored old store
Topsham-Corinth Road (near #372)
Topsham 05076
A beautifully restored general store built in the late 1800’s, well known formerly as Freddy Miller’s Store, is now a comfortable home. You can walk out on the downstairs porch to read, take a photograph or sit in a rocking chair to enjoy the village view.
#7 MAP LOCATION – art
Suzanne Opton – photographs
Group Exhibit at East Topsham Town Hall
6 Harts Road
Topsham 05076
Suzanne Opton in collaboration with others was able to place soldier billboards and banners in ten American cities. She thought these images belonged outside a gallery setting, away from the politics and to bring awareness to the plight of America’s young soldiers in harm’s way. She recorded the tour of duty and place for each soldier.
#8 MAP LOCATION – art
Fritz Gross – paintings
Group Exhibit at East Topsham Town Hall
6 Harts Road
Topsham 05076
Friedrich Gross, a Swiss-born artist, got his start as a house painter in Zurich before immigrating to the United States and moving into the NYC art world. His whimsical paintings are a combination of folklore, myth and fantasy that evoke a deep sympathetic response that has universal appeal. His home and studio is now in rural Vermont.
#9 MAP LOCATION – art
Anne Bergeron – photographs
Group Exhibit at East Topsham Town Hall
6 Harts Road
Topsham 05076
My photography seeks to honor the mystery and beauty that I find in nature and in daily living. This exhibition of my work includes images from Tree Dances, a collaborative project that unites the female form in kinship and counterpoint with the trunks and empty hulls of local trees. Other offerings include photographs of waterlilies found in Vermont ponds, and images of antique silver-plated spoons given to me by my mother. Proceeds from this exhibit will support the work of Tree Sisters, an international organization dedicated to ameliorating climate change through reforestation, endangered species protection, and gender parity.
#10 MAP LOCATION – garden – Saturday Only
The Growing Peace Project – Jacqueline Labate
63 Fiske Road
Topsham 05076
The Growing Peace Project is a national peacemaking, social justice, and youth activism initiative. Our free food teaching garden and related programs are dedicated to our local food insecure neighbors and anyone interested in learning how to grow, prepare, and preserve garden food.
#11 MAP LOCATION – house
Wasted Spark Shop – Richard Barsotti
65 Welch Road
Topsham 05076
Antique (35 years or older) motorcycle preservation, restoration and rebuilds — each category has different requirements and results.
Email Richard: wastedsparkmotorcycles@gmail.com
#12 MAP LOCATION – art
Kathryn Price Weaving Studio
65 Welch Road
Topsham 05076
Kathryn is a highly trained weaver with her own studio full of looms in every shape and size. Her ikat scarves are exquisite in a beautiful array of color combinations. Her wall hangings include horsehair, quills and beads in unique, one-of-a-kind woven pieces.
#13 MAP LOCATION – art & garden
Jeff Spiegel Art Studio – sculpture & paintings
781 Hayward Road
Corinth 05039
My semi-abstract paintings and small sculptures represent insights about life experiences, nature, night and daydreams. By experimenting with plaster, acrylics, oil and spray paint, a host of found metal objects and wood crafted from our own cherry and ash trees, I’ve been able to reveal a myriad of provocative and engaging artwork that serves as metaphors for how I’ve experienced the world.
#14 MAP LOCATION – house
Crossmolina Farm Market – Loftus Family
1776 Center Road
Corinth 05039 (Cookeville)
– shop is open for food purchases –
This family farm feeds the community with beautifully grown food that supports the vision expressed in this quote: “For the true measure of agriculture is not the sophistication of its equipment, the size of its income, or even the statistics of its productivity, but the good health of the land.” – Wendell Berry
#15 MAP LOCATION – art
Chris Groschner – collage constructions
1776 Center Road
Corinth 05039 (Cookeville)
“Over time, Chris Groschner’s collages have evolved from being contained within a traditional frame and behind glass into pieces that escape the frame, expanding and altering the viewer’s relationship with the pieces. Surrealist, Steampunk meets Beetlejuice, and psychological landscapes are a few phrases that may come to mind. You will not encounter this world in real life.” ~M. Nielsen, Towle Hill Studio
LUNCH, GAS, RESTROOMS
- Take-out deli & gas: Waits River Store on Rt 25 – about five miles north of East Corinth
- Take-out deli & gas: East Corinth General Store – corner of Rt 25 and Village Road
- Many restaurants and gas stations in downtown Bradford & next to I91 – exit 16