Welcome to the Upper Valley!

Friendly communities. Beautiful natural surroundings. Fresh, local food. Businesses and nonprofit organizations that care about the place we call home. There’s a lot to love about the Upper Valley!

Vital Communities is here to help you get to know the region. Explore the resources below to find ways to connect with your community today.

Explore the Upper Valley

Valley Quest is an award-winning, place-based education program that uses treasure hunts to celebrate community, natural history, cultural sites, stories, and special places. Discover the Upper Valley’s hidden gems on one of our 200+ Quests.

Want to support the local economy when you shop? Check out our Local First Alliance member directory to find local restaurants, retail shops, service providers, and more. Look for the logo and Think Local First!

Think Local First

Find a Local Business

Eat Valley Farm Fresh

Find Local Food

Our online guide is the easiest way to find local food and farm products in the Upper Valley. Simply indicate the product or service you’re looking for and we’ll give you a detailed list of all the local places to find it.

Whether you’re commuting to work or heading to school, we make it easy to figure out how to get there with resources for carpooling, active commuting, and local public transit. You can even calculate the annual cost of your commute.

Get Going!

Find Transportation Options

Sign Up!

Join the Discussion

Looking for an easy way to keep in touch with your neighbors and what’s happening in your town? Our local community email discussion lists allow members to post and respond to messages about their town. Join your local list to get connected—and if you don’t see it on our list, check with your town about whether there’s something similar for your community.

Lifelong Learning

The Upper Valley is the perfect place to continue your building your education, your professional network, and yourself.

Vital Communities’ program Leadership Upper Valley provides UV residents with a comprehensive knowledge of leadership and volunteer opportunities within the Upper Valley. Classes meet once a month for ten months.

OSHER@Dartmouth is a lifelong learning institute within Dartmouth College dedicated to educating Upper Valley residents with year-round study opportunities.

The Learning Lab (TLL) is a nonprofit organization in Woodstock, Vermont that brings together an array of valuable courses, from art to history to dream analysis, and is open to the entire community.

Upper Valley Young Professionals (UVYP) brings the Upper Valley community of young professionals together for educational opportunities and social networking events in the area.

Adventures in Learning at Colby Sawyer College is dedicated to helping adults expand their education and knowledge of the world in an informal, no-pressure setting.

Want to Volunteer?

Whether you’re new to the Upper Valley, or you have lived here for a while, you may be looking for new ways to volunteer. Fortunately, here are plenty of ways to give back to this region.

By becoming a box monitor for the Vital Communities’ Valley Quest program, you can explore the area around you while making sure Valley Quest boxes are in place and ready to be found by other Questers.

The Valley News, the news source of the Upper Valley, runs a volunteer section in which new (and continuous) volunteer job opportunities are listed, making applying for some of them as easy as clicking “apply.”

Once a year Hypertherm, in conjunction with the Hypertherm HOPE Foundation, hold a volunteer fair in an effort to encourage Upper Valley residents and Hypertherm employees to volunteer their time with local nonprofits.

Remember to check out our calendar to find even more volunteer opportunities within the Upper Valley.

Get the News!

Want to know what’s going on in the Upper Valley? Then get the news!

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Vital Communities Program News

Exciting TLC Projects to Fund!

Invest in your community and contribute to these exciting campaigns! Whaleback Base Lodge Energy Efficiency Updates, Enfield You might not know this, but Whaleback is run by The Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation (UVSSF), a nonprofit entity, ...more

Shop Indie Local this Season!

Every dollar spent at a local, independent business returns 2-4 times more to be re-spent in the community than a dollar spent at a non-local business. With consumers reporting that they will spend an average ...more

Nov. 19 Green Real Estate Crash Course

Vital Communities is offering its popular Green Real Estate Crash Course again on Tuesday, November 19, at Service Credit Union, just off I-89 in Lebanon, NH. Earn 3 elective credits in VT and NH. Register online at vitalcommunities.org/greenrealestate This is NOT your average CE ...more

Fall Guided Quest: Trees of Dartmouth Quest

Join Vital Communities' Valley Quest Coordinator Beth Roy on a guided treasure hunt of the trees of Dartmouth. Celebrate fall as we discover many exotic trees around the Dartmouth College Campus and learn about their ...more

A New Quest to Celebrate the Mascoma River Greenway!

Have you been on the Mascoma River Greenway yet? If not, it is time to check it out. I had a fantastic time follwing the new Quest of the Mascoma River Greenway. I took my ...more

Celebrate Farm to School Month With Our Fall Farm to School Forum

Meet Your Local Farm to School Network! The Upper Valley Farm to School Network invites you to gather in your region to build local connections with peers and Farm to School practitioners, and access resources. Find ...more

From the State House to the Farm House

Calling all Vermont Farmers! You're invited to the second annual From the State House to the Farmhouse event on Sunday September 22nd from 1-4 pm and talk one-on-one with your legislators and influence policy. Across the state ...more

A New Quest in Pomfret, Vermont

Earlier this summer I had the fortune of working with the amazing staff of the Artistree Community Arts Center in Pomfret, Vermont on offering a Questing Camp. Over the week the campers learned about the ...more

Welcome Norwich Solar Technologies!

We are proud to welcome Norwich Solar Technologies as a Local First Promoter Sponsor! The White River Junction-based renewable energy company provides end-to-end solar solutions to businesses in Vermont, New Hampshire, and throughout New England. ...more

Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead

Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more

Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more

2nd Annual Curb The Car Day - Friday, May 17!

On May 17, 2019 the rest of the country is celebrating National Bike to Work Day, but here in the Upper Valley we’ll be taking it a step further with our second annual Curb The ...more

12th Annual Roundtable - May 7

You're Invited! The 12th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable is Tuesday, May 7, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an energy committee, wish to ...more

April Meet-Up Series for Beginning Farmers

We have an exciting project for new farmers in the White River valley portion of our region! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free peer-to-peer gatherings for beginning farmers to build community and learn. ...more

Dazzlingly Reflective, 80's Style

We love pairing style with nighttime visibility, so we've ordered REFLECTIVE SLAP BRACELETS to reward people who bike or walk to Flavors of the Valley on Sunday, April 7! If you bike and walk to the ...more

Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready!

Get your bike, boots, or shoes ready! From our friends at Local Motion comes the Winter Edition of Vermont's Bike-Walk Challenge, February 1 to 8! Simply record two bike or walk commutes in the Go! Vermont app ...more

Seeking Bids from Solar Installers by Nov. 30

Vital Communities is teaming up with Kearsarge Climate Action to launch a Solarize Kearsarge campaign in spring 2019, following on the tails of the upcoming Weatherize Kearsarge campaign launching in January 2019. We are seeking proposals ...more

A Lot Lighter with More Hands: Leadership Upper Valley

On the bright, sunny morning of June 13, Cobb Hill was waking up, and the soon-to-be graduating 2018 Leadership Upper Valley class was just arriving for their final meeting. Before the ceremony at Harpoon Brewery, ...more

What's Happening

Calendar

	November 2019
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
					1 Fall 2019 Business Leaders Housing Breakfast Fall 2019 Business Leaders Housing Breakfast Starts: 7:30 am Ends: November 1, 2019 - 9:00 am Location: Fireside Inn & Suites West Lebanon, 25 Airport Rd, West Lebanon, NH 03784, USA Description: Please join us for the Fall Business Leaders Housing Breakfast, co-hosted by Vital Communities and Twin Pines Housing. This year’s breakfast is on Friday, November 1, at the Fireside Inn in West Lebanon, NH. Registration and a full breakfast buffet will begin at 7:30 am, followed by presentations from 8-9 am. A very special thank you to Bar Harbor Bank & Trust and Vermont Housing Finance Agency for sponsoring this important event! RSVP at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhAOoO2wQYz32wRFaY3ZNakQ2gXGMR_8Y9D_IfNvXx7R66wA/viewform. Our topic this Fall will be employer support for the creation of homes. We will hear the results of the housing demand study conducted by Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Dartmouth College. Our three regional planning commissions will discuss the regional implications of additional homes and introduce the Keys to the Valley framework for a combined Upper Valley housing strategy. You will also hear the latest on the home purchase and rental markets from Buff McLaughry of Four Seasons Sotheby's International Realty and Lynne LaBombard of LaBombard Peterson Real Estate LLC. Come join us for the informative presentations and great networking opportunities that you have come to expect from this event! More details... •	2
3	4 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	5 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... Local First Mixer at Trail Break tap+tacos Local First Mixer at Trail Break tap+tacos Starts: 4:00 pm Ends: November 5, 2019 - 6:00 pm More details... VC Board Retreat - Not open to public VC Board Retreat - Not open to public Starts: 5:00 pm Ends: November 5, 2019 - 9:00 pm More details... • • •	6 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... VC Board Retreat - not open to public VC Board Retreat - not open to public Starts: 8:00 am Ends: November 6, 2019 - 2:00 pm More details... Edgewater Farm Climate Adaptation tour Edgewater Farm Climate Adaptation tour Starts: 3:00 pm Ends: November 6, 2019 - 5:00 pm More details... • • •	7 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	8 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	9 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •
10 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	11 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	12 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	13 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... Leadership Upper Valley - Arts & the Creative Economy Day Leadership Upper Valley - Arts & the Creative Economy Day Starts: 8:00 am Ends: November 13, 2019 - 5:00 pm Location: TBD Description: This is a Vital Communities Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2019 event. If you'd like to apply for next year's LUV Class, please contact Rob Schultz at rob@vitalcommunities.org. LUV alumni are welcome at current year classes with advanced notice. Please contact Rob for details. More details... • •	14 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... UVTMA Monthly Meeting-rescheduled! UVTMA Monthly Meeting-rescheduled! Starts: 4:00 pm Ends: November 14, 2019 - 5:30 pm Location: Lebanon City Hall, North Park Street, Lebanon, NH (unless otherwise noted) Description: This is the monthly meeting of the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association (UVTMA). We meet in the West Meeting Room, by the City Council Chambers. We typically DO NOT meet in August and December. More details... • •	15 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	16 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •
17 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	18 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	19 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... Upper Valley Local Food Matchmaker Upper Valley Local Food Matchmaker Starts: 9:00 am Ends: November 19, 2019 - 1:00 pm Location: Wilder, Hartford, VT, USA Description: A Business to Business event for farms and local business owners. Join area farms, restaurateurs, grocers, and specialty food producers for an Upper Valley matchmaker. WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Farms looking to increase high-quality wholesale accounts. Food-based businesses looking to increase or diversify local food sourcing and build new sales relationships with local farms that share your values and your customers’ values. Grocers, co-ops, institutions, specialty food producers, distributors, and more are encouraged to attend. ABOUT THE EVENT The event includes speakers, formal matchmaking, and open networking time. Attendees will build sales relationships, make professional connections, meet service providers, learn, and enjoy coffee, tea, and lunch. Are you a farmer new to wholesale? Are you a business new to working with small farms? Not sure how to prepare for a matchmaking event? All attendees will be connected to assistance and resources pre-event and post-event. This event is FREE thanks to support from Vermont Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, Farm Credit East, and NH Charitable Foundation. Details at https://vitalcommunities.org/valleyfoodfarm/matchmaker/. Contact becka@vitalcommunities.org for more information. More details... Green Real Estate Crash Course Green Real Estate Crash Course Starts: 9:00 am Ends: November 19, 2019 - 12:15 pm Location: Service Credit Union, 225 Mechanic Street, Lebanon, NH Description: REGISTER: https://vitalcommunities.org/donations/grecrashcourse-2019-11/ Approved for 3 Elective Credits in NH and VT ✔ Why “Green” matters in real estate \| ✔ Home energy efficiency 101 ✔ Working with green buyers \| ✔ Listing green homes \| ✔ MLS green fields ✔ Appraisal Institute Green Addendum \| ✔ Hands-on examples This is NOT your average CE course for Realtors. Designed with input from Upper Valley Realtors, Vital Communities, and Efficiency Vermont, this course is fun, practical, and hands-on. The Green Real Estate Crash Course and its accompanying resources expertly boil down the topic of energy efficiency to give you exactly what you NEED to know to help your clients, and no more! Instructors: Lynne LaBombard, Green Designated Realtor® and licensed instructor Sarah Brock, Energy Program Manager at Vital Communities 8:30 am \| Coffee, tea, and light buffet breakfast 8:55 am \| All participants must be in their seats 9:00 am \| Course begins 10:30 am \| 15-minute break 12:15 pm \| Course ends Thanks to our host and sponsor, Service Credit Union, your $50 course fee goes to Vital Communities’ Green Real Estate program, which provides free online resources and direct support for you and your clients year-round. More details... • • •	20 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	21 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	22 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	23 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •
24 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	25 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	26 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	27 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •	28 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... Vital Communities Holiday Vital Communities Holiday Starts: 12:00 am Ends: November 28, 2019 - 11:59 pm More details... • •	29 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... Vital Communities Holiday Vital Communities Holiday Starts: 12:00 am Ends: November 29, 2019 - 11:59 pm More details... • •	30 TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! TLC Upper Valley Campaigns! Starts: 12:00 am Ends: December 8, 2019 - 11:59 pm Description: https://vitalcommunities.org/localfirstalliance/exciting-tlc-projects-to-fund/ More details... •

Welcome to the Upper Valley!

Friendly communities. Beautiful natural surroundings. Fresh, local food. Businesses and nonprofit organizations that care about the place we call home. There’s a lot to love about the Upper Valley!

Vital Communities is here to help you get to know the region. Explore the resources below to find ways to connect with your community today.

Other Work of Vital Communities

Publications

Board of Directors

Our Programs

Valley Quest

Transportation

Leadership Upper Valley

Valley Food & Farm

Local First Alliance

Energy

Advisory Council

Vital Communities Program News

What's Happening

Calendar

November 2019

Photo Gallery

More Information

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