Since its start in 2010, Scrag Mountain Music has been on a mission to bring chamber music to communities throughout Vermont and make it accessible to all.

If you’re looking for a wedding spot on the cheap in the Mad River Valley, look no further than the Madsonian Museum of Industrial Design on Bridge Street in Waitsfield

After much anticipation, the Mad River Triathlon is back! And in true Mad River Valley style, it’s better than your average triathlon. 

Monday April 8th, 2:14 – 3:28 p.m., the Mad River Valley will be in an ideal viewing location for a total solar eclipse.

But, do you know about all the creative pursuits to be found in the Valley? Oddly, these classes are sometimes elusive.

New York City has the Met Museum, Boston has the Museum of Fine Arts. We here in the Mad River Valley are lucky to have Mad River Valley Arts—an art lover’s gem hidden in plain sight.

Ideally positioned on the Mad Path, close to Lawson’s on one side and The Taste Place and Three Mountain Café on the other, the Skatium is a 501.c.3 non-profit that aims to be a resource for community sports and recreation, including ice hockey instruction, leagues, and figure skating programs.

Welcome to a new business in the Valley! The Mad River Exchange (in the old Alpino Vino building on Route 100) is slowly opening its doors to the public. Waitsfield local Carolyn Lessard and business partner Karen Cetinkaya have set out to make the Mad River Exchange a combination pop-up restaurant, event space, and retail shop celebrating Vermont-made products.

Here are Sharon’s top Valley moments of 2023:

Best Valley non-profit experience: Dining under the tent at the Sugarbush Airport at the Flight Experience for Youth (FEFY) summer auction, hearing directly from the kids about the impact of the youth camps and flight programs on their lives.

Best picnic….

My husband and I started with the radicchio salad and lamb skewers. Both were categorized as “snacks,” but the portions were ample and generous enough to share. The salad incorporated fennel, mint, and cara cara oranges with a light dressing that enhanced the citrus and made all the flavors pop.

If you are thirsty after a day on the Sugarbush slopes, check out the relatively new Black Sheep Bar inside the lobby of the newly renovated Sugarbush Lodge on the Sugarbush access road.

If you’re looking for a moment of Zen in the Mad River Valley, head to the Pitcher Inn’s new Farmhouse Spa, recently opened in a charming farmhouse directly across the street from the inn.

Many years ago, the MRV Interfaith Council recognized that some families in our community were in need during Thanksgiving. They launched the Thanksgiving Basket program to ensure that every Valley family enjoys a Thanksgiving feast, complete with turkey, pie, and side dishes galore.

Nelly’s at Night is the nighttime alter ego of Toast and Eggs, a fantastic breakfast, brunch, and lunch eatery.

Inklings Children’s Books, the Mad River Valley’s very own children’s bookstore, is set to open at the Mad River Green Shops in Waitsfield on October 14, 2023!

A hearty welcome to Drip Culture Infrared Sauna Studio, newly opened on Main Street in Waitsfield.

Mary Kathleen, HUGE congratulations on TWO books. Let's talk about each one. First, what was the inspiration for The Belonger?

While the Mad River Valley Dog Park is not yet officially open, don’t tell that to the many pooches frolicking there on a sunny Labor Day weekend.

Billing itself as “a place to ride, eat, and stay,” the 20-acre Madbush Falls is at the heart of an extensive network of mountain biking trails that crisscross the Mad River Valley.

Deco Bar is one of these shiny gems hiding in plain sight.