The Northeast Kingdom’s Lake Willoughby has a lot of claims to fame. It’s Vermont’s deepest lake. It’s the star of countless stunning photos showcasing its dramatic, fjord-like landscape, nestled between Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor.
Now, it’s also the subject of an internationally recognized song by area youth band the Kingdom All-Stars.
“Willoughby Nights,” written by high school student Jazmine Bogie and performed by the Kingdom All-Stars, won the “People’s Voice” category of the International Songwriting Competition in May 2023. First released in February, “Willoughby Nights,” already has almost 10,000 views on YouTube in just the first six months.
The song pays tribute to the peace and tranquility found by the shores of the popular Vermont swimming, boating, and hiking destination. Bogie, whose family bought White Caps Campground when she started high school, says it’s a love song to her favorite place.
“You always write love songs, whether it’s for a boy or for someone else, and I just think the thing I really, truly loved was Lake Willoughby,” said Bogie, 17, who goes to Lyndon Institute in Lyndonville, Vermont. “It’s so hard to capture your love for your family and your love for where you live. It’s so much harder to capture that than for one person.”
Love is the central thread running through the song.
“Cause I’ve been to the city, I’ve been through it all, and nothin’ compares to this at all. Love and light and beauty, mountains so tall. So take a step and take a deep breath, no need to worry about the rest, ’cause we’re here and that’s the best,” Bogie sings on the song’s chorus.
Bogie says her family invested in the campground because of their love and nostalgia for the lake, from swimming and camping there as young kids to hiking and exploring the area as they got older. Now, she loves working at the campground and being part of her family’s business.
“It had been our dream for a really long time. I had been going there since I was really little and we all just kind of fell in love with it. We all achieved this impossible thing as a family. We’re just a little family from Vermont, and we’re all just really at home here. I was so inspired by my love for family and for the place that I thought, ‘This should be what’s in a song,’” Bogie said.
The song came together in one sitting in just a few hours, Bogie said, “just me and my guitar.
“Then I take it to the band and then my friends in the band come up immediately with guitar parts and drum parts and harmonies and anything you can think of and it becomes this effortlessly wonderful thing.”
Listeners will hear Bogie’s musical influences in the interplay of acoustic and electric guitar and a slow drum build toward a crescendo near the end of the song; her soft but crystal-clear vocals and songwriting stylings, she says, were influenced by the likes of Taylor Swift, Grace Potter, and early 2000s country music.
Right now, the Kingdom All-Stars has 10 members, most in high school. The band auditions new members every year.
Macey Mawhinney, 16, sings backing vocals on the track and echoed Bogie’s sentiments, saying she’s glad she grew up with the close access to outdoor recreation that Vermont provides.
“I like living in Vermont because I like the community here and I like the opportunities and all the activities that I get to do. I do sports here, so I run cross country, which is a sport that really gets you outside and in nature all over Vermont. It’s really fun. A lot of the runs that we do are trail runs and it’s nice to get out in the woods and enjoy the outdoor space that we have here,” Mawhinney said.
“It’s just a really beautiful place,” said Macey’s brother Zane Mawhinney, 18, who played guitar on “Willoughby Nights.”
“I see it from a distance a lot because I work at Burke (Mountain Resort) as a ski instructor and that’s always one of the things I point out, trying to connect with people who might not be from here. Willoughby is one of the big landmarks I point out.”
Asked to describe her love for Lake Willoughby, Bogie paused.
“I don’t even know how to describe it because there’s so much beauty to it. It’s so clean. The lakes are beautiful and the mountains are beautiful, but then you have the people and the culture. People work hard and they play hard. It’s taught me a lot about being independent,” she said.
She and both Mawhinneys think growing up in Vermont instilled self-reliance, a deep appreciation for the natural world, and a sense of community in them.
“I definitely think that having that feeling of community is a good thing to grow up with because you’re able to make connections to a lot of people and learn those communication skills from a younger age. Because of the nature of the Northeast Kingdom and Vermont, everyone knows each other, there’s a good community feeling, and that’s just a very supportive environment to grow up in,” said Zane.
“I think that people who really appreciate nature and who want sort of a more relaxed, slower lifestyle would really enjoy Vermont because everything’s so spread out, it’s so green, and in the fall, you have the reds and the yellows. It’s just a very beautiful, natural place, and since everything is so spaced out with those smaller, more tight knit communities, there’s a smaller sense of urgency,” he added.
“I get that moving to Vermont could be scary because the winters are long and they’re extreme and you can get pretty far north, but it’s easy to make relationships and it’s easy to find a good community and when it’s beautiful, it’s absolutely stunning,” Bogie said.
Macey also says her community’s support for the arts, including St. Johnsbury’s Catamount Arts, has enabled the band to make huge strides, including this year’s big international win.
“I still kind of am not really believing it,” Bogie said with a laugh.
Situated in the southeastern corner of the state, Brattleboro is the largest town in Windham County and serves as an artistic and economic anchor for the region. The Round and Black mountains bring texture to Brattleboro’s skyline while the Connecticut River rushes through the town’s heart, lending a lively atmosphere to a historic downtown lined with storied architecture and brick buildings.
The town has the dynamic feeling of a story still in progress.In 2023, Brattleboro was named Strongest Town in the U.S. by StrongTowns.org, noting places “doing the hard but rewarding work of making their communities stronger and more resilient.”Brattleboro’s small-town vibe combines with easy access to greater New England;Windham County is a multi-state area, with both Massachusetts and New Hampshire within a 15-mile drive of Brattleboro.Three covered bridges lend historic significance to Brattleboro, and nearby, the Green Mountain Forest adds nearly 400,000 protected acres of natural beauty and outdoor recreation to the surrounding region.
Life in Brattleboro means being part of a tight-knit community dedicated to continuous reinvestment. “There is something about Brattleboro that you can just feel. Everything about Brattleboro is intersectional, from its location at the confluence of two rivers to its history as a working mill town and now the arts and culture hub of southern Vermont. Brattleboro buzzes with a feeling of possibility. It’s the kind of place where ideas are celebrated and community comes together to support each other,” said Kate Trzaskos, executive director of Downtown Brattleboro Alliance. Brattleboro’s annual calendar is lively with art and cultural events like Gallery Walk, a monthly art celebration with food trucks, live music, and pop-up art stations that brings the whole downtown together.
The original Harris Hill Ski Jump was built in 1922, and every winter, crowds come together to watch jumpers compete there. Brattleboro Museum and Arts Center curates and exhibits contemporary art from regional and internationally known artists, and nonprofits like Epsilon Spires work to advance performing and visual arts within Brattleboro and throughout the region.The premiere circus training school in the U.S., New England Center for Circus Arts is built into the region’s culture with adult workshops, youth classes, and community performances.
Prior to European settlement, Brattleboro and its surrounding area was known to the Abenaki as Wantastegok, meaning “At the river where something is lost.”The Atowi Project works to create a place-based center to engage with the broader community, starting with a land acknowledgement at Retreat Farm, 140 acres of original Indigenous land.
Chartered in 1753, Brattleboro developed quickly after war ceased with British and French troops. In the early 1800s, it was among Vermont’s most thriving towns for business, a legacy that continues today. Now the largest Vermont town on the New Hampshire border, Brattleboro is home to about 12,000 people, and Windham County is home to about 47,000.Brattleboro residents have access to a wide variety of employment opportunities, including in the arts, health care, hospitality, and manufacturing sectors. Within a commutable distance, there are as many job opportunities in the Brattleboro area as there are in Burlington, and comparatively low traffic makes a commute more accessible.
Nearby, Community College of Vermont and Vermont State University both have satellite campuses in Brattleboro, offering accessible education in fields like health care, animal studies, hospitality, working lands, engineering, and more, as well as the opportunity to work in education. Businesses like Mocha Joe’s Coffee Roasters, which brought home a 2023 Vermont Business Magazine Best in Business Award, Hermit Thrush Brewery, Whetstone Beer Company, and Against the Grain Gourmet, a gluten-free manufacturer,illuminate the town’s innovativeand culture-conscious food and beverage industry. Work in tourism and hospitality can be found at Mount Snow, nearby Stratton Mountain Resort, or a plethora of lodging properties and guest experiences in southeastern Vermont. Find manufacturing work at GS Precision, Inc., Chroma Technologies, or ROV Technologies. Brattleboro Memorial Hospital provides compassionate and cutting-edge health care to southeastern Vermont residents.Coworking spaces like Vermont Innovation Box and several new spaces in development make it easier for professionals to share office space and infrastructure. Woodworkers can share space and equipment at HatchSpace.
Brattleboro is a nexus forboth Vermont life and access to greater New England, with the state lines of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, within 15 miles of the town. Amtrak’s Vermonter line, with a stop in Brattleboro,offers daily service to New York City and Washington, D.C. Connecticut’s Bradley Airport is a little more than an hour away, offering easy access to direct national and international flights. The Moover bus offers fare-free service, connecting Brattleboro to the rest of the region.
Printing was among Brattleboro’s chief economic drivers in the 1800s, with one of the largest printing establishments in New England moving to its downtown in 1890, even printing for Yale University Press. The Brattleboro Words Trail is a great way to immerse yourself in the town’s literary history, including stops significant to Rudyard Kipling, who wrote The Jungle Book at his Brattleboro home. A former church has been newly renovated into a live music venue, hosting everything from rambunctious metal shows to intimate folk gatherings at the Stone Church. Recently, Epsilon Spires, with help from a Better Places grant from the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, worked to facilitate the painting of a mural on the High Street wall to beautify the downtown. Nearby, another Better Places grant funded the construction of a brand-new community park in Guilford featuring a timber-frame pavilion, a labyrinth, a fire pit, a playground, and a basketball court.
Localresidents enjoy life-work balance, including access to healthy local food and nearby outdoor recreation. The Brattleboro Area Farmers Market brings the regional community together to enjoy live music, explore and purchase locally grown produce, prepared foods, and handcrafted goods from Windham County and the surrounding area. Downtown, the River Garden Marketplacebrings together craft food and beverages, live music, and a market to create a community meeting space under a dramatic glass ceiling.Five hundred acres of forests, farmlands, and conserved trails await at Retreat Farm, free and open to the public every day from dawn to dusk, where you’ll find a weekly food truck roundup in the summer, outdoor art studio, and natural and agricultural education for all ages. Those looking for diversity in dining will find it at Yalla Vermont, serving vegetarian and Mediterranean food, or on Blue Moose’s Italian menu.
Nearby, Fort Dummer State Park offers 217 acres of public land for recreation including hiking, biking, camping, and swimming, as well as views of a historic Revolutionary War fort that was the site of the first permanent European settlement in Vermont. The 16-mile West River Trail appeals to a wide variety of users, including equestrians, cyclists, and walkers. Find community with rowing, tennis, cross-country skiing, and paddling at the Brattleboro Outing Club, and at Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, two miles of public trails are just the beginning. Kids of all ages can participate in nature education camps, clubs, and after school activities, programs and events invite the public to learn about the southeastern Vermont ecosystem, and volunteers can take part in conservation planning and rehabilitation efforts. In the winter, Brattleboro Ski Hill is a community mainstay. Entirely volunteer-run, including snowmaking and grooming, the town ski area has a T-bar that’s perfect for kids to learn and trails for the whole family. In nearby West Dover, Mount Snowoffers 1,700 feet of vertical drop served by 19 lifts, as well as 10 terrain parks. About an hour from Brattleboro, Stratton Mountain Resort has 99 trails, glades, and fast lifts.
The Brattleboro community stands ready to welcome newcomers. Brattleboro has adopted the Declaration of Inclusion, reinforcing its status as a safe and welcoming place for all. Downtown nonprofit Out in the Open works to connect rural LGBTQ+ people with community and a broader network of support. The Southern Vermont Young Professionals meet monthly for social, recreational, networking, and volunteer opportunities. In Brattleboro, organizations like Windham and Windsor Housing Trust, Brattleboro Housing Partnerships, and Brattleboro Area Affordable Housing are always working to add more housing stock to the market, like a planned 300-unit housing development announced in January 2023. “We have a wide range of desirable neighborhoods and homes suiting various lifestyles from footloose empty nesters in the Brattleboro Brooks House to rural homes within moments of downtown, trails, or ski slopes,” said Jennifer Stromsten, director of programs at Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation.
Considering relocating to Brattleboro? Get in touch with a local real estate agent to see what’s available and keep up with the local newspaper, the Brattleboro Reformer. New residents and those considering making a move can also browse SoVermont.com for professional and relocation resources, and start your job search on the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce’s local board.The Southern Vermont Economy Summit offers networking opportunities and educational sessions annually in Brattleboro.Help with relocating or starting up a business, from real estate solutions to technical assistance and lending, is available at BrattleboroDevelopment.com.Programs both statewide and region-specific can help potential new Vermonters find information, answers to their questions, and planning resources for a move. Kick off a job search by browsing positions currently open in Vermont. Economic development tools, incentives, and special programs can also help those looking to expand or relocate their businesses to Vermont. Connect with a Vermonter to ask questions about relocating.
Healthy communities require safe streets and sidewalks; inclusive gathering places and green spaces for everyone to enjoy; and easy access to medical services and fresh food. If you live in a rural town in America, these things can be hard to come by. Join Suzanne Kelley and Richard Amore in Small Towns, Healthy Places, the podcast that explores the intersection between health equity and community design in the State of Vermont. They’ll interview state partners, local leaders, and community members about creating vibrant places that support health and wellness. If you’re passionate about public health, improving the built environment, and placemaking, this podcast is for you.
About this episode
You might think that Vermont’s small towns have a lot of places for people to go and enjoy the outdoors. The state has so many opportunities for hiking, biking, skiing, and more. But rural towns don’t always have an accessible place for outdoor recreation and social gathering. Today, we’re going to share three different community projects in Vermont. These are outdoor gathering spaces that are designed for all to enjoy: Lake Paran, in North Bennington; Oakledge for All, in Burlington; and the Middlebury Skate Park Project, in Middlebury.
Guests include Camille Kaufman, Director of Paran Recreations; Elizabeth Schumacher, Community Health Ambassador at Paran Recreations; Lindsey Restino, AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer at Paran Recreations; Annie Bourdon and Nate Besio, community volunteers at Oakledge For All; Jill Quackenbush, Secretary & Treasurer of the Middlebury Skatepark Project; and Ethan Murphy, President of the Middlebury Skatepark Project.
In episode 12 of Vermont Made, Vermont Cartoonist Laureate Tillie Walden discusses her two Eisner Award-winning graphic novels, Spinning and Are You Listening?, her Cosmic Slumber Tarot deck, teaching at the Center for Cartoon Studies, and more.
Sharing the fruits of local talent from the Green Mountain State. In each episode of Vermont Made, one artist, craftsperson, designer, specialty food producer, or other Vermont creative shares the story behind one thing they’ve made. Produced by the Vermont Arts Council and hosted by Desmond Peeples.
In 2023 and 2024, Vermont Made is sponsored by the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing.
Vermont’s accessible, small-business-driven economy is made up of innovative people with ideas. Vermont communities foster originality and bring out the best in people, providing the human, social, and financial capital that emerging businesses require to succeed. Get to know Vermont entrepreneurs through this occasional series in partnership with the Vermont Small Business Development Center.
By Amanda Kuhnert
After working with his business advisor for a few weeks, Christopher Blume started to worry about the final bill. But when she told him her hours were federally funded, he said, “That blew my mind. I thought setting up the business was going to be the most difficult part, but Nancy’s help made it the easiest part.”
Nancy Shuttleworth is one of eight business advisors at the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC). The organization offers one-to-one, confidential, no fee advising sessions to entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout Vermont. The program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Blume began meeting regularly with Shuttleworth last fall, and in March of this year, he opened Blumer’s Barbershop, an upscale barbershop in downtown Bennington.
The path to business ownership
Prior to his new business venture, Chris had been splitting his time between his hometown of Bennington and Nantucket, Mass., where he managed a landscaping company. But when his father fell ill and the pandemic hit, he decided to move back to the area full-time.
“I wanted to figure out how to be my own boss. My parents styled hair at a shop in town for 40 years. They knew I had a sense of style and that I had been cutting my own and my friends’ hair for some time. So they suggested I go to barber school with the goal of opening my own shop. It was something our town needed. We have salons, but no barber shops.”
So, at age 35, Blume enrolled in the Paul Mitchell barbering school in Schenectady, New York. After getting his barber license, a friend who had opened another small business in town recommended that Blume reach out to Shuttleworth. “She said Nancy was the first person I should contact because she would walk me through the steps of starting my own business, which she did beautifully,” Blume said.
“Nancy made creating the business a cake walk compared to everything else,” he said. “She taught me everything from creating a business plan and cashflow charts to applying for business loans, as well as how to register online so clients can search and find my business.”
The most challenging part of the business startup process? Renovating the space. “The space that I moved into was nothing it is now. I’m excited to see my vision of an inviting and relaxing shop come to fruition. A place where people can hang out, get a haircut, and be themselves.”
Blumer’s Barbershop specializes in haircuts, fades, tapers, designs, and hot towel straight-razor shaves.
This story was provided through a partnership with VtSBDC. Since 1992, VtSBDC has provided professional expertise and friendly guidance to thousands of business owners statewide. Whether you are an experienced business owner, a first-time entrepreneur, or a student with the spark of an idea, VtSBDC provides support through one-to-one, no fee, confidential advising as you Start. Grow. Thrive. Transition.
