Happy Vermont happyvermont

Along the Canadian border in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom is Lake Wallace, a small international lake in Canaan. There’s an area known as the slash–a treeless zone of land–that runs along the entire US-Canadian border. You can see the slash from the southeastern shore of Lake Wallace, where Jackson’s Lodge is located.

Jackson’s Lodge is a family-owned vacation spot that’s been in the Jackson family since the 1950s.  Gloria Jackson purchased the lodge and cabins from her parents in the 1980s.  One of the cabins at Jackson's Lodge is located less than a dozen feet from the Canadian border. In the summer, you can swim, paddle or go boating into Canada, as long as you don’t set foot on Canadian land.

Gloria grew up in Canaan and worked at Jackson’s Lodge in the summers as a child. She now runs the business with her partner, Mark Leveillee. 

Learn more at www.jacksonslodgevt.net

Visit www.happyvermont.com for stories and podcast episodes. 

Randall Lineback cattle originated on a farm in Sunderland, Vermont, before becoming critically endangered in the 1980s. Farmers and homesteaders are doing their part to help revive the breed.

Basin Harbor along Lake Champlain is a family-owned resort that’s been around since the 1880s. The resort has weathered the Great Depression, wars, pandemics, and recessions, and through it all managed to thrive.

Descendant Sarah Morris grew up at Basin Harbor, where she made lifelong friends and developed a strong work ethic under the guidance of her parents, Pennie Beach and the late Peter Morris. Now a fifth-generation host at the resort, Sarah can be found helping guests in the dining room, answering questions in the main lobby, and everything in between.

As the resort gears up for another busy season, Sarah reflects on her time at Basin Harbor, what the future holds, and what she loves most about the place she calls home.

www.basinharbor.com

www.happyvermont.com

 

Inside Erskine’s Grain & Garden, a fixture in Chester since 1952, customers will find flower seeds, chicken feed, farm tools, and everything in between.

The store, started by the Erskine family, is now owned by Janessa Purney and her husband, Burleigh Sunflower.

The building, located in Chester Depot, is a reason alone to visit. With its creaky floors and sliding wooden doors overlooking the railroad tracks, Erskine’s is one of the more quirky, old-time grain and garden stores you’ll find in Vermont. 

https://erskinesgrain.com/

www.happyvermont.com

 

April’s Maple in the small town of Canaan is located on the Canadian border in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. April Lemay grew up in Canaan, left home for college, and worked in the corporate world before deciding to return to her hometown. She now owns and operates April's Maple, a Vermont maple farm and cafe along Route 114. 

"I was anything but a farmer. I always thought I was destined to live in Boston or New York or somewhere a little less remote or rural," she says. "But the land was calling me back, and I didn't even realize it."

https://aprilsmaple.com

https://www.happyvermont.com

 

 

In Vermont's Champlain Islands, where the land is flat and surrounded by water, ice fishing is a big deal this time of year. For Vermonter Bruce Batchelder, ice fishing has been an important part of his life for as long as he can remember.

A former educator and school administrator, Bruce and his wife Joanne have owned Holiday Harbor Lodge in North Hero for the past 16 years.

On a recent mid-February weekend, Bruce was particularly busy hosting a group of ice fishing enthusiasts for the 42nd annual Islands Ice Fishing Derby in northern Vermont.  

In this episode of Happy Vermont, Bruce talks about what he loves most about this traditional sport that has deep roots in Vermont.

www.happyvermont.com 

holidayharborlodge.com