Those of us who call this state home are Vermonters — but we come to that identity in myriad ways, and with divergent and intertwining life stories. At a public event at Randolph's Chandler Center for the Arts on Oct. 29, five Vermonters shared stories illuminating the challenges and joys of living here.
"Rural Stories on Stage" was part of the This Land project, a collaboration between VPR and Vermont PBS. Now Vermont Edition is sharing the stories heard that evening in this special radio broadcast of the event, which was hosted by Jane Lindholm.
The storytellers come from the local community around Randolph, though they work across different industries. Some have lived here all their lives, some left and then returned, but all have made Vermont home by choice — but not always the easiest choice.
The featured storytellers from the event are:
- Morgan Easton: served as the student representative on the State Colleges Board of Trustees while attending Vermont Technical College
- Will Gilman: owner of Will's General Store, in Chelsea
- Ray Hull: moved to Vermont in 2016, and dedicates time and money to resuscitating his aunt's farm
- Amber Wylie: director of communications and enrollment at Sharon Academy
- Bill McGrath: president of LEDdynamics, a manufacturing firm in Randolph
Want to watch the event? It's available online via Vermont PBS:
And to view some pictures from the event, click through the slideshow at the top of this post.
This fall, VPR and Vermont PBS are collaborating to present This Land: The Changing Story of Rural Vermont to explore the challenges and opportunities of living in rural Vermont — from health care and education to the economy, housing, workforce training and so much more.
This project was made possible by our supporters, and by AARP Vermont and the Vermont Community Foundation.
Program credits
- Storytellers - Morgan Easton, Will Gilman, Ray Hull, Amber Wylie and Bill McGrath
- Story Coordinator - Steve Zind
- Story Coach - Susanne Schmidt
- Photography - Herb Swanson
For VPR:
- Host - Jane Lindholm
- Event Content Producer / Morning News Editor - Sam Gale Rosen
- Marketing and Engagement Coordinator - Anna Ste. Marie
- Chief Production Engineer - Chris Albertine
- Marketing and Engagement for VPR - Michelle Owens
- Coordinator of Community Engagement - Ty Robertson
- Digital Producer - Meg Malone
- Chief Content Officer - John Van Hoesen
For Vermont PBS:
- Senior Events Planner - Amy Zielinski
- Project Manager - Anna Post
- Senior Director of Production - Belinda Lott
- Production Manager - Brian Stevenson
- Broadcast Chief Engineer - Dana Nahumck
- Technical Producer - David Littlefield
- Engineer - David Rice
- Technical Director - Holt Albee
- Camera Operator - Josh Sicard
- Camera Operator - Kyle Ambusk
- Graphics - Kyle Blair
- Director of Marketing - Scot MacMillan
At the Chandler Center for the Arts:
- Executive Director - Karen Dillon
Correction 11/7/2019 12:48 p.m. A previous version of this post misspelled Will Gilman's name; it has been updated.
Broadcast on Vermont Edition on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
