By Brittany Weiss, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations
It’s after 4:45 p.m. on Friday, April 10 and we just finished up at Harpoon Brewery after a great day with Williston Northampton alumni!
We kicked off the day in Vermont with a baking class at King Arthur Flour, where 10 alumni took a class on how to make authentic spicy chickpea and chorizo empanadas.
The baking class was a fantastic experience. It was extremely well-taught, which made it incredibly user friendly, regardless of your experience level. I encourage everyone to try their hand at it if you are ever up in the Norwich, VT area. King Arthur Flour is a fantastic employee-owned business offering baking classes, a storefront, and cafe. Everyone LOVED their hand-made empanadas, which were delicious.
Trustee Mary Alcock ’84 and her husband Ray Check were a bit late to the baking class, but made it just in time to get their hands dirty. They both came up from NYC Thursday night and were making a long weekend out of this event to celebrate Ray’s birthday. Happy birthday to Ray!
After the baking class and shopping in the baker’s store, we went to Norwich Inn, an historic, full-service Vermont country inn located near Dartmouth College. Representing Northampton School for Girls were Linda Maynard ’64, Jo ‘55 and Griff Jones, Esta ’55 and Fred Busi, and Pat ’55 and Roger Ambrose. The NSFGers regaled us with NSFG stories from the past while Mike Nolen ‘55 jumped in with his Williston Academy stories. Since he is a Dartmouth alumnus and local resident, Mike had recommended the Norwich Inn—and a great recommendation it was. Mike shared with us a bit of the history of the inn and how he and his Dartmouth class meet monthly there.
We rounded out the afternoon with a tasting at nearby Harpoon Brewery where we sampled Harpoon’s multitude of beers and ciders. All particularly enjoyed the Harpoon IPA, the Harpoon Craft Cider, and the various samplers.
Although Mike can’t make Reunion Weekend, due to a conflict, Esta, Jo, and Pat all plan on being on campus for their 60th Reunion this spring. Mary said that, even though reunions aren’t her “thing,” she wants to come back because she knows she’ll be in good company! Hopefully Linda will be able to join us, too! We are particularly hopeful that we will not only see the NSFGers but hear them, too—at the Hampsters & Widdigers reunion.
This event got rave reviews and everyone attending said they’re interested in doing it again. They also said they enjoyed having an activity followed by a private lunch and casual afternoon drink. It was exciting and enjoyable for all to explore and experience three new activities and places over the course of a full day.