2026 Young Tradition Touring Group - Adventures in Sweden!
Vermont Folklife’s Young Tradition Touring Group journeyed to Sweden this spring for a performance tour and immersive cultural exchange. Below, Young Tradition Vermont Director Ian Drury and Touring Group Manager Christina Kennedy reflect on the Touring Group’s experiences aborad!
Archival Connections for Multilingual Educators and Learners
Kate and Mary (Exec. Director and Dir. of Education at Vermont Folklife) were honored to take part in a professional development event hosted by the Vermont EL (English Learners) Leaders Collaborative and the Department of Multilingual Learners of the Burlington School District. “Come to the Table,” brought together Multilingual Learner Specialists (MLLs) specialists and educators from across the state to share resources, build relationships, and strengthen support for immigrant and refugee students and families.
Young Tradition Festival 2026: That’s a Wrap!
Vermont Folklife’s 2026 Young Tradition Festival on May 8 and 9 brought young artists and multi-generational performances into spaces across Burlington. This year’s event lineup welcomed hundreds of participants and audience members to dance, play, listen, and learn alongside local artists representing Tibetan, Bhutanese Nepali, New England, Québecois, Scandinavian, Irish, West African, Mexican, and other cultural traditions present in Vermont communities.
From the Archives
Vermont Folklife is excited to announce the acquisition of a new collection for our archive, the Diana Mara Henry One Room Schools and Schoolteachers Collection. Diana Mara Henry is a Vermont-based photographer and photojournalist who, over a career spanning more than 50 years, has created a significant body of photographic work on topics including antiwar activism, political campaigns, and the Women’s Movement of the 1970s and 80s, among many other subjects.
Gather ‘Round—A new Vermont Folklife Program Continues to Grow!
Vermont Folklife recently received a grant from the Turrell Fund to support the continued development of our innovative early childhood music and movement program: “Gather ‘Round.” This Field Note shares the research and pilot activities accomplished in the pilot year of the program (generously supported by Building Bright Futures) and gives a glimpse of what’s to come!
Proud Little State
Proud Little State, a new comic series from the Center for Research on Vermont, Vermont Folklife and the Vermont Queer Archives, shares stories of LGBTQ+ experience from the Vermont’s past and present. First issue out now!
Vermont’s Wild Turkeys
Wild turkeys may be everywhere in Vermont these days, but from 1854 to 1969 there were no wild turkeys in the state.
VT Folklife Guest Presenters at Middlebury College
Educators from Vermont Folklife have recently been invited as guest presenters to several classes at Middlebury College as part of the college’s Mellon Foundation–funded project, Migrant Justice in Vermont and Beyond. With support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Humanities For All Times initiative, the College seeks to bring students and faculty together with community partners to explore migration, storytelling, and social justice through research and public humanities work.
Young Tradition Touring Group - January Field Note
January update from the Young Tradition Touring Group! Led this year by Ethan Tischler and Alex Kehler, these twenty-four talented traditional musicians aged 12-19 hail from Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Québec. Touring Group members play fiddle, harp, guitar, cello, ukulele, whistle/flute, and piano accordion. . . and they all sing, too!
VT Community Fellows Spotlight: Alexis Yamashita
Meet some of the Vermonters taking part in the first cohort of the Vermont Community Fellows Program! In this blog post Alexis Yamashita of Essex Junction, VT shares what she’s learned through her research exploring seed saving practices in Vermont communities.
Announcing the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program 2025/26
We are excited to announce the latest cohort of master artist/apprentice pairs for the 34th year of the Vermont Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (VTAAP)! Thirteen projects from around the state received support, including stone carving in Barre, a Nepali youth dance group in Chittenden County, willow basket making in Plainfield, VT, and more!
VT Community Fellows Spotlight: Jeanette Gyukeri
Meet some of the Vermonters taking part in the first cohort of the Vermont Community Fellows Program! In this blog post Jeanette Gyukeri of Middlebury shares what she’s learned through her research with her home community, asking the question, “Who does Middlebury’s Main St. exist for?”
Halloweening
When the air grows colder and the darkness begins to settle down upon us, our intrepid archivist dons his favorite shroud and squirms his way into the crypt (aka “the archives”) in search of Halloween treasures to share.
Young Tradition Touring Group - Notes from our first rehearsal!
The Young Tradition Touring Group recently gathered for our first rehearsal of the 2025-26 season at the Montpelier Performing Arts Hub. Read all about the kick off meeting!
VT Community Fellows Spotlight: Paul and Katherine
Meet some of the Vermonters taking part in the first cohort of the Vermont Community Fellows Program! In this blog post Paul Kramer of Montpelier and Katherine Leung of Milton share about the research they’ve been doing with and in their respective communities.
Square Dance at the Fair…and in the Archives!
On Tuesday, August 26th at the Champlain Valley Fair, Vermont Folklife’s own Mary Wesley will be calling a square dance for the masses in an attempt to break the standing Guinness Book’s record for the world’s largest square dance. This inspired us to delve further into Vermont Folklife’s and other archival collections to feature a few items that illuminate the presence of square dance and social dancing in the state.
Touring Group New England 2025 Tour Recap
We are still glowing from all the joy that was had by the Touring Group on this past April's tour of New England. Each day of the tour offered more opportunities for learning, performing, and giving this group's gift of music and song to the communities of Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Upon the Retirement of Susan Creighton, Associate Archivist
Wherein VT Folklife Archivist, Andy Kolovos, reflects on Susan and her many contributions.
The 2025 Young Tradition Festival celebrates Vermont’s many music and dance cultures
Vermont Folklife's 2025 Young Tradition Festival takes place Friday May 9th and Saturday May 10th at Contois Auditorium in Burlington. Friday evening features a Community Dance Party (potluck at 5:30 pm, dancing at 7:30 pm). Events take place throughout the day Saturday, and conclude with a concert by the Pine Tree Flyers—four of the finest voices in New England's traditional music scene—with an opening act from the Young Tradition Touring Group (7:00pm).