Southern Vermont bursting with stimulating activities

It's only June 1 and summer in Southern Vermont is already bursting at the seams with thought-provoking plays, eclectic exhibits and some wonderfully wild workshops that will expand your mind and stimulate your senses. And while bigger towns have full rosters of all things artistic, our vibrant villages are equally engaging and make meandering through the Green Mountains yet more meaningful.

If you're after a dose of full-immersion art therapy, The Garden Gallery in Londonderry is the place to go, with walls as densely populated by paintings as the average Russian novel is with colorful characters. The collection here covers nearly every genre, from bold, oversized canvasses of rocky river gorges to exquisite portrait etchings.

Gretchen Abendschein's miniature, "Fallen Blossom," poignantly captures an amber hibiscus bloom as it inexorably spirals into the first phase of decay, its viscous oil pigmentation glowing against a mottled background masterfully built up by painterly layers of subtly-hued whites. In "Mist Ring" by Virginia Webb, a muted palette of ocher, mauve, grey and chartreuse balances lush minimalism with realist elements, a brushy bank of fog encroaching toward vague gables that jut out from behind. "Old Orchard," a large, vivid and vigorous oil by Jerry Pfohl, celebrates the chaotic beauty of mother nature, evoking an almost sculptural weight of hefty branches strewn across a grassy hillside after a windstorm, turning organic forms into poetic abstraction. Likewise, the geometric complexity of his wooden roller coaster in "Promises of Pleasure" has a distinctly Bauhausian dynamic of form and light.

A couple of hills away is the ever-enticing Weston Playhouse, which launches the season with "Cookin' at the Cookery," running from June 20-July 8. A lively tribute to consummate blues artist, Alberta Hunter, it includes beloved classics such as "Sweet Georgia Brown," gospel traditional "When the Saints Go Marching In" and Eubie Blake's "My Handy Man." Other upcoming productions include the Tony-winning satire "Urinetown," as well as the remarkable two-actor/15-role "Stones In His Pockets" about a couple of small-town Irish celebrity-wannabees.

Adults aren't having all the fun in Southern Vermont, though - not by a long slingshot. With all the amazing kids' activities and events I've been discovering, I can attest that children are not only our future, they are our extraordinarily creative present as well.

Through June 10 at The Vault in Springfield, there's an eclectic exhibit of fine photography in which several unusual techniques were employed, such as pinhole and solarization, as well as collaged "Legacy Tiles," all made by 11- to 18-year-old members of the RightFoot Club.

Serving as both parental panacea and rugrat recreation, there are also some fantastic summer art camps offering everything from printmaking, poetry and clay to jewelry, journaling and theater. Organizations to contact (ASAP, as they can fill up fast) are: The River Gallery Art School in Brattleboro, the Frog Hollow Crafts Center in Manchester, Winged Arts Studio in Londonderry, Great River Arts Institute in Bellows Falls and Main Street Arts in Saxtons River.

For imaginative adults, Main Street Arts is also offering a sapling sculpture workshop Saturday at the Saxtons River Recreation Area. Mark Ragonese will show students how to fashion useful items such as fences, trellises and tables from beautiful, sinewy branches.

On the music front, be sure to catch at least some, if not all, of the 7th Annual Roots On the River Fred Eaglesmith Weekend, June 8-11 in Bellows Falls. Fred and his band, the Flying Squirrels, will be joined by the illustrious likes of Willie P. Bennett, the Corb Lund Band, James McMurtry & the Heartless Bastards, Roger Marin, Syd Straw and Ingrid's Ruse. Produced by Flying Under the Radar. www.galleryatthevault.com