With: Jason Breen

Class Fee: $40

Class Size: 6 / Ages 16 and older

A favorite is back! Bring your garden tools to the Mill and get them ready for action! Jason will instruct you how to manually sharpen your tools using sharpening stones. You will learn how to take your tool apart to access the blade, and then put your tool back together after sharpening the blade. For those interested in learning how to use a grinding wheel for sharpening, this approach will also be available. No experience necessary.

Jason Breen is a Brattleboro-based custom furniture maker and member of the Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers. He studied instrument building and history at Marlboro College, which he paid for by building timber frames and cabinets. Traditional tools have inspired his work ever since he inherited his ancestors’ hand planes.

With: Kristy Rhoades and Jenny Kazati

Class Fee: $20/adult; $30/adult and child pair

Materials Fee: $20 per participant

Class Size: 12 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

Flower pounding, also known as Tatakizome, is a captivating and ancient Japanese technique that involves hammering fresh flowers and other botanicals to create intricate patterns on fabric or paper. The process is surprisingly simple, loads of fun, and yields stunning results. Learn the basics of flower selection, preparation and technique, and bring home your own masterpiece! Materials will be provided, however you are encouraged to bring along some fresh blooms of your own. No experience necessary.

Kristy Rhoades only recently picked up this craft, but it spoke to her so deeply she has found herself trying the process with every flower she finds. As an accomplished seamstress, she has found ways to incorporate her flowered results into everything from cards to curtains to foraging bags.

Jenny Kazati is partnering up with her sister to co-lead this workshop. They share a joy and curiosity in this art form. She lives in Oregon with her husband and child.

With: Miranda Spencer

Event Fee: by donation

Event Size: 50 / Ages 10+ at participants' discretion. Please be aware that adult subject matter may come up unexpectedly due to the nature of the event.

In the spirit of New York’s original “The Moth” storytelling slams, we’re bringing back “The Earwig,” an open-mic night for sharing and/or listening to 5-minute, true personal stories on a set theme (to be determined). Entertain and be entertained, learn about others and let them learn about you, then vote for and (just maybe) win a prize for best story.

Miranda Spencer is a freelance writer and editor who has lived or "summered" in East Alstead her whole life. With a background in journalism, copywriting, and blogging, she knows how to tell a story and knows a good one when she reads or hears it. A very long time ago, she studied theater and English at Bard College.

Optional second session: afternoon of Saturday, June 28, location TBD

With: Barbara Davis

Class Fee: $40/adult; $60/adult and child pair

Materials Fee: If you attend the optional second session, please bring about 6 arm-width pieces of dry wood for the firing.

Class Size: 5-10 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

If you have wondered if the clay you may have seen while walking or driving around NH is usable, the answer is YES! If interested in learning about how you can use it to make your own pieces of pottery, this is the workshop for you! In this workshop we will dig clay (from a deposit one mile from the mill), begin to process (clean) it, and then form a few pieces from clay that is ready to use!
The second part of this workshop is optional, but VERY exciting! We will fire the pots we made using wood and other materials to bring these pieces to life in an outdoor firing.

Barbara Davis is an East Alstead potter who loves sharing what she does with the community. Her workshop at Old Settlers Pottery is right around the corner from Chase’s Mill. She sells her work, teaches classes, and gives workshops.

With: Donna Lund

Class Fee: $50

Materials Fee: $20

Class Size: 6-8 / Appropriate for high school age to adult; children 10-13 accompanied by an adult

This two day introduction to watercolor will help both the beginner and those who wonder how to start. We will talk about paper, paints, brushes, and needed supplies. We will cover terminology and try out techniques and tools. Donna will supply a watercolor pad for each participant and will have extra brushes and paints to use for the lessons, if needed. Bring any watercolor supplies you have, or if you haven't started painting yet, just bring yourself and a willingness to experiment and play with this wonderful medium.

first class in a two-class program

Donna Bascom Lund has enjoyed living in picturesque East Alstead for the last 40 years. As an artist, she plays with many creative media, including sewing and blacksmithing, but is most drawn to painting with watercolor as she feels that no other medium offers the feeling that watercolor does. View samples of her work here.

Tuesday and Wednesday, JuNE 24 and 25, 9AM-Noon

With: Donna Lund

second class in a two-class program

Click here to learn more and register for the full program.

With: Kali Lucey

Event Fee: by donation

Event Size: 50 / family friendly

The Land For Good organization offers direct technical assistance to farmers who are looking to access farmland and establish secure tenure. Land For Good also supports retiring farmers develop succession plans to transfer their farms to the next generation. Additionally, Land For Good works with landowners who are interested in leasing, or selling, their land to farmers. This presentation will be an overview of these topics, and their importance for the future of agriculture in New Hampshire.

Kali Lucey's search for farmland allowed her to experience first-hand the many hurdles farmers face when trying to start a farm or transition out of farming. She is passionate about helping to bridge this gap. She facilitates this as an employee of Land For Good, a Keene based organization. She came to New Hampshire to farm and was drawn here because of the abundant water and strong agricultural community.

With: Jeff Schadler

Walk Fee: By donation/ registration encouraged

Walk Size: 12-14 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

Following a whole tree harvest in 1998, Jeff has owned and worked on rehabilitating this 270 acre parcel. It comprises a majority of the second largest watershed that feeds Lake Warren. The terrain stretches from hilltop to wetland and includes an active beaver pond, numerous wetlands, glacial features, stone walls, views of Lake Warren/Green Mountains and an emergent forest. This walk will afford participants an opportunity to enjoy the many facets of a New England forest.

This is a 2-3 mile hike that is moderate to strenuous. There are elevation gains. Hiking shoes are suggested. Park and meet at 77 Peachblow Road in East Alstead. Insect repellent is a good idea. Water is optional.

Jeff Schadler has worked as a land manager, carpenter, and landscaper. He and his wife Koo have owned property and resided in Alstead for 26 years.

With: Laura Andrews and Ann Acheson

Class Fee: By donation. Registration is required as space is limited.

Materials Fee: $5

Class Size: 6-8 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

Beautify Alstead together! Chase's Mill is partnering with the Beautify Alstead group to build flower boxes for the town's bridge. In this workshop, we will assemble and decorate wooden flower boxes to be mounted on the Alstead Village bridge over the Cold River. You will see your creative handiwork every time you drive over the bridge this summer! This is a free event, and if you choose, each participant will have the opportunity to build and plant a smaller wooden flower box to take home. For this there will be a small materials fee. This is a fun opportunity for adults or families. No experience necessary.

Registration is required as space is limited.

Laura Andrews learned woodworking from her grandfather in his basement workshop. But it was "Woodworking for Women," taught through Keene Community Education by Gail Grycel, where Laura learned about power tools and other building skills. Laura now lives in Keene and is the University Director of Institutional Advancement at Antioch University.

Ann Acheson, in the first year of the Mill's programs, took Woodworking for Women from a great crew of instructors including Laura. She has been practicing her skill set ever since.

With: Nancy Botkin

Class Fee: $30/adult; $45/adult and child pair

Materials Fee: $10 / participant

Class Size: 8 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

Shibori is the Japanese art of indigo dyeing. We will create blue and white patterns on cloth by folding, using string, rubber bands, and wooden clamps. Watching the reaction of indigo dye as it oxidizes and turns the fabric from white to brilliant green and finally settling on a beautiful blue is part of the fun. The resulting fabric will be colorfast in the washing machine but will fade in the sun.

Nancy Botkin has been dyeing shibori-style for about 8 years now. She's enjoyed using the fabric in quilts and other sewing projects.

With: Matt Saxton

Event Fee: by donation

Event Size: 50 / family friendly

Matt spends time with old photographic portraits and listens as they tell their life stories. Come and meet these revived characters who, as told through Matt's creativity, humor, and imagination, come alive.

Matt Saxton is interested in American cultural history. He is an old man living in an old house with old furniture and makes a living repairing old furniture with old tools. He started his business long ago in…….Chase’s Mill!

With: Laurel Iselin

Class Fee: $30/adult; $45/adult and child pair

Class Size: 6-8 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

Come carve a cooking spoon! Learn to work with the grain of the wood using gouges and knives to shape a unique creation and return home with a functional and beautiful kitchen utensil. This class will include an introduction to edge tools and carving safety.

Laurel Iselin has enjoyed working with wood since she was a kid and has taught woodworking and craft classes at Kroka Expeditions, Gathering Waters Charter School, and the Roots School. She lives up the road in East Alstead with her husband and three children.

With: Dudley Laufman

Event Fee: This program is free. Registration is encouraged as space is limited.

Event Size: 50 / Family friendly

Since the late 1600s, the lively tradition of contra dancing has kept people of all ages swinging and sashaying in barns, town halls, and schools around the state. Contra dancing came to New Hampshire by way of the English colonists and remains popular in many communities, particularly in the Monadnock Region. Presenter Dudley Laufman brings this tradition to life with stories, poems, and recordings of callers, musicians, and dancers, past and present. Live music, always integral to this dance form, will be played on the fiddle and melodeon.

This program is made possible by New Hampshire Humanities. Find out more at www.nhhumanities.org.

Dudley Laufman received the highest honor for traditional artists, the National Heritage Fellowship, in 2009. He received the 2001 NH Governor's Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. In 1999, Laufman presented at the Smithsonian FolkLife Festival in Washington, DC. Laufman has been playing fiddle and calling for contra and square dances for 64 years. He co-authored Traditional Barn Dances and recorded several CDs. Under Laufman's leadership the Canterbury Orchestra produced five recordings.

With: Jim Gruber

Event Fee: by donation

Event Size: 50 / family friendly

We will gather in the community room of the Mill for an evening of reflections and stories of what it was like to be part of the community of Mill Hollow in the 60's, 70's and 80's. Many were drawn to this area, many were already here. Come and listen or come and share your memories. If you want to share a story and you have a picture or two to include, please send them to Jim Gruber: jgruber@antioch.edu. Pictures are needed at least 3 days before the event (by July 15th).

Jim Gruber arrived in Mill Hollow in 1978. He worked with Heman Chase to do Mill structural repairs and to restart the woodworking classes for kids on Saturdays. He lived in the Brick House with Mary Burroughs his first year in New Hampshire, and cut out the timbers in the Mill for his house that he and his family live in. He served on the Board of Chase's Mill for 6 years. He is now semi-retired and currently serving in the NH House.

Event photo: Heman and Edith Chase and youth woodworkers, 1960s - courtesy of Bruce Bellows and the Alstead Historical Society.

With: Margaret Chase Perry and Nancy Botkin

Event Fee: By donation

Event Size: 50 / Family friendly

We will continue the celebration with Margaret Perry and her most recent accomplishment: Modern Times Come to Mill Hollow: The Technology and Cultural Changes Discussed in the Chase/Dennett Family Letters. This book launch will involve a short reading, time for discussion with the author, and a book signing. Her previous collection of letters Building the Mill will also be available.

Margaret Chase Perry is the daughter of Heman and Edith Chase. She is the archivist of the extensive collection of Chase family letters.

Nancy Botkin is the granddaughter of Edith and Heman Chase. She spends her winters at her home in San Francisco making books, playing with paper, and taking classes at the San Francisco Center for the Book. She then teaches book arts in the summer. This is her fifth year teaching at Chase's Mill.

With: Nancy Botkin and Juliana Stevens

Class Fee: $30/adult; $45/adult and child pair

Materials Fee: $10 / participant

Class Size: 8-10 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

From the intrepid wanderer to the secret lover, folding paper has long been a creative challenge.

Come learn techniques for paper folding, from the practical to the whimsical. In addition, we will learn different ways of letter locking to keep prying eyes out!

Nancy Botkin is the granddaughter of Edith and Heman Chase. She spends her winters at her home in San Francisco making books, playing with paper, and taking classes at the San Francisco Center for the Book. She then teaches book arts in the summer. This is her fifth year teaching at Chase's Mill.

Juliana Stevens is a lifelong resident of Alstead. She found her love of reading at Edith Chase’s preschool and pounded lots of nails at Chase’s Mill. She is a retired teacher who taught physical education in grades kindergarten through college.  

With: Gail Golec

Event Fee: by donation

Event Size: 50 / adults only

For a time in the latter half of the 19th century, Vermont had some of the most progressive divorce laws in the Northeast. Contrary to the alarmist news media of the time, it wasn’t people from out of state moving to Vermont just to game the system - it was by and large local people and by and large, women choosing this legal option to end their marriages. At a time when women had very little agency, be they married, widowed, or single, these divorce laws became a life saving option for many. But it wasn’t just rich and well-connected people who got divorces; rich and poor had to rely on an undocumented network of other women, divorcees, sympathetic lawyers, family, and friends to protect themselves, their children, and property. This discussion covers a study of 180 divorce cases from Windsor County Vermont from 1871-1880, shedding light on this little known part of our local history.

Gail Golec is a professional archaeologist, who has worked on sites around New England for over 20 years. She currently works for Monadnock Archaeological Consulting. Gail was born and raised in New Hampshire and developed an interest in local history at an early age. Most recently, she has taken her years of research and funneled it into writing, producing and hosting a podcast about local history called The Secret Life of Death. www.thesecretlifeofdeath.com. Recently, Gail became a board member of the Mill Hollow Heritage Association.

With: Tricia Miller

Class Fee: $20

Class Size: 6-10 / teens to adults

Why is rug hooking being rediscovered as an outlet for creativity, imagination, community and fun? Hear about the roots of this tradition that morphed from a humble craft into an art. Many hooked pieces will be on display showing how methods and styles have changed over the years. There will be a demonstration of the process of how a hooked piece is created from an idea to an actual rug or mat. Attendees will be offered the opportunity to try out hooking. If there is interest, a beginner class will be scheduled.

Tricia Miller began hooking rugs in 1983. She has been inducted into the Rug Hooker Hall of Fame sponsored by Rug Hooking Magazine and has won many awards for her work, most recently in 2024 with Viewers' Choice for her entry in Celebration of Hand-Hooked Rugs 34.

With: Nancy Botkin

Class Fee: $30/adult; $45/adult and child pair

Class Size: 8 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

With free materials from your recycling bin or trash, X-Acto knives, glue, needle, and thread, we will make artistic / "junk" journals, sketchbooks, or notebooks. Be prepared to have fun!

Nancy Botkin is the granddaughter of Edith and Heman Chase. She spends her winters at her home in San Francisco making books, playing with paper, and taking classes at the San Francisco Center for the Book. She then teaches book arts in the summer. This is her fifth year teaching at Chase's Mill.

With: Jason Breen

Class Fee: $40

Class Size: 6 / Ages 16 and older

Using grinding wheels and and hand sharpening stones, we move on from garden tools in the first tool sharpening class, to learn how to safely sharpen scissors, knives, or chisels. Bring some dull scissors to class and return home with sharp ones!

Jason Breen is a Brattleboro-based custom furniture maker and member of the Guild of Vermont Furniture Makers. He studied instrument building and history at Marlboro College, which he paid for by building timber frames and cabinets. Traditional tools have inspired his work ever since he inherited his ancestors’ hand planes.

With: Michael Nerrie

Walk Fee: By donation

Walk Size: 15 / all ages

Join Michael for a guided exploration of Distant Hill Nature Trail as he shares his knowlegde and passion for this peice of land that he and his partner have been in relationship with for many years. The walk is about a mile on smooth, gently sloped gravel trails, that are suitable for wheelchairs or strollers.No special footwear or gear is required.
We will meet and park at the Distant Hill Nature Trail pavilion at 66 March Hill Road, Alstead, NH.

Michael Nerrie is the designer, builder, and resident naturalist at Distant Hill Gardens and Nature Trail, a non-profit environmental and horticultural learning center he started in 2019, located on a 155-acre property in Walpole and Alstead, NH.

With: Randy Miller

Event Fee: by donation

Event Size: 50 / adults only

Today I climbed the hill alone,
And stood beside the arch of stone.
The landscape smiled beneath the sun;
The strong wind waved the ripened corn.
The sunshine glorified the trees,
And roused to life the drowsy bees.

from "Autumn in a New Hampshire Village" by Arthur W. Anderson (1919)

Please join me in climbing this particular hill of history: a detailed look at the origins of Alstead in the 18th century. Since moving into town in the early 1970s, I have collected many stories and historical tidbits of the town. Through scores of visits to the Cheshire County Registry of Deeds in Keene, leafing page-by-page through the old leather-bound volumes, I have collected abstracts of EVERY deed transaction in the town of Alstead in its first 30 years of settlement - from 1763 to 1793! I created a map of the town that accurately superimposes the original Lots and Ranges onto a current USGS map, to reveal where lay the farmsteads, the town center, and school and minister's lots.

Randy Miller first settled in East Alstead in the spring of 1973. He is a graphic artist and professional musician. His wood engraving "Brook in Winter" was used on the front cover of the Alstead Town Report (1975), and he illustrated Heman Chase's book, "More Than Land." He is the author of "A History of the Second Congregational Church of Alstead, N.H. - 1788-1988," and recently published "Music from Mill Hollow" containing his musical compositions and autobiographical story.

With: Juliana Stevens and Bob Brown

Class Fee: $30/adult; $45/adult and child pair

Class Size: 10 / Appropriate for children 8+ with accompanying adult

Create your own marble run using hand tools with wood provided by the Mill. Demonstrate how marble runs work and then bring home your creation. No experience necessary.

Juliana Stevens is a lifelong resident of Alstead. She found her love of reading at Edith Chase’s preschool and pounded lots of nails at Chase’s Mill. She is a retired teacher who taught physical education in grades kindergarten through college.  

Bob Brown is a retired science educator and administrator, having taught at Fall Mountain Regional High School for many years. Now an Alstead resident, he summered in Mill Hollow throughout his childhood and worked closely with Heman Chase at the Mill and surveying. Bob oversaw the rehabilitation of Chase’s Mill and its water power.

With: Patience Stoddard

Event Fee: By donation

Event Size: 50 / Family friendly

Bring a favorite poem or two to share. Could be original or a long-time favorite. We will meet in the community room. Cookies and tea provided.

Patience Stoddard is a mostly-retired Unitarian Universalist minister and a lover of poetry. Over the years she has led gatherings of poetry sharing in services and other venues.

With: Emma Kuester and Hale Morrell

Class Fee: $40/adult; $60/adult and child pair

Materials Fee: $5 / participant

Class Size: 6-10 max / All ages

Making ornaments from natural materials like birch bark is a wonderful way to give special gifts without breaking the bank. In this class, we will weave one birch bark bird and one eight-pointed star. If there is time, additional items may be created as well.

With: Ann Acheson

Trip Fee: by donation

Trip Size: 10 / all ages

Don your gardening gear! For this field trip we will be visiting the community garden at Orchard Hill. This garden is tended by 15+ local families who come together once a week to grow fall storage crops.

We will be in the garden from 10 to noon getting our hands in the soil, learning about cover crops, and having any questions answered that might arise. At noon we will stop and have lunch together, at which time we will hear the origin story and intentions of fostering a community of wellness through this garden expression.

We will meet at the Center at Orchard Hill, 114 Old Settlers Rd, Alstead. Lunch is provided.

Ann Acheson not only fosters community at Chase's Mill as a MHHA board steward, she also participates in tending the community garden at Orchard Hill.  

With: Amy Stodola

Class Fee: $25

Materials Fee: $5

Class Size: 4 -12 / Adults only

This simple collage technique creates beautiful collages from readily available materials.It is easy to learn and fun to do. In this two hour class, you will create new images out of images torn from magazines. Then you will apply your chosen images to a support using glue.

Amy Stodola has always enjoyed arts and crafts, including painting and fiber arts. She became interested in collage during the pandemic. She enjoys sharing this fun technique with others.

With: Alyson Montgomery and Kathy Torrey

Adults only

Come gather with community members at the Shedd-Porter Memorial Library in Alstead for a fun evening to talk about our favorite books, share recommendations, and celebrate reading! We will also swap books, so bring a few to trade, if you like! Enjoy the beautiful library, the company of fellow book lovers, and a chance to refresh your collection. Please take home unclaimed books.

Alyson Montgomery, as the Director of Shedd-Porter, can't wait to welcome the Chase's Mill community to the library! She looks forward to sharing her love of books and reading with you!

Kathy Torrey is a library trustee and a co-chair of the Mill Programs Team. Books and community gatherings are lifelong interests of hers.

With: Ann Acheson

Trip Fee: donations may be made at the Alstead Historical Society

Trip Size: 10 / all ages

Step back in time with us as we visit the Alstead Historical Museum. The Alstead Historical Society operates out of a restored 19th-century church. The museum houses a wide range of exhibits, including collections of furniture, textiles, tools, and other everyday objects from the town's past. The upper floor is set up to replicate life in Alstead in the 18th and 19th centuries which gives you a sense of how folks lived in this community.

There is direct access to the second floor for those with the inablility to climb stairs.

We will meet at 9:30 am at the museum in Alstead Village. The address is 16 Pleasant Street. Parking is available on Bragg Lane.

Ann Acheson enjoys going on field trips! She currently serves on the Mill Hollow Heritage Association's Board of Trustees.