The Arlington Common
We aim to enhance our community through creative exploration of the arts and wellness.
Mission
Arlington, Vermont and its surrounding villages are home to an active, talented, and dedicated community. In the town center, The Arlington Common is a two-acre campus with three wonderful buildings where our close-knit community can gather and celebrate our collective activities, well-being, and culture. Guided by the key needs outlined by the Arlington Renewal Project (wellness, education, economic development, arts, and tourism), The Common builds on that spirit of community enrichment.
What we can do together!
Do you have a talent or interest you would like to share with our community? Gardening, cooking, games? Maybe you are a small business that would like to highlight what you do with a hands-on demonstration. The Arlington Common would love to host anyone who would like to volunteer to lead a class, workshop or discussion. The classes can be as short as a one time, hour long gathering, or something longer, meeting over multiple days.
In the past we have had volunteer-led classes in painting, Tai Chi, fabric swaps, gift wrapping, yoga, drawing, various games, fly tying, pickleball, ping pong and stitching. We are only limited by our communities imagination!
If you are interested, please get in touch with us at info@arlingtoncommon.org, and we can help you plan your class, workshop or discussion.
History
When the St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Arlington closed its doors, it left a hole in the heart of Arlington’s historic village. In 2021, a local non-profit, the Arlington Arts and Enrichment Program purchased the two-acre campus through private donations. We gathered community thoughts, investigated the site’s potential, developed improvement plans, and identified the most needed and appropriate facilities for the Arlington area. We are mindful of our diverse community as we create an economically cautious and future-oriented plan. We are revitalizing the three buildings into a Performing Arts Center, a Fitness Center, and the Watkins House.
The Arlington Arts and Enrichment Program (AAEP), a 501c3 non-profit organization that has successfully served the Arlington community for over eighteen years through its various programs including after school classes, artists-in-residencies, special art projects, fundraising events, summer camps and, most recently, its Green Mountain Squash pilot program (a free after school and summer program that has broadened horizons, improved physical health, fostered academic achievement, and promoted personal vision through academic enrichment, the sport of squash, community service, as well as academic and life-skills support for four years).
Board Members
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Bill Bullock, Treasurer
A graduate of Colby College, Bill lives in Arlington with his wife Bebe where they've lived since 1995. Bill entered the world of nonprofits by serving as Executive Director for the American Museum of Fly Fishing. In 2007, Bill and his wife Bebe joined the faculty at Berkshire School where he served as their Director of Planned Giving and Major Gifts. He is currently the US Vice president for the Atlantic Salmon Federation.
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Bebe Bullock, Vice President
A twenty-five-year Arlington resident, Bebe co-founded the Arlington Arts and Enrichment Program, a local 501c3, to bring arts and enrichment to Arlington children. Additionally, she co-designed and co-led the four-year pilot program Green Mountain Squash, a free afterschool and summer program for Arlington middle school students. Bebe taught and coached in high schools for seventeen years and ran a project-based learning workshops program. Currently, the archivist at Berkshire School, Sheffield MA.
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Carol Farley, President
Carol Farley is a 25-year resident of Arlington. She has taught English at Arlington Memorial High School and Middle School for the past 12 years. Prior to that, she was the grant writer for the Arlington School District, the director of marketing for Anne Klein watches, and a buyer for Macy’s. Carol was an original board member of the Arlington Arts and Enrichment Program and a co-founder of Green Mountain squash.
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Joyce Kennedy
Joyce has been a Carpenter 30 years. She moved to Arlington Vt. from Truro, MA and opened a Custom Picture Framing shop.
Joyce can be found taking on any number of projects at The Common, as a lead of the Grounds & Building Committee. Joyce enjoys the outdoors, hiking, camping, and metal detecting.
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Ned Reade
Ned Reade paints in oils and watercolors and is the former Chairman of the Arts Department at the Trinity-Pawling School, a private secondary school, where he had taught art and art history for forty-five years. Ned is the Board Chair and curator of the Gallery at the Arlington Common.
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Don Trachte, Jr
Don is the eldest son of artist Donald Trachte. During his childhood in the 1950s in the wholesome environment of Arlington, Vermont, where he was raised as a neighbor and a friend of Norman Rockwell’s family, Don grew up with many of the people depicted in Rockwell’s paintings. He attended Arlington High School and Western State College of Colorado with a major in economics. His interest in science and geology led to expeditions to Antarctica and Greenland. Trachte has worked for several aerospace companies in sales/marketing and program management. He is currently cataloging his father’s large collection of artwork and artifacts collected and gives lectures about his experience of discovering an original Norman Rockwell painting behind a secret wall. Don lives in Bennington, Vermont.
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Sandra Wood
Sandra has a rather diverse background. Wildlife biologist, woodworker, dairy farmer, and most recently, facilities manager at the Southern VT Arts Center. As a resident of Vermont for 39 years and of Arlington for 16 years, she is happy to be bringing her experience to the Arlington Common.
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Jeff Barclay
Jeff comes to the Arlington Common as our new Fitness Manager following a 35-year career as an athletics director, physical and health educator, and coach at several independent and international schools. Most recently, Jeff established the physical education program and curriculum while serving as the Director of Athletics at Maple Street School in Manchester. Jeff is also Co-Director of Camp Deerwood, a residential boys’ camp in Holderness, NH. Jeff lives in Sunderland with his wife, Beth, and they have three children.
