Climate Advocates Bennington (CAB) honored Mikaela Lewis and Matt Harrington of the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce with the 2025 Environmental Leadership Award during the Bennington Rotary Club luncheon on Friday, November 21st. The luncheon was held at the Charlie Boyle Carriage Barn and welcomed members of the Compost Committee of the Solid Waste Alliance, as well as volunteers involved with multiple composting efforts throughout Bennington County in 2025.

For three decades, the unmistakable aroma of garlic has signaled the arrival of one of New England’s most beloved festivals. In 2025, the garlic festival in Bennington, also known recently as Garlic Town USA, will celebrate its 30th anniversary, marking a major milestone for this long-standing event that has brought together farmers, artisans, musicians, food lovers, and garlic enthusiasts from across the country.

Article originally in The Bennington Banner (September 5, 2021) written by Makayla-Courtney McGeeney // Thousands of garlic lovers descended on downtown Bennington on Saturday for Garlic Town, USA. This year’s single-day Labor Day weekend tradition follows the scaled down version of the annual Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb festival that hosted roughly 3,000 attendees in 2020. The reimagined event combined a variety of free activities and entertainment hubs as well as ticketed “cloves” where garlic vendors, artisans and food trucks resided.