Category Archives: Vermont

WMEO Special report- Punkin Chuckin Edition

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Two cats sit behind a WMEO news desk as anchors for a segment titled “Punkin Chuckin – A WMEO Special Report.” The orange tabby cat named Banner wears a black bow tie and sits beside a small pumpkin on the desk. The black cat, Balboa, sits to the right near a teddy bear and a gray mouse prop. Behind them, a large screen shows a pumpkin chucking event with wooden catapults and a crowd in a grassy field under a blue sky.

WMEO SPECIAL REPORT — Pumpkin Chuckin’ Edition

Banner (Anchor Desk):

“Ah, fall in New England. Crisp air, bright leaves, cranberries floating on the bogs… and pumpkin chuckin’. Yes, that’s a thing — and WMEO was on the scene at the Vermont Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival in Stowe, VT on September 27.”

Balboa (Chaos Desk):

“Held at Mayo Farm Events Field, the festival is the ultimate game of fall one‑upmanship. Kids and adults compete to build the best trebuchet — a modern twist on the medieval catapult — and launch pumpkins across the field in a battle of engineering, accuracy, and pure autumn chaos… Tell me, do they have pies?”

Banner:

“That’s right, Balboa. It’s a high‑stakes, high‑energy game out there. Let’s see what Pumpkin Spice has for us from the field. Over to you, Pumpkin.”

Pumpkin Spice (Field Reporter):

“The energy is vicious out here. There are smashed pumpkins everywhere. They’re being catapulted… and even shot from guns! One family even has a child‑sized catapult.A small homemade catapult built from white PVC pipes sits on a concrete surface outdoors. The angled launching arm holds an orange ball in a plastic cup, with two more orange balls resting nearby. Fallen leaves scatter across the grassy background, showing a simple DIY setup for launching small objects.

Oh—wait. Not me. No. No.

Pumpkin Spice, an orange tabby cat wearing a black PRESS hat with a red band, is flying through the air after being launched from a large wooden trebuchet at a fall pumpkin chucking event. He’s stretched out mid‑jump, holding a small WMEO microphone in one paw. Behind him, spectators watch from a grassy field surrounded by autumn trees.

This job is hazardous.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO news desk for a segment titled “Punkin Chuckin – A WMEO Special Report.” Banner, an orange tabby in a bow tie, sits beside a small pumpkin, while Balboa, a black cat, sits beside a teddy bear and toy mouse. Behind them, the studio screen displays a smaller framed image of the “Young Glory” Punkin Chunkin cannon mounted on a trailer. The headline remains visible above the screen.

Banner (Back at the News Desk):

“We hope Pumpkin Spice is okay after his first‑hand experience with pumpkin chuckin’.

And Balboa… I’m sorry to report we didn’t see any pies.”

Banner (Merch Desk):

“And in lighter news, Pumpkin Spice has authorized the release of the Boogie in the Bog T‑shirt. It’s available now for anyone who enjoys seasonal chaos as much as he suffers from it. Dustyroads Mercantile

A white T‑shirt featuring a playful design of three red cartoon bog creatures dancing beneath musical notes and a treble clef. The text below them reads “Boogie in the Bog.”

Balboa:

“Wait—Pumpkin Spice has merch now? Does it come in my size?”

Banner:

“Yes, Balboa. And no, it doesn’t come with pies.”

Banner (Closing):

“This has been a WMEO Special Fall Report.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

 

 

WMEO Fall Foliage Update — October 2026

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Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk delivering a “Fall Foliage Update.” Banner, an orange tabby wearing a black bow tie, and Balboa, a sleek black cat, face the camera with a microphone between them. A teddy bear and toy mouse rest on the desk beside their WMEO press badge. Behind them, a large screen shows a vivid autumn landscape of trees with red, orange, and yellow leaves along a riverbank under a blue sky.

🍁 Live From the WMEO 9 Weather Desk, This is your Fall Foliage Update

WMEO 9   We Meow- You Listen

Banner (Weather Desk): “Good morning, New England! Banner here with your official WMEO Fall Foliage Update. Peak color has exploded across New Hampshire and Vermont, and experts say this is the most vibrant season in over a decade. Reds, oranges, yellows — the whole region looks like it’s been set on ‘autumn mode.’”

A calm pond reflects a dense forest of trees in peak autumn color, with bright red, orange, yellow, and green foliage lining the water’s edge under soft natural light.

Balboa (Anchor Desk): “Well, that explains why the humans keep stopping in the middle of the road to stare at trees. Personally, I prefer indoor foliage — specifically the houseplants I’m not supposed to chew. But yes, the mountains are glowing, and leaf‑peepers are already out in full force. Brace yourselves.”

Banner: “Thank you, Balboa. For on‑location coverage, we now go live to our Autumn Correspondent, Pumpkin Spice, reporting from somewhere inside a leaf pile.”

Pumpkin Spice (Leaf Pile Reporter)

Pumpkin Spice, an orange tabby cat dressed as a WMEO field reporter, sits partially buried in a pile of colorful autumn leaves. He wears a black hat with an orange band and small leaves tucked into it, and holds a WMEO microphone in his paw. A WMEO press badge hangs from a blue lanyard around his neck. Behind him, New England mountains covered in peak fall foliage rise under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

Pumpkin Spice (Leaf Pile Reporter): “Pumpkin Spice reporting LIVE from Leaf Central! As you can see, I am fully immersed in the situation — literally. Experts say this is the best foliage season in over ten years, and judging by the amount of leaves currently stuck to my hat, I can confirm the data is accurate.

Up north, the White Mountains are glowing. Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom is showing off. Northern Maine is basically a postcard. Sunny skies, temps in the low 60s… perfect conditions for leaf‑peepers and terrible conditions for anyone who dislikes raking.

A curving paved road winds through a dense forest of trees in peak autumn color, with bright red, orange, yellow, and green foliage lining both sides under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Peak color will last about a week in the mountains before drifting south. Translation: more leaves for me to sit in, and more tourists for Banner to yell at from the Weather Desk.

…and with peak color expected to drift south over the next week, leaf‑peepers should prepare for maximum crunch conditions. I’ll remain on location — mostly because I’m stuck — but for now, this is Pumpkin Spice reporting LIVE from the leaf pile.

Banner, Balboa… back to you at the desk.”

Banner (Weather Desk): “Thank you, Pumpkin Spice. Please try not to sink any deeper — HR says we’re out of replacement microphones.”

Balboa (Anchor Desk): “And if anyone sees a small orange reporter buried in leaves, please do not attempt to rake him. He is part of the broadcast.”

Banner: “That’s your WMEO Fall Foliage Update for today. Stay safe, enjoy the colors, and remember — if you’re stopping suddenly to admire a tree, maybe use your blinker.”

Balboa: “We’ll be back tomorrow with more WMEO coverage. Until then, keep your paws warm and your leaf piles cat‑free.”

Two cats sit behind a WMEO 9 news desk as if hosting a broadcast. The orange cat on the left wears a dark blue bow tie, while the black cat on the right sits beside a small gray mouse toy and a brown teddy bear. A sheet of paper with red markings lies on the desk. The front of the desk displays the text “WMEO 9” in large yellow letters and “Thank you for watching” in white. The blurred newsroom background features blue and red tones.

 

Vermont’s Fall Colors

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A white steepled church sits in a small Vermont town surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage, with red, orange, and yellow trees, a grassy foreground, a winding stream, and misty mountains rising in the background.

🍁  Vermont’s Route 100 — From the Triangle to the Trees

After wandering through the mysteries of the Bennington Triangle, it turns out the perfect next stop is… Bennington itself. Because that’s where Vermont Route 100 begins — the most scenic drive in the entire state, and honestly one of the best in New England.

Route 100 is Vermont showing off. This winding two‑lane highway runs the full length of the state, more than 200 miles from bottom to top, hugging the eastern side of the Green Mountains the whole way. In October, it becomes a rolling ribbon of color — hills blazing in red and gold, quiet lakes reflecting the sky, rivers slipping through the trees, and covered bridges popping up like they were placed there just for your camera.

A curving paved road with double yellow lines winds uphill through a dense autumn forest, surrounded by vivid red, orange, yellow, and green foliage on both sides.

It’s the kind of road where every bend feels like a postcard.

You pass through tiny villages with white steeples, old farms tucked into the hills, waterfalls you can hear before you see, and long stretches where the forest arches overhead like a tunnel of color. We stayed on Route 100 almost the entire way, with just one detour planned: Smugglers’ Notch up north — because honestly, how do you resist a name like that?

A winding paved road curves through a bright autumn forest, with yellow and orange leaves forming a colorful canopy overhead and a large mossy rock sitting beside the road.

If the Bennington Triangle gave us Vermont’s eerie side, Route 100 is the soft, golden, leaf‑peeping side — the part that makes you roll the windows down, breathe in the cold air, and remember why fall feels like magic.

 

Haunted October: Join Me in the Bennington Triangle

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A misty Vermont forest with dense evergreens and low‑lying fog drifting through the trees, with a shadowed mountain rising in the background.

🎃 Join me — if you dare — on a nature hike deep in the forests of Vermont.

There’s a stretch of wilderness in the southwestern corner of the state where the trees grow close, the air hangs still, and the quiet feels heavier than it should. Hikers talk about a strange hush that settles over the land — a silence that doesn’t sound natural, a stillness that makes you stop walking and listen without knowing why.

This is Glastenbury Mountain, the heart of what people now call the Bennington Triangle.

🌲 A Campfire in the Dark

A glowing campfire burning on a rocky riverbank at dusk, with flames reflecting off the stones and silhouetted trees in the background.Picture our campfire: a bright circle of light in the darkness, twigs snapping as they burn. Someone from our group steps away — just for a moment. Maybe to grab something from the tent or pick up a sweater. Nights get cold in these woods.

But they never return.

Vanished. Gone in the blink of an eye.

It sounds impossible… until you learn that five people have walked into these woods and never come back out. Only one was ever found — and her remains had been lying out there for months before surfacing.

👣 The Vanishings

Middie Rivers — 1945

An experienced woodsman leading a hunting party along a familiar trail. He walked a short distance ahead to scout the path, rounded a curve, and simply never returned.

Search teams combed the area for days. No footprints.or  broken brush. No sign of an animal attack. Nothing. It was as if the forest opened up and took him.

One moment he was there. The next, he wasn’t.

Paula Welden — 1946

A 19‑year‑old college student who went for a hike on the Long Trail. She was seen heading toward the woods… and then never again. Despite weeks of searching, no trace was ever found.

An empty pair of blue‑gray bus seats with a worn green backpack and a weathered brown duffle bag resting on them, next to a window showing a blurred outdoor view.James Tedford — 1949

A veteran traveling by bus through the area. Passengers saw him sitting in his seat as the bus approached Bennington — but when it arrived, he was gone. His belongings were still there. His seat was undisturbed. He had vanished from a moving bus.

Paul Jepson — 1950

Only eight years old. His mother left him in the family truck for about half an hour. When she returned, Paul was gone. Bloodhounds tracked his scent to a nearby road, where it simply ended. He was never found.

Frieda Langer — 1950

An experienced hiker and the only one ever recovered. She slipped into a brook and went to change her clothes. She never came back. Months later her body was discovered — but no cause of death could be determined.

Five disappearances. Five unsolved cases. One small region.

🌫️ A Mountain the Abenaki Would Not Enter A foggy woodland trail lined with tall moss‑covered trees, with mist drifting through the forest and the path fading into the distance.

The Abenaki knew better than to trust Glastenbury. Hunting parties steered clear of its woods, no villages ever took root on its slopes, and travelers passed through without stopping. In their stories, the mountain was a place that swallowed people whole.

🎃 Why the Bennington Triangle Haunts Us

The Bennington Triangle is spooky not because of ghosts, but because of the feeling it gives you. It’s the kind of place where the forest seems to close in, where the trail feels longer than it should, and where the silence makes you wonder what’s listening.

It’s New England at its most mysterious.

So I ask you again…

Will you join me in the Bennington Triangle?

A nighttime campfire burning inside a ring of rocks, with two empty yellow camping chairs facing the flames and dark trees silhouetted in the background.

 

Scenic Chair Lifts & Sky-High Leaf Peeping

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🎢 Scenic Chair Lifts & Sky-High Leaf Peeping: New England’s Autumn Adventures

Oh hey, Leaf Peepers 🍁—ready to elevate your fall foliage game? If you’re tired of craning your neck through car windows or dodging reflections off the windshield, New Hampshire and Vermont have a better idea: take to the skies.

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🎿 Chair Lifts & Gondolas with a View
Ski resorts across the region open their lifts to non-skiers each autumn, offering a bird’s-eye view of the blazing reds, golds, and oranges below. You’ll be strapped in, feet dangling, soaring over treetops like a migrating hawk. Feeling bold? Snap a few photos mid-air—if your nerves allow. Prefer something enclosed? Opt for a gondola ride, where you can enjoy the same stunning views from the comfort of a cozy cabin.

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

 

🎢 But Wait—There’s More (Thrill Seekers, This One’s for You)

🎢 Thunderbolt Mountain Coaster – Berkshires, MA
If your idea of leaf peeping involves adrenaline and velocity, head to Thunderbolt Mountain Coaster in the Berkshires. This alpine coaster climbs 1,500 feet before plunging down Mount Institute in a blur of hairpin turns and forested speed. You might not catch every leaf, but your heart will definitely skip a beat.

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🚂 A More Sedate Journey

🚂 Conway Scenic Railroad – White Mountains, NH
For a gentler ride through fall’s splendor, hop aboard the Conway Scenic Railroad. Winding through the White Mountains, this vintage train offers panoramic views of Crawford Notch’s cliffs and fiery foliage. Want the ultimate experience? Splurge on a seat in the glass-domed car—360 degrees of autumn magic.

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🌳 Walk Among the Treetops

🌳 Canopy Walk – Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Ever dreamed of strolling through the treetops? Vermont makes it real. The Canopy Walk at VINS invites visitors of all abilities to wander above the forest floor, immersed in golden leaves and birdsong. It’s peaceful, poetic, and perfect for families, nature lovers, and anyone craving a gentle thrill.

Murch Canopy Walk » HF&G

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🧗 Zip Lines & Obstacle Courses

🧗 Adventure Park – Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, CT
Zip lines used to be a novelty—now they’re a staple of fall fun. At the Discovery Museum’s Adventure Park, you’ll zip through a kaleidoscope of leaves, suspended in midair like a squirrel on a mission. But that’s just the beginning: 14 treetop trails await, complete with swinging bridges, ladders, and cable runs. Friendly staff are on hand to help you gear up and get climbing.

The Adventure Park at Discovery Museum: Zipline & Rope Course

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🍂 Leaf Peeping, Reimagined

New England’s fall foliage isn’t just for slow drives and scenic overlooks anymore. Whether you’re gliding above the trees, racing through them, or walking among their golden crowns, there’s a thrill for every kind of adventurer. Seniors, families, daredevils—everyone’s invited to move leaf peeping off the ground and into the sky.

Photo Credit Deb Neumann