Photos courtesy of Haas Stone and Steel

Tucked away on the edge of Westport is Haas Stone and Steel, a group of skilled craftsmen who are reviving the traditional trade of fine heritage- quality metal and stone work. This quote from their blog captures their philosophy and practice:

“When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants will thank us for; and let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say, as they look upon the labor and wrought substance of them, 'See! This our fathers did for us.” ~ John Ruskin

Chazy & Westport Communications: A Legacy of Connection and Innovation

Since our founding in 1905 as a small independent telephone provider in rural northern New York, Chazy & Westport Communications has been dedicated to connecting communities and fostering local prosperity. In 1952, Gerald R. Forcier expanded our vision by acquiring key regional telephone companies. By 1959, the merger of these companies formed Chazy & Westport Telephone Corporation, setting us on a course to continually innovate—from pioneering digital switching to introducing cutting-edge fiber optic technology.

Transforming Rural Communities

We’ve played a pivotal role in turning towns like Westport, Wadhams, Chazy, West Chazy, and parts of Altona into vibrant, connected communities. Our state-of-the-art fiber optic network isn’t just about delivering high-speed internet—it’s a lifeline that supports remote work, online learning, and thriving local businesses. We’re proud to have shattered the isolation once felt in rural areas, allowing families and professionals alike to plant roots and prosper.

What does your business offer? 

-We are a sheep farm and small garden driven nursery, offering lamb, sheepskins, woven blankets, other woven woolen goods, yarn, and in the spring and summer of 2025 we will be open on Saturdays selling plants: annual veggie starts, flowers, herbs, and garden proven hardy perennials.  

Where can we find your products this holiday season (any markets? online..essex farm, etc) (and the rest of the year)

Anytime on our online store (www.wollecru.com), at the Grange Holiday market in Essex on Dec. 14, 11am-3pm, Winter Faire at Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Shelburne on the evening of Dec 6.  

PBN strives to present as much diversity in music as we can, and have so far presented music beginning in the Renaissance all the way to music written almost literally ‘yesterday’. The instruments we have included have been too numerous to list, although one highlight was an ondes martenot and another was a marimba (on several occasions)- all with the piano as the instrument beckoning the others to the stage.