Friends of the Ripton Community Church will present a program featuring Diana Bigelow and Jim Stapleton reading from their memoirs on Sunday, June 14th, at 4:00 pm. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free to the ninety minute presentation but donations for the continuing restoration of the church are appreciated. The church is located on Rte 125 in Ripton village.

Bigelow and Stapleton have each recently self-published a memoir. Diana’s life-story was written at the request of her grandson, Jim’s book is an account of his eight years as a hermit in the Pennsylvania woods. The afternoon presentation will feature readings from their works, as well as a discussion with the audience about the process of self-publishing.

The Bristol couple have presented other programs at the Community Church, including Mark Twain’s “The Diaries of Adam and Eve” and an evening of their own stories and songs. They have appeared in plays and skits in Bristol, Vergennes, and Middlebury and have performed Jim’s play, “Henry & Emily”, in New York City, at local colleges, and for the Henry Thoreau and Emily Dickinson societies.

Feb 14, 2025, 12 to 3 PM

Feb 15, 2025, 9 to 10 AM

Feb 15, 2025, 9 AM to 12 PM