As spring arrived with its much-welcomed longer hours of daylight, we were also delighted with April's summery warm weather. Mother Nature bloomed a bit early heralding spring with bright yellow daffodils and tulips in a variety of pinks, reds, corals and yellows and filled our region with spring color. The blooming flowers and budding trees set the stage to make May a special time for celebrating and remembering our mothers.

This month our cover features clothes from The Clift Collection. Mother is wearing an easy casual outfit; a cotton sweater with cropped pants and her daughters enjoy matching cotton sweaters. The new puppies were an added treat! A new spring outfit is always a perfect present for momÛand Manchester Footwear has a great selection of spring and summer shoes to compliment any outfit. With Mother's Day upon us, our pages are filled with great gift ideasÛclothes, jewelry, home accessories, furniture, and garden accessories. See the variety of inspiring ideas we've included!

In this issue, we welcome Friends of the Sun to Retail Beat's Vermont Style. They've recently relocated to an expanded new location behind the Sirloin Saloon. Map: W. If you're looking for patio furniture, window treatments and awnings, or hearth and barbecue products, visit their new Home and Hearth Emporium.

With spring's arrival, our community is gearing up for a full slate of fun events and activities for summer.

The Vermont Summer Festival Horse Show will be nearby in East Dorset (5 miles north of Manchester) for five weeks this summer. We're very excited to have this event in our community where world-class riders will compete in Grand Prix jumping competitions. Not only can you see great jumping, but the grounds are situated in a picturesque valley nestled in the Green Mountains. It's a fun event to enjoy with the whole family. The competition runs from July 10th through August 11th.

The Manchester Film Festival premiers in Manchester and will be hosting their first annual film festival from June 27th through 30th. The MFF has treated us to two advance screeningsÛfilms that have not yet been released to the general public. The first was Gosford Park, and most recently Possession with Gwyneth Paltrow. I was unable to attend the Gosford Park preview but it received several Oscar nominations proving it was an excellent film. I did attend the preview of Possession and it was a beautifully filmed and charming movie. As a new organization, I believe the MFF can bring some great projects and movies to our community. Let's give them our support! For more information call 802.362.9960 or visit www.manchesterfilmfest.com.

The Southern Vermont Arts Center is also organizing a full calendar of events for the summer. "Linda McCartney's Sixties: Portraits of an Era" exhibit will be available for viewing from June 29th through August 14th. Her photography is renowned for capturing special unposed moments in music history. SVAC's Arts for Living series is hosting Gloria Vanderbilt, Joyce Carol Oates, Dr. Herbert Benson and Dominick Dunne. Call 802.362.2522 or visit www.svac.org.

The Manchester Music Festival Summer 2002 concert series will be featuring "The American Experience" including composers born in the U.S. and those who came here from abroad. You'll be treated to beautiful music by Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Barer and Levy. Concerts will be held from July 18th through August 29th. Call 802.362.1956 or visit www.mmfvt.org.

The 10th annual Komen Vermont Race for the Cure will be held on Sunday, July 28th at the Hildene Meadowlands. To participate in the Race, to volunteer, or to donate and help celebrate "A Decade of Hope" please call 802.362.2733 or visit www.vtcure.org.

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